While Yugi prepares for Duelist Kingdom to save his grandfather's soul, Joey receives a tape in the mail from his little sister, Serenity. She reveals that soon, she'll go blind, and she was hoping to see Joey once more before that happens. Joey has no money to pay for her surgery, but he learns that the other prize in Duelist Kingdom is a lot of cash! He decides to go to Duelist Kingdom with Yugi to win the prize money.
Yugi reflects on the rules of the tournament: Each Duelist receives 2 Star Chips, a dueling glove, and 2 cards that must be flashed to enter. Whoever wins 10 Star Chips has the right to go to Pegasus's castle for the finals. Giving one of his chips to Joey, he hopes that together they can win.
Yugi and Joey board the boat, while Tea and Tristan sneak on board in the cargo hold. Tea also sees their friend Bakura, but he disappears before she can confirm it. Other duelists they meet include Mai Valentine, a tough young lady who uses her beauty and brains to get what she wants—winning against Rex Raptor by pretending to be psychic—and the nationals champion, Weevil Underwood. He expresses interest in Yugi's powerful Exodia cards, but when Yugi hands them over, he tosses them in the ocean! Joey dives in to save them, but can only save two, and is barely saved from drowning himself. Yugi vows revenge on Weevil, but for now they watch with hope and awe as Duelist Kingdom appears on the horizon.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bully Hunter: How Joey and Yugi met in a flashback, showing Yugi defending Joey and Tristan from a school bully despite his small stature.
- Chekhov's Gun: All of the cards that Joey gets in this episode play important roles in his upcoming duels.
- Compressed Adaptation: Yugi and Joey reminisce on how they first met, telling through flashback an abbreviated version of the first chapter of the manga.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Previously on… has Yami Yugi saying "Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh!", all later episodes had him saying "Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh!"
- Metaphorically True: Weevil shows Yugi an effective way to beat Exodia... by tossing the cards overboard. Sure, you can't summon him if you don't have all five cards, but Weevil's strategy is just plain cheating.
- Here it is in the English dub:
Weevil: SAY GOODBYE TO EXODIAAAAA!!!- And here it is in the uncut English dub:
Weevil: This is the way! - "Oh, Crap!" Smile: Rex and Mai get into an informal duel, with the stakes being Rex's room. He thinks it's a shoo-in until Mai reveals her "Aroma Tactics", seemingly able to psychically determine what cards are being drawn. This trope ensues.
- Previously on…: The first episode to use this with a recap of the first two episodes being provided. Yami Yugi also says "Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh!"
- Story-Breaker Power: Summoning Exodia is a supposedly Impossible Task because you need all five of the Exodia cards on hand to do it, which leads to an Instant Win once they're out in the field. Weevil decides to toss them into the ocean, taking this out for good.
