Hellos!!
The speed is getting good 😜, I'm getting back to my pace when I was writing about Battle City and Memory World, I think is thanks to my a new strategy I have implemented recently, when there is more key points with 3 panels ensembles, which before usually was 2 or 1 and 3 was very rare, I have to admit, it helps a lot more in getting to the point as building up the hints to the main point of the hints.
Last time the "old version" of this post had little focus on Kaiba's backstory (the siblings and Gozaburo), I do regret it for focusing so little, this time with the "new version" there will be a lot of emphasis on their backstory, Dark Yugi's and Yugi's character development will also be one of the highlights.
The plot summary will be small though.
Plot Summary:
Dark Yugi and Kaiba is heading towards Stage-5 for their rematch, the duel starts with them testing the waters to Kaiba trying to crush Dark Yugi with one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, then comes the 2nd, Dark Yugi is more or less barely dodging and defending, he has moments of almost losing hope to regain his composure and find a way to defeat Kaiba and his three Blue-Eyes White Dragon by summoning a miracle in this game, Exodia The Forbidden One, he was successful and Dark Yugi has given a special "penalty game" named "Mind Crush" by removing the "bad seed" to Kaiba, after this Honda is back because Mokuba rescued him and explains their past and how they come to own Kaiba Corp, Dark Yugi explains the intent of his "penalty game" to have to restructure himself in coma state, Mokuba is willing to wait for his recovery.
After Death-T was over, Yugi and friends leave Kaiba Land and building and decide to go the hospital to visit Yugi's grandpa.
Key Points:
I find amusing a lot of things in this scene, starting with the audience getting very excited to watch Kaiba vs Dark Yugi duel...looking at the series overall in the manga, Transcend Game One Shot, Dark Side of Dimensions, fans of Magic&Wizards (Duel Monsters) come admire these duelists and look forward to their duels, because duels shows their more advanced and closely matched skills.
The next amusing thing is Jounouchi just casually takes this guy's cellphone who is making Yugi's friends hostages with the bald guy, the guy didn't even noticed xDD, so Jounouchi seems to be good at "thieving", however there is a small detail when he uses the guy's cellphone to make a call:
"The hospital where they took Yugi's grandpa! No one could go with him, so I asked Hanasaki to check on him!"
It's very interesting because honestly I wonder how he got the time to call Hanasaki for this, maybe before Death-T attraction, I guess, but shows Jounouchi does have a responsible and reliable side to him.
Getting to the talk during the call, Yugi's grandpa is in critical condition as Yugi have been feeling it for awhile, but he is going through emergency surgery? O.o that's very serious...! Jounouchi asking Hanasaki to keep watch...it's so nice to see how their friendship with Hanasaki goes as far in entrusting him into getting news of Yugi's grandpa, mentioning Yugi's grandpa, the way Hanasaki refers to Yugi's grandpa is "Grandpa Mutou", that's so sweet 😊, it means he has a lot of respect for Yugi's grandpa and Hanasaki is also a cinnamon roll.
Jounouchi then tries to call Honda, it seems Honda has a cellphone...? Well, according to Dark Side of Dimensions, Honda will continue helping his parents's business and eventually inherit it, it might be why he does have it, I think cellphones available to the public was still recent in the late 90's and a bit expensive (which is Yu-Gi-Oh! Timeline, but Kaiba Corp usually eventually makes more advanced technology very quickly thanks to Kaiba Seto), it's a bit odd Honda did had a cellphone during this time.
If you wish to continue reading this post, click "Read More" below:
From Panels Ensemble Left to Right, we see Dark Yugi preparing himself for their rematch, of course, the line "heart of the cards" coming up...I want to go around Dark Yugi's inner monologue:
"Kaiba...You hurt my friends and my family...I'll never forgive you even if you beg for mercy!"
There is a lot of interesting takes on Dark Yugi's thoughts, for example how he refers to "my family", he is thinking of grandpa as "representative" for the time being...does it include Yugi and someone else or in getting a member of Yugi's family involved? We have to remember Dark Yugi as indicated in Shadi''s Arc Part 3 post that he is aware he is his own person but like two selves/minds sharing the same body, summarising he sees Yugi's family as his family too to an extent, friends it was obviously implicated that he saw them as friends...as for him not forgiving Kaiba even if he begs for mercy...to be honest, he actually kinda ends up forgiving him.
Getting into Kaiba section, starting with what he says to his opponent:
"heh heh...words means nothing to us any more...what will decide our fates...are the cards!!"
This Kaiba's mindset still remains...specially in Duelist Kingdom...as much it shows his obsession with cards games, Magic&Wizards in particular...getting into his inner monologue:
"mheh heh heh...I congratulate you on getting this far...it's almost a shame that this where you'll probably die...I have in my deck three of the strongest cards in the world, the unfathomable rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon! No card exists that can defeat them!"
😓 Keep thinking like that Kaiba with that overconfidence of yours, either way...Kaiba at this time doesn't even consider there could be more than 4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon, for them to "stop production" for being too powerful, there is probably some more amount like 30 over the world most likely, it's still ultra rare out of millions of cards...those 4 it was people who owned them...there is a difference...Kaiba isn't considering anything at all of other chances...even if is small, there is different ways to defeat powerful monsters.
The other part I want to bring up is Kaiba inside him that he is impressed that Yugi and Dark Yugi with his friends was able to get this far, despite some of the games he rigged plus his little brother..., this says he was impressed with Yugi as much as Dark Yugi when they were at big disadvantages.
The kids watching the game already remembered Yugi's name, that was quick, on to the main subjects for this key point, I wanna start that Dark Yugi when is cornered, he usually have huge fear and doubt...as have been mentioned many times...The other more interesting part when Dark Yugi thought of Yugi's grandpa as his grandpa... and:
"I...I won't give up! I'm not fighting this duel alone!!"
I have my own theories about this scene during this time, as many times mentioned in many posts about Memory World Arc Prologue and it's important detail as much during Memory World Arc when Yugi and Co. were inside Dark Yugi's "maze", his subconscious...the Chapter 1, before Yugi solved the puzzle and even maybe even before Yugi found it in the shelf, Dark Yugi did had his memories plus Yugi's grandpa could see and hear Atem when he saved Sugoroku, what I'm trying to imply is that they may have talked before Yugi discovered the puzzle and sometimes while Yugi was solving it...with this scene this might relate to Dark Yugi's memories subconscious from before he solved the puzzle to have this much attachment to Sugoroku of not just being Yugi's grandpa and someone he come to know as well being familiar (since Sugoroku and his vizier Siamun from when Atem was alive being quite similar), Dark Yugi feeling is not fighting alone thanks to Yugi's grandpa, it wasn't Yugi's friends, but Sugoroku, this may relate to Dark Yugi's own subconscious memories that he isn't aware himself after the puzzle was solved (since he forgot everything or most everything due to his gaming knowledge that even Yugi didn't know).
Lastly, I want to mention the art in Panels Ensemble Top Left? because is so clean and beautiful...there is certain kind of grace...so clean.
Kaiba is quite annoyed...and kinda shocked at his luck...it's too soon to give up, besides you might as well finish what you started :p.
The most intriguing part is in the Panels Ensemble in the Right, from how Dark Yugi is feeling cornered and in doubt, passing to Yugi's perspective, this is when we see Yugi this time around is watching Dark Yugi's battle, you can tell he is worried, not exactly give up as Dark Yugi feels about to or close to, he is worried about Dark Yugi in how he is feeling, then we see Yugi thinking and reflecting how he can help "his other me"...Yugi's grandpa appears, I would say that his grandpa is going through a NDE ((near death experience), it's sometimes briefly happening in the series with some characters even after Duelist Kingdom Yugi's grandpa said he saw his wife when he came back to his body (Yugi's grandmother, who passed away)).
As we see, Dark Yugi is so cornered and due to his ego and pride, he isn't aware Yugi is now watching this battle, his expression isn't afraid neither of losing, yet Dark Yugi he feels cornered and more afraid than Yugi...it's the contrast in these moments that we see their differences as individual people...and indicates when Yugi stops being afraid of Dark Yugi and getting to trust him, it's then he was able to watch Dark Yugi's battles from here on out, I would say it started with Mokuba in Death-T stage 4, here we can confirm...it shows Yugi's growth in a very subtle way here or is easily overlooked.
These transition chapters pages between the end of chapter 39 and beginning of chapter 40, as stated before, sometimes transitioning of the same scene between chapters is that they always add a few more details.
I really like this spiritual conversation between grandfather and grandson, they are very close, their interaction is important...:
Sugoroku Mutou: "Yugi...have you given up? That's not like you..."
Yugi Mutou: "But what can I do...?"
Sugoroku Mutou: "Yugi...Not too long ago you were suffering. Remember how you got over it that time..."
Yugi Mutou: "huh...?!...The millennium puzzle...I completed the millennium puzzle!"
Sugoroku Mutou: "Mmm...You put each piece of the puzzle in its place...You didn't give up...You believed in yourself and completed the puzzle, even though it took you eight years!"
Yugi Mutou: "Yup!"
Sugoroku Mutou: "Yugi! There is nothing meaningless in this world! like pieces of a puzzle. The cards as well..."
This was an important piece of wisdom, in the european portuguese dub it had similar message but regarding your identity, as putting it's pieces to make the big identity, it was something like that among the lines, here Yugi's grandpa might mean something similar to Yugi overcoming obstacles and not giving up, as Dark Yugi...how bit by bit growing and maturing like finding pieces and putting in its place then making a more whole identity like Yugi did with the millennium puzzle and it applies to cards as well...as Dark Yugi quickly realises...Exodia...Sugoroku was very subtle, this advice even in card game stuck with Yugi and Dark Yugi, it affects their playstyle and each in their own way, Dark Yugi is more tactical (when looking how in Duelist Kingdom made him develop his own style and his duels against Player Killer Darkness, Kaiba, Mai, once he started to catch up, how he used Mamoth card and kuriboh, catapult turtle, etc) with Yugi (how he beaten Pegasus's cartoons, against Otogi, etc), this advice did stuck with them more consciously to their subconscious.
To summarise this part, Dark Yugi realises that he had the cards he needed to defeat his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, by collecting all the pieces of Exodia by remembering a conversation between Yugi and his grandpa, these cards of Exodia in 5 "cards" as parts of his body and has unusual summoning method as well being experimental, but is difficult to pull it off.
What interests me the most in this scene is how Dark Yugi came to recollect this information, at this time according to the panel where it shows this memory, it might be Yugi remembering and helping Dark Yugi or Dark Yugi's perspective remembering as he watched Yugi happenings, since he pays attention and watches or both.
As for Kaiba noticing the change of expression in Dark Yugi, Kaiba can detect these changes but due to his big ego, pride and overconfidence, he thinks is something not to worry about...*sighs* Suit yourself, Kaiba, he learned to trust his intuition in the hard way, which is actually this duel, because his next duel after this, he trusts his intuition and instincts way more.
In these Thoughts and Observations (analysis) project, I rarely focus on the subject of the card game itself, it's nice to see when the game has these kind of realistic observations from the protagonist, in this case a co-protagonist (this series technically has two protagonists, Yugi and Dark Yugi, who have the same goal while in retrospect it highlights their different flaws and struggles), he was finally able to get 4 cards but is missing one and he has one more turn, as stated in his inner monologue and even by Sugoroku, the chances to get all 5 in a duel are very slim, so slim that would take almost or a miracle to make it happen, even Sugoroku wasn't able to pull it off...it's very understandable that Dark Yugi was in such deep doubt of himself and very afraid to lose...It's possible it was in this duel that Dark Yugi gained this fear of losing, this duel deeply influenced him, against Shadi was just a build up, but here he feels more on the surface...
We see Yugi's friends cheering on Dark Yugi, giving the emotional support, I would say he is hearing them, but for the time being in this moment, his fear is almost getting the best of him, the fact that he is afraid of drawing the last card, his last chance of winning the duel. at this time he doesn't realise is related to fear of losing, what other reason would you be afraid to draw the last card...if not of this.
Kaiba has an interesting inner monologue:
"That's it! Draw the last card and rest-in peace! Rest for eternity in blackness of death!"
Did Kaiba may suspect for the way is phrased in his inner monologue that Dark Yugi is indeed a spirit of a deceased like a "ghost of the past" as later we find out, that he is pretty sensitive about it...in Battle City, he believed that defeating Dark Yugi would mean defeating his past...if that's the case, Kaiba might have known, but him being a prideful and stubborn individual when comes to his single-minded principles, attempted to pretend to himself not knowing anything.
This will get difficult to explain from Dark Yugi's perspective, I think hearing Anzu's and Jounouchi's cheers (emotional support), despite being far away, he could still hear it, it also means what Anzu said in the "cubes" game have stuck with Dark Yugi as much Yugi, remember how Yugi is watching Dark Yugi fighting, this also could be Yugi trying to remind him and giving his own emotional support? It's that the emotional support made his fears slipping away and face what's ahead of him...encouraged by his friends, Dark Yugi may not have realised that this might have been Yugi in giving his emotional support too, since Yugi was able to watch Dark Yugi's battles, he has been trying to call Dark Yugi for a long time until Pegasus Duel.
I think this was a different way for Yugi to reach out to Dark Yugi and at the same time Dark Yugi hearing Yugi's friends cheering and realising that they accept him as their friend too, he wasn't alone anymore in these battles, it may have been a huge relief as made him happy and becoming hopeful and have faith in what's ahead, not just drawing the card but also after this battle.
As for Kaiba, he thought Dark Yugi was just accepting his fate...Kaiba, not everyone you meet is the same...after this, Kaiba does stop thinking this way, also the fact Dark Yugi guessed right in his thinking and answer to his thinking, yeah, he is good at reading people, not "psychic ability to read minds", he captures well behaviour, expressions, patterns and habits, to be honest, Dark Yugi/Atem could do very well as a very skilled mentalist if he wanted to.
Kaiba was at first when heard Exodia was "....what...?", what with that stupefied reaction!? 😆, either way, the reticence indicate that he heard of it or is processing the name and knowledge of the card game he has...I will quote two versions of translation of Kaiba's inner monologue:
The Digital version (Panels Ensemble on the Right):
"It can't be...The Exodia cards...They really exist...where did he...where did get them?"
Print Version (second printing, October 2004, my own copy, yeah, it's very old xDD):
"It can't be...He used Exodia cards...but the chances are...the chances are..."
I find quite curious why there is such slight differences in translation, the digital version and more recent print copy version (probably has the same) from an older print version, as we have seen over the course of this battle, both make sense and is valid, because as indicated by Sugoroku, these cards are extremely rare, first for being experimental and the chances in getting all 5 parts besides even if you have all 5 in your deck, so the chances of summoning is still difficult and very slim, both these translations would be considered valid since it doesn't contradict the story and Kaiba's character, but makes me wonder, I looked around old scans translation from himitsu project which tends to be more towards the "digital version" translation than the "old print" version, we can assume the more recent prints has improved translations.
The Panels of Ensemble on the Right, the end of chapter 39, Kaiba is in complete shock that he lost and that he defeated the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons...but what interests me is what Dark Yugi says to him:
"Your Blue-Eyes White Dragons were powerful....but even weak cards can join together sometimes and together, they can create an infinite power which can defeat any enemy!"
That's kinda rude, saying weak cards...join together...to me there isn't weak cards, what is important is the matter of application of different kinds of cards and each has their own weaknesses and strengths and if it fits your playstyle or not, Dark Yugi may be thinking like this for a little awhile, but later we see that he doesn't see as weak cards joining together but coordinating their strengths like how he uses Kuriboh card many times and saved him many times and is "considered" as weakest card...but he is emphasising the "power of unity", but that way of describing is a little...as I stated before, each has their own strengths and weaknesses, etc.
Panels Ensemble on the Left is the beginning of chapter 40, ignoring the "heart of the cards" thing, what interest me is what was added in Kaiba's inner monologue:
"He had Exodia?! He summoned Exodia?! No...No! That would take a miracle!"
This pretty much confirms, even by Kaiba standards, Exodia is very rare (specifically in getting all 5) and the chances to summon are slim, to Kaiba is more or less like he witnessed a miracle, even Dark Yugi thinks it was a miracle because of the slim chances as way to say that miracles can happen...but later they come to rely a little too much on the "heart of the cards" (to be honest, I kinda consider cheating but is more "plot convenience" or "plot device"), this scene would be more convincing in that sense if it weren't for the constant "miracles" that happen later...
So this time Dark Yugi's time penalty game on Kaiba is called "Mind Crush", we see a visual representation, it's as if "crashing the millennium puzzle" inside Kaiba...according to Dark Yugi's explanation:
"I've destroyed the part of your heart that was filled with evil!"
It seems Dark Yugi given a "special" penalty game to Kaiba, he says he destroyed "a part" that was filled with evil, I prefer to say that it was corrupted and twisted..."evil" is such a cliché and black and white word for me, what Dark Yugi just did is way more complex, it involves psychology, we will get there once we're done with Kaiba's backstory, it's when Dark Yugi further explains in more detail what this penalty game is.
This how in the gaming world and those familiar with high-tech companies got to know about Yugi as well "Dark Yugi" if we remind ourselves when Mai watched Dark Yugi dueling for the first time (against Insector Haga that she did heard rumours that Yugi did "turn into a different person" when he plays, she confirmed while she watched it, since then Dark Yugi became the "ideal rival" and "true duelist" ideals to Mai).
Going into the more important parts of this key point, starting with Anzu's inner monologue:
"Yugi...or the other yugi? No...it doesn't matter which one...You're the scared little boy you once were!"
I'm pretty sure she did recognised the voice of her "saviour", however from the way she phrased she clearly could tell they were different people and then for a moment went to put the "two of them" into "one", she recognises Yugi's growth (remember she was moved by the boys talk in the cubes scene, it wasn't just from Jounouchi and Honda, Yugi as well, the fact she is happy to see Yugi starting to mature...while mixing a little with Dark Yugi's (since he is most mature until Mai comes along), you don't fool me, Anzu.
Regarding the Bottom Panels Ensemble with Johji starting to wake up and sees the gun and "plays dead" 😂, this scene is pretty funny, once again we see that Jounouchi is pretty reliable and not that reckless as he might appear because he is confident he can take these guys but because they are also taking Anzu and the baby hostage, he is trying to figure out what to do...
Can I say they are an impressive team when comes to fighting? Jounouchi noticed his friend's presence first and confirm after Honda hit the bald guy, then because the "other guy" got distracted with Honda's arrival, Jounouchi took the chance and then both of them take "the other guy" out...I love their friendship, you can tell they have been friends for a long time and have the "comrades in arms" vibe.
So how Honda "survived"?
The bald guy furious was hit in head but hey, dude, you were take them hostage, it was legitimate defense, no matter how you look at it, then Mokuba ordered them to stop since the game is over, in the first place, Honda asks about Mokuba to reveal that the kid saved Honda, Mokuba acts like a prideful brat and claims he did saved Honda because he owes Yugi a favor (for saving him), Jounouchi is surprised and amusing to know that Jounouchi thinks Seto and Mokuba as creeps for the literally "deadly games".
But look at that, we see again a genuine smile and happy one too from Dark Yugi that Honda had survived plus at the end, he speaks for himself as well for Yugi, he was moved to see they had given him the emotional support.
The amusing part is when Honda does notice that "Yugi" looks different:
Honda: "...?! Is it just me, or does Yugi seem different....?"
Jounouchi: "Yugi is yugi!"
Honda was a bit worried at first, even though Jounouchi said the way he said it, translating what he means with it is "don't sweat over small details, we can trust him and is our friend too", I guess Dark Yugi was moved that Jounouchi vouched for him that he is a friend and trustworthy with what he says later expressing his gratitude with a soft expression.
Starting with Anzu and Mokuba interaction on Top Left Panels Ensemble, Anzu asks why Kaiba did go this far for this revenge (it seems Yugi, Honda and Jounouchi told her everything what happened), her asking and later we see, Anzu is the one who treats the kid most kindly and Mokuba responds to that, he did the same in Duelist Kingdom with Anzu because she asked him kindly...also one more thing after she asked, Dark Yugi turned around, that would say he is interested and wants to know why Kaiba is the way he is, these two (and Yugi watching from Dark Yugi) to understand Kaiba's behaviour, Mokuba starts to tell their story:
"It all started with that chess game...when brother was ten and I was five...we had already lost our parents...mother died soon after I was born...father died in an accident when I was three...our relatives used up our inheritance, then left us in an orphanage!
«Kaiba: Mokuba...don't cry! I'll make a good life for us someday! Listen to me! If you show weakness, it's over! Don't trust anyone!», my brother was always saying that...but life at the orphanage wasn't all bad. Seto taught me chess. We lived to play each day...But that time...when that picture was taken...was the last time I saw my brother smile. Not long after that...he came to the orphanage...to adopt an heir...Gozaburo Kaiba...Seto knew he was the president of Kaiba corporation...and a world grandmaster of chess. My brother challenged him-"
This quote is quite big and this is just the first part of this scene, even with this much, this key point will get long...
With this much explanation, this is the beginning of their backstory, they were quite young when they lost their parents...when Mokuba was born and their mother died, Seto was 5 years old (according to their ages from Mokuba, it's 5 years gap between the siblings), they lost their father when Mokuba was only three years old, then Seto was 8 years old, Seto as the eldest must have the most vivid memories of their parents and he lost them when you can still remember things pretty well, at least vaguely at 5, certainly at 8...besides is clear he had a genius mind or extremely smart, remember mentioned before in Duelist Kingdom, Seto might have been the most affected because he remember it the most, also these relatives Mokuba mentions that stole their inheritance gets mentioned again but by Seto in his duel against Dark Yugi in Battle City inside his inner monologue, but we see Seto holds a huge grudge, hatred and anger against their relatives who left them in the orphanage as much Gozaburo, it's interesting because Mokuba could see the bright side (since he didn't hated living in the orphanage) but Seto didn't...it shows their contrasting differences in personality and resistance to negativity and toxic environments.
However I would like to inform that on Himitsu Project scans, the translation is a little different about Gozaburo Kaiba, which implies he knew of Seto and was interested in adopting him...the rest of it is pretty much the same...(we can guess, some parents may have been interested in adopting Seto since as we have seen onward during the series, he was clearly a gifted genius child)...
Continuing quoting Mokuba telling their story:
"Gozaburo Kaiba: «HA HA HA! What did you say?»
Seto: «If I beat you in chess, I want you to adopt me and my brother!»
Gozaburo Kaiba: «heh...You're an interesting kid...»
and Seto won...but he won by cheating! And so our last name changed to Kaiba...but the life we began that day was the opposite of what we had hoped for! That man Kaiba was monster. He put my brother into a special accelerated school program. Day in and day out forced him to study foreign languages, social studies, economics, game strategy...It was endless torture...But what he didn't realise was that he wasn't creating his heir...he was creating a powerful enemy!
Six years later [Kaiba Corp. Board Meeting]"
It seems Mokuba is the one who has been keeping his core when he mentions that their last name changed to Kaiba, which means he still remembers it, but Seto seems to keep that "tightly shut" when looking at his inner monologue in Battle City against Dark Yugi, that he only briefly mention his biological parents, so their "Kaiba" surname is not their original surname because they were adopted, I have always wondered what their last name were to be honest, I'm so curious, unfortunately we'll never know.
Gozaburo Kaiba was their adoptive father, Mokuba thought he was a monster, Seto does think the same but also sees him as "father", a monster "father" in the name of "education", he was very abusive father, if there is something that we often we see in this manga is horrible fathers, absent fathers (both fine but their lack of presence influenced their children growth, Yugi's and Hanaski's fathers) and 1 good father (Dark Yugi/Atem's father).
Seto does sees everything negatively but only the matter of his parents is "tightly shut", while Mokuba not as much because he might have vague memories of their biological father but he cherish them.
It is as Mokuba explains, Seto ended becoming an enemy to Gozaburo instead of an heir and also interesting fact is that Seto won against a world grandmaster chess by cheating...I think Gozaburo noticed that Seto did cheated and liked that about him since it showed Seto was willing to use any means necessary to get out of the orphanage and give a "good life" to him and his little brother...
Getting to the six years later...
Seto is around 16 years old in this current timeline, this event in the panels happened 6 months ago, as we see, Seto became the president of Kaiba Corp. and called Gozaburo as "Kaiba", the more important part being Gozaburo Kaiba committed suicide after he said this:
"Seto! I lost my game with you! Burn this into your brain! this is what a loser deserves! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !"
Basically, Gozaburo was even more messed up than Seto, but since it was this messed adoptive "father" did "raise" Seto then comes, Seto inner monologue:
"heh heh heh...to lose means to die...thank you...for teaching me..."
The result from being "raised" by an adoptive "monster father", it also explains why Dark Yugi's penalty game "sensation of death" affected Seto so much that he became obsessed with taking revenge and as well his rivalry against Dark Yugi, belief that defeating Dark Yugi means defeating his "own past/ghost" since his adoptive "father" made him think that way, which also explains why Kaiba being willing to commit suicide in Duelist Kingdom against Dark Yugi if he lost since his "father" did the same as following his example of this moment, which is to say that Seto did saw Gozaburo to an extent as a "father", it distorted his notion of "family" and real meaning of family as "tightly shut".
After Mokuba tells their story starts to cry for missing his big brother from how he used to be, the photo he holds so dear from the time he still smiled, 😢, sadly he won't be able to be what he used to be, but he can become a better person if he puts effort, Dark Yugi felt sympathy for the kid, despite being a brat who was trying to imitate his brother to get his big brother's attention, he is still child who wants love from the only family he has and who is also currently his guardian (a bad one initially, he slowly gets better after Duelist Kingdom) which is very important to their growth.
Then Dark Yugi starts to explain the effect of his "penalty game spell" he put on Seto:
"Right now, Kaiba is picking up the pieces of his heart in the darkness..."
This is the beginning of his explanation, as we have seen in the previous keys points when he did the "mind crush" it happened like the millennium puzzle being smashed and putting back it's pieces, when you think about it, it's similar to what happened to Atem and now as Dark Yugi....it's similar but not the same...going further with his explanation...
Quoting Dark Yugi the continuation of his explanation:
"He's reassembling the shattered puzzle of his heart! One piece at a time, with his own strength...so that this time he won't make any mistakes."
Looking through his explanation about this "penalty game", it's a special kind, removing the more rotten part of Seto, Seto's heart or mind had to be shattered, basically Seto is restructuring himself from scratch the pieces from himself, even in psychological terms in form of therapy that is done in a natural way takes a very long time, it may take years, with Seto was 6 months...Seto is doing this through magical means from Dark Yugi, he is more or less giving a chance to Seto.
When Mokuba asks if his brother will come back or recover from this state...Dark Yugi answers:
"Yes...someday...when he completes the puzzle...he will return..."
Dark Yugi is a aware is gonna take a while, because even in psychology takes awhile, what I find most interesting is that Seto is going through something similar that Atem went through for how he died, the pendant then still shattered in pieces, once pendant into puzzle become completed, Atem had to restart again to eventually to be on a quest to recover his lost memories, in that sense Seto and Dark Yugi are similar in their quest of self-discovery.
Mokuba is willing to wait, that kid deep down has a big and strong heart and still believing in his brother, I love his character and his growth.
Quoting Jounouchi:
"Hey, Yugi!! I just got a call from Hanasaki at the hospital! Your grandpa's surgery went great! They he's the healthiest collectible card game player they've ever seen!"
The last time Hanasaki is mentioned in the manga, yeah, I won't this go...😞, onto the main scene, the scene is very nice, it's like after a very hard work day and shows despite the deadly challenges, it made them become closer as friends as well stronger and very happy for Yugi that his grandfather is well and Yugi feeling relieved, I find so amusing of how happy they are for Yugi that Jounouchi spins Yugi as if dancing, of course we have the baby getting into and breaking the mood with his perv mind...the more fascinating part would be when Jounouchi wonders when Dark Yugi went inside "his room" and Yugi taking over, he even blushed a little, it's like seeing a "cool boy" turning into "cute kid" xDD, jokes aside (that might be the case though xDD), it shows Dark Yugi is quite smooth when changing and also considerate to Yugi to celebrate their victories with his friends and grandpa.
Jounouchi was about to ask something and then says nothing but Yugi understood by quoting his inner monologue:
"I knew right away what Jounouchi tried to ask me...after all...Today, for the first time, I can remember all the battles we fought together..."
Yugi isn't just including Yugi and his friends only, he is also including Dark Yugi, it means that he knows he can trust Dark Yugi too, a huge growth between them, host and spirit as much their friends trusting Dark Yugi too and see him as a friend too, however despite the growth and much needed one between Yugi and Dark Yugi as host and spirit, there is still work to be done at this time.
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