A list of characters from the ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' anime and manga series, OddlyNamedSequel to ''Anime/YuGiOh''.

[[foldercontrol]]

!Main Characters

[[folder:Judai Yuki (Jaden Yuki)]]

->'''Osiris Red.''' The top student at Duel Academia and the series protagonist, whose character in Season 4 is practically unrecognizable from his character in Season 1, due to a brutal BreakTheCutie arc in Season 3 and being used to demonstrate the realistic psychological trauma of many tropes from the original series and shonen anime heroes in general on a kid.

Voiced by: {{KENN}} (Japanese) and Matthew Charles (English)
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* AlmightyJanitor: Is Osiris Red, the lowest tier that is mocked for being full of stereotypical losers, but is the best duelist in the academy.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Sho and Kenzan.
* BigEater
* BiTheWay: Blushed when close to a female duel monster, implied to like Johan (Yubel called him out on it. ''Twice.''), and canonically loves Yubel, a hermaphroditic duel monster.
* BookDumb
* CatchPhrase: "Gotcha!" in the original / "And That's Game!" in the dub..
** "Get Your Game On!" in the dub when starting a duel.
* ChosenOne
* ChronicHeroSyndrome
* EmpathyPet: Winged Kuriboh
* EvenTheGuysWantHim
* {{Expy}}: Yugi Mutou (in his role as the hero and his skill) and Katsuya Jounouchi (in his personality).
* TheFool: To the point that Saiou uses the eponymous tarot card to represent Judai in his predictions.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: Always accompanied by his CatchPhrase.
* TheHero: He's the heroic duelist that wins all the plot important matches.
* TheMagicPokerEquation: There are real life duelists who would ''kill'' for the luck Judai has:
** He can top deck the exact card he needs several times per duel. If he has no hand, he'll probably draw Bubbleman, Fifth Hope, Pot of Greed, or something that lets him draw more cards -- and it's not uncomming to draw something that lets him draw even more. Any time he ever plays A Hero Emerges his opponent will always pick the one card in his hand that would save him. And if he uses a card like Card Trooper to mill cards from his deck, ''every'' single time he does one of the milled cards is Necroshade or Necro Gardna, and you can bet he has a card ready like Miracle Fusion or Miracle Contact to use the other cards sent to the Graveyard for a Fusion Summon.
** For a perfect example of his impossible luck, there's his duel with Saiou at the end of Season 2. He uses Fifth Hope to draw 3 cards with no other cards in his hand or on the field. He draws Neo Space, Silent Doom (which he uses to revive Elemental Hero Neos), and Neo Spacian Gran Mole, thus pulling Elemental Hero Grand Neos from nothing. When he attacks and when Saiou destroys Grand Neos using a card effect that allows Jaden to draw a card, what does he draw? Reverse of Neos, a Quickplay Spell so he can activate it during the Battle Phase, and it summons Neos back from the deck with a power boost, just enough to destroy Saiou's monster and win the duel. And if you're wondering, yes, this was the first time Reverse of Neos was ever shown.
** His ridiculous luck also applies ''out'' of the duel. In Episode 4, he helps the owner of the campus card shop with her packages and for his good deed gets a few free cards. It just so happens that one of those cards is Transcendent Wings, which he just happens to draw in his duel with Manjoume and use it along with Winged Kuriboh [=LV10=] to win.
** His opponents also have a nasty habit of running into the IdiotBall[=/=]VillainBall. In the above example Manjoume could have used the ability of his VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon to banish either Winged Kuriboh or Transcendent Wings, but he instead just attacked.
* MagneticHero: Ninety-five percent of the people he Duels become [[DefeatMeansFriendship his friends]] afterwards. Lampshaded in-universe.
* MeaningfulName: Yuuki Juudai --> "a courageous teenager". ''... No kidding.''
* PlotArmor: Thanks to the MagicPokerEquation you could make a drinking game out of how many times Judai goes against an opponent with a better deck and wins through sheer luck, but after Season 1 you'd need a liver transplant.
* ToBeAMaster: To be the best duelist.
* TradeMarkFavoriteFood: Fried shrimp.
* TrueCompanions: He seems to inadvertently make new friends without trying; [[LampshadeHanging commented on in-universe.]]

''Seasons 1, 2, and the first half of 3:''
* TheAce
* BlitheSpirit
* BoringInvincibleHero
* BrownEyes
* CavalierCompetitor
* ChasteHero: One must wonder how sheltered he must be from the world outside of dueling if he doesn't even know what 'fiancee' means...
* {{Determinator}}
* IdiotHero: Has been out done by [[Anime/YuGiOhZexal Yuma]], if that wasn't possible.
* IndyPloy
* {{Keet}}
* KirkSummation
* TheMessiah
* ThePowerOfFriendship
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The recipient of one.
* ScrewDestiny
* ShonenUpgrade: His Neos Deck.
* StrategySchmategy: Ryou even manages to convince him his strength in dueling is his unpredictably.
* TigerVersusDragon: The Dragon to Misawa's Tiger.
* WarriorTherapist
* WideEyedIdealist
* WrongGenreSavvy: Make sure you realize [[SeriousBusiness what show you're in]] before you think of Duel Monsters as, "just a game."

''During and Post HeroicBSOD in the second half of Season 3:''

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* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil
* BewareTheNiceOnes
* BreakTheCutie
* BrokenAce: As part of the Deconstruction of TheAce.
* BrokenMessiah
* CreepyMonotone
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of pretty much all of the above listed tropes.
* EvilCostumeSwitch
* EvilMakeover: For his monsters
* EvilOverlord
* EyesOfGold
* FaceHeelTurn
* FallenHero
* FatalFlaw: His impulsiveness.
* FusionDance: Of the Power Boost variety, with Yubel
* HeWhoFightsMonsters
* KaleidoscopeEyes
* LeeroyJenkins: His impulsiveness is deconstructed during this season.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone
* MyGreatestFailure
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The Supreme King's method of trying to avenge Johan.
* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain
* {{Reincarnation}}: Learned he was the reincarnation of The Supreme King, TheChosenOne to protect the universe.
* ShonenUpgrade: His powers as The Supreme King, and his merger with Yubel.
* SpikesOfVillainy
* SplitPersonalityTakeover
* SuperNaturalGoldEyes: When using the Supreme King's powers, his eyes turn a shade of gold.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: The Supreme King
* TraumaCongaLine: Hooh, boy.
* UnstoppableRage

''Season 4, post crossing the DespairEventHorizon:''

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* AntiHero
* TheAtoner
* CreepyMonotone
* DarkerAndEdgier
* DarkIsNotEvil
* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Deconstruction}}: Continues
* GreenLanternRing: Seeing past illusions, manifesting duel spirits, immunity to Darkness' LotusEaterMachine, among other things.
* GrowingUpSucks
* GrumpyBear
* HeroicSafeMode
* HurtingHero
* IneffectualLoner: Minus the "Ineffectual" part, most of the times.
* JadeColoredGlasses
* {{Jerkass}}: In many other characters' opinions, at least.
* KaleidoscopeEyes (MismatchedEyes)
* LonelyAtTheTop: Implied. Several characters comment that he has become something above humanity, which is partially the cause for his self-inflicted isolation.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Played for laughs.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids
* SplitPersonality
* TheStoic
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Johan Andersen (Jesse Anderson)]]

->Introduced in Season 3; the top student of North Academia and owner of the only set of Gem Beast cards. He quickly becomes Judai's [[HoYay best friend]] and closest partner in the struggle to save reality in Season 4.

Voiced by: Kanako Irie (Japanese) and Christopher C. Adams (English)
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Rainbows and frills, anyone?
* {{Bishonen}}
* ChosenOne: Said to be one, but of what is [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot never revealed]].
* DistressedDude: His disappearance sets the events of the latter half of season three in motion.
* EmpathyPet: The Gem Beasts
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: His ultimate monster, Rainbow Dragon
* EvilMakeover[=/=]EvilCostumeSwitch: When possessed by Yubel.
* {{Expy}}: Judai
* HeroicSacrifice: Triggers Judai's HeroicBSOD.
* HeyItsThatVoice: His voice actress voiced Camula of the Seven Stars in the first season.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sho Marufuji (Syrus Truesdale)]]

->Judai's original best friend and {{Sidekick}}, a role he fights to keep in Season 2 but gradually leaves behind to pursue his own CharacterDevelopment in Seasons 3 and 4.

Voiced by: Masami Suzuki (Japanese) and WayneGrayson (English)

Juudai's best friend and sidekick, Sho Marufuji (U.S. name: Syrus Truesdale), whose feelings for his friend toe the line between brotherly and HoYay (if anything, this is [[DubText exaggerated by several lines of dialogue in the dub]], and has netted him rivals for Juudai's attention/affection in the form of Tyranno Kenzan and Overseas Champion Johan Andersen); he has unquestionably had the most CharacterDevelopment of all the characters, symbolized by his promotion to a higher dorm every season.

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* BadassAdorable
* [[BigBrotherInstinct Little Brother Instinct]]: [[InvertedTrope Interestingly enough]], exhibited towards Ryo in season 4, after Ryo becomes [[IllGirl confined mainly to a wheelchair or hospital bed.]]
* BlindWithoutEm
* CatchPhrase: In the dub, he has "Wait up!" and "Way to play, Jay!"
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: His CharacterDevelopment is accompanied by dorm promotions and changes of uniform from Red to Yellow to Blue.
* CuteMachines: His Vehicroid monsters.
* DistressedDude: Frequently ends up as the hostage.
* DubText: His relationship with Jaden
* FireForgedFriends: With Kenzan.
* HiddenDepths
* TheLancer: He's shorter than Judai and lacks his confidence. The contrast is seen because they are best friends.
* PerverseSexualLust: Black Magician Girl and Thunder Nyan Nyan
* PromotionToParent: To an extent, towards Ryo in season 4. Revealed later in the Darkness arc that [[spoiler: he ''[[AFriendInNeed really doesn't]] [[WhyCantIHateYou like it]].'']]
* TheRival: To his older brother by the end, previously to Kenzan in HoYay LoveTriangle over Judai.
* TheShortGuyWithGlasses
* {{Sidekick}}
* TheSoCalledCoward
* TheWatcher : Actively ''tries'' to become one of these in season 3, after Judai's HeroicBSOD.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tyranno Kenzan (Tyranno Hassleberry)]]

-> '''Ra Yellow.''' Enters Duel Academia in Season 2 and decides to become Sho's rival for the role of Judai's "little brother."

Voiced by: HiroshiShimozaki (Japanese) and David Wills (English)

Tyranno Kenzan (U.S. name: Tyranno Hassleberry), introduced in Season 2, a dinosaur-obsessed student with actual "dino DNA" flowing through his veins from an accident (and for some reason fancies himself a wannabe Army drill instructor in the dub). Originally fought with Sho over Juudai's attention (and affection), but quickly found a new rivalry with fellow fossil enthusiast Jim "Crocodile" Cook in Season 3.

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* AmbiguouslyBrown
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: DINOSAUR DNA
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: While on an archaeological expedition when he was younger, Tyranno fell and broke his leg. Rather than do something completely unreasonable like getting him to a hospital, they performed an on-site surgery to replace his broken bone with that of a dinosaur that they had dug up. Not even getting into how they just happened to find [[ArtisticLicenseBiology a dinosaur bone the exact size and shape of the shin-bone of a maybe ten year old boy.]]
* TheBerserker: He blames it on dinosaur [=DNA=].
* TheBigGuy: He's big, he's aggressive and he has dinosaur DNA!
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs
* FireForgedFriends: With Sho.
* InformedAbility: Said to be on the top of his class dueling-wise. He's won a single on-screen duel, however.
* KaleidoscopeEyes
* TheRival: With Sho in a HoYay LoveTriangle over Judai.
* SouthernFriedPrivate: He talked like one [[AccentAdaptation in the dub]], but instead of being TheIdiotFromOsaka in the original, he [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud punctuated sentences with the onomatopoeia for explosions.]]
* VerbalTic: Ends sentences with "-saurus!" and "-don!" in the original.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jun Manjoume (Chazz Princeton)]]

->'''Obelisk Blue/Slifer Red.''' Judai's first rival. Originally a rich snob who looked down on everyone else, he went on a short journey to find himself in Season 1 and came back much more honorable, despite his attempts to hide it, and determined to succeed because of his merits and skill rather than his money.

Voiced by: TaikiMatsuno (Japanese), Tony Solerno (English, Episode 1-89) and MarcThompson (English, Episode 90 onwards)

TheRival and WorthyOpponent to Judai. Though initially a high-ranking member of Obelisk Blue, he experiences a losing streak and drops out, going on a journey to find himself and ending up at the North Academy duelling school. Though he rejoins Duel Academy, he is forced to start over at Slifer Red and decides to keep wearing his black North Academy uniform. He eventually makes it back up to Obelisk Blue.

He also has the power to see and hear monster spirits. Unfortunately, his "spirit partners" are [[SmallAnnoyingCreature the Ojama Trio]], three rather disgusting and tactless monsters that frequently annoy him. He grows fond of them over time but will never admit it under any circumstance.

He gets significantly better treatment in the manga: Instead of the Ojamas, his spirit ally is the Light and Darkness Dragon, whose power even scares the BigBad.

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* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Despite his massive (and often hilarious) crush on Asuka, the poor guy was doomed from the get-go.
* AntiHero
* BadassLongcoat
* BadassNickname: Manjoume Thunder!
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Season 2
** EvilCostumeSwitch
** LightIsNotGood
** RivalTurnedEvil
** TheDragon: To Saiou
* BreakTheHaughty
* ButtMonkey: After his character development, Manjoume tends to have absolutely horrendous luck.
* CainAndAbel: With his older brothers
* CatchPhrase
** Japanese version: "Ichi, jū, hyaku, sen, Manjōme-sandā!"
** English version: "Let's Chazz it up!"
* DarkIsNotEvil
* EmpathyPet: The Ojama Brothers
* {{Expy}}: Of Seto Kaiba.
* {{Foil}} To Judai; he's the arrogant and overly serious Obelisk Blue to contrast the friendly and laid back Silfer Red.
* FreudianExcuse
* GoodIsNotNice
* GreatDetective: In his own mind, that is.
* InsistentTerminology: In the Japanese version, he insists that people show him respect by addressing him with the -san [[JapaneseHonorifics honorific]]: "Manjoume-san da" ("It's ''Mr.'' Manjoume"). This leads to his in-universe nickname of "Manjoume Thunder" when he transfers to a new school and his new classmates mistake "san da" for the Japanese pronunciation of "thunder".
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: His Armed Dragons.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: His VWXYZ monsters in the anime.
* JerkJock: Pre-CharacterDevelopment, he was shaping up to be Judai's [[Literature/HarryPotter Draco Malfoy]].
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Post-character development.
* LonelyRichKid
* LostInTranslation: His "Manjoume Thunder" nickname in the Japanese version- a nickname born from a Japanese wordplay pun- was replaced by "Let's Chazz it up!" and "The Chazz" in the dub. Unfortunately, this removes the explanation for why he starts using more lightning-based cards and symbolism after acquiring the nickname.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: His crush on Asuka
* NobleDemon
* NoRespectGuy: Despite quite possibly being the second-best duelist at the academy, he sure doesn't get much respect.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette
* ParentalAbandonment: True, this applies to 99% of the characters, but he's the only one with two older brothers who appear to be his guardians.
* PluckyComicRelief: Alternates between being this and being badass.
* PragmaticHero
* PunnyName: His nickname Manjoume Thunder ("sanda" in Japanese) is partly a pun on his InsistentTerminology.
* TheRival
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: He eventually rejects his brothers' plans and tries to go pro without their connections.
* SelfMadeMan
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The dub has him called himself "The Chazz."
* ThirdPersonPerson: The aforementioned "Manjuome san-da" can be translated as "It's the Manjoume" under some circumstances. The dub retains this, where he calls himself "The Chazz."
* WellDoneSonGuy: Towards his older brothers in Season 1.
* TheWorfEffect
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asuka Tenjoin (Alexis Rhodes)]]

->'''Obelisk Blue.''' Judai's designated female love interest ([[spoiler:which, to her initial disappointment, comes to nothing]]) and the token shonen fanservice girl... which she hates. Kind, friendly, not-at-all proud or arrogant like most Obelisks, but has a predictably hard time in a series where she's surrounded by boys and HoYay.

Voiced by: SanaeKobayashi (Japanese) and Priscilla Everett (English)

Asuka Tenjoin (U.S. name: Alexis Rhodes), the [[CoolBigSis kind and pretty]] "Queen of Obelisk Blue" [[FauxActionGirl (sorta)]] and Juudai's closest thing to a heterosexual love interest (as well as [[PlatonicLifePartners the Grace to Ryou Marufuji's Will]]). Also, Manjoume and just about [[HelloNurse every other boy in school has HUGE crushes on her]] (two have dueled Juudai out of sheer jealousy of her admiration for him), to the great delight of [[TheMatchmaker her older brother Fubuki]]... and to Asuka's own despair.

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* ActionGirl <--> FauxActionGirl: Zigzagged. She's considered one of the seven best duelists in Duel Academy, but she merely wins against filler opponents and has a victory in a plot-important duel only twice. However, she manages to push her opponents pretty close to defeat before having the tables turned on her and is able to hold her own against the guys (Judai, Fubuki, and Manjoume), as well as battle people that gave the rest of the cast some issues (Titan, for example). The major question is if she lives up to her hype, which, of course, YMMV.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Does not reciprocate Manjoume's crush on her, and [[spoiler:Judai does not reciprocate her crush on him.]]
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: With [[ThoseTwoGuys Those Two Girls]], Momoe/Mindy (brunette) and Junko/Jasmine (redhead).
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: In Season 2, by Manjoume.
** EvilIsDeathlyCold
** HypnotizeThePrincess: Saiou does this to her, making her even more BrainwashedAndCrazy then prior.
** KillItWithIce
** MindControlEyes
** WomanInWhite
* DanceBattler: Her key deck motif.
* DeadpanSnarker: When she's exasperated.
* FingerlessGloves a la Mai Kujaku/Valentine
* HelloNurse: Something she's not happy about at all.
* IdolSinger: [[DefiedTrope NOT!]]
* ImpossibleHourglassFigure
* MaleGaze
* MagicSkirt
* MarriedToTheJob: Cites being in love with dueling as one of her reasons for rejecting Manjoume's advances.
* MsFanservice
* NamesTheSame: When partnered with [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei]].
* OnlySaneMan
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Ryo.
* SatelliteCharacter: She grows to serve less and less purpose over the course of the series outside her interest in Judai and Manjoume's interest in her.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: In the manga her introductory duel is actually motivated by her desire to be seen as a competent duelist and not just a pretty face.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Subverted. She hates being mistaken for a diva, and is really nice. She just gets really annoyed by some of Manjyoume's and Fubuki's more foolish antics.
* WomenAreWiser: Is the most level-headed of Judai's friends.
[[/folder]]

!Other Students


[[folder:Hayato Maeda (Chumley Huffington)]]

->'''Osiris Red.''' Judai's and Sho's roommate in Season 1 before graduating and leaving to work at Industrial Illusions.

Voiced by: Takehiro Hasu (Japanese) and TedLewis (English)
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* AnimalMotifs: Koalas.
* BigEater: Intensified by the dub.
* HiddenDepths: Mediocre duelist, highly talented artist. In his CrowningMomentOfAwesome, he gets to use a card he himself designed.
* PutOnABus: He leaves Duelist Academy to become an artist for Industrial Illusions. His slot in the cast is filled by Tyranno
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Grilled cheese sandwiches, though only in the dub.
* WellDoneSonGuy: His father runs a sake corporation (hot sauce in the dub) and Chumley wants to be a member of the dueling industry to make his father proud. He disagrees at first anyway, but the PowerOfFriendship changes his mind.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Daichi Misawa (Bastion Misawa)]]

->'''Ra Yellow.''' The top student in Ra Yellow and smartest student at Duel Academia... at least before a disturbing romantic rendezvous in mid-Season 1; his shtick in Season 2 changed from being a genius to being forgotten by all the characters and ignored by the recruiting {{Cult}}.

Voiced by: Yuuki Masuda (Japanese) and EricStuart (English)
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* AwesomenessByAnalysis: At first...
* BadassBookworm: Not that the HotBlooded cast acknowledges it.
* BornInTheWrongCentury: Would have fit right in among the geniuses of ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' and received much more respect.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: He's not brainwashed per se, he was sick of getting the shaft, and he's still treated like [[ButtMonkey nothing]]
* ButtMonkey: Season 2
* CelibateHero: Oooh, boy...
* CrazyPrepared: Opponent tossed his deck into the lake? No problem -- he's locked and loaded with 6 more decks to spare!
* DealWithTheDevil: Saiou promised Misawa that people would remember him and he would get the respect he deserved if he joined up. Pity it didn't actually work that way.
* DemotedToExtra: Season 2 onward, and pointed out in the canon as his reason for joining the Society of Light.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Cited as the reason for his FaceHeelTurn and HeelFaceTurn in season 2. By season 3 he's given up and chooses to [[PutOnABus stay in the different dimension.]]
* {{Expospeak}}: Seems to be the sole reason for him to reemerge from the bus on occasion.
* FakeBrit: In the dub.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: He had a FreakOut when he realized that he had a [[{{Lolicon}} crush]] on ''White Magician Pikeru''.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Girl Tiny Guy]]: Misawa is taller and has a larger build than most of the main cast, and yet he's still dwarfed by [[StatuesqueStunner Taniya]], his eventual love interest.
* LightIsNotGood
* TheMagicPokerEquation: A pointed aversion, he's one of the few characters in the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' universe who ''doesn't'' rely on it. He uses mathematical formulas and science to fine-tune his decks to perfection, thereby minimizing the variable of luck in his duels and making his decks very precise and strategic, and he considers what he knows about the opponent's deck before choosing one of his own ''six'' as the best choice to counter the opponent. Unfortunately most of his opponents ''do'' rely on this trope and have PlotArmor to boot.
* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: At least, he thought he didn't...
* NoRespectGuy: Season 2
* NumberTwo: Originally, but starting with Season 2, he becomes more and more obscure.
* PutOnABus: Multiple times
* TheRival: To Judai in Season 1.
* TheSmartGuy: He is one, but [[WrongGenreSavvy his type of dueling isn't really acknowledged in this series]]
* TigerVersusDragon: The Tiger to Judai's Dragon.
* TheWorfEffect: Beyond his one win against Manjoume, despite dueling impeccably, he never wins another duel... until he joins the Society of Light during Season 2...and even those wins are only against unnamed characters.
* WrongGenreSavvy: He's a brilliant strategist, unfortunately he lives in a time where HotBlooded instinct and miracular creation skills is the StatusQuo.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryo Marufuji (Zane Truesdale)]]

->'''Obelisk Blue.''' Sho's older brother, nicknamed the Kaiser. Originally the top student at Duel Academia who prided himself on dueling with respect and honor, before a devastating loss to Edo Phoenix prompted an unexpected and long FaceHeelTurn.

Voiced by: Takeshi Maeda (Japanese) and Scotty Ray (English)

Ryo Marufuji (U.S. name: Zane Truesdale), Sho's AloofBigBrother, who goes by his nickname, the Kaiser; once the best of the best, he had a [[FreakOut serious breakdown]] after losing a duel to Edo Phoenix.

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''Season 1:''
* TheAce: A variation. Described as "perfect" on multiple occasions, effortlessly defeats the main character in his first on-screen duel, and is the undefeated best duelist at the Academy. Only duels three times in the season (two of them against Judai) because they couldn't figure out how to make it dramatic anymore. Not quite charming, and ''definitely'' not hammy, but he fits the bill. Sets him up for a ''brutal'' {{Deconstruction}} in Season 2.
* AloofBigBrother
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The first to defeat Judai, who probably counts as a form of UnknownRival, and is barely disputed as superior (at least until the Graduation Duel).
** During the Phantom Demons arc, he easily destroys a villain without taking a single hit, before she forces him to make a HeroicSacrifice for Sho. Judai very nearly loses against the same villain in the next episode.
* AntiHero
* {{Badass}}
** BadassLongcoat
** BadassNickname: Kaiser
* BigBrotherInstinct
* {{Bishonen}}
* TheComicallySerious
* DeadpanSnarker: Heavy on the deadpan, and more so in the dub.
* {{Expy}}: Seto Kaiba, predominantly the AloofOlderBrother aspect.
* GoodIsNotNice
* HeroicSacrifice: For Sho in Turn 32
* LonelyAtTheTop: Shows signs of this, [[IneffectualLoner not that he seems to mind]].
* TheMagicPokerEquation: Hoo boy. Topdecks all of the cards he needs to bring out his ace monster, Cyber End Dragon, within 3 turns, tops.
* MarriedToTheJob: A borderline example; similarly to Asuka, he states that he is devoted to dueling and uninterested in relationships. Of course, this ''was'' said to a middle school {{Fangirl}}, so take that as you will.
* MeaningfulName
* NoSocialSkills
* ObliviousToLove: Extremely obvious in Turn 20.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* PerpetualFrowner
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Asuka.
* PragmaticHero
* TheQuietOne
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Fubuki's red.
* TheRival: For Judai in the beginning; for Sho in the end.
* SadisticChoice: In episode 32, Camula gave him a choice between sacrificing Shou to win the duel, or standing down and losing his own soul and his Key. See HeroicSacrifice.
* TheStoic
** NotSoStoic: Has a few moments. Turn 20, in which Rei shows up with a massive crush, has a ''lot'' of [[http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz118/Wilderstorm/Funny%20Yu-Gi-Oh%20GX%20moments/RUNAWAY.jpg moments]].
*** And the end of the Graduation Duel, when he and Judai both stretch out on the floor, [[http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz118/Wilderstorm/Funny%20Yu-Gi-Oh%20GX%20moments/Epiclulz.png laughing their heads off]].
* [[TallDarkandHandsome Tall, Dark, Handsome]] [[TallDarkAndSnarky and Snarky]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

''Season 2:''

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* AntiHero
* ArrogantKungFuGuy
* AxCrazy
* BadassNickname: Now Hell Kaiser.
* BadassLongCoat
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil
* BloodKnight: You know...with [[SeriousBusiness card games.]]
* BrokenAce: So, ''so'' broken.
* BreakTheHaughty
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Hell Kaiser's new black uniform.
* CombatSadomasochist: Comes to enjoy the pain from the electric shock collar and dishing it out as well.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: The Tail Deck of Cyber Dark monsters
* DespairEventHorizon: Hits it hard in episode 65, triggering his FreakOut and FaceHeelTurn.
* ElectricTorture: Although it originally drove his FreakOut, he eventually grows to like it.
* EvilCostumeSwitch
* EvilFeelsGood
* FaceHeelTurn
* FingerlessGloves: Wears a studded pair in the Pro League, pre-FreakOut.
* FreakOut
* TheGift: Deconstructed more brutally than with any other character besides maybe Judai.
* HeirToTheDojo
* HellBentForLeather
* JerkassDissonance
* KickTheDog: His duel with Sho.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Firing Saruyama.
* LimitedWardrobe: Still wears his school uniform after graduating (pre-FreakOut).
* NietzscheWannabe
* NominalHero
* NotBrainwashed: Just broken and batshit insane.
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil
* ShonenUpgrade: His Cyberdarks.
* ShowerOfAngst
* SlasherSmile: Countless times post-FreakOut.
* TooKinkyToTorture: Initially hates the electrodes; afterwards starts using them regularly [[FetishFuelStationAttendant for this reason]], and also because he's just that screwed up.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Shown in Turn 83
* TheWorfEffect: The first season set him up as the best duelist in Duel Academy(Judai only managing to tie with him in their second match). Then Edo defeats him, and he suffers a string of defeats.

''Season 3:''

-----
* AntiHero: Type V --> Type IV
* TheAtoner: Arguably
* TheBerserker
* BigDamnHeroes: Has a moment like this where he saves Sho and Ojama Yellow. Sets Sho up for a borderline HeroicSafeMode.
* DeathEqualsRedemption: Having found out that he's dying, he spends most of the season looking for one last great duel. However, he also [[PetTheDog repeatedly saves his brother's life]], snaps Judai out of a HeroicBSOD with a HeroicSacrifice, and is generally loses most of the harsh, psychotic persona of season 2.
* DeathIsDramatic: He kicks Judai's ass back into gear about five seconds before he dies.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: He quadruples the attack points of his greatest monster, and despite his losing the duel, snaps Judai out of his HeroicBSOD, something that three other HeroicSacrifices had failed to do previously.
* GoodIsNotNice
* HeroicSacrifice: against Yubel.
* SecretlyDying: Until it becomes impossible to hide, he tells no one of his heart condition and brushes off any kind of concern from those who do notice the pain he's in.
* SpiritedCompetitor: He spends almost the entire season looking for someone strong enough to give him one last amazing duel.
* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil, UpToEleven

''Season 4:''

-----
* BackFromTheDead
* ContractualImmortality: Though it's unclear whether or not this is something he wants.
* DoingInTheScientist: His heart problems weren't due to dueling with [[ElectricTorture electro-shock collars]] but the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique dangerous forbidden deck]] he used.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Comes to his senses and gives up the Hell Kaiser persona thanks to Sho.
* [[IllGirl Ill Boy]]
* UnexplainedRecovery: In contrast to the [[DeathIsCheap explained revivals]] of the other characters, he just randomly shows up. In his case, he literally has ''heart failure'' before fading away, whereas the others simply fade away, but were really trapped in another dimension.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fubuki Tenjoin (Atticus Rhodes)]]

->'''Obelisk Blue.''' Asuka's older brother and Kaiser's best friend, missing for the first half of Season 1 and brought back a dangerous mystery that would not be solved until Season 4.

Voiced by: KojiYusa (Japanese) and JasonAnthonyGriffith (English)
------
* [[spoiler:BackForTheDead: He suddenly emerges from the bus for a few episodes seemingly for the sole purpose of having another character to kill off to send Judai over the DespairEventHorizon.]]
* BigBrotherMentor: For Manjoume
* {{Bishonen}}
* ChekhovMIA: Spoken of by Asuka long before he makes an apperance.
* ChickMagnet
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Trying to force his younger sister (who had no singing talent or desire to sing) to become an IdolSinger is one of his many ideas.
* EnemyWithin: Darkness
* EvilIsNotAToy
* InformedAbility: He's considered to be one of the best duelists at Duel Academy. Despite this, he never wins a single duel on-screen. Though to be fair, two of his opponents were [[BoringInvincibleHero Judai]] and [[BloodKnight Hell]] [[BrokenAce Kaiser Ryo]], and it's implied that he wasn't playing seriously in his duel against Asuka. Lives up to the hype in the manga though.
* MaskOfPower: Darkness
* TheMatchmaker: For Asuka, despite her protests.
* PutOnABus: Multiple times, with one return offering no explanation as to where he even was.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Darkness is associated with Red Eyes Darkness Dragon.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Ryo's blue.
* ShipperOnDeck: Supports Manjoume's attempts to win over Asuka. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Which tend to fail spectacularly.]]
* TotallyRadical: In the dub, even when under the influence of Darkness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Edo Phoenix (Aster Phoenix)]]

->Judai's new rival in Season 2. By day, he's the top duelist in the Pro League and the unfortunate dupe of his manager and best friend Saiou in recruiting members for the Society of Light {{cult}}; by night, he prowls dark alleys dressed up as Duel Monsters, defeating criminals in an attempt to find the man who killed his father.

Voiced by: AkiraIshida (Japanese) and Pete Zarustica (English)
-----

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Becomes the first person in the series to defeat Ryou, and give Judai one of his few losses (though Judai later returns the favor).
* AntiHero
* {{Badass}}
* BrokenAce: An extremely popular and talented individual not only in duel monsters but in a variety of professions. Yet he's overly driven by the death of his father as well as his best friend's change.
* TheDulcineaEffect: For Amon's girlfriend Ekou in Season 3. This even confuses ''him'', not just the viewers.
* {{Expy}}: [[RuleOfThree Seto Kaiba]]
* FireForgedFriends: With Judai, though the latter would have you believe they were friends earlier than that.
** Also with Ryo in Season 3.
* GrumpyBear
* HeroicSacrifice: See TheDulcineaEffect.
* {{Jerkass}}: He wouldn't be a Kaiba expy if he weren't, though he's arguably worse than Kaiba in some ways.
** JerkWithAHeartofGold: During Season 3, he becomes this.
* MissedTheCall: Nope, you're not TheHero, nor TheChosenOne...nor TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou!
* OedipusComplex: With his adopted father, DD.
* OrphansPlotTrinket: The Destiny Hero cards
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In his first duel with Judai.
* TheRival
* TotallyRadical: His speech in the dub tends to follow this pattern.
* ShadowArchetype: Quite deliberately a contrast for Judai; uses a similar deck(Hero themed) and had similar childhood passions for his hero monsters, but Edo takes dueling far more seriously, seeing it as way of dealing justice.
* ShootTheDog
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Edo, or Ed? Most people go with Edo, although some would argue that Edo is a botched translation and it really means Ed anyway.
** Then again, some people bring up the StealthPun in his name; ''Phoenixes'' were very popular in artistic depictions of the ''Edo'' period.
* TallDarkAndSnarky
* {{Tsundere}}: Male version and [[HoYay probably]] non-romantic; type B example towards Saiou and type A towards Ryo in season 3.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy
* WrongGenreSavvy: Apparently thinks he's {{Batman}}.
* YouKilledMyFather
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rei Saotome (Blair Flannigan)]]

->'''Osiris Red.''' Initially a one-shot character with a crush on Kaiser, she returns at the end of season two and earns her way into the academy by becoming runner-up in the Genex Tournament, despite still being too young to enter the academy the normal way. Develops a major crush on Judai, to which he is predictably oblivious.

Voiced by: EriSendai (Japanese) and LisaOrtiz (English)
-----
* ActionGirl
* AscendedExtra
* {{Bokukko}}
* BrooklynRage: In the dub.
* DamselInDistress: By mid-Season 3.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Her age.
* {{Expy}}: Rebecca Hawkins, who actually had a near-identical DubInducedPlotHole of her own.
* FanGirl: First for Kaiser, then for Judai.
* IllGirl: Briefly in Season 3.
* NamesTheSame: When partnered with [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Asuka]].
* SheIsAllGrownUp
* SweetPollyOliver: In her introduction.
* ZettaiRyouiki
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Martin Kanou (Marcel Bonaparte)]]

->'''Ra Yellow.''' A friend of Rei's, who becomes the vessel for the Yubel after Cobra's fall. The son of Vice-Principal Napoeleon, he has major self-worth issues.

Voiced by: Asako Yoshida (Japanese) and Sebastian Arcelus (English)
-----
* DealWithTheDevil
* FreudianExcuse
* ParentalAbandonment
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Austin O'Brien (Axel Brodie)]]

-> The champion of Duel Academy's west branch, who trains for duels via life-threatening high wire stunts, which he claims aide his [[TheMagicPokerEquation drawing skills]]. Initially a pawn of Cobra, he eventually becomes a valued friend to Judai.

Voiced by: Naru Kawamoto (Japanese) and MarcThompson (English)
-----
* AbnormalAmmo: Cards.
* {{Badass}}: Put it this way -- you can count on one hand the number of times Judai loses. When he duels Judai as the Supreme King, O'Brien forces a double [=KO=], and in an earlier duel with Judai where he lost, he could have won had he gone with the second of two strategies he was considering.
* BlackBestFriend: Well, sorta.
* DeathDealer
* HeroicSacrifice: Against The Supreme King to save Judai.
* KillItWithFire: His whole Deck is based on this concept combined with gunplay.
* TheGunslinger: Yes, with trading cards. That explode upon impact.
* ImprobableAimingSkills
* TokenMinority
* VoodooShark: Fire-attribute cards apparently explode. This makes perfect sense to everyone and is never contested.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jim "Crocodile" Cook]]

->The champion of Duel Academy's south branch, who carries a crocodile on his back in a special backpack. Becomes friends with Judai and company after dueling Kenzan, and provides a nice amount of PluckyComicRelief even in the darkest parts of the series.

Voiced by: Naoya Iwahashi (Japanese) and Tom Wayland (English)
------
* ChekhovsGun: His covered eye -- really the Eye of Orichalcum, used to bring Judai out of his HeroicBSOD.
* CrazyPrepared: Came to Duel Academy with an EMP detector for no adequately explored reason.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: In a fossilized truck
* EmpathyPet: A crocodile named Karen.
* EyepatchOfPower: Well, bandages of power at least.
* GratuitousEnglish: HilarityEnsues.
* HeroicSacrifice: Against The Supreme King in a failed attempt to save Judai. O'Brien's own sacrifice finishes the job.
* LandDownUnder
* MeaningfulName
* NiceHat: A fedora.
* TheNickNamer: Gives Kenzan the nickname "Dino Boy" and calls Asuka "Tomorrow Girl" (Her last name, Tenjoin, means "Tommorrow's fragrance").
* ThePowerOfFriendship: How he hopes to save Judai from himself.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yusuke Fujiwara]]

->Fubuki's former best friend, initially thought to be dead. The second host of Darkness.

Voiced by: Makoto Naruse
-----
* {{Bishonen}}
* EvilIsNotAToy
* MaskOfPower
* ParentalIssues
* RememberTheNewGuy
[[/folder]]

!Teachers

[[folder:Professor Chronos de Medici (Dr. Vellian Crowler)]]

->The head professor at Duel Academy, and initial (albeit non-lethal) antagonist. Looks down upon Osiris Red students, particulary Judai, whom he calls "drop-out boy".

Voice actor: Hiroshi Shimizu (Japanese) and SeanSchemmel (English)
-----
* AmbiguouslyGay
* AntiHero
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite being used mostly as PluckyComicRelief after Judai defeats him in the pilot, he has his moments. He tends to [[PapaWolf vigorously defend his students when they're in peril]], [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold even at great danger to his own life.]] And when it's time for him to duel, he ''always'' has a way to get his beloved Ancient Gear Golem on the field no matter what his opponents throw at him, at which point it's time to clean house.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: though definitely not in a Bishonen way...
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign
* HiddenDepths
* {{Jerkass}} --> JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* NobleDemon
* SadistTeacher
* TookALevelInKindness: In season 3.
* VerbalTic: Na no ne.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Daitokuji Sensei (Professor Lyman Banner)]]

->The head of the Osiris Red dorm and Alchemy professor and a mentor for Judai, until he's revealed to be TheMole - and then later, the ReverseMole.

Voiced by: KappeiYamaguchi (Japanese) and WayneGrayson (English)
-----
* AbsentMindedProfessor
* TheAtoner
* [[spoiler: BloodFromTheMouth: Happens in a flashback explaining how he is Amnael.]]
* ChewToy: After becoming a SpiritAdvisor, he's often swallowed by his cat Pharaoh.
* CoolTeacher: In the first opening, "Kaisei Josho Hallelujah", you can see him on a motorcycle. And in episode 13, he sicced his cat Pharaoh on some evil scientists.
* DoubleAgent
* EasilyForgiven
* EyesAlwaysShut
* KindheartedCatLover: Think about it. He has a cat, he says "nya" at the end of his sentences? That's proof enough.
* MentorOccupationalHazard
* ObfuscatingStupidity... er, Cowardice
* RightHandCat: His cat Pharaoh.
* SpiritAdvisor
* [[spoiler: TreacherousAdvisor]]
* VerbalTic: Japanese version only - while Daitokuji-sensei often says "nya", Japanese cat meow, at the end of his sentences, other languages eliminate it altogether, and give him a German accent due to the fact he teaches alchemy.
* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Vampires?]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Principal Samejima (Chancellor Sheppard)]]

->Duel Academy's principal and former master of the "Cyber Style", which Ryo inherited.

Voiced by: Masami Iwasaki (Japanese) and David Wills (Engish)
-----
* AdultsAreUseless... and depressed by his awareness of that.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Season 3 would have gone a lot different if he hadn't brought Professor Cobra to Duel Academy, making his scheme possible. To make matters worse he leaves just as all of the students are passing out due to the Dis Bands.
* OldMaster
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Napoleon Kanou (Jean-Louis Bonaparte)]]
->Chronos' replacement during the former's reign as Duel Academy headmaster and Martin's dad.

Voiced by: Naoki Tatsuta (Japanese) and MikePollock (English)
-----
* TheDragon: To Chronos
* EvilCounterpart: He's Chronos pre-character development.
* FatBastard: Initially
* HeelFaceTurn
* {{Jerkass}} --> JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* HiddenDepths: Season 3 has him actual care about the students, mostly brought on by the presence of his son Martin.
* PutOnABus: Left to spend time with his son Martin, so he was absent in season 4.
* SadistTeacher
* TheStarscream: He tried to undermine Chronos and get Osiris Red torn down and turned on him at first when a job opportunity was avalible with Pegasus.
* TookALevelInKindness: In season 3.
[[/folder]]

!Major Villains

[[folder:Kagemaru]]

->The BigBad of season one, who spends most of said season off-screen. Also the chairman of Duel Academy's board of directors.

Voiced by: {{Mugihito}} (Japanese, old), NobutoshiCanna (Japanese, young), David Wills (English, old), and MarcThompson (English, young)
-----
* AGodAmI
* TheChessmaster
* DealWithTheDevil
* HeelFaceTurn
* HiddenAgendaVillain
* KarmaHoudini
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Takuma Saiou (Sartorius)]]

->The leader of the Society of Light {{cult}}, the main threat of Season 2; the vessel for the Light of Ruin.

Voiced by: TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese) and MaddieBlaustein (English)
-----
* AffablyEvil
* AlwaysNeedWhatYouGaveUp: Loses his powers at the end of season 2 and misses them dearly in season 4.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo
* BigBad: Season 2.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Willing to capture Judai for Darkness to save his sister, Mizuchi.
* BigDamnHeroes: His rescue of Judai in Season 4.
* BlessedWithSuck: His power to see the future.
* CreepyMonotone
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: The first ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' villain to actually have no desire to play a card game for the fate of the universe. Until he's forced to.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: In a van, then on a motorcycle.
* {{Expy}}: Possibly for Dartz.
* HannibalLecture
* HeelFaceTurn
* HypnotizeThePrincess: To Asuka, making her even more BrainwashedAndCrazy than before.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Flip-flops on this one throughout the series.
* KillSat
* LightIsNotGood
* ManipulativeBastard
* MoreThanMindControl
* TarotMotifs: His entire deck, to go along with his FortuneTeller persona.
* {{Ubermensch}}
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's around 17 or 18 years old, but he looks like a full-grown adult.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mizuchi (Sarina)]]
->Saiou's younger sister, who has ambiguous PsychicPowers og her own. Although initially appearing to be her brother's minion, her primary goal in Season 2 is to get Edo and Judai to save her brother from the evil possessing him.
-----
* BlessedWithSuck
* EnigmaticMinion
* {{Expy}}: For Ishizu, as she's also her series' second season's {{Herald}} with PsychicPowers who's trying to save her brother from his EnemyWithin.
* {{Herald}}
* MagicMirror: Uses them to channel her powers.
* {{Miko}}
* PutOnABus
[[/folder]]

[[folder:DD (The D)]]

->The first vessel for the Light of Ruin, which infected the card he stole from Edo Phoenix's father before he killed him.

Voiced by: KazuhikoInoue (Japanese) and MarcThompson (English)
--------
* FourEyesZeroSoul
* KilledOffForReal
* ShoutOut: In the dub, he states his real name is [[TenaciousD Kyle Jables]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Light of Ruin (Light of Destruction)]]

-----
* EldritchAbomination
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin
* LightIsNotGood
* TheVirus
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Professor Cobra (Professor Viper)]]

Yubel's initial pawn, who aides her in order to revive his adopted son.

Voiced by: Masaya Takatsuka (Japanese) and SeanSchemmel (English)
-----
* DealWithTheDevil: with Yubel.
* EvilLaugh
* EvilTeacher
* KilledOffForReal
* ObviouslyEvil
* MeaningfulName: Uses a Deck of venomous snake monsters.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Lampshaded by Syrus in the dub.
* {{Necromantic}}: To revive his adopted son, Rick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Amon Garam (Adrian Gecko)]]

->The champion of Duel Academy's east branch. Initially a neutral character, he actively attempts to thwart Cobra's plans before aiding Yubel. Disappears for a considerable length of time and appears in the third alternate dimension harnessing the powers of Exodia in an attempt to rid himself of Yubel's influence.

Voiced by: Nobuya Mine (Japanese) and Darrun Dunstan (English)
-----
* AGodAmI: Wishes to become the King of the alternate dimensions.
* BadassBookworm
* TheChessmaster
* DeadpanSnarker
* DealWithTheDevil: Makes a deal with Yubel in a bid for power, later tries to use Exodia's power to escape her grasp.
* GenreSavvy[=/=]MetaGuy: Dub only.
* EvilRedhead
* EvilvsEvil: against Yubel.
* FailOSuckyname: According to Chazz in the dub.
* FourEyesZeroSoul
* ImprobableWeaponUser: He uses what appears to be a card called "Short Circuit" as an explosive device.
* KilledOffForReal
* KnightTemplar
* LimaSyndrome
* MeaningfulName: Derived from an Egyptian cloud diety, Amun. Amon uses a Deck of cloud cards in his first two duels.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: During his bid for power.
* ThePhilosopher: Cogito ergo sum.
* TheSmartGuy: Among the foreign champions.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His goal is to become the king of the dimension and build a world without suffering, hatred and poverty.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yubel]]

->The main antagonist of season three, behind [[TheManBehindtheMan all the others]]. A possessive duel spirit from Judai's youth, she seeks him out due to a promise made by Judai's past life - with Judai himself has no knowledge of. Driven mad by the Light of Ruin.

Voiced by: HiromiTsuru (Japanese, female voice), HisaoEgawa (Japanese, male voice), Cassandra Morris (English, ''GX''), and Eileen Stevens (''[[Anime/YuGiOhTenthAnniversaryMovie tenth anniversary movie]]'')
-----
* AmbiguousGender
* AxCrazy
* BigBad: Season 3.
* TheChessmaster
* ClingyJealousGirl
* CreepyMonotone
* DeadpanSnarker: Post HeelFaceTurn
* DemonicPossession: over Martin and Johan.
* DisproportionateRetribution
* {{Expy}}: Of Yami Bakura and Yami Marik. Yubel has the same hairstyle as both, a third eye like Yami Marik, gets similar bulgy veins and a NightmareFace to the latter as well, and has just as much craziness as both before her HeelFaceTurn.
* FaceHeelTurn: Gets corrupted by the Light of Ruin after being sent in space by Judai.
** HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: ... And regains her sanity after fusing with Judai.
* ForgottenChildhoodFriend
** VictoriousChildhoodFriend
* FusionDance: With Judai
* KarmaHoudini
* KnightOfCerebus
* LoveMakesYouEvil
* LiteralGenie: She eventually does reunite Cobra with his son... by killing him.
* ManipulativeBitch
* MismatchedEyes: Inherited by Judai after their FusionDance.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Or possess him, in this case.
* PoisonousFriend
* PsychoExGirlfriend, technically...
* RedRightHand
* ReincarnationRomance: ... on second thought, don't go there.
* StalkerWithACrush
* TheOtherDarrin: The [[Anime/YuGiOhTenthAnniversaryMovie tenth anniversary movie]] replaced Cassandra Morris from the anime with Eileen Stevens.
* VillainousBreakdown
* XanatosRoulette
* {{Yandere}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Trueman]]

->The envoy of Darkness, who demonstrates an ever-increasing number of inhuman powers - teleportation, shapeshifting, ripping holes in the dimensional fabric to duel Judai, possession and the ability to erase people from existence, to name a few.

Voiced by: HozumiGouda
-----
* CoolShades
* GrandTheftMe: He doesn't so much swap bodies as copy their appearance, but he fools the entirety of [[RedShirt Duel Academy's student body]] into thinking he's Sorano.
* MeaningfulName: He claims he has no name, but tells Judai to call him "Trueman" as he always speaks the truth.
** He's also called Creator/MrT.
* MegaManning: His deck becomes more and more powerful every time he duels as he collects cards from his fallen victims.
* MesACrowd
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands
* TheDragon: To Darkness
* {{Unperson}}: Any duelist he defeats is erased from existence and memory and all evidence that they ever existed vanishes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Darkness (Nightshroud)]]

--> "''I am Darkness. The Truth of the other world.''"

->Initially a minor villain in season one, he briefly returns in season two, and ultimately as the BigBad of season 4. He works through Trueman before revealing himself in the end.

Voiced by: HozumiGouda
-----
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Darkness]].
* AssimilationPlot
* BeyondGoodAndEvil: According to him, his existence is a reflection of humanity and he himself has no desire.
* BigBad: Season 4, making him the FinalBoss.
* EldritchAbomination
* EnemyWithin: For Fubuki
* {{Expy}}: Partially for Yami Bakura, in that they are both initially minor recurring villains that end up being their respective series' final BigBad.
* TheGrimReaper: More or less has this look, physically, though he lacks a scythe.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Oddly enough, not to Judai, his actual opponent, but to the rest of the world, as he explains that their [[HoldingOutForAHero inability to solve their own problems]] are what fuels his existence.
--> Darkness: "''You'' indeed have the power to fight. However, ''they'' do not."

[[/folder]]

!Manga

[[folder:Judai Yuki (Jaden Yuki)]]
* BigBrotherMentor: To Sho.
* BreakTheCutie: Not nearly as much as in the anime, but it's hard on him watching his mentor go into a coma, and he briefly falls into a HeroicBSOD during his duel with [[spoiler:Reggie]], as he knows that the loser will suffer a penalty game.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: [[spoiler: Judai and Manjoume do this to ''each other.'']]
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Some things never change. [[spoiler: It even sticks after Manjoume beats him right back.]]
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler: During the final turn of the Duel with Tragoedia, he summons Ma'at herself to end it by fusing Winged Kuriboh with Light and Darkness Dragon.]]
* FriendlyRivalry: With Manjoume. ''Infinitely'' more friendly than in the anime.
* LetsGetDangerous: Quick to do this once people are in trouble/danger, be it Sho's threatened expulsion or Duels of Darkness.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Like in the anime, he defeats Chronos as part of his entrance exam, but while this is brought up, it's never shown, and Ryuga serves as Judai's WarmUpBoss.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Ryuga, who forces the students he defeats to give him their cards.
* SadisticChoice: Chronos forces him to duel Sho. If he wins, Sho will be expelled, and if he loses, his deck will be confiscated. He decides to win, and it turns out that Sho's 0 on the last test, the reason he was in trouble, was not his final grade.
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack: [[spoiler: His [[DistantFinale professional attire]], to Misawa's chagrin. And yes, he stayed [[MythologyGag Slifer Red]].]]
* {{Sentai}}/ShonenUpgrade: Masked Heroes.
* ToBeAMaster: Aspires to duel professionally like his mentor, Koyo Hibiki.
* YouMonster: Along with Manjoume, against Tragoedia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jun Manjoume (Chazz Princeton)]]
* AdaptationalBadass: His anime counterpart suffered from TheWorfEffect. No such thing happens here.
* AloofAlly: Is the only Duel Academy student other than [[TheHero Judai]] with a clue about spirit cards and duels of darkness. Still won't sit with him at the lunch table.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Still this, though, but not [[TookALevelInKindness nearly as badly.]]
* BadassLongcoat
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Judai is the first student at Duel Academy to break his win streak.
** [[spoiler: Naturally, Manjoume returns the favor.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Buried his best monster, a Spirit Card, to prove that he could duel without any help. [[spoiler: By the end of the chapter, this has [[DefeatMeansFriendship naturally changed]].]]
* FriendlyRivalry: After Judai beats him... sorta.
* GrumpyBear: Still busy being this, though on better terms with the others than in the [[NoRespectGuy anime]].
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: His whole Deck.
** Special mention goes to Light and Darkness Dragon, the only spirit card in the manga besides Kuriboh and dangerous enough to scare the BigBad.
* MoralityPet: Light and Darkness Dragon. Sort of. Majoume's a more decent person than his anime counterpart from the get-go.
* MythologyGag: His professional outfit in the DistantFinale? [[DarkIsNotEvil "Manjoume Thunder"]] may come to mind.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Has to prove to his peers that he wasn't only admitted to the academy (and given the unprecedented assignment to Obelisk Blue upon entry) because of his family's wealth.
* TheRival
* TheStoic: As opposed to his [[PluckyComicRelief anime]] [[NoRespectGuy self]].
* ToBeAMaster: Aspires to duel professionally like his idol, Koyo Hibiki.
* [[TookALevelInKindness Took A Level In Humility]]: While even more of a recluse than his anime self, this version of Manjoume has both a better understanding of his own limits, and more respect for characters who [[WorthyOpponent deserve it]].
* UsedToBeASweetKid: And a smiley, excitable FanBoy of Hibiki Koyo. Seriously. It's adorable.
* WorthyOpponent: You're either this, or [[ArrogantKungFuGuy not worth his time]]. By the time he's won a duel alongside [[spoiler: Sho, he, Judai, Misawa, Asuka, Ryo, and Fubiki]] all apparently count.
* YinYangBomb: His ace, "Light and Darkness Dragon".
* YouMonster: Calls Tragoedia this after the latter refers to humans as insects. He states he'd rather be an insect than a monster.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Daichi Misawa (Bastion Misawa)]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: The first time we see him with Judai, he's freaking out because the [[ChasteHero latter]] [[BornLucky somehow]] has [[HelloNurse Asuka's]] cell number, which is the result of him often borrowing things from her.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: That he's crushing on Asuka, even [[IdiotHero Judai]]. ... Except for [[ObliviousToLove Asuka]]. ... And Ryo, to [[MySisterIsOffLimits Fubuki's annoyance]].
* GreenEyedMonster: See above, as well as when he overhears Ryo talking with her after her loss to David.
* {{Irony}}: The genius and analyst of the group uses a deck based on Japanese Folklore.
* LuminescentBlush: While in the presence of [[LoveInterest Asuka]].
* MythologyGag: In the DistantFinale, his professional duel-wear is the same thing as his anime outfit... in the exams to become a Duel Academy ''student.''
* ShipTease: With Asuka.
* ThePowerOfLove: Subverted. When he tag-duels with Asuka, [[spoiler: his crushing actually gets in the way of his dueling, until he actually focuses back on their opponents.]]
* TheSmartGuy
* {{Youkai}}: His Deck.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asuka Tenjoin (Alexis Rhodes)]]
* DesignatedGirlFight: Against Reggie.
* HelloNurse: Hates it (see MsFanservice), but doesn't always notice (see ObliviousToLove).
* KillItWithIce: Her Deck focuses on the distribution of Ice Counters.
** AnIcePerson: All of her monsters
* MsFanservice: To her annoyance, especially when she unwillingly wins the school beauty pageant.
* ObliviousToLove: Had no idea why Misawa was dueling Judai, even with the former's LuminescentBlush and Sho [[LampshadeHanging calling her a]] [[HelloNurse "Siren"]].
* ShipTease: With Misawa.
* YouGoGirl
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sho Marufuji (Syrus Truesdale)]]
* AdaptationalBadass: Admittedly starts out as weak as before, but toughens up much more quickly this time around. His mistake that caused Ryo to lose faith in him was not misusing a card, but throwing a game to spare the feelings of his opponent.
* BigBrotherWorship: Has a bit of a case of this toward Ryo, as while the other spectators are rooting for Manjoume, he is completely convinced that Ryo will win. [[spoiler:And he turns out to be correct]].
* CuteMachines: Still plays Vehicroids, but uses entirely different ones.
* CombiningMecha: Armorroid, the Solidroids and Barbaroid.
* ILetYouWin: Throws a duel when he was younger in order to spare the feelings of his opponent, who was on the verge of tears after he had destroyed one of his better monsters.
* PowerArmor: He has a card that enables him to thwart direct attacks, but if it gets taken off, he takes all the damage that was prevented.
* TookALevelInBadass: To the point that [[AdaptationalBadass Manjoume]] can soon count on him in a partner duel.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Wants to be acknowledged by his brother, and eventually, [[HeartwarmingMoments he is]].
* WorfHadTheFlu: He lost against Ryuga because of Ryuga's cheating.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryuga]]
->A new teacher at Duel Academy, who must defeat 50 students to qualify. He plans on using his position to turn the dueling world over to his ideals, but Judai defeats him.
* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Asshole In Sheep's Clothing]]: He puts on a polite act in front of Chronos, but plans on [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness casting him aside when he's no longer useful]].
* FourEyesZeroSoul
* NoNameGiven: His first name is never revealed.
* SmugSnake: Like Chronos, looks down on Osiris Red students. He even smugly promises to go easy on Judai if he lets him win, and threatens to expel him if he doesn't go along with it.
* StarterVillain
* WarmUpBoss: He's not particularly skilled at dueling, and wins by cheating.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Koyou Hibiki]]
->A professional duelist and World Champion who serves as both Judai's and Manjoume's inspiration and gave both of them their spirit cards. Is in a coma after losing a shadow game.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Judai
* [[spoiler:HesBack]]: In the ending.
* TakeUpMySword: Knowing he was going to fall into a coma due to a shadow game, he gave Judai his deck and jacket.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Judai actually manages to defeat him once, but he does so while he's not using his normal deck.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Winged Kuriboh]]
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:After Judai loses to Tragoedia when the latter is possessing Fubuki, Kuriboh saves him from the penalty game. He does it again with Light and Darkness Dragon after Tragoedia's defeat, sealing him permanently]].
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:With Light and Darkness Dragon to seal Tragoedia for good]].
* PokemonSpeak: Usually communicates with "kuri kuri".
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter
* SoulJar: For Tragoedia's heart
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Light And Darkness Dragon]]
* BuriedAlive: Because Manjoume wanted to [[EstablishingCharacterMoment prove that he could duel alone]]. [[spoiler: Quickly rectified, after he loses to Judai.]]
* TheDreaded: The BigBad has an understandable FreakOut when seeing L and D as a Spirit Card [[spoiler: holding the Feather of Ma'at.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Alongside Winged Kuriboh, to permanently seal [[BigBad Tragoedia]].
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: Manjoume's ace in a deck full of them.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Manjoume, [[spoiler: watching his duel with Judai, even after said owner pitched a tantrum and ''buried him'' so that Manjoume could try proving that he could duel on his own.]] Naturally, Manjoume came back.
* TheVoiceless: Actions speak well enough when you're a Dragon Spirit.
* YinYangBomb
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Midori Hibiki]]
->Koyo's older sister and a professor at Duel Academy Japan.
* BadassTeacher: [[spoiler: Is about to win against Reggie until Reggie indicates that if she does, she won't get the information on Koyo's coma]]
* CoolBigSis: To Koyo by blood and to Judai by choice.
* CoolTeacher
* DarkIsNotEvil: Uses a Fallen Angel Deck.
* DesignatedGirlFight: Her only duel shown is against [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Reggie]].
* HeroicSacrifice: In a sense, [[spoiler:giving up a possible chance to awaken her brother so that Judai won't have to face Reggie. She doesn't succeed, though]].
* HotTeacher
* SternTeacher: Doesn't hesitate to go hard on Judai, although typically does so in a cheerful manner.
* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:She gives up a chance to win in order to try to help Koyo. By the time she's committed herself to finishing Reggie off to protect Judai, it's too late]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Emi Ayukawa]]
* AgentScully: There must be a logical explanation for multiple people falling unconscious after dueling today, just like at the [[Anime/YuGiOh Battle]] [[CallBack City]] [[MythologyGag Tournament]]. There's no way it's evil sorcery like the records claim.
* HelloNurse: Quite literally.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Seika Kohinata]]
->Winner of Miss Duel Academy two years in a row, she finds herself in a tie with Asuka in her third year as a result of Judai abstaining.
* AlphaBitch
* GreenEyedMonster: To Asuka, who didn't want the title of Miss Academia (unlike her, who would have claimed the title three years running), but got it anyway.
* LetsGetDangerous: Once motivated to duel, she reveals a wicked [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Snake Deck]]. She still loses to Judai, though.
* PyrrhicVictory: She technically wins the title as a result of Judai and Asuka's duel, but concedes it, saying no one would acknowledge her.
* SeriousBusiness: Her view on Miss Duel Academy. Judai and Asuka's indifference infuriates her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Reggie Mackenzie]]
-> A duelist from Duel Academy America. She's possessed by Tragoedia, but unlike her step brother, she's trying to fight it.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy
* CoDragons: With David.
* DesignatedGirlFight: Against Asuka and Midori, though she Duels two male characters as well.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: For Judai.
* {{Eagleland}}: Blonde, blue-eyed, and an absolute Type 2. Also, that uniform.
** ForeignExchangeStudent
* GenderBlenderName
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: See SmugSnake.
* ILetYouWin: To Misawa; a panel after the attack lands shows her hand, which could have ensured her victory.
* {{Jerkass}}: Even moreso than David, referring to her opponents as "human stepladders" and jerking people around even without the excuse of being possessed.
* LastNameBasis: Often called "Mackenzie" or "Mac" for short. Her father seems to be the only one who uses her first name.
* LightIsNotGood: Uses an Angel Lord Deck.
** However, [[spoiler:once she's defeated, she reverts back to the way she was before her father was possessed, and is considerably nicer, with Edo remarking on the change]].
* [[spoiler:LaserGuidedAmnesia]]: [[spoiler:After her defeat, forgets much of what she did on the island]].
* LoveInterest: To Fubuki.
* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: ''Adores'' jerking her opponents' emotions around, preferrably by their "shackles" (read: love for each other).
* SmugSnake: Remarks on [[spoiler: David]]'s loss of a shadow game he started as his own failure to follow through, then goes on to get Professor Hibiki trapped in one, [[spoiler: wins by being a [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]], and [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard loses her next one to Judai]].]]
* TheStarscream: Wants to not only get out from the {{Big Bad}}'s thumb, but take his power for herself.
* TheUnfettered: Sees human bonds as "shackles," and claims to have gotten rid of hers long before.
* WomanInWhite: Her uniform could have come from the [[{{Eagleland}} US Navy]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:David Rabb]]
-> The other Duelist from Duel Academy America and is also possessed by Tragodeia and after the Duel Spirits.
* AxCrazy
* BrainwashedAndCrazy
* CombatSadomasochist
* CoDragons: With Reggie.
* {{Eagleland}}: Blond, blue-eyed, and a particularly {{Jerkass}}y Type 2. In a school uniform more fit for the Navy.
** ForeignExchangeStudent
* HeroicBuild: Subverted. Definitely has one, except he's not heroic.
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: Calls a Shadow Game against Manjoume. [[spoiler: Loses.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: Jim calls him a jerk in passing, and wants to fight Fubuki because he defeated the person he wanted to defeat.
* ObviouslyEvil
* [[OneHitKill One Turn Kill]]: Against Asuka.
* ToThePain: Rants on about how he enjoys pain in his duel with Manjoume.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tragoedia]]
-> The BigBad of the Manga, an [[AncientEgypt Ancient Egyptian]] manifestation of a man whose village was slaughtered to create the Millennium Items.

* AchillesHeel: The Feather of Ma'at.
* BigBad
* BodySurf
* DemonicPossession
* EldritchAbomination
* EnergyAbsorption: The Planet Series cards he distributes to the American students sap small amounts of energy from Duelists to aide in his resurrection.
* {{Expy}}: Of Dark Bakura from ''Yu-Gi-Oh!''.
* ForTheEvulz: He claims at one point that he has no goal, he's simply bored. He later reveals this isn't true.
* KarmicDeath:
* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler:He has The Sun as his planet card]]
* MeaningfulName: "Tragoedia" is Greek for "Tragedy".
* TheManBehindTheMan
* ThePowerOfTheSun: The Supremacy SUN, though it combines it with CastingAShadow due to being a DARK Fiend-Type and having a solar eclipse in the card art.
* SealedEvilInACan
* SinisterSilhouettes: In his early appearances possessing the principal's body.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: '''ACCURSED PRIESTS!!!'''
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Once Ma'at takes the field and Judai is able to make the moves he needs to destroy The Sun]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Inflicts Penalty Games on his minions when they fail him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryo Marufuji (Zane Truesdale)]]
* AloofBigBrother
* {{Badass}}: [[OneHitKill OTKs]] ''[[AdaptationalBadass Manjoume]]''.
** BadassNickname: Notable in that he actually gets to stay "Kaiser" in the English, unlike the anime. [[LampshadeHanging Crocodile points out that lots of people have nicknames like that at the Japanese duel acadedmy]].
* ForeignExchangeStudent: Returns from being this in America with Fubuki. Naturally, the Chancellor throws a tournament.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons
* MythologyGag: The DistantFinale shows him wearing [[spoiler: his Hell Kaiser outfit]]. Which, unlike the other {{Mythology Gag}}s, carries a bit of FridgeHorror.
* ObliviousToLove: The only one besides Asuka not to notice Misawa's crush. [[MySisterIsOffLimits Fubuki]] gets annoyed that he doesn't notice.
* ThemeNaming: His Cyber monsters are named for stars in the constellation Draco.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fubuki Tenjoin (Atticus Rhodes)]]
* AdaptationalBadass: He goes from comic relief in the anime to [[spoiler:''beating Judai'']] in the manga.
** This is hinted at much earlier when a flashback shows the end result of what we're led to believe was a complete CurbStompBattle with David Rabb biting the proverbial curb. Remember that Rabb is one of the CoDragons who gave Manjoume a rough time when they dueled.
* BlowYouAway: Runs a WIND Winged-Beast Sphere Deck.
* BadassNickname: Fubuking. Asuka doesn't like it, though (or its less badass English counterpart, "Rhodie".)
* TheCharmer: Some things never change, but at least he's polite about it.
* DemonicPossession: Falls victim to this, [[BodySurf just like half of the rest of the cast.]]
* DissonantSerenity: Remains infuriatingly calm during his duels, even when losing half his life points.
* ForeignExchangeStudent: Was this in America with Ryo, before he returns a bit late. Or early. [[TheCasanova It involved a crush.]]
* LadyKillerInLove: Has followed Mac back and forth across the Pacific. [[spoiler: Post-DemonicPossession, she doesn't seem to mind his presence.]]
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Makes a remark to this effect while watching Misawa and Asuka's tag duel and noticing Misawa's crush on her.
-->'''Fubuki''': As her older brother, I'll never allow it.
** Which is a complete departure from his [[TheMatchmaker attitude toward Asuka's love life in the anime]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:James Crocodile Cook]]
* AxCrazy: Is the only one of the foreign champions who willingly aids Tragoedia. Just as crazy as David was.
* EyeScream: Guess what's under [[EyePatchOfPower the bandages]]. [[SchmuckBait Just try to guess.]]
* MakingASplash: His Alligator cards are WATER-Attribute, and his Legendary Planet is The Tyrant ''NEPTUNE''.
* NonindicativeName: His uses an ''Alligator'' Deck. No crocodiles to be found.
* NiceHat
* SinisterScythe: A colossal one is wielded by NEPTUNE.
* SlasherSmile: Sports a nice one while [[BodySurf possessed]] by [[BigBad Tragoedia]]. The EyeScream didn't help.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Amon Garam (Adrian Gecko)]]
* BigBrotherInstinct: Why does he want to become a professional duelist? To pay for his little brother's operation! Awww...
* HealthcareMotivation: See above
* SeriousBusiness: His view on duels, given his different motivation from everyone else, which also leads to him being something of a...
** SoreLoser
* TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential: His Sealed Beasts depend on the Sealed Mantra Spell to activate their effects, without it they're essentially Normal Monsters.
* TookALevelInKindness: Compared to his anime self, although he does look down on Judai.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Acts this way toward Judai, partly because he saw him lose against [[spoiler:Edo Phoenix]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Johan Anderson (Jesse Anderson)]]
* BeetleManiac: And the rest of the ''Insecta'' Class, apparently.
* BugCatching: Apparently his main pastime.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: "Hey, did you see a butterfly go through here?"
* DemotedToExtra: No [[EverythingsBetterWithRainbows Gem Beast cards]], no HoYay with Judai, just one instance of possession and a lot of bug chasing.
* DubNameChange: Oddly enough, in Volume 7 of the English manga, he's called "Johann", but switches to "Jesse" in Volume 8 and 9.
* FriendlyEnemy: He's brought to the academy to duel against the Japanese students, but hits it off well with Judai and Sho.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Especially when he gets possessed during his duel with Sho.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Austin O'Brien (Axel Brodie)]]
* AmateurSleuth: Attempting to find the source of the Shadow Duels, and actually does a decent job before...
* DemonicPossession: The real reason he was sent to Duel Academy, just like every other American!
* HeroicBuild: Easily the most ripped out of the Americans, and the only one among them trying to [[AmateurSleuth figure out what's so fishy]].
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Tragoedia covers his tracks well.
* MeaningfulName: His Legendary Planet is Mars, and his monsters all have military-themed names (Electro '''Sergeant''', '''Division''' etc). [[FridgeBrilliance Mars was the Roman God of War.]]
* ShockAndAwe: What his Deck theme seems to be at first due to his Machines having names like 'Electro Sergeant'.
* SleevesAreForWimps: And probably didn't fit over his [[HeroicBuild arms]].
* TokenMinority
** PositiveDiscrimination
* VisualPun: His Division monster looks like the sign for a division equation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Edo Phoenix (Aster Phoenix)]]
* EvilCounterpart: The Grand JUPITER to Judai's The EARTH.
* HeroKiller: Is able to defeat [[spoiler:Judai and Fubuki]] in duels, even if he did have a little help in the latter case, [[spoiler:but ultimately loses to Tragoedia]].
* TykeBomb: [[DemonicPossession Tragoedia]] claims to have raised him for this purpose.
* UnwittingPawn: Just like his anime counterpart with Saiou and DD, has no clue that his adoptive father and mentor is Tragoedia's puppet, or that he's giving people over to Tragoedia.
[[/folder]]

!Cards

[[folder:Elemental Heroes/Evil Heroes]]

Judai's core deck theme revolving around low-level monsters based on comic book superheroes, they can fuse together and use support cards to perform powerful combos.

As part of Judai's fall to darkness in Season 3, his deck is corrupted, giving him darker alternate artworks for the base Elemental Heroes and entirely replacing their Fusions with darker Evil Hero monsters, who can only be summoned with Dark Fusion. The Evil Heroes sacrifice the flexibility of the Elemental Heroes (specifically by requiring a specific Fusion card) in exchange for more raw power in the form of stronger effects compared to their counterparts.

* AntiHero: The Evil Heroes are Type V at ''least''.
* BarbarianHero: Wildheart.
* BatSignal: Hero Signal.
* ElementalPowers: The base heroes all conform to one of the common elements: [[BlowYouAway Avian]], [[ShockAndAwe Sparkman]], [[PlayingWithFire Burstinatrix]], [[DishingOutDirt Clayman]], [[MakingASplash Bubbleman]], [[CastingAShadow Necroshade]], [[LightEmUp Blade-Edge]], and eventually [[LightEmUp Neos]]. Then in the manga we get [[GreenThumb Plant-based]] Heroes like Knospe and Woodsman.
* EvilCounterpart: Most of the Evil Heroes, specifically:
** Evil Hero Inferno Wing to Elemental Hero Flame Wingman
** Evil Hero Lightning Golem to Elemental Hero Thunder Giant
** Evil Hero Wild Cyclone to Elemental Hero Wild Wingman
** Evil Hero Infernal Sniper to Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster
** Evil Hero Malicious Edge to Elemental Hero Bladedge
* FallenHero: Evil Heroes.
* FusionDance: Their key strength, almost any two heroes can fuse together, so Judai always has plenty of options when it's time to fuse.
* GatlingGood: Rampart Blaster.
* HeroesFightBarehanded: Elemental Hero Neos. He may be the most popular, powerful, and heroic of Judai/Jaden's monsters.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Implied to be the origin of Evil Heroes.
* LightEmUp: Shining Flame Wingman, Electrum, and Neos and some of its fused forms.
* MagikarpPower: Without their support cards or Fusion cards the individual heroes are pretty weak. But once you get the cards you need for a combo or a Fusion, watch out.
* PowerGivesYouWings: Flame Wingman and Shining Flare Wingman.
* VillainProtagonist: Evil Heroes
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Neo Spacians]]

An archetype based on cards Judai designed as a child, they were sent into space on a time capsule and infused with cosmic energy. They consist of the six base Neo-Spacians, Elemental Hero Neos, and some other non Neo-Spacian cards that still fit the general theme/idea, like Rallis the Star Bird.

* BatSignal: N-Signal
* DarkIsNotEvil: Dark Panther.
* ElementalPowers: One Neo-Spacian for each of the game's six Attributes: [[PlayingWithFire Flare Scarab]], [[DishingOutDirt Grand Mole]], [[MakingASplash Aqua Dolphin]], [[BlowYouAway Air Hummingbird]], [[CastingAShadow Dark Panther]], and [[LightEmUp Glow Moss]].
* EnergyBeings: Glow Moss
* FusionDance: Contact Fusion, a unique method of fusing not needing a Fusion-type card to initiate.
* SapientCetaceans: Aqua Dolphin.
* SpotlightStealingSquad: Once Judai picks them up in Season 2 most of his victories in the rest of the series come about due to a Neo-Spacian, Neos, or some fusion of the two.
* ThisIsADrill: Grand Mole.
* YinYangBomb: Chaos Neos
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cyber Dragons/Cyberdark Dragons]]

Ryo's key deck theme, he uses the Cyber Dragons in Season 1, prefers the new Cyberdarks in Season 2, and in Seasons 3 and 4 utilizes both with deadly efficiency.

* AnimalMecha
* BreathWeapon: Cyber Dragon's attack, Evolution Burst
* DarkIsEvil[=/=]LightIsGood: Ryo is a good guy when using Cyber Dragon, but following his FaceHeelTurn he uses the Cyberdarks to fit his new persona
** DarkIsNotEvil: Once he turns back to good he still uses the Cyberdarks. However, the only usage he makes of the Cyber Dragons while evil is as fodder to power up the Cyberdarks, so LightIsNotGood is mostly averted.
* DragonsUpTheYinYang: Played straight as can be with the Cyber Dragons and Cyberdarks representing the two halves of the symbol.
* EvilCounterpart: The Cyberdarks to the Cyber Dragons.
* {{Expy}}: Ryo's status as an Expy of Kaiba is hard to dispute when Cyber End Dragon looks like a combination of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. By the same token, Cyberdark Dragon could be considered an Expy of Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
* FusionDance
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons
* OneHitKill: Ryo uses Chimeratech Overdragon to perform one, signaling his FaceHeelTurn. Dedicated real life decks using Cyber Dragon and its variants can also pull these off.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent
* PowerTrio: The Cyberdarks
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ojamas]]

Manjoume's spirit partners, to his disgust. Although he never stops insulting them, they become a key part of his deck as he adds more support cards for them over the course of the series.

* CombinationAttack: Ojama Delta Hurricane
* FusionDance: Ojama King
* KnightInShiningArmor: Ojama Knight
* LethalJokeCharacter
* MeaningfulName: "Ojamashimasu" is a Japanese phrase roughly translating as "pardon me for interrupting/intruding". It's why the flavor text on the card mentions the Ojamas always butt in on things, and why their stronger cards fill up the opponent's Monster Zones.
* PluckyComicRelief
* PowerTrio
* ShoutOut: Their mannerisms in the dub are based on the Three Stooges.
* StoneWall: Ojama King has 3000 defense, and Ojama Knight trails just after it with 2500.
* UnderwearOfPower
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Destiny Heroes]]

Edo's main monster themes, based on characters in British literature.

* AntiHero: When one considers their play-style and how they use their effects, type lll.
* BatSignal: Destiny Signal
* DarkIsNotEvil
* EvilCounterpart: To the Elemental Heroes, naturally.
* ShoutOut: Many to English literature, such as Double Dude being based on Jekyll and Hyde.
* TimeMaster: Their effects revolve around time control, with effects relying on doing things on later turns. For example, Diamond Dude lets you discard the top card of your deck, and if it's a Spell you can activate its effect on your next turn.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Phantom Demons (Sacred Beasts)]]

Three powerful and dangerous cards sealed under Duel Academy - Uria, Lord of Searing Flames; Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder; and Raviel, Lord of Phantasms.

* AwesomeButImpractical: At least with the God Cards, getting three monsters onto the field was fairly feasible. But ''good luck'' summoning these guys, whose summon requirements are to tribute three Continuous Traps, three Continuous Spells, and three Fiend-type Monsters.
** AwesomeButPractical: On the other hand, if you set up your deck specifically around them (for example, if you run a pure Fiend Deck for Raviel)...
* [[PersonOfMassDestruction Cards Of Mass Destruction]]: Once in play they begin to drain other cards of their energy.
* DemBones: The three all bear skeletal features, Hamon being the most prominent.
* DubNameChange: Completely reversing the intent for them to be ''evil'' versions of the God Cards by calling them "Sacred Beasts".
* EvilCounterpart: Of the Egyptian God Cards in the original series.
* FusionDance: Armityle, the Phantom of Chaos.
* LargeAndInCharge
* LightIsNotGood: Hamon. Light-attribute? Check. Electricity-associated? Check. Part of an evil demon trio whose release will destroy the world? Check.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily
* NestedMouths: Uria.
* PlayingWithFire: Uria's attack.
* PowerTrio
* ShockAndAwe: Hamon's attack.
* SpikesOfVillainy
[[/folder]]
----