Kuwabara is the gentle grand-father that we always dreamed to have. Ha ha ha! It's a joke !! It's probably the older player on the japonese circuit and he owns the captivating Honinbo's title. Besides he catch on to this hardly.

A Sly old fox.

Kuwabara is a man who has a lot of experience and, even if he can't rival with the audacity and the readness of the young players, he consume his adversary psychologically. He dosen't want to give up his title to anybody else!
He tries to impress the news players with notices or his fashioning to play (like when his stones resonate on the goban) and make them doubt (like when he osws the doubt in Ogata's mind during their decisive match).
His old age? He plays with it. Sometimes, he makes believe that he is a little decrepit and that his memory is declining (his famous " I'll try to remember me that..."), that he is tired. His target is to make believe the others that he is not dangerous. But he is always here! (in spite of his lung's cancer who probably watch him with all that he smokes!)

A legendary's sixth sense.

He has probably seen a lot of players during his career! So, with only a contemplation, he sees the true talents.

Immediately Hikaru hang his contemplation. He crosses him in the lift when this last one is again an Insei and seems to feel Sai's presence. Seeing that the young boy is became a pro, he keeps a eye on his progression, conscious that his rivality with Akira will push them to surpass themself and seems to be happy of this.

In the mean time, he is the one with Toya-Meijin to foretell that Hikaru (Sai) has played against the master with a imginary handicap and seems to divert himelf. In effect, Kuwabara seems to be a jovial person and his monkey's laugh is terrible!

Ogata's rival ?

But Kuwabara seems also to make particularly pleasure to put the impassible Ogata in bad feelings

He plays with him, he challenges him even if they don't have any confrontations. The jarring and the animosity that he provokes to Ogata seems to be his principal motivation's spring. More Ogata became lank with him, more he provokes by his notices. He doesn't pretend to get vexed by Toya Koyo's disciple's remarks even if, sometimes, they are however close to the respect's lack.

They are constantly in rivality and even when they see the match between Hikaru and Toya Meijin, Kuwabara can't help betting on the result with Ogata.

Ogata:

Hikaru: