Shohei Ohtani makes feelings clear on golden generation label amid 5 Japanese stars set to compete in Tokyo Series

There's no denying that the MLB has seen an immense rise in popularity in Japan, thanks in large part to the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, and other Japanese stars who have made a name for themselves there.

Several of them will be in action this Tuesday at Tokyo Dome as the LA Dodgers lock heads with the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 Tokyo Series, marking the start of the regular season this year. Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki, and Roki Sasaki are set to feature in the two-game series.

Ahead of the highly anticipated showdown, Ohtani was asked if this crop of players is the golden generation of Japanese baseball in a press conference. Ohtani was humble in his response, citing former Japanese stars' presence in the majors.

"It's hard to tell if this is the golden age for Japanese players here in the United States," Ohtani said (translated to English). "I know there's been a lot of Japanese players that came before me, but having five is a big deal, and it's truly a big deal."

Shohei Ohtani's first workout at Tokyo Dome receives electric response

We are still four days away from witnessing Shohei Ohtani playing his first game in Japan representing MLB's LA Dodgers. Ohtani's homecoming already saw a trial experience on Friday when the Dodgers star conducted their first workout since coming to Japan.

According to a report from AOL.com, 10,507 fans gathered and packed the lower bowl seats and the two foul lines at the Tokyo Dome. While they didn't get to witness Ohtani launching some home runs, he made his presence felt for some drills.

“That,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said when announcer called Ohtani's name, “was a pretty cool moment for all of us to witness.”

Earlier this week, when Ohtani and the rest of the Dodgers touchdown at Haneda Airport, hundreds showed up just to catch a glimpse of the three-time MVP.

A 51-year-old fan of Shohei Ohtani, Taka Hattori, best described the experience during an interview.

“If not for Ohtani, I don’t think all of Japan would be in a frenzy like this,” he said. "Of course, Ohtani is a representative of Japan. But it doesn’t matter any more whether he’s Japanese, American or Korean. I feel he’s reached the level at which he is not a representative of any particular country but is rather a representative of baseball.”

MLB and the baseball world are set to witness a new high when Shohei Ohtani leads off for the Dodgers against Cubs' pitcher Shota Imanaga on Tuesday.