#just all the Akabas okay

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

YGO Rivals Ranked

Giving this a try. I put this one off for a while because, to be honest, this is the hardest set of characters to rank or, in some cases, even fully know how I feel about. *glares at one specific character, you all know who it is if you follow me*  So... here’s my best attempt but just know, a lot of these are pretty interchangeable for me. Well, except my number 7 pick.

Oh also I’m not caught on Go Rush and it’s not done but Zwijo is looking to be a pretty good rival so far. He’s not on this list but he’s my favourite character in Go Rush so far so I figured I’d honourably mention him.

Anyways, onto the clear worst rival:

7 Reiji/Declan Akaba

Okay, I don’t dislike Reiji but compared to the other rivals… yeah, he falls pretty short. He’s the worst at being Yuya’s rival, they’re really far apart in age (or at least look that way) and Reiji is also basically his leader/general in seasons 2 and 3. Rivals are supposed to have even footing but not only does Reiji have way too much power over Yuya, he’s also an objectively better duellist than him for almost the entire show. Watching the show, it never registered to me that Reiji was “supposed” to be the rival, he fulfills that role so poorly. I don’t particularly dislike him. He’s an awful person but I do feel like the narrative usually condemns his actions (unlike a certain OTHER CHARACTER) or at least uses his awfulness as a way to illustrate the show’s themes of war corrupting both sides. I could never work up much effort to dislike him nut I couldn’t work up any effort to like him either. Sawatari should’ve been the main rival, Reiji really just isn’t anything special outside of his dub voice (which is a given, it’s Billy Bob Thompson) and some sparse moments but otherwise, he serves his role as everything but Yuya’s rival perfectly fine.

6 Roa Kirishima

To be honest, I have no clue who people consider the main rival of Sevens. Luke has the most presence opposing Yuga but he’s definitely more of the best friend character, Romin and Gakuto are both just friends to Yuga so for me, it was a toss up between Roa and Neil. And I’m choosing Roa because A) he was introduced first and B) he has specific beef with Yuga due to Otis choosing Yuga over him. He isn’t much of a rival after that first arc but he was still an interesting foil to Yuga as well as an antagonist to Romin. He’s also pretty funny, especially when the joke is at his expense. He’s not super deep or compelling which is why he’s this low but he’s all he needed to be: an entertaining rival and eventual friend to Yuga.

5 Kaito Tenjo

Hear me out. I love Zexal but one of my biggest problems with it was always how the second half of the show treated Kaito. He was a major character in the first half, a huge threat to Astral and Yuma and a catalyst for their development, and through it all, he was sympathetic and interesting. The final duel of season one is one of my favourites in Zexal because of his dilemma in it. He is great in Zexal I. And then Zexal II just… had no clue what to do with him. He doesn’t do anything but duel Mizael and die on the moon. His death was also poorly conveyed and confusing and yes I am talking about the sub here, that’s the definitive version of Zexal to me. The second half didn’t ruin Kaito or anything but I do feel that it ended up making me like Kaito less than I feel I should.

4 Jack Atlas

(Important note here that I prefer 5Ds in dub and primarily know it that way but have seen the final sub-exclusive arc, so I’m referring to dub Jack, though I’m familiar with both versions.)

While it’s definitely a less extreme case than Kaito, Jack is another character who I feel peaked in the first half of his show and then in the second half, doesn’t get much to do and feels flat as a result. Even putting aside the whole Carly retcon (which really is disgusting in the context of the show’s continuity), Jack just doesn’t have the same presence or narrative importance in that second half of the show and it feels like his development from Dark Signers was a little ignored. Like, as much as I love Yusei and Jack’s final duel and where that finale leaves all its characters, Jack’s obsession with being a lone wolf felt kind of off? Despite this however, Jack remained consistently entertaining (funny) post Dark Signers, even if that arc is where he peaked: it’s where he’s at his most interesting and relatable. And his most tragic. Do you have a minute to talk about our lord and saviour JackxCarly?-

Seriously though, that duel is where he peaked. Sorry not sorry.

3 Seto Kaiba

(Note: DM is the other Yugioh I primarily know in dub so again, I’m primarily talking about dub Kaiba here)

Kaiba has always been my favourite DM character. Heck, he was the one part of the show I legitimately enjoyed in the first half of Duelist Kingdom. Before that Yugi vs Kaiba duel on the tower, I was watching the show for completely ironic reasons. What can I say? I have a soft spot for the douchebags with a secret heart of gold, especially when that heart of gold is for their younger sibling. He’s also hilarious. Actually, out of every character on this list, Kaiba is probably the funniest to me: his snarkiness and absurd duelling obsession is a riot. He’s so over the top and douchey and dramatic and it is hilarious. He was the one thing that kept me going through that dreadful virtual arc. He’s also legit badass when he needs to be, like in the final arc when he went up against Z-Orc. Also, and this is probably because he’s the OG rival, but Kaiba is narratively the best rival of all these characters. He and Yugi are constantly at odds and duel each other multiple times throughout the show. Kaiba is the bane of Yugi’s existence yet also his ally when Yugi really needs him to be and it works pretty well. While I like the other rival characters, none of them ever quite got to this same degree of precise narrative importance.

2 Jun Manjome

And my GX character bias shines through again. But come on, how could I not love this silly dorky little creature of a man? Admittedly, what GX’s god awful dub did to Manjome makes it really hard for me to admit this, especially since it’s been a while since I’ve watched GX all the way through. But honestly, while I’m rusty on some story details of GX, I don’t feel rusty on the characters and I’ve always unironically liked Manjome. At first, he was just a typical snobbish school bully character but then we learn more about him: that his family put all this pressure on him to be exceptional lest he not be the “underachiever” of the family, which is something I relate to immensely to put it lightly. He also had a very relatable story arc in season four (seriously, his words when the students overcome Darkness stick with me the most out of all of them) and is consistently pretty funny. Like, legitimately a funny charming character in the sub. And like. A real person, not just a stupid joke. No, I will not stop repeatedly punching the GX dub in the face, it’s so bad-

But anyways, Manjome good. Really the only thing I don’t like about him is his honestly creepy simping over Asuka, which is more the show’s fault than his in my opinion and it’s not nearly as grating to me as Revolver’s racism.

Oh, right, speaking of which…

…

God, I hate to say this-

1 Revolver/Ryoken Kogami

*bashes head against a wall* God, why the hell am I saying this? Oh my god. Am I seriously this gay?

(Important note: I am ignoring Duel Links in this conversation, do not bring up Revolver’s flanderised stupid ass behaviour in Duel Links. I do not consider that to be an accurate representation of him.)

Seriously, take this placement with a grain of salt: my opinion on this character has changed so many times I can barely keep track anymore. However, he (tied with Ai) is the character I’ve written the most about on my AO3 so I definitely like him. However, while I do my best to keep him in character, I basically give Ryoken the development I felt he should’ve had in canon, which really exacerbates the feeling I’ve always had that canon Ryoken is an incomplete character. His visceral blind hatred toward the Ignis simply for existing always rubbed me the wrong way. I can tolerate it in season 1 since he’s a villain and his actions are very clearly condemned by the narrative. However, when he comes back in season 2 as an ally of the heroes still believing in this bigotry, it seemingly presents said bigotry (which is always phrased uncomfortably similarly to real life bigotry) as a debatable ‘agree to disagree’ topic, which is irresponsible and disgusting. I’ve covered this in more detail in the past so I won’t harp on this for too much longer but just know that this irritates me personally and I am being restrained. I’m aware Ryoken believes what he does because of his father’s brainwashing but… that’s the other issue. Ryoken, onscreen, never grows out of his blind loyalty toward his father, who neglected him, brainwashed him, and tortured children before his eyes when he was EIGHT. It doesn’t surprise me that Ryoken was messed up by this, and honestly it’s a compelling setup, but it’s a set up with no pay off, which makes his bigotry toward the Ignis unbearable. And it didn't need to be this way. Just cut that stupid ass scene in the season 3 clipshow episode where he goes “yeah, I still believe in genocide-ing the Ignis even after everything that happened last season” then maybe I could believe that the moments where he doesn’t seem fully sold that Ai is a threat at first and later entrusts Playmaker with the fate of mankind actually meant something!

…wow that’s a lot of negative things about Revolver. Would you be surprised to hear that I actually really love him? When he’s not being racist scum, his personality is actually pretty appealing. He’s very calculated and downright vicious as a duellist, but not out of hate. He respects his opponents and shows that respect by giving the duel no less than his all and I like that. It’s interesting. I also like how despite being a villain/anti-hero, he still has a level of honour/respect, even for his adversaries. Like when he kept his promise to give Playmaker the cure to the computer virus infecting Blue Angel after Playmaker beat him. The only time I recall him not giving his all in a duel was that first duel against Soulburner and that was in an admittedly clumsy attempt to make amends with him for the Lost Incident. Because Revolver is physically incapable of directly voicing how he feels and honestly, that’s probably the most relatable trait out of every character on this list. I know some people hate it but I relate to it so hard. And use it for comedic purposes in my writing way more often than I probably should. I have nothing but respect for Revolver as a duellist, he’s very skilled and respectful and I love his duels and while I don’t agree with what he fights for most of the time, he still fights that fight with honour. But I just have so much fun dunking on him as a person. He’s so fucking stupid yet simultaneously talks existential shit like some kind of genius and on a side note, his Japanese voice is so good, I could listen to him talk for hours. Oh my gosh-

Okay, I need to be honest for a minute. Revolver is not the best rival character. Kaiba is the best at fulfilling the rival role and Manjome has the most solid character arc. Either one of them is more legitimately deserving of this spot than Revolver. The reason Revolver is here is because I’d feel bad making people scroll past an abnormally long wall of text just to see who all of my picks are. I wrote so much more about Revolver than any other character on this list because whether I like it or not, Revolver is the character I feel most passionately about and that’s… at least partially for canon reasons. So… yeah, I feel comfortable saying I love him, just with the disclaimer of “he was mishandled in season 3 and completely bastardised in Duel Links.”

[anthyvarietyhour]

top five baby girls in all of yugioh. 🩷

Alr this is probably the last ask I answer before I pass out

Vetrix bbgirl. Of course

Chazz/Manjoume (okay so funny story, before I got into Zexal the only other spin-off I saw was GX and I just. Fell in love with him)

Yusho, ofc

Shun Kurosaki

Reiji Akaba

[universestreasures]

Yuya & Zarc & Odd-Eyes

Yuya is one out of four reincarnations of Zarc created when the Original Dimension was split into four by Ray Akaba, specifically the one born into the Standard Dimension. Though, his soul is more than just a fraction of Zarc's. Considering Zarc was split into four when he was merged with the four Dimensional Dragons (Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom), that means that Yuya is a byproduct of both Zarc's soul as well as Odd-Eyes'. In this sorta way, his soul is sort like a Pendulum Card, half Zarc and half Odd-Eyes.

That does not mean that Yuya isn't his own person because he very much is. He has no memories of Zarc or Odd-Eyes until Zarc's resurrection towards the end of the series. He was born into Standard as a baby and was adopted by Yusho and Yoko Sakaki and raised as their own son. He was not aware he was adopted until Zarc's origins are revealed by Leo Akaba (Ep 126-127).

Yuya represents both Zarc's entertainment spirit as well as Odd-Eyes' extreme loyalty and empathy to it's comrades. He inherited Zarc's original desire to entertain the world and bring smiles to them through his dueling, to dazzle the crowd, opponents, and monsters alike. Out of all of his reincarnations, Yuya is the closest in personality to Zarc prior to his descent into madness. He also shares a strong bond with his dragon, as seen through their many duels together.

Yuya feels bad for Zarc at the end of the day, for he went through similar things throughout the course of his journey. He can see the pain in his eyes, the rage and frustration, and everything in between. He does not condone Zarc's actions, not at all. Taking out his frustrations on humanity and hurting innocents is never okay, but he more than anyone, can see how Zarc became the monster he ended up being and wishes for him to find peace.

[thewittyphantom]

Here's Dennis's conversations with Yugo and Zuzu. I had no idea what Dennis did during Arc-V so seeing the different reactions has been very enlightening XD

Yugo: If it isn't Dennis! Dennis: Yugo...I heard you and Yuya were able to split back into two. Congratulati-- Yugo: Don't try to butter me up with your greasy words! I haven't forgotten what you did to Rin! Dennis: I can't change what I've done, but I am sorry. Yugo: ...Humph! If you wanna apologize, apologize to Rin and Lulu! Dennis: I promise I will. When they get here. Yugo: ...You really think Rin and Lulu are coming back? Dennis: Of course! You, Yuto, Celina - you all came back. So Rin and Lulu will too! Yugo: Yeah...Yeah! Maybe I had the wrong idea about you! Maybe you're not the worst guy in the universe! Dennis: That's right! I'm not! Yugo: Though you were dirty and shady and evil when I met you at Duel Academy. Dennis: Uh yeah...Sorry... Yugo: Whatever! Just make sure you don't forget about Rin or Lulu! Cuz it seems that remembering them plays a key role in getting 'em back! Dennis: Memories huh...This truly is an amazing and wondrous place! Yugo: Speaking of memories...When I met you in the Fusion Dimension, I remember you said something to me. Dennis: H-Huh? Did I? Yugo: Something about how as an entertainer, I'm no match for you? Dennis: Umm...Well...You know... I say a lot of things...Sorry... Yugo: A lot of people say a lot of stuff about me, but they should never talk bad about my Dueling! Me and you! One-on-one! I'll show ya how entertaining I can be! Dennis: I said sorryyyyyyy!!!

Zuzu: Is that you, Dennis? Dennis: It sure is! Hi, Zuzu! Zuzu: Umm... Dennis: Huh...? Why are you looking at me like that...? Oh yeah...You don't know what happened after I Dueled against Yusho. [flashback] Yusho: I'll talk with Leo Akaba personally and settle this. Dennis: Oh no you won't. To speak to the Professor, you must meet him first. And the only way to meet him is through me. Zuzu: It's you! Dennis!? Dennis: Hi there, Zuzu. Long time, no see. I've been looking for you. Zuzu: ...... [end flashback] Dennis: I'm really sorry for what I did that day, Zuzu. Zuzu: Yuya filled me in on what happened afterwards. But in the moment, you really scared me. Dennis: I won't make any excuses. I can't take back what I did at Duel Academy. Zuzu: I'm sorry. I really should cut you some slack. Especially since I heard you're working hard to make everyone in the Xyz Dimension smile again. Dennis: It's fine. Change takes time - you can't expect results in a day. ...Umm, Zuzu. There's something I want to test, but I need your help. Zuzu: Sure, what is it? Dennis: I heard that Celina is back, but Lulu and Rin are still inside you? Zuzu: Yeah. But don't ask me to explain how or why. Dennis: I won't. But...I want to reunite Lulu and Rin with Shay, Yuto, and Yugo. That's the least I can do for them. Zuzu: I want to reunite them too. Dennis: If you think of any way I can help - big or small - please don't hesitate to ask! Zuzu: Okay! But I really don't know how I can help... Dennis: We'll figure it out - as long as we don't give up! Which I promise I won't do!

[ciaossu-imagines]

Staying along that thread, for the same prompt, I'm moving on to a fandom meme for my second longest running fandom, Eyeshield 21!

Send me an X and 5 OC’s and I’ll tell you who would be…

The Survivor – I’m pretty sure Hiruma would figure out a way to survive the nuclear global apocalypse. A little slasher film? It’s nothing to him.

The Culprit – Okay, I will readily admit it. My first thought was that it would be either Hiruma or Agon but surprisingly, I don’t think it would be either. While Agon definitely has his sociopathic tendencies, I really don’t think it’s his style. Too much work for not enough payoff in it for him personally. While it might be a bit of  cheat, I feel like it would be a combination of different characters from the Pentagram, with Mr. Don being the one really in charge.

The First Victim – Let’s be honest. It’s Ishimaru and we all know why.

The One Who Almost Made It – Agon was so damn close. He was the one so many people were waiting and rooting for to die but it had seemed like he’d survive. Like a cockroach. Too bad for Agon that he pisses people off so badly because there was no way the culprits were going to stop until he was dead.

The Comic Relief – Okay, there would be so, so many comic relief characters in this horror flick. It’s definitely a horror comedy with this group of characters. Monta and Taki from the Devil Bats, Shin being overly serious from the White Knights, Akaba from the Spiders, Mizumachi from the  Poseidon…just so many great laughable moments because of them and more.

The Genre Savvy – I don’t know why but I really feel like, though most people would never think it, Kakei is actually a really big fan of horror movies and American style old-school slashers especially. I feel like he’d be pretty smart about figuring out what people should be on the look-out for and he’d be one of the last to die.

The Pretty One – It’s Karin and I will fight anyone who says my girl is not the pretty one.

[howaboutalittlehelpneos]

Round 5, Match 1

Okay, the first match of the final round is ready to commence! Martha's won 2 whole rounds already, so I imagine you're all familiar with her, but for those who need a refresher on Reiji's mom, check the totally not biased at all text below.

She makes her debut in episode 8 visiting You Show Duel School, wanting to know if Yuya really had been responsible for injuring Shingo during a duel because she couldn't let a slight like that against one of their students (which would reflect poorly on the school itself) stand. Yuya of course, is innocent, but she challenges You Show to a 3 on 3 match for the school, a duel where if You Show lost, she would be acquiring the whole school (and most likely dismantling it, I mean, what else would she do with a little school like that when she has LDS already.) She was even willing to just buy the school out when they tied, and only stopped because Reiji happened to intervene.

There is a lot to say about this woman given her rather large presence in Arc-V, but I think that what most fans know her for is for taking in an abandoned war orphan and using them as a child soldier because she thought that this deeply traumatized child would be the perfect soldier due to "having no sense of self". Her "redemption" many episodes down the line came after Reira was turned into a baby for... reasons, and she suddenly realized that turning children into obedient puppets she could bend to her will was bad, and felt sorry for how she'd treated her kid. (You know, because that's the sort of thing that needs some real introspection to realize.)

Arc-V stans, I think we already know how this is gonna go down.

[asknarashikari]

Kiba: Okay... I know my husband is like a god and can go anywhere. So... I was thinking if you guys would like to go somewhere for vacation. Okinawa, Guam, Hawaii, or any of the SEA countries. Or even Australia or New Zealand.

Akaba: That's a lot of choices but...

Aoba: Is your husband paying?

Kiba: Hello... with him.... everything is practically paid for or almost free. He can give you foreign currency just in case you want to buy stuff or eat the local cuisine. It's a two-week vacation.

Akaba and Aoba: Sold!

Kiba: What about you guys? He is paying and saving your asses on money. Also, he wants a thank you at the end if you guys go.

BuildCast reaction?

Uh... they'd probably take a raincheck tbh. It'd be tempting for sure, since it's all expense paid and all...

But would they really take the risk of seeing some things that are better left unseen (aka sexytimes + perverted stuffs)? And then be embarrassed when people whisper at them because they're the companions of the pervy couple?

Also, Sento can't science in other countries. I mean, he can, but his brand of science involves blowing shit up, which could be seen as an act of terrorism. So... you know.

Yeah no thanks

[yugioh-kin-hub]

For the yugioh fictionkin asks, 5 and 9!

5. Did you have friends or enemies? If so, who were they? Are you in contact with any of them today? (Canonmates or not.)

👾: as yugi, i had my whole friend group!! but i also remember becoming coworkers/friends/??? with kaiba. i have atem and joey (hehe. besties), and i also know kaiba! i don't think i saw anyone as an enemy per se,, but i certainly didn't like haga, or the thief king, even if i could sympathize with them. as yugo, i had rin and a couple street kids (i don't remember their names), but then i also had zarc and the other yuboys as family at some point. i know zarc and yuya, they're some of my best friends! as for enemies, the akabas, for sure. all of them. none of them were friends of mine, or my dad's. for a while there it was my family versus the world.

Joey: Honestly, I still have a bit of trouble compartmentalizing and recognizing what was genuinely a dislike for someone and what was just circumstance, I know I didn't get along with Kaiba, but honestly it takes a lot more energy to maintain than I'd like and has kinda settled into a discomfort. I've made peace with just about everyone that I knew in my past life with the exception of Ryuji Otogi. Also my father that's a whole different issue, lmao.

As for my friends, I love them a lot. Obviously they are some of the coolest people I know and I'm so lucky to have known them. Yugi, Atem (once I started to get to know him), Anzu, and Honda were and still are some of the best people I've met. I only have contact with Yugi and Atem, and I talked to Kaiba maybe once??

Outside of a typical group I was really close to Mai. I owe her a lot. She's awesome. I never got the chance to get as close to Ryo as I would have liked. We have really different personalities, but I enjoyed him, he was nice enough.

Atem: I had a fair share of both. My closest friends were, as l'm sure anyone who's seen the anime or read the manga knows, Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Ryo. And, of course, my Aibou. I was definitely closest to him and Jou, though. As for enemies, I know had them, but don't have many memories of enemies besides the spirit of the ring, and Zorc.

Then there was the frenemies things Kaiba and had going on. l am still in contact with Joey, Yuugi, and Kaiba now. Still trying to see if I can find any of our other friends. But l'm definitely grateful to have found the friends I have so far.

9. If you’re from a world that didn’t have one of the later forms of summoning, (including Rush Duels) what’s your opinion on them now?

👾 i think they're all epic tbh. i don't understand link summoning (how can you win a duel with cards that don't even have defense points!!!!!) but the cards are pretty!! and i respect those who play them :]

Joey: Okay so I am from the original Duel Monster series. Which means that all summoning that I was aware of was pretty simple . I also have the disadvantage of being a kind of slow learner, like yeah I get lucky with things and it turns out kind of nice sometimes but it's still hard for me to fully understand them.

I think out of the ones I've seen my favorite is Pendulum, just fully don't understand how it works, looks badass though. Really cool shit.

Atem: I don't know much about the couple of newest types like Link or Rush just yet, but the new ones I do know about are very fun! Also very complicated, but I enjoy using them every now and again, and certainly think that they're all very creative! It sure makes the game harder, but that's what happens when games like that evolve. l'd certainly love to learn every different type of dueling and summoning can, but have my doubts that 'd be able to hold my own so easily in a competition now with all the new types and the kinds of counters each of them require, so think that, even if did learn them, I'd keep all of my dueling purely casual now.

[healeroflightanddark]

Sea of Love, Chapter 5: Hobbies

Dinner was absolutely wonderful. Yoko was delighted with her new heap of Yuyas and with the help that Yuto and Yuya gave while preparing dinner, and the counterparts were all delighted by the delicious food. Yugo even cried a little at how good it was.

The only person who seemed to have any reservations was Yusho. But then again, he didn’t really know Yuto, Yuri, or Yugo too well. He knew that Yuya and Yuto were dating and so were Yuri and Yugo, because Yuya had mentioned it once or twice, and he knew that Yuto was very protective and adoring of Yuya, but the father wasn’t too sure how he felt about Yugo or Yuri. And he distinctly remembered Yuri’s cruelty in particular. Though Yuri had been pretty much raised to be like that by Akaba Leo. So Yusho couldn’t really fault the cabbage-haired boy for the way he’d turned out.

As dinner progressed, Yoko chatted with the boys. “So what do you three like to do for fun?” she asked Yuto, Yuri, and Yugo.

“I like riding my D-Wheel!” Yugo said happily. Yoko lit up. “Oh, I have a motorcycle! And I know Yuya has a D-Wheel now! The three of us should go for rides around town! Or go on a motorcycle trip!”

“Oh that would be so much fun!” Yugo squealed excitedly, looking at Yuya. Yuya smiled. “It would be fun!”

“Then it’s settled,” Yoko said. “I’ll start planning our trip after dinner!” She looked over at Yuto and Yuri. “What about you two boys? What do you enjoy doing?”

“I like gardening and reading,” Yuri said with a shrug. Yoko smiled. “We’ll make sure that the new house has plenty of space for you to start a garden. And I’ll take you to the bookstore to buy as many books as you like! What about you, Yuto?”

“I like doing creative things,” Yuto said. “Mostly painting, but also sculpting and writing and pottery. And occasionally other creative arts.”

Yoko nodded. “Then we’ll need a room with lots of natural light for an art studio for you! Do you do glassblowing too? Yuya’s always wanted to do glassblowing!”

“I’ve never done glassblowing myself, but I’ve seen it done in a few Renaissance fairs, and it seems interesting. If Yuya starts glassblowing, I’d love to help him,” Yuto said.

“Really?” Yuya lit up happily. “I’d love that!”

“Well, it looks like you’ll be getting that glassblowing studio you’ve always wanted,” Yusho said, smiling fondly at his son. “Just… be careful, okay?”

“I will!” Yuya said, smiling brightly.

[darkfromday]

Arc V Anniversary, Day 17

Day 17 Prompt: family

In a world where Leo’s plot destroyed all of the counterparts but Ray, the oldest Akaba child re-evaluates what family means.

It’s much longer than I expected so of course it’s under a cut.

What a beautiful city, Ray thought.

Maiami was a jewel to her: rare, coveted, all the more beautiful because no city like it had ever existed before. The people were charming, the landscape was enchanting, and the duels were electrifying. There were so many good things to eat and exciting places to explore. Even watching the sun creep slowly down out of the sky this late afternoon buoyed her spirits. She had yet to find anything that dampened her mood.

“—There you are, Ray.”

…Almost nothing.

Despite her flash of irritation, Ray lifted her head from her hands, looking up to see her father’s smiling face. Akaba Leo rarely went anywhere without sporting some kind of coat or cape, but the unusually-warm springtime meant he now joined her wearing only his single-layered white shirt and pale slacks. Since the war’s end he had seemed lighter. Perhaps because he out of everyone else had gotten exactly what he wanted.

“Were you looking for me?” she asked, putting enough inflection in her words so the why were you went unsaid but not unnoticed.

“Of course. Nakajima informed me of your departure two hours ago. I thought perhaps you skipped dinner because you weren’t hungry, and yet…”

He gestured to her lap and the picnic supplies lying there: basket, blanket, drinks. All just as perfectly prepared as the sibling who’d made it for her.

Ray shrugged. “I already have other plans with Reiji and Reira.”

“Ah…”

She hummed, offering nothing else, lost in silent worry. Her phone hadn’t buzzed yet. Reiji was going to text when he and Reira were on their way from the office.

Ray’s siblings were another thing she adored about the new world, and about Standard in particular. Though both of them were understandably reserved around her, she loved everything about them. Reiji’s quiet demeanor and rigid determination, his devotion, his intense interest in mastering every interaction he had, whether professional or personal. Reira’s trusting smile, impeccable manners and blossoming temper, a sure sign of a fiercer personality than their last. Ray connected to each of them through duels, drawing out their conversation and their comfort by beating them soundly at Fusion, Synchro and Xyz.

This evening’s picnic was another chance for Ray to spend time with them, drag Reiji away from his responsibilities at LDS and Reira away from their playdate… she just hadn’t expected to be followed out here.

When Leo finally sat next to her on the hill he asked, “Have you been avoiding me?”

He sounded hurt. And of course he would be—the one person he’d pushed an entire set of worlds away for, and she couldn’t stand to be around him for more than thirty seconds.

On top of that, he had raised her to be unflinchingly honest, and she was her father’s daughter.

“Yes, I have.”

He grimaced. “If you’re having problems adjusting—”

Ray lifted her hand, cut him off. “Nothing’s wrong with the world I made or my experiences in it. Maiami is charming; Heartland is comforting; Synchro’s City is electrifying. Even the town around Academia’s island is interesting enough. I’ve enjoyed exploring them all, but now I want to get to know my family.”

“But not all of your family.”

Ray’s eyes darkened; a familiar burst of anger licked at her insides, and she crushed the top of the picnic basket in one fisted hand.

“No, not all,” she agreed coldly. “It’s safer for me to remember you as you were before, in our world, because now you are a disappointment.”

“A disappointment!” Leo reared back, but rebounded quickly; the Akaba temper had flared in him too. “Ray, I am your father.”

“In name only! Your deeds since I split Zarc don’t match the father I knew. How can you look people in the eye knowing you sealed them away, or sealed their friends, or their families? How could you betray the people who cared for you?”

“Easily,” Leo snapped, “and I would do so again. For in case you’ve forgotten, I started the ARC-Area Project to save your life.”

Silence reigned a few moments after those words. The two of them glared at each other, raising the temperature around them, but Ray could not be cowed—in the end, it was her father who looked away first.

“My life was already forfeit,” she whispered. “I took the En Cards and went to destroy Zarc of my own free will. It was my choice. I knew I would rather give my own life than live in a world without the father I loved—but you… were so selfish that you made my nightmare a reality.”

The once-mighty Professor flinched as though struck; when she focused her glare, he had tears in his eyes. “How can you say that when I’m still here?”

“Because I don’t know this Akaba Leo,” Ray said bitterly. “This Professor in my father’s skin. The person who trained children to hunt other children, invaded the other worlds I made and separated to subjugate, the man who abandoned his own wife and son to bring back a daughter who no longer existed—snuffing out nine lives in the process… no, he’s not familiar to me.”

Leo shook his head, looking out at the sunset—even now, not daring to look at her. “I would wipe out more if it had meant your safe return, Ray—more. Akabas know how to sacrifice; it is in our blood, and it is how I knew that Himika and Reiji would carry on without me. It’s how I knew too that your sacrifice was too great, and one I would not allow you to pay.”

“I’m an adult. You don’t get to decide anymore what prices I pay, what decisions I make. Instead, you need to focus on what you can change, what sacrifices you aren’t willing to make.”

“…Explain.”

“Father…” She massaged her temple, wearing down her frustration enough to go on. “You aren’t a stupid man. You must have noticed how hurt Himika-san and Reiji were by your leaving them—worse because of what you left them for. Why do you think no one speaks at dinner, even after two years? Why do you think Himika-san sends you messages every time you’re gone on business for more than a day—or Reiji and Reira speak as little to you as they can manage?”

He looked like he would argue at first, but a moment later he bowed his head, acknowledging the validity of her words.

“Then you must know too that I’m lucky they don’t hate me for becoming your sole priority… before and after the war.”

“Ray, what happened in Union was not your fault,” Leo said softly.

“No, it was,” she insisted, fiercely stubborn. “What came after was all my doing. I shouldn’t have trusted you to move on—I should have wiped your memories completely, so you could have been a real father to Reiji and Reira these past five years, a real husband who wouldn’t make Himika-san cry, a man who would have looked at the broken pieces of me and Zarc and felt nothing.”

A few of her tears hit the basket. Her father was not the only one crying helplessly now. Sadly, this was what their relationship amounted to now for Ray—finger-pointing, bitterness, regrets. The moment her sacrifice had been invalidated, her confusion and horror had morphed into these feelings, and showed no signs of further evolution.

Leo broke their second shared silence.

“Daughter, you know I am a selfish man. No world has yet been made in which I would give up on you. But… whatever my previous words may have indicated, that does not mean I hold no regrets over the way I left things with my wife… or my son… or the child that also came to share my name. But between the two camps, I have had years with them, and lost years with you. Can you blame me for choosing to not waste any more time with you?”

“Yes, I can!” Ray cried; he was missing the point again. “Because they’re your family too. Everything doesn’t have to be a choice between two sides! I won’t allow Reiji and Reira to lose in your heart because of me, even if you will.”

“So then, you expect me to leave you here now, and ignore your presence hereafter?”

“I expect you to go home to your wife,” Ray growled. “Truly apologize to her for what you put her through. I expect you to challenge Reira to a friendly duel to get them out of their shell around you. I expect you to take the reins back at LDS so Reiji can enjoy what’s left of his childhood, and spend some time with him outside of the office! Those are just a few things you could do to convince me that my real father is somewhere in you.

“But for now—yes, I do expect you to leave me alone here to wait for my evening picnic with the other members of my family.”

Leo looked at Ray for another long, long moment, but before he could voice his thoughts once more, a honk jolted them out of their heated conversation: a sleek limo had just pulled up to the bottom of the hill.

The door opened and Akaba Reiji emerged one leg at a time—slim, polished, and much too careful for a young man his age. Much too somber too, Ray thought, feeling fondness and sympathy war within her before she noticed he was holding someone in his arms.

Then she beamed—it was Reira, waving delightedly up at her, looking so excited for the picnic they’d planned together.

“Ray! We’re here!”

“Up here!” she called; already her voice and heart felt lighter. Though she’d long since accepted her own original sacrifice, being alive again to meet her siblings and grow with them was nothing to scoff at, no matter how much she disapproved of her father’s methods.

In moments Reiji was up the hill and kneeling at her side to put Reira down. He bowed his head, the spitting image of the father he hadn’t yet noticed. “Apologies for the lack of notice. My phone died en route.”

“That’s all right. We were just…” Arguing. “…talking.”

That got Reiji to notice his father, and offer him a perfunctory greeting while Reira hid in Ray’s shirt. Likewise, Leo’s “hello” was stilted and hesitant, but at least seemed more authentic than the distant effort he gave at home.

Reiji cut straight to the chase after that: “Are you going to be joining us?”

“I… will not,” Leo replied, stunning Ray. “Another appointment calls.”

When she followed his pale gaze, she saw that the limo driver had rolled down their window down to be seen. Akaba Himika gazed back at her husband, unflinching, unyielding, drastically different from the mother of Ray’s birth yet a fitting match for the man who oscillated between Professor, provider and parent.

Despite their open disagreement not a few moments before, Leo took a minute to kiss Ray’s brow, wishing her and the rest of his children farewell before starting down the hill and sliding smoothly into the passenger’s side of the limo. Ray exhaled—she was not foolish enough to think their discussion was over, but her father’s willingness to mend at least one fence made her feel less like she’d been sparring—and living—with a stranger.

“Are you all right, Ray?” Reiji inquired. He sat right at her free side, a comfortable distance away, and ruffled Reira’s hair.

“I’ll be fine…” She smiled at him; she’d long since learned it was an expression he seldom had directed his way, and sought to fix that. “Thank you, Reiji.”

Reira emerged from her shirt and tugged at the nearest sleeve, gesturing to where the picnic basket handle nearby was still slightly smushed. “Ray, you didn’t eat without us, did you?”

“Of course not!”

Reiji smirked. Reira looked thrilled as they popped the basket open and dug in. As sandwiches disappeared into their mouth, they hardly noticed Ray and Reiji start to talk about their days, about the state of the duel circuit this year, and about the best places to go for some peace and quiet in the city that weren’t traceable by parents or bodyguards.

Ray preferred things this way, though. With her siblings around to share their city with her, with her family close by to help her sort out her chaotic feelings about the war and its fallout, Maiami was even more of a precious place than it would have been alone. Union was gone, and so many other good people from there and here were gone with it—but with some time, perhaps that would hurt less.

Maybe someday soon, she thought, I can eat a cookie with the same enthusiasm as Reira, or run a board meeting with Reiji. Try on suits with Himika-san and… have a civil conversation with my father. Maybe I can visit the places the war touched without crying. Visit the people who lost loved ones and offer them closure.

Yes. Maybe someday, when all can be forgiven, when we can sit down and eat together, we could be the type of family I was trying to save.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Okay but making Zarc evil and the final villian, for me at least really undercuts what Leo did.

Leo Akaba neglected his own son, created child soilders, caused multi dimensional wars which lead to genocide and carded countless innocent people. All in the name of restoring the dimensions, but really bringing back his daughter Ray.

Not to mention his followers involve Jean-Michel Roget who was a very bad dude in the Synchro dimension and you know tortured Yuya. And the Professor who mind controlled the bracelet girls.

In comparison to that, Zarc was an innocent kid who wanted to have fun while dualing and got driven to the edge by his dragons cries and the demands of the crowd.

He plays the part of the bad guy, he tries to convince everyone that he created Pendulum because he's this irredeemable monster. But Ray herself pointed out that Pendulum summoning was born out of the compassion in his heart.

Yeah he split the dimensions but that was a consequence of his and Ray's dual, and really other than that he didn't really do anything wrong minus some structural damage and freaking people out.

Even in the end, dragon kid dualed a bit too aggressively and had a tantrum. No one got hurt in those final duals outside of losing life points like they would for any dual, unlike the other Supreme King we know and love.

And changing Zarc from this sweet kid who fell into darkness and despair to someone who apparently always wanted power and wanted to become number 1 out of greed... It both takes away from his original motivation, who he is and the fact he's also a victim of all this.

Painting him as the bad guy kinda let's Leo "what is child endangerment" Akaba to get off scott free and almost justifies his actions.

Which just no he is not the good guy here.

And story wise it doesn't make a lot of sense, Zarc with the original motivation parallels him with Yuya who went through the same thing. Both of them wanting to make people smile with their dualing pushed into despair.

The difference being Yuya had friends who's hearts he touched with his dualing who came to rescue him.

Hearts that he touched with his Pendulum summoning, a technique he taught the other lancers that Zarc himself created out of the goodness in his heart.

Imagine if when Yuya came back he was in his mind scape with the others all of them having a deeper understanding of each other. And they see Zarc, not the Supreme King but Zarc... Just Zarc the kid who wanted to help people smile.

And he thanks them, apologises for all of this but gets cut off.

Everyone comes back as their own person, sharing a soul connection but they are themselves. And Zarc gets to reunite with Ray before they go kick her dad's butt.

Something like that at least.

[sixvisxpacem]

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For personal reference and because my precious one’s dub voice is just... oh gosh, Shun deserves so many hugs for this TT___TT

At least, the scene is still as legendarily gay and tension-filled; it is close to being an exact translation of the English dub.

[hspostsfromadifferenttimeline]

Okay but making Lord English evil and the final villian, for me at least really undercuts what Damara did.

Leo Akaba neglected her own daughter, created child soilders, caused multi dimensional wars which lead to genocide and carded countless innocent people. All in the name of restoring the dimensions, but really bringing back her daughter, Calliope.

Not to mention his followers involve The Condescence who was a very bad dude in the Bard dimension and you know tortured Gamzee. And the Professor who mind controlled the bracelet kids.

In comparison to that, Caliborn was an innocent kid who wanted to have fun while clowning and got driven to the edge by his dragons cries and the demands of the crowd.

He plays the part of the bad guy, he tries to convince everyone that he created Sburb because he's this irredeemable monster. But Callope herself pointed out that Sburb was born out of the compassion in his heart.

Yeah he split the dimensions but that was a consequence of his and Callope's dual, and really other than that he didn't really do anything wrong minus some structural damage and freaking people out.

Even in the end, dragon kid clowned a bit too aggressively and had a tantrum. 

And changing Caliborn from this sweet kid who fell into darkness and despair to someone who apparently always wanted power and wanted to become number 1 out of greed... It both takes away from his original motivation, who he is and the fact he's also a victim of all this.

Painting him as the bad guy kinda let's Damara "what is child endangerment" Megido to get off scott free and almost justifies his actions.

Which just no he is not the good guy here.

And story wise it doesn't make a lot of sense, Lord English with the original motivation parallels him with Gamzee who went through the same thing. Both of them wanting to make people smile with their clowning pushed into despair.

The difference being Gamzee had friends who's hearts he touched with his dualing who came to rescue him.

Hearts that he touched with his HyperClownMode, a technique he taught the other Sburb players that Lord English himself created out of the goodness in his heart.

Imagine if when Gamze came back he was in his mind scape with the others all of them having a deeper understanding of each other. And they see Caliborn, not Lord English but Calliborn... Just Calliborn the kid who wanted to help people smile.

And he thanks them, apologises for all of this but gets cut off.

Everyone comes back as their own person, sharing a soul connection but they are themselves. And Caliborn gets to reunite with Calliope before they go kick her dad's butt.

Something like that at least

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Some of my problems with the Synchro Arc

While I did enjoy the Friendship Cup Finals, I do have to admit that it felt rushed. First of all, Sora.

His redemption was... kind of out of nowhere. The reason is believable (truly caring for Yuya and Yuzu after the time he spent with them) and it does take him a while to truly choose which side he’s on but the reason he started to turn feels like it was made up on the spot? Sora didn’t show that he valued his friendship with Yuya and Yuzu post twist until he came back in the Synchro arc. I dunno. He went from maniacally talking about the XYZ summoners as prey to be hunted (which to be fair, was probably what he heard constantly in the Fusion dimension) to a normal kid worrying about his friends again. It’s not bad and I’m glad Sora’s back on the good side but Serena’s turn around earlier in the show was executed better.

Also, the council coming out of nowhere to admit they were wrong and relinquish their power was complete nonsense.

One admittedly cool speech from Reiji Akaba and an amazing duel isn’t going to convince an entire group of people who have been set in their ways for years. The same goes for the tops. I can understand some of them turning but every single one of them? And there being no conflict or adjusting to the tops and commons having to suddenly live in harmony when thirty minutes ago, commons were violently rioting through the city? After how many years of oppression? That’s just complete bullshit. After how oddly realistic the social power struggle was in this arc, it’s weird to see it resolved with a “and they all lived happily ever after!” like some kind of fairytale ending.

This isn’t even that hard of a fix. Here’s how I would have written it: After Yuya defeats Jack, some of the security guards try to apprehend Jack since he lost the duel and they’re still deep-rooted in the belief that the “losers” need to be punished. The Lancers stand up to these guards and much of the crowd, including some of the tops, back them up and demand that their King not be treated in such a way. Then SOME or even just one person on the council takes Jack’s side and convinces the others to relinquish their power, with some agreeing more reluctantly/spitefully than others. Then they can still leave it up to the younger generations to decide the future because to be fair, a little wish fulfillment is okay for a fantasy story, my problem is that everyone instantly agreeing to change their society is bad writing in my opinion. And I’m not saying I want Yugioh to be realistic, but this arc honestly was until the very end which is distractingly weird.

Also, this arc was 5Ds fan service which on its own isn’t a bad thing except it went on for way too long as a result of this fan service and certain episodes/duels felt like a waste of time. The first half of this arc was not as interesting as all the set up before it. The second half is much better but has its own set of issues as I discussed above in this post and in my earlier post about the decline of Yuzu’s character.

[thewittyphantom]

And here’s Yuto’s conversations with Gong, Sylvio, and Declan.

Gong: Yuya! Yuto: ............ Gong: What’s wrong, Yuya? You aren’t actin’ like your usual self. Yuto: I’m fine... Gong: You may say you’re fine, but you’re not actin’ fine...How about a Duel against Gong? It may knock the cobwebs out of your noggin! Yuto: You may be right... Gong: All right then! Let’s Duel!

Sylvio: Hey Yuya! Yuto: ............ Sylvio: Huh? Wait a sec...You’re that guy! Mr. Mystery! The hero who thinks he’s soooo cool just because he wears a cloak! Yuto: ............ Sylvio: It’s time for payback! With a thousand times interest! Yuto: ............ Sylvio: I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but your resemblance to Yuya is freaky. Come to think of it, I saw a few others that looked like Yuya too...Did you come here with those fellas? Yuto: ............ Sylvio: Not that I care. What I care about is defeating you! Yuto: I’m happy to accept your challenge. Let’s Duel!

Declan: You... Yuto: ............ Declan: I’m Declan Akaba. Do you mind telling me your name? Yuto: My name is...Yuto. Declan: Yuto. Are you okay? You seem confused. Yuto: I’m fine... Declan: I have a request. I want you to Duel me. Yuto: A Duel? Declan: There’s something I want to test. But only with your permission. Yuto: Fine. Let’s Duel!

[jesters-gambit]

i made this account just for this- anyways @howaboutalittlehelpneos heres my 1k word yuya n yuri final duel analysis!

okay, so while they’re very different characters with different personalities, yuri and yuya are actually very similar, in that they share the same core desire: to be loved. however, due to each of their upbringings, this ends up manifesting and developing in different ways.

yuya learns from his dad that love and attention come from making people smile and be happy. yusho is his own bundle of issues, but he teaches yuya that to be loved you have to make others happy and want to love you. everyone loves him, so yuya assumes that if he’s the same, everyone will love him too. thats his issue throughout the series, he has no idea how to exist outside his father.

yuri on the other hand, learns that hes unlovable. he doesnt know HOW to make people love him. leo akaba never ‘loved’ yuri, he just used him, but his attention was the closest he got, so he followed him. the farther he spirals into his sadism, the more he becomes convinced hes unlovable, to the point where he decides, if he cant be loved, he’ll just kill everyone else so its only him. then he’ll be the strongest. because at academia, only the strongest are ‘loved’.

first, id like to say while yuya and yuris duel had a LOT of homoerotic tension, i doubt yuri was actually romantically attracted to yuya, more,,, jealous and confused i think? the same way he feels towards asuka just,,,,,, more, like, much more (doesnt help that hes fruity as shit istg). yuri and yuyas battle was them sort of… abandoning their previous ideals of how to be ‘loved’.

okay, rewind.

lets talk about zarc.

zarc is the EPITOME of the yu-boys desire to be loved in general. he becomes what he becomes because he wants nothing other than to be loved by the audience and the people. he then decides the love of his dragons is more important, and changes for THEIR love instead.

and how do the yu-boys treat zarc?

yuya is, of course, how zarc was at the beginning: naive and only wanting to entertain. he doesnt like who zarc becomes, and resists him, because he still believes in his own version of love. yuri, on the other hand, no longer believes he is lovable (please note that at this point he associates love with strength rather than happiness like yuya), so, when zarc gives him a way to be stronger, of course, he takes it.

however, there is… one thing ive always thought was odd about that.

if they become one… zarc has the power, not yuri. yuri probably knows this, as hes seen berserk yuya and can tell its not quite him. so, then, what was he after? back to the theme of it all, the answer is, of course, love. well, uh, kind of. zarc is giving yuri the chance to be loved, to be understood. its… twisted as shit, but to yuri, ‘being one’ is a chance to finally be loved and have friends. “be loved” and “have friends” are very solidly in quotation marks, because being forced to share a body with someone and become a literal dragon demon thing is probably not actual friendship or love, but, like i said before, yuris got a twisted idea of what that actually is. ‘becoming one’, to yuri, is the best way to get the two (one) things he wants most: love and power.

okay, now flash forward a bit. yuya and yusho are at academia, they now know yuya is part of zarc. i dont know exactly what it is, but something about yushos reaction always… irked me. (this part isnt fact, more vibes and feelings i got from the time, but the way a show makes you feel is as important as its text if you ask me) just, the way he seemed like he would abandon yuya (again) almost immediately is well,,,, uncomfortable to say the least. but yuya is still TRYING, he still loves his dad and wants him back and wants him to love him again.

and then he sees his dad lose, and he realizes maybe he… isnt infallible. and if his dad can lose, maybe… his ideals aren’t perfect.

yuyas duel with yuri, i think, is the first duel he really duels to win. despite how the anime tries to frame it, its clear all yuya wants is vengeance. the reason yuya is able to stay happy and motivated throughout arc-v, no matter how much weight is on his shoulders and everything that’s happening, is because he believed in his father, but, when that belief is broken, he’s just a kid. a tired, sad, angry kid with the weight of the fucking world on his shoulders. he duels yuri, the opposite of his ideals, in one last vain hope of proving his father is still right, but i think, deep down, he knew that maybe it was over. and when he wins, he finally wins, hes tired and afraid and just a kid and i think that maybe for a second, just a quick second, he wonders if ‘becoming one’ is what he might want. he doesnt have the energy or naive belief to hold zarc off anymore, and thats when he loses and zarc wins.

lets get back to my point of the duel really being them ‘abandoning’ their ideals of love against each other. yuri GAINS an idealized version of love through the idea of becoming one, and yuya LOSES an idealized version of love after he loses his dad. and even though yuri lost, i think he affected yuya enough that his ideals sunk in a bit, just enough for zarc to slip in through the cracks.

neither version of love for them was very… healthy. not the ones during their duel or their normal ones, but i just found the fact that they dueled for the same thing in the end was… kind of interesting. i dunno if this has a point or even makes that much sense, but ive been thinking about it a lot. that duel was a clash of ideals between two boys who have pretty unhealthy ideas of love and desperately need therapy, and in hindsight, its kind of sad? many thoughts head full