Though the surgery proves successful, Paul is unable to pitch again and finds comfort in the arms of journalist Will Horton, at the time portrayed by (Guy Wilson).

Famous baseball player Paul Narita comes to Salem to undergo shoulder surgery as a patient of Daniel Jonas (Shawn Christian).

Paul flirts heavily with hospital employees Abigail Deveraux (Kate Mansi), Theresa Donovan (Jen Lilley) and his physical therapist Jordan Ridgeway (Chrishell Stause).

Paul has already agreed to an exclusive interview with SONIX magazine about his return to baseball with journalist Will Horton (Guy Wilson).

Later, Paul calls his mother Tori (Hira Ambrosino) and his grandfather Hiro (Yoshio Moriwaki) inform them that he is coming out.

Paul is ready to leave town when John Black (Drake Hogestyn) asks him to participate in a charity benefit for underprivileged kids.

Later, Will's grandmother Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) offers Paul a job as the spokesperson for a new men's fashion line for MAD World Cosmetics—on Justin's behalf.

Paul continues to bond with John and his half-brother Brady (Eric Martsolf) who has recently welcomed his son, Tate.

Paul lands another modeling gig when Kate, Theresa and Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker) take over John's former fashion house, Basic Black and he ends up working opposite Gabi Hernandez (Camila Banus) – Will's ex-girlfriend.

Paul supports his father and meets his half-sister Belle (Martha Madison) when Brady is involved in a near fatal car accident and receives a heart transplant.

In March 2016, Paul is kidnapped by the mysterious Yo Ling (Tobin Bell) who reveals himself to be John's presumed dead biological father—Tim Robicheaux.

Yo Ling has brainwashed Paul in an attempt to force him to do his bidding, but John rescues him with the help of Eduardo Hernandez (A Martinez).

In September 2016, Paul takes a bullet for John when his longtime foe Orpheus (George DelHoyo) crashes Brady's wedding looking for revenge.

Paul, still in love with Sonny, initially rejects Will's advances, but in truth, he is very sympathetic to Will's situation of having no memory of his life and family, and he extends the hand of friendship to him.

Meanwhile, Paul saves Sami from being shot by Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk), but he falls out a window and lands three stories down.

A devastated Paul decides not to move into the apartment and instead he returns alone to San Francisco, where a new program may be able to restore his ability to walk.

ISA agent Andrew Donovan investigates the crime and Paul assists him in finding Harris and why John and Steve disappeared.

They soon discover Megan Hathaway is alive and is has brainwashed them into stealing a prism in Hong Kong which her father, Stefano DiMera, had searched for before.

In February 2014, the series put out a casting call for an actor between the ages of 24 and 35 to play the role of Micah, who was initially supposed to be African American.

[8] In October 2014, several reports surfaced that actor Christopher Sean had been cast in the role of baseball player Paul Narita and would debut on November 7, 2014.

A former Mr. Asia USA, Sean was known for his appearances in the web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Hollywood Heights, The Mindy Project and Hawaii Five-O.

Ira Madison III from BuzzFeed said "Asian-American men on television have long been relegated to sidekick status" and the character of Paul goes against that trend.

Christopher Sean likened his character's sex appeal to that of Steven Yeun's Glenn Rhee on The Walking Dead.

"[7] The final casting notice called for a Hispanic or Asian actor with "fantastic looks and killer charm making him irresistible.

At the same time, Paul is very cautious about who he allows into his inner circle despite advances from bellboy Derrick (Spencer Neville) and he still has lingering feelings for Sonny.

[17] In an interview with Daytime Royal Online, Christopher Sean explained that sexual orientation was "taboo" in the Japanese culture.

"[11] In an interview with Michael Logan for Soap Opera Digest, Christopher Sean said he was shocked when he learned from co-executive producer Lisa de Cazotte that Paul's relationship with Will would become sexual.

[24] The character and the actor received critical acclaim and became quite popular with fans and Sean was considered a "break out" star.

The magazine said "With nothing to rely on but his expressions, vocal inflections and body movements, he provided viewers with a one-way ticket into Paul's psyche.

[16] Ira Madison III from BuzzFeed responded with the following headline: "A Groundbreaking Coming-Out Story Was Told Entirely In Japanese On “Days Of Our Lives.”[4] The triangle between Sonny, Paul and Will also brought the soap its 4th consecutive GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daily Drama in 2015.