Ai Hinatsuru

Ai Hinatsuru is the main character of the series. She is a 9-year old grade schooler and the daughter of the “Hinatsuru” hot spring resort’s owner who ran away from her home just so she could learn more about shogi (she is a prodigy) and she become disciple of Yaichi Kuzuryuu. Ai is a very cute young girl of 9 years of age who has a very low appearance, but being a good size for her age group and she possesses details somewhat common in her physique such as: her pale skin and her large eyes that have a navy blue color, however, on certain occasions, more specifically during the moments in which she is playing a game of shogi, her pupils change to a slightly lilac tint, as it uses it's talent to predict moves capable of winning. In addition, Ai has long, dark brown hair that fades to purple (with an ahoge), contributing a lot to its elegant and cute appearance. Her bangs are cut straight across her forehead, just above her navy blue eyes. Ai is usually seen wearing her third-grade school robes, made up of a short sleeveless dress with bluish and pale shades, as well as having a few details on its edges and buttons at its center. She also wears a pair of blue-colored shoes over white socks. In addition, her hair is separated into two low pigtails being fastened by bow-like ties with different shades. Ai is a little girl with a very beautiful face and is always displaying a happy expression, especially when she stands beside Yaichi Kuzuryuu (Ai's master), but this expression can change when she is jealous of him or near Ginko Sora, a person for whom he did not create a strong friendly tie to her. Ai is a cheerful young girl whose love for shōgi developed after seeing Yaichi Kuzuryuu's great determination not to give up and to become the best shōgi player in the world. Ai often exhibits a happy personality, especially when she is close to her master, but tends to show a more jealous and possessive side when Yaichi interacts with other girls who tend to request shaking his hand or getting his autograph. Since her first encounter with Yaichi she went on to train at shōgi and it was discovered that she possessed incredible talent as a shōgi player, could play quite aggressively and is able to read many moves in advance, a fact which greatly interested Yaichi after he witnessed them. Ai's huge passion for shōgi has been shown on many occasions. One such occasion was when her parents would not allow her to continue playing shōgi as they claimed they had concerns about the stability of the life of a female professional player. Another example is during her match against Ginko Sora, where she did not give up even while under great pressure, showing how great her passion for shōgi is.