Yu-Gi-Oh is easily one of the most influential Shonen to ever come out of Japan. This is a series that has influenced multiple generations and spanned several different series. To this day, competitive matches are still being held in real life.
It is not easy for a series to have such a lasting legacy. So, how did Yu-Gi-Oh achieve this? Well, one reason is due to having interesting and badass characters. One such character is the pharaoh Atem (aka Yami Yugi). Atem is a 3000+ year-old Egyptian Pharaoh, and the former "King of Games", whose soul now resides in the body of Yugi Moto.
10 DESTROYING KAIBA'S BLUE EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON
Yami is known for being a calm and composed character. This allows him to make calculated gambles at the most critical points in a duel. Kaiba believes Yami is down and out but Yami’s confidence doesn’t wane, even for a second. Yami calmly splits up Kaiba’s Ultimate dragon using the card “Fusion Cancel.”
He then uses the ability of his fusion monster, ‘Black Paladin’. This stratagem allows his monster’s attack points to be temporarily increased to an incredible level. The next decisive phase of the battle sees Yami play a magic card that allows him to destroy all of Kaiba’s cards, resulting in a victory. To see someone remain that calm under such intense pressure and scrutiny is truly badass.
9 ALL THE TIMES HE BROKE THE RULES
The Yu-Gi-Oh verse is one that gets by on following the in-universe rules. This game of duel monsters has fundamental rules that one must follow while in battle. Despite this, Yami has broken the rules of dueling on more than one occasion. One such instance sees Yami backed into a corner against Panik. Panik uses a variety of cards to boost his monsters to insane levels. This sends Yami into a panic and he just starts breaking the rules.
He summons “Catapult Turtle” to launch his monsters at Panik’s “Castle of Dark Illusions” card. However, it’s not strong enough to actually destroy the card. So then, obviously nothing happens, right? Wrong. Yami explains that “Swords of Revealing Light” was holding everything in place, the castle that is, and, as soon as he ends his turn, everything (the whole castle) falls onto Panik’s monsters killing them all and reducing his life points to zero, much to everyone’s confusion.
8 WEEVIL OVERKILL
This is easily one of the most badass and pulsating moments of the series. Embroiled in a bitter battle with Weevil, Yami continues to be on the edge due to his opponent's conniving ways.
At the climax of this battle, Yami draws the card ‘Berserker Soul’. This card allows him an additional attack for each time he draws a monster card with 1500 attack points or less. After two attacks, Weevil loses but Yami continues to viciously attack him long past the duel, until he is stopped by Téa.
7 DEFEATING MARIK IN A SHADOW GAME
In this Shadow game, the loser of the duel will lose not only the game, but also his alter ego. The English dub states that the soul will be banished to the shadow realm, while the Japanese sub states that the loser will die. This highlights the stakes of this battle, but it’s not only Yami and Yugi who are in danger.
Marik is insane and his lust for power threatens the safety of the world itself. After one of the most intense and heated battles in this original series, Yami defeats Marik and his ‘Winged Dragon of Ra’. After defeating Yami Marik, Marik gets control of his body and hands over the millennium items in his position.
6 YAMI FUSES WITH A MONSTER CARD
Yu-Gi-Oh duels usually take place in a' virtual world', being that it is fundamentally a game. But this was not always so. In the past, these monsters could be summoned into the physical plane to do battle.
One such instance is when Yami fuses with “Divine Dragon” in order to win his battle. This shocks the onlookers who’ve never seen anything of the sort. Yami shouts, “from darkness you came and to darkness you shall return”, before launching his ultimate attack, destroying a demon.
5 EXODIA SUMMONING AND MIND CRUSH
Yami finds himself at a major disadvantage against Kaiba and his three "Blue Eyes White Dragon". As Yami starts to doubt himself, he remembers the words of his friends and the bond they share. This gives him the confidence he needs to draw the last card needed to summon Exodia.
This is a miracle summoning that shocks Kaiba to his core. Yami completely obliterates Kaiba’s Blue eyes in one fell swoop. However, Yami doesn’t stop there. After the battle, he used his mind crush ability to destroy the evil that was in Kaiba.
4 YAMI SUMMONS SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON
For most of the first series, the Egyptian God cards are hyped up to be the ultimate dueling cards. So, when the audience first sees Yami contemplating whether or not he should use “Slifer the Sky Dragon,” it builds up anticipation. Yami sacrifices three cards to summon the Egyptian juggernaut to deliver him victory.
As Slifer descends from the heavens, it illuminates the sky as lightning flashes and thunder roars. It wraps itself around the blimp and that is when you realize how truly monstrous of a card it is.
3 SUMMONING THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA
Even amongst the God cards, Ra stands tall and elegant. It shines with the radiance of a million burning suns, which, of course, suits the theme of Ra (The Egyptian sun God). Yami sacrifices three cards and then begins to recite an ancient chant. “Almighty protector of the sun, sky, I beg thee please heed my cry. Transform thyself from the orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game. But first, I shall call out thy name: Winged Dragon of Ra.”
The whole atmosphere surrounding this summoning is truly befitting of calling upon a God. This summoning is something that fans of the series talk about to this day.
2 ATEM SUMMONS THE EGYPTIAN GODS
The Egyptian God cards are the three most legendary cards of this era. These cards are rarely ever seen together in a single deck. Oftentimes, just one of the God cards can change the course of a battle. So, when Atem summons all three at once, the audience is left in awe. Atem goes on to launch an incredible barrage of attacks at his opponent, culminating in a win.
Each wave of attack is more intense and awe-inspiring. The sight of these colossal Gods going at it against the demon Soku was a joy to behold. Seeing the God cards in full flow was a series-defining moment for many fans.
1 PROTECTING MAI AND JOEY
A major theme in Yu-Gi-Oh is friendship and the lengths friends will go to in order to help each other. During Mai’s battle against Marik, he summons the winged Dragon of Ra and attacks her directly. Joey jumps in to shield her with his own body at the cost of his life.
Before this happens, Yami rushes in to protect them both and he takes the hit directly. Fortunately, the power of the millennium puzzle allows him the strength to withstand this attack. Is there anything more badass than someone who is willing to lay down his life for his friends?