, previously known as in Japanese, commonly abbreviated as and marketed internationally as Power Pros, is a Japanese baseball video game series created by Konami. It is known for its super deformed characters and fast-paced, yet deep, gameplay. Most games in the series are developed under license from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA), allowing the use of team names, stadiums, colors, and players' names and likenesses. Six games in the series also feature licenses from Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), two from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and Korea Professional Baseball Players Association (KPBPA), and one from the World Baseball Classic.
The series began in 1994 on the Super Famicom and has since appeared on many platforms: Sega Saturn (1995–1997), PlayStation (1994–2003), Nintendo 64 (1997–2001), PlayStation 2 (2000–2009), Dreamcast (2000), GameCube (2002–2006), Wii (2007–2009), PlayStation 3 (2010–2016), PlayStation 4 (since 2016), PlayStation Portable (2007–2013), and Vita (2012–2018). In 2019, it appeared on the Nintendo Switch, despite only in Japan. This game, dubbed Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū also featured a collectible card series of six figures that work as Amiibo within the game.
The game has two spin-off series: Professional Baseball Spirits, which features more realistic graphics and physics, and Power Pro Kun Pocket, released on handheld systems from 1999 to 2011, including the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. Although originally part of the main series, Konami retroactively declared Power Pro Kun Pocket a separate series.
A version of Power Pro featuring Major League Baseball players was released under the title Jikkyō Powerful Major League in May 2006. The Power Pro series has included online play since its tenth installment on the PlayStation 2 and the first handheld version on the PlayStation Portable. A version for the PlayStation 3 was shown at the Tokyo Game Show in 2005, but it took five years to release the game on the PS3. During that time, the Professional Baseball Spirits series filled the gap. Another title, MLB Power Pros, was published by 2K for the PlayStation 2 and Wii in October 2007, and featured a Success Mode set within Major League Baseball.
The most distinctive feature of the Power Pro series is its depiction of characters. Power Pro baseball players are short with large, gashapon capsule-shaped heads, lacking a mouth, nose, and ears. Their expressions come mainly from their eyebrows. Similar to Rayman, they have no legs, and their feet are not connected to their bodies. Their hands are spherical and fingerless.
In Japan, the series has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, while in North America, it received mixed to generally favorable reviews but sold poorly. As of March 2023, the series has sold over 24.7 million copies, with 48 million mobile game downloads as of October 2022.KONAMI HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Games in the series This is the major system development in the main series (as well as information about the season series and MLB Power Pros series). Some minor developments, such as player abilities, are not included.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū '94 Released on February 24, 1994, for the Super Famicom, the game is licensed by Nippon Professional Baseball and the Japanese Professional Baseball Players Association, though Meiji Jingu Stadium and Hanshin Koshien Stadium are listed under fictional names. Success mode is not included in the first two installments. Commentary is provided by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation radio commentator Abe Noriyuki.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2 Released on February 24, 1995, for the Super Famicom, this is the first game in the series to feature a full Pennant mode and save game functionality. Hanshin Koshien Stadium is fully licensed, but Meiji Jingu Stadium remains under a fictional name. Commentary is provided by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation radio commentator Motoharu Ōta.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 3 Released on February 29, 1996, for the Super Famicom. Success mode, which later becomes a core feature of the Power Pro series, is introduced in this game. Commentary is again provided by Abe Noriyuki, who remained in this role until Power Pro 8.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 4 Released on March 14, 1997, for the Nintendo 64. With the hardware upgrade, the game's graphics (polygon-based stadiums) and controls saw significant improvements. Success mode introduces original characters, some of whom continue to appear in later installments.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 5 Released on March 26, 1998, for the Nintendo 64, it became the best-selling game for the Nintendo 64 in Japan during that month.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 6 Also known as Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 6, it was released on March 25, 1999, for the Nintendo 64.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 7 The first game in the series released on the PlayStation 2, and the first with fully polygon-based graphics. IGN found the game fun but criticized its "horrible" graphics and lack of power on the new console. Initially scheduled for release on March 4, 2000, it was later delayed to July 6.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 8 This installment features the first vocalized opening in the series, "Little Soldier" by Chihiro Yonekura. The opening animations were produced by Kyoto Animation, which primarily worked on animation post-production at that time. Kyoto Animation continued to produce the openings for the series until Power Pro 11, after which they shifted focus to projects like the anime adaptation of Air by Visual Arts/Key. The production of game openings was then passed to Production I.G from Power Pro 12 onward.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 9 Released on both PlayStation 2 and GameCube, this was the first game in the series available on multiple platforms. This title also introduced cel shading graphics, a significant visual change.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 10 This installment was the first to allow players to create entire teams rather than just individual players in Success Mode. Online multiplayer was introduced for the first time in the main series, and was also the only title that enabled cross-platform play. Additionally, MyLife Mode made its debut, allowing players to control an actual Japan League player rather than an original character, although created players from Success Mode were still playable.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 11 Created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Power Pro series, this game introduced audio endings in Success Mode, produced by Kyoto Animation. Other new features included the ability to break bats and perform safety bunts.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 12 This installment introduced a modified player password system, making passwords incompatible with previous Nintendo-based games, but passwords from Power Pro 12 to 14 could still be used on the Portable 1 and Portable 2 versions on Sony platforms. The game also introduced a Cheering Songs Editor, which allowed players to create and transfer cheering songs using passwords between Sony platform games.
Jikkyō Powerful Major League This game marked the first time the series featured MLB instead of NPB. It also included the license for the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 13 With Nintendo's GameCube production discontinued by this point, this installment was released only on the PlayStation 2. It introduced significant system changes, such as an online mode, where players could now control only one player on the team, rather than the entire team. Scenario Mode, a long-standing feature of the series, was removed.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 14/Wii The Wii platform replaced the GameCube for this installment. The game supported motion controls on the Wii version and online multiplayer, where players controlled three players at a time. In Success Mode, players could lead a high school team to compete in the Summer Koshien tournament. The mode also featured current Japanese NPB players as members of the National Team.
Jikkyō Powerful Major League 2 (MLB Power Pros) This title marked the official debut of the series in North America, featuring several Japanese players who had transitioned to Major League Baseball.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2009/NEXT Released for the 15th anniversary of the series, Power Pro 2009/NEXT reintroduced numbered versions for the first time since Power Pro '94. Different versions of the game featured unique content based on the specific console and control features.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2010 Released on July 15, 2010, for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, this was the first game in the series to support high-definition video at 1080p resolution and true 5.1 surround sound (LPCM). The MyLife Mode was omitted from the PlayStation 3 version.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2011 Released on July 14, 2011, for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. Unlike the previous version, the two platforms had the same content.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2012 Released on July 19, 2012, for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita, this installment introduced significant gameplay mechanics, including the Power Stadium Mode, available only on PlayStation 3 and Vita versions.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2013 Released on October 24, 2013, for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita. Unlike Power Pro 2012, this game was also compatible with the PlayStation TV microconsole.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2014 Released on October 23, 2014, for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita to commemorate the series' 20th anniversary, this was the first installment in the main series to feature active Japanese MLB players as "OB players" (retired players).
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2016 Released on April 28, 2016, for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Success Mode, the game introduced many gameplay elements from the Professional Baseball Spirits series. The game was later updated with 2017 season rosters, allowing players to choose between 2016 and 2017 rosters. Two new modes, "Power Fest" and "Challenge", were also introduced.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 2018 Released on April 28, 2018, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, Power Pro 2018 was the first game in the series to support PlayStation VR and PlayStation 4 Pro, along with high-dynamic-range video (HDR) and 2160p resolution. The game included a new mode, "Live Scenario", adapted from Professional Baseball Spirits 2015. A 2019 season pack was later added as an update.
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū (Nintendo Switch) Released on June 27, 2019, for the Nintendo Switch, this installment of the series featured a Success Mode that was a remake of scenarios from Power Pro 9.
eBaseball Powerful Pro Yakyū 2020 Released on July 9, 2020, for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, this game marked the first entry in the series to incorporate Konami's eBASEBALL branding into its official title.
eBaseball Powerful Pro Yakyū 2022 Released on April 21, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, this installment's Success Mode (called "Rivals") featured selected events from Power Pro 9, Power Pro 13, and Power Pro 2011.
WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros Released on February 8, 2023 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, this game was a collaboration between Konami and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It was the first game in the series to feature English text since MLB Power Pros and also included Japanese voiceovers in the English release.
Powerful Pro Yakyū 2024 - 2025