Hikaru no Go

Description

From Viz:
Hikaru Shindo is like any sixth-grader in Japan: a pretty normal schoolboy with a two-tone head of hair and a penchant for antics. One day, he finds an old bloodstained Go board in his grandfather's attic and that's when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the emperor of Japan many centuries ago.
In one fateful moment, Sai becomes a part of Hikaru's consciousness and together, through thick and thin, they make an unstoppable Go-playing team. Will they be able to defeat Go players who have dedicated their lives to the game?
Will Sai achieve the "Divine Move" so he'll finally be able to rest in peace?

Note: Won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2000. Won the Creative Award in the 7th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2003.

Type

Manga

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

El go de Hikaru

HikaGO

Hikaru - Kì thủ cờ vây

Hikaru's Go (Indonesian)

Hikarus go (Swedish)

HnG

Le go de Hikaru

O go de Hikaru

Vua Cờ

Хикару и го

Хікару і Ґо

היִקָארוּ נוֹ גוֹ

היקארו נו גו

هيكارو نو غو

ฮิคารุเซียนโกะ

ヒカルの碁

棋魂

고스트 바둑왕

히카루의 바둑

Groups Scanlating

Toriyama's World

Viz

Latest Release(s)

v.1 c.1-3 by Viz 8 years ago

v.17 c.148 by Toriyama World 18 years ago

v.17 c.147 by Toriyama World 18 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

23 Volumes (Complete)
20 Volumes (Kanzenban, 2009)
12 Volumes (Bunkoban, 2012)
12 Volumes (Combini-ban, 2010)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1 (TV) / Vol 21, Chap 167 (TV Special)

Ends at Vol 21, Chap 166 (TV) / Vol 23, Chap 198 (TV Special)

User Reviews

Hikaru no Go by Rashid

Forum

2 topics, 31 posts

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User Rating

Average: 8.7 / 10.0 (1614 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.66 / 10.0

33%

26%

25%

10%

Last Updated

February 4th, 2025 8:11pm PST - 5 months ago

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Genre

Comedy Drama School Life Shounen Sports Supernatural
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Me no Mae no Kami-sama

Haou Densetsu Lion

Hajime no Ippo

The King of Hell is Unhappy

Usagi Yojimbo

Recommendations

Hagane no Renkinjutsushi

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Shueisha

Serialized In (magazine)

Shuukan Shounen Jump (Shueisha)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Viz (23 Volumes - Complete)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #484

(-174)

Monthly Pos #1182

(-354)

3 Month Pos #1815

(-620)

6 Month Pos #2558

(-365)

Year Pos #2908

(-229)

List Stats

On 725 reading lists

On 952 wish lists

On 4123 completed lists

On 128 unfinished lists

On 470 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Silly little question

9 years ago

The ending!

11 years ago

User Comments [ Order by time added ]

great start, terrible end

by nanner
10 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

this is a shounen "classic" that starts out strong and sucks the reader in with its comedy and supernatural twist...but then fails to deliver much of anything in the end.
they either should have ended it with the dream and the symbolic passing of the torch (or fan in this case) or given us an actual ending. instead, once it loses the comedy+supernatural it loses the very thing that made it special, not to mention the plot that drove the story to begin with. it's good to see akira and hikaru's growth as people and go players, but the series starts a slow spiral downhill after the dream.
the non-ending we get makes wading through the last tedious quarter of the series very unrewarding. i understand life goes on and all that, but seriously, what was the point?
nothing was resolved.
if it was suspended that explains some of the problems with the ending, but not with the existing problems and increasing plot holes and the mess between the dream and the end of the series.
and there was a bunch of pointless chapters about side characters i hardly cared about that don't do much but fill in space.
i also had issues early on with the fact that hikaru, who was practicing so hard for the tournament so he could win with the club members, suddenly changes his mind and dumps the club and his friends. seriously, he couldn't have waited a few months, done the tournament like he promised, and then taken the insei test? the test was given every 4 months they said. no wonder some of the club members (who helped teach him to play well in the first place) were angry and felt betrayed. i was pissed at him myself.
that's not how your supposed to treat the people you call friends. and after that they become less than side characters, dissapeared aside from one or two appearances in odd chapters later on.
i rate the first several volumes at 10 and then they go downhill from there. the ending/ last volume i would rate at about a 5.
i'm not really sure if i would recommend this to others or not. its starts off as sai's search for the hand of god and continues (without resolving the first plotline) with hikaru's growth as a professional go player (which also has no ending). i feel that the flow between the first part and the second was choppy and the second was messy and not well thought out, as though the writer was unsure what to do once the dream had occurred.
if your reading this strictly for Obata Takeshi then you might enjoy seeing some of his early artwork and the beginning of the story is really well done.
if you want to read something solid of his with a satisfying ending, let me point you to bakumen instead.

... Last updated 10 years ago

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Love it!

by kri91
13 years ago

Rating: 9.5 / 10.0

Its awesome! I was completely immersed in reading this & There's not a single chapter where I was bored. The ending could have been made better(by that I mean all "happy happy") but its still a good ending
Read it & U'l love it 🙂

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Wonderful.

by sophie0
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

This was the first manga I read, and it made me fall utterly in love. I started it on a whim, because I was vaguely interested in reading about Go, but I never would have expected to get hooked on it so quickly. I reread it for the first time yesterday, and even though I read it before I found myself almost tearing through my books. The plot it really gripping, even though at first I kept thing, hey, it's a boardgame, not the end of the world! But in a way that's what makes it so special. The passion the characters have for the game is infectious, and all of the characters are wonderful.
It isn't flawless, but I have yet to find another series as engrossing as this one. (For me, even though it's very different, Silver Diamond comes close.)

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Unsatisfying conclusion

by Neofit
15 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

The series manages to pull you in an excite you even if you never even heard of Go before and that is largely due to great characters that are realistically portrayed and well developed over the course of the story; however that is strictly tied to the game of Go and their struggles with the competitive scene. Though that's reasonable, after all the series is about the sport, but it also has the effect of making them harder to relate with since they don't seem to have a life outside of it. There are however some great moments of characters interacting with uninvolved people that do not actually know that much or even care about Go and that has the effect of outlining even more the dedication with which the main characters pursue their passion (the world of Go is indeed small and unnoticed but its conflicts are very passionate).

For all the development, however, the series' end leads to nowhere in particular and is actually rather dull and lacks any catharsis. It promised a lot more on the way and there was a lot to look forward to, but none of the great confrontations ever happen. It feels like the series was cut abruptly on short notice.

Nonetheless, it's a great series which I'd recommend for anyone with an interest in the sports genre.

... Last updated 15 years ago

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A fantastic manga

by Anza
16 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

I mostly agree with what OppKnox said about the manga, it's true that the ending doesn't end like you expect a shounen series to end even if you've never herd of Go before reading this like myself then it's still worth checking out, it's original and it's always more about the story and characters then about Go itself. Hikaru and Akira make a great rivalry honestly one of the best I've ever seen developed I just wish it continued on even longer.

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Now I know what the fuss was all about!!

by tumy102
16 years ago

Rating: N/A

Having waited till all the fuss about Hikaru no Go to calmed down to actually read it, I have to say, the manga lives up to expectation.
Many people complain about Sai's departure and the end, I however think those were excellent moves made by the the authors. Without Sai's departure, Hikaru's growth will not get started. He needs to learned to walked on his own and having retired so soon, Sai's strength forever stays great. Retiring on your top imo proving effective. Though I was really bumped out losing my most beloved character, and sure there is so many other way for Sai to say goodbye, this way still is my definite choice. Bittersweet.
Also Sai's departure has not effect the flow of the manga, it sure left sadness and wonders, in my opinion, this is why the manga stands out.
I can understand why lots of people dis-satisfied with the ending but didn't the authors explain the needs to co- exist of the two rivals 😕 Again, I am happy, not another cliche ending plot. We get to imagine, we get to wonder, and in a cheesy way to speak get to hope, that's how the manga stays in fan's heart. Or at least in my case.
They could have dragged HNG longer if they wished and I am thankfully and regretfully at the same time that they did not..... On one hand I remember reading Death Note after L's death constantly cursing. I wish Obata sensei had done the same to Deathnote, not dragging out the exhausted horse. Well that's another story. But on the other hand, another few volumes of this greatness who am I to complain ^^.
All in all, this manga deserves a 10. Art, what more could I ask? plot? pfft I feel redundant just to think about bragging more. What I like most is how the characters are portrayed, strength and weekness, everyone has one, that helps them grow.
Hikaru and Touya's relationship developed well, I can see why these two, together with Naruto and Sasuke, friends and rivals at the same time, very popular in YAOI DJ lol. Probably one more reason is because the female characters are not very powerful in Obata sensei's works (Death Note's Misa) but well you can not ask for absolute perfect, that would ruin things somehow.
Ehem, I need to restrain myself from blabling forever like this, last words, S A I ..........>sigh<

Okay I'm out.

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The ending is perfect...

by Yuenchi
17 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

...Just like everything else in this manga. It's all faithful to the nuance and the soul of this manga, which is full of love for Go and the strong hope and belief that this traditional game will survive, progress, and be passed along to the next generation. With this in mind I really think it has the most perfect ending and turns of events. Many times when something ultimate is reached then it's done, can only decline or disappear instead of progressing. Everyone including Sai had their own roles to play for the sake of Go, for their love for it. Not that I didn't shed sad tears when you-know-what happened, bah. Ooops you don't know? Then nothing happened, really. Just go ahead and read this manga.

I love this manga for its characters' strong passion for Go, especially Sai's and Akira's, and how they both triggered the same passion in Hikaru. Also for its powerful story telling and wonderful, wonderful art. This manga is not overrated just like it was not overdone. It's really a fine manga, so very well done. It's easy to read and understand, it doesn't require much brainpower or knowledge to enjoy, and the fact that it's very very easy to follow shows the complexity and the effort given in its process of creation.

It's a beautiful, entertaining read. If you miss any of the 23 (yes, all 23) volumes then you're definitely missing something important. Point is, if you want to read then read them all. I assure you that you won't be disappointed and will appreciate this title deeply. ...Unless, of course, you have a taste that's very different from mine.

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Love It!!!!!! ALWAYS WILL!!!!!

by bl0nd3sn4k3
17 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Yes I too at first did not like the ending! After 10 mins of coming off the high I had from the ending and the disappointment that it had ended; I quickly loved the resolution. I like jumping into peoples lives and jumping out of them again. Yeah I would love to see more from the authors POV but I can imagine their lives just fine as well. It's not like we left in the middle of anything huge... and some of it was kind of wrapped up in side stories.
I didn't really like the thing with Sai at first either... but it is Hikaru no Go (Hikaru's Go) not Sai no Go. Of course we could all tell where it was headed!
I rarely read anything over again... read it once know it all... I will always, always, always love Hikaru no Go. 😉 I constantly watch it and read it over and over, not just the great Go board scenes that make my heart race, but even the in between scenes that develop the characters! (Ok so I'm just a bit obsessed with Go!!!)

... Last updated 17 years ago

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It's great but not perfect.. =/

by chueisha
18 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

[color=blue][edit by mod,possible spoiler][/color]
This manga got my attention when people fuss over it too much. I read all the way trough volume 3 until I lost the site to read it ^o^;; The first half really is interesting, until it became more and more boring as it focused on Hikaru too much. I know that because Hikaru is the main character and that is why he is the main center. But i gets pretty annoying watching everybody gets surprised and all when seeing how Hikaru is so incredible at Go. I heard the ending is not satisfying from some of the members and friends, didn't go all the way to the end yet but even if it's bad, i still want to check it out 😀

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a must read...

by [deleted member]
20 years ago

Rating: N/A

its an awsome manga n its for everyone, its really cool n exciting. XD i think ppl should relli read this manga...ull definitly enjoyit if u like sports mangas

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