Yu-Gi-Oh! The Thousand Year Door / Characters

This is the character sheet for Yu-Gi-Oh! The Thousand Year Door and its remake.

open/close all folders

The Three Heroes

Tropes shared by all three of them

All Your Powers Combined: In the Final Battle, not only do the three of them combine their powers, but that of Iris' original personality, forming a complete circle with Fusions, Rituals, Synchros, and Xyzs to first summon Sophia Goddess of Rebirth and then Divine Rainbow Serpent Jazirian.
Generation Xerox: Their appearance and personalities are near identical to their ancestors.
Good Samaritan: They actually gave away the treasure horde that was bequeathed to them by Cortez so that Vladimir and his siblings could have the funds to rebuild Arcadia after their mother's death.
Letter Motif: Their names (Stan, Fran, Andy), all share the same two letters. This may or may not be intentional.
Power Trio: Like their ancestors. In Redux, their monsters of specialty are the three monsters that go to the Extra Deck: Xyzs (Stan), Synchros (Francesca) and Fusions (Andy)
Reluctant Hero: All three of them practically had no choice but to continue what their ancestors have started, despite being nothing more than ordinary teenagers. Even the Shadow Queen sometimes sympathizes them due to the predicament they got into, though that still won't stop her killing them when the time comes.
Save the Villain: After Andy's duel with Leopold in Redux, all three of them attempt to rescue him from the demonic arms that claimed his siblings prior to the duel. However, Leopold stops their attempts with his monsters, forcing them to take the other portal back when it's obvious their plan wouldn't work.

Unwitting Pawn: In Redux, Count Bleck plays them for suckers when it comes to his agenda, which primarily involved steering the Queen's attention from him.
You Can't Fight Fate: Definitely, and eventually, they realize it. Still, they try hard to do it on their terms, as much as they can.

Stanley Mason (Stan)

One of the main characters of the original version and Redux, Stan is the descendant of the Great Sorcerer - one of the Three Heroes who defeated the Shadow Queen several centuries ago.

Fanboy: Of Yugi Muto in the original version of the fic to the point of calling himself his "apprentice".
Genre Savvy: Mostly in Redux. Of the three main characters, he is the only one to have actually played Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Thus, when it becomes clear that Arcadia is dangerous, most - but not all - of what they encounter does not come to him as a complete surprise. He's also the only one who does not laugh whenever something silly is presented to him and his friends knowing full well what lies beneath it.
Heroic BSoD: Has one in Redux after losing to Raven, which causes him to hesitate using his Xyz Monsters during his duel with Jose. Subverted in that it was the Shadow Queen's spell causing it and not himself.
Magic Knight: His deck in Redux mostly consists of Spellcaster and Warrior monsters. In the original version however, his deck only ran Spellcaster monsters.
Olympus Mons: During the final duel in Redux, he summons Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth which ends up giving him and Francesca a huge advantage during the duel.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He really lets the Queen have it during the Final Battle when he discovers that the original Spawn tired to kill her, citing why the Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Trope is so common, and how the Archnemesis Dad Trope has no real Distaff Counterpart. The core of his speech is that in order for the Queen to show such disdain for the bond between mother and child that every one of her children hate her, she must really be rotten. And it works. This is what causes the Queen's Villainous Breakdown.
Signature Move: Dark Magician in the original version, the Gagaga monsters in Redux and later on The Sorcerer of Dark Magic, which is the avatar of his ancestor.

Francesca Benedict (Fran)

One of the main characters of the original version and Redux, Francesca is the descendant of the Warrior Princess (Unicorn Maiden in Redux) - one of the Three Heroes who defeated the Shadow Queen several centuries ago.

Amazon Brigade: Uses an Amazoness deck along with several other female monsters in the original version.

Beast of Battle: Focuses on Beast monsters in Redux.
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: She does this spectacularly during her duel against Chico in Redux to the demon Ammit who was in possession of the latter.

Does Not Like Men: Due to an unfortunate incident involving an older student back when she was a freshman. She later mellows out on it after meeting Stan and Andy.

Explaining Your Powers to the Enemy: While this is quite common in Yu-Gi-Oh!, Fran lampshades it in her second duel with Maria in Redux when using the effect of Card from a Different Dimension:
Fran: All right, since as I banished Card from a Different Dimension last turn… Ah, really, do I have to explain this again?
- It's even come to the point wherein her opponent's know what she's gonna do with Monoceros before she explains it.
Chico: And I suppose that card you banished last turn was Card from a Different Dimension? Meaning now's the part where its effect kicks in?
Fran (thinking): I'm getting too predictable.
- In the Final Battle, however, she fools both the Queen and Lyrius by summoning Monoceros by banishing a Spell Card called Portal Ambush, which also has an effect that is activated when banished, but entirely different.
Heroic Sacrifice: A non-fatal example. In the original version, she suicides her D.D. Warrior Lady to Roboyarou and Robolady's F.G.D., eliminating the rest of her Life Points but ensuring that Stan doesn't need to deal with the F.G.D., allowing him to win the duel.
Identical Stranger: Her "Lady of Unicorns" monster in Redux bears a strong resemblance her. Her Warrior Maiden of the Storm even more so, being the avatar of her ancestor.
Knight in Sour Armor: She never truly crosses over to this, but she nearly does in the Final Battle in Redux. When Sophia's attack leaves the Queen mortally wounded, Fran briefly considers simply stalling during her turn to let her bleed to death, but she refuses to do something so underhanded, offering her foe a chance to surrender. When the Queen is able to assume her true form and recover, Fran briefly curses herself for changing her mind. Fortunately, Andy appears in spiritual form and slaps her back to her senses.

Olympus Mons: During the final duel in Redux, she fuses her Lady of Unicorns with Stan's Gagaga Magician and Andy's Lord of D. to summon Divine Rainbow Serpent Jazirian, which finishes off Iris and Lyrius.

Signature Move: Amazoness Paladin anda fanmade version of Amazoness Queen in the original. Her Unicorn Synchros and Lady of Unicorns in Redux. In Redux she later on obtains Warrior Maiden of the Storm, who seems to be the avatar of her ancestor.
Shout-Out: In her duel with Chico during the finals in Redux, she replies to Ammit's See You in Hell threat by saying "Tell them Fran sent you," much like Freddy Krueger replied to Kincaid in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
"Shut Up" Kiss: She gives one to Andy in both versions after her duel with Doopliss, when he was trying to compliment her and show his concern.

Taken for Granite: In the original version, she turns into metal after she loses all her Life Points during her Heroic Sacrifice. Fortunately she gets better.
Unicorns Are Sacred: Her deck motif in Redux, due to it consisting mainly of Light-Attribute Beasts with unicorns as the aces.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?:
- In Redux, a very crushing loss to the unpleasant archetype the Ojamas made her develop of a fear of them. The Queen tries to take advantage of this, by having Ruklamba the Spirit King (who uses such a deck) duel her.
- She seems to be afraid of bugs too. When Chico summons the insect-like Ancestral Guardian Serket in the finals, she's almost as afraid of it as she was of Ammit, despite the fact that it's just an ordinary card.

Andy Markova

One of the main characters of the original version and Redux, Andy is the descendant of the Dragon Master - one of the Three Heroes who defeated the Shadow Queen several centuries ago.

Cannot Talk to Women: He notices that this seems to be a common problem of his, despite being able to easily stand up to female monsters in duels. He later gets over it to some extent after meeting (and getting together) with Francesca.
Cool Shades: He puts them on every time he duels in order to increase his confidence.
Cosplay: Wears a Lord of D. costume during his duels in the Glitz Pit in both versions, much to his dismay.
Dark Is Not Evil: Dragonfire Warlock is Dark-Attribute, and seems to be the true avatar of his ancestor, one of the three who opposed the Queen a milennia ago. Clearly a force of Good.
Defiant to the End: In Redux even after Iris defeats him, he still has the guts to say some words of retaliation to her despite knowing that he would now be at her mercy.

Genre Savvy: In Francesca's duel with Chico in Redux, when it looks like Fran is overwhelmed and close to losing, the Queen uses a spell to talk privately to Andy, offering to give her a chance to forfeit - and thus, survive - if he surrenders. Andy, refuses, however; he's seen enough movies to realize she's probably lying, giving a few famous examples of heroes in film who have fallen for that trick and expressing how strange it is that such lies work so often. As he says, "They know the guy is capable of kidnapping, murder, torture and worse, but they don’t think he’ll stoop to lying? Doesn’t make much sense." (Of course, Andy has made popular culture references quite a few times, so it's no surprise.)
Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: In the Final Battle, where Francesca is close to a Heroic BSoD, Andy is able to interact with her enough to touch her and make himself be heard, and gives her one of these, complete with a Dope Slap.

Running Gag: In the original version, he frequently duels Fiend duelists who utilize Dark Necrofear. He is not amused at the slightest every time.
Signature Move: Lord of D. and Red-Eyes Black Dragon in both versions. In Redux, this is later replaced by Dragonfire Warlock, a fusion of Lord of Dragons and Lady of Dragons, who seems to be the true avatar of his ancestor.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: After he pulls off a early lead when he actually confronts the Queen, she tries to guilt him by trying to get him to admit that he enjoyed seeing her in pain, implying that people like him are always the first to say such feeling are immoral. His response? He has no problem with it, so long as he does it to a monster like her. And tells her to shut up and move.

Taken for Granite: At one point he gets abducted and turned to metal.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: In Redux, he delivers a pretty good one to Saggi in their second duel, in which he basically says that Saggi's attempts to emulate the one who truly made him afraid of clowns are pathetic at best.
Unstoppable Rage: After the Queen kills Bleck in cold blood after their duel, he snaps at her, chewing her out for the atrocities she has done. This actually angers the Queen to the point she almost killed Andy, but stops after remembering her Curse Escape Clause.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He has coulrophobia in both versions. In Redux, he believes it originated after watching Heath Ledger's very convincing performance in The Dark Knight. Again, this is the reason why the Queen chooses Peten/Saggi as his opponent.

The Companions

Seven individuals who accompanied the Three Heroes in their quest to overthrow the Shadow Queen. After their deaths, an artist immortalized their images in paintings and later, the artist's descendant made card versions of said paintings. They serve as Duel Spirits that assist Stan, Francesca and Andy in their quest to finish what their ancestors have started.

Note that most Tropes that apply to them in the video game also apply to them here, unless stated otherwise.

Tropes shared by all of them

Bargain with Heaven: They forfeited their chance to be admitted there and agreed to put it on hold for a thousand years to help the current three protagonists oppose the Queen. Heaven only knows how the original Heroes gained such loyalty.
But Now I Must Go: At the end of Redux, having fulfilled their part, they finally ascend to heaven.
Large Ham: All of them to an extent. Lampshaded by the Queen in Chapter 69 of Redux.
Shadow Queen (in response to Ms. Mowz's cheese pun): Interesting that you should focus so much on cheese so much, Ms. Mowz. Seeing as the lot of you seem so fond of ham. Honestly, some things never change.

True Companions: With the Three Heroes. While some people called them servants or lackeys, it was clear that the Three Heroes always saw them as companions instead.

Goombella the Scholar

Partnered with: Stan

Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy: According to Falagar, this was the case a thousand years ago, and unlike most examples, it did pay off. When the Three Heroes were able to - barely - recue her from three thugs when they first landed on Arcadia, she was able to take them to a mentor of hers who was able to take them to Falagar.

Madam Flurre of the Fog

Partnered with: Francesca

Koops the Bashful

Partnered with: Andy

Lovable Coward: He claims this was always the case and that trying to prove he wasn't a coward was the reason he joined up with the Three Heroes in the first place. He still shows signs of it, however.
No-Sell: His Deckmaster ability in both versions allows him to store energy in to his shell and expend it to reduce any damage to 0. But if the damage exceeds the power stored, the shell breaks and cannot be used for the rest of the Duel.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He's clearly terrified of snakes, as seen when Grodus uses his Viper Forest of Zrintor Field Spell.

Vivian the Shadow Siren

Partnered with: Stan

Breakout Character: She's a variation of this in Redux. While all of the Companions were given expanded backstories and more screen time in the sequel, Vivian's was expanded far more. The reason for this, as the author has said, was tied to Lyrius being introduced as a new character, and needing a convenient way to explain certain parts of his backstory.

Dark Is Not Evil: In the present, in the past however she says that she was just as bad.
Darker and Edgier: In Redux, she admits to Stan that her portrayal in the game Thousand-Year Door is a far more sympathetic and sugarcoated version of her compared to how she really started out in the backstory of the fic.
Heel–Face Turn: Pulled one back during the time of the Three Heroes. She admits, however, that she didn't start out as innocent as she did in the video game.
No-Sell: Her ability as a card allows her to protect either herself or another monster from an attack at the cost of a card in the hand. Her Deckmaster ability also has a similar effect, except it protects the player from direct attacks instead.
What Beautiful Eyes!: Usually, her eyes are hidden under the brim of her hat, as they are in the video game. However, when she finally confronts Lyrius in the present day, she takes it off to look him in the face, and they are revealed to be sea green and rather striking.
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: She pulls this on Lyrius during the Final Battle, and he actually falls for it. When he's upset at falling for such an old trick, she comments that she "had a good teacher", implying that she learned it from him.

Yoshi the Loyal Steed

Partnered with: Francesca (in the original/Stan (in Redux)

Hot-Blooded: Among the Companions, he seems to be the most lively one.
Sapient Steed: He was this to the Warrior Princess in the original, and the Dark Sorcerer in Redux, claiming that the warrior/wizard hatched him and then he became her/his mount.

Admiral Bobbery the Bomber

Partnered with: Andy

Action Bomb: His effect in Redux allows him to explode, destroying every monster on the field, then he revives himself during his controller's next Standby Phase. However, he can only do this once a duel.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He clearly doesn't like snakes any more than Koops, and it's clearly an irrational fear with him; as he puts it, “Sharks and giant squids I can handle but snakes…"

Ms. Mowz the Tease Thief

Partnered with: Stan (in the original)/Francesca (in Redux)

Lovable Rogue: She claims that she was the greatest thief in Arcadia one-thousand years ago, and was able to rob the Queen's henchmen without them even noticing her.
Talks Like a Simile: Even more than in the video game, she tends to compare people to cheese a lot.
The Nose Knows: She is able to track down gems and precious metals like a bloodhound, even in her current spiritual form.

The Shadow Queen and her minions

The Shadow Queen, a.k.a Josephine (in the original)/Iris (in Redux)]]/Sydney Meyers

Affectionate Nickname: "Malentha", a name that Lyrius calls her.
Always Someone Better: Maria admits in an opening narrative that Genghis Khan was a greater conquerer than she ever was, despite not having an army of demons to aid him. (And seeing as his empire was never toppled in an insurrection, that's clearly true.)
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: She not only rules via fear and threats, she has the skills to back them up, as the duel with Bleck proves.
Awesome, but Temporary: Mack, Bowyer, Yaridovich and Exor. They succeed in helping her defeat Andy in Redux, but crumble to dust after a single use.
Berserk Button: In Redux, the card "Noble Knight Artorigus" angers her to the point that anyone in possession of his card is punished by flogging according to Arcadian law. Later on, it is revealed that it is because Artorigus was a real knight who opposed her centuries ago, and although he lost his life doing so, did enough damage to set back her plans by a few centuries.

Black Knight: Whenever she participates in combat, she dons a black armor that gives her this appearance.
Black Widow: She had six husbands, whom she used so that she could bear a child with their powers. All of them (but one) were killed by her after they had served their purpose.
Card-Carrying Villain: She's pure evil and she doesn't deny it, rather she freely admits it.
Cassandra Gambit: The whole story about the Three Heroes sparing her because they could not kill her and had no choice but to imprison her forever was a lie she spread herself in order to maintain the illusion of an immortal and invincible ruler, and also to hide her vulnerabilities.

Cold-Blooded Torture: She often spares most of her victims, just so she can see them suffer. Even her children are not exempt from this.
Curse Escape Clause: It is said that if she or anyone seerving for her defeat the heirs of the Three Heroes in a fair contest, she would be free from her curse.
Darker and Edgier: Is a lot more menacing and villainous in Redux compared to her original version incarnation. Ironically Redux is the one that gives her a more sympathetic backstory.
Dangerous Forbidden Technique: In Redux the way she made herself immortal was a foul and unholy ritual taught to her by Graz'zt himself, in which she actually removed her heart from her body, placing it in a glass statue of herself. It continues to beat, still functioning as it would even from a distance, but so long as it is outside her body, she cannot be killed, unless the statue is destroyed or the spell is reversed, returning her heart to her body. This ritual led to her being able to use a second type of Dangerous Forbidden Technique, a rare type of black magic called plasomancy or flesh shaping, which lets a practitioner reshape her own flesh for powerful magical effects.

Determinator: During her imprisonment, the only thing that kept her sane for centuries was that she spent all her time focusing on her goals and her escape. She had even turned down the offer of a sleeping spell from the Three Heroes as she knew that she needed to be conscious in order for her escape plans to work.
Dismantled MacGuffin: Her Spell of Despair, a powerful weapon of hers that she created in order to combat the thing she fears the most: hope. In order to protect it from enemy hands, she split it into six parts and placed them within her children so that if anyone were to try and take it, they would have to deal with six living vaults who could fight back.
Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: It doesn't happen on-screen and there is no real proof, but Merlow suggests that this was the case with her and Melissa's father.

Dying as Yourself: In Redux, Iris' true personality starts to return after Stan's "The Reason You Suck" Speech, and she starts Fighting from the Inside. When finally defeated, the Shadow Queen's personality is obliterated utterly and she returns to her original appearance, able to die with dignity.
Eunuchs Are Evil: Apparently she had a few working for her in the past who were, and has a card called Eunuch Warlock that represents one.
Embarrassing Nickname: [[spoiler:Apparently, Bleck used to have a pet name for her, and as much as she doesn't like him using her real name, she prefers him doing so to using the pet name. (We never actually learn what it is.)
Emotion Bomb: Her presense seems to instill fear and terror in others; when she confronts the protagonists in person for the first time (as opposed to using a hologram) it is a "waking nightmare" to them. It doesn't seem to affect her servants, so she can either suppress the effect on her own, or people can develop an immunity to it if they see her often enough.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Actually, she gave up her ability to do so, so to speak. As explained in Twice Told Tales, her original bargain with Graz'zt required her to surrender all decency, forfeiting the ability to show or comprehending things like love and compassion. Her feelings for Lyrius are due to a crisis that was detailed in "Twice Told Tales". When a deadly battle with an enemy trapped them in a dead magic zone, both of them powerless and facing death, she quickly found those feelings coming back to her, enabling her to feel true love for him. Her demonic patron offered to rescue her and also offered to make an exception to his conditions while doing so, letting her keep those feelings towards him. There was a price, of course...
Evil Is Petty: It seems that way at least once, during her duel with Andy. Apparently, the original Dragon Master had suggested a Crystal Prison sort of restraint as her punishment after she was defeated the first time, but they decided against this for some reason. Nonetheless, she harbored a grudge against him since that time for even suggesting it, and eventually, after noticing that Andy obtained the Dragonfire Warlock card, obtained a copy of Crystal Seal to use against him out of revenge. Andy points out to her how ridiculous this is: "So, uh, just how much time, money and resources did it cost you to get this incredibly rare and expensive Trap Card that you needed for this purely symbolic act of revenge over him, all because of something he considered doing?" Even worse, the entire scope of her plan, as Bleck eventually tells Stan and Francesca, seems incredibly petty. The true reason she decided on the fake tournament rather than have them kidnapped and dragged to the Palace was because simply recreating the battle a thousand years ago wasn't enough for her; in order to make the symbolic victor over her ancient foes complete and total, she wanted to recreate their entire campaign, and then change the outcome in her favor, manipulating their three descendants into reliving the whole path their ancestors took when they invaded Arcadia, step by step. At the time of writing, with Andy's defeat, this goal is nearly complete; with one member defeated, the outcome is nearly the way it probably would have been if Lyrius had succeeded in killing the Unicorn Maiden, with only two demoralized survivors to deal with her and Lyrius, in a fight overwhelmingly in her favor.

Even Evil Has Standards:
- Will not tolerate any of her minions cheating against Stan, Fran and Andy. Although this is only because of her Escape Clause. It is implied that if it weren't for her Escape Clause, she wouldn't even have standards when it comes to her evil doings.
- In Maria's opening narrative in Chapter 55 of Redux, she says that not even her mother would resort to what Joseph Stalin did, which was to kill her enemies and destroy any records and proof that the person ever existed.
- Despite being a bad parent herself, what Lan'tao did to his daughters disgusts her more than ever.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: She fits Type 2, according to what some others say. Bleck claims that when she once chewed out someone who responded with the "sticks and stones may break my bones" line. She responded by having him executed by stoning. Another example that may have been worse - she initiated this on her own - when she had Bianca and her colleges thrown in prison after they had upgraded the security (to prevent them from exposing its secrets) she told them their "reward", would be letting them "appreciate their work".

Effortless Amazonian Lift: She displays this more than once when she is angry at a minion and/or has an enemy at her mercy, effortlessly lifting him or her off the ground with one hand before delivering a punishment. Clearly, her physical strength is greater than her looks suggest.
Fate Worse than Death: She is perfectly aware that this will happen to her if she ever perishes. This is also her intended fate for Stan, Francesca and Andy in the original version through the use of the Soul Release card.
From Nobody to Nightmare: In Redux Iris was originally just a starving and penniless beggar who only had her two younger brothers with her. After the death of her brothers, she swore revenge on the town for supposedly causing it and disappeared. She would later return as the dreaded Shadow Queen a year later, and the rest is history.

Seven Deadly Sins: The sin she represents in the original fic is Gluttony. Having been spoiled all her life, she indulges in fine luxuries and trivialities. Her soul card in the original fic, Cosmo Queen, reflects this: As it is a queen just like herself who controls supernatural power and its Deckmaster effect involves it consuming the souls of her opponents for her own nourishment.
Human Sacrifice: What she did to all of her husbands with the exception of Melissa's father. Although it turns out one of them isn't quite dead yet...
I Have Many Names: In the past, she led numerous cults, and used a different identity for each one, reflected by the Ritual Monsters in her final deck.
- Her known identities are: Sister Yamaido, Sister Pleasure, Sister Dream, Sister Pain, Sister Agony, and Sister Death.
- The final one is actually a theoretical representation of a far more stronger sorceress that she hoped to evolve into once Graz'zt achieved true godhood called Supreme Sister Chaos.
I Warned You: When the Witty Phantom asks her for the Dice Reaper card that they took from Count Cannoli, she doesn't think he's serious at first, leading to a warning from her - and Grodus - that seems to be sarcastic and in jest. To wit:
Queen: Are you sure you’re sober?
Phantom: You want me to take a sobriety test?
Queen: You do realize that when Leopold found him after that duel, he was… well, dead, the expression on his face could best be described as absolute terror, and Syrup took everything valuable from him except that card? Kind of strange, considering that every time she bests one of my men she tends to take everything that isn’t nailed down...
Grodus: Please, if she really wants something, nailing it down isn’t going to stop her
Identical Stranger: Several of them. All the members of her Sister Ritual cards bear a resemblance to herself.

Leeroy Jenkins: By her own admission, a mistake like this cost her the original battle a thousand years ago, charging recklessly into what was an obvious trap set up by the Dragon Master. She nearly makes the same mistake again in a crucial part of the duel with Andy, but remembers the previous incident at the last minute, and reconsiders; this small reconsideration lets her win the duel.

Meaningful Funeral: Subverted in Redux. According to Merlow, the fact that she didn't even do this for her original Shadow Spawn shows that she never had any love for them in the first place.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Uses a Machine Deck spearheaded by the remaining members of the Smithy Gang as cards during her duel with Andy in Redux.
Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Andy points this out to her before their confrontation, saying that the only reason she wants out is because she is, in his words, a "megalomaniac", saying that being confined to the Palace of Shadow does not in any way hinder her ability to rule Arcadia with an iron fist, and that she is ''much'' better off than any of her subjects. If the Queen realizes this, she doesn't care; after she purposely wrecks the Black Throne to summon Exor, she swears that she'll escape even if she has to tear the entire Palace of Shadow down to do so.
Morton's Fork: According to her, Bleck's cheating in their duel had nearly put her in a situation like this. If she had called him out on it, he would have demanded proof, which she couldn't have gained without aborting the duel. If she had actually done that, she would have been seen as a coward in front of her children and the heroes, but if she had decided not to, his earlier claim that she was a liar would have been enforced.
Name Amnesia: In the original version, the Shadow Queen explains her origin story. She was once a girl named Josephine, and she gained her powers after a Deal with the Devil with a nameless demon. Part of her payment was to relinquish her name to the demon. While she remembers what her original name was, she says she can feel it doesn't belong to her anymore.

Nightmare Fuel: In-Universe example. According to Leopold's narration in Chapter 54 of Redux, whenever in a bad mood, she tells him and the rest of the Spawn a well-detailed explanation on what she would to do to the traitor who killed Lyrius if she ever got her hands on him which was enough to give them nightmares. After she finally catches Lan'tao, she gives an idea of his punishment to Kyle and Drake and sad to say, it wasn't pretty.
No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: During their stay in the Palace of Shadow in both versions. The Queen is surprisingly hospitable towards the protagonists as well as the other finalists when it comes to sleeping arrangements and food. (In Redux, Francesca and Andy compare this situation to the The Hunger Games, wherein the tributes in the games would be given 5-star treatment before going out to the arena to their doom and Stan compares it to the last meal of a condemned man.)
"Not So Different" Remark: She tries this with Andy, trying to make him admit that he enjoyed hurting her, asking whether or not he saw it as wrong, as people like him often do. He quickly defies her attempts, saying he sees nothing wrong with it, and if killing her would spare the suffering of countless others, he's fine with it.
Not So Invincible After All: In Redux, she has a weakness that not even Merlow knows about; and apparently, the story about the Three Heroes sparing her because they simply were unable to kill her was a lie that she has maintained simply to project the image of an immortal ruler. She is used an unholy ritual to place her heart in a statue, and so long as it was not in her body, she could not be killed normally. Her one mistake was letting Bleck find this out, and he was able to tell Francesca and Stan the secret; Stan returns her heart, making her mortal again, though she is no less powerful.
Oh, Crap!:
- In Redux, she reacts to this upon seeing the Refund and Reimbursement trap, and for good reason.
- Her reaction when Stan declares an attack with Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth.
Offing the Offspring: It is heavily implied by Merlow that she eventually plans to do this to the current generation of Shadow Spawn after she has no more use for them, possibly alongside Stan, Francesca and Andy if she ever prevails.
One-Winged Angel: In the final duel with Redux, she fuses her and Lyrius' Deckmasters to transform herself to Demon Chaos Queen whose appearance bares a strong resemblance to how her true form looks like in the game Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

Public Execution: In Redux, this is what she intends for Stan, Francesca and Andy if she is victorious over the three with the help of a Warrior of Tradition Duel Spirit to quash any further thoughts of rebellion.
Pyrrhic Victory: She ensured that Artorigus failed to destroy the Spell of Despair five centuries ago. The knigt failed in the attempt, but the Shadow Spawn were killed as well, Smithy and his army was defeated, and her chance to escape at that point was ruined, setting her plans back for hundreds of years.
Pragmatic Villainy: Shows this often, mostly in cases concerning her Escape Clause.
- Towards the ending of both versions, she has her Duel Spirit minions give out cards as rewards to the other finalists after they succeed in her trials so that from a technical standpoint, they are unintentionally dueling on her behalf and their victories over Stan, Andy and Francesca would free her from her curse.
- She eventually stripped Bonetail of his powers and imprisoned him at the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trial, as he was too dangerous and could not be controlled. Some believe that Bonetail frightened even her, but clearly, it was evident that letting him remain free would have been too great a risk.
- She also has one of the most genius ways to keep her children from disobeying her. A spell cast on them makes their hearts cause them pain and fill them with hate and rage if there is danger of them disobeying. As Ms. Mowz puts it, a Shock Collar or a device that causes Mind Control can be deactivated, removed, or destroyed, but in this case, the object keeping the victim from rebelling is his heart... You can't get rid of that without killing him.
- All wizards know, according to her, that the first rule of summoning is "Never summon something stronger than you are", while the second is "Never summon something that you can’t control." Wizards who break these rules tend to cause disasters, but she tends to stick to them.
Redemption Rejection: As Falagar states, she was offered mercy and even a possibility of release if she simply submitted to a spell of his own devising during her imprisonment that would act as therapy, hoping to grant her a second chance. The Heroes even offered her a chance to sleep through it to make it easier. But she eventually used what little power she had to purge the spell from her mind, and then began rebuilding it and focusing on using it to escape. Whether she ever even considered the offer at all is unclear.
Reforged into a Minion: After agreeing to Graz'zt's terms, she was sent to an institution ran by demons and over a period of six months, was subjected to a combination of surgery, alchemy, and magic, which was described as horrendous torture. Not only was her body shaped, but her mind as well eventually molding her from a normal human peasant girl to something more demon than human with incredibly powerful abilities of dark sorcery, the Evil Sorceress who would be called the Shadow Queen.
Religion of Evil: As formerly stated, she led several cults of Graz'zt previous to the battle with the Three Heroes, possibly while still forming the Empire of Shadow.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: A villainous example. While she tends to let her minions to the work for her, she's still not above getting her own hands dirty whenever the need arises.
Really 700 Years Old: Due to her immortality, she is about 1000+ years old.
Self-Made Orphan: In the original fic, wherein she banished her father to the Shadow Realm after gaining power from the demon she made a deal with.
Signature Move: Cosmo Queen, Mazera Deville, Lord of the Red, and Berserk Dragon in the original version. Demise, King of Armageddon, Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and Demon Chaos Queen in Redux.
Start of Darkness: The tragic deaths of her little brothers in Redux is what ultimately drove her over the edge.
Summoning Ritual: Used Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and Demise, King of Armageddon as part of Divinity Deck in the original version. In Redux, she uses Contantoce monsters: huge, bestial, and nearly mindless demon that were used in armies by smarter demons like living siege engines as her ace cards in her Fanatic Deck in Redux as well as keeping Demise as her Deckmaster and later uses a Sister Ritual deck with Ruin as the Deckmaster.
Sympathy for the Devil: After her demise in Redux, The protagonists and the rest of the spectators feel a bit sorry for her, contrast to their reaction in the original version.
Tailor-Made Prison: The Palace of Shadow is this for her due to the spell the Three Heroes cast on her centuries ago.
- She claims that the first three-hundred years were much worse than her situation now. She was bound in chains and could barely move, in a dark cell, and muzzled, on the off-chance that she regained use of her spells. She does admit that the Heroes offered her clemency in the form of a spell of eternal sleep so she wouldn't have to suffer (no possibility of a True Love's Kiss, however) but she refused it. She realized her only chance to escape was to remain awake. (see Determinator)
Take a Third Option: She decided to simply keep quiet about Bleck cheating, and simply didn't use Demise's effect at all, and still won the duel. This worked out to her benefit; he tried to Beat Her At Her Own Game, cheated at it, and she still won.
Unperson: In the original fic, after she gives her name to the demon she made a pact with, she loses all sense of association with her name. Not feeling a thing whenever the name "Josephine" is brought up.
That Man Is Dead: Ever since she became the Shadow Queen, she has since renounced her real name.
Vain Sorceress: Has shades of this. In Redux she even punishes Rawk Hawk's girlfriend Sylvia just because Rawk Hawk said in public that Sylvia was more beautiful than her.
Villainous Breakdown: She has one following Stan's "The Reason You Suck" Speech; for a minute, it's clear to both Stan and Francesca that, for a brief moment, she feels remorse for all her crimes and that Iris' true personality has returned for a that short time. (The author has stated that the biggest contribution to the protagonists being able to summon both Sophia and Jazirian is because Iris' true personality was Fighting from the Inside.
Villainous Rescue: Saves Stan, Fran and Andy from being killed by the Shadow Spawn (minus Vladimir) in the original fic because if any of them die, she would be trapped in her palace forever.
We Can Rule Together:
- In the original version, she makes this offer to [Noah Kaiba during their duel. He refuses.
- In a side-chapter of Shadowchasers: Twice-Told Tales, she makes the same offer to a young Lyrius. He accepts.
Worthy Opponent: She sees the Three Heroes as this. Despite that they defeated her and casted the spell that would make her unable to leave her Palace, she admits that her hate towards them is in a professional level and understood that it was normal for them to oppose her. She had even considered at first being merciful and sparing their descendants' lives, but changed her mind once they learned her name and most of her past.
You Got Guts: If there is one thing about her opponent's that she has respect for, it's their defiance towards her.
0% Approval Rating: It is no secret that almost everyone in Monster Island/Arcadia despise her and only obey her out of fear. Crump and Grodus seem to be the only exceptions.

Crump

Brick Joke: During one of his encounters with the protagonists in Redux, when Andy says he's more than capable of winning in their duel, Crump dares him saying "Bet you five bucks and a pizza you can't!". During the epilogue, Maria leaves in his cell five bucks and a box of pizza with a note suggesting it came from Andy. This time however, Crump didn't have the appetite.

Cool Train: Uses Machine Trains during his duel with Stan in Redux.

Marionette Master: He uses a Gimmick Puppet deck with Puppet Master as a Deckmaster during his and Grodus' tag duel against Andy and Francesca.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Specializes in Machine monsters.

Shout-Out: In Redux, Francesca describes his Gimmick Puppet Queen Payne as "Astrid's evil twin" due to their similar preference in weapons.
Signature Move: Machine King and (in Redux only) Magunus Von Grapple 2.0. Gimmick Puppet Mad Jack and Gimmick Puppet Queen Payne during the tag duel in Redux.
Stupid Evil: He shows this a lot in both versions. His biggest ounce of stupidity would be the time he drank a Potion of Bravery and challenged Stan. After Stan defeats him, the Queen punishes him.
Took a Level in Badass: In Redux, he seems to get a great deal braver and more competant by by the time the tag duel with Grodus comes around.

Grodus

Identical Stranger:
- The ace monster of his Company of Malice deck, U'ulgan, Supreme Commander of the Company is said to look exactly similar to General U'ulgan, the general of the Queen's Company of Malice army.
- In fact, it seems that more than one of the more powerful monsters in his deck were modeled after unique personalities of the Company of Malice. Lyrius recognizes one card called "Field Commander of the Company" as resembling someone named Commander Gashins, although no information has been given about who she was.
I Let You Win: He makes this claim to Andy in the penultimate chapter, referring to the tag duel he and Crump had with him and Francesca, and he may have honestly believed it, seeing as the Queen ordered him simply to stall them. However, when he doesn't hold back this time, Andy triumphs on his own.

Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the end of the original fic, when it is clear that the Queen will meet her demise, Grodus runs off in an attempt to escape, only to be stopped by Yugi Muto.
Signature Move: Dark Ruler Ha Des in both versions. In Redux, he also has U'ulgan, Supreme Commander of the Company.
The Starscream: In the original version, he makes a remark to Andy during their duel that he plans to overthrow the Queen sooner or later. Unfortunately the Shadow Queen overheard this statement and has her children punish him with their monsters after he loses to Andy. He comes off as more loyal though in Redux.
Take That!: He levels a very unsubtle one at Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series by completely disagreeing with their opinion that a "children's card game" being Serious Business is in any way a bad thing. He seems to think it's fun. He also makes a subtle one at fans who assume that heroes in the general anime cheat worse than the villains:
Andy: Where in the world did you get these cards?
Grodus: Custom made by evil sorcerers working for Graz’zt. Same as guys like Dartz, Saiou, and that whole crowd. What? You really think folks like me get them from hobby shops?
Andy: In other words, Adrian had a point. The whole idea of you guys using Duel Monsters to fight people is to make them think you have a sense of fair play, just so you can look honorable and be a dirty cheater at the same time.
Grodus: Everyone does in this business. I’m just being honest about it.
Took a Level in Badass: He's far more competant in the remake than he was in the original, even more so when you consider the battle with Andy in the penultimate chapter.
Undying Loyalty: Among all the Queen's minions, he is one of the few that seems genuinely loyal, which is odd because she has been known to mistreat him from time to time; like in Redux, after her failure to dominate Diana, she slugs him because she is angry, and he's the only person she can hit. Also he knows that his position has had to be refilled many times over the past millennia, often because the holder was executed for doing something the Queen didn't like. Despite it all, there are no signs that he is anything but loyal.

Doopliss

Beware the Silly Ones: Andy and Fran don't take him seriously at first, due to his appearance. As it turns out, he is, like the video game character he is based on, far more dangerous than he appears.

Evil Counterpart: He can make himself appear as one and his deck even reflects it.
Imposter Forgot One Detail: In one chapter in Twice-Told Tales, he had disguised himself as Lyrius in an attempt to attack the Queen. It almost works until he calls her "Your Majesty" - something that Lyrius apparently never did, which only ruins his disguise.
The Legions of Hell: Uses a Dark Amazoness deck in the original version wherein they have the same effects as the normal Amazoness monsters but have their Attribute and Type changed from Earth Warriors to Dark Fiends.

Unperson: His powers allow him to steal the memories and traits of someone to the point that even the original person starts doubting that he/she is the real thing. In Redux, he mentions that when he stole the identity of the Unicorn Maiden, he was able to fool her allies, the Companions and everyone else. The reason his plan failed was because her unicorn mount could not be fooled and would not recognize him as its partner which gave him away after the real Unicorn Maiden appeared.

Hooktail

Gloomtail

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is not happy one bit when he wakes up to see Francesca in front of him, mistaking her for her ancestor who killed his sister Hooktail.
Rip Van Winkle: This seems to be the case with him, as he is apparently unaware of exactly how much time has passed since the original battle with the Three Heroes, and believes that Francesca actually is her ancestor who opposed the Queen back then.
Signature Move: Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 in the original version and Chole Dragon in Redux.

Bonetail

The Ghost: Is only alluded to in both versions of the fic.

Lyrius Stormcloud, The Queen’s Shadow

"All we have in our lives are ourselves and our choices. To give up your choices is to give up freedom and to regret them is the same as dying."

A dark knight who served the Shadow Queen a thousand years ago. His title of 'Queen's Shadow' stems from the fact that there are none closer to she than he is, both personally and professionally. Most of his history with the Shadow Queen is revealed in Shadowchasers: Twice-Told Tales.

He later on appears as the main protagonist in Rise of the Shadow King, which takes place about two decades after Redux. Fore more information of tropes that only pertain to him in that fic, please look into that fic's respective character page..

Affably Evil: According to what the Companions remember about him, despite his position as the Queen's second-in-command, outside of battle, he came off as "decent, almost civil and polite sometimes". When he returns, He's very civil when speaking to the trio.
Back from the Dead: Well, sort of. A spell that the Queen casts after killing Bleck seems to give him at least a type of pseudo-life, but as he says himself, it is "temporary". Just what this means, he has no idea.

Blood Oath: After the battle where he cut the Queen’s heart from her body, she offered it to him, and he ate it, sealing an oath between them that formed a supernatural bond.
Book Ends: At the end of Redux, he ends up in the same building where he first met Iris almost a thousand years ago.
Cassandra Truth: A flashback in "Twice Told Tales" tells of a piece of advice he gave the Queen which she ignored, which may have been her worst mistake. After the Three Heroes' victory at the Fahr Outpost, along with U'ulgan's death and the destruction of the Infernal Machine, he realized there was great danger, and suggested the Queen flee Arcadia, claiming that even if they achieved victory, it would be a hollow one, leaving them helpless before her other enemies who would use it as an opportunity to finish them off. She would not listen to reason, and was too proud to run. Ignoring the more sensible option, which as it turned out, was clearly the better one, cost her dearly.
Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux, but he comes from a different fic, specifically author 7th Librarian's Shadowchasers: Twice-Told Tales.

Crazy-Prepared: He shows shades of this during the final battle. Examples include: Running a card called Grisaille Gaol, which prevents the summon and effects of Synchros and Xyzs, Maxx "C" to benefit from Francesca's constant Special Summoning and Unfair Judge to take advantage of Yoshi's Union Monster effect to make the situation it tried to prevent a lot worse. He's also well prepared for Warrior Maiden of the Storm's effect, using Darkworld Shackles. Francesca was even willing to compliment him for his strategic play if it weren't for the fact that he was trying to kill them.
Cruel Mercy: After subduing Lan'tao, he tells him that he does not hold grudges and isn't the type to strike out of revenge. The Queen does, however, so he simply steps aside and lets her deal with him.

The Dragon: He was the first one to have this position to the Shadow Queen.
Determinator
The Dreaded: If Bobbery and Koops' reaction to seeing his ghost after Andy's duel with Scab-Scar Knight is to go by. Bobbery even claims that he'd sooner forget his own name than Lyrius'.
Escaped from Hell: When the protagonists and the Companions are trying to figure out why he's helping them and how he apparently survived his death.
Francesca: Maybe he was just the type of guy who was so stubborn, he refused to die, or the type so tough that Hell itself couldn't hold him.
Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being the Queen's second-in-command, he as a very strict moral code when it comes to dealing with his enemies.
Evil Mentor: To Vivian, originally, as implied in Twice-Told Tales. (Although it seemed, at most, an unofficial arrangement.)
The Force Is Strong with This One: Originally, he was little more than a young man whose city was attacked by the Shadow Queen’s demonic armies. He refused to die without a fight, and managed to get close enough to the Queen to stab her through the chest, ripping her heart from it. It couldn’t kill her or even hurt her badly, but the Queen was so impressed by his bravery, she spared his life, and offered her heart to him, bonding him to her in an unholy Blood Oath. The rest is history.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From a young man who fought only to keep his life because the Queen's army attacked to the Queen's right-hand.
Ghostly Goals: Lyrius was assassinated by a traitor shortly before the original battle with the Three Heroes, so he's clearly an undead being of some sort in the current fic until Chapter 62 wherein he is temporarily brought back to life. It is later revealed that his actual goal is to atone for his failure to help her in the original battle by doing so in this one, but doing so will not help him much at all.
Homage: Oblivion's original appearance, which is seen when this card is summoned, is based partially on Soul Edge's true form as a weapon.
Identical Stranger: The "Queen's " series of cards bear a strong resemblance to him. Appropriately, they synergize well with the "Sister" Ritual cards that the Queen uses.
Morton's Fork: The spell that gives him life during the course of the story is temporary, and does not last long. As he tells Lan'tao after defeating him, no matter how the final battle turns out, he dies. His only benefit in it is to aid the Queen one last time.
Near-Villain Victory: Apparently he once fought against the Unicorn Maiden and was close to finishing her off, if it weren't for a traitor killing him beforehand. If he had succeeded, it would also been a victory for the Queen in general.
Not So Stoic: During the final duel in Redux, he frequently shows signs of frustration and annoyance during the times Stan and Francesca gain the upper hand on him and the Queen.
Redemption Quest: St. Cuthbert gives him one in the form of his determination to rescue Iris and another individual from whatever realm they are currently in.
Sequel Hook: At the end of Redux, instead of disappearing, he is rescued by St. Cuthbert, who gives him the determination to rescue Iris and another individual he knew from where they are, giving both his and Iris' souls one last chance at salvation, if he can manage. Cyber Commander has confirmed that 7th Librarian plans to continue his story in his fics.

Summoning Ritual: Uses a Sister Ritual deck similar to the Queen's during the final battle.
Slouch of Villainy: He's described like this during Fran's duel with Chico (which he doesn't witness), sitting in a poorly lit room a few hallways away, slumped over in a stone chair with his eyes closed, possibly in deep thought. (He fully wakes up at the moment Fran summons Warrior Maiden of the Storm, however, indicating that it has some significance to him.)
The Stoic: He doesn't exactly show much emotion, even when in a confrontaion.
Straight Man: As the author of "Twice Told Tales" puts it, Lyrius represents restraint that the Queen doesn't have. She's a force of chaos in the service of a demon, and while he is not a being of order, he walks a middle line between order and chaos, and as a result, prevented her from falling into the common traps that demonic armies, which usually have no organization, period, usually do. In many ways, he was the reason she had far more success than the typical demonic thrall.
Synchronization: Due to his bond with the Queen. When he was killed by Lan'tao several centuries ago, the Queen made a scream of anguish and knew who had killed him.
Training from Hell: Literally. At least part of his training was overseen by General U’ulgan.

Unholy Matrimony: The aforementioned Blood Oath was aparently some sort of wedding vow, possibly via some unholy doctrine. Whatever the case, it’s possible that he was the only person she has ever actually loved.
Worthy Opponent:
- He sees Stan and Francesca this way, saying that in another time and place, they could have been the closest of allies.
- He seemed to have always regarded the Unicorn Maiden this way, and given how he reacts to Warrior Maiden of the Storm when she is summoned, the feeling seems mutual.
You Are Worth Hell: Both he and the Queen take this up a notch. Not only does she say it will be worth it if he's there, he claims he's willing to accept it alone if he's able to drag her foes there with him. (Presumably, when you factor in his previous statement that the spell which restored him is temporary, he means that helping her gain freedom is worth anything, even having to suffer alone.)

The Shadow Spawn

Tropes shared by all of them:

Always Someone Better: In Redux, their mother constantly compares them to her original heirs, who lived five centuries ago and were apparently a lot better than they were. This is emphasized by Kurtis in the opening narrative to chapter 52. He also seems to be the one who feels this way the most. Tyson on the other hand, seems to have nothing but admiration for his predecessor.
Anti-Villain: More so in Redux wherein it is obvious that they didn't really have a choice when it came to obeying their mother, not to mention that they come off as more sympathetic than they were in the original version.

The Bully: All of them aside from Vladimir love to bully and terrorize people with their powers.
- The remake puts a twist on this when Kurtis duels the second time. He suggests that it's at least partially an act, saying that he held back using the full extent of his powers because he didn't want unneccesary casualties. This is one of many signs that they aren't as bad as the heroes thought at first.
Calling the Old Man Out: In Redux, after their mother pardons them from their second failures after she defeats and kills Bleck and expects them to return the favor. All of them refuse and defy their mother, calling her out on how she seems to be getting worse, using several Roman emperors as an example. They then tell their mother that they have every right to just leave and start all over on their own and tell the United Nations about Arcadia's real government.
Card-Carrying Villain: In the original version, all of them (except Vladimir) freely terrorize others with their powers and love every moment of it. In Redux they initially come off as this until their punishment from their mother allowed them to reflect on their actions.
Casting a Shadow: All of them are capable of creating Shadow Games in the original version. In Redux however, they do not seem to have the ability for it.
Dismantled MacGuffin: According to Melissa's opening narrative in Chapter 51 of Redux, each of them carry a piece of some powerful weapon that their mother had planted on them when they were born. This is the reason why she trained them to be powerful duelists, so that anyone who would try to take this weapon would have trouble dealing with living vaults who can fight back. It is also how she can ensure they follow her orders whenever they start to doubt them. Later on in Chapter 62, it is revealed that they each have a piece of a powerful weapon called the Spell of Despair, which was the Queen's weapon against what she feared the most: Hope.
The Dreaded: Among the citizens of Monster Island/Arcadia, as their presence is a sign that someone has angered the Queen and will be punished and taken away for it.
Drunk with Power: This is possibly the reason why according to Merlow/ Adrian that, they didn't just destroy the Spell of Despair inside of them and escaped when they had the chance. He claims that they like to serve their mother because the power that she gave them was the only reason that anyone else, even themselves had any sort of respect. And from the looks of it, he may actually be right.
Elemental Powers: All six of them represent the 6 basic attributes of Duel Monsters as well as have powers related to them as a result. They also specialize in decks that focus on their respective attribute.
- They also use a Element Deck centered around their Deckmaster Elemental Mistress Doraido's special ability when they duel as one during their last stand in both versions.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Largely subverted. They don't seem to love her at all, working for her mostly out of fear.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The only people they seem to care about are each other.
Fusion Dance: Towards the end of the original fic, the Shadow Queen casts an Amalgam spell that transfers all of their souls to inhabit Elemental Mistress Doraido. They then attempt to take on the Three Heroes, only for Merlow (Merlee) to intervene. In Redux, they also fuse into Doraido, but the biggest difference in this version is that the spell used was created by them behind the Queen's back. Maria even invokes the trope word for word, comparing it to the likes of Dragon Ball Z
Gameplay and Story Segregation: A non-game example, but only in the original version. Despite being depicted in the fic as the Queens most powerful enforcers, most of their decks consisted of weak, low-leveled and high-leveled Vanilla monsters that were completely outdated even by the standards during the time the original fic was written (Kurtis and Leopold being the worst offenders). Averted in Redux, wherein all their decks are more updated to go and make sense within the current standards. (Things like that were, by the author's own admission, a big reason for the updated version.)
- Subverted by Tyson in Redux who intentionally runs weak, high-leveled Vanilla FIRE monsters in order to synergize them with his Mr. Volcano's Deckmaster ability.
Half-Human Hybrid: Except for Vladimir, the Spawn's fathers were each different elemental beings that the Queen tricked into having sex with her so she would have children.
Heel–Face Turn: By the end of the original fic, all of them promise to make Monster Island a better place for its inhabitants as well as help any of their past victims from the Shadow Games they have inflicted. As the spin-offs by mario72486 show, they seem to have succeeded. They also do this in Redux. This happens in the remake too, and it is implied that the Spell of Despair's destruction helps.
Legacy Character: In Redux, they are the current generation of Shadow Spawn.

Daddy's Little Villain: All six of them are her most trusted enforcers. Subverted in that they do it out of fear and not out of love or devotion.

Royals Who Actually Do Something: Technically, they are the royalty of Arcadia, being the Queen's children and her heirs, although this is one thing that they rarely flaunt.
Seven Deadly Sins: In the original version, all six of them each embody a particular sin.
Sharp-Dressed Man: During the epilogue of Redux; Maria, Tyson and Leopold are shown to now wear formal business clothes. It is likely possible that the other three follow as well.
Signature Move: Elemental Mistress Doraido who is their Deckmaster during their final confrontation with the protagonists in both versions as well as Element Dreadnaught and Sister Yamaido in Redux
Soul Jar: In the original version, all six of them (and their mother) have a Soul card that contains their soul. The card in particular is usually a monster that shares the characteristics of the sin that they embody.
Stupid Evil: Except for Vladimir, all of them have shades of this. The most horrendous example would have to be when [[spoiler:all of them but Vladimir try to kill Stan, Fran and Andy when the three first arrive in the Palace of Shadow. The Shadow Queen rescues them and then punishes her children because if any of Stan, Fran and Andy died, she would be trapped in the Palace forever.
Sympathy for the Devil: While initially disgusted at the things they do to the residents of Monster Island/Arcadia, Stan, Francesca and Andy eventually start feeling sympathy for them when it is largely implied that they are also the Queen's prisoners in all but name. More so in Redux wherein they come of as more sympathetic as well as toning down their antagonism a bit during the rematches.
Synchronization: Their Gestalt form allows them to divide the pain they receive amongst each other, lessening the impact it does to them.

Melissa, Shadow Spawn of Light

Age-Inappropriate Dress: Wears a low-cut, silver halter top and shorts made out of spandex, leading to this exchange in the original version.
Francesca: Didn't your mother ever tell you that girls your age shouldn't dress like that?
Melissa: Hee, hee, my mom is very liberal. You should see how she dresses!
Glass Cannon:
- Her Lightsworn deck hits very hard and fast but if the duel takes too long, she can lose by decking out. This actually happens in her duel with Francesca.
- Melissa herself may also qualify. Her dueling skills allow her to inflict large amounts of damage to her opponents quickly and effectively, but even one strong attack is enough to make her express a strong reaction in pain. Bobbery even notes this during her duel with Andy in Redux, saying that he knows the type.

Light Is Not Good: Aside from qualifying herself, she also has a monster in Redux called Lightray Asmodeus who is definitely this.
Little Miss Badass: While she's still the weakest of the Shadow Spawn in skill and experience, she's still more than capable on the dueling field and in a fight despite only being fourteen-years old.
Noodle Incident: In Redux, she once drank a Growing Potion and Shrinking Potion at the same time to see what would happen. It is never revealed what happened to her but is implied by Leopold that it wasn't pretty.
Signature Move: The Creator and Reshef the Dark Being in the original version. Judgment Dragon and Lightray Asmodeus in Redux.

Seven Deadly Sins: The sin she represents in the original fic is sloth. Despite being quite talented, she usually lets others do the work for her. Her soul card in the original fic, Reshef the Dark Being reflects this: As its effect allows it to control opponent's monster into doing its dirty work.

Villains Never Lie: She makes this claim when she admits that she lured the protagonists to Hooktail Castle with the story of treasure.

Kurtis, Shadow Spawn of Wind

Berserk Button: In Redux he dislikes Stan's Djinn Xyz monsters due to them hardly resembling actual Djinns at all, even calling them "phonies" during his second dueling appearance. This is brilliant in that the Djinn Xyz monsters are actually called "Devils" in the OCG.

Jerkass Has a Point: In Redux, he uses a card called Harpie Empress, an Expy of Kujaku Mai that also appeared in Shadowchasers: Tournament of Shadows. When Andy questions why such a card was approved by the designers, his theory as to why is much better than the one given by the duelist in the other fic.
Andy (thinking): Good lord... Something is seriously wrong when someone who wants to kill you starts to make sense…
Hidden Depths: In his first appearance in Redux, we get the impression that he thinks his father was a fool and that he doesn't care at all that he's dead. Later on during his duel with Francesca, he makes a remark that makes Francesca deduct that Kurtis actually wishes that he was never born to begin with.
Noble Bird of Prey: Uses Winged-Beasts spearheaded by a Dark Simorgh during his first duel in Redux.
The Piano Player: It is mentioned by Tyson at one point in Redux that he plays the piano.
Seven Deadly Sins: The sin he represents in the original fic is lust. It is said that any woman with a good body (such as Mai Kujaku/Valentine) is one he desires. He has also shown some attraction to Francesca to some extent in that regard as well. His soul card in the original fic, Cyber Harpie Lady reflects this: As it is an attractive female monster with a nice figure and a whip.
Signature Move: Calypso the Harpie Queen and Cyber Harpie Lady in the original version. Dark Simorgh and Harpie Empress in Redux.
Winged Humanoid: Uses Harpie monsters. Kurtis himself may also qualify as he seems to have talon-like arms.

Tyson, Shadow Spawn of Fire

Greed: The sin he represents in the original fic. He steals money and power from anyone and always desires more. His soul card in the original fic, "Infernal Incinerator" reflects this: As it is only powerful when its alone and weakens when other monsters on his side are present, showing its selfishness.
Identical Stranger: In Redux, Francesca notices the similarities in appearance between him and his Deckmaster, Mr. Volcano.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Not him, but a key strategy of his second deck in Redux is "Ultimate Baseball Kid", who fits the description when his effect is used to the fullest. He even says the trope word for word.

Signature Move: Infernal Incinerator in the original version. Volcano Assassin during his first appearance in both versions, and Czar Dragon and Zombone during his duel with Stan in Redux.
Schmuck Bait: Czar Dragon, an Xyz Monster he uses in Redux, seems to have a bark worse than its bite, and that's the whole point. When it's destroyed, its effect lets him summon Zombone, which is far more powerful.

Stepford Smiler: Type A. He says during his duel with Stan in Redux that he makes a lot of bad jokes so that he can relieve himself of the pressure that their mother puts on him and the rest of the Spawn.

Leopold, Shadow Spawn of Earth

Anti-Climax: When it's clear that he plans to finish Stan off with an attack from his Milus Radiant in Redux.
Leopold: Now for the final strike…
Stan: Your 'final strike' is going to be a direct attack with that little thing? Isn't that kind of anti-climactic for someone like you?
Leopold: Hmm, I suppose it is… Ah, well… If anyone asks, I'll lie…
Beast Man: Uses a Beast-Warrior deck during his duel with Andy in the original fic.
Berserk Button: Being called "Leo".

But for Me, It Was Tuesday: In Redux, during his duel with Stan in Twilight Town, Stan attacks his ace monster Grandsoil the Elemental Lord, making it an And This Is for... attack for Philip. Leopold doesn't even remember him.
Deadpan Snarker: He's like this on occasion. In one scene, when Tyson, Maria, and Kurtis get angry when Melissa beats them at Clue, it leads to this exchange:
Leopold: She won again, huh? What a surprise...
Tyson: Where's a real lead pipe when you need one?
Leopold: You know guys, if losing at Clue is going to make you this angry, Duel Monsters might have been a bad idea…

Dude, Not Funny!: In-Universe. Stan, Francesca and Andy feel this way after Leopold scares them by pretending to finish Andy off with his Lei Lei (which he can't since he used his Deckmaster's effect on his Sengenjin, meaning that only Sengenjin could attack on his turn.) and saying it was a joke in the original version.
Embarrassing First Name: While he's not embarrassed by his name. Stan still notes the possible implications of his name in Redux.
Stan: Leopold, huh? If he wasn't the Shadow Queen's son, that's a name that likely would have gotten him teased a lot as a kid…
Evil Sounds Deep: Talks in a much deeper voice whenever he starts getting serious.
Fusion Dance: His second deck in Redux is a Gem-Knight Deck, which specializes in fusion.
Genius Bruiser: Although he refuses to use physical violence, he qualifies as this due to his super strength and intelligence.
Green Thumb: Runs a few Plant monsters in Redux.
Hoist by His Own Petard: In the original version, Stan defeats him in their duel by using the Block Attack card that he tried to use on Stan's Silent Magician earlier. Later on, the Shadow Queen even spells this out to him while punishing him.
Insufferable Genius: Leopold always finds an opportunity to show off his intelligence.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Right before summoning Grandsoil the Elemental Lord, when Stan gets the upper hand on him in Redux.
Leopold: Impressive… I should congratulate you Mr. Mason… You've done something that no duelist has ever been able to do… You've brought out the beast in me!
Made of Iron: Has high durability and endurance due to his dao heritage.
Pride: The sin he represents in the original. He thinks himself to be the best among his siblings and thinks he is without flaw. He has also boasted that he would eventually create a strategy that would defeat the King of Games himself. His soul card in the original fic, Sengenjin reflects this: According to the backstory it was given, it is an extremely prideful creature that serves no one but himself.
Signature Move: Tyranno Infinity and Sengenjin in the original version. In Redux, Grandsoil the Elemental Lord in his first deck, and Gem-Knight Master Diamond in the second.
Shout-Out: The name he gives to Gem-Knight Master Diamond's attack is "Cursed Flame Slash", a reference to the Seven Star Sword in the fifth One Piece movie. (Andy apparently recognizes the reference.)

Super-Strength: Due to his father being a dao, he has high physical strength. Although he rarely resorts to physical violence calling it "undignified".
Taken for Granite: He has the ability to turn others into stone.

Maria, Shadow Spawn of Water

Barely-There Swimwear: Wears nothing but a revealing thong bathing suit during her second duel with Francesca in the original version. According to her, seeing as her dad was a marid, it was In the Blood not to wear anything at all, seeing as it gets in the way of swimming.
Brainwashed and Crazy: During her rematch with Francesca in Redux, her mother casts a spell on her that causes her heart to be filled with nothing but hate and rage, making her act antagonistic to Francesca, compared to the rest of her siblings who were reluctant to duel the three protagonists.
Cheaters Never Prosper: In her first duel with Francesca, she wears a device hidden in her eye patch that allows her to see the cards in Francesca's hand. Her mother eventually finds out about this and almost ends the duel prematurely in Francesca's favor, because it wouldn't be considered a "fair contest" if Maria won by cheating. Francesca however allows the duel to continue and defeats Maria eventually.

Battle in the Rain: During the 2nd half of her rematch with Francesca in Redux, the weather starts raining hard along with a thunderstorm, which only makes the duel a lot more dangerous.
Ghost Pirate: Uses a deck filled with them, not unlike Cortez's during her rematch with Francesca in Redux. Stan even calls her out and accuses her of being a copycat, only for her to say that she has tactics that are completely different from Cortez.

Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: After she is caught cheating, not only does it weaken the Shadow Queen's hold towards Monster Isand/Arcadia, but it also raises suspicion on whether or not all of the previous duels the Spawn have had against their previous victims were rigged or won on unfair grounds..

Pirate Girl: Her attire during her first appearance, complete with pirate ship and Duel Spirit crew.
Pot Calling The Kettle Black: This exchange during her second duel with Francesca in the original version.
Maria (to Francesca): You are good, but you're still nothing but a slut to me!
Andy: ...coming from the girl wearing the thong bathing suit...
Seven Deadly Sins: The sin she represents in the original fic is wrath. Maria is known to have a huge temper and if her mother hadn't forbidden her, she would even outright murder her opponents out of rage. Her soul card in the original fic, Crab Turtle reflects this: As it is an incredibly bloodthirsty creature. In Redux, while the concept of sins and Soul cards is absent, she is still presented as one of the more hot-tempered of the Shadow Spawn.
Signature Move: Gogiga Gagagigo and Crab Turtle in the original version. In Redux, she has Gagagigo the Risen during her first duel and Captain Skull during her second one.
With Due Respect: Towards her mother in Redux after she pardons her and the rest of her siblings after their second failure, although she immediately forgoes it.
Maria: Mom, in all due respect… Aw, screw that, you are out of your mind!

Vladimir, Shadow Spawn of Darkness and the Heir of Shadow

Affably Evil: He still wants to free his mother, but he is genuinely a nice person, even towards his enemies.
Alice Allusion: His Alice of Despairland card that he received from Count Bleck. While weak on its own, it strengthens his DARK monsters while it is in the Graveyard. It is suggested that this card is the same one that Bruno von Klein of the Shadowchasers would obtain several years later as his girlfriend asks him if he finally found "that Shadow Spawn" when he shows her the card in Tournament of Shadows, but the exact details remain currently unknown.
Beware the Silly Ones: In his duel with Stan, he uses Tongue Twister as his Deckmaster. Fran gets a big laugh out of the rather ridiculous-looking Fiend, but as it turns out, the effect it has as a Deckmaster is very useful, giving Vladimir an extra draw whenever a Special Summoned Level 6 or higher Dark Monster he controls is destroyed.

Blessed with Suck: While he has great powers over darkness, it also makes his eyes very sensitive to light to the point that he always has to wear sunglasses.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Like Maria before him, the spell his mother casts on his heart forces him to duel Stan in Redux when it appears that Vladimir sees no further reason to do so.

Dark Is Not Evil: Despite working for the Shadow Queen, he is still the nicest and most polite of her minions and even talks to Stan, Francesca and Andy without any form of hostility. However he is still loyal to his mother and want her to be free.
Distressed Dude: In Redux, Count Bleck keeps him hostage for a brief time after prematurely ending his duel with Stan in order to get the Queen's attention.
Emotion Bomb: In Redux, his powers cause his opponents to fear anything and worry what he may have, which causes them to sometimes make mistakes in duels.
Everything's Deader with Zombies: Uses a Zombie Deck during his duel with Stan in Redux.
Foreshadowing: A subtle card example in Redux. The card text of his Prophecy of Doom card that the Queen gave him and the rest of his siblings used during their duel with Merlow describes that it's used for the Ritual Summon of a Sister Ritual Monster, implying that there are more than the one they used. Come the final battle and Iris uses a deck full of them.
Green-Eyed Monster: The sin he represents in the original fic is envy. Despite being the nicest of the Spawn, he feels threatened whenever he encounters someone stronger than him and strives to be stronger than them. This even includes his mother, as it is mentioned that he is the Spawn with the most thoughts of rebellion. He also envies normal duelists because they duel for fun, while he duels to kill. His soul card in the original fic, "Relinquished" reflects this: As it is normally weak by itself, but its effect allows it to absorb the strengths of other monsters to use for itself.
Mr. Exposition: In Redux, he explains to the three protagonists the fates of his siblings as well as the layers of his mother's prison. He also gives them information on the Doomsday Device that was originally being built at the Fahr Outpost.
Noble Demon: He's the nicest one among his siblings and the only one not use any form of hostility or threat.

Only Sane Man: He sometimes cones off as this in regards to him and the rest of his siblings.
Parental Favoritism: In the original fic, it is heavily implied that the Queen considers Vladimir to be her favorite, being her heir apparent and all. Doesn't stop her from punishing him when he fails though. This seems to be absent in Redux though.

Signature Move: King of the Skull Servants and Relinquished in the original version. Steelswarm Roach during his first duel and Gunyolk during his second duel in Redux.
Sunglasses at Night: Due to his powers, his eyes are really sensitive to light and as a result, wears sunglasses almost all the time. (In Redux, he seems to have another reason... His eyes are rather intimidating to look at.)
Reluctant Ruler: Upon realizing that he's the ruler of Arcadia upon his mother's death at the end, he at first decides to abdicate, believing the citizens would never accept him as a ruler. Adrian has to convince him - and his siblings - otherwise, saying that Arcadia might be even worse off with no government.

Villainous Rescue: In Redux, he rescues Stan, Francesca and Andy from almost drowning when the ship that Francesca dueled Maria in starts to sink.

Other Finalists

Aesop

Ascended Extra: From just another contestant that Stan gets a Crystal Card from in the original version, to one of the finalist in Redux, replacing Wanda.
Character Tic: In the original version, he had a tendency to quote several things from his namesake as forms of advice.
Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Zig-zagged in Redux, when Rose Spectre of Dunn gives him Etrigan the Demon. At first, this seems to be a subversion of the Trope; she doesn't deny that the card is dangerous, but she also gives him a piece of paper containing a phrase to protect him from the full extent of the card's curse. However, as it turns out, it's not a subversion of the Trope at all. Either she was stretching the truth a lot, or a Failsafe Failure occurred; either way, the spell didn't help him much. Fortunately for him, Dragonfire Warlock has a counter-spell that does work.
Demonic Possession: Like Chico before him in Redux, it appears that he gets possessed by Etrigan the Demon the moment he plays his card.

Shout-Out: His Fabled D'spayer card in Redux to The Phantom of the Opera.
Signature Move: Gate Guardian in the original version. Fabled Leviathan for his Fabled Deck, and Mermail Abyssgaios and Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon for his Mermail deck in Redux. Later on his Fabled Deck also includes Etrigan the Demon, but it is quickly taken by the Queen after his defeat due to it being Bleck's card, and a (posthumous) attempt by him at sabotage.
Too Many Belts: Has three belts around his left leg.

Kyle Stevens

Clockwork Creature: Uses a Ancient Gear/Rock deck in both versions. Later on in Redux, he also uses a Chronomaly deck, but still retains Ancient Gear Golem as his ace card.
It May Help You on Your Quest: Like Drake, he gives Fran his Dimensional Sphinx card, which proves incredibly useful in the Final Battle''.
"Leave Your Quest" Test: Not exactly, because it isn't his quest, but after the Queen gives them an hour to escape in order to avoid punishment they actually make it, but then start to have second thoughts, using the ten minutes or so they have to spare to consider what Merlow said and decide whether going back to help would be worth it. Eventually, they do.
Red Herring: During his duel against Drake in Redux, his Unstable Portal trap has an effect that inflicts damage to him and his opponent if ever a Spell/Trap of his is either countered or destroyed. Because of their current Life Points, the Queen suspected that he would use it force a tie between himself and Drake and casts a spell on Drake to prevent him from doing anything. Unfortunately for her, Kyle had his Chtonian Blast card that would also force a draw, which she did not see coming.
Shout-Out: He makes a Star Wars reference during his duel with Drake, making this variation of Han Solo's line from A New Hope:
Kyle: That’s okay, I can hold to together…
(Helios Trice Megistus strikes OOPArts Mud Golem the second time.)
Kyle: Come on, baby, hold together…
Signature Move: Ancient Gear Golem. In the original version he also had Ancient Dragon's anime version and its corresponding cards but later forgoes them. In Redux, he also has Chronomaly Antikythera Golem as a part of his Chronomaly deck.
Spanner in the Works: In Redux, he and Drake force a tie with one another during their duel in the finals in order to pull a huge monkey wrench in the Queen's plans. Needless to say, she was not happy about this one bit.

Raven (real name Lidia Sinclair, in Redux only)

All Your Powers Combined: Her decks in both versions focus on her monsters co-operating with one another to win.
Big Eater: Literally wolfs down large amounts of food into her mouth without even chewing during the pre-final dinner in Redux. According to her, it was a force of habit based on her days back in Madripoor. Wherein they ate their food fast before someone could take it away from them.
Earn Your Happy Ending: By the Redux, Adrian informs her that because of Iris' demise, Madripoor's economy, police force, and militia are almost non-existent due to their government relying on a one-sided mutual deal and defense pact with the Queen. With Vladimir most likely refusing to honor the agreement, it technically means Madripoor's despotic government is finished. Raven immediately breaks down to Tears of Joy upon hearing this.
I Warned You: During her 2nd duel with Stan in the original version, she uses Vivian's card that she took from Stan due to her Thief in the Shadows' effect despite Stan's warnings. But it refuses to listen to her and attacks Raven instead. This also ends up costing Raven the duel. In Redux, this doesn't happen at all as she has a completely different deck and Stan defeats her fairly this time around.
Justified Criminal: Her backstory. She mentions that she did the things she did mostly for the sake of survival.

Loveable Rogue: Her Dark Scorpion deck in the original version. Raven herself also counts in Redux,
Meaningful Name:
- Raven says that Faustus gave her and the other members of his gang nicknames based on famous literary tragedies. The reason for this is that none of them ever expected a happy ending, expecting their lives to end as tragically as those characters.
- On a more lighter scale in Redux, she also runs a Blackwing deck.
Official Couple: With Drake in Redux. Apparently the two have gotten quite "close" since they got to the center of the Palace.

Signature Move: Don Zaloog and later on the Thief in the Shadows in the original fic, Blackwing Tamer - Hawk Joe and later on Blackwing Tamer - Jack the Dart in Redux.
Sixth Ranger: In the original version, she has additional Dark Scorpions to go with the initial members of the group. On the other hand, this is something that Occam Razor would eventually despise, seeing as they completely miss the point] of the Dark Scorpions Five-Man Band themselves. As a result, he has never used them ever again in his other projects and has also prohibited other authors from using them. It is possible that this is one of the main reasons for Raven using a Blackwing deck instead in Redux.
Stepford Smiler: Shows signs of this during the finals in Redux. Grodus thinks her cheerful attitude is either an attempt to keep herself from going crazy, or she already has been driven mad from her trip through the Palace of Shadow.

Took a Level in Kindness: In Redux, she comes off as less nasty than she was in the original version.
Trojan Prisoner: After Lyrius uses a card that is named after the Trope, Raven beams a little, and claims she's very familiar with the strategy.
True Companions: With Faustus and her fellow thieves during her time in Madripoor. Her decks in both versions reflect this.

Chico

And I Must Scream: Given what he said after Ammit was defeated, the demon was actually using him like a puppet, and he was fully aware of everything that was happening at the time. (He told Francesca that having to listen to it "wasn’t any more pleasant" for him either. The guy clearly had quite a lot of willpower to recover so fast.)]]
Bedouin Rescue Service: In his backstory, the Native American family who later adopted him counts, having found him in the New Mexico desert as a child and saved him from starving.
Demonic Possession: Gets possessed by the demon Ammit after he summons her card during his duel with Francesca in Redux.
Detect Evil: He seems to have the ability to detect the negative energies that are flowing within the island, which only makes him suspicious of what is really going on behind the scenes.
Due to the Dead: His adoptive family are caretakers of a Native American cemetery. The monsters in his Gravekeeper Deck reflect this.
Happily Adopted: With his adoptive family. His Hallowed Ground card in Redux even serves as a memento in remembrance to the day they found him.
Horrible Judge of Character: Played with. He was more than willing to accept a gift from a "bloodsucking temptress". The Queen makes a remark that these days, kids seem to have a huge misconception of vampires Of course, Chico didn't seem to really like her at all, he was just tempted by the card, which did, indeed, have a powerful effect. Chico thought the card was harmless when it was actually evil.
I Work Alone: While he wants to rid Monster Island/Arcadia of the evil presence residing it, he still refuses to co-operate with Stan, Andy and Francesca and initially comes off as rude to them when they first meet.
Mythology Gag: His frequent re-summoning of Gravekeeper's Priestess during his duel against Francesca in Redux could be seen as one to Ember's duel with Zamamnic in Shadowchasers: Power Primordial. Unlike Zamamnic however, Chico's reasons for doing so are more practical and serve a role in his current strategy.
Parental Abandonment: He was a victim of this. And it looks like he took it ''very'' well.
Signature Move: Mystical Beast Serket in the original version. In Redux, he has Gravekeeper's Spinx and later Divine Punisher Ammit. Unfortunately the latter becomes more of a Deadly Upgrade as it possesses him the process. Also, as it turns out, his true Signature Card is actually Ancestral Guardian Serket, a Synchro Expy of Mystical Beast Serket than he uses after Ammit is destroyed.
Shout-Out: He compares the Heart of the Palace to "a bad remake of Splatterhouse.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He seems to have archnopohobia, so much that he is panicked by a Hunter Spider Duel Spirit.

Drake Bauer

It May Help You on Your Quest: After coming back right before Andy's duel with the Queen, he gives Stan one of his cards, which Stan later puts in his deck before the two-on-two duel. It later proves to be Chaos Sorcerer, which Stan uses to summon Sorcerer of Dark Magic. Unfortunately, Sorcerer fails to help him much here.]]
Official Couple: With Raven in Redux. Apparently the two have gotten quite "close" since they got to the center of the Palace.

Signature Move: Gren Maju Da Eiza. He also had D.D. Assassin in the original version. In Redux he also has D.D. Shinobi which was given to him by the Queen and Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Twilight.
Spanner in the Works: In Redux, he and Kyle force a tie with one another during their duel in the finals in order to pull a huge monkey wrench in the Queen's plans. Needless to say, she was not happy about this one bit.
Taken for Granite: Is turned to stone along with Sean and the rest of Twilight Town at one point because of Leopold's curse, fortunately they return to normal after Leopold's defeat.

Wanda Underwood

Big Creepy-Crawlies: Uses an Insect deck.
Sibling Rivalry: With her brother Weevil Underwoon/Insector Haga after finding out that he won most of his duels by cheating.
Signature Move: Insect Queen and later Millennium Scorpion.
Take That!: Her character and almost all of her dialogue in the original fic is practically to do this to her brother Weevil Underwood.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Does a very grating and dragging one during her duel with Andy in the finals in the original version on why her brother's strategy didn't work and why she does it better.

Other Contestants

Jackson Dupree

Sex Slave: Intended to a downplayed version of this to Francesca if she lost in their second duel, which only leads to her defeating him.

Poison

Disproportionate Retribution: As Rave puts it when she and her group rescue her in the penultimate chapter of Redux.
Rave: Let me get this straight, uhm, Poison... You were so mad at him for beating you at one duel that you were willing to make a deal with the Witty Phantom in order to get even? Dear God, haven't you seen enough movies to know what a demon offering you a contract usually wants?

Sex Slave: Intended to a downplayed version of this to Andy if he lost in their second duel, which only leads to him defeating her.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Uses Machine monsters in Redux.
Olympus Mons: Her Mechanicles the Digital Deity card in Redux, which was given to her by the Shadow Queen.
Signature Move: Dark Necrofear in the original, in fact she had three. In Redux, she has Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry and later Mechanicles the Digital Deity.

Ryo

Ascended Extra: To some extent. In the original, he is never seen again after his duel with Andy. But in Redux, he makes a reappearance as one of the members of Merlow's resistance group.
Eviler than Thou: Not him, but his ace monster seems to get into a conflict like this with Moisture Creature's Jinzo (and given that this is Green Goblin we're talking about, it was no contest).
Fanboy: Quite likely a big fan of Marvel Comics in Redux. His Signature Card is based on the Green Goblin, and he wears a shirt with the same character's picture on it.
Glass Cannon: In Redux, he uses a Goblin Deck, where most of his Monsters are incredibly powerful, but have weak or nonexistent Defense Scores and immediately switch to Defense Position after they attack leaving them vulnerable afterwards. (It is this reason that he runs Final Attack Orders in his deck, as a way of avoiding this weakness.)

Our Goblins Are Different: In Redux, he uses a Goblin deck that contains Goblins of all sorts.
Signature Move: The Masked Beast in the original verion, Green Goblin in Redux.

Jose Meza

Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux replacing Jeff Azure.
Distressed Dude: This happens to him after he loses to Vilepawn Archfiend during the confrontation between the resistance group and the Court of Pandemonium.

Sixth Ranger: As a part of Merlow's resistance group in Redux. Ironically, he is so far the only one among the contestants to not win in a filler duel.

Sean Kishore

The Alcoholic: Not him, but his father after the death of his mother, which later on lead to his death.
Ascended Extra: To some extent. In the original, after his duel with Andy, he is last seen in a brief scene with all the other contestants drowning their sorrows in milkshakes. But in Redux, he makes a full-time appearance as one of the members of Merlow's resistance group.
Death by Childbirth: This is ultimately what happened to his mother, and he takes it hard.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: In Redux. Well, sort of. Vennominaga probably does qualify as an Eldritch Abomination as far as Duel Spirits go, and Sean definately wouldn't have stood a chance if they had not been fighting using Duel Monsters... But they were, and he managed to win.
Distressed Dude: This happens to him after he loses to Shadowknight Archfiend during the confrontation between the resistance group and the Court of Pandemonium in Redux.
Emo Teen: If his appearance and initial gloomy personality is to go by. In Redux he later on admits that there was no need for him to brood over things that he had no control over.

Promotion to Parent: This is what happened to his older brother after the death of their father.
Signature Move: Dark Necrofear, who reminds him of his deceased mother in both versions. He also had Dark Sanctuary in the original version.
Sixth Ranger: As a part of Merlow's resistance group in Redux.
Taken for Granite: Is turned to stone along with Drake and the rest of Twilight Town at one point because of Leopold's curse, fortunately they return to normal after Leopold's defeat.

Diana

Attack! Attack! Attack!: Her Heroic deck in Redux primarily focuses on attacking with brute strength.
Battle in the Center of the Mind: With the Shadow Queen during her duel with Stan (in the original)/Andy (in Redux) she wins, making her one of the few non-Three Heroes-related characters to actually give the Queen a taste of humiliation.
Brainwashed: Is brainwashed by Crump after her first (and in Redux, only) duel with Stan. She snaps out of it later in the Palace of Shadow.
Big Damn Heroes: In Redux, she pulls one when the resistance group is losing in the confrontation against the Archfiend monsters.
Fangirl: Of Wonder Woman (she even cosplays as her) as well as the Green Lantern in the original version.
Fusion Dance: Uses an Elemental HERO deck in the original version.
Improbable Weapon User: It may not be the Lasso of Truth, but her lariat is fully functional, and she was able to use it to snag Darkbishop Archfiend's staff, an act that turned the confrontation between the resistance forces and the Archfiends around.
Muggles Do It Better: With no supernatural powers or even any relation to the Three Heroes, Diana is able to defeat the Shadow Queen in a Battle in the Center of the Mind, not only freeing herself from the spell of brainwashing but humiliating the villain. (However, Count Bleck may have helped her reach the point where she was able to do it.]] She also plays the most vital role in defeating the Court of Pandemonium, and she did not have Bleck's help there.
Signature Move: Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman in the original version. In Redux, she has Heroic Champion Kusanagi for her Heroic deck as well as Destiny HERO Bloo-D and Destiny End Dragoon during her time being brainwashed by the Shadow Queen.

Cindy

Actually Pretty Funny: During her duel with the Duel Spirit Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi (who is working for the Queen), the following exchange:
Cindy: I’m gonna serve up my special ass-kicking ala mode and throw it in your face.
Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi: HEY! You take that back, you little... (he chuckles a little) Actually, that was a good one…
Badass Adorable: Her Madolche monsters. Cindy herself also qualifies. By the time she appears, she had already acquired seven Crystal Cards and was more than a match for Stan during their duel.
Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux wherein she replaces Ushio as Stan's final Crystal Card opponent.
Deadly Hug: This is how Madolche Puddingcess attacks. She runs up to the enemy monster, puts her arms around it, tighter and tighter until it breaks.
Distressed Damsel: This happens to her after she loses to Infernalqueen Archfiend during the confrontation between the resistance group and the Court of Pandemonium.
Elegant Gothic Lolita: Dresses in a "Sweet Lolita" fashion attire.

Irony: Uses a Madolche deck, which are based on sweets but is diabetic herself. According to her, the Madolches are actually a good thing as they allow her to enjoy sweets without actually eating them.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Her ace card is originally Madolche Puddingcess. Later, after joining the insurrection movement, she adds Queen Madolche Tiaramisu, after Merlow gives it to her.
Signature Move: Madolche Puddingcess and later Queen Madolche Tiaramisu.

Hyde Ivan Vayne

Busman's Holiday: Is in the tournament because he's filling in for his friend and it qualifies as a free vacation. But because of the recent circumstances in the fic, he is forced into action.
Hyde: I'm gonna need a vacation to recover from this vacation...
Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux replacing Gerald Laxina as Andy's final Crystal Card opponent. Unlike other Canon Foreigners, Hyde actually originates from another source, coming from author Lux-Nero's Shadowchasers: Risen Nemesis. For more information on Hyde regarding Risen Nemesis, please look at the Shadowchasers character page.
Foreshadowing: He mentions that his friend, who was originally supposed to enter the tournament got sick and as a result, lent him his deck and gave him his spot in the tournament. If you have read Risen Nemesis, then you will know that this friend is Miles Davidson, his mentor and soon-to-be Arch-Enemy
Foregone Conclusion: Due to his appearance in Risen Nemesis, it is already assumed that he survives the events of this fic.

Youkai: Has a Youkai deck, the same one he uses (or will use considering this fic is a prequel) in Risen Nemesis.

Jeff Azure

Lyn Rykern

Playing with Fire: Uses a Fire deck.

The Tease: Towards Stan during their duel, much to his dismay (as he already had a girlfriend).

Ushio

Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Claims that he could've defeated Yugi and his Dark Magician if he ever had the chance to duel him. Stan was not amused in the slightest.
Bare-Fisted Monk: His deck is described as a Martial Arts deck.

Signature Move: Yamato the Noble Samurai.

Cyrus Gamule

Gerald Laxina

Brilliant, but Lazy: A good duelist, but spends most of his time asleep.
Exiled from Continuity: Gerald was created by Man Called True, who was a friend of Occam Razor at the time. The two had an acidic falling-out on the Pokemasters Forum before the rewrite, which in part led to his removal.
Signature Move: Final Countdown, which he supposedly obtained after someone left it in a book while it was used as a bookmark. He used it each time he dueled in the story, and during the first chapter of Tilting the Balance.
Sleepy Head: Is asleep both before and after he duels.

Duel Spirits

Witty Phantom

A God Am I: Starts thinking he is invincible when his Life Points go up to 795,000 during his second duel with Stan in Redux.
Ascended Extra: From only playing a minor role by informing Stan, Fran and Andy about the puzzle in the original to being a recurring character with an expanded role in Redux.
Deal with the Devil: He indirectly does this the moment he summons Dice Reaper. As the card is cursed and it claims his soul after he loses.
Evil Is Not a Toy: The Shadow Queen warns him about using the Dice Reaper card but he does so anyway, he later pays the price after he loses in his second duel with Stan.
The Gambler: Runs a Gamble deck. And in his second duel with Stan he uses a card called Dice Reaper which allows him to manipulate the results of his dice rolls, giving him an unfair advantage.
Large Ham: During his second duel with Stan in Redux. Even lampshaded by Andy.
Witty Phantom: "I'm a Duel Spirit, remember? I'm both the duelist AND the Deckmaster! Two threats in one!"
Francesca: "Is this guy for real?"
Andy: "Dunno, right now, this guy is making me remember a part of an odd entrée in a book by Dr. Seuss…"
Witty Phantom: "Oh, so I'm a ham, am I? We'll see about that, Mr. Markova!"
Made of Iron: In Redux, he survives 790,800 worths of damage with only a few injuries. According to the Shadow Queen, this is because of his Deal with the Devil involving the Dice Reaper card.
No Kill like Overkill: In Redux, he summons Ancient Sacred Wyvern with about 790,800 attack points hoping to do this to Stan, it bites him back in the ass when it triggers Stan's Magic Cylinder.
No One Could Survive That!: Everyone watching his second duel with Stan says this after he takes about 790,800 damage with only minimal injuries.
No-Sell: His Deckmaster ability which allows him to grant a Fiend-Type near-total immunity. He uses this on his Dice Reaper to ensure its survivability although it still loses to Stan's Gagaga Cowboy.
Riddle Me This: In both versions, he presents a puzzle to the heroes when they enter the Palace of Shadow. The rules for each are different depending on the version:
- In the original version, the room they are in has several doors, each with a number. The Phantom tells them that they have to find the F.G.D., and that each of its heads hates a certain type of number, each determined by the likes or dislikes of of another head. Only one door - the right door - is not hated by all five of its heads. The LP counters on their Disks is set to 8,000 before starting, and choosing a wrong door results in a direct attack by a monster on the other side. (Presumably, this would have resulted in their defeat if they had been reduced to zero.)
- In Redux, the goal is to find the Phantom, and the doors are marked with a series of letters; at first, they seem to mean nothing, but after opening a couple - which again result in direct attacks, as they prove wrong - it is clear that the letters indicate information about the Monsters themselves, like Type, Attribute, and Level. The key is to open the door with the one that describes the Witty Phantom's card.

Unfriendly Amazon

Dance Battler: In the original, she uses Asuka's Cyber Girl monsters in her rematch with Francesca. According to her, she wanted to humiliate the Amazoness Tribe by defeating them with more feminine monsters.
Demoted to Extra: Only duels Francesca once in Redux and is never seen again after that. Her role later on in the Palace of Shadow being filled in by Ruklamba.
The Exile: From the Amazoness tribe, which results in her desiring revenge on them through Francesca.

Terrible Trio: With Peten the Dark Clown and the End of Anubis in the original fic.

Saggi the Dark Clown

Black Comedy: The name of his Deckmaster ability, but in-name only.
Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux, replacing Peten the Dark Clown.
Monster Clown: Is one himself and uses Clown monsters during his first duel with Andy.
Signature Move: Buster Blader in his 1st duel, Mutoid Man in his 2nd one.

Chaos Hunter

Bounty Hunter: Her occupation. She also specializes in cards that steal the opponent's monster for her own use.
Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux, replacing the End of Anubis.
I Gave My Word: After Stan defeats her a second time in the Palace of Shadow, she immediately gives him the Dian Keto the Cure Master card in order to cure Francesca, when asked why she merely replies that it's strictly professional.
Power Nullifier: Her Deckmaster ability, which allows her to negate the effects of cards that would try to banish any of her cards. It's even appropriately caled "Nullifier".
Punch-Clock Villain: When they first meet, she tells Stan that she doesn't have anything against them and that she only does so because it's her job.
Signature Move: Ultra C in her 1st duel and Witch Doctor of Allabar in her 2nd duel.
What the Hell, Hero?: When Stan, Fran, and Andy condemn her for killing the Dreamsprite, she calls them out on this saying that the Dreamsprite was the one responsible for giving them nightmares and points out that they wouldn't have cared that much if she had killed an ugly Duel Spirit. They reluctantly agree and are shaken up a bit.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Eradicates the Dreamsprite that she used to get Stan's attention once it fulfilled her part. Stan doesn't take this well.

Ruklamba the Spirit King

Berserk Button: Does not like being identified as a Spirit monster.
Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux, wherein he replaces Cyrus as Francesca's final Crystal Card opponent and takes the Unfriendly Amazon's role as the Duel Spirit that has a vendetta with Francesca.
Insult Backfire: During his second duel with Francesca, Andy makes a remark about him being a Level 8 monster with only 1000 ATK and wonders what other Level 8 spirits think of him. Ruklamba doesn't even show signs of being insulted, instead he responds by bringing up Gandora, Dragon of Destruction, a monster with only 0 ATK and DEF, but clearly someone you do not want to mess with (and was used by the King of Games himself) to prove his point.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Implements Machine monsters to his Ojama deck during his second duel with Francesca.
No-Sell: His Deckmaster ability, which allows him to protect a monster with 0 ATK from being destroyed by battle for the duration of the turn.
Signature Move: Ojama Delta Thunder, which the Shadow Queen confiscated during the tournament. After he loses his first duel with Francesca, he calls out the Queen for refusing to let him use it. The Queen then explains her reasons and punishes him for his defiance but not before tearing the card in half. Mecha Ojama King during his rematch with Francesca.
Telepathy: He seems unable to truly speak, instead communicating via this method.

Magical Scientist/ Cyborg Doctor (Orville)

Arm Cannon: Retractable, built with blueprints stolen from one of Bianca's friends; fortunately, as a result, she knows how to use it after Hyde severs it from his arm.
Bait the Dog: The bumbling, incompetent mad scientist routine at first is an act. He's a very competent, very sadistic one, and capable of horrid atrocities.
Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux.
Game Play And Story Segregation: In-Universe example, and he himself explains it. He's far deadlier as a Duel Spirit to humans than his card might suggest, as are Spirits in general when the game isn't involved.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: "Love" might be too strong a term, but he claims that Catapult Turtle was his first creation - the reason they were partners in the infamous Scientist/Turtle FTK combo - and when he summons it, it's very clear that the two are friends.
Evil Genius: Zigzagged. He claims to have invented some of the most well-known Machine Monsters and Fusion-related devices in Duel Monsters. However, seeing as he clearly copied most of the blueprints from his hand from one of Bianca's comrades - and admitted planning to use Smithy's blueprints for his own profit - it's questionable just how much of his work is truly his.
Power Loss Makes You Strong: More like "being rendered obsolete makes you strong". The change from Magical Scientist to Cyborg Doctor was a matter of necessity, his way of "finding a new job", as he puts it, after his card was outlawed. (He claims other monsters have coped in similar ways, saying that Magician of Faith became Disenchanter, while Witch of the Black Forest became Shadowpriestest of Ohm.

Loophole Abuse: Figuratively and literally. One strategy his deck uses (which overall, focuses on Tuner Monsters, given the effect of his own card) is to use the infamous "Quillbolt Loop", which combines Imperial Iron Wall, Quillbolt Hedgehog, a Tuner, and something that can sacrifice Hedgehog endlessly to provide an infinite loop. (This move is currently legal in the Real Life game, because, while potentially deadly, it's very hard to pull off. The most well known method is to use Cannon Soldier - and Hyde did not doubt he had one - but in this case he uses The Little Swordsman of Aile, and Catapult Turtle would have worked too.)
Only in It for the Money: His only goal is to get rich, pure and simple, and plans to do so by making the Smithy Gang a reality, now that he has the blueprints, at which point he believes, probably with good reason, that he'd be able to name his price to any nation bent on starting a new arms race. Of course, he cares nothing about who might suffer as a result.
Smug Snake: Probably the biggest example in the fic. While it isn't unusual for a Duel Spirits to have copies of their own cards in their decks, if Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is an indication, this guy not only has that, he has no less than three Spell and Trap Cards (DNA Transplant and two fanmade ones) with his picture in the art. As Hyde puts it, he seems to just love looking at himself.
Stuff Blowing Up: He tends to cause accidents in his lab a lot, some of them involving explosions. This does not endear him to Grodus or the Queen.
Tempting Fate: After he is beaten by Hyde, Bianca picks up his Arm Cannon; he says she isn't the type who'd shoot him. Wrong thing to say; even if that is true, she's willing to make an exception.
Took a Level in Badass: Cyborg Doctor may lack the ability to use the FTK combo that Magical Scientist did, but seriously, in his current form, he's "nearly seven feet tall" (as Rave says), armored, with a blaster for a hand, and commands both infernal technology and black magic, possibly combining the two. He's far more dangerous now than the pansy mad scientist he used to appear as.
Treacherous Advisor: He was a supervisor for Bianca and her four friends when they were hired to work for the Queen four years ago - and may have actually hired them - and later sold them out. (He also stole blueprints from at least one of them later.)

Rose Spectre of Dunn

Green Thumb: Runs a Plant deck along with being a plant herself. (Technically a Fiend-Type, but only in name, pretty much.)
Man-Eating Plant: Both she and her Arlownay daughters are carnivorous, claiming that they do so out of revenge against animal life, as plants are at the bottom of the food chain in most ecosystems.
The Mole: As it turns out in Redux, she and her daughters were actually working for Bleck. The spirit of the Dark Card she gives to Aesop is a mole too, a demon loyal to a demon lord who is an enemy of Graz'zt. She and the Arlownay quickly flee when it is clear that they have been found out.
Signature Move: Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel in Redux.
Something about a Rose: She uses a Rose-themed Plant deck in Redux.

Junk Warrior

All Your Powers Combined: His Junk Robot Monsters are physically weak, but cooperate to defeat much stronger Monsters. Much like the strategy of the duelist who will eventually use his card...
Anti-Villain: Among the Duel Spirits the Queen orders to challenge the finalists, he doesn't come off as antagonistic compared to the rest as seen when he duels Kyle.
Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux replacing Infernalqueen Archfiend.
Healing Factor: His Deckmaster ability which increases his Life Points whenever he summons a low-ATK Warrior or Machine monster.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Aside from being one himself (sort of), he also uses Junk Robot monsters.
Signature Move: Junk Behemoth

The Agent of Judgment - Saturn

Hanging Judge: While she eventually aquits Raven, the duel beforehand was anything but pleasant.
Light 'em Up: Uses a Fairy deck in original version and a Hieratic deck in Redux.
Signature Move: Winged Kuriboh LV10 in the original version, Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis in Redux.

Vampire Lady

All Trolls Are Different: In Redux, she uses Fiend-Type monsters called Fomorians, which are more or less giant trolls. She gives an interesting backstory for them, claiming that they were once fey creatures who were corrupted by greed and selfishness and turned into twisted, ugly reflections of themselves. (Which makes "trolls" a better term for them than "ogres".)
Chekhov's Gunman: The Witty Phantom mentions her several chapters before she actually appears. Apparently, several Duel Spirits residing in the Palace took place in a betting pool, wagering how successful Stan, Andy, and Francesca would be solving the riddle at the entrance. She won. (This gives a subtle hint that she isn't as nice as her attitude towards Chico suggests, although, in all fairness, seeing as she made the correct guess in the pool and they did rather well, it might suggest that she had an optimistic view towards them.)

Glass Cannon: Chico himself uses this term to describe her Fomorian monsters in Redux; they have effects that give them the potential for very strong Attack Scores depending on various conditions, while their Defense Scores remain zero.
Kiss of Death: Her Deckmaster ability in Redux, which lets her take control of an opposing monster that attacks her directly, is manifested by her kissing the monster in a sinsiter embrace.
No-Sell: Her Deckmaster ability in the original version, which cuts any effect damage done to her in half.
Signature Move: Dark Snake Syndrome in the original version.
Villainous Crush: Towards Chico. It may have been an act, however, given her sudden shift of attitude after he leaves.

Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness

Canon Foreigner: Appears only in Redux, replacing Freed the Matchless General.
Insult Backfire: After he calls Drake a landlubber, Drake responds by calling him fish-face which doesn't offend him at all since he isn't even one.

No-Sell: His Deckmaster ability, which lets him take no damage from an attack if it accumulates enough Squall Counters. It also allows him to draw extra cards afterwards.

Moisture Creature, Venomminaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes, Vampire's Curse, Hino-Kagu Tsuchi and Ice Queen

Some of the Queen's duelists who are tasked to defeat all of the remaining contestants in Arcadia.

An Ice Person: Ice Queen, who happens to use an Ice deck

Canon Foreigner: All of them only appear in Redux.

Killed Off for Real: Based on how the descriptions the narrations give after their defeats, it seems that this could be what happened to them.
I Can't Believe I'm Saying This: Vampire's Curse clearly feels this way when it seems that he's embarrassed to say the name of his Bacon Saver card during his duel with Yuki. This causes some of the spectators to laugh a bit, and him wishing he could vent his wrath upon the people in I2 who named the card... that is until he uses it combination with his Double or Nothing! card, allowing his Vampire Genesis to make a second attack wooth double its ATK points.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Moisture Creature seems to be one.
No Hero to His Valet: Shadowknight Archfiend claims that Vennominaga is undeserving of her reputation, calling her an "attention whore" and "one of the most overrated cards in the game". (And ironically, most Real Life players of the OCG would agree with him.)
- There is some Fridge Brilliance to an Archfiend being unimpressed by Vennominaga. Terrorking Archfiend - who Shadowknight is presumably subordinate too - is one of the few cards with an effect that can be used to defeat her (his effect which negates the effects of Monsters he destroys prevents her effect that Special Summons herself from the Graveyard) so this does make sense, in a way.
Olympus Mons: Vennominaga (somewhat subverted because she doesn't use a card that is viewed as having divine powers, but rather is one)
Playing with Fire: Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, who happens to use a Fire Fist deck.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Vennominaga, who happens to use a Reptile deck.
Signature Move: Jinzo - Lord for Moisture Creature, Evil Dragon Ananta for Vennominaga, Vampire Genesis for Vampire's Curse, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince for Hino-Kagu Tsuchi, and Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord for Ice Queen.

Scab-Scar Knight

Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux as one of Bleck's minions.
Mr. Exposition: When Andy demands to know who Graz'zt is, he gives Andy a brief explanation, along with a short list of differences between demons and devils (with somewhat of a dark, humorous tone).
Signature Move: His own card as well as Demon Scar, an evolution of his that would have occurred if the original Scar Knight decided to fully embrace evil rather than oppose it.
Vulgar Humor: He seems to do it on purpose, as he says so himself:
Andy: Okay, seriously? I know your trying to be scary, but this is starting to go from being creepy to downright disgusting.
Scab-Scar Knight: Pity. Ah well, what was it Stephen King once said? "If I cannot terrify I'll go for the grossout, I'm not proud". Besides, there's still plenty of time to instill real fear in you.

Nurse Reficule the Fallen One

Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux as one of Bleck's minions.
Cast from Hit Points: Uses a lot of monsters that require high life point payments, but her Deckmaster ability cuts the cost in half and forces the opponent to pay it as well, making them very dangerous.

Killed Off for Real: Possibly. She summoned herself to the field and Fran managed to destroy her. Seeing as she wasn't seen after that and no-one ever explained what happened to a Duel Spirit who took that risk and lost, she could very well have perished.
Lethal Joke Item: Uses a monster called Needle Ball that no sane duelist would normally use. It has a Flip Effect that causes 1,000 points of burn damage, but requires a Life Point payment of 2,000. (Meaning it costs the user more than it does her opponent, and this is actually a real card.) However, her Deckmaster ability actually makes this useful, because it reversed the situation by forcing her opponent to split the cost.
Mad Artist/Mad Doctor: She's a cosmetic surgeon... but her idea of beauty is way different from what her patients intend. According to Count Bleck, she's been doing this since the time of Beowulf. (At least. Vladimir recognizes a client of hers he describes as a figure who is mentioned in a written work that is supposedly just as old, but he doesn't claim he was the first; it's very possible that she's been doing it longer.)
Mummy Wrap: She can tie people up with her bandages.
Mythology Gag: The offer she initially makes to Fran is, in effect, a more intense and sinister version of the one she makes to the player when she appears in the video game Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008. In the game, she appears in the hellish World of Darkness, and offers a face makeover to the player for 500 DP (the currency used in the game). This is cheap compared to most services offered in the game, but there is a chance she will botch it, and she warns the player beforehand that she will not undo the makeover if that happens.
Saying Too Much: While dueling Fran, she requests they finish before noon. When Fran asks why, she gets nervous and says never mind, one of the only times she loses her composure.
Shout-Out: She makes a reference to Beetlejuice when describing her skills, specifically the scene where Barbara and Adam purposely make their faces monstrous hoping to frighten the Deetzes. (Oddly enough, she says this to convince Fran that she's good at it; as you might expect, Fran is unconvinced, and more than a little shaken.)

Prophecy Destroyer (Kain)

Beat Them at Their Own Game: This is a vital part of his strategy (and something he's been "dying to try", he claims) as he takes Stan's Sorcerer of Dark Magic using Exchange and summons it. It turns out very badly for him.
Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux as one of Bleck's minions.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Stan uses this exact phrase (crediting William Shakespeare as the Trope Namer) before deliviering the winning strike; after taking Sorcerer of Dark Magic and summoning it, Stan uses Enemy Controller to take it back. Given the fact that he would never have been able to use the the card if Kain hadn't done it, the Trope fits.
Name of Cain: And he even seems proud of it, much to Stan's disgust.
"Not So Different" Remark: He tries very hard to convince Stan that wizardry is In the Blood, and that the two of them are much alike. Losing to Stan only reinforces his opinion.
Oh, Crap!: His reaction right before Stan makes his winning move. (Which ironically, occurs right after he gets angry and threatens him.)
Take My Word for It: When he tells Stan that the room they are in is used to punish criminals who commit a crime that only wizards who are considered as bad as people like Pol Pot and Vlad the Impaler commit, he does not need to describe the crime itself in any detail. That alone convinces Stan it's something horrible.

Infernalqueen Archfiend

Demoted to Extra: Possibly. She still appears in Redux, just in a different role. In the original version, she was one of the Duel Spirits ordered to test the other finalists while in Redux she is a member of the Court of Pandemonium. Whether or not it fits this Trope remains to be seen.
The Gambler: Sort of. She uses several cards that involve dice rolls to go with her Deckmaster ability.

Signature Move: Dice Dungeon and Orgoth the Relentless in the original version and Volcanic Doomfire in Redux.

Peten the Dark Clown

Signature Move: Clown-A-Round in his 2nd duel with Andy.
Terrible Trio: With the Unfriendly Amazon and the End of Anubis in the original fic.

End Of Anubis

Terrible Trio: With the Unfriendly Amazon and Peten the Dark Clown in the original fic.

Roboyarou and Robolady

Brother–Sister Team: Are stated to be siblings.
Fusion Dance: They both specialize in Fusion monsters.

Freed the Matchless General

The Court of Pandemonium

A group of demonic Spirits that challenge the resistance movement at the entrance of the Parliamentary building. Known members of the group are Terrorking Archfiend (the apparent leader), Infernalqueen Archfiend, Darkbishop Archfiend, Shadowknight Archfiend, Vilepawn Archfiend, two Archfiend Generals, and at least three Archfiend Soldiers. For more information on Infernalqueen, see her entry.

Canon Foreigners: Aside from Infernalqueen, the group as a whole only appear in Redux.
Dirty Coward: All of them, it turns out. When Terrorking is about to lose after Diana accuses them of such, the rest of them abandon him and flee without even denying it.
Berserk Button: Shadowknight clearly gets angry when Sean mocks him by telling him how worthless his own card is (although he does nothing to deny it), even going so far as to threaten the Archfiend Soldiers with a flogging if they even respond to it. Of course, Sean was clearly trying to make him angry.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Type 2, often crossing the line sadistic, and not limited to enemies. Infernalqueen makes a rather nasty remark towards Shadowknight here:
Infernalqueen: Nice work. I might give you a promotion for this…
Shadowknight: Why thank you…
Infernalqueen: I said 'might'…
Gretzky Has the Ball: A Black Humor example happens after Jose loses to Vilepawn, when the creature mocks him, but clearly confuses soccer with tennis. (Meaning his joke is not only in horrible bad taste, it doesn't even make sense.]]
Knight of Cerebus: They are the first Duel Spirits to pose a serious challenge to anyone. Thus far, Sean, Cindy, and Jose have been defeated and captured by the group; also claim to have killed - or otherwise disposed of - the Arcadian Parliament. However, Terroking was finally defeated by Diana, and the rest fled after that. Sean, Cindy, and Jose are rescued later, but the fate of their other victims is unknown, and they are presumed dead or possibly worse.
The Legions of Hell: All of them qualify. Terrorking even seems to run their archetype.

One-Turn Kill: All of them have strategies like this, but all are different; Infernalqueen combines Volcanic Doomfire with Fatal Abacus, Shadowknight combines Asura Priest with Ojama Trio and Level Limit Area A, and Vilepawn uses Masked Chopper, with a cards that let it attack multiple times and lower the scores of his opponents' monsters. Terrorking actually uses Archfiends, but still uses a brutal strategy, summoning two copies of King of Terror - Genesis Archfiend at once and making use of its effect. It can be assumed the others have similar strategies.
Signature Move: Asura Priest for Shadowknight, Masked Chopper for Vilepawn and King of Terror - Genesis Archfiend for Terrorking
Squishy Wizard: Darkbishop is like this. He has powerful magic at his disposal, but was flattened with one punch by Rawk. (Oh course, Darkbishop Archfiend is a rather weak monster as far as the game is concerned.)
Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Terrorking talks in this kind of manner. (But it's not as bad as this Trope usually is.)

Allies

Merlow (Merlee in the original)/ Adrian (in Redux only)

Actually, I Am Him: Played with. In Redux, after he talks about the story of knight named Artorigus who had opposed the Queen centuries ago and ends it by saying he lost his life during a battle against the previous Shadow Spawn of Darkness, Melissa feels relieved because she expected him to say that he was Artorigus. Only for Merlow to reveal that Artorigus was his father.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Unique example (doesn't fit either type). After losing to Bleck off camera, which results in his unable to enter the Palace until much later, he pleads with the villain to do him a small favor, and simply take a few cards into the Palace with him - the ones he had been planning to give to the three protagonists. Bleck agrees to do that, and while Adrian expects he'll likely just throw them away as soon as he gets inside, a spell on the cards prevents that, causing them to leave Bleck and find the heroes on their own. It isn't dignified, but it works.
Brainwashing for the Greater Good: A subtle example. In the original version, he briefly brainwashes Francesca so that she wouldn't rip Kurtis' Soul card in half as he still needs it later on.
Insult Backfire: During his duel with the Shadow Spawn in Redux.
Kurtis: Oh, I may have a few things up my sleeve you don't even know about, old man.
Merlow: Is that supposed to be an insult? Yes, I'm old. Knowledge and wisdom comes with age… I'm so old that even E.F. Hutton tended to listen to me.
- That itself proves the point, because the joke he's making is a Shout-Out to an old advertising campaign used by E. F. Hutton & Co in the 1980's with the tagline, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."
La Résistance: Is the leader of one in Redux. Although he later passes the title to General White when he decides to go inside the Palace of Shadow himself.

Literal Genie: Apparently, he was a victim of a creature like this in Redux. A wish he made for immortality centuries ago gave him Age Without Youth. Fortunately, he found a way to stop himself from growing older before he became senile and lost his mental capacities, but by then, his physical skills and martial abilities had degenerated greatly. Thinking retrospectively, he gives Stan, Andy, and Francesca some useful advice for dealing with someone who offers to grant a wish, should they ever come across one.

"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He seriously chews the Shadow Spawn out this way in Redux, basically doubting that their reluctance to work for their mother is genuine. (And he makes a few valid points.)
- To top it off, he makes a rather bold accusation towards them, their mother, and all villains in general in this franchise, claiming that the only reason any of them consider a card game like this Serious Business is so that they can pretend they have a sense of honor and fairness by using a system with rules, to prove they are better than common thugs, an attitude that he calls "blatant lies", obviously referring to how such people tend to manipulate and outright break those rules on a regular basis.
Signature Move: Mokey Mokey in the orignal and Noble Knight Artorigus in Redux.
Speech Impediment: Has a bad stuttering problem, except when talking about important topics.
You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: He says this to the Shadow Spawn in Redux when he learns that they use their Gestalt from to merely continue their work as the Queen's enforcers.
I Should Write a Book About This: He brings up this Trope when trying to console the protagonists over their sudden fates and their encounter with Smithy.
Merlow: Take h-h-heart children… I know you all were k-k-kind of dragged into this…
Stan: Kind of?
Merlow: Well… M-m-maybe once it's all over… You can write a book about all this, and it w-w-will be a best-seller!
Francesca: Assuming we survive…
Andy: May I present a different possibility? Ten years from now, assuming we survive this, I'm going to be telling this to a psychiatrist after having a nervous breakdown. He's going to think I'm crazy, and do you know what I'm going to say? I'm going to say, 'You know what, doc? I think you're right!
Stan: Andy, calm down!
Zerg Rush: His deck in the original version was a "Human-Wave Deck", consisting of Level 1 and 2 Normal Monsters with low ATK and DEF and focused on either swarming the field or boosting their ATK. His Deckmaster Mokey Mokey's ability allows it to build up power for a single attack for each time any of them were destroyed.

Yuki (Yumi in the original)/Lotus (while under the Shadow Queen's control)

Ascended Extra: In the original version, she doesn't do much after she gets freed from her brainwashing and is last seen after Andy defeats Rawk Hawk. In Redux, she is a part of Merlow's resistance force.
Brainwashed: Was brianwashed by the Shadow Queen into dueling her friend Francesca. Fortunately Merlow frees her from it.
Ninja: Dresses like one and uses a Ninja deck. (Quite possibly, being brainwashed actually gave her at least some skill in Shinobi, as she says later - maybe partially in jest - that she is considering what career options someone with such skills might have.)
Sixth Ranger: As a part of Merlow's resistance group in Redux.

Mad Jack (Marv the Mad Magician in the original)

Ascended Extra: In the original version, he only makes an appearance up until he passes the Art Attack card to Francesca and is never seen again after that. In Redux, he is a part of Merlow's resistance force.
Deadpan Snarker: Well, yeah, carnies tend to do that…
I Never Told You My Name: After Stan solves his Duel Puzzle, he congratulates him by name in front of the crowd. It is only after he leaves that Stan realizes that there might be something more about him than it seems.
Non-Ironic Clown: Even so, the protagonists are still suspicious at first, even though the copy of Noble Knight Artorigus he includes with his invitation identifies him as an ally of Merlow. (Of course, in the chapter where he appears, they aren’t sure yet if they can trust him either.)
Riddle Me This: He poses a Duel Puzzle as an open challenge to the carnival goers. Stan solves it, winning the Alchemic Magician card.
Secret Test of Character: Sometime in the past, he was given the Art Attack card, and told that he was supposed to give to someone, his only clue being a very old Nineteenth Century-style photograph of someone who looks like Fran (likely someone in her family line from that time period). When Fran shows up, he duels her to make certain she’s it’s her, and eventually decides she is.

Rawk Hawk

Amazonian Beauty: His "Glamazon" card in Redux which resembles his girlfriend Sylvia (who was also this). The reason he despises the Shadow Queen as well as himself so much is because she had Sylvia punished just because he said she was more beautiful than the Queen in public.
Dumb Muscle: Clearly he isn't very bright, as he used a card that he got in the mail that had no return address. (It was a Dark Card that the Shadow Queen sent.) As Jolene puts it, "He is part of a profession where you tend to take blows to the head a lot…".
I Always Wanted to Say That: Combined with a Shout-Out to Star Wars when he and Pennington reach the meeting hall of the Parliamentary building late in the fic:
Rawk: I have a bad feeling about this… Heh… I always wanted to say that…
Pennington: Well, watch it there… If I remember correctly]], something bad usually happened right after someone said that…
- A similar occurrence happens in Redux, when Darkbishop Archfiend is pursuing Diana who had swiped his staff. Darkbishop demands that Diana let him have it, when Rawk Hawk appears and does exactly that. His only regret is that no-one was around to record it.
Darkbishop Archfiend: I'm only going to say this once, you little slut, let me have it!
*Rawk Hawk socks him in the face*
Rawk Hawk: Thank you so much, sucker! Damn! You can't imagine how long I've dreamed of getting a set-up line like that from someone!''
Romance Onthe Set: He and his girlfriend Sylvia originally had a faux-relationship for performance sake. Eventually it actually became a real relationship.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: A variation of this occurs during his duel with Andy in Redux. Apparently, he was supposed to throw the duel for some reason. Andy suspects this, and asks him flat-out if he is (saying that losing on purpose is probably in his job description). At that point, he decides to start playing for real (thinking that "she" - likely meaning Sylvia - wouldn't want him to "wimp out"). Of course, whether this was "right" or not may depend on just why he wasn't supposed to win, which is not revealed. (He lost anyway, so it may be a moot point.)
Took a Level in Kindness: Sorta. In Redux, he comes of as more sympathetic and less antagonistic compared to the original fic considering he hates the Queen instead of working for her.

Other characters

The original Three Heroes

Chaste Hero: The Unicorn Princess in Redux, although she was able to conceive a child with the help of the deity Valarian.
Dark Is Not Evil: The Dark Sorcerer. Also the Dragon Master, whose card form's attribute is DARK.
Identical Stranger: Several characters have commented that their appearances and personalities exactly match their descendants.
- In Redux, the cards Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Warrior Maiden of the Storm and Dragonfire Warlock that their descendants Stan, Francesca and Andy use respectively are said to exactly look like them.

Took a Level in Badass: In Redux, it is mentioned by Falgar that they become this after rigorous amounts of training.

Sydney Meyers/ The Shadow Queen

The host of the Thousand-Year Door tournament, little is known about her. Later on, it is revealed that she is actually the Shadow Queen's disguise when posing in front of the public

Genki Girl: She seems to be quite energetic.
Paper-Thin Disguise: By the end of the fic, it's obvious who she really is. In Redux, Andy even thinks "And they say Superman had a lame disguise..." The narration says that the reason it works on the populace of Arcadia is because they don't see her true identity enough to make a comparison.
Shout-Out: Right before Fran's duel with Chico in Redux, she seductively crosses her legs much like Sharon Stone's character does in the interrogation scene in Basic Instinct. (Stan quickly picks up the unsubtle hint; by imitating a murderous woman from a movie where the villain wins, it's meant to threaten them.)

Cortez

Curse Escape Clause: He is forced by the Shadow Queen to guard his treasure as a ghost until someone defeats him in a fight or in Duel Monsters. If he throws the contest then it doesn't count. He succeeds, and taunts the Queen one last time before his spirit departs.
Everything's Deader with Zombies: Uses a Standard Zombie deck in the original version.
Ghost Pirate: Describes him in a nutshell. He also uses a deck filled with them in Redux.
In Name Only: Despite that the fic is based on Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, he has no resemblance whatsoever to the Cortez from the video game.

Making a Splash/Our Zombies Are Different: His Ghost Pirates in Redux are all Water-attributed Zombies, which are unusual for their type. In the original fic, he used a Standard Zombie deck instead.
Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Well, sort of. He is a pirate, and the monsters in his deck are downright creepy, but he seems to be as much a victim of the Shadow Queen as anyone else on Arcadia.
Shout-Out: His backstory is nearly identical to the character Gold Roger's from the series One Piece. (The author admits this, and it is the reason Andy is at first skeptical when he hears the story; he appears to be a fan of the series.)
Signature Move: Pumpking the King of Ghosts in the original version, Dead Sea Ship - The Flying Dutchman in Redux.

Cloaker and Domino

Canon Foreigner: They only appear in Redux wherein they replace Roboyarou and Robolady. Possibly as an Homage to the original version, they use the aforementioned two during their tag duel against Stan and Francesca.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Both of them specialize in Machine-Type monsters.
Saying Too Much: After summoning Magnus Von Grapple, Cloaker accidentally slips up by mentioning Crump's name, revealing to Stan and Francesca that there was a deeper meaning to the whole deal.
Signature Move: Magnus Von Grapple, which Crump lent to them.
Time for Plan B: A variation, as we only see the "plan-B". After an off-camera situation where Andy refuses to duel them (because they unwisely tell him why they want to duel), they think up an alternate plan. By holding him hostage (using a spell that jackets him in metal to restrain him and keep him quiet) they blackmail Stan and Francesca into dueling them, knowing they wouldn't refuse if they had a hostage. Winning or losing would have made no difference to them (or to Stan and Francesca either, seeing as them winning wouldn't have helped the Shadow Queen); the duel itself and the dark energy it generated was what they needed to get Geartown started again and Smithy with it, making it a win-win situation for them.

Smithy

Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux.
Child Hater: He even admits it:
Smithy: If there’s one thing I hate more than humans in general, it’s human teenagers!
Planet Looters: Francesca correctly guesses that he qualifies, and this was the reason for his attempted alliance with the Queen. His utter contempt for living beings has reduced his homeworld to a polluted wasteland that can't sustain life, and he was quickly running out of ways to build, maintain, and repair his creations, so in exchange for helping her conquer the Earth, he would gain access to its ores and fossil fuels. (The Queen confirms that indeed, this was one part of the deal.)
Killed Off for Real: After getting overloaded with fire, courtesy of Merlow. (Well, maybe. Merlow comments that this is exactly how he was defeated the last time, and if he recovered from it once, it may be possible for him to do so again.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Uses Machine-Type monsters, more specifically the Geargia archetype.

Signature Move: Count Down.

Count Bleck (real name Lord Claudius Blumiere)

Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When Vladimir questions him after he tells his minions to simply "restrain" Stan, Francesca and Andy, we get this exchsnge:
Vladimir: Restrain them? Seriously, Bleck, that's the first time I've ever heard a dark wizard tell his goons to do anything to the good guys other than 'kill them'. Maybe you're just not cut out for this.
Bleck: Think I'm not being evil enough? Maybe I want to take them alive and then torture them… Maybe sting them with scorpions? Shock them with electricity? Force them to watch game shows?
Canon Foreigner: Only appears in Redux wherein he takes over Merlow's role in the Palace of Shadow. He also replaces Noah as the one who created the Deckmaster system in the Palace as well as filling in the role of Vladimir's father over his unnamed counterpart from the original version.
Cheaters Never Prosper: According to the Queen, he actually cheated during their duel; once he saw she was using Demise, King of Armageddon as her Deckmaster, he used magic to hack into her computer systems, access the Deckmaster system (seeing as he installed that program, it was incredibly easy) and switched every inclusion of the word "DARK" with "WATER" in that card's Deckmaster ability, thus making it worthless as a Deckmaster. (We have to take the Queen's word on this for now, but she really makes a very good argument. For one, it's hard to imagine just how she would have benefited from not using its ability at all during that duel.
The Cracker: He clearly knows a lot about computers. Not only did he update the Palace of Shadow's security with modern technology (which is a big part of how he manages to get in undetected) but in Redux, he previously hacked into Noah's computer systems and downloaded the Deckmaster system, enabling the Queen to use it for the tournament. Also, when the protagonists later enter the Palace, one way he helps them is to break into that system on her computers and assign Deckmaster abilities to the Companions; as special unique cards, they previously didn't have any.
Deadpan Snarker: In fact, it's very hard to tell sometimes whether a comment he makes is a joke or a serious comment, as he combines such comments frequently.
Determinator: Spent 20 years regaining his powers all because he wanted to rescue Vladimir. Although Iris isn't impressed at the slightest considering it took her almost a millenia to escape her bounds with her sanity intact.
Evil Laugh: Has the same one that he had in Super Paper Mario, but he seems a little embarrassed by it here.
Evil Versus Evil: In regards to him and the Shadow Queen. During the duel, the protagonists and the Shadow Spawn have problems in deciding who they want to win.
Hidden Agenda Villain: When he first apears, it is unknown what his plans are in the bigger picture, but he seems to be using both sides for his own benefit. It is later revealed that he was the Shadow Queen's original consort who had tried to usurp her but lost in a battle between wizards. Instead of dying, he spent years in the mortal plane regaining most of his power and aims on rescuing Vladimir from the Queen's clutches.
I Lied: In his final message to Stan and Francesca, he confesses that almost everything about his version of the events of the past was untrue, and that it was even worse than Iris had thought. He had intentionally summoned Dimentio, hoping to use him to capture her and deliver her to Demogorgon, a demon lord regarded as even worse than Graz'zt by most, hoping to gain favor with him. He still insists, however, that his concern over Vladimir and her other children was genuine, and tries to give the two of them the little advice he can.
Identical Stranger: He has a card called Midnight Bloom, who is a dead ringer for the Shadow Queen herself. It was also a wedding present he had given her a long time ago. This card seems to have a more practical reason than just letting him gloat; it prevents his opponent from countering his Traps, and he uses one after summoning it that seems to be important (for an as-yet unknown reason).
Killed Off for Real: Has his neck snapped by Iris after he loses against her.
The Legions of Hell: Is fond of using Fiend monsters. Something the Queen capitalizes during their duel by using a card that counters his Fiend monsters whenever they battle hers.
Multiple-Choice Past: In-universe example. Both he and the Queen tell a different version of the fight between them twenty years ago. Bleck claims that summoning Dimentio was a "failed experiment" and that after he defeated him, the Queen thought he was a threat because of how strong he was, and tried to kill him by ambush. The Queen, however, says that Bleck foolishly did it against her warnings, and then tried to kill her later. In the present time, both accuse the other of lying, and the chapter ends without the truth being revealed.
Mysterious Backer: He claims to oppose the Shadow Queen and offers aid the three protagonists when he first appears to them, and seems to actually do so, but in previous appearances, it is clear that he and Merlow do NOT like each other, and he also has a hidden agenda that involves Vladimir. His full motives and his connection to the Queen are revealed in full in Chapter 60.
Obviously Evil: Which only makes it more frustrating for Stan, who was willing to trust him.
Stan: Look, it was my fault, okay? I'm the one who said 'give him a chance', even though he was a guy wearing a creepy cape who cackled like some villain on a Saturday morning cartoon. Good lord, he had 'bad guy' written all over his face, and we fell for it…

Pragmatic Villainy: He seems almost offended when Stan suggests that the portal he opened for Diana was meant to lead her to her doom, saying that killing her would not have benefitted him at all. As it turned out, he was not lying in this case, seeing as Diana turned up alive and completely safe in Rogueport later.
Sacrificial Lamb: Like Noah, who he replaced in Redux, the Queen kills him in front of the heroes to prove she means business, and it seems much crueler this time, given that he was at least partially motivated by Vladimir. (It was far from her only reason, however.)
Signature Move: Darkness Neosphere and Dimentio.
The Starscream: If you believe the Queen's version of what happened, he once attempted to kill the Queen by sticking a knife between her ribs. It didn't work leading to a Wizard Duel between them. Bleck claims differently.
Unholy Matrimony: With the Shadow Queen, originally, but both admit he was, at best, a trophy husband (the Queen admitting that she married him because she thought it might have eased the pining she had of "something she had lost". (Possibly meaning Lyrius.) She even comes close to apologizing for starting the relationship. (But she is not sorry for the way it ended.)
Unwitting Pawn: His original plan combines this with elements of a Genghis Gambit. He aids the heroes in infiltrating the Palace of Shadow so that the Queen will focus all her attention on them, believing them to be the more serious threat, and ignore him, leaving him able to gain entrance to vital areas unopposed. This actually works, at least up to the point where deception is no longer necessary.
Luke, I Am Your Father: He is Vladimir's father, who was initially believed to be dead as well as Iris' original consort.
You Will Know What to Do: With his final message to Stan and Francesca, there's an odd variation of this Trope. He reminds them about the Refund and Reimbursement card, which clearly can help them against Iris in some way, and he seems to be about to tell them exactly what. However, he's telling them from some hellish place where damned souls are judged, and before he can, it appears his number is up. All he can do at that point is to shout "Trust me!" before he's cut off.

Johnson

A member of the Big 5 as well as the former legal adviser of Kaiba Corp. He was summoned by the Shadow Queen in order to challenge of the Three Heroes of his choosing.

Fusion Dance: Like in the anime, he specializes in using low-Level Fusion Monsters in synergy with his Leading Question and Sinister Justice cards.
Grand Theft Me: He intended to this to Stan after finding out he was related to the Judge Julius Taft Mason as an attempt to rebuild his lawyer career in the real world, and as a result, chooses Stan as this opponent. Unfortunately for him, Stan defeats him.
Killed Off for Real: After he losses to Stan, it is heavily implied by the Queen that he was deleted permanently.

Noah Kaiba

The biological son of Gozaburo Kaiba and the creator of the Deckmaster System. He was imprisoned by the Queen and forced to recreate the system for her

Defiant to the End: Just before the Queen finishes him off.
Shadow Queen: Well, Noah… Any last words?
Noah: Yes, three, Go… to… Hell!
Killed Off for Real: The Queen deletes him and sends him to the Shadow Realm after his defeat.
Sacrificial Lamb: His defeat and possible deletion was to show how the Shadow Queen meant business. Unlike most examples though, he knows that he could possibly be this, at least for the Three Heroes to know more about their enemy. Unfortunately, the deck the Queen used against him wasn't even her real deck, making his sacrifice go in vain.
Signature Move: Shinato, King of the Higher Plane
This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: When calling the Shadow Queen out.
Noah: I'm waiting, Josephine!
Shadow Queen: I told you, Noah… You are not to call me that!
Noah: How about if I just call you a bitch instead? Is that better?

The original Shadow Spawn

Little is known about them except for the fact that they were the Queen's original heirs. Currently only two are identified: Damian, the original Shadow Spawn of Darkness and an unamed female who was the original Shadow Spawn of Fire.

Always Someone Better: They are this for the current generation of Shadow Spawn, although it seems that Kurtis is the one who feels this way the most. Tyson on the other hand, has been known to look up to his predecessor.
Canon Foreigner: Their existence is only mentioned in Redux.
Identical Stranger: The original Shadow Spawn of Fire apparently bore a resemblance to Fire Princess, a card that Tyson has in his Fire Royalty deck out of respect for her.
In the Blood: Damien moreso than the others. He the son of a half-demon who was the son of Graz'zt himself. Damien's conception was part of a deal that Graz'zt made with the Queen that was not included in their original bargain. (What the exact terms of it are currently unknown.)

The Starscream: In the final chapter of Redux, it is mentioned by the Queen that they have tried to usurp her several times in the past. According to Stan, the fact they were willing to rebel against their mother (even comparing the situation to several works wherein characters usually rebel against their evil fathers) shows how horrible a parent she was.
Villain with Good Publicity: Given Kurtis' opening narrative in Chapter 52, it's possible. They weren't their mother's enforcers, like the current ones, but her governors, ruling the various towns of Arcadia, and apparently, the Queen was far less a tyrant at the time. In Kurtis' own words, "It was the closest her subjects ever came to being content with what they had."

Artorigus

A knight who had opposed the Shadow Queen centuries ago. He was also Merlow/Adrian's father.

Canon Foreigner: Is only mentioned in Redux.
Cool Sword: Steadfast, formerly Oblivion.
Failure Hero: Despite that his actions have delayed the Queen's plans by several centuries, his original goal of destroying the Spell of Despair had failed after the Queen had collected the rest of pieces following his death.
Identical Stranger: Noble Knight Artorigus, a card that his son Merlow owns is supposed to be how he really looked like. (The verse written on the card text supposedly tells how he claimed Steadfast from the place where the Three Heroes put it.)

Spanner in the Works: It is his actions that drive a monkey wrench in some of the Queen's plans and forced her to delay them by several centuries.

Rave

A young Psychic duelist who is a part of the Arcadia Movement. She is brainwashed by Lan'tao into accompanying him to the island of Arcadia in order to assist him with his vendetta with the Queen.

Canon Foreigner/Canon Immigrant: Only appears in Redux. Like Hyde, she comes from a different fic, specifically author 7th Librarian's Shadowchasers: Twice-Told Tales. For more information about her, look at the fic's Character page.
Early-Bird Cameo: She first made an appearance in her origin chapter Twice-Told Tales before her appearance in Redux. For more information on her, look at the Backwater character sheet.
Foregone Conclusion: Since she makes an appearance in the present day of Twice-Told Tales and appears as one of the major protagonists of Shadowchasers: Backwater, it is already certain she survives the events of this fic.
Foreshadowing: Because Hyde is the one who at least plays a part in rescuing her, it is very likely that her part in the story as a whole plays a big part of how she ended up with the Backwater Shadowchasers.
Fusion Dance: The ace monsters of her Starsteel deck are Fusion Monsters.
Little Miss Badass: Despite being around 16-years old in Redux, she was still capable of going toe to toe with Lyrius while in her brainwashed state (and since he's the Queen's Shadow, that's certainly saying something.)

Now What?: She wonders this at the end of Redux knowing she can't simply return to Divine. Hyde on the other hand, tells her he knows what she could do now (possibly referring to her joining the Shadowchasers)
Psychic Powers: Being a Psychic Duelist, she is able to inflict real pain during a duel. She can also materialize cards to use in combat, using Hinotama, Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce, and even Grave Arm. (She doesn't seem as powerful as Aki is or was, but unlike her, she doesn't seem to have the same problems controlling it.)
Theme Naming: Her Starsteel monsters are named after different stars and constellations.
Victoria's Secret Compartment: After Hyde rescues her from her captors, she frees Bianca from her cuffs using a De-Spell card that she kept in her bra strap. (And then tells him that the jailers actually did find it when they searched her, but let her keep it, figuring she couldn't do anything with an obsolete card like that.)

Lan'tao

Canon Foreigner/Canon Immigrant: Only appears in Redux. Like Hyde and Rave, he comes from a different fic, specifically author 7th Librarian's Shadowchasers: Twice-Told Tales. For more information about him, look at the fic's Character page.
Deal with the Devil: He was so power hungry, he not only made a deal like this with one powerful evil entity, but two, Jalie Squarefoot (the Big Bad of Shadowchasers: Ascension) and Demogorgon, one of Graz'zt's most hated rivals. The Queen comments that she has never heard of a sorcerer doing something like this, as she didn't think anyone would do something that stupid.
Early-Bird Cameo: Like Rave, he first appeared in her origin chapter in Twice-Told Tales before his appearance in Redux.
Evil Versus Evil: His conflict with the Shadow Queen, and the worst part is, it is very hard to determine who the Lesser of Two Evils is here.
Fate Worse than Death: After Rave loses to Grodus and his loss against the Queen and Lyrius, he is sentenced to suffer a fate similar to what Emperor Palpatine did to Bevel Lemelisk, the architecture responsible for the Death Star's weak point in the Star Wars expanded universe novels Jedi Academy Trilogy (at least this is what the Queen claims). Drake tells Kyle what Palpatine exactly did to Bevel as punishment and needless to say, it was not pleasant in the slightest.
Spanner in the Works: As despicable as he is, let's just say that if he hadn't killed Lyrius, the outcome of the original battle between the Queen and the Three Heroes would have ended very differently.
The Starscream: He was initially a servant of the Shadow Queen, but later murdered Lyrius in cold blood.
This Is Unforgivable!: Not only was Lan'tao a traitor and a coward who killed Lyrius by ambush, he later used at least five of his own daughters as Virgin Sacrifices as payment for his bargain with Jalie Squarefoot, and if that weren't enough, used dark magic to turn them into undead slaves. Even the Queen is sickened by him.
Write Who You Know: In-Universe example. He was indirectly responsible for the storyline of the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, which was a Dolled-Up Installment based on the events of the original conflict several years ago.

Bianca

An inmate that Hyde meets in the Queen's prison. She was originally one of the hedge mages who upgraded the security system of this prison. Unfortunately by doing so, the Queen figured that she and her fellow mages knew too much and had them imprisoned.

Defiant to the End: It seems that way, given the situation when Hyde finds them: She's clearly been here a while (she's described as "dirty, disheveled, and injured"), Rave's failed attempt to escape with her was a failure (both were recaptured, she's Bound and Gagged, the Power Nullifier has been put back on Rave with the setting increased, and additional restraints on both of them are likely going to be increased now), and she has no idea that Hyde is there, meaning no idea that help is coming. Yet, she still refuses to submit to them, kicking one of them in the knee as they argue over who's fault it was.
The Dreaded: Sort of. Because keeping her locked up is so vital to keeping the prison secure, she's under tight security; after Rave helps break her out, three jailers - one of which is eight feet tall - are pretty scared about what the Queen might do to them if she finds out Bianca got free, and dealing with her is an even bigger priority than Rave.
Not That Kind of Mage: She's a hedge mage, which means a wizard who specializes in abjuration (defensive magic) and is thus not very capable in a spell battle. It's not a very popular school of wizardry, but because practitioners are rare, they are in high demand by those who need their services.
He Knows Too Much: Due to her and her fellow mages upgrading the security system of the Queen's prison, she thought of them as this and had them imprisoned.

Falagar/ Jemorille the Exile

Canon Foreigner/Canon Immigrant: Only appears in Redux, on the other hand he has actually appeared in another fic: As Jemorille the Exile from Shadowchasers: Ascension.
The Chessmaster: Possibly. Merlow believes he is one, but can only guess at his goals.
It's All My Fault: The entire reason Stan, Andy, and Francesca were dragged into this against their will is because his plan to offer the Queen redemption was a failure, and he seems to blame himself for it.
Gone Horribly Wrong: He had insisted that his disciples offer the Queen mercy instead of executing her, hoping to prevent even more death and bloodshed from happening, or even worse, the Three Heroes turning into worse tyrants. For a while, it worked, but her survival only resulted in her return, making things worse.
Last Episode, New Character: Well, second to last episode. (The author hinted that he would be important for a future work, and currently, he appears in Shadowchasers: Conspiracy as the Character Narrator, claiming that he has a part in the overall story that has yet to be revealed.
The Mentor: To the original Three Heroes, as he was the one who trained them to become the warriors they are now.
Mr. Exposition: His general role, explaining to Andy the origins of the Three Heroes.
Mysterious Backer: As of right now, it is not known what motives he had for helping the Three Heroes, or why he's doing so for the current protagonists at present.
No Name Given: As he tells Andy, "Falagar" is an alias that the Three Heroes called him. His actual name is not known. It turns out, he is actually the rilmani Jemorille the Exile.
Signature Move: At this point, he seems to be heavily associated with the Rainbow Kuriboh card.

Characters / Yu-Gi-Oh! The Thousand Year Door

Edit Locked