#Yugioh talk

[mirpuzzle]

I've been really curious about this, who are your top ten Yu-Gi-Oh characters?

Hello! 🌷 Usually, I only have a few favorites. So, aside from the first three, the rest is constantly changing. I'll try to put them in order (all under the cut).

♡. 10 ── Carly Nagisa (5Ds)

What's not to love about her? She's funny, pretty, and a complete mess of a person. She gets in all sorts of trouble, all because she's trying to make a living. I like it when she gets screen time.

♡. 9 ── Noa Kaiba (DM)

He was my favorite as a kid, so I still have a special place in my heart for him. His story made me cry. He did not deserve that. He only wanted others to understand him. You're valid, Noa.

♡. 8 ── Yusei Fudo (5Ds)

It's rare for me to favor a protagonist. That's how you know he's good. This man is a blessing to Yugioh. He has a natural charisma that's impossible to ignore. He's perfect.

♡. 7 ── Bandit Keith (DM)

...I think. I have mixed feelings toward him. I don't even know why he's on this list. I keep going to him in games where Kotsuzuka is not there. So, that must mean I like him, right? I'm confused.

Cross Duel showed me he can be really nice to you if you help him win. I appreciate how he helps other duelists fortify their decks, using the themes they originally had instead of giving them a completely new deck. He cares.

While there's no excuse for what he did to Kotsuzuka and the boys, the fact that, behind that 'bad guy' front, there's a sad, broken man makes me feel bad for him. He deserves to heal.

♡. 6 ── Ryou Bakura (DM)

The anime doesn't do him justice. The more I learn about him through other fans and Duel Links, the more I like him. He's a precious cream puff who likes spooky stuff and is treated terribly by almost everyone. He deserves better (friends).

♡. 5 ── Divine (5Ds)

This man is terrible in every way, and that's the point. I hate that his character was designed to be hated. He gets no backstory, no redemption arc, no nothing. He's just there to be blamed for every bad thing that's ever happened. I pity him. He's the worst. I love this guy.

♡. 4 ── Thief King Bakura (DM)

PLEASE give this guy a break. He has gone through enough. The way he pulled himself back up after all that tragedy is impressive. Imagine how one skillful Thief became a Pharaoh's major threat. A Thief who brings up important moral questions that society seems to ignore (deliberately). He deserves to be heard.

♡. 3 ── Kiyoshi Takaido & Satake (DM)

They share third place because I can't have one without the other. I automatically started loving them because they're close friends with Kotsuzuka. I like that they care about him. These guys have so much potential to explore, and it's a shame we see so little of them.

They're not 'Keith's lackeys'. They're duelists in their own right. They have ambitions and aspirations. They just didn't get to be in the spotlight.

♡. 2 ── Yami Bakura (DM)

Sometimes switches places with Takaido and Satake but usually stays in second place. He's wickedly perfect. From his gorgeous design to how he pretends everything is part of his plan, even though he's literally dissipating into nothingness. He has the nerve to make empty threats that he never carries out. And I love him for that. No one can deny that he looks cool when he shows how evil™️ he is.

There's something beautiful about this ancient evil spirit dedicating his existence to fulfill his objective - all while showing us that he can enjoy normal human activities, like playing games. The complexity of his character captivates me. You can study him for hours, and it will still take you a while to figure him out due to his confusing lore. I like reading what other fans have to say about him.

The way he makes others suffer causes me to have mixed feelings. Sure, I love angst. I just wish there were some feelings involved.

Seeing him make enemies with almost everyone he crosses paths with makes me think he wants to keep everyone away, and that's sad. I want him to care about someone other than himself. I want someone to care about him.

♡. 1 ── Ghost Kotsuzuka (DM)

Yes, that one guy who's known for using Zombie-Type monsters. That short, spooky 15-year-old who walks around hunched over pretending to be a ghost, not realizing he's too cute to be scary. That naive boy who trusted the wrong person and then was unlucky enough to cross paths with the main antagonist. He's my favorite.

I love him. The way his eyes light up when he talks about the things he likes is adorable. I could listen to him gush about ghosts for hours.

His character tends to be frustratingly misinterpreted and overlooked. It's sad that some people think of him as nothing more than collateral damage to Yami Bakura's 'mischief'. He deserves better than that.

When you see past his 'side antagonist' role, you realize he's a precious little guy who's trying his best. Behind that ghostly, mischievous smile, there's a lost youth looking for guidance from a 'big bro' figure he can look up to, whether he realizes this or not.

Despite the differences in his characterization between the manga, anime, and games, one thing remains consistent. He grows into someone who wants to prove he can duel by himself.

But what does he get? Nothing but pain. Betrayed, deceived, ending up dead or lost in the darkness, condemned in almost every canon, with only his sentient Duel Links data to remember him by.

He only wanted to duel.

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I'll stop here. Otherwise, I'll be talking about Kotsuzuka for hours. Thank you so much for the ask! ♡ Sorry that it took a while. I was struggling to organize what I wanted to say for some of the characters, and I wanted to add some art :3

Keep in mind that I've only seen Duel Monsters and the first half of 5Ds, so there are many characters I don't know yet.

[axlthepterodaxl]

My brother: Why did you draw Kaiba with muscle?

Me: What?

My brother: You drew the guy with toothpicks for limbs with muscle

Me: He has some muscle mass!

My brother: HE’S A STICKMAN

Me: HE DESERVES SOME MUSCLE MASS HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT HE DOES HE’S THROWN MOKUBA AT LEAST ONCE-

This argument went on for a while.

[puzzlepining]

this appeared on my fyp and i was delighted

[kaibaspuppy]

"kill them with kindness" WRONG. BLUE-EYES ATTACK THEIR LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY. BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!!!!

[keyblack]

D E A T H T

(Available for prints and merch on RedBubble!)

[alliebirb]

v old art meme i found in my files, w/ mana!!

[sugarsweetvirgo]

I wonder what Seto's favorite DM card is? 🤔

We might never know

It's really a mystery, I wish they didn't leave that major plot thread open :(

[laurencin-draws]

did i mention we're doing yugioh/fire emblem charms. bc we are

[emiihoney-pots]

they're alive and digitized in duel links!

[astralhope]

Yuma screaming at talking with Astral, but you see what his friends see

[undeadbanjos]

EXCUSE ME??

[mirpuzzle]

Hii! Sorry if this has already been asked before, but I wanted to know if you think Ghost could've beat Yami Bakura in their duel. What do you think would have happened if he won?

Hello! 🌸 I'm glad you ask. When I see people talking about this duel, they usually act like Kotsuzuka had no chance at all. Now, what if I told you that, had he played his cards differently, Kotsuzuka could've saved himself and his friends?

I've analyzed their duel obsessively like the occultshipper I am and concluded that, yes, Kotsuzuka could've had a chance to defeat Yami Bakura. And I can show you how.

First, let's review the duel from turn 4 onwards. After that, I'll tell you what he could've done.

-------✦-------

👻 Turn 4, Kotsuzuka's turn. Yami Bakura: 3950 LP | Kotsuzuka: 3500 LP

Kotsuzuka normal summons Dragon Zombie, then activates Premature Burial, paying 800 LP to special summon The Snake Hair from his graveyard. He's left with 2700 LP. Next, he activates Polymerization, using Dragon Zombie and The Snake Hair on his field as materials to special summon Great Mammoth of Goldfine. Per the rules of Battle City, fusion monsters cannot attack during the turn they are fusion summoned. He sets a card face-down and ends his turn.

😈 Turn 5, Yami Bakura's turn. Yami Bakura: 3950 LP | Kotsuzuka: 2700 LP

Bakura draws a card. Kotsuzuka activates his face-down trap, Skull Invitation, which will deal a player 300 damage every time a card goes to their graveyard. Yami Bakura activates Spiritualistic Medium. He discards 4 cards from his hand to raise the ATK of The Earl of Demise on his field to 4000 until the end of this turn. Skull Invitation deals him 1200 damage, leaving him with 2750 LP. The anime doesn't show this, but, at this point, Spiritualistic Medium goes to Yami Bakura's graveyard, so Skull Invitation should deal him another 300 damage, leaving him at 2450 LP. The Earl of Demise attacks Great Mammoth of Goldfine, leaving Kotsuzuka with 900 LP. The Mammoth goes to Kotsuzuka's graveyard, triggering Skull Invitation, and he now has 600 LP left. Yami Bakura ends his turn.

👻 Turn 6, Kotsuzuka's turn. Yami Bakura: 2450 LP | Kotsuzuka: 600 LP

Kotsuzuka draws Nightmare's Steelcage and activates it. This card remains on the field for 2 of the opponent's turns, and during that time, monsters cannot attack. Kotsuzuka sets a monster and ends his turn.

😈 Turn 7, Yami Bakura's turn. Yami Bakura: 2450 LP | Kotsuzuka: 600 LP

Yami Bakura draws Ectoplasmer and activates it. During his End Phase, he tributes his Earl of Demise, dealing half of its ATK (1000) as damage to Kotsuzuka, bringing his LP to 0, and winning the duel.

-------✦-------

Now, what could Kotsuzuka have done differently? Let's go back:

👻 Turn 4, Kotsuzuka's turn. Yami Bakura: 3950 LP | Kotsuzuka: 3500 LP

Did you notice something odd during this turn? Kotsuzuka normal summons Dragon Zombie, only to use it as fusion material, when Polymerization lets the player use monsters from their hand, too. I mean, the animation where the monsters on his field get dragged and merged is cool and all, but that little decision cost him his life. So, let's say he uses Dragon Zombie in his hand and The Snake Hair on his field as fusion materials. He special summons the Mammoth. Then, he would still have his normal summon. Now, take a look at his hand:

Do you see that card on the very right? That's Crass Clown; a monster that, if changed from defense position to attack position, returns an opponent's monster to the hand. He should have used his normal summon to set that monster on the field. So, he now has Great Mammoth of Goldfine (which cannot attack this turn since it was just fusion summoned), and Crass Clown face-down on the field. He sets Skull Invitation and ends his turn.

😈 Turn 5, Yami Bakura's turn Yami Bakura: 3950 LP | Kotsuzuka: 2700 LP

For now, let's suppose the duel continues as normal, except for the change I made. Yami Bakura discards his entire hand, and the Earl of Demise attacks and destroys Great Mammoth of Goldfine, Skull Invitation does its thing. Kotsuzuka would still have Crass Clown face-down.

👻 Turn 6, Kotsuzuka's turn Yami Bakura: 2450 LP | Kotsuzuka: 600 LP

Kotsuzuka draws Nightmare's Steelcage, but he shouldn't activate it. Instead, he can normal summon Armored Zombie, which we saw in his hand in the screenshot I showed you earlier. Now, he should change Crass Clown to attack position, which would trigger its effect, returning The Earl of Demise to Yami Bakura's hand. Guess what? Yami Bakura has no monsters left on his field, and no face-down cards, either. Guess what else? He has 2450 LP left. Kotsuzuka has two monsters on the field. Crass Clown (1350 ATK), and Armored Zombie (1500 ATK). 1350+1500= 2850. Attacking with both monsters directly would end the duel with Kotsuzuka's victory before Yami Bakura even drew Ectoplasmer.

-------✦-------

Of course, this isn't the only possible outcome. As we know, Yami Bakura discarded 4 cards that we couldn't see. Depending on what these cards were, he could've changed his strategy to account for Kotsuzuka's face-down monster.

The change I proposed doesn't guarantee that Kotsuzuka would've won the duel, but the possibility was there. He could've saved himself and his friends and I'm screaming.

The only thing that could ruin my... theory? is if the anime version of Polymerization works differently than the OCG/TCG one. If it doesn't allow Kotsuzuka to use monsters in his hand, everything I just wrote would be pointless.

-------✦-------

As for what happens after that, I don't know. Unless Yami Bakura calls the Shadow Game off or something, he'd be the one to suffer the fate that was meant for Kotsuzuka, right?

Imagine that. Kotsuzuka would've saved the world without even knowing.

This also means he'd pick up the Millennium Ring. AUs of this could be very interesting!

-------✦-------

[axlthepterodaxl]

Axelle feels a disturbance somewhere and holds her deck protectively.

[bonesdontmelt]

The funniest Yugioh reveal is that in season 1 (or in season 0 happens in both) Yami challenges Shadi to a shadow game to find his soul room, and then in season 5 Yami admits to everyone that he has no idea where his soul room is

[kaibaspuppy]

i'm such a good yugioh blogger (affirm)

[kathairoscloset]

Yknow, I know we like making fun of Kaiba for being so obsessed with Atem that he builds a portal to the afterlife "just to challenge the pharaoh to a card game", but I find it so fascinating at the same time because in many ways, Kaiba's grief feels a bit like a reflection of the fans' grief about Atem's departure.

Granted none of us can do the insane bullshit that Kaiba can lol, but many fans do think that having Atem depart isn't real closure, no? For many, Atem dying in this way isn't him 'moving on', it's him just, dying. He was a boy who never got to be a man, a boy who never got to live, and according to the narrative the only way he gets to live is to... die? The hell does that mean, bish he should've stayed! He should've gotten to experience life's ups and downs, play card games, eat falafel, just live life. This is absolutely unfair, it doesn't fit with the story's theme of choice vs. fate, and so and so forth.

And so going to Kaiba, I think a bit of his grief represents that. His lack of closure in his relationship with Atem, the one person who managed to understand him, whose strength he respected, hoped to surpass... is just fucken dead? The hell does that mean, bish he should've stayed! I needed to beat him! I needed him to be here! I need my fucken friend rival back!

And because of that, he goes through everything possible to bring him back. He takes the Puzzle, he disregards Yuugi's worth as just "a vessel", and even after, he still builds that damn elevator just to see Atem again. It's that wish of "he needs to come back" that fans have, only to its absolute extreme, and I find that parallels to it very interesting.