Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL - Episode 026

"Begin! World Duel Carnival!" is the twenty-sixth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. It first aired in Japan on October 10, 2011.

This episode also marks the change of the card backing used by the characters.

Summary
Yuma Tsukumo waits for confirmation of being registered in the World Duel Carnival since the morning, only to find out that he isn't. He finds out that he was supposed to register online, and he tries to, but the registration is closed. After striking a pose similar to the figure in The Scream he starts to run around, looking for Heart Pieces and runs into Reginald Kastle.

Yuma asks Reginald if he is entering the World Duel Carnival, but Reginald isn't interested in entering such a big stage anymore. As Reginald leaves, a "Mirror Force" card gets thrown at him. It turns out that his opponent that he faced in the National Tournament, named "IV", threw it at him. Reginald tells IV that he isn't entering the World Duel Carnival, so IV tells Reginald about what happened during the "incident" in the National Tournament: IV purposely had his Deck set up so that Reginald could see it. Reginald wants to Duel, but IV says that he has to do it in the tournament.

Next, Tron is watching multiple cartoons at once. IV enters telling Tron that he has made Shark enter the World Duel Carnival, and asks Tron why he is interested in him. Tron tells him they need him after collecting all the "Numbers", and IV says that he is glad that he can bring him into hell again and laughs evilly.

Meanwhile, Yuma goes to the Heartland office in order to receive heart pieces, and tells the lady in the door's monitor that he will die if he cannot Duel, and pretends to be dying, only to be ignored. Elsewhere, many of the Duelists entering the World Duel Carnival are shown arriving to the Heartland, while in the main Headquarters of Heartland, Mr. Heartland, Droite, and Gauche are checking on the Duelists arriving in Heartland. Gauche is excited about the WDC, and Droite tells him that their job is to watch over the World Duel Carnival.

Kite Tenjo enters the room and asks Mr. Heartland why he was called, and Mr. Heartland tells Kite that he wanted him to see the scenes where Duelists are arriving and tells him that there should be many Duelists that have "Numbers" cards, and that the WDC should involve him collecting the "Numbers" cards, but tells Kite to be careful since many powerful Duelists have arrived. Then Gauche tells Kite that if he is scared, Gauche himself can go collect the "Numbers" instead of Kite. Kite tells Gauche that no one is an enemy of his. Gauche then says Kite is such a good hearted person with a funny face. Droite tells Gauche to stop, then suddenly on the monitor a worker for Mr. Heartland tells him that there is a boy who won't leave until he gets heart pieces, which is Yuma, where Kite recognizes him. Mr. Heartland tells the worker to send him away, but Kite tells Mr. Heartland to let the boy have the right to participate, where he asks Kite if he knows the boy, where Kite says no, but that he has the possibility of having "Numbers". Mr. Heartland asks Kite if he is hiding something from him, and that the other day when the building where Kite and Orbital exploded, where Kite just tells him that the machines in there malfunctioned and that there shouldn't be problems if he collects all the "Numbers", telling Mr. Heartland that he has no need to report every single thing to him. Mr. Heartland agrees with him and Kite goes away.

While Kite is heading out, Orbital asks him if he isn't going to report what happened with Yuma Tsukumo, where Kite tells Orbital not to ask anything unnecessary, and thinks to himself that the real enemy of him is Astral, and that he will defeat him at all cost. Orbital asks Kite if he thinks Yuma is his rival, which Kite disagrees and tells him that Yuma is just an idiot.

Meanwhile Yuma is still hanging onto the workers in front of the Heartland building that he won't go back until he gets heart pieces. Then suddenly the doors open and Mr. Heartland appears with Droite and Gauche, with Obots trumpeting, where Yuma's friends are surprised to see him face to face. Yuma then calls out to Mr. Heartland calling him "Old man", where Mr. Heartland becomes angry to be called by that name, where the workers below try to correct Yuma to call him "Lord Mr. Heartland", where Yuma keeps getting the name wrong. Yuma tells Mr. Heartland about how he couldn't register for the WDC properly and asks him if he can receive a heart piece, where Yuma's friends are amused by how rude Yuma is. Mr. Heartland tells Yuma that he has heard about it and that it has reached to his warm heart, and that he will grant his wish and gives Yuma a heart piece, then Mr. Heartland notices the pendant Yuma is wearing and asks him about it, where Yuma tells him that it is an important present that his parents gave him. Mr. Heartland says to himself that he has seen the pendant from before.

Afterwards, with Yuma and Tori alone, Tori congratulates Yuma that he can finally fulfill the promise he made with his father to become the Duel Champion. Astral tells Yuma that he must win since the tournament should have many "Numbers" holders. Yuma tells Astral that he doesn't plan on just winning, where Astral asks Yuma why he doesn't plan on fully winning since that would mean Yuma wouldn't be fulfilling the promise he made with his father. Yuma explains to Astral that he has thought to himself for a long time about what Dueling means to him, and that ever since he met Astral, he started to win despite losing all the time before, but when he lost against Reginald and Kite, he understood that he could lose something important from losing for the first time, but he never hated Dueling despite it.

He tells Astral that Dueling mean bonds and connection to him, and that Dueling and fighting is different. Astral doesn't want to agree to him since he would disappear if he lost. Yuma tells Astral that he understand how he feels and will do anything to save him, but have realized that there is something exceeding from winning and losing. Astral asks Yuma what he will do about Kite, where Yuma answers that he will lose his soul if he lost, but it won't change his Dueling. Then Tori worries what would happen if Yuma really lost his soul, where Yuma tries to comfort Tori, so she tells Yuma to win at all cost in the tournament, which Yuma promises to.

Inside The Emperor's Key, Astral questions to himself what is more important than winning. Then it is shown Yuma and his friends all respectively rebuilding their Decks. While in that time Kite stares at his sleeping brother, Hart Tenjo.

Next day comes where the WDC starts with greetings from Flight shows and parades. Mr. Heartland greets all Duelists and explains the rules regarding the World Duel Carnival.

Rules:

The prelims will go for 3 days in the entire Heartland, and that all Duelists must all accept all challenges from other Duelists. The tournament will have an ante rule of betting their Heart Pieces and that if all Heart Pieces are lost, the participant will be disqualified. In order to enter the finales, the Duelists must gather all Heart Pieces to make a perfect heart.

Mr. Heartland then officially opens the World Duel Carnival. Yuma's friends all run off to find opponents, and suddenly out of no where, Kakeru Kunitachi appears with his soccer ball stuck full of Duel Monsters cards, and kicks the ball to find his first opponent, which lands on Yuma's face, where Kakeru challenges Yuma for his first Duel.

Featured cards
The following cards appeared in this episode. Cards in italics debuted here.