Hikaru no Go (ヒカルの碁?, lit. "Hikaru's Go") 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 '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. As of January 2011, 22 volumes of the graphic novel have been released in the US, with the 23rd and final volume set to be released in May.
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 Heian 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 Go player of that period. Sai's greatest desire is to attain the Kami-no-Itte (神の一手) – "Divine Move", or the "Hand of God" – 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.
Main characters
* Hikaru Shindou (進藤 ヒカル, Shindō Hikaru?) - Protagonist who is assisted by Sai. 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 where Hikaru becomes the rival of Akira Touya. 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. His birthday is September 20. 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.
* Fujiwara-no-Sai (藤原佐為?) - A spirit from the Heian era of Japan and mentor of Hikaru Shindo. Once the Go instructor to the Emperor, Sai continually plays Go in attempt 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 Shusaku who became a renowned Go player. Sai holds a rivalry towards Kouyou Touya (a.k.a. Toya Meijin) and through Hikaru persuades Touya 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. While witnessing the maturity of Hikaru, Sai comes to feel that his one-thousand-year time in the world is going to end and he won't fulfill his wish of obtaining the divine move, but that perhaps he was to awaken and teach Hikaru, who might obtain it in the future. A few days after the game with Toya Meijin, Sai suddenly disappears, neither terminating his last match with Hikaru nor saying goodbye to him. Sai is gone, leaving Hikaru depressed and wanting to quit go. 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.
* Akira Touya (塔矢 アキラ, Tōya Akira) - Hikaru's biggest rival and Kaio Middle School student. The son of Kouyou Touya, Akira is already a very strong go player when Hikaru first begins playing. Akira is amazed by Hikaru's seemingly impossible strength 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. His birthday is December 14.
* Touya Meijin (塔矢 名人, Tōya Meijin) - Akira Toya's father. His real name is Kouyou Touya (塔矢 行洋, Tōya Kōyō); Meijin 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.
Haze Middle School Go club
* Akari Fujisaki (藤崎 あかり, Fujisaki Akari) - 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 his interest to her little by little though. The two remain friends throughout the course of the series. Her birthday is May 17.
* Kimihiro Tsutsui (筒井 公宏, Tsutsui Kimihiro?) - 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. His birthday is April 23.
* Tetsuo Kaga (加賀 鉄男, Kaga Tetsuo?) - President of Haze Middle School's Shogi 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 cigarettes, which were kept in the earlier U.S. Shonen Jump versions of Hikaru no Go, but were removed from the U.S. graphic novels and the later (as of 2005[update]) Shonen Jump versions. His birthday is January 8.
* Yuki Mitani (三谷 祐輝, Mitani Yūki?) - 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. His birthday is October 15.
Insei
* Yoshitaka Waya (和谷 義高, Waya Yoshitaka?) - Hikaru's "big brother" insei. 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.
* Shinichiro Isumi (伊角 慎一郎, Isumi Shin'ichirō?) - 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.
* Kosuke Ochi (越智 康介, Ochi Kōsuke?) - 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. His birthday is November 2.
* Yuta Fukui (福井 雄太, Fukui Yūta?), nicknamed "Fuku" (フク?) - 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
* Kaoru Kishimoto (岸本 薫, Kishimoto Kaoru?) - Kaio Middle School Go club president and former insei who did not become a professional. 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 realise that he is the failed insei that the other insei are discussing shortly after he becomes an insei. His birthday is March 5.
* Yun, also known as Yun Sensei (尹先生?) - 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.
* Yuri Hidaka (日高 由梨, Hidaka Yuri?) - 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.
* Itō (伊藤, Itō?), Kojima (小島?), and *Okumura (奥村?) - 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). Yuri Hidaka catches them in the act and puts a stop to the bullying.
Other characters
* Shu (修, Shū?)- 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.
* Dake (だけ, Dake?) - A go hustler 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.) 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.
* Heihachi Shindo (進藤 平八, Shindō Heihachi?) - 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.
* Kuwabara Honinbo (桑原本因坊, Kuwabara Honinbō?) - The current holder of the Honinbo title in Hikaru no Go. Kuwabara is friends with Toya Meijin, but rivals Ogata. 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.
* Harumi Ichikawa (市河 晴美, Ichikawa Harumi?) - 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.
* Shigeo Morishita (森下 茂男, Morishita Shigeo?), 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.
* Mitani's sister (三谷の姉, Mitani no Ane?) / 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 insei), 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.
* Seiji Ogata (緒方 精次, Ogata Seiji,?, 10-dan) - 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. His birthday is January 17. He keeps tropical fish and smokes heavily.
HOTFILE
Hikaru No Go Volume 01
Hikaru No Go Volume 02
Hikaru No Go Volume 03
Hikaru No Go Volume 04
Hikaru No Go Volume 05
Hikaru No Go Volume 06
Hikaru No Go Volume 07
Hikaru No Go Volume 08
Hikaru No Go Volume 09
Hikaru No Go Volume 10
Hikaru No Go Volume 11
Hikaru No Go Volume 12
Hikaru No Go Volume 13
Hikaru No Go Volume 14
Hikaru No Go Volume 15
Hikaru No Go Volume 16
Hikaru No Go Volume 17
Hikaru No Go Volume 18
Hikaru No Go Volume 19
Hikaru No Go Volume 20
Hikaru No Go Volume 21
Hikaru No Go Volume 22
Hikaru No Go Volume 23
FILESERVE
Hikaru No Go Volume 01
Hikaru No Go Volume 02
Hikaru No Go Volume 03
Hikaru No Go Volume 04
Hikaru No Go Volume 05
Hikaru No Go Volume 06
Hikaru No Go Volume 07
Hikaru No Go Volume 08
Hikaru No Go Volume 09
Hikaru No Go Volume 10
Hikaru No Go Volume 11
Hikaru No Go Volume 12
Hikaru No Go Volume 13
Hikaru No Go Volume 14
Hikaru No Go Volume 15
Hikaru No Go Volume 16
Hikaru No Go Volume 17
Hikaru No Go Volume 18
Hikaru No Go Volume 19
Hikaru No Go Volume 20
Hikaru No Go Volume 21
Hikaru No Go Volume 22
Hikaru No Go Volume 23