"I have found that, given the proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my game."
— Maximillion Pegasus, Manga
It's been time to duel throughout many entries of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Several villains have shown that when the King of Games and other heroes ask them "your move," they more than rise to the occasion, card games and all.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
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Examples
- Dark Yugi is the resurrected spirit of Pharaoh Atem, inhabiting the body of Yugi Mutou after he solves the Millennium Puzzle and proving to be an intelligent gamer unlike any other. Whenever Yugi and his friends are put in danger or antagonized, Dark Yugi takes over, challenging the apprehender to a Shadow Game where the opponent's true character emerges and is judged. Upon winning or the opponent cheating, Dark Yugi usually enacts a Penalty Game that results in Mind Rape and/or occasionally death. Even when opponents like Shadi, Seto Kaiba, and Dark Bakura try to turn the tables, Dark Yugi wins any challenge they threw at him, even using his Mind Crush on Kaiba, leaving him comatose, to clear the evil from his heart. Invited to Duelist Kingdom by Pegasus, Dark Yugi's pride and philosophy are constantly challenged, and after defeating Pegasus, he decides to focus more on finding out the secrets of his past rather than dealing Shadow Games. A skilled duelist and gamer throughout the entire series who desires to protect Yugi and his friends and showing respect toward worthy duelists and gamers, Dark Yugi accepts his final loss, against Yugi himself, with grace before leaving for the afterlife.
- Shadi remained the primary guardian of the Millennium Items even after death. Once a tomb keeper at Kul Elna, Shadi showed no mercy in punishing thieves and other criminals while being kind enough to take in orphans. In the present, Shadi makes his first appearance by testing and murdering a man who defiled a mummy. Taking an interest in protagonist Yugi Moto and the Millennium Puzzle, Shadi brainwashes Professor Yoshimori and Anzu Mazaki, using the former to distract Katsuya Jonouchi while keeping Anzu as a hostage. Shadi then subjects Dark Yugi to a series of mental challenges, with Anzu's life on the line, and accepts defeat when the boy proved himself worthy. Later, it's revealed that Shadi had a hand in both Starts of Darkness of Maximillian Pegasus and Marik Ishtar, setting them up as opponents for Yugi. However, in the end, Shadi proves himself an ally of Pharoah Atem by aiding him and his friends in the Memory World before sacrificing himself in the fight against Zorc Necrophades.
- Maximillion Pegasus is one of the series' most fondly remembered Big Bads. The inventor of Duel Monsters and CEO of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus uses the mind reading powers of his Millennium Eye to control the few things his billions of dollars could not. Making a deal with the Big 5 of KaibaCorp, Pegasus sets up a plan to defeat Yugi as a means to gain control of the company and use its holographic technology (and in the dub Yugi's Millennium Puzzle) to resurrect his deceased loved one. Stealing the soul of Yugi's grandfather, Pegasus lures Yugi to his Duelist Kingdom Tournament, where he pits him against other Duelists and his handpicked team of Player Killers/Eliminators, designed in a way that would leave Pegasus the winner of the tournament no matter what. When Seto Kaiba comes to the island for his brother Mokuba, Pegasus uses him as a catspaw to damage Yugi's confidence before claiming the former World Champion's soul as well. Only narrowly defeated by Yugi and Dark Yugi/Yami's tag-team dueling strategy, Pegasus set a high bar for subsequent villains to aspire to, and whether as a duelist, corporate raider, or user of Shadow magic, always seemed to be holding all the cards.
- Ishizu Ishtar, sister of Marik and Rishid/Odion, vowed to stop the former's dark side at all costs to save her brother. To this end, she took possession of the Millennium Tauk/Necklace, using its power of predicting the future to win duels. Ishizu uses Kaiba to organize the Battle City Tournament to lure out her brothers and their criminal organization, the Ghouls/Rare Hunters, by using the many duelists as bait, nudging Yugi to enter the tournament as well. Advancing to the quarter finals, Ishizu uses her powers to back Kaiba into a corner and, after her loss, entrusts her will to Yugi in hopes that she can save Marik.
- Thief King Bakura, the original incarnation of Dark Bakura, wished vengeance upon the Egyptian royal family and the High Priests for the slaughter of his village, Kul Elna, to create the Millennium Items. Bakura makes himself known by ransacking late Pharoah Akhenamkhamen's tomb and marching into the royal palace with his body, dumping it in front of Pharoah Atem and the Priests, and successfully escaping. When Priest Mahado later attemptse to corner and fight Bakura within a tomb, Bakura barely survives the former's sacrifice and makes off with his Millennium Ring. Later on, Bakura attacks Priest Akhenaden and corrupts him by sealing a part of his soul into the Millennium Eye before battling and successfully defeating Atem while fleeing from the other Priests. Even after being cornered and defeated in Kul Elna, Bakura's corruption of Akhenaden ensured that the plan of summoning Zorc Necrophades comes to pass.
- The Darkside of Dimensions:
- Diva was once a student under Shadi, and one of the children that could wield the dimensional powers of the Plana. After Shadi was killed by Dark Bakura, Diva swore revenge on the killer's host, adopting the identity of "Aigami" to get close to him and Yugi. Upon learning of Kaiba's quest to bring back Atem, which would result in the Plana and it's power disappearing, Diva duels Kaiba in an attempt to stop him, and when that fails he steals two pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. Confronting and banishing Bakura to another dimension, Diva is forced into a duel with Yugi by Kaiba, where he attempts to coax Yugi into joining him before trying to kill him. Though the events that transpire result in Atem's brief return and the Plana vanishing, Diva ultimately accepts his loss.
- Seto Kaiba is determined to resurrect the Pharaoh by any means necessary, developing highly complex technology in his attempts. When he excavates the Millennium Puzzle, Diva attempts to kill him with the Quantum Cube, but Kaiba repels the attack without effort. Kaiba turns the ensuing duel around by summoning Obelisk the Tormentor, and while Diva escapes, he's unworried. When Kaiba learns Diva stole two of the Puzzle pieces, he kidnaps him and agrees to Yugi's demand to duel Diva at an exhibition. He only briefly loses composure when Yugi reassembles the Puzzle to confirm the Pharaoh cannot return, and his reaction to seemingly losing their duel is a smirk. When Diva returns as a corrupted monster, Kaiba sacrifices himself to keep Yugi in the game, imploring him to call the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh returns and saves everyone, taking the Puzzle with him to the afterlife. Kaiba decides to follow him there, using the Quantum Cube and his own technology to breach through to the afterlife, prepared to duel. Throughout the movie, Kaiba is in control and weathers any setbacks to succeed in getting what he wants.
Examples
- Dark Yugi, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle inhabiting Yugi Muto, proves once again to be a smart and manipulative gamer. Challenging bullies and other threats to Shadow Games, Dark Yugi exposes their true character before using his Penalty Games to Mind Rape them into submission. Dark Yugi also shows a sense of mercy sparing opponents that he felt were worthy or kind enough after their defeats. In spite of constant challenges from opponents such as Seto Kaiba and his various henchmen, Dark Yugi prevails through their games, eventually resulting in him Mind Crushing Kaiba to free him of his darkness.
- Risa Kageyama sets her sights on Yugi Moto when he obtains the Violet Hecate card. Giving him love letters and other tokens of affection, she acts too charming for him to turn her down, and gets her sisters to foil Anzu Mazaki's attempts to help Yugi when he has a cold. When Yugi refuses to give her the card, Risa steals it and the Millennium Puzzle with a whip, challenging him to a duel to get it back. Yugi is losing the duel when Seto Kaiba takes over, and when he draws a Blue-Eyes White Dragon the Kageyama Sisters counter with the powerful Gorgon, only losing when he draws another. Manipulative and able to act completely innocent, Risa's pretty face hides a scheming mind.
- Aileen Rao is Kaiba's third Game Master who has never lost a game before, has hypnotic powers, and excels in trickery and reading her opponents. Gleaning that Anzu is important to Yugi, she takes her hostage and endangers her life to prevent Yugi from learning the rules of raijinhai, nearly defeating him twice in a row. Upon her defeat, she accepts her loss gracefully and frees Anzu, telling Kaiba that Yugi is stronger than he is. At Death-T's fighting game she defeats Jonouchi in combat before the power of friendship gives him a second wind, also complimenting his strength. Yugi himself compliments Aileen's strength and strategic mind, acknowledging her as a Worthy Opponent.
- Movie: Seto Kaiba proves himself to be Yugi's greatest opponent, setting up a Duel Monsters gaming center to attract duelists and their rare cards. Upon learning of Shougo Aoyama's Red Eyes Black Dragon, Kaiba sets up a mandatory tournament in order to claim the card for himself. Sending his goons to first kidnap Shougo and then to steal the Red Eyes, Kaiba takes Yugi's Millennium Puzzle as a hostage in order to lure his rival into confrontation. Unveiling his new virtual reality system, Kaiba almost defeats Yugi through his brilliant strategies, and upon losing, accepts his defeat.
GX anime
Examples
- Lyman Banner, also known as Amnael, is the last of the Shadow Riders sent to defeat the heroes and awaken the Three Sacred Beasts. After contracting a disease that's slowly killing him, Banner uses his knowledge of alchemy to create artificial bodies for the sake of prolonging his life. Posing as the headmaster of the Slifer Red dorm, he manages to avoid suspicion while supplying information to his leader, Kagemaru. Once it becomes time to engage the heroes, Banner easily defeats Chazz, Alexis, and Atticus while giving Jaden Yuki his closest victory yet. Upon being defeated, Banner gives Jaden a card to help him defeat Kagemaru before being reduced to a spirit.
- Sartorius is the head of the Society of Light, corrupted to evil by the Light of Destruction. Born with the power to see the future, he seeks out promising duelists with the power to defy fate and turn them to his cause so they can't stand in his way and derail his plans. He does this through a combination of lectures and brainwashing, telling his victims that only he can help them get what they want, convincing them they want to join the Society. Through these methods he takes over the top dorm of Duel Academy, makes all of its students his loyal followers, and plans to use a Kill Sat to destroy the world (mind control humanity in the English dub) in the name of cleansing, purifying light. Collected, affable, soft-spoken, and using his prediction powers to stay ahead of the game, Sartorius proves himself the most charismatic and intelligent enemy Jaden and his friends ever faced.
- Yubel is a demonic Duel Spirit and the mastermind behind the seeming main villain of Season 3, Professor Viper. Making a deal with Viper to revive his dead son in exchange for gathering Duel Energy to regenerate her body, she disposes of Viper and transports Duel Academy to another dimension to continue her plans herself, possessing the body of student Marcel as a host. She orchestrates Jaden's horrific Trauma Conga Line in order to awaken his dormant alter-ego, the Supreme King, so Jaden can complete the Super Polymerization card and then she can take it for herself and use it to fuse the twelve dimensions into one. Due to being in love with Jaden's alter-ego in his past life, Yubel was willing do anything to rule over the multiverse with Jaden and keep him all to herself.
- Adrian Gecko, the champion of East Academy, had a desire for power since he was a child. Infiltrating Viper’s lab after a series of manipulations, Adrian finds out about Yubel. Agreeing to spy on Jaden for her in exchange for a portion of her power, Adrian eventually finds the seal of Exodia, intending to make it his servant and betray Yubel. Upon finding out that the sacrifice of a loved one is required, Adrian convinces his childhood friend, Echo, to sacrifice herself to break the seal. Adrian later takes the opportunity to duel a weakened Yubel, declaring that he’ll become the king of the alternate dimension. During the duel, Adrian reveals that his motive is to create a utopia where nobody has to suffer. Cunning and adapting to almost any setback, Adrian proved to be willing to go through any length to rule as a benevolent king.
5Ds anime
Examples
- Rex Godwin is the head of Security and a member of the secret society of Iliaster. He rose to this position after being stranded and forgotten in the slum of Satellite, and has single-handedly turned Neo Domino City into a classist technological utopia under his control. Using his power he begins gathering the prophecied "Signers" and awakening their powers, then presents himself to them as a mentor and benefactor who would aid them in their war against the Dark Signers led by his brother Rudger. However, Rex is playing both groups against each other to make his own play for power, allowing Rudger to kill him so he can become a Dark Signer, and then using Rudger's severed arm bearing his Signer Mark to make himself a Signer. Transforming himself into a Yin-Yang Bomb with the power of both groups, Godwin seeks to destroy the world and remake it in his image, and almost succeeded if not for The Power of Friendship overriding his willpower to force the Signer marks to obey him.
- Jose/Jakob is the leader of The Three Emperors of Yliaster. Manifested from the despair Aporia felt due to feeling alone, Jose works alongside Placido and Luciano to prevent the future apocalypse. Manipulating the events that caused Zero Reverse in order to stop the creation of Ener-D, upon its failure, Jose decides to summon Ark Cradle to have it crash onto Neo Domino City. Jose gathers duel energy to summon Ark Cradle by having Jack duel an impostor that framed him for crimes, and by organizing the WRGP tournament, constantly adapting to the insubordination from Placido along the way. Later having the three enter the tournament directly by altering time to cover Yliaster's tracks, Jose has Placido and Luciano deliberately lose in their duel against Team 5D's in order to boost his life points as well as the power of his ace monster to nigh-unstoppable levels.
- Z-ONE is the secret leader of Yliaster and the final villain in the series. Surviving the apocalypse which wiped out the world's population, Z-ONE went back in time to prevent it from happening, even if it meant dropping the Ark Cradle on Neo Domino City. To ensure this, he gives Yusei Fudo Shooting Star Dragon to create enough Duel Energy for the Ark Cradle to manifest. Upon being confronted by the reformed Aporia, Z-ONE easily defeats him while maintaining a polite demeanor. Requiring the combined efforts of Team 5Ds and the betrayal of Antinomy, Z-ONE decides to spare Yusei's life in place of his own, pleased that he will reunite with his friends.
- Bruno, real name Antinomy, is a D-Wheeler from the future and one of Z-ONE's friends. Having his memories removed to be an effective False Friend, Antinomy teaches Yusei Accel Synchro in order to create enough Duel Energy to make the Ark Cradle destroy Neo Domino City. When the time comes for him to have a Duel to the Death with Yusei, Bruno chooses to remain loyal to Team 5Ds and teaches him Delta Accel Synchro while not holding back. Faithful to his new friends in the present day, Bruno is mourned by Yusei, who uses what he learned to defeat Z-ONE.
Zexal anime
Examples
- Eliphas is the God of the Astral World who sent Astral out on his mission. Believing absolute order to be the only way for his world to survive, he tries to have his people who created him Rank-Up to combat the Barian World. When Yuma intervenes and challenges him to a duel, Eliphas makes full use of Shining Draw to give Yuma his biggest challenge yet. Upon losing said duel, Eliphas becomes more flexible and comes to accept The Power of Friendship. During the duel against Don Thousand, Eliphas takes Astral's place in a Heroic Sacrifice, tossing him Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force and entrusting the future of the Astral World to him.
- Nasch, formerly known as Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro, reassumes his identity after regaining his memories. Wanting to protect the Barian World at all costs, he leads the Barian Emperors' assault to wipe out Yuma and his friends. After getting caught in Vector's snaring trap and witnessing the deaths of Durbe and Merag, Nasch breaks free and defeats Vector, surpassing the latter's many tricks. Nasch teams up with Yuma shortly afterwards to defeat a common enemy in Don Thousand, being granted the latter's powers after they win. He then uses those powers to engage Yuma and Astral in one of the franchise's most climactic showdowns, only losing due to circumstances that he couldn't have known about. Never letting go of his reasons to fight, Nasch says goodbye to Yuma and Astral before dying, calling them his two best friends.
- Astral is the final opponent that Yuma faces to secure his desired happy ending. Believing the Barian World to be the root of all chaos, he intends to use the Numeron Code to wipe it from history, even if its inhabitants aren't necessarily evil. Yuma challenges him to a duel for the fate of the universe, where Astral shows just how versatile he can be with all of his memories and Numbers restored. Understanding how mentally broken Yuma is in the aftermath of recent battles, Astral becomes a Warrior Therapist to help him recover from his trauma. When Astral loses the arduous duel, he spares the Barian World and its people, hoping to find another way to maintain peace.
Arc-V anime
- Yuri is Leo Akaba's right hand man and most dangerous subordinate. Realizing that he shares a face with three other characters, he instigates a fight between Yuto and Yugo to indirectly rid himself of one of his future enemies. When he's sent to the Standard Dimension to capture Yuzu, Yuri is shown to not need any help to be feared by others. Eventually gaining the chance to duel Yugo, he defeats and absorbs him, obtaining his Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Despite losing to Yuya afterwards, Yuri succeeds in resurrecting Zarc, exactly as he planned. Upon being freed from Zarc's influence, he decides to help the heroes defeat him and bring happiness to everyone. Overcoming all setbacks throughout the series, Yuri stands above all schemers within the narrative in terms of success, style, and improvising.
- Jack Atlas is the arrogant and proud Duel King of the Synchro Dimension who dueled his way to the top of New Domino's brutal social hierarchy. When the Lancers come to the city seeking allies against the Fusion Dimension, Jack meets Yuya in an exhibition duel and insults his dueling as self-indulgent. Observing the Fortune Cup play out, Jack dismisses duelists who make empty displays of power but appreciates those who show genuine spirit and drive. When he and Yuya face each other in the finals, Jack motivates Yuya to forge his own path with his dueling, and responds by unveiling an even stronger evolution of his ace monster. Yuya still prevails and Jack welcomes his defeat with open arms, thrilled at finding a Worthy Opponent with skill and soul to match his own. The former Duel King returned several times in the future to aid Yuya and his allies, serving as a symbol to always push past their own limits and never let anything deter them from their chosen path.
VRAINS anime
Examples
- "Revolver", real name Ryoken Kogami, is the leader of the Knights of Hanoi one of Link VRAINS' best duelists. After his father, Dr. Kiyoshi Kogami was put on life support, Revolver swore to eliminate the Ignis in his name, believing their existence to be a threat to humanity. Combining new cards with older Trap Cards, Revolver holds his own against several opponents, only losing through foul play or his opponents being even better. After being defeated by Yusaku Fujiki in the climax of season 1, he returns to form an Enemy Mine with the heroes and sets his sights on Bohman's faction. During his duel with Soulburner, he gives him advice on how to move on from his trauma and faces his eventual defeat with dignity. In the end, Revolver and the Knights of Hanoi reform and decide to safeguard Link VRAINS, with him giving Yusaku a card to use in the final battle.
- Bohman is the main obstacle of Season 2, designed to surpass his creator Lightning. Throughout the series, he gains enough experience watching and participating in duels to become an increasingly dangerous threat to the heroes. Bohman's strategy involves manipulating attributes and negating the effects of monsters who share attributes with his own. Not without a sense of honor, Bohman is respectful to his enemies and when Lightning tries to hide behind a hostage, he takes that advantage away in disgust. After a grueling final duel with Yusaku, Bohman peacefully expires without holding any resentment to his enemies, pleased to be together with his brother Haru.
- Ai, having become the last surviving Ignis, is the final antagonist of the series. Upon running simulations of what would happen should he continue to exist, he came to the realization that he must be destroyed. This leads him to turn against his former allies and become a villain so dangerous that Yusaku would have no choice but to put him down. Creating a new deck and hijacking a SOL Technologies' SOLtis android, Ai defeats the heroes while remaining one step ahead of them throughout his crusade. When eventually faced against his old friend Yusaku, Ai gives him the greatest challenge he's ever known while holding no animosity towards him. Admitting that he loved Yusaku before disappearing, Ai proves himself to be one of Link VRAINS' most influential figures.
SEVENS anime
- Nail Saionji is a highly competent duelist and hacker, excelling at everything he does. As an enemy of Yuga Ohda and a Goha Corporation programmer, Nail attempts to end Rush Duels by granting a series of penalties to Yuga and his associates whenever any of them lose a duel. Nail's dueling strategy eschews The Magic Poker Equation by focusing on drawing multiple cards and searching his deck for the pieces of his ace monster. Using his massive intellect, Nail discovered some unused space within the Rush Duel code to invent Maximum Summoning, a power that changes the status quo of the series. Requiring Yuga's friends to sacrifice their accounts to be defeated, he proves to be a Graceful Loser, restoring the lost accounts and pulls a Heel–Face Turn, becoming a reliable ally.
Video Games
Examples
- Forbidden Memories: Priest Seto, the Egyptian version of Seto Kaiba, started out as a minion of Heishin and subdues Prince Atem for his boss to murder both the Pharaoh and his wife. Giving the Millennium Items to Heishin's guards, Seto intends on manipulating the vengeful prince to defeat and claim them, only for Seto himself planning to defeat the prince and take them for himself. Planning on betraying Heishin to conquer Egypt for himself with the use of DarkNite, Seto gives the prince hints to stop DarkNite when it turns them both into cards, never losing his charm or ability to adapt through all the challenges he faces.
- The Duelists of the Roses: C. Seto Rosenkreuz, leader of the Yorkists, is a brilliant tactician who aims to combine his army's White Rose Cards with the enemy Lancastrian's Red Rose Cards to summon a godly being and rule the world for eternity. When the Rose Duelist is summoned to aid the Lancastrians, Seto presents them with a compelling argument to join his forces and calmly works in the Rose Duelist's decision, regardless of whether or not they take him up on his offer. Dismantling the Lancastrian forces if the Duelist joins the Yorkists, Seto succeeds in his goals to summon a spirit but instructs the Duelist on how to return it, realizing it is not the one he seeks. If they side with the Lancastrians, Seto summons the spirit even after they best him in a duel, and escapes once it's beaten as well. Seto continues seeking the true Card Guardian, honoring his promise to send the Duelist home and remains the single most intelligent, charismatic character regardless of which campaign the player chooses.
- The Falsebound Kingdom: Seto Kaiba is the CEO of Kaiba Corp and targeted by Scott to be drawn into the game. Initially acting as head of Haysheen's guards, Kaiba puts down rebellions against his rule but has no interest in actually being loyal to a virtual simulation. When he comes across Joey Wheeler and his Black Dragon Gang, Kaiba goads him into confronting him so his forces can destroy their headquarters, and actually acknowledges Joey's ability when he beats Kaiba. After Marthis frames Kaiba as a collaborator with the resistance, Kaiba goes rogue and takes command of Pegasus' rebellion for real, and leads them to victory after victory. In his campaign he eventually leads a coalition of marshals to the core of Scott's virtual world and destroys it.
