Yugi Muto

Yugi Mutou (武藤 遊戯, Mutō Yūgi; erroneously pronounced "Moto" in the English dubbed anime) is the main character of Yu-Gi-Oh!.

His name is romanized as Yugi Mutou in the English-language manga and Yugi Muto in the English-language anime.

A not-so-average teenager, Yugi is pure-hearted and child-like. He lives with his grandfather Sugoroku Mutou (Solomon Muto in the English anime) and mother, although he never speaks of the latter in the English anime and a scene of Yugi talking to his mother in Episode 50, The Mystery Duelist - Part 1 (Challange from the Past: Horrifying Zera) was cut in the US version. In the Japanese manga, it's explained that Yugi's father is a traveling businessman and Yugi rarely sees him. Yugi is good at games and puzzles, especially Duel Monsters" (Magic and Wizards" in the Japanese version). Yugi's favorite monster in the game is the Dark Magician (Black Magician in the Japanese version), but he thinks that he is most like Maha Vailo, as explained in Episode 103, Freeze Play, Part II (Shine, the Jewel of the Sage).

A freshman in Domino High School, Yugi is part of a close-knit group of friends: Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler in the English-language anime), Hiroto Honda (Tristan Taylor), and Anzu Mazaki (Téa Gardner). Miho Nosaka, in the first series anime, is also one of Yugi's friends. Yugi's friends often cheer him on from the sidelines, and Joey has dueled at his side. Yugi has been friends with Tea since childhood and is in love with her. Anzu is in love with both Yugi and the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle to different degrees. In Japanese, the first characters of "Yūgi" and "Jōnouchi" combine to form "Yūjō" (友情), which means "friendship". The "Yu-Jo Friendship" card (the Yu-Jyo (友情 Yūjō) card in the Japanese version) is named after the word and the fellowship between the characters. In season 4 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series also known as Waking the Dragons both Yugi and Yami Yugi use the dark power of the Orichalcos. Yami Yugi uses it in his first duel with one of Dartz's minions Rafael and ultimatly loses. However his soul is spared as Yugi sacrificed his own soul to protect him. Several episodes later much to everyone's shock and surprise Yugi uses the Seal of Orichalcos and uses a strategy similair to the Pharaoh's in his duel with Rafael. He is defeated in what was referred to as a "test" for Yami. Later near the end of the season Yugi appears again but in the form of a Mirror Knight Token monster fighting on Dartz's side. He, Joey, Mai and Pegasus would later be destroyed by the effect of Seto Kaiba's Mirror Force Dragon.

Yami Yugi
Yugi was given the Millennium Puzzle in pieces by his grandfather. When he assembled it towards the beginning of the anime and manga, his body became the host for the spirit of a 3,000-year-old (in the English anime, 5,000-year-old) Egyptian Pharaoh, who, like Yami Bakura is an alter ego. The pharaoh sacrificed his life and sealed his soul into the Millennium Puzzle to stop the Dark God, Zorc Necrophades, from destroying the world. (In the English anime, the pharaoh was sealed into the puzzle to lock in the Shadow Game's magic, to prevent the destruction of the world.) The pharaoh was known as "Yami Yugi" or "Dark Yugi." During those 5,000 years in the puzzle, the pharaoh forgot everything about him and his past, including his own name, which he found out was Atemu in Episode 219, In the Name of the Pharoah. "Atemu" is actually a variant of the name of the Sun god "Atum". After finding out his real name, he is told by Ishizu Ishtar that in order for his spirit to be freed and return to where he belongs, he must be defeated in a Duel in the tomb where the Millennium Items are held. Yugi decides to duel his other half. The two put up a good fight, but in the end, Yugi manages to defeat all three Egyptian God Cards and win the duel. The pharaoh then returns to the spirit world and the Millenium Items are sealed up. NOTE: In the Doma Arc after Yami defeats Gerimo and he takes his orichalcos necklace. Later in the arc when Yami duels Rafael in the desert mesa he had a orichalcos stone necklace around his neck which after Rafael gave him The Seal of Orichalcos with his Exchange spell card messed with his head. It is unknown whether the necklace Yami had on for the duration of the duel (after Rafael defeats Yami he takes the necklace from him assuming Yami's soul was captured) was the old man's necklace or not. When Atemu lived in the puzzle, there were two "chambers" in Yugi's mind. One belongs to the kid Yugi himself and the other to Atemu. When Yugi is under stress or playing a game, Atemu's spirit takes full or partial control of the body. The character is often referred to as Yu-Gi-Oh (遊戯王 Yūgiō), the king of games.

Because there is frequent interaction between the two selves, the name Yugi refers to both the high school student and the ancient pharaoh. Between themselves, Yugi refers to the Pharaoh as "the other me" or "my other self" or, in the English anime, "Yami". Once Yugi learns more about Dark Yugi's past in the English anime he refers to him as "Pharaoh" until Dark Yugi learns his true name. Dark Yugi refers to his younger counterpart as "partner,"/"aibou" "the other me," or by his name. Others call Dark Yugi "the other Yugi". Later in the anime, Yugi and his friends refer to Atemu as "pharaoh. His dramatic changes in personality are and may be Dissociative Identity Disorder. It is said that if one Yugi dies, the other Yugi will die with him.

Yugi in the Manga
In the manga Yugi is first forced to pay a bodyguard fee to Ushio for "protecting" him. Later Dark Yugi challenges him to a Shadow Game and wins. In Vol. 6 of the manga a boy named Nezumi leads him and Jonouchi to where Hirutani's gang is hiding. In a effort to force Jonouchi to re-join his gang, Hirutani's members attach a small hook to Yugi's Millennium Puzzle the hook attached to a chain which would eventually strangle him. However Joey unhooks him safely and the 2 team up to defeat Ushio's gang. Earlier in Vol. 6 Yugi is challenged to a Shadow Game by a boy named Imori using Chinese Dragon cards. Yugi loses and his soul is sucked into the soul-eating jar. However he seizes the puzzle just in time and Dark Yugi challenges him to a re-match defeating Imori and setting the captured Yugi's soul free while at the same time imprisoning Imori's.

Appearance in "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX"
In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX), Yugi appears in the first episode with only half of his face shown. He, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler have become "legendary duelists." Yugi is older, taller, and has a lower voice in both the Japanese and English versions (resembling Atemu). The main character of Yu-Gi-Oh GX, Jaden Yuki (Judai Yuki in the Japanese version), bumps into him on the way to the Duel Academy. Yugi gives Jaden the Winged Kuriboh (Hane Kuribo) card. This scene is different in the English and Japanese versions; in the English version, Yugi speaks with Yami's voice saying he feels the card belongs with Jaden, whereas in the Japanese version he sounds more like regular Yugi and says he believes the card is lucky. Interestingly enough, he has never been seen with this card before.

Throughout the episodes, the students at the Duel Academy find out about Yugi and Kaiba, and the audience sees drawings of them.

Yugi's deck goes on display in the episode "The King of Copycats".

Notable Dueling Cards
Yugi's deck is most famous for his Dark Magician. Yugi's deck probably has the most variety and balance of any other character's deck in the series, and is sometimes referred to as a Strategy deck. His original deck mostly composed of low level Earth monsters and Dark monsters. During the Battle City Arc, he keeps the theme of having Earth and Dark monsters with dangerous effects. His Magnet Warriors become a major part of his deck, as does his Dark Magician Girl. His deck from Battle City onward focuses more not only on his Dark Magician, but also on his manipulation of his magic cards that are designed to destroy and/or negate the effects of his opponent's Spell and Trap Cards.

In episodes 18 and 19 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yugi's Deck goes on tour at Duel Academy. The deck seen in these episodes is one that appears to be the same, or at least very similar, to the deck Atemu uses in the Ceremonial Battle, as the two decks have similar cards. During the field trip to Domino, Jaden and others actually visit the Turtle (Kame) Game Shop and meet Yugi's grandfather. Solomon tells the students that Yugi "went out for olives" three years ago, and is probably off on another adventure. Earlier, a character named Dmitri (Kagurazaka in the Japanese version) stole the deck for himself, but Jaden won it back.

Normal

 * Dark Magician (Black Magician)
 * Mushroom Man (only in the manga)
 * Torike
 * Cyber Commander (Dueling against Evil Bakura in the Shadow Realm)
 * Skull Stalker
 * Meotoko
 * Kagemusha of the Blue Flame
 * Claw Reacher
 * The Furious Sea King
 * Kageningen
 * Happy Lover
 * Rock Ogre Grotto 1
 * Flying Kamakiri 2
 * Skull Servant (only in the manga and the first series anime)
 * Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1
 * Gaia The Fierce Knight
 * Horn Imp (Gremlin)
 * Beaver Warrior
 * Rude Kaiser
 * Right Leg of the Forbidden One
 * Left Leg of the Forbidden One
 * Right Arm of the Forbidden One
 * Left Arm of the Forbidden One
 * Koumori Dragon (Devil Dragon)
 * Silver Fang
 * Zombie Warrior
 * Celtic Guardian (Elf Swordsman)
 * Summoned Skull (Demon Summon)
 * Mammoth Graveyard
 * Feral Imp
 * Curse of Dragon  (Chaos Dragon)
 * Giant Soldier of Stone
 * Mystical Elf (Holy Elf)
 * Anthrosaurus
 * Basic Insect
 * Griffore
 * Alpha The Magnet Warrior
 * Beta The Magnet Warrior
 * Gamma The Magnet Warrior
 * Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts
 * Queen's Knight
 * Jack's Knight
 * Blue-Eyes White Dragon (During the Virtual World Arc)
 * Red-Eyes B. Dragon (Yugi used this Card during his Duel with the Mind-Controlled Joey, and during his Battle City Duel with Kaiba)

Effect

 * Dark Magician Girl (Black Magician Girl)
 * Slifer the Sky Dragon
 * Obelisk the Tormentor
 * The Winged Dragon of Ra
 * Exodia the Forbidden One (Sealed Exodia)
 * Magician's Valkyria
 * Kuriboh
 * Magician of Faith (Dueling against Evil Bakura in the Shadow Realm)
 * Kiseitai
 * Big Shield Gardna
 * Time Wizard (Yugi gave this card to Joey Wheeler)
 * Catapult Turtle
 * Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (although Yugi is never seen using this card, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX series, Yugi's deck is stolen by a character named Dimitri, who successfully summons the monster.)
 * Dark Sage
 * Berfomet
 * Buster Blader
 * Dark Magician of Chaos (It was in his deck when Dimitri dueled Jaden Yuki.)
 * Archfiend of Gilfer (called Beast of Gilfer in the anime)
 * Valkyrion the Magna Warrior
 * Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (Retrained Elf Swordsman)
 * Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight
 * Des Volstgalph
 * The Rock Spirit
 * Mirage Knight
 * Dark Magician Knight
 * Sangan (Critter)
 * King's Knight
 * Electromagnetic Turtle
 * Sorcerer of Dark Magic
 * Watapon
 * Breaker the Magical Warrior
 * Skilled Dark Magician (Skilled Black Magician)
 * Old Vindictive Magician
 * The Tricky
 * Winged Kuriboh (Yugi never actually uses it in Yu-Gi-Oh!, but he gives it to Jaden Yuki in the beginning of ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)
 * Cyber Jar (Kaiba's card but is used when Yugi combines his deck with Kaiba's to battle Noah)

Fusion

 * B. Skull Dragon (called Black Skull Dragon in the anime, this card is owned by Joey Wheeler as well, since he Summoned it in his duel against Yugi in the Duelist Kingdom Finals)
 * Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (Only in Virtual arcs and during Yami's duel with Kaiba vs. Dartz)
 * Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast
 * Dark Flare Knight
 * Flame Swordsman (Dueling against Evil Bakura in the Shadow Realm)
 * Dark Paladin
 * Dragon Master Knight (Master of Dragon Soldier in the Anime)
 * Gaia the Dragon Champion

Ritual

 * Black Luster Soldier
 * Magician of Black Chaos

Anime-Only

 * Guardian Eatos (Used only in Episode 176)
 * Kuriba
 * Kuribe
 * Kuribi
 * Kuribu
 * Kuribabylon
 * Kuribandit
 * Legendary Knight Timaeus
 * Legendary Knight Critias
 * Legendary Knight Hermos
 * Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight
 * Amulet Dragon
 * Knight of Destiny
 * Royal Straight Slasher (Royal Straight Flush)

Spell Cards

 * The Seal of Orichalcos (Only played twice. Yami used it vs Rafael, ultimately loses and Yugi used it vs. Yami and lost.)
 * Swords of Revealing Light (Sealing Swords of Light)
 * Horn of the Unicorn
 * Monster Recovery
 * Burning Land
 * Polymerization (Fusion)
 * Dark Magic Ritual
 * Makiu (Demon Fog Rain)
 * Mystical Moon
 * Book of Secret Arts
 * Monster Reborn (Until Episode 27, this card was called Reborn the Monster)
 * Mystic Box
 * Multiply
 * Living Arrow (OCG Equivalent: Enchanted Arrow)
 * Brain Control
 * Black Luster Ritual
 * Dark Magic Ritual
 * Soul Release
 * Dark Hole (Black Hole)
 * Card Destruction (Hand Obliteration)
 * De-Spell
 * Dedication through Light and Darkness (used by Dimitri when he steals Yugi's Deck)
 * De-Fusion
 * Magic Formula (OCG Equivalent: Dark Magician's Tome of Black Magic)
 * Exile of the Wicked
 * Heavy Storm (Tempest)
 * Change of Heart
 * Pot of Greed
 * Exchange
 * Card of Sanctity (Treasures From Heaven)
 * Double Spell
 * Diffusion Wave-Motion
 * Soul Taker
 * Magical Dimension
 * Premature Burial (Magic Burial)
 * Mage Power
 * Sage's Stone
 * The Shallow Grave
 * Graceful Charity (Angel's Charity)
 * Fissure (Broken Earth)
 * Mystical Space Typhoon (Cyclone)
 * Dark Magic Curtain (Black Magic Curtain)
 * Heart of the Underdog (Given to Rick in the Episode 185, "An Unwanted Guest Part 1")
 * Emblem of Dragon Destroyer
 * Monster Reincarnation
 * Emergency Provisions
 * Tricky's Spell 4
 * Bounce
 * Magicians Unite
 * Thousand Knives
 * Rebellion

Anime Only

 * Quick Attack
 * Dark Spear
 * Awakening from Beyond
 * Rainbow Blessing
 * Royal Straight
 * Time Travel (Worm Hole)
 * Legend of Heart
 * Spell Textbook
 * Magical Pigeon
 * Underworld Circle
 * Altar of Restoration
 * Berserker Soul
 * Excalibur
 * Spider Web
 * Goddess Bow
 * Brave Attack
 * Magical Academy
 * Five Star Twilight
 * Hand Control
 * Ragnarok
 * Necromancy
 * The Eye of Timaeus

Trap Cards

 * Mirror Force (Holy Barrier - Mirror Force)
 * Spellbinding Circle
 * Horn of Heaven
 * The Eye of Truth
 * Magical Hats (Used as a Spell Card in the Anime)
 * Light of Intervention
 * Time Seal
 * Lightforce Sword
 * Chain Destruction
 * Dust Tornado
 * Mystical Refpanel
 * Magic Cylinder
 * Collected Power
 * Nutrient Z
 * Dark Renewal
 * The Regulation of Tribe
 * Seven Tools of the Bandit
 * Soul Rope
 * Rope of Life
 * Zero Gravity (Gravity Release)
 * Meteorain
 * Dark Illusion
 * Magician's Circle

Anime Only

 * Ambush Shield
 * Soul Shield
 * Relay Soul
 * Dark Magic Retribution
 * Summoning Clock
 * Magician's Selection
 * Reverse of Reverse
 * Natural Selection
 * Divine Wind
 * Life Shaver
 * Disgraceful Charity (Fallen Angel's Gift)
 * Reduction Barrier

Monster Cards

 * Green Gadget
 * Red Gadget
 * Yellow Gadget
 * Silent Swordsman LV0
 * Silent Magician LV0
 * Beta The Magnet Warrior
 * Gamma The Magnet Warrior
 * Alpha The Magnet Warrior
 * Valkyrion the Magna Warrior
 * Buster Blader
 * Witch of the Black Forest
 * Summoned Skull
 * Marshmallon
 * Watapon
 * Curse of Dragon
 * Blockman
 * Gandora the Dragon of Destruction
 * Lenguard
 * Blocken
 * Blackland Fire Dragon

Spell Cards

 * Swords of Revealing Light
 * Ties of the Brethren
 * Turn Jump
 * Mirage Spell
 * Mirage Ruler
 * Magnet Reverse
 * Pot of Greed
 * Golden Chest of Sealing (See Golden Chest of Sealing's Anime & Manga appearances for its Anime card.)
 * Spell Textbook
 * Card of Sanctity
 * Monster Reborn

Trap Cards

 * Stronghold the Moving Fortress
 * Ground Erosion
 * Ambush Shield
 * Magnet Reverse
 * Soul Rope
 * Soul Shield
 * Magician's Circle
 * Magnet Force

Monster Cards

 * Dark Magician
 * Obelisk the Tormentor
 * Slifer the Sky Dragon
 * The Winged Dragon of Ra
 * Big Shield Gardna
 * Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast
 * Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts
 * Berfomet
 * Alpha The Magnet Warrior
 * Beta The Magnet Warrior
 * Gamma The Magnet Warrior
 * Valkyrion the Magna Warrior
 * Queen's Knight
 * King's Knight
 * Jack's Knight
 * Arcana Knight Joker
 * Archfiend of Gilfer
 * Dark Magician Girl
 * Buster Blader
 * The Tricky
 * Dark Red Enchanter
 * Black Dog Beast - Bau
 * Messenger of Hades - Gors
 * Messenger of Hades - Kaien
 * Dark King Dragon - Vandorgaron

Spell Cards

 * Mark of Proprietor
 * Lightning Blade
 * Union Attack
 * Bounce
 * Diffusion Wave-Motion
 * Cursebreaker
 * Hell Raging Flame
 * Monster Reborn
 * Card of Sanctity
 * Soul Barter
 * Polymerization
 * Weapon Regeneration

Trap Cards

 * Soul Rope
 * Spellbinding Circle
 * Spell of Illusion
 * Negate Attack (played as a Spell Card)
 * Stairway to the Underworld
 * Domain of the Dark Ruler

Monster Cards

 * Toy Soldier
 * Silent Swordsman
 * Toy Magician
 * Toy Tank
 * Dark Red Enchanter

Spell Cards

 * Turn Jump
 * Toy Box
 * Polymerization
 * Strike Back

Trap Cards

 * Fortress of Sand
 * Fit of Rage