Koto Kawaguchi

is a Japanese deaf table tennis player and actor. He competes in deaf table tennis for Toyota Motor Corporation and won a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 2022 Summer Deaflympics. The character, who is depicted as deaf in the film, was partially inspired by Kawaguchi himself and partially by Hiroji Satoh, a Japanese champion who competed against Marty Reisman in the 1950s.

Toyota produced an audition video of Kawaguchi playing table tennis and shared it with the film's production through a translator.

Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominated work Result Actor Awards 2026 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Marty Supreme