“Its time to Duel!”Just what the hell is Yu Gi Oh!?Yu Gi Oh! is newest of the Japanese cartoons sweeping across the United States and leaving parents broke trying to buy cards for their little snot-nosed kid for Christmas. Created in 1996 as a Manga by renowned artist Kazuki Takahashi, (Author of Japan’s best selling weekly comic magazine Shonen Jump) Yu Gi Oh became one of the best selling comics in Japan, boasting a record 23 Million sold. In 2000 Yu Gi Oh! debuted as an animated series and became an immediate hit, spawning a mania that included Video Games, Animation, and a Card Game. Yu Gi Oh!’s appeal has spread to every facet of the media and because of this, Kazuki Takahashi has assured his place in Anime and Gaming history and has rightfully earned his status as one of Japan’s foremost comic artists.
The Characters of Yu Gi Oh!Well, what would any Anime series be without a good ole cast of characters? Not much, that’s for sure. Yu Gi Oh has a diverse cast of personalities ranging from innocent to sinister and everything in-between. But be assured, Yu Gi Oh has someone in it we all can relate to.
Just who are they? Let me introduce you! 
Yugi Moto.Yugi is the protagonist of the series and the Heart of the group. He’s a Freshman at Domino High School and if there was ever a kid born to play Duel Monster, Yugi is that kid. It’s never explained why Yugi lives with his grandpa, but we do know that it was his grandfather that gave him the ancient Egyptian artifact called the Millennium Puzzle. It was explained to young Yugi that if he was able to solve the mystery of the Puzzle, then he would be granted a dark and mysterious power. After much trying, Yugi was finally able to unlock the Puzzle and was infused with its ancient wisdom and the ancient spirit within.
While Yugi may not know the full extent of the Millennium Puzzle's power, he is discovering its awesome force, along with the spirit that inhabits the puzzle, as time passes and becoming a stronger duelist in the process. Yugi is a shy and considerate kid who would help anyone, even his worst enemy, but never mistake his kindness for weakness. Yugi draws strength from the kindness he shows and the enduring friendship of Tristan, Joey and Téa.
My Point of View on Yugi Moto:Yugi is an interesting kid, but when compared to his counterpart, that’s all he is—an interesting do-gooder kid. Yugi’s character is everything that is dedicated to the principles of honor and he would die keeping them. He’s kind, considerate, helpful, a good student, an excellent dueler, good friend…yeah. A little too perfect for my tastes and far too likable, but there is one in every series, right? All in all, maybe not the first in line for trailblazing, but if given the right incentive, Yugi Moto is down for whatever.
Yami YugiYami is the Egyptian Pharaoh whose spirit inhabits the Millennium Puzzle. When the pyramids were still young, ancient Pharaohs played with Stone tablets, powerful magic and actual Monsters in duels called the Shadow Games. With so many spells and creatures on the Earth, it wasn’t long before the game got out of hand and threatened to destroy the world. That’s when Yami stepped in averted that disaster with seven powerful magical totems that are now known as the Millennium Items.
When the Millennium Puzzle activates, which Yugi does by screaming Yu Gi Oh!, Yugi is then filled with its magical energies and the more powerful consciousness of Yami. Yami is a master dueler and a confident one at that. Where as Yugi suffers from an overactive conscience, Yami is more then willing to do what it takes to win, stopping short of being totally malicious.
My Point of View on Yami YugiYami is a man after my own heart. Go-getter describes him perfectly. At the beginning of the series, Yami didn’t have a name. Well, more to the point, he couldn’t remember his name at the time. By the time Yugi had solved the mysteries of the Millennium Puzzle, the spirit within was a Millennia old and his memory had faded. He was simply acknowledged as Spirit and his history remained a mystery until recently. But Alzheimer none withstanding, Yami is a cool character. It’s easy to see why this man was a pro at Duel Monsters. Yami is a patient, wise character. As a duelist he’s precise, capable and a hell of a strategist! The fact that he and Yugi duel with their hearts and with their combined might’s makes them virtually unstoppable.
GrandpaGrandpa Moto is a former world traveler and master Duelist. He now owns the neighborhood gaming shop. It’s said that he knows all there is to know about games, but is especially well versed in Duel Monsters. It was Grandpa who taught Yugi and the gang about the “Heart of the Cards.”
It was because of Grandpa that Yugi started dueling on the professional level. His first real test was when Seto Kaiba came into the game shop to buy Grandpa’s treasure: The Legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon card. He wasn’t inclined to sell, so Seto challenged him to a duel at his company, and it was there that Grandpa lost and the card Seto wanted was torn in two by Seto himself. That ended with Yugi, or rather Yami, teaching Seto a lesson by kicking the crap out of his ass in a duel and giving him a ton to think about.
The next incident was after the battle with Seto. Because Yugi had literally kicked the bejesus out Seto’s—the world champion— behind in a duel, it wasn’t long before it came to the attention of Maximillion Pegasus—the so called creator of Duel Monsters. Curious as to the skill level of young Yugi, Pegasus sent him a special package that consisted of a VHS tape, a Dueling glove, and two Star Chips. When Yugi placed the tape in the VCR, guess who popped up on the screen? Yep, you guessed it, Maximillion Pegasus. He congratulated Yugi on his win against Seto and then promptly challenged him to a 15 minute duel. It was discovered during the duel that, like Yugi, Pegasus possessed a Millennium Item—in this case an EYE that granted him the ability to see another persons cards and to read their minds, but it wasn’t until Yugi lost the match that he understood its most powerful magic. The Millennium Eye could steal souls. That’s what Pegasus did to Yugi’s grandfather—took his soul and forced him to come to his island, compete for the chance of battling him for his fathers soul.
My Point of View on Grandpa:You know, the man is not a favorite of mine. He’s the typical tragic stereotype that happens to be in 95% of all anime. He’s also that dorky, goofy, comic relief character that happens to be in 95% of all anime too! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just watch a few of the Jackie Chan cartoons. Grandpa reminds me of Uncle.
Tristan TaylorTristan met Yugi at the same time as his long time pal, Joey. And even though these two friends bicker with each other every once in awhile, they always cover each other's backs. Sometimes he's quick to panic, but when it comes down to it, Tristan is willing to do whatever it takes to support and cheer on his friends.
My Point of View on Tristan TaylorI’ve come to the conclusion that the members of Yu Gi Oh act like parts of the body. The more I think of it, the more I’m convinced that I’m right. If I had to assign him a part, I would say Tristan is the soul of the group. Personality wise, Tristan is a quiet, super observant person. The little details that usually get past most of us, never have a chance to with him. Tristan is a pro at picking up the subtle, but he’s also prone to nervousness. A trait he seemed to have picked up after becoming friends with Yugi.
When Yugi and Tristan met, he was of the same belief Joey was and that was the kid was too “soft.” So being the bullies, I mean “helpful” citizens they were, they proceeded to make his little 15 year old life hell—taking his books, slapping his head, playing “keep away” with his stuff, just the typical tasteless bully stuff. That is until both Joey and Tristan got their asses kicked by someone that was more of a bully than either of them could have hoped to aspire to be. Yugi being Yugi stood up to the bully for them, even though they had given him so much grief, and even though he got his ass kicked right along with them, and that one gesture got the bully expelled from school and cemented Tristan’s, Joey’s and Yugi’s friendship. Because Tristan sucks at Duel Monsters, he usually gets assigned to the corner, balcony, platform—wherever the non duelist stand—cheerleading either Joey or Yugi with Téa.
Joey WheelerYa gotta love the tough guy. Joey is the embodiment of a wild and tough street kid, and used to wear his attitude like a shirt. He was super raw business, but once Yugi showed him what a real friend was and how one acted, Joey became a loyal buddy to Yugi. Over the progress of the series, Joey has calmed down…some. Calming down a lot would have been out of the question—Joey will always be Joey. Joey is the spirit of the group after all, but he’s not as rash as he used to be—less hot headed. But despite his thuggish ways, Joey’s attitude hides a heart of gold and he would do anything for his friends, especially his younger sister, who lives apart from him.
My Point of View on Joey Wheeler:Joey, Joey, Joey…I don’t know who I love more, Joey or Yami. Joey is a character that’s made to overcome. When the series started, he was a bully, now he’s a loyal friend to the one he constantly bullied. When the series started he sucked at Duel Monsters, but with a lot of training from Grandpa, Yugi and friends, plus the experience he’s gained as a duelist, he’s managed to become a contender—going one on one with Yugi/Yami and almost winning. He even found a way to pay for the surgery that would keep his sister, Serenity, from going blind. Joey has overcome everything thrown at him and who couldn’t love that. Joey is a survivor in the purest sense of the word.
Téa GardnerAmong all of Yugi's friends, Téa is the voice of reason—the annoying as hell voice of reason, but the voice of reason nonetheless. Téa is one of Yugi’s seemingly limitless childhood friends and is the biggest cheerleader in the group, always encouraging everyone to believe in themselves and to never give up. Might as well, as a Card player, she sucks like Tristan, but before Joey got a clue and gave up and got trained, was a better duelist then him. She would kick his ass at lunch just for the fun or it. Considering the cards she carries, (a bunch of cute, fairy, angel, cutesy cards—ugh!) the joke is that she won at all. Téa loves her friends—there’s no getting around that fact, and will help them in any way she possibly can.
My Point of View on Téa GardnerI’ve tried my BEST not to start comparing Yu Gi Oh to Pokemon, but this is the point where my skin starts to crawl, just like when I’m watching Misty cheering Ash on. The difference between Téa and Misty is that Misty will give Ash hell whenever she feels like he needs it, or whenever she needs to have fun and Téa usually caused Yugi to bitch up with her insecurities over ethics, but other than that, she’s a steadfast character. There’s nothing Téa believes Yugi and their friendship can’t overcome. Its refreshing to see that kind of dedication, but Téa is where she can do the most good for the group—on the sidelines.
Mokuba KaibaThis kid is seriously deluded about his brother. Mokuba sees no evil in his big brother, Seto; and because of this, he’s always surprised at the depths to which Seto is capable of sinking. When the boys was very young, (Mokuba was like 3 and Seto was maybe around 7-8) the boys parents died and they spent their childhood in an orphanage. While most everyone wanted to adopt Seto because he was a genius, nobody wanted Mokuba so he refused to be parted from his brother. They stayed in the orphanage until Seto reached his majority and left without a backwards glance. Because of this Mokuba is totally devoted to his brother and sees only the good in him and vows revenges on anyone who dares to cross Seto.
My Point of View on Mokuba KaibaWhen I first saw Mokuba the first thing I thought was “Geeze…you can’t be serious!” At the time he was challenging Yugi to a duel to avenge Seto for the asswhipping Yugi put on him after tearing up his grandfather’s Blue Eyes White Dragon card. Never mind that Yugi tore Seto off fairly, Mokuba still had a problem with it. Apparently, Seto couldn’t deal with the fact that he lost the sure thing and went off to “explore himself,” leaving Mokuba alone again. After getting his ass kicked also by Yugi, Mokuba agreed to let Yugi help Seto—in whatever way he could.
I’ve fondly given Mokuba the name of “Kid that always gets kidnapped and brainwashed.” Every time you turned around, Pegasus had him locked up somewhere rotting. This kid stays in trouble and when he gets in trouble, he runs right to Yugi—the man his brother hates most in the world. But you can’t stay mad at him long for it, he’s a scared little boy that needs his bother to stay home and raise him, but that’s a loooooooooong way off, sorry to say.
Continued...
[ 12-28-2002, 10:23 PM: Message edited by: Princess Koriand'r ]
