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Shokotan Throws First Pitch in Dragon Quest Cosplay, Advertises Upcoming Stage Show
posted on by Amanda Whalen
Media personality, voice actress, and singer Shōko Nakagawa, better known by her stage name Shokotan, threw the first pitch at the Softbank Hawks vs. Rakuten Eagles baseball game on Sunday while dressed as Princess Alena of the Dragon Quest series. Her goal was to advertise the upcoming Dragon Quest Live Spectacle Tour, which will run from July 22 to August 31 in five different cities in Japan: Saitama, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, and Yokohama.
Afterwards, Shokotan said, "Even though I practiced incredibly hard... Since I was throwing the pitch as Princess Alena and not just as myself, there was twice the tension."
The upcoming stage performance centers around Dragon Quest III's Hero (played by Tsukasa Matsūra), Dragon Quest VI's Terry (Shunsuke Kazama), Dragon Quest IV's Alena (Shokotan), and Dragon Quest IV's Torneko (Kazumasa Kōra). Kahori Kanaya will direct the performance. The official website began streaming a preview video earlier this year.
Shokotan previously voiced Princess Alena in the video games Dragon Quest Heroes and Dragon Quest Heroes II. She has also performed theme songs for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Gurren Lagann, and Occult Academy and is the voice of the Oracle Fish in Dragon Ball Super and Diana in Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III.
Some of Shokotan's previous publicity stunts have included dumping 1,000 cicada shells on herself during a concert, devouring a limited-edition isopod cake in Shibuya, and grooving out to the Pikachu dance. This is also not her first time throwing the first pitch for a baseball game.
Source: Yahoo! News Japan, Dragon Quest Live via Hachima Kikou; embedded video from Keisource0930
