Summary
Seiji Ogata is a professional Go player who has achieved the rank of 9-dan and studied under Touya Kouyo. He first noticed Hikaru after the latter explained a complex Go move during a children's tournament, a play that would have taken professionals time to analyze. Although the move was actually orchestrated by Sai, Ogata was impressed. As the rivalry between Hikaru and Akira developed, Ogata played a catalytic role multiple times. He helped Hikaru gain acceptance into the Insei test and occasionally updated an uninterested and disillusioned Akira on Hikaru’s progress. After witnessing a Net game between Touya Kouyo and Sai, Ogata became obsessed with playing against Sai. He constantly nagged Hikaru for the chance, unaware that his request was finally granted just before Sai disappeared. This occurred during a game with Hikaru, who was too drunk to realize that Sai was the one playing. Ogata is considered one of Japan's top young professional Go players. Throughout the series, he challenged for many titles and eventually won the Gosei and Judan titles after Touya Kouyo retired. He frequently competes for the Honinbo title, which is currently held by Kuwabara, leading to a rivalry between the two. His birthday is January 17th.
