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Yu-Gi-Oh (Japanese:遊戯王, yûgiô,
yuugiou in Romaji, Japanese word for the "King of Games") is a
popular
Japanese
anime and
manga franchise that involves characters who play a
card game called "Duel Monsters," wherein each player purchases and
assembles a
deck of "monsters"
in order to defeat one another.
The Yu-Gi-Oh manga, created in 1996 by
Kazuki Takahashi, was one of the most popular titles featured in
Japan's
Weekly Shonen Jump and is still running today. The anime was
first broadcast beginning in 1998 and still runs on Japanese
TV Tokyo and is expected to reach the 200th episode barrier. In recent
years, both the manga and anime have also been brought to the United
States. The manga runs in
Viz's Shonen Jump and the anime is broadcast as part of
Kids WB, on
Cartoon Network and in
syndication in many other places.
The Yu-Gi-Oh franchise has since grown to incorporate the
trading card game featured in the anime and manga, a series of
video games by
Konami, toys, and many other products.
Important Characters and
Terms
(Japanese name listed first, English name listed second, when
applicable.)
- Yugi Mutou (Yugi Moto) - Yugi is the
protagonist of the show and is an expert at playing all sorts of
games ("Yugi" means "game" in Japanese). He is especially deft at
playing Duel Monsters. He carries the Millennium Puzzle, one of the
seven ancient Millennium Items, around his neck, which is an ancient
Egyptian artifact that carries the
spirit of the late
pharaoh inside. When under stress or when playing a game, the spirit
inside the Millennium Puzzle takes over and Yugi becomes "Yami Yugi" or
"Dark Yugi" and is a very powerful opponent.
- Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler) - Jonouchi
(or Joey) becomes Yugi's best friend. Jonouchi is initially nothing
better than a street
thug, but Yugi manages to melt some of his tough-guy exterior. He
likes playing games too, but is nowhere near as good as Yugi. Something
of a hothead, he lets his mouth get him in trouble, more often than not.
- Hiroto Honda (Tristan Taylor) - Honda (or
Tristan) is another thug who ends up coming around to be Yugi's friend.
He doesn't really play Duel Monsters or any of the other games Yugi
plays. He is not very important to the overall story.
- Anzu Mazaki (Téa Gardner) - Anzu is Yugi's
childhood friend. Also not a game-player, she's sweet and supportive for
Yugi, Jonouchi and everyone else. She is not very important to the
overall story. She and Hiroto are basically cheerleaders for Yugi and
Jonouchi.
- Seto Kaiba - Kaiba is one of the first "villains,"
of sorts, to appear in Yu-Gi-Oh. He considers himself the best gamer in
the world and sees Yugi as a threat to his position. Despite his young
age, he also is the President of Kaiba Corporation, the biggest game
company in the world. He is not afraid to flaunt his wealth at all.
- Mokuba Kaiba - Seto Kaiba's younger brother. In the
original manga, he was something of a spoiled brat, he is always trying
to trick Yugi to get back at him for defeating his older brother. He is
another good game player, but not as good as his brother. In the TV show
however, he is a kind-hearted boy who is naive to the ways of the world.
- Pegasus J. Crawford (Maximillion Pegasus)
- The creator of the game of Duel Monsters. He is another early
antagonist. He posseses the Millennium Eye, and is trying take over the
Kaiba Corporation for its Solid Vision technology so he can use
it to see his lost love and departed fiancee, Cynthia. (It's somewhat
obvious why Pegasus' name was changed in the dub.)
-
Lumis and Umbra a.k.a. the Mask of Light and Mask of
Darkness - Members of Malik's GHOULS organization, they pride themselves
on being an unbeatable tag team.
- Malik Ishtar (Marik Ishtar) - He is a
later antagonist. Marik's family has gaurded the tomb of the pharaoh for
generations. Marik holds the Millennium Rod and with his GHOULS
organization, he wishes to obtain the three God Cards, and with them,
unlock the power of the pharaoh for himself. He also has a hidden agenda
- to get revenge on the ancient Pharaoh's soul. He is brother to Ishizu
Ishtar.
- Millennium Items - Seven magical items originating
in ancient
Egypt. The items include the Millennium Puzzle, Eye, Ring, Key, Rod,
Necklace and Scales. Each one has its own special powers, but some
(which are more important to the storyline) are known for one or two
powers.
- Monster Cards - A type of card in the game Duel
Monsters, this represents a creature or warrior which is summoned during
a duel to attack the opposing player and his monsters.
- Magic Cards (also known as Spell Cards)
- A type of card that is basically a magic spell, which have various
effects, from reviving a monster with Monster Reborn/Raise
Dead or to cancel a spell in effect such as De-Spell.
- Trap Cards - A type of card that is usually
triggered by an event, such as Negate Attack which is activated
during an attack, and as the name implies, negates it.
- God Cards aka Egyptian God Cards -
Three all-powerful Duel Monsters cards created by Pegasus J. Crawford,
after the mysterious Shadi shows him an ancient stone carving of the
Unnamed Pharaoh (the same one whose spirit is in the Millenium Puzzle)
facing an unnamed opponent. They are the God of Obelisk
(Obelisk the Tormenter), Saint Dragon - God of Osiris
(Slifer the Sky Dragon) and the God of Divine Dragon -
Ra (The Winged Dragon of Ra). When the cards were
being made, and the stone carving was being investigated, the three men
with Pegasus met with some rather unfortunate fates. These God Cards
become a focal point later in the series.
Criticism of Yu-Gi-Oh
Yu-Gi-Oh runs into two distinct sets of criticism depending on the
audience. The first concerns the changes that 4Kids, the American
distributor, made to Yu-Gi-Oh for its American release. The names
were changed, but there have also been many edits, some of which are
obvious even without having seen the unedited version. These include
removing all instances of
weapons (like
guns and
knives, which are often prevalent) and assorted
sexual innuendo. However, these changes are mostly attributed to the
differences in sensibilities between the U.S. and Japan.
The second major criticism of Yu-Gi-Oh comes from adults and anime fans
at large who see Yu-Gi-Oh as nothing more than a vehicle to sell their
game cards and other products. However, this criticism is usually levelled
by people who have not read the manga. In the original manga, Yu-Gi-Oh did
not even include Duel Monsters as a regular plot vehicle for quite a long
time (the American manga release in Shonen Jump is currently up
to #26, which is half a year in the Japanese version - and there has only
been one instance of the game Duel Monsters). Only after Yu-Gi-Oh become
popular, was Kazuki Takahashi asked to modify Yu-Gi-Oh to feature more of
Duel Monsters.
Yu-Gi-Oh card games
Yu-Gi Cards is a game based on the series involving the characters
attempting to become the best at the card game. The main point of note, is
that unlike other
television shows,
books,
games and
films which have spawned card games (such as
Pokemon,
Lord of the Rings,
Star Trek and
Star Wars), the Yu-Gi-Oh TV shows consist in the main of the
characters playing the exact game which can be bought in shops. Related
card games include Yugi Mutou's Cards, Seto Kaiba's Cards, Pegasus' Cards
and Jounouchi's Cards.
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