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Nightmare Fuel / Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V

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As arguably the darkest Yu-Gi-Oh! series thus far, it's no surprise that ARC-V has more than its share of terrifying scenes. This is, after all, the series that serves as a Deconstructor Fleet of the franchise as a whole.

Unmarked spoilers ahead!


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     General 
  • In general, every single time a flashback to the Invasion of Heartland is absolutely horrifying, and each time it happens, the series tries to outdo itself.
    • Episode 18: The moments when a few keen-eyed people noticed that the city that Yuto flashed back to bore an uncanny resemblance to Heartland.
    • Episode 34: This one is more implied, but the reveal that Sora and his people considered their attacks a hunting game is extremely disturbing, as are the faces of Sora and what appear to be Academia professors.
    • Episode 36: A direct memory of the beginning of the invasion. First, direct confirmation that it's Heartland, albeit an alternate version. Then, the deliberate entrance of the Academia students and the summoning of their monsters, and finally, the images of people running and exploding into cards.
    • Episode 47: Dear god. Even Yugo, who wasn't a resident of Heartland but was apparently present during the invasion, is shown to remember the events with terror: this time we see people running, not just still shots, and being turned into cards one by one, while the Academia students walk around the place with nightmarish eyes. This episode also confirms that even Academia can't undo their carding.
    • Episode 50: And you thought that it couldn't get any worse? How about seeing Osiris Red students with evil smiles laughing as they destroy the city?
    • Episode 74: We see people - including Kurosaki - running from copies of Ancient Gear Chaos Giant as the city burns.
    • Episode 100: We get more lovely flashbacks to Heartland's destruction, beginning with Academia announcing their arrival by carding a couple and their infant child. Followed by an Antique Gear Chaos Giant punching through the city wall and razing the place with a Death Ray. Is it any wonder why Yuto, Kurosaki, and Kaito are pissed off at those bastards so much?
  • Both pieces of music associated with Jean Michel Roget: an eerie high-pitched drone that plays during Yuya going into his Superpowered Evil Side in episode 87 and when Roget returns for the first time against Reiji; and the track that plays during the section where he's beating Yuzu in episode 98, which falls into this because of how much it fits Roget's current mental state. For that matter, Roget himself after his Sanity Slippage.
  • The Dragon Boys' and their Superpowered Evil Side and their powers in general. Each time more of their powers are revealed, we just get a darker and creepier image of what they used to be.
  • The fifth opening with the scene showing Yuzu, Ruri, Serena, and Rin above the strange machine surrounded by cards and the Professor looking down with his hands hovering above them. Makes you worry what he plans to do to the bracelet girls once he captures all of them. And we later find out that he has the Doktor implant parasites in their heads to take control of them. Feel free to barf.
  • Academia have some truly nightmarish members. All of them are capable of Nightmare Fuel to some degree, but the worst are Yuri, the Doktor, and BB. The Tyler sisters and Edo are only below them due to being decent individuals, but they can be quite terrifying as well.
  • Zarc's Resurrection scheme was only possible because of Leo's planning. His school and plan broke one Zarc Fragment mentally while the others had no reason to duel for violence until Academia sent Yuri to take Rin then invade Heartland taking Ruri traumatizing Yuto who was then accused by Yugo of taking Rin, once Yuya and the lancers get involved Academia's tampering allows Zarc to Manipulate the stage from behind getting the Four Versions of himself to finally meet and resurrect himself, failing once because Yuzu was able to Seperate the four just in time but due to Revival Zero none of the Girls were around to prevent Yugo or Yuri from finally remerging.

     Prologue 
  • When Sora destroyed Yuya's Odd-Eyes, Yuya's unhinged laughter and fake smile after his initial breakdown was disturbing and this was long before we learn about Zarc.
  • Sawatari getting "nearly" skewered, regardless how bad he was acting, invoked some nasty imagery. It seemed like he wasn't expecting that to hurt when it did.
    • Specifically, the spear plunges towards him, pinning him to the wall, shown by red and black silhouettes. Then a normal shot reveals that it was just his jacket, but for a moment there, it appeared that he'd literally been stabbed by a spear. It's worth noting that this scene was left unedited in the dubbed version.
  • How about Hokuto's Sanity Slippage near the end of episode 9? He rains down freakin' meteors to kill Yuya when Yuya just does 500 damage to him while he still has all 4000 life points. Not to mention the nightmarish close up on Hokuto's face and the fact that this came out of nowhere since up to this point he was in control of the Duel, and just an arrogant jerk.
  • There's something...unpleasant about watching Yuya's monsters getting force-fed in Episode 16 to the point that they fatten up into spheres, Violet Beauregard-style, then get destroyed.
  • Episode 18, the fear on the faces of those that have been turned into cards by Kurosaki, and his Xyz monster while framed in shadow, destroying the LDS employees. Unfortunately for those three employees, their cards were blown by wind with no sign of getting found by somebody.
  • Everything that happens to Yuzu in episode 21. In a matter of minutes, she gets accused of knowing something about a duelist who has defeated LDS elites, meets the real culprit, gets mistaken for somebody else and is yelled at by said culprit, sees Yuya's lookalike, is told by the lookalike what to do, and then once again, he is teleported by her mystical bracelet just as Yuya arrives. By the end of it, she looks like she's in sheer terror over what's going on around her, which is a pretty justifiable reaction. Her life completely changed in a matter of days or weeks, and she (nor the viewers) has no idea why this is all happening to her.
  • What happens Masumi to a lesser extent, considering her terror upon seeing Kurosaki, and seeing the gouge marks, making her very fearful for what happened to Marco. Not to mention the cry of the monster that did it, which sounds extremely eerie. It doesn't help that this is the same cry used for Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu; even when not emitted by a mass-soul-stealing Eldritch Abomination, it's still creepy as all hell.
  • Episode 22: Mieru chillingly predicts Yuya will be grievously wounded if he continues the duel, and asks him to surrender.
    • Made worse if one considers the implications behind Yuya and Yuto looking alike, and whether it applies to both or the other instead.
  • Episode 23: The Principal of Mieru's school tries to look into Yuya with her crystal ball...and it breaks. Which, going by occultist methodology, is absolutely never a good sign.
  • Episode 24: Kurosaki duels Masumi, Hokuto and Yaiba and wipes them out with an attack of 16,400 points! Kurosaki, just like Yuto can make the attacks tangible, even outside of Action Duels. The whirlwind alone was enough to send them a lot of feet away and painfully meet the ground, now imagine if it would had been a direct attack... Fortunately, Rise Falcon doesn't appear to be able to attack directly in the anime.
    • In addition, Kurosaki's disturbing expressions.
    • After their defeat, he is standing over Masumi. Since she is a Fusion user, it looks like he would have turned her into a card.
  • Episode 25's flashback sequence, showing just how messed up Yuya is emotionally, as everyone snickers and teases him, appearing as blackened, warped shadows. Crosses into tearjerker territory as well.
  • Episode 26, Reiji has Masumi, Hokuto, and Yaiba's memories of Kurosaki erased, and from the way he talks about this this wasn't a big deal for him to do; how many memories has this guy messed with?
    • Or that he apparently used Masumi, Hokuto and Yaiba to bait Kurosaki. Then there the fact the championship seems to be a test.
    • Nico was pretty creepy at the end. There is something off about him when he gives a dead stare to the screen while wondering if Yuya will be a first rate star.
     Maiami Championship 
  • Episode 28:
    • Reira is standing around, until he sees his mother through the window, a disturbing expression on her face, and then he rushes to duel. Even if it was just a hallucination and not actually his mother, it still shows how badly she has damaged his psyche. Later confirmed that, indeed, she was there.
      • The way he could read Himika's lips and the fact that, whatever she told him, he has heard it a lot of times. Probably she order him to win, and just those word were enough to associate them with her commanding voice and rush him into the dueling. It's amazing how much Himika has pushed Reira to be perfect, not realizing (or even not caring) how much she has damaged him.
    • How Reira sees everything as a void of darkness shows that his psychological damage is incredibly deep for a 9-10 kid.
  • Episode 30:
    • Battleguard Mad Shaman is this IN-Universe for the kids. Not hard to see why.
  • Episode 33:
    • Kurosaki's description of how his town was destroyed was very bleak. It starts out with dueling being funny for everyone till they were attacked and slowly witted away.
    • Finally Sora's Psychotic Smirk is very creepy.
  • Episode 34: Between Sora's insane faces and Kurosaki's brutal dueling, this may as well be called Nightmare Fuel: The Episode.
    • Following up from the final moments of the previous episode, Sora goes all-out Vector in this episode. And it is REALLY creepy how he talks down Kurosaki and considers Xyz users to be far below him. Sora openly describes how he and his group considers Xyz users to be prey for their "Hunting Game", saying that it is something that they do for fun. In short, the implication is that Kurosaki's world was destroyed for no other reason than the Fusion faction's enjoyment. It goes a long way in explaining Kurosaki and Yuto's personalities... Despite the reveal of Sora's true nature, Kurosaki still completely wiped the floor with him in a Moment of Awesome.
    • The way Kurosaki ends the duel is nightmarish in itself, by having Revolution Falcon bomb the Action Duel field to the ground, which brings a tower down right on top of Sora. To see such mass destruction as part of a duel is something the series doesn't usually do, let alone in such a realistic fashion as having a city destroyed by what amounts to a bombing run. And the worst part? Despite Sora obviously being injured (even if the next episode reveals the injuries weren't as serious as expected), Kurosaki doesn't seem to care at all.
    • The new Frightfurs were disturbing, to say the least. Wheel Saw Lion wasn't that bad, aside from the buzzsaws in its face, and Chain Sheep certainly looked creepy - but Sora's ace, Mad Chimaera, was the absolute worst. It absolutely towers over the Action Field, and its four heads - each resembling previous Fluffals, but more horribly mangled than ever - are enough to terrify children in-universe into hysterics.
    • The Nightmare Faces that accompany Sora's Sanity Slippage are even worse. His earlier comparisons to Vector are especially evident after Sora Fusion Summons Des-Toy Chimaera.
      • Also of note is when he bites down on his lollipop, ripping into it like a leg of chicken. The simple act of eating candy has never looked so eerie.
    • The entire duel is nightmare fuel, both in-universe and out. With each passing turn, it becomes more violent and scary—to the point that little kids are sobbing in their seats, and everyone else is looking on in sheer, growing horror. By the time it's all over, the crowd is in a Stunned Silence, the announcer is hiding under his desk, and poor Yuya is pleading helplessly for someone to stop the duel as it was no longer a fun and entertaining game, but a deadly and vicious battle.
    • Worth noting: everything you've read about this episode up till now? Scared kids, city-wide destruction, and nightmarish faces? None of it gets left out in the dubbed version.
    • Then there's Reiji's response to Kurosaki attempting to steal Sora's soul: "Don't, he'll make a good EXPERIMENT."
  • Episode 36:
    • The reveal that a Duel Academia is the villain that Sora has been working for is horrifying if you are a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. It's not Judai's, but it's certainly not far off from being an alternate universe counterpart.
    • Even worse, they're training Duelist Soldiers. It's become a militarised institute dedicated to training duelists for war.
    • The machine that is observed by the Professor, which is also shown in the second opening, absorbs cards — the souls of the people inside them.
    • There's a pretty scary scene of Sora Strapped to an Operating Table and being injected with something which makes his heart rate skyrocket.
    • Sora being forcibly dragged back into the Fusion Dimension.
  • Episode 37 is a mind screw, starting with the strange Glowing Eyes of Doom afflicting both Yugo and Yuto, and how viciously the two were dueling against one another. Then there's how both of the two of them vanish and leave an unconscious Yuya with Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, willed to him by Yuto before he...vanished. Somewhere. Its not clear what exactly happened and what exactly Yuya just experienced. None of the possibilities look very good.
  • Episode 38:
    • It has Yuya due to the events of Episode 37 be in a coma for 2 days. And Kurosaki hasn't been in contact with Yuto since Episode 37 ...
    • The episode ends with Kachidoki giving Yaiba a physical No-Holds-Barred Beatdown while defeating him in a duel, horrifying the audience at the unexpected violence.
  • Episode 39 has more of Kachidoki's antics, beating the crap out of Yuya and even stamping on his wrist to stop him activating an Action Card at one point. However, the true nightmare fuel comes from Yuya himself, as he seemingly becomes possessed by an alternate personality, resulting in him having Glowing Eyes of Doom and speaking in a Creepy Monotone as he summons Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon to brutally OTK Kachidoki. The entire time, everything suddenly got a lot darker, only adding to the wrongness of the scene. The audience's Stunned Silence afterwards just tops off the nightmarish sequence. Comes with a side order of Soundtrack Dissonance, as the BGM for this scene is the triumphant Swing, Pendulum of the Soul. There is horror in it could be Yuto or the unknown force that controlled Yuto and Yugo controlling Yuya.
    • Later episodes show it isn't Yuto controlling Yuya, but instead a darkness trying to consume both of them.
  • Episode 40 has Shun "I'll attack anyone to get my comrades back" Kurosaki looking for Yuya because he has his best friend's card. This will not be pretty.
    • On a flashback, the Trap card Widespread Ruin (the card's art shows an explosion) was used as a IED, and it was shown to have caught Barrett, who now has an Eyepatch of Power. It's not hard to imagine what happened.
  • Episode 42: More Ryozanpaku School's antics as Takeda and Umesugi duel Yuya. In the duel, they dominate as a 2 vs 1 duel and continually beat him up. They even nearly pushed him INTO LAVA. Solid mass holographs but still.
  • Episode 43: Just when Yuya was going to Xyz summon Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, he seems to slip into his Superpowered Evil Side.
  • Episode 44, oh Episode 44, from the start we have Kurosaki going all crazy eyes on Yuya for having Yuto's card. Then the Knights of Duel using Solid Vision to hurt/nearly kill Kurosaki and Yuya.. Then we have Sora coming back and the Obelisk Force defeating the knights and sealing them in cards.
  • Episode 45: Yuya Superpowered Evil Side is back. In the preview, Yuya sounds brutally pissed off. In the episode itself, he was more in tuned with his rage, displaying more horrifying expressions.
    • One reviewer put it best for this episode: Squeak.
    • While last time Yuya had a Creepy Monotone when he slipped into his Superpowered Evil Side, this time his voice was burning with Unstoppable Rage, which is somehow even scarier. Not to mention his Slasher Smile when he Pendulum Summons and at the end of the episode.
    • Honestly a lot of characters had slasher smiles this episode from the Obelisk force and interestingly Dennis.
    • You can hear Yuto's voice screaming in anger. And his silhouette briefly appears in Yuya's goggles.
  • Episode 46: Yuya's Superpowered Evil Side convulsing and screaming like he's been possessed while being pinned down by Gongenzaka (who's later aided by Mieru, Michio and Teppei, though the nightmare doesn't exactly stop with their help.
    • Mieru looking into Yuya and seeing his soul, Yuto's soul and something else. A darkness.
    • Yuri appears and based on the preview for episode 47, it's not gonna be pretty for Yuzu.
  • Episode 47:
    • Yuri himself is a psychotic sadist who loves doing what he does for the thrill of it. Olga and Halil both suffered being imprisoned in cards for simply "being in the way" and was willing to imprison Yuzu if she doesn't "shut up." It really says something when a guy who has the same face as one of your best friends can scare you witless and fleeing for your life.
      • Yuri's signature dragon is shrouded in shadow (done to keep others from being spoiled), but it makes it look even more menacing as a result.
      • The fact that Yuri has Yuya's seiyuu only worsens it; it's utterly horrifying to hear a voice so similar to Yuya's eerily and calmly telling Yuzu to come out, come out from her hiding place...
    • Sora really went off the deep end here; constant insane smiles, screaming his lines and taking pleasure in Kurosaki's loss. And the sounds his monster was making as it destroyed Kurosaki's monster was also comparable to that of a crazed psychopath.
    • Then there's the fact that he ended the duel by hurling Kurosaki down a flight of stone stairs, which the preview for the next episode is heavily implying broke his ribs. The fact that Kurosaki is even having to run and fight in that state is this for anyone who knows how painful and dangerous broken ribs are.
  • Episode 48 was brutal and messy. From the Tag 3 vs 3 duel, the Obelisk Force shows us why they are elite by carding Michio and Teppei. In the end this felt less like a Yu-Gi-Oh! show and was just a brutal war.
    • Especially note-worthy is the way Sora defeats Hikage. He and his monster walk towards him slowly until Hikage is inches away from almost falling into the lava, all with an emotionless look on his face. It's almost like something out of a slash horror film.
    • How Yuya falls into Superpowered Evil Side. He looks like he is in pain when he changes.
      • Actually, Yuya appears to be in intense pain every time he enters Superpowered Evil Side. You have to wonder just what is happening to cause such agony.
  • Episode 50:
    • Despite it just being a duel between Reiji and Yuya, it was pretty disturbing to watch. As first Reiji used Heartland field spell again and how Reiji's DDD monsters destroyed Yuya's monsters were a little too realistic. Ending with Reiji's direct attack sending Yuya down a flight of stairs.
    • Seeing Academia students wear the familiar Red Jackets as they terrorize Heartland as their eyes glowed red and they had slasher smiles was horrifying. It's also considered Nightmare Fuel for Kurosaki as well as he says that their sadistic laughing (which we hear) and faces are forever etched onto his mind.
  • Episode 51: Reiji's slasher smile, while nowhere near as creepy or psychotic as Sora's, is still rather disturbing in it's own right.
  • Episode 52: The sheer ease with which Himika convinces an entire crowd- possibly the entire world- to go to war with another dimension is a little disturbing. Especially when Reiji turns it into a way to tell people- most of them probably teenagers, considering the trends we've seen so far- to enlist in the lancer program and WILLINGLY become Child Soldiers is a little scary. The power of propaganda is just as powerful as a tool of the "good guys" as it is for the bad guys.
     Synchro Arc 
  • Episode 54: Yuri, Yuri, Yuri! He was creepy in this episode as he closed on Rin.
  • Episode 55: How Yugo's duel with the Duel Chaser was broadcasted to the entire City as entertainment. It hits Truth in Television, how many car chases are broadcasted live?
    • Then there's what happens to people who lose to and are captured by Security. It is mentioned and shown that Security has "facilities" where they imprison Commons found in Tops-exclusive areas, or to put it another way, social undesirables.
    • Replace Tops with Neo Domino City and Commons with Satellite, and it's the exact same situation as in 5Ds, if not worse.
  • Episode 64:
    • At the end of Yuya's duel against Jack, Yuya is shot off his motorcycle nearly vertically and then land hard on the ground.
      • If that's not scary enough for you, consider this: Between how hard Yuya was launched into the air, the visibility of debris around him, and the fact that his D-Wheel is nowhere to be seen after the final attack landed, it would appear that the D-Wheel exploded. Never mind the rough landing, everything about the end of the episode could easily lead one to believe Yuya was just killed! (Of course, the preview for the next episode quickly alleviates that fear, but still...)
    • The council and Roget were creepy in general this episode. Especially since behind Roget there is a Frankenstein-like monster covered in shadows with a glowing red- eye
  • Episode 67:
    • The preview for the episode has Tokumatsu tell Yuya that there is a rumor that those that lose in the Friendship Cup are forced to do harsh labor until they drop dead from exhaustion...And Gongenzaka just lost to Crow...
    • Reira. Holy Ra, REIRA! To elaborate:
      • First off, turns out he's not biologically related to Reiji or any of the Akabas. He grew up in a war zone, a realistic war zone where people are shot to death or blow to bits via guns and tanks, not the one where you get sealed up in cards (Of course, that one's just as bad, but still). In order to survive, he mentally sacrificed his free will in order to copy other people, either by mimicking them, or carrying out their orders without flaw. The Fridge Horror surrounding him now just piles up. How many atrocities has he seen? How many people has he copied, and perhaps worst of all, how many people ordered him to perform horrific acts that others would never desire to carry out?
      • Next, when Himika found Reira, she decided to use him as a puppet, experimenting on him and training him to be a duel soldier solely for the purpose of fighting Academia. Even REIJI was unnerved!
      • Finally, Reira's mental breakdown. After Tsukikage is told to fight in Reira's stead, Reira starts hallucinating, first off the environment turns red while Reira hears Reiji's footsteps. Then, as Reiji exits the room, Reira's eyes become shaky as his face's animation turns into a white outline of itself with nothing else present in the background! Finally, Reira runs to Reiji, desperately clinging to him and crying that he won't disobey Reiji ever again. After that, when we see Reira next, he's actually smiling. Not a timid smile like he gave to Tatsuya, its a full blown smile of relief filled with emotion that Reira has never displayed up 'till now. Normally, we'd want to see someone like Reira smile. Right now though, it's incredibly unnerving!
      • Heck, Reira being pressed by Reiji to compete in a Riding Duel tournament is already nightmarish on many, MANY levels even without the forced labor aspect mentioned above. Yuya really gives Reiji a thorough verbal lambasting for it, and rightly so.
      • Finally, there's Reira's reasoning for disobeying Reiji: "Crow's friend... He gave me candy..." It really says something about the kid's mentality that he's less concerned about the obvious danger than he is about not wanting to go up against someone who was nice to him.
  • Episode 68:
    • Seems that Reira gaining a will equals him desiring to see others lose. After Reiji lets go of Reira's hand so he can talk to the Executive Council, Reira becomes paranoid that by allowing Tsukikage to duel, he'll be replaced if Tsukikage beats Shinji. As a result, he quietly chants for Tsukikage to lose. Anyone getting Yandere vibes yet?
      • What makes this more disconcerting is that Tsukikage is a genuine good man who's loyalty to his clan, his teammates and his brother is very admirable. Shinji making him out to be the "villain" is very disconcerting, especially since Tsukikage doesn't support underhanded people like the Tops.
    • The looks on Yuya and Melissa's faces as they see the crowd starting to get more and more reckless and threatening to become violent as a result of Shinji's insistence of getting the Commons to rise up against the Tops. Both enjoy seeing people smile and love watching an Entertaining Duel; the fact that it devolved into nothing but screaming and unrest makes it a very uncomfortable experience to watch. Hell, the whole point of the tournament is to promote friendship, hence the title of the Cup!
      • Yuya experiencing this type of unrest before: when he watched Sora and Kurosaki's duel back in Standard.
      • Made even creepier by the fact that Shinji is right. The Friendship Cup really is just another cruel deception with which the Tops oppress the Commons, and Melissa and Tsukikage are unknowingly playing into their hands. Did Tsukikage know what happens to those who lose in the Friendship Cup?
    • The Tops looking very worried that they're going to be attacked by the Commons any minute now. This doesn't really bother Roget as he says that he'll simply have Security arrest everyone if they do riot. Keep in mind that Commons make up 99% of the city.
      • It has yet to be seen whether or not a riot will break out, nor how violent it could get. While change does have to happen to the City to get the Commons out from the Tops' rule, a civil war breaking out WILL have casualties on both sides. This couldn't have happened at a worst time, since Yuya and company are there to prevent the Synchro Dimension from being taken over by the Fusion Dimension.
      • He just has to contain the possible riot from the Commons in the stadium, not all 99% of them. He probably meant he has a way to seal the Commons' part of the entire stadium while the Tops are evacuated with a separate entrance.
    • Tsukikage's loss not really affecting Reiji's mindset as he already factored it into his schemes. The man loves his contingency plans. Even Reira was taken aback by this and he was chanting for Tsukikage to lose just a few minutes ago.
      • This one less so after episode 73. Reiji knew Tsukikage has the skills to escape at any time, and by sending him underground he ensures Tsukikage knows where the enslaved Lancers are so they can be easily rescued when the time comes.
      • To lessen it even further, it's quite likely that Tsukikage was in on the plan and threw the duel on purpose, as he obtained an Evasion card just before Shinji's final attack and decided not to use it.
  • Episode 70
    • Sergey's existence is very wrong. To elaborate, we know next to nothing about him, except that he's close to Jean Michel Roget, he's extremely sinister, and his eye is constantly glowing red. Either he's some sort of Frankenstein's monster, a robot, or someone so damaged by a life of violent crime that most of him is replaced by cybernetics.
  • Episode 71
    • Yuya's Superpowered Evil Side's return not only makes Yuya highly aggressive, including smashing into his opponent with his D-Wheel, but apparently affects his monsters as well. Rather than using its Rasen no Strike Burst, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon roars directly in Duel Chaser 227's face (its expression just adding to the fuel) and ends the Duel by smashing into his D-Wheel and hurling him off it, leaving 227 to be taken out on a stretcher at the end of the episode
      • Alternatively, due to Yuya's eyes being normal, Yuya consciously did all that.
    • The City has hit this. Everyone not only knows about the forced labour, they don't even care. Their desire for blood and carnage is highly disturbing.
      • There is something deeply disturbing in seeing how even Melissa, who up until then had been talking about how "the city is one and we are all friends", and was implied to be sorta sympathetic to the Commons, smiles as she says that she doesn't care if people are enslaved just for losing in a tournament, and the crowd of poor, downtrodden Commons agrees with her. It's the moment where you realize that the nightmarish society of the City has killed all the empathy of its people. It's also pretty damn jarring to see Jack berate Yuya for not realizing that in the City, winning is the only thing that counts. Especially for those who had grown to like him in 5Ds for being boisterous and arrogant but ultimately with his heart in the right place, this is downright horrifying, and drives home the point that no matter how horrible Neo Domino City seemed in 5Ds, this City is much, much worse.
      • Even better? After Yuya makes his little speech, she asks "Um, is there anything wrong with this?"
  • Episode 72:
    • Yuya and Yugo somehow sync up. With Yuya thinking he was dueling Sawatari and doing the same moves as Yugo. While Yugo was able to use Yuya's skills to grab an action card.
    • Some of Yuya's expressions while in sync with Yugo are reminiscent of Yuri and are disturbing on his normally kind face.
  • Episode 73:
    • It's not clear exactly what Sergey Volkov did in his Duel with Damon Lopez (what little footage is shown doesn't even show him playing a card), but judging from the horrified reactions of the crowd, Lopez' Duel Runner in pieces, and Lopez himself being stretchered away from the wreckage, there's no way it can be good. Or the fact that even in-universe, everyone in the audience is shocked at his sudden win.
      • Sergey in general is this. He was wanted dead or alive, is shown surrounded by casualties in the Security detention center, and his left eye routinely flashes menacingly. As of this point, he hasn't even said anything on-screen, which just adds to the Nightmare Fuel.
  • Episode 74:
    • Antique Gear Chaos Giant. It's huge and hovers threateningly, and was apparently responsible for much of the physical destruction of Heartland. To bring it out requires the fusion of all the types of Antique Gear Hounds shown so far; one can see their heads making up the joints of this abomination.
    • Some of Trapeze Magician's laughs are rather chilling, and the Shadow Makers' scissors are as menacing as ever. When the magician is destroyed by Kurosaki, it can be taken as a metaphor of Kurosaki ripping the mask away from Dennis, revealing his true identity.
    • Dennis notably averts Nightmare Face in this episode, though his tone takes a turn for the dark once Kurosaki forces him to show Polymerization.
      • How does the episode end? With a close-up on Dennis' face and him sporting cold, sinister smile. He even says a favorite line of Sora and the Academia mooks': "Shall we begin the hunting game?"
    • Kurosaki's flashback is horrifying. Seeing at least 3 Antique Gear Chaos Giants destroying Heartland as its inhabitants run in horror is traumatizing. He looks pretty terrified himself.
  • Episode 75 has a lot of similarities to Episode 34:
    • To start with, the carnage in the Duel is even more devastating. Dennis' Chaos Giant causes unnecessary massive damage to the arena as it destroys Kurosaki's Revolution Falcon, slamming it multiple times against structures and tearing off it's wing as it screams in pain. Kurosaki, not to be outdone, proceeds to Xyz Change the fallen falcon into a Rank 8 monster that flies up into the stratosphere and lasers the Action Field from on high, leaving a gigantic crater in the arena and Dennis flat on his back, defeated.
    • But it doesn't stop there. Kurosaki is ready to card Dennis just like he tried with Sora, but is stopped by Reiji once again as he realizes that the Human Sealing Technology in his Duel Disk has been tampered with. Kurosaki then settles for beating Dennis with his fists, despite the latter being unconscious, but is stopped by the arena workers.
    • After Chaos Giant uses its effect to break free of one of Kurosaki's traps, which consisted of a huge metal chain binding it tightly, there's a shot of several severed links heading straight for Melissa Claire. They dissipate soon after, but each of those links looked about the size of a car. It isn't a stretch to say that if she'd been less lucky, Melissa could have been crushed. The look of horror on her face sells it.
    • Dennis revealing that it was his fault for calling Academia into the Xyz dimension in the first place, condemning the place to hell, all for the sole reason of capturing Ruri.
  • Episode 76:
    • The Council's dedication to maintaining the status quo is astounding.
      • Despite any threat that Roget initially posed as an infiltrator, they chose to try to use him for his technology to settle the unrest surrounding Tokumatsu's arrest.
      • In their current situation, they have two plans: 1) if the Lancers are strong enough to protect City, they will rely on the Lancers to protect them, 2) and if not, then use Roget's connection to try to form a treaty with Academia.
      • As Roget stages his King's Gambit, the council members all go Oh, Crap! - except White Taki, who, as always, keeps a gentle smile on his face even as Roget threatens them. His unchanging expression has always be a bit unsettling, but now it reaches astoundingly creepy levels.
    • Jean Michel Roget has not only turned Sergey into a zombie, but has implanted mind-control chips into all of Security.
    • The last shot is of Sergey giving a very disturbing Slasher Smile.
  • How Episode 77 will make it into any dubbed version whatsoever will be a mystery for the ages, as it ends up being one of the darkest episodes Arc-V has produced yet. Everything about Sergey is Nightmare Fuel in this episode:
    • First, there's the extremely disturbing design of Sergey's "Thorn Prisoner" monsters, including his ace monster, whose effects revolve around him losing Life Points. Then there's the fact that these effects manifest in the form of thorns that wrap around his body and choke the LP out of him. Then he manages to rope in Yuzu's monsters as well, subjecting these majestic beauties to the same pain as his monsters.
    • And then there's the fact that he enjoys this. Even getting hit by a piece of asphalt that was uprooted from the road and smacking him in the arm doesn't deter him, which was entirely his fault! The facial expressions he makes to go along with it are just creepy.
      Sergey: I endured, and endured, and endured...The pain has finally paid off! I endured the pain! I endured it, and endured! And endured! I endured against THE PAIN!!!
    • Finally, the way he ends his Duel with Yuzu: as Yuzu attempts to grab an Action Card before a 4800 ATK monster hits her 100 ATK monster, Sergey deliberately jackknifes into her with a D-Wheel several times the size of any other D-Wheel yet seen in ARC-V, ramming her off the course completely and INTO A BUILDING. The POV the audience at home is subjected to hammers in the terror of being sent flying many miles an hour through the air into a solid structure. Keep in mind that Yuzu is not some typical Shonen muscle-headed character who treats soaring into buildings as the norm; she's just a scared normal 14-year old girl.
      • There is also how that 4800 atk Van Darli Zuma attacked Yuzu's Fusion monster; it curled itself up inside what looked like a bunch of thorny dark leaves and flew spinning extremely quickly right at Yuzu's monster while it was bound up with thorns. At the moment of impact, Van Darli Zuma shredded Melodious Prima and made the resulting bramble shrapnel look almost like censor steam while the screen flashes bright red...
    • Sergey speaks in a bit of a robotic voice, which is due to the audience at home seeing that Roget is controlling him somehow and monitoring his condition. However, this control is not absolute and when he slips into his true personality, he's suddenly giggling and screaming like the madman that he is.
    • Like Yuya, Yuzu tries and fails to convince the citizens of City to abandon their cruelty for putting their own into "classes", reasoning that as long they continue to fight against each other, they'll never be ready for the inevitable invasion of Academia.
    • Yuya's final scream of anguish over Yuzu's well-being after seeing her crash. The camera holds over his surprised face before the scream occurs, ending the episode on a cliffhanger.
    • And to answer the question of whether or not the episode is censored, it isn't, everything above airs in the dub unscathed.
      • As a matter of fact, the dub tries to soften Sergey up by swapping out the Creepy Monotone for a Large Ham Husky Russkie characterization. This actually makes him more frightening, as he now comes off as even more of an Ax-Crazy Sadist than the original and gives the impression that Roget isn't doing a very good job of controlling him.
  • Episode 78:
    • Sergey's faces as he raves about Yuzu's loss are disgusting. Even the crowd is disturbed by the way he threw her off the track and Security is very guarded as they approach him.
      • Even while he's being captured by Security, he just keeps on laughing.
    • Shinji tells Yuya that there's nothing they can do for Yuzu because of City's views on losers.
    • Yuzu is shown unconscious and extremely battered after Sora hides her away somewhere in Commons.
  • Episode 79:
    • Some of Shinji's facial expressions and screams when he's hit by Paladin's effect can border on disturbing.
    • People are openly revolting, White Taki can see the regime his group keeps together crumbling...and he's still smiling. It's well past disturbing now. Either he's senile, or Asskicking Leads to Leadership is in play to such a degree that he's confident he can handle all of the Commons at once.
  • Episode 80:
    • Yuya imagines Maiami City burning while under invasion by Academia. One can only hope this isn't foreshadowing.
    • Seeing the type of childhood Sora had growing up in Academia, which consisted of explosions, climbing out of dark holes and defeating fellow classmates without mercy. Is it any wonder why he's so screwed up in the head and why he values Yuya and Yuzu's friendship that much?
    • Roget thinking about Yuri coming to the City. The large purple background and shadowed Yuri walking really drives in the point of how feared Yuri is.
  • Episode 82:
    • While watching Crow's Duel against Kurosaki, Tanner disappears, and Kurosaki suddenly calls for the Duel to be halted. Why? Not only has Tanner fallen onto the Duel lane, but the tiny boy is hanging on for dear life from Crow's own monster while the Duel goes full speed ahead.
      • Later becomes a Moment of Awesome when Kurosaki mounts his Revolution Falcon to save Tanner.
  • Episode 83: Roget reveals that he wants to turn Yuya into his personal henchman, just like Sergey by implanting a mind control chip into his brain.
  • Episode 84: The mere fact that Roget is willing to kill Yugo by changing the lanes just for his plans is plain horrifying. Fortunately, Yugo was able to save himself by switching to the manual setting of the D-Wheel.
  • Episode 85: Yuri is in the Synchro Dimension. That's scary in and of itself, but then we come to the last few moments of the episode, in which Yugo, celebrating his win, suddenly feels like he's being watched. He turns around ... and sees Yuri, standing high above the cheering crowds, silhouetted in the moonlight, and staring Yugo down with a Death Glare.
  • Episode 86:
    • Yuri's dragon is teased to the viewers: Starve Venom Fusion Dragon. What a nice and friendly name.
    • Security using a paralytic on Serena instead of dueling her, is horrifying since it is three grown men basically making a teenage girl helpless.
    • The fact that Security is willing to attack a child, all the while mocking his supposed status as a "Common" and his powerlessness against his "superiors". They don't even have the excuse of being under Roget's control; they're doing all this out of their own free will.
  • Episode 87: Good grief.
    • Not only do all four Dragon boys awaken, but they also synchronize with one another. Two was bad enough, three would have probably been worse, but with Yuri added into the mix? Plus, they look like they're in a lot of pain.
    • And notably, this wasn't caused by emotional stress - it's shown that Roget had previously implanted an electrical chip into Yuya's helmet. Roget proceeds to activate that device at maximum power, causing Yuya enough pain to go into his Superpowered Evil Side, and his counterparts with him. The whole thing is disturbingly similar to a torture session.
      • Even worse is why Roget did it. He ran out of time to implant a control chip in Yuya's brain (a horrifying thought in and of itself), so he went with option two, use electrical shocks to stimulate aggressiveness and provide a more entertaining duel for the audience (with the bonus of keeping Yuya from running from the duel). He didn't even know about the Superpowered Evil Side, he was just planning on torturing him into madness. All because Yuya wouldn't agree to work with him. Did we mention that Yuya is only 14?
    • Right when Yuya goes into his Superpowered Evil Side, there's a shot of a city being razed to the ground with a red eye opening.
  • Episode 88:
    • As expected, Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon makes its return - only this time, its power is so astronomically high that it causes blackouts over a large fraction of the City. Why is this scary? Because it happens right as Roget is altering the Duel Course, preventing the lanes from completely reforming - and leaving a huge gap in midair right in front of both Yuya and Crow.
      • And then it's revealed that because of Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, Yuya's chip was damaged, but instead of turning off, the power was increased, with the scientist warning Roget that constant shocks to Yuya will eventually cause long term brain damage; in the worst case scenario, his eventual death. Roget's only response? Complete apathy, stating that losing Yuya as a valuable pawn would suck, but at least he'll die while bringing "entertainment" to the masses. What is wrong with this guy?'
      • As a whole just how powerful Yuya's Superpowered Evil Side synched with his three counterparts are. Him summoning a monster caused massive shock waves and blackouts for the City. Yuya feels less of a person and more a force of pure destruction.
    • Then, Sora sees something in the distance right before jumping onto Crow's D-Wheel. Obelisk Force invading the City on hand-gliders. The invasion has begun and seeing what these cruel bastards did to the Xyz Dimension...
    • When the four synced Dragon boys' Superpowered Evil Side wears off, all of them pass out. Yuya and Yugo pass out on their D-Wheels, but Yuri flat out faceplants. What if he had still been on the truck?
  • Episode 89:
    • Reira, Reira, Reira. After taking out two squads of Obelisk Force members, the third one triggers a traumatic flashback to his childhood, and he starts visualizing the Obelisk Force mooks as masked soldiers with eerily glowing eyes. This is followed by disjointed scenes of the warzone where the Akabas found him, Reira hiding from the enemy in a house, and finally one of the soldiers reaching out for him... Not to mention the utterly disturbing expression on his face throughout the ordeal.
  • Episode 90:
    • Reira dealing with his PTSD throughout the entire episode. Yuya wants to help him but is too busy fighting off Barrett and Obelisk Force to be much help.
    • Serena is still dealing with the aftereffects of being paralyzed and can barely move against her oppressors, completely relying on Yuya to keep her safe. If he falls to Barrett...
    • The fact that the guards Underground were willing to beat the prisoners to death just for talking back about the unfair conditions forced on them. Thank goodness the riot occurred when it did...
    • Barrett's final closing shot of the episode, looking menacing and psychotic against Yuya, a far cry from his introduction in episode 40.
  • Episode 91:
    • Yuya's ongoing Duel with Barrett looks eerily similar to an interrogation. Not only do Barrett's traps leave Yuya unable to do anything whatsoever, but they manifest as chains that bind both Yuya's dragons and Yuya himself. Meanwhile, Barrett is slowly but surely whittling away at Yuya's Life Points, all the while demanding that he tell him where Yuzu is. He's essentially transformed from an Old Soldier into a full-blown Torture Technician over the course of two episodes.
    • After forty-odd episodes, we finally get a good look at Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, Yuri's ace monster. Everything about it, from its design to its roar, is best summed up in one word: Run.
    • Specifically, it has the features of deadly plants, with thorns and Venus Flytrap-like mouths all over its body. It's basically a nightmarish take on the same 'dragon with plant features' as Black Rose Dragon.
    • Then there's the fact that not only are Yuya and all three of his counterparts in the same location, but so are each of their dragons. Promotional material for the next episode suggests that because of it, something very, very unpleasant is about to happen to Yuya ...
  • Episode 92's preview hinted at nightmare fuel aplenty. It did not fail to deliver.
    • To start, it features monsters that look way too much like the Earthbound Gods for comfort.
      • Even better: They're used by Sergey. And true to their inspiration, he uses them with a Field Spell that creates numerous giant, demonic hands emerging from the ground... one of which he uses to trap Yuzu. Then there's their boss monster, a gigantic, many-tentacled eldritch horror that can only be described as the unholy union of the Earthbound Gods and Lovecraft's worst nightmare.
    • We also have the four Dragon boys chanting "WE SHALL BECOME ONE!!!" like an Omnicidal Maniac.
      • As per usual, it's much worse in the actual episode: as they chant in unison, a vortex of darkness appears in the sky above. Then Yuri begins walking unflinchingly towards his counterparts, while their chant increases in intensity. Thank goodness Yuzu showed up when she did; whatever would have happened had Yuri reached the other two would most likely ''not'' be good news. Even Barrett and the Obelisk Force were freaked out by the ordeal. And even when Yuzu DID show up and separate the Yu-trio, the vortex doesn't disappear!
  • Episode 93:
    • Just when you thought Sergey couldn't get any more terrifying, he and his bike go One-Winged Angel.
  • Episode 94:
    • The fact Sergey actually died instead of simply being carded like all other characters who bit the dust so far is disconcerting in and by itself, considering how the series has gone out of its way to avoid addressing that topic directly in order to get past the censors.
      • His new ace monster, Earthbound Servant Geo Glasya-Labolas deserves a mention thanks to its massive size combined with its sinister appearance as well as being based on a particularly powerful, if obscure, demon from Ars Goetia.
    • Roget's Villainous Breakdown can be quite unsettling, simply because it's incredibly jarring to see someone normally so calm and composed degenerate into such insane, borderline-unintelligible screams of rage.
    "SEEEEEEEERGEEEEEEEEEEY!!!"
  • Episode 95:
    • Sergey remained briefly operational after the fall. Why the usage of "operational" rather than "alive"? We got to see the full extent of the mechanical modifications done to him. He's missing an arm and the entire lower half of his body, the mangled remains of which are clearly mechanical, and a large portion of his face around his left eye is ripped off to reveal a disturbing robotic face reminiscent of a Terminator. 3 Commons were entreated to the wonderful sight of him crawling with one arm and still giggling madly.
      • Guess what finally caused him to go offline? Those same 3 Commons promptly took up makeshift weapons and rushed towards him, knowing and saying that regardless of everything, he's still a Tops' lapdog. The specifics of what they did are not explicitly shown on screen, but shortly afterwards Roget lost connection with Sergey. It doesn't take a genius to put the facts together. It's quite telling that this scene was too much for the dub, which did not cut anything from the nightmarish Sora vs. Shay Duel and has not once attempted to downplay the stakes of the interdimensional war, and ended up being removed.
    • The sight of how zombie like Security is when they're under Roget's control.
  • Episode 96:
    • Roget's clearly not firing on all cylinders anymore, pulling out Nightmare Faces that would give Sora a run for his money.
    • When Yuya throws down the gauntlet to Jack, Roget orders Security into the Duel Palace to apprehend the Lancers. They get taken down... except that just opens the way for the veritable horde of angry Commons to storm inside, who quickly realize that there is no longer anything stopping them from having their way with the Tops. The collective fear of the Tops is almost palpable. And as if anticipating the viewer who still thinks that the Tops have it coming, the camera makes a point of lingering on a little girl crying into her mother's chest... Thankfully, JACK ATLAS intervenes before the situation gets any worse.
  • Episode 98:
    • Roget decides to run away, all while dragging and abusing Yuzu into obeying him. This bastard is willing to go the extra mile to get what he wants.
    • While the City is at the middle of celebrating Yuya's victory and crowning as the new Duel King, Sora suddenly pops up on a video screen, looking visibly injured and tells Yuya that, when he and Tsukikage were about to rescue Yuzu, Roget showed up out of the blue, beat both of them offscreen and took Yuzu with him. Then, the transmission is cut off by an explosion right on Sora's face. We're not shown what happened to him afterwards. He later turns out to be okay, but still...
    • In the preview for the next episode, when you hear Roget screaming one of Yuya's Catchphrases like a psychopath, there's only one explanation: this doesn't look good.
  • Episode 99:
    • If you thought Roget's Villainous Breakdown in episode 94 was bad, here he really cranks the crazy up to eleven, going as far as to tear open a dimensional portal to destroy the whole City Ă  la Zero Reverse simply because he couldn't control it anymore. And his demise isn't any better.
    • Roget leering menacingly at Yuzu and noting how he's going to get away with her creeps Yuzu out so much that she doesn't even look defiant anymore; she looks plain terrified. When you also keep in mind that Roget is a grown man and Yuzu is only 14 years old, the creepiness factor goes up.
    • Though he meant well, Jack almost caused Yuzu's death from falling out of the remains of the destroyed elevator by using Red Daemon Dragon Scarlight to punch it open. Thank goodness Yuya was there to save her.
    • Yuya, Yuzu, and half of the Lancers are sucked into a wormhole to parts unknown.
      • If only it were parts unknown... they are in Heartland.
     Xyz Arc 
  • Episode 100:
    • Pretty much the first thing the crew sees when they land in Heartland is a random guy being carded by Academia Duelists. It's going to be that kind of story arc.
    • We get more lovely flashbacks to Heartland's destruction, beginning with Academia announcing their arrival by carding a couple and their infant child. Followed by an Antique Gear Chaos Giant punching through the city wall and razing the place with a Death Ray. Is it any wonder why Yuto, Kurosaki, and Kaito are pissed off at those bastards so much?
      • And that's not the worst part, oh no. The worst part is the following close-up on a blue eye and the owner with seething hatred declaring that he will never forgive Academia. And if you've watched ZEXAL, then you know that when Kaito Tenjo, the guy who has a win record on par with freaking Yusei Fudo, is this pissed off that it's not gonna be pretty.
    • The fear the mother and her children have to live with day after day as Academia students go around the ruins of their once beautiful city. Even venturing out to get basic food and water supplies could end up being their last excursion.
    • Heartland itself is a flat-out Crapsack World that can be compared to Neo Domino City's Bad Future.
    • Kaito's first meeting with Yuya, Gongenzaka, and Sawatari involves around carding three Academia students who were defeated by them in a Duel earlier. Oh Sawatari, you really have no idea how horribly right you are about it.
  • Episode 101:
    • The past two opening narrations had the narrator describing the wonders and thrills of Action and Riding Duels. For this season, it opens with Heartland being destroyed by Academia, with the residents of the Fusion Dimension sealing away innocent residents into cards while looking demonic and Antique Gear Chaos Giants roaming the city while firing lasers and razing the land to the ground. Sweet dreams...
    • According to Yuto, Kaito was a rising upcoming star who smiled often. After the attack by Academia, Kaito became a harsher version of Kurosaki, who's willing to do whatever it to takes to take down his enemies.
    • Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon looks like an angrier, more powerful version of the original Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. The creature's roar will send chills down your spine. Then there's its effect: it takes control of an opponent's monster and turns it into another Cipher Dragon.
  • Episode 103:
    • We find out that parents willingly send their children to the Academia and the kids can't wait to join.
    • Yuzu is in the Fusion Dimension, a.k.a. Academia's home base. Let that sink in for a moment.
      • If Academia finds out that she's at the Fusion's Dimensions You Show Duel, who's to say they won't launch an attack to capture her? And since the general populace seems to think that duelists should enlist in Academia, why would they care about a school filled with deserters?
  • Episode 104:
    • Yuto took over Yuya's body. It's a horrifying concept in and of itself, but the fact it's Yuto doing it makes it worse. Each time Yuya looks in pain when Yuto starts to gain control.
    • The fact this episode heavily implies Academia's goal is to turn the entire Xyz Dimension's (or at least Heartland) population into cards. Granted, there may be another reason for that other than Fantastic Racism and For the Evulz, but it might still hit too close to home for those familiar with World War II and other historical events involving ethnic cleansing.
    • Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's summoning, which shows parts of Dark Rebellion's body flashing violet and distorting wildly, almost as if the Solid Vision itself were glitching out. The worst is probably the close-up on its twitching claw with a very disturbing Undercrank-ish effect, rendered in eerily realistic CGI. Made even worse if the BGM is replaced with a God of War-style Ominous Latin Chanting.
  • Episode 105
    • When Kaito said he was going to card Kurosaki, he wasn't joking, and very nearly did.
    • Kaito's flashback of the smiling children watching his duels abruptly turning into a (thankfully brief) image of the same children sealed in cards - implying that he was there. No wonder the guy's so badly broken...
  • Episode 106
    • Yuri returns, and with him is his dragon. And his dragon looks even more terrifying in CG.
    • We also see exactly WHY Yuri is The Dreaded. He manages to defeat FIVE You Show Duelists in only one turn, then simultaneously cards them all.
    • If it wasn't for Yugo showing up, Yuzu and Asuka would have found themselves in massive trouble had Yuri gone through with attacking them. He even manages to creep out both girls by slowly walking towards them, all while portraying a soft sadistic demeanor and smile.
      • His actions during his five way duel with the students bears extra mentioning: Yuri finds the idea of making others happy through innocent entertainment laughable and instead likes the idea of trampling over others MUCH more enjoyable. The kid is Yuya's opposite in every way.
    • Aside from sending him to the Fusion Dimension, Yusho and Edo's duel has Yusho being injured badly enough that he can't walk without a cane and help from his students, despite all the time that's passed since Yusho's disappearance from the Xyz Dimension. What on earth did Edo do to Yusho to warrant such an injury?
    • The way the Academia students gloat and compete on how many people they carded makes it sound like they're playing a video game rather than destroying an entire dimension and killing everyone in it. One of them even calls it a "hunting game".
      • And to make it worse, a girl who became a Defector from Decadence and fled from Academia with Asuka was carded without a second thought.
  • Episode 107:
    • The Tyler sisters are just as unnerving as expected, including a scene where they glow with a purple Battle Aura and make creepy expressions.
    • Amazoness Liger has one eye always closed. Except it opens the eye when using its effect to reduce an enemy monster's ATK, revealing a swirling dark miasma filling the empty eye socket, not entirely unlike Tron's unmasked face from Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL. Poor Fairy Cheer Girl's reactions make it abundantly clear that the ATK reduction comes from the opposing monster being scared out of its wits.
    • Edo's sheer rage at the end is terrifying. Not helped by the close-up of his face, in which his eyes seem to be just a bit too far apart...
  • Episode 110:
  • Episode 112:
    • When Dennis shows up again at the You Show Fusion branch, he finally drops the Nice Guy act and goes full-on Vector.
    • Yugo and Yuzu being shot at by Ancient Gear Soldiers.

    Fusion Arc 
  • Episode 113:
    • Kachidoki's mindset is this mixed with Tear Jerker. Due to his loss to Yuya, Kachidoki has grown insane with hatred. It's gotten to the point that he would rather die than lose to Yuya again.
  • Episode 114:
    • Courtesy of Dennis, we learn that it is possible to seal yourself into a card. Even though we also learn that the process is reversible, this is still the closest Yu-Gi-Oh! has ever come to showing a person commit suicide in anime.note 
  • Episode 115:
    • Yuya's conversation with Sora gives the viewers a hint about what happened to Rin and Ruri after being taken to Academia:
    Yuya: "I don't think that Serena kidnapped Yuzu because she wanted to. Serena is a comrade who has fought together with us. I'm sure there has to be a reason…"
    Sora: "Yeah. You're probably right."
    Yuya: "Huh?"
    Sora: "I heard that the Professor has someone in his inner circle who can freely control people's minds."
    Yuya: "Seriously!? That's why Serena is... Then, Yuzu will undergo the same thing!"
  • Episode 116:
    • At the end of the episode we have a shot of the man controlling Rin, Ruri and Serena and he looks horrifying.
    • We get to see Rin's Slasher Smile and it does not disappoint. It's especially creepier with no sound effects.
  • Episode 117:
    • The method by which Rin, Ruri, and Serena are being controlled is horrifying and disgusting. The Doktor has real versions of Parasite Fusioner implanted in their heads, latched onto their brains, influencing their very thoughts. The Doktor can also remotely control them, allowing him to speak through them, and even cause their facial expressions to become reflections of his own. The look on Rin's face shows she clearly has no control, that she is an Empty Shell when he does this. Worst part though, is that when Serena leaves, the monster's tail can be seen coming out of her ear.
    • Speaking of Parasite Fusioner: Yugo manages to destroy Rin's Crystal Bell and Parasite Fusioner with it, so the day is saved and Rin is back to normal, right? Nope. The damn thing comes right back and takes control again, and Rin - who was, up to this point, speaking in more or less a normal tone of voice - takes on the absolute creepiest monotone imaginable as she finishes Yugo off. Brr.
    • The Doktor in general is horrifying in every conceivable way. There's the gaunt face with Creepy Shadowed Undereyes, the unsettling voice, and the fact that he's actually taking pleasure in using giant insect things to Mind Rape these girls and watching Rin beat the ever-loving crap out of Yugo. He makes the Professor look like a saint.
  • Episode 118:
    • Jesus, the Survival Duel is messed up. First, there's the fact that it's a Battle Royal where the losers get carded until the last man standing, meaning that the Academia students will have to (and are perfectly fine with) card their own allies eventually. And then there's BB (a.k.a. Battle Beast), a Duelist who cards whoever he comes across and as his name indicates seems to be more of a wild beast than a human. Add to all this? The students, even the ones watching, are terrified, and Sanders doesn't give a damn.
  • Episode 119:
    • In his sporadic cameos, BB spends his time making inhuman growls and grunts.
    • As it turns out, the Parasite Fusioners are basically Yeerks from Animorphs; they take control of the host and leave them stuck inside their mind. Ruri crying out for the Parasite to stop gets a whole lot worse when you consider that not only did Rin likely do the same thing while dueling Yugo - but failed.
    • The Doktor's fascination with the damn things is pretty creepy as well and he simply regards Ruri's loss as an opportunity to gather more data.
  • Episode 122: This episode shows how bad the Academia students and staff are indoctrinated into becoming drones with no regard for life. Sanders was defeated by his own creation BB, and based on the survival duel's rules, which is meant to teach his pupils how harsh a real battle can be, he must pay the price by being carded. One would expect Sanders to be in a state of shock because of his imminent fate, but no. Not only he accepts his loss with dignity, he unflinchingly orders BB to turn him into a card, sticking to his Darwinist views to the very end. The fact that the students themselves unhesitatingly demand for the instructor to suffer this fate, all while fanatically shouting like Sanders "Glory on the Academia", shows the viewer how with proper indoctrination, Humans can become the worst of monsters.
  • Episode 123:
    • Yuri proves to be the evilest character in the series so far when he realizes he enjoys carding people far too much to stop and decides on carding everyone as proof that he's the strongest.
    • As he cards Asuka, his inner darkness awakens, but unlike the other boys, he's very happy and has huge shadow devilish-looking aura around him that freaks out Asuka and even the Professor.
  • Episode 124:
    • The frightening smiles of both Ruri and Serena as they go on the attack against Yuya and Yuto.
    • The Doktor...just the Doktor and his mere presence and mannerisms.
    • Thought the Parasite Fusioner was scary? Wait until you see its Queen...
    • The noise the Parasite Monsters make when they are activated. Like tendrils wriggling around.
  • Episode 125:
    • Yuya's "awakening" is back, and his rage is palpable, summoning a new Xyz Pendulum monster that ends up burning his surroundings to ash!
    • The Parasite Doktor stroking Yuzu's face, all the while laughing about it. No wonder it sends Yuya right into Unstoppable Rage.
    • During the duel, one of the parasites gets on Yuya's shoulder. It later enters his brain and attempts to bring Yuya under its control. Unfortunately for the creature, it ends up burning away by Yuya's inner darkness!
    • You know Yuya's scary when the freaking Parasite Fusioners are backing away from Yuya's awakening.
    • Yuri's smile. The fact that it's a smile you normally see on Yuya is horrifying due how out of character it is for Yuri. He then proceeds to viciously attack Sora with the Honor Student Deck's ace monster, Antique Gear Ultimate Golem.
    • For a second after Yuya declares his final attack, his Battle Aura forms a silhouette with an absolutely terrifying Slasher Smile.
  • Episode 126:
    • We see due to the talk between the Professor, Yusho, Reiji and Reira, the resulting conversation forces Yuya to awaken again, with Kaito and Edo right behind him ...
    • Who is this "Demonic Duelist" that the Professor spoke of? His name is Zarc!
    • Zarc is a horrifying man, not just due to his power or his goal but how he was just a man. Due to the people's own violence, he grew twisted.
      • When Zarc became the world champion, he asked if the world was satisfied and asked for more. When the audience replied, he summoned his dragons and released destruction upon the audience and then the world.
      • Zarc deciding to fuse with his dragons to create Supreme King Dragon Zarc, a dragon with the power of a god and he used it to destroy the world.
    • One of the most disturbing parts of Zarc is how similar he is to Yuya. Zarc also wanted to entertain people and his turn to evil is disturbing similar to Yuya's duel against Duel Chaser 227. This is even shown by Zarc riding Odd-Eyes the same way Yuya does.
    • The monsters are alive. Every time one of them's been destroyed in the entire series, it's been a creature with a soul, given a body by Real Solid Vision. And being forced to fight again and again by humans filled those souls with rage and hatred, to the point that when Zarc unleashes his dragons, they reduce the Original Dimension to ruins for revenge.
    • In hindsight, Yoko's descriptions of the early days of dueling with Real Solid Vision sound eerily similar to what happened to the Original Dimension. Meaning Standard could have easily turned out to be just as violent as the Original Dimension if not for Yusho's influence.
  • Episode 128:
    • The episode preview shows Yuya Awakening. With Yugo and Yuri already awakened, this will not be good.
    • Yuya's expression as he Fusion Summons Entermate Gatlinghoul is scary as hell.
    • Yusho realizes that not only does he have no idea where Yuzu came from but he doesn't remember when Yoko was pregnant or what he was even doing when Yuya was born. The idea that Zarc and Ray could change people's memories so easily is horrifying.
  • Episode 129:
    • The second when Supreme King Dragon Zarc's form was created by Yuya's aura.
    • The Bracelet Girls fusing is shown by them phasing out of reality.
  • Episode 131: Yuzu is the first of the Bracelet Girls absorbed into Arc-V, effectively dying.
  • Episode 132:
    • Yuri absorbing Yugo is shown as his aura forming Supreme King Dragon Zarc's form and then swallowing Yugo as Yugo awakens.
    • Yuri deciding to duel Yusho because it would be fun to card him in front of Yuya.
    • Ruri is absorbed into Arc-V.
  • Episode 133:
    • Rin is absorbed into Arc-V, leaving only Serena as the last Bracelet Girl.
    • Yuri's another idea of "entertainment": torturing his opponents with infinite loop combo that slowly drains Yusho's life points while reducing Sky Magician's attack. This is the closest this series has to torture and Yuri enjoys every moment of it as shown in his face. Even Reiji who is usually calm loses it and attempts to interfere the duel.
    • Yuri's face as he shows Yuya Yusho's card. Also, Yuya's anger at his father's carding.
  • Episode 134:
    • Finally Serena is absorbed into Arc-V, starting it up.
    • Yuya vs Yuri is this because no matter who wins, Zarc is being revived.
    • When Yuri summons Clear Wing, he changes into a shadow creature.
    • When Yuya summons Dark Rebellion, summoning all four dimension dragons, we see Yuto is absorbed by the darkness and is screaming in pain.
    • When Yuri takes Dark Rebellion, each of the Yus chant "We shall become one" except Yuya who is struggling to remain in control.
  • Episode 135:
    • The entire episode is freaky to watch because of Arc-V starting up, space is starting to warp.
    • Yuri gives us plenty of nightmare faces as he duels Yuya.
    • But the biggest nightmare fuel is Yuya turning to face Reiji, Reira, Sora, and Edo after beating Yuri. We see that the worst nightmare face yet, revealing that Zarc has taken over. He then proceeds to fuse with Yuri, finally reviving.
    • Whatever Leo did has horrifying implications. While Arc-V has started up, Ray isn't reviving and Reira states he can't hear her voice anymore. The fact that the person that defeated Zarc is missing while Zarc has fully revived is horrifying to think about.
    Final Arc 
  • Episode 136:
    • The episode shows that a Zarc-possessed Yuya has turned into a draconic monstrosity.
    • Supreme King Dragon Zarc first action is to release his Breath Weapon on the public, duelists or not. If it wasn't for Edo, he would have killed some innocents.
    • Zarc is this throughout the episode due to how otherworldly he is. He never changes his expression or his tone, he seems less like a human and more like a force of destruction.
  • Episode 137:
    • Reiji and Reira's walk through the Academia is horrifying. Due to Arc-V, space is constantly warping and twisting. Even after walking away from the garden, they find themselves back to it and Reiji's statement implies that this isn't the first time this happened. They then meet some people that are floating and see through. Reira briefly wonders if they're ghosts but Reiji realizes that they are actually people from the Xyz and Synchro Dimensions that got sucked up by random wormholes created by Arc-V.
    • Z-Arc himself was already portrayed as being The Dreaded kind of villain and he already displayed Game-Breaker power but after his duel with Kurosaki and Kaito with the effects his monsters have he's starting to cross over into a villain who's in Only the Author Can Save Them Now territory, the effects of his monsters are absolutely terrifying. Monsters that strip others of their ATK during the battle phase and gain that power, perform an Xyz Summon during the opponents turn, send his Xyz monsters back to his Extra Deck during the battle phase, Supreme Dragon King Z-Arc itself eliminates the use of Action Cards or cards added to the players hand outside of the draw phase entirely and makes it so his monsters can't be targeted by effects of Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz monsters.... wow it's even scarier when you realize that he's hasn't gotten through half of the opponents he's set to face yet. Who knows what else he and his monsters are capable of.
  • Episode 138:
    • When Jack was defeated, not only is he knocked off his bike, his D-Wheel was dangerously close to beheading him if he hadn't dodged in time.
  • Episode 139:
    • When Zarc was able to negate Sawatari's spell a second time, we see Supreme King Dragon Zarc's body is covered in all of the Lancer's defeated monsters.
    • When Sawatari and Crow are defeated, Odd-Eyes' effect shots them from the sky and they land hard on a roof. While the episode shows they're okay, it was very rough to see.
  • Episode 140:
    • Supreme King Servant Starve Venom. If you thought Starve Venom Fusion Dragon was nightmarish, this one is even worse. Supreme King Servant Starve Venom now has a horrific Belly Mouth similar to Relinquished that devours a monster whole to gain its effect.
    Epilogue 
  • Episode 141:
    • It's disturbing how nearly everyone forgot about the Dimensional wars. There's a sense of horror as Yuya happily goes through his day without realizing that he's lost his memories, ESPECIALLY in the case of Yuzu and their counterparts.
  • Episode 142:
    • The moment when Yuya finally remembers Yuzu and the ENTIRE interdimensional war all he can say is this:
    Yuya: I am... ZARC!
    Manga 
  • Chapter 10: Sora becomes pissed when Yuya takes care in bringing his lifepoints to zero to avoid hurting him. He then uses Action Cards to brutalize and maximize the danger to himself, and action that horrifies everyone including Kurosaki and Reiji. And even blows a huge chunk out of the building.
  • Chapter 22: Ren's face is made of Facial Horror, as its right side is covered with burnt scars and has a Prophet Eye. See it for yourself.


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