(yeah, I like My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic 😎)
What makes it even more unbelievable is this project has around 5 years and 4 months and 8 days with 1 year of hiatus to be precise to this day, it certainly gets me more motivated to finish this, but still too soon to celebrate xD.
Regarding this post itself, as mentioned in the title, volume 6 of Memory World Arc (the penultimate volume of the manga series) will be divided in 3 posts (3 parts) and what a cool way to start with such an important duel to show Yugi's growing maturity and development against the main antagonist shadow, then the next and last duel being the most important of the series and is in the last volume.
Plot Summary:
Hasan informing about the former king last will to Dark Yugi and comes a conversation between Zorc, Hasan, Dark Akhenaden and Dark Yugi...
After the rest of the gang finishing the labyrinth, they enter the next chamber with a bridge to pass through to the other side and on the other side is Yami Bakura shadow spy, Yami Bakura shadow spy challenges them that the only way to pass through is to defeat him in a duel, Yugi accepts the challenge as responsibility of being the host of the pharaoh soul in seeking pharaoh's lost name.
The duel starts with Yami Bakura shadow spy mistakenly underestimating Yugi's skills (like most antoganists and "potential rivals" do 😫 with the exception of Otogi Ryuji 😉), Yugi quickly takes the lead, Yami Bakura shadow spy seeing that he has to step up his game, he makes a very creative terrible combo that introduces a new element in the gameplay of Magic and Wizards/Duel Monsters that we see in the spin-offs (from GX and onward), making it very difficult for Yugi to turn the tables but in the end he will finish with a quick combo to victory in the duel.
Key Points:
About why and how the former king made it happen for a spirit to come to the pharaoh's help when he needed and the spirit who calls himself as Hasan reveals the former king last will:
"On his deathbed, the former pharaoh worried that the millennium items might bring disaster to this world...He gave his soul to seal a spirit into a stone tablet...the one you call the tablet of the pharaoh's memories!"
In the post about the birth of the millennium items, he did had a bad feeling about the millennium items for attracting men after the millennium tome they hold, then few years later confronted by Mahado if he knew about the cost and learning about it, so many disappointments and hards choices onward he had to do because he must have sensed that it would fall into his son, so he took priority despite everything to protect the kindgom and his son even for more 3000 thousand years when he was already dead, did he kinda predicted that Dark Yugi would seal his soul and name to seal Zorc? Did he thought much ahead? it's possible that he sought the priest of the millennium tauk for future advice regarding the kingdom and his son (since the time the former king was alive was the one wearing the pendant not Dark Yugi, so she could predict his future), this might be when was implied about a prophecy that he would inherit the names and power of the egyptian gods came from, so he made preparations for it.
It must have crossed Dark Yugi's mind together with his recent recovery of his past from before to this point making the connections and he couldn't help but to be extremely moved by his father's love and care for his son and kingdom.
As for the spirit Hasan, he is still curious and mysterious character even in terms of lore, could Hasan be the former king's spirit Ka for him to seal in the tablet or someone who was willing to and follow him even in afterlife for the former pharaoh who give his life? it can be either these options...
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In Dark Yugi's thought after knowing this...
"Oh, father...was it all for nothing? In spite of everything that you did..."
Not it wasn't, in fact it was very helpful, Hasan protection and being only destroyed if Zorc is destroyed as well, it speaks volumes that it wasn't for nothing, the fact Hasan reminds him of his friends and their quest and being there to help Dark Yugi to buy time...
Another note is the tender tone when thinking of his father not only moved by such gesture, also love and care from Dark Yugi's part, his caring and protective nature does take after his father, I don't think Dark Yugi isn't really doubting his father help to work, but more in a sense of a child searching for parental assurance that everything will be alright...
There is some very interesting stuff in this conversation between Zorc and Hasan and then Akhenaden's claim:
"You who guard the pharaoh...to live through my hellfire, you must be a spirit from the afterworld..."
We know Zorc is a spirit being from the "afterworld", in other words, beings like these seems to always imply that it never really had a physical form and wasn't ever a mortal, does that mean Hasan wasn't ever a mortal? even after we know who he is at the end of this volume, it still mysterious, I think I'm starting to have a vague idea why (it has to do with Dark Side of Dimensions movie) and also that beings from "afterworld" originally are usually very powerful...this Zorc guy to say "to live through my hellfire", that's a pretty arrogant thinking...
Now Hasan replies to explains why he does survives Zorc's attacks
"As long as there is light in the afterworld, even you will cast a shadow...and I am that shadow!!"
That's interesting...let me get this straight, I think he means by how Akhenaden was pharaoh Akhenamkhanen's shadow, being someone's shadow means that usually goes unnoticed and works behind the curtain, when we look back since he first appeared and later reveal who is behind the mask, he does really works this way, could it be that the former king gave his life to make a sort of contract with this spirit Hasan from the "afterworld" in the tablet as Zorc's shadow for what he is doing now, he must have asked everything to Mahado about what he learned of the true nature of the millennium items, so he could later create this kind of counter with probably with some guidance from the wielder of the millennium tauk predecessor of priest Isis, this is impressive thinking ahead from the former king.
With Zorc's arrogance saying if he is a "mere shadow" than is easy to crush, what naiveness...villain naiveness as Hasan counters this...
"A shadow disappears only when it's owner is destroyed!"
It's pretty much what Hasan says here, the most someone can do is hide their shadow but even that doesn't work for long, it's futile attempt that you might as well aknowledge it's existence...
Then Dark Akhenaden retorts with his conceitedness...
"Gwahaha a shadow...having gained the almighty Zorc's powers, I have become his avatar...his reflection...isn't a reflection greater than a shadow...?!"
Impressive conceitedness there with holes and rather redundant what you're saying that makes the situation reduntant as well and what he says is kinda stupid too, think about it, if Hasan is the shadow of Zorc and Akhenaden gaining Zorc's powers makes "Zorc's reflection", it would make Hasan to be Dark Akhenaden's shadow as well, then it would mean Zorc and Dark Akhenaden would share the same shadow being Hasan, so the situation for them doesn't change really, plus a shadow is also a kind of reflection, so no, a reflection isn't greater than a shadow and almost pratically the same for the reasons I just wrote in the latter.
When Zorc talks, it's very hard to take him seriously because everything he says is so generic and his vocabulary sounds limited too, he is a very vain and generic villain and didn't thought through the holes in Dark Akhenaden throwing words to the wind, not very bright, *boring* 😴.
When Dark Yugi asks Dark Akhenaden why he betrayed them, Dark Akhenaden's answer is...
"Pharaoh...You were the living god of this world...you controlled the three gods and all that you surveyed...but...even as a pharaoh, you can't see into the true darkness...therein lies a power beyond the power of kings..."
Wow, the nerve of this guy, he realises there is more than one king in that time and age, right? to be saying the living god of the world? I guess is because of Dark Yugi being able to control three gods...but is that envy there? wow, he envied his brother for becoming pharaoh but also envies his nephew for being able to control the three gods...😑 and claiming that even as pharaoh can't see into the true darkness, he is speaking of the cost he willingly omitted and atrocity he conspired and committed behind his brother's back and that there lies power beyond the power kings, but he is talking about the sacrifices he made to create millennium items for power, that sounds theathrical, if this is what he thinks is what makes to gain "true great power"... that is rather relative and naive too plus one-track minded (more short-sighted), that depends from person to person and it doesn't truly relate to "true darkness" or "true light" really, since the true nature of either darkness or light is grey since they are one and the same.
As we can remember Yugi was almost finishing the labyrinth, so he was running way from what just started to move after him right behind him when he was close to the end seen on the panel ensemble on the left but on the right we can have a pretty good guess the orders of who arrived first...Yugi being closest to the entrance, then Anzu, Jounouchi and lastly Honda who clearly just arrived, we can take a good guess who are quicker to solve a puzzle or problem, it's also nice seeing Yugi trying to keep them motivated...
If we look at the gang expressions, they're not exactly surprised, Jounouchi and Honda more towards irritation with Yami Bakura shadow spy constant interference, Yugi is a bit hard because before he entered, he already suspected as much, it's more being well aware he is quite dangerous...
Yami Bakura says to put into considered thought...
"You came looking for the pharaoh's name, right...? Seems like it's back there...the thief soul in my ring can sense it...but I can't let you find it...so this is as far as you go. If you want to get past me...you'll have to defeat me first..."
What took my attention is when he says "the thief soul in my ring can sense it", we know he is zorc but it can be noted he has mix of traits of thief Bakura's ruthless determination and overconfidence, his amazing powers of perception and surprisingly honest while with conceitedness, act behind the curtains and omit vital info as Akhenaden, whose powers is one with Zorc, so what's the deal with this about Zorc...it's important to make a memo of this...
Look at Yugi making the decision by taking on Yami Bakura shadow spy challenge, becoming more proactive in his decisions, such a nice growth to see but that's not the most interesting part, after he summons his first monster...Marshmallow and about to be attacked by Yami Bakura shadow spy's monster, he starts to think...
"This duel is a test for me! Even my other self doesn't know this deck...Just wait! I'll win this duel...and save you!"
Yugi is already thinking that much ahead, these thoughts of his, implies and set ups so many things for the most important duel of the series, the fact he sees this duel as a test, it shows he knows how dangerous and unpredictable Yami Bakura duelling style is, a duelist who usually can only be defeated by the hands of a god card.
This deck he is currently holding that not even Dark Yugi knows represents Yugi pretty much suspecting when the time comes to send Dark Yugi to afterlife and secretly preparing for it, he knows...it shows he is serious in fullfilling his role as the pharaoh soul's vessel.
This deck he is currently holding that not even Dark Yugi knows represents Yugi pretty much suspecting when the time comes to send Dark Yugi to afterlife and secretly preparing for it, he knows...it shows he is serious in fullfilling his role as the pharaoh soul's vessel.
I like this Anzu's scene a lot, Jounouchi is surprised seeing "silent swordsman" and tells he never seen before, which speaks volumes Yugi's true intention that he hasn't even shown to and used against Jounouchi with whom he plays this TCG the most, which also implies Dark Yugi usually watched Yugi and Jounouchi play frequently so Dark Yugi wouldn't know of this Yugi's deck...
Now with Anzu, tells her observation to Jounouchi and Honda...
"That deck...it's different from the one the other yugi uses! He must have built it by himself!"
Remember I mentioned before there was hints that she does play a little of Magic and Wizards TCG, since she is more of a casual player than a duelist, she must have noticed not only from the duels she watched of Yugi and Dark Yugi and Jounouchi saying he never seen that card, catching on these details that Yugi has been secretly building his own deck, she is a very smart girl, plus there is more with her following thoughts...
"He's not just the other yugi's partner! He's been developing his own dueling ability as well..."
I like this part in particular of her thought because it has so many meanings behind it, recognising that Yugi is developing his own style and not a style based on a deck that Yugi and Dark Yugi built together but himself, she already acknowledges Yugi and Dark Yugi that they are their own people not just two souls sharing the same body while knowing their special bond and not being defined and dependent on it, she is also paying close attention to Yugi's growth.
I find pretty amusing about Yami Bakura shadow spy finding Silent Swordsman one of the LV "up" monsters irritating, well this is when this kind of monsters were first introduced and I remember finding a pretty cool concept monster and still do, but it seems they are rare cards because we don't often see players having this kind of cards even in the spin-off series (my favourites of these kind of cards are Silent Magician (my favourite spellcaster and the ice-theme spellcasters too) and Masked Knight from YGO 5D's).
You see a bit of his train of thought when dueling, in the previous duels of him alone, we couldn't get much, since is very rare to see him duel, compared to previous times (against Pegasus and B!Jounouchi, they were both special circunstances but his decisions were always influential to the result of the duel), Yugi knows when to hold on when he has to and wait for a better time to use the card he was almost about to use...
When the time comes...
Yami Bakura shadow spy is very shocked even more with this spell card, his reaction seems not to know this card mixed with very bad feeling, why I did chose this scene in particular when I usually don't focus on duel much less in cards? because this is an important moment when everyone is seeing what Yugi is truly capable of but this isn't him going all out really, it's just that if you underestimate him, he can take the lead very quickly and dominates the duel.
I love the panel ensemble on the left with how is drawn Yugi just activating the spell card, what a cool pose there...and also Turn Jump card becomes a key card of Yugi's deck (I think I remember him using in Dark Side of Dimensions too).
The next key point is when there is things that starts to bug me...
This is when it really bugs me the most, Jounouchi being the most surprised, Anzu slightly surprised, for not appearing Honda, it means he was least surpised, probably because for him is common knowledge that Yugi is a natural when it comes to games but also didn't let his guard down easily with Yami Bakura shadow spy being in the nature of Yami Bakura being dangerous and unpredictable methods.
It really bugs me a lot Jounouchi being the most surprised because for someone who have played against him so many times and lost to him both of these times, you would think he knows better, sure his previous little childish behaviour and his baby face make it look easy and harmless, but come on, he still should know better, ugh, it just gets on my nerves that even his friends, even one he constantly plays with him and yet underestimate him that maybe he wouldn't be capable against Yami Bakura, it annoys me a lot, Anzu at least wasn't really surprised because she understands where that strength comes from and being her childhood friend.
As for Yami Bakura shadow spy, remember is still piece of Yami Bakura, you would think to function as a spy as parasite mind and spying on them through Ryou would know little bit better, so yeah their surprise bugs me, specially Jounouchi.
This thought of Anzu as she watches Yugi...
"When you think about it...the other yugi was always the one who had to fight the duels...but now is our Yugi has to fight to save the other one...He must be thinking «I have to be strong...I have to help the other yugi go back to where he belongs...»"
I think Anzu is mostly right about Dark Yugi having to fight the duels instead of Yugi, but since is mostly, here is why, there were duels Dark Yugi didn't had to fight and could have been Yugi such against Insector Haga, Ryota Kajiki, when Yugi's life wasn't threatened, it was more Dark Yugi taking over without asking or to act as guardian, while Yugi let it be to be constantly protected not by just Dark Yugi, his friends as well then in result underestimating him even Yugi to himself, Anzu is guessing right Yugi's most of his motivations because she doesn't know Dark Yugi doesn't know about this deck, she might suspect a little...
Now Yami Bakura shadow spy says to Yugi...
"I see...looks like the vessel knows how to play cards too, eh...? Any duelist gets a high when he faces someone truly worth fighting...but..."
For someone who watched Yugi defeating a game designer in his own game and advising Otogi Ryuji that it would futile to solve the millennium puzzle and only Yugi was worth it, this is even common knowledge for Yami Bakura, just because he hasn't watched often or didn't payed proper attention, doesn't mean Yugi is inferior, in fact it makes Yugi's adversary at disadvantage because he only knows Dark Yugi's style with a deck built by both of them but not solely by one of them, different circunstances brings different challenges, which is what Yami Bakura shadow spy is starting to realise even it shouldn't be nothing new that Yugi is very skilled for solving the and acknowledged by the millennium puzzle.
As for the "high" that duelists experience when fighting someone worthy, there is many names for these, for some is getting pumped (for Dark Yugi's case), Kaiba and Jounouchi are their fighting spirits flaming since they are both hot-headed (😀), the heat of the battle/competition, happy or excitment but "high" from Yami Bakura...
As for the "high" that duelists experience when fighting someone worthy, there is many names for these, for some is getting pumped (for Dark Yugi's case), Kaiba and Jounouchi are their fighting spirits flaming since they are both hot-headed (😀), the heat of the battle/competition, happy or excitment but "high" from Yami Bakura...
The description he gives to his own style is interesting to take a closer look...:
"Too bad for you...I'm just a killer...I'll enjoy my high as I watch you bleed to death..."
If we look back according to these words when he fought Dark Yugi and Yami Marik when he was at an advantage, his kind of high sounds more like ecstasy with a sadistic occult horror touch, of course, even Yugi has his own but we'll only see it at the end of the series, which is very fitting, so how Yami Bakura shadow spy describes how Yami Bakura himself about his style is pretty accurate.
I gotta say this spell card is very creepy, Accursed Necrotwins, two creepy twin dolls holding two boxes, one is red and the other is black, Yugi chosen wisely the red since for each card sent to both their graveyards, he gains 200LP and is permanent effect and Yugi sharply worried and cautious asks about the curse in the black box, it's that Yami Bakura shadow spy graveyard will be destroyed, at first one would think that just sounds really bad, it would be very bad for Yugi but is it for Yami Bakura shadow spy? we know Yami Bakura has a creative element to his style...
What is the meaning of this effect of his graveyard being destroyed? This is actually a new gameplay concept introduced once again by Yami Bakura, in this case from shadow spy, we had special summoning with Necrofear when fought Dark Yugi and now this, similar effects happens in the spin-off series but usually with one card or a limited number of cards, it's introducing "removed from play" concept that was later based on and used in spin-offs from GX and onward, by technical terms the meaning of this effect, each card after being used or negated or destroyed (seeing there is spell and trap cards floating around) will be removed from play and the graveyard becoming unacessible to the player affected by the curse and the cards removed from play to be counted as being in the field.
With this curse from the Accursed Necrotwins on Yami Bakura shadow spy field with All Killing Death Card, since Yami Bakura shadow spy's graveyard is destroyed, all cards after being used, negated or destroyed are unusable on his field (he can't use monster reborn since the cards aren't in the graveyard anymore to reborn), therefore removed from play but as counted being on the field and the All Killing Death Card makes the players discards cards from their deck based on the numbers of monsters on the field, making this effect useless on Yami Bakura shadow spy, so Yugi is the one at a disadvantage, even if Yugi chosen the black box, Yugi would be in bigger disadvantage, it's a very bad situation to be in as Jounouchi explains to Anzu, which shows improvement and experience on him to notice these problems, he is already an advanced player.
I don't think Yugi was about to give up, but trying to find his strength and courage again to keep fighting, in situations like these is difficult to find it, we have to remember even though he has become more confident, his self-esteem issues hasn't completely disappeared, then Jounouchi says:
"Yugi! If you're a duelist...Don't give up until you draw your last card!"
I do have a bit of a problem with this kind of mindset about being "a duelist" or "true duelist", with my experience in being multiple fandoms, it's very similar to about the constant debate about what it means to be "a fan" or ""true fan", even I struggle a little and also some principles speak of about being a duelist in the series, it can be applied in general in your life as well, not giving up even when you're in self-doubt, also I do not agree in making a "rule" of being "a duelist" in not giving up, the individual can have the choice to give up if he wants to even if the person doesn't agree, besides there is different kinds of giving up and not giving up, you can surrender or give up and go retreat to fight another day, there is also when Yugi gave up the fight with Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, sometimes is the right time and right thing to do like the case of Kaiba and fight another time and other times isn't the right thing or time to do so like this case Yugi is experiencing , because in this moment because he gives up in this moment then he truly can't save himself or Dark Yugi and his friends.
When Yugi heard those inspirations words from Jounouchi, he started to remember...
Dark Yugi's fight against Kaiba in Death-T, thinking...
"That's right...! Other me...No matter what happened...you never gave up until the end...!!"
Now, now, Yugi, he is giving him too much credit, he had moments like these too as Yugi having in this duel, the fight he is remembering is one of them, he was in deep self-doubt until he saw the mark left in the hand of the friendship symbol to inspire him to keep fighting, when we think about it, Dark Yugi and even Yugi sometimes usually need emotional support from their friends or someone, as more fights came, they were learning to stand on their own even when they're last on their knees, Dark Yugi currently doesn't go in self-doubt (in his fight against Yami Bakura has shown this growth regarding self-doubt).
I find very interesting the fight Yugi remembered was the duel Dark Yugi VS Kaiba in Death-T and Yugi was watching their duel as we see above and it's perspective is curious as well, it was the first time in a game fight Dark Yugi was in self-doubt, so it means the quoted thought is also referring how when Dark Yugi was almost about to give up, he did get up again, the other thing that this must have been when Yugi started to watch Dark Yugi fighting, if we look at the distance back then, there was certain far distance even after becoming aware of Dark Yugi's existence, which reminds us, if he watched from this moment on his game fights and duels and tried to talk even screaming to Dark Yugi many times but Dark Yugi didn't and couldn't listen until the duel against Pegasus because it was a time when Dark Yugi had hit his lowest point, the silent struggle must have been for Yugi during all that time from just watching and even yelling didn't worked until Dark Yugi reached his lowest when fighting Pegasus...
Yugi after reminding Dark Yugi went through similar experiences as he is now, it inspired him to continue and becoming more determined in fulfilling his quest to the point "I'll defeat any enemy that stands in my way!", that's almost ruthless determination, almost.
When chosing the pages for panels ensembles, I was actually undecided between this one and when he shows his Gandora, The Dragon of Destruction (I love the design of the card, I have to say, I love how Takahashi draws dragons, my favourite will always be Black Rose Dragon then is Blue Eyes White Dragon and White Night Dragon), it becomes one of his key cards as well, but I think this one makes more sense of showing when Yami Bakura shadow spy loses all his LP and he asks how, Yugi used spell card Magic Barrier to protect his Silent Swordsman LV7 who was the strongest monster card in the field from Gandora's effect, it was a quick combo which suits Yugi very well due his quick thinking and being a fast learner, we look through his duels specially this one and the next duel he will have, it's a more dynamic, quick, inventive and creative style.
This panel alone already speaks louder than words... 😊
See Ya Next Post!!
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