Dake

Dake is calculating, confident and comfortable using deception against someone he believes needs to be taught a lesson. His relaxed behavior encourages Mitani to underestimate him.

Unlike Mitani, Dake does not need dishonest tactics to win. That distinction is central to the lesson: Dake can beat Mitani legitimately, but deliberately cheats after establishing control so that Mitani experiences the same helplessness he has inflicted on other players.

He is unsympathetic to Mitani's complaints once the trap closes. From Dake's perspective, someone who cheats other people for money cannot demand fairness only when he becomes the victim.

Dake is considerably stronger at Go than he initially appears. He can intentionally make poor moves and use his non-dominant hand while still maintaining enough control to manipulate Mitani's assessment of the game.

Once he begins playing seriously, the difference in strength becomes clear. His reading and experience allow him to dominate a player who has become accustomed to supplementing his own skill through cheating.

Dake also understands gambling psychology. He encourages confidence before raising the stakes, making his lesson as much about manipulating Mitani's expectations as defeating him on the board.

Dake appears during Hikaru's attempts to recruit Mitani into the Haze Middle School Go Club. Mitani has developed a habit of cheating opponents at Go salons to win money.

The salon arranges for Dake to face him. Dake pretends to be weaker than he is, encourages Mitani to gamble and then turns the tables, taking Mitani's money while exposing how easily a more experienced cheater can manipulate him.

The encounter becomes one of the harsher lessons in Mitani's early development. Hikaru objects strongly to what happens, but Dake's role makes clear that Mitani's own cheating has consequences outside school competition.

Yuuki Mitani is Dake's target in the arranged game. Dake deliberately humiliates Yuuki Mitani to demonstrate what it feels like to be cheated by someone who already has the strength to win.

Hikaru Shindou witnesses the consequences of Dake's game with Mitani and is angered by the way the lesson is delivered.