Original Yu-Gi-Oh anime has taken its central card game to silly extremes, but the best series in the series really takes it even further. While the original anime was based on Kazuki Takahashi’s manga of the same name, the franchise proved popular enough to spawn a variety of spinoffs. Of these, many fans consider the third, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D to be the best part of the franchise.
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s takes place in a future version of Domino City in the first anime that is divided into rich and poor areas. The main character is Yusei Fudo, who begins the series with a mission to escape the slum known as the Satellite and retrieve his signature card from his old friend Jack Atlas. As the season progresses, Yusei, Jack and their friends engage in a millennial battle between a dragon and the evil entities imprisoned in the Nazca Lines. Despite all this craziness, perhaps the craziest part of the show is that the leading form of dueling of this era is the “Speed Duel” which takes place while the duelists are having their own battles. high octane motor racing.
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D Revolutionized Duel Using Motorcycle Races
Of course, the original Yu-Gi-Oh anime will also take its card battles to the extreme. Duels are often life-or-death issues or take place in absurd locations like train locomotives. Some duels even distort the concept of Yu-Gi-Oh’s central card game, such as Joey’s match against Valon, whose cards turned the game into a battle. Double hand. But for the most part the game plays out at a standstill, a trend that was also continued in the second series of the Yu-Gi-Oh GX franchise. In contrast, many of the most important Yu-Gi-Oh 5D matches took place on motorcycles.
These Speed Battles often increase the tension of the game and also allow for some changes to the scene. They also encapsulate one of the main strengths of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise in being able to balance a silly premise with serious stakes and action. The often pejorative phrase “Motorcycle Card Game” is often used to refer to 5D as being more silly than the anime that preceded it, but the series actually uses these Speed Battles to explore themes. profound issues such as class discrimination and exploitation. Yusei’s motorcycle represents even deeper aspects of his personality such as his rude origins and unwavering determination.
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s motorcycle fights really pushed the franchise to the next level
After Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s, future series will continue to revolutionize duels, such as Arc V’s duels and VRAINS duels that ride through the storm. data. But 5D’s is the first series to take this huge leap, and it represents the broader willingness to take risks that has made anime so great. Any Yu-Gi-Oh fans are likely to turn away from 5D by the goofy nature of some of its duels that would give the best part of the franchise another watch.