Hikaru no Go

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: ヒカルの碁

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 23

Chapters: 198

Status: Finished

Published: Dec 8, 1998 to Jul 14, 2003

Genres: Award Winning, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural

Theme: Strategy Game

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Obata, Takeshi (Art), Hotta, Yumi (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.12¹ (scored by 22,843 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #535²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #364

Members: 46,582

Favorites: 2,000

Resources

Wikipedia

8.12

Ranked #535Popularity #364Members 46,582

MangaShounen Jump (Weekly)Obata, Takeshi (Art), Hotta, Yumi (Story)

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Volumes: /23

Chapters: /198

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Synopsis

When Hikaru Shindou discovers an old go board in his grandfather's attic, he is greeted by the spirit of an ancient go master, Fujiwara no Sai. Sai spent his life teaching the techniques of the board game to an emperor during the Heian era, and now in his ghostly state, he is eager to share his passion with the unsuspecting Hikaru. The only problem is that Hikaru is not all that interested in board games. But Sai is not easily dissuaded. Pressured by Sai's unrelenting desire to pursue something he refers to as the "Divine Move," Hikaru begrudgingly consents to playing the game, executing moves as dictated by Sai. But slowly, intrigued by the dedication of his peers, he begins to learn the basics of the game.

As Hikaru enters into the world of go, guided by his intangible tutor and inspired by his rival, Akira Touya, he cannot help but be drawn into the complex game as he grows determined to prove his own abilities. In a coming-of-age story centering around an ancient board game, Hikaru no Go tells the story of a boy maturing through the pursuit of his newfound passion.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Hikaru no Go won the 45th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shounen category in 2000.

The series was published in English by VIZ Media under the Shonen Jump imprint from May 19, 2004 to May 3, 2011 and also digitally from March 19, 2012 to January 8, 2013.

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More characters
Characters

Fujiwara no, Sai

Main

Shindou, Hikaru

Main

Touya, Akira

Main

Waya, Yoshitaka

Supporting

Ogata, Seiji

Supporting

Isumi, Shinichiro

Supporting

Mitani, Yuki

Supporting

Kaga, Tetsuo

Supporting

Fujisaki, Akari

Supporting

Touya, Kouyou

Supporting

Reviews

May 7, 2024

Marco_Yooo

Recommended

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

If you talk about classic Shounen-Jump Manga, a lot of fighting-shounen come to mind: “Dragon Ball”, “Naruto”, “Bleach” and, of course, the legendary “One Piece”. But in it´s long runtime, the magazine has always pushed different types of stories to be published. “shounen” is just an audience, not a genre, and “Hikaru no Go” is one of them.

Story – 9/10

The ancient Chinese board game “Go” has always been pretty popular in east asia, especially in China, Japan and South Korea. In the west however, there hasn´t really been a big boom in terms of popularity. This may be because the ... game is arguably much more complex than something like chess and the bar of entry is much higher. Even in Japan, it is mostly seen as a game for old men.
Hikaru, our main character, enters this world as a complete beginner and has to learn the basics, just like the reader. Slowly, the manga sets up character after character and introduces the reader to the complex structure of the Go world. Everything follows the classic sports anime formula: tournaments, training arcs and a big emphasis on character development. Seeing our main character slowly climb the stairs of the go world, from absolute beginner to professional should not be as intense and interesting as it is. Most of that excitement comes from the matches themselves.
They are highly intense and enjoyable and involve a lot of mindgames and overthinking. The author, Yumi Hotta is also not afraid to make our main character lose a lot of the time, only for him to come back stronger. This manga also deals with a lot of the pressure that comes with being a professional player. Every story arc perfectly flows in the next one, creating a highly addicting experience.
Honestly, this story is pretty much flawless and in terms of pacing and variety even better than some of my favourite sports manga ever, “Slam Dunk” and “Haikyuu”. So why is it not a 10/10?
Well, Hikaru no Go is infamous for having one of the worst endings in Shounen-Jump history and I can see where the disappointment came from. Right after one of the best and most thrilling tournaments, which showed amazing build-up potential for future arcs, the manga just...ends. Very abruptly too. I usually don´t weigh an ending as hard in the ratings if it is just okay, but this is just bad.

Art – 8/10

The art of this manga was provided by Takeshi Obata (“Death Note”, “Bakuman”) and the similarities between this and some of his other manga is glaring. His art style is just an absolute blast. Everyone looks distinct and the different expressions perfectly convey the tension during matches. What I also noticed is the different clothing styles. A lot of authors don´t put to much thought into something like fashion, but Obata mostly uses it to show a characters development, with Hikaru being the most prominent example.
While the start of this manga is more slice-of-life heavy, the art style was very simplified at the start, and you can see maybe a little bit of inexperience in the panelling. But as the manga went on and Obata found his style more and more, the art just got better and better up until the final chapters, where the character-designs veeery closely resemble his next big manga, “Death Note”.

Characters – 9/10

What separates this manga from something like “Slam Dunk” is the insane variety in the types of characters. This manga not only deals with teenagers, it also puts a lot of emphasis on the older pros and the other leading figures in the Go world.
Hikaru has certainly become one of my favourite main characters ever. The insane amount of growth between his humble beginnings as a complete scrub and his professional career at the end is very inspiring. His eternal rival, Akira Touya serves as the perfect motivation for him to improve and get better to finally beat him in a match. Another character we have to talk about is Fujiwara no Sai. What I like about him and his story is that, yes, it has supernatural elements, but the themes that the manga tackles with his character are very down-to-earth and relatable. His circumstances are a big part of what makes this story so unique and different.

Enjoyment – 10/10

This is one of the most fast-paced, intense and engaging manga I have ever read. I can safely recommend this manga to everyone. Even if you never heard of Go, or think it looks “boring” and “uneventful” I dare you to read this. This is what you have in mind if you think about the word “page-turner”.

- Marco_Yooo

FINAL SCORE - 9/10

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Oct 12, 2023

internetfemcel

Recommended

hikaru no go's timeless premise elevates the game of go to levels higher than anyone could ever imagine. a game invented so long ago continuing to evolve to this day is a testament to its longevity and appeal. fujiwara no sai says it best: 'even after a thousand years, there are some things that never change. the snow, and the hot battle above the goban. each hand reveals what's in the heart of the player.'

the reception of the manga and subsequent popularity spike in go at the time of its release should speak volumes to its quality. the usage of go as a narrative ...

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Aug 2, 2023

KyleScouter

Recommended

"Hikaru no Go" is a manga that's been around for over 20 years. But it still feels fresh and exciting today. The drawings and stories are still amazing.

I just started reading it and I wish I had done so sooner. At first, I wasn't interested because it's about 'Go (碁)', a game that older people often play in Japan. If you haven't read it because of that, I hope this review will change your mind.

This manga is very inspiring. It's about Hikaru, Toya, and many young Go players. Seeing them grow and improve makes me want to try new things too.

Reading this manga makes me ...

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