[Sports Real Live Emergency Project] Yuki Yanagita, Kenta Maeda, Kodai Senga, and More Gather! An Exclusive Interview Special Program Delving into the Origins of Pro Baseball Stars and the Appeal of the Anime "Ace of Diamond" to Air on Saturday, April 4th!

TV Tokyo's sports news program "Sports Real & Live" will broadcast a special program titled "[Sports Real Live Emergency Project] Delving into the Origins of Pro Baseball Stars: The Appeal of 'Ace of Diamond'!" from 11 PM on Saturday, April 4, 2026, to commemorate the broadcast of the TV anime "Ace of Diamond act II - Second Season-", which starts in April 2026.

In Japan, professional baseball has opened, and across the ocean in America, Major League Baseball has also begun! Five star players representing the baseball world, who compete on these dream stages, will passionately discuss the appeal of "Ace of Diamond" as their shared "origin."

The anime "Ace of Diamond" is an anime series that began broadcasting in 2013, based on the hugely popular comic by Yuji Terajima. It tells the story of protagonist Eijun Sawamura, who enrolls in the prestigious Seido High School baseball club and aims for the national high school baseball championship alongside Kazuya Miyuki, Satoru Furuya, Haruichi Kominato, and others. After the FIRST SEASON and SECOND SEASON were broadcast, a new series, "act II," mirroring the original manga, aired from 2019 to 2020. After four years of silence, the production of a sequel to "act II" was announced in 2024, and the anime "Ace of Diamond act II - Second Season-" will be broadcast from 5:30 PM on Sunday, April 5, 2026.

■ Exclusive Interview with 5 Star Players Representing the Baseball World! Passionately Discussing 'Ace of Diamond'! Highlights of This Special Program

In this program, as an emergency project of TV Tokyo's sports news program 'Sports Real & Live,' exclusive interviews will be conducted with a total of five star players: Kodai Senga of the New York Mets, Yuki Yanagita of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Kenta Maeda of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Masanori Ishikawa of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. They will discuss the appeal of the anime 'Ace of Diamond' and delve into untold stories from their high school baseball days, the setting of the anime. Furthermore, Ryota Ohsaka, who plays the role of Eijun Sawamura, the protagonist of the 'Ace of Diamond' anime series, will provide narration, adding excitement to the program.

① 'Intense Personalities' That Changed Pro Lives

Yuki Yanagita (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks), who says, "I might even have become a pro thanks to 'Ace of Diamond'," candidly reveals his admiration for the slugger Raichi Todoroki in the work and the influence it had on his batting style. Also, Kenta Maeda (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles), boasting 165 career wins in Japan and the US, and Kodai Senga, active in the majors...