Hikaru No Go
While searching through his grandfather's attic, Hikaru Shindou stumbles upon an old go board. Touching it, he is greeted by a mysterious voice, and soon after falls unconscious. When he regains his senses, he discovers that the voice is still present and belongs to Fujiwara no Sai, the spirit of an ancient go expert. A go instructor for the Japanese Emperor in the Heian Era, Sai's passion for the game transcends time and space, allowing him to continue playing his beloved game as a ghostly entity. Sai's ultimate goal is to master a divine go technique that no player has achieved so far, and he seeks to accomplish this by playing the board game through Hikaru. Despite having no interest in board games, Hikaru reluctantly agrees to play, executing moves as instructed by Sai. However, when he encounters the young go prodigy Akira Touya, a passion for the game is slowly ignited within him. Inspired by his newfound rival, Hikaru's journey into the world of go is just beginning.
- 2001-2003
- 3 seasons
- ImaginAsian TV
- Animation, Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sports
- TV-G
While searching through his grandfather's attic, Hikaru Shindou stumbles upon an old go board. Touching it, he is greeted by a mysterious voice, and soon after falls unconscious. When he regains his senses, he discovers that the voice is still present and belongs to Fujiwara no Sai, the spirit of an ancient go expert. A go instructor for the Japanese Emperor in the Heian Era, Sai's passion for the game transcends time and space, allowing him to continue playing his beloved game as a ghostly entity. Sai's ultimate goal is to master a divine go technique that no player has achieved so far, and he seeks to accomplish this by playing the board game through Hikaru. Despite having no interest in board games, Hikaru reluctantly agrees to play, executing moves as instructed by Sai. However, when he encounters the young go prodigy Akira Touya, a passion for the game is slowly ignited within him. Inspired by his newfound rival, Hikaru's journey into the world of go is just beginning.
Season 1 Episode Guide
30 Episodes 2001 - 2002
Episode 1
Eien no raibaru
Sat, Jul 1, 2006 23 mins
Twelve-year old Hikaru Shindo finds a old Go board with an hidden surprise. Trapped inside is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of a ancient Go master...
Episode 2
Minukareta kyûsho!!
22 mins
After defeating Go prodigy Akira Toya with the help of Sai, Hikaru starts to get a better understanding of the game through classes with a local Go tutor. While learning the fine points of the game from Shirakawa-sensei, Hikaru is thrown out for disruptive behavior. He then makes his way to a local Children's Go Tournament. Meanwhile Akira is still pained by his loss to Hikaru and will do anything to face him once again.
Episode 3
Kiba wo muku akira
22 mins
Going on instinct, Akira finds Hikaru at Children's Go Tournament and demands to know about more about this Go-playing upstart. They face each other in the Go Salon and sensing Akira's desire to win, Sai plays mercilessly, defeating Akira. As news spreads of Hikaru's win over Akira, he is spotted by the curious Ogata, a professional Go player, and dragged in to face the legendary Toya Meijin, a Go playing champion and Akira's father.
Episode 4
Shôgi bu no kaga
23 mins
Initially rebuffing Akari's invitation to the Haze Junior High festival, Hikaru decides to attend only to be stood up. As he walks through the festival grounds, he spots a Go demonstration, much to the delight of Sai.
Episode 5
Kakusei no yokan
22 mins
In a game of Go that could go either way, Kaga defeats Hikaru. But instead of making him jump into a freezing cold pool, Kaga recruits Hikaru to join he and Kimihiro to play in an upcoming Go tournament at rival Kaio Middle. The only problem is Hikaru isn't even old enough to play! As he keeps playing, Hikaru finds that Go has opened up a whole new universe for him.
Episode 6
Utsukushii ikkyoku
22 mins
As if the pressure of getting caught for playing in the Go tournament, Akira Toya is touring the grounds of Kaio Middle, a school with a powerful Go team. Can Hikaru and his teammates win it all before their cover is blown?
Episode 7
Omae to wa utanai
22 mins
With the Go Tournament behind them, Hikaru is now an official student at Haze Middle school and is eager to start a Go team with Kimihiro. It's just too bad that Kaga has quit to rejoin the Shogi Club. Meanwhile, Akira has entered Kaio Middle and joined the infamous Kaio Go Club. However, he has only one opponent on his mind, Hikaru! Will they play another match?
Episode 8
Ame no naka no sakuryaku
22 mins
Akira Toya's presence on the Kaio Go Club has made him the most hated member of the team. Not only is he a Go master in the making, but he beats everyone who dares to face him. In the midst of a springtime downpour, three fellow Kaio teammates devise a plan to knock the mighty Toya off his perch.
Episode 9
Me zawari na yatsu!!
22 mins
As the newest member of the Kaio Go Club, Akira must clean an old classroom to be used by the Girls' Go Team. But as soon as he starts to clean and look through old books of Go Strategy, Kojima and Ito, two Kaio teammates, trick him into playing Go without looking at the board. Can he win these games blind and prove he belongs in the Kaio Go Club?
Episode 10
San nin me no menbâ
22 mins
Still looking for that elusive third player, Akari tells Hikaru and Kimihiro about Yuki Mitani, a fellow classmate who can play a mean game of go. The only problem is that he wants nothing to do with amateur tournaments. After overhearing about a match with a middle schooler in a nearby Go Salon, Hikaru and Sai discover Yuki playing not for the love of the game, but for the love of money.
Episode 11
Motto mo hikyô na kôi
22 mins
Hikaru discovers Yuki secret to winning at Go...Cheating! When Hikaru returns to the Go Salon, it appears that the Shu, the Go Salon keeper, has brought in a ringer to stop Yuki and his hustling. Taken for all his money by his heartless opponent, Sai vows revenge and he and Hikaru take on the ringer for all that he's worth!
Episode 12
Sanshou wa dareda
22 mins
In a token of thanks for defeating the ringer at the Go Salon, Yuki joins the Go Club and gives his word not to cheat. Over at Kaio Middle, Akira plots his next move in trying to face Hikaru once again. When he discovers that Hikaru will be playing in the weaker third position, Akira begs to be removed from the dominant first position so he can have the rematch he so desperately craves.
Episode 13
Sore zore no ketsui
22 mins
Now that Haze Middle can "officially" enter school tournaments, Hikaru, Yuki and Kimihiro are ready to win it all. First up is Iwana Middle, whom they beat in a sweep. After a quick lunch break, It's time for Akira to face the opponent he's been waiting for: Hikaru!
Episode 14
Sando me no taikyoku
22 mins
It's Kaio Middle School versus Haze Middle School. Yuki faces off against Kaio's captain, the arrogant Kishimoto while Hikaru takes on Akira for the third time. Who will win in this do-or-die Go Tournament?
Episode 15
Netto ni hisomu kishi
22 mins
With summertime around the corner, Hikaru and Akira find themselves traveling new paths on their journeys. Akira gives up the Kaio Go Club and decides to take the Pro Exam while Hikaru introduced to the world of Internet Go. With his newfound appreciation for online Go, Hikaru gives Sai a new outlet for playing the game he loves so much.
Episode 16
Sai wa dareda
23 mins
Between Hikaru's novice computer skills and Sai's strength at playing Go, they become the most unbeatable player in the world of Internet Go. From New York to the Netherlands, Sai's has players from all around the globe wondering who is this amazing player!
Episode 17
Tsuioku no ikkyoku
23 mins
At the World Amateur Championship, the air is abuzz with interest in Sai whom some of the participants have played online at one time or another. While some think he's a pro, others feel that he might just be the ghost of famed Go master Hon'inbo Shusaku, who Sai taught many years ago. But when Akira's name shows up onscreen, Hikaru gets ready for another rematch.
Episode 18
Akira tai sai
23 mins
Eager to take on Sai, Akira doesn't even bother to show up for his first pro exam match. But Sai defeats him, leaving Akira to wonder if it's Hikaru on the other side of the board. When Ms. Ichikawa tells Akira that she spotted Hikaru at an internet café, his instinct turns to intense suspicion.
Episode 19
Hikaru no jitsuryoku
23 mins
Summer's winding down and thanks to all his internet playing with Sai, his game has gotten stronger. But there's no time to play at the internet café and with Sai's help, takes on Hikaru's grandfather so he can get the premium Go board and stones he desires.
Episode 20
Puro he no michi
23 mins
After a chance meeting in a bookstore, Kishimoto, the captain of the Kaio Go Club, takes Hikaru to a Go Salon to see what kind of player he truly is. Over a game of Go, Kishimoto tells him about Akira's goal of turning pro, sparking Hikaru's interest in chasing and catching up to Akira.
Episode 21
Hase chû igo bu
23 mins
Hikaru returns to the Go club to announce his intentions on becoming an Insei, which angers Yuki Mitani and disappoints the rest of the Haze Middle Go Club. As he breaks the news to the club, Kaga enters the room in an attempt to evade one of the teachers. Upon hearing Hikaru's new goal, Kaga forces him into a Go match that also includes Kimihiro and Yuki!
Episode 22
Insei shiken
23 mins
Even with his new-found love for the game of Go, Hikaru finds it nearly impossible to sit comfortably, let alone beat his opponent during the test. Luckily for him, he discovers that the game is not being decided on wins and losses, but on strength and is accepted as an insei. After the test, he reveals his rivalry with Akira Toya to a pair of skeptical insei, competitively friendly Waya and the contemplative Isumi.
Episode 23
Yûgen no ma
23 mins
Now that he's an insei, Hikaru's finding that winning is hard to come by. Starting off with six straight losses, Hikaru's at the bottom of the B-league with little hope in sight. Meanwhile, Akira has just become a pro and is gearing up for the Shinshodan Series, where newly-turned pros take on established veterans of the game.
Episode 24
Ôza vs Akira
23 mins
As the Shinshodan Series starts up, the Oza is taken aback by Akira's seemingly easy rise to the pros. Instead of playing a simple exhibition match against the young prodigy, he's going to challenge Akira with everything he's got. Since he's never seen Akira play anyone other than himself, Hikaru can't wait to see this match, if only he can finish up his own match first!
Episode 25
Tsuki tsuke rareta satame no ha
22 mins
Waya invites Hikaru to a study session with his teacher, Morishita-sensei. Hikaru learns about the Young Lions Tournament, where only the top 16 Insei in the A-league get to compete against newly crowned pros. Eager to face Akira once again, Hikaru vows to make it into the A-league and the Young Lions Tournament!
Episode 26
Hikaru saidai no kabe
22 mins
It hasn't been easy, but Hikaru's moved up the ranks and out of the B-league. Now he's taking on a tougher group of opponents, including the mistake-prone Fuku, Waya's toughest opponent. In a discussion about Internet Go with Waya, Hikaru lets his tongue slip when he reveals a bit too much about Sai.
Episode 27
Tokidoki modoritai basho
23 mins
Feeling a bit nostalgic, Hikaru comes back to visit to Haze Middle Go Club, where things have gone from bad to worse. Since Yuki quit, the club cannot participate in school tournaments. Now no wants Hikaru around, fearing that his presence will push Yuki away even further away from rejoining the Go Club.
Episode 28
Waka shishi sen
23 mins
It's time for the Young Lions Tournament, where 16 newly crowned pros take on the Top 16 Insei in the A-League. While his other fellow Insei keep falling to the pros, Isumi takes on obnoxiously boastful Mashiba, a former Insei who never ceases to brag about his life as a pro. Will Isumi knock off him off his pedestal or continue to fall victim to his endless taunts?
Episode 29
Kuwabara honin bô
23 mins
As the Young Lions Tournament winds down, Hikaru loses his match to Murakami 2 -Dan. Anxious to know about how the entire match progressed, Akira presses Ogata Sensei, one of the spectators at the tournament, for answers. But Ogata's got more important things on his mind, such as dethroning Kuwabara-sensei for the Hon'inbo title.
Episode 30
Ogata vs honin bô
23 mins
In the lobby of the Go Association building, Kadowaki, a top College player, is looking to brush up on his game before taking the Pro Exam. Enter Hikaru, who with Sai's help, teaches this amateur how the game of Go is truly played. Meanwhile, the battle for the Hon'inbo title continues as Ogata and Kuwabara trade moves, as well as words, in order to psych each other out.