Celina

Selena (セレナ, Serena), or Serena   is a character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. She is a dimensional counterpart to Zuzu Boyle (Standard Dimension), Ruri Kurosaki (Xyz Dimension), and Rin (Synchro Dimension) from Duel Academy in the Fusion Dimension. Despite the dimension where she really lives, she is still chosen as one of the Lancers. According to Leo Akaba, Selena is crucial to his plans.

Appearance
Selena has dark purple hair tied into a ponytail with a large yellow ribbon, and green eyes. Her face is the same as Zuzu's. Her hair also features two light blue bangs that fall to either side of her face, similar to Zuzu. She wears the Fusion Dimension's version of the Slifer Red jacket, with a yellow stripe and a green-and-yellow star emblem on each sleeve. Also, like Zuzu, she wears a mysterious bracelet. She later switches clothes with Zuzu, but she retains her bracelet, hair ribbon, and Duel Disk. During the third arc, Selena changes clothes again, this time to a more casual outfit resembling her Academy uniform, with a simple red jacket, a broad grey skirt, a black vest that is half unzipped over a white shirt and brown boots.

Etymology
Selena's name is a common American and Greek name derived from the Greek Selene referring to the Goddess of the Moon in Greek Mythology. This is fitting given that she uses a Deck themed around the moon in the Anime. She has also been referred to as "Serena" (possibly due to the "L"/"R" confusion that is common in Japanese-English translations), which comes from the Latin serēnus, meaning "clear, tranquil, or serene". It can also be derived of Mare Serenitatis ("Sea of Serenity"), which is a lunar mare located to the east of Mare Imbrium on the Moon.

Personality
As she has been trained largely in Duel Monsters and confined in the Academy castle since her childhood, Selena is serious-minded, but has no social skills as a result, not seeing what was wrong with changing her clothes in front of Tsukikage and not understanding that not everyone is a Duelist. When first introduced, she is constantly trying to prove herself worthy to Leo Akaba and wants to fight Duel Academy's enemies, and even members of Duel Academy when necessary. She's strong-willed and determined to prove that she is strong and is willing to put herself in danger to prove this. Ironically, while wanting respect, she is very rude to others, believing herself superior to them. Also, in her desire to earn respect and the right to move about freely, she is shown amoral in her actions. She is willing to randomly attack any and all Duelists who use Xyz Monsters, even innocent bystanders in the same manner Shay would randomly attack any LID students and teachers prior to cooperating with the latter, simply to prove her self-worth with no regard in how her actions affect others.

Because of her obsession to demonstrate her skills, she seeks to fight the strongest Duelists she can find and is frustrated and disappointed when she defeats "worthless opponents". She is also proud, and easily infuriated, as seen when Dennis Set a monster and a Spell/Trap Card, taking it as a provocation to her skills, all the while ignoring his reasons (namely a bad draw) as excuses. Even after her induction into the Lancers this desire persists, partially due to their mission being to find strong allies.

Although she is proud to serve Duel Academy and initially believed that what they are doing is right, she was shocked to learn the truth from Shay about how immoral Duel Academy was when they invaded the Xyz Dimension, attacking defenseless citizens and laughing in joy at their suffering, treating it all as a simple game. Like most students of the Academy, Selena is prideful and arrogant, refusing to back down from any challenges she came across. She refused to run away from the Synchro Dimension's Security, though they outnumbered the Lancers.

Selena's pride is also her downfall, which leads to her being impatient and reckless. She left the Fusion Dimension with Barrett in order to prove herself to Leo. In the Synchro Dimension, Selena ignored Yuya's warnings about the Security twice, once when they arrived and were cornered by Security officers, and again when she left Crow's hideout to recruit more Lancers and search for Zuzu. In both cases, these led to dire consequences for her, which were being hunted down by the Obelisk Force and getting arrested, respectively. However, Selena is willing to accept responsibility for her actions, seen when she expressed remorse about Zuzu's disappearance.

History
Three years prior to the events of the series, Selena attempted to escape the island by going on the run, while being chased through the halls of Duel Academy by faculty members, and eventually found herself with her back to a wall. She Dueled against them in a Battle Royal, but just when she was about to get cornered, Declan who was observing the Duel from the top of the wall behind her, Summoned "D/D Cerberus" to protect her. She then took the hand he offered her, and he pulled her up over the wall. They fled to the harbor, where she realized that he wasn't from Duel Academy, and asked how he was able to get there without a boat. She said she wanted to leave to grasp her future, but then Leo Akaba appeared with several Obelisk Force members and told her that her future was there. She asked why Leo was keeping her trapped at Duel Academy despite understanding her abilities, to which he merely responded that the time was not right to use them. She argued that now should be the time to add her to the vanguard squad, as the invasion of the Xyz Dimension was about to start. The Obelisk Force squad then grabbed her by the arms, and Leo told her that he would definitely find her and bring her back, no matter where she would run. The Obelisk Force carried her away, kicking and fighting to free herself.

Maiami Championship
Selena was first seen outside the room where Sora Shiun'in was undergoing examinations at Duel Academy. She overheard his demands to be let back into the Standard Dimension, as there were remnants of the Xyz Duelists there, and smiled, having found an opportunity to impress Leo. In the Duel Academy corridor, Selena told Barrett she would go to Standard even if he tried to stop her. Barrett replied that he wanted to go with Selena instead of trying to stop her, to which Selena commented that he was the first guard who didn't try to stop her. They went to Maiami City and watched Dipper win his first-round Maiami Championship Duel on a giant screen by the roadside. She was noticed by Ally at that point, who was passing by that place and mistook her for Zuzu Boyle.

Soon after that, she cornered Dipper in an alley and sealed him in a card. Her next target was Yuu Sakuragi, whom she had learned was an Xyz user after watching his Duel. She found him in a hallway at Maiami Stadium and proceeded to challenge him, but his appearance there was revealed to be a ruse by Declan, who immediately appeared and warned Yuu to leave. Selena tried to chase after him, but Declan held her off by grabbing her arm. Selena threatened to take Declan out first for getting in her way, until Barrett challenged Declan instead. Selena watched the Duel from the sidelines; after Barrett lost, she turned to leave, until Declan called her by name and told her to wait.

He commented that she wasn't Zuzu Boyle, and Selena asked who Zuzu was. Declan explained that Zuzu was someone from Standard that resembled Selena and introduced himself, asking her if she remembered him and if she had been sent by Leo Akaba as a vanguard for an invasion. Selena denied working with Leo, having come to Standard of her own free will, and she admitted that she remembered Declan too, as she'd been trapped in that castle since Declan's appearance in her world. Declan explained that he was opposing Leo and offered an alliance, but Selena refused, explaining that she was after the Xyz users in Standard under the belief that defeating them would make Leo Akaba acknowledge her abilities. She gave Declan the card containing Dipper's soul, calling him a disappointment. Declan informed her that neither Dipper nor Yuu were her target, though he claimed to not know the Duelist from the Xyz Dimension who had defeated Sora. Declan warned Selena that he would be considering her an enemy even if she wasn't working with Leo and would take appropriate action. Barrett, overhearing this, activated the forced return function of his Duel Disk, returning to the Fusion Dimension, but alerting them to Selena's location. Selena explained that there would be people from Duel Academy coming after her, which would cause more than just a disturbance, but claimed that once she'd defeated them and the Duelist from the Xyz Dimension, Leo would have no choice but to acknowledge her abilities before departing. The next day, she waited outside the stadium where the Top 16 of the Maiami Junior Youth Championship were, knowing that the Xyz Duelist had to be in there.

While she was in the Jungle Area, Selena saw Dennis Macfield using an Xyz Monster during a Duel on a TV screen and headed to the Volcano Area, just missing seeing another Xyz user, Shay, who, unbeknownst to her, was her real target. She arrived in the Volcano Area where Dennis had just defeated Zuzu Boyle, the girl Declan had told her about. Selena ignored Zuzu, who thought Selena was another girl, Ruri, and immediately challenged Dennis, accusing him of being a remnant of the Xyz Dimension. Zuzu tried to protest that they were in the middle of a tournament, but Dennis accepted the challenge. Selena Fusion Summoned "Moonlight Cat Dancer" on her first turn, but rather than Xyz Summon, Dennis played defensively. Selena was furious at his continued denial of being an Xyz remnant and his defensive play and she dealt massive damage to him on her next turn. Dennis claimed that he was going to get serious, but upon apparently getting a bad draw he desperately Set a monster and a card. Thinking that Dennis was underestimating her, Selena prepared to end the Duel. Dennis was about to make a counter, but he was distracted and defeated by Selena's attack. Six Obelisk Force members arrived and advanced on Selena and Zuzu, but the girls were saved by the Youth Squad's arrival and evacuated from the area by Hikage and Tsukikage.

They ended up in the Iceberg area, where Selena brashly claimed that she didn't need the assistance. Zuzu again asked Selena if she was Ruri, however Selena denied it and she introduced herself to Zuzu. She explained why the Obelisk Force were after her and why she'd come to the Standard Dimension, stating that she was hunting the Xyz remnants. Zuzu claimed that the Academy's members had sadistically hunted the people of the Xyz Dimension, an accusation that Selena denied, as she believed the Academy's Duelists to be honourable warriors. As she claimed that the Xyz Duelists should have had pride even if they lost, Zuzu angrily pointed out that the Duelists' families were also being affected. She explained the history of Yuto, Ruri and Shay to Selena and clarified that it was Shay that Selena was after, suggesting that Selena confirm what Zuzu had told her with him. Selena agreed, and Zuzu offered to switch clothes with Selena to act as a decoy for the Academy though Zuzu had to remind Selena to hide behind a rock so that Tsukikage wouldn't see them. After the switch, Zuzu and Selena narrowed down Shay's probable location to the Ancient Ruins area and the two parted ways.

Selena arrived at the area just in time to see Shay defeated by Sora, and she reacted in horror to Shay's brutal defeat. Running to Shay and noting his horrible injuries, Selena saved themselves from Sora with "Lunar Eclipse," and she and Shay escaped to the Volcano Area, but with Sora hot on their tail and knowing who Selena was. Shay's injuries allowed Sora to catch up to them, though Hikage challenged Sora to a Duel and Tsukikage guided them away. Three Obelisk Force members approached them and requested that Selena return with them. Selena refused and entered a Duel with them with Shay and Tsukikage, the latter of whom protected them from the Obelisk Force's attacks. Selena took the next turn, attempting to counterattack with "Moonlight Cat Dancer," but her Deck was well known to the Obelisk Force and they dismantled her attack. Selena witnessed the arrival and subsequent defeat and sealing of Michio Mokota and Teppei Tairyobata and Silvio's rescue of Tsukikage. With the combined effort of Silvio, Gong and Shay, they were able to defeat the Obelisk Force. Afterwards, she went to Sora and Yuya's Duel, where it ended without a result as the Battle Royal timer had run out. After Mieru mistook her as Zuzu after Gong had made the initial mistake in the Duel, she clarified that she was not Zuzu, leading Sora to escape when Yuya suspected that Zuzu had also been turned into card. Declan then showed up and informed the group along with Silvio that they passed the Battle Royal Test of becoming Lancers.

Different Dimensions
When Yuya blamed Declan for what happened, Selena said that if anyone was to blamed for Zuzu's disappearance, it should be her. Selena revealed that she was an Academy Duelist, earning her suspicion from Silvio who accused her as a spy, but she further revealed that the reason for the Obelisk Force's arrival was to take her back to the Academy and assumed that they mistook Zuzu as her. She explained that she swapped clothes with Zuzu so she could meet Shay while Zuzu used herself as bait to turn the Obelisk Force's attention away from Selena, much to Yuya's dismay. As Declan and Yuya's Duel started, she began a conversation with Shay to confirm Zuzu's story behind the Xyz Dimension tragedy, also revealing to Shay why she had come to Standard. Shay confirmed the story and told Selena the horrors done to the Xyz Dimension, the effects that it had on him, and Ruri's abduction, which visibly shook Selena as she had believed that her Academy comrades fought with pride and honor. She was further shocked when Shay wondered why she also resembled his sister, Ruri.

After Declan defeated Yuya, she was present at the stadium along with the other Battle Royale survivors when Henrietta announced the cancellation of Maiami Championship and the existence of Fusion Dimension to the world. Selena returned Zuzu's clothes to Yuya, promising that if Zuzu was indeed taken by the Academy, she would assist in saving her as one of the Lancers, since she was partly responsible for what happened to Zuzu.

The next day, Selena was present for the Lancers meeting. After Declan announced that they were going to the Synchro Dimension instead of the Fusion Dimension, Selena convinced Shay that it would be impossible for him to fight the Academy all by himself since Academy students were trained in endurance, and also noted that Declan believed that Zuzu was in the Synchro Dimension. She also agreed with Declan's plan to form an alliance with the Synchro Dimension. After that, Selena and the other Lancers were given upgraded Duel Disks with the ability to summon Action Field. With the use of "Dimension Mover", they were teleported to the Synchro Dimension.

After arriving in the Synchro Dimension, Selena ended up with Reira, Silvio, and Yuya. The Security showed up and blocked off all exits. They placed Yuya and Selena under arrest. Yuya tried to explain that they just got to the City, but Silvio and Selena jumped right into the Duel that the Security forced them into, with the former activating the "Cross Over" Action Field Spell. After noticing Yuya's Duel and seeing her opponent use the same cards as well, Selena concluded that the Security were using mass-produced Decks. On her next turn, Selena used her "Moonlight Cat Dancer" and "Moonlight Blue Cat" combo to win against the officer she was Dueling. However, as the "Gate Blockers" were removed, more Security officers arrived to apprehend them. Even after the insistence of Yuya to retreat with Reira, Selena still insisted on fighting all of the officers. Just as they were being cornered by Security, a Synchro user Synchro Summoned his "Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Sudden Shower" to create the perfect cover for him and his crew to grab the Lancers and escape. The Synchro user, Crow, invited them to stay at his place until things quietened down. Two of the orphans that Crow took care of, Frank and Tanner returned with stolen food, and they asked Yuya and Selena why they'd seen them at a café earlier. Selena and Yuya realized that the boys had seen Zuzu and Yugo, and Crow offered to go and look for them. Despite this, Selena remained frustrated at the lack of progress, especially when Crow returned without news, as Security were all over the area. Accusing him of coming home with his tail between his legs and concluding that Crow's assistance was all for naught if there were no results, Selena headed out to find news herself, accompanied by Silvio, ignoring Yuya and Crow's protests.

She defeated eight Duelists, seeking strong opponents, and asked the eight who the strongest Duelist was. The boy replied that he was Jack Atlas, a man on posters throughout the City. Silvio took note of them and asked Selena if she was really looking for Zuzu, given that all she seemed to be doing was Dueling. Selena replied that she was, but she was also fulfilling the Lancers' mission to find strong Duelists. They returned to Crow's hideout to see him Dueling Yuya, but they had unwittingly led Security there and were arrested, with Selena witnessing Tsukikage rescuing Reira.

Selena was put in "special confinement" by Jean-Michel Roger, who was intrigued by Selena's Fusion Summoning strategies. After Jean asked his worker on how Selena was doing in her room, the man said that Selena resisted but later calmed down. Jean decided to pay Selena a visit. Selena was sulking in her room when Dennis arrived to break her out.

Deck
Selena plays a "Moonlight" Deck focused on Fusion Summoning. Her ace card is "Moonlight Cat Dancer", which she reinforces with cards such as "Moonlight White Rabbit", "Moonlight Perfume" and "Moonlight Dance" to disrupt the opponent's field and allow "Cat Dancer" to attack multiple times via its effect.