<figure id="attachment_400530" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400530"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d749195e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/eff3c0135bf1e72de53ccf253cc37446.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400530" class="wp-caption-text">On the 4th, he came off the bench for the first time this season for medical reasons. Cheered and picked up the ball during the game, cheerfully supporting the team.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Economic impact of over 100 million yen per year salary</h2>
&#8220;Rann-kun!&#8221;
The Ariake Arena was filled with yellow cheers. The stands were overflowing with fans holding fans and towels, resembling an idol concert. Most of them had &#8220;Takahashi Ai&#8221; written on them.
On November 3, the Volleyball SV League match between Tokyo GB and Suntory took place, attracting a crowd of 11,599 spectators, the largest attendance since records began in 2006.
The main attraction for the massive crowd was Ai Takahashi (23, Suntory), who scored 18 points, including a powerful back attack, second only to the team leader. Kentaro Asahi, who has represented Japan in both volleyball and beach volleyball, explains Takahashi’s appeal:
&#8220;His serve-receive is excellent, and his defensive skills are top-notch. He also makes great use of his jumping ability in attack. He’s a valuable player with strength on both offense and defense. On this day, he not only attacked but also provided solid support, demonstrating his all-around performance.&#8221;
Takahashi was selected for the Tokyo Olympics as the youngest member of the team at 19, but he felt his own shortcomings. He went on a training journey to the world’s top league, Italy’s Serie A, to follow in the footsteps of his respected ace, Yuki Ishikawa (28).
In his second season (2022–2023), he scored 17 points and won his first MVP, but in July of this year, he made a surprise transfer to Suntory, shocking fans.
&#8220;Suntory wanted Takahashi desperately as the star player for the newly established SV League. The annual salary offered was reportedly over 100 million yen. Given that tickets are selling out because of his addition, 100 million yen is practically a bargain,&#8221; said a Suntory insider.
Shohei Ohtani (30) is said to have an economic impact of over 100 billion yen. The &#8220;prince&#8221; returning from Italy is set to change the history of Japanese volleyball as the &#8220;Ohtani of volleyball.&#8221;
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Ai Takahashi's image collection...!"></div>
<figure id="attachment_400534" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400534"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ac3cc16b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/018e4c7d9a2d472cbe0eaece39bc0b82.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400534" class="wp-caption-text">In the same venue as the Tokyo Olympics, which was held without spectators, this match was watched by over 10,000 spectators. Takahashi commented, &#8220;I was excited to be able to play in front of such a crowd.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_400535" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400535"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cccc71de"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/d8586946341e13505b381fc4e9dda42e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400535" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_400537" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400537"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f91c7f23"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/0be03d486b8c57eb0b72bec708712c1f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400537" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400540" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400540"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="593a25c7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/eb839aa3244b02d7ef5ffe8ea9f3eaf9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400540" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400541" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400541"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="33d696e6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/245f54a4160e3c3b5fe874c89c272199.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400541" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400545" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400545"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ddce6b5b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/47a4595d4a501061edafd727641c31a3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400545" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cuts from this magazine Ai Takahashi: Prince returning from Italy becomes &#8220;Otani of the volleyball world&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400548" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400548"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="86bbe087"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/143b90ced25848abb5cb616feb05e87a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400548" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400550" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400550"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f4749fe0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/086ef823f5f0f9a7c393c6283be47b2b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400550" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400553" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400553"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="90781a02"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/b5174c95581b263f8178f54350eda1d5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400553" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400555" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400555"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c82ae96a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/a709a07826087fbc2163e54da3b727aa.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-400555" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_400558" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400558"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4b0160fc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/6be0b08a8627b332abf0aa1adef27dcd.jpg" alt=""></a>Unpublished cut from the magazine: Ai Takahashi, the Prince Returning from Italy, Set to Become the &#8220;Ohtani of the Volleyball World&#8221;!<figcaption id="caption-attachment-400558" class="wp-caption-text">From &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; November 22/29, 2024
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 Kazuhiko Nakamura

 The SV League volleyball match between Tokyo GB and Suntory was packed with 11,599 spectators, the largest crowd for a professional volleyball league since 2006. The crowd was looking for Ai Takahashi, who made a surprise transfer from Italy's Serie A.

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