Tokyo-born manga artist and Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi decided to do his part to spread awareness regarding the Coronavirus, sharing new original art starring none other than Seto Kaiba.
Despite no longer being associated with the brand in the same way he once was, Takahashi still frequently shared Yu-Gi-Oh!-related content to his Instagram page. This latest piece sees Kaiba -- longtime rival of series protagonist Yugi Muto -- battling the Coronavirus in his own way. The first panel sees the Kaiba wearing a surgical face mask. The second sees the championship duelist calling on his signature monster, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, to blast away COVID-19 germs with its signature "white lightning" attack. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon was 3D printed by Takahashi and edited into his artwork.
"I'm completely withdrawn," said Takahashi (translated from Japanese), who is currently taking part in a quarantine in order to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. "Eat well, sleep, raise your immunity and let the virus subside!"
Takahashi first-created Yu-Gi-Oh! over two decades ago now, with the first chapter of the original manga being published in 1996. The first anime based on the series (known colloquially as "Season 0") was produced by Toei Animation and aired in 1998. The more famous Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime later premiered in 2000. The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime also spawned a massively popular trading card game of the same name, published by Konami. Several films and spinoff manga/anime have also arrived in the years since the original manga's debut.
Hopefully, Yu-Gi-Oh! fans will take Takahashi's advice regarding preventative measures to heart as concerns regarding the Coronavirus persist.