No matter when this drama had aired, its overall ratings wouldn't have been stellar—after all, it started with a dismal 2%. That kind of beginning dragged everything down.
But if it hadn't gone head-to-head with 'You, Under the Cliff', maybe—just maybe—'Steins;Gate' would've claimed the highest single-episode rating of the summer.
Now, however, that particular suspense was shifting… to 'Hikaru no Go'.
After two weeks of intense build-up, 'Hikaru no Go' fans were officially in panic mode.
Massive panic.
Because everyone could feel it:
Sai, the fan-favorite character—the heart and soul of the series—was about to disappear.
Ever since Hikaru had grasped the legendary "Divine Move," Sai had started spiraling into melancholy. The bloodstain on the ancient Go board he once haunted had begun to fade. And in his internal monologues, Sai had repeatedly dropped heavy hints about what was coming.
Then came Sunday.
'Hikaru no Go' Season 2, Episode 10 aired.
This week's opening rating: 7.11%.
But the moment the episode began, it hit viewers hard.
On one hand, Hikaru was dominating the professional Go circuit with back-to-back wins.
On the other…
Sai's eyes grew more and more sorrowful as he watched him play.
"What kind of move was that just now? You actually have the nerve to brag after playing like that?"
"I know, I know! I messed up!"
"Hikaru… You can't beat me. No matter what, you won't beat me."
Sai's sudden outburst left the 'Hikaru no Go' fandom utterly stunned.
But then, as his inner thoughts—so gentle and filled with pain—echoed against the harshness of his words, and as the melancholic music swelled beneath it all…
Fans began to cry.
[I still want to play Go.]
"Yeah… because Hikaru still can't beat me."
[I want forever.]
"You? Without me, you couldn't even lift a stone. And you have the nerve to lecture me?" Hikaru snapped back, fired up.
At that moment, audiences shuddered.
How could you say that?!
Can't you see?
Sai didn't care about winning or losing. He was just desperate to stay by Hikaru's side—to keep playing Go with him forever.
But now that he had found the 'Divine Move'…
How could Sai, as a spirit, continue to exist?
"Damn it, I'm crying!"
"No way… The writer's not that cruel, right?"
"The writer is Sai! He wouldn't kill himself off… right?"
"I'm crying so hard…"
"Unfair! That background music is illegal!"
"I'm jealous… of the future you'll have. But all of that doesn't matter.
What I can't accept is being separated from you."
On-screen, Sai stood behind Hikaru, watching his unwavering steps forward with a look of uncontainable grief.
"I don't want to leave him.
I really don't…
But… I'm sorry, Hikaru.
I… have to go now."
Even though fans had long suspected this moment was coming, it still hit like a sledgehammer.
"You bastards—I'm crying my heart out!"
"Please no! Please don't let Sai disappear! Let him play Go with Hikaru for a lifetime!"
"I'm sobbing, but… maybe the writer is just messing with us? Sai can't really be gone, right? Even if he disappears, maybe he'll come back? It doesn't make sense to end a Go drama with a tragic ending!"
"Exactly! Look at Steins;Gate—Doodooroo died hundreds of times and still came back!
Jing Yu-sensei would never kill off Sai! NEVER!"
"Are we sure about that?
Guys, has anyone looked into Jing Yu's previous dramas?
Are they all lighthearted and cheerful?
No character deaths, right?"
"…Uhh…"
"???"
"Jing Yu's old drama, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', ends with the leads parting forever. That's… a tragedy, right?"
"And 'Your Lie in April'—the heroine Kaori dies in the hospital after surgery."
"STOP! JUST STOP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"
"It's happening… Sai is becoming even more transparent! What do we do?!"
Then came the final scene.
A sunny day.
Hikaru and Sai sat together, playing Go as always.
A warm breeze stirred the curtains. Hikaru grew sleepy in the sunlight.
He held both black and white stones, placing his own moves… and Sai's too.
But he didn't notice the soft glow gathering around Sai's white robes—tiny light particles, quietly floating away.
"Hikaru…
Hikaru, can you hear me?
Hikaru…"
"I'm… happy."
Hikaru blinked out of his doze and smiled.
"Sai… It's your move."
He looked up.
Only the gently swaying curtains answered him.
In the air, a few faint motes of light drifted.
Sai—who had always been by his side—was gone.
This moment shattered the hearts of fans across Great Zhou.
Sai… had really disappeared.
'Hikaru no Go' Episode 10 ended right there.
A brutal cliffhanger.
One that made every previous "cliffhanger crime" look like child's play in comparison.
"He really… vanished."
"Heh… haha…"
"Is this even human storytelling? You killed off Sai?!"
"I can't take it!"
"Please, can someone—anyone—confirm if Sai comes back later?"
"Jing Yu… I—
I can't even curse him out!
He IS Sai!"
"Damn it… Jing Yu-sensei, this is inhuman! You played Sai yourself!
How are we supposed to hate you?!"
"I feel so awful. What do we do now?"
"There are only 13 episodes in 'Hikaru no Go'. With just three left—how will they even maintain the ratings without Sai?
Don't forget, in the drama industry, ratings are everything!
Let's go protest at Yunteng TV—make them change the ending!"
"Exactly! We must pressure Yunteng TV!
Letting Sai die? Absolutely unacceptable."
"Let's go! No more lurking—if you don't act now, it'll be too late.
Even though only 10 episodes have aired, filming for the full 13-episode run should wrap up this week!
If we miss this window—Sai's death will be locked in!"
This episode reached 7.23% in ratings.
The highest single-episode rating of the entire summer drama season.
But along with it came chaos.
That very night, thousands of 'Hikaru no Go' fans flooded Yunteng TV's website.
They created accounts, posted, commented—so intensely that…
Within 30 minutes after Episode 10 aired, Yunteng's official website crashed.