Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX (遊☆戯☆王デュエル モンスターズGX Yūgiō Dyueru Monsutāzu GX) is an anime spinoff of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.

Produced by Nihon Ad Systems Inc., or NAS for short, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX started airing on TV Tokyo in Japan on October 6, 2004. The anime is licensed by 4Kids Entertainment.

The TV show airs on Cartoon Network in the United States (Saturdays at 7:30pm), on 4kids tv (saturdays at 8:30 A.M.)also in the United states, in Australia on Network Ten (weekdays at 7:30am), in Canada on YTV (Saturdays at 12:00pm), in Ireland on RTÉ 2 (weekdays at 3:20pm), and in the UK on ITV2 (weekdays at 8:25am) and Nicktoons UK (every day at 6:00pm).

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, a manga spinoff of the series written by Kazuki Takahashi and illustrated by Naoyuki Kageyama, is published in Shueisha's V-Jump magazine in Japan. The manga appears in the United States Shonen Jump magazine.

Themes and structure

Although the first half of the anime's first season began on a whimsical note, the latter half established a noticeably darker atmosphere by introducing supernatural elements similar to those present in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, such as magic, the Shadow Games, and various myths, along with Judeo-Christian subtext. The second season had a strong thematic presence built on destiny, with ties to the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction authors writing in the Lovecraftian horror, and drew on space opera as a plot device. The third season continued this trend, but with much greater emphasis on emotional torment, alternate dimension's serving as its primary settings. The third season is easily the darkest, with large number of the main cast appearing to die over the course. Even though they later return, they are believed by the viewer to be dead. The fourth season continues character-driven plotlines established in the first season, such as Chazz's desire to duel professionally, and the students that vanished in the abandoned dormitory.

The program is divided into episodes classified as "Turns". The title sequence and closing credits are accompanied by lyrics varying over the course of the series, with the former immediately followed by an individual episode's number and title. Eyecatches begin and end commercial breaks halfway through each episode; in the first season, there were two eyecatches per episode, usually showcasing the opponents and their key monsters for a given episode while in later seasons, a single eyecatch appears with only the duelists. After the credits, a preview of the next episode, narrated most frequently by KENN and Masami Suzuki, is made, followed by a brief "Today's Strongest Card" segment.

In the English version, the title sequence is accompanied by the song "Get Your Game On!", as are the end credits (in a shortened form). Eyecatches, previews, and the "Today's Strongest Card" featurette are removed entirely.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX begins with the lead character, Jaden Yuki obtaining a card, Winged Kuriboh, from Yugi Mutou, the renowned Duel Monsters champion. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX follows the exploits of Jaden and his companions as he attends Duel Academy (Duel Academia).

The Academy was created by Seto Kaiba on a remote island in the Southern Seas, with its dormitories named after the three Egyptian God Cards, and is run by Chancellor Sheppard 「Samejima」 and his staff. The most elaborate dormitory, Obelisk Blue 「オベリスク・ブルー Oberisuku Burū」, is named after "Obelisk the Tormentor". The Obelisk Blue dormitory can be graduated to, but the only way to enter the dorm in the first year is to attend and do well at an affiliated junior school (English version only). As the highest ranked dormitory, Obelisk Blue's facilities are of the highest quality, on the level of the world's classiest hotels and restaurants. The center dorm, Ra Yellow 「ラー・イェロー Rā Ierō」, is named after "The Winged Dragon of Ra". Those who were given the highest scores in the entrance exam, or who only did mediocrely in the junior school enter this dormitory, which, while not as extravagant as Obelisk Blue, still has incredibly clean and well-kept facilities and meals of a quality far above the lifestyle of the average salaryman. The lowest dorm, Slifer Red (Osiris Red) 「オシリス・レッド Oshirisu Reddo」, is named after "Slifer the Sky Dragon". Those who scored poorly are put into the shoddy dorms of Slifer Red. The naming choices reflect Kaiba's bias over the God Cards in relation to his rivalry with Yugi (Obelisk was Kaiba's own personal card in Battle City, while Slifer was Yugi's, with Ra smack in the middle as the most desirable card out of the three until Yugi received it at the end of the story arc).

For the first two years at Duel Academy, the main cast faces major threats including the Shadow Riders (Seven Stars), who intend to revive the Sacred Beasts by creating a strong dueling presence on the island, as well as the Society of Light, which intends to enslave humanity with the mind control satellite of Misgarth, while the aim is to destroy the world with the satellite in the original version. As a result of Professor Viper's interference, Duel Academy is transported to another world, a desert plane with three suns and resident Duel Monster spirits during the third year–right into the hands of Yubel. Upon returning home, Jaden and a select group of his partners dive into the rift left in their escape to recover their missing companions, and embark through second and third worlds where losing a duel is fatal. In their fourth year, the characters largely reflect upon their upcoming graduation and what to do afterwards, such as Alexis considering becoming a teacher, and Syrus taking up his brother's legacy as a Cyber-style duelist. A villain named Trueman also appears and is somehow connected to Atticus and the abandoned dormitory. Later it is shown that Trueman was being controlled by a dark force called Nightshroud, previously a secondary antagonist from the first season.

遊☆戯☆王デュエル モンスターズ (WARRIORS)

Yu-Gi-Oh! - Capsule Monsters

Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters (遊戯王カプセルモンスターズ Yūgiō Kapusaru Monsutāzu) is a twelve-episode mini-series commissioned, produced, and edited by 4Kids Entertainment (much like Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie - Pyramid of Light) that is a part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.

Set before the end of the second Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series (Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters) - between the Grand Championship and Dawn of the Duel, Capsule Monsters involves Yugi, Joey (Jonouchi), Téa (Anzu), Tristan (Honda), and Yugi's grandfather Solomon (Sugoroku) being pulled into a world where Duel Monsters are real. They find monster capsules that they can use to summon monsters. It is similar to the Virtual RPG arc in many respects, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the early Capsule Monster Chess game featured in early volumes of the original manga.

Yugi Muto (romanized as Yugi Mutou in the English-language manga) has strange recurring nightmares about the Pharaoh being captured by an evil monster with glowing red eyes. This upsets him since his Millennium Puzzle always starts acting in a strange manner afterwards.

As if this wan't bad enough, Solomon Muto (Sugoroku Mutou in the Japanese versions and English-language manga), Yugi's grandfather, recently went on a "secret expedition" and was supposed to be back already. Yugi is worried about the fact that Solomon is missing, but when Joey Wheeler (Katsuya Jonouchi in the English manga and the Japanese versions) wins a trip for four to India, Yugi's mind drifts off of the idea.

Meanwhile, there is a new game on the block; the Capsule Monsters board game is the new fad in the Duel Monsters craze, and Yugi has already taken the opportunity to learn the rules of the game. When Joey breaks the news about the trip, Yugi and his friends could not contain their excitement. Yugi, Tristan Taylor (Hiroto Honda), and Téa Gardner (Anzu Mazaki) agree to take Joey's other three tickets.

Just when the plane approached its final destination, the engines cut out and the aircraft crash lands in a mysterious forest. After Yugi and his friends evacuate from the aircraft, they find a man who says his name is Dr. Alex Brisbane.

When Yugi lets slip to Brisbane that he is Solomon Muto's (Sugoroku Mutou) grandson, Brisbane tells him that he's a colleague of Grandpa, and on their latest expedition together he disappeared. Now Yugi knows just where Grandpa had gone, but the Pharaoh still suspects something. They just happen to win a trip; their plane happens to crash; and they just happen to meet the man who was the last person to see Grandpa. It all seems a little bit coincidental. Brisbane shows Yugi and the gang where he last saw Solomon. Yugi and his friends are surprised when they discover that Brisbane last saw Solomon in a pyramid.

Brisbane explains that he believes it to be the legendary pyramid of Alexander the Great, and that it's supposed to contain some sort of ancient game. They check it out, narrowly avoiding an array of dangerous traps, and come across a room that, as Tristan put it, is the size of Cleveland. The floor looks like a giant map of different land types, which looks incredibly familiar to Yugi. Joey decides to check it out but, to everyone's surprise, disappears into thin air the second he steps on the map. Coming to the conclusion that Solomon must have gone to the same place as Joey, the rest of the gang decide to follow, leaving a bewhildered Brisbane behind.

They find themselves in a forest, with Joey nowhere to be seen. Yugi notices a lot of egg-shaped rocks around, but before they can investigate, some giant cockroaches (Gokibore, a monster from the Volume 6 expansion set) and a giant praying mantis (Kamakiriman, from Volume 3) ambush them. The escapes of Yugi, Tristan, and Téa causes them to have to split up.

Yugi is cornered by the mantis, so the Pharaoh takes over to protect him. He accidentally touches one of the strange egg-shaped rocks whilst jumping, which somehow causes Celtic Guardian to appear. Celtic Guardian attacks the mantis, destroying it.

Meanwhile, Tristan and Téa escape the cockroaches by ducking into a cave. They find themselves on a beach, accompanied by two monsters: Thunder Kid and Happy Lover.

At the same time, Joey is up high on a mountain, looking over onto the forest that the gang are in, hearing Yugi's shouting. Suddenly, a giant bird comes up behind him and grabs him by the shoulders, flying away with Joey in his claws.

Back in the forest, Celtic Guardian disappears in a beam of light, transforming into a small capsule. Now, Yugi knows where he'd seen this before.

The heroes have to discover the secret of the Capsule Monsters world, and figure out how to escape the island. In addition, someone in the real world may desire to use the power of the Capsule Monsters for his own evil plans.

遊☆戯☆王デュエル モンスターズ (WILD DRIVE)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (the 2nd series)

Yu-Gi-Oh!, known in Japan and the rest of Asia as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 遊☆戯☆王デュエル モンスターズ Yūgiō Dyueru Monsutāzu is an anime based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. It is produced by Studio Gallop and Nihon Ad Systems, and the English adaptation is distributed by 4Kids Entertainment.

Duel Monsters is not to be confused with the earlier series of the same name. As the series is the second to be based on the manga, it is often referred to by fans as the "second series". Some sources state erroneously that the first series produced by Toei is a "lost first season", although the two series are unrelated aside from plot continuity.

The success of Duel Monsters was one of the main factors in creating a real-world version of the game that served as the focal point of the series, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.

The series began its 224-episode run in Japan on April 18, 2000 and U.S. on September 29, 2001. The series ended its run on September 29, 2004 in Japan and on[June 10, 2006 in America. In Japan, the series aired on TV Tokyo. The English version is broadcasted on many channels. In the United States it is broadcast on Kids WB and on Cartoon Network(debuting on 4Kids TV in September 2006). In Canada, Yu-Gi-Oh! is broadcast on YTV. In the United Kingdom, Mexico and Australia, it is broadcast on Nickelodeon. In Hong Kong, it is broadcast on ATV from July 13, 2002

About the Seasons:

Like the earlier series, Duel Monsters is mainly about the various battles of a high school freshman named Yugi Mutou through a card game known as Duel Monsters (Magic and Wizards in the original, although Duel Monsters is also used). However, Duel Monsters picks up its focus from where the earlier series leaves off, roughly corresponding to the eighth volume of the manga series.

The plot of the series is divided into several story arcs:

• Duelist Kingdom: Duelist Kingdom is the second story arc in the manga and the first in Duel Monsters, and involves a tournament hosted by the game's creator, Maximillion Pegasus (Pegasus J. Crawford in the original version) , on his own personal island. Pegasus, using the power of the Millennium Eye, manages to seal the soul of Solomon Muto (Sugoroku Mutou in the English-language manga and the Japanese versions) away, and it is up to Yugi to save him. Meanwhile, Joey Wheeler (Katsuya Jonouchi) enters the tournament in order to pay for his sister's surgery, and Pegasus and several top executives at KaibaCorp plot to remove Seto Kaiba from the head of his company.
• Legendary Heroes: In a continued attempt to remove Seto Kaiba from his position as head of KaibaCorp, KaibaCorp's former executives trap Kaiba in a virtual reality game based on Duel Monsters. Yugi and his friends enter the game to save him. The video game Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom was loosely based on this storyline.
• Dungeon Dice Monsters: When a new game shop opens to compete with Sugoroku's game shop, Yugi is challenged by its owner, Duke Devlin (Ryuji Otogi) in a game of his creation, with the title of "King of Games" on the line.
• Battle City (Season Two): When Kaiba hears of the three legendary God Cards, Kaiba believes that with the three cards in his deck, he will be able to defeat Yugi. In order to obtain the God Cards, Kaiba hosts a tournament to take place in the streets of Domino, with the rule that each person that enters the tournament must ante up a card for the winners of the duels to keep. Meanwhile, Yugi hears of the three God Cards and how they are tied to an ancient Egyptian legend - one that involves the nameless Pharaoh. At the same time, Marik Ishtar, guardian of the Pharaoh's Tomb, wants the Pharaoh's power for himself, and seeks to defeat Yugi. In the Japanese version, he actually wishes to torture and kill Yugi for revenge and to free his family from serving the Nameless Pharaoh.
• Virtual World: As Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, and Marik are travelling to the destination of the Battle City Finals, the airship they are riding in suddenly takes an unexpected turn. The main characters find themselves trapped in a virtual reality simulation, in which the former executives of KaibaCorp plan to take their revenge against Yugi and Kaiba.
• Waking the Dragons: When an ancient organization known as Doma (not named in the English anime, although the name Paradius was used in both versions as a front for their operations) steals the God cards and begins to seal the souls of people and duel monsters in an effort to revive a monster thought to have lead to the destruction of Atlantis 10,000 years ago, it is up to Yugi and friends to stop them. To do so, Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba join forces with the three legendary dragons, Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos, and take on Doma's leader, Dartz and Doma's three swordsmen: Rafael, Valon and Alister
• Grand Championship: With Dartz's group defeated and no money to return home to Domino, Yugi and company enter a tournament hosted by Kaiba, in his new amusement park, in return for a ride home. With Kaiba Corporation crippled because of Doma's activities, one tournament entrant seeks to finish the job and take down KaibaCorp for good.
• Dawn of the Duel (Millennium World): With all three God Cards in his possession, Yami Yugi (Dark Yugi in the English Manga and Japanese anime) is ready to find all his lost memories. However, he's in for more than he bargains for when he is thrust into the World of Memory, an alternate reality inside the Millennium Puzzle based on the events that occurred in Egypt 5,000 (3,000 in the Japanese anime) years ago. There, the Pharaoh must relive the last days of his previous life, fighting his old enemies and reuniting with his old friends. But his new friends have not forgotten about him, and Yugi and his friends travel inside the Millennium Puzzle to find the World of Memory and help the Pharaoh recover all his memories. However, Yami Bakura (Dark Bakura in the English Manga and Japanese anime) won't let the Pharaoh gain all his memories just yet, as he plans on using the information gained in the World of Memory to gain the powers of the Millennium Items and reawaken an ancient evil that has remained dormant for the past 5,000 years...
• The Ceremonial Battle: Most of the quest is complete. Pharaoh Atem has obtained all seven millennium items, acquired all three Egyptian God Cards, defeated Zorc Necrophades in the Memory World, and has found out all about his past, including his name. Now, the pharaoh can quietly leave the mortal world, and join his faithful priests in the afterlife. However, the doorway to the afterlife can only be opened if the pharaoh is defeated in a duel. Yugi takes on the challenge, dueling Atem to let Atem go. Even though Atem would very much want to go to the afterlife, he has a good pride in his skills, and will never let anybody beat him easily.

遊☆戯☆王デュエル モンスターズ (SHUFFLE)

Yu-Gi-Oh! 1st Japanese Series

Yu-Gi-Oh! (遊☆戯☆王 Yūgiō, meaning "King of Games") is the title of the first anime series based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.

The series is not connected in any way to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series (known internationally as simply Yu-Gi-Oh!), which was made by Nihon Ad Systems and aired on TV Tokyo; both anime series are based on the same manga series.

Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh! may use the fan name "Yu-Gi-Oh! A Game of Darkness" to refer to this show, or they may incorrectly use "Yu-Gi-Oh! first season" or "zero season" to refer to this show.

The 1st series, which aired on TV Asahi from April 4, 1998 to October 10, 1998 for a 27-episode run, was produced by Toei Animation. Manga plots were re-written so that they could take up an entire episode time. Also, the level of violence was reduced between the manga and the anime. Finally, a minor character in the manga, Miho Nosaka, became a main character in the first series along with Yugi Mutou, Katsuya Jonouchi, Anzu Mazaki, and Hiroto Honda. Characterization was slightly modified. For instance, Miho is a "ditz" in the anime while in the manga she is a shy student librarian. Also, Honda is Jonouchi's verbal sparring partner instead of his crony in Toei's anime.

New characters and plots, such as those relating to the four game masters, were added, and there are more occurrences of Seto Kaiba and Duel Monsters (Magic and Wizards in the original Japanese manga) than in the corresponding manga. Unlike the second series, the card game (Duel Monsters) is not the sole focus of the show. However, the Duel Monsters rules have been updated, becoming more like those used in the Duelist Kingdom, even though this anime never gets to that point. The last episodes of the series focus on the battle between Yugi and Dark Bakura. This series had different voice actors and different character designs than the second series (e.g. Seto Kaiba's hair is green in Toei's anime). The series has not been licensed for an English language release.

遊☆戯☆王デュエル モンスターズ (VOICE)