The Yu-Gi-Oh! series features an extensive cast of characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. The series takes place in a fictional city in Japan called Domino City, which most of the characters that appear in the series originate from. Many plot elements are also influenced by Egypt and Egyptian mythology, and as such, Egyptian characters also appear within the story.
The original manga of Yu-Gi-Oh! stars Yugi Mutou, a timid boy who loves games, but is often bullied. One day, he solves an ancient artifact called the Millennium Puzzle, causing his body to become the host of a mysterious spirit with the personality of a gambler. From that moment onwards, when Yugi or one of his friends is threatened by those with darkness in their hearts, this "Dark Yugi" shows himself and challenges them to "Dark Games" (闇のゲーム, Yami no Gēmu, Shadow Game in English media). These games reveal the true nature of someone's heart, with their losers often being subjected to a dark punishment called a "Penalty Game". Over the course of the series, Yugi and his friends Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler), Anzu Mazaki (Téa Gardner), Hiroto Honda (Tristan Taylor), and later Ryo Bakura learn that this other Yugi is the spirit of a nameless pharaoh from Ancient Egyptian times who has lost his memories. As Yugi and his companions attempt to help the Pharaoh regain his memories, they go through many trials as they wager their lives facing off against others that wield the mysterious Millennium Items and the dark power of the Shadow Games.
Most human characters in the English language version of the original manga, published by VIZ Media, use their original Japanese names, while character names in other English Yu-Gi-Oh! media are significantly altered. The Japanese names in Western order (given name before family name) and English manga names are listed first and the English anime names are listed second, when applicable.
During the Millennium World story arc, Dark Yugi journeys into his lost memories and meets old acquaintances from Ancient Egypt as NPCs within Dark Bakura's tabletop role-playing game, the Shadow RPG (闇のR・P・G, Yami no Ā Pī Jī), a campaign based on the past.
The Six High Priests (六神官, Roku Shinkan) protect the seven Millennium Items with their lives and swear eternal loyalty to the Pharaoh, Atem, who serves as the player character of Dark Yugi, Atem's spirit in modern times. They served Atem during his reign in Ancient Egypt 3,000 years ago, or 5,000 years ago in the English anime. In the age where Shadow Games were used to determine a person's fate, the Priests used the Millennium Items and sorcery to pull out and seal human souls (Ka), which take the form of Monsters Spirits, into stone slabs to do battle. These people were criminals and those who pilfered from the Pharaohs' tombs. Within the RPG, each characters' health and magic were represented by their Ba Gauge.
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine between September 1996 and March 2004. The plot follows the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou, who solves the ancient Millennium Puzzle. Yugi awakens a gambling alter-ego or spirit within his body that solves his conflicts using various games.
Seto Kaiba is a fictional character in the manga Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi. As the majority shareholder and CEO of his own multi-national gaming company, Kaiba Corporation, Kaiba is reputed to be Japan's greatest gamer and aims to become the world's greatest player of the American card game, Duel Monsters. In all mediums, his arch-rival is the protagonist of the series, Yugi Mutou, who is also a game player while Zigfried Von Schroeder is also his arch-rival. He is the modern day reincarnation of Atem's cousin son of Aknadin nephew of Aknamkanon and one of the Pharaoh Atem's Six High Priests, "Priest Seto", who appears in the manga's final arc. Kaiba has also appeared in related anime and feature films. His signature monster is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Yugi Mutou is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series created by Kazuki Takahashi. Yugi is introduced as a teenager who is solving an ancient Egyptian puzzle known as the Millennium Puzzle, hoping it will grant him his wish of forming bonds. After solving the Puzzle, Yugi revives an ancient spirit initially known as Dark Yugi; his true identity is later revealed to be a pharaoh of Ancient Egypt named Atem. Over the course of the series, Yugi forms friendships with the supporting cast, interacts with Atem, and learns about his past. Besides the original manga, Yugi has also appeared in anime adaptations, films and video games based on the franchise. His ace duel monster card is the "Dark Magician".
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, also known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX, is a Japanese anime television series. It is a spin-off and sequel to the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series, which itself is based on the original manga series of the same title by Kazuki Takahashi. It was broadcast for 180 episodes on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2008. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX follows the exploits of Jaden Yuki and his companions as he attends Duel Academia. The series was released in English in North America by 4Kids Entertainment. A manga adaptation by Naoyuki Kageyama was serialized in Shueisha's magazine V Jump from December 2005 to March 2011, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes. The series was followed by Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's in 2008.
Yu-Gi-Oh! R is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Itō, based on Kazuki Takahashi's Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. The series, which is a spin-off side story to the original manga, was serialized in Shueisha's V Jump magazine between April 2004 and December 2007, and was published in North America by Viz Media.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses is a video game developed by Konami based on the manga series Yu-Gi-Oh!. The game was released on September 6, 2001 in Japan, and worldwide throughout 2003. The story is a sequel to Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories and is loosely based on the War of the Roses. The series' main characters, Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba, play opposing teams known as the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. Each team is playable, battling various characters throughout the plot to prevent a ritual summoning by using sorcerous rose cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, later released in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: Pyramid of Light, or simply Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie, is a 2004 animated adventure fantasy film produced by 4Kids Entertainment based on the Japanese manga and anime Yu-Gi-Oh! It stars the cast of the Yu-Gi-Oh! television series in a new adventure that takes place between the third and fourth seasons of the show.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Shin Duel Monsters (遊戯王真デュエルモンスターズ封印されし記憶), is a video game loosely based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime series. The game was released exclusively for the PlayStation console in December 1999 in Japan and in 2002 in other regions.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom is the only GameCube game in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel, later released in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters International, is a Game Boy Advance game based on the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game and TV series that has the player set during the Battle City arc, dueling popular characters from the anime and manga. The main objective of the game is to build a strong deck from cards won after duels from the main cast from the English second season anime.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards is a Game Boy Advance game based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime developed and published by Konami. It was first released in Japan on July 4, 2002. It was released in North America the following year and in Europe the year after that.
The first season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, based on the manga by Kazuki Takahashi, premiered in Japan on April 18, 2000, and concluded on April 3, 2001, on TV Tokyo. The season was directed by Kunihisa Sugishima, and written by Junki Takegami, Masashi Sogo, and Shin Yoshida. The English version of this season premiered in the United States on September 29, 2001 on Kids' WB, and concluded on November 9, 2002.
The fifth and final season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, loosely based on the manga by Kazuki Takahashi, aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from December 24, 2003, to September 29, 2004. The official name of the latter arc of the season is Pharaoh's Memories arc. In the United States, the season aired from August 27, 2005, to June 10, 2006, on Kids' WB and broadcast under the Grand Championship and Dawn of the Duel subtitles.
The third season of the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, created by Kazuki Takahashi, was originally broadcast from March 12, 2002, to February 11, 2003. The English adaptation, broadcast on Kids' WB, aired from November 1, 2003 to September 4, 2004.
The second season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, based on the manga by Kazuki Takahashi, premiered in Japan on April 10, 2001, and concluded on March 5, 2002, on TV Tokyo. The English adaptation of this season aired in the United States from November 16, 2002, and concluded on November 1, 2003, on Kids' WB. The season was directed by Kunihisa Sugishima, and written by Junki Takegami, Masashi Sogo, and Shin Yoshida.
Yu-Gi-Oh!, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and alternatively subtitled Rulers of the Duel in the United States and Canada, is a Japanese anime series animated by Studio Gallop based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series written by Kazuki Takahashi. It is the second anime adaptation of the manga following the 1998 anime television series produced by Toei Animation. The series revolves around a young high school boy named Yugi Muto who battles opponents in the Duel Monsters card game. The series begins from chapter 60 in volume 7 before loosely adapting the remaining chapters of the original manga by making story changes that conflict with the events of the manga canon.
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a 1999 Japanese animated fantasy adventure short film based on a manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. The short film is directed by Junji Shimizu, written by Yasuko Kobayashi, and produced by Toei Animation. The short film was released in Japan on March 6, 1999, as part of Toei Animation Spring 1999 Animation Fair, featuring alongside Dr. Slump: Arale's Surprise Burn and Digimon Adventure.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions is a 2016 Japanese animated science fantasy film written and directed by Satoshi Kuwabara, with Kazuki Takahashi and Masahiro Hikokubo as co-writers based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise by Takahashi. Produced by Studio Gallop and distributed by Toei Company, The Dark Side of Dimensions tells a new story that takes place after the events of the original Yu-Gi-Oh storyline; specifically, it is set six months after the end of the original manga, and thus features some slight contradictions to the storyline of the anime adaptation. The film stars Shunsuke Kazama as the voice of Yugi Mutou and Kenjiro Tsuda as Seto Kaiba, alongside Hiroki Takahashi, Takayuki Kondo, Maki Satō, Rica Matsumoto, Junko Takeuchi, Kento Hayashi, Kana Hanazawa and Satoshi Hino. The Dark Side of Dimensions was released in Japan on April 23, 2016, in the U.S and Canada on January 27, 2017, and in Australia on February 2, 2017.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is a free-to-play, digital collectible card game developed by Konami for the iOS, Android and Microsoft Windows platforms, based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. After an initial beta period, the game was first released in Hokkaido, Japan on November 17, 2016, and then released to the rest of the world on January 11, 2017. The Windows version was released worldwide via Steam and in Japan via Yahoo! Japan Games on November 17, 2017.