Hikaru no Go Episode Rating Graph

Hikaru is losing the game in his anxiousness to win it. He freaks out when he realised that he didn't necessarily have win the game to pass as the purpose is for the examiner to gain an idea of his strength/potential. In reading the kifu, the examiner is amazed that Hikaru played the way he did during the 3-way match (with Mitani, Tsutsui & Kaga) and passed him. Hikaru unwittingly blurted out that Akira pursues him as a rival and received a cold reception from the Inseis who then see him as a threat. Waya and Isumi questioned Hikaru's validity when observing Hikaru's matches. Hikaru is shellshocked to find out that Kishimoto didn't even make it up to the upper half of the Insei class when he was an Insei and had quitted trying.

Hikaru discovers that Sai is missing and searches all over him. Unable to locate him, he travels to Inno Island to visit Shusaku's grave in an effort to find him. Is it true? Is Sai really gone?

When the match comes to a close, Sai is left the victor. However, when Hikaru discovers a flaw in the game that not even Sai was aware of, Sai finally realizes why he was allowed to return to the world of the living.

Players who have been following Sai's net matches attended the 20th International Amateur Go Tournament in Japan. A commotion occurs at the mention of Sai's name as everyone is trying to who out who he is. The commotion caught the attention of Ogata and Akira. When Akira and Sai engaged in a match over the net, the former is reminded of his first match with Hikaru. Akira discontinues the match so as not to disrupt the ongoing tournament but fixes a date for a match with Sai which happens to be on the first day of Akira's Pro exams.

At a Friendly Go festival, Akira was invited to play a 4-way game with a council member and his three assistants. Though originally told to lose the game, Akira decides otherwise when the council member shows disrespect to Go by placing a cup on a Go board. Akira displays his amazing prowress by forcing a draw on all 4 players. Ashiwara feels that Akira should take it easier by just participating in the pro games but Akira just mutters to himself 'But he passed the prelims to the pro exams'. Meanwhile, Hikaru grows his mastery of go at the Heart of Go salon where he learns how to force a draw in 2-way/3-way games.

The match between Hikaru and Akira comes to an end. Hikaru tells Akira that one day, he will tell him everything. At night Hikaru has a dream, with a surprise visitor! At the end, the song “Get Over” is played as we see everyone throughout the series. The Go world is changing and a younger generation has arrived!

The long awaited day has finally arrived. Hikaru Shindou V. Akira Touya! The two reminisce about the past and the last time they played. It was a little over two years ago. They have both grown stronger since then. They sit down. Hikaru places one black stone and Akira places five white ones. Hikaru is black and will go first. Akira is white and will go second. Hikaru places his first stone down on komoku. Both of them are excited and the match they have both been waiting for has finally arrived…

Kishimoto (Kaio's first board) played a match with Hikaru to find out his real strength and expressed his puzzlement as to why Akira sees Hikaru as a opponent when he's not as strong. Through Kishimoto, Hikaru realises the widening gap between Aikaru and himself and that it would be impossible to catch up with Akaru with Hikaru's current pace. All fired up, Hikaru decides to start off with enroling in the Insei program with becoming a Pro and defeating Aikra as his goal. However, he failed to realise that Inseis can't participate in Amateur tournaments. Thus, he's being forced to make a choice between being a Insei or quitting Haze Jr's Go Club.

After much convincing, Hikaru agrees to play Isumi. However, he will play him for Isumi’s sake, not his own. He will not enjoy the game or get into it. He can’t betray Sai. But when the game of Go becomes intense, is there anything that Hikaru can do? Hikaru ties hard not to betray Sai. He promised him that he would never play again. But can it be helped? Will Sai ever return to him?

The wait is over! Sai and Toya Meijin face off in a match that has the entire world glued to their computer screens. Who will triumph and discover the Divine Move?

Akari invites Hikaru to the Haze Junior High festival. Hikaru reluctantly goes, but cannot find Akari anywhere. So, while walking around he stumbles upon a group of kids around a Go board. Tsutsui, the head of the Haze Junior High Go Club, is holding a competition. The prize is a book entitled "Assorted Tsumego from Touya Meijin's Matches". After seeing this Sai is eager to win it. But, can he with the sudden appearance of the Shougi captain, Kaga?

The Go world is moving. Everything is changing. Hikaru has won his first comeback match and dives into his next one. Isumi is taking the Pro Exam and is on his way to becoming a pro like Waya, Hikaru, and Ochi before him. Akira is beating high level dans. Ogata has taken yet another title. The Go world is shifting; a new wave is coming with Akira in the lead. But Kuwabara will not allow them to surpass him just yet...

Having defeated Ochi, Hikaru has gained Akira's respect, and Akira is now awaiting their next match. As Hikaru wonders how his life will change now that he's become a Pro, Hikaru's mother confronts Waya's parents for advice on what to do. Also Sai begins to feel that he is no longer needed by Hikaru.

Isumi, Waya and Hikaru decides to go to a recommeded Go Salon and Hikaru bumps into a rude young boy at the convenience store. Sai advises Hikaru not to pursue the incident as he senses that the young boy had some issues with himself. Upon entering the salon, the trio realised that it's a Korean Go salon (Koreans are known for their strength/domination in the Go world)and that the rude young boy is the owner's nephew called Su Young - a Korean insei-equivalent. Back at the institute, the editorial team was discussing Japan's poor performance in the world stage and Korea/China's domination. When Hikaru challenges Su-Young to a match, it turns into a Korean Vs Japan fight-out. The owner recounts Su-Young's history to Isumi. Su-young has been a very promising young talent who rose quickly through the ranks but a losing streak demoralises him to the extent of almost quitting Go and his parents sent him on a holiday to Japan. As the game starts, Hikaru vows to win and let Su-Young remember

Hikaru is slowly, but surely, getting better as evidenced when he beats Mitani in a game though with a handicap as well as Tsutsui. To play go with Sai, now that they decided not to play internet go anymore, Hikaru tries to get his gramps to buy him a go board/stones. When Hikaru beats a strong opponent at the go school, even to the astoundment of the teacher, he finally understands that one can only judge how strong others are when he's strong himself. He bumps into Kaio's first board when he's browsing a bookstore and the latter pulls him away to a match.

The finals of the Third Annual Junior High Go Tournament - Kaiou Junior High V. Haze Junior High. With a score of 1-1 it is up to Hikaru to win it for Haze. Can he do it? And what will happen when Akira spots Hikaru playing?

After loosing the game to Kaga, Hikaru is forced into joining a Jr. high school Go Club Tournament. He is to join Tsutsui and Kaga as the third member for the Haze Jr. High Go Club team for the tournament. But when Hikaru insists that he wants to play for himself, will he come out victorious?

Ogata and Kuwabara Honinbou continue their set of matches for the Honinbou title. They are on their final match, both having won the same number of games. When Ogata plays a sealed move for the first time, will he be able to follow up his actions and defeat Kuwabara?

A boy named Yuki Mitani solves a challenging problem on the Haze Go club's posters. Hikaru knows they need a third member really badly, and tries to convince Yuki to join. However, he soon discovers Yuki's true strength.

With all of the other matches finished, the final decision of the Pro Exams rests upon Hikaru and Ochi's match. Can Hikaru defeat Ochi, or will he be forced to play Isumi again for a chance at going pro?

This is a very fun episode where Waya, Isumi and Hikaru form a team to go around challenging the patrons of the various Go salons. The bet being that they won't have to pay the admission fees in event of a win and Waya raises the stakes even higher by allowing a few moku handicap in subsequent games, much to the protests of Isumi/Hikaru (since they have to wash all the stones if they lose). Hikaru becomes friendly with a particular go salon named 'Heart of Stone' and its patrons. Through this exercise, Hikaru manages to overcome his weakness in playing go with adults.

The #1 Amateur Go Player in Japan, Shuhei, challenges Hikaru to a match while Hikaru is looking for Sai in Hiroshima.

The Pro Exam has finally begun, and the intensity reaches new heights after the pairings are chosen. Everyone seems so tense, except for Hikaru, who is unusually calm. Thanks to Waya and Isumi, Hikaru has learned how to handle the pressure. However, could their actions have turned Hikaru into a real threat?

This episode is basically a recap of Sai's past journeys, from playing Go in the palace and his eventual suicide, playing Go through Shuusaku and then Hikaru. The second half kind of traces Hikaru's Go journey till the present - the first game btw Hikaru/Akira, set-up of Haze Jr's Go Club, Hikaru letting Sai practise through Internet Go and Hikaru's determination to catch up with Akira. Sai laments to God on why he let him came back through Hikaru and wonders if Hikaru will ever let him play again.

Hikaru takes the prelims to qualify for the Pro exams whereas Waya/Isumi are admitted straight to the finals being among the top 8 of the Insei program. Hikaru is intimidated by Tsubaki, a really loud and brash guy, who turns out to be his first opponent. Tsubaki plays mind games with Hikaru and won the match. For Hikaru, the loss highlighted his inexperience with playing with adults since starting go and it represents a hurdle he has to overcome to reach his goal.

This episode shows us a young Hikaru, back from 7th grade before the Insei exam. When Sai is disturbed by the owner of a pottery shop, with a face like a toad, Hikaru/Sai must beat the owner who turns out to be a 5dan to prove to everyone what a cheat the owner is. But can he turn around his own play, and win a game someone else has already resigned to help a young girl?

In this flashback before Akira Toya met Hikaru Shindo, a young children's Go champion challenges Akira to a game at the Go Salon.

Yuuki Mitani decides to go back to the Go Club.

Ogata and Kuwabara are anticipating their matches for the Honinbou title, both anxious to greet the upcoming wave of pros in the Go world. Meanwhile, a guy who has won many college titles for Go and is well-known among the Insei is planning on taking the Go test.

Isumi has gone on undefeated, while Hikaru has lost only one game so far. The time finally comes for them to play each other, and only one of them can win.

After losing to Hikaru, Isumi begins to break down and begins losing his matches. Hikaru is also having trouble concentrating, upset about pointing out Isumi's illegal move. As Sai helps Hikaru regain his concentration, Isumi faces off against Ochi. Perhaps this game will be enough to return Isumi to his old self.

Now that Toya Meiji is playing Internet Go, the world is abuzz with excitement. But little do they know that a challenger of exceptional strength waits in the shadows.

The Go World goes into a state of shock after Toya Meijin announces that he is retiring as Professional Go player. As everyone tries to find out why Koyo has given up his titles and his status, Akira begins to worry about Hikaru's progress.

After Hikaru gets back Yuki's money, Yuki decides to join the club, but refuses to play in the tournament. Tsutsui explains how strong Kaio is and Yuki changes his mind. But will he play without cheating? Meanwhile, Akira discovers that Hikaru is the third board in the tournament and begs the club sensei to put him there. Is Akira willing to give up all his pride and his reputation, just for this one spot?

Hikaru and Tsubaki must face each other in the Pro matches, and Akira begins teaching Ochi in an attempt to learn how strong of a level Hikaru is playing at.

As the match between Hikaru and Ochi draws near, Ochi becomes more and more annoyed with Akira's obsession of Hikaru. Therefore, Ochi demands that Akira recognize him as his rival and permit him to join Toya Meijin's study group if he beats Hikaru. Akira agrees to the condition, but when Ochi mentions to Hikaru that Akira is teaching him, Hikaru realizes that Akira will officially recognize him as a rival if he beats Ochi.

All dressed up to receive his 1-dan certificate, Hikaru learns about the Oteai, a series of games that determine a player's ranking as well as who his first opponent will be...

Hikaru is torn by the decision he has to make. An unlikely saviour came in the form of Kaga who proposed that Shindou quit the club after showing them how strong he is - by playing three of them at once (Mitani, Tsutsui and Kaga). Hikaru prepares to take the Insei exam. Having bumped into Hikaru at the institute, Waya's interest is piqued by Hikaru who declared to surpass Akira and remarked to Isumi that Hikaru will most probably pass the exam.

With the recent defeat of the Meijin's son, Hikaru goes about his day normally. However, Akira is obsessing over the game he lost. He won't do anything but stare at the Go board and replay the game that he lost. When he gets word that Hikaru is at a Children's Go Tournament, he rushes there hoping to confront Hikaru and ask for a rematch.

Akira is quite tense at the fact that he is finally facing Hikaru, or rather Sai. All is going well, until Hikaru notices a point that he thinks should be played and Sai doesn't play it. Determined to find out why, Hikaru takes over and plays it. Sai reveals that the move might have worked, if Hikaru was good enough to back that move up. How will Akira handle the situation when he sees Hikaru really play?

The top 16 in the A league all take part in the Young Lions Tournament. If Hikaru can manage to get past the first round, he'll finally get to face Akira again. Meanwhile, Isumi faces an old rival, and everyone wants Isumi to put him in his place. As Sai and Ogata monitor Hikaru's game, they become shocked when Hikaru turns a bad move into a good move. However, when the round ends, only 3 Insei will have made it to the next round.

Hikaru is overwhelmed in playing go with adults and his second loss placed him at a precarious position (third loss means an ousting). As desperation climbs, he becomes more determined than ever by drawing his inspiration from Akira. Fortunately, his third match with Fuku started him on a winning roll. While Waya/Isumi were practicing at a Go salon, a customer gave them the address of another Go salon where there're supposedly many experts. Waya/Isumi decided to drop by the Institute to check on the gang and are dismayed to find out about Hikaru's performance. Hikaru won his last match by default and gained entry to the pros exams. Waya decided to bring Hikaru along on their Go salon visits after hearing about his encounter with Tsubaki.

Hikaru and Waya finally face each other, and both are desperate to win. However, Waya has other reasons for wanting to win besides just turning pro, but Hikaru needs to win as well! When Waya traps Hikaru in a situation where only one move can save him, can Hikaru figure it off?

Hikaru and Ochi finally face-off. Determined to prove his worth to Akira, Ochi goes all out against Hikaru, while Hikaru does the same. As the game continues on, Hikaru realizes that Ochi has the advantage and strives to a opening before it's too late.

Hikaru encounters Kurata at a restaurant, and, after learning how much Akira is improving, begs him for a match.

Unable to locate Sai, Hikaru makes a vow to never play Go again without him.