Atsushi Kurata

Kurata is cheerful, boastful and extremely confident in his talent. He assumes people will recognize him, happily signs autographs and treats future title victories as though they are reasonable additions to his signature before he has actually won them.

His vanity is largely good-natured rather than malicious. Kurata enjoys attention but also takes younger players seriously when they demonstrate ability, and he quickly recognizes that Hikaru deserves closer attention.

He places unusual trust in instinct. Rather than treating intuition as the opposite of serious Go, Kurata sees his ability to sense the right direction as one of the tools that separates him from other strong professionals.

Kurata is a 7-dan professional and one of the strongest players of his generation. He rises through the ranks unusually quickly and competes in title challenges despite being much younger than many established professionals.

His most distinctive strength is his intuition. Kurata can identify promising directions without always calculating every possibility first, then support those instincts with the reading ability expected of an elite professional.

He also has significant international experience compared with many Japanese professionals. That broader perspective becomes useful when Japan prepares young players for competition against China and Korea.

Kurata meets Hikaru around a Go event after Hikaru identifies that a supposedly historical Go board is not what its owner claims. Kurata subsequently plays him in one-color Go and recognizes the younger player's potential.

His presence broadens Hikaru's view of professional Go beyond the Touya and Morishita circles. Kurata is young enough to represent the emerging generation but established enough to compete directly against major title holders.

Kurata later becomes the manager and coach of Japan's Hokuto Cup team. When Hikaru demands first board against Yeong-ha Ko, Kurata ultimately allows the lineup change, giving Hikaru the opportunity to face Korea's strongest young player directly.

Hikaru Shindou catches Kurata's attention through his Go and unusual eye for detail. Kurata recognizes Hikaru Shindou's potential before later working with him during the Hokuto Cup.

Kuwabara is an established title holder Kurata challenges as his professional career advances. Kuwabara defeats Kurata in a Honinbou title defense.

Akira Touya is one of the elite young professionals Kurata helps oversee as part of Japan's Hokuto Cup team.

Yeong-ha Ko is Korea's leading young player at the Hokuto Cup. Kurata permits Hikaru to take Japan's first board specifically so he can face Yeong-ha Ko.