Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh! the franchise is only familiar with various anime series that need to see the spin-off manga that completely changes the series. Surprisingly, these manga are not original stories, although Yu-Gi-Oh! there is a more recent modern manga that fits that description. Instead, these manga are more like recreations of anime.
This may come as a surprise to some fans because Yu-Gi-Oh! The manga is very similar to the first anime although there are some differences. Of course the series that most fans know and love cuts away from the manga’s dark beginnings (though much of that content was animated in another series that fans call “The 0”), but aside from that, the manga has been almost completely adapted. The anime has additions like the Virtual World and Awakening the Dragon storylines, but this doesn’t make the series something completely different from the manga. This would quickly prove to be a surprising exception rather than a rule as new anime and manga in the series would be released.
Manga sequel to Yu-Gi-Oh! Completely changed their anime
After Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, each spin-off show will be an original story instead of being based on the manga. However, manga for each of these spin-offs have also been released, featuring many of the same characters from the series. However, besides the characters and settings, the anime and manga are completely different for each series. The manga will feature new cards, new enemies, and new backstories for the characters, which will completely change the story. Sometimes this can even manifest in some really strange changes like Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga Arc V has a Back to the Future style.
These changes can make the manga seem surreal to fans of the anime they are based on. However, surreal doesn’t necessarily mean bad, as these stories can almost be seen as the continuing adventures of the anime’s characters in an alternate universe. Additionally, seeing the characters play with different cards could give fans a glimpse into how the games in the anime differ if some of the most iconic cards in the series slightly adjusted. This makes these manga somewhat similar to What If…? by Marvel. comic series at its best.
These spin-off manga are often much less talked about than the anime that spawned them, which is a shame because they’re a lot of fun to read for a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! general franchising. Overall, they may not match the quality of the Yu-Gi-Oh! original, but very few series can do that. So Yu-Gi-Oh! Fans who only watch various anime should also check out the various manga in this series, as they may be pleasantly surprised by these alternate characters and cards.