Yugi and Atem aka Puzzleshipping
Oh dear god. "Soul mates" might actually be a good way to describe their relation to one another. Where to even begin with those two?
- Maybe the hand-holding that happens at least three different times throughout the series? Or the fact that Atem likes to cradle Yugi in his arms whenever he gets hurt?
- There's a point in the Toei anime where it looks like Yami is hugging Yugi's soul.
- There was also a shot from the anime where Yugi and Yami are both watching something, with Yami apparently perched in Yugi's lap while in spirit form. Personal space doesn't matter so much when you're incorporeal, but nonetheless...
- The arm cradling also happens in reverse during Millennium World. During a battle with Bakura, the Pharaoh passes out, sliding from being on horseback to the ground. He wakes to find Yugi holding him - and Yugi then grabs his hand while reminding him that they are a team. This scene also wasn't in the original manga.
- Or the only time the big bad Pharaoh ever cries is when Yugi gets his soul stolen? Or just the general overprotectiveness going on from him?
- In the Atem vs. Weevil duel during the Doma arc. Yugi's soul has been stolen, and Weevil claims to have his soul card. He rips it in front of Atem's eyes... then taunts him by revealing it was a joke. Atem goes berserk and deals enough damage to Weevil that turn to effectively defeat him THREE TIMES over.
- Or maybe how Yugi makes multiple speeches about how sad he's going to be when Yami has to leave him, often ending with tears? One time Yugi almost burned to death while assembling the Puzzle so that he could see Yami one last time. Plus Yami does tell Yugi he wants to be with him forever... and Yugi offers him all his memories in exchange. Yami repeats the sentiment... while on a date with Anzu.
- During the Pharoah's rematch with Weevil in Season 4, Weevil keeps referring to Yugi as "your other half" and "your better half."
Kaiba and Yugi/Atem aka Rivalshipping/Prideshipping
- In the original manga, Kaiba thinks of Yami Yugi first when waking from his coma. He also thinks of Yami Yugi when Pegasus seals his soul in a card, rather than his younger brother Mokuba, who he's been trying to rescue.
- Kaiba spent most of Season Zero either spying on or stalking Yugi to see if anyone was trying to defeat him in a card game, can't go more than four episodes without sending his top minions to attack Yugi's friends and family in an attempt to defeat him, and spent millions of dollars developing advanced hologram technology and building a sky scraper for the sole purpose of defeating him. And we haven't even gotten to Duel Monsters yet.
- In the Toei anime, Kaiba also comments that he wants Yugi to be 'driven to his knees' with loss once he is defeated.
- In the Red Eyes Black Dragon Toei movie, the face Kaiba pulls when Yugi transforms into Yami right before they duel is... interesting.
- Season Zero also has lines like this:
Kaiba: Looks like we really are connected by the thread of destiny. Try to cut it, but it cannot be broken... A thread that entangles us. - In the Doma filler arc, Kaiba's over-the-top reaction
to learning Rafael defeated Yugi resembles someone finding out their lover cheated on them. - When Kaiba is defeated by Dartz, before he dies because his soul has been stolen, Yami sustains him in his arms. While Seto, with his last strength, asks the other to avenge him.
- When Yami Yugi and Kaiba duel at Battle City, Kaiba has an internal monologue about how dueling with Yami Yugi makes his heart beat faster. (Or he did in the Japanese version.)Kaiba: Tell me how it feels to walk side by side with your enemy. I tremble with desire. Right now, I can't think of anything else other than how I want to defeat you.Atem: Kaiba...
- In both versions, Kaiba incredulously wonders why Yugi cares so much about an inferior duelist like Joey. Jealous, much?
- Their tag duel culminates in the unthinkable: Kaiba sacrificing his beloved Blue Eyes White Dragon to save Yugi. Wow. Just... wow.
- The tablet of the Pharaoh's memories has a eulogy from Seto to the Pharaoh in which he refers to himself as 'the Pharaoh's true friend'. No other time is this verb applied to Seto. And despite being power hungry in most incarnations, he refuses to take the throne or possess the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in order to be on par with the Egyptian gods. It's basically a statement that the two people Seto values above power are Kisara and Atem.
- Dark Side of Dimensions is subject to this - Kaiba tries to reassemble the Puzzle, desperately wanting to see Atem again. His lines, motivation and expressions all carry a heavy subtext of grief at losing Atem, especially in the Japanese original. He spends billions on a space elevator to help him traverse dimensions and when the Puzzle is completed and nothing happens, he looks to be on the verge of tears in a way he hasn't been since he nearly lost the chance to save Mokuba at Duelist Kingdom. It's also debated whether he even returns from the Afterlife, as he makes no promise to, even when Mokuba is visibly worried. Shockingly, the dub only adds more subtext to Kaiba's behavior. When Yugi asks Kaiba why he took an attack for him, Kaiba whispers, "For him." One of Kaiba's final lines to the gang is, "You have your bond with him... and I have mine." This is followed by everyone staring at him in wide-eyed silence, making it come across as a Love Confession after over 2 straight hours of denial.
Jounouchi and Yugi aka Wishshipping
- In the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, there are definitely some questionable statements Jounouchi makes to Yugi. One humorous lampshade example being when Yugi mentions that their digital pets have the ablity to mate and gain strength from each other (which is awkward in the first place) to which Jounouchi responds, "Yugi and I must mate at once!" Honda comments in frustration that people overhearing might get the wrong idea.
- The Toei anime has several easter eggs of this nature involving Yugi and Jounouchi. One episode shows them during judo. They're both wearing white martial arts robes. At one point, for a very short time, they end up in this◊ position. In a much later episode, they're walking towards the gym from the pool, wearing towels, and Yugi comments 'that felt good'. There's no way that wasn't intentional Ship Tease.
- During the emotionally charged dock duel between Yugi and a possessed Jounouchi, where Marik has set the duel up so the loser will drown, Yugi decides to sacrifice himself for Jounouchi and declares that he loves him with tears pouring down his face.
Jounouchi and Kaiba aka Puppyshipping
- Kaiba refuses to acknowledge Joey as a duelist, Joey blusters at him, Kaiba insults and ignores him. Certain parts of fandom have fun with that.
- In the original Japanese version, after Jounouchi and Kaiba duel at Duelist Kingdom and Jounouchi loses, Kaiba says, "Jounouchi... it really suits you to be on your knees."
- Joey has potentially homoerotic dreams about being defeated by him.
- And let's not forget the dreams that Joey has about being (and violent protest against being when he wakes up) Kaiba's puppy-dog during the Duelist Kingdom arc.
- Joey dreaming about Kaiba continues into Dark Side of Dimensions, with Kaiba showing up in a dream to taunt him over the new duel disk. The dream ends with Jonouchi yelling I want it! about the new tech.
- Remember that cute scene, when Shizuka/Serenity jumped into the sea to save her big brother? Guess who saves him in the manga? Sadly, not by jumping into the water (he doesn't care that much!), but rather by dropping the key. Still, good enough for any shipper.
Marik and Yami Bakura aka Thiefshipping
What is there to say? Thiefshipping is considered near canon, even before Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series.
- They agree to be partners when they first meet, even though neither of them had ever worked with anyone as an equal before that.
- They appear in each other's dreams, Marik ends up in Bakura's body... after which Bakura dies trying to save Marik - Bakura loses his soul, his body, and the Ring in an attempt to protect Marik's soul from being destroyed.
- Bakura also saves the life of Marik's brother to help Marik, for no benefit to himself.
- Not to mention all the time they spend staring at each other... and all the sexual tension during the scene where they first meet. And the way they compliment each other, though neither of them is prone to give compliments to any other character in the series...
Ryou Bakura and Yami Bakura aka Tendershipping
- In the manga during the Monster World arc, Yami Bakura stabs Ryou in the chest with the pointy parts of the ring so Ryou can't take it off, then goes on about how Ryou should be his permanent host and talks about how good it feels to be inside of him.
- There was also that moment during Battle City when Yami Bakura purposefully allowed himself to be seriously injured during his duel with Yami Yugi and switched consciousness with Ryou in order to make Yami Yugi surrender the duel (in the Japanese version, he would have died had the duel continued). Then Yami Bakura, upon seeing a hurt and frightened Ryou plead for his life, switched places with Ryou so that he bore the brunt of the pain from Yami Yugi's attack and allowed his host to survive (though he attempts to explain it as needing to retain him as a host).
- Also, in the manga Ryou really wants to find the Millennium Ring again at the end of the Battle City arc, and is happy when he does. One wonders just what kind of relationship he has with Yami Bakura off-screen, particularly since Yami Bakura has been faking a Heel–Face Turn throughout this whole time.
Others
- Revengeshipping: In the Doma arc, Alister/Amelda's determination to get revenge on Kaiba borders on an unhealthy obsession. Kaiba is also shown carrying Amelda bridal style following the latter's death after he defeats him in a harrowing duel atop the Kaiba Jet.
- Season Zero has three cases where Anzu is the subject of Les Yay:
- There's her regular, close, teasing friendship with Miho.
- One episode features a girl who professes a crush to Yugi (she's actually a literal witch out to steal a rare card of his). The point is supposed to be made that Anzu is jealous due to her own feelings for Yugi. But the scenes are played so that Anzu is in constant confusion about "not understanding these feelings", and styled so that she's fixating a lot more on the girl than on Yugi, which makes Anzu come out looking like a closet lesbian/bisexual.
- And later, we have the most blatant case, where Anzu meets a female idol she admires and fawns over her excessively.
- Danceshipping: There is some Anzu/Mai subtext in the manga. Look at this panel from manga chapter 28.◊ Anzu just got through with telling Kaiba off for being a jerk about defeating Jounouchi in a duel and apparently Mai decided that the best thing to do to cheer Anzu up was to randomly stroke her hair.
- Chaseshipping: In a lower level, there're fans who pair Honda/Tristan with Otogi/Duke. It mainly started because of them fighting over Shizuka/Serenity, but they ended up spending more time together rather than with her.
- Heartshipping: Yugi and Ryou. In the manga's Monster World arc, Yugi looks a little lovestruck when Ryou is first introduced◊ (he also looks a little crosseyed, but that's normal for him).
- Sealshipping: When Mahad (the priest whose soul later becomes the Dark Magician) is bitten by a snake, Atem sucks out the poison. However, it looks incredibly suggestive.
- In the manga, Yami Bakura and Yami Malik have some incredibly flirtatious dialog, if you allow for a very thin line between threats and flirting. Yami Malik: "Aren't you a puzzle? Well, then... I'll just have to take you apart." Yami Bakura claims to be enjoying Yami Malik's Shadow Game (which has parts of his body magically vanishing, leaving him physically unharmed but with his insides apparently exposed?). Yami Bakura refers to himself as "the darkness", then tells Yami Malik to "say what you want before the darkness fills your mouth". Yami Malik says he'll "enjoy taming the darkness".
Tristan: JUST F*CK ALREADY!
