Ryuuou no Oshigoto! Author Reveals How Ginko Would Have Died in an Alternate Route

The author of Ryuuou no Oshigoto!, Shirow Shiratori, has finally revealed in detail how the long-discussed route where Ginko dies would have played out. After previously revealing that Ginko was originally supposed to die in the story, the writer has now published his old plot outline showing not only the character’s death, but also how it would completely change the fate of Yaichi, Ai, and Yashajin.

The reveal came on September 9, Ginko’s birthday, and presents a huge plot outline that was planned back in 2015, even before the first volume of the series was published.

What Would the Route Where Ginko Dies in Ryuuou no Oshigoto! Look Like?

According to Shiratori, the alternate story would begin during the Sandan League arc, when Ginko would attempt to become the first woman to reach professional status in shogi.

Despite her incredible performance, she would begin suffering from unexplained fevers, something she had already experienced before, but which had become worse since she reached 1-dan.

Ginko would hide her symptoms because she believed that revealing her condition could prevent her from continuing to compete.

After suffering two losses on the first day of the league, she would seek help from Yaichi. While taking care of her at the apartment where Ginko lived alone, Yaichi would discover an old notebook containing her game records.

That notebook would become the gateway to several memories:

• The first time Yaichi and Ginko met;
• The years they spent together as master and disciple;
• Their difficult time in the Shoreikai;
• The friendships and rivalries built during the Sandan League;
• And, most importantly, the deep bond the two developed through shogi.

Ginko Would Become a Professional Before Her Death

In the next part of the outline, Ginko would recover her form and begin racking up victories.

The competition would turn into one of the most fiercely contested Sandan League battles in history

And then comes the moment that changes everything.

Ginko would win her decisive game in Tokyo and become the first female professional shogi player.

But shortly after the match, she would lose consciousness.

And die.

The cruelest part is that Ginko would spend her final moments reciting a shogi game from memory. Her final move would be 2-7 Gin, a move from the very first game she played against Yaichi.

In other words, even in her final moments, shogi and Yaichi would be there.

The Disease That Would Take Ginko’s Life

The outline also reveals the cause of her death.

Ginko would suffer from purpura, a condition that would cause spots and bruises to appear all over her body. Her condition would become so severe that she would literally be covered in marks that looked as though she had been beaten.

The most tragic detail is that, according to the outline itself, the disease could have been treated if it had been discovered.

Ginko, however, would hide her symptoms the entire time because she believed she would be prevented from competing in the Sandan League.

After her death, her parents would tell her something she probably needed to hear much earlier:

“You don’t have to fight anymore.”

This is one of the heaviest parts of the outline precisely because Ginko would achieve the dream she sacrificed everything for… only to die immediately afterward.

Ginko’s Death Would Completely Change Yaichi

The tragedy wouldn’t end with the funeral.

After Ginko’s death, Yaichi would completely change his playing style.

While defending his Ryuuou title, he would face a specialist in Yagura/Gakari, and one small action would reveal just how deeply his older disciple’s death had affected him.

When picking up a Gin (silver) piece, Yaichi would hesitate for a moment before gently placing it on the board.

And then the slaughter would begin.

Yaichi would crush his opponent completely, earning himself the nickname “Demon King of the West.”

This is where the first part of this alternate version of the story would end.

Four Years Later: Ai Decides to Follow Ginko’s Path

The second part would jump ahead four years.

Yaichi would have become the leading player in Japanese shogi, collecting titles and establishing his dominance over the game.

Meanwhile, Ai Hinatsuru, Ai Yashajin, and Keika would also have become prominent figures in women’s shogi.

But Ginko’s death would continue to cast a shadow over Yaichi.

And it would be Ai who tries to break that cycle.

As she reaches her third year of middle school, Ai would announce that she plans to attend school in Tokyo and take the entrance exam for the Shoreikai.

Yaichi would be completely against the decision.

He would even threaten to expel her as his disciple.

Even so, Ai would find another master and follow her own path.

Why? Because she would believe that, if she wanted to win Yaichi’s heart, she needed to reach the same level Ginko had reached.

Ai and Yashajin Would Have Completely Different Strategies

This is probably one of the most interesting parts of the outline.

Ai would try to save Yaichi from Ginko’s influence through shogi itself.

She wanted to reach the same stage Ginko had reached, sit across from Yaichi as an equal, and create an eternal connection with him through the game.

In a way, it would be like trying to take the place Ginko had left behind.

Yashajin, however, would take the exact opposite approach.

For her, the most important thing would be Yaichi, not shogi.

Yashajin would believe that Yaichi needed to find happiness outside the game, and she would try to show him that there is a life beyond shogi.

The rivalry between the two would reach its peak when Ai and Yashajin faced each other in the Shinjin-Ō final, in a historic battle between a professional female player and a Shoreikai member.

Ai would win after an incredibly hard-fought series.

Afterward, Yashajin would finally accept that Ai was the person capable of moving forward with Yaichi.

She would leave shogi behind and go overseas, attempting to break away from her own troubled relationship with the game as well.

The End of Ginko’s Route Would Be With Ai

After all these events, the outline would end with Yaichi and Ai playing shogi, in a scene reminiscent of their first meeting.

Ai would be waiting for him at the board.

And she would make a proposal:

“If I win, make me your disciple.”

Yaichi would ask what would happen if he won.

Her answer would be simple:

“I’ll keep going until I win!”

As he picked up a silver piece again, Yaichi would feel the pain connected to Ginko’s death, but he would realize that the wound was finally beginning to heal.

He had always believed that forgetting Ginko and finding happiness would somehow be a betrayal. He also carried guilt over continuing to live while other players had abandoned their dreams of becoming professionals.

But Ai would show him that shogi could also be a source of happiness.

And in the epilogue, the story would move even further ahead.

Ai would become a professional, marry Yaichi, and come to be known as Kuzuryu-sensei. She would take in so many disciples that the neighbors would assume the couple had an absurd number of children.

Meanwhile, Yashajin would become a doctor and teach shogi to children in hospitals.

WOW… so Yaichi would actually MARRY Ai if Ginko died…. WOW!

Why Did Shiratori Abandon This Story?

The most interesting part is that this wasn’t simply an idea discarded at the last minute.

Shiratori explains that the original outline was created in 2015, before the first volume of Ryuuou no Oshigoto! was even published. At the time, the series had a different title, Ai-gakari, and even Yaichi and Ai had different names.

The author had already planned the overall ending of the story by August 2015.

But then a lot would happen.

After the first volume was published, Shiratori began conducting increasingly extensive research and interviews about the real-world shogi scene. During that period, developments such as the explosive growth of shogi software and the rise of a new generation of players, especially Sota Fujii, ended up influencing the series.

This allowed Ryuuou no Oshigoto! to grow far beyond what he had imagined in that original outline.

And that’s exactly why Shiratori says that, looking back at the Ginko death route, he considers the story too neat and predictable.

For him, it would probably have been possible for readers to figure out exactly where everything was going.

That’s why the author now believes it was better to change his plans and let Ginko survive.

And honestly? I much prefer having Ginko alive and having her marry Yaichi than seeing Ai end up with him.

Giving my opinion here, I don’t think death would have fit Ryuuou no Oshigoto!. Sure, the story could be serious and tackle heavy subjects, but I don’t think killing off one of the main characters would have been good for the series.