Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (manga)

'Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as 遊☆戯☆王ＧＸ' (Yūgiō GX), is a manga series written by Naoyuki Kageyama, based off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime series. Kazuki Takahashi, the author of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, supervised the story. The series is produced in association with Brain Navi.

''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is published in Japan in Shueisha's V-Jump'' magazine, and began serialization on December 17, 2005.

Starting December 2006 with the January 2007 issue, ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX began serialization in the United States Shonen Jump'' by VIZ Media.

Plot
Jaden Yuki starts off as an ordinary student at Duel Academy who defeated Crowler in his entrance exam. He's best friends with Syrus Truesdale. One day Mr. Ryuga, who was attempting to become a teacher at Duel Academy challenges Jaden to a duel. If he won the duel he'd be accepted as a teacher and he would expel Jaden for no good reason. Jaden wins despite his opponent cheating.

Later he faces the undefeated Obelisk Blue student Chazz Princeton in a duel. Chazz was currently going though troubled times due to the fact people thought he only got into Obelisk Blue because of his money. He was so upset that he buried his best card; "Light and Darkness Dragon", which was also his spirit partner. Jaden beats Chazz, sending him into more depression after Jaden says that his Winged Kuriboh was a spirit monster. Chazz realized his mistake and dug up his "Light and Darkness Dragon" and vowed to defeat Jaden alongside it.

Meanwhile, Bastion Misawa reviewed Jaden's duel with Alexis Rhodes. Bastion appears to have a crush on Alexis. When he discovered that Jaden has Alexis' number he felt a little hurt inside. Later he challenged Jaden to a duel, and if Jaden won then he would get to borrow ultra-rare Duelist Kingdom DVDs and if Bastion won he would get Alexis' phone number (while Jaden and Syrus laugh at the thought of Bastion's crush on Alexis). Even though Bastion loses, Jaden suggests that Alexis and Bastion exchange numbers, which prompts Bastion to lend the DVD to Alexis first.

Later Jaden and Bastion become friends. The Miss Duel Academy beauty pageant starts and Alexis is forced into entering unwillingly. She ends up drawing with the previous winner, Seika Kohinata. Jaden was the only person in the school who didn't vote, but Jaden didn't care about the competition. So Alexis senses the opportunity to duel Jaden. So, she challenges him. If Jaden wins, his vote goes to Seika, but if Alexis wins, it goes to her. Alexis loses, but Seika quits.

Later on, Dr. Crowler accuses Syrus of scoring the lowest score in an exam and threatens to expel him if he does not successfully defeat another student in a Duel. He is pitted against Jaden, and although Syrus loses, class teacher Midori Hibiki says that Syrus actually scored the highest and that there was no reason to expel him.

Later, while Syrus and Jaden help Ms. Hibiki, they encounter Chazz, who asks Jaden where he obtained Elemental HERO Terra Firma, as it was Pro Duelist Koyo Hibiki's card, originally. Jaden simply replies, "He just gave it to me." This makes him remember the reason he became a Duelist in the first place.

Jaden was in hospital for injuring his legs in a baseball game and was having trouble using his crutches. Koyo helps him up and introduces Jaden to Duel Monsters, and his Spirit Partner, Winged Kuriboh. Jaden then vows to watch his next Duel in the Pro Leagues, but on the day, Jaden oversleeps while Koyo unexpectedly falls unconscious. Back in the hospital, Koyo assures Jaden it wasn't his fault that he collapsed, and tells him to assemble his strongest Deck and Duel him. Jaden does, and a battle of Elemental Heros begins, with Jaden fighting on even ground, but falls before Koyo's Terra Firma. After the Duel, Jaden is given Koyo's Deck, as he announces that he plans to retire as a Pro. Exhausted, he falls asleep in his hospital bed and never wakes up. All that can give a clue is a strange black shadow in his brain that was found during a scan...

Chancellor Sheppard announces to all of Duel Academy that Zane Truesdale has returned to the academy, and that to celebrate, a tournament would be held, with the winner being granted the honor of Dueling Zane, and whoever defeats him is exempt from the next exam. Traveling with Zane are two American students, David Rabb and Reggie MacKenzie, who are also entering. Unbeknowest to the others, Reggie and David are actually at Duel Academy to obtain a Spirit Card in order to clear away the obstacles in the way of an evil spirit known as Tragoedia. During the tournament, David and Reggie ask around if anyone has heard of a card with a Spirit, but don't have much luck, until David spots the Spirit of "Light and Darkness Dragon" during one of Chazz's Duels.

Eight finalists make it in the end, Jaden Yuki, Chazz Princeton, Syrus Truesdale, Alexis Rhodes, Bastion Misawa, Reggie, David, and Seika Kohinata. As the tournament progresses, Seika, Alexis, Syrus and Reggie are all knocked out, and the remaining finalists are paired up, Bastion vs Jaden, David vs Chazz. Bastion loses to Jaden's newest HERO, "Elemental HERO Gaia", with David looks forward to meeting Jaden in the finals and winning his "Winged Kuriboh" and "Terra Firma" after defeating Chazz in a Shadow Game, but his "The Big Saturn" falls to his "Light and Darkness Dragon", with the Feather of Ma'at inside it freeing David from Tragoedia's control. As Chazz and Jaden perform their final Duel, Midori Hibiki, after witnessing David's Shadow Game, confronts Reggie about what happened to her brother, suspecting that it was those shadows that made her brother unconscious, and tries to get her to talk through a Duel. Chazz then defeats Jaden and goes on to duel Zane, whilst Jaden follows Winged Kuriboh finding Midori and Reggie locked in their shadow duel. Reggie defeats Midori and then challenges Jaden. He successfully defeats Reggie, who is freed from Tragoedia's control and reviving Midori. Resolving to grow as a duelist and use a Deck of his own design, Jaden attempts to give Koyo's Deck back to Midori. She declines, but Jaden still creates a new Deck, though he continues to use "Winged Kuriboh".

Principal MacKenzie of the American Duel Academy arrives, bringing students Jesse Anderson, Axel Brodie, Jim Crocodile Cook, Adrian Gecko and Aster Phoenix with him. MacKenzie is the main host for Tragoedia, and he uses his students to continue his quest to gain the spirit cards.

Main characters
Names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name. The name used in the English-language versions of ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX'' follows the original Japanese name.

Unlike the English-language editions of the original manga series, the English-language ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX'' manga uses the English-language anime names employed by 4Kids Entertainment. Characters exclusive to the manga, such as Mr. Ryuga, use their original names.


 * Judai Yuki (遊城十代 Yūki Jūdai) / Jaden Yuki - Jaden Yuki is the main character of the series and a student of Slifer Red, the lowest ranking dormitory. At first he uses a nature themed-"Elemental Hero" Deck, with "Elemental Hero Terra Firma" as his ace card. He later uses a "Masked Hero" Deck. The "Winged Kuriboh" card, he received from Koyo Hibiki stays in his Deck throughout the series and serves as his spirit partner.


 * Asuka Tenjouin (天上院明日香 Tenjōin Asuka) / Alexis Rhodes - Alexis Rhodes is a strong female duelist of the Obelisk Blue dormitory. She plays an ice themed Deck.


 * Sho Marufuji (丸藤翔 Marufuji Shō) / Syrus Truesdale - Syrus Truesdale is a Slifer Red student and a friend of Jaden's. Syrus looks to Jaden as an "older brother," and therefore calls Jaden "Bro"(Aniki in the Japanese versions). Syrus uses a roid Deck


 * Jun Manjoume (万丈目準 Manjōme Jun) / Chazz Princeton - Chazz Princeton is a strong duelist from the Obelisk Blue dormitory. He greatly dislikes Jaden, though as the series continues, they come to a truce of sorts. He plays various Decks. In the manga, he was given a past as a dueling prodigy, and he plays a dragon Deck, his main card being "Light and Darkness Dragon".


 * Cronos de Medici (クロノス・デ・メディチ Kuronosu de Medichi) / Vellian Crowler - Vellian Crowler is the professor of the Obelisk dormitory. At first, he holds a grudge against Jaden who he believes to be a slacker, and tries to get rid of him on many occasions.


 * Daichi Misawa (三沢大地 Misawa Daichi) / Bastion Misawa - Bastion Misawa is an analytical duelist of Ra Yellow. He plays a Yokai Deck. In the manga it's hinted that he has somewhat of a crush on Alexis Rhodes because he dueled Jaden to get her phone number only to receive it after his defeat.

Rules
The GX manga series' Duels have some different rules, including:
 * Monsters are not Set and Flip Summoned, but Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Position instead.
 * Different from the previous anime/manga series, Fusion Monsters can attack during the turn they are Summoned.
 * Spells or Trap Cards which are Set can be activated as soon as the phase changes.
 * Replays don't happen.

Chapter Guide
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX chapter listing