Araki No

Biodata

Name	Araki No (荒木野)
Alias(es)	“Uncrowned King”; “Ghost Wolf”; “Pinnacle of a Competitor” 437 463
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Japan; formerly active at the Nihon Ki-in as an insei instructor 437
Occupation/Role	Professional Go player; former Go instructor
Rank	Nine Dan 459
Former Title	King’s Seat holder 437
Status	Active competitor following a decade away from tournament play 438 455
First Appearance	Chapter 437

Background / History

Araki No was one of the defining players of his era, contesting the world’s top position with An Hongseok through countless games. Though he held the highest win rate against An Hongseok, he never won a match series against him—an outcome that earned him the enduring reputation of the “Uncrowned King.” 437 455

His attacking style helped shift Go away from an emphasis on overall coordination and toward an era centered on strength and calculation. He was known for forcing opponents into dangerous, difficult variations through moves that appeared unreasonable but concealed severe threats. 463 464

After fading from competitive play for ten years, Araki No did not formally retire. He worked at the Nihon Ki-in as a teacher responsible for instructing insei and continued playing Go daily. 437 456 His sudden return to the Phoenix Cup World Championship came through a wildcard, granted on the strength of his past achievements. 440

When An Hongseok later asks why he returned, Araki No admits that, beyond any other reason, he simply wants to play Go. 526

Appearance

Araki No is a slender man around forty years old. His sharp, eagle-like eyes and intense presence make him appear solitary even when standing among other players. 455

• Slender build 455
• Sharp, piercing eyes likened to an eagle’s 455
• Carries an intimidating, fierce air 455
• Usually maintains a calm, unreadable expression during games 479 504

Personality

Araki No is intensely competitive and treats Go as a contest that demands total commitment. His long-standing philosophy is that a player without the resolve to die is unworthy of holding a Go stone. 437

Even when cornered, he remains composed and searches relentlessly for counterplay. During his games against Yu Shao and Su Yiming, his outward calm often contrasts with the pressure and urgency he feels internally. 486 504 505

He respects formidable opponents. He studies Yu Shao’s records closely, acknowledges Su Yiming’s strength, and approaches high-level opponents with the expectation that they may find paths others cannot see. 503 505 513

Abilities & Skills

Attack-and-Kill Go

Araki No is regarded as one of Go’s foremost attack-and-kill specialists. His games emphasize fierce clashes, life-and-death struggles, and forcing opponents into complex calculations. 437 463

• Initiates difficult battles proactively rather than waiting for opponents to make mistakes. 463
• Creates dangerous variations through apparently unreasonable or tricky moves. 463
• Relentlessly attacks weaknesses once they appear. 481
• Is noted as an influence on later aggressive players such as Kong Zi and Kang Han-eun. 463

Dragon Slaying

Araki No can build an entire game around capturing an opponent’s large group, rather than treating dragon slaying as an incidental opportunity.

• Defeated Zheng Qin through a dragon-slaying sequence in the Phoenix Cup’s opening round. 463
• Defeated Higashiyama Kaoru by planning to capture Black’s right-side dragon from the beginning of the game. 479
• His dragon-slaying strategy forces opponents into prolonged, exhausting calculation while he plays with remarkable speed. 479

Sacrifice and Whole-Board Judgment

Although famed for raw aggression, Araki No also possesses deep understanding of territory, influence, and sacrifice.

• Used a Great Avalanche variation to sacrifice a large corner for influence before converting that advantage into a dragon slaying. 481
• Saved endangered stones against Su Yiming by sacrificing part of the group rather than abandoning it entirely. 484
• Views even key stones as expendable if sacrificing them restricts an opponent and improves the overall board. 503
• Can accept local losses when they create compensation elsewhere on the board. 505

Ko Calculation

After recognizing the limits of relying solely on broad strategic judgment, Araki No turns to large, complex ko fights as a means of deciding life and death through calculation and patience. 510

• Defeated Kang Han-eun through a two-move ko and an intermediate-set victory. 509 510
• Demonstrates the judgment to maintain an unresolved ko when ignoring threats is strategically superior. 510
• Uses ko to force games into calculations where his precision is most effective. 510

Unconventional Openings

Araki No is strongly associated with Star Point openings and the Two-Star Formation, which became heavily studied partly because of his rivalry with An Hongseok. 476

• Traditionally favored Star Points whenever his first two moves allowed them. 476
• Surprised viewers against Higashiyama Kaoru with the old-style Small Knight’s Move Approach. 476
• Used an unexpected shoulder hit against Yu Shao, deliberately risking a key stone for whole-board restriction and flexibility. 503
• Avoided overly complex Great Avalanche variations against Su Yiming when a cautious opening better suited the game. 512

Relationships

• An Hongseok — lifelong rival for the world’s top position; Araki No held the highest win rate against him but never won a series against him. An Hongseok considers never playing him again one of his greatest regrets. 437 455
• Zheng Qin — admirer who studied Araki No’s game records from childhood and began teaching himself Go after witnessing Araki No’s final game against An Hongseok; Araki No defeated him in the Phoenix Cup. 438 462
• Higashiyama Kaoru — fellow Japanese attacking player; Araki No defeated him by dragon slaying in their World Tournament match. 476 479
• Su Yiming — major Phoenix Cup opponent; Araki No first defeated him by 1.5 points in a game celebrated as a masterpiece, but later lost to Su Yiming by dragon slaying. 488 517
• Yu Shao — younger opponent whose records Araki No studied extensively; their winners’ bracket final was watched worldwide as a clash of unconventional styles. 502 503 505
• Zhuang Weisheng — old acquaintance who reunites with Araki No at the Phoenix Cup. 455

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return to the Phoenix Cup

Araki No’s registration for the Phoenix Cup shocks the Go world because he had been absent from competitive play for a decade. He enters via wildcard and arrives as one of the tournament’s most closely watched veterans. 438 440 455

First-Round Statement

Drawn against Zheng Qin in the first round, Araki No demonstrates that his decade away from competition has not diminished his strength. Zheng Qin loses despite playing well and later recognizes the gap between them. 459 462

Match Against Higashiyama Kaoru

Araki No faces Higashiyama Kaoru in an all-Japanese round-of-sixty-four match. After opening with an old-fashioned approach, he reveals a preplanned dragon-slaying strategy and captures Higashiyama’s large dragon. 476 479

Battle Against Su Yiming

Araki No’s first match with Su Yiming becomes a worldwide spectacle. Facing a seemingly lost position, he repeatedly finds resourceful sacrificial and life-and-death sequences, ultimately winning by 1.5 points in a game hailed as art. 483 484 486 488

Their later losers’ bracket final is even more brutal. Araki No produces the brilliant “God’s Overtake,” but Su Yiming ultimately reads through his plans and defeats him by dragon slaying. 514 517 518

Winners’ Bracket Run

Araki No defeats An Hongseok to reach the winners’ bracket final against Yu Shao. Their match becomes an extraordinary confrontation of sacrifice, influence, whole-board judgment, and moves described as incompatible with ordinary human thought processes. 501 502 503 505

Notable Quotes

“I want to play Go.” 526

“As long as it’s not 100% certain that there’s no hope, then there is hope! This is Go! This is the Way!” 517

Trivia

• Araki No speaks fluent Chinese because his Go teacher was a player based in Japan. 455
• He is widely associated with “violent aesthetics” in Go. 437 438
• His return was so unexpected that many younger players had known him only through game records and stories. 438
• Despite his ten-year competitive hiatus, he continued playing Go every day as an instructor. 456