Honoka Hashimoto, the Japanese defender ranked 14th in the world, has signed a sponsorship contract with the animation studio MAPPA, starting this month. It is the first time MAPPA has backed an individual athlete.
Hashimoto, a self-described anime fan, said she watched MAPPA's work, including Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man. She said she wanted to show "how I have grown as a table tennis player".
The chopper beat a leading Chinese player in the women's team final at the World Championships in May, when Japan took silver, and helped them win the Asian team title in October. She is not in the draw at WTT Champions Frankfurt this week.
