Hikaru no Go
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series, a coming of age
story based on the board game
Go written by Yumi Hotta
and illustrated by Takeshi Obata
with an anime
adaptation. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa
(5-dan). The manga is largely responsible for popularizing Go amongst the youth of Japan since its debut, and in other areas such as China
, South Korea
, and Taiwan
. More recently it has gained much popularity in the United States
. The title is sometimes abbreviated as "HnG".
First released in Japan in Shueisha
's Weekly Shōnen Jump
in 1998, Hikaru no Go achieved tremendous success, spawning a popular Go fad of almost unprecedented proportions; it received the Shogakukan Manga Award
in 2000 and its creators received the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2003 for the series. Twenty-three volumes of manga were published in Japan, comprising 189 chapters plus 11 "omake" (extra chapters). The anime series, which was created by Studio Pierrot
, ran for 75 half hour episodes from 2001 to 2003 on TV Tokyo
, along with the 77-minute extra New Year's Special that aired in January 2004.
In January 2004, the manga series debuted in the United States in the English language
periodical Shonen Jump
published by VIZ, now VIZ Media
. In 2005 it was announced that VIZ Media also has the license to the anime. Hikaru no Go Volume 1 DVD was released on December 27, 2005. A Hikaru no Go "Sneak Preview" DVD (first episode) was released in the January 2006 issue of Shonen Jump (Volume 4, Issue 1) to subscribers. Hikaru no Go airs on ImaginAsian TV in the United States. It premiered on the online streaming service Toonami Jetstream
on July 14, 2006. In the April 2008 issue of Shonen Jump, it was revealed that this was the last chapter to be published in the Shonen Jump magazine. , all 23 volumes of the graphic novel have been released in the US.
era. Sai wishes to play Go again, having not been able to since the late Edo period
, when his ghost appeared to Honinbō Shūsaku, an actual top Go player of that period. Sai's greatest desire is to attain the Kami-no-Itte (神の一手) – "Divine Move" – a perfect game. Because Hikaru is apparently the only person who can perceive him, Sai inhabits a part of Hikaru's mind as a separate personality, coexisting, although not always comfortably, with the child.
Urged by Sai, Hikaru begins playing Go despite an initial lack of interest in the game. He begins by simply executing the moves Sai dictates to him, but Sai tells him to try to understand each move. In a Go salon, Hikaru defeats Akira Toya twice, a boy his age who plays Go at professional level, by following Sai's instruction. Akira subsequently begins a quest to discover the source of Hikaru's strength, an obsession which will come to dominate his life.
Hikaru becomes intrigued by the great dedication of Akira and Sai to the game and decides to start playing solely on his own. He is a complete novice at first, but has some unique abilities to his advantage; for instance, once he has a basic understanding of Go, he can reconstruct a game play by play from memory. Through training at Go clubs, study groups, and practice games with Sai, he manages to become an insei
and later a pro, meeting various dedicated Go players of different ages and styles along the way. While Hikaru is at this point not yet up to the level of Akira, he demonstrates a natural talent for the game and remains determined to prove his own abilities to Akira, Sai, and himself.
(Western Go Institute), whose style is as strange and offbeat as his own.
Hikaru, along with Akira and Kiyoharu Yashiro, are selected to represent Japan, while Hong Su-Yeong (a Korean Go player who was beaten by Hikaru earlier in the series) and two others represent Korea and three of Shinichiro Isumi's Chinese friends represent their country.
The captain of the Korean Go team, Ko Yeong-ha (sometimes incorrectly spelled Yongha), is interviewed and his remarks translated for Japanese viewers. The translator makes an error which causes it to appear that he is disparaging the skill of Honinbo Shusaku
, who, like Hikaru, was possessed by Sai. Although Yeong-ha later finds out, he refuses to correct the error and instead emphasizes it when he realizes that it enrages Hikaru, who takes it as a direct affront to Sai. This leads to Hikaru eventually challenging the captain, and he loses by only half a point. Japan eventually comes in last, behind Korea and China.
At the end of the game, Yeong-ha asks Hikaru for his reason in playing Go. With tears in his eyes, he answers with the line "To link the far past, with the far future".
In the end of the story, it shows two inseis who are ranked 14th and 16th in the group were discussing whether Akira Toya or Hikaru Shindo were stronger. In the Young Lions tournament, they are each paired with Hikaru and Akira, making them change their minds about who is stronger. In the second round, Hikaru and Akira are paired against each other and begin a match, but the conclusion is unknown.
, Meijin
, Honinbō
, Jūdan
, Tengen
, Ōza
, and Gosei.
Shonen Jump
magazine, and in individual graphic novel
s.
Viz Media
also licensed the anime and contacted The Ocean Group
to produce an English voice dub. The anime was shown in English on ImaginAsian TV to USA residents and the first 72 episodes were available for streaming on Toonami Jetstream
. DVDs are also available from Viz, although only 10 volumes were released (covering 50 episodes) before they were canceled due to low sales. The remaining 3 English dubbed episodes not released to either DVD or streaming were finally released when the series was put up for download on iTunes in February 2011.
The manga is unedited in the Shonen Jump version and the manga chapters that can be read on the Shonen Jump website. Unlike the earlier Shonen Jump versions, instances of cigarette
s are removed from the Hikaru no Go graphic novels so that they can be labelled as appropriate for everyone. For instance, the cigarette that Tetsuo Kaga puts on a Go board is changed to a wad of chewing gum
in the graphic novel. Other changes include removal of clothing designs (e.g. vol. 5) and actual trademarks.
The cigarette habits were edited in 2005 Shonen Jump editions along with the graphic novels, though not all were caught before translation. In Volume 2, Sai communicates his outrage about Tetsuo's "dirty cigarette" (graphic novel vol. 2, p. 9), and in another edition Sai says "He put his gum out on the board!" and in another panel Tetsuo is shown in the background smoking. , references to cigarettes and smoking are prevalent in the version seen in Shonen Jump.
Similar changes were made when it was adapted as an anime
, inside Japan.
Go professional Yukari Umezawa
served as the technical advisor for the manga and promoted it on behalf of the Nihon Ki-in
. She had a short one-minute special at the end of every episode instructing kids how to play Go. One of the reasons that she helped make Go so popular was because she was called "best looking Go professional". Hikaru no Go also caused an increase in popularity, and awareness of, Go throughout all other countries where it was read or seen. As a result, many Go clubs were started by people influenced by the manga.
List of Hikaru no Go episodes
Manga volume contents
List of Hikaru no Go chapters
Music
Video game appearances
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, a coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
story based on the board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
Go written by Yumi Hotta
Yumi Hotta
is a Japanese manga artist, born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan in 1957.Hotta is best known as the author of the best-selling manga and anime series Hikaru no Go, about the game of go that is widely credited for the recent boom of the game in Japan. The idea behind Hikaru no Go began when Yumi Hotta...
and illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Takeshi Obata
is a Japanese manga artist. He works as the artist in collaboration with a writer. He has also mentored several manga artists, including Kentaro Yabuki of Black Cat fame, Nobuhiro Watsuki of Rurouni Kenshin and Busou Renkin, and Yusuke Murata of Eyeshield 21.He originally became noticed in 1985...
with an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa
Yukari Umezawa
née is a Japanese Go professional.-Biography:Umezawa became a professional Go player in 1996. She then attained the rank of 5-dan in 2002 at the age of 29, and was married in the same year. Umezawa supervised the production of Hikaru no Go, a manga about Go written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by...
(5-dan). The manga is largely responsible for popularizing Go amongst the youth of Japan since its debut, and in other areas such as China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. More recently it has gained much popularity in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The title is sometimes abbreviated as "HnG".
First released in Japan in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
in 1998, Hikaru no Go achieved tremendous success, spawning a popular Go fad of almost unprecedented proportions; it received the Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
in 2000 and its creators received the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2003 for the series. Twenty-three volumes of manga were published in Japan, comprising 189 chapters plus 11 "omake" (extra chapters). The anime series, which was created by Studio Pierrot
Studio Pierrot
is a Japanese animation/animation studio, founded in 1979 by former employees of Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters is located in Mitaka, Tokyo.The company has a simple logo of the face of a clown...
, ran for 75 half hour episodes from 2001 to 2003 on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
, along with the 77-minute extra New Year's Special that aired in January 2004.
In January 2004, the manga series debuted in the United States in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
periodical Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump (magazine)
Shonen Jump, officially stylized SHONEN JUMP and abbreviated SJ, is a shōnen manga anthology published in North America by Viz Media. It debuted in November 2002 with the first issue having a January 2003 cover date...
published by VIZ, now VIZ Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. In 2005 it was announced that VIZ Media also has the license to the anime. Hikaru no Go Volume 1 DVD was released on December 27, 2005. A Hikaru no Go "Sneak Preview" DVD (first episode) was released in the January 2006 issue of Shonen Jump (Volume 4, Issue 1) to subscribers. Hikaru no Go airs on ImaginAsian TV in the United States. It premiered on the online streaming service Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream was an ad-supported online broadband service and a remake of Toonami's previous video streaming service Toonami Reactor provided by Cartoon Network and Viz Media....
on July 14, 2006. In the April 2008 issue of Shonen Jump, it was revealed that this was the last chapter to be published in the Shonen Jump magazine. , all 23 volumes of the graphic novel have been released in the US.
Storyline
The same basic storyline is followed by the manga and anime, with a few small changes between the versions. While exploring his grandfather's shed, Hikaru stumbles across a Go board haunted by the spirit of Fujiwara-no-Sai, a fictional Go player from the HeianHeian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
era. Sai wishes to play Go again, having not been able to since the late Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, when his ghost appeared to Honinbō Shūsaku, an actual top Go player of that period. Sai's greatest desire is to attain the Kami-no-Itte (神の一手) – "Divine Move" – a perfect game. Because Hikaru is apparently the only person who can perceive him, Sai inhabits a part of Hikaru's mind as a separate personality, coexisting, although not always comfortably, with the child.
Urged by Sai, Hikaru begins playing Go despite an initial lack of interest in the game. He begins by simply executing the moves Sai dictates to him, but Sai tells him to try to understand each move. In a Go salon, Hikaru defeats Akira Toya twice, a boy his age who plays Go at professional level, by following Sai's instruction. Akira subsequently begins a quest to discover the source of Hikaru's strength, an obsession which will come to dominate his life.
Hikaru becomes intrigued by the great dedication of Akira and Sai to the game and decides to start playing solely on his own. He is a complete novice at first, but has some unique abilities to his advantage; for instance, once he has a basic understanding of Go, he can reconstruct a game play by play from memory. Through training at Go clubs, study groups, and practice games with Sai, he manages to become an insei
Insei
In Japan, an ' is a student at an institution, usually a graduate school. The word may also refer to a student of Go at the Nihon Ki-in or the Kansai Ki-in seeking to become a professional player....
and later a pro, meeting various dedicated Go players of different ages and styles along the way. While Hikaru is at this point not yet up to the level of Akira, he demonstrates a natural talent for the game and remains determined to prove his own abilities to Akira, Sai, and himself.
Hokuto Cup
Although the anime generally followed the manga's plotline, faithful readers of the manga were disappointed that the last arc was not aired. Where the anime ended, the manga continued with Hikaru planning to enter the Hokuto Cup, an international tournament for under-18 Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Go professionals. As the highest-ranking under-18 pro, Akira qualifies for the tournament, but Hikaru has to compete in a series of games to become one of the three Japanese competitors. His friends Waya and Ochi also enter the qualifying matches. He meets Kiyoharu Yashiro, a player from the Kansai Ki-inKansai Ki-in
The Kansai Ki-in , i.e., Kansai Go Association, is an organizational body for the game of Go in Japan, which was founded by Hashimoto Utaro in 1950...
(Western Go Institute), whose style is as strange and offbeat as his own.
Hikaru, along with Akira and Kiyoharu Yashiro, are selected to represent Japan, while Hong Su-Yeong (a Korean Go player who was beaten by Hikaru earlier in the series) and two others represent Korea and three of Shinichiro Isumi's Chinese friends represent their country.
The captain of the Korean Go team, Ko Yeong-ha (sometimes incorrectly spelled Yongha), is interviewed and his remarks translated for Japanese viewers. The translator makes an error which causes it to appear that he is disparaging the skill of Honinbo Shusaku
Honinbo Shusaku
Honinbo Shusaku was a professional Go player and is considered by many to be the greatest player of the golden age of Go in the mid-19th century.- Biography :He was nicknamed "Invincible" after he earned a perfect score for 19 straight wins in the annual castle...
, who, like Hikaru, was possessed by Sai. Although Yeong-ha later finds out, he refuses to correct the error and instead emphasizes it when he realizes that it enrages Hikaru, who takes it as a direct affront to Sai. This leads to Hikaru eventually challenging the captain, and he loses by only half a point. Japan eventually comes in last, behind Korea and China.
At the end of the game, Yeong-ha asks Hikaru for his reason in playing Go. With tears in his eyes, he answers with the line "To link the far past, with the far future".
In the end of the story, it shows two inseis who are ranked 14th and 16th in the group were discussing whether Akira Toya or Hikaru Shindo were stronger. In the Young Lions tournament, they are each paired with Hikaru and Akira, making them change their minds about who is stronger. In the second round, Hikaru and Akira are paired against each other and begin a match, but the conclusion is unknown.
Titles
The plot of the manga "Hikaru no Go" revolves around the Japanese Go world. Several of the manga's prominent characters hold Go titles. The title holder is then called by a combination of their name and the title they hold. In the case of a multiple title holder the most prestigious title they hold is used. The 7 major titles mentioned in the manga are KiseiKisei
The Kisei is a Go competition. The title, meaning go sage in Japanese, was a traditional honorary appellation given to a handful of players down the centuries. The element ki can also apply to shogi, and there were also recognized kisei in the shogi world.-Background:Kisei is a Go competition...
, Meijin
Meijin
Meijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...
, Honinbō
Honinbo Tournament
The Honinbo is a Go competition.-Outline:It is the oldest Go title in Japan. Sponsored by Mainichi Shimbun, the Honinbo pays out ¥32 million . The holder is challenged by whoever wins the round robin league. Players can get into the round robin league by going through many preliminary tournaments...
, Jūdan
Judan (Go)
The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...
, Tengen
Tengen (Go)
Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....
, Ōza
Oza
is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners...
, and Gosei.
English-language adaptations
Hikaru no Go is published in English in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump (magazine)
Shonen Jump, officially stylized SHONEN JUMP and abbreviated SJ, is a shōnen manga anthology published in North America by Viz Media. It debuted in November 2002 with the first issue having a January 2003 cover date...
magazine, and in individual graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s.
Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
also licensed the anime and contacted The Ocean Group
The Ocean Group
Ocean Productions Inc. is a voice-recording production company located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There services include localizing foreign animation into English, as well as translation, script writing, original music scores, sound FX and video production.Their most prolific clients...
to produce an English voice dub. The anime was shown in English on ImaginAsian TV to USA residents and the first 72 episodes were available for streaming on Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream was an ad-supported online broadband service and a remake of Toonami's previous video streaming service Toonami Reactor provided by Cartoon Network and Viz Media....
. DVDs are also available from Viz, although only 10 volumes were released (covering 50 episodes) before they were canceled due to low sales. The remaining 3 English dubbed episodes not released to either DVD or streaming were finally released when the series was put up for download on iTunes in February 2011.
The manga is unedited in the Shonen Jump version and the manga chapters that can be read on the Shonen Jump website. Unlike the earlier Shonen Jump versions, instances of cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s are removed from the Hikaru no Go graphic novels so that they can be labelled as appropriate for everyone. For instance, the cigarette that Tetsuo Kaga puts on a Go board is changed to a wad of chewing gum
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
in the graphic novel. Other changes include removal of clothing designs (e.g. vol. 5) and actual trademarks.
The cigarette habits were edited in 2005 Shonen Jump editions along with the graphic novels, though not all were caught before translation. In Volume 2, Sai communicates his outrage about Tetsuo's "dirty cigarette" (graphic novel vol. 2, p. 9), and in another edition Sai says "He put his gum out on the board!" and in another panel Tetsuo is shown in the background smoking. , references to cigarettes and smoking are prevalent in the version seen in Shonen Jump.
Similar changes were made when it was adapted as an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, inside Japan.
Main characters
- - The protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. At the beginning of the series, Hikaru is a sixth grader in elementary school. An important factor in the development of Hikaru's passion for Go is an encounter early on in which Hikaru becomes the rival of Go prodigy Akira Toya. At first, he thinks that Go is just for old folks and he is annoyed at Sai's demand to play, but little by little his passion for Go increases as he plays more and more. From being a member of a school Go club to becoming an insei and finally a professional Go player (at 14 years old) a year after Akira, Hikaru matures throughout the course of the series. Throughout the series, Hikaru gets older in age as both the manga volumes and animated series follow him from 6th grade to high school. Hikaru is often portrayed wearing clothing having the numeral "5". This is a pun on the Japanese word for five: 五, which is pronounced go. Part of his strength is his ability to read far into the game very fast, and to make seemingly stupid moves, which, in fact, lure the opponent to playing what looks like the obviously correct move, which Hikaru then uses against them. He is voiced by Tomoko KawakamiTomoko Kawakamiwas a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Kawakami was affiliated with Production Baobab at the time of her death.-Career:...
. - - A spirit from the Heian era of Japan and mentor of Hikaru Shindo. Once the Go instructor to the Emperor, Sai continually plays Go, his goal being to one day play the divine move (also known as the Hand of God or Kami No Itte). In the manga and anime, Sai's ghost had possessed the real-life figure Honinbo ShusakuHoninbo ShusakuHoninbo Shusaku was a professional Go player and is considered by many to be the greatest player of the golden age of Go in the mid-19th century.- Biography :He was nicknamed "Invincible" after he earned a perfect score for 19 straight wins in the annual castle...
who became a renowned Go player. Sai holds a rivalry towards Kouyou Touya (a.k.a. Toya Meijin) and through Hikaru persuades Toya to have a game with him. His wish is realized when Touya accepts the challenge and plays a game through the Internet. After the legendary match that ends with Sai's triumph, Hikaru discovers another move which would have turned the game around. Witnessing Hikaru's maturity, Sai comes to feel that his one-thousand-year time in the world is going to end without his fulfilling his wish of obtaining the divine move; but he reasons that perhaps he was fated to awaken and teach Hikaru, who might obtain it in the future. A few days after the game with Toya Meijin, Sai suddenly disappears as he feared he would. Hikaru was dozing during their last game, so he could neither terminate his last match with Hikaru nor say goodbye to him. Sai is gone, leaving Hikaru depressed and wanting to quit the game. When Hikaru plays Isumi, Hikaru realizes that he will continue to play Go, for Sai lives on in Hikaru's Go. Extremely effeminate by today's standards (as is appropriate for a high-born Heian man), Sai is often drawn with traditionally feminine features and mannerisms. Yumi Hotta has joked about fans mistakenly calling him a "she" in the "intermission" pages of the manga. Sai's extremely emotional behavior is also proper for a Heian male; he sometimes cries copiously in chibi style (usually in an episode introduction), soaking his long sleeves with tears, which in his own time would be respected as a sign of intelligence and sensitivity. His name Fujiwara suggests that he is related to a noble family of extremely high prestige in the Heian period, the Fujiwara clan. Sai has a high sense of honour, abhorring cheating and bullying. He is voiced by Susumu ChibaSusumu Chiba, born September 13, 1970, is a seiyū . He is contracted under the Office Osawa Co. LTD. One of his best known roles is as Fujiwara-no-Sai from the anime Hikaru no Go. Also called as Chibashinpo or PUROGURESU.-Anime:*07-Ghost '*A.D...
.
- - Hikaru's biggest rival and Kaio Middle School student. The son of Koyo Toya, Akira is already a very strong go player when Hikaru first begins playing. Akira is amazed by Hikaru's seemingly impossible ability and becomes obsessed with discovering the secret behind Hikaru's strength. Meanwhile, Hikaru is impressed with how serious and focused Akira is for being only a 6th grader like him when they first meet. As the series goes along, the plot brings these two characters together to play each other under many circumstances, each time adding to the mystery. Like Hikaru, Akira also gets taller throughout the series. He is voiced by Sanae KobayashiSanae Kobayashiis a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
. - - Akira Toya's father. His real name is ; MeijinMeijinMeijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...
is one of the titles he earned. He rivals Sai and like Sai he also pursues the divine move. Following his defeat by Sai he retires from the Japanese Go circuit and plays in China. He has an interest in Hikaru and requested to play him in the Beginner Dan series after Hikaru becomes a pro. He is usually pictured in traditional Japanese dress. He is voiced by Eizo Tsuda.
Haze Middle School Go club
- - Hikaru's childhood friend. She begins to learn Go as well when Hikaru becomes interested and later joins the Haze Middle School Go club, serving as vice captain of the girls' team, despite her being a weak player. She also seems to have feelings for Hikaru, as noted by her two friends in the carnival and various other characters. Hikaru shows interest in her only little by little, though. The two remain friends throughout the course of the series. Her birthday is May 17.
- - Captain and founder of the Haze Middle School Go Club. Initially he relies on a strategy book, though he has excellent Yose (end game) skills. Kaga persuades him to abandon the book in favor of trusting his strength. When he founds the Haze Middle School Go club he is the only member, but through the efforts of Hikaru and Akari the club grows. Kimihiro graduates from Haze Middle School before his dream of defeating the Kaio Middle School Go club can be realized.
- - President of Haze Middle School's ShogiShogi, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...
club. Kaga hates Go and prefers Shogi because his father forbade Shogi and forced him to play Go from an extremely early age, and he could never please the old man no matter how well he did, because he always lost to Akira Toya. In a flashback to Kaga's childhood, he is not only defeated by Akira, he feels disrespected by Akira's detached attitude towards his opponents. He still plays Go from time to time to keep his skills limber. During the course of the series, he (along with Kimihiro Tsutsui) graduates from Haze Middle School. Tetsuo smokes cigaretteCigaretteA cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s, which were kept in the earlier U.S. Shonen Jump versions of Hikaru no Go, but were removed from the U.S. graphic novelGraphic novelA graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s and the later Shonen Jump versions. - - A player at the Go Club at Haze Middle School who overcomes his cheating habit. He is angry at Hikaru for choosing to be an Insei rather than stay at the school Go club when they have a tournament around the corner. Yuki and Hikaru are no longer seen as friends. Yuki remains in the Go club, but only after much convincing.
Insei
- - Hikaru's "big brother" inseiInseiIn Japan, an ' is a student at an institution, usually a graduate school. The word may also refer to a student of Go at the Nihon Ki-in or the Kansai Ki-in seeking to become a professional player....
. Like Kaga, he has a dislike for Akira Toya because he can never defeat him and because of what he perceives as Akira's disdain for his opponents. He has once faced Sai in Internet Go using the nickname 'zelda.' He becomes a pro (at age 15) in the same year as Hikaru. He is also known to be very reckless and short-tempered, even punching former insei Mashiba in the face because the latter rattled his friend Isumi. Waya's birthday is August 12. He takes the pro exam 4 times before passing. - - Another insei friendly with Hikaru, Isumi is the eldest in Hikaru's peer group, turning 18 during the series. He appears to be doing very well in the first pro exam shown in the manga, going undefeated until his match with Hikaru. During that match, rumors about Hikaru's incredible strength add to the pressure of time constraints, and he misplaces a stone; his attempt to move the stone after letting go of it prompts his honorable resignation before Hikaru can accuse him of cheating. The match weighs on his mind and he loses his next two games and the chance to become a pro. He later goes to study Go in China in one of the few character arcs in the series that does not center on Hikaru. There, he learns to control his emotions and passes the next year's pro exam without a single loss. Isumi also unknowingly helps Hikaru get over his grief for Sai when their practice game makes Hikaru realize that by playing, he can find Sai within his moves, the Go that Sai passed on to Hikaru. Isumi's birthday is April 18.
- - Yet another insei in the same group as Hikaru, Ochi is one of the youngest (12 years old when introduced), yet very outspoken about his ability. His bragging about his strength hides his insecurity; after each loss he is known to disappear into the restroom for long periods of time. Akira tutors him to find out about Hikaru's current strength. Ochi is unnerved by Hikaru because Akira's obsession about him seems to suggest there is more to Hikaru than what Ochi knows. Ochi is also angry that Akira acknowledges Hikaru as a rival, but not Ochi himself. He demands that Akira view him as a rival if he can defeat Hikaru in the pro exam. Ochi loses to Hikaru, but does pass the pro exam. He comes from a wealthy family, as evidenced by the number of pros that come to his household to tutor him privately in go.
- , nicknamed - An insei and classmate of Waya who is known for his extremely fast-paced style of play. Although Waya is the stronger player, he cannot seem to defeat Fuku. Hikaru loses one game to him during the pro exam.
- Asumi Nase - The only female insei that has a prominent role in the manga and anime. She is able to defeat Honda in the pro exams.
Kaio Middle School Go club
- - Kaio Middle School Go club president and former inseiInseiIn Japan, an ' is a student at an institution, usually a graduate school. The word may also refer to a student of Go at the Nihon Ki-in or the Kansai Ki-in seeking to become a professional player....
who did not become a professional. He played Akira in a game, and had to resign early and admitted he was outclassed and right not to pursue professional play. Later he plays a match against Hikaru to gauge his strength, and defeats him easily. His dismissive attitude to Hikaru's plan to rise to Akira's level while playing in the school club spurs Hikaru on to register as an insei. His liking for black coffee allows Hikaru to realize that he is the failed insei that the other insei are discussing shortly after he becomes an insei. - Yun, also known as - Yun is Akira's Middle School teacher who is in charge of the school Go club. He is originally from Korea. He worked as a go instructor for children in Korea, and was initially disappointed in young go players in Japan, until he joined the Kaio faculty.
- - A 3rd year Kaio Middle School student who stands up for Akira when he gets bullied by three other members of the go club who resent his presence in the club. She hates bullying of all kinds, but this does not stop her from bullying others. Her birthday is February 11.
- , , and * - three students who dislike Akira Toya's presence in the Kaio Middle School Go club, and try to humiliate him into quitting the club by making him play "blind go" (i.e. calling out the moves without looking at the go board, like blindfold chessBlindfold chessBlindfold chess is a form of chess play wherein the players do not see the positions of the pieces or touch them. This forces players to maintain a mental model of the positions of the pieces...
). Yuri Hidaka catches them in the act and puts a stop to the bullying.
Other characters
- - The owner of a Go salon where Hikaru finds Yuki Mitani. Shu recognises that Mitani is cheating, so he hires Dake-san to teach him a lesson.
- - A go hustlerHustlingHustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling with the hustler, as a form of confidence trick...
hired by Shu to teach Yuki Mitani not to cheat. He poses as a regular at the Go salon and hides his strength. He bets money on the game and wins 10,000 yen (about $90 U.S.United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
) from Yuki. Hikaru and Sai later win the money back, and Hikaru uses this to persuade him to join the school go club. Dake sings romantic songs while playing Go as part of his act to appear like a harmless buffoon, and plays with his right hand (although he is left-handed) to appear clumsy. - - Hikaru's grandfather, a regional go champion, who owns the board where Hikaru first discovered Sai. He claims his brother bought the board in an antique shop, intrigued by the rumor that a "ghost in a tall hat" would appear from it sometimes. He keeps the board as a memento after his brother's death and refused to give it to Hikaru, but after seeing how much Hikaru has improved in Go in one year's time, he buys him a nice go board to practice on his own.
- - An elderly professional and current holder of the Honinbo title in Hikaru no Go. Kuwabara is friends with Toya Meijin, but rivals Ogata, whose challenge he defeats. In his title defence next year, he defeats the young fast-improving Kurata. He is able to vaguely sense Sai's presence, and develops an interest in Hikaru. Kuwabara bets on Hikaru in his Beginner Dan series game. Kuwabara was Shusaku's real family name.
- - Ms. Ichikawa is the cashier of the Go salon owned by the Toyas. She feels saddened when Akira frequents the club less often because of his pro schedule, and in the manga refuses to start calling him "sensei" when he goes pro, preferring to keep calling him by the nickname "Akira-kun." She frequently drives him to different places and he sometimes tutors her in go.
- , also known as Morishita Sensei or Mr. Morishita - A 9-dan pro who is Waya's go teacher and leader of the study group which Hikaru also frequents on Waya's invitation. He considers Toya Meijin a rival, since the two of them became pros at the same time. Morishita also mentors Michio Shirakawa (7-dan), the community Go leader.
- / Yuki's Older Sister - A girl who works at an internet cafe and lets Hikaru play go on the computers for free during her shifts. She also helps Hikaru with his English. The name used to describe Yuki's sister is different in the English version since Yuki Mitani is usually called by his given name, "Yuki", in the English versions. In the Japanese versions Yuki is referred to by his family name, "Mitani" - therefore his sister is called "Mitani's sister" in the Japanese versions.
- Su-Young Hong (Hong Su-yeong, 홍수영) - A Korean Go professional, 2 years younger than Hikaru. He is 12 when he first appears in the manga. Hikaru, Waya, and Isumi travel to go salons to sharpen their skills while they are insei. In one of them they meet Suyong, whose uncle runs a go salon, while Suyong is on vacation from Korea. At the time, Suyong is a Yeon'gusaeng (the Korean equivalent of an inseiInseiIn Japan, an ' is a student at an institution, usually a graduate school. The word may also refer to a student of Go at the Nihon Ki-in or the Kansai Ki-in seeking to become a professional player....
), but is disillusioned with playing Go. Heated words between him and Hikaru lead to the two playing an intense, exciting match at the Go salon. Hikaru defeats Suyong and this spurs Suyong to work harder to become a pro. Su-Young becomes famous after beating a 9-dan in Korea. He appears again in the manga as the third representative for Korea in the Hokuto Cup. - - A Go professional who recognizes Hikaru's talent when he comments on a go move during a children's tournament that even professional Go players would take some time to see (although this is Sai's insight - Hikaru had not yet attained much skill by this time). He is also a student of Koyo Toya and soon takes the Judan and Gosei titles when Koyo Toya retires. He keeps tropical fishTropical fishTropical fish include fish found in tropical environments around the world, including both freshwater and salt water species.Tropical fish are popular as aquarium fish, due to their often bright coloration...
and smokes heavily.
Reception
The manga has sold more than 22,000,000 copies in Japan.Effect on the popularity of Go
Hikaru no Go dramatically increased the popularity of Go in Japan and elsewhere, particularly among young children.Go professional Yukari Umezawa
Yukari Umezawa
née is a Japanese Go professional.-Biography:Umezawa became a professional Go player in 1996. She then attained the rank of 5-dan in 2002 at the age of 29, and was married in the same year. Umezawa supervised the production of Hikaru no Go, a manga about Go written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by...
served as the technical advisor for the manga and promoted it on behalf of the Nihon Ki-in
Nihon Ki-in
The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...
. She had a short one-minute special at the end of every episode instructing kids how to play Go. One of the reasons that she helped make Go so popular was because she was called "best looking Go professional". Hikaru no Go also caused an increase in popularity, and awareness of, Go throughout all other countries where it was read or seen. As a result, many Go clubs were started by people influenced by the manga.
Media and release information
TV episodesList of Hikaru no Go episodes
Manga volume contents
List of Hikaru no Go chapters
Music
Video game appearances
- Hikaru no Go - A Japanese only release Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
GoGo (board game)Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
game by KonamiKonamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games... - Hikaru no Go 2 - For Game Boy Advance
- Hikaru no Go 3Hikaru no Go 3Hikaru no Go 3 is a board-game based video game released in 2003 by Konami. The game is the third game in the Hikaru no Go series....
- For Gamecube and Game Boy Advance - Hikaru and Sai appear as support characters in Jump Super StarsJump Super Starsis a 2D fighting game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005 in Japan and accompanied the release of a red Nintendo DS...
Japanese version
- Hikaru Shindo - Tomoko KawakamiTomoko Kawakamiwas a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, Kawakami was affiliated with Production Baobab at the time of her death.-Career:...
- Fujiwara-no-Sai - Susumu ChibaSusumu Chiba, born September 13, 1970, is a seiyū . He is contracted under the Office Osawa Co. LTD. One of his best known roles is as Fujiwara-no-Sai from the anime Hikaru no Go. Also called as Chibashinpo or PUROGURESU.-Anime:*07-Ghost '*A.D...
- Akira Toya - Sanae KobayashiSanae Kobayashiis a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
- Akari Fujisaki - Yumi KakazuYumi Kakazuis a female seiyū from Kamifukuoka, Saitama . She is currently affiliated with Genki Project...
- Kimihiro Tsutsui - Makoto TsumuraMakoto Tsumurais a Japanese voice actress from Hokkaidō formerly affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Astro Boy *Dokkiri Doctor *Idaten Jump *Inukami! *Ghost Stories...
- Tetsuo Kaga - Kentarō ItōKentaro Itois a seiyū who was born in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. He has been affiliated with Mediarte since May 2009.- Notable anime roles :* Ai No Kusabi - Riki* Ao no Exorcist - Shiratori/Astaroth* Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! WGP - Brett Astaire...
- Yuki Mitani - Yuu Asakawa
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- Shinichiro Isumi - Kenichi SuzumuraKenichi Suzumurais a Japanese voice actor who was born in Niigata Prefecture, but raised in Osaka Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Arts Vision. He made his television animation debut on Macross 7 in 1994...
- Seiji Ogata - Keiji FujiwaraKeiji Fujiwarais a Japanese voice actor from the Tokyo Metropolitan area who is affiliated with Air Agengy.His best known projects include Crayon Shin-chan as Hiroshi Nohara, Eureka Seven as Holland, Fullmetal Alchemist as Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes, Zoids: Chaotic Century as Irvine, Final Fantasy VII Advent...
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English version
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