Do not let the title intimidate you: this anime is much more than a story about board games. In fact, I started this anime with absolutely zero knowledge about Go (and ended with barely any knowledge as well) but thouroughly enjoyed it.
Shounen fans will enjoy this manga for the Naruto-ish underdog theme and its comical moments in each episode. Those who enjoy a bit of angst and profoundness will find themselves immersed in the relatable and emotional trials the main character, Hikaru, goes through in order to achieve his goals.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Hikaru's Go
Japanese: ヒカルの碁
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
75
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 10, 2001 to Mar 26, 2003
Premiered:
Fall 2001
Broadcast:
Unknown
Licensors:
VIZ Media
Studios:
Pierrot
Source:
Manga
Demographic:
Shounen
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#5232
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1627
Members:
138,175
Favorites:
2,420
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 50 / 53
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Your Feelings Categories Sep 25, 2009
This isn't your typical fighting anime with swords and cool moves. This anime is based off a board game called Go. I had never heard of it until this but this anime teaches you about the game as you play it so you understand more and more as the anime progresses.
The fighting in this game takes place on the board with 2 people going at it trying to win. The way they build it up and pull you into this sucks you into this anime. By the time you finish it, you'll be wanting to play Go so badly you'll have ... Jul 31, 2018
A series about go? Can that be made interesting? For 75 Episodes???
Well, it definately can. To be honest, I was a little sceptical, as a friend recommended me this series. But this scepticism dropped drastically. Watching the first episode I thought to myself, oh, it's that kind of anime. See one and you'veseen them all, so to speak. But the further I watched on, the more I got sucked intothe story, and I realized, thet it goes beyond the clichés. Let's start from the beginning. The main character Hikaru is in one way a very typical main character, being sometimes overconfident, nonchalant, sometimes mean and disrespectful to ... Jun 12, 2009
~This is my first review, so lets see if I can write this~
Hikaru No Go. What can be said about this anime. When I first saw this anime I first thought aww man, I don't know a damn thing about Go. Then this anime got much deeper as things progressed. And in all honesty, it was not fully the storyline that grabbed me. I will only be focusing on two things: ... Apr 14, 2020
Absolutely wonderful anime. I had this anime at a 10, but changed it to a 9. This anime is quite the trip, its had me crying to being a bit angry to being super pumped. This anime is what I would consider to be a tragedy. This story is amazing yet a failure. I fell in love with this anime, however once I reached episode 63 my mind was changed from a 10 to a 9. I can't say if its worth watching, but I really enjoyed the experience for what it was, just not the conclusion to the story. The conclusion was utter trash,
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Oct 3, 2011
Hikaru no Go does enough to stand out of the norm for a shounen title focused around a board game. The show's prominent characters are given a great deal of depth over how the board game of Go plays a major influence for them in their growth and style of play thus they are free of the standard archetypes you would find in conventional titles. Unlike a number of other shounen titles focused around a game of sorts, outcomes aren't as predictable with Go matches as all the key characters within the series win and lose at various points, as well as having their occasional
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Mar 17, 2018
Story: 10
Art: 10 Sound: 10 Character: 10 Enjoyment: 10 Overall: 10 Now, I know what you're thinking. How can an anime about some kid playing some archaic board game for 75 episodes (76 if you count the New Year's Special episode) be worth watching? If you've been watching anime for as long as I have, you'll know that anime can make nearly anything interesting. It just so happens that Go is exceptionally interesting when placed into the world of anime. (Since the anime's so good, I'm betting that the manga's pretty dang fantastic too. I'll definitely buy a few volumes in the future.) ... Mar 14, 2020
I finished watching and reading Hikaru no Go after starting it 6 days ago.
Truly an old, but definitely not forgettable shounen show about something we westerner's have no idea about: Go. Let me be clear here, you really don't need to have any prior knowledge and require no research to watch Hikaru no Go. Some people say: "Don't judge a book by it's cover," but in my experience, the cover art of a book, anime, TV show, etc, tells a lot about the show. It showcases the art style, creativity, characters, and the overall feel of the show. To me, Hikaru no Go's ... Aug 7, 2020
What to know before reading this review:
I will touch upon the story core theme/messages, and address whether the show has an open or closed ending. I made sure to not include any concrete story points that may count as spoiler, and there are no content warnings for this review! TL;DR? Here is some quick recommendation keywords: coming of age, engaging characters, great pacing, healthy character development, emotional, unforgettable music score, cathartic (open) ending. CW: one subtle reference to suicide. Otherwise, none that I am aware of. Story: 10 Hikaru no Go is a great coming-of-age story about a young boy named Hikaru, who we follow over multiple years on ... Oct 30, 2011
When I started this anime i had very high expectations because of the ranking it had on this site. Although I had my doubts because its about a board game called Go. Having just finished the series i have to say that I was very surprised at how good the series was. The soundtrack was great which makes this anime about a board game pretty exciting. The characters were also great to get to know, and there is defiantly no shortage of characters in this series. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a longer series that provides a good bit
...
Jun 21, 2016
Synopsis: Hikaru stumbles upon an old Go board that is haunted by a ghost named Sai. Prompted by Sai's request, Hikaru begins playing Go and meets Touya, his eventual rival.
Hikaru no Go is one manga/anime series that I will always, always love no matter what. To begin with, it was one of the first shounen mangas I ever read then subsequently watched the anime. To this day, I'll still say that both the manga and the anime is worth the time to read and watch (I try to always read the original work first before watching any adaptions). In terms of content, HnG had some great ... Jun 11, 2020
I'm here to tell all the people sitting on the fence, unsure about whether they should watch it or not, to jump off the fence and dive into Hikaru no Go because it is that excellent of an anime. I put off watching it for years because I was not won over by the synopsis, and only decided to watch it when I'd finished a lot of newer animes (which left a sort of bland after taste), because I was simply out of animes to watch!
I didn't expect to find myself completely immersed in the world of Hikaru no Go, led forward gently ... Nov 2, 2020
For me Hikaru No Go is one of my favorite anime/manga of all time. I first discovered Hikaru No Go when I was 10. I rediscovered the anime and had some of the best times of my life. For me the story of Hikaru becoming a professional Go player and the different obstacles he has to overcome is just phenomenal. This just resonates personally with me. It has some of the greatest story telling in anime. The characters are amazing and well written. The rivalry between Hikaru and Akira is just amazing.The art style is just fantastic, this might be my opinion but I
...
Jan 25, 2021
For me, Hikaru No Go is the magnum opus in the world of anime or at least in its genre. The key to it, just like in any major work, especially from the technical point of view, is consistency.
Everything is consistently good in this anime, the art, the storytelling, the sound, especially the characters, despite their abundance and amount of episodes. I am not the person that gets easily invested in anime, especially if its longer than 25 episodes. However Hikaru No Go dragged me right in. Producing such an engaging 75 episode story about Go does require a certain level creative ... Nov 19, 2023
In the interest of keeping things short and sweet I would say I definitely recommend this anime. Even if u know absolutely nothing about go (like me). The interpersonal drama in the show really elevates the excitement of the sport. I would say if you like sports anime you will like this. The music is very good and MOST of the characters are likeable and make you root for them. My one criticism is the main character is not very likeable. He can be kinda annoying but this part of his character was made up with sai (his go ghost instructor). Although the end left
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May 10, 2021
A 75 episode sports anime about an ancient board game? From the early 2000's? Whatever I'm bored, this might be ok, can't be that good right?
WRONG! This anime is a classic shounen sports anime, and now I understand why. It has everything you want in a typical shounen sports anime, and more. The board game aspect that is just black and white stones being laid on a wooden grid.That might sound boring but that's the great thing that every sports anime has in common. It takes something that you might not be as familiar with and it MAKES you interested in it and it makes ... Jan 1, 2020
What makes this anime so interesting?
At it's core, all Hikaru no Go is about a boy playing Go with a ghost. It shouldn't be enjoyable, yet it is. However, it's premise is not representative of the anime. Watching someone grow and mature, even if it's at a board game, is great. The author has taken such a simple premise and transformed it into something entertaining and gripping; it's very admirable. The first 15 or so episodes are casual and fun to watch, but it only kicks in when a certain goal is set. After that, you'll be constantly reaching for the next episode. My only wish ... Nov 1, 2012
I do not usualy write a review, but this time for this Anime I felt I had too. I started the series a couple of years ago and dropped it after the 14th episode. Thinking at that point this was was all it could offer. I was very wrong. After trying it for the second time, I am very glad that I did. It was beyond expectations and would recommend it for anyone to watch.
Nov 22, 2021
DISCLAIMER: You don’t need to know anything about the board game “go” to watch/enjoy this anime. I really liked this anime while not knowing this game existed before I watched it. Also this review contains minor spoilers from ep 1.
Plot/Story This anime is about the board game “go”. The MC Hikaru finds a go board in his grandfather's house and meets a ghost named Sai that only he can see. The ghost is an ancient go instructor for the Japanese Emperor in the Heian Era. Hikaru knows nothing about the game but lets the sai play by following his instructions. In a go salon he ... Apr 9, 2019
Given the story line, I didn't have a lot of expectation going into this one and ended up pleasantly surprised. There are no amazing episodes, just a good paced, easy to watch story that was an enjoyable way to pass the time. It was even tempting to learn how to play go after watching this.
The art wasn't spectacular, but I liked the subtle aging of the young characters as they grew over the two or so years this series takes place. After the series finished, even though it wasn't mind blowingly amazing, I often thought about it and ended up re-watching the series again and ... |