The latest Robert Vargas mural featuring members of the Los Angeles Dodgers was unveiled
on the DoubleTree by Hilton Torrance on March 24. (Photo: George Toshio Johnston)
Newest Robert Vargas mural featuring 3 Los Angeles Dodgers
from Japan is unveiled as 2026 Major League Baseball season begins.
By George Toshio Johnston, Senior Editor
Robert Vargas speaks at the Torrance, Calif., unveiling of his new mural. (Photo: George Toshio Johnston)
TORRANCE, Calif. — Under a sky the color of Dodger blue with some wispy clouds as white as the team’s jersey, the local DoubleTree by Hilton was the site of the unveiling of the newest megamural painted by Robert Vargas.
Dubbed “Samurai of the Diamond,” the concrete canvas celebrated three Japanese members of the repeat World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Torrance City Councilmember Jon Kaji and Pacific Citizen editorial board member Mitchell Matsumura (Photo: George Toshio Johnston)
That the Dodger spirit permeated the crowd of more than 300 was evidenced by the overwhelming number of Ohtani jerseys, with a handful of other marquee names like (Mookie) Betts, (Fernando) Valenzuela and someone in a (Kobe) Bryant jersey who didn’t get the memo that it was a Dodgers, not a Los Angeles Lakers, event.
The March 24 unveiling took place almost exactly two years after the March 27, 2024, unveiling of Vargas’s “L.A. Rising” mural on the side of Little Tokyo’s Miyako Hotel that featured Ohtani only, as a batter and pitcher. As with the 2024 mural, Vargas painted this new mural freehand.
Although no actual Dodger players were present for the reveal, the event nonetheless featured remarks and appearances from such celebrities and dignitaries as emcee Tamlyn Tomita and fellow actor Edward James Olmos; Mayor George Chen; Torrance City Councilmembers Jeremy Gerson, Jonathan Kaji, Sharon Kalani, Bridgett Lewis, Aurelio Mattucci and Asam Sheikh; hotel owner Andre Koo; and taiko drumming courtesy of the Los Angeles Taiko Collective.
Speakers at the mural unveiling included Edward James Olmos, Torrance Mayor George Chen and Tamlyn Tomita (Photos: George Toshio Johnston)
A paint-flecked Vargas was on hand to receive recognitions like a key to the city and make some remarks just a couple hours after finishing his 10-day-long labor which coincided with an unseasonable heat wave.
“This mural is a follow up to the mural that I created in Little Tokyo, which was a groundbreaking mural for the time,” the Boyle Heights native said. “I remember painting that mural and people, asking, ‘Why Shohei Otani, he hasn’t played game in a Dodgers uniform yet?”
That was, as Vargas noted, two championship parades and for Ohtani two consecutive National League MVP awards ago.
With a smarthphone and this QR code, the Dodgers mural becomes animated.
Whether this new mural augurs a three-peat by summer’s end, only time will tell. But the unveiling of Vargas’s handiwork was still compelling enough to gain the respect of Angels fan Donna Duperron. “I was here when he was starting it, and then to see the finished product was really neat,” the president and CEO of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce told the Pacific Citizen.
Also really neat: With a smartphone and QR code, both the 2024 and 2026 murals use augmented reality to animate the paintings.
Consul General of Mexico Carlos Gonzalez-Gutierrez (Photo: Susan Yokoyama)
“I’m glad that we could finally have this day and have Robert’s masterpiece delivered here, not just to our local residents, but to L.A. County, Southern Cal and the world,” Kaji said, who noted earlier that he, like Vargas and Olmos, was also born in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. “As he said, it represents unifying the community through sports, through cultural exchange and through inspirational art.”
That unifying spirit continued the following Sunday. With help from Carlos Gonzalez-Gutierrez, consul general of Mexico, Vargas and Olmos reprised their Torrance appearance in Little Tokyo at L.A. Rising Fest, which had the subtitle “Uniting Cultures and Communities.”
Serving as master of ceremonies was Little Tokyo Business Assn. President David Ikegami. Entertainment was provided by Bando Ryu: Kyo no Kai dancers and Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas.
Members of Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas and Bando Ryu: Kyo no Kai (Photo: Susan Yokoyama)
In Torrance, Vargas noted that his 2024 mural ushered in a new era of “what’s possible.” Kaji concurred. “Year Two, Yoshi proved himself in the World Series. Next up is Sasaki. Let’s see how he does this season, and maybe he’ll be the one to deliver a back-to-back-to-back,” he said.
One thing that is not is doubt: The promotional power of the Dodgers for Japanese companies. Japan-based clothing retailer Uniqlo recently inked a naming rights deal with the Dodgers to have the playing field designated Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.
Located a few blocks the DoubleTree is a Tokyo Central supermarket adorned with posters featuring Ohtani’s image and likeness to help sell Japan-based Ito En’s bottled green tea.
Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP, is also a most valuable pitchman for Sato Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s Yunker quick energy jelly.
Hakkaisan Junmai Daiginjo sake with the Dodgers logo (Photo: George Toshio Johnston)
For those desirous of a little more zip behind the lip, there’s Nikaido, which bills itself as the “Official Shochu of the Los Angeles Dodgers.” Those who prefer sake, meantime, can avail themselves to the Dodgers-branded Hakkaisan Junmai Daiginjo premium Japanese sake.
The “Samurai of the Diamond” mural was unveiled in Torrance, Calif., on March 24. (Photo: George Toshio Johnston)
