The MLB Tokyo Series has turned out to be quite a spectacle—the great kind. Shohei Ohtani and the five Japanese MLB stars are homebound, and the country couldn’t have been prouder. They have shown up for the stars. But it’s not just the games that have fans buzzing; it’s also the exclusive merch that’s dropping alongside the game. And leading the charge is none other than Takashi Murakami.
From Louis Vuitton bags to album covers—the artist has done it all. Now he teamed up with Topps, Fanatics, and MLB to bring his signature style to jerseys and trading cards. And it’s not just his name slapped on a product; he has really invested his time and effort to design them.
One look and the cards with the signature bright florals look more like a piece meant for an art gallery. But only when you think the hype couldn’t get bigger, the $100M icon, went and did something that has sent the trading world into a frenzy.
Takashi Murakami pulls RARE Shohei Ohtani during his first card break pic.twitter.com/NhkibvIE26
— Topps (@Topps) March 15, 2025
Well, in a promotional video, Murakami sat down with his first-ever card break. He cracked open the pack of his stack. And what do you know—he pulled one of the rarest Shohei Ohtani cards in the entire set! He pulled an Ohtani 99-homer card, and his reaction to finding it was epic.
But the moment was too good to be true. A world-famous artist whose name is literally on the product just happens to hit the jackpot. Moreover, on camera? That had people just side-eye the entire ordeal. Was it real or was it staged? Fans sure are calling it rigged.
MLB fans call Murakami lucky find rigged!
Finding trading cards is all about luck because it is rare. And when someone whose name is literally on the pack not only gets the product but also the rare card, conspiracies do fly off. No wonder one user mentioned that this stack was given to him and is such a joke. And this isn’t a far-fetched notion, given that Murakami-designed jerseys and trading cards were sold out in less than an hour. How did he clench it? His limited Sakura elite jersey, for instance, was $2,000 each, and those too disappeared.
No he didn’t. It was given to him. They knew it was coming. Such a joke!
— Ryne (@RynePotter) March 15, 2025
A famous personality getting the rarest of cards is not that rare, and MLB fans have seen this script before. Just recently. American Horror Story star Emma Roberts ended up stunning collectors by pulling the 1/1 Jackson Holliday Topps Chrome cards. Even MLB hyped up the moment! Hence the fan commented sarcastically on how another famous person pulls a rare card. Not just that, Roberts also pulled a Dylan Crews rookie card. So suddenly celebrities have luck in this hobby? Not everyone is buying it.
Another famous person “pulls” a rare card. Just amazing hit rate.
— kevin (@KevinRomeis) March 15, 2025
Most fans cannot believe that Murakami just happened to get the card. And yes, it is rare. However, it’s not the only rare card in the set. There are other cards in the set that are also rare, like autographed cards of Japanese players like Yu Darvish, Hideki Matsui, Ichiro, and more. There are also the Tokyo nights, the history of Japanese baseball, and more. Others did get lucky too, unless even those ended up with famous personalities!
Shocking… wow… I can-not believe it…
— Johnny Mize (@JohnnyMize8) March 16, 2025
MLB fans spend hours tracking and then spend their hard-earned dollars on the card packs. So it’s of course disappointing if they not only miss getting the product but also see a famous person get it on camera. But it might be scripted as the fan suggested but by fluke, Murakami ended up with this card. The Paul Skenes card that an 11-year-old found is proof that almost anyone can end up getting the card.
Scripted
— dom (@mcdom89) March 15, 2025
It’s easy to feel discouraged about collecting Topps cards and give up. And let’s be real, they’re not exactly cheap. But at the end of the day, some MLB fans have been extremely lucky. The boy above who got the hobby box got the Paul Skenes MLB debut patch. As of now, the kid has got 56 bids! And right now the highest bid is as high as 550,000 USD. He can make a million as per sources. Sometimes taking chances is what cuts it. Even the little boy’s father thought it wasn’t a rare card, but the boy had faith and verified it with MLB.
Why I’m not collecting any anymore.
— spurman44 (@spurman44) March 15, 2025
At the end of the day, it comes down to one question – was it pure luck or was there something more? With so much hype and money around trading cards, it’s hard for many to wonder about these big pulls. And how much of it is random? What do you believe?
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