The protagonists of Japanese comic books come in various forms. There are warriors and ghost hunters, surgeons and teachers, detectives and chefs. And, of course, athletes.
The concept of a baseball player who can pitch and hit has existed in this realm of fantasy for some time. Now, it's taking a real-life form in a 23-year-old from the same country that dreamed up the possibility.
If Ohtani succeeds in becoming modern baseball's first two-way player, he will be doing something incredible even by comic book standards.
Ohtani is known to have read "Major," in which fictional character Goro Shigeno pitched and hit professionally, but not at the same time.