"More Eye-Catching Than the Korea-Japan Match": The Magical Girl Who Captivated Japan—Who Exactly Is 'Taiwan's No. 12' Who Seemed to Come Through the Screen?

[Financial News] Ahead of the start of the Korea-Japan match, the biggest marquee matchup in Asian Games women's volleyball, an unusual incident unfolded: a Taiwan national team player unexpectedly seized the spotlight across Japan.
On the 22nd, local time, Japanese sports outlet The Digest spotlighted Liao Yi-ren, 29, a setter for Taiwan's national team who was briefly captured on Japanese terrestrial television before the women's volleyball semifinal between South Korea and Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held the previous day. The footage sparked an explosive reaction.
Here is what happened. The semifinal between South Korea and Japan on the 21st began much later than scheduled because the earlier semifinal between Thailand and China turned into a nail-biting match that went the full distance. To fill the gap, TBS, which held the Japanese terrestrial broadcasting rights, aired a video featuring the Japanese national team's key moments and highlights from the Games. During that segment, Liao Yi-ren briefly appeared wearing Taiwan's No. 12 jersey from the match against Japan.
Although she appeared on screen for only a brief moment, the impact was enormous. After seeing Liao Yi-ren's striking looks on television, Japanese volleyball fans immediately flooded social media with enthusiastic reactions. Posts about Liao Yi-ren poured in across local online communities and X, formerly Twitter, including: "Taiwan's women's volleyball No. 12 is really cute," "I thought a magical girl had appeared on the court," and "The Taiwan setter's beauty is overwhelming."
Born in 1997, Liao Yi-ren is the starting setter for Taiwan's corporate league team King Whale Taipei. Along with her strong ability to orchestrate play, she is known for her remarkable beauty and enjoys unparalleled popularity as a star of Taiwanese volleyball. Her appeal drew even more attention from local fans because she also played in Japan during the 2024-2025 season for Kanoa Laule’a’z Fukuoka of Japan's V.League.
Meanwhile, in the semifinal itself, which had been surrounded by a heated atmosphere after the unexpected spotlight, South Korea's women's volleyball team failed to overcome host Japan. The team suffered a 0-3 straight-sets defeat and left the court disappointed.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter