Téa Gardner

Téa Gardner, known as Anzu Mazaki in the manga and Japanese versions, is a childhood friend of Yugi Muto. Téa does not usually play games with Yugi and his friends, but in the beginning of the anime, she could beat Joey Wheeler in Duel Monsters, while she herself is not that strong a player. She is also very good at dancing and wants to be a professional dancer when she grows up.

Personality
At the beginning of the manga, Anzu has a spunky, tomboyish personality and was able to scare away Jonouchi and Honda after they bully Yugi. She's very kind hearted, strong willed and supportive. She can also be seen in some parts of the series as a quick-tempered, pushy, mischievous, and somewhat bratty girl who likes doing everything her friends do.

In the second series anime, she and Tristan, while keeping their personalities somewhat the same, are basically cheerleaders for Yugi and Joey. She is known among fans for her "friendship speeches", as she makes one in the majority of the episodes she appears in.

Design


Téa's character design was overseen by Kazuki Takahashi.

In the manga, Anzu originally had a conventional, short hairstyle. Her first color image, seen in Duel 1, featured dark brown hair and brown eyes. As Takahashi continued drawing the manga, Anzu gained more feminine and "cute" facial features. Her hair style became longer and less conventional. Color images from Volume 3 and onward portray her hair as a lighter brown color. Sometimes her eyes are colored blue and sometimes reddish brown. By the final volume of the manga, Téa's hair touches her shoulders. The standard female Domino High School uniform, Téa's usual outfit, consists of a pink coat, a white oxford shirt, a blue tie, and a blue pleated skirt.

In the first series anime, her hair and eyes are of a reddish brown color. Her school uniform color differs; her coat is orange and her tie and skirt are green.

In the second series anime, she has dark brown hair and blue eyes. Her usual outfit from the second series anime consists of the school uniform colored in the same manner as in the original manga. Her brown shoulder length hair is sectioned into two layers, consisting of a darker shade of brown inner layer, with the outer layer a lighter shade. In the second and third season, Her clothes consists of a light green yellow polo sleeveless buttoned shirt, pink and blue braclets, navy shorts with a light blue belt, white stockings, and blue platform sandals.

Burger World
Anzu gets a job at Burger World in order to save money to attend a dance school in New York. Having a part time job was aginst school rules, so she tried to keep it a secret. However Yugi and Jonouchi decided to follow Anzu home one day, after noting suspicious behavior on her behalf. They follow her to Burger World. Here Anzu serves them Burgers, but squirts a warning message onto the burgers, in ketchup, saying not to tell.

An escaped convict enters the restaurant and takes Anzu hostage. While she's blindfolded, Yugi is made serve the convict a drink and a cigarette. Dark Yugi takes control and plays a Shadow Game with the convict. To Anzu, his voice sounds like Yugi's, but he is much too confident and dangerous to be Yugi. Dark Yugi defeats the convict and saves Anzu. Not knowing who her rescuer is, Anzu develops a crush on him and obsesses over finding his identity.

The Burger World incident is done differently in the second series anime; After Yugi's friends find out she worked at the restaurant, she receives a note in her locker. In the Japanese version of this anime, the note, written on the back of a photograph showing her working at the restaurant, threatened that the school will be told that she has an after school job. If she doesn't come to the gym after school. When Anzu shows up, she finds the PE teacher with a camera videotaping her body; it is implied that he was the one who wrote the note. In the English version, the note, which had a picture of dancing shoes, stated that the warehouse was a good place to take dancing lessons, and the man Téa encounters is a mugger instead of her gym teacher. Yugi appears and jumps the man. Tea bites the man's arm, and she is knocked unconscious against a wall. Dark Yugi, also known as Yami Yugi, challenges the man to a game where whoever draws a better Duel Monsters card wins. Yugi's "Dark Magician" defeats the man's "Curse of Dragon". In both the Japanese and English version, the man is a victim to a Mind Crush.

One-shots
The self-proclaimed psychic Kokurano tries to seuduce Anzu, by reading her future telling her how she'll meet a wonderful man, who will reveal himself to her and she will swoon before him in love. Anzu hopes this is the man who saved her at Burger World. Kokurano tries to make himself the man from the prediction and causes Anzu to swoon, by knocking her out with a bottle of chloroform. Dark Yugi learns how Kokurano is in the habit of maing his predictions come true and rushes to Anzu's rescue. Using the bottle, Dark Yugi defeats him in a Shadow Game. In the anime, Anzu has a brief moment of consciousness, in which she gets a glimpse of her rescuer's hand, spotting a cut. Afterwards she spots the same cut on Yugi's hand.

After Anzu becomes aware of Dark Yugi's existance, she gives a "Love compatability tester" to Yugi. Initially it gets no reading, suggesting they aren't romantically compatible. The teacher Tsuruoka confiscates Yugi's. Dark Yugi emerges and tells Tsuruoka, he has never lost a game. Tsuruoka then imposes a game; he hides the love tester, somewhere in the school. If Yugi and his friends can't find it in an hour, they get expelled. Anzu gets bashful, seeing the other Yugi out, but hands him her love tester. Dark Yugi brings into close approximation of Yugi's and switches it on. This time the testers react, suggesting Anzu and Dark Yugi are compatible. They find they keychain under Tsuruoka's wig.

The Man from Egypt
Shadi seeking to challenge Dark Yugi "redecorates" Professor Yoshimori's soul room and has him attack Yugi's friends. Anzu stops Yoshimori from choking Jonouchi by walloping him in the head with a globe.

Shadi enters, Anzu's soul room. Inside he sees items that represnt her dream of becoming a dancer in New York and a photo of a hero, whose face is blank. Shaid redocerates her soul to use her in a Shadow Game against Dark Yugi.

Anzu is suspended on a bridge of life supported by three ushetbi, which break when a weakness is detected in Yugi's heart. A fourth ushetbi, which breaks when a weakness is detected in Shadi's heart, holds the Millennium Key. Yugi's ushetbi breaking would result in Anzu to her death, while breaking Shadi's would slide the Millennium Key to Anzu and return her to normal. Dark Yugi passes a seris of tests Shadi throws at him, although letting 3 ushetbi break. The rope from the third begins to break, but Jonouchi appears under the board and holds it up. From Jonouchi's action and how Dark Yugi passed the last test, Shadi is suprised at how the friend help and support each other, causing his ushetbi to break and return Anzu to normal. Yugi and Jonouchi help Anzu back onto the building. Anzu notices how Yugi had been acting different, but Dark Yugi relinquishes control to Yugi, when she approaches him about this.

Death-T
Anzu is fired from Burger World, after she punches a customer, who touched her. She then gets a job at KaibaLand. She is made work at the Stardust Shootout, where she meets Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda and Honda's baby nephew Johji, during Death-T.

Honda gets her to mind Johji, who dislikes the boys, but admires Anzu in a perverted sense. Since Kaiba rigged the game, Yugi and his friends laser guns were duds. Since the staff were unaware Anzu was their friend, she had been given a functional gun. Using her gun and hiding Johji on his back, Honda is able to take out the remaining opposition. In exchange for Johji's help, Honda had promised him a bath with Anzu, which she blatantly refuses.

The friends are strapped into an electric chair ride on their way to Death-T 2. If a rider screams, they would be electrocuted. As Anzu feels, she is about to scream, Johji, who wasn't strapped in makes his way to the butler, who was orchestrating the ride. To save Anzu, he deficates on the butler's lap, causing him to scream and get electrocuted.

In Death-T 3, the gang enter an empty room. Since nothing happens for a while, Anzu, Yugi, Honda and Jonouchi reflect on how their lives have changed by meeting each other. Anzu asks them to hold out their hands as hew draws a smiley face on their hands. If they end up taking seperate paths in life, she tells them to remember this symbol and they'll remember being friends.

The stage's game starts and a number of blocks begin to fal from the ceiling. Having studied dance patterns, Anzu notices a rhythm to how the blocks are falling. She is able to predict where the next blocks are about to fall and warn the others. As the room fills up with blocks, the gang climb up on top of them. Anzu, Yugi, Jonouchi and the sleeping Johji make it out through a hole in the wall high above the ground. Honda gets trapped in and is left behind.

Upset over what happened to Honda, Yugi admits to Anzu and Jonouchi that he thinks there is another Yugi inside him, that he doesn't know about; Ever since he solved the Millennium Puzzle, there have been times he blacks out and the other him takes over. He'd been afraid to tell his friends, as he feared they might leave him if they knew. Anzu and Jonouchi promise that they'll always be friends with Yugi.

Anzu knowingly sees Dark Yugi for the first time, as he prepares to face Mokuba in Death-T 4.

Monster World
Anzu, along with Yugi, Honda and Jonouchi (and Miho in the first series anime) visit Ryo Bakura, to play Monster World. However, Bakura gets possessed by Dark Bakura, who turns the game into a Shadow Game.

Anzu gets trapped in her piece, an elf. Her friends also get trapped inside pieces, while Dark Yugi leads them as the player. She rolls a critical hit, at an early stage of the game, destroying a number of Zorc's minions. She later heals the party after getting attacked by Zorc. Ryo manages to destroy Dark Bakura's dice, leaving him open for Anzu to attack, defeating him.

After the game, Anzu and her friends are returned to normal.

Duelist Kingdom
In the anime, Téa defeats Joey in Duel Monsters, four times at school.

The events of Death-T are skipped in the second series anime, so Téa draws the smiley face symbol on her, Yugi, Joey and Tristan's hands before Yugi faces Kaiba, after Kaiba tears up Solomon Muto's "Blue-Eyes White Dragon".

In the anime, Téa and Tristan sneak onto the boat to Duelist Kingdom to support Yugi and Joey in the tournament. In the manga, they along with Bakura have no problem getting onto the boat. Téa mostly stands on the sidelines giving the boys encouraging speeches.

Since the Monster World arc was skipped, Yugi and his friends faced Yami Bakura in a Shadow Game of Duel Monsters, where the players are trapped in cards similar to their Monster World pieces. Téa becomes the card "Magician of Faith" in the Duel. As she weeps over Joey's scarifice, she uses her effect to return "Monster Reborn" to Yami Yugi's hand, which allows him to revive Joey.

Kaiba defeats in the tournament by standing on the edge of the castle, so Yugi's last attack, would kill him. Yugi relinquishes the Duel to Kaiba. Téa then argues with Kaiba over his strategy. Kaiba explains how duelists are given one chip and must use it in whatever way allows them to win. Téa argues back that Kaiba only won becuase he couldn't live without the chip and insist that Yugi won the Duel.

After losing to Kaiba, Yugi no longer has enough Star Chips to enter the tournament finals. Mai offers Yugi her excessive Star Chips. Yugi initially refuses, feeling unworthy. In the manga, Anzu gives him an encouraging speech, talking him into taking the Star Chips. In the anime, Téa duels Mai for the Star Chips. Using a combination of Magc Cards, Téa makes her "Shining Friendship" card defeat Mai's "Harpie Lady". Although Mai is able to turn the Duel around, using "Harpie's Feather Duster", she is impresed by Téa's performance and wants to give Yugi the Chips, so she surrenders saying "Harpie Lady" was her best monster and Téa defeated it.

Battle City
Yugi ask Téa to go out with Yami. After visiting many shops and attractions, they enter an arcade. Inside Téa beats Johnny Steps in a dance game. Not taking his loss too well, Johnny laster catches up with Yugi and Téa and challanges to another game. If she loses she must become his girlfriend. Yami instead challenges Johnny to a game of Duel Monsters. If he wins, Johnny must leave Téa alone. If Johnny wins, Téa must go on a date with him. Yami reveals himself to be Yugi Muto, during the Duel, causing Johnny to surrender and run. Téa stops him tells him how quiting isn't go to get him far and he must keep trying to achieve his goals. Afterwards Téa and Yami go to an Ancient Egyptian exhibition to find clues to Yami's past. Here they meet Ishizu Ishtar, who shows Yami some information about his past as a pharaoh and tells him he must enter the Battle City tournament to learn more.

During the preliminary rounds, Téa encourages Joey along the side lines for his Duels, before being captured by the Rare Hunters. Téa is possessed and used to lure the Pharaoh into a Duel with Joey, who is also possessed by Marik Ishtar. The Duel is set up, so the loser would drown. In the anime, Téa is made sit on a chair under a large crate. A push of a button, would kill her, should anyone else interfere. In the manga, Anzu is released from Marik's control after Yugi and Jonouchi save themselves by forcing the Duel into a draw. In the anime, she is released from Marik's, after she explains the provisions to the duel and helplessly tries to help Joey break free of Marik's control several times while doing her best to remain brave and cheer Yugi on, despite the fact her life was in danger. In the anime, Mokuba frees her after Joey and Yugi end the Duel in a draw.

Téa, along with Tristan, Serenity and Duke Devlin proceed to the KaibaCorp blimp to cheer for Yugi, Joey and Mai in the finals. Roland initially refuses to let them board, as they aren't finalists, but Mokuba talks him into letting them on. Despite Joey's objections, all of them take residence in Joey's room for the finals.

Téa cheers for Yugi and Joey, during their quarter-final Duels. When Joey tells Mai, she wasn't in his dream, which his friends appeared in and jokes about it, Téa seizes him after Mai leaves and tells him off.

Virtual World
She had no apparent role in this arc.

Waking the Dragons
She had no apparent role in this arc, but her relationship with Atem grows.

Millennium World
In this arc, Tea was responsible for giving the pharaoh an item called the cartush, which she said is an item where ancient pharaohs carve their names.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Anzu is never mentioned in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX, but for a brief moment, she can be seen on a flyer that Judai Yuki picks up, along with Yugi, Jonouchi and Honda.

Téa's romance with the Yugis
Téa is in love with Yugi, but is uncertain if it is Atem (Yami Yugi) or regular Yugi that she loves more. Even though she has been friends with Yugi since childhood she is unaware that he is in love with her. The story of Téa's affection for Yugi differs from medium to medium and is a hot debate topic among the fans. Dark Yugi leaves to put his spirit to rest, so it is obvious that she and Dark Yugi aren't destined to be together.

During the first chapter in the manga, she hung out with Yugi instead of playing basketball like the rest of the girls. In another manga chapter (Duel 45: 13 O'clock Terror!), when on a date with Yugi, Téa is so perturbed at him apparently ignoring her that she goes to extreme measures and plays a little joke on Yugi. She makes Yugi fearful for her safety by going onto a ferris wheel when it was known that a bomber was in the park; she was "pretending" to be in danger so she could "make the Yugi she wants to appear" (Dark Yugi), not knowing that she placed herself in danger of being blown up for real. She is rescued by Dark Yugi, so her ploy succeeds in the end.

In the manga and the anime for much of the series, Téa believes that Dark Yugi is a more mature personality of regular Yugi. While at Duelist Kingdom, Yugi tells Téa that he "knows" that she prefers Dark Yugi. When he offers to switch out with Dark Yugi to give them time alone, Téa stops Yugi and tells him that there's no need because Yugi and Dark Yugi are both Yugi, so there's no need for him to change, as she cares for both "personalities". It is only later on in the series when Yugi is in the hospital after trying to save Dark Yugi that she finally accepts the fact that Yugi and Dark Yugi are two separate people. This then causes confusion as to who Téa is really in love with: Yugi or Dark Yugi. The last references to this in the anime are during the final duel, when Anzu wishes Atem to be victorious so she does not have to say goodbye to him. She also does have feelings toward the original Yugi as it is shown in many episodes when Rebecca Hawkins hugs Yugi, Téa appears upset.

Deck
Téa uses a Deck full of mostly Fairy cards, but in the Virtual World arc, she played with a Deck mostly made of Spellcasters. She Duels once in the manga and six times during the course of the second anime series (three of which were off-screen).