The internationally popular, very cool dueling series goes futuristic in 5Ds, the newest show in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, airing on CW4Kids starting September 13, 2008. Wondering what's the deal with the duels? Here’s a quick KW history lesson on Yu-Gi-Oh! past and future.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
The original Yu-Gi-Oh! introduced the world to the duelist Yugi Moto, who battles various villains through a card game called Duel Monsters. As dueling becomes a popular pastime, Yugi finds himself battling for sport as well as helping his friends and saving folks in the real world with the ancient powers of the cards.
Main Characters
- Yugi Moto - a shy, short and pure-of-heart boy and expert gamer, Yugi possesses the ancient Egyptian Millennium Puzzle, which was given to him by his grandfather. It, along with other Millennium objects, holds very powerful ancient magic.
- Dark Yugi - When Yugi solves the Millennium Puzzle, the soul of an ancient Egyptian Pharoah jumps into his body, allowing the Pharoah to unleash the magic through Yugi. This other personality is called Dark Yugi.
- Maximilian Pegasus - Creator of the Duel Masters card game and an enemy to Yugi. Pegasus possesses the powerful Millennium Eye.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
This second series flashes forward a decade (GX means Generation NeXt), where we meet Jaden Yuki, a student of the prestigious Duel Academy. Dueling is now so big that there’s an entire school devoted to it, as well as battles in nearby Domino City. Through school sanctioned duels, Jaden learns about his past, while at the same time progressing through the ranks.
Main Characters
- Jaden Yuki - At first a carefree, talented duelist, Jaden gradually learns that he has a dark past and must confront it. Like Yugi, he is loyal to his friends and harsh to his enemies.
- Yubel - A dark force that is obsessed with Jaden. Yubel and Jaden battle often and eventually become fused, which gives Jaden so much power that he leaves Duel Academy for awhile out of fear of endangering his friends there.
- The Shadow Riders - A group of evil duelists who want to resurrect the Sacred Beasts.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
The newest series, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds goes even further into the future, to Neo Domino City where dueling takes place in huge sporting arenas. In this new reality, it’s not only strength and skill that the duelists depend on, it’s also speed (on motorcycles, that is)! And for five chosen duelists, it’s not just about winning, it’s about survival. Expect more and faster duels, and for the mystery of the five dragons to become our heroes’ quest…
Main Characters
- The Five Signers - These special chosen few duelists, led by Yusei Fudo, have been marked by destiny to uncover the secrets of the five dragons. Will they succeed? Only future episodes will tell!
Fun Facts
- In Japanese, Yu-Gi-Oh means King of Games.
- The original Manga (Japanese comic book) version of Yu-Gi-Oh! was first published in 1996, making the series 12 years old!
- In the first episode of GX, Jaden is confronted by a concealed Yugi on his way to the academy, who gives him the Winged Kuriboh duel card. At graduation, Jaden is forced to battle Yugi.
- The Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game is played all over the world, but is most popular in North America, Europe and Australia.
Quotes
“Heart of the cards, guide me!” – Yugi
“Friends make such wonderful adversaries.” - Pegasus
“Get your game on!” – Jaden
“Just once, I’d like to duel for the thrill of it, and not have to worry about who’s trying to take over the world!” – Yugi
"I won't be stopped here. I summon the Speed Warrior!" - Yusei
