History Characters / YuGiOhVRAINSCafeNagiConfidants

* HeroWorshipper: Go Onizuka was his hero, his behavior and heroism in the Hanoi incident being what inspired him to come out again, and seeing him wallow in self-pity and be a bounty hunter upsets Soulburner, giving him a BrokenPedestal. To a lesser extent he is one for all the ''VRAINS'' heroes, shown when he fanboys over Aoi's Blue Girl avatar.

* SensitiveGuyManlyMan: The Manly Man to Ai's Sensitive Guy

The main protagonist of the series, In LINK VRAINS he is known as Playmaker and he is one of the victims of Lost Incident.He is the origin of Ai the Dark Ignis.

->See [[Characters/YuGiOhVRAINSIgnisOwners Ignis Owners]] for more information.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ai]]
!!Ai
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakahiroSakurai (Japanese), Michael Liscio Jr.(English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep12_ai_gets_his_body_back.png]]

A mysterious AI program, sought after by the Knights of Hanoi and SOL Technologies Inc., that Yusaku captures. Belongs to an AI species with free will, known as the Ignis, and is based on the DARK Attribute.

* {{Adorkable}}: His comic relief antics are really dorky.
* AmnesiacHero: Before he could escape, a Cracking Dragon devoured most of his body, leaving his memories heavily fragmented or outright gone. [[spoiler:As of [[WhamEpisode episode #41]], this is subverted; Revolver reveals that in the fragments of data the Knights of Hanoi collected after tearing Ai apart, none of them contained his memories. Therefore, Ai had them all along and was lying to Yusaku about having no memories.]]
* ArtificialIntelligence: Belongs to a species of [=AIs=] with free will known as the Ignis, created by Kogami.
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:In episode #42, seeing Playmaker continuously fail to perform Storm Access and even getting a forearm ripped off, Ai stepped in and transformed into a larger version of himself to prevent Playmaker from falling. Ai then proceeded to sacrifice a part of himself to repair Playmaker's arm and shield him from the flying debris. He really could have been erased. [[BetweenARockAndAHardPlace Even if he could have been erased either by Playmaker losing or being destroyed by the debris]] and had the slightest chance of surviving by saving Playmaker, he still saved Playmaker from certain death while risking his own life. Ai may have been willing to sacrifice himself because he wanted to make it up to Playmaker for lying about losing his memories.]]
-->[[spoiler:''Ai: "Shut up! This is how I repent!"'']]
* AttentionWhore: When he gets his body back and shows off. Yusaku and Kusanagi couldn't care less.
* BewareTheSillyOnes:
** After a Knight of Hanoi is about to [[TakingYouWithMe blow himself up]], Ai transforms into an EldritchAbomination... and devours him.
** Later, when Revolver loses against Playmaker in their master duel, he does so again and tears his arm off.
** In the duel with Faust, it was heavily implied Ai intentionally put Naoki in danger as an excuse to make Yusaku eliminate Faust. When Faust loses the duel he laments that Ai will bring about the downfall of humanity; this coupled with his actions in the episode heavily implies Ai might be a BitchInSheepsClothing.
* ButtMonkey: You can't help feeling sorry for the poor thing after everything that happens to it. [[UpToEleven And that is after just one episode]].
** In #12 he finally gets some of his Data back so he can reform his original body!... But he's only big enough to be held like a doll and doesn't impress anyone, he didn't even get any of his memories back.
* CaptainObvious: Often has a tendency to point out whatever happens in a Duel.
* CassandraTruth: Playmaker initially refuses to believe that a Knight of Hanoi has once again invaded LINK VRAINS, until Ai reveals that Blue Angel fell under the influence of Hanoi.
* CastingAShadow: All of the six Ignis are based on each of the Attributes of the card game (except DIVINE); Ai is based on DARK.
* CatchPhrase: Exclaims "Take hold of the wind, Playmaker!", usually every time he utilizes Storm Access.
* ChewToy: Literally! Barely escaped after being followed and almost devoured by a Cracking Dragon.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: To [[Manga/YuGiOh Dark Yugi]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Yubel]] and [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Astral]]. Unlike any of them, he is much goofier and amiable. Also, his purpose is immediately made clear upon his introduction, unlike his more mysterious predecessors. His relationship with Yusaku also differs from the others, as Yusaku is aware of him but doesn't respect him and sees him as an annoyance. Also, the above three were invisible to everyone but the protagonist and a select few. Astral could only be seen by Yuma initially, with the others being able to see him due to special circumstances, Dark Yugi was only visible while in Yugi's body, and Yubel could only been seen by Jaden after they fused together. Ai is visible to anyone on and off LINK VRAINS, and has to take steps to hide himself in the real world so a Knight of Hanoi or SOL Technologies wouldn't see him with Yusaku. Another thing that differentiates Ai from them is that he doesn't advise Yusaku during a duel and tends to panic or be confused by the plays made instead. All Ai can do is give Yusaku Storm Access so that he can get the cards he needs to win or say what the cards effect are like normal AI. It's even implied he causes more trouble for him in a duel, because of his BadBadActing and the one time he did give advise to him, he made the situation unintentionally worse, because not only did the OTK fail, but Bohman's LP are below 1000 which means he can use Storm Access.
* ComicRelief: Of '''ALL''' the characters in this show, he has the least serious personality.
* CosmicPlaything: Despite dismissing the idea of prayer, is obviously hated by the Universe.
* CryCute: A comical variant, where it tears up over being given an EmbarrassingNickname.
* DarkIsNotEvil: He is the Ignis who represents the DARK Attribute, but he's also a complete goofball who's much more amicable than his partner.
* DeadpanSnarker: After witnessing Prototype Ai-A's cards' hand destruction effects, Ai snidely claims that Playmaker is terrible at old maid.
* ADogNamedDog: Is given the name Ai by Yusaku because he's an AI, and because when they meet [[GratuitousEnglish his entire body is an eye]].
* DudeWheresMyRespect: To his dismay, Yusaku and Kusanagi don't bat an eye when Ai regains and reveals his true form.
* EldritchAbomination: Shapeshifts into some sort of monstrosity to consume a Knight of Hanoi who was about to [[TakingYouWithMe blow himself up to eliminate Playmaker]].
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Ai", courtesy of Yusaku. Later subverted when he openly embraces his nickname after Playmaker appears to confront Genome.
* {{Expy}}: Despite the contrast to the other partners stated above. Ai does have a few similarities to them.
** Just like Yubel he doesn't truly help Yusaku like Dark Yugi or Astral in a duel other then encourage him, but he does give him a new ability just Yubel does with Jaden.
** His relation with Yusaku is quite similar to that of Yuma and Astral, but the difference here is that their personalities are switched with Yusaku being the cool headed one and Ai being the HotBlooded loud mouth.
* {{Foil}}: His goofy attitude is sharply contrasts Yusaku's stoicism.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Claims that its own people dislike it.
* TheGadfly:
** Being an AI doesn't make him any less capable of teasing Yusaku for being unable to talk to girls.
** He also teases a miffed Yusaku after he requests that Ai stop reading hate comments posted after declining to Duel Blue Angel.
* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted during Playmaker and Revolver's second Speed Duel. Ai shields Playmaker from the debris as Playmaker enters the Data Storm and activates Storm Access, and appears to have vanished after Playmaker acquires Transcode Talker... but actually survives, as a miniature Ai reappears after Revolver begins his turn.
* HiddenDepths:
** Yusaku suspects him of being the one who was responsible for sending and installing Cyberse Wizard's card data into Naoki's Duel Disk.
** While Ai isn't the smartest of the Ignis, his brethren all consider him the [[SimpleMindedWisdom wisest]] of the group.
* HumiliationConga: The first episode alone has Ai go through all kinds of trouble, but being captured by Yusaku is definitely where the chain of humiliation after humiliation begins.
* {{Irony}}: An AI that was born through [[spoiler: the torture of kids by]] dueling tends to panic a lot when it looks like Playmaker is going to lose, because he can either not keep up with his strategies or doesn't know the effect of his cards which are implied to be created by him since they are either Cyberse-type or support for them.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mostly in the first season. He used to be both cold towards almost everyone around him, but only inflicted harm to the Knights of Hanoi.
* LivingMacGuffin: To the degree that an AI can be considered "living" anyway.
* LovableCoward: After everything Ai has been through in just the first episode, this cowardice is entirely {{Justified}}.
* LoveableSexManiac: Though not aggressive about it, Ai had three sex-scenes ''on-screen'' in the first twenty episodes alone. His first guess as to why Yusaku is always busy is that he's making out with Shoichi.
* TheMcCoy: Ai is an emotional type that prefers to tend to his own instincts and desires, and according to Bohman [[spoiler: this makes him important to the Ignis, as he was the anomaly and watching him allowed the other Ignises to develop their own quirks and personalities. As Bohman says, he is critically needed for the AI to avoid stagnation and evolve.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In the third duel between Playmaker and Bohman. He advises Playmaker to defeat Bohman in one turn, because his instinct is telling him he's too dangerous, because of how stronger he got. Not only did the attempt fail, but Bohman was able to survive with his LP below 1000. This means he's able to use Storm Access in his next turn.
* NoNameGiven: Was only referred to as a "mysterious lifeform" prior the series' premiere. In the voice cast list during the credits, he is still identified as such instead of his name (until #3, where his name is listed as "[[EmbarrassingNickname Ai]]").
* NoRespectGuy: The target of everyone's attacks, but never taken seriously.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: It's shown several times that he acts like this in some, if not all, of Playmaker's duels to catch opponents off-guard. Earth calls him out on this because of his bad execution at it.
* OddNameOut: He's Ai while the other Ignis names are related to their element. Justified in that Flame started the trend and Yusaku was unaware of the elemental basis of the Ignis when he named him.
* PluckyComicRelief: He serves as the main comic relief in the show.
* PriceOnTheirHead: As Playmaker himself is a bounty target since the opening of NEW LINK VRAINS, Ai himself is also a target.
* RedOniBlueOni: The self centered and talkative red to Yusaku's blue.
* SayingTooMuch: Ai's "panicking" in an attempt to goad Ghost Girl's Primebanshee into attacking Playmaker's Lockout Gardna fails after her AI informs her of Storm Access and the prerequisite to activate it.
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Despite normally being TheDitz, Ai is considered the wisest of the six Ignis.
* TheSlacker: Back in the Cyberse World, Ai was very carefree and wasn't the working type, and thus was deemed an annoyance by the other Ignis.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is the EmbarrassingNickname "Eye" or "Ai"? The anime goes with the latter.
* TaremeEyes: Has these as a contrast to Yusaku and Flame's TsurimeEyes.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Most people only see it as a tool. Yusaku's poor treatment of it comes from the fact that he doesn't think it can feel or actually think, just that it's programmed to keep itself out of anyone's control.
** [[spoiler:He thinks of this when he learns of Earth's demise through Ryoken]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Shoichi Kusanagi (Kolter)/Unnamed]]
!!Shoichi Kusanagi (Kolter)/Unnamed
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SubaruKimura (Japanese), Sam Black (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shoichi_episode_4_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Click [[labelnote:here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kusanagi_unknown.png[[/labelnote]]to see Unnamed]]

A seemingly ordinary man acquainted with Yusaku who runs a hotdog stand, he is in truth a skilled hacker who operates as Playmaker's MissionControl. He has a little brother, Jin Kusanagi, who remains traumatised thanks to a certain ten-year old incident.
----
* BewareTheNiceOnes: While one of the most easygoing and friendly characters in the show, pissing him off by trivialising his past is a terrible mistake.
* BigBrotherInstinct: He seems to be involved in Yusaku's mission in order to help his little brother. Downplayed with Yusaku, as he helps him fight life or death battles.
** When Jin’s consciousnesses was taken by Bohman and Haru, Kusanagi is pressed to find the culprits and get it back. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Yusaku and Ai are slightly unnerved and worried by this change of behavior.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: Subverted. Kusanagi completes the LVSS in time and attempts to bring Akira out of a thorny prison... but it fails to work.
* TheConfidant: To Yusaku, as one of the few individuals who knows about [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling Yusaku's abilities.]]
* CoolBigBro: Acts as one to Yusaku. Yusaku was also seemingly close to his actual younger brother.
** Is very much one to Jin, his younger brother. After Jin's life was ruined after the Hanoi project, Kusanagi dropped his interest in sports to become a hacker in order to locate the ones who kidnapped them and make them pay. After all is said and done, Shouichi visited Jin and asked him to live with him before he got his consciousness stolen. [[BigBrotherInstinct Boy did Kusanagi take that well...]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His younger brother was in the same place as Yusaku, being one of the six children who were abducted during the Lost Incident.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Kusanagi serves as this to Kurosaki. They both are older brother characters who lost their younger sibling after they got kidnapped by the antagonist organization. Kurosaki's sister Ruri got kidnapped by Academia while his brother got kidnapped by Hanoi, making both Kusanagi and Kurosaki develop a grudge with them for kidnapping their siblings. Both also work with their close friends, Yuto and Yusaku, to save them. However, while Kurosaki became an extremely cold hearted and hot headed {{Jerkass}} after losing Ruri, Kusanagi still manages to be a friendly nice guy after losing his brother.
* DubNameChange: Is known as "Kolter" in the English dub.
* {{Foil}}: Of Akira Zaizen. They are both hackers with siblings that serve as their main motivation. While Akira used hacking as a means of survival, Kusanagi uses it for revenge. While Akira is affiliated with SOL Technologies, Kusanagi is Yusaku's greatest ally. Akira is a skilled duelist while Kusanagi isn't. Akira works at a high-class company while Kusanagi owns his own food truck. Akira is uptight and a bit reserved while Kusanagi is laid-back most of the time and is not hesitant to speak his mind.
* TheGadfly: Show some shades of this, teasing Yusaku over his lack of social skills with women.
* HackerCave: His hotdog van doubles as one.
* MissionControl: Operates as Playmaker's, monitoring his activity and the goings-ons of LINK VRAINS from within his hotdog stand.
* TheNarrator: Narrates the episode previews (with the exception of the fourth RecapEpisode).
* NiceGuy: He seems to be very friendly and the only person Yusaku is most comfortable talking with. Also gets along well with Takeru once he joins the group.
* NiceHat: His LINK VRAINS avatar sports a nice burgundy cap.
* NonActionGuy: Doesn't do any Dueling himself, instead serving as Yusaku's MissionControl. Justified, as he only possesses a rudimentary understanding of Duel Monsters, and his own Dueling skills are novice at best.
* OnlineAlias: Unnamed.
* ParentalSubstitute: The closest thing Yusaku has to a guardian, though he acts more like a brother-figure.
* PreciousPhoto: Kusanagi has a picture of Jin and him as children smiling in front of their house. He is often seen looking at it with a smile.
* RageBreakingPoint: He and Playmaker snap at Akira, who claims that he understands what it's like to lose a loved one.
* RelativeButton: A mention of his and his brother's past by anyone who is not Yusaku is enough to enrage the normally laid-back Kusanagi.
* {{Revenge}}: While good at hiding it, it's shown that deep down, he has a deep grudge towards Hanoi for what they did to his little brother.
* RunningGag: In the dub, he constantly denies that hotdogs are sandwiches.
* SecretKeeper: For Yusaku, being one of the few individuals who knows of Playmaker's true identity.
* SeriousBusiness: Saying that hot dogs are sandwiches to his face is a good way to start a debate. In the dub at least.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Dark purple, in this case.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Takeru Homura/Soulburner]]
!!Takeru Houmura
He is one of the victims of Lost Incident and the origin of Flame the Fire Ignis.In LINK VRAINS he is known as Soulburner

->See [[Characters/YuGiOhVRAINSIgnisOwners Ignis Owners]] for more information.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Flame]]
!!Flame
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakuYashiro (Japanese)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep049_flame_fired_up.png]]

One of the six Ignis created by Dr. Kogami, and Takeru's partner; is based on the FIRE Attribute. He shows himself to Ai and Yusaku after his homeworld, the Cyberse World, was destroyed by a certain unnamed faction. His goal is to find the other Ignis in order to rebuild the Cyberse World and to defeat the enemy faction that caused its destruction.
----
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: He is an Ignis (an AI named after the recurring mythological theme of the theft of fire allowing humans to evolve) who not only named himself Flame, but also is the only one among the six Ignis to actually represent the FIRE attribute.
* CatchPhrase: Every time Soulburner activates Burning Draw, Flame exclaims "Burn your soul, Soulburner!".
* HotBlooded: He's quick to get fired up.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Flame deduces that GO will "go go" and attack based on what his OnlineAlias suggests. Soulburner can only look at Flame with bewilderment in response.
* {{Irony}}: Just like Ai he's an AI that was born through [[spoiler: the torture of kids by]] dueling. And also tends to panic or get depressed when it looks like his partner is going to lose, because he can either not keep up with his strategies or doesn't know the effect of his cards which are implied to be created by him since they are either Cyberse-type or support for them.
* LargeHam: He's just as bombastic, if not more so, as Soulburner. Just listen to him exclaim "[[CatchPhrase BURN YOUR SOUL, SOULBURNER!!!]]".
* NotSoAboveItAll: Flame may be more level-headed than Ai is and doesn't appreciate being compared to the likes of him, but at the same time, he wastes no time demonstrating that he's quick to get fired up during Soulburner and [=BitBoot=]'s Duel.
** Also, he's quick to please as he blushed when Ghost Girl complimented him; he made a face that Ai usually would make.
* NotSoDifferent: Despite being more level-headed than Ai and not wanting to be associated with him, he has the same (lack of) Dueling skill and knowledge that Ai has and when it looked like Soulburner was about to lose, he loses hope just like Ai does and says it's over for them, because he was unfamiliar with the effect of Salamangreat Heatlio that earns Soulburner's win in Episode #49.
* PlayingWithFire: He is an Ignis that named himself "Flame", and his physical appearance is flame-based. He is also based on the FIRE Attribute.
* RedOniBlueOni: Zigzagged. While Flame's level-headedness and even voice contrast the bombastic Ai who tends to make a drama out of situations, Flame is at the same time easy and quick to get [[HotBlooded fired up]].
* ThisIsUnforgivable: He holds Lightning in contempt after the latter confessed that he was directly responsible for [[spoiler:the destruction of the Cyberse World]].
* TsurimeEyes: In comparison to Ai, he has pointed eye corners.
[[/folder]]

!Allies
[[folder:Aoi Zaizen (Skye Zaizen)/Blue Angel/Blue Girl/Blue Maiden]]
!!Aoi Zaizen (Skye Zaizen)/Blue Angel/Blue Girl/Blue Maiden
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YukiNakashima (Japanese), Emily Cramer (English)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aoi_zaizen_3.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Blue Angel]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep047_blue_angel_4.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Blue Girl]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_p9lezdrntt1shfh62o2_1280.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Blue Maiden]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blue_maiden.png]][[/labelnote]]

A classmate of Yusaku's. In LINK VRAINS, she is known as Blue Angel. In Season 2 she goes by the name Blue Girl in order to help her brother Akira in his search for the Ignis. However she changes her name once again to Blue Maiden after deciding to partner with the Water Ignis, Aqua and fight alongside Playmaker again in order to defeat Lightning and save her Aqua's Origin and ChildhoodFriend, Miyu.

As Blue Angel and Blue Girl, she uses the Trickstar archetype, focusing on whittling down her opponent's LP bit by bit via card effects. Her Ace Monster is Trickstar Holly Angel, a Monster that temporarily gains strength when her opponent takes effect damage. Her Skill, Trickstar Fraud, allows her to force an opponent to draw cards until they have three cards in their hand once per Duel, but as a price her opponent must banish cards from her hand equal to the amount of Trickstar Monsters in Blue Angel's GY.

In season 2 she adds Fusion Summoning to her deck in order to increase her burn strategy and give more offensive pressure. She also changed her Skill to Trickstar Gig. This Skill allows her to send cards from the top of her deck to the GY equal to the amount of Trickstar Monsters she has on her field. After that she can add one Trickstar card send to the GY to her hand.
----
* ActionGirl: She's a very skilled duelist, being considered one of VRAIN's best.
* AdrenalineMakeover: Her VRAINS avatar transition from the cutesy Blue Angel to the mysterious Blue Girl that resemble and idol rocker. Justified in that Blue Girl is better for the stealthier operations she is doing with Ghost Girl, while Blue Angel sticks out. It is emphasized by a few of her new cards and effects, such as Trickstar Gig, and her fusion monster, Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar. Subverted come her next upgrade, Blue Maiden, which is girlier.
* AmazonBrigade: All of her Trickstars are female.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Out of LINK VRAINS her lack of emotion and suspicion of others (if not for good reason) bring up a few possible ailments, among them depression.
* AndIMustScream: Aoi described her experience as an Another as being crushed down by despair, unable to do anything but scream with all her might.
* AngelicBeauty: Her Trickstar Monsters, which are Fairy-Types, as well as her VR form, Blue Angel.
* AnimalMotifs: PrettyButterflies, as shown by her backup avatar being a simple butterfly.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Her blazer is designed to look like her tie has blue wings, and her stage name is "Blue Angel".
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:She is returned to normal after Playmaker defeats Revolver and the Tower of Hanoi is stopped.]]
* BadassAdorable: A teen idol on VRAINS, she peppers her duels with a variety of cute mannerisms. Even in her Blue Girl persona, where she is more composed, she still has a few cute mannerisms.
* BigBrotherWorship: Has a brother complex, and wants to admit to him that she Duels. Granted Akira is her elder step-brother. She also has a minor case for CoolBigSis Emma, even patterning her Blue Girl avatar after Ghost Girl's look.

** Saves Playmaker by launching his D-Board back to him with an energy lasso after he falls off during his Duel against a Knight of Hanoi.
** She gets a second one while Yusaku is plunging into the SOL Technologies databank, where she lightens the load for Playmaker and takes on one of the AI duelists.
** Saves Aqua from Blood Shepherd by deflecting one of his beams with her D-Board.
* BoyishShortHair: Her hair reaches down to her lower nape.
* BreastExpansion: Blue Angel has noticeably bigger breasts than Aoi in real life. She might have deliberately added a bigger buxom to her Blue Angel avatar to play better the idol persona.
* BrokenAngel: After [[spoiler:losing to Spectre, he causes her Blue Angel wings to break]].
* BrokenPedestal: Due to her brother's work, Aoi has a positive view of SOL Technologies and believes that they will help the Ignis. [[spoiler: After watching Queen and the scientists kill Earth as he is begging, she cries, at a complete loss.]]
* ClothingDamage: After [[spoiler:her loss to Spectre]], her skirt becomes tattered.
* ColorCharacter: '''BLUE''' Angel and later '''BLUE''' Girl.
* ColorMotif: BLUE, fitting Aoi in her real name, OnlineAlias, and due to being blue, i.e depressed, for a long time.
* ConflictBall: In Episode 55 and 56, after Playmaker and Soulburner refuse her offer for her and Akira to help them due to SOL Technologies involvement in the Lost Incident, she gets pissed off and demands they give Ai and Flame over so they can find the other Ignis's. Playmaker and Ghost Girl themselves are surprised at her behavior. It's more downplayed in Episode 56, as once she begins the duel she does return to being more civil, though a bit more arrogant than usual, Episode 56 keeps her behavior more in line with her motivation of helping Akira and making up for her loss to Spectre. Later justified in that she believes SOL Technologies to be benevolent, and until later did not quite understand Playmaker and Soulburner's dislike of them.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Unlike [[Anime/YuGiOhARCV Yuzu]], who is a pink-haired {{Tsundere}} GirlyBruiser, Aoi is a brunette WellDoneDaughterGirl. And unlike Yuzu who was forced into the plot against her will, Aoi actively seeks it due to helping Akira. Unlike [[Anime/YuGiOh5ds Aki]], her temporary corruption aside, who was a DarkMagicalGirl, Aoi's opposition towards Playmaker and Soulburner makes her a HeroAntagonist instead, due to Akira's concern over the Ignis. And even then, she did offer to help them, only for Playmaker to turn her down. And then unlike Aki who required Yusei to break her out of an antagonist role, Aoi largely does so without interference without Yusaku, [[spoiler: due to having her faith in SOL broken and learning the truth of Miyu.]]
* ConvenientComa: Ends up in one after her duel with Playmaker.
* TheCorruption: Afflicted by this by the appropriately named Dark Angel card that Spectre slips into her deck, making her go berserk.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Light brown hair and eyes.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: It's as short as Kotori's.
* DarkActionGirl: She became this temporarily after she was brainwashed by Spectre.
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: One of the Trickstar's main focuses is dealing small amounts of burn damage under certain conditions.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Aoi is a deconstruction of both [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Asuka]] and [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Rio]], as she goes into Charisma Dueling as a means to [[WellDoneSonGuy please]] [[BigBrotherWorship her older brother]] instead of proving herself to be an independent and worthy Duelist like they did, which [[TraumaCongaLine not only costed her the Duel against Yusaku]], [[BreakTheCutie but also ends up humiliating her in front of the crowd]], severely damaging her reputation as a Charisma Duelist in the process. However, she does reconstruct this by becoming an AllLovingHeroine that wants to fight for others, earning her brother's approval that way.
* DigitalAvatar: An angelic idol singer as Blue Angel and a more serious mercenary one as Blue Girl, and then MagicalGirlWarrior Blue Maiden.
* {{Escapism}}: Aoi's Blue Angel persona is revealed to be based upon a Blue Angel in a book her brother always read to her as a child, about a lonely angel that cried blue tears and pretended she didn't hate being alone, but eventually befriended other angels and fought against the forces of evil to find happiness. Her taking on this persona in Vrains is her own attempt to do so.
* DubNameChange: To Skye Zaizen, having implications of blue sky where angels come from.
* {{Expy}}: She's usually seen as a MagicalGirl IdolSinger version of [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Rio]], but her ruthlessness, wealthy background, lonely upbringing, and wanting to be acknowledged by a protective older sibling also brings to mind [[Manga/YuGiOh Mai]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Sho]], and [[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Reira]].
* FacePlant: A dark example, where Blue Angel gets blown away before landing on the ground ''head-first'', courtesy of [[spoiler:Spectre]]. Ouch.
* FacialMarkings: As Blue Angel, Aoi has a clover on her cheek, as part of her idol image.
* FakeBoobs: This piece of [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh-vrains/images/a/a4/Picture_of_Blue_Angel_drawn_by_Noh.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170709192948 official artwork]] that has Blue Angel in a school uniform by Noah, one of the show's animators, shows that Blue Angel's chest is around the same size as Aoi's, meaning the top of her Blue Angel has cups designed into it, with the most likely reason for doing so is to make a better appeal for her Idol persona. Her avatar as Blue Maiden, being an OlderAlterEgo, is also noticably more endowed than her real self.
* FeatherMotif: White feathers fall and scatter while she is trapped in her mind due to Hanoi.
* FingerlessGloves: Elbow-length ones as Blue Girl
* FlowerMotif: Her Trickstar monsters are named after various flowers.
* {{Foil}}: To Go Onizuka. While in the Hanoi arc Blue Angel realized she wants to duel for others and not just herself, Go comes to the conclusion it is ok to duel for himself and not others. In addition, while Blue Angel is grateful to Playmaker for saving her and doesn't appear bothered by being overshadowed, Go deeply resents it and will stop at nothing to beat Playmaker for the sake of his pride. [[spoiler: Also unlike Go who undergoes a FaceHeelTurn, Aoi initially opposes Soulburner and Playmaker as a HeroAntagonist for her brother's sake. She also improves her older deck and older persona, while Go takes a different persona and a new deck with a new skill. Later Go abandons his self in his desire to defeat Playmaker, taking an AI into his brain and capturing Earth to be killed, Aoi learns about Miyu and teams up with Aqua to save her, assuming a new persona.]]
* FriendlessBackground: Aoi had no friends as a child except [[OnlyFriend one]] briefly, [[ChildhoodFriends Miyu]], but the friendship [[spoiler: fell apart when she took the fall for Miyu having lost her mother's ring.]]
* GenkiGirl: As Blue Angel, she puts on a lively disposition.
* GirlishPigtails:
** As Blue Angel, her hair is tied up like this.
** She also used to tie her hair in this style as a child.
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: As a child, she carried around a stuffed doll of Evilswarm Mandragoa.
* HairDecorations:
** Her twintails in her VR form are held up by dark blue bows.
** As a child, she held up her twintails with light blue bows.
* {{Hikikomori}}: Enforced by Akira, who is excessively concerned for her wellbeing to the point that he prevents her from leaving the house after recovering from her coma. She is allowed to go out again after Playmaker and Akira's Duel.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Subverted in her Duel against Baira. Blue Angel, aware that she may lose should Baira draw a trap, takes the risky gamble of using her Trickstar Fraud Skill regardless to turn things around in her favour. Fortunately for Blue Angel, Baira doesn't draw a trap.
* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:After her loss to Spectre, she is converted into data and absorbed into the Tower of Hanoi. She gets better.]]
* ItsPersonal: Double subverted. Blue Angel initially confronts Baira because she was in a bad mood and wanted to let off some steam. But after Baira suggests that she was responsible for the creation of the Another virus, Blue Angel takes back her words, and vow to take Baira down in a Duel.
* LadyOfWar: Her "Trickstar Holly Angel" is this and Aoi is graceful and elegant in her Duel, and while Blue Angel is cutesy and Blue Girl is more rough and tumble, her appearance as Blue Maiden is one as well.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Blue Angel".
* LightEmUp: Her Trickstar monsters are LIGHT Fairy-Type Monsters.
* LonelyRichKid: She lives in a well-to-do apartment, essentially alone due to her brother's constant working. [[spoiler: But there was a time they lived on the street.]]
* LoveFreak: Accused of this by Spectre, who mocks her for her Blue Love that she shares for others in her attempt to be Blue Angel. However in truth, she verges more towards an AllLovingHeroine.
* LovelyAngels: Forms a duo with Ghost Girl in Season 2 as Blue Girl.
* MagicalGirlWarrior: Her transformation from Blue Girl moves her away from Rock Idol and to this, complete with a TransformationSequence, and she explicitly calls it her battle form.
* MagicIdolSinger: Blue Angel's appearance is a blend of a MagicalGirl and an IdolSinger, composed of blue hair with twintails and angelic wings marked with hearts and purple four-leaf clovers. As Blue Girl she looks more like a Rock idol.
* MagicalIncantation: While all the characters invoke one when Link Summoning, Aoi's reflects her character change. As Blue Angel she involved the circuit of dreams and hope. As Blue Girl she invokes the circuit of determination and courage.
* MeaningfulName: Her online handle, Blue Angel, references the fact that she uses a Trickstar Deck, which is composed of Fairy-Types, called Angel-types in the OCG.
* MissingMom: Her biological mother, alongside Akira's biological father, died in an accident at some point before the Lost Incident.
* MoralityChain: Her brother's sole reason for living, and he admits he would have given into despair without her.
* MulticoloredHair: As Blue Angel, her blue hair sports light blue highlights. It's the opposite with her Blue Maiden avatar for she has light blue hair and dark blue highlights.
* NiceGirl: She may have a hard time trusting most people, but she is still a sweet girl.
* NoSell: Her Bella Madonna is unaffected by other card effects while its Link Arrows point to no Monsters.
* OlderAlterEgo: While Blue Angel acts younger [[spoiler: like Miyu did]], and Blue Girl looks largely like Aoi, her Blue Maiden persona looks like a mature woman in her twenties.
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Aoi is not a Lost Incident victim, [[spoiler: but she was friends with Miyu, who was Aqua's origin.]]
* OnlineAlias: Blue Angel. She later goes by Blue Girl after she is assigned by Akira to search for the missing Ignis (alongside Ghost Girl), and changes her name once again to Blue Maiden after partnering with Aqua, combined with a second SignificantWardrobeShift.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: After being bestowed Dark Angel by Spectre, the AI on her Duel Disk responds rudely to Ai when he greets it.
* OverShadowedByAwesome: Discussed by Soulburner, who while he admits that she had definitely become a lot stronger, her lack of an Ignis AI hampers her from reaching his and Playmaker's level. [[spoiler: She eventually pairs up with Aqua in place of Miyu.]]
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: Her TransformationSequence from Blue Girl to Maiden gives her longer hair than Blue Girl and slightly longer than Blue Angel, fitting her MagicalGirlWarrior appearance.
* ProperTightsWithASkirt: In the dub in her school uniform, and her skirt, tights, and boots combo as Blue Maiden.
* ReflectionlessUselessEyes: While [[BrainwashedAndCrazy under the influence of]] [[TheCorruption Dark Angel]], her eyes lose all luster, [[MindControlEyes marking her possession]].
* RuleOfThree: Blue Angel's Skill, Trickstar Fraud, makes the opponent draw until they have three cards in their hand, which also complements her DeathOfAThousandCuts play style. In addition, she is the third confident to team up with an Ignis, [[spoiler: albeit in place of the actual Lost Incident Victim]], and has three Digital Avatars.
* ShrinkingViolet: Particularly as a child, she was polite and timid, holding on to her mother in a flashback. As a teen she's more reserved and quiet than outright shy.
* SignatureMove: Blue Angel's Skill, Trickstar Fraud, makes her opponent draw until they have three cards in their hand, and is intended to complement her DeathOfAThousandCuts play style. As Blue Girl, her skill Trickstar Gig lets her send cards from her deck equal to the number of Trickstars she has and then add a Trickstar card from the sent ones to her hand.
* SignificantWardrobeShift:
** As Blue Girl, her outfit resembles Emma's, albeit pink, white, and blue.
** After agreeing to partner with Aqua, Blue Girl once again undergoes an image change to appear more {{Magical Girl}}-esque, combined with a change of OnlineAlias (to Blue Maiden).
* SlipknotPonytail: After her defeat by Playmaker and later [[spoiler:Spectre]], her twin-tails fall out as she falls.
* StepfordSmiler: She hides her sadness with a cheerful deposition as Blue Angel, prominently shown in #6.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Is basically a younger version of her mother.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: It's hinted that she's just as ruthless as Yusaku beneath her GenkiGirl attitude. This is reflected in Holy Angel's counterpart, Trickstar Black Catbat, who uses a staff lined with thorns to attack, but is a LIGHT monster.
* TakingTheHeat: She took the blame for losing Miyu's mother's ring, though it didn't go well for her at all, as she was warned by Miyu's mother not to get involved with her daughter ever again.
* ThirdPersonPerson: As Blue Angel, Aoi does this as partly of her idol persona, and partly a bit from her {{Escapism}}.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Blue Angel initially challenges Baira of the Knights of Hanoi because she happened to be in a bad mood, only to harbor a grudge against Baira after Aoi finds out that she was responsible not only for her condition, but for the Anothers in general.
* TookALevelInBadass: Come Season 2 she had worked on remedying her WeakButSkilled nature, [[spoiler: upgrading her deck with a fusion monster and more abilities that allow her monsters to have higher attack. Unfortunately she is still left OvershadowedByAwesome, until she teams up with Aqua and upgrades to Blue Maiden.]]
* TookALevelInCheerfulness: Downplayed, while certainly not a sunny GenkiGirl in her normal form, her signs of depression have disappeared due to her relationship with Akira being fixed. And although friendly with Yusaku, she still tends to be aloof at school.
* TransformationSequence: Her upgrade from Blue Girl to Blue Maiden comes with a MagicalGirl style transformation that makes her look mature and elegant.
* TraumaCongaLine: Basically the latter half of #7 is this for her. First, she learns that her GradualGrinder strategy allowed Playmaker to use his [[GameBreaker game breaking]] skill to get the monster he needed. Then she starts feeling the effect of the [[TheCorruption "Dark Angel"]] card which messes with her mind. After that, she realizes that Playmaker is about to OneHitKill her and tries to reduce him to 0 LP before he can do so, only to be stopped and forced to use the "Dark Angel" card. This results in her getting MindRape from Hanoi's program. Finally, she loses anyway and is put into a coma in the next episode. To top it off, this was all streamed ''live'' to both her fans and her brother. And continued later during her duel against Spectre, where he brutally breaks her by talking and pretends that she got through to him, only to mercilessly defeat her. [[spoiler: Continues in Season 2 where her pedestal for SOL Technologies is broken.]]
* VocalEvolution: During her Duel against Spectre, her voice is somewhat deeper, highlighting her determination to defeat him.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: The Blue Maiden avatar comes with a stylish black and white waistcoat that goes past her skirt, an upgrade of the more simplistic vest she had as Blue Girl.
* WeakButSkilled: Aoi herself notes that her decks weakness is her monsters low attack, despite its devastating effects and works in Season 2 to make her deck stronger by including methods to increase her monsters attacks.
* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Strongly desires to be acknowledged by her older brother Akira.
* WhipItGood: Uses an energy lasso to launch Playmaker's D-Board back to him.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Paired with ZettaiRyouiki as Blue Girl.
* WingsDoNothing: Blue Angel sports white angelic wings, but are only there for show.
* TheWorfEffect: Is ruthlessly decimated by [[spoiler:Spectre, demonstrating that his status as Revolver's [[TheDragon right-hand man]] isn't just for show]].
* WorfHadTheFlu: While Blue Angel gains the upper hand against Playmaker for most of the Duel, the reason why she ends up losing to him is because of Defect Compiler's anti-burn effect. Also her duel with [[spoiler: Spectre didn't go her way precisely because Spectre's StoneWall strategy made her FragileSpeedster DeathOfAThousandCuts tactics ineffectual as she couldn't deal enough damage to get past him.]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: As Blue Angel, she sports blue hair with light blue highlights.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Blue Angel's socks reaches up to her thighs, complemented with a large, puffy skirt. Downplayed with Aoi's real life appearance, who wears a DangerouslyShortSkirt and socks that don't reach her knees. As Blue Girl she wears hotpants with socks and boots like Emma, though she loses it as Blue Maiden.

[[folder:Aqua]]
!!Aqua
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi (Japanese)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aqua_7.png]]

One of the six Ignis created by Kogami. Is based on the WATER attribute. Her Origin is Miyu, a childhood friend of Aoi.

* ChekhovMIA: Her whereabouts were unknown at the time the Cyberse World was destroyed by a certain unnamed faction, until Episode #74 where she makes her first proper on-screen appearance, where she is discovered and freed by Earth. It turns out she was imprisoned and banished elsewhere by [[spoiler:Lightning after she witnesses him creating "Judgment Arrows"]].
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: More often than not she had to look after Ai so he didn't injure himself, much to [[CrazyJealousGuy Earth's]] annoyance.
* DopeSlap: Gave one to [[AbhorrentAdmirer Ai]] so hard it sent him ''and'' Linkuriboh through the ground, leaving ImpactSilhouette{{s}} for both of them.
* GirlishPigtails: She has them on her head, like how Miyu did during the Lost Incident. In addition, it makes her head look a bit like a water molecule.
* HartmanHips: Aqua has a very pronounced waistline styled to look like a teardrop, highlighting her feminine appearance.
* HealingHands: After Earth badly damages his hands freeing her, she heals them and later [[spoiler: tried to heal Miyu from Lightning's virus but failed.]]
* LivingLieDetector: Ai and Earth both claim she could easily discern truth from lie. This claim is proven true when a flashback shows her witnessing [[spoiler:Lightning creating "Judgment Arrows", and doesn't buy his claim that he's creating said card just to protect humanity from the Cyberse World]].
* MakingASplash: She is an Ignis based on the WATER attribute, with her entire body being primarily light blue, a colour also commonly associated with the water element.
* MysteriousWaif: Of the Ignis properly introduced, Aqua is the most mysterious. Just before the Cyberse World was attacked, she warned Earth that he needed to pick a side in the human-ignis conflict, purposely withholding her own decision knowing he'd just follow her if she didn't. Her warning the Cyberse World would be split concerns along with foreknowledge of the attack has both Earth and Playmaker concerned, and her current whereabouts are unknown. [[spoiler:According to Lightning, she was for human-ignis coexistance, something he wasn't okay with, and its implied her disappearance is related to him.]]
* NumberTwo: She served as the sub-leader of the Ignis before the Cyberse World was destroyed.
* ProperLady: Her behavior is very proper from the way she speaks to her hand gestures...only when she's not scolding Ai and giving him dope slaps for being lazy.
* RedHerringMole: Windy speculates that she was the spy who contributed to the destruction of the Cyberse World. This claim is proven false when Aqua reveals to Earth what happened to her after she [[spoiler:confronted Lightning when she witnessed him creating "Judgment Arrows" and questioned his motivations, then gets imprisoned and banished from the Cyberse World so Lightning can further his own plans uninterrupted]].
* SheKnowsTooMuch: Having witnessed [[spoiler:Lightning create "Judgment Arrows", she was imprisoned and banished from the Cyberse World by him so that his plans could continue uninterrupted]].
* ShoulderTeammate: After being saved from Blood Shepherd by Aoi, Aqua hangs out on her shoulder for the rest of the episode, though she moves to the duel disk properly come Episode 77.
* SmurfettePrinciple: She is the only female Ignis.
* TechnicolorEyes: Has glowing pink eyes that can also turn into different shades of blue when using her ability.
* {{Telepathy}}: Aqua has a degree of telepathy that lets her be a LivingLieDetector and can glean memories from Miyu and tell Blue Girl's real appearance and name.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Has pink eyelashes to emphasize her feminine appearance.
* TrueBlueFemininity: She's female and basically blue everywhere except her eyes.
* {{Tsundere}}: Based on their interactions, while Aqua is rather strict and annoyed by Ai's antics, she was genuinely concerned and worried when Ai was in danger, implying she does care more about him than she is willing to admit.
* WaterIsBlue: The WATER Ignis with a blue body and fittingly she ends paired with Aoi/Blue Angel.

[[folder:Emma Bessho/Ghost Girl (Ghost Gal)]]
!!Emma Bessho/Ghost Girl (Ghost Gal)
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Yuna Kamakura (Japanese), Megan [=MacPhee=] (English)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emma_watching_akira.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Click here Ghost Girl (Initial Version)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep018_ghost_girl_watching.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Click here Ghost Girl (Current Version)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep056_ghost_girl_winking.png[[/labelnote]]]]

A young woman hired by Akira to spy on Playmaker. She is known as Ghost Girl in LINK VRAINS.

She plays using the Altergeist archetype. Her deck focuses on swarming the field with Altergeist Monsters and set up many Trap cards from her deck with their effects. Her Skill, Secret Cure, allows her to excavate cards from her deck until a Monster Card is revealed. She can than add the Monster Card to her hand while the other cards are send to the GY and both players gain LP equal to its ATK.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Episode 53 focuses more on her backstory and her interactions with Akira & Blood Shepard 3 years ago
* AlliterativeName: Her OnlineAlias, '''G'''host '''G'''irl.
* AwesomeByAnalysis: She uses her skill and strategy to lock down Playmaker, using methods to keep Playmaker's LP above 1000 so he can't use Storm Access on her, only failing because he used an effect to lower his LP a second time, using her own Skill to stop the first time.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:She is returned to normal after Playmaker defeats Revolver and the Tower of Hanoi is stopped.]]
* BaitAndSwitch: Disguises herself as Blue Angel to lure Playmaker into LINK VRAINS and capture him for interrogation.
* BigDamnHeroes: She was able to complete the escape program and give it to Soulburner so that he could escape his duel against Blood Shepherd. The interesting twist is that it could also be considered this to Blood Shepherd, because Soulburner was going to win the duel with a direct attack, but Blood Shepherd also has a face-down card which may have won him the duel, making the true victor and person she saved unknown.
* BikerBabe: Her preferred mode of transportation in the real world is via motorcycle.
* BloodKnight: Very interested in Dueling Playmaker, though Akira makes it clear she is to find his identity instead.
* BountyHunter: Defied. Because of Playmaker's actions back during the Tower of Hanoi incident, she vows to repay him someday, and thus refuses to hunt him, a NEW LINK VRAINS fugitive, down.
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Ghost Girl's NEW LINK VRAINS avatar has her wear a belt buckle with a yellow "G" on it.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: To Mai from the original. While Mai is a selfish and greedy JerkWithAHeartOfGold and a bit of a harpy, Ema is a playful and noble character that while concerned about being paid, will discard it for morality. While Mai was an ImpliedLoveInterest for Jonouchi and almost rival for Anzu, Ema is a CoolBigSis and BigSisterMentor for Aoi, helping her evolve as a duelist. While Mai underwent a FaceHeelTurn in Waking the Dragons out of resentment for losing, Ema refuses to become a BountyHunter due to owing Playmaker, only becoming a HeroAntagonist out of concern of what the threat the Ignis could be.
* CoolBigSis: Acts like one to Aoi, being concerned about her well being and acting in a cool elder sister fashion, and is pleased when Aoi's stealth avatar resembles her Ghost Girl one, even naming it Blue Girl, even if she was worried about Akira sending Aoi with her.
* CoolMask: Ghost Girl covers her mouth with a black mask. She ditches it after the opening of NEW LINK VRAINS.
* CostumeEvolution: Come Season 2 her avatar is partially redesigned, using some brighter colors and ditching her face mask
* DisappearedDad: Her father, whom she shares with her half-brother, Blood Shepherd, [[spoiler: is revealed to have died of an illness the previous year, but revealed her never forgot about his son and asked her to help him if she ever had the chance.]]
* DubNameChange: Her OnlineAlias is known as Ghost Gal.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Ghost Girl may be very fascinated by treasure, but she has no intention of hunting down Playmaker, a fugitive in NEW LINK VRAINS, just to reap the monetary reward that comes with his capture.
* TheGadfly: Ghost Gal has a playful flirtatious personality and enjoys teasing others, particularly the Zaizen siblings, at one point even annoying Aoi by asking if she was dreaming about cute guys.
* GracefulLoser: Has no hard feelings losing to Playmaker, and hands over the backdoor to SOL Technologies' data bank to him as promised.
* HealThyself: Her Secret Cure Skill has her excavate her deck until she reveals a Monster card (other cards revealed prior are sent to the Graveyard), which is then added to her hand, and she and her opponent both gain LP equal to that Monster's ATK.
* HeroAntagonist: Like Akira and Aoi, while she doesn't become a BountyHunter against Playmaker, she still works against him and Soulburner due to a worry if the Ignis would be enemies of humanity. Averted come Episode 76 she and Aoi drop it by [[spoiler: saving Aqua from SOL and Blood Shepherd.]]
* HiredGuns: She's a mercenary duelist, hacker, and investigator that works for Akira, but also takes jobs for others in SOL Technologies.
* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:After losing to Revolver, Ghost Girl is converted into data and absorbed into Hanoi's seed, becoming the base power source for their tool to destroy VRAINS, the Tower of Hanoi. She gets better]].
* IGaveMyWord: After she loses to Playmaker, she hands over the backdoor to SOL Technologies' data bank to him as promised.
* IOweYouMyLife: Due to Playmaker's actions back during the Tower of Hanoi incident, Ghost Girl refuses to become a bounty hunter.
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Ghost Girl warns Playmaker of Revolver's unknown Trap card as she gets purged from LINK VRAINS entirely.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldThem: After Blue Girl is forcibly logged out after her loss to Soulburner, Ghost Girl opts to go, unable to go on without her partner, and not having the heart to attack Soulburner when he is exhausted.
* LongLostSibling: Ema turns out to be the long lost younger sister of Blood Shepherd.
* LovelyAngels: Forms a duo with Aoi in Season 2.
* MulticoloredHair: Multiple shades of purple.
* MsFanservice: Her outfit (both in and out of VRAINS) leaves little to the imagination.
* OnlineAlias: Ghost Girl.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Her only motivation for acquiring Ai for SOL Technologies is to sell him to them for a high price.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Although the actual archetype is made up of spellcasters, the Altergeists are made up of poltergeists from around the world.
* PointyEars: Unlike the rest of the cast, she has slightly pointy ears, both in her civilian form and as Ghost Girl.
* ProudBeauty: Certainly proud of her looks as she refers to herself as a mysterious beauty.
* ShipperOnDeck: In the dub, she makes the offhand comment "I ship it" when commenting on how Playmaker saved Blue Angel.
* SomethingAboutARose: She throws a rose at Playmaker's feet to spring a trap on Playmaker.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The official transliteration of her given name gives her two "m"s as opposed to one.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Her Ghost Girl avatar wears tight hotpants.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Multiple shades of purple.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Type B with hotpants as Ghost Girl.

->See [[Characters/YuGiOhVRAINSIgnis Owners Ignis Owners]] for more information.

!!Yusaku Fujiki/Playmaker/Unknown
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Shouya Ishige (Japanese), Jake Paque (English), Kana Omuro (Japanese, young)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ygo_vrains_ep_50_img_011.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Playmaker/Unknown]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/animediajune2017yusakufujiki.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]

A first-year high school student who doesn't like standing out and doesn't enjoy Dueling. In LINK VRAINS, he is known as Playmaker, one of the best duelists in VRAINS. He has a personal grudge against the hacker group, the Knights of Hanoi, and wishes to take them down. To this end, he captures Ignis, a mysterious AI program sought by both Hanoi and SOL Technologies. With the two knowing Playmaker has Ignis, Yusaku becomes their target to find and defeat.

Yusaku uses a Cyberse deck of low-level monsters, centered around a Beatdown play style, that swarm the field to set up Link Summon combos. His ace monsters are Decode Talker and Firewall Dragon. He also utilizes the other Code Talkers in order to use their effects to adapt to the situation at hand or use them as attackers by empowering them with card effects. In Season 2 he uses Ritual, Fusion, and Synchro Monsters in order to have an alternative way of summoning strong Monsters while at the same time still supporting his Link Monsters.

In Speed Duels his strategy is to let his opponent to damage him or use his own cards with effects that requires him to pay LP in order to drop his LP to 1000 or below it so that he can use his Skill "Storm Access" which allows him to add a Cyberse-Type Link Monster to his Extra Deck which he uses finish of his opponent. Midway in Season 2 during his third duel against Bohman, his Skill was upgraded to "'Neo' Storm Access" which is most the same as regular Storm Access, but also allows him to add other types of Extra Deck Cyberse-Type Monsters to his Extra Deck besides Link Monsters.

* AloofAlly: As Playmaker, he has been praised by the Charisma Duelists for his skill and talent. Not that he cares.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Male example; he has dark hair, and is very stoic and aloof most of the time.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Yusaku seems to have two; being high functionally autistic and suffering from post stress disorder. He has NoSocialSkills; he is very blunt and direct and doesn't seem to realize that he comes off as rude this way; his emotions don't show on his face or body language even when he verbally states he is enjoying himself; and he has a tendency to list things in carefully ordered categories (of three), going so far as to stretch two ideas to fit three bullet points. These are all symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Said symptoms can also be caused by PTSD and PTED - less ambiguous in this case, since it's almost inevitable given [[DeniedFoodAsPunishment his]] [[ElectricTorture past]]. His RevengeBeforeReason and UnstoppableRage on the Knights of Hanoi, as well as the nightmares he is implied to have, also fall in line with this.
* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: The show is already halfway through the second season and we still haven't heard if Yusaku even has parents or any other family member.
* AmnesiacHero: Subverted; [[spoiler:He claims to want to recover his past that had been lost to the incident.]] However, this becomes a minor plot point later on as Yusaku acknowledges that due to the fact that [[spoiler:someone could have manipulated his memories]], he could be [[spoiler:a fake AI who took the place of the original.]]
* AnimeHair: Dark blue hair with light blue bangs and pink accents. Somehow, this isn't enough to make him stand out at school.
* AntiHero: Yusaku is neither HotBlooded nor an AllLovingHero, but a standoffish, serious, and distant {{Jerkass}} whose sole motivation is {{Revenge}} against the Knights of Hanoi for ruining his past. He would even go so far as to give the Knight of Hanoi a very brutal TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, which is something that Kaiba archetypes would usually do.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Playmaker questions Spectre what he fights for. Spectre, however, is unfazed by the question, and shamelessly admits that he fights for Revolver's cause.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Said to be a genius duelist and hacker who excels at reading people. See EstablishingCharacterMoment below.
* BadassBack: His Powercode Talker pierces through Faust's Spreader Queen, not bothering to look back as the latter is destroyed.
* BadassBaritone: Sports a deep voice.
* BadassBoast: "Knights of Hanoi! Wherever you choose to run rampant, I'll show up! My name is Playmaker!"
** He also said this against Spectre: "My dueling always wins!".
* BadDreams: [[spoiler:Experiences horrific RecurringDreams of his days of imprisonment, permanently hampering his ability to fall sleep properly.]] After Season 1, it's unclear if he has recovered from it since the [[spoiler:the defeat of the Knights of Hanoi and the death of Kogami.]]
* BadassInDistress: Playmaker gets captured by Ghost Girl so he can be interrogated regarding Aoi/Blue Angel's comatose state.
** In Season 2, he [[spoiler:and Ai get captured by Lightning and Windy who wishes to overwrite the latter and then reprogram him into an obedient AI. Fortunately he gets saved by Soulburner who saves them with Kusanagi's anti-Ignis program.]]
* BeginnersLuck: Justified. He knows how to use a hover board and do speed duels on his first try, but he figures out right away that he must've done both of these things prior to losing his memory.
* {{BFS}}: His "Decode Talker" wields a greatsword.

** Saves Blue Angel from being erased by Cracking Dragon when the Knight of Hanoi controlling it goes on a rampage in LINK VRAINS searching for Ai.
** While in a Data Storm during his Duel against Ghost Girl, he saves her before she could be swallowed up by the storm, and tosses her back onto her D-Board.
** Saves the entirety of VRAINS and the world from destruction by defeating Revolver and the Knights of Hanoi.
** Saves Shoichi when he got cornered by the Knights of Hanoi in LINK VRAINS a year prior to the series. On a later date he does it again, but this time Shoichi returned the favor after he tried to escape from them.
* BishieSparkle: Lonely Brave's deluded fantasy of a {{bishonen}} Playmaker is complete with white sparkles.
* {{Bishonen}}: Played for laughs. Lonely Brave's deluded fantasy of Playmaker depicts him with exaggeratedly fancy eyelashes and a deep but gentle voice, accompanied by white sparkles.
* BlatantLies: Discussed, where GO claims that Playmaker never intended to scoff at him should he have lost against Genome, and only made that remark to get GO more fired up and determined to defeat Genome. Playmaker doesn't give a straight answer and suggests that whether or not he is truthful about it comes down to what GO makes of it.
* BreakTheCutie: Yusaku was an adorable child and was very happy. [[spoiler:Fancy watching that child get tortured and starved for six months.]]
* BrokenAce: Yusaku is a nearly invincible duelist who seen as near legendary by the internet community in-universe. Due to his DarkAndTroubledPast, he no longer enjoys dueling and has trouble functioning in day to day life, being driven almost entirely by his {{Revenge}}.
* BrokenBird: In a rare male version of this trope. The Hanoi Project has made Yusaku a very bitter, broken person consumed with revenge. No matter how much he wanted to interact with others and try to have a normal life his PTSD keeps on getting worse. He sees this world as a cruel place and he believes that his life is cut short and he doesn’t need future or friends and all he is consumed is revenge.
* BrutalHonesty: Playmaker doesn't mince his words when he dismissively remarks that he is disinterested in GO and Blue Angel.
* CassandraTruth: Akira declines to believe that Playmaker was not responsible for planting a virus in Blue Angel; Akira instead allows his feelings to overcloud his better judgment, and physically torments Playmaker until he gives in and confesses. It isn't until Revolver appears and confesses that the Knights of Hanoi were responsible for the act that Akira releases Playmaker, after he is coaxed into doing so, so that Playmaker and Revolver can Duel, with Blue Angel's life at stake.
* CastFromHitPoints: Several of his cards involve LP costs in some form, which works for him since it allows him to use Storm Access in Speed Duels.
* CatchPhrase: Some variation of "[[RuleOfThree three reasons]]" when [[AwesomenessByAnalysis analyzing situations or reading people]].
* TheComicallySerious: When Kusanagi and Ai teases him for his poor social skills with womens, he doesnt react in anger or embarrassment and maintains a deadpan expression as usual. He is frequently this when it comes to dealing with Ai's antics and he will always remain deadpan no matter what happens to him.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter:
** To [[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Yuya]]. Their attitude, deck themes, and appearances are opposites to each other: While Yuya is an entertainer and a AllLovingHero who enjoys the limelight, Yusaku is an expert hacker and a {{Jerkass}} AntiHero who would rather sit on the sidelines. Yuya believes Dueling should be fun to both himself and everyone watching and never a war tool, while Yusaku doesn't enjoy it and uses it as a tool for his {{Revenge}}. Yuya uses a deck full of clowns, circus animals, dragons, and classic magicians, while Yusaku's deck is themed after VR beings, with the added difference of Yuya using a specific archetype with a large amount of monster types while Yusaku uses various Cyberse-type monsters that don't share an archetype. And finally, Yuya has a bright and colorful appearance, while Yusaku appears to be more bleak and realistic.
** He's also this to ''all'' the previous main characters, because he has no personal interest in Dueling and only uses Duel Monsters as a weapon to use for eliminating the Knights of Hanoi. While the previous main characters would never think of turning down a challenge due to their honor as Duelists, Yusaku only accepts if it will achieve his goals and isn't concerned if his reputation suffers for backing down.
** Something else that differs him from not only Yuya, but also [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Yuma]] (the three of them can even be considered the next trio of protagonists after the first three series) is the amount of dueling skills and power they possess. Yuma and Yuya tend to lose many duels in their series, because of the lack of skill they had from the start, but while they both became stronger, they still couldn't truly be called "the strongest" until the end of their series. Yusaku on the other hand is an insanely powerful and skilled duelist who never lost a duel in the first season except for the flashbacks when he was a kid. And up till now still has to get his first proper defeat in the series.
* CurbStompBattle: Playmaker [[OneHitKill wipes out all of Kenmochi's LP in a single turn]] with the Effects of "Pentestag" and "Cyberse Annihilation", all without letting his own LP deplete once. He also defeats Yoroizaka in a single turn without letting his own LP deplete once, by clearing the latter's Field of Monsters with "Firewall Dragon's" Effect and attacking directly with both "Dual Assembwurm" and "Firewall Dragon".
* CyberPunk: Yusaku uses the Cyberse archetype, which all fit this theme.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler: He and five other children were kidnapped by the perpetrators of the Hanoi Project and kept isolated in almost empty rooms, one child in each. The only thing there was in the rooms were the [=VR=] equipment used to duel against difficult opponents. Defeat wasn't an option. First, they'd be punished for their loss with an electroshock, then [[DeniedFoodAsPunishment they'd be deprived of food]], all while in isolation, for half a year. While he tried therapy after escaping, it didn't help, continuing to have recurring night terrors as well as seemingly developing an inability to sleep on his own.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: Downplayed; Playmaker dons a bodysuit with dark colours, and personality-wise, he is at worst anti-heroic.
* DeadpanSnarker: Doesn't say much besides snark when he responds to the AI in Naoki's Duel Disk.
-->'''AI in Naoki's Duel Disk:''' Hello there.\\
'''Yusaku:''' Yeah, hi.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei]]. Both of them are cool and level-headed [[VigilanteMan vigilantes]] with a penchant for technology (vehicles for Yusei, hacking for Yusaku—although Yusei is also proficient in hacking) and money problems (Yusei growing up in the slums, Yusaku living in a shabby apartment). But while Yusei is [[AllLovingHero openly friendly]] despite his [[TheComicallySerious serious demeanor]] and [[NotSoAboveItAll enjoys Dueling to some degree]], Yusaku is very [[NoSocialSkills standoffish and cold-hearted]], [[SeriousBusiness treating it as weapons to eliminate those who are getting in his way]] and [[BrutalHonesty expressing downright brutal opinions to others]].
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: In a Speed Duel, he will allow his LP to deplete to 1000 or lower so that he can meet the prerequisite for activating Storm Access.
** Playmaker gets a chance to block the attack-boosting power of one of GO's monsters and chooses one that contributes a lower boost, so that he can get down to 100 LP and use his Skill.
** Ghost Girl defies this twice:
*** When a replay occurs in which Playmaker (who boasted 1900 LP at the time) Summons "Lockout Gardna" as Ghost Girl attempts to attack him directly with "Altergeist Primebanshee", she does not continue her attack.
*** Playmaker pays 1000 LP by "Balancer Lord's" effect so he can again meet Storm Access's activation prerequisite, only for Ghost Girl to activate her Secret Cure Skill to restore his LP back to over 1000. Playmaker quickly gets around this by paying 1000 LP once again (this time by "Scan Doll's" effect) to meet said prerequisite, and activates Storm Access without issue.
** In his Duel against one of SOL's AI prototypes, he halves his LP with "Cynet Defrag's" effect, then pays a further 1000 LP by "Flick Clown's" effect, bringing his LP down to exactly 1000.
** Blood Shepherd also defies this in their Duel by forcing Playmaker to gain 1000 LP after "Cyberse Witch" and "Medicdrone Dock's" Battle and prevent him from meeting the prerequisite for activating Storm Access. Playmaker, however, quickly gets around this by halving his LP with "Dimension Link".
* {{Determinator}}: Yusaku isn't the type to give up easily, or at all.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Other than Kusanagi, Yusaku doesn’t want other people to help him or sympathize with him because he doesn’t want others to get involved in his fight against Hanoi and out of concern would prefer to keep everyone safe.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Even though [[spoiler: Yusaku risked everything to defeat Revolver to stop the Tower of Hanoi, prevented countless lives from being lost, rescued those that have been lost, the world from falling into anarchy without technology, and much more]], in Season 2 [[spoiler:Yusaku is hunted down by people who should've been grateful he managed to beat all odds and save them ''at all''.]]
* ElectricTorture: Back when he was in confinement, he would be electrocuted every time he lost a Duel in the VR space and be denied food.
* EmotionlessBoy: Downplayed of The Stoic type. Yusaku does have emotions but he just doesn’t want to express them unless he is provoked.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: In-universe and lampshaded by Revolver, after Playmaker beats a Knight of Hanoi.
-->'''Revolver:''' Playmaker, to think he'd be such a dark horse.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: [[ExactWords Yusaku's first appearance]] is when he's woken up by Naoki at the end of their class. In quick succession Naoki shows off his Duel Disk, quips that Yusaku's older model must mean he isn't a very good duelist, discusses LINK VRAINS, and asks Yusaku if he wants help improving his Dueling skills. Yusaku (who doesn't even know Naoki's name despite being in the same class for a month) replies by means of a SherlockScan to explain that he's already determined that Naoki isn't a good duelist, but is a good guy and also passionate about the game in spite of skill level. This works to quickly establish Yusaku as an intellectual and analytical thinker.
* EveryoneHasStandards: In spite of his vengeful spirit, he is unwilling to sacrifice uninvolved parties, as demonstrated when Spectre reveals an imprisoned Akira in front of him, who increasingly risks being infected by the prison's virus as Spectre takes damage
* ExperiencedProtagonist: He was already active as Playmaker for a year before the series began.
* {{Expy}}:
** Appears to be this for [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei]], being a cool-headed economically troubled TeenGenius and all, but his Playmaker account resembles a DarkerAndEdgier version of [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Yuma's first ZEXAL form]] and in personality and backstory, he's more similar to [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Jaden]] in season 4 since they both used to enjoy dueling, but horrific events caused them to lose the joy and love they had for the game and changed their personalities into a distant and serious person the only difference is that it happened to Yusaku before the series instead of during. In addition, his DarkAndTroubledPast, extreme bitterness towards others, and refusal to participate in social activities brings [[Manga/YuGiOh Kaiba]] to mind.
** His Code Talker monsters looked like an odd combination between [[Manga/YuGiOh Buster Blader]], and [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Elemental HERO Sparkman]]. It also serves a similar role to Yusei's Warriors.
** Shares a few elements with [[Anime/YuGiOhZexal Shark]] and [[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Yuto]], both being orphans with a MysteriousPast to the audience, having someone they wanted to get {{Revenge}} on, and wanting so help/save someone who has a younger sibling bond with a main cast member.
** Yusaku's Firewall Dragon is this to the previous main characters' ace monsters. A monster with 2500 ATK who has very strong utility. It also lacks a level like [[Anime/YuGiOhZexal Number 39: Utopia]], who is a Rank 4 Xyz monster similar to how Firewall Dragon is a LINK-4 Link monster.
* FatalFlaw:
** Despite being so skilled to the point of overpowering Revolver in their first Master Duel, Yusaku has severe RevengeBeforeReason and UnstoppableRage issues.
** His sense of justice tends to hinder him too, especially when someone else is caught in his path to revenge. When Akira is captured while Yusaku is fighting Spectre, Spectre states that any damage to him makes the cage Akira is in more dangerous as touching the cage would implant a virus. Thus Yusaku refrains from damaging Spectre.
* TheFettered: Zigzagged. Yusaku will do whatever it takes to get {{Revenge}} on the Knights of Hanoi but at the same time, he's against getting others involved in it, and refuses to act if an innocent party is dragged into it and held hostage (as is the case with Akira being held hostage in a virus-infested vine prison, during Playmaker's Duel against Spectre).
* FirstNameBasis: The only human he is on first-name basis with is Takeru.
* FrameUp: Playmaker becomes a wanted man in NEW LINK VRAINS since its opening thanks to SOL Technologies, who has ordered a team of {{bounty hunter}}s to go after him and acquire the Ignis in his possession.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Originally just [[spoiler:some random kidnapping victim]], who's since then become one of the biggest threats to Hanoi [[spoiler: and possibly to SOL Technologies.]]
* TheGadfly: Claims that he appeared during Dark Onizuka and Genome's Duel so that he can scoff at the former when he loses, to Dark Onizuka's irritation.
* GoldenSuperMode: As Playmaker, Yusaku's hair changes color, with the dark blue part becoming magenta, the bright blue part becoming a yellowish gold, and the bright pink parts becoming hot pink.
* GoodIsNotNice: To unbelievable degrees. He's a hacker, a NoNonsenseNemesis, and a cold-hearted AntiHero who wants to [[{{Revenge}} make the Knights of Hanoi pay the price]] for their involvement in the "past incident".
* GoodOldWays: Downplayed, but he uses an older modeled Duel Disk which requires physical cards, as opposed to Duel Disks which can utilize cards in data format. This is also a nod to some hackers in real life who have avoided detection by using outdated tech that is sometimes well over a decade old.
* HealThyself: When a Link Monster co-linked to his Binary Sorceress battles an opponent's Monster and inflicts battle damage to them, he gains LP equal to the amount of damage inflicted.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Yusaku may be cold hearted most of the time but he does have a nice and compassionated side to his personality as well and he may be an AntiHero but he is not a bad person.
* TheHero: Of ''VRAINS''. Not that he wants the title though.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Multiple instances of subversions of this trope, which would've otherwise lead Playmaker to his loss:
** In his Duel against a Knight of Hanoi, Playmaker's Summoning of "Stack Reviver" while "Cracking Dragon" is present on the Knight of Hanoi's Field only costed him 100 LP since his Monster boasted an original ATK of less than 400 (Playmaker had exactly 400 LP left at the time he Summoned it).
** Revolver attempts to finish off Playmaker with the latter's "Firewall Dragon" while it was in the former's possession, only for Playmaker to activate "Cynet Refresh" to destroy all cards in both players' Main Monster Zones before the attack could go through.
** Playmaker Summoning "Secure Gardna" to the Main Monster Zone that the upper Link Arrow of Akira's "Acute Cerberus" pointed to costs him the Duel by the effect of "Gergonne's End"... except [[NoSell "Secure Gardna's" effect negates all effect damage]] its controller takes on the same turn it's Special Summoned.
* HumanSacrifice: Subverted. While Revolver forced a DRAW in his second Speed Duel against Playmaker, neither of them are absorbed by the Tower of Hanoi, and are forced out of LINK VRAINS due to a Data Storm shockwave.
* InvincibleHero: Although he has gotten hurt in his battles, [[spoiler:so far, Playmaker has thoroughly been invincible and has not lost a single battle (those where he 'lost' was when Revolver forced a draw).]]
* IllBoy: Downplayed but he has severe PTSD. His methods of eating are unhealthy and he frequently looks tired and collapses after logging out of LINK VRAINS.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: One of his Link Monsters is "Firewall Dragon", but it is a Cyberse-Type instead of Dragon-Type.
* {{Irony}}:
** He doesn't want to stand out, but his account name is "Playmaker" and becomes well-known in the Network World for dealing with the threat the Knights of Hanoi poses. Justified; he only cares about not standing out at school and in real life, since as a hacker he could get in a lot of trouble if anyone connected his online persona to his real identity.
** Despite his solo tendencies, a lot of his best Link Monsters benefit from being linked to others.
** To follow up with the above, he has made it a point that he wants others to stay away from his battles. However, as VRAINS as a whole is typically under attack, he ends up collaborating with Go and Blue Angel on several occasions.
* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: Yusaku (initially) avoids making friends because he knows his enemies don't mess around and doesn't want anybody getting hurt.
* IWorkAlone: Prefers to keep everyone else out of his battle against the Knights of Hanoi, describing it as a life-or-death situation.
* JadeColoredGlasses: When he was younger, Yusaku used to be much happier and loved dueling. However, [[spoiler:after the incident, Yusaku had trouble living day to day life and is still recovering from the lingering effects of trauma since then. He became jaded and cynical, becoming consumed with revenge for the one who did this to him and the five other children.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While Yusaku may be a cold-hearted {{Jerkass}}, he does have a number of noble and heroic moments.
** Immediately after he tells Naoki how his analysis defines him as a weak Duelist, he also tells him how that defined him as a good person. Naoki is not pleased with him either way. He also later admits that Akira seems like a good person.
** He admits he doesn't hate or dislike anyone other than the Knights of Hanoi. This seems to be due to how people around him don't seem to be bad people and he was taken care by numerous others after his dark and traumatic childhood incident.
** He describes the battle against the Knights of Hanoi as a life-or-death situation, and out of concern would prefer to keep GO and everyone else from getting involved rather than recruit allies. When the Knights of Hanoi start attacking random duelists and turning them into Anothers, Yusuaku decides to enter LINK VRAINS and confront them, despite it being safer to stay away.
* KickTheDog:
** What Go thinks of him showing up and "snatching" the spotlight (even if it's unintentional). In Playmaker's defense though, [[SubvertedTrope he didn't ask for fame in the first place]]. Played straight with initial his poor treatment of Ai, though.
** Akira attempts to convince Yusaku to reconsider his RevengeBeforeReason attitude. While Yusaku doesn't care, he advises Akira and Aoi against getting further involved in his personal war against the Knights of Hanoi out of concern for their future, so this is both zig-zagged and justified.
* KidDetective: Yusaku is described as "a hacker who has the sort of sharp mind that can solve mysteries". Best shown in the Another incident when he manages to find the leads he needed to track down one of the Three Lieutenants of Hanoi.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Playmaker".
* LightIsGood: His "Firewall Dragon" is a LIGHT Monster.
* LimitedWardrobe: Apart from his digital avatar, he's only seen wearing his school uniform, possibly because he can't afford any other clothes.
* TheMagicPokerEquation: His Skill, Storm Access, allows him to randomly add a card found in a Data Storm to his deck. Naturally, the first time he uses it he gains Decode Talker, which is perfectly suited to winning him the duel. That said, Ignis did create the storm Decode Talker was in and kept trying to get Yusaku go into it, so possibly downplayed.
* MeaningfulName: Yusaku's surname, Fujiki, is Japanese for "wisteria tree". Meanwhile, his first name is written by combining the kanjis for "Play" and "Make".
* MesACrowd: Not intentionally but Playmaker has several impersonators who have the same avatar as him but none of the impostors do a good job impersonating Playmaker. Later during Spectre and Blue Angel's Duel, a boy posing as Playmaker confronts Frog and Pigeon, mistaking the pair for Knights of Hanoi, and attempts to engage them in a Duel.
* MrFanservice: He has [[BadassBaritone a deep voice]], [[{{Bishounen}} doesn't look half-bad]] and his Playmaker persona wears [[LatexSpacesuit a skin-tight bodysuit]].
* MulticoloredHair: He has dark blue hair, complete with light blue bangs and traces of pink.
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Has the power to "sense" things, which enables him to detect false appearances and decrypt data.
* MysteriousProtector: His role as Playmaker. He doesn't even bother revealing his secret identity to others.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: After saving the world, his reward is beign a wanted fugitive.
* NoNonsenseNemesis: He's not Dueling for fun, but for {{Revenge}} and likes to finish duels quickly.
* NoSocialSkills: Kinda. His idea of getting close to Aoi is stalking her around the school. Fortunately, he's getting better once Takeru comes into the story.
* NothingPersonal: Bears no malicious intent towards Akira and doesn't hold it against him for being dismissive of revenge, but will take him down in a Duel regardless if he gets in the way of Playmaker's desire for revenge.
* NotSoStoic:
** He gets agitated when Ignis reads off the inflammatory internet comments about Playmaker not accepting Blue Angel's challenge. Ignis teases that contrary to his attitude, Yusaku ''does'' care what other people think of him.
** Playmaker loses his cool and snaps at Akira in rage after the latter claims that he understands what it's like to lose a loved one.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: In real life he acts like a lazy slacker who has no idea about dueling. Online as Playmaker he's a focused and strategic top duelist. He even carries around a decoy deck with him so anyone that looks at his cards will think he's an amateur.
* OnlineAlias: Playmaker. Prior to his initial meeting with Kusanagi, Yusaku went by the alias Unknown.
* OrdinaryHighschoolStudent: Acts as one, but has been working as the Playmaker for a while.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Though the Archfiend archetype usually consists of Fiend-Types, Yusaku's Vector Square Archfiend is instead a Cyberse-Type.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: While it bears the appearance of a dragon and contains "dragon" in its name, Yusaku's Firewall Dragon is a Cyberse-Type instead. Same applies to Cyberse Clock Dragon and Cyberse Quantum Dragon.
* OverworkedSleep: Has a tendency to doze off to sleep after returning from a hard fought Duel in LINK VRAINS.
* PerpetualFrowner: Hardly seen with a non-serious facial expression. He does smile as he turns to face the rising sun at the end of [=ED1=], though.
* PetTheDog:
** Spends his time in Episode #8 attempting to help Aoi/Blue Angel, from taking her to the hospital when he finds her comatose body to willingly walking into a trap to find the computer program that could cure her.
** After Revolver and Playmaker's second Master Duel wraps up, [[spoiler:Yusaku frees Ai from captivity, allowing him to freely return home back to the Cyberse World]].
* PragmaticHero: Although heroic, not very much of an idealist and willing to do shady and illegal acts such as [[spoiler:infiltrating and stealing SOL's company data.]]
* PriceOnTheirHead: Since the opening of NEW LINK VRAINS, Playmaker is a wanted target with a bounty on his head worth ₽500,000, targeted by {{bounty hunter}}s under the orders of SOL Technologies.
* RageBreakingPoint: He and Kusanagi snap at Akira, who claims that he understands what it's like to lose a loved one.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Playmaker dismisses the Knight of Hanoi he beats up in #2, in that the latter has no right to call himself a Duelist.
-->'''Playmaker''': You don't deserve to be called a "Duelist"!
* RedOniBlueOni:
** The quite and emotionless blue oni to Ai's bombastic red.
** Playmaker's stoicism and no-nonsense front contrasts Soulburner's [[HotBlooded hot-bloodedness]].
* ReiAyanamiExpy: Dark and troubled past? Check. Unusually colored hair (blue with magenta highlights)? Check. Very stoic and comes off as emotionless? Check.
* RelativeButton: If you value your dignity, never, ''ever'' tell him to let go of his past hurts (which scarred him and Kusanagi's little brother) and live his present life in happiness. Akira learns this the hard way.
* {{Revenge}}: Vows to avenge his and Kusanagi's little brother's past by getting back at those responsible for the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Akira attempts to convince Playmaker to abandon the idea of revenge, let go of his past hurts, enjoy his present life in happiness, and allow the former to responsibly bring a closure to the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project. Naturally, Playmaker refuses to relent. Later, as pointed out by Spectre, the trope is actually subverted, as despite his desire for revenge, he doesn't have the heart to be cruel and let people suffer for his revenge.
* RuleOfThree:
** Has a habit of listing three things about a given situation or person.
** His Three-Strike Barrier requires that his opponent controls exactly three cards as a prerequisite to activate.
** His Powercode Talker requires exactly three Monsters as Link Summoning Material.
** His Cyberse Quantum Dragon is a Synchro monster, the third type of older summoning methods reintroduced in Season 2. It is also his third extra deck monster that is a dragon.
** Both his given name and surname have three syllables (Yu-sa-ku Fu-ji-ki).
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:
** Go and Blue Angel attempt to confront Playmaker in a Duel after he defeats a Knight of Hanoi, but dismissively remarks that he has no interest in either of them, and proceeds to log out of LINK VRAINS.
** Playmaker attempts to bolt when he finds out that the Knight of Hanoi he's chasing is really GO in disguise. [[CrazyPrepared Unlike last]] [[DefiedTrope time however]], GO gets the cooperation of SOL Technologies Inc. and prepares a trap that prevents Playmaker from logging out unless he defeats GO in a Duel.
** He tried to escape from the Knights of Hanoi after learning they know nothing of the Lost Incident, but he almost failed if it wasn't for Shoichi's interference.
* SeriousBusiness: He treats Dueling as a means of hunting down the Knights of Hanoi.
* SherlockScan: In his EstablishingCharacterMoment, he deduces Naoki's personality and skill level in dueling just by listening to him talk about duel disks and VRAINS. This carries over into his duels, where he's very good at analyzing the field and makes moves that seem poor to onlookers, but serve a greater strategy Yusaku is working towards.
* ShrinkingViolet: {{Subverted}}; he actually doesn't want to expose the fact that he is a hacker.
** Played a little straight in #6, where he has no idea how to approach Aoi, and gets nervous before entering the Duel Club room.
* TheStoic: Prefers to distance himself from others due to his Playmaker business.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: He may be ruthless, aloof and cold most of the time but he does have good heart deep down.
* SurvivalMantra: Since his time in captivity during the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project, the "three reasons/things" mantra [[spoiler:taught to him by Revolver]] is what motivated him to move forward.
* TeenGenius: Said to be an incredibly smart person, good at reading people, and quick-witted.
* ThemeNaming: As per series tradition, Yusaku's name has the kanji 遊. Unlike the previous main characters, however, his name has three syllables as opposed to two.
* ThisCannotBe: Playmaker is initially shocked over Bohman's claim that not only was he one of the victims of the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project, he is the real Yusaku... only to later be shot down by Playmaker on the grounds that Bohman was imprinted with fake memories.
* TooDumbToLive: Subverted in his second Speed Duel against Revolver. Playmaker risks his life by activating Storm Access, sustaining injuries and a severed hand in the process. Had it not been for Ai saving him, Playmaker would potentially be dead by now.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starting from his third Duel with Bohman, Playmaker's Skill is upgraded to Neo Storm Access, which allows him to acquire any Cyberse Extra Deck Monster, not just a Cyberse Link Monster.
* TronLines: Playmaker's bodysuit sports golden trimmings, which glow light blue when Ritual Summoning, purple when Fusion Summoning, and light green when Synchro Summoning.
* TsurimeEyes: Highlighting his aloofness. The sharpness of his eyes also highlights his determination for revenge against those involved in the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* TheUnchosenOne: Zigzagged. Yusaku is neither TheChosenOne ([[Manga/YuGiOh Yugi]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Judai]], [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Yusei]], [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Yuma]]) nor an ApocalypseMaiden ([[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Yuya]]); he has no special destiny or powers that make him TheHero. He just happens to be a normal civilian smart enough to swipe Ignis from the internet before his enemies can. On the other hand, a later reveal shows that the Ignis that Yusaku captured was actually created based on Yusaku himself due to the [[spoiler:Lost Incident]] and shares a special connection to him as a result. Of course, Yusaku did not know this at the time but capturing Ai gave him the capability to take on the Knights of Hanoi.
* UnstoppableRage: Towards the Knights of Hanoi for ruining his childhood, specifically in regards to the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: He used to be a cheerful kid who enjoys playing Duel Monsters before the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* VigilanteMan: Hunts down the Knights of Hanoi and is branded as an EnsembleDarkhorse by the Charisma Duelists, but SOL Technologies Inc. sees him as a hacker. He also trusts only himself to uncover the truth about the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* VirtueIsWeakness: Exploited by Spectre, who has taken Akira hostage within a prison of vines with viruses installed in them and points out that Playmaker's unwillingness to sacrifice others to put an end to Hanoi's ambitions is a flaw of his that will ultimately lead to his downfall.
* WhenHeSmiles: During his second Master Duel against Revolver. In spite of the face of adversity he's in after being overwhelmed by Revolver's Extra Linked Monsters, Playmaker manages to smile, to Ai's surprise.
* WorldsBestWarrior: The best duelist in LINK VRAINS and is so far undefeated.
* YouAreTooLate:
** Fails to stop Makoto from being forcefully dragged into LINK VRAINS (and subsequently being turned into an Another victim).
** Playmaker is powerless to do anything to prevent [[spoiler:Ghost Girl from being purged and the Tower of Hanoi's activation]].
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Has literal blue hair with some pink shades in it.

[[folder:Ai]]
!!Ai
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakahiroSakurai (Japanese), Michael Liscio Jr.(English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep12_ai_gets_his_body_back.png]]

A mysterious AI program, sought after by the Knights of Hanoi and SOL Technologies Inc., that Yusaku captures. Belongs to an AI species with free will, known as the Ignis, and is based on the DARK Attribute.

* {{Adorkable}}: His comic relief antics are really dorky.
* AmnesiacHero: Before he could escape, a Cracking Dragon devoured most of his body, leaving his memories heavily fragmented or outright gone. [[spoiler:As of [[WhamEpisode episode #41]], this is subverted; Revolver reveals that in the fragments of data the Knights of Hanoi collected after tearing Ai apart, none of them contained his memories. Therefore, Ai had them all along and was lying to Yusaku about having no memories.]]
* ArtificialIntelligence: Belongs to a species of [=AIs=] with free will known as the Ignis, created by Kogami.
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:In episode #42, seeing Playmaker continuously fail to perform Storm Access and even getting a forearm ripped off, Ai stepped in and transformed into a larger version of himself to prevent Playmaker from falling. Ai then proceeded to sacrifice a part of himself to repair Playmaker's arm and shield him from the flying debris. He really could have been erased. [[BetweenARockAndAHardPlace Even if he could have been erased either by Playmaker losing or being destroyed by the debris]] and had the slightest chance of surviving by saving Playmaker, he still saved Playmaker from certain death while risking his own life. Ai may have been willing to sacrifice himself because he wanted to make it up to Playmaker for lying about losing his memories.]]
-->[[spoiler:''Ai: "Shut up! This is how I repent!"'']]
* AttentionWhore: When he gets his body back and shows off. Yusaku and Kusanagi couldn't care less.
* BewareTheSillyOnes:
** After a Knight of Hanoi is about to [[TakingYouWithMe blow himself up]], Ai transforms into an EldritchAbomination... and devours him.
** Later, when Revolver loses against Playmaker in their master duel, he does so again and tears his arm off.
** In the duel with Faust, it was heavily implied Ai intentionally put Naoki in danger as an excuse to make Yusaku eliminate Faust. When Faust loses the duel he laments that Ai will bring about the downfall of humanity; this coupled with his actions in the episode heavily implies Ai might be a BitchInSheepsClothing.
* ButtMonkey: You can't help feeling sorry for the poor thing after everything that happens to it. [[UpToEleven And that is after just one episode]].
** In #12 he finally gets some of his Data back so he can reform his original body!... But he's only big enough to be held like a doll and doesn't impress anyone, he didn't even get any of his memories back.
* CaptainObvious: Often has a tendency to point out whatever happens in a Duel.
* CassandraTruth: Playmaker initially refuses to believe that a Knight of Hanoi has once again invaded LINK VRAINS, until Ai reveals that Blue Angel fell under the influence of Hanoi.
* CastingAShadow: All of the six Ignis are based on each of the Attributes of the card game (except DIVINE); Ai is based on DARK.
* CatchPhrase: Exclaims "Take hold of the wind, Playmaker!", usually every time he utilizes Storm Access.
* ChewToy: Literally! Barely escaped after being followed and almost devoured by a Cracking Dragon.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: To [[Manga/YuGiOh Dark Yugi]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Yubel]] and [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Astral]]. Unlike any of them, he is much goofier and amiable. Also, his purpose is immediately made clear upon his introduction, unlike his more mysterious predecessors. His relationship with Yusaku also differs from the others, as Yusaku is aware of him but doesn't respect him and sees him as an annoyance. Also, the above three were invisible to everyone but the protagonist and a select few. Astral could only be seen by Yuma initially, with the others being able to see him due to special circumstances, Dark Yugi was only visible while in Yugi's body, and Yubel could only been seen by Jaden after they fused together. Ai is visible to anyone on and off LINK VRAINS, and has to take steps to hide himself in the real world so a Knight of Hanoi or SOL Technologies wouldn't see him with Yusaku. Another thing that differentiates Ai from them is that he doesn't advise Yusaku during a duel and tends to panic or be confused by the plays made instead. All Ai can do is give Yusaku Storm Access so that he can get the cards he needs to win or say what the cards effect are like normal AI. It's even implied he causes more trouble for him in a duel, because of his BadBadActing and the one time he did give advise to him, he made the situation unintentionally worse, because not only did the OTK fail, but Bohman's LP are below 1000 which means he can use Storm Access.
* ComicRelief: Of '''ALL''' the characters in this show, he has the least serious personality.
* CosmicPlaything: Despite dismissing the idea of prayer, is obviously hated by the Universe.
* CryCute: A comical variant, where it tears up over being given an EmbarrassingNickname.
* DarkIsNotEvil: He is the Ignis who represents the DARK Attribute, but he's also a complete goofball who's much more amicable than his partner.
* DeadpanSnarker: After witnessing Prototype Ai-A's cards' hand destruction effects, Ai snidely claims that Playmaker is terrible at old maid.
* ADogNamedDog: Is given the name Ai by Yusaku because he's an AI, and because when they meet [[GratuitousEnglish his entire body is an eye]].
* DudeWheresMyRespect: To his dismay, Yusaku and Kusanagi don't bat an eye when Ai regains and reveals his true form.
* EldritchAbomination: Shapeshifts into some sort of monstrosity to consume a Knight of Hanoi who was about to [[TakingYouWithMe blow himself up to eliminate Playmaker]].
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Ai", courtesy of Yusaku. Later subverted when he openly embraces his nickname after Playmaker appears to confront Genome.
* {{Expy}}: Despite the contrast to the other partners stated above. Ai does have a few similarities to them.
** Just like Yubel he doesn't truly help Yusaku like Dark Yugi or Astral in a duel other then encourage him, but he does give him a new ability just Yubel does with Jaden.
** His relation with Yusaku is quite similar to that of Yuma and Astral, but the difference here is that their personalities are switched with Yusaku being the cool headed one and Ai being the HotBlooded loud mouth.
* {{Foil}}: His goofy attitude is sharply contrasts Yusaku's stoicism.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Claims that its own people dislike it.
* TheGadfly:
** Being an AI doesn't make him any less capable of teasing Yusaku for being unable to talk to girls.
** He also teases a miffed Yusaku after he requests that Ai stop reading hate comments posted after declining to Duel Blue Angel.
* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted during Playmaker and Revolver's second Speed Duel. Ai shields Playmaker from the debris as Playmaker enters the Data Storm and activates Storm Access, and appears to have vanished after Playmaker acquires Transcode Talker... but actually survives, as a miniature Ai reappears after Revolver begins his turn.
* HiddenDepths:
** Yusaku suspects him of being the one who was responsible for sending and installing Cyberse Wizard's card data into Naoki's Duel Disk.
** While Ai isn't the smartest of the Ignis, his brethren all consider him the [[SimpleMindedWisdom wisest]] of the group.
* HumiliationConga: The first episode alone has Ai go through all kinds of trouble, but being captured by Yusaku is definitely where the chain of humiliation after humiliation begins.
* {{Irony}}: An AI that was born through [[spoiler: the torture of kids by]] dueling tends to panic a lot when it looks like Playmaker is going to lose, because he can either not keep up with his strategies or doesn't know the effect of his cards which are implied to be created by him since they are either Cyberse-type or support for them.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mostly in the first season. He used to be both cold towards almost everyone around him, but only inflicted harm to the Knights of Hanoi.
* LivingMacGuffin: To the degree that an AI can be considered "living" anyway.
* LovableCoward: After everything Ai has been through in just the first episode, this cowardice is entirely {{Justified}}.
* LoveableSexManiac: Though not aggressive about it, Ai had three sex-scenes ''on-screen'' in the first twenty episodes alone. His first guess as to why Yusaku is always busy is that he's making out with Shoichi.
* TheMcCoy: Ai is an emotional type that prefers to tend to his own instincts and desires, and according to Bohman [[spoiler: this makes him important to the Ignis, as he was the anomaly and watching him allowed the other Ignises to develop their own quirks and personalities. As Bohman says, he is critically needed for the AI to avoid stagnation and evolve.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In the third duel between Playmaker and Bohman. He advises Playmaker to defeat Bohman in one turn, because his instinct is telling him he's too dangerous, because of how stronger he got. Not only did the attempt fail, but Bohman was able to survive with his LP below 1000. This means he's able to use Storm Access in his next turn.
* NoNameGiven: Was only referred to as a "mysterious lifeform" prior the series' premiere. In the voice cast list during the credits, he is still identified as such instead of his name (until #3, where his name is listed as "[[EmbarrassingNickname Ai]]").
* NoRespectGuy: The target of everyone's attacks, but never taken seriously.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: It's shown several times that he acts like this in some, if not all, of Playmaker's duels to catch opponents off-guard. Earth calls him out on this because of his bad execution at it.
* OddNameOut: He's Ai while the other Ignis names are related to their element. Justified in that Flame started the trend and Yusaku was unaware of the elemental basis of the Ignis when he named him.
* PluckyComicRelief: He serves as the main comic relief in the show.
* PriceOnTheirHead: As Playmaker himself is a bounty target since the opening of NEW LINK VRAINS, Ai himself is also a target.
* RedOniBlueOni: The self centered and talkative red to Yusaku's blue.
* SayingTooMuch: Ai's "panicking" in an attempt to goad Ghost Girl's Primebanshee into attacking Playmaker's Lockout Gardna fails after her AI informs her of Storm Access and the prerequisite to activate it.
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Despite normally being TheDitz, Ai is considered the wisest of the six Ignis.
* TheSlacker: Back in the Cyberse World, Ai was very carefree and wasn't the working type, and thus was deemed an annoyance by the other Ignis.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is the EmbarrassingNickname "Eye" or "Ai"? The anime goes with the latter.
* TaremeEyes: Has these as a contrast to Yusaku and Flame's TsurimeEyes.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Most people only see it as a tool. Yusaku's poor treatment of it comes from the fact that he doesn't think it can feel or actually think, just that it's programmed to keep itself out of anyone's control.
** [[spoiler:He thinks of this when he learns of Earth's demise through Ryoken]].

[[folder:Shoichi Kusanagi (Kolter)/Unnamed]]
!!Shoichi Kusanagi (Kolter)/Unnamed
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SubaruKimura (Japanese), Sam Black (English)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shoichi_episode_4_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Click [[labelnote:here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kusanagi_unknown.png[[/labelnote]]to see Unnamed]]

A seemingly ordinary man acquainted with Yusaku who runs a hotdog stand, he is in truth a skilled hacker who operates as Playmaker's MissionControl. He has a little brother, Jin Kusanagi, who remains traumatised thanks to a certain ten-year old incident.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: While one of the most easygoing and friendly characters in the show, pissing him off by trivialising his past is a terrible mistake.
* BigBrotherInstinct: He seems to be involved in Yusaku's mission in order to help his little brother. Downplayed with Yusaku, as he helps him fight life or death battles.
** When Jin’s consciousnesses was taken by Bohman and Haru, Kusanagi is pressed to find the culprits and get it back. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Yusaku and Ai are slightly unnerved and worried by this change of behavior.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: Subverted. Kusanagi completes the LVSS in time and attempts to bring Akira out of a thorny prison... but it fails to work.
* TheConfidant: To Yusaku, as one of the few individuals who knows about [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling Yusaku's abilities.]]
* CoolBigBro: Acts as one to Yusaku. Yusaku was also seemingly close to his actual younger brother.
** Is very much one to Jin, his younger brother. After Jin's life was ruined after the Hanoi project, Kusanagi dropped his interest in sports to become a hacker in order to locate the ones who kidnapped them and make them pay. After all is said and done, Shouichi visited Jin and asked him to live with him before he got his consciousness stolen. [[BigBrotherInstinct Boy did Kusanagi take that well...]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His younger brother was in the same place as Yusaku, being one of the six children who were abducted during the Lost Incident.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Kusanagi serves as this to Kurosaki. They both are older brother characters who lost their younger sibling after they got kidnapped by the antagonist organization. Kurosaki's sister Ruri got kidnapped by Academia while his brother got kidnapped by Hanoi, making both Kusanagi and Kurosaki develop a grudge with them for kidnapping their siblings. Both also work with their close friends, Yuto and Yusaku, to save them. However, while Kurosaki became an extremely cold hearted and hot headed {{Jerkass}} after losing Ruri, Kusanagi still manages to be a friendly nice guy after losing his brother.
* DubNameChange: Is known as "Kolter" in the English dub.
* {{Foil}}: Of Akira Zaizen. They are both hackers with siblings that serve as their main motivation. While Akira used hacking as a means of survival, Kusanagi uses it for revenge. While Akira is affiliated with SOL Technologies, Kusanagi is Yusaku's greatest ally. Akira is a skilled duelist while Kusanagi isn't. Akira works at a high-class company while Kusanagi owns his own food truck. Akira is uptight and a bit reserved while Kusanagi is laid-back most of the time and is not hesitant to speak his mind.
* TheGadfly: Show some shades of this, teasing Yusaku over his lack of social skills with women.
* HackerCave: His hotdog van doubles as one.
* MissionControl: Operates as Playmaker's, monitoring his activity and the goings-ons of LINK VRAINS from within his hotdog stand.
* TheNarrator: Narrates the episode previews (with the exception of the fourth RecapEpisode).
* NiceGuy: He seems to be very friendly and the only person Yusaku is most comfortable talking with. Also gets along well with Takeru once he joins the group.
* NiceHat: His LINK VRAINS avatar sports a nice burgundy cap.
* NonActionGuy: Doesn't do any Dueling himself, instead serving as Yusaku's MissionControl. Justified, as he only possesses a rudimentary understanding of Duel Monsters, and his own Dueling skills are novice at best.
* OnlineAlias: Unnamed.
* ParentalSubstitute: The closest thing Yusaku has to a guardian, though he acts more like a brother-figure.
* PreciousPhoto: Kusanagi has a picture of Jin and him as children smiling in front of their house. He is often seen looking at it with a smile.
* RageBreakingPoint: He and Playmaker snap at Akira, who claims that he understands what it's like to lose a loved one.
* RelativeButton: A mention of his and his brother's past by anyone who is not Yusaku is enough to enrage the normally laid-back Kusanagi.
* {{Revenge}}: While good at hiding it, it's shown that deep down, he has a deep grudge towards Hanoi for what they did to his little brother.
* RunningGag: In the dub, he constantly denies that hotdogs are sandwiches.
* SecretKeeper: For Yusaku, being one of the few individuals who knows of Playmaker's true identity.
* SeriousBusiness: Saying that hot dogs are sandwiches to his face is a good way to start a debate. In the dub at least.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Dark purple, in this case.

[[folder:Takeru Homura/Soulburner]]
!!Takeru Homura/Soulburner
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YuukiKaji (Japanese), Aoi Inase (Japanese, young)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/takeru_homura.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Soulburner]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep051_soulburner_smiling_with_flame.png[[/labelnote]]]]

A NewTransferStudent of Den Academy. In LINK VRAINS, he is known as Soulburner. Just like Yusaku he is a victim of the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project and caused his time to stand still. After the incident he became a {{Hikikomori}}, but after seeing the three heroes of LINK VRAINS (Playmaker, GO and Blue Angel)fight against the people who caused his problems and his Ignis Flame visiting him, he decides to go forward and help Playmaker in his fight against the new enemy faction.

Takeru uses a Salamangreat deck, an archetype of FIRE Cyberse-Type Monsters focused on a Beatdown strategy, but unlike Yusaku whose deck focuses on Link Summoning multiple Link Monsters and using their effects together for power, his deck focuses more on summoning one strong monster like his ace Salamangreat Heatlio whose effects alone are enough to defeat his opponents. His deck also utilizes Reincarnation Link Summon this allows him to use Link Monsters as the only material in order to summon a copy of the same monster, but with an effect it couldn't use before. His deck just like Playmaker's is capable of using Ritual and Fusion Summon which he uses as an alternative when his Link Monsters aren't enough.
----
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: His Soulburner persona in a nutshell. Aside from the colors that represent the most common colors of fire (gray is likely to symbolize ash), his hairstyle and scarf also look like a fire. Not surprising given that he uses a FIRE deck and his partner [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment is the Ignis that is not only literally calling himself Flame, but also being the Ignis that specifically represents the FIRE Attribute]]. It's pretty obvious where he got the inspiration.
* BadassBoast: Utters one to Bit and Boot before dueling them, accompanied by his crushing a ball of fire in his hand.
-->''I'm Soulburner. I'll burn you up with these flames!''
* BigDamnHeroes: After Haru sics Bit and Boot on Playmaker to keep him distracted, Soulburner arrives to deal with the pair so that Playmaker can focus on tailing Bohman and Haru.
* BigEntrance: Soulburner appears from a whirling burst of flame, and confronts the Bit and Boot pair in Playmaker's stead so that he can concentrate on tailing Bohman and Haru.
* BreakThemByTalking: Soulburner gets on GO's bad side by pointing out that he's incapable of anything but throwing a hissy fit, all because he's no longer number one in LINK VRAINS. This pisses off GO ''big time''.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Although only ambiguously romantic with Kiku, he was brooding and distant back home, while she tried to coax him out of his behavior.
* CastFromHitPoints: His Burning Draw Skill lets him draw a card for every 1000 LP that he gives up.
* TheConfidant: Like Kusanagi, Takeru also knows of Yusaku's secrets.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: [[spoiler: His backstory reveals that his parents died in an accident while searching for him while he was kidnapped during the lost incident.]]
* {{Cyberspace}}: He uses a Cyberse deck.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He's another victim of the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project. After being rescued, he was taken in by his grandparents and learned his parents died while searching for him, leaving him an EmptyShell and angry at the world, often skipping school for large periods. When he saw Playmaker, Blue Angel, and Go fight Hanoi, he felt like time started moving for him again and left for Den City to meet and work with them.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Prior to his departure to Den City, Soulburner had his hair slicked back like a Delinquent, and later changed it to a more unassuming, kinder style to help him better fit in as a student in Den City.
* {{Expy}}:
** Of [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Johan]], being a similar character to the main protagonist and joining partway through the series and establishing a great rapport with him. Though like Judai, he has access to a Super Polymerization like card, Fusion of Fire, which lets him use an opponent's monster to fuse, [[spoiler: which was how he beat Blue Girl.]]
** A clear one of [[RecurringElement Katsuya Jonouchi]], being the more [[PlayingWithFire fiery]] duelist with a gambling gimmick. In addition, his deck in the past utilized Phoenix Gearfried and other FIRE Warriors, referencing his deck more directly.
** His NewTransferStudent status and softer real life appearance also make him this to [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Johan]] and [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Bruno]].
* FaceOfAThug: Prior to his departure to Den City; while not malicious or outright unfriendly, he was capable of pulling off intimidating expressions, which was an easy way to intimidate the Mizunumas (especially Ryujiro) and their gang.
* FashionableAsymmetry: As Soulburner, his right hand is partly exposed, while on his left hand he wears a red gauntlet.
* FieryRedHead: Half of his hair is red, but he both adverts and subverts this trope. Compared to Yusaku, he is more cheerful, but only shows the fiery aspect as Soulburner, who has two-tone blue hair.
* {{Foil}}: To Yusaku/Playmaker. Yusaku is a PerpetualFrowner, uses a pure Cyberse Deck with very little focus on a specific archetype (aside from the Extra Deck bound Code Talkers and the Cynet Spell/Trap series), but with various Attributes and Link Climbing being his primary tactic. Takeru/Soulburner on the other hand is much more cheerful, uses an actual archetype of Cyberse monsters ([[CaptainObvious including Main Deck Monsters]]) who share [[PlayingWithFire a single Attribute]] and focuses on brute force.
* FirstNameBasis: Calls Yusaku by his first name and all of Cafe Nagi, his grandparents, and Kiku call him by his first name. Strangely, Yusaku has yet to call Takeru by his first name despite being allowed to do so.
* HeroWorshipper: Go Onizuka was his hero, his behavior and heroism in the Hanoi incident being what inspired him to come out again, and seeing him wallow in self-pity and be a bounty hunter upsets Soulburner, giving him a BrokenPedestal. To a lesser extent he is one for all the ''VRAINS'' heroes, shown when he fanboys over Aoi's Blue Girl avatar.
* HiddenDepths: Takeru may appear cheerful and spirited now, but he wasn't always like that. He got upset when Flame called him out on having been a shut-in who could only fight his own demons and not fight enemies like Yusaku had. He used to describe himself and feeling empty and angry at everything, and that [[ArcWords time stopped for him]], only starting after learning about the heroes of VRAINS.
* {{Hikikomori}}: After hearing of his parents' deaths while they were searching for him, Takeru grew to hate everything and closed himself off from society. He eventually got out of it after he read the news about Playmaker, Blue Angel, and GO saving LINK VRAINS from the Knights of Hanoi, motivated to move forward and Duel again.
* HopelessWithTech: Seriously [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], but Takeru himself admits that technology isn't his expertise as shown in episode 61 where he asks Kiku how to scroll down a news article on a tablet.
* IllBoy: It may not be noticeable at first, but he went through the same incident as Yusaku and as a result also has PTSD just like him. This is shown when he gets caught by Blood Shepherd's trap, the shock of the trap causes him to have flashbacks of the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* {{Keet}}: He seems to be this based on how he [[TheGlomp glomps]] Yusaku in the second opening.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Soulburner gets excited upon meeting the hero of Link Vrains, and fanboys over Aoi's new avatars, when she gets Blue Girl and later Blue Maiden.]]
* TheLancer: Quickly becomes this upon joining Cafe Nagi, doubling as Playmaker's {{Sidekick}}/NumberTwo.
* LargeHam: Just listen to how bombastically he exclaims "BURNING DRAW!!!".
* LogicalWeakness: As his Burning Draw skill reduces his LP to 100, effects that burn him upon drawing, like the Trickstars, are naturally a problem for him. He cannot use his Skill in such situations until the card is either removed or he has a negation effect in play.
* {{Megane}}: He wears green glasses in reality.
* NewTransferStudent: He transfers into Den Academy to establish connections with Yusaku, as they were both hostages of the Lost Incident/Hanoi Project.
* OnlineAlias: Soulburner.
* OnlyFriend: Downplayed. Takeru is the only one Yusaku can consider a genuine friend; on the other hand, Yusaku shares only acquaintance-level relationships with the rest of his schoolmates, and Kusanagi.
* PlayingWithFire: Soulburner uses a fire-themed avatar, and a Salamangreat deck, which is composed of FIRE Monsters.
* PrimalFear: Takeru is afraid of ghosts, stemmed from his experiences with the Zombie-Type "Despair from the Dark" during the Lost Incident.
* RaisedByGrandparents: His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandparents.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives a solid one to Go for acting like a sore loser and becoming SOL Technologies's dog as well as not acting like the real him would act.
* RedOniBlueOni: Soulburner's [[HotBlooded hot-bloodedness]] contrasts Playmaker's stoicism and no-nonsense front.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: As Soulburner he trades off his glasses for a flame-shaped scarf.
* SecretKeeper: Takeru knows who Playmaker is since they are partners.
* ShrinkingViolet: While he comes across as {{Keet}}, he gets easily flustered when praise is put on him out of a lack of self confidence.
* SignatureMove: His Skill, Burning Draw, has him pay LP so that he only has 100 left, and allows him to draw a card for every 1000 LP he pays. In addition to being a high-risk move, it is also physically taxing.
* SixthRanger: Joins Yusaku and the others as a main character for season 2.
* TraumaButton: Doesn't appreciate Flame pointing out that Takeru was a shut-in who could only battle his inner demons as opposed to actual enemies which Yusaku did.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Every time Takeru encounters "Despair from the Dark", which has haunted him since the Lost Incident, all he can do is helplessly freak out and tremble in fear, unable to do anything to overcome it. Blood Shepherd exploits this in their Duel by bringing out not one, but ''four'' copies of the same Monster... then part two of the Duel reveals that Soulburner faked his fear of the Monster to fool Blood Shepherd into believing he has the upper hand just from uncovering Soulburner's weak point.
** Because of Despair from the Dark, he has developed a fear of ghosts and gets jumpy when seeing something supernatural.
* YouAreTooLate: By the time Soulburner arrives at the entrance of the restricted area, Haru has already escaped into the restricted area without triggering its emergency defenses.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His Soulburner persona's hair has two opposite shades of blue.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Flame]]
!!Flame
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakuYashiro (Japanese)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep049_flame_fired_up.png]]

One of the six Ignis created by Dr. Kogami, and Takeru's partner; is based on the FIRE Attribute. He shows himself to Ai and Yusaku after his homeworld, the Cyberse World, was destroyed by a certain unnamed faction. His goal is to find the other Ignis in order to rebuild the Cyberse World and to defeat the enemy faction that caused its destruction.
----
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: He is an Ignis (an AI named after the recurring mythological theme of the theft of fire allowing humans to evolve) who not only named himself Flame, but also is the only one among the six Ignis to actually represent the FIRE attribute.
* CatchPhrase: Every time Soulburner activates Burning Draw, Flame exclaims "Burn your soul, Soulburner!".
* HotBlooded: He's quick to get fired up.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Flame deduces that GO will "go go" and attack based on what his OnlineAlias suggests. Soulburner can only look at Flame with bewilderment in response.
* {{Irony}}: Just like Ai he's an AI that was born through [[spoiler: the torture of kids by]] dueling. And also tends to panic or get depressed when it looks like his partner is going to lose, because he can either not keep up with his strategies or doesn't know the effect of his cards which are implied to be created by him since they are either Cyberse-type or support for them.
* LargeHam: He's just as bombastic, if not more so, as Soulburner. Just listen to him exclaim "[[CatchPhrase BURN YOUR SOUL, SOULBURNER!!!]]".
* NotSoAboveItAll: Flame may be more level-headed than Ai is and doesn't appreciate being compared to the likes of him, but at the same time, he wastes no time demonstrating that he's quick to get fired up during Soulburner and [=BitBoot=]'s Duel.
** Also, he's quick to please as he blushed when Ghost Girl complimented him; he made a face that Ai usually would make.
* NotSoDifferent: Despite being more level-headed than Ai and not wanting to be associated with him, he has the same (lack of) Dueling skill and knowledge that Ai has and when it looked like Soulburner was about to lose, he loses hope just like Ai does and says it's over for them, because he was unfamiliar with the effect of Salamangreat Heatlio that earns Soulburner's win in Episode #49.
* PlayingWithFire: He is an Ignis that named himself "Flame", and his physical appearance is flame-based. He is also based on the FIRE Attribute.
* RedOniBlueOni: Zigzagged. While Flame's level-headedness and even voice contrast the bombastic Ai who tends to make a drama out of situations, Flame is at the same time easy and quick to get [[HotBlooded fired up]].
* ThisIsUnforgivable: He holds Lightning in contempt after the latter confessed that he was directly responsible for [[spoiler:the destruction of the Cyberse World]].
* TsurimeEyes: In comparison to Ai, he has pointed eye corners.
[[/folder]]

!Allies
[[folder:Aoi Zaizen (Skye Zaizen)/Blue Angel/Blue Girl/Blue Maiden]]
!!Aoi Zaizen (Skye Zaizen)/Blue Angel/Blue Girl/Blue Maiden
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YukiNakashima (Japanese), Emily Cramer (English)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aoi_zaizen_3.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Blue Angel]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep047_blue_angel_4.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Blue Girl]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_p9lezdrntt1shfh62o2_1280.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Blue Maiden]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blue_maiden.png]][[/labelnote]]

A classmate of Yusaku's. In LINK VRAINS, she is known as Blue Angel. In Season 2 she goes by the name Blue Girl in order to help her brother Akira in his search for the Ignis. However she changes her name once again to Blue Maiden after deciding to partner with the Water Ignis, Aqua and fight alongside Playmaker again in order to defeat Lightning and save her Aqua's Origin and ChildhoodFriend, Miyu.

As Blue Angel and Blue Girl, she uses the Trickstar archetype, focusing on whittling down her opponent's LP bit by bit via card effects. Her Ace Monster is Trickstar Holly Angel, a Monster that temporarily gains strength when her opponent takes effect damage. Her Skill, Trickstar Fraud, allows her to force an opponent to draw cards until they have three cards in their hand once per Duel, but as a price her opponent must banish cards from her hand equal to the amount of Trickstar Monsters in Blue Angel's GY.

In season 2 she adds Fusion Summoning to her deck in order to increase her burn strategy and give more offensive pressure. She also changed her Skill to Trickstar Gig. This Skill allows her to send cards from the top of her deck to the GY equal to the amount of Trickstar Monsters she has on her field. After that she can add one Trickstar card send to the GY to her hand.
----
* ActionGirl: She's a very skilled duelist, being considered one of VRAIN's best.
* AdrenalineMakeover: Her VRAINS avatar transition from the cutesy Blue Angel to the mysterious Blue Girl that resemble and idol rocker. Justified in that Blue Girl is better for the stealthier operations she is doing with Ghost Girl, while Blue Angel sticks out. It is emphasized by a few of her new cards and effects, such as Trickstar Gig, and her fusion monster, Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar. Subverted come her next upgrade, Blue Maiden, which is girlier.
* AmazonBrigade: All of her Trickstars are female.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Out of LINK VRAINS her lack of emotion and suspicion of others (if not for good reason) bring up a few possible ailments, among them depression.
* AndIMustScream: Aoi described her experience as an Another as being crushed down by despair, unable to do anything but scream with all her might.
* AngelicBeauty: Her Trickstar Monsters, which are Fairy-Types, as well as her VR form, Blue Angel.
* AnimalMotifs: PrettyButterflies, as shown by her backup avatar being a simple butterfly.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Her blazer is designed to look like her tie has blue wings, and her stage name is "Blue Angel".
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:She is returned to normal after Playmaker defeats Revolver and the Tower of Hanoi is stopped.]]
* BadassAdorable: A teen idol on VRAINS, she peppers her duels with a variety of cute mannerisms. Even in her Blue Girl persona, where she is more composed, she still has a few cute mannerisms.
* BigBrotherWorship: Has a brother complex, and wants to admit to him that she Duels. Granted Akira is her elder step-brother. She also has a minor case for CoolBigSis Emma, even patterning her Blue Girl avatar after Ghost Girl's look.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** Saves Playmaker by launching his D-Board back to him with an energy lasso after he falls off during his Duel against a Knight of Hanoi.
** She gets a second one while Yusaku is plunging into the SOL Technologies databank, where she lightens the load for Playmaker and takes on one of the AI duelists.
** Saves Aqua from Blood Shepherd by deflecting one of his beams with her D-Board.
* BoyishShortHair: Her hair reaches down to her lower nape.
* BreastExpansion: Blue Angel has noticeably bigger breasts than Aoi in real life. She might have deliberately added a bigger buxom to her Blue Angel avatar to play better the idol persona.
* BrokenAngel: After [[spoiler:losing to Spectre, he causes her Blue Angel wings to break]].
* BrokenPedestal: Due to her brother's work, Aoi has a positive view of SOL Technologies and believes that they will help the Ignis. [[spoiler: After watching Queen and the scientists kill Earth as he is begging, she cries, at a complete loss.]]
* ClothingDamage: After [[spoiler:her loss to Spectre]], her skirt becomes tattered.
* ColorCharacter: '''BLUE''' Angel and later '''BLUE''' Girl.
* ColorMotif: BLUE, fitting Aoi in her real name, OnlineAlias, and due to being blue, i.e depressed, for a long time.
* ConflictBall: In Episode 55 and 56, after Playmaker and Soulburner refuse her offer for her and Akira to help them due to SOL Technologies involvement in the Lost Incident, she gets pissed off and demands they give Ai and Flame over so they can find the other Ignis's. Playmaker and Ghost Girl themselves are surprised at her behavior. It's more downplayed in Episode 56, as once she begins the duel she does return to being more civil, though a bit more arrogant than usual, Episode 56 keeps her behavior more in line with her motivation of helping Akira and making up for her loss to Spectre. Later justified in that she believes SOL Technologies to be benevolent, and until later did not quite understand Playmaker and Soulburner's dislike of them.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Unlike [[Anime/YuGiOhARCV Yuzu]], who is a pink-haired {{Tsundere}} GirlyBruiser, Aoi is a brunette WellDoneDaughterGirl. And unlike Yuzu who was forced into the plot against her will, Aoi actively seeks it due to helping Akira. Unlike [[Anime/YuGiOh5ds Aki]], her temporary corruption aside, who was a DarkMagicalGirl, Aoi's opposition towards Playmaker and Soulburner makes her a HeroAntagonist instead, due to Akira's concern over the Ignis. And even then, she did offer to help them, only for Playmaker to turn her down. And then unlike Aki who required Yusei to break her out of an antagonist role, Aoi largely does so without interference without Yusaku, [[spoiler: due to having her faith in SOL broken and learning the truth of Miyu.]]
* ConvenientComa: Ends up in one after her duel with Playmaker.
* TheCorruption: Afflicted by this by the appropriately named Dark Angel card that Spectre slips into her deck, making her go berserk.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Light brown hair and eyes.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: It's as short as Kotori's.
* DarkActionGirl: She became this temporarily after she was brainwashed by Spectre.
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: One of the Trickstar's main focuses is dealing small amounts of burn damage under certain conditions.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Aoi is a deconstruction of both [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Asuka]] and [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Rio]], as she goes into Charisma Dueling as a means to [[WellDoneSonGuy please]] [[BigBrotherWorship her older brother]] instead of proving herself to be an independent and worthy Duelist like they did, which [[TraumaCongaLine not only costed her the Duel against Yusaku]], [[BreakTheCutie but also ends up humiliating her in front of the crowd]], severely damaging her reputation as a Charisma Duelist in the process. However, she does reconstruct this by becoming an AllLovingHeroine that wants to fight for others, earning her brother's approval that way.
* DigitalAvatar: An angelic idol singer as Blue Angel and a more serious mercenary one as Blue Girl, and then MagicalGirlWarrior Blue Maiden.
* {{Escapism}}: Aoi's Blue Angel persona is revealed to be based upon a Blue Angel in a book her brother always read to her as a child, about a lonely angel that cried blue tears and pretended she didn't hate being alone, but eventually befriended other angels and fought against the forces of evil to find happiness. Her taking on this persona in Vrains is her own attempt to do so.
* DubNameChange: To Skye Zaizen, having implications of blue sky where angels come from.
* {{Expy}}: She's usually seen as a MagicalGirl IdolSinger version of [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Rio]], but her ruthlessness, wealthy background, lonely upbringing, and wanting to be acknowledged by a protective older sibling also brings to mind [[Manga/YuGiOh Mai]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Sho]], and [[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Reira]].
* FacePlant: A dark example, where Blue Angel gets blown away before landing on the ground ''head-first'', courtesy of [[spoiler:Spectre]]. Ouch.
* FacialMarkings: As Blue Angel, Aoi has a clover on her cheek, as part of her idol image.
* FakeBoobs: This piece of [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh-vrains/images/a/a4/Picture_of_Blue_Angel_drawn_by_Noh.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170709192948 official artwork]] that has Blue Angel in a school uniform by Noah, one of the show's animators, shows that Blue Angel's chest is around the same size as Aoi's, meaning the top of her Blue Angel has cups designed into it, with the most likely reason for doing so is to make a better appeal for her Idol persona. Her avatar as Blue Maiden, being an OlderAlterEgo, is also noticably more endowed than her real self.
* FeatherMotif: White feathers fall and scatter while she is trapped in her mind due to Hanoi.
* FingerlessGloves: Elbow-length ones as Blue Girl
* FlowerMotif: Her Trickstar monsters are named after various flowers.
* {{Foil}}: To Go Onizuka. While in the Hanoi arc Blue Angel realized she wants to duel for others and not just herself, Go comes to the conclusion it is ok to duel for himself and not others. In addition, while Blue Angel is grateful to Playmaker for saving her and doesn't appear bothered by being overshadowed, Go deeply resents it and will stop at nothing to beat Playmaker for the sake of his pride. [[spoiler: Also unlike Go who undergoes a FaceHeelTurn, Aoi initially opposes Soulburner and Playmaker as a HeroAntagonist for her brother's sake. She also improves her older deck and older persona, while Go takes a different persona and a new deck with a new skill. Later Go abandons his self in his desire to defeat Playmaker, taking an AI into his brain and capturing Earth to be killed, Aoi learns about Miyu and teams up with Aqua to save her, assuming a new persona.]]
* FriendlessBackground: Aoi had no friends as a child except [[OnlyFriend one]] briefly, [[ChildhoodFriends Miyu]], but the friendship [[spoiler: fell apart when she took the fall for Miyu having lost her mother's ring.]]
* GenkiGirl: As Blue Angel, she puts on a lively disposition.
* GirlishPigtails:
** As Blue Angel, her hair is tied up like this.
** She also used to tie her hair in this style as a child.
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: As a child, she carried around a stuffed doll of Evilswarm Mandragoa.
* HairDecorations:
** Her twintails in her VR form are held up by dark blue bows.
** As a child, she held up her twintails with light blue bows.
* {{Hikikomori}}: Enforced by Akira, who is excessively concerned for her wellbeing to the point that he prevents her from leaving the house after recovering from her coma. She is allowed to go out again after Playmaker and Akira's Duel.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Subverted in her Duel against Baira. Blue Angel, aware that she may lose should Baira draw a trap, takes the risky gamble of using her Trickstar Fraud Skill regardless to turn things around in her favour. Fortunately for Blue Angel, Baira doesn't draw a trap.
* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:After her loss to Spectre, she is converted into data and absorbed into the Tower of Hanoi. She gets better.]]
* ItsPersonal: Double subverted. Blue Angel initially confronts Baira because she was in a bad mood and wanted to let off some steam. But after Baira suggests that she was responsible for the creation of the Another virus, Blue Angel takes back her words, and vow to take Baira down in a Duel.
* LadyOfWar: Her "Trickstar Holly Angel" is this and Aoi is graceful and elegant in her Duel, and while Blue Angel is cutesy and Blue Girl is more rough and tumble, her appearance as Blue Maiden is one as well.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Blue Angel".
* LightEmUp: Her Trickstar monsters are LIGHT Fairy-Type Monsters.
* LonelyRichKid: She lives in a well-to-do apartment, essentially alone due to her brother's constant working. [[spoiler: But there was a time they lived on the street.]]
* LoveFreak: Accused of this by Spectre, who mocks her for her Blue Love that she shares for others in her attempt to be Blue Angel. However in truth, she verges more towards an AllLovingHeroine.
* LovelyAngels: Forms a duo with Ghost Girl in Season 2 as Blue Girl.
* MagicalGirlWarrior: Her transformation from Blue Girl moves her away from Rock Idol and to this, complete with a TransformationSequence, and she explicitly calls it her battle form.
* MagicIdolSinger: Blue Angel's appearance is a blend of a MagicalGirl and an IdolSinger, composed of blue hair with twintails and angelic wings marked with hearts and purple four-leaf clovers. As Blue Girl she looks more like a Rock idol.
* MagicalIncantation: While all the characters invoke one when Link Summoning, Aoi's reflects her character change. As Blue Angel she involved the circuit of dreams and hope. As Blue Girl she invokes the circuit of determination and courage.
* MeaningfulName: Her online handle, Blue Angel, references the fact that she uses a Trickstar Deck, which is composed of Fairy-Types, called Angel-types in the OCG.
* MissingMom: Her biological mother, alongside Akira's biological father, died in an accident at some point before the Lost Incident.
* MoralityChain: Her brother's sole reason for living, and he admits he would have given into despair without her.
* MulticoloredHair: As Blue Angel, her blue hair sports light blue highlights. It's the opposite with her Blue Maiden avatar for she has light blue hair and dark blue highlights.
* NiceGirl: She may have a hard time trusting most people, but she is still a sweet girl.
* NoSell: Her Bella Madonna is unaffected by other card effects while its Link Arrows point to no Monsters.
* OlderAlterEgo: While Blue Angel acts younger [[spoiler: like Miyu did]], and Blue Girl looks largely like Aoi, her Blue Maiden persona looks like a mature woman in her twenties.
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Aoi is not a Lost Incident victim, [[spoiler: but she was friends with Miyu, who was Aqua's origin.]]
* OnlineAlias: Blue Angel. She later goes by Blue Girl after she is assigned by Akira to search for the missing Ignis (alongside Ghost Girl), and changes her name once again to Blue Maiden after partnering with Aqua, combined with a second SignificantWardrobeShift.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: After being bestowed Dark Angel by Spectre, the AI on her Duel Disk responds rudely to Ai when he greets it.
* OverShadowedByAwesome: Discussed by Soulburner, who while he admits that she had definitely become a lot stronger, her lack of an Ignis AI hampers her from reaching his and Playmaker's level. [[spoiler: She eventually pairs up with Aqua in place of Miyu.]]
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: Her TransformationSequence from Blue Girl to Maiden gives her longer hair than Blue Girl and slightly longer than Blue Angel, fitting her MagicalGirlWarrior appearance.
* ProperTightsWithASkirt: In the dub in her school uniform, and her skirt, tights, and boots combo as Blue Maiden.
* ReflectionlessUselessEyes: While [[BrainwashedAndCrazy under the influence of]] [[TheCorruption Dark Angel]], her eyes lose all luster, [[MindControlEyes marking her possession]].
* RuleOfThree: Blue Angel's Skill, Trickstar Fraud, makes the opponent draw until they have three cards in their hand, which also complements her DeathOfAThousandCuts play style. In addition, she is the third confident to team up with an Ignis, [[spoiler: albeit in place of the actual Lost Incident Victim]], and has three Digital Avatars.
* ShrinkingViolet: Particularly as a child, she was polite and timid, holding on to her mother in a flashback. As a teen she's more reserved and quiet than outright shy.
* SignatureMove: Blue Angel's Skill, Trickstar Fraud, makes her opponent draw until they have three cards in their hand, and is intended to complement her DeathOfAThousandCuts play style. As Blue Girl, her skill Trickstar Gig lets her send cards from her deck equal to the number of Trickstars she has and then add a Trickstar card from the sent ones to her hand.
* SignificantWardrobeShift:
** As Blue Girl, her outfit resembles Emma's, albeit pink, white, and blue.
** After agreeing to partner with Aqua, Blue Girl once again undergoes an image change to appear more {{Magical Girl}}-esque, combined with a change of OnlineAlias (to Blue Maiden).
* SlipknotPonytail: After her defeat by Playmaker and later [[spoiler:Spectre]], her twin-tails fall out as she falls.
* StepfordSmiler: She hides her sadness with a cheerful deposition as Blue Angel, prominently shown in #6.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Is basically a younger version of her mother.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: It's hinted that she's just as ruthless as Yusaku beneath her GenkiGirl attitude. This is reflected in Holy Angel's counterpart, Trickstar Black Catbat, who uses a staff lined with thorns to attack, but is a LIGHT monster.
* TakingTheHeat: She took the blame for losing Miyu's mother's ring, though it didn't go well for her at all, as she was warned by Miyu's mother not to get involved with her daughter ever again.
* ThirdPersonPerson: As Blue Angel, Aoi does this as partly of her idol persona, and partly a bit from her {{Escapism}}.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Blue Angel initially challenges Baira of the Knights of Hanoi because she happened to be in a bad mood, only to harbor a grudge against Baira after Aoi finds out that she was responsible not only for her condition, but for the Anothers in general.
* TookALevelInBadass: Come Season 2 she had worked on remedying her WeakButSkilled nature, [[spoiler: upgrading her deck with a fusion monster and more abilities that allow her monsters to have higher attack. Unfortunately she is still left OvershadowedByAwesome, until she teams up with Aqua and upgrades to Blue Maiden.]]
* TookALevelInCheerfulness: Downplayed, while certainly not a sunny GenkiGirl in her normal form, her signs of depression have disappeared due to her relationship with Akira being fixed. And although friendly with Yusaku, she still tends to be aloof at school.
* TransformationSequence: Her upgrade from Blue Girl to Blue Maiden comes with a MagicalGirl style transformation that makes her look mature and elegant.
* TraumaCongaLine: Basically the latter half of #7 is this for her. First, she learns that her GradualGrinder strategy allowed Playmaker to use his [[GameBreaker game breaking]] skill to get the monster he needed. Then she starts feeling the effect of the [[TheCorruption "Dark Angel"]] card which messes with her mind. After that, she realizes that Playmaker is about to OneHitKill her and tries to reduce him to 0 LP before he can do so, only to be stopped and forced to use the "Dark Angel" card. This results in her getting MindRape from Hanoi's program. Finally, she loses anyway and is put into a coma in the next episode. To top it off, this was all streamed ''live'' to both her fans and her brother. And continued later during her duel against Spectre, where he brutally breaks her by talking and pretends that she got through to him, only to mercilessly defeat her. [[spoiler: Continues in Season 2 where her pedestal for SOL Technologies is broken.]]
* VocalEvolution: During her Duel against Spectre, her voice is somewhat deeper, highlighting her determination to defeat him.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: The Blue Maiden avatar comes with a stylish black and white waistcoat that goes past her skirt, an upgrade of the more simplistic vest she had as Blue Girl.
* WeakButSkilled: Aoi herself notes that her decks weakness is her monsters low attack, despite its devastating effects and works in Season 2 to make her deck stronger by including methods to increase her monsters attacks.
* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Strongly desires to be acknowledged by her older brother Akira.
* WhipItGood: Uses an energy lasso to launch Playmaker's D-Board back to him.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Paired with ZettaiRyouiki as Blue Girl.
* WingsDoNothing: Blue Angel sports white angelic wings, but are only there for show.
* TheWorfEffect: Is ruthlessly decimated by [[spoiler:Spectre, demonstrating that his status as Revolver's [[TheDragon right-hand man]] isn't just for show]].
* WorfHadTheFlu: While Blue Angel gains the upper hand against Playmaker for most of the Duel, the reason why she ends up losing to him is because of Defect Compiler's anti-burn effect. Also her duel with [[spoiler: Spectre didn't go her way precisely because Spectre's StoneWall strategy made her FragileSpeedster DeathOfAThousandCuts tactics ineffectual as she couldn't deal enough damage to get past him.]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: As Blue Angel, she sports blue hair with light blue highlights.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Blue Angel's socks reaches up to her thighs, complemented with a large, puffy skirt. Downplayed with Aoi's real life appearance, who wears a DangerouslyShortSkirt and socks that don't reach her knees. As Blue Girl she wears hotpants with socks and boots like Emma, though she loses it as Blue Maiden.
[[/folder]]


[[folder:Aqua]]
!!Aqua
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi (Japanese)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aqua_7.png]]

One of the six Ignis created by Kogami. Is based on the WATER attribute. Her Origin is Miyu, a childhood friend of Aoi.
----
* ChekhovMIA: Her whereabouts were unknown at the time the Cyberse World was destroyed by a certain unnamed faction, until Episode #74 where she makes her first proper on-screen appearance, where she is discovered and freed by Earth. It turns out she was imprisoned and banished elsewhere by [[spoiler:Lightning after she witnesses him creating "Judgment Arrows"]].
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: More often than not she had to look after Ai so he didn't injure himself, much to [[CrazyJealousGuy Earth's]] annoyance.
* DopeSlap: Gave one to [[AbhorrentAdmirer Ai]] so hard it sent him ''and'' Linkuriboh through the ground, leaving ImpactSilhouette{{s}} for both of them.
* GirlishPigtails: She has them on her head, like how Miyu did during the Lost Incident. In addition, it makes her head look a bit like a water molecule.
* HartmanHips: Aqua has a very pronounced waistline styled to look like a teardrop, highlighting her feminine appearance.
* HealingHands: After Earth badly damages his hands freeing her, she heals them and later [[spoiler: tried to heal Miyu from Lightning's virus but failed.]]
* LivingLieDetector: Ai and Earth both claim she could easily discern truth from lie. This claim is proven true when a flashback shows her witnessing [[spoiler:Lightning creating "Judgment Arrows", and doesn't buy his claim that he's creating said card just to protect humanity from the Cyberse World]].
* MakingASplash: She is an Ignis based on the WATER attribute, with her entire body being primarily light blue, a colour also commonly associated with the water element.
* MysteriousWaif: Of the Ignis properly introduced, Aqua is the most mysterious. Just before the Cyberse World was attacked, she warned Earth that he needed to pick a side in the human-ignis conflict, purposely withholding her own decision knowing he'd just follow her if she didn't. Her warning the Cyberse World would be split concerns along with foreknowledge of the attack has both Earth and Playmaker concerned, and her current whereabouts are unknown. [[spoiler:According to Lightning, she was for human-ignis coexistance, something he wasn't okay with, and its implied her disappearance is related to him.]]
* NumberTwo: She served as the sub-leader of the Ignis before the Cyberse World was destroyed.
* ProperLady: Her behavior is very proper from the way she speaks to her hand gestures...only when she's not scolding Ai and giving him dope slaps for being lazy.
* RedHerringMole: Windy speculates that she was the spy who contributed to the destruction of the Cyberse World. This claim is proven false when Aqua reveals to Earth what happened to her after she [[spoiler:confronted Lightning when she witnessed him creating "Judgment Arrows" and questioned his motivations, then gets imprisoned and banished from the Cyberse World so Lightning can further his own plans uninterrupted]].
* SheKnowsTooMuch: Having witnessed [[spoiler:Lightning create "Judgment Arrows", she was imprisoned and banished from the Cyberse World by him so that his plans could continue uninterrupted]].
* ShoulderTeammate: After being saved from Blood Shepherd by Aoi, Aqua hangs out on her shoulder for the rest of the episode, though she moves to the duel disk properly come Episode 77.
* SmurfettePrinciple: She is the only female Ignis.
* TechnicolorEyes: Has glowing pink eyes that can also turn into different shades of blue when using her ability.
* {{Telepathy}}: Aqua has a degree of telepathy that lets her be a LivingLieDetector and can glean memories from Miyu and tell Blue Girl's real appearance and name.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Has pink eyelashes to emphasize her feminine appearance.
* TrueBlueFemininity: She's female and basically blue everywhere except her eyes.
* {{Tsundere}}: Based on their interactions, while Aqua is rather strict and annoyed by Ai's antics, she was genuinely concerned and worried when Ai was in danger, implying she does care more about him than she is willing to admit.
* WaterIsBlue: The WATER Ignis with a blue body and fittingly she ends paired with Aoi/Blue Angel.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Emma Bessho/Ghost Girl (Ghost Gal)]]
!!Emma Bessho/Ghost Girl (Ghost Gal)
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Yuna Kamakura (Japanese), Megan [=MacPhee=] (English)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emma_watching_akira.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Click here Ghost Girl (Initial Version)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep018_ghost_girl_watching.png[[/labelnote]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:Click here Ghost Girl (Current Version)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep056_ghost_girl_winking.png[[/labelnote]]]]

A young woman hired by Akira to spy on Playmaker. She is known as Ghost Girl in LINK VRAINS.

She plays using the Altergeist archetype. Her deck focuses on swarming the field with Altergeist Monsters and set up many Trap cards from her deck with their effects. Her Skill, Secret Cure, allows her to excavate cards from her deck until a Monster Card is revealed. She can than add the Monster Card to her hand while the other cards are send to the GY and both players gain LP equal to its ATK.
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: Episode 53 focuses more on her backstory and her interactions with Akira & Blood Shepard 3 years ago
* AlliterativeName: Her OnlineAlias, '''G'''host '''G'''irl.
* AwesomeByAnalysis: She uses her skill and strategy to lock down Playmaker, using methods to keep Playmaker's LP above 1000 so he can't use Storm Access on her, only failing because he used an effect to lower his LP a second time, using her own Skill to stop the first time.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:She is returned to normal after Playmaker defeats Revolver and the Tower of Hanoi is stopped.]]
* BaitAndSwitch: Disguises herself as Blue Angel to lure Playmaker into LINK VRAINS and capture him for interrogation.
* BigDamnHeroes: She was able to complete the escape program and give it to Soulburner so that he could escape his duel against Blood Shepherd. The interesting twist is that it could also be considered this to Blood Shepherd, because Soulburner was going to win the duel with a direct attack, but Blood Shepherd also has a face-down card which may have won him the duel, making the true victor and person she saved unknown.
* BikerBabe: Her preferred mode of transportation in the real world is via motorcycle.
* BloodKnight: Very interested in Dueling Playmaker, though Akira makes it clear she is to find his identity instead.
* BountyHunter: Defied. Because of Playmaker's actions back during the Tower of Hanoi incident, she vows to repay him someday, and thus refuses to hunt him, a NEW LINK VRAINS fugitive, down.
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Ghost Girl's NEW LINK VRAINS avatar has her wear a belt buckle with a yellow "G" on it.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: To Mai from the original. While Mai is a selfish and greedy JerkWithAHeartOfGold and a bit of a harpy, Ema is a playful and noble character that while concerned about being paid, will discard it for morality. While Mai was an ImpliedLoveInterest for Jonouchi and almost rival for Anzu, Ema is a CoolBigSis and BigSisterMentor for Aoi, helping her evolve as a duelist. While Mai underwent a FaceHeelTurn in Waking the Dragons out of resentment for losing, Ema refuses to become a BountyHunter due to owing Playmaker, only becoming a HeroAntagonist out of concern of what the threat the Ignis could be.
* CoolBigSis: Acts like one to Aoi, being concerned about her well being and acting in a cool elder sister fashion, and is pleased when Aoi's stealth avatar resembles her Ghost Girl one, even naming it Blue Girl, even if she was worried about Akira sending Aoi with her.
* CoolMask: Ghost Girl covers her mouth with a black mask. She ditches it after the opening of NEW LINK VRAINS.
* CostumeEvolution: Come Season 2 her avatar is partially redesigned, using some brighter colors and ditching her face mask
* DisappearedDad: Her father, whom she shares with her half-brother, Blood Shepherd, [[spoiler: is revealed to have died of an illness the previous year, but revealed her never forgot about his son and asked her to help him if she ever had the chance.]]
* DubNameChange: Her OnlineAlias is known as Ghost Gal.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Ghost Girl may be very fascinated by treasure, but she has no intention of hunting down Playmaker, a fugitive in NEW LINK VRAINS, just to reap the monetary reward that comes with his capture.
* TheGadfly: Ghost Gal has a playful flirtatious personality and enjoys teasing others, particularly the Zaizen siblings, at one point even annoying Aoi by asking if she was dreaming about cute guys.
* GracefulLoser: Has no hard feelings losing to Playmaker, and hands over the backdoor to SOL Technologies' data bank to him as promised.
* HealThyself: Her Secret Cure Skill has her excavate her deck until she reveals a Monster card (other cards revealed prior are sent to the Graveyard), which is then added to her hand, and she and her opponent both gain LP equal to that Monster's ATK.
* HeroAntagonist: Like Akira and Aoi, while she doesn't become a BountyHunter against Playmaker, she still works against him and Soulburner due to a worry if the Ignis would be enemies of humanity. Averted come Episode 76 she and Aoi drop it by [[spoiler: saving Aqua from SOL and Blood Shepherd.]]
* HiredGuns: She's a mercenary duelist, hacker, and investigator that works for Akira, but also takes jobs for others in SOL Technologies.
* HumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:After losing to Revolver, Ghost Girl is converted into data and absorbed into Hanoi's seed, becoming the base power source for their tool to destroy VRAINS, the Tower of Hanoi. She gets better]].
* IGaveMyWord: After she loses to Playmaker, she hands over the backdoor to SOL Technologies' data bank to him as promised.
* IOweYouMyLife: Due to Playmaker's actions back during the Tower of Hanoi incident, Ghost Girl refuses to become a bounty hunter.
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Ghost Girl warns Playmaker of Revolver's unknown Trap card as she gets purged from LINK VRAINS entirely.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldThem: After Blue Girl is forcibly logged out after her loss to Soulburner, Ghost Girl opts to go, unable to go on without her partner, and not having the heart to attack Soulburner when he is exhausted.
* LongLostSibling: Ema turns out to be the long lost younger sister of Blood Shepherd.
* LovelyAngels: Forms a duo with Aoi in Season 2.
* MulticoloredHair: Multiple shades of purple.
* MsFanservice: Her outfit (both in and out of VRAINS) leaves little to the imagination.
* OnlineAlias: Ghost Girl.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Her only motivation for acquiring Ai for SOL Technologies is to sell him to them for a high price.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Although the actual archetype is made up of spellcasters, the Altergeists are made up of poltergeists from around the world.
* PointyEars: Unlike the rest of the cast, she has slightly pointy ears, both in her civilian form and as Ghost Girl.
* ProudBeauty: Certainly proud of her looks as she refers to herself as a mysterious beauty.
* ShipperOnDeck: In the dub, she makes the offhand comment "I ship it" when commenting on how Playmaker saved Blue Angel.
* SomethingAboutARose: She throws a rose at Playmaker's feet to spring a trap on Playmaker.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The official transliteration of her given name gives her two "m"s as opposed to one.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Her Ghost Girl avatar wears tight hotpants.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Multiple shades of purple.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Type B with hotpants as Ghost Girl.
[[/folder]]

* TheMole: Subverted. Windy speculates that she may have contributed to the destruction of the Cyberse World, but [[spoiler:Lightning himself later admits that he himself was responsible for the deed]]. In addition, Aqua witnessed [[spoiler:Lightning creating "Judgment Arrows", and after questioning what he's really up to, she is imprisoned and banished from the Cyberse World so that Lightning can further his own plans]].

* RedHerring: Windy claims that she contributed to the destruction of the Cyberse World. This is proven false when Aqua reveals to Earth what happened to her after she [[spoiler:confronted Lightning when she witnessed him creating "Judgment Arrows" and questioned his motivations]].

* ThisIsUnforgivable: Basically what he says to Lightning once he learns about the true mastermind of the Cyberse World's demise.

[[caption-width-right:350:Click [[labelnote:here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/animediajune2017yusakufujiki.jpg[[/labelnote]] to see Playmaker/Unknown]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Click [[labelnote:here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ep051_soulburner_smiling_with_flame.png[[/labelnote]] to see Soulburner]]

** [[Spoiler:He thinks of this when he learns of Earth's demise through Ryoken]].

In Speed Duels his strategy is to let his opponent to damage him or use his own cards with effects that requires him to pay LP in order to drop his LP to 1000 or below it so that he can use his Skill "Storm Access" which allows him to add a Cyberse-Type Link Monster to his Extra Deck which he uses finish of his opponent.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Originally just [[spoiler:some random kidnapping victim]], who's since then become one of the biggest threats to Hanoi [[spoiler: and possibly to S.O.L. Technologies.]]

* MrFanservice: He has [[BadassBaritone a deep voice]], is a competent fighter, [[{{Bishounen}} doesn't look half-bad]] and his Playmaker persona wears [[LatexSpacesuit a skin-tight bodysuit]].

* PragmaticHero: Although herioc, not very much of an idealist and willing to do shady and illegal acts such as [[spoiler:infiltrating and stealing SOL's company data.]]

A classmate of Yusaku's. In LINK VRAINS, she is known as Blue Angel. In Season 2 she goes by the name Blue Girl in order to help her brother Akira in his search for the Ignis.

* MulticoloredHair: As Blue Angel, her blue hair sports light blue highlights.

* {{Foil}}: To Yusaku/Playmaker. Yusaku is a PerpetualFrowner, uses a pure Cyberse Deck with very little focus on a specific archetype (aside from the Extra Deck bound Code Talkers and the Cynet Spell/Trap series), but with various Attributes and Link Climbing being his primary tactic. Takeru/Soulburner on the other hand is much more cheerful, uses an actual archetype of Cyberse monsters ([[CaptainObvious including Main Deck Monsters]]) who share [[PlayingWithFire a single Attribute]] and focuses on brute force.

* GirlishPigtails: She has them on her head.

* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Unlike [[Anime/YuGiOhARCV Yuzu]], who is a pink-haired {{Tsundere}} GirlyBruiser, Aoi is a brunette WellDoneDaughterGirl. And unlike Yuzu who was forced into the plot against her will, Aoi actively seeks it due to helping Akira. Unlike [[Anime/YuGiOh5ds Aki]], her temporary corruption aside, who was a DarkMagicalGirl, Aoi's opposition towards Playmaker and Soulburner makes her a HeroAntagonist instead, due to Akira's concern over the Ignis. And even then, she did offer to help them, only for Playmaker to turn her down.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Aoi is a deconstruction of both [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Asuka]] and [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL Rio]], as she goes into Charisma Dueling as a means to [[WellDoneSonGuy please]] [[BigBrotherWorship her older brother]] instead of proving herself to be an independent and worthy Duelist like they did, which [[TraumaCongaLine not only costed her the Duel against Yusaku]], [[BreakTheCutie but also ends up humiliating her in front of the crowd]], severely damaging her reputation as a Charisma Duelist in the process.
* DigitalAvatar: An angelic idol singer as Blue Angel and a more serious mercenary one as Blue Girl.

* FakeBoobs: This piece of [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh-vrains/images/a/a4/Picture_of_Blue_Angel_drawn_by_Noh.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170709192948 official artwork]] that has Blue Angel in a school uniform by Noah, one of the show's animators, shows that Blue Angel's chest is around the same size as Aoi's, meaning the top of her Blue Angel has cups designed into it, with the most likely reason for doing so is to make a better appeal for her Idol persona.

* {{Foil}}: To Go Onizuka. While in the Hanoi arc Blue Angel realized she wants to duel for others and not just herself, Go comes to the conclusion it is ok to duel for himself and not others. In addition, while Blue Angel is grateful to Playmaker for saving her and doesn't appear bothered by being overshadowed, Go deeply resents it and will stop at nothing to beat Playmaker for the sake of his pride. [[spoiler: Also unlike Go who undergoes a FaceHeelTurn, Aoi initially opposes Soulburner and Playmaker as a HeroAntagonist for her brother's sake. She also improves her older deck and older persona, while Go takes a different persona and a new deck with a new skill.]]

* RuleOfThree: Blue Angel's Skill, Trickstar Fraud, makes the opponent draw until they have three cards in their hand, which also complements her DeathOfAThousandCuts play style.

* TookALevelInBadass: Come Season 2 she had worked on remedying her WeakButSkilled nature, [[spoiler: upgrading her deck with a fusion monster and more abilities that allow her monsters to have higher attack. Unfortunately she is still left OvershadowedByAwesome.]]

* HopelessWithTech: Seriously [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], but Takeru himself admits that technology isn't his expertise.

* ThisIsUnforgivable: Basically what he says to Lightning once he learns about the true mastermind about the Cyberse World's demise.

* MissingMom: Her biological mother, alongside Akira's biological father, died in an accident during the Lost Incident.

* MagicalIncantation: While all the characters invoke one when Link Summoning, Aoi's reflects her character change. As Blue Angel she involved the circuit of dreams and hope. As Blue Girl she invokes the Circuit of determination and courage.

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Aoi is not a Lost Incident Child, [[spoiler: but she was friends with Miyu, who was Aqua's origin.]]

[[/folder]]