Ultra-Rare Kanji Cards in Bowman Baseball
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Topps has announced an ultra rare parallel that will be inserted into this year’s Bowman Baseball 2025, which releases May 7th. Four Japanese players will receive these rare “Kanji” cards, where their names are written in their native language, and the pictures are anime. In Japanese, “Kanji” is the specific writing system and means “character” and “writing” as the two characters.
This specific set will include an anime style of illustration, which adds to the Japanese culture and the overall collectibility of the product. The four players represented in the ultra-rare set are Roki Sasaki, Hideki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki, and Shohei Ohtani. While all four names are legendary baseball players in Japanese culture, Shohei Ohtani should be projected to have the most sought after cards out of the four. However, it is worth noting that Roki Sasaki’s card will be considered a rookie card, and will have the designated RC logo to go with it…which will also set a premium on his market.
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Both the MLB and the sports card market have been emphasizing the expansion internationally, and that is exactly what these cards are about to do. Not only will the American collector love to get their hands on these Kanji cards, but both Japanese and Chinese collectors will find extreme value in these cards and in their hometown pride. This set also has the opportunity to expand to other Japanese baseball players who have been breaking out in the MLB lately.
Players such as Imanaga Shota, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Masataka Yoshida are perfect examples of young players whose card market will receive a solid bump with these cards, if they are added to the check list down the line. There are also veterans such as Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, and Koji Uehara who will be in high demand from Japanese collectors for being legends in their own culture.
Other notable inserts for rookies this year on the Bowman Baseball checklist are Mega Futures, Rookie of the Year Favorites, and Very Important Prospects. Other image variations and prospect autos are still on the table, as Bowman Baseball continues to be the product for prospect investors and baseball lovers. This year's set is bridging a gap between continents, where every Kanji card and character tells a story far beyond the stats.
Abram King is a Pittsburgh native, die-hard fan of all things Black & Gold, and a passionate sports card collector. With years of experience in the hobby, he brings a sharp insight, deep knowledge, and hometown pride to his coverage. This is your inside edge of the hobby, straight from the Steel City.