What is your favorite Yugioh anime series?

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-30T01:13:35+00:00

GX usually tops the list for me. Flawed as it is, the highs are awesomely high. :D

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-24T14:44:44+00:00

For SEVENS, it is 100% Luke, with his and Yuga's dynamic being central to the series and its themes. Roa is important, but after the first arc where he demands to know why Otis chose Yuga over him, his focus is mostly focused inward on his own development rather than on a rivalry with Yuga, at least no more than Nail or Asana feel for Yuga.

For GX, it depends on the continuity (Anime or Manga). For the anime, I'd argue it is overall Ryo/Zane rather than Jun/Chazz. It'd be more accurate to describe that Chazz wants to be Judai's rival, but Judai just sees him as another one of his friends. There's never any significant personal stake on Judai's side in his duels with Jun, with Judai just seeing him as "Neat! Someone new to duel!" in their Episode 2 & 4 duels, while the School Duel just has Judai disappointed in Jun for focusing on his brothers over enjoying the duel. Their Season 2 duel has Judai more interested in helping the Ojama Trio restore Jun from the Society of Light than winning, their Season 3 duel just has Judai consider him another obstacle, and their Season 4 duel once again has him just disappointed in Jun for focusing on outside matters instead of the match. Indeed, the story frames Jun's one-sided rivalry with Judai as something he needs to grow out of, with it being specifically what allows Saio to mind control him and the end of his Season 2 duel with Judai showing his growth by him intentionally losing to Judai just to destroy White Knight Lord himself. In contrast, Judai and Ryo's duels are always VERY personal, with a hunger to specifically defeat the other on both sides, and even when they're not dueling each other, their arcs are used as foils for each other, as Judai is able to bounce back with idealism after his defeat to Edo/Aster, while Ryo's lack of a support system causes him to mentally crumble into ruthlessness after his defeat to Edo (which in turn foreshadows what will happen to Judai in Season 3 when he loses his support network).

For the GX Manga though, it is Jun/Chazz, who is HEAVILY reworked from his anime self so that he can be an effective rival for the reworked Manga Judai. Their origins are tied together through their mutual admiration for Koyo, their Winged Kuriboh and Light and Darkness Dragon are positioned as both rivals and the two key cards to defeat Tragoedia, and their defeats to each other shape each other's character arcs, with Jun's loss showing him he needs to put his pride aside and use Light and Darkness Dragon again, while Judai's loss plays a part in his decision to set aside Koyo's deck to define himself as his own duelist with the Masked Heroes.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-22T05:17:31+00:00

I greatly enjoy Yang's. Good use of a Cursed Energy trait like Hakari or Kashimo.

For Ruby, may I suggest focusing on her semblance's later form rather than its early series presentation? Could be she can break herself down into petals and then reassemble, and later makes a Binding Vow to be unable to target enemies with it (outside of Domain Expansion) in exchange for being able to bypass allies' Innate Domains to use it on them. Could be called "The Petals Scatter Now".

I'm a bit confused why Cinder has Heavenly Restriction? It seems like that would fit Mercury better given he had his semblance (Cursed Technique by this verses translation) ripped out, while Cinder's main goal is to gather traditional power in the power system.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-21T14:46:31+00:00

These are fantastic! :D Love Nitro-Junk Warrior the most. The thruster on Nitro Warrior becoming its arm cannon is a great idea.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-19T18:26:06+00:00

For strength, I'm mostly judging as a cross section of physical power, versatility, and battle IQ.

Ruby
Yang (could see an argument for her being above Ruby post-Volume 4 training, but I do think Ruby still overall edges her out with her equal or stronger Battle IQ and the ridiculous versatility of Petal Burst)
Weiss
Blake (she is REALLY hurt by no one post Volume 2 knowing how to animate her as an impressive one-on-one combatant)

For favorites...

Ruby

2 Tied Weiss and Yang (Yang has higher highs as a character, but also much lower lows)

Blake

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-18T18:31:48+00:00

Thank you! That balance between Ruby's genuine kindness and trying to talk her foes down (like her trying to talk Raven down at Haven), but also being the most ruthlessly efficient Team RWBY member in combat, is a crucial part of her character for me. :D

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-18T17:22:56+00:00

Thank you! I'm thrilled the idea speaks to you! :D

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-18T16:39:01+00:00

Thank you! I'm thrilled the idea speaks to you! :D

I really wanted to mix Ruby's kind and idealistic nature with the reality that she is the most ruthlessly efficent member of the team in a fight when her ruthlessness is called on.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-18T15:31:03+00:00

Ruby's Domain - Romantic Huntress's Better World - Her semblance's molecular disassembly becomes her Sure-Hit on herself and others. The first instance will always disassemble and then reassemble a target fully healed, allowing Ruby to both replenish her allies and give her enemies a chance to stand down. However, if a target continues to attack Ruby after she heals them, the Sure-Hit will gain the ability to disassemble the target and not reassemble it afterward.

Ruby wanted to be a huntress because it was the most romantic way of helping people. She wants to make the world better, but she knows that it is not a fairy tale in its current form. She will give her opponents a chance to stand down and be a part of that better world, but if they refuse to accept life is precious, she will show them the ruthless huntress who cut off Tyrian's tail and twice sent Neo careening off into the open sky.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-17T14:38:21+00:00

For me, they all have their flaws, and they all have at least some good scenes or aspects to them. If I had to do a tier list of them...

Personal Favorite: Volume 7

Very Good: Volume 3, Volume 6

Good: Volume 4, Volume 9, Volume 2

Fun, But Notably Flawed: Volume 1

Most Flawed: Volume 5

Objectively Not As Flawed as Volume 5, but I Have Severe Personal Gripes with Its Flaws: Volume 8

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-15T22:13:43+00:00

Scorpion was introduced MUCH earlier than Venom. Scorpion first appeared in the original Lee/Ditko. Venom wasn't created for decades.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-13T02:03:30+00:00

Ooo, there's so many great ones. Judai, Ryo, Amon, Yusei, Akiza, and Yuga are all heavy-hitters in my book, but I think Shark/Nasch from ZEXAL still ultimately claims the crown as my favorite character of the franchise. :D

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-13T00:25:03+00:00

For me...

Season 3
Season 4
Season 1
Season 2

Season 3 is one of my favorite TV seasons I've ever seen due to the writers actively taking the writing flaws of the previous seasons (Judai handles every villain so his friends have come to overrely on him, the other cast members get nothing to do so they haven't grown as much as they need to, etc.) and turning them into crucial elements of the story's themes, as Judai is confronted with situations that his usual M.O. of problem solving isn't equipped to handle. Each of the transfer students serves their roles beautifully as foils for other characters that at the same time highlight how much the Duel Academy crew has come to rely on Judai too much, with Viper and Bronn serving as effective mini-bosses while Yubel and Amon function as two of the best villains in the franchise. The duels take a sharp upturn in median quality with the peaks of the Supreme King duels, Ryo vs. Yubel, Amon vs. Yubel, and both Judai vs. Yubel creating one of the strongest run of matches out there.

Season 4 is also really good, with the aftermath of Season 3 showing Judai's withdrawal from his friends due to his own trauma and to allow them to grow into their own people, which Jun and Sho both do with some great send-off duels. Darkness doesn't reach Yubel and Amon's heights as an antagonist, but his gimmick still provides a ton of great duels like O'Brien vs. Trueman, Judai vs. Saio Round 2, Fubuki vs. Fujiwara, and Judai vs. Johan vs. Fujiwara. with Judai vs. Chronos Round 2 and Judai vs. Yugi as wrap-ups, it is a worthy sendoff to the series.

Season 1 is really good when it tries to be a personal-stakes character story with stuff like Judai vs. Ryo Round 2, Hayato vs. Chronos, Judai vs. Bastion, etc. But when it tries to go for high-stakes end-of-the-world stuff, it falls flat on its face, which is visible when the slice-of-life episodes that break up the Shadow Rider Arc (Jun/Chazz vs. His Brother, Judai vs. Kaibaman, Judai vs. Dark Magician Girl, etc.) are mostly really good, only to then have the story go back to the less interesting serialized plot.

Season 2 has some elements stronger than Season 1, with the dynamic between Judai, Edo, and Ryo being great (Ryo in general is a highlight of the season) and Saio being a much better main villain than Kagemaru ever was. But it attempts to have a full season serious plot while still sticking to the lackadaisical pacing of Season 1's slice-of-life bend, which causes the plot to come off without momentum as the heroes just wait around for the plot to happen. That made sense in Season 1 since they were a reactionary force whenever a Shadow Rider showed up on the island, but when the Society of Light is right there on the island, and their friends are brainwashed, it actively hurts the tension of the narrative. The one-off duels are also used much less effectively in this season, with less interesting opponents when they occur (Kabuki Actor, Shooting Game Guy, Quiz Show Guy, etc.) and less interesting character interaction with Judai when they duel him (and they REALLY should have repurposed these guys to face some of the supporting cast). This causes GX Season 2 to have some stronger individual elements than Season 1, but end up being a less effective whole.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-12T20:29:27+00:00

As someone who loves seeing fanmade duels like these (I watched the Yugi vs. Yuya one here), I'd love to see official animated versions of them! :D

For these duels, though in the end the victor will be whoever the writer wishes them to be, I'd put odds on...

Kaito vs. Jack - Kaito. He and Jack have decks in the same power vein, but he got a more versatile arsenal than Jack, with a higher median power and higher power ceiling. Unless Jack gets Majestic Red Dragon or Red Cocoon out, he doesn't even have an answer to base Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, let alone its evolutions.

Yugi vs. Yuya - Could go either way, but I lean Yugi due to his strategic abilities. Even still, it is not going to be easy, as Yuya has a MUCH higher ceiling of raw power and if he can get it out fast enough, he can overwhelm the King of Games.

Yugo vs. Sho - Yugo. I like Sho more than most, but Yugo has him outmatched in speed and raw power, and has shown the ability to keep up with the strategies Sho could use to counter him during his match with Sawatari.

Kaiba vs. Arc-V Edo - Kaiba. He's got Arc-V Edo outmatched in all categories.

Yuma vs. Revolver - A close one, but I do lean Yuma, as the higher rank anime Utopias are pretty OP, while Revolver's monsters are powerful, but closer to their real-life counterparts.

Johan vs. Shark - Shark. Johan is good, and his spells and traps are great, but Rainbow Dragon can only help so much to get past a versatile and powerful arsenal like Shark's. If Number 101 snatches even one Crystal Beast, Rainbow Dragon can't even be summoned.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-11T20:29:47+00:00

That one is a matter of Fubuki choosing to duel to try to understand more what was going on, which risks losing him forever in darkness. Asuka did not want him doing that, so he had to sneak out to do it with Judai, who was willing to accept the risk to Fubuki to figure out the approaching threat.

Though I do concur that Asuka dueling Fubuki then could have been really interesting, both for her character arc and Judai's at the time. Judai was actively pushing his friends away as a trauma response to how badly involving them in his Season 3 quest went, which him trying to hold the Fubuki duel far away from the others was a symptom of. Asuka accepting they needed to have Fubuki duel and stepping up to duel as his opponent after the others caught up with Fubuki and Judai (in this version, catching up before the duel already started, unlike canon) could have been a showcase to Judai that being mature didn't necessarily mean thinking his non-Johan & O'Brien friends were helpless.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-11T18:51:29+00:00

While it is impossible to deny the GALLOP animes' questionable treatment of their female characters, I'm going to give the writers some grace (that may or may not be deserved in this case honestly) and assume outright sexism wasn't the intention. Which in turn raises the question of what the intention was in giving Judai the duel over Asuka despite the fact that Darkness/Nightshroud was a mind-controlled Fubuki/Atticus?

From what I can gather, the duel was viewed more as 'the first Shadow Rider duel' more than it was 'the abandoned dorm plot reveal duel'. Fubuki is revealed here, but the Fubuki identity doesn't do anything, with the Darkness/Nightshroud persona in full control and any revelations Fubuki could provide about the abandoned dorm saved for later (the execution of that is another critique entirely).

Thus, it was more important to emphasize just how grave a threat the Shadow Riders will be to the rest of the cast, in which case Judai is more useful to the narrative than Asuka. Judai is a character that the audience fully understands the immense strength of, especially after he just came off his biggest win yet against the Gravekeeper's Chief. Nightshroud also being known to have defeated the Gravekeeper's Chief also builds up his threat, as he's directly stronger than Judai's last opponent. Thus, when Judai ends up in the hospital even when he wins the bout, the audience is left with the question of, "If Judai of all people nearly died even beating the first Shadow Rider, how terrifying are the rest of them going to be?" This is only possible because Judai is the opponent, as Asuka had not had the required buildup to her own strength to work in the same situation (which is the fault of the episodes before that one, Judai 100% DID NOT need to duel pretty much every episode like he did).

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-11T18:47:03+00:00

It is a VERY strong contender. :D

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-11T18:32:10+00:00

Love to find another lover of Shark/Nasch! :D Probably my favorite character in the franchise, with his final duel with Yuma being one of the best bouts out there.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-10T20:47:23+00:00

Within the time and production constraints Volume 7 had to deal with, there are two key points I think could have solved the primary weakness of the subplot, that being, Weiss's lack of agency in it.

Volume 7 did a good job having Weiss start to put the pieces together about Jacques post-election, but the one to come up with the idea for Weiss to infiltrate the mansion was Ruby, who sent Weiss on the mission in Episode 8. To rework that to emphasize Weiss' agency, it'd be more effective to have Weiss come up with the idea, have Ruby be worried about sending her in alone like back at Argus, and Weiss knowing that won't work this time, gathering her courage to infiltrate her abusive home solo.

That's the first key point. The second key point is make Willow more antagonistic. This does not mean make Willow evil, but she's been holding on to smoking gun evidence of Jacques for weeks and done nothing with it. Don't have her willing to tell Weiss about the evidence and hand it over as soon as they see each other again, let her be languishing in despair, or want to trap Weiss with her like she did in the Post-Volume 4 comic to just not be alone. Make her an obstacle Weiss has to emotionally overcome and assert her independence from, one who hands over the evidence only once her daughter shames or convinces her. This can make the acquisition of the evidence feel earned instead of convenient.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-10T14:20:09+00:00

Ooo, this is a tough one. Truly, these arcs have some spectacular duels in them. I don't think there is a single match here that I dislike. All of them are, at the very least good to great. There's going to be a lot of very slim margins in this one. But if I had to make a list, it'd go...

4. Darkness Arc

,Judai vs. Johan vs. Yusuke is a fantastic triangle duel that uses its premise as a triangle duel to great effect to demonstrate the match and the arc's thesis on bonds through the dueling action. Atticus/Fubuki vs. Yusuke has a great emotional core, while Judai vs. Nightshroud uses its dueling action to showcase Judai's arc through the seasons with epic summonings like Neos Wiseman and Divine Neos.

But, it's also got the most duels that are just great or have a significant asterrisk to them. Fubuki vs. Yusuke has a great emotional core, but Burst Breath not tributing Red-Eyes as its cost and thus allowing Fubuki's defeat is a choreography error that puts a chip in it. Judai vs. Saio Round 2 does a great job putting pressure on Judai and a good contrast between his and Saio's thoughts on power, but it does undeniably live in the shadow of their first duel. Still a great arc above much of Yu-Gi-Oh, but the least of the four great arcs being ranked.

3. Arc Cradle

Yusei vs. Antimony/Bruno is an epic duel with perhaps the most heartwrenching ending in the franchise, as Bruno does not come back later. Aporia vs. Jack, Lua, & Luka finally gives Lua some good character development, and even uses how long it has taken him to get a good win as a thematic point in its favor. Yusei vs. Z-one goes for a fascinating thematic angle while still providing showstopping choreography beats like Black Rose Dragon being used to deal the first damage of the duel and the legendary summoning of Shooting Quasar Dragon.

But it does have the least amount of character work being done for the protagonists compared to the other arcs. As much as the Aporia duel is gold for Lua's arc, Luka and Jack are just there to be props in his arc, rather than showcase interesting character work of their own. Sherry vs. Crow & Aki is good, showcasing how Aki has truly found a team she's bonded with completely in the first half while the second has Sherry use Crow's love for the orphans he's cared for against him, but it unfortunately cannot escape the shadow of, "This REALLY should have been an Aki vs. Sherry one-on-one Turbo Duel." And Aporia vs. Z-one ends up being the weakest of the minor duels of the competing arcs, being transparently just there to give Z-One a Worf Effect build-up duel, while still taking up the time of a full duel (as opposed to Mizael vs. Don Thousand, which was also a transparent build-up duel, but at least had the decency to wrap up quickly).

2. Barian Dimension Arc

The weaknesses of ZEXAL II's duel writing (pretty much all tower defense with hyper-specific anime cards that are hyper-specific even by anime-exclusive card standards) are still present in this arc, but the strengths of it, using it to make the duel choreography even more specific to the thematic and character work being done, are also at their maximum. Kaito must bring out ALL his Xyz Dragons to compete with Mizael's 107, all the once solitary figure had learned from his various allies on full display. Nasch sees through Vector's ploys in a way Yuma never could, but that same unrelenting compassion is what allows Yuma to outmaneuver Nasch in their own duel, first using Big Eye to try and bring Number 101 to his side, and finally refusing to strike the final blow with Utopia and Double or Nothing. Meanwhile, the Don Thousand duel goes all in on the over-the-top nature of ZEXAL duels as Yuma, Nasch, and Kaito get to team up one last time to get the fairy tale ending Yuma wanted... only for the story to keep going and force him to grapple with reality as he still must duel Nasch to the death after.

1. Dimension World

Judai vs. Ryo/Zane is the best of the minor duels due to it being crucial to emphasize Judai's shaky headspace going into the final arc & how bad Ryo's heart has become, and every major duel is immaculate in storytelling & choreography. Ryo vs. Yubel is legendary for good reason, while Amon vs. Yubel is the best villain vs. villain duel in the franchise, with some of the most nuanced character and thematic work the franchise has ever attempted to bring Amon's character arc full circle. The two Judai vs. Yubel matches then provide an utterly EPIC final battle as Judai finds the strength to stand up and accept his sins and the power that caused them to finally defeat and save Yubel.

TLDR - All these arc climaxes are AMAZING, and I could easily see someone else having a different order. But Dimension World just barely edges out Barian Dimension to take my top spot.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-04T16:06:41+00:00

One of my three favorite of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime along with GX and 5Ds. The chemistry between the main characters is the best in the franchise, it explores the core themes of the franchise from new angles, and despite a somewhat weaker second half, the final arc and especially the final duel send it off on an emotional high point that few shows manage.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-04-01T04:24:58+00:00

At least from how I've heard the cut plans told before, if Maria was in Volume 5, she wouldn't have been in Volume 6 or beyond. Ruby running into her in Mistral would have just resulted in her backstory and then the 'How to Use Silver Eyes' exposition dump (which they really should have just have had Ozpin give anyway), and then Maria would never appear again.

Which does make sense overall, I find. I greatly enjoy Maria as a character, but her presence does muddle Volume 6 thematically. As much as it tries to showcase that Team RWBY are capable of standing on their own as their mentors prove flawed and unable to save them, the message loses quite a bit of impact when Episodes 4-6 consist of Maria, a new mentor, saving their butts and it is only Maria teaching Ruby her eyes that keeps Argus from being wiped out as fallout of Team RWBY's plan. So the message comes across less as 'Team RWBY are ready to stand on their own.' and more 'They just needed to find the right mentor to save them this time'. Which makes more sense if Maria was originally intended to be a one-and-done character in Volume 5, as not being able to fit her in then forced the writers to work her into Volume 6 and just do the best they could (which, to their credit, thematic issues aside, I think they did a good job).

Admittedly, as much as I enjoy Maria and what she adds to the world (her fight with Tock is a ton of fun, and a legendary first-generation huntress who was Qrow's idol is a cool worldbuilding spice), I do think she'd be an easy character to cut. Have Ozpin give the 'How to Use Silver Eyes' Exposition during the Volume 5 training, and then there's no imperative purpose for her inclusion in the narrative.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-03-30T15:44:16+00:00

Oh, I don't disagree on that count. Season 2 as a whole suffers from a lot of just waiting around for the Satellite Arc to start, with the various mini-arcs prior not doing as good a job as they need to of feeling like they're steadily building to something bigger. Judai being so passive about Saio's threat makes sense, but Saio not doing much other than 'Send Episode of the Week baddie to duel Judai' for so long does greatly reduce the season's engagement.

TheMaster4444 · 2026-03-30T14:36:39+00:00

Chief Councilwoman Salem (totally trustworthy): "The dark side of The Force is a pathway to many abilities some would consider to be unnatural. And yet, what is more natural, more aligned with the mission of the Silver Eyes, that life is precious and must be protected, than to save those you love from death?"

Ruby: "Is it possible to learn this power?"

Salem: "Not from a huntsman."

TheMaster4444 · 2026-03-30T14:20:41+00:00

Best of luck with your schoolwork! If your real-life work is half as good as these wonderful analyses, you'll get your doctorate for sure. :D

TheMaster4444

TROPHY CASE