shindou hikaru

Protagonist who is assisted by Sai. At the beginning of the series, Hikaru is a sixth-grade elementary school student. A pivotal moment in Hikaru's growing passion for Go occurs when he encounters Akira Toya, becoming his rival. Initially, Hikaru believes Go is only for older people and finds Sai's insistence on playing annoying. However, as he plays more, his enthusiasm for the game grows. Starting as a member of his school's Go club, Hikaru progresses to become an insei and eventually a professional Go player at 14, just a year after Akira. Throughout the series, Hikaru matures significantly. As the manga volumes progress, Hikaru grows taller, reflecting his aging and continuous Go-playing journey. Hikaru is often seen wearing clothes with the number "5," a pun on the Japanese word for five, which sounds like "go." His birthday is September 20th. One of his strengths is his ability to quickly read far ahead in the game and make seemingly foolish moves that actually trick opponents into making mistakes, which Hikaru then capitalizes on.