Vellian Crowler

Dr. Vellian Crowler, known in Japan as Cronos de Medici (クロノス・デ・メディチ, Kuronosu de Medichi); sometimes spelt Chronos de Medici, is the head professor of Duel Academy. Initially scheming and underhanded in attempting to expel duelists like protagonist Jaden, Crowler grows throughout the series to appreciate all his students and in turn be respected for his noble actions. Crowler is typically a comic relief character, due to his bungling incompetence.

His name in the Japanese version is derived from the names of Chronos, the personification of time in Greek mythology, and the Medici family.

Character design


Crowler's character design was overseen by Kenichi Hara. His usual outfit consists of the a more regal variation on the standard Obelisk Blue uniform, complete with gold trimmings and ruffled pink collar, shoulders, upper chest, and sleeves. His blonde hair is sectioned in two layers, with the layer furthest from his face tightly-bound in a ponytail, and he also wears crescent-shaped earrings. He carries an Academy-issued Duel Disk known as a "Duel Coat," worn horizontally across his torso, which has a motion sensor that automatically ejects cards from his deck when he is ready to draw.

Character biography
35-year old Vellian Crowler is a professor of the Obelisk Blue dormitory at Duel Academy. His main goal in the first year is to force low-performing students out of the school. After Jaden defeats him in a duel, he tries as hard as he can to get Jaden kicked out of the Duel Academy, but fails miserably. Notable schemes include making Chazz duel Jaden with "unbeatable combos," and placing a fake love letter in Syrus's locker (which he mistook for Jaden's) to catch him peeping in the girl's bathing facility.

During the second year, while Chancellor Sheppard is away, Crowler takes over his position at Duel Academy alongside Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte. For much of the season, the two devise schemes to market Duel Academy, but often argue over what methods should be employed to do so. Bonaparte resorts commonly to attacks, physical or otherwise, on Slifer Red, which he sees as a stain on the school's image, prompting Crowler to step in and defend the dorm on multiple occasions. In the Japanese version, Napoleon addresses Cronos as "temporary principal" to insult his feigning position.

After Sheppard returns to his duties, Crowler and Bonaparte, thinking themselves to be fired on account of one of the Chancellor's angry outbursts over their bickering, attempt to find new jobs with Industrial Illusions. Pegasus agrees to open discussions on the matter, provided they can defeat him in a triangle duel. Although they lose to Pegasus, Sheppard states that it was all a big misunderstanding, and that they were never fired in the first place.

During the third year, Crowler becomes another zombified victim in the different dimension. However, he does not duel when Jaden and his friends return to the different dimension to find Jesse. By the third year instead of thinking of Jaden as a loser, Crowler thinks (in the Japanese version) that Jaden will save them.

Crowler ascends to the position of vice-principal of Duel Academy in the fourth season after Bonaparte quits.

In the Japanese version of the anime, it is revealed that Crowler has 26 years left on his mortgage.

Manga
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga, Crowler performs in the same manner he did in the first season of the anime.

Voice/Mannerisms
In the English version, Crowler has a vague British accent, though he still has an appreciation for Italian culture. His Japanese series counterpart speaks with a thick, almost stereotypical Italian accent, often yelling such phrases as "Mamma mia!" and "Buongiorno," and ending the majority of his sentences with "(na) no ne" ("is it not so?").

Crowler's clothing and hair have lead many to call him "Miss" in the dub. Whenever someone tries to figure out Crowler's gender, he gets angry and prefers to be called "Doctor," claiming to have a Ph.D. in dueling. He dislikes Lyman Banner's cat, Pharaoh, as he worries about catching rabies when the feline licks him.

He calls Slifer students, Jaden in particular, "Slifer Slackers", while in the Japanese version, Cronos calls Osiris students "Dropout boys".

Deck
Crowler plays an Ancient Gear (Dark Medieval; 暗黒の中世, Ankoku no Chyūsei) Deck, composed largely, as namesake implies, of Ancient Gear (Antique Gear; 古代の機械 (アンティーク・ギア) Anteīku Gia) cards. The majority of his monsters have the ability to prevent an opponent from activating Spell and Trap cards until the end of the Damage Step. He also relies quite heavily on the "Ancient Gear Golem", his strongest monster, as his deck revolves around its summoning.