Hikaru no Go

Overview

Hikaru no Go is the story of Hikaru Shindou, a young boy who discovers the spirit of Fujiwara-no-Sai, a renowned Go player. However, this is not a tale of dramatic, battles to the death. It is a heartwarming tale of one boy's journey and love for a game, and how he becomes a mature young man with the help of a game called Go, and how he affects other people, as they affect him.

Hikaru no Go is written by Yumi Hotta, and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, most well-known for his work on Death Note. It was first published in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1998, after Yumi Hotta was one of those selected for the "Story King" Shonen Jump awards, which meant her original storyboard would become an actual manga.

Publishers

• Shueisha (Japan)
• Viz Media (North America)
• Editions Tonkam (France)
• Planet Manga (Italy)
• Carlsen Comics (Germany)
• JBC (Portugal)
• Tong Li Publishing Co., Ltd. (China, Taiwan)
• Da Ran Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. (China, Taiwan)

Publication History

In Japan, Hikaru no Go was published by Shueisha, and was first published in Weekly Shounen Jump. The series was first published on 1998, with the first volume released on April 30, 1999, and ended with 189 chapters and 11 " omake" chapters, compiled in 23 tankobon volumes. It has sold over 22,000,000 copies, and has helped to dramatically increase the popularity of Go in Japan.

In North America, Hikaru no Go is published by Viz Media. It was first published on June 16, 2004. The final volume will be released on May 3, 2011.

Alterations

Certain images and references to underage smoking were removed from the graphic novels so that they could be rated as "All Ages".

Certain trademarks and clothing designs were also removed.

Characters

Hikaru Shindo

The young boy who begins to foster an interest in Go. Although initially dismissing it as "an old man's game", he soon grows to enjoy the game and develop his skill as a rather unorthodox player.

Fujiwara-no-Sai

The spirit that bonds with Hikaru. He acts as a second personality to Hikaru. Sai can act very childlike at times, because he's amazed at the modern world. Still, he is an extremely talented Go player, as he was one of the Go teachers at court.

Akira Toya

Hikaru's main rival. He aims, first, to play and work with Hikaru, then, to surpass him. Akira is the son of the famed Toya Meijin, and aims to live up to his father's legacy.

Toya Meijin

Akira's father, and holder of three Go titles. He is a renowned Go player, with many students, and is very dedicated to it.

Seiji Ogata

A professional Go player who is able to recognize Hikaru's talent almost immediately, or, rather, Sai's talent. He is also a student under Toya Meijin.

Kimihiro Tsutsui

The Head of the Haze Middle School Go Club. He played alongside Hikaru during his years in Middle School, and was part of the tournaments Hikaru undertook.

Tetsuo Kaga

The Head of the Haze Shogi Club. He played against Hikaru during one of his first games of Go, and also played alongside him during his first Go tournament.

Yuki Mitani

A member of the Haze Middle School Go Club. Initially, he was swindling people out of money while playing Go. However, he later joined the Go Club alongside Hikaru and Tsutsui.