Sora Perse

Sora Perse, known as Sora Shiun'in or Sora Shiunin ( Shiun'in Sora) in the Japanese version, is a character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. Interested in the Pendulum Summon Yuya Sakaki created, this mysterious boy decides to become his apprentice. During his first Duel against Shay Obsidian, Sora is revealed to be a soldier of Duel Academy, a "Duel Soldier" training facility in the Fusion Dimension. As a soldier of Duel Academy, he swears loyalty to Leo Akaba and his plan to "unite the dimensions" despite his friendships with Yuya and Zuzu Boyle. With encouragement from Yuya and Zuzu, Sora eventually realized he was hurting people and reluctantly abandoned his old ways.

Appearance
Sora is a short, young boy with light cyan hair, that is tied up and spiked out. He wears a blue jacket that bears some resemblance to Duel Academy's Obelisk Blue jacket, with a yellow and orange trim over a black t-shirt. He also wears a pair of light gray cargo shorts over long white socks and brown shoes. Sora has also been shown to carry a pink/white lollipop around with him.

Sora has also been noted by several characters as being extremely cute to the extent that they will side with him or give him what he wants, such as Yoko Sakaki who gave him Yuya's pancakes and Skip Boyle who changed the field that Sora and Yuya were Dueling on simply because Sora didn't like it.

Despite his small size, Sora demonstrates an incredible degree of athleticism, being able to knock out three boys much larger than himself using only a lollipop stick, and later displays incredible jumping ability to quickly snatch Action Cards during Duels.

Etymology
His family name, Shiun'in 「」, translates roughly to "violet cloud school/temple/house". Also, Shiun, or purple cloud, is the one that Amida Buddha rides on at a time of a person's death. The kanji for his first name, Sora, 「」, is gender neutral, but is usually read as 'Motoyoshi' 「」 for males.

His English dub surname, Perse, is a color that is grayish blue or purple. Perse is also a name for a private school in Cambridge, England. Both could be a reference to Academia and their preference for Fusion Monsters, which have a purple card border.

Personality
Sora is shown to be a huge fan of Yuya, to the extent of obsession. This is shown when he constantly follows Yuya around, wanting to see Pendulum Summoning first hand (in the dub, Sora also calls Yuya "Coach Y"). At first Yuya declines, causing Sora to spy on Yuya and continuously bother him until he gives in. Sora has also been shown to use his cute appearance to win others over to his side and get his own way. However, it does not seem to work on Yuya, who only agrees to Duel with him if Sora stops following him around. Sora is also extremely childish and persists until he gets his way. Sora has a habit of misunderstanding situations, often asking "Did I get it wrong?" in response to other peoples' reactions. However, he later becomes more secretive, making sarcastic comments toward the students of Leo Institute of Dueling.

Sora also shows exceptional knowledge of Duel Monsters for his age, including the different styles of Summoning and can strategize accordingly. However as such, he does not take Dueling seriously unless there is a Duel or Duelist that excites him, and ultimately, this is what motivates Sora: his own entertainment.

It is seen that Sora is much more serious and malevolent than he actually shows, as seen when he was considering going all-out against Shay he let out a malicious grin, making him look noticeably more menacing. As the Duel progressed against him, he slowly descends into madness, subsequently bringing out more morbid Fusion Monsters and violently attacking his opponent, while slowly revealing more of his horrifying nature as he explains how much he and his people enjoyed "hunting" Shay and his comrades, simply because it is a "fun hunting game", while showing some disgust towards Shay, calling him "Xyz Scum." He is infuriated by his loss against Shay, showing he has a superiority complex and a huge ego. His pride can be seen earlier: he derides LID Fusion Summons and believes that Zuzu would be the clear victor in a match against them if she uses the techniques that he taught her, and after Yuto told Zuzu that "Polymerization" did not suit her, Sora was offended enough to challenge Yuto to a Duel.

However, deep down it seems that much of Sora's personality comes from his attachment towards the Fusion Dimension, as he truly considers the invasion of the Xyz Dimension to be a "gallant" battle, and that the only reason he could not allow himself to lose is because it would sully their honor. Being one of Duel Academy's top students and trusted with their mission, he is very strict with himself, thus his behavior is likely a result of believing he is both honoring his comrades and doing right.

He is also shown to be obsessed with sweet food items or candies to the extent that he is rarely seen not eating them, even to the extent that he eats during lessons. Whenever he is serious or angered he tends to bite his candies rather than keeping it on his mouth.

Abilities
Due to his training at Duel Academy, Sora is well-versed in the art of fighting. By simply throwing his lollipop stick, he can knock multiple people out at once. He is also capable incapacitating two (presumably) well-trained individuals while injured. Sora also possesses incredible athletic abilities, as he was able to leap across rooftops while keeping up with Duel Runners (even jumping several feet in the air at one point). In addition Sora has incredible endurance; and he is able to hang onto a helicopter's wheels without much difficulty.

History
Sora attended Duel Academy in the Fusion Dimension. He trained to become a Duel soldier. He and his classmates were solely focused on training and Sora made friends with none of them. Sora was the top of the elite class at Duel Academy, and he was sent to the Standard Dimension with a special mission.

Pre-Arc League Championship
When Yuya and his friends went to the Leo Institute of Dueling, Sora passed Yuya as he was looking at the school's curriculum. He stopped for a moment to look at Yuya before carrying on down the corridor. He later watched Yuya's Duel with Sylvio Sawatari, amazed by how the latter managed to perform a Pendulum Summon. He continued to watch the Duel and was excited when Yuya managed to retrieve his "Timegazer Magician" and "Stargazer Magician". After the Duel finished, Sylvio attempted to get his friends to assault Yuya and his friends, but was stopped by Sora who knocked them unconscious with his lollipop stick. He then introduced himself to Yuya and declared himself Yuya's apprentice (in the dub, Sora called Yuya his "Duel Guru"), shocking him and his friends in the process.

The next day, he followed Yuya home to his house, gaining entry by telling Yoko Sakaki that he was Yuya's apprentice. Yuya immediately denied it, and was shocked that Sora had both lied to get into his house and was eating breakfast there. Sora claimed it wasn't that big of a deal and that Yuya's "sister's" pancakes were delicious. Yoko's reaction caused Sora to realize he'd slipped up, and he immediately flattered her, claiming that she looked so young and beautiful he thought she was Yuya's sister. Yoko, appreciating the praise, gave him Yuya's pancakes as well. After that incident, Sora followed Yuya to school as Yuya was explaining what Sora was doing to Zuzu, stating that wherever his teacher went, Sora would follow. Yuya reminded him that he never made Sora his apprentice, but Sora begged him to make him his apprentice, expressing an admiration for Yuya's Pendulum Summoning. Yuya explained that one needed Pendulum Cards to Pendulum Summon, so Sora begged Yuya to show him. He tried his flattery tactics again by asking Zuzu to convince Yuya to show him a Pendulum Summon as he thought she was Yuya's girlfriend, however, this led to both denying it and Yuya accidentally insulting Zuzu, and Yuya being swatted by Zuzu's fan, to Sora's surprise and concern. He spied on Yuya in class through binoculars, wondering why he was making such a serious face, and continually harassed Yuya throughout the day. When Yuya went to the You Show Duel School, Sora was there as well, having claimed again to be Yuya's apprentice. He requested to Duel Yuya, who refused (and thus Sora gained the sympathies of everyone present) until Skip Boyle convinced him otherwise. Yuya then imposed a condition on the Duel: if he won, Sora would stop following him around and trying to be his apprentice, but if Sora won, Yuya would take him on as an apprentice. The Duel began, but Sora was displeased by the choice of the "Wildest West" Field Spell Card, and he said it was boring, then requested a more fun one, so Skip changed it to "Sweets Island". Sora began to swarm the field with his "Toy Vendor," but his attacks were stopped by Yuya, who had been collecting Action Cards while "accidentally" crashing into the scenery. Sora attempted to grab an Action Card himself, only for Yuya to snatch it away. Yuya proceeded to Pendulum Summon during the next turn, much to Sora's excitement, and he reduced Sora to 1800 Life Points with a single attack from "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." Sora then decided to play seriously, Fusion Summoning his "Frightfur Bear".

He took out Yuya's "Performapal Hip Hippo" to reduce his mobility and equipped it to his "Frightfur Bear" to power it up. When Yuya tried to counterattack, Sora used two copies of "Punch-in-the-Box" to bypass the effect of "Timegazer Magician", weakening "Odd-Eyes." Sora then equipped his "Frightfur Bear" with "Toy Parade" to allow it to attack multiple times, a combo that would allow him to win the Duel. Yuya attempted to grab an Action Card, but Sora revealed previously unseen agility and snagged it himself. He then used it to prevent Yuya's own Trap Card from affecting "Frightfur Bear" and destroyed "Odd-Eyes." With Yuya despondent and "Odd-Eyes" destroyed, Sora attempted to equip the Dragon to "Frightfur Bear," but to his surprise, he was unable to. Yuya then began laughing, and he also realized that "Odd-Eyes" had been sent to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard, preventing it from being equipped. Sora ended his turn, and Yuya weakened "Frightfur Bear" on his next turn with "Performapal Sword Fish" and "Performapal Cheermole" before destroying it with "Odd-Eyes," which he had Pendulum Summoned from the Extra Deck. Sora had lost, and agreed to honor his promise, but he decided to simply become Yuya's friend instead, calling Yuya by his first name (much to Yuya's anger) and enrolled into You Show Duel School. Yuya attempted to find where Sora had learned to Fusion Summon, seeing as he hadn't been to LID, but Sora evasively replied that it was normal where he came from, irritating Yuya once again.

He continued attending You Show Duel School, and when LID Chairwoman Henrietta Akaba arrived, claiming that Yuya had attacked Sylvio and that the two Duel Schools would Duel to settle the ownership of the You Show, Sora nominated himself to represent You Show, pointing out to Gong that he wasn't technically a You Show student. He wanted to Duel first, but Yuya instead went first, facing Xyz user Dipper. During the Duel, Sora protested that it wasn't very entertaining, receiving swift rebuke from Yuya in response. He also explained about Xyz Monsters and Ranks to Ally, Frederick and Tate. After Yuya defeated Dipper, Zuzu was up next, facing Fusion user Julia Krystal. Unfortunately, Zuzu lost the Duel, and Gong encouraged Sora to win the third Duel against Synchro user Kit Blade. Claiming that the Duel disinterested him, Sora instead allowed Gong to Duel Kit, much to Gong's happiness.

As with the previous Duels, he slyly commented from the sidelines regarding Dueling information that the children weren't aware of, musing that with only 100 Life Points and no cards in his hand "little-Gong" didn't have a chance to win, until Gong's use of his "Superheavy Samurai" monsters surpassed Sora's expectations and caused him to drop his lollipop in shock. Gong ended the Duel in a DRAW, so Henrietta proposed a tiebreaker between Yuya and Julia. A mysterious grey-haired Duelist revealed himself, stating that he would put an end to this. He used "D/D" monsters against Yuya, Sora noting that the title stood for "Different Dimension." He was shocked when Declan performed a Fusion Summon to bring out "D/D/D Flame King Genghis". Despite Declan being set up to take 4000 damage from his own cards, Sora wasn't convinced that Declan was overconfident enough to take the risk and he was proven correct. Declan later set himself up to take 3000 damage, enough to wipe him out, but again, Sora knew that Declan would evade the damage. But even Sora was shocked when Declan unveiled his own Pendulum Monsters and gained an edge in the Duel. Fortunately, a call regarding an LID teacher reached the ears of Declan, who revealed his name and forfeited the Duel before departing. Sora was impressed at Declan's Pendulum Summoning, and as Skip reassured the students that they'd saved their Duel School, Sora pointed out that only Yuya had contributed to doing so. Tate, Ally and Frederick immediately rebuked him, pointing out that he couldn't complain because Sora didn't fight for them. Sora brushed off the remarks and walked off.

Zuzu later found him trying to get into LID to Duel Declan, whose strength had interested Sora. She pointed out that it wouldn't be that easy, something that Sora had noticed earlier when he'd seen guards all over the place. Zuzu took Sora to the warehouse where Yuya had apparently attacked Sylvio, and begged him to teach her to Fusion Summon. Sora was quite bewildered, asking if this had been because Zuzu lost to Julia. Sora wasn't sure if it was okay to do so, but he eventually gave Zuzu a "Polymerization" card and explained to her how to Fusion Summon. Before the explanation could progress further, he noticed a masked Duelist eavesdropping and chased him around the warehouse before clashing with the Duelist using their Duel Disks. Sora noted that the Duelist "wasn't from around here" and the Duelist replied that Sora wasn't either. Zuzu then spoke up, remembering the masked Duelist from before, much to Sora's surprise. Zuzu explained that the Duelist had attacked Silvio, and Sora asked him if he was behind the recent incident as well. Before they could get any info out of the Duelist, a vengeful Julia arrived, ready to Duel the masked Duelist for what he'd allegedly done to Professor Marco. She revealed that the Duelist was an Xyz user, to Sora's interest. Zuzu and Julia argued over who was talking to the masked Duelist, and Zuzu's bracelet activated, causing him to vanish while they weren't looking. An instant later, Yuya arrived, having been looking for Zuzu and he was surprised to see everyone else there. When Julia interrogated Yuya, believing him to be in league with the masked Duelist, Sora distracted her by claiming that he'd seen the Duelist run off. Sora explained to Yuya that he was giving Zuzu Fusion Summoning lessons. Yuya revealed that his next four Duels had been set up to allow him to qualify for the Junior Arc League Championship. Sora decided to qualify too, being told that he had to win six Duels in a row to do so and deeming it an easy task.

After eating breakfast at Yuya's house again and conversing with him, Sora set off to qualify, accompanied by Zuzu, and he defeated a sumo wrestler Duelist with his "Frightfur Bear". He defeated his second Duelist, a performer Duelist, but noticed that Zuzu was still preoccupied and not paying attention to his Dueling. He Dueled Zuzu in a practice Duel, but she failed to Fusion Summon as she'd placed her Fusion Monster in her Main Deck. Afterwards, Sora pointed out that he'd been Fusion Summoning so that Zuzu could get some practice, claiming that he could have beaten his opponents without it, and wondering if she'd been thinking about the masked Duelist again. He wanted to Duel him, but Zuzu warned him about the Duelist's ability to inflict damage outside of an Action Duel. Yuya arrived, prompting Zuzu's bracelet to glow again and warp the eavesdropping masked Duelist away. Having dinner at Yuya's house, in response to being cautioned for his carefree attitude towards his opponents, Sora told him to be careful before someone took Zuzu away from him, to which Yuya replied that Zuzu wasn't his girlfriend. Sora defeated his third and fourth Duelist's in a Chess and Shogi themed-field respectively, and against his fifth opponent, whose Kabuki style Sora found to be as entertaining as Yuya, Zuzu was much more attentive, urging him to finish the Duel quickly. Zuzu matched his Fusion Summoning chant perfectly, and Sora defeated his opponent. Zuzu pointed out that Sora could have won earlier than that, and Sora explained that he was showing Zuzu Fusion Summoning, as she hadn't seemed to get it previously. When Zuzu claimed to have Fusion Summoning figured out, Sora offered to Duel her, but Julia showed up again, informing them of the recent attacks in the city and asking them where the masked Duelist was. When things became hostile, Sora suggested that Zuzu could easily beat Julia, and when challenged himself, claimed that he'd hurt her confidence even more. Julia's repeated claims that LID was the strongest attracted the attention of Shay, but Shay was stopped by the masked Duelist, Yuto. Though Sora kept quiet, when Yuto claimed that Zuzu's "Polymerization" didn't suit her, Sora was insulted and suggested he show Yuto how great the card was. Zuzu broke them up, but Yuya's arrival teleported Yuto away via Zuzu's bracelet. Sora suggested that they leave after LID showed up.

The next day, Sora had his final opponent, but he had to call Zuzu to get her there, as she was searching for her lost "Polymerization." He defeated his opponent with "Frightfur Bear" in an opera-themed match, and Zuzu congratulated him. Sora suggested that they hurry to Yuya's third match, and they arrived just in time to see him activate Zuzu's "Polymerization" and Fusion Summon "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" against Aura Sentia. He congratulated Yuya for doing something so unexpected, and Fusion Summoning without any prior tutelage. The celebrations were interrupted by Aura hugging Yuya and Zuzu's angry response, scaring even Sora. Sora wanted a party to celebrate his entry, only for Yuya to reply that they could only have one once Yuya had qualified too, much to Sora's distress. As Yuya held him in a friendly headlock, Zuzu left, and Sora wondered if she was getting cake. With Yuya set to Duel Gong the following day, Sora and the others had to watch the Duel in secret, and Sora was surprised by Gong's Synchro Summoning and Yuya's use of a Pendulum Monster's effect to Fusion Summon twice, exciting him.

Arc League Championship
Sora took a passive role in the shenanigans that resulted when Yuya went off by himself, entering the stadium alongside his fellow You Show students. He was surprised to spot Shay among the LID students, who claimed that he'd been a comrade of theirs from the start, and learned that his first Duel would be against Shay the next day. Bored by Ally's Duel against Riley Akaba, he went off to look for interesting Duels, but found none, instead, he passed by Shay. Zuzu's rematch against Julia was next, and Sora watched his protege in satisfaction, especially when she countered Julia's strategies as he'd taught her. He was furious when he saw that Shay, who had been watching the Duel from the sidelines, had apparently taken his leave before the Duel had ended.

He Dueled against Shay in the third match of the second day. When the Action Field was chosen as "Future Metropolis Heartland", he was disappointed that it wasn't the Field where he'd Dueled Yuya, but fine with it since the audience enjoyed it. He tried to get Shay to play along in entertaining the crowd, but Shay simply talked about his experiences and Dueled without mercy. Sora entertained the crowd with his "Fluffal" monsters and his Fusion Summoning, trading blows with Shay evenly until Shay brought out "Raidraptor - Rise Falcon". Sora was initially dismissive of the Xyz Monster until its powerful effect was revealed, allowing it to gain the ATK of Sora's Special Summoned monsters and attack them all. The attack delivered a more powerful shockwave to Sora, and he smiled maliciously, deciding to get serious.

He brought out "Frightfur Leo" in an attempt to destroy "Rise Falcon", but Shay used Action Cards and Trap Cards to counter him. Being foiled, Sora became frustrated to the point that he had "Frightfur Leo" destroy the environment in a fit of temper, something that was picked up on by his friends. Shay used "Rise Falcon" to destroy "Frightfur Leo" the next turn, despite Sora's best efforts to counter it. Furious, Sora decided to really go all-out, bringing out "Frightfur Sheep" to prevent Shay from saving "Rise Falcon". Though his efforts were successful, Shay activated a "Rank-Up-Magic" card, Ranking-Up "Rise Falcon" into "Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon". Sora was excited by the new monster, begging Shay to let him enjoy this. Shay replied that Sora would instead feel the agony of defeat and death and used the effects of "Blaze Falcon"and more counter cards to destroy "Frightfur Sheep". Hit into a building, which began to fall, Sora's agility allowed him to escape the debris. Shay asked if Sora understood what it was like to be hunted now, and Sora revealed the true depths of his depravity, revealing that the attacks his people had made on Shay, and their Duels were all just games to them. With a crazed demeanor, he called out "Frightfur Chimera", destroyed "Blaze Falcon", and took control of it. Claiming that he could never be hunted and Shay's group always would be, Sora commented that he'd finish Shay off with his own monster. Calling it ridiculous, as the Resistance always fought prepared for the worst case scenario with the intent to rescue their comrades, Shay Ranked-Up again, calling out "Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon". Underestimating its 2000 ATK, Sora assumed that Shay was bluffing, but the effect of "Revolution Falcon" finished Sora off, and though Sora obtained an Action Card, a tower fell on Sora before he could use it, ending the Duel in Shay's victory. Refusing to believe that he could lose, especially to "Xyz scum," Sora screamed at Shay to Duel him again, but his frenzied pleas were met with silence, and Sora's injuries caused him to pass out.

Sora was taken to the hospital for medical attention, but when he woke up, he left the hospital and found Yuto, who wanted to know about Lulu's whereabouts. Sora claimed that he knew nothing about it and that she, like the rest of the hostages, probably became a card. Sora chased Yuto to a park, demanding him to bring Shay to settle the scores, but Yuto pointed out that it was already settled that he lost and began a Duel against Sora. Sora quickly brought out his "Frightfur Bear" as usual, and destroyed Yuto's "The Phantom Knights of Broken Sword". However, Yuto Xyz Summoned "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" and was about to finish off Sora with its effect, but decided to allow him to stay in the Duel so that he could surrender peacefully. Sora was infuriated and insulted by the show of mercy, which he perceived as intentional humiliation.

Yuya, having arrived and witnessed the Duel, joined the Duel to aid Sora. He managed to Summon "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon", but Yuto countered his plays with his Trap Cards. Sora realized that Yuto had deliberately taken Sora's attack to bring out "Xyz Dragon" and held back against him, insulting him even more. Sora claimed that Yuto and Shay were just runaways from the Xyz Dimension, which his allies already conquered and mentioned having been assigned a mission from Duel Academy. He prepared to Summon a powerful Fusion Monster, but because his real identity was revealed, Sora was forced to return to the Fusion Dimension. There he was found unconscious and taken to the doctors to extract his memories as per Leo Akaba's orders.

At Duel Academy, Sora underwent treatment. At one point during his treatment, Sora demanded to return to the Standard Dimension, wanting to get revenge on the Xyz users there. He was unknowingly overheard by Celina.

Sora then directly asked Leo to return to the Standard Dimension. Leo agreed, on the condition that a group of Obelisk Force members would accompany Sora to help him bring Celina back to the Fusion Dimension. Sora was extremely surprised by the fact that Celina resembled Zuzu. Sora later ambushed Shay with three members of the Obelisk Force, dispatching them to Duel against the Knight of Duels while he and Shay Dueled in a nearby ruined building.

The two began their Duel, with Sora Summoning "Edge Imp Tomahawk" in order to damage Shay during his first turn. On his turn, Shay used a combination of "Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius" and "Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius" in order to Xyz Summon "Raidraptor - Force Strix". Sora was amused that "Force Strix only had 100 ATK, and was surprised when Shay used "Force Strix" to get the cards he needed by searching another "Vanishing Lanius" and repeating the combination. Shay Summoned the other copies of "Fuzzy Lanius" and "Vanishing Lanius", allowing "Force Strix" to gain 500 ATK for each of them. Unimpressed, Sora asked about the low ATK of Shay's monsters and if Shay was underestimating him. Shay replied he was always serious while Dueling, even against "worthless opponents". Shay eventually Summoned three copies of "Force Strix", leaving Sora annoyed at how long he planned to prolong that play. Shay mocked Sora for being annoyed by his tactics and told him to get an Action Card. Sora replied he did not need any. Shay then Special Summoned two copies of "Raidraptor - Singing Lanius", boosting the ATK of the "Force Strixes" to 2100 each, and prepared for a One Turn Kill.

Sora survived Shay's assault and the Duel was prolonged most of the night. Finally, Sora drew "Polymerization" and called Shay naive if he believed his victory was granted. Sora then used the effect of "Fluffal Mouse" to Special Summon two more copies of it from his Deck. He mimicked Yuya's catchphrase with a menacing tone and fused them with "Edge Imp Sabres" in order to Fusion Summon "Frightfur Tiger". Sora activated its effect to destroy monsters Shay had up to the number of Fusion Materials used for the Summon of "Tiger", leaving Shay with only one "Force Strix" left. Sora proceeded to mock Shay, since the Xyz Monster was now devoid of most of its ATK and reduced to a mere 100 points, leaving Shay to grind his teeth. The effect of "Tiger" let it gain 300 ATK for to each "Frightfur" and "Fluffal" monster Sora controlled, which was 2200. This gave it enough power to defeat Shay, with Sora commanding it to "send the Xyz remnant to the grave" with a maniacal expression. Sora was satisfied that he finally got revenge on Shay, but was unaware that Celina was watching.

Upon seeing Celina, Sora mistook her for Zuzu and told her to back off. When he saw her Academy Duel Disk, Sora realized who Celina really was and chased her down while she carried an injured Shay with her. He ordered Celina to let him deal with Shay himself, or she would get hurt as well, but Sun Shadow and Moon Shadow blocked him. While Sun Shadow Dueled Sora, Moon Shadow protected Celina and Shay from the three remaining members of the Obelisk Force. During his Duel, Sora met Yuya and Gong again, who told him to stop and questioned his actions, which annoyed Sora. He told them to shut up and wait until he defeated Sun Shadow, angering Yuya. Sora eventually defeated Sun Shadow and sealed him into a card. Yuya finally confronted Sora and challenged him to a Duel, which Sora accepted because he disliked the fact that he had a losing record against his old friend. Sora took Yuya to the inside of the Volcano Area so no one could interrupt their Duel.

Sora openly promised not to be as soft as he was during his last Duel with Yuya, despite Yuya's protest that Sora's smile back then was genuine. He ridiculed Yuya's belief that they had become friends during their last Duel, dismissing the notion as being too soft. He retorted that Dueling was about fighting, and that winning was more important to him than friendship. He then Fusion Summoned "Frightfur Tiger" and used it to destroy all of Yuya's cards on the field and reduce him to 1800 LP. When Yuya chided Sora about the damage Duel Academy caused to Heartland City, he responded that it was necessary to make the worlds one, to which Yuya replied that Duel Academy didn't have that authority. Sora then brought out "Frightfur Sabre-Tooth" and "Frightfur Bear" and raised his three monsters' ATK to over 4000 each. He then watched in shock as Yuya Xyz Summoned "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon", an Xyz Pendulum Monster, and got excited about how Dueling with Yuya was so much fun. However, when Yuya attacked with "Odd-Eyes Rebellion", both Sora and Yuya ended up in a race for an Action Card that disappeared as the Battle Royal timer expired, ending the Duel with no winner. When Yuya realized that Zuzu was nowhere to be seen and began to ask Sora if she had been sealed in a card, instead of answering him, Sora activated the forced return program in his Duel Disk to return to Duel Academy.

Friendship Cup
Sora returned to Duel Academy and searched for Zuzu, believing that Yuri had captured her. He found no trace of her, but learned by eavesdropping on the Professor that he needed both Zuzu and Celina for his plans. Sora returned to the Standard and learned that Declan had formed the Lancers and traveled to the Synchro Dimension. Seeing that both Yuya and Celina were among them, he traveled to the Synchro Dimension himself.

During Shay's second Duel with Dennis Macfield during the Friendship Cup, Sora silently watched the Duel from a corridor leading to the stadium. After Dennis lost the Duel, Sora left.

Friendship Cup Finals
When the envoys of the Executive Council clashed with Security over the custody of Dennis, Sora intervened and rescued Dennis, taking him to an alleyway. He explained to Dennis that he was attempting to capture Celina as per the orders of the Professor, and sent Dennis back to Duel Academy to recover from his injuries. After Zuzu lost her Duel to Sergey Volkov and was thrown into a building, Sora rescued her before Security reached her. He carried her to a room and left her to rest. After that, Sora ran to show Yuya that Zuzu was okay by showing him her helmet during his own Duel with Shinji Weber. He had to traverse several rooftops until he was at a point where Yuya could see him.

After Yuya defeated Shinji, he escaped the Duel Palace and was able to meet up with Sora. Sora told Yuya that Zuzu was safe and revealed he had come to the Synchro Dimension to save Zuzu and how he traveled back to the Fusion Dimension, then back to Standard before learning that the Lancers had gone to the Synchro Dimension. Yuya told him that since he sent Dennis back, Duel Academy would know that Zuzu and Celina were in the Synchro Dimension, but Sora insisted Dennis would have reported back in eventually and sending him back separated him for Celina. Still wanting to fight for Duel Academy, but torn because of his friendship with Yuya and Zuzu, Sora asked that Yuya bring Celina to him to trade for Zuzu. Yuya refused to abandon Celina either, and told Sora that the Professor probably wouldn't approve of Sora's actions and hoped he would open his eyes soon. A Security officer on a nearby rooftop fired an energy net at Sora, but Yuya pushed him out of the way and was captured instead. Yuya made Sora promise to protect Zuzu and wished him luck as he fled. Sora attempted to look for Zuzu, evading Security on the way, but she had left the room that he'd left her in and he looked around, noticing the number of Security officers on patrol and wondering if it was because they were looking for Zuzu since she'd lost in the tournament.

Sora later noticed that Zuzu, Frank, Amanda, and Amanda were surrounded by Security. He and Zuzu then Dueled the officers and won. Zuzu introduced Sora has her teacher, and assumed that he had defected from Duel Academy. Sora replied that he hadn't but he was trying to keep Yuya and Zuzu safe from Duel Academy. They were interrupted by Moon Shadow, who was prepared to Duel Sora in revenge for Sora sealing Sun Shadow. Zuzu was able to convince both of them to stand down, and Moon Shadow agreed to let Sora try to rescue Yuya from captivity under Jean-Michel Roger, while suggesting that Zuzu and the kids come underground to hide from Security.

Continuing to look for Yuya, Sora eventually noticed that Yuya was Dueling again, this time against Crow Hogan. He used his athletic skills to grab onto the wheel of Melissa Claire's helicopter and he watched the Duel from the skies. He was surprised when he noticed that Yuya's face reminded him more of Yuto's than it normally did for an instant. When Yuya Xyz Summoned Yuto's "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon", Sora even wondered whether or not it was Yuya who was Dueling.

Yuya Sakaki
Sora considers Yuya to be one of his first friends, as there was no time for such things while training at Duel Academy, as everyone was too focused on becoming soldiers. Yuya found him annoying at first, but this quickly changed. Sora still considered Yuya his friend even though Yuya opposes Duel Academy. With encouragement from Yuya and Zuzu, Sora realized he was hurting people and reluctantly abandoned his old ways.

Zuzu Boyle
Sora considers Zuzu one of his friends, for the same reasons as Yuya. Sora taught Zuzu to Fusion Summon, but initially claimed it wasn't due to friendship, though he would later admit that it was. Though still devoted to Duel Academy, Sora was willing to interfere with Leo Akaba's plans in order to protect Zuzu, willing to allow Zuzu to return to Standard with Yuya if Yuya would agree to trade him Celina. With encouragement from Yuya and Zuzu, Sora realized he was hurting people and reluctantly abandoned his old ways.

Leo Akaba
Sora used to be quite faithful to Leo, but there were cases where Sora wasn't. For example, Sora was commanded by Leo to capture Celina, but Sora decided to hunt down Shay instead. His loyalty to Leo dropped completely after reluctantly turning against Duel Academy to help Yuya and Zuzu.

Shay Obsidian
Before abandoning Duel Academy, Sora hated Shay because of his Xyz background. He enjoyed Dueling Shay, declaring that the Duels were "hunting games". Sora was angry that he lost to Shay on their first Duel, but became much more satisfied when Shay lost. Sora told that he was from Duel Academy to Shay before anyone else, who also knew of its existance. Shay was Sora's target when Leo commanded Sora to go after Celina.

Deck
Sora uses a "Fluffal"/"Edge Imp" Deck focused on Fusion Summon tactics, with "Toy Vendor" assisting in swarming. As Fusion Summoning requires a large number of specific cards, Sora uses cards such as "Edge Imp Saw" and "Fusion Conscription" to acquire them easier. He also uses cards such as "Frightfur Factory" and "Frightfur Fusion" which give him easier access to his "Frightfur" monsters. He also uses effects to treat his monsters as "Frightfur" monsters, in order to use his "Frightfur Chimera" easier.

Although Sora prefers to Fusion Summon "Frightfur Bear" to easily acquire ATK power, he is also flexible and can Fusion Summon different monsters should the need arise, such as "Frightfur Leo" to destroy difficult monsters, "Frightfur Sheep" to disable the opponent from activating cards, and "Frightfur Tiger" to wipe the opponent's field clear and deal the finishing blow. He also often uses "Edge Imp Tomahawk" as a way to damage his opponent during his first turn.