The MLB Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs Opening Series, held over two days (March 18-19) at the Tokyo Dome, wasn't just a massive hit with sold-out Chiikawa collab merch. It also featured a special promotional animation crafted by ufotable for "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba", clearly showing how seriously both MLB and Japan were taking this international event.
For the opening game today, the official player introductions took on a "Pokémon" theme. And get this: when the Chicago Cubs players walked out, the stadium blasted Cynthia's Champion Battle BGM from "Pokémon Diamond and Pearl"! Fans and baseball enthusiasts alike were absolutely floored, never expecting to hear that iconic track at a ballpark. It even shot up the trending topics!
▼ "Cynthia Battle" (シロナ戦) was trending on X in Japan tonight.
Anyone who's played the main "Pokémon" games knows how epic the battle and environmental music can be. It's a huge reason why players rave about the series, with every generation boasting its own set of classic BGM. Among them, Champion Cynthia's theme music from "Pokémon Diamond and Pearl" stands out for many, delivering an intense, high-energy vibe that makes it one of the most beloved Champion battle tracks ever.
This "Pokémon" collaboration for the player introductions also saw the Dodgers make their entrance to the Saffron City BGM from "Super Smash Bros." on N64 – another tune instantly recognizable to any Pokémon fan.
Check out the opening video below! The Dodgers' entrance is around the 7:26 mark, and the Cubs' entrance is at 10:41, each featuring their respective tracks.
While the Saffron City BGM is a pretty common tune in the Pokémon universe, Cynthia's Champion Battle theme? Not so much! Many Pokémon fans absolutely showered praise on this choice, exclaiming they never imagined hearing that track at an event like this.
This unexpected BGM choice also reminded netizens of a past joke comparing Shohei Ohtani's physique to that of Pokémon's Garchomp. No wonder they played Cynthia's theme this time around, right? LOL!
(Cynthia's signature Pokémon is Garchomp.)
▼ Both Shohei Ohtani and Garchomp are 190 cm tall and weigh 95 kg. (Netizens joked about their identical stats back when Ohtani was still with the Angels.)
Of course, this BGM surprise was just a fun side note to the actual game. The Tokyo opener saw the Dodgers clinch a 4-1 victory over the Cubs, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivering a stellar five-inning performance, completely shutting down the Cubs' lineup to kick off the new season with a win.
For all you baseball fans out there, you're probably already glued to the Tokyo Opening Series! There's still one more game tomorrow, so who knows what other surprises await us?