“You can do it if you try!” Hiroyuki Takagishi is known to many as the orange jacket-wearing member of the comedy duo TIMON D. In recent years, he has taken his career in new directions as an actor and as an independent league pitcher. We spoke with him at his alma mater, Toyo University’s Hakusan Campus, on subjects ranging from his childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player to his current activities. Here, we look at his philosophy of “cheering.”
Dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player
── You are doing so many things. You’re a comedian, an actor, and, since 2022, an independent league baseball player. It’s probably been a while since you last visited Toyo University’s Hakusan Campus.
It’s the first time since I graduated, so it’s been eight years. I’m seeing many things that stir old memories, such as Building 8, where I took my tests, and Building 1, where many of my classes were held. Those four years were an important time of transformation for me, so being here brings back a lot of emotions.
I also have fond memories of the cafeteria. Back then, I heard that Toyo University’s cafeteria was the best in Japan. I could get rice with a large piece of grilled chicken on top for just 500 yen. And when they found out I was on the baseball team, they gave me a huge serving of rice.
── You always wanted to be a professional baseball player. Did your acquaintance with baseball begin when you were little?
I was a child who loved doing things with others, like school athletic meets and events. If it was a team sport, I enjoyed it, no matter what it was. It was through that enjoyment that I encountered baseball. I was invited to join a local team when I was in the third grade. I tried various positions and became a pitcher when I reached the fourth grade. I thought, “Pitchers are cool. I want to play professional baseball as a pitcher.” So it was then that my dream for the future was set.
I joined a nanshiki baseball (played with a hard rubber ball) team when I entered junior high school. Junior high school baseball is competitive, unlike elementary school baseball. If you’re not good, you won’t get into games. But I realized that the more I practiced, the faster my pitchers became and the more my skills improved, so I decided to go on to a high school where the practice was more rigorous. That is when I found out about Saibi High School.
── Saibi High School has a prestigious baseball program. What were your days like after entering it?
In those days, the baseball team would practice, tidy everything up, and finish everything else before finally returning to the dormitory late at night. Then, in the morning, we’d get up at 6:00 o’clock and head to the field. The language we used was something else. We’d say things like Arua! for “Yes” and Adididis! For “good morning.” At first, I had no idea what everyone was saying. I thought, “This is a heck of a place I’ve come to.” My partner in TIMON D, Yuta Maeda, was also a member of the baseball club. We met on our first day in the dorm and became good friends.
I became a regular in my second year. I was a fielder and pitcher. I wanted to be the hero at the Koshien high school baseball championship and then go to pro baseball as the first player picked in the draft. That’s all I thought about during my high school years.
Giving up on baseball and becoming a cheerleader
── But Saibi was knocked out in the regional tournament, ending your dream of playing at Koshien.
Since I was unable to make it to Koshien, my only route to becoming a professional baseball player out of high school was to be to be selected low in the draft or as a developmental player. However, my high school baseball coach said, “There’s a university I want you to go to. Why don’t you aim to be the top draft pick there?” He was talking about Toyo University. I participated in a practice session at a field in Tsurugashima, and the coach said he wanted to take me, so I decided to enroll.
My first experience with the team was a shocking one. At the time, Toyo University was in the process of winning its second consecutive Japan National Collegiate Baseball Championship. It was an amazing team with many incredible pitchers, some of whom could throw 150-kph fastballs and curveballs at will. It made me realize just how small my baseball world had been.
I got caught up and pushed myself harder and harder, knowing I had to practice even more to become a professional player. Even after general practice, I voluntarily threw a hundred pitches or ran a hundred sprints. I was desperate.
I had my first experience of not enjoying baseball. And then I developed a shoulder injury and the yips. * Eventually, I couldn’t even throw in warm-ups. When I reached my junior year, I had no choice but to take a background role.
── A dream you had held since childhood had been dashed. It must have been a painful experience.
It was. I was one of about five scholarship students in my academic year, but I couldn’t compete at all. When I talked to my coach about withdrawing from the scholarship student program, he said, “In that case, concentrate on completing your studies during the remaining year.” So I quit baseball for good and was able to graduate while earning tuition money by doing a part-time job.
I thought a lot about what I could do during that time. It was my first experience stepping into the background on a baseball team, and it led me to realize how strongly I had been supported by others who were not on the main stage.
I realized how empowering it is to have people who support you and cheer you on. I understood the tremendous power of cheering.
── How did “cheering” and your path as a comedian come together?
It all started with the Great East Japan Earthquake. I was moved by what the comedy duo SANDWICHMAN did to help people in the disaster-stricken areas. And thought to myself, “Comedians can give people so much energy and courage. I want to become a comedian and encourage people!”
When I learned that the two SANDWICHMAN comedians I admired were high school classmates and club mates, I approached [Yuta] Maeda, who was a close friend of mine during my high school baseball days.
I still wonder why Maeda accepted my idea. He was studying to be a lawyer at another university, but when I approached him, he readily joined in. He said, “That sounds like fun. I’ll try it for about three years while attending law school.” And that was how my career as a comedian began.
The power of cheering encourages people
── When did you start your current Yareba dekiru! (you can do it if you try!) style of cheering?
For the first year or two, we were doing a kind of manzai routine, but it wasn’t going very well. It was then that my partner said, “Let’s go back to the roots and remember why we decided to become comedians.” He said, “You concentrate on cheering. I’ll take care of the rest.” So I began asking audience members about their dreams during live performances and then cheering them on. In fact, Yareba dekiru! is the motto of my alma mater, Saibi High School.
Since then, I have been thinking only about how I can cheer others up. I usually dress only in orange, a “vitamin color” that cheers people up!
── As an actor, your performance in an NHK historical drama attracted considerable attention. And you joined an independent baseball league after passing a tryout.
Receiving an offer to act was completely unexpected. But I thought taking a crack at a different genre could be a way for me to cheer people up and encourage them. The same goes for baseball. Even though ten years have passed since I was an active player, I can still try it. People often ask me how I switch between different types of work. But for me, it’s all about “cheering.” It’s a way of seeing how seriously I can attempt something and whether I can send a message that inspires people.
I will continue doing my very best to encourage all people on this planet. I am certain that the power of cheering will enrich people’s lives.
