Decoy Ohtani

Decoy's United States visa photograph
Othername(s)	Dekopin Ohtani
Species	Dog
Breed	Kooikerhondje
Owner	Shohei Ohtani

Decoy Ohtani (born June 18, 2023),^[1] known in Japanese asDekopin (デコピン), is aKooikerhondje owned by Japanese baseball playerShohei Ohtani. He is a fixture in theLos Angeles Dodgers fandom, and has been described as the team's "Most Valuable Pet".^[2] He has also featured in merchandise and was granted an honorary visa by theEmbassy of the United States in Tokyo.

Shohei Ohtani held Decoy in his lap when he won his secondMajor League Baseball Most Valuable Player award in November 2023. Upon winning, Ohtani gave the dog ahigh five, and he became viral among fans.^[3] The next month, Shohei Ohtani publicly revealed the dog's name, Dekopin,^[4] which is a Japanese term referring to the act of flicking a person on the forehead. He also clarified that Dekopin's name in English is Decoy, which was chosen because he believed that some Americans might struggle to pronounce the Japanese name.^[5]

In January 2024, Shohei and Decoy visited theEmbassy of the United States in Tokyo, where Decoy was granted an honorarytravel visa byRahm Emanuel.^[6][7][8] In August 2024, Decoy threw theceremonial first pitch at theDodger Stadium.^[9][10][11] To celebrate the event, the Dodgers held a giveaway ofbobblehead toys depicting him with Decoy.^[12][13][14] Decoy would go on to appear at the Dodgers' victory parade in November 2024 where he interacted with young fans.^[15] That month, he also appeared in a video alongsideMamiko Tanaka celebrating Shohei Ohtani's third Most Valuable Player award.^[16] In December 2024, Decoy met with celebrity chefNobu Matsuhisa and posed with him for photographs.^[17]

Ohtani's $7.85 million home purchase was conducted through an LLC named "Decopin," a tribute to his pet dog.^[18][19][20]

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