Waya is one of the most likeable characters of the story. He is the first Inseï that we meet in the manga.

A companion, a friend…

Waya is the Inseï with who Hikaru got on well easily (even if Waya doesn't hesitate to bother Hikaru when he said he was Akira'a rival).
Waya seems to have a lot of friends in the Inseïs, and the closest seems to be Isumi (but he's well with Nase, Komiya and even Fuku).

Impetuous, direct and frank, he never hesitates to defend his friends (like when he fights Mashiba who insulted Isumi during the young Lions tournament). He is loyal and tries for example to bring back Hikaru in the right way, when he renounces to be professional. So he is the good friend who cheers his friends up, and doesn't hesitate to give his friends a talking-to when it's important.

He is the one who proposes Hikaru to join the studies group, who takes him to club to fight Hikaru's adult fear, and who teaches Hikaru the basics of a professional. He is some kind of a baby-sitter.

Codename: "ZELDA"…

Waya appears rapidly in the story, when he fights Saï on the net with the codename Zelda (maybe he is a video game fan). Saï says he is the strongest player he fought on the net.

Waya is a good player who passes professional with Hikaru the same year. Before this, he is one the bests Inseï of the class 1 (even if he attends the pro exam for the fourth time).

Intelligent, quick-witted, he is the first person to match Saï and Shûsaku and to approach the truth: "As if Shusaku learned modern Josekis". He seems to guess that Hikaru is Saï's disciple, even if Hikaru refutes the idea and Waya don't go further. By deduction, he also guesses tha Saï is a kid, isn't he crafty? Nevertheless, he hates school and desires to become pro in order to leave high-school.

He seems to have a lot of fun when he plays. He is a tactician who creates traps to his opponent.

Master Morishita's student…

Devoted and preferred student of master Morishita, he hates Toya Akira and never misses a way to snub him. Maybe he will enter the Morishita family because he looks to appreciate Shigeko, his master's daughter.

He may seem rebel because of his look, his being frank and his military trousers, but he is a serious student. He knows what he wants, he is determined and ambitious.

Once he became pro, he knows an encouraging improvement often fighting Ochi who becomes his rival.

What else to say? He gets independent at the end of the manga and has his own flat. He also loves sushis and… washes the dishes! A nice guy we said !

Hikaru:

Isumi:

Ochi:

Akira: