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Favourite Character In Hikaru No Go
Path: HikaruNoGo · Prev: HikaruNoGoJunkie · Next: HikaruNoGoProblems traveller: Note to all - I did not write the paragraph below. I've no idea why my name is here. 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? :-) 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.) 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!
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. 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"? :-)
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. 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
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. unkx80: I simply like Hikaru and Fujiwarano Sai. 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:
Tiptoe39?: That's Fuku. 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 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. 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. Path: HikaruNoGo · Prev: HikaruNoGoJunkie · Next: HikaruNoGoProblems This is a copy of the living page "Favourite Character In Hikaru No Go" at Sensei's Library. ![]() |