Even the best and most beloved anime have their ups and downs, andYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monstersis no exception. At its core,the series is about high-schooler Yugi Mutou’s journey to save the world through epic card game battles and help an ancient spirit rediscover his mysterious past.Though these elements are ever-present throughout the series, not all seasons serve them to the fullest.
Most storylines found throughoutYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters’ 200+ episodes gradually progress the overarching plot while others take it in very different directions. New challenges and characters appear regularly in sometimes questionable but never dull ways. Whileall five seasons ofYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monstershave their own unique appeal, strengths, and weaknesses, some deliver more than others.
5Season 4
Waking the Dragons
“Waking the Dragons” is easily the series’ most bizarre seasonwith no real consensus on quality among fans. Some love its new characters and unexpected narrative, while others can’t overlook its blatant plot holes and somewhat fanfiction-like story. The introduction of Atlantis is also a bit controversial. Though arguably engaging, it attempts to compete with the compelling ancient Egyptian elements already present.
The Orichalcos in particular is simultaneously season 4’s best and worst concept. It provides a refreshing take on the series’ running theme of soul theft and is a corruptive force to be reckoned with. However, it’s alsoone of the most overpowered cards inYu-Gi-Oh!‘sanime, able to bring Duel Monsters to life, create illusions, and allow someone to experience another’s memories. This and other elements of season 4 undoubtedly make “Waking the Dragons” an interesting ride.
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For all its strengths or weaknesses though, the"Waking the Dragons" arc ultimately suffers for essentially being aYu-Gi-Oh!filler arc. The arc has little impact on the overarching story and doesn’t really move the series’ character forward in any meaningful way. Hurting the arc even further is that it comes right on the heels of the Battle City arc, which not only had massive implications for the series' overarching story, but also introduced the God Cards, one ofYu-Gi-Oh!‘smost iconic monster groups. Given all this, “Waking the Dragons” just can’t compete.
4Season 3
(Enter the Shadow Realm) Virtual World Arc & Battle City Arc Part 2
After season 2’s intense finale duel between Yami Marik and Yami Bakura,season 3 kicks off with the sudden entry into a virtual world.The gang must fight to return to reality before the digitalized consciousnesses of the Big Five and Noah Kaiba can hijack their bodies to escape cyberspace. Season 3’s second half then continues and concludes the Battle City arc.
Unsurprising to most fans, the first half ofYu-Gi-Oh!season 3 was an anime-exclusive filler arc.
While the Virtual World arc expands on a season 1 three-parter and further explores Kaiba’s adoptive family, it brings the Battle City arc to a grinding halt. The Battle City arc is crucial to the main plot, introducing and expanding on concepts and characters that play major roles inYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters’ final season. It’s thus strange that the series takes a 24-episode detour smack in the middle of it.
If it weren’t for the Virtual Reality detour, then season 3 ofYu-Gi-Oh!might rank much higher. Battle City is one of the most iconic parts ofYu-Gi-Oh’sanime, and the second half of the arc contains some absolutely incredible moments. Atem’s final battle with Marik is a particular standout, with absurd abilities and dramatic turns of fate caused by the Heart of the Cards in abundance. Unfortunately, given that’s only half of season 3, it’s difficult to rank the season too highly compared to some of its more consistent contemporaries.
3Season 5
Grand Championship, Capsule Monsters, & Dawn of the Duel
Season 5 is best remembered for the “Dawn of the Duel” (Pharaoh’s Memories) arc, which bringsYugi and the Pharaoh’s joined destiny to its conclusion. Prior to this, Kaiba holds the KaibaCorp Grand Championship (KC Grand Prix).Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters, while technically a mini-series spin-off, takes place in between and is sometimes considered part of season 5.
The season as a whole is somewhat overloaded. The tournament format has lost its luster by this point and some fans seeKaiba’s latest rival, Zigfried, as a Pegasus rehash. “Capsule Monsters” is considered a fun side-story by some and an unnecessary addition by others. “Dawn of the Duel” makes up for season 5’s flaws by finally revealing the Pharaoh’s past andgiving fans one final, emotional duel between him and Yugi before they must part ways forever.
Though theYu-Gi-Ohanime’s abundance of filler may have cost it some fans toward the end, those who stuck things out would find a perfectly satisfying end to the series. For all of season 5’s bumps, the ultimate destination more than makes up for it.Yugi Vs. Atem is one of the best duels inYu-Gi-Oh!history, proving how much the series’ protagonist has grown throughout his time in the series. Given this,Yu-Gi-Oh!easily does more than enough to earn a middle rank.
2Season 1
Duelist Kingdom Arc, Legendary Heroes, & Dungeon Dice Monsters
The first season ofYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monstersis an excellent mix of fantasy, action, suspense, and mystery. Character dynamics are well-established and Pegasus is the perfect classic villain. The Duelist Kingdom arc does an incredible job of creating a sense of urgency and isa quintessential example of good vs. evil in anime.
Season 1 also plays with other concepts that serve as a fun change of pace before the series takes a deep dive into the main plot. Upon returning from Duelist Kingdom, Yugi and his friends embark on a mission to rescue Kaiba when the Big Five trap him in a virtual reality game of his own making. After this, enemy-turned-friend Duke Devlin (Ryuji Otogi) is introduced to the series along with his dice-based Duel Monsters spin-off game, Dungeon Dice Monsters.
Yu-Gi-Oh!season one put the show on the map and made it a dominating force in the anime world for good reason. There is a great energy to the first season that makes it infectious and easily bingeable. As much as some bemoan the reliance on things like “The Heart of the Cards” and just how often the anime breaks the game’s rules, those are both iconic parts of the first season that only really enhance the experience rather than detract from it.Season one ofYu-Gi-Oh!is very frequently ridiculous, and that’s what makes it so incredible.
1Season 2
Battle City Arc Part 1
In terms of main plot progression, location, and new cards and characters, season 2 absolutely takes the cake.Part one of the Battle City arc does the best job of revamping the established elements and characterswithout compromising the heart and soul of the series. The secrets of the Millennium Puzzle and Yami Yugi’s destiny are further explored while also keeping just enough hidden to leave fans wanting more.
Season 2 introduces and fleshes out two of the series’ best villains, Marik and Bakura, respectively. It features some of the series’ best animation and character design, giving Kaiba his signature white jacket. It also ushers in themost iconicYu-Gi-Oh!accessory second only to the Millennium Puzzle, Kaiba’s second-generation Duel Disk. The duel disk doesn’t just look great, it allowed duels in the series to be much more surprising given that a duel could break out anywhere at any time.
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Another element helping season two ofYu-Gi-Oh!stand out is that, after Duelist Kingdom, the series had some time to refine what worked and what didn’t about its central game. Life points were doubled, tribute summoning became standard, and players had to give up rare cards if they lost a duel. The result greatly improved the flow and structure of each battle. The duels also were more grounded than they were in season one. There were still outlandish elements, of course, but far less. The result is an incredible season of shonen anime.
Though Duelist Kingdom introduced fans to the world and characters ofYu-Gi-Oh!,it’s Battle City that truly codified so many staples of the franchise. The God Cards, duel disks, and more all rose to prominence in this era ofYu-Gi-Oh!and for that alone season two deserves the highest marks compared to the series' past seasons. Overall, there is little doubt thatseason two is peakYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Cast
Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998) is a Japanese anime series that follows Yugi Mutou, a high school student who solves an ancient puzzle and awakens a mysterious alter-ego known as the “Pharaoh.” The series features intense card battles with strategic gameplay, where Yugi must outwit opponents to unlock the secrets of the puzzle and protect his friends from various threats.
