Hikaru no Go facts for kids
| Hikaru no Go | |
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Hikaru Shindo
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Quick facts for kids ヒカルの碁 |
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| Genre |
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| Manga | |
| Written by | Yumi Hotta |
| Illustrated by | Takeshi Obata |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| English magazine | |
| Original run | December 8, 1998 – July 14, 2003 |
| Volumes | 23 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi |
| Music by | Kei Wakakusa |
| Studio | Pierrot |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | |
| Original run | October 10, 2001 – March 26, 2003 |
| Episodes | 75 |
| Anime television film | |
| Hikaru no Go: Journey to the North Star Cup | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by |
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| Music by | Kei Wakakusa |
| Studio | Pierrot |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| Released | January 3, 2004 |
| Runtime | 77 minutes |
| Television drama | |
| Qi Hun | |
| Directed by | Liu Chang |
| Network | iQiyi |
| Original run | October 27, 2020 – November 26, 2020 |
| Episodes | 36 |
Hikaru no Go (ヒカルの碁, lit. Hikaru's Go) is a popular Japanese manga and anime series. It is all about the ancient board game called Go. The story was written by Yumi Hotta and drawn by Takeshi Obata. A professional Go player, Yukari Umezawa, helped make sure the Go games in the series were correct.
The manga was published in a magazine called Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1998 to 2003. Its chapters were later collected into 23 books called tankōbon volumes. The story begins when a boy named Hikaru finds an old Go board in his grandfather's attic.
This Go board is haunted by a ghost named Sai. Sai was once a famous Go teacher for an emperor long ago in Japan's Heian period. Sai gets stuck in Hikaru's mind. He tells Hikaru which moves to make during Go games. This makes everyone amazed by Hikaru's skill, even though he is just starting.
Later, the manga was turned into an anime TV show by Studio Pierrot. It had 75 episodes and aired from 2001 to 2003. A special TV movie came out in 2004. Both the manga and anime were released in North America by Viz Media.
Hikaru no Go has been very successful. Over 25 million copies of the manga have been sold, making it one of the best-selling manga series. It won important awards, like the 45th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2000. The series helped make Go popular among young people in Japan. It also sparked interest in the game around the world.
Contents
Story of Hikaru no Go
While exploring his grandfather's shed, Hikaru Shindo finds an old Go board. This board is haunted by the spirit of Fujiwara-no-Sai. Sai was a skilled Go player from the Heian period, a very old time in Japan. Sai really wants to play Go again. He hasn't been able to since the Edo period, another old time in Japan.
Sai's biggest dream is to achieve the Kami no Itte (神の一手, "Divine Move"). This is a perfect Go move that no one has ever found. Hikaru is the only person who can see Sai. So, Sai lives inside Hikaru's mind. They share Hikaru's body, which is sometimes a bit tricky for Hikaru.
Hikaru's Journey in Go
Sai encourages Hikaru to start playing Go. At first, Hikaru isn't very interested. He just plays the moves Sai tells him. But Sai wants Hikaru to understand the game himself. In a Go club, Hikaru plays against Akira Toya. Akira is a boy his age who is already a professional-level Go player. Hikaru beats Akira twice by following Sai's advice.
Akira becomes very curious about Hikaru's amazing skill. He starts trying to find out where Hikaru's strength comes from. This search becomes a big part of Akira's life. Hikaru sees how dedicated Akira and Sai are to Go. He decides to start playing the game on his own.
Hikaru is a complete beginner at first. But he has some special talents. For example, once he understands the basics, he can remember and replay an entire game. He trains at Go clubs and study groups. He also practices with Sai. Eventually, he becomes an Insei, which is like an apprentice Go player. Later, he becomes a professional Go player. Along the way, he meets many different Go players. They all have their own unique styles. Hikaru is determined to prove his own skills to Akira, Sai, and himself.
The Hokuto Cup Tournament
Hikaru enters the Hokuto Cup. This is an international Go tournament for players under 18. Young professional players from Japan, China, and Korea compete. Akira Toya, being a top young pro, automatically qualifies. Hikaru has to play in many games to earn his spot. His friends, Waya and Ochi, also try to qualify.
Hikaru meets Kiyoharu Yashiro, a player with a unique style like his own. Hikaru, Akira, and Kiyoharu Yashiro are chosen to play for Japan. Suyong Hong, a Korean player Hikaru met before, and two others play for Korea. Three of Shinichiro Isumi's Chinese friends play for China.
The captain of the Korean team, Ko Yong Ha, gives an interview. A mistake in translation makes it seem like he is insulting Honinbo Shusaku. Shusaku was a famous Go player from the past, who was also helped by Sai. Ko Yong Ha finds out about the mistake. But he refuses to fix it when he sees it makes Hikaru angry. Hikaru feels this is a direct insult to Sai.
Akira is a slightly stronger player than Hikaru at this point. So, their coach, Atsushi Kurata, chooses Akira to be the captain. But Hikaru really wants to play against Ko Yong Ha. He wants to show him that Sai is the most skilled Go player ever. Coach Kurata lets Hikaru play against Ko Yong Ha. He sees Hikaru's strong desire to win.
Hikaru loses his game by a very small margin. Japan's team finishes last in the tournament. But they surprised everyone from China and Korea. They played much better than expected. At the end, Ko Yong Ha asks Hikaru why he plays Go. With tears in his eyes, Hikaru says, "To link the far past, with the far future." This means connecting Sai, Shusaku, and himself through Go. But no one else understands what he means.
After the Tournament
A short bonus story takes place after the Hokuto Cup. Two young Go apprentices discuss who is stronger, Akira Toya or Hikaru Shindo. In another tournament, they each play against Hikaru and Akira. This makes them change their minds about who is better. In the second round, Hikaru and Akira finally play against each other. The story ends before we find out who wins.
Media About Hikaru no Go
Manga Series
The Hikaru no Go manga was written by Yumi Hotta and drawn by Takeshi Obata. It appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from December 8, 1998, to July 14, 2003. A Go professional named Yukari Umezawa (who is a 5-dan player) helped make sure the Go games were accurate.
The 189 chapters were collected into 23 tankōbon volumes. The first book came out on April 30, 1999. The last one was released on September 4, 2003. Later, special versions of the manga were also published.
Viz Media bought the rights to publish Hikaru no Go in English in North America in June 2003. The series started in Viz's Shonen Jump magazine in January 2004. However, it was replaced by another manga in April 2008. Viz Media released all 23 collected volumes in English from May 19, 2004, to May 3, 2011.
Anime Series
Hikaru no Go was made into an anime TV series by Studio Pierrot. It was shown on TV Tokyo from October 10, 2001, to March 26, 2003. There were 75 episodes in total. A special New Year's TV movie, called Hikaru no Go: Journey to the North Star Cup (ヒカルの碁 スペシャル 北斗杯への道, Hikaru no Go Hokuto-hai e no Michi), aired on January 3, 2004.
Viz Media also got the rights to the Hikaru no Go anime in North America in June 2003. A company called The Ocean Group created an English voice dub for the show. A preview DVD of the first episode was included in a Shonen Jump magazine in January 2006. Viz started releasing the series on DVD on December 27, 2005. But they only released eleven volumes (45 episodes) before stopping in April 2008.
Hikaru no Go first aired in the United States on ImaginAsian TV on May 2, 2006. Episodes were shown in Japanese with subtitles, and then the English dubbed version aired later. It also became available on the online streaming service Toonami Jetstream on July 14, 2006. The whole series was added to Netflix in 2011.
Video Games
Konami created three Go video games based on the Hikaru no Go series. These games were for the Game Boy Advance. They were released between October 25, 2001, and March 20, 2003. The third game was also released on the GameCube. Hikaru and Sai also appear as support characters in a crossover game called Jump Super Stars.
Live-Action Drama
A Chinese live-action TV show based on Hikaru no Go was made. It was called Qi Hun and had 36 episodes. Liu Chang directed it. The show was streamed online on the iQIYI platform from October 27 to November 26, 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Hikaru no Go para niños
- Go Player, a Chinese animated series about young Go players
