The M League 2024-25 season has begun. A launch party for "TEAM Raiden" was also held.

The M League, Japan's professional mahjong league, kicked off its seventh season, the 2024-25 season, on Monday, September 16. The opening ceremony and a public viewing (PV) event for the opening match were held at Bellesalle Roppongi. Since its founding in 2018, the M League has continuously expanded its fanbase and become a popular content. This season's opening ceremony and opening match PV event also saw the venue packed with approximately 400 fans, creating a huge buzz.

The championship trophy was returned to M League Chairman Susumu Fujita by last season's champions, the U-NEXT Pirates.

All 9 M League teams and all 36 players took the stage at the opening ceremony. The championship trophy was returned to M League Chairman Shin Fujita by last season's winning team. After representatives from each team gave greetings and expressed their determination, M League Senior Advisor Saburo Kawabuchi declared the season open.

Following this, the opening matches featuring four teams commenced. While players from teams not competing provided special commentary inside the venue, the arena was electrified by the loud cheers of each team's fans.

The opening matches featured TEAM Raiden, KADOKAWA Sakura Knights, Akasaka Drivens, and EX Fūrin Kazan. (Photo right) Senior Advisor Saburō Kawabuchi, Chairman Shin Fujita, and Mr. Suguru Sano of Dentsu Inc., the owner company of TEAM Raiden, also cheered on the teams.

Prior to the opening, TEAM Raiden held a launch party on Friday, September 13th. Starting with greetings and motivational speeches from players and coaches, the event featured fan-participation games and a rock-paper-scissors tournament, fostering interaction between players and fans. Approximately 300 gathered fans and team sponsors sent their support for the team's performance this season.

Additionally, surprise guest Ken Yokoyama, a member of the rock band Hi-STANDARD and currently active with his own band KenYokoyama, made an appearance. The announcement that he would produce TEAM Raiden's chance theme song "RAIDEN GO" was met with loud cheers from the venue.

TEAM Raiden players (from left): Naoki Setokuma, Masato Hagiwara, Saki Kurosawa, Tomohiro Honda, and Ken Yokoyama (center). Yokoyama became a fan of the M League and TEAM Raiden through his connection with Hagiwara. He considered "what I can do to spread the excitement of the M League further," leading to this song contribution. The chance theme "RAIDEN GO" is scheduled for official release as a new song by KenYokoyama.

The M League 2024-25 season features a regular season with 9 teams running until late March next year. The top 6 teams advance to the Semifinal Series in April, and the champion is decided in the Final Series in May featuring the top 4 teams. The championship prize is 50 million yen. This season is also expected to generate significant excitement.

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