TheYu-Gi-Oh!anime series is one of the most beloved franchises, thanks to the entertaining game it created, memorable characters, and the intriguing plot of all its seasons. While the main focus of all shows in the franchise is the card game itself, all seasons had an overarching story that kept viewers invested.
Due to the complex storylines and the understandable focus on the game,some details in the franchise were never given a proper ending or explanation. These unresolved plot lines have become mysteries thatYu-Gi-Oh!fans have wondered about for many decades. This franchise is certainly not lacking in the enigmatic department, from characters miraculously recovering lost items to cards that were never revealed.
Yu-Gi-Oh’s Anime Broke the Rules All the Time, but Yugi’s Worst Cheating Still Makes Me Mad
Yu-Gi-Oh! is an iconic anime and trading card game franchise, yet its anime’s representation of the game is anything but accurate.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (2000)
For most of the originalDuel Monstersanime,the spirit inside the Millennium Ring, also known asone of the series' most powerful villains, the Thief King Bakura, acted as a major antagonist. He was first introduced during the Duelist Kingdom arc of the series, where he tried several times to steal Yugi and Pegasus’ ancient artifacts. During a mission to save Mokuba, Tristan is forced to fight against this spirit, an encounter that he manages to win.
Joey’s loyal friend took this opportunity to rid the world of this evil force by throwing the Millennium Ring into a forest. Yet, when season 2 began,Bakura was once again seen wearing this cursed object, without any explanation given. It is hinted that the spirit of the item used ancient magic to return to his owner, but this is never explicitly stated in the show at any point.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s
Cast
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s is the third main spin-off series in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. This anime follows Yusei Fudo, a duelist participating in the new Turbo Duels, in a futuristic world known as New Domino City. Set in a dystopian society, the show introduces a new form of dueling with motorcycle-like vehicles called Duel Runners, and explores themes of social disparity and personal growth.
Tetsu Trudge is one of the most prominent side characters inYu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, as a trusted and respected member of Neo Domino’s Sector Security. While the officer is best known for his participation in the third season of the anime, he had already made an appearance during the original series.He was first introduced as one of Yugi’s bullies, who Joey and Tristan had to fight to protect their friend.
The Trudge seen in5Dsis most likely a descendant of the bully that tormented the King of Games long ago. Still, this has never been confirmed, andseveral official sources tend to refer to the officer and bully as the same. If this is the case, Tetsu should have been either an elderly gentleman, since the show takes place several decades after the original, or immortal.
10 Best Cards Used by Yusei In The Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Anime
Yusei Fudo’s deck contains many powerful cards that any duelist would love to possess. Yet, which ones were the strongest among them?
8The Winner of Yugi and Jaden’s Duel
A Mystery That Has Kept Fans Wondering For More Than A Decade
During the final episodes of theYu-Gi-Oh! GXanime,Jaden is sent back in time by an older Yugi, so they can have a final symbolic duel to celebrate the student’s graduation. The main objective of this encounter was to remind the Supreme King that dueling should be fun, a lesson that he had forgotten long ago.
Thanks to this duel, Jaden recovered the spark that he had abandoned after having to fight for his life countless times in less than three years. After an arduous game, Jaden is left with just his trusted Neos againstYugi’s legendary Egyptian God Card, Slifer. Right as the protagonist declares an attack, the duel comes to an end, never revealing if he had a strategy to defeat the mighty deity or if he had given up on winning the duel.
Yu-Gi-Oh’s Dub Completely Removed The Duel Fans Most Wanted to See
The 4Kids dubs of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise are often criticized for censorship but their most egregious sin was not adapting Yugi and Jaden’s duel.
7Duel Academy’s Abandoned Dorms
Negligence and a Lack of Concern For Students' Lives
During the first season ofYu-Gi-Oh! GX, many characters referencea tragedy that occurred in the abandoned Obelisk Blue male dormitory. It was said that several students tried to use dark magic to recreate the Shadow Games that the ancient Egyptians used to play. This led to all those involved with these rituals suddenly vanishing without a trace.
Even though several students disappeared from the premises, not many adults seemed concerned about the event. Duel Academy’s higher-ups tried their best to keep the information about the incident a secret, butnever once tried to find the missing students. If not for Jaden, the unfortunate souls captured by Nightshroud would likely have never been recovered.
6Roku’s Legendary Monsters
Could He Be an Older Version of Yugi?
Roku is one of Yuma’s various mentors during his journey to become one of the galaxy’s best duelists. While he may not seem strong, due to his old age and short height, he hides a strength that most players would not be able to overcome. Inside his temple, Roku keeps wooden statues of many ofYu-Gi-Oh!most iconic cards, fromthe Dark Magician to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
The reason why Roku seems to be the only one with access to these legendary creatures is never explained. Many fans have concluded thatYuma’s mentor could be an older version of Yugi, trying to teach a new generation like his grandfather used to do. Nevertheless, this issue has never been officially addressed, and, likely, it never will.
10 Best Cards Used By Yuma In Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
These are the most useful, powerful, and interesting cards the protagonist of the Zexal anime, Yuma Tsukumo, possessed.
5Shadow Games Existing in GX
A Ritual That Should Not Exist Anymore
After defeating Bakura and the embodiment of darkness himself,the ominous Zorc Necrophades, Pharaoh Atem used the power of Holactie to rid the world of the dangerous Shadow Games. This would imply that the concept of these evil rituals should not exist any longer in the world of the series. Regardless, theYu-Gi-Oh! GXanime ignored this important detail andonce again utilized Shadow Games in its story.
Since both series take place in the same universe, these games should not even be mentioned in any ancient texts, as they were erased in Atem’s time. The topic is never explained, and the Shadow Games are treated as an ancient and evil magic that has existed for centuries, even though it should not be possible.
4Yugi and Joey’s Rematch
How Did Joey Beat The King of Games?
Once the Battle City Tournament came to an end,Yugi and Joey had a friendly duelto give the latter a chance to get his Red-Eyes Black Dragon back. Both duelists agreed to meet early in the streets of Domino City, in what promised to be an incredible duel. Lamentably, this encounter was never shown, leaving fans to wonder what happened during the duel.
The show hints at Joey being the winner of the duel, as he is later seen using his Red-Eyes during important duels. Nevertheless, neither Yugi nor Wheeler talk about this duel ever again, and no other character seems to be aware of it occurring. It is a tragedy that this duel between two of the best duelists in the world will never be seen by fans.
3Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World
A Card That Will Never Be Revealed
Season 3 of theGXanime, saw the heroes of the story trapped inside the Duel Monsters World, trying to find a way back home. During their journey, they faced several dangerous enemies, like Brron, the malicious king of the Dark World Army. The goal of this cruel monarch was tocreate the ultimate warrior, a creature simply known as Colorless.
This monster could only be created by fusing 12 monsters, each with a different level. Before Brron could achieve his goal, Jaden defeated him in a fit of rageas the newly reborn Supreme Kingafter supposedly seeing his friends die, which was just another trick of the evil king. An official version of Colorless was released in 2024, although this version does not require 12 monsters to be summoned, implying it is not the one Brron was trying to summon in the anime.
2Atem and Kaiba’s Reunion
Did Kaiba Acomplish His Goal?
TheDark Side of Dimensionsmovieserved as a loving tribute to the originalYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monstersseries, giving Yugi and his friends a proper ending. The movie revolves mainly aroundKaiba’s determination to bring Atem backfrom the world of the spirits and duel him one last time. By the end of the movie, Seto had found a way to cross between the dimensions and meet with his rival in the afterlife.
The film ends before fans can see what occursbetween these two talented duelists, strongly hinting at them having a last duel. Kaiba seems to be happy with the outcome since he returned to Earth and even helped Yugi develop a new game. Yet, it is never explicitly stated if he was happy because he finally defeated his rival or simply because he had a chance to duel Atem for the last time.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Ending Explained: What Happened to Yugi, Kaiba, & Joey At The Series' End?
Yu-Gi-Oh! is easily one of the most iconic anime of the past 20 years, and here’s a breakdown of its ending and the fates of its principal leads.
1Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Continuity
How Does Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Timeline Look?
The first three series in the franchise have been officially confirmed to share a unique timeline, with each new iteration occurring several years after its predecessor. OnceYu-Gi-Oh! Zexalbegins,the timeline of events becomes unclear. Unlike previous seasons, events from the past are not directly mentioned, making it seem as if the show is occurring in a different universe.
Nonetheless, up toVRAINS, each series contains several details and references that heavily imply they are occurring in the same timeline. Konami, the company that owns the rights to the franchise, has never made a statement concerning this issue, and it likely never will, since the anime series has been rebooted with the introduction ofYu-Gi-Oh! Sevens.
