#(edit: I know Takahashi was very ill when he was finishing the manga so im not angry at him for forgetting her)

[taiyami]

As much as I truly enjoy the ways the ygo anime developed and added to Mana's character, I can't help but be left with such a bittersweet pang when I think of her.

Her bond and devotion with Atem and Mahaad were all she had left after the events that led them to their places of rest. The millennium ring that she inherited from her beloved teacher Mahaad was now tainted by not only the bitter pain of his absence but also the hand of darkness. Did it change her? Or was that just the influence of time and the loneliness of losing both her closest friend and her mentor?

It must have been difficult to see Atem's name be scrubbed from existence for her. She knew him intimately, considering the nature of their circumstances. Perhaps her love for her friend was enough to surpass lifetimes; enough to wait thousands of years to reunite with her best friend and her mentor. We never saw Mana make the same open declaration to serve Atem for eternity as Mahaad did, but maybe she didn't have to. Maybe her devotion for them both was enough to be able to reunite with them when they needed her again.