<figure id="attachment_477540" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3174px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-477540"><em><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7695c8a0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/1b4d77564229017dcebcde2e1b845755.jpeg" alt=""></a></em><figcaption id="caption-attachment-477540" class="wp-caption-text">On August 12, Kanna Hashimoto threw the ceremonial first pitch wearing the costume of Karyoten, her character in the film &#8220;Kingdom: The Soul’s Decisive Battle.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> “I&#8217;m frustated”</span></h2>
<p class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer" data-start="185" data-end="298">The person responding to the thunderous cheers, her large eyes opened wider than usual, was Kanna Hashimoto (27).</p>
<p data-start="300" data-end="632">On August 12, the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers faced off at Tokyo Dome in a crucial battle between the top teams in the standings. The game was a special “Kingdom Night,” a collaboration with the film &#8220;Kingdom: The Soul’s Decisive Battle,&#8221; and Hashimoto, who appears in the movie, took the mound for the ceremonial first pitch.</p>
<p data-start="634" data-end="982"><strong data-start="634" data-end="982">“The fifth installment in the series, &#8216;The Soul’s Decisive Battle,&#8217; surpassed 3.35 million admissions just 26 days after its July 17 release. Box-office revenue exceeded ¥5.16 billion as of August 12, achieving the unprecedented feat of five consecutive live-action Japanese films in the series each surpassing ¥5 billion in box-office revenue.</strong></p>
<p data-start="984" data-end="1332"><strong data-start="984" data-end="1304">Kento Yamazaki (31) plays Shin, a Qin warrior who aspires to become the greatest general under the heavens, while Hashimoto plays Karyoten, the strategist of the Hi Shin Unit led by Shin. Just before the first pitch, Hashimoto practiced her throwing under the guidance of Eito Tanaka (27), a pitcher for the Giants.”</strong> (Sports newspaper reporter)</p>
<p data-start="1334" data-end="1605">As soon as Hashimoto appeared in front of the first-base dugout, Tokyo Dome erupted in cheers. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the crowd, Hashimoto widened her eyes and flashed an embarrassed smile. Voices from the stands called out, “So cute!” and “She’s incredible!”</p>
<p data-start="1607" data-end="1942">The stadium screen showed Ryo Yoshizawa (32), who plays Ei Sei, the king of Qin seeking to unify China, and Yamazaki. After receiving messages of encouragement from the two actors, Hashimoto donned a uniform emblazoned with the name “KINGDUM” and the number “5,” then took the mound wearing the straw cape that is Karyoten’s trademark.</p>
<p data-start="1944" data-end="2091">Just as she began her windup, the fluffy straw material suddenly covered her entire face. Undeterred by the mishap, Hashimoto went ahead and threw.</p>
<p data-start="2093" data-end="2205">Her all-out pitch bounced once before landing in the catcher’s mitt, prompting another huge roar from the crowd.</p>
<p data-start="2207" data-end="2269">When asked how she felt about the first pitch, Hashimoto said:</p>
<p data-start="2271" data-end="2383"><strong data-start="2271" data-end="2365">“I really wanted to throw it without a bounce, so I’m frustrated that it fell just short.”</strong> (via Oricon News)</p>
<p data-start="2385" data-end="2427">Even so, she gave herself a perfect score:</p>
<p data-start="2429" data-end="2593"><strong data-start="2429" data-end="2575">“But today’s first pitch was done wearing the straw cape, which is part of the &#8216;Kingdom&#8217; costume, so as a result, I’d give myself 100 points.”</strong> (via Oricon News)</p>
<p data-start="2595" data-end="2757" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Even when faced with an unexpected mishap, Hashimoto finished the pitch with a smile. To the photographer, it was a glimpse of the actress’s true professionalism.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Just as she took a big wind-up, a mishap occurred..."></div>
<figure id="attachment_477546" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3025px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-477546"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="11f6ea54"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/a377cfae05e9e41b7c52befe54224ca6.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-477546" class="wp-caption-text">Hashimoto heads toward the mound with a shy smile</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_477547" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2948px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-477547"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5d045c3c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/850656f81ab58a27e32987349666570b.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-477547" class="wp-caption-text">Just as he took a big wind-up, the raincoat hit Hashimoto in the face.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_477548" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2757px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-477548"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="840b40dd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/a08b1b57f664db69176ccd6f329e91ef.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-477548" class="wp-caption-text">Hashimoto’s pitching form was highly praised even by the Giants players.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_477549" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3370px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-477549"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7164f260"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/67aa9c3587b258f5a7026249ae596d1a.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-477549" class="wp-caption-text">Hashimoto pitched with a smile on her face right until the very end.</figcaption></figure>


 Kumatarō Arai

 On August 12, at the Tokyo Dome during a game against the Giants, Kanna Hashimoto—who played the military strategist He Liao Diao in the movie *Kingdom: Battle of Souls*—performed the ceremonial first pitch.Wearing the straw raincoat from the movie, just as she took a big swing to throw the first pitch, a little mishap occurred...

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