Aaron Judge throws playful jab after addition to MLB’s anime-style campaign

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge had the official launch of his anime caricature on April 30 as a part of the collaboration between the MLB and some of the best anime creators for the "Heroes of the Game" campaign in 2025. The project showcases some of the best and most skillful ballplayers from the majors in the form of animated superheroes.

The list of players includes the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Paul Skenes, Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Julio Rodriguez, Elly De La Cruz, Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Corey Seager, Jose Altuve and more. So, far three players have got their official anime character videos released: "J-Rod", Skenes and Judge.

MLB analyst and Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch shared the anime video of Judge from the "Heroes of the Game" project on X/Twitter and shared the hilarious reaction of the Bronx Bombers captain when he showed him the video for the first time on Wednesday.

Take a look at the post here, with a caption that read:

"Aaron Judge's reaction when I showed him this: "They got the batting gloves right. ""

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The list of anime artists who have teamed up with the major league includes some of the creators from hit anime shows like Fullmetal Alchemist, Demon Slayer, One Piece and more. All the scenes are hand-drawn and famous Japanese director Hiroshi Shimizu has been entrusted with the task to create the films.

Aaron Judge has been the best of the rest so far in 2025 MLB campaign

Yankees captain Aaron Judge has started the 2025 MLB campaign on a high. He leads the stats on the offense not just in the American League but in both leagues combined. After his latest exploits in the series finale against the Orioles in Baltimore on Wednesday, Judge has taken the lead in almost all the major hitting stats.

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He has the best batting average (.427), tied for most home runs with Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh with 10 each, most RBIs (32) and the most number of hits (50) in 31 games this season. Judge also boasts an incredible OPS of 1.300 and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The Yankees are 18-13 for the season, acquiring the top spot in the AL East division. After registering a series loss against the Orioles on Wednesday, the incumbent AL pennant holders will now travel back to the Bronx for a six-game homestand.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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Edited by Veer Badani