Duel Disk

A Duel Disk (デュエルディスク Dyueru Disuku) is a piece of Dueling equipment attached to the left forearm within the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. They were first manufactured by KaibaCorp as a portable form of Dueling Arena used in the early part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime. They use a portable hologram generator to display Duel Monsters cards and in the case of the Mark 1, the player's hand. Cards that are played are placed on the Duel Disk's blade. Since their introduction in the anime and manga, they have become a fundamental necessity among Duelists.

DiaDhank
The Duel Disk is based on an ancient Egyptian artifact called a "DiaDhank", a golden device worn similarly to the Duel Disk that uses the user's Ba (Life Force) to summon Ka (spirit monsters) from their stone tablets and control them. Unlike the Duel Disk, the DiaDhank can only control up to 3 monsters at once. In place of the Life Point counter is the Eye of Wdjat, which contains a glowing yellow meter that measures the user's Ba, as the disk measures life points.

Since summoning monsters drains life force, the losing Duelist faints or dies. It is heavily implied only Millennium Item bearers can use a DiaDhank without being limited by life energy. Notice that DiaDhanks were seen in the final season of Yu-Gi-Oh, and, in Yu-Gi-Oh!, Abidos the Third (the fifth Shadow Rider) used a DiaDhank in flashbacks Dueling his servants in episode 40. In the vision that Yami Yugi saw in his Duel with Dartz he did not use his DiaDhank to summon Obelisk the Tormentor. Rather, he used his Millennium Puzzle to summon Obelisk. Also, in the vision that Kaiba and Yami Yugi saw in episode 132, both Priest Seto and Pharaoh Atem used their Millennium Items.

The design of the second Duel Disk suggests that Seto Kaiba designed it based on memories from his past life as Priest Seto, who used the Millennium Rod. Shimon Muran describes a DiaDhank as a device use for calling for Duel Monster Spirits that are sealed away in Stone Tablets. DiaDhanks did not appear in the manga. Rather, the priests used the power of their Millennium Items to summon the creatures from the stone tablets.

The Academy Duel Disk also seems to take elements from the DiaDhank, as its shape when in standby mode looks like the blades on the DiaDhank. Yubel's second Duel Disk resembles the ancient device as well.

Prototype
The Duel Disk was introduced in the first series anime just in its movie. It consisted of only a round part attached to the wrist where the Deck was placed. The hands of the players were shown as huge holograms in front of them, and their Life Points as green squares behind them.

Duel Disk (version 1)
During the Duelist Kingdom arc, Seto Kaiba developed the first generation Duel Disk prototypes as a means of countering Maximillion Pegasus' mind reading abilities.

Seto hypothesized that Pegasus needed face to face contact for his mind reading to work so as a feature of the disks, holographic projections of the cards obstruct the Duelists from seeing each other.

This Duel Disk was physically and functionally different than the ones that would follow. Where the others are a single piece construct which houses the Deck, Graveyard, Life Point counter and Field, the first Duel Disk system had 2 components joined by a retractable cable.

The wrist component stores the Deck, Life Point counter and the actual disk component holds 5 cards. Users would load the cards as explained later into the disk and throw it like a yo-yo, causing a hologram to be projected from it.

The Duel Disk system also changed the rules of Duel Monsters. They followed Duelist Kingdom rules except for the following changes:


 * Both players draw until they have 5 cards in their "hand". If they have 5 cards in their hand, they can't draw any more cards.
 * 1 monster card is placed on the "Main card stage", the centre place on the disk.
 * The other 4 cards are placed face-down into the other places, the "Sub card stage".
 * The players can only attack with the monster in the main card stage, providing it is in Attack Position first. It can attack the opponent's main card stage monster or one of the sub stage cards.
 * Any monsters in the sub card stage are considered to be in Attack Position and damage calculation is done accordingly. Spell and Trap Cards are destroyed with no calculation done.
 * The players may shuffle their sub card stages at their discretion.

An early variation of this system is used in Toei's Yu-Gi-Oh! movie.

Duel Disk (version 2)
Prior to the Battle City Tournament, KaibaCorp developed the second generation Duel Disk, the first one to be released to the public. Issued to participants of Battle City, this Disk played the game according to the new revisions (which make it closer to the real world version). After Battle City was over, the Duel Disk was made available to purchase by anyone, as two boys can be seen using them in an episode after the tournament ended.

Unlike the previous Duel Disk, it did not need to be thrown (In the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, sealers flew out of the Duel Disk to the sides of the Dueling area. These disappeared in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX). When in use, it resembled an arm blade. Monsters that are in play are placed on the 5 slots on the blade.

Directly underneath each Monster slot is another slot for Spell and Trap Cards. If a Duelist were to activate a Set card, they would activate a button on the round portion of the disk. Another slot can open on the front end of the disk that is used for the Field Spell Card. These zones do not appear in the manga until the GX series, and the Spell and Trap cards are instead played in the "Monster Card Zones" which act as zones for all cards. Whether or not there is a limit of five cards on the field at a time is unknown.

The center of the Disk includes the Deck and Graveyard slot and Life Point counter. The bottom part of the disk (the part that goes around an user's arm) also contains a retractable cable that could be attached to Dueling Arenas if one player opted not to use a Duel Disk. Ever since their introduction, almost all Duels were conducted with these or with the later introduced Chaos Duel Disk.

Also in the anime, 2 holographic devices fly from the disk and set themselves on each side of the Duel space to create the holograms for the monsters. While in the manga the holograms are projected straight from the Duel Disk itself.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, This version of the Duel Disk is shown being used by citizens of Satellite, indicating that this model has become obsolete, replaced with the more modern versions shown in GX as well as the Duel Runner and other Duel Disk versions that are shown.

Also, the protagonist of 5D's, Yusei Fudo, is shown to remove a Duel Disk from his Duel Runner which has a startling resemblance to this version, possibly indicating that he has modified the obsolete model for use with his Duel Runner.

Despite other models of Duel Disks being used primarily in each series, this version of the Duel Disk has appeared in 3 out of 4 anime series, as shown with all the students who tried out for Duel Academy prior to receiving the Academy-issued Duel Disk and the residents of Satellite.

Real-Life Duel Disk
Manufactured replicas of this Duel Disk were produced as toys. These were produced in Japan by Konami and in America by the toy company Mattel. There are a couple of notable differences between the Mattel Duel Disk and its fictional counterpart. The Spell and Trap Cards are loaded into the bottom of the blade but most notably, it cannot project holographic images.

While the toy Duel Disk was advertised as being compatible with the TCG, there are a few flaws that make this impractical:


 * Most players used card protectors to prevent damage to their cards. Cards in protectors will not fit into the Duel Disk.
 * The Deck Zone can only hold about 50 to 69 cards safely. The Academy Duel Disk can hold 70 cards in total. While most players stick to the minimum, there are those who use bigger Decks and cannot use the Duel Disk. The new rules made a maximum of 60 cards making the limited holding capacity problem moot. Cards with protectors do not fit in the Duel Disk, and due to that and other things, the Duel Disk damages cards.
 * The Graveyard can only hold about 25 cards. This would present a problem when playing against someone who relies on running an opponents Deck out. It also has "walls" with a little slot, which means removal often means bending the cards.
 * No place for the Extra Deck or cards that have been banished.
 * This is also true in the anime, as any banished cards are usually placed into the Duelist's pockets.
 * The Life Points counter can only go up to 9990 life points. While both players start with 8000, 4000 or 2000, it could rise to 9000 or 10,000+ Life Points due to card effects. The reason for the zero at the end is because while there are four buttons on the disk, only 3 of them change the counter, the last one lights up the display. This also serves the problem that some cards can cause the Life Points in the ones place to be a number different than zero.
 * The way the Duel Disk moves from stand-by to in use is also different. In the anime, the Graveyard is locked over the Deck and the two field parts are retracted into the main part of the disk. When triggered, the field parts and graveyard are unlocked and the central piece rotates the graveyard and field into play position. The toy does not have a rotating center and the two halves of the field aren't locked in closer to the central piece. When the player triggers the play mode, the smaller half of the field, in which is spring loaded, is released from its lock at the same time as the larger half, which has a weaker spring, and thus the smaller part pushes the larger part into play position.

Chaos Duel Disk
The Chaos Duel Disk is a Duel Disk designed for the members of the organization called Doma in the Waking the Dragons arc. Functionally, it is identical to the Battle City Duel Disks.

It looks different to the Battle City disk in that it resembles a scythed blade. It is believed to be modeled after the scythes on the armour of the Orichalcos Soldiers.

Real-Life Duel Disk
Like the Duel Disk 2, replicas of the Chaos Duel Disk were produced only by Mattel in America. They were for use with the real TCG, however, the same flaws in the Battle City disk appeared in these ones.

These include not being able to use card protectors, a lack of an Extra Deck Zone and not being able to have more life points than 9999 even though a card effect such as "Solemn Wishes" can boost your Life Points beyond this.

Therefore, in order to calculate the user's Life Points if they exceed this the user must use some way to keep track such as a calculator. It also folds in differently; instead of the front tip folding into the center, the monster zone closest to the Field Card Zone is visible.

In the anime, the Chaos Duel Disk folded in on itself until the field was completely folded into the hinged 'spell trigger' part of the disk and then folded into the central part of the disk, creating a compact form. The toy is much the same, but cannot fold all the way as the anime disk can, but instead leaves the first 2 card spaces out.

The hinge on the toy is the whole of the first and second card spaces, which pushes to the back of the central part and though not as compact as the anime Chaos disk, it is still the most compact and light-weight of the toy Duel Disks.

Yu-Gi-Oh! R
In the spinoff manga Yu-Gi-Oh! R, the Duel Disk 2 is used, identical to the ones used in the series proper, with two notable exceptions.
 * The Black Disk is a special one-of-the-kind Disk owned by Yako Tenma, and given to the strongest of his Card Professors, originally Richie Merced. Following Richie's defeat, Bandit Keith takes the Disk, as he has proven himself to be stronger than Richie. He uses it in his Duel with Jonouchi. When Keith attempted to slip a card from his wristband to the disk, it set off the cheat-prevention alarm, indicating that the disk would not accept any cards on the disk aside legitimate ones within the Duel, though this appears to be a feature of all the Duel Disks used in the arc as a whole, as indicated by the rules shown in the back of Volume Four (Keith had no knowledge of this due to the Disk being developed after his Penalty Game.). The disk was taken by Jonouchi upon Keith's defeat, and he gave it to Tilla Mook, as he had borrowed hers and left it with Keith.
 * Maico Kato uses a Duel Disk that is stored in the side of her wheelchair. The card platform features the five card zones aligned beside each other in a straight line, with the Deck slot (identical to other Duel Disks) beside them, and the Graveyard chamber located above the card zone beside the Deck slot. Due to this, the front of the Disk is shaped to make room for all five Solid Vision projectors. She plays her cards as if she were sitting at a table.

Capsule Shooter
In Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters, The Capsule Shooter is the Capsule Monsters version of the Duel Disk. The capsule is removed from the belt and slotted into the Capsule Shooter, then launched. 3 slots are shown for capsules, but as one of Alexander followers played four monsters, there could be more.

Academy Duel Disk
A streamlined version of the second Duel Disk. This is the standard Duel Disk issued to students of the various Duel Academies established by Seto Kaiba in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX series. Aside from the obligatory alternate folding feature, and a cosmetic refit, this Disk functions identically to the second Duel Disk. The shift from standby to active mode of this version of the Duel Disk is much less pronounced than the Battle City variant, only requiring the top section of the card platform to extend.

Real-Life Duel Disk
As with the Duel Disk and Chaos Disk, Konami in Japan and Mattel in America made replicas of the Duel Academy Disk. They fixed one of the main problems of the Disks in resizing the card zones, along with Deck and Graveyard to fit cards with protective sleeves without problems. Although, it can only hold 40 cards with sleeves. Many of the other problems remained.


 * No place for banished cards and the Extra Deck.
 * Straps are one size only. This was a major problem for players who were bulky in the wrist region and used the Academy Disk in order to save space and not use a table or for fans who wished to use the disk as part of a cosplay outfit.
 * The Life Point counter is still limited to 9990.
 * Owners of the Academy Disk accounted that between different Academy Disk that there was a variance of 34 - 40 cards held within the Deck Zone.

Though the main flaw with the Duel Disk was addressed in the new Academy Disk, many of the major flaws still remained unaddressed. Though the Duel Disks are perceived as "toys", few use the Academy Disk in place of taking up space on a table. Along with the release of the Academy Disk, Mattel produced a specialized carrying pack for the new disks, though none have been actually seen used or in stores. Due to past sales of the Academy Disk and the limited popularity with the toy as a Dueling medium Mattel discontinued the production of the Academy Disk several months after its release.

Academy Duel Disk (version 2)
An updated version of the Academy Duel Disk which now has the color of the user's respective dorm on it. In season four, the Duelists are using these new Duel Disks.

Many characters who no longer attend Duel Academy (such as Aster Phoenix and Zane Truesdale) continue to use the silver style Academy Duel Disk. The change is cosmetic only and the Disks still retain the exact functionality of the original Academy Duel Disks.

In November 2007, a real-world version of the red-trimmed Slifer Red disk was also produced in Japan, known as Academy Duel Disk Osiris Red and came boxed with several Booster Packs and promotional cards.

Others
Other versions of the Duel Disk appear in GX, and by the time the series takes place, it seems as if many Duelists have taken to individually customizing their disks.

Organic Duel Disks
Several characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX have Duel Disks that seem to literally be part of their bodies, and are thus organic in nature.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Duel Disks in New Domino City are sharper-looking than the previous types. Unlike previous Duel Disks, there is a chamber for the Extra Deck located on the opposite side of the spot where the Main Deck is inserted. In several episodes of the anime and in the opening intros, the Deck Zone is shown to be able to shuffle the Deck or eject cards that have been searched from the Deck while the cards are locked in.

Some Duel Disks are compatible with a type of motorcycle known as a Duel Runner. In these cases, the Wrist Dealer is able to attach the card zones to the Duel Runner and then detach itself so the Duelist only holds the Deck on his/her arm.

Yusei's Duel Disk
Yusei Fudo's Duel Disk is a modified version of the Battle City Duel Disk. When connected to his Duel Runner, it attaches just below the dashboard. When in use, it will fold together as it normally would. When inactive, the two parts of the blade separate and fold vertically on each side of the Duel Runner. Like most other hybrid Duel Disks, the Deck Zone is on his Wrist Dealer and not in the Duel Disk itself. Yusei also has a two-way microphone installed in his disk, as seen in episode 61. Unlike the regular Battle City Duel Disk, Yusei's appears to not fold away for ground mode when not in use, and always looks "active" whenever he pulls it out.

Real-Life Duel Disk
Konami released the first Duel Disk of the 5D's Era, starting with Duel Disk - Yusei Version. It was released in the OCG Market on September 26, 2009 for 4,000 Yen (Including Tax). It includes Yusei's Duel Disk and 2 Promotional Cards: "Vice Dragon" and "Shield Wing" (both will be Duel Terminal compatible). The Yusei Duel Disk can hold up to 50 sleeved cards in the Deck area, but only holds around 15-18 sleeved cards in the Graveyard. The Life Point Counter can go up to 99990 Life Points and can only display 0 in the single-digit column.

In November 2010, Konami released an update to this Duel Disk, the Duel Disk - Yusei Version 2010. This version addresses many of the issues present in the 2009 version and the Mattel versions. In addition to being the first Duel Disk with spaces for the Banished Zone and Extra Deck Zone, this is also the first Duel Disk to feature a bottom covering on the arm blade. Konami has removed the "flip action" feature present in the 2009 version, opting instead for a more realistic portrayal of the Duel Disk featured in the show - the clips that hold the cards on the blade are similar to those on the original Mattel disks. The Deck Zone can hold 50 sleeved cards, and the Graveyard can hold up to 30 sleeved cards.

Specific Examples
Duel Disks show different colors and decorations, possibly in addition to compatibility with Duel Runners, depending on the tastes and tasks of the Duelist using the Disk.

There are also Customized Duel Disks existing in New Domino, as seen in the photos below.

Future Duel Disks
In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Episode 134, Yusei and the others were given a vision of the future, showing how New Domino City would develop and how technology would evolve. In that vision new Duel Disks were shown that no longer rely on metallic frames, but teal energy beams that that cards rest on. This technology is used in the Duel Disks wielded by the Three Pure Nobles, as they are from the future.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL
The Duel Disks used in ZEXAL are wrist-mounted devices called D-Pads. It is a much smaller version with major design differences, the most notable is its multifunction capabilities, overall design, and lack of holographic projection. Because of this, the device must be linked to the Duel Gazer system for visual effects.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
In Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, the Duel Disks that are used are similar to a combination of the D-Pad and the Duel Disks seen in the alternate future in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. The main body of the Disk retains the touch screen and single Spell and Trap Card Zone seen in D-Pads, while the Monster Card Zones and Pendulum Zones are located on the arm blade, which, like the 5D's future Disks, is composed of energy (likely the same "touchable Solid Vision" used in Action Duels) and is aligned parallel to the main body of the Disk. The Graveyard is in the same place as that of previous Duel Disks save the D-Pad, in the middle of the side facing the blade, while the Spell and Trap Card Zone is opposite it, but it seems that both zones can be used to send cards to the Graveyard if necessary.

The blade can be customized to be either similar to the KaibaCorp Duel Disk, a straight parallelogram, a shape resembling the layout of a D-Pad's card zone, or resemble a sword. It is currently unknown how much it can be customized. It seems possible that one could set their Duel Disks to generate various visual effects when certain actions are done. One such example is when drawing a card, colorful stars and streaks of light appear along the card's trail, as seen when Yuya draws.

When it is used in conjunction with a larger Solid Vision Projector, and if that projector is damaged, the holograms disappear. However, normal Duels can occur without the use of a Solid Vision Projector.

The Deck Zone is stored within the Disk and unfolds when the Disk is activated (and like most Disks, the Deck Zone is on the top of the wrist). On the other side opposite of the Deck Zone is the Extra Deck Zone, a compartment where players store their Extra Deck into. In addition, players can use the touch screen to check the contents of their Extra Deck. Compared to the Battle City Duel Disk, this Duel Disk is notably much lighter in comparison, due to the streamlined body and virtually weightless Monster Card Zone. This enables duelists to run and jump without difficulties during Action Duels.

These Duel Disks are also multipurpose tools with internet and communication functions, similar to tablets in real life. The hologram screens used to make video calls are also used to communicate with opponents from far across a Duel Field.