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Florals? For spring…training season? Fresh off the return of his Louis Vuitton collab, Takashi Murakami brought his playful blooms to the baseball field ahead of the 2025 Major League Baseball Tokyo Series in a now-sold-out collection of Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs merch.
Originally launched on March 7, the sold-out Murakami x MLB collaboration will be restocked online on Monday, April 28 at Fanatics’ website and app and Complex.com and in person at Dodgers Stadium. The celebrated Japanese artist will also throw the first pitch that evening at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Japanese Heritage Night against the Miami Marlins.
“The reaction [to my capsule collection] in Japan was the biggest I’ve ever experienced, and it made me realize anew how important Shohei Ohtani and baseball are to Japanese people, which made my heart fill up with excitement,” Murakami tells THR. “When I was a child, baseball was the king of sports, but by the time I graduated from college, people’s interest had shifted to soccer, and recently, people were even saying that maybe baseball was a thing of the past. But since Shohei Ohtani went to the Major Leagues, there has been a huge resurgence of interest, and it feels like my childhood has come back. It makes me very happy.”
The Takashi Murakami x MLB 2025 Tokyo Series collection with Complex.
Major League Baseball
Murakami put his signature charming cherry blossoms, happy flowers and playful characters smiling on apparel and accessories for the City of Angeles and Windy City teams. Pricing ranges from $40 for stadium-ready clear tote bags and $55 for New Era 49Fifty hats, to $250 for Nike jerseys and $400 for Victus bats. There are also hoodies, T-shirts, Rawlings baseballs and gloves and a Complex-exclusive set of Topps trading cards ($120).
As for the collab’s roster, find gear for L.A. players Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman alongside New York team members Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson. And don’t be surprised to spot the fashionable pieces on starry sports fans, including Jennifer Lawrence, Taika Waititi and Rita Ora (all spotted in the stands at Dodger Stadium at the 2024 World Series), or on Illinois natives such as Hilary Clinton, Nick Offerman, Bill Murray and Eddie Vedder (all self-professed Cubs devotees).
Through his whimsical footwear brand, Ohana Hatake, Murakami will also release the puffy Surippa Ohana slides emblazoned with the Dodgers and Cubs logos.
“I think this new collection builds upon the historical friendship between Japan and the United States,” Murakami previously said in a statement. “I feel lucky to be able to work alongside Complex, MLB and highlight Shohei Ohtani, an outstanding athlete who has emerged from Japan and made a name for himself on the global stage. This is something I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be a part of.”
Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga baseball cards from the Takashi Murakami x MLB 2025 Tokyo Series collection with Complex.
For those who snoozed on shopping, the sold-out Murakami x MLB pieces are likely to hit marketplace sites such as Stockx, eBay, Grailed and more.
Below, Murakami chats more about the influence of American culture on his professional and personal life and what he’s looking forward to with his upcoming visit to Dodgers Stadium.
American culture — and particularly, baseball and fashion — have such a strong influence in certain circles of Japanese culture. How has that connection influenced you and your work with MLB?
When I was asked to throw the first pitch and stand on the mound, memories of playing catch with my father when I was around 10 years old came flooding back, bringing me back to how I felt over 50 years ago. My father lived with his trauma of Japan’s defeat in the war, so even when we played catch, he was acutely aware that he was participating in an American sport.
The music we listened to was on FEN (U.S. military radio), and he felt an overwhelming sense of inferiority, believing that America was superior in every aspect of culture. I am engaged in my current work — essentially, reflecting on Japan — having grown up watching my father like that, so I feel deeply moved.
What does it mean to you to be able to throw the first pitch again, this time at Japanese heritage night at Dodger Stadium? And how do you hope it will be different than your Tokyo pitch?
The opening pitch at Tokyo Dome, as I mentioned earlier, received an enormous response, and I was surprised to receive many messages from my elementary school friends but I got little reaction from my family. But then when I told them I would be pitching again at Dodger Stadium in L.A., they were so excited that they asked if they could come along, which really surprised me.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are remembered by Japanese people linked to the significant contribution that Hideo Nomo made to Japanese baseball: He brought the powerful spirit of Major League Baseball to Japan. This is a major stage where you can feel the excitement from that era of breaking through the invisible wall between Japan and the United States.
Where else are you finding inspiration these days?
It’s a cheap gag anime that my elementary school-aged daughter watches on YouTube. The fast-paced humor is really affecting me. Even though I don’t understand what they’re saying, it reminds me of the sense of utter chaos I had in my head as a child, and immersing myself in that anime’s world helps refresh my mind.
LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts Topps baseball cards from the Takashi Murakami x MLB 2025 Tokyo Series collection with Complex.
Major League Baseball
Shop the Murakami x MLB Tokyo Series online starting April 28 at Fanatics.com and Complex.com.