Fanfic / Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever

It's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel...again!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forever is a Continuation created by troper Justice Reaper on FanFiction.Net, posted under his username there, Neon Majestic (and first written when his username at the time was neomage). It is set over a decade after the end of the first Yu-Gi-Oh! series, and also treats Yu-Gi-Oh! GX as canon (albeit with some minor changes in the time-line).

The story chronicles the adventures of Yugo Muto, the son of legendary duelist Yugi Muto, following his first meeting with Seta Kaiba, son of business mogul Seto Kaiba. The Kaibas have just returned to Domino City after several years of being absent from there, and Seta is assigned to Yugo's school. As did their fathers before them, the two boys quickly develop a rivalry for their shared passion, the famous Duel Monsters card game, but they also discover that, in terms of their motivations to surpass the legacies their fathers left behind, they're really not so different.

From there, Yugo and Seta engage in several tournaments and other adventures alongside three of their schoolmates, meeting famous duelists from around the world and forging new relationships and rivalries in the process. Along the way, however, they are bound to discover that certain elements of their respective pasts are about to catch up with both of them...

Forever is notable on the site for being 321 chapters (and a grand total of 1,006,940 words) in length and having, as of this update (November 22, 2013), 1,551 reviews, 224 favorite-listings by other authors, and 59 follows by said authors and still counting. It is also known for having a large cast (the majority of them being characters created specifically for the story) and several Continuity Nod moments, and for adhering to the rules of the real-world Yu-Gi-Oh! card game as opposed to the card game rules in the anime and manga.

A sequel story titled Yu-Gi-Oh! Eternal was also created, but has since been discontinued.

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Provides Examples Of:

• Aborted Arc: Eternal wound up being this.
• Absurdly High-Stakes Game: Most prominently during the JUDAS arc. The final rounds of Dueltropolis turn the duels into this as well.
• Abusive Parents: A Freudian Excuse for two villainous characters, Michael Bronte of JUDAS and Angel Snow of the Zodiacs; in Michael's case, his stepfather physically abused him while his mother turned a blind eye, while in Angel's case her parent was an adopted father who was frequently drunk and, in her characterization flashback, chased her down a street with the intention of beating her senseless for defying his authority. There's also abuse of the neglect variety, of which both Ryou Bakura and Zane Truesdale are guilty; both became Well Done Son Guys to their respective children, leading to Ryou's son Jan leaving home and changing his last name, Zane's son James becoming bitterly hateful, and Zane's daughter Natasha having self-confidence problems.
• Academy of Adventure: Duel Academy in Eternal, natch. The branch academies (North, South, East and West) would also have gotten some of the spotlight, according to the author.
• Action Girl: Most of the females in the cast qualify.
• Adults Are Useless: The parents don't really do much beyond standing on the sidelines and providing running commentary on the duels. Except for Kaiba and Pegasus, who are both very protective of their kids, and Jaden Yuki in Eternal, who WILL act if any of his students are endangered.
• Air-Vent Passageway: Used by the protagonists during the last part of the Dueltropolis arc, to sneak on board the ARK.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Judith Skye and Bernard Stone of JUDAS, arguably. Both were screwed over by the judicial system when they tried to seek justice legitimately; and both lost faith in the court system and in humanity as a result.
• All There in the Manual: Questions about the story saga, particularly those concerning Eternal after it became a Dead Fic, are answered on the author's FanFiction.Net profile. Some samples of information provided by the writer on that page are given in this article's Trivia page.
• Alternate History: The story takes place under the assumption that the Time Skip between the original Yu-Gi-Oh! and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is between three to five years (the canon time-space is approximately 10 years).
• Amusement Park of Doom: Dueltropolis becomes this when the Zodiacs get involved.
• And I Must Scream: The souls stolen by JUDAS are quite aware of what's happening, as revealed in Chapter 147, and they're in terrible pain in their Soul Jar prisons. Only persons wielding Millennium Items can mentally hear them.
• And the Adventure Continues
• And Then What?: Bernard Stone, one of JUDAS's elite members, raises this question to Odachi in Chapter 98.
  Bernard: What is the point of all of this? I mean, we all joined JUDAS to acquire revenge against our enemies…but once we have our revenge, then what? What will our purpose be?
  Odachi: Bernard…remember one thing. The reason you joined us in the first place…for the purpose of justice. Am I right?
  Bernard: Of course, Master!
  Odachi: Then remember another thing. If we waver for even a moment in handing down justice to those who deserve it, then all our hopes will have been for naught. If innocents must suffer in the midst of our methods, then it's a shame...but in the end, all our wishes will be granted.
• Anime Hair: Given that this is a Yu-Gi-Oh fic, it's not very surprising that most of the characters will have some rather outlandish hairstyles. Just for a few examples, both Yugo and Malachi are blond, but have hairstyles similar to Yugi and Marik respectively (justified in Yugo's case because Yugi's his father); meanwhile, Wade's got sea-green hair and Marcus' is white. Arguably the most crazy-haired person in the whole cast would be Odachi, whose hair is a black-and-white copy of Yugi's style.
  • In Eternal, Usagi Saiou (a member of Drake Phoenix's Quirky Miniboss Squad) has dark hair with dark blue highlights.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: In Chapter 143, Yugo teases Blaze for being unable to believe that Duel Monsters existed for real 3000 years ago despite having witnessed the power of the Millennium Items for herself. Also, The Big Bad of the Dueltropolis arc believes in using technology for all sorts of outlandish purposes, but finds the idea of Shadow Games and magic to be "a little odd," though he's somewhat justified in that he actually created said technology, so naturally he'd know that they'd work how they're supposed to work.
• Arc Words: "From the ashes of death, the strongest will be revived...and from the shielding cocoon, the mightiest will be reborn...and these will clash in a blaze of power and light...and only one shall remain." ^note Said by Judith Skye to Honey during the JUDAS arc, after the former looks briefly into the future with the Millennium Necklace, and thereafter repeated several times in Honey's memory during Dueltropolis. Honey guesses that the prophecy refers to the Mirage Knight and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon (held respectively by Yugo and Seta) and that one day both of them must battle each other.
  • Ophiuchus the Imperial.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Moments after being read the riot act in Chapter 297 following his deal to rescue the kidnapped Seta, in desperation Yugo asks one question of his father Yugi, a question that causes the latter to blink in momentary stunned silence when he hears it (which comes with Fridge Brilliance if you recall certain events from the original canon): "Would you just stand by and do nothing while the bad guys took one of your closest friends away from you?"
• Arrogant Duelist: Several examples abound, but James Truesdale, Cassius Princeton and Stephen Ingram are among the worst of the lot. Malachi Jordan was also this before his Heel–Face Turn.
• Artifact of Doom: The Millennium Items. The Shadow Charm Items would have turned out to be this as well, if Eternal had continued.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Just for a few examples, Blaze Redman has bright red hair and is the wielder of a fire-themed deck, while Wade Ocean has sea-green hair and wields a water-themed deck. Subverted with the Zodiacs' Victor Greaves, who possesses fangs and yellow eyes while wielding a zombie-themed deck—except, they're fake fangs and contact lenses.
• The Atoner: Several characters fall into this category. Marcus Ironside, for example, isn't proud of the part he played in Vladimir Draxton's Start of Darkness; likewise, Malachi Jordan seeks to make amends for his Ax-Crazy period prior to his Heel–Face Turn. And Seta Kaiba would rather forget his time with the Zodiacs.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: All over the place, but it's prominently displayed in Eternal by Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix against their respective sons. In each case, it's justified by both men being former pro-league duelists and having extensive knowledge of their sons' decks (the Elemental Heroes in Jaden/Janus' case and the Destiny Heroes for Aster/Drake).
• Battle Aura: The Duel Force, during the JUDAS arc.
• Battle Butler: Master Orion's butler. Also, Roland, during Seta's flashback in the Dueltropolis arc.
• Berserk Button: Oh, quite a few exist throughout both Forever and Eternal. Listed below:
  • Do not make light of Yugo's aim to surpass his father's stardom or, later on, insinuate that he has no clue what it's like to lose one's mother at a tender age. Ass will be kicked. And if he's mad enough to start dueling calmly, ass will be kicked MERCILESSLY.
  • NEVER make Kyo take his glasses off. Just don't. If you do and don't end up in a body bag... You'll wish you had.
  • Don't ever dismiss Miki as a weakling or, much more seriously, hint at being suicidal around her. She gave Jenna a slap and a Get A Hold Of Yourself Man speech for the latter.
  • Malachi Jordan hates Abel Drake for the mental trauma the man put him through, enough to want to kill him on sight. And he actually does kill him.
  • Janus Yuki will not take it well if either of his parents is attacked and wounded. He used the Shadow Charm Pendant's power to Mind Rape the man responsible.
  • Speaking of Janus's parents, a good way to get Jaden Yuki to drop his Bumbling Dad persona is to threaten harm to, or actually harm, his wife, son, students or teaching staff. Likewise, Alexis Rhodes-Yuki will not take mistreatment of her students or her son very well.
  • Kyle Welling of the Zodiacs doesn't take kindly to being betrayed by a comrade; if you happen to be that person, he'll snap your neck given the opportunity.
  • Ophiuchus the Imperial dislikes being addressed as Seta Kaiba.
  • Drake Phoenix absolutely hates the very idea of Janus Yuki being his Always Someone Better.
  • Drake's mother Karen loathes the Duel Monsters game and anyone who plays it.
  • Minor villain Yanique McKenzie doesn't like being criticized about her use of make-up.
• Big Bad: In order of the arcs in Forever:
  • Kaibacorp Challenge Cup: Marcus Ironside, though he's not so much a Big Bad as he is a Jerkass. He experiences Defeat Means Friendship and pulls a sorta-Heel–Face Turn, eventually settling on being a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Pre-Intercontinental: Raven and Honey Pegasus, although Raven's really just a Jerkass Rival to Seta while Honey's The Resenter to Yugo. Both get Defeat Means Friendship.
  • Intercontinental Tournament: Malachi Jordan, the first real Big Bad. Again, Defeat Means Friendship is applied, though its effect doesn't come into play till the JUDAS arc.
  • JUDAS: Keisuke Odachi. With Zorc Necrophades as the Man Behind the Man.
  • Adventure Monsters: The Five-Headed Dragon in the eponymous game, known in the story by its original Japanese name, Five God Dragon.
  • Dueltropolis: Master Orion, leader of the Zodiac group.
• Big Damn Heroes: Pulled by Seta in Chapter 78, interrupting Kyo's duel with Jan in the process.
• Big "NO!": Played for comedy when Tea nabs the last piece of cheesecake that Tristan and Joey are fighting over; this is their response. Used in a more serious situation by Zorc Necrophades when he's defeated.
• Black Magician Girl: Well, yeah. She's a mainstay in Yugo's deck.
• Bloodless Carnage: Both played straight and subverted.
• Body Horror: In the Dueltropolis arc, the Big Bad peels back the skin from his face revealing that he's a cyborg.
• Book Ends: The story begins with a duel that's just ending, and ends with a duel that's just about to start.
• Bottomless Magazines: For the most part, duelists’ decks never seem to run out of cards. The trope is subverted in one case, however: during Yugo and James’ duel, it's highlighted that for James's Exodia strategy to work, he has to have the minimum number of cards (40) in his deck at any one time, to increase the chances of getting the requisite cards when he needs them. ^note For those not in the know, an Exodia strategy revolves around five cards—Exodia the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, and Left Leg of the Forbidden One. While the four limbs are Normal Monster cards, Exodia the Forbidden One is an Effect Monster whose effect states that when the player has all five cards in their hand, that player automatically wins the duel. This was the original use for the Exodia cards before the advent of other Exodia-centric cards to diversify the strategy, such as the Exodia Necross card.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Happens among several characters during the JUDAS arc. A plot-relevant instance of this happens later during Dueltropolis.
• Break the Haughty: Kyo's victory over Marcus in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup is only the first instance of this happening.
• Bullying a Dragon: Happens to two different persons—Odachi, clad in his Badass Biker outfit, gets hassled by a bunch of street toughs in Egypt, and much later on Zander Zabel is ambushed by a gang while he's taking a shortcut through a graveyard. To give you an idea of how well it ends for both sets of gangsters, Odachi is the leader of JUDAS and the wielder of the revived Egyptian God Cards, and Zander is The Dragon for the Zodiacs.
• Calling Your Attacks
• The Cameo: A number of the old-series characters who weren’t regulars, among them Weevil Underwood, Keith Howard and Mako Tsunami.
• Catapult Nightmare: Two plot-relevant ones in Forever and one in Eternal. The first two are had by Kyo (about his brother) at the start of the JUDAS arc and Seta (about how he first met Zander) during Dueltropolis; the third one is had by Janus (about Racquel getting caught in a car bomb explosion).
• Card-Carrying Villain: Lame puns aside, all but two of JUDAS's leading seven members, as well as most of their lesser henchmen, play this straight. Also played straight with at least half of the twelve Zodiacs who infiltrate Dueltropolis.

• Carnival of Killers: JUDAS and the Zodiacs.
• Character Development: Several characters get it at one point or another. The most notable ones are Yugo, Seta, Miki, Marcus, and Malachi. One of these is lampshaded, as shown below:
  Chapter 274, Blaze Redman and Wade Ocean discuss Miki during her duel with Yugo
  Blaze: I dare say, Miki's definitely improved since the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup.
  Wade: Yeah. Back then she was just a shy little girl who just barely managed to get into that tournament...and now, look at how developed her skill has gotten.
• Chekhov's Gun: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon card itself. As ought to be expected, it's the Kaiba family's signature card, and had in fact become the main highlight of Seta's deck after he first inherited it from his father. Yugo uses the card to help snap a brainwashed Seta back to normal during their duel in the final arc.
• Chekhov's Skill: Marcus’s past experience in the military, mentioned during the KaibaCorp Challenge Cup and JUDAS arcs, comes in handy during the final arc. He commandeers a helicopter and flies it to Tokyo Dome, where he then shoots the Big Bad with the chopper’s mounted Gatling guns.
• Comedic Sociopathy: During Dueltropolis, David tries to distract Malachi to give Luke and Miriam, who are making out close by in a cave, enough time to get themselves in order. Unfortunately, Malachi is smart enough to know something’s being covered up, and goes into the cave...and Hilarity Ensues (including him throwing a rock at Luke, who manages to duck before it can hit his head).
• Continuity Nod: Both the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments are referenced during the Dueltropolis tournament, which is basically a combination of aspects from both contests (held on Duelist Kingdom Island amidst various attractions reminiscent of both tournaments). During the quarter- and semi-finals, which are held on Pegasus's personal liner en route to Tokyo Dome, the duelists use the dueling stations that were the mainstay of Duelist Kingdom.
• Costume Porn: When an Original Character is entering the story for the first time, the beginning of the chapter that character first appears in describes their outfit in detail, and any change in outfit is likewise noted in the story. A good example is Keisuke Odachi, whose red robe is described at the start of Chapter 101, and whose street clothes are likewise described in the text whenever he dresses like a Badass Biker.
• Cry for the Devil: Honey's response to Judith Skye's death in Chapter 131.
• Curse Cut Short: In one instance, seeing Theinen the Great Sphinx for the first time, Kyo exclaims, “That is one ugly mother—” right before Yugo swiftly claps a hand over his mouth. Noteworthy in a story where the use of profanity is prevalent amongst the characters.
• Cyberspace: Plays a role during the Adventure Monsters arc. Has a more crucial role in Dueltropolis.
• Cycle of Revenge: The whole point of the JUDAS Arc in particular. Also serves as the motive for some of the Zodiacs’ actions in the Dueltropolis Arc.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Yugo, Seta, Malachi, Kyo’s family, Jillian, everyone in JUDAS, and Angel Snow of the Zodiacs.
• A Day in the Limelight: Seta and Miki have each had at least one of the shorter arcs dedicated to their individual exploits. Raven, Honey, Luke, and David have had their chance to shine, as well.
• Deal with the Devil: Yugo makes one with the final arc's Big Bad, earning him stinging rebuke from the adults.
• Death by Adaptation: Rex Raptor, who was Rodney and Reggie Rex's dueling mentor, was killed sometime before the start of the story's continuity after being drafted into underground dueling.
• Death by Childbirth: The reason James hates Natasha; their mother died giving birth to her. He later learns that his mother was strictly pro-life, which was why she refused to have an abortion even when it could have saved her life. As also revealed in her diary, she had made the same choice when she was pregnant with James himself, though a doctor had told her then that an abortion would be in the best interest for her own health and survival. This information is the catalyst for James’ eventual Heel–Face Turn.
• Death by Looking Up: The final Big Bad is blasted into ashes by a combined attack from the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon, from directly above his person, after his plans have been foiled.
• Defeat Means Friendship: Blaze Redman, initially antagonistic toward Yugo and company, becomes more amicable toward them after her loss to Yugo in the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup; meanwhile, Marcus Ironside changes from an outright Jerkass to a Jerk with a Heart of Gold after his loss to Kyo in the same tournament. Honey Pegasus, The Resenter toward Yugo in her initial appearance, later becomes one of his and Seta's closest supporters, while her brother Raven learns to lighten up after Yugo punches him in the face. The biggest and perhaps most complex example of this trope lies in Malachi Jordan; after his loss to Yugo in the Intercontinental tournament, he becomes a bit more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold and an Ineffectual Loner, though he never quite loses all of his bastard-like qualities.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: Throughout the story, Yugo has a way of doing this with the majority of his opponents, including Seta Kaiba (who wields an advanced version of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon strategy), Malachi Jordan (Intercontinental champion and Ax Crazy at the time), and Keisuke Odachi (the chief villain of the JUDAS arc who wielded the revived God Cards). Despite that, he's got serious issues to wrestle with.
• Description Porn: Usually the first time a monster is summoned or a card effect comes into effect. The bigger or more powerful the monster or the more impacting the effect, the greater the description.
• "Die Hard" on an X: The excursion on the ARK.
• Disproportionate Retribution: There are some generally acceptable ways of dealing with the realization that the person you thought would be your Love Interest is in fact interested in someone else. Blowing up an airplane with said would-be love interest on board is not one of those ways. Apparently, Odachi did not get the memo.
• Do Not Adjust Your Set: Used by Kaiba to announce the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, and later by Pegasus to announce the launch of Dueltropolis.
• Door Stopper: 321 chapters long, each chapter having taken an average of eight pages to write in Microsoft Word...and that's without taking Eternal's additional information into account.
• Dragon Rider: During the Dueltropolis arc, the Dark Magician actually rides on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's back to perform a combined attack on the Big Bad.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: "Bandit" Keith Howard, during his cameo appearance at the start of the Dueltropolis arc.
• Duels Decide Everything: From the most mundane things such as who in a competition is going to win the monetary prize and rare cards at the end, to much more serious things like the fate of the world—all par for the course ever since the original series, of course. The final Big Bad is smart enough about this trope to manipulate the dueling conditions so that he'll be the victor no matter who wins the duel in question.
• Elaborate Underground Base: Or Elaborate Undersea Base in the Zodiacs’ case; Master Orion has it underneath the ruins of the old Alcatraz Island from the original series. JUDAS’ hidden lair in the Valley of Kings plays it a little more straight.
• Eldritch Abomination: The God Cards and the three Sacred Beast cards make an appearance in Forever, and Word of God says that the Earthbound Immortals would have made an appearance if Eternal had continued. A non-card example would be Zorc Necrophades during the JUDAS arc.
• Expy: Several of the originally-created characters in this series have physical descriptions that are shout-outs to characters from the canon series or even from other series altogether. Quick examples include Janus Yuki, the son of Jaden Yuki, having his father's hairstyle but being blond, while Raven Pegasus is basically a black-haired Knives.
• "Eureka!" Moment: In chaper 299, when Janus bemoans the conditions of the Deal with the Devil, Ricardo spots a loophole that will allow them to Take a Third Option.
• Faceless Goons: Zodiacs' foot-soldiers.
• Fate Worse than Death: The outcome of some of JUDAS' Shadow Games.
• Feuding Families: Between the Kaiba and Pegasus clans, for a while. There's also the feud between Flora Green’s grandparents and Jonathan Maxell.
• Fighting Your Friend: Several variants of this trope abound in the story. Aside from the obligatory tournament match-ups during the tournament arcs, there's also the instance in the JUDAS arc where Lassiter pulls his Mind Control powers on members of the supporting cast and forces them to try and kill one another.
• Filler Arc: One reviewer complained that the Adventure Monsters arc (the arc before Dueltropolis) came across as this, despite the arc introducing Janus Yuki and two members of the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee (Zigfried von Schroeder and Vivian Wong).
• Fix Fic: Word of God acknowledges that Eternal was geared to be this. Specifically, it would have given more concrete powers to the Shadow Charm Items, as well as a proper creation origin for them where they'd have been created in a ritual similar to the Millennium Items (whereas in GX canon, their powers are vague at best). Also, the case of the missing students at the Abandoned Dorm, which was never resolved in canon, would have been fully resolved here.
• Food Porn: Chapter 265 is just one major example, where the Duel Monsters World Committee and most of the main cast are having dinner at Pegasus's castle.
  As they all watched, the chefs lifted various trays and plates from the food carts and set them in their places on the two tables. They then lifted the covers from the trays—and everyone gasped. They were being served choice steak cuts, stuffed chickens and turkeys, numerous potato and vegetable salads, corn-on-the-cob, and all of it was accompanied by bottles of fine red and white wines!
• Foreshadowing: A couple of examples.
  • In the first chapter, Yugi defeats Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon using the Mirage Knight. Guess which two monsters are used in the final duel of the story?
• Generation Xerox: Hand in hand with the Expy trope above, since the story deals with the children (or apprentices) of the canon series' characters and how they deal with each other. For example, Yugo Muto and Seta Kaiba are expert duelists like their fathers Yugi and Seto; Jenna Wheeler is hot-blooded like her father Joey; Kyo Bakura is methodical like his father Ryou; and Miki Taylor is gentle-spirited like her mother Serenity. Non-family examples include Marcus Ironside, who is "Bandit" Keith Howard's military subordinate, likewise uses Machine-type monsters as his mentor did and is also a major-grade Jerkass (though he later becomes a Jerk with a Heart of Gold), and Wade Ocean utilizes water-themed monsters and is cheerful and jovial but also lost a loved one in his back-story, just as his teacher Mako Tsunami did. A prominent exception is Flora Green, who utilizes Insect-type and Plant-type monsters like her mentor Weevil Underwood, but unlike him she is pleasant and polite (and a girl).
• Geo Effects: The Field Magic cards, naturally enough. Wade and Janus have (respectively) Umi and Skyscraper as integral parts of their decks, and for some examples from Eternal Drake Phoenix has Dark City, the Jewel Duelist has Ancient Ruins - Rainbow City, and Alyx Brodie has Molten Destruction.
• Heroic BSoD: This kicks in several times amongst different characters. Among the most notable ones are Jenna, who has hers right after Yugo bids her a sad farewell before departing for Egypt; Natasha, who angsts about James's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to her; and Jillian, who doesn't take Seta being brainwashed and taken away by the Zodiacs very well.
• Hidden Eyes: Done to emphasize when a character's getting angry or contemplative. Yugo's the most frequently affected by this trope, often when his Berserk Button has been triggered.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Happens several times in numerous duels, usually by one player taking advantage of their opponent's card effects to win the duel.
• Hot for Teacher: Blaze was this toward Vivian Wong.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Marcus and Flora. Luke and Miriam could also make a case here.
• I Do Not Own: The disclaimers made at the beginning of each chapter, some straightforward, some outright humorous.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Happens during the JUDAS arc, when Lassiter pulls his Mind Control schtick on some of the more susceptible protagonists and their friends have to restrain them without hurting them. And much later, Yugo vs. the brainwashed Seta.
• Insult Backfire: Done in Chapter 63, when Seta insults the Ax-Crazy Malachi.
  Seta: You're such a bastard.
  Malachi: I know—and I love it!
  • Done again in Chapter 93, during the Shadow Game between Raven and Michael Bronte when the latter explains the effect of the Needle Wall card he's just activated.
  Michael: During each of my Standby Phases, I get to roll a six-sided die once…and, I treat your Monster Card zone slots as numbers 1 to 5, counting from my right. Whatever monster is in the same zone as the number on the die result then gets destroyed…and if the result is 6, I get to roll again!
  Raven: You're a dick.
  Michael: I take it as a compliment!
• Interrupted Suicide: Keisuke Odachi first met Judith Skye just when she was on the verge of becoming suicidal.
• Kids Are Cruel: In Yugo's back-story, other kids used to tease and mock him mercilessly because he was an utter failure at playing Duel Monsters despite his father being such a legendary expert. On one occasion a boy dressed up as the Dark Magician and whacked him repeatedly with a staff while telling him that he, Yugo, should be a good duelist like his dad. Yugo snapped and pushed the kid off the balcony they were on; the boy survived, but Yugo had a Heroic BSoD afterward.
• Laughing Mad: Malachi does a lot of this during the Intercontinental arc, prior to his Heel–Face Turn. Keisuke Odachi and later Zander Zabel get in on it as well.
• Meaningful Name / Punny Name: Blaze Redman, Wade Ocean, Flora Green, Marcus Ironside. Guess what kind of deck strategies they use.
  • In Eternal, there's Gabriel Roman, who would have been given the Gladiator Beast deck archetype had the story continued (the Gladiator Beasts are themselves styled after Roman gladiators). A minor example would be Diane Chill, who uses an Ice-themed deck strategy.
• Milestone Celebration: Special mention is made for every 100 chapters the story goes.
• Mind Rape: Yes, Jude Lassiter with the Millennium Rod that can Mind Control victims, we're looking at you. Yes, Abel Drake with the Millennium Key that can adjust victims' memories for the wielder's own purposes, we're looking at you also. Yes, Zodiacs with your Mind Control microchip, we're looking at you too.
  • And in Eternal Janus with the Shadow Charm Pendant vs. Park Fletcher in their duel.
• Most Fanfic Writers Are Girls: No, they're not all girls. Neon Majestic (formerly "neomage", and Justice Reaper on this site) is male.
• New Powers as the Plot Demands: Mostly in the form of new cards brought up per arc, but a particular offender would be the Duel Force, which was only hinted at during the Intercontinental tournament, played a major role in the JUDAS arc, and then never got mentioned again after that.
• No Body Left Behind: The fate of JUDAS members who lose Shadow Games, except Judith and Odachi.
• Not Just a Tournament: Dueltropolis proves to be this for both the protagonists and antagonists. The Zodiacs use it as a means to Take Over the World; meanwhile, the Duel Monsters World Tournament Committee utilizes the tournament as a way of stopping the Zodiacs.
  • Drake Phoenix's tournament in Eternal, the Phoenix Herald Crown, is this as well. Besides Drake hosting it to feed his own ego and scout out potential powerful recruits for his House of Cards, it also serves as a means of settling a years-long grudge between himself and Janus.
• Oh, Crap!: A frequent reaction from both heroes and villains alike whenever (A) a carefully constructed plan is defeated or (B) an exceptionally powerful monster is summoned. Specific examples are listed below:
  • Odachi says the more obscene version of the trope name seconds before his defeat at Yugo’s hands.
  • James Truesdale has two Oh Crap moments in Chapter 241. The first is when Yugo turns his own Exodia strategy against him. The second comes shortly afterward, when Yugo uses the Time Wizard to destroy James’ Yamata Dragon, making the way clear for Yugo to wipe out James’ remaining life points and win the duel.
  • Regina Brissett has a moment of her own, right after she sends Miki flying through a brick wall during their duel. In response, Miki sails a brick into her face, then emerges from the rubble with eyes shining bloody murder. Regina is understandably unnerved.
  • Gozaburo’s expression before his Death by Looking Up.
• Original Character: 95 percent of the main cast and villains. The original series' cast members do appear, but they're largely relegated to supporting roles unless they're somehow important to the fanfic's backstory.
• Out of Focus: Narrowly averted on several occasions; each time some of the characters are threatened with this trope, it was brought to the author's attention through reader reviews, and adjustments were made accordingly.
• People Puppets: Anyone who’s mind-controlled by Jude Lassiter or Abel Drake or a Zodiac-owned mind-control chip.
• Person of Mass Destruction: The Zodiacs.
• Pillar of Light: In a non-card-effect example the souls that were used to revive Zorc Necrophades form this after he has been destroyed.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: Characters would get deck upgrades, or new characters with new deck archetypes would appear in the story, whenever new cards were released in the real-life Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.
• Religion of Evil: The Lightbearer cult. They don't actually appear in the present-day continuity, but their experience with the organization left Malachi and his True Companions very screwed up.
• The Reveal: SPOILER WARNING: Gozaburo has been masterminding nearly all of the villainous activities in the story from as far back as prior to the canon Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Among the things he’s masterminded: He had a warship, a computer virus, a cyborg body and a mind-control chip created by his conglomerate under the quiet, formed an underground terrorist organization, and acted briefly as a leader to the JUDAS arc’s Big Bad before he struck out on his own; hence, he is an indirect influence on the events of the JUDAS arc and everything leading up to it, and a direct influence on the events of the Dueltropolis arc and everything that led up to that.
• Rooftop Confrontation: Kyo and Jan have their second duel on the roof of a church. Later, Miriam faces Kyle Wellings on the roof of a building at Dueltropolis.
• Running Gag: At least once per arc, Miki gets physically harmed in some way that requires her to get bed-rest for a time.
• Serious Business: Guess.
• So Proud of You: Zane essentially informs Natasha of this in Chapter 286, as well as apologizes for his role in her self-esteem issues.
• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Marcus Ironside, Malachi Jordan, Keisuke Odachi, and Master Orion. Also see the Big Bad entry above.
• Soul Jar: The members of JUDAS use mystical orbs to steal the souls of the people they kill or defeat in a duel. When Yugo meets Odachi face-to-face, the room they duel in is lined with numerous such orbs containing stolen souls.
• Sneeze Cut: Happens to Zander Zabel in Chapter 255, during the Dueltropolis arc—two of Pegasus's security guards express the hope that the last remaining Zodiac member (they've caught 11 of the 12 by this point) will be found soon and that he doesn't turn out to be a tournament finalist. Cut to Zander sneezing twice.
  Zander: Who's talking about me behind my back?
• Story Arc: Seven in all—the Kaibacorp Challenge Cup, the Kaiba-Pegasus feud, the Intercontinental tournament, the acquisition of GINA, the JUDAS battle, the Adventure Monsters game, and the Dueltropolis tournament. Throughout the series, there's an underlying Myth Arc that ties several plot threads together and leads right back to several years prior to the start of the main story and even as far back as before the beginning of the canon Yu-Gi-Oh! series as well.
• Taking the Bullet: Four instances in three different arcs.
  • During the Intercontinental arc, Miki runs in the way of Malachi's attack on Kyo with Theinen the Great Sphinx in a desperate bid to protect him; only Malachi calling out to his monster at the last moment prevents the damage from being greater than it is, and fortunately Miki soon recovers and Malachi has a Heel–Face Turn.
  • In the JUDAS arc, during Yugo's first duel with Lassiter (who's using Yugo's mind-controlled grandma as his medium), Lassiter calls forth the power of Exodia to defeat Yugo...only, Yugi jumps in the way of the blast and gets sent to the hospital as a result (he gets better).
    • Later, Judith Skye takes a knife-attack meant for Honey.
  • During the Dueltropolis arc, Flora runs in the way of Uria's attack, launched by Zander Zabel against Marcus, in an effort to protect the latter but it's subverted in that Uria shifts its attack elsewhere when Flora intervenes.
• Theme Naming: Goes hand-in-hand with the above trope, especially during Eternal.
• There Are No Therapists: Apparently so, otherwise the entire JUDAS Arc would never have happened in the first place.
• Time Skip: In Forever, twelve years pass between Chapters 1 and 2. There’s also a time-skip between Forever and Eternal, although this one only spans nine days at the longest.
• Took a Level in Badass: Every character that is a duelist does this with every new arc.
• Tournament Arc: The Kaiba Corp Challenge Cup, the Intercontinental Arc, and Dueltropolis. In Eternal, there's the Phoenix Herald Crown hosted by Drake Phoenix at Kaiba Land.
• Trigger Phrase: Zander uses just such a phrase, doubling as a pass-code sequence in Chapter 295 to awaken Seta's dormant Superpowered Evil Side.
  Zander: Designation: Capricorn. Password: Zartacla Drolrevo.
• True Companions: It's actually a plot point.
• The Unreveal: It’s never fully explained how the Duel Monster holograms, despite being holograms that shouldn’t put lives in danger, are capable of drawing blood or otherwise interacting with one’s physical surroundings. Several theories have been suggested in-universe (for example, in Chapter 146, Odachi hints that it may be because of the influence of Zorc Necrophades), but none have been confirmed.
• Villains Out Shopping: In the midst of sowing chaos and discord, Lassiter and Jan find time to go eat at a fast-food restaurant, in civilian clothing. Zander is an epicure too.
• Weapon of Mass Destruction: The ARK.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 295, with the information leading right into Chapter 296. It starts with a Wham Line delivered by Kaiba, when the Big Bad shows up in person.
  Kaiba: Yours is a face I'd just as soon give up everything to forget...GOZABURO KAIBA!
• What the Hell, Hero?: Yugo gets on the receiving end of this a grand total of three times. The first time is during the Intercontinental arc, where Miki and Kyo chew him out for his Jerkass behavior toward Jenna during their duel; the second time is during the JUDAS arc, where Seta lectures him (complete with Punched Across the Room) over ditching the True Companions to go to Egypt to face the titular evil organization without trusting his friends to help him; and the the third time is during the Dueltropolis arc, where both Yugi and Serenity call him out for making a Deal with the Devil that will potentially cost several hundred lives at Tokyo Dome. In the first instance, he pulls a My God, What Have I Done?; in the third case, he responds with the Armor-Piercing Question given above.
• Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him?: Joey suggests throwing Zander overboard from the Dueltropolis liner and thus letting Seta win their upcoming duel by default. Given what the cast has seen Zander do up to that point, it’s not an entirely implausible suggestion. So how does Yugi respond? With Honor Before Reason.
• Worthy Opponent: Several of Yugo's rivals consider him this.
• Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Subverted by the Zodiacs.
  Master Orion's butler: Just doing my job. (shoots a security guard)

• You Monster!: Miki says this word-for-word to Jan Shimizu after he destroys her monsters with the Raigeki card in Chapter 101.
• Your Soul Is Mine!: How JUDAS members deal with defeated opponents, or are themselves punished for failure.