Yuto

Yuto is one of the characters in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. He is the Xyz Dimensional counterpart of Yuya Sakaki, Yugo, and Yuri. His name was first mentioned on-screen in episode 21; before that, his name was displayed as Unknown on-screen and he was called the Dark Duelist in promotional materials and the Dark Masked Duelist by characters in the series.

Appearance
Yuto strongly resembles Yuya Sakaki; people often confuse him with Yuya, and the first time Zuzu Boyle saw him, she thought he was Yuya in a costume. Yuto and Yuya have nearly identical faces, except for their eye colors (Yuto's eyes are gray, while Yuya's are crimson). His hair is close to a palette swap of Yuya's, black in the back with light purple in the front. Unlike Yuya, whose hair lies flat, Yuto's sweeps upward and to the right side of his head.

He wears a punk-style outfit, with a dull green formal shirt and dark blue tie, as well as a black cape-like garment with ripped sleeves and edges plus dark blue pants and black boot-like shoes. Save his cape, this outfit resembles the male Heartland Academy outfit, but is darker in color. Like Yuya, Yuto also wears a choker and wristbands, although his bands are a matching set—black with silver studs—and bear resemblance to those worn by Yugi Muto during Battle City. Yuto also shares Yuya's penchant for goggles, though his are of a sharper make and a more military style. He also sports a mask he uses to conceal his face, a red scarf tied around his upper right arm that is partially hidden by his sleeve, and can sometimes be seen with a larger red scarf around his neck. He abandons the goggles entirely after they are damaged in his Duel with Silvio Sawatari, and later gets rid of his mask as well.

Yuto and his dimensional counterparts' attire and hair are all based on the color of the cards that their dimensions are based on. As such, Yuto wears dark clothing to reflect the color of Xyz Monsters, while his hair is both black and purple, the latter color likely a reference to the color of DARK Xyz Monsters' Overlay Units.

Personality
Yuto and Yuya are similar in that both care about their friends and do not want to hurt anyone; this is shown by his reluctance to let Zuzu be involved in his fight. However, Yuto is cold, serious, calm and collected, more so than any of his dimensional counterparts.

As a Duelist, Yuto is battle-hardened, telling Silvio that he doesn't feel the sharpness of a sword nor the power of a bullet from his Dueling. He has a strong desire to not hurt anyone, thus he even shows mercy against enemies who are at a disadvantage, such as when he offered a recuperating Sora Perse the chance to surrender during their match after holding back against him on purpose despite knowing that he belongs to the Academy.

Unlike his comrade Shay, he is not reckless or impatient in his mission. Instead of simply attacking anyone he assumes to be an enemy, he would first interrogate them to get a clear idea of the situation, then leave them alone should they not be a real threat. He also tries to get as few people involved as possible. He was also quick to deduce that most of LID in the Standard Dimension is unaware of the war between Duel Academy and the Resistance.

Through Yuya's Berserk Mode, it is shown that deep inside his heart, Yuto harbors a deep vengeful hatred towards the Fusion Dimension and Duel Academy for the destruction of his hometown and for ruining his goal of making people smile with Dueling. While indirectly possessing Yuya, he doesn't care of the consequences resulting from his actions and only focuses on defeating his enemies. This is worsened when he was under the influence of the unknown darkness to the point he enjoys harming them.

Abilities
Yuto is able to inflict real damage, destruction, and pain in a Duel even without the presence of an Action Field. His use of this ability is akin to Psychic Duelists in that the effect is physical in nature and not magically induced. Examples of this are wind being felt from Solid Vision holograms, causing explosions that can shake an entire building, and using "Phantom Spear" to pin Silvio to a wall by his coat. Upon his next appearance, he was also shown to be acrobatic, performing several high and agile jumps in a scuffle with Sora. He can also dash to the point of being nearly a blur that a pair of guards couldn't react fast enough. Yuto is somewhat stronger than he looks; he was able to effortlessly knock down Kakimoto off-screen, and knock Shay unconscious with a single punch to the gut. Like his dimensional counterparts, Yuto possesses the ability to enter the state of Berserk Mode. His Duel Disk possesses technology to travel between dimensions.

After being merged with Yuya, he can share his memories and desires with him. He can also communicate with others from within Yuya, as seen with Shay.

He also has the ability to sync with his other counterparts as first demonstrated in his final Duel with Yugo when they first enter Berserk Mode.

Etymology
In the anime, Yūto's name in Romaji is written as "Ute", which is pronounced as "Yūto" in Japanese. Yūto has many definitions depending on the kanji used. For example: 優 (Yū) means "Gentleness" and "Superiority", 悠 (Yū) means "Distant" and "Leisurely". The last syllable 人 (To) means person, 翔 (To) means to "Soar" or "Fly". For this character, his name is written in Katakana, so it has no actual meaning.

History
In the ruins of Heartland City of the Xyz Dimension, Yuto confronted Yugo, a Duelist from the Synchro Dimension riding a Duel Runner (as he mistook him for Yuri ). Yuto brought out "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon", while Yugo attempted to counter with "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon". Shay and several other Duelists arrived, and Yugo retreated.

Pre-Maiami Championship
Yuto watched Leo Institute of Dueling from a distance, holding an LID badge. Later, he spotted Zuzu Boyle in front of a warehouse, about to confront Silvio Sawatari, finding her familiar. As Zuzu's Duel with Silvio was about to begin, Yuto appeared and knocked out Kakimoto. He told Zuzu to stand back and took her place in the Duel. When Zuzu expressed annoyance at his interruption, he stopped her by telling her that he "didn't want to hurt her anymore."

Yuto started his Duel with Silvio and Set all five of the cards in his hand. Silvio mocked him, telling that he was disappointed that he didn't have any monsters. After Silvio destroyed all of Yuto's Set cards with the effects of "Mobius the Frost Monarch" and "Mobius the Mega Monarch", he declared a direct attack, but Yuto activated three copies of "The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil" from his Graveyard to protect himself. Silvio ended his turn after destroying one of them and Setting a card face-down, and on the following turn, Yuto proceeded to Xyz Summon "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon". He used its effect twice to decrease the ATK of "Mobius" to 700 and increase his monster's to 4600. With one attack he brought Silvio's Life Points to 100 and destroyed his monster, damaging the hangar in the process. He questioned Silvio about the link between LID and "Duel Academy", but Silvio claimed to know nothing about it. With no further interest in him, Yuto began to leave the Duel unfinished. However, Silvio stopped him, saying the Duel was not over and activated his face-down "Ice Rage". He targeted "Dark Rebellion", aiming to inflict its boosted ATK as damage to Yuto, but Yuto activated "Phantom Spear" from his Graveyard, negating the Trap and inflicting enough damage to win the Duel. Using his powers again, Yuto rendered the "Phantom Spear" real, which pierced Silvio's jacket and pinned him to the wall.

Before leaving, Yuto removed his mask. Zuzu, Silvio, and his friends all mistook him for Yuya Sakaki, and Silvio's friends fled, carrying their leader away. Zuzu, still thinking that Yuto was Yuya, asked him what he was doing dressed like that, when her bracelet started glowing. Once the light faded, she found herself alone in the hangar. As she wondered what just happened, Yuya (who had been alerted to the recent events by Ally) appeared and rushed to her. Zuzu asked him if he was really Yuya, wondering why Yuto looked so much like him.

Yuto stayed hidden throughout parts of Paradise City, eventually settling at the hangar where he committed his previous attack. He was spotted by Sora Perse during his training with Zuzu, prompting Sora to chase and attack him. The two clashed with their Duel Disks. Yuto refused to identify himself, but when Sora claimed he wasn't from "here", he quickly replied "neither are you". The two were about to begin a Duel, but were interrupted by Masumi Kotsu, furious and determined to avenge her Professor. After an argument between Zuzu and Masumi, Yuto vanished as Zuzu's bracelet glowed once more, and once again, Yuya came in running, concerned about her safety.

Yuto later witnessed Zuzu training with Sora once again, hidden behind a warehouse. Zuzu attempted to perform a Fusion Summon, which failed due to the fact that she forgot to put her Fusion Monster in her Extra Deck. Sora then said he noticed that Zuzu wasn't feeling herself because all she could think about was her first encounter with Yuto. Yuto recalled his Duel against Yugo, after which Shay asked him about Ruri. Zuzu's bracelet glowed once again, signalling the arrival of Yuya, and Yuto was teleported away from the area to a Duel between Tio and Shay.

When Shay interrupted a meeting between Masumi, Zuzu, and Sora and was about to force Masumi into a Duel, Yuto jumped in and pulled Shay's arm back. He removed his mask to warn Shun against his next actions, to which Shay retorted after pulling down his own scarf. When Shay noticed Zuzu, he mistook her for his sister, Ruri Kurosaki and began barraging her with questions, causing Yuto to punch him unconscious, then carry him bodily over the shoulder. When Yuto saw a "Polymerization" card in Zuzu's scattered Deck, he picked it up and remarked that it didn't suit Zuzu, prompting Sora to be offended. As Yaiba Todo, Dipper, and Yuya came running over, Zuzu's bracelet teleported both Yuto and Shay away.

As Zuzu searched for Masumi down an alleyway, Yuto appeared to stop her from moving further, as Shay was engaged in a Duel with Masumi. Zuzu pleaded with Yuto to stop Shay, but upon receiving an unsatisfactory response, made to move past him. Yuto stopped her again, reiterating that he didn't want her to get hurt; Zuzu called him out for saying that, yet letting others get hurt, then asked him about his purpose. Yuto revealed that they were in search for Ruri, who had been captured and happens to look like Zuzu. He went on to say that Zuzu couldn't be Ruri, as Zuzu learned Fusion Summoning, the enemy's summon method. Zuzu retorted that she learned it to protect her comrades. Yuto then told her about he and his comrades' intention to build a world where no one can be hurt, and his hope that Zuzu survives if she gets involved in this battle, even if she has to use Fusion. Yuto told Zuzu his name before leaving.

Maiami Championship
Unlike Shay, Yuto did not take part in the Maiami Championship. He walked past a big screen displaying Shay's Duel against Sora as Shay talked about The Resistance. After Sora's defeat, he approached him in the hospital to interrogate him about Ruri's whereabouts, but he was only able to learn that captured Duelists were sealed inside cards. Sora insisted that Yuto take him to Shay for a rematch, but Yuto refused. When the guards discovered him, Yuto fled with Sora hot on his tail. At Central Park, Sora taunted Yuto about Ruri's fate, claiming that he would hunt down all Xyz users like Yuto, and suggested that destroying Fusion users would help get Ruri back. Yuto promptly challenged Sora as a result, and took damage on the first turn. Recovering, he brought out "The Phantom Knights of Break Sword", which Sora destroyed with his "Frightfur Bear". He brought out "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" in the next turn and was in a position to win the Duel, but deliberately held back out of mercy, destroying "Frightfur Bear", but leaving Sora with enough Life Points to stay in the match. Yuya arrived to help his friend as Yuto offered Sora the chance to surrender. Despite him and Yuya looking alike, Yuto showed no obvious surprise. When Sora didn't back down, and Yuto vowed to bring down Sora as the first step to bringing down Fusion, a furious Yuya joined the Duel, refusing to let Yuto hurt his friend further. Yuya quickly performed a Pendulum Summon, bringing out "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon". When the Dragon appeared, both Yuto and Yuya felt a burning sensation in their chests as "Odd-Eyes" and "Dark Rebellion" roared at each other. Aiming to destroy both Dragons, Yuya attacked, but despite using "Timegazer Magcian" to counter Yuto's Traps, Yuto was able to successfully protect "Dark Rebellion". When Yuya pressed for answers to the enmity between the other two Duelists, Sora chided Yuto for not speaking since it'd reveal his faction's weakness. Sora claimed he would reveal his true strength, but before he could he was transported back to the Fusion Dimension by Duel Academy.

Yuto proceeded to recover his Life Points and remove his Traps, pointing out to Yuya that their Duel was now pointless, and both Duelists mutually ended the Duel. Yuya pointed out how Yuto held back in the Duel, and reasoned that Yuto did not want to fight at all. Yuto spoke about how his hometown, Heartland, was once a city full of smiles, until the Fusion Dimension attacked, and told Yuya of the four known Dimensions. Yuya was skeptical, but declared that Dueling wasn't a tool for fighting, but for giving people happiness. Before they could finish their talk, however, Yugo emerged from a beam of light on his Duel Runner, crashing into a surveillance camera. Upon removing his helmet, he was revealed to look like both Yuto and Yuya. Seeing Yuto, Yugo challenged him to a Duel. Yuto accepted Yugo's challenge, but when he called Yugo "Fusion's pawn", Yugo protested that his name was "Yugo", rather than that he had anything to do with Fusion.

During the course of the Duel, Yugo remained upon his Duel Runner, thus Yuto had to run about to catch up to him and dodge the vehicle. Both Yuto and Yugo vowed to defeat the other for taking something precious from them. Yugo brought out his "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon", a clear hint for Yuto to bring out "Dark Rebellion" so the two dragons could duke it out. When the two Dragons were Summoned, the eyes of both Duelists began glowing; both appeared to be possessed and started claiming that they must destroy everything. Yuya managed to snap Yuto out of it, and while Yuto had the chance to defeat "Synchro Dragon", he ended his turn, remembering his vow to never hurt anyone. Yugo, however, remained possessed and proceeded to defeat Yuto, who shielded Yuya from the shockwave. Upon losing the Duel, Yuto was erased from existence and his soul was absorbed by Yuya, but not before entrusting his wishes and his "Xyz Dragon" to Yuya. His Duel Disk was later retrieved by Nakajima.

Yuto later appeared in Yuya's mind when the latter was in a pinch against Isao Kachidoki. They mentally fused together, causing Yuya to enter Berserk Mode and fill him with rage. This also allowed him to Xyz Summon "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" and win the Duel.

When the Obelisk Force appeared and turned the Knight of Duels students into cards, Yuto's memories of Duel Academy's attack of his home began to flood into Yuya's mind. This caused Yuya to enter Berserk Mode with Yuto indirectly possessing his body and challenge the Obelisk Force to a Duel. The trauma of witnessing these memories overwhelmed Yuya and changed him for the worse: he no longer cared if he harmed his opponents. Afterwards, witnessing Michio Mokota, Teppei Tairyobata and Hikage sealed into cards, Yuya momentarily entered Berserk Mode as he confronted Sora. However, Yuto was able to remind Yuya to Duel to bring smile and happiness to people, preventing Yuya from being overwhelmed by the darkness.

Different Dimensions
When Yuya accepted Declan Akaba's challenge to a Duel, Declan chose "Future Metropolis Heartland" as their Duel Field. This brought back terrible memories for Shay, who refused to tell about the tragedy that befell on Xyz Dimension when Declan requested him to, prompting Declan to tell them instead. Traumatized by the memories of the tragedy, both Yuya and Yuto, who was inside him, angrily shouted at Declan to stop before he could elaborate any further and started the Duel.

The next day, when Declan revealed that he had modified the Lancers' Duel Disks to travel through dimensions by basing his modifications on Yuto's Duel Disk, Shay angrily accused Yuya of stealing the Disk. Yuto reacted to Shay's outburst from inside Yuya and telepathically told him to trust Yuya as he believed that Yuya was a comrade that would never betray others.

In the middle of Shay's Duel against Dennis, Yuto began to react in anger. This alerted Yuya to Yuto's feelings, whose hatred caused Yuya to go berserk, but Yuya managed to calm that anger down and reaffirm his promise to use his Duels to bring smiles in Yuto's stead.

Zuzu Boyle
Yuto first mistook Zuzu for Ruri Kurosaki, and thus grew protective of her, even though Zuzu had never met him. Later, he observed Zuzu learning how to Fusion Summon, thus when Shay mistook Zuzu for Ruri as well, Yuto insisted that Zuzu is not Ruri. Despite that, Yuto continues to look out for Zuzu and even warned her not to get involved with the battle between the Resistance and Duel Academy, and if it's not possible, he wishes for her to survive, even if it means using Fusion. He also considers Zuzu to be a lot like Ruri.

Shay
Shay is one of Yuto's comrades and Ruri's older brother. While they seem to have differing approaches towards finding Ruri and defeating Duel Academy, they seem to share a close bond and trust each other's Dueling skills. Whenever Shay is acting reckless, Yuto always stops him, sometimes using force when the situation forces him to, but he did so out of concern for Shay's safety. Shay has shown concern for Yuto when Yuto was fighting Yugo, wishing to assist his comrade. Despite the rocky nature of their friendship, Yuto considers Shay to be his best friend.

Yuya Sakaki
Although they only met for a short time, Yuto empathizes with Yuya’s belief that “Duels are meant to bring smiles and happiness to people”, which is similar to what Yuto himself truly wishes for. Thus, he immediately developed a strong trust in Yuya. He even saved Yuya from Yugo's attack and with "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" conveying something to him, consented that Yuya was good enough to be entrusted with the dragon's card, believing in his power to bring smiles through Dueling. Despite this, his ability to merge with Yuya has the effect of sending Yuya into a blind rage, where he no longer cares about Dueling to make people smile and instead enjoys causing pain to his opponents. Yuya initially has mixed feelings towards Yuto and became afraid of Yuto's anger overwhelming him, but Yuya eventually understand Yuto's pain for losing his home and friends after seeing his memories, which led Yuya to decide to believe in Yuto who wishes for peace, deciding to fight together with him to overcome the darkness that trying to consume them.

Despite their similar goals and desires, Yuya's personality and experiences are in stark contrast to Yuto's. Even though both wish to make everyone smile with Dueling, while Yuto's persona is dark and cold, Yuya's is entertaining. These differences establish Yuya as a foil to Yuto.

Ruri Kurosaki
Yuto displays care and protectiveness towards Ruri as he stated to Zuzu (who he thought that she was Ruri) that he doesn't want her to get hurt. Also, despite not wanting to hurt her anyone anymore, Yuto decides to continue to fight to save her, as shown when he accepted Sora's challenge when the latter told him that he can save Ruri by destroying the Academia. He is also shown to be very supportive and defensive of Ruri as he told Shay, after he also mistook Zuzu for his little sister, that Ruri would never learn the enemies' form of Summoning with a smile on her face. This being said with full determination and belief in her. This shows that both are very close with each other.

Deck
Yuto runs a "The Phantom Knights" Deck that focuses on Xyz Summoning. He uses several copies of "The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil" to protect himself against attacks and to Xyz Summon his ace card, "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon", while using cards like "Phantom Spear" and "Phantom Wing" to protect it as well as damage the opponent, enabling a OTK through the effect of "Xyz Dragon". His monsters are Level 3 and "Dark Rebellion" is Rank 4, so Yuto takes advantage of the effect of his "The Phantom Knights of Break Sword" in the early game. Should it be destroyed, its other effect instantly sets up the Summon of "Dark Rebellion".

His Dueling style reflects his merciful nature and refusal to hurt others. He uses many protective cards and cards that restrain the opponent, additionally he often leaves the opponent with enough life to survive his assaults and offers them the chance to surrender peacefully, only finishing them off should there be no other choice.