Shindou Hikaru

Hikaru is the main character in the series as we follow his journey of discovering and learning the Japanese board game Go. He is taught by a spirit and master Go player Sai, who helps to bring out his inbred talents. At first Hikaru was against playing Go as he had no real interest in the game. With some “slight” convincing (well not really: every time Hikaru said he wasn’t interested in playing Go, Sai would get upset causing Hikaru to throw up; it wasn’t intentional of Sai to have this effect but it worked for him) Hikaru agreed to let Sai play Go through him. When he first started playing Go, Sai instructed him exactly how to play on every move. But after picking up the basics and having a curiosity for the game, Hikaru started utilizing his own talents to play and beat opponents.

Although Hikaru’s character has depth, much of his personality is simple. He would sometimes say honest things without realizing they can be hurtful and would seem to be a selfish person. But this is far from the truth. Hikaru does have a heart of gold, always looking to do the right thing. Although he starts to develop a passion for the game of Go, he begins playing it not too well.  What does make his story interesting is his tag team chemistry with Sai as Go is not the only thing Hikaru learns. Here we get to see not only how deep his personality is, but also how much he grows as a person. While Sai and Hikaru are playing Go in much of their interaction, they also become good friends and learn allot from each other.

Fujiwara No Sai

Although Sai will give you an impression of a female based on his appearance and mannerisms, he is very much a male. Not that it matters because he is a spirit and all he seems to care about is Go. He is honest and righteous with much passion, not only for the game of Go but for life as well. Sai not only teaches Hikaru about Go, but also many life lessons Hikaru can benefit from. The relationship with Sai and Hikaru is an interesting one as it's what keeps the series going.

Sai used to teach Go to the Emperor in the Heian capital. At that time he would play Go everyday and was very happy doing so. There was another who also taught Go to the Emperor at the time and one day he suggested only one instructor was necessary to teach the game. He went on to motion that the two Go teachers play a final game deciding who gets to stay and continue to teach. As the two played,  the game continued evenly for a long time. At some point however, while no one was looking, the other Go teacher cheated and added a captured stone to his pile. Sai noticed this and quickly began to raise his voice. But before he could finish what he was saying, the other Go instructor accused Sai of cheating himself, when he actually wasn't. The Emperor interrupted both players as they argued and said he wouldn't want to think about something like this happening in his presence. He commanded both players to continue. With Sai's mind still unraveled he lost the game. Losing his place as a teacher and being accused of a cheater, he was driven from the capital. He no longer wished to live and killed himself 2 days later. Because his desire to play Go was great, he could not rest in peace and go to heaven. Sai’s main objective has always been to play Go much as he can. But his ultimate desire is to one day master the Hand of God (roughly translated a the perfect Go game).

Fujisaki Akari

Akari is one of the characters Hikaru knew before the story started as they were childhood friends. Although Hikaru doesn't realize it, she has a slight crush on him as she tends to follow and take interest in whatever he's doing. Akari took interest in playing Go after she found out Hikaru is trying to learn about the game (although she initially joined the junior high school Go club only to hang out with Hikaru). She is not a very good Go player and is simple minded but on the positive side she is kind and very thoughtful. She spent allot of time learning Go from Mitani after she joins the club.

Akira Touya

A student of the prestigious Kaio High School, Touya is an expert Go player who can play at the professional level. The son of Meijin Kouyo Touya, who is one of the best Go players in the world, Touya is a very strong Go player and has the ability to beat players at the professional level. His very nature is polite and modest, often downplaying much of the praise he gets for his skill level; although some interpret his attitude as arrogant and proud. He is one of Hikaru’s biggest rivals.

Touya first meets Hikaru at a local Go club where he teaches elderly people. There Hikaru played his first game (actually Sai played the game for him) and with assistance from Sai he easily beats Touya. Because Touya was playing at the professional level, he was stunned he was beat so easily by a novice player who claims to be playing for the first time. He then becomes obsessed with beating Hikaru and eventually develops a hatred for him. His goal is to one day become a professional player and reach a level of skill unreachable by Hikaru.

Yuki Mitani

When Tsutsui and Hikaru first re-formed the Haze Junior high school Go club, there where only 2 male members. In order to compete in the tournament with other junior high schools, they needed a minimum of 3 players to participate. To find that third player, Hikaru and Tsutsui distributed a complex Go quiz flyer to see if there was anyone else in the high school who had some interest and could at least play Go. As it turns out there was someone who can solve the quiz and that person was Mitani. After doing a bit a detective work and persuasion, Hikaru convinced Mitani to join the Go club and participate in the tournament.

At the beginning of the story Mitani would play Go for money at a adult Go club. There he would make allot of money, but at the expense of cheating his way to winning. But that all changed when he first met Hikaru and joined the junior high school Go club. Despite his cheating ways when playing the game in the beginning of the story, he is a very strong Go player and has exceptional skills. Although he and Hikaru never become close friends they do share the same passion in Go and both enjoy playing in the tournament together.

Tetsuo Kaga

The president of the Shougi Club (Shougi is Japanese Chess; it is actually more popular than Go), Kaga Tetsuo comes off as being a bully with his overbearing brashness and aggressive attitude. But in reality he is a good person who at times means well. Although the main game he plays is Shougi, he’s excellent at Go and a strong player in his own right. His strength in Go stems from his childhood training to becoming a Go professional (he was pushed by his father into being an insei: a young student's path to becoming a pro player, supervised under the Japanese Go association). As it turns out, he hates Go because 1) he loves Shougi more and 2) he was always second to Touya Akira and hated that fact (one would think the second reason is the primary one, although he never admits this). His character is used as comic relief to lighten up some situations. Although his involvement in the series is minor, he always looks out for Hikaru and encourages him to become an insei.

Kimihiro Tsutsui

Tsutsui is the nerdy and kind hearted Haze junior high school Go club president who uses a play book while playing in tournaments. While he is not a strong Go player and doesn’t play too well, he loves the game and plays with a positive attitude. Hikaru first meets Tsutsui in a “Terakoya” fair (it’s Japanese food; octopus dumplings) where he would give out prizes to individuals who solved Go puzzles in Kouyo Tonya’s book. At that time, Tsutusi was the only member of the Go club and was trying to recruit other members so his Go club can compete in tournaments with other junior high schools.