While many fans often compare Yu-Gi-Oh! As for Pokémon, it’s actually most similar to another beloved series. Part of the reason for the classic comparison between Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon are both shows that were released around the same time targeting the same demographic, and both have their own trading card games. On a narrative level, the two are quite different.
Yu-Gi-Oh! begins with a much darker tone than Pokémon, with roots in the horror genre, much like manga. Also, the series work in very different ways, with Pokémon following the same protagonist up until the most recent season and Yu-Gi-Oh! The main cast changes with each new installment of the series. After the power decline of the series’ central game made its duels more complicated, Yu-Gi-Oh! The franchise has diverged with its seventh series focusing on a new game called Rush Duels. All of these have natural similarities to another beloved anime franchise that fans may not have realized yet.
Yu-Gi-Oh! More like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure than Pokémon
Jojo’s Strange Adventures is a series that follows different members of the Joestar family as they battle against a multitude of sinister enemies. The series started off heavily based on horror elements, with the first installment featuring the vampire Dio as the main antagonist. Each installment changes the series a bit, with a new main character in each iteration. After the sixth season, the series focuses on a completely new universe. While none of these quite coincide with their respective similarities in Yu-Gi-Oh!, their existence is incredibly surprising and opens up profound questions. more about their relationship.
Both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure features dramatic battles over relatively mundane things. For example, in Season 3, Jotaro has to play a variety of games such as poker and a baseball video game to defeat several enemy bleachers. This focus on atypical shounen battles reflects the focus of Yu-Gi-Oh! in its card game. Just as Stands each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so too do different decks and strategies in Yu-Gi-Oh!, while battles remain the main focus. The decision to change characters in each installment of both series allows both to tell different types of stories, a possibility both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure take advantage.
These similarities will hopefully encourage fans of both brands to check out the other if they haven’t already. While they may have some major differences, their similarities are more interconnected than fans might initially realize. This is why instead of comparing Yu-Gi-Oh! with Pokémon, many fans should compare it to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
