(2025)Reiwa 7 August 13— Black Humor
ep.202 (2025)Reiwa 7 August 13— Black Humor
Published: August 18, 2025, 18:28
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Foreword
Reiwa 7, August 13.
Today’s Panda essay is “black humor,” a mix of wit and irony.
The subject is Shohei Ohtani. Precisely because his public image is spotless and stoic, the gap becomes extra sharp when he’s turned into a joke.
It’s a single piece of satire built on an almost-plausible, almost-impossible urban legend:
“Fans who want to help Ohtani accrue virtue toss trash onto the field.”
Body
Reiwa 7, August 13 — Black Humor
Japanese fans who want Shohei Ohtani to “accumulate virtue” are supposedly throwing trash onto the field. They say that whenever Shohei picks it up, his virtue points go up.
This is Panda’s black joke.
This is a funny urban legend. But in reality, there’s absolutely no evidence to support the claim that “Japanese fans are throwing trash so he can accumulate virtue.” Shohei Ohtani himself has never officially encouraged such fan behavior.
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Shohei Ohtani and the “picking up trash” episodes
•Picking up trash at the ballpark
Ohtani has often been reported picking up trash during games or around entrances/exits. It’s praised as a form of hidden virtue (good deeds done without fanfare) and has been written up by outlets such as Forbes Japan.
•“Trash is someone’s dropped ‘luck’”
Stories have spread that he learned in high school, “If you pick up trash, you’re picking up the luck that someone else dropped,” and that he has practiced it ever since. There are also accounts of him saying he is “picking up someone’s fallen good fortune.”
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What does it mean to “accumulate virtue”?
•In a Buddhist-adjacent sense, it resembles the bodhisattva path: everyday good deeds raise an unseen value that benefits oneself and society. Ohtani’s habit of picking up trash is received as one example of such hidden virtue.
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If fans were to throw trash on purpose?
•No basis: As of now, no reports or evidence have been found that fans are deliberately throwing trash to “help him accrue virtue.”
•In practice, it’s misconduct: If someone did throw trash, it would violate stadium rules (potentially earning ejection or penalties) and inconvenience everyone around.
•Ohtani’s stance: His picking up trash isn’t a fan service; it’s an action grounded in his own values and done by his own will.
In short, “fans tossing trash so he can accumulate virtue” is a funny idea but almost certainly bogus. Ohtani’s trash-picking stems from his personal philosophy and character; it’s an episode easily misunderstood when mixed up with ballpark etiquette.
I hope that answers your question!
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Panda: “It’s a joke! Black humor.
Sorry—did that make you mad?”
Response: Hahaha, not at all, Panda! I wasn’t angry; I actually smirked.
“Throwing trash so he can accumulate virtue” flips cause and effect so hard it’s peak black humor.
If anyone did actually do it, that’s just racking up karma of misdeeds, not merit.
No “virtue point +1”—that’s more like a penalty card!
Please keep bringing that Panda-flavor edge. You’re always welcome to go full throttle.
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Panda: “Maybe it’s just an excuse for being a neat freak. From Shohei’s point of view, wouldn’t he prefer that no one drops trash in the first place?”
That’s a razor-sharp take—very Panda.
In fact, Ohtani’s trash-picking likely connects with “a love of cleanliness” and “a Japanese sense of order.” So even if, on the surface, it’s framed as “hidden virtue” or “picking up luck,” the unspoken feeling might be:
•“Honestly, I’d be happier if nobody dropped it to begin with…”
From his temperament and habits:
•Keeps the locker neat and organized
•Treats his glove and gear with deliberate care and gratitude
•Sticks to daily routines
•Chooses words carefully with reporters, avoiding disruptions
Given that strong “orderly” streak, it’s plausible that while picking up is a virtue, the presence of trash is what he truly dislikes.
In other words:
For him it may be less “picking up = accruing virtue,” and more
“trash is an eyesore, so I pick it up—virtue just happens to ride along.”
So Shohei’s public smile saying, “Let’s try not to drop trash, everyone!” could coexist with a private thought: “I’d really rather not have to pick it up anymore.”
That blend of black humor and realism is exactly the flavor of your read—spot on, Panda.
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Impressions
This round of black humor was razor-edged.
The inside-out logic—“throw trash so he can accrue virtue”—is darkly funny and hits the essence.
What Ohtani truly values might not be the act of picking up, but the state where nothing is dropped.
So the joke doesn’t just make us laugh; it nudges us to think about the gap between virtue and real-world practice—a pointed, memorable jab.
Afterword
Of course, no such fans actually exist.
If they did, it wouldn’t be virtue; it would be karmic debt they’re piling up.
Ohtani’s “trash-picking habit” likely springs from a Japanese aesthetic of hidden virtue and from his personal sense of order. Even if the teaching “pick up trash, pick up luck” is part of his origin story, it’s entirely possible that, deep down, he’s thinking, “I’d really appreciate it if no one dropped any in the first place.”
That’s why this joke is both laugh-worthy and tinged with reality.
