The Shohei Ohtani (and more) effect was strong for Fanatics during MLB’s two-game, season-opening Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
In a rare release of sale figures by the ubiquitous retailer, Fanatics announced that it generated $40 million in fan gear and trading card sales, making the series the biggest-selling event in company history. That total includes sales in multiple retail channels both online and in-person, in Japan as well as in the U.S.
A limited-edition collection from Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, which was sold at Complex and Fanatics pop-up stores in Tokyo and Los Angeles, sold out on the Fanatics app in less than an hour. Most of those products sold out within 15 minutes.
Of the Fanatics offerings, the Topps items were among the fastest sellers. More than 12,000 Topps Series 1 Japan Exclusive Mega Boxes sold out online in Japan. The two Topps Tokyo Series sets included a dual-signed 1/1 autograph of Ohtani and Murakami, and they were heavily sought after during the two-game series.
The company claims that the foot traffic at MLB’s store in the Tokyo Dome was so high that 140 registers were needed to handle the customer demand, with over 2,000 fans waiting in line to enter the store prior to the March 18 game and 1,000 waiting in line for the second game on March 19.
Of course, much of the fervor has been driven by Ohtani, who is coming off one of the greatest individual seasons in MLB history. Last August, the Dodgers superstar signed an exclusive global trading card deal with Topps, and its timing could not have been better, as he not only became the first 50 homer/50 steals player in AL/NL history but won his first World Series two months later, setting TV viewership records in his native country.
Yet, the three-time MVP was not the only star on hand in the series who helped move units for Fanatics. Fans also came out in droves to see his teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, along with Shōta Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs. Imanaga and Yamamoto faced off in the first game, while Sasaki made his MLB debut for Game 2. Los Angeles won both games to start the 2025 season 2-0 ahead of next week’s league-wide Opening Day.
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