Softbank Hawks outfielder Kondo Kensuke Kondo who is currently participating in Samurai Japan's Miyazaki training camp in preparation for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in March, updated his Instagram on the 15th, revealing that he had held a "Samurai The Fighters Gathering" with fellow Samurai Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito-Koki Kitayama pitcher Ito Taikai and Kitayama Wataru.

Kondo, who transferred from Nippon-Ham to Softbank Hawks in the offseason of 2022, posted a smiling photo of five people, including two people involved, saying, "We were able to talk about a lot of things!" Fans expressed their hope that former Nippon-Ham big names would join in, saying, "Next time, Shohei Darvish will join too."

Kondo is also known as a valuable presence who can "taunt" Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), who was his junior during his time with Nippon-Ham. He boasts some of the best batting skills in baseball and contributed to Samurai Japan winning the world championship in the last tournament in 2023. He is not only committed to the batting lineup, but also to playing a role as a link in terms of communication, saying, "I think the players who played last time will become like that."