Favourite Character In Hikaru No Go

   

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Favorite character in Hikaru no Go

Seiji Ogata (Ogata Sensei)

Dudes and dudettes . . . . Ogata Sensei is clearly the coolest man on the face of the earth. He's got the car, the snazzy dress, the fish. He's 9p. He encourages the youth to struggle to be their best. He's 9p. Uhm -- did I mention he's 9p? :-)

DarthStian?: Ok just to mention it, the nr 1 reason I love Ogata Sensei is the voice. Seriously you can't not relize how cool that voice is :)

Bignose: Sadly, Ogata sensei smokes in just about every scene we see him. Wantonly engaging in self-destructive, antisocial habits that harm those around you, doesn't say "cool" to me. (And, technically, his physical "cool" is thus marred by a poisoned bloodstream and poor blood pressure.)

MrShin: You forgot his fondness (or lack thereof) prostitutes. Beginning of volume 14 of manga, don't remember the anime episode.

Coolness aside, Ogata's interest in Hikaru has never struck me as "encouraging"; his interest isn't for their future, but for his. He senses the presence of something powerful in Hikaru, but manipulates those around the boy; and later, confronts him threateningly. I'm not particularly fond of him, he strikes me as creepy (but I'm certainly glad he's in the story -- makes it very interesting!).

RafaelCaetano: I'm not so anti-smoking like Bignose, but I find a bit disturbing to see so much smoking displayed in a manga intended mainly for kids. IIRC, they even display the brand (a real one) of the cigarretes!

  • Rafael, smoking is still a big part of Japanese culture,as it was here 40 years ago--just look at shows like Bewitched, I Love lucy,etc. A lot were sponsored by them as well. Like I said, in Japan,it is still acceptable to smoke, and to display and advertise tobacco products.-TimBrent

Tamsin: In Japan, you can buy cigarettes on every street corner from vending machines. They're cheaper than in the UK, too. I don't smoke, but out of curiosity I looked at the prices on a vending machine - Y270 for a packet. That's about £2. The ubiquity of smokers makes attending go parlours in Japan a pain -- when the position gets difficult, the opponent unleashes a smokescreen.

ilan: Hikaru and his sensei friends keep complaining about the smoke in Go clubs, so I don't think HnG is pro smoking. Rather, Ogata's smoking adds to his aura and makes him a little more ambiguous. However, his drunken game with Sai doesn't help his image.

Velobici: Ogata is the jet set character of the series. He pushes Hikaru forward warning that Akira is progressing, goads Akira with the threat of Hikaru chasing him, nearly takes a title from Kuwabara, captures a title later on, has the car, the apartment, the girl (dont remember her being prostitute, rather believe her to be his girlfriend...which episode?).

MrShin: Episode 56. To quote from the manga (though the anime is almost exact), she says, "I don't mind you coming over for a breat, but.../ ... / it's not fun being with me? Why don't you enjoy yourself for a little?" Sorry, but that seems VERY suggestive. In the manga(volume 17), Hotta told the editor ask Obata to try not make this scene stand out too much. "It's OK if the readers don't understand their relationship." Just my reasoning.
Velobici: Clearly its suggestive, but prostitute versus girlfriend?
MrShin: He's way too cold to her; you'd think she'd leave him. I think the "it's not fun being with me?" was the tip-off to their "relationship."
Velobici: Guess you have never been preoccupied by an issue or problem and had your girlfriend respond petulantly to your inattention.
MrShin: Never THAT bad.
isshoni: I took it they're simply sexfriends.
Schnitte: Of course it's not made explicit in the show, but I also found the implication quite strong that the woman whose apartment Ogata 9p leaves in this scene is a prostitute. He would hardly talk to a wife or girlfriend like that. It doesn't matter for the plot, so I suppose the producers deliberately put it in for adult viewers to spot, whereas it wouldn't matter for kids to miss this aspect.

He's 9p and enjoys his life, unlike the abstemious and joyless existence of Touya Meijin, smokes, drinks, carouses, dresses well, and still plays very well. Does Touya Meijin ever smile or seem happy in the series other than a little bit from time to time?

In the series Ogata has it all.

Yumi: Um, well, everything aside... I find the paedophilic look in his eyes when he's around Hikaru and Akira very amusing... One must notice that incredible tendency of his to hang around minors..?

Hana: Yumi, I noticed too how pedo he looks when he talks to Hikaru or Akira. Mm.. for example; when Ogata wants to show Akira that Hikaru is an insei and asks Akira to come with him saying "I have something to show you". And the kind of inviting face he made I thought, oh no, now I'd run. But yes, I too find that amusing. :-D

LykeX: I'm glad I'm not the only one who got that impression. For a moment, I wondered exactly what kind of anime I was watching ;)

TheBigH: Yeah, Pedogata is definitely a creep. His interest in the young insei is not at all wholesome. He just gives off that weird predatory vibe. Shudder.

Schnitte I agree that Ogata-sensei is definitely the coolest and hippest character in the series, and probably meant to be such. His car, his clothes, his demeanor, all that oozes coolness. I wouldn't attach too much importance to his smoking - the anime and manga are almost twenty years old, and social attitudes to smoking at the time were much more relaxed (and probably still are so in Japan). I admit I can also sense some of the pedophilic vibe in him mentioned by others, but I wonder if children would perceive him that way.

Yongha Ko

Jia: I really Ko Yongha, but know seems to have heard of him. I'm hoping you guys know of him though! Cheers! ~~~J~I~A~~~

Rosier: Of course I know of him c: He's one of my favourites, really.

Yukari Umezawa (Umezawa Yukari)

Well -- actually -- Umezawa Yukari is even better. I do (anonymously) declare -- she is the only woman on earth prettier than my wife! :-)

Bignose: She sure is pretty; I'm wondering how much one can attribute the skyrocketing interest in Go among Japanese youth to Umezawa-san :-)

But she's not exactly a *character* in Hikaru no Go. She's very real, thank goodness!

RafaelCaetano: By the way, her favorite character is Hikaru. And why do you call her "san"? :-)

Bignose: "<surname>-san" is a respectful way to discuss or address someone, like "Mr/Mrs <surname>" in English. (Her surname is Umezawa; the Japanese, like most Asian cultures, put family name first.)
Chris Hayashida: I think Rafael meant that she deserves the -sensei title. Besides, it's the name of this web site. ;)

Dake-san (Mr. Dake)

Dieter: My favourite one-issue appearance was the left-handed creep Dake-san who fooled the fooler Mitani. Like many people I love Waya because he's maybe just the guy I'd want to be. I gained some sympathy and respect though, for the drama of Kaga (see Lucky's comments below) and Mitani (he changes his personality of cheater so as to become a respectful member of the club, only to see Hikaru leave and reach a higher goal). I adore Mitani's voice in the anime and since I have been watching the anime, I am yearning every moment for an appearance of Kuwabara Honinbo - definitely my favourite character.

Brindis: Kuwabara is one of my favorites too, in particular when he says "two are needed to play go", and he repeats this again. He is clearly showing that nobody can grow without a rival, and they (Akira and Hikaru) both need each other. Before I realized this I used to be quite angry about Akira.

Jared: I totally agree, brindis.

Kuwabara Honinbo

Tamsin Kuwabara Honinbo certainly has an impressive Sixth Sense, but his voice is plain horrible. He looks and sounds like a really nasty, dirty old man. Shudder.

Velobici Kuwabara Honinbo is the character that can read those around him with the same skill he can read a go board. He knows that

  • Hikaru must return to playing
  • Akira can not reach his potential without Hikaru and vice-versa
  • A "new wave" is coming to the Go World (Bignose: er, Ogata-san *told* him this, he didn't sense it. Velobici: Anime episode 29 at the 18:30 minute mark fansub by AnimeOne: Ogata tells Kuwabara Honinbo that a new wave is coming. Point granted.)
  • So many people have their eye on Hikaru (Bignose: again, this observation can hardly be claimed by Kuwabara-san. Velobici: Anime episode 29 at the 12:00 minute mark fansub by AnimeOne: Kuwabara walks out of the elevator at the Nihon Ki-in and passes through a group of six insei, among them Hikaru. He stops, pauses, turns and looks directly at Hikaru, camera pans to include Sai as well. After several seconds the insei enter the elevator leaving Kuwabara looking directly to the elevator, groaning or sighing as someone deep in thought. The receptionist asks Kuwabara if something is wrong. "I felt something peculiar." "Oh, did you see a ghost"? "No, that kid. He's an insei...I'll remember him." Kuwabara immediately senses Hikaru's potential triggered exclusively by his physical proximity. Point made.)
  • He must strive to retain his position as only by playing his best can he force a successor to rise in strength and thereby to defeat him
  • His defeat is both inevitable and proper (the knowledge of his eventual loss does not disquiet him, he accepts as part of the life of a go player)
  • Ogata in his first title match will worry and fret himself to defeat in the last game.

Once in a while, he opens an eye and looks at you directly, revealing for a moment the depth of reading. Perhaps the first example of this is during Hikaru's game with Touya Meijin. Kuwabara offers to bet Ogata on the outcome, insists on betting on Hikaru. After losing the bet, he opens that "one eye" of his and bluntly tells Ogata that he (Kuwabara) will bet on "the kid" again next time. He sees what strength of play can come from "the kid".

He is nearly always cheerful, amused by the antics of the other players. He years of experience have not soured him but rather mellowed his character into a quasi-grandfather figure that still retains the fangs and vemon of his youth, choosing to keep them hidden till he time comes to reveal just how dangerous he is. I wonder if he is not modeled on Sakata. Perhaps its just the way that he cuts his hair, but I can imagine Sakata having a similar character from reading Killer of Go and Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go.

Yumi: I don't dispute the points raised about ability and skill, but I do agree with Tamsin on the fact that he DOES look like a dirty old man.

klykit: Definitely Kuwabara Honinbo is my favorite. His laugh gets me every time.

Schnitte: Kuwabara-sensei will, however, resort to cheap psychological tricks where they work to his advantage. In one of the Honinbo title matches, he ruins a good night's sleep for Ogata 9p by giving him silly doubts about a sealed move.

Hikaru Shindo and Fujiwara-no-Sai

unkx80: I simply like Hikaru Shindo and Fujiwara-no-Sai.

zelda91: I agree with you, the main heroes are the ones that decide of the outcome of the anime. Sai and Hikaru are figures of perseverance in go.

Yuta Fukui (Fuku)

Scartol: There's no doubt, Sai is the champ. But I love the insei who's always got that bursting-with-joy grin. I think his name is Fukui? This guy:

http://www.just-text.org/artofgo/fukui.jpg (If that's his name, lemme know and I'll make a page for him.)

ViciousMan: Yeah, that's Yuta Fukui.

Tiptoe39?: That's Fukui. And for the record I am a Sai girl all the way. Who DOESN'T want a huge, giggly, Heian-era Go master in a big black hat just sitting around in their living room? :D

Tetsuo Kaga

Lucky: Of course Hikaru and Sai.

But I also liked a more complex character, Kaga, the senior student at the Haze school. When he first appears is quite disturbing. But he is very intelligent (at one time he tells Tsutsui he will pass the exams without studying) and a very gifted go player. He had the misfortune to run into Akira at the wrong time so he pretends he hates go. Yet he missed no chance to prove his strength in the tournament.

I liked him a lot when he pushed Hikaru to play three simultaneous games, just before becoming an insei. He seemed so wishful to help Hikaru become tougher.

Jasonred : Don't forget he's an even MORE gifted shogi player (and the whole reason for his grudge against go). How gifted at Go was he? Enough to retain that strength he displayed despite avoiding all things related to go for years.

Kosuke Ochi

jesusin: Of course Ochi. He really has determination and knows what he wants! Now, seriously, I am in love with Nase. I hope she gets to be a professional someday.

By the way, are you sure about Sai's sex?

AlexanderYoshi: I really like Hikaru. Even if he's blunt headed at times, he's the one who gets up and grows. Many people probably feel this way, but it seems like I can relate to him the best.

Niklaus: I like the way Touya Meijin is portrayed a lot, especially in the anime. He appears to be kind of sinister but very charismatic. And of course he kicks ass at Go.

Gorobei: Sasha, my 6 month old daughter, likes Fujisaki Akari the best, then Hikaru, then Sai. She cheers whenever they talk in the anime.

Migeru: My favourite character has to be Isumi-san. He lacks the glamour of some of the other characters, but the whole book devoted to him and his trip to China really gives a lot of depth to the character. I also like Ogata Sensei for his elegance, and he's not only 9p, he holds the 10-dan title! Then there's Kurata Sensei and Nase, of course. By the way, I hate Ochi. He needs to relax.

Motoko: I like both Touyas, the (former) Meijin as well as Akira-kun. I'm kind of in love with Akira, similar to the thing I experienced with Captain Future as a kid.. btw, did anyone notice how much younger Touya Kouyou looks after he just lost the game against Sai on the net?

Idrish: I love Hikaru, Sai and Akira, but the new character from Kansai Area (Kiyoharu) in Hokutohai was very good, too. I like all the inseis, except Ochi, whom I feel a sort of sympathy. And I totally agree with you, Motoko-san! :)

Bignose: Akira has fascinated me from the beginning; he has a kind heart, and is well-mannered in his way, but has a tragic flaw. He is driven to succeed, even when his father is no longer pushing him, but senses right from the beginning that Hikaru will ever be his foil. I guess I just go for the doomed ones :-)

Outside of the three main players Hikaru,Sai,Akira), I like Kurata(use him as my KGS image). Kuwabara, Isumi, Nase, Kaga, and Waya. -TimBrent

Tamsin: I like Akira and Akari. Akira is so earnest and determined, while Akari is so sweet in her loyalty to Hikaru. Sorry, folks, but I think Hikaru's just a brat with a lot of go skill - he hasn't learned much at all from Sai about the deeper things in life.

Velobici: The first time we see Hikaru, he is taking/stealing items from his grandfather's storage room, in particular a thick kaya floor board, and so he meets Sai. When Sai suggests playing Akari before Sai's big match against Touya Meijin, Hikaru complains. When Sai dies, Hikaru stops playing entirely, regardless of his desire to play, hoping that Sai will return as a result of Hikaru's waiting for him, loyalty to him. Before Hikaru's big match, he suggests a game to Akari. At the end, after a half point(?) loss to a person that angered Hikaru greatly by dismissing Shusaku/Sai, Hikaru looks to the future knowing that the road to kami no itte is without end. He realises and accepts that travelling this road, striving to play perfect go, as his path, and that never the reaching the goal is a fact of life. Appears to me that Hikaru demonstrates considerable maturation over the course of several years (189 chapters), starting as a brat taunting Sai with his intention not to play go, to a maturing professional player.

Its a shame that more of the characters in the manga don't have similarly detailed character development. Might be interesting to discuss the character development of each one.

TheNNown?: A tough choice indeed, especially since I haven't finished the series in either form (anime or manga) yet, but at the moment, my favorite is Sai. Not because of his Go superiority in relation to most of the other characters, But rather for the sheer force of his manipulative skills (and because of his Go superiority). Consider that: he takes a perfectly happy boy, possesses him, and forces upon him the world of Go, of which that kid is not fond, and has no particular interest in. Rewind to some 140 years earlier: Sai finds another perfectly happy Go student, possesses him, and forces him to play all of Sai's games for Sai. Although by this Shuusaku becomes the best go player of the time, he is overexerting himself, and eventually dies.
Isn't Sai lovely? Truly, he is the best character in HnG. P.S. to the one who remarked on Sai's gender - Yes, it is made quite clear in the anime that Sai is a male.
On another note, can anyone direct me as to where HnG manga can be found and possibly downloaded?

C.S. Graves: My favourite characters are Tsubaki (the beard guy), Kuwabara, Sai, and that European amateur in episode 16 of the anime who, upon learning that Waya is almost a pro, exclaims "WOW!" in the goofiest voice ever. Oh, and Kaga!

melanoma: Totally agree on the WOW guy! Hahahaha. My fave character from all time is and will be Akira. Annoying but really inspiring.

Torabisu: My Favourite character is Hikaru. He's a lot like me.

Yuki Mitani

Mitani is just simply the coolest guy in the whole series!

Shinichiro Isumi

Schnitte I think a few words may be said for Isumi, whom I liked throughout his appearances in the anime. He's not much of an attention-getter; rather, he's courteuos and polite towards everybody, and that seems to be genuine rather than faked. The only time he really tells someone offs is when he shuts up Ochi at the start of their pro exam game - but that moment Ochi certainly deserved to be shut up like that.

Kaoru Kishimoto

He may not be the best player (though probably the best of the non-pro aspiring amateurs) but you've gotta admit, he's cool. The glasses are sweet, too.

Dedweight:

Am i the only one who likes Waya's sensei umm its spelled Morishita i think. Momrishita sensei right? Hes so funnny with his enthusiasum for Hikaru to beat Akira because of his feelings about Meijin Toya. And then he freaks when the others at the study group tell him to take his own advice, so funny. And also Isumi is so cool yet its depressing how much he wants to be a pro but luck just doesnt favor him i suppose..he shoulda been a pro so many times its not fair!! Poor Isumi, besides all the female seem to like hanging out with him (guess luck favors him in that department).

ViciousMan: "Morishita Sensei" is how the guy's name is spelled (Sensei is a title). Morishita's real first name is Shigeo. By the way, it's "Toya Meijin", not "Meijin Toya". Meijin is a title, not an actual name. Toya Meijin's real given (first) name is Koyo (Kōyō) - Therefore his name (in the English editions) is Koyo Toya (Japanese names actually start with the family (last) name, so he is Tōya Kōyō in the Japanese versions).

Yumi: I think Kishimoto's cute... like a dork with a sycamore up his ass kind.. >_> Um, yeah, lolz. So I kinda like him, but I do still like Touya Akira best...

Rustycol: Hikaru gains my respect because he could have let Sai play and have all the glory (and he actually thought of using Sai for money in the beginning), but instead he chooses to undertake the hard path and earn a name for himself. He may have immense talent and an exceptional private tutor in Sai but he has to work a lot. He also matures noticeably throughout the story from a brat to a much more considerate young man.


Favourite Character In Hikaru No Go last edited by Schnitte on January 2, 2021 - 22:32
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