#Aki and Crow are adorable too <3 <3 <3

[starshippingweek]

On the second day of Starshipping,

the awesome Taruchinator brought us an adorable, holiday flavored fic!!

“Wrap Your Heart (in mine)” A Starshipping Fanfic 🎁

🎁 General Audiences

🎁 Yusei POV

🎁 Written for @starshippingweek!

Yusei brought forth a small box wrapped in snowflake patterned wrapping paper, and even though the material itself was nice to look at, the way it was arranged was… well, interesting.

Bent corners, wrinkly sides that appeared torn, and a messy crooked bow on top that looked like it was tied by a toddler. The teen raised a questioning eyebrow while presenting the gift to his fellow Signer. “Does this look okay to you?”

“Yikes.”

On the second day of Starshipping... 🎁

Yusei Fudo is trying to wrap a present without it looking like forgotten trash.

How will that go?

🎁 AO3 LINK 🎁

[yusei-clownington]

SO I FINALLY FINISHED 5D’S! And what better way to celebrate than to go through my favorite characters as…briefly as I can

Slight spoilers I suppose?

Let’s work it up from 10 to 1

10- Jack

Was gonna go with lucchiano but who am I kidding Jack’s great. He’s a drama queen with an even more dramatic wardrobe. Never afraid to express himself and just bluntly blurt out what he thought.

His obsession with Cup ramen is on another level but what can I say? Love is love, Jack x cup ramen for life *wipes tears*

But seriously speaking he’s great. His very first line was enough proof of that. He just… apologized for being late then declared “I AM KING” like the…king he is.

My favorite Rival character still remains Manjoume… and… Yeah I still prefer Kaiba over Jack but damn was he a good rival.

Like he has to be the only Rival so far with an actual past with the Main character, no? That was pretty interesting because usually, the protagonist meets the rival somewhere during the first season and we go off from there. But here we had to go through their backstory to know what their relationship was fully like. Nice touch.

9- Aki

Hands down my favorite female protagonist so far. I adore Anzu and feel neutral enough about Asuka but Aki? NAH MAN AKI’S AMAZING. I think 5D’s just does the best job with its female characters. Like it actually gives them big enough roles. I loved how Aki got her own episodes…be it the D-wheel ones or just… fillers.

Her crush on Yusei was justified, at least it seems so to me, and honestly never got obnoxious. Sure she had a moment here and there but it was honestly never a bad thing. Hell faith shipping in general isn’t exactly a bad Idea.

Speaking of shipping, is anyone going to talk about her little frienshipmaybemore moments with Crow? No? Ok…

But anyway, overall, SHE’S AMAZING AND I LOVE HER. There was more to her than some boring pining love interest and it shows with each episode. So when people say she has a great personality, they’re actually talking about her personality. AKI RULES

8- Mikage

Would’ve been way WAY higher on the list if the thing with Jack was thrown out the widow.

That being said I think she’s the more mature of the Jack-crazy trio. Like sure she was just as into him as the other two, but in some scenes she was a lot more tolerable.

But that honestly might just be my bias towards this amazing woman speaking.

She’s devoted to her work, gentle, caring, gorgeous and just all around a wonderful character to see.

I loved most of her scenes in the series, and the fact that there was more to her than just the jack part. She actually had an important part to play in many episodes and honestly proved herself to be a very fun character. I just wish they gave a her little more screentime than what she got.

A lot of lost potential there- I mean come on.

7- Rua /Lua

He reminds me of Judai WAY too much. LIKE WAAAAY too much not to be on this list. The guy’s adorable. And I love how they made him the emotional one. Like they could’ve gone with the “the boy is always rowdy and tOUGH” stereotype, but they didn’t. Sure, ruka (who I don’t like as much) was much more gentle, but it was much easier to see Rua cry than it was to see her do so. It’s just fun is all.

I also adore his deck and that little theme that played whenever he dueled… Plus his relationship with Jack and Yusei…GOLD GOLD.

6- Ushio

I made a whole post about Him, You think he wouldn’t be in my Top 10? Well think again. Great development would see through again.

5- Sherry Leblanc

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SHERRY.

What you just witnessed in the line above is my internal reaction to literally any scene this beautiful badass woman happens to be in.

She’s just amazing. She has this really… tough energy IDK HOW TO DESCRIBE IT BUT SHE’S A REALLY INTIMIDATING WOMAN. But not in a bad way, oh nonononono in a REALLY REALLY GOOD WAY OKAY.

Her character arcs and episodes somehow felt…really separate from the whole team 5D’s shenanigans even though they were basically connected…

Like she had her own motivation that didn’t particularly rely on bonds, but was still willing to accept and even form a bond with the whole team.

Revenge is kinda hot ngl.

Okay no it’s not. But seeing a vengeful character that WASN’T played off as evil or particularly wrong amidst a bunch of friendship is magic ones was pretty refreshing.

The moment she took her helmet off when dueling yusei I was HOOKED and so was Aki but shhhhhh.

But damn I love what they did with her at the end, Rushed as it may have been. It took her joining with Z-one briefly and dueling Aki and Crow ( a very underrated duo btw) to realize that maybe thinking of the past and only the past was not a very good idea.

Anyway love her. And her duels are always a delight to watch.

4- Placido

Before he showed up, sherry was supposed to be 4th but here we are. Placido Placido Placido. I want to make it clear that…I really couldn’t care less about Aporia as a whole. But Placido and Lucchiano were pretty fun characters.

Now I finally get to talk about my beloved.

This dude was…the biggest mood. EVER.

He would hang up in that third one’s face like it was nothing and constantly ignore his boring ass. Oh. You have a plan? Ok. I don’t care. It’s boring. I’m placido and I’ll do what I want. Kiss my D-wheel ass.

He has a lot of hilariously sassy lines, which include and I quote:

“I don’t know what god wants you to do.”

“But I won’t accept it!”

The guy just does not care and I’m living for it.

Not to mention his bee analogies which- Why have I not seen anyone point out????? BEE ANALOGIES COME ONNNNNNNN

aNYWAY PLACIDO’S GREAT

3- Kiryuu

Edgy dude with pretty hair. Also gay. Also the crash town arc. Need I say more?

I will anyway.

Honestly dark signer Kiryuu was pretty fun to me with all the crazy laughter and stuff…

Then past/ flashbacks Kiryuu was just as interesting but in a completely different way. Sure he didn’t get as many episodes or screentime as the rest, but what I saw of him was more than enough for me to care about the Character. Like unlike the old satellite gang (Rally and the other two whose names I can’t even remember) I actually gave a shit about this guy when bad stuff happened to him.

Not to mention his growth. Like…He went through reverse/ negative development, then uphill by the end of the signers’ ark with all the…dying in your hands gayly stuff, then downhill again by the beginning of the crosstown arc….aaaaand back up and higher than ever by the end of it. Basically the fact that his development wasn’t always constant just added some spice.

Plus his dynamic with his ex-teammates…team….satisfaction (Try saying that with a straight face) was always pretty entertaining, especially his with Yusei.

Speaking of which...

2- Yusei

With all my talk about him…and…my profile picture…and URL, it may come as a surprise that he’s not number 1 here, but honestly it’s so close you could call it a tie.

As for why I love him….Have you- Have you seen my blog????? Do I even..need to say anything????

1- Crow

Now there’s a lot I have to say about Crow honestly hE’S JUST THAT COOL, but I’m saving it to talk about later still. All I’ll say for now is this:

Flashy guy with an amazing sense of style, an earring and an incredible amount of cockiness and charisma. What’s not to like?

[finding-fallen-stars]

YGO Questionnaire Part 2 Electric Boogaloo

So, my gf/bf @howaboutalittlehelpneos tagged me to do this again a... good long while ago, and I had wanted to wait until I'd finished my GX rewatch before trying this again. But ouch oof I accidentally also got through all of 5Ds again before getting to this lol

But the 5Ds rewatch definitely reshaped a lot of my thoughts, so... cracks knuckles. This won't be spoiler free, fair warning~

Favorite Series: ugh the formatting killed my original essay on this but okay GX and 5Ds are pretty tied in my book, now-- I love them equally, but in different ways! GX fulfills my love for subversive coming-of-age stories with a heartwarming, humorous, and also soulcrushing touch, and I love how each season brings a new story and new characters-- it's like reading installments of a novel series, and I think the formatting works wonders for it as a whole. It has some absolutely phenomenal character writing, too-- even the characters I dislike are ones I can appreciate for what they introduce to the story! And honestly, not enough people give the first two seasons of GX the credit it deserves: they're half the charm, really. How are you going to feel the full impact of the heartbreaking content in seasons 3 and 4 if you aren't properly attached to the characters?

But on 5Ds's side of things... it fulfills my love for stories with time loops, found family, human nature, and of course, love and death and how they intertwine. I love how the leading characters are just a bunch of broken kids from broken circumstances who all find a home with each other, and of course, how it highlights class disparity and how fucked up the prison/"justice" systems are. Yea, sure, maybe it underwent executive meddling and all, but I genuinely love it for what it is and I wish more people appreciated it... my only problem with 5Ds is the untwist with Z-ONE and then the ending s m h I adore it overall and I could go off for a long while on it. Overall, these are my two instinctive recommendations for anyone getting into Yugioh!

(look at these boys they're so important) Favorite Protagonist: Oh, believe me, absolutely nothing has changed here-- Yusei Fudo is and always will be my favorite protagonist, and my rewatch only solidified that.

I just... love him so much? He's seen so much hell in his life and carries so much guilt on his shoulders, but he still has room in his heart to believe in others and to believe that anyone can defy fate and find hope even at rock bottom. I love that he's initially introduced as this quiet, brooding figure when he really just turns out to be a huge softie who wears his heart on his sleeve half the time and wants to bring about change for Satellite and its people. Plus I just really love that his greatest flaw is something that would ordinarily be a positive trait-- he's Overly self-sacrificial, to the point where he's basically setting himself on fire to keep others warm, and that's not really framed as something Heroic

Just... he makes me so happy. I have two Yusei charms that I ordinarily keep on my keys (one was a gift from Zenzen) and they're a constant source of serotonin for me. He's Peak comfort character for me. Best protag in my book Favorite Rival: Same deal here-- still Manjoume!

look at him he's so important

While he spends a lot of the anime getting the good old damsel in distress treatment (getting suckered into a cult, getting knocked into a coma, becoming a zombie, getting fucking Killed, etc), I still think his character arc is really well-written overall and I only appreciated it even more when I watched GX again. I love the fact that he's got a soft heart he buries beneath the edgy facade, and that he's simultaneously really sharp and also kind of dense lol. He's just a fun character and watching how he evolves from episode one to episode one hundred eighty is such a satisfying journey.

Plus, props to him for being such a versatile duelist-- 50 wins in a row is HARD as is, let alone with a deck full of cards he just found laying around in the Arctic. Three ace monsters, three different archetypes... he's a really good duelist and I'm proud of him for it

Oh, but honestly, I don't really dislike any of the rivals-- I'm neutral towards Revolver and Reiji, but the remaining four (Kaiba, Manjoume, Jack, and Shark) compel me. yes I accidentally wound up liking Jack Atlas shhh Favorite BFF: Honestly, I really like most of the characters who fit this archetype-- Joey, Crow, Gongenzaka, Soulburner... I still lean a little bit more towards Joey, but I really appreciate all four of them. I'm gonna say Joey again, just because I find his evolution as a character the most compelling, but I appreciate the other three a lot. Soulburner has the best design though Favorite GFF: Oh absolutely still Aki, but I honestly... really love most female Yugioh characters? I'm assuming this is lead girls only, but like. I'm dumb and gay and I love Girls so this is naturally the most difficult one for me to answer lol

Aki just resonates with me the most because she's the prime example of how trauma doesn't always manifest in palatable ways-- when we first meet her, she's angry and lashes out at anyone and anything just because she wants the world to suffer in the same ways she's suffered, and then... we get to watch her grow from that, once she's free from Divine and able to heal the way she needs to heal. I know the second half of 5Ds didn't give her character the attention it deserved, but I'm still proud of her for winding up on the path she did-- seeing her channel her power and energy into wanting to heal and help others was just so good and was one of the few things I really Loved about the 5Ds ending.

oh, but like. Asuka Tenjoin and Aoi Zaizen are very close seconds for me!!! Aki just has a vice grip on my heart Favorite Villain: Okay, it's still technically Vector-- I think he's the most entertaining, well-written, and effective villain out of all of the ones we've seen so far, but... I also want to add Takuma Saiou and then all of Yliaster as honorable mentions?

As someone fond of tarot myself, I was naturally pretty intrigued by Saiou the first time I watched GX, but my attachment to him only grew the second time around where I actually got the chance to understand his character better. Plus, like... the visuals with him are fucking astounding and he's always so interesting to watch.

As for Yliaster, I just... really love how the big bad of 5Ds turned out to just essentially be a broken man desperate to save anyone and anything and three robotic reconstructions of the friends he'd lost. I still think the untwist with Z-ONE was stupid and I much prefer the idea of him and Yusei being the same person, but I'm still compelled by the other three-- well. Paradox less so, because we don't get a lot of Paradox lore, but. Aporia and Antinomy for sure.

ugh Yugioh has some damn good villains

Favorite Card: now that I actually play the TCG game...

Stardust is always going to be my favorite of all cards because it checks every box for me (my favorite YGO character's ace monster, space theme, what more could I want), but Aromaseraphy Rosemary has really become one of my aces in my best TCG deck! I'm still mastering irl plays, but I'm happy with my progress and I love my plant gang...

Favorite Episode: alright, here's where there's actually been a Lot of change, so...

Season 0: Episode 16: "Turnabout by a Hair's Breadth - The White-Robed Crisis" -- The more I think about this one, the more I love it; there's a... lot of corruption in the medical industry, and I've seen a lot of it firsthand, so just. Seeing a corrupt doctor get what he deserved at the end was cathartic, in a way? Plus, a Jounouchi-centric episode is always a good time.

Duel Monsters: Episodes 96-97: "Darkness vs. Darkness/One Turn Kill" -- this hasn't changed, I still love seeing Marik and Bakura bitch at each other for two whole episodes LMAO

GX: Episode 152: "Activate Super-Fusion! Rainbow Neos" -- This one hasn't changed and it likely never will-- I take so much pride in seeing Judai push forward, past the fear and guilt he's carrying, all to save Johan... it's cathartic and I never get sick of watching it.

5Ds: sweats. still all of Crash Town, but also episodes 137-147-- the Ark Cradle is one of my favorite parts of 5Ds and one of my favorite YGO arcs period, and even though each duel is a fucking gut punch, I love the emotional intensity and weight in each episode... It hurts but in a mostly good way

Zexal: Episode 143: "The Aloof Duelist 'Nasch': The Destined Final Duel" -- this one hasn't changed! Still hurts, still love it, I still weep over Ryouga Shark Kamishiro on a daily basis

Arc-V: Episodes 81-82: "Our Respective Battlefields/The Ultimate Falcon VS The Black-Feathered Thunder" -- Okay, honestly, this was hard because I... genuinely. really don't like Arc-V very much at all lol (it's just not my cup of tea, but more power to those who do like it!), but I thought this duel was a lot of fun! Shun is my absolute favorite from Arc-V and I really like the friendship he struck up with Crow a lot, so here we are

VRAINS (so far): Episode 25-26: "Virus Deck Operation/Three Draws Leading to Hope" -- honestly I am so biased because I just really love Blue Angel and I loved seeing her get a well-deserved victory like this lol. I'm not done with VRAINS, so this is probably gonna change, but anytime Blue Angel or Soulburner are on screen, I'm happy

Favorite Decks to Use: Aromages will always have my heart, but I adore Cyber Angels too! I'm building my Trickstar deck, my Synchron/Stardust deck (just waiting on Dawn of Majesty...), and my Magician Girls deck, too! Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, XYZ, Pendulum, or Link?: Synchros my beloved... but also Ritual Years in fandom: I've been here for just a little over one year now! and I wuv it... I'm never looking back Who am I tagging: no one I'm too shy

[unbanned-rescue-cat]

Thanks for the ask, @a-fool-without-a-clue!!! As I have some spare time now, I can actually do all three. Buuuuuuuuuuuut that’s gonna quite the wall of text, so I think I’ll just do a die roll of three questions for each series. Just to make it short and easier to read. (Sorry!)

SMILE Precure

10 What about it got my attention: Their Precure form / their uniforms! They looked like really cute valkyries! I mean just LOOK

My idea of valkyries

9 Least favorite part/moment:

If I REALLY have to pick a part... How we were left to openly interpret Yayoi’s missing dad. Did he die? Did he leave? Aliens??? WHAT??? I mean, sure it’s nice to openly interpret his missing. But a wife that has a full time job and is a model and manager and racking in the money? Nice apartment place? Why would he leave Yayoi when she’s an adorable little girl? He must’ve truly loved her, especially since that’s the only thing she remembers of him? Yayoi is so lost with her father figure, but makes does with her mother who has to be strong for both of them.

It would be easy if he is dead, but we don’t even see a shrine for him in their house. I am just peeved at this, okay. =_=

7 Least favorite pairing: UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH Fine. Joker x Beauty. I said it. I’ve been keeping it inside all these years. And there you have it. I hate the pairing. It’s just wrong and nasty in all the places.  Nao deserves Reika more. =_=

YGO 5Ds

10 What about it got my attention: YUSEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LOOK AT THIS STUD I AM STRAIGHT AS FUCK, BUT DUDE, YUSEI IS JUST MWA <3

5 Least favorite character:

Die roll. Really. You are cramping my style with all these ‘Least’ rolls. I would say Crow. Blackfeather shipping or whatever that shipping is called for Crow and Aki. =_=   4 Most overrated character: *presses button furiously* CROW. CROW CROW CROW. TOO MUCH CARDS. TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME. TOO MUCH FAN ART. TOO MUCH LOVE. HE EVEN GETS TO BE IN ARC V. WHAT THE FRIG. I understand that there was a pilot episode screening for 5Ds, and the kids and the adults LOVED Crow, so I may be the minority here, but seriously. UGH. 

YGO VRAINS

5 Least favorite part/moment: Spectre trouncing Blue Angel. ._. I am expecting vengeance and blood thirst when Aoi finally gets to meet Spectre again. 7 Least favorite pairing: Okay. I get another LEAST roll, and I’m gonna answer the last one something I want to answer. >: t

Playmaker and Blue Angel. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.... I kinda went there, sorry... I just don’t see it. Okay, I rolled a 4, and that’s overrated character. Since I don’t think there’s anyone overrated, I’ll go for this question instead (which isn’t really a question) 12 Overall opinion:

VRAINS took a while to get where it is in its story. There were quite a bit of recap episodes, but the fillers were genius. (BRAVE MAX FTW) It is far more serious of a YGO series compared to the rest. Where are the friendship speeches? The smiles? YOU ARE MY NAKAMA!!!  This is why its great how Playmaker’s character is slowly opening up to the people around him. It really does hurt for him to see Go the way he is now, but he got Aoi and Takeru and Ema and Kusanagi, so whatever. He has his squad. AI is a magnificent troll. Aoi’s back story which has been littered throughout the whole series, finally came around to something worthwhile. (I do think it was convenient that she met Miyu, a Lost Incident child, but whatever. THIS sort of story is what the audience gets and easily laps up, and it wouldn’t have worked for Yusaku. But for Aoi??? Definitely.) It’s been a fun ride, and I can’t wait to see more. With the way the story is progressing, it’s easily becoming a fave YGO series.

[entamewitchlulu]

Homura’s Top 15 5D’s Characters

Going underneath the cut!!  This is actually working to cheer me up haha :)

15. Mikage Sagiri

It’s kind of a sign that there aren’t that many characters in 5D’s that she’s on this list at all to be honest, but I do still like her.  I do love her no-nonsense attitude as a Security officer, and when she’s not fawning over Jack she’s a really cool character with a sort of strictness about her that makes her interesting to me.

14. Rally Dawson

Rally is just....precious.  I love him for being just such a cute little bro character, and I always, always wished that he had more screen time and had gotten to meet with the other characters, especially Lua and Luka.  I find him to be incredibly endearing for how hard he tries and how earnest he is in helping his friends.

13. Sherry LeBlanc

Sherry is one of those characters that I like for what she could have been.  Her first appearance was just a fun ride, she’s a pretty character who looks feminine but has a brash sort of personality, which is honestly a good thing I think for a shonen show.  What I like most about her is her bluntness and how she basically just says whatever she’s thinking without worrying about hurting people’s feelings, sometimes it’s a nice departure from the normal sweet girl characters in shonen.

12. Tetsu Ushio

Add this guy to the list of characters I never thought I would like!  Ushio was such an asshole when he first showed up, and I thought he would just be an unlikable antagonist forever.  But his slow growth into a legitimate friend and ally just felt so real and it was actually really nice to see what a good friend to Yusei and the others he ended up being.  It’s one of my favorite arcs in 5D’s and I think it’s one of the best examples of how Yu-Gi-Oh can turn even seemingly irredeemable characters into lovable ones.

11. Martha

I’m a sucker for moms, okay.  I love how caring Martha is, but she’s also a no-nonsense sort of person who easily switches between caring and scolding to raise her brood of children right.  Also, anyone that can get Jack to kneel and kiss their hand is probably a downright amazing person XD  Her devotion to her kids, old and young, is just a joy to watch.

10. Luciano

And then there’s this asshole lol.  He was actually one of the only antagonists I actually liked from the second half of 5D’s, mostly cause I found his bratty nature a fun ride.  He’s loud, obnoxious, and appropriately bratty for the age he’s supposed to represent, and I thought it was fun watching him screw with everyone.

9. Misty Lola

God, talk about great female villains, though.  She was an incredibly sympathetic character even from her first appearances, taking Carly in and taking care of her after she became a Dark Signer and seeming to be a very kind hearted person despite what side she was on.  Her kindness can’t be mistaken for weakness, though, because she’s an incredibly ruthless duelist when she feels she has to fight, and I found that her back story lead up really well to why she would become the way she is.  And she’s still incredibly honorable, too; after she learns the truth, she immediately is willing to drop her hatred and apologize for her actions.  She’s one of those characters I wish we had seen return in the second half, because I feel like there was a lot they could have done with her post-Dark Signer.

8. Kyosuke Kiryu

Kiryu is just fascinating.  I love the contrast he sets up especially for Yusei; he’s incredibly charismatic and draws people to him with fiery words and speeches and flashy displays of his own power.  He’s honestly the ideal protagonist type when compared to the much more reserved Yusei, who never really tries to draw people to him and seems content to take a back seat to other people taking the lead.  Kiryu’s arc is fascinating too, watching him change from this charismatic figure into a more wild character who fights back against the frustration that the unfair world has forced on him, and then into a subdued, depressed character, and finally into something more subdued but still a leader at the end of the Crashtown arc, is a really, really interesting arc, and he has a lot of potential to explore in fic and art.

7. Luka

I love my daughter more than my l i f e.  Luka is such a precious, beautiful girl who tries so hard despite being afraid, and watching her grow more courageous over time is just really inspiring.  I love her devotion and her very sibling-like irritation with Lua’s antics.  She feels like a very real character.

6. Jack Atlas

Jack is just a fucking fun character.  He’s a total asshole and he doesn’t really redeem himself like, at all in some respects.  He does definitely mature, but it’s fun to see the ways that he never quite matures, too.  He’s always going to be that same asshole-ish personality who tends to be selfish more often than not, but despite that he really has a good core at his center.  What I find most fascinating is what I see as his lowkey desire to make people happy.  His arc with Carly was mostly about him finding out it wasn’t being the King for prestige that was important, it was important because he knew he was a symbol for a lot of people, especially children, and he wanted to live up to those expectations to really mean something for others.  He really is at his core a good person who cares about being good to people, and I love that about him.

5. Crow Hogan

God, Crow is a fun character.  He’s sassy as fuck and honestly he has the kind of smile that lights up the screen. I love his reckless nature, his fun-loving, adventurous spirit, and I especially love his papa bird personality and how devoted he is to his kids and children in general.  I love parental characters, and Crow is one of the best in Yu-Gi-Oh imo.  He’s super cute and fun and I love that he always finds some way to have fun in his situations, but he knows when and where to be serious.

4. Yusei Fudo

I mean first off, he’s fucking gorgeous.  and second off, I just find him to be a really great character type.  I mentioned it a little bit when I was talking about Kiryu, but Yusei is not immediately the kind of person you’d peg as a shonen protagonist.  He doesn’t run his mouth, he doesn’t care to be flashy and seems content to hide in the shadows most of the time, and he’s not openly charismatic.  And yet people are drawn to him, and I think it’s for good reason.  He has a very powerful soul and a powerful presence despite keeping to the sidelines when he can, and he can’t back down from injustice; he refuses to keep his mouth shut when he thinks there’s something wrong with society and he’ll actively take a stance against it for the sake of everyone.  People are just drawn to him, not for his open charisma, but for his quiet confidence, and I think that’s just amazing.

3. Aki Izayoi

Aki is amazing.  She has one of the most poignant character arcs in Yu-Gi-Oh, and I just love how emotional she was allowed to be on screen.  She was allowed to be irrational and to react badly to things, she was allowed by the narrative to cry and get angry and lash out and hurt people and it felt real and human.  I love her for her slow growth as she reaches for her own strength and confidence in the wake of abuse and fear, and how she’s allowed to have some space to find herself and grow on her own two feet.  Aki is a powerful character who shows it’s possible to recover and become the person you wanted to be after completely losing yourself to bad circumstances/abuse/a bad past.  She’s a character who shows that things can and will work out if you don’t give up, and I love her a lot for that.

2. Lua

GOD talking about people who deserved better btw, Lua is fucking precious and deserves the entire world.  Lua is so earnest and he tries so hard.  He’s excitable about life, everything is a cool adventure to him and he doesn’t let anything get him down for too long.  He hides his insecurities behind this excitement, but he legitimately is happy about life and all the possibilities it holds.  He’s not the type to give up, even when his inner sadness is dragging him down, and he’ll always get back up no matter how many times it takes.

1. Carly Nagisa

Look at my baby girl!!!!!!  Carly is one of the most fun characters in 5D’s, her excitable antics as she tries to get the next scoop are endearing and adorable.  She’s a hard worker and a beautiful soul who always decides that morals and ethics are more important than getting a good story.  I love her cute little fortune-telling thing that she does to give herself courage, and her devotion to both her job and the people she cares about is inspiring.  Her arc as a Dark Signer was incredibly powerful, and every minute of it was just beautiful, beautiful writing.  Carly deserved a lot better than she got by the second half, but I’m still reeling at how much we did get for her in the first half.  I can’t blame Jack for becoming inspired by her, because she’s the kind of person that I think would inspire anyone just by being in her presence.  And what I love most about her is that I think that’s the kind of person she really wants to be, too; her dream from childhood was to just be able to support people who were working hard, because watching others find happiness made her happy, too.