Robert Vargas is in a bit of a time crunch.

The Los Angeles-based artist has embarked on one of his most formidable murals. Titled “Samurai of the Diamond,” it options the Dodgers’ trio of Japanese stars — two-way participant Shohei Ohtani and pitchers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — in larger-than-life fashion on a 12-story wall of the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance.

As of early Saturday afternoon, Vargas still had a lot of portray to do in order to have the mural completed by the official unveiling at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Anyone acquainted with Vargas and how he works, however, is aware of he’ll get it performed.

“It may be finished at 9:59, but at 10 o’clock we will unveil this,” Vargas said

Koreatown resident Diego Guerrero is one of those who is aware of Vargas’ model. After witnessing the artist working on his large Fernando Valenzuela mural in Boyle Heights during the autumn of 2024, Guerrero said he had “full faith” Vargas would meet his deadline this time around.

“I know he’s got this,” Guerrero said while visiting the DoubleTree web site Saturday. “Last time he was doing this, it was raining and even that time he pulled it off. So I have no doubt he’ll finish it.”

Vargas said the new piece was conceived as a follow-up to the large mural of Ohtani he painted on the aspect of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo soon after the previous Angels pitcher signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. In two seasons with L.A., Ohtani has received two National League MVP awards and helped the Dodgers win two World Series championships.

The Dodgers signed Yamamoto during the same offseason and Sasaki a yr later. Both pitchers performed key roles in the group’s 2025 postseason run. Yamamoto went 7-1 with two full video games and pitched for the ultimate out in Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Sasaki moved to the bullpen for the playoffs and recorded three saves and two holds.

“If [the Ohtani] mural was about ushering in a new era and a new face here in Los Angeles, this mural is about building a cultural bridge from Los Angeles to Japan and really emphasizing the greatness that these foreign-born Japanese players are contributing not only to the team, but to this community’s identity,” Vargas said. “And also inspiring to kids who can look up and see heroes that look like them from this community.”

Robert Vargas paints an image of Shohei Ohtani as half of the local artist’s ‘Samurai of the Diamond’ mural Saturday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Known for its large Japanese American population and focus of Japanese companies, Torrance signed friendship metropolis agreements with Bizen (Yamamoto’s hometown) in August 2024 and Oshu (Ohtani’s hometown) in October 2024.

Vargas, who has a home in Japan because of the frequent mural work he does there, got here up with the concept of a Torrance mural honoring the Dodgers’ Japanese stars around that time.

“I feel that they are examples of how to do things right on and off the field,” Vargas said of the three gamers. “Their work ethic is really reflected in the culture. That’s why Ohtani is so respected out there on the field, not just for what he’s doing with the bat or with the baseball but just how he conducts himself. It’s refreshing.”

His concept acquired help from local leaders, such as Mayor George Chen and metropolis council member Jon Kaji.

“Ever since the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani in December, 2023, the community has rallied around Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki giving us all a sense of pride,” Kaji said in an electronic mail to The Times. “…’Samurai of the Diamond’ exemplifies the unifying power of sports that transcends borders and nationalities.”

Chen wrote in a separate electronic mail: “There are many Dodgers fans in the City of Torrance and the greatness of these 3 players have been great role models to young and old. They are performing at the highest levels in MLB, yet they have shown us that even great athletes and celebrities can maintain a certain level of maturity, respectful to others, picking up trash, not retaliating when attacked, and always showing great sportsmanship.”

The wall will embrace an interactive characteristic: When guests scan a QR code, they’ll see each participant come to life and throw a strike, with animation offered by the AR Firm. Also, lights are being put in in the parking zone to illuminate the mural at night time.

“It’s going to be a destination,” Vargas said.

DoubleTree basic supervisor Linda Amato, who is also the manager chairperson of the Discover Torrance guests bureau, said the resort plans to create “opportunities for guests to gather outdoors, enjoying [Dodgers] games under the stars alongside the interactive mural.”

“The response from the community has been incredible,” Amato said in an electronic mail. “There’s a real sense of excitement — people are stopping by daily to watch the progress and engage with the project. It’s brought a new energy to the city. Robert Vargas has been amazing throughout the process, often speaking with visitors about his vision and techniques, which adds to the overall experience.”

Vargas hand-picked the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance as the situation for his latest mural, despite the wall’s deep ridges, which make it tough to paint.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Vargas hand-picked the DoubleTree as the location, even though he said the resort’s exterior “presents the most difficult surface challenge” he has confronted. The wall is lined with thick, vertical grooves, described by Vargas as “almost like a lattice surface because the corrugation is so deep.”

Because of that, Vargas — who always works freehand and doesn’t use spray paints — has to fastidiously paint each part with a brush, as even a curler won’t work on that floor. He calls the method “very exciting.”

Actor Edward James Olmos, who was visiting Vargas at the location Thursday morning, thinks his longtime buddy is nuts.

“That’s the worst f— texture I’ve seen in my life,” the 79-year-old “Stand and Deliver” actor said of the wall’s floor. “Not one artist I’ve ever known would even want to try to do this. He chose it. I told him he’s off his a—. Have you ever seen that texture before? Never.”

Vargas he said he’s not pondering about that or any other challenges when he’s a number of tales in the air working on a project he is aware of will imply a lot to many people.

“When I’m up there and I think about the community that’s down here and how excited they are to see an image like this — not only because of what the content is, but that it’s happening here in Torrance and not just in Little Tokyo — they feel very, very proud,” Vargas said. “So the wind conditions, the heat conditions, the scaling, all of that becomes secondary when you think about why you’re creating it.”

On Saturday afternoon, East Los Angeles resident Edgar Reyes got here out to see the super-sized art work being created in real time.

“It’s just amazing to be able to witness it and see how people are coming together,” said Reyes, who described himself as a “big Robert Vargas fan.” “I think for Torrance this is a good thing because you see a lot of murals in the east side of L.A. because there’s a lot of graffiti artists and all that, compared to over here. So it’s something really huge for Torrance, I believe.”

Koreatown resident Diego Guerrero, who also visited the location on Saturday, said it’s “mesmerizing” to watch Vargas work and called the mural “mind-blowing.”

“It’s so huge,” Guerrero said. “You could see it from miles away. And it’s like, hey, I know them — they’re part of the Dodgers. But not just that. They’re part of the minority. They’re Japanese players, we’re Hispanics, but we’re the same. We want to feel like we’re represented and we’re here. The world will see us, you know?”

Robert Vargas plans to end his ‘Samurai of the Diamond’ mural in time for its official unveiling Tuesday at 10 a.m.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Around noon Saturday, Vargas confronted another delay when high winds prompted him to quickly come down from the wall. He had already made preparations to give you the option to work through the night time on Saturday and said he was ready to work nonstop, if essential, to be completed in time for the revealing two days before the Dodgers’ season opener Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I’m going to get it done,” he said.

“My time frames are pretty ambitious, but I also know what I’m capable of when it comes to my speed,” Vargas added. “And also I think that my process is really charged by my intention of why I’m creating these pieces, and that is what fuels me to completion.”