#dragan (5ds)

[soaringonblackwings]

Returning to the Nest (excerpt)

-

“Does Crow know about your little plan to try and woo him?” Harald asked giving his energetic friend a stern look.

“Well….” His noncommittal response was all Harald needed for an answer.

“Geez, Brave there you go, jumping the gun.” Harald heaved a sigh. “At least tell Crow so he can help you with your move.”

“I will come up with something. There is plenty of time.” Brave says. “There is one thing I want to make sure of before leaving.”

Harald and Dragan both noticed the serious look on Brave’s face.

“Go on.” Harald gestured for Brave to continue.

“If things don’t work out, I just want to know if I have a place here to come back too….” Brave voiced his question.

So this is what has been bothering him lately? Was he afraid they would just never accept him back if he were to leave? That would explain why he’s been acting so weird since Crow announced his departure.

Brave never had a place to return home to. His hometown had no one waiting for him to come back. It was easy to leave and never return. He’s been moving from place to place never looking back until he happened upon the orphaned kids. It was then when he realized that maybe being a lone-wolf wasn’t what he truly wanted. The feeling only grew when he teamed up with Harald and Dragan. They were his family. Now, that he wanted to try and be with Crow, he was worried about losing them.

“Brave, you will always have a place to return to here.” Harald softly says. Dragan nods.

“Thanks! You guys are the best!” Brave runs over and wraps his arms around both of them.

He excused himself to his room and pulled out his phone. As much as he would like to just surprise Crow, it would be best to let him know. Brave wanted to show Crow he was a serious person and would be a great romantic prospect. He began typing.

Brave: After the tournament I’m thinking of moving to Neo Domino City.

[jellybeeans]

[inkblackorchid]

Ok but this is such juicy interpersonal conflict. This is mwah, chef's kiss. The questions this introduces. Was Dragan the only duellist of note who was forced to lose against Jack on purpose or was there a whole slew of them? How many people did Jack actually beat legitimately before the Fortune Cup? How much more other than the PR stuff was fabricated for Jack's image?

Also, this is an absolutely unacceptable blow to Jack's pride—his expression in the fourth screenshot here really says it all. This is such a good way to call back to season 1 Jack and really get him invested in this match. I love this choice.

[elemental-daddy-neos]

Brave: Give me one good reason why I can't wear my Hawaiian shirts on the racing track

Harald: Because I'll kick your ass if you do.

Brave: No you won't

Harald: You're right. I'll have Dragan do it for me.

Dragan: :)

[ygoartreviews]

Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts

Oh... It’s this card... I’m going to be real honest here, I do not like this card. This horse is so extremely buff that it leans hard into being uncanny. I think the part that bothers me the most is its forelegs, visible in all their grotesque glory. Part of me knows that horses hold their legs in a similar position while rearing, but all the muscle shoved into Guldfaxe’s legs makes their posing look straight up wrong. The more I look at them the more they look completely jacked up (I think maybe this is something to do with the perspective difference between them?). I can’t even talk about anything else going on with this weirdly buff horse because of them.

Rating: 3/10, why...................

[xltcharlotte]

congratulations for the first goods~

[pyropsychiccollector]

Yu-gi-oh 5D's: IF (Part 2)

After the Fortune Cup concludes, there's a brief lull as our heroes figure out how to proceed. Interrogating Goodwin isn't as straightforward as Sector Security hoped, especially when the former Director says he'll only speak to Yusei.

Meanwhile, Yusei, Jack, and Kalin face the public storm with Yusei's rise to glory. Plenty of Grand Prix fans are dissatisfied with someone from Satellite being their new Champ, and the biggest nuisances are the media eager to get the scoop on Yusei and/or drag him through the mud. Dragon manages to temper the crowd's volatile nature somewhat by formally acknowledging Yusei, and says if people have a problem with that they can take it up with him. Because Dragon doesn't care where people are from; Yusei demonstrated a burning spirit and drive that had him plow through every hurdle until he was finally able to defeat Dragan. If people are that upset about it, they can just gun for the Pros and prove that they're actually superior. Until then, they can cram it with the heckling.

Yusei weathers all the attention rather well - he's more concerned with understanding why they're all here. Why Goodwin had a hand in Greiger's village vanishing. Why he was so fixated on Jack and Yusei. But Trudge isn't so eager to strike a deal with Yusei to get Goodwin talking, he thinks he's more than sufficient for the interrogation so Trudge keeps at it for a while.

Jack stares at all the haters and wonders if this was what he wanted. If people would've accepted him any better than Yusei. Given the public's disdain for Satellite, he's wagering that it would've been about the same. It's certainly a wakeup call for him, though Jack isn't disheartened for long. The allure of stardom is an enticing one, but in the end what he seeks is being the best. It's just bothersome to him that people are so prejudiced; none of them deserve this resentment for making it so far in the Fortune Cup, for being judged for where they were born. Hell, those slack-jawed numbskulls don't even understand Yusei was threatened to do this tournament. Jack could care less about the public's opinions, he'll keep striving for greatness. He'll get another shot at Yusei once things have cooled down somewhat.

Kalin is amped about his buddy becoming the top dog in Neo Domino, that in a way the Enforcers managed to achieve a victory far grander than they ever dreamed. Though he's not so arrogant to claim this is a group victory; this was all Yusei, and in a way his friend has surpassed him despite not being much of a leader. And that thought sobers Kalin up, making him look back on all they've accomplished and gone through together. The other Enforcers always looked up to Kalin, but there was always a part of him that wondered how warranted that admiration was. He had moments of jealousy, of his emotions getting the best of him. Yusei might not have been a leader, but there was a down-to-earth quality that made him ideal for the role. It got Kalin thinking that Yusei had truly surpassed him as leader of the Enforcers, in every sense of the word...

As everyone regroups at Blister's place for some privacy and downtime, Kalin stews on the fact Jack is still here. That it almost feels like the old days, just with all the new faces - Tanner, Yanagi, Luna, Leo, and Greiger - along for the ride. Dragon stayed back to ensure the media didn't tail them. Kalin can't shake the feeling he doesn't want to feel this comfortable around Jack yet. That Jack hasn't earned it yet. Yusei forgives so easily, and to a degree Kalin is jealous of that. He wishes he could be so noble. But in all the post-tournament celebrations, it feels and looks like he's the only one left sour and dissatisfied. Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere for their new friends' sake, Kalin slinks out to get some air.

Greiger gets along well enough with Leo and Luna. While he'd love to be grilling Goodwin personally, he's content to leave the man in Sector Security's care. That does mean there's a bit of a lull for him, a certain aimlessness for his next goal. But Greiger can't deny that hanging around Yusei and his friends helps him feel at peace. That they're just as restless as he is, just as eager to fully stop Goodwin's schemes. Greiger doesn't have a home to return to, so he's pretty much on the same level as those living in the Satellite. Maybe that's why he vibes with this hodge-podge group. They're social outcasts who are decent and well-meaning. They don't let their standing get in the way of what's important, saving their friends and fighting for what's right. He's also a Duel Runner enthusiast like Yusei, Jack, Kalin, and Blister. Even Bolt was thinking about returning to the Pros. So there was a brothership of sorts.

With Yusei busy checking in with Blister through video call, who made it to Satellite and saved Rally and crew, Kalin is the one approached by a Dark Signer drone. He tries to bait Kalin over to their side, suggesting that he can crush Jack Atlas. Kalin briefly considers the proposal, but immediately discards it as he would be enemies with Yusei in that case... And Kalin isn't that desperate to get back at Jack. So he duels the drone, and manages to win despite the Dark Synchro being a formidable challenge.

Jack went searching for Kalin since it was late, and on the way he bumps into Carly, who's been searching for Yusei to get some exclusive scoop. They catch the tail end of Kalin's duel with the drone, and while Kalin is still aggro, he does put aside his feelings of frustration and report they got a new threat coming their way. Mainly for Yusei and Jack. They all vamoose before Sector Security arrives to investigate the scene of the duel, which wreaked havoc on a construction site. Jack tries telling Carly to go home and let them handle things, but the girl's too curious for her own good.

Much to Trudge's frustration, he has little choice but to ask Yusei for help with Goodwin so stubborn in his silence. He personally escorts Yusei to the interrogation room, and has Jack, Kalin, and Greiger remain in a waiting room since they tagged along. While Yusei gets the explanation on the Crimson Dragon as well as the impending war with the Dark Signers, Trudge gets taken over by a spider drone and he duels Jack... with Carly supporting him, as the drone managed to injure Jack to get an advantage in their duel. Jack still wins, and gets looked after by Mina who feels embarrassed for Trudge's momentary insanity, and harbors a small crush on the blond ever since she watched him duel in the Fortune Cup. ... This does put her at odds with Carly, though.

After Yusei gets the low-down from Goodwin (still isn't sure if he can trust the man), he meets back up with his friends and learns what they've been through in the meanwhile. They then get approached by Lazar, who's rather fidgety and panicky at a new development. Regrouping in Lazar's office, they're vexed at some arm in a container with the fifth Sign emblazoned on it. None of them has a clue what it means, Lazar hasn't dared ask Goodwin about it because he's terrified of whatever answer he'll get. Lazar just found it while rooting around in his new office. And since Yusei, Jack, and Luna are confirmed Signers, he believes the...arm... is best off with them. Yusei accepts custody of it, and requests that they get a ride back to Satellite. They have business there.

However, at this point, everyone agrees to split up. Yusei, Kalin, and Greiger agree to head out to Satellite to check on the situation there. Meanwhile, Jack, Mina, Carly, and Trudge head for the Arcadia Headquarters to try and get Akiza onboard with the new mission of taking down the Dark Signers. There's also the issue that Luna and Leo attempted to infiltrate Arcadia's ranks while their eyes were off the kids.

In this version of events, Mina confronts Sayer when she sneaks into his office and finds evidence of criminal activity. Sayer defeats her in a duel and blasts her out the window, unwittingly turning her into a Dark Signer. Misty still attacks Akiza, accusing her of killing her brother. In the hectic demolition of Arcadia Headquarters, Trudge saves Leo and Luna, and Jack helps Akiza abort the duel with Misty, and they flee with Carly. Mina defeats Sayer in a rematch, and turns him into a Dark Signer as well. In the aftermath, Mina's horrified at what she's become, and Misty tries to console her. Then the three Dark Signers depart for Satellite for the coming battles.

Trudge doesn't take Mina's disappearance well, but knows it's his duty to help get Jack, Akiza, Carly, Leo, and Luna over to Satellite. He doesn't want more lives at risk than there already is... But he does worry about Mina, all the same.

In Satellite, Yusei's group rendezvouses with Blister, Rally, and crew. Crow hooks back up with them as well, but things get dicey as Roman's drones are multiplying amongst the Satellite's residents. Yusei entrusts the fifth Sign to Crow, hoping it'll help protect him with everything going on.

Tragedy strikes. Crow goes out on his own as he's worried for some kids he left behind. That's when Roman attacks, and does his best to tempt Crow over to the Dark Signers. Doesn't work so well with how spirited Crow is, but Roman does possess him with a drone and uses the Enforcer to duel Yusei and break his confidence. Roman does manage to get under Yusei's skin with this maneuver, and gets Yusei into a crash with his Runner before the duel can conclude.

Kalin gets Yusei over to Martha's, while he leaves Greiger and the others to bring the Runner. Roman made Crow slip away, and still has the fifth Sign back in his possession. When they regroup at Martha's, Yusei blames himself for allowing Crow to get captured by the enemy. Kalin resolves to fix this...somehow. Crow is just as much his friend, it's not Yusei's fault things ended up this way.

Jack's group arrives shortly after, and they all have time to decompress and think of their next move. Yusei helps Akiza to get over her lingering mental blocks, helps to make up with her parents. They all stew and reflect on why they're here, why they're fighting the Dark Signers. As tempting as it is to ignore Goodwin's ominous fantastical tales, they do have their reasons.

Yusei, Jack, and Kalin want to save Crow.

Trudge wants to find out what happened to Mina.

Luna wants to rescue Ancient Fairy Dragon.

Carly wants to help Jack. Leo wants to help everyone.

Greiger believes this will close the book on his vengeance against Goodwin.

Akiza wants to resolve matters with Misty.

Eventually, Roman throws down the gauntlet and challenges the Signers to close the gates to the Netherworld before the sun sets. Our heroes come to realize their enemies are Roman, Misty, Devack, Sayer, and Mina.

The fight against Devack goes about the same, with Luna and Leo taking him down and reclaiming Ancient Fairy Dragon.

Trudge tries his best to save Mina, but he isn't strong enough to defeat her Earthbound Immortal; his defeat does bring Mina some amount of grief and heartache. Carly tries getting through to Mina, seeing her rival so distraught. However, this winds up with the Earthbound Immortal fully possessing Mina and taking Carly hostage to strong-arm Jack. Of course he doesn't listen, and stakes it all on one last turbo duel. Jack manages to defeat her, save Carly, and promises they'll bring Mina back along with Trudge.

Kalin duels Crow in Yusei's place, but defeating his friend results in Roman claiming Crow's soul like many others in Satellite. He and Greiger go to seek out Roman, and narrowly triumph over him in a two-on-one match. During that battle, the fifth Sign bonds to Kalin, and his Infernity Doom Dragon becomes the fifth dragon card in the set. Back in Neo Domino, Goodwin can feel instinctually that his brother lost, and feels the subtle call of the King of the Netherworld. The former Director begins taking steps before his window of opportunity is lost.

Yusei duels and takes out Sayer. He learns that Sayer is the one responsible for Misty's brother's disappearance, and he manages to record Sayer's confession in the hopes that Misty will come to her senses. Which goes about as well as canon, Akiza needing to win her duel without Misty's surrender.

Back in Neo Domino, Goodwin nearly consummates his pact with the Dark Signers. Almost calls forth the King of the Netherworld. But Dragan duels him, as a favor to Yusei and his friends. He doesn't see the Crimson Dragon as some lesser deity to Thor or any of the Nordic gods. Dragan knows how hard they're all fighting to save this city, and chips in as the once-champ. With his defeat, Goodwin can't summon the King of the Netherworld, and everything resolves.

A key difference is that with Thor's interference, Rex and Roman are able to be brought back to life through some miracle. It's not the ending the brothers were looking for, but reflecting on it they should atone properly. They have a duty to look after Devack, Sayer, Misty, and Mina. The former two will need rehabilitation like the brothers, while the ladies can return to their lives without much fuss. Everyone knows the real responsible parties for all the suffering and misery over the years. They'll put the spurs to the Arcadia Movement and track down Misty's brother, along with all of the people held against their will. And further, the brothers, Devack, and Sayer will surrender to the authorities and whatever punishments are deemed appropriate.

Crow and everyone else affected by the Dark Signers are returned to life. Crow reunites with the gang, and is surprised Kalin can be near Jack without going feral, and that Jack is sticking around. Jack points out he's had lots of time to stew over and regret running off like he did; and he's not going to repeat history. Kalin embraces his role as a Signer, and doesn't get pigheaded over being the one to defeat Roman. Without every one doing their part, they wouldn't be standing here. Kalin resolves to let his bitterness go, to work with Jack and everyone to bring Satellite and Neo Domino back together. Yusei can get behind the Enforcers reforming for that purpose, they all can. Crow feels left out of the adventure, but they won't leave him behind. There's a leftover plot thread of Kalin feeling Yusei might make a better leader of their group (not just the Enforcers, but everyone involved), but for now he has the mark of the dragon head.

Yusei wasn't expecting Dragan to step in like that, but thanks him for the help. Goodwin could have blindsided them... It was a close thing. Dragan waves him off and declares he'll return for that Championship title someday. For now he wants to track down the other Nordic god wielders and embrace the feeling of camaraderie; as much as Dragan respects Yusei and the Crimson Dragon, he can't deny there's some jealousy at seeing them come together as a unit. Dragan points out the others might not be so receptive of the Crimson Dragon; they do have their pride as fellow heroes. But if they have to, they'll settle accounts with the Signers someday. ... Someday soon. Dragan can feel it in his bones.

Greiger feels good about taking down the Goodwin brothers, and even better about saving his home village from the Dark Signers. While he will be taking time off to return home and celebrate, he promises Kalin, Yusei, and everyone that he'll be back. As easy as it would be to part ways, Greiger wants to help them save more people and reunite this splintered city. Luna and Leo go with him, wishing to show their support.

Mina reconciles with Trudge, Carly, and Jack. She still has feelings for Jack, but it is a lot murkier after this whole Dark Signer business - a lot of which she doesn't remember. Subconsciously, she's grown closer to Trudge after defeating him in that duel; she feels guilty and sorrowful, and doesn't fully understand herself. Carly's ecstatic at the conflict in interest (less competition for Jack), but does feel kinda bad cuz it has to suck losing some real personal memories like that. Jack doesn't have romantic feelings for anyone yet; but he has no problem accepting Carly and Mina, and even Trudge as friends.

Akiza and Misty have a similar reconciliation, yet Misty handles the memory loss marginally better because she was in a dark place mentally, anguishing over her brother. But Akiza apologizing for being so horrible to him, for giving her hope about her brother still out there somewhere... Misty has no grudges left. She sees Akiza isn't the witch everyone accused her of being, and feels content knowing Sayer was in custody and the Arcadia Movement was being dissolved. Misty picks her modeling career back up, but does so with a two-fold purpose. To help her brother return to her, and also to help sponsor the future Team 5Ds. Like Greiger, Misty doesn't like leaving debts unpaid and is more than happy to stay in touch and do what she can to help her heroes.

While everyone else branches off a little, the Enforcers succeed in funding and building a bridge to connect Satellite and Neo Domino. It's a small step in their goals, but it's an important first step all the same. Now the real work can begin in healing the Satellite...

[sonicasura]

Out of curiosities sake for the Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Crossover should Team Ragnarok play a bigger role in the story. I am asking because I find it a bit of a waste how we didn't get too see more of the story behind the Rune eyes and the Nordic Gods, along with Dragan, Broder, and Halldor, they all were cool characters that I wish we could have seen more of.

Where did the Nordic God Cards come from? What exactly are the Rune Eyes in relation too the Nordic God Cards? Do they have any sort of relation too the Crimson Dragon? And if so what is it?

All these questions I have about all them and I wish they didn't just sort of appear out of nowhere just too give Team 5D's one last big battle for the Tournament and do one more story important thing and just nothing else.

What do you think?

It honestly did feel like they should have more significance in the series. The Nordic God Cards can be considered "rivals" of the Crimson Dragon. All three have their own duties to handle in the Spirit World but tend to butt heads with CD on certain affairs.

The Rune Eyes are their version of a brand for every duelist deemed worthy to wield them. Kinda like a blessing.

[arc-of-smiles]

Do you have any favorite shippings in Yu-Gi-Oh!? I see you have favorite characters, but I can't find anything about shippings.

hiya! idk why i never put my fave ships down. i remember when i was going to, but i never did.

well, that being said i ship a lot of things so like... yeah. i think it's bc i don't wanna name everything i ship but idk. i can't really remember the reason why. but i can tell you some of my ships! i'll just name some from each series.

dm: deathshipping (yami marik x ryou bakura), chaseshipping (tristain taylor/hiroto honda x duke devlin/ryuji otogi), puzzleshipping/blindshipping (yami yugi/atem x yugi), puppyshipping (joey wheeler/katsuya jounouchi x seto kaiba), and of course theifshipping bc they're basically canon. i also enjoy anzu/miho too... bc miho deserves love. again, this isn't all of my ships, if you're curious i'm like... hella into deathshipping LMAO.

gx: rivialshipping gx (jaden/judai x chazz/jun), idolshipping (fubuki/atticus x zane/ryo), kenzan/shou, jim/jun, medici/samejima, johan/edo. i love johan/edo so much, i loved them for YEARS. since i was a child. jim/jun is one of my new fave ships, i think they would be funny and cute <3. idolshipping on top (imo), i loooove fubuki/ryo, i want them to be HAPPY.

5ds: crow/aki, yusei/aki, jack/carly, yusei/kiryu, yusei/bruno, harald/brave/dragan. when i was younger i was super into bruno/kiryu but not so much now. i think they're still cute! but i'm not as into them as now. i swear to god i had more 5ds pairings but i haven't seen it in a bit so my mind is a bit hazy. carly/misty lived in my mind rent free when i was a kid too. i thought they were great. again, i can't think of anything lmao.

zexal: HELLSHARK, i fucking love hellshark. they've been my fave since i was a child and god they make me insane. yuma/astral, mizael/durbe, rio/kotori, iii/gilag, v/kaito, alito/vector. i love ewjhfbwe yuma/astral, they make me wanna cryyyy. and and wejhfbwe mizael/durbe??? I LOVE THEM, but damn hellshark makes me so fucking insane (iv/ryoga)

arc-v: reiji/yuya, yugo/rin, yuto/shun, yuzu/masumi, dennis/yuri, yuto/ruri, dennis/shun, shun/kaito, sawatari/gongenzaka, yuya/sawatari, reiji/sawatari, reiji/yuya/sawatari, crow/shinji, wjehfbwe. i'm super mentally ill abt dennyuri + reiji/yuya JHBWEFBHWE. and in general, shun ships too. like i love shun so much wejhfwe. yuzu/masumi was actually my first arc-v ship!!! so they're still very dear to me <3 <3.

crossover: the ONLY one i'm not embarrassed abt sharing is bruno/jun. i love them so much, like i'm not even joking. they make me SO very happy. yes, it's very random and "crackship" BUT I DON'T CARE I LOVE THEM!!!!! and yes, i do have more crossover ships but wejfhbwe i am shy to share LMAO.

DISCLAIMER: i am a multishipper, and these are like... not all of my ships. basically: if i think they look cute/good/have enough chemistry (or brainrot potential) together, i will most likely ship it. i think multishipping fun and it's fun to see a bunch of couples <3.

so i hope this answers your question!!!

[brobroandsissy]

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Episode 137

[shitpostingkats]

I humbly request a Team Ragnarok essay please

Team Ragnarok: Diversity win! Even side characters can suffer from main character syndrome!

Okay so I just finished season 4 last night, which is why I didn’t get to this ask earlier, but BOY OH BOY yeah these anime men are very fun and THANK YOU for requesting a full essay on them. Because I wouldn’t have normally made a full ramble for minor antagonists like them, but now that I have the excuse to go off, let me say:

This beloved team of Scandinavians, no matter how trope savvy they appear to be, clearly haven’t been watching the show. If they had, they would know the biggest mistake a 5Ds villain can make: profiling Yusei & co.

This ragnarock-and-roll boyband might just be my new favorite example of the “they’re just like us fr” opposing team trope (For my other favorite example, see Leverage: The Two Live Crew Job.) As I mentioned in previous posts, Team Ragnarok is a trio of dudes who are essentially the most qualified people to be main characters, and they know that. They’ve got the prophecy proclaiming them to be the Heroes, they’ve got magic eyeballs and god cards like the king of games himself, and interestingly enough, each of the members uses a parallel color scheme to one of the Satellite bois.

And like I said, they know  this. They are all deeply aware of the trope space they’re playing in, due to basing their own importance on stories and legends. They know how this is supposed to go. From their perspective, Team 5Ds is the scrappy, backwater team with good enough motivations who nonetheless aren’t qualified for the Sake-Of-The-World battle that’s about to ensue, and as such they must beat. (You know. Like Team 5Ds did to Team Taiyo just an episode ago.) Their narrative self-confidence is even supported by their theme: In the Eddas, Odin was told the prophecies of the end of days and knew going into it how everything would play out. So everything about narrative rules says this scrappy team of city slickers is their last hurdle to clear before facing The Final Boss. The penultimate fight basically every anime tournament pulls at least once: Fight Your Double. 

The trope wherein every member of the squad has to face off against their evil/thematically opposed counterpart. The Doppelganger Squad. If you’ve seen a kids show, you know this trope. Our heroes encounter a team of antagonists with the exact same powers and abilities, to a ridiculously parodying degree. And it’s also likely you know the stereotypical plot this episode often follows: The Opponent Switch. The team heavy is wearing himself ragged against an opponent of identical physical prowess. The team ranged fighter is unable to gain ground against their rival because they both keep shooting each others projectiles out of the air. The team tech geniuses are stuck in a standoff of hacking each others robots back and forth.

Usually, this episode plot is resolved by an Opponent Switch. The hero team realizes they can’t beat their doppelganger because they’re too evenly matched, so they swap. The tech whiz distracts the ranged fighter so one of their robots can sneak close and deliver an attack. The ranger can take out the fighter from a distance without getting within reach of their overpowered punches. The fighter has nothing to hack, they just charge forward and attack the (usually fairly wimpy) computer nerd. 

Team Ragnarok knows the narrative. They understand the power of tropes. So, they decide to cut right to the chase, and pull an Opponent Switch preemptively.

The funny thing is, they completely misjudge whose counterpart is who.

Jack is the silver colored, egotistical eldest, the king with glitz and glamor and years of experience under his belt. Dramatic and with a hint of villainous flair when it comes to mocking his opponents in battle. He must be the Odin, the de facto leader and calculating strategist. 

Crow is black and gold and bold as brass, with a tendency for letting his emotions get the better of him and charging into fights whenever he gets the opportunity. Obviously, he’s the Thor, the powerhouse.

And Yusei, he’s got Loki’s red hair and cunning. No natural powers to his name, he gets by through his enemies underestimating him and his quick wits. 

So, to avoid an even match, Team Ragnarok sends the fighter to overpower the strategist, the rogue to bamboozle the fighter, and the strategist to out-think the rogue. 

Perfect, they’ve avoided any possible fights against their opposites. Right?

Whoops.

So yeah, not only are Jack and Crow not actually foils of the Ragnarok bois who share their color schemes, they’ve managed to blunder into the exact match ups where everyone is forced to battle their doppelganger. And not only that, also defying the expected cliche, Jack and Crow do eek out a draw in each of their duels, but only by last minute burn damage dealt by Dragan and Broder. In a regular duel? They’d have just won, outright.

They’re better.

And they’re better without thinking they’re destined to be so.

When Halldor starts to describe his childhood to Yusei, he tells of his grand birthright and growing up to uphold the legacy of his family. Of traveling the world to grow into a Protagonist. To see, in his own words:

Yusei and the team never got that opportunity. But boy howdy do they know about the majesty as well as the desolation. They didn’t need to leave their birthplace to find it.

Halldor initially dismisses Yusei because of his lineage, because in his eyes, a bloodline is predetermination. And Yusei tells him “No. It’s not.” 

Yusei has nothing to do with his father. He never even met the guy. Yes, a great deal of his burden is dealing with the actions his parents took, the survivors guilt of living where his family’s actions killed so many others, but it’s never really been personal. It’s like he said in the dark signers arc: Reverse Zero was the direct result of his father’s work. And it was a tragedy. One that shouldn’t have happened. 

But it also gave Yusei Satellite.

And Satellite influences Yusei a lot.

And that’s why Team Ragnarok evaluated so comically incorrectly. Because yes, in a vacuum, the brothers were probably destined to grow up in those color-coded roles of their reflections. Jack, the eldest brother with an inflated ego and the most favor by the gods, was all set up to be their leader. But Satellite wore him down to anger. Thanks to his time on the mainland, he knows firsthand the difference between arcane power and authority, and is thoroughly unimpressed with both.

Crow is a hothead, a himbo with a heart of gold. That’s prime territory for the team powerhouse. But by sheer quirk of being a resident of Satellite, he could never afford to be a radical. To fight in the open. Crow learned to be stealthy and fight in the shadows, simply because endangering his own life would also mean endangering the kids left failed by the city. He learned to be a trickster, because Satellite denied him the privilege to be anything else.

And Yusei. My darling son. Gifted with all the potential to be the party rogue. The youngest, the third brother in the fairy tale, the one gifted with words and tricks and secondhand objects. The rogue fills in all the cracks in the party skillset, relying on the other members for things like magic and raw power.

But Yusei’s family left him. And he had to learn how to do everything else, too.

He’s a strategist and a knight and a scoundrel and a fighter. He doesn’t fit neatly into one archetype because up until recently he’s had to do it all alone, and while he’s mostly taken over as the brains of the operation, (by simple virtue of Jack and Crow having exactly one braincell between them) he can do pretty much anything in a pinch. 

Yes, if nothing had gone wrong, they would be the perfect tropey reflections of Team Ragnarok.

But something did go wrong. And now, all the roles are jumbled together. This tale isn’t going by the book because the author’s switched. And Yusei’s tired of letting other people write his story.

That is the difference between Team 5Ds and Team Ragnarok. They’re qualified to be the heroes because the gods put runes in their eyes. 

Yusei’s rune on his eye was put there by his oppressors. He stole the symbol on his arm from someone who didn’t deserve it. 

Team Ragnarok is good because they need to stop Zero Reverse. 

Team 5Ds is better because they’ve already had to live through it.

And then, acknowledging that personal power, the fact that this is their city, that they are made more qualified to save the world by the very fact that the world hurt them back, Team Ragnarok immediately backs off and becomes a friendly gang of Amicable Scandinavian Himbos.

Which we can all agree, is the best possible outcome.

[jellybeeans]

#YGOrarepairweek2023 Dia 6 - Apenas uma Cama! ...e era uma cama Alaskan King Size!

[inkblackorchid]

That plot point about some of Jack's matches being rigged also makes me think if his matches against Himuro and Enjo were also rigged

It's an interesting thing to wonder about for sure. However, I feel like with those two, cases can be made that they weren't forced to lose on purpose based on their personalities and appearances in the show.

For Himuro/Tanner, we know he was the champion before Jack, and we know that losing to this young upstart utterly crushed his spirit. And I personally think that defeat would not have been as harrowing (to the point of driving him into underground duelling and drinking) had it not been real. The part that makes Jack's victory so soul-crushing to Himuro/Tanner is that it was real, I think, and that it was fairly decisive, at that, which he did not expect after apparently having held the champion title for a good while himself.

Then we've got Enjo Mukuro/Hunter Pace, who, if his multiple appearances during the Fortune Cup are anything to go by, seems to have made a habit of challenging Jack multiple times in order to get his title. And you could make a case for that being an elaborate show-gag on Goodwin's part to introduce some sort of reoccurring rival who's always set to lose on purpose, anyway, but you know what kind of speaks against it for me? Enjo's duel against Yusei in the Fortune Cup. This guy is so fired up to try to beat Jack, in a way that I think would be hard to fake.

Plus, there's also something to be said about how the show presents their characters. Through their interactions with Yusei, we see that both of them really value duelling and their pride as duellists. And we get nothing that indicates they might have had a reason to "give up their duellist's pride" by losing against Jack on purpose, like Dragan did because he needed the money for his father's recovery. And I doubt Goodwin could have rigged their duels against Jack without them being in on it somehow, which I simply can't see them agreeing to from a personality standpoint.

That said, I could absolutely see someone taking his idea further in a fic and introducing elements that do force Himuro and/or Enjo to lose their matches on purpose, further undermining Jack's king status and throwing into question whether he ever honestly earned it in the first place. I think it would make for a compelling personal crisis on Jack's end. (Though I'm also perfectly fine with how the show handles that part tbh. Letting him beat Dragan for real and salvaging his pride makes this a good, self-contained mini-plotline imo.)

[kamenriderichigou]

happy birthday Jack Atlas!

[stardustsynchro]

👏👏👏

[tvrboking]

Boys I want to smooch me - dragan - crow - bruno - YUSEI Boys who I don't want to smooch me: - kiryuu