Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani updated his Instagram on the 24th (25th Japan time), revealing a ball with the words "Thank you Ohtani-san, Byun" written on it.

He also posted a video of the ball spinning while the words were written on it. The photo also showed a cap with the New Balance signature logo, which is familiar from Ohtani's running appearance. The account of Takehiko Inoue, the creator of the popular manga "Slam Dunk," was tagged on the ball.

Fans responded to this ball one after another, asking questions such as "Whose autograph is this?", "Is it from Professor Inoue?", "Pyon?", and also saying things like "I can feel the love in the writing", "It's Sannoh Kogyo!", and "What a wonderful relationship."

On the 10th of this month (11th Japan time), Ohtani posted on his Instagram, "Thank you, Mr. Inoue, for the logo design." He revealed that the illustration of Ohtani running next to the New Balance "NB" was created by Takehiko Inoue, the author of the popular manga "Slam Dunk."

"Pyon" is the catchphrase of Kazunari Fukatsu, a character from Sannoh Industries, in Slam Dunk. Comments on Otani's post included, "He's a Fukatsu fan," and "It's so obvious that he's a Fukatsu fan!"