Kiyoharu Yashiro

A player from the Kansai Go institute. Yashiro studied Go when he was ten and became a professional player by the age of fifteen, thus praised by his teacher and regulars of the Kansai institute as a prodigy. However, he often has trouble garnering supports from from his parents, who believe playing Go has no future and force him to continue high school. Unabashed by this setback, Yashiro strives to become a successful player to prove he made the right choice.

Yashiro's style is considered by many as offbeat and even rather reckless, as he tends to try out unconventional hands (such as a Tengen and 5-5 opening, which are very rarely used due to the risks they present) yet still plays very well. However, Kurata comments that Yashiro's strength isn't enough to play moves of that level, as proven by his devastating loss against the superior Hikaru when he started their game with a 5-5.