Zuzu Boyle

Zuzu Boyle, known as Yuzu Hiragi or Yuzu Hiiragi (  Hīragi Yuzu) in the Japanese version, is one of the main characters and a childhood friend of Yuya Sakaki in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. She gives powerful pep talks. Her father owns You Show Duel School, the Duel school that she and Yuya attend, where they spend their time honing their Dueling skills. She functions as the straight man in comedy acts with Yuya. Like Yuya, she also has dimensional counterparts: Selena (Fusion Dimension), Rin (Synchro Dimension), and Ruri (Xyz Dimension). According to Leo Akaba, Zuzu and her dimensional counterparts are crucial to his plans.

Appearance
Zuzu has blue eyes and dark pink midback-length hair, which she wears tied up in pigtails, clipped down by blue, spherical hair clips. Her hair also features two lighter pink bangs that fall to the side of her face. Zuzu's outfit consists of a sleeveless light-blue and white shirt with a musical note on the right collar, along with a red tie, which she wears with a dark red skirt and dark stockings. Her skirt is lengthened in the dub to cover the bare skin showing on her legs. She notably is not shown wearing the school jacket from Paradise Prep School that other female students wear. She also wears a bracelet with strange abilities. These powers seem to be connected to Yuya and his counterparts, activating whenever Zuzu, Yuya and any of his counterparts are in close proximity.

Zuzu later switches clothes with Selena, but she retains her bracelet, her spherical hair clips and her Duel Disk. Later, she starts wearing some of Rin's clothes while staying at Yugo's orphanage in the Synchro Dimension. Zuzu wears one of Rin's Turbo Dueling outfits for the Friendship Cup; a predominantly white one-piece short-sleeved jacket-miniskirt combination with light pink shoulder pads and hot pink markings, in addition to back pockets; long white gloves with light pink elbow pads that extend over her elbows, hot pink pants, and white knee-length form-fitting boots with light pink kneepads.

Etymology
Zuzu's Japanese name is derived from the fruit Yuzu, a citrus fruit and plant originating in East Asia. Her surname, Hiiragi, refers to the Osmanthus heterophyllus, an evergreen bush native to Japan that is similar to holly. The plant is mentioned twice in the Kojiki, once in the name of a kami ('hihiragi-no-sono-hana-madzumi-no-kami ', or "Deity Waiting to See the Flowers of the Holly") and once as the wood of a spear presented to Yamato Takeru no Mikoto by his father Emperor Keiko, prior to sending him eastward to "subdue and pacify the savage Deities and the unsubmissive people of the twelve roads of the East" (ie, conquer the land to the East). Traditionally, hiiragi is used as part of a demon ward on Setsubun.

Her first English dub name is based on her Japanese name and is also an Eastern European diminutive of 'Susan'. Together with her surname, her name is a reference to singer Susan Boyle, in reference to the Deck she uses.

Personality
Zuzu has a jovial and upbeat personality coupled with an extremely short temper, the latter often resulting in her actions causing huge consequences. An example of this would be when she smashed her fists down on the Solid Vision technology computer at You Show Duel School out of annoyance at how Yuya was Dueling, which ended up destroying the machine. Zuzu also has a tendency to hit people in the head with a paper fan, primarily Yuya and her own father, whenever they do something foolish. She is also shown to be quite argumentative, wanting to argue with a spectator who insulted Yuya and his father before his Duel with the Sledgehammer, showing that she can be just as defensive and caring of Yuya and his belief in his father.

Her perception and judgment begin to falter after her successive encounters with Yuto, due to Yuto's resemblance with Yuya, and her lack of knowledge of the subject frustrates her. These worries are put at ease after the encouragement from Yuto and Yuya, reinstating her resolve and wishing to protect You Show Duel School and her friends.

She harbors feelings for Yuya, initially shown when she was blushing after Sora Perse mistook her as Yuya's girlfriend and whenever Mieru Hochun makes advances towards Yuya. The strongest examples so far included when she started to cry when she was worried that Yuya would never awake while he was unconscious for a few days after his encounter with Yuto and Yugo, and upon being separated from Yuya in the Synchro Dimension.

Abilities
Zuzu is quite athletic and acrobatic. In her debut, she was able to smash the Solid Vision technology to the point where it malfunctioned with one punch. When Zuzu refused to go with Yuri, she performed several backflips in quick succession and landed with ease. She was later quoted as having evaded Yuri throughout the entire night, a feat that he regarded as amazing.

History
Zuzu was raised by her father, Skip, and she never knew her mother. She had her bracelet since her birth, according to Skip. According to Yuya, Zuzu was always there for Yuya in his childhood when he was being tormented over his father's disappearance and would comfort him.

Pre-Maiami Championship
Zuzu monitored the Duel between Yuya and Gong in You Show Duel School. Angered at Yuya for not focusing on the Duel, she pounded on the Solid Vision machine's keyboard, causing it to malfunction. As Zuzu panicked, the machine exploded right in front of her face. After the incident, Zuzu was still upset at Yuya for goofing off. As her father, Skip, was excited at Nico Smiley's offer for the newest Solid Vision technology, Zuzu smacked him on the head with a paper fan and criticized him for going against his word for not letting Yuya Duel against the Sledgehammer. When Yuya disappeared, Zuzu wondered where he went. Later, she, Gong and Skip went to the Dueling arena to watch Yuya's Duel against the Sledgehammer. She was shocked when Yuya performed a Pendulum Summon, and even more so when he actually defeated the Sledgehammer.

Afterwards, You Show Duel School was flooded by applicants, which proved difficult for Zuzu to keep up with, alongside the fact that she was scheduled to Duel Yuya in an exhibition match. Before the Action Duel started, Yuya began acting foolishly, earning him a smack from Zuzu's fan, prompting the ire of Yuya's newfound fans. Realizing that she would be portrayed as the villain, she urged Yuya to exchange insults with her, and Yuya came up with the concept that she was looking for revenge for the Sledgehammer. However, Yuya failed to Pendulum Summon during his turn, so he instead urged Zuzu to attack him, under the impression that the pinch would allow him to Pendulum Summon. Instead, Zuzu's attack went through, winning her the Duel. She examined Yuya's Pendulum Cards afterwards to try and figure out how the Summon worked, but they were unable to do so, and all the applicants save Tate left, despite Zuzu's protests. She introduced Tate to Yuya, and the boy was accepted into the Duel School.

At school the next day, Zuzu frantically tried to wake Yuya (who had been up all night trying to Pendulum Summon again), before their teacher could notice; unfortunately, her efforts were unsuccessful, resulting in Yuya embarrassing himself by trying to claim the answer to the problem he'd been asked was "the right one." Zuzu whacked him over the head with her fan, pointing out that that was never the right answer. After school, Frederick, Ally, and Tate all asked to see a Pendulum Summon, but they were interrupted by Silvio Sawatari, who threw sucker-tipped darts at Yuya (to Zuzu's disapproval.) When Silvio, claiming to be a fan of Yuya, offered the use of the Center Duel Field at Leo Institute of Dueling, Zuzu was somewhat insulted that the school owned by her family was being passed over, but she went along to LID regardless. Silvio then asked to see Yuya's Pendulum Cards, and swiped them when they were offered, then he offered to return them to Yuya if he won against him in a Duel, holding Zuzu and the children hostage on top of a suspension bridge in the "Prison Tower of Darkville" Action Field. When Yuya picked up Action Trap Cards that were set in the area, the place where Zuzu and the children were standing was damaged, and Frederick almost toppled off were it not for Zuzu's intervention. Scared by the heights, Frederick began crying, prompting Zuzu to try and reassure him, stating that boys shouldn't cry. After Silvio Pendulum Summoned, the Duel began to go badly for Yuya until he was able to reclaim his stolen Pendulum Monsters with "Empty Fishing." At that point, the tower crumbled beneath Zuzu and the others, but she and Ally were saved by "Stargazer Magician," and she cheered Yuya on as he won the Duel with his own Pendulum Summon. Afterwards, Silvio tried to take the Pendulum Cards by force until he was knocked out by Sora Perse, who proceeded to declare himself Yuya's apprentice. Zuzu was more shocked about the state of Silvio and his friends, until Sora reassured her that he'd simply knocked them unconscious.

As she walked to school with Yuya the next day, Yuya explained that Sora had followed him home and continued to follow him around, Sora proving so by popping up behind them a few seconds later. After Yuya's continual refusal to show Sora to see Pendulum Summon, Sora asked Zuzu, whom he thought was Yuya's girlfriend, to help him ask. Yuya and Zuzu denied that they were dating, Yuya claiming he'd never date a "strong, crude girl" like Zuzu. Though somewhat uncomfortable after Sora's statement, Yuya's remark earned him a swat from Zuzu's fan, and she angrily walked off, muttering furiously that Yuya didn't have to describe it like that. Nevertheless, her anger eventually faded, though Sora continued to interrupt them over the course of the day, putting Yuya in a bad mood. Zuzu managed to snap him out of it, pointing out that he was an entertainer, but Sora was waiting for them at You Show Duel School. His begging Yuya to Duel him and his reaction after being turned down yet again by Yuya earned Zuzu's sympathies. Eventually, Yuya agreed to Duel Sora. During the Duel, Zuzu appreciated Sora's cute-looking monsters, though she was surprised when he Fusion Summoned and she comforted a scared Ally. After Yuya's "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" was destroyed, Zuzu sympathized with him, knowing that the card represented both Yuya's courage and his Pendulum Summoning. She was relieved for him when he won the Duel.

One day, Zuzu and Ally, on their way back to the You Show Duel School with ice cream for everyone, overheard two of Silvio's friends commenting that Silvio was planning on getting revenge on Yuya for humiliating him. She decided to go after him, intent on repaying Yuya for saving her in his Duel with Silvio. When she got to their hangout, she told Ally to go and tell Yuya what was happening before entering the warehouse. Her interruption caused Silvio to choke on his food, and she angrily yelled at him, shooting various insults and not letting Silvio get a single word in in response. She demanded to Duel Silvio, and he accepted, locking them inside the warehouse.

Before they could begin, the warehouse door was thrown open by a mysterious Duelist, who raised his Duel Disk, indicating that he intended to take Zuzu's place in the Duel. She protested, but the Duelist told her that he didn't want to see her hurt anymore. The Duelist Set his entire hand on the first turn, only to have it destroyed by Silvio's new "Monarch" cards. Zuzu realized in shock that she could feel the wind from "Mobius the Mega Monarch" when it used its effect and attacked despite the fact that they weren't in an Action Field. The Duelist used the effects of the Spell Cards in his Graveyard to block the direct attack and then performed an Xyz Summon on the next turn, calling out "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon", then using it to reduce Silvio to 100 Life Points, violently damaging the warehouse with its attack. The Duelist questioned Silvio, then turned to leave, but Silvio attempted to win the Duel, only to be countered by another card from the Duelist's Graveyard, "Phantom Spear," which pierced Silvio's jacket. The Duelist removed his mask and revealed himself to be a boy with a face that resembled Yuya to the point that Zuzu, Silvio and his gang mistook him for Yuya. She attempted to ask him what he had been doing, but her bracelet suddenly glowed with a harsh magenta light, blinding her. After the glow faded, she found that the Duelist had vanished. As Zuzu tried to locate the mysterious Duelist, Yuya ran into the warehouse and asked her what had happened, commenting on the smell of smoke.

The next day, Zuzu attended class at the Duel School with Yuya and her friends, but her thoughts remained preoccupied by what she'd seen the previous night. She asked her father whether their school taught Xyz Summoning, only to get a negative response. Zuzu was somewhat relieved until everyone heard Gong shouting. Silvio's friends had showed up, claiming that Yuya had hospitalized Silvio. They pointed out that Zuzu had seen it too; she remained silent, unsure of what she'd seen. Henrietta Akaba, Chairwoman of LID, then arrived, also accusing Yuya. Eventually, she stated that regardless of whether Yuya had attacked Silvio or not, the loss would damage the reputation of LID and could not go unanswered. Henrietta then made a bet that the two schools would Duel; if LID won, they would acquire the You Show Duel School and add Pendulum Summoning to their curriculum. Yuya refused to give into their ideas though Zuzu still wasn't sure about what she'd seen. She asked Yuya if he'd attacked Silvio and Yuya denied it. Convinced that he was telling the truth, Zuzu agreed to fight with him, and Sora joined them as the three representatives to fight the three elite students from LID, with Yuya going first against Dipper O'rion.

After Yuya won his match against Dipper, Zuzu offered to Duel against Julia Krystal next. Zuzu went in with confidence, knowing that a win would protect the You Show Duel School and Yuya. Julia pointed out that Zuzu's eyes were clouded and she was hesitating. During the course of the Duel, Zuzu kept seeing Yuya as the mysterious Duelist, affecting her actions. Even though she got an advantage after her first turn, Julia rebounded and used the effect of "Gem-Knight Master Diamond" to finish Zuzu off. Zuzu jumped at the opportunity to grab an Action Card, only to find that she was looking at a reflection of it, proving Julia's analysis of Zuzu's current state of mind. Zuzu was blasted back by "Master Diamond" and lost her Duel. As Yuya tried to wake her up, she saw him as a vague silhouette of Yuto at first. With the score tied at 1-1, Gong Dueled with Kit Blade to determine the You Show Duel School's fate. After the Duel ended in a DRAW, she watched the tiebreaker Duel between Yuya and Declan Akaba.

After Declan forfeited the Duel due to an emergency at LID, Zuzu tried to console Yuya after he realized he was not the only one who could Pendulum Summon. Throughout Skip's Duel with Yuya, she was extremely irritated by her father's antics, and after her father lost his Duel to Yuya and pretended to die dramatically (with an equally dramatic response from Yuya), she slapped him with her fan.

While eating lunch at school with Yuya, she was approached by Silvio, who offered her a handkerchief, but she turned his gesture down. She later learned from him that Declan left the Duel due to an attack on Professor Marco. After school, when Yuya pleaded with her to help him qualify for the Junior Youth Championship, Zuzu reminded him that she had already qualified and thus couldn't Duel him. After hearing of Yuya's goal to become stronger, she also decided that she should do that as well. She went in search of Sora, whom she found at LID, and led him to the hangar where Silvio was attacked. Zuzu asked him to train her in Fusion Summoning, troubled over her loss to Julia. Sora gave her a "Polymerization" card and explained the basics of Fusion Summoning. Sora detected the presence of another person then; Zuzu watched as Sora chased down the person and fought with his Duel Disk, then recognized the third party to be the masked Duelist that Dueled Silvio. Julia then showed up, believing that the Duelist had attacked Marco, and attempted to Duel him herself, but as Zuzu desperately tried to calm the group down, her bracelet glowed again, transporting the Duelist away. As before, Yuya came running in soon after looking for Zuzu, and explained that he'd scheduled the four Duels he needed to enter the Championship.

Rather than go with Yuya to watch his Duels, Zuzu instead went with Sora, who was seeking to qualify himself. Sora made sure to Fusion Summon in his Duels to demonstrate some of the basics to Zuzu. The two later had a practice Duel, but Zuzu's Fusion Summon failed as she'd forgotten to put her "Schuberta the Melodious Maestra" in her Extra Deck. Sora chided her for not remembering that Fusion Monsters went in the Extra Deck instead of the Main Deck. He noted that she was still thinking about the masked Duelist, and that it was throwing her concentration off. Zuzu confided with Sora of the Duelist's ability to cause physical impacts outside of an Action Duel, and was surprised when her bracelet suddenly began to glow. Unbeknownst to her, this warped the eavesdropping masked Duelist away. Yuya showed up afterwards, as Skip had sent him to find her.

Zuzu later returned home and asked her father about her bracelet. Skip told her that she'd had it since she was born, an answer that didn't satisfy Zuzu. She left for her room, slumped on her bed and removed the bracelet, telling herself to get her act together. She continued watching Sora's qualification Duels, making sure to pay more attention. She improved to the point of being able to correctly discern his winning move and chant along with his Summon.

As they walked towards the warehouses later, she noted that he could have won earlier, but he replied that he'd held back to show her Fusion Summoning again. Zuzu thought she had Fusion Summoning down, and she was ready to practice her skills in a real match, and Sora accepted. Julia then showed up again before them, asking where the masked Duelist was, believing Zuzu to be hiding him. Julia explained that several LID members had vanished, and blamed Zuzu for letting the Duelist escape. She challenged Zuzu to a Duel, but Sora commented that Zuzu should be able to defeat Julia easily, as LID Fusion Summons weren't much of a threat. Julia took this as an insult and challenged him instead, but her claims of LID being the strongest attracted the attention of Shay, who ran up and knocked Zuzu aside, scattering her cards. He held out his Duel Disk, challenging Julia himself; however, before they could Duel, the masked Duelist jumped in to stop Shay, who addressed him as "Yuto". When Shay finally noticed Zuzu, he mistook her for someone called Ruri. Zuzu was taken aback, but before he could go on, Shay was punched in the gut by Yuto, who told him that she wasn't Ruri, before Shay fell unconscious. Yuto picked up "Polymerization" from Zuzu's scattered cards and remarked that Fusion Summoning didn't suit Zuzu. Yuya came running to Zuzu with Dipper and Kit soon after; her bracelet glowed as it did in past incidents, teleporting both Yuto and Shay away. When Yuya asked if she was alright, she expressed confusion over being called "Ruri" and the recurring events that had been happening around her, and started to cry. Yuya helped her gather her Deck and returned it to her, but later picked up her "Polymerization" card, thinking he had overlooked it earlier.

Zuzu returned to the warehouses the next day to search for her missing card, but was disrupted by Sora's call to watch his final qualifying Duel. They made it to Yuya's Duel against Mieru Hochun right as he used her "Polymerization" to Fusion Summon; when the Duel ended, Yuya thanked Zuzu for her card as he returned it to her, since it had been an important factor in helping him clinch the match. However, they were interrupted as Mieru jumped onto Yuya, thinking that he was her "fated person", causing her to become angry and chase Yuya with her fan, somehow thinking that it was his fault.

After they left Mieru's Duel School, Zuzu looked at her returned "Polymerization" and remembered Yuto's comments regarding it. She then saw Julia up ahead in the streets, heading down an alleyway, and giving her friends the excuse that he was doing something that she'd just remembered, she pursued Julia. She quickly lost her and instead ran into Yuto, who prevented her from going any further, as Shay was currently Dueling Julia. Yuto didn't want Zuzu involved, nor to get hurt, but she called him out on letting Shay hurt Julia regardless, and angrily asked who Yuto and Shay were. Yuto explained the situation: He and Shay were fighting to get back their captured comrades, one of which was Ruri. And while he had indeed initially mistaken Zuzu for Ruri, Yuto explained that Zuzu was not Ruri, as their enemy used Fusion Summoning, which Zuzu had learned happily. Zuzu explained that she had done so to try and protect You Show Duel School. Yuto was quite surprised, and he ended up encouraging her to keep trying to protect her friends, saying that it wasn't wrong, before smiling, causing Zuzu to compare him to Yuya. Before leaving, her told her his name, and explained that Ruri was in fact Shay's younger sister. Zuzu eventually arrived at the place where Julia and Shay had been Dueling, but by then, only the crows remained.

The next day, Nico Smiley requested that Zuzu come to Strong Dojo so that she could watch Yuya's final qualification match against Gong, but without Yuya knowing that they were there. When her father was torn between cheering for Yuya or Gong, Zuzu had to smack him with her fan to calm him down. During the match, she expressed worry for Yuya and held the opinion that she should have left her "Polymerization" card with him, but fortunately, he was able to Fusion Summon twice using his "Performapal Trump Witch" and defeat Gong. She congratulated him after the match and again smacked her father to calm him down.

Maiami Championship
At the beginning of the Junior Youth Championship, after some pep-talking by Skip, Zuzu was the first to notice that Yuya had snuck off and was in danger of being late. At the tournament venue, she frantically looked for him, but it was to no avail until they ran into Mieru, whose constant comments about Yuya, her "Darling", sent Zuzu into a rage. The kids did their best to hold her back, only calming her when she saw that Mieru had divined Yuya's direction and she seemed to realize where he was. Yuya eventually showed up, much to everyone's relief, did Gong, who had managed to qualify just in time. The six You Show Duelists walked out onto the tournament field after many of the others, and Yuya was asked to make the pledge of fair play, though he initially messed it up, he made a speech about his father and his determination instead. Afterwards, the group used their registration cards to learn who their opponents were and when they'd face one another. Zuzu realized that she was up against Julia again, while Sora was against Shay, who they'd seen walking in with LID. Yuya revealed to Zuzu that he'd met Shay and seen him attack the LID top-team, and Zuzu asked Julia why Shay was with them. A confused Julia explained that Shay had been a part of their group from the very start.

Zuzu Dueled Julia as the first Duel of the Junior Youth division. Julia brought out "Master Diamond" immediately. Zuzu countered with "Schuberta the Melodious Maestra, whose anti-Fusion effect overcame "Master Diamond". Julia Summoned her "true ace", "Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dimaond" with "Brilliant Fusion" and began using Action Cards to overcome the negative effects of "Brilliant Fusion". Zuzu was forced to play defensively in response, ultimately leaving her with 100 Life Points, but with Julia's own "Crystal Rose" on her field. Using "Crystal Rose" and "Soprano the Melodious Songtress", Zuzu brought out a second Fusion Monster, "Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir". Julia countered with "Brilliant Spark", but Zuzu dove off the Action Field's bridge to snatch an Action Card before Julia could use it for the effect, winning her the Duel with "Bloom Diva". Later, Julia approached Zuzu and gave her "Crystal Rose".

The next day, the group were running late for Gong's Duel against Gen Ankokuji, when they saw Yuya running off. They went to the Duel without him, and Zuzu called Yuya before the match. Yuya revealed that he was trying to get Gong's sash back, much to Zuzu's confusion. After seeing Gong tortured by Ankokuji's claims that Yuya was being assaulted by his friends, Zuzu reassured Gong that Yuya could take care of himself and would get the sash back. She watched Yuya's Duel against Silvio worriedly, having overheard Silvio's comments and suspecting that he had Pendulum Monsters. Zuzu's worries deepened after Yuya was driven into a corner, but Gong reassured her that Yuya hadn't given up yet. When Yuya appeared to have been buried in rubble during the Duel, Zuzu was particularly distressed, screaming her friend's name in terror and being equally relieved when he was shown to have escaped. Watching the Duel, she observed that Yuya had evolved in the Duel again, and she and the others cheered when he won. Sora was up next against Shay, and she discussed the situation with Yuya beforehand regarding the mystery of Shay's loyalties. When Yuya explained that "Raidraptor - Rise Falcon" had taken out an entire LID top team, Zuzu wondered how it had done so with only 100 ATK. She continued to watch the Duel in growing apprehension as Shay's comments reminded her of what he'd said beforehand and as Sora revealed his true sadistic colors. Zuzu was horrified at the outcome, which ended with Sora's loss and hospitalization, rushing down to him with Yuya.

Zuzu discussed the events with Yuya and Gong that night at the hospital, and Zuzu told them everything that had happened to her, including about Yuto and that he looked like Yuya. They overheard the guards stating that Sora had escaped, and after calling her father, the trio split up to look for Sora, Zuzu searching the main city fruitlessly and calling Yuya. When she arrived in Central Park, her bracelet activated, and she found Yuya in a state of shock before he collapsed.

Two days later, she and Yoko Sakaki watched over Yuya while he was still unconscious. She stared at her bracelet, wondering why Yuya hadn't woken up and what had happened to Sora, and then started sobbing, worried that Yuya would never wake up. Yoko reassured her that Yuya would be fine, and that he would wake up even stronger than before. The two were startled when Mieru suddenly appeared in the window and jumped in, declaring that she would save Yuya. They watched as she prepared the room in a ritualistic manner, before noticing that Yuya was wearing gray pajamas. She insisted that they change him into green-and-white plaid pajamas, which they did. They asked her how she knew Yuya was here, and learned that she had abandoned her Championship match to see him. They convinced her that Yuya would recover even faster if she won her match, and she vowed to win it for him, much to their relief.

Despite Mieru's subsequent defeat to Tsukikage, Yuya woke up soon after that. Zuzu told him that Frederick had lost his second-round Duel against Reira, who had used a Synchro Summon to defeat him. Yuya then told her about what he had learned about the Four Dimensions and about Yugo, the so-called "Pawn of Fusion" from the Synchro Dimension that also looked like Yuya. Zuzu recalled that Yuto had told her that Fusion was his enemy and that they had captured Ruri, and he speculated that Yugo may have been Ruri's captor. She was surprised to see that Yuya had Yuto's "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" card, and asked him why. He responded that Yuto had given it to him after losing his Duel with Yugo, and that that was the last thing he remembered. When he started asking why Yuto and Yugo both looked like him, Zuzu commented that Yuto had also told her that Ruri looked like her. They began to wonder if Shay knew about all this, and decided to go and see him.

They met up with Julia, Dipper and Kit at Centre Court, and asked if they could speak to Shay directly. Kit told them that they wouldn't be able to, and instead suggested that they watch his upcoming match against Isao Kachidoki. They did, and were horrified to see him getting physically assaulted as Isao repeatedly snatched Action Cards away from him, and ultimately defeated him. Zuzu found out that she would be Dueling against Mikiyo Naname in the second round, and that Yuya would be Dueling against Isao. When he resolved to Duel against Isao to make him smile, Zuzu supported him. However, she was shocked when Yuya went berserk, Xyz Summoning "Dark Rebellion" and using its effect to defeat Isao. When Yuya turned to see his friends, she gave him a concerned stare.

Afterwards, as Zuzu walked out to the arena to Duel Mikiyo, she noticed Yuya was in a state of depression and resolved to cheer him up. She was annoyed by Mikiyo's crowd-pleasing style and promised to show everyone a real Entertainment Duel as You Show Duel School's poster girl. After a long, tight match, Zuzu eventually defeated Mikiyo after using "Crystal Rose" to Summon her "Bloom Diva", successfully snapping Yuya out of his daze.

After her Duel with Mikiyo, Zuzu later watched the announcement of the final 16 participants on TV at You Show. The next day, the participants were informed that instead of single Duels, they would be participating in a Battle Royal around the city, using the "Wonder Quartet" Action Field, which would also generate "Pendulum Statue" Pendulum Monster cards for the participants to find. Her first Duel was against Halil in the Iceberg Area of the Action Field, who gave her a Pendulum Monster beforehand because she only had one of the required two. Halil was able to take the card back during the Duel with a card effect. While she reached for an Action Card, she ended up sliding off the ice shelf and into Olga, who was Dueling Gong at the time, resulting in both Duels being combined into a Tag-Team Duel with Zuzu being paired with Gong. After Gong was defeated, she proceeded to defeat both Halil and Olga. She offered Gong two of the four Pendulum Monsters they one, but he only took one because Zuzu was the true winner.

After losing to Dennis Macfield and giving him her wagered Pendulum cards, Selena showed up, challenging Dennis whom she mistook as an Xyz remnant. Zuzu tried to stop Selena since they were in the middle of the Championship, but Dennis accepted her challenge. Seeing Selena using Fusion Summon, Zuzu realised that she was not Ruri and witnessing how strong her Fusion Summon is, she concluded that she was from the Fusion Dimension. The Duel ended with Selena's victory, but before she could seal Dennis into a card, the Obelisk Force arrived. Before they could make their move, both Zuzu and Selena were carried away by Tsukikage and Hikage while the Youth Team Dueled the Obelisk Force.

After Selena and Zuzu were saved by Tsukikage and Hikage respectively, they went to the Iceberg Area where Selena revealed her identity and her reason for targeting Xyz remnants. Hearing this, Zuzu revealed what she knew about the tragedy of the Xyz Dimension, how the Academy Duelists were laughing while turning all Xyz Dimension people into cards as if they are playing a hunting game. Seeing Selena not believing her story, she suggested Selena meet Shay, the Xyz Dimension she was looking for, to confirm her story. Agreeing with Zuzu's suggestion, the two swapped clothes to stop the Obelisk Force from capturing Selena. Zuzu, however, had to drag Selena behind a rock to change so Tsukikage wouldn't see them and since the latter didn't understand that modesty was important.

Zuzu and Selena narrowed down Shay's location to the Ancient Ruins area, since he was not in the Volcano, Jungle and Iceberg areas. After nodding at each other, both girls went their separate ways. After splitting up with Selena, Zuzu quickly encountered three Obelisk Force members. Knowing how important for Selena to learn the truth about what happened to Xyz Dimension, Zuzu decided to Duel the Obelisk Force. Before she could Duel any of them, Yuri came from the top of a building to gave a warning to the Obelisk Force to leave Zuzu to him or else they would end up with the same fate as Olga and Halil, whom he had sealed in cards. Zuzu initially mistook Yuri for Yuya, but he quickly corrected her. Remembering about Yuya's encounter with Yuto and Yugo, Zuzu thought that Yuri was the latter. Yuri explained that the Professor wanted Zuzu and it was his mission to capture her. Zuzu refused, making Yuri commented that she was just like Ruri and Rin, revealing that he was the one who kidnapped them under the Professor's order. Yuri then challenged Zuzu to a Duel, which Zuzu had no choice but to accept. After fighting Yuri throughout the night, she made her way to a hiding spot under the ice to hide from him, but Yuri easily located her.

Knowing that Yuri was close to capturing her, Zuzu was about to give up as she pleaded for Yuya to save her, but all of a sudden her bracelet began to glow and Yuri was teleported away from the location. Thinking that Yuya was coming like before, it turned out that it was not Yuya, but Yugo, who arrived on his Duel Runner. Yugo then saw Zuzu, who he mistook for Rin. Yugo then ran over in joy, hugging Zuzu as he told her that he missed her. Zuzu was shocked for a moment until she remembered Yuri mentioning Rin's name. She asked Yugo if he knew who Rin was and then was surprised to see that he also resembles Yuya. Before Yugo could answer her question, they were teleported away by Zuzu's bracelet because Yuya was nearby looking for her.

Friendship Cup
The bracelet transported them to the City. Zuzu was surprised at the fact that she ended up traveling dimensions. When Yugo got too close to her, Zuzu pushed him away towards his Duel Runner in anger. Upon learning that she had another lookalike in the Synchro Dimension as well, she informed Yugo that Yuto did not kidnap her-another Yuya lookalike did. They discussed various things including the fact that they have dimensional counterparts for some unknown reason. When Yugo decided to use the power of her bracelet to get to the Academy, Zuzu described her helplessness at the fact that she couldn't control her bracelet's ability, and then broke down at the mention of Yuya. Yugo was able to calm her down and then they talked about Rin and the fact that both him and Rin didn't know their mothers.

They were interrupted when the Tops residents finally noticed them, and they had to flee on Yugo's Runner. Yugo explained the competitive society of the City to Zuzu, as well as the history of the Duel King, Jack Atlas, whom he and Rin had idolized and built their Duel Runner for the purpose of Turbo Dueling. Duel Chaser 227 arrived, and Yugo attempted to outpace him, explaining that their trespass would mean being sent to the Facility if they were caught. The Duel Chaser forced a Turbo Duel, and Yugo finally asked for Zuzu's name, since he hadn't before. Telling her to hold on tight, he began the Turbo Duel. After Yugo defeated the Duel Chaser, the Duel lane was blocked by Security, but Yugo successfully escaped them. Yugo and Zuzu were branded as fugitives in the City for breaking laws.

The next day Zuzu asked Yugo about his hometown. He told her that he grew up not knowing what his parents looked like, which prompted Zuzu to recall that she never knew what her mother looked like either. Both of them tried to warn the City residents about the Academy's invasion of the other dimensions. Even though Zuzu showed them the cards containing Olga's and Halil's souls, while Yugo tried to dimension-hop with "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon" (and failed, much to Zuzu's embarrassment), no one believed them. They were forced to flee when a cafe worker called Security and when Frank and Tanner stole food from the cafe.

Yugo took Zuzu to the orphanage where he and Rin lived. Unknown to her, he signed them up for the Friendship Cup; he nearly wrote Rin's name on Zuzu's sign-up sheet, but corrected himself at the last minute. Yugo also let Zuzu borrow Rin's clothes and sleep in her room, pointing out that she'd stink if she kept wearing the same clothes forever. Angered by this remark, she smacked Yugo on the head with her fan. After Zuzu stepped out of the shower wearing Rin's clothes, Yugo mistook her for Rin, but stopped when Zuzu was about to whack him again. Yugo told Zuzu about the Friendship Cup and how it would give them an opportunity to earn credibility about the war between the four dimensions. He then commented that he also signed Zuzu for the tournament, much to her displeasure.

Upon arriving in Duel Palace with Yugo, she was surprised to see Yuya in the Synchro Dimension Dueling against Jack Atlas. During the Duel, her bracelet started to react and she was shocked to see Yuya being defeated.

Later, Zuzu Dueled Chojiro Tokumatsu in the third match of the Friendship Cup. Throughout the Duel, Zuzu adopted various catchphrases and actions from her friends and family in the Standard Dimension to send a message to the distraught Yuya and tell him that he was not alone. After she won the Duel, Zuzu wondered if Yuya managed to get her message. She later expressed surprise that Selena was in the Friendship Cup as well.

On the second day of the Friendship Cup, Zuzu watched Yuya's Duel against Duel Chaser 227. She was shocked when Yuya revealed the fate of the losers and wondered if her victory had caused Chojiro to be sent underground to do forced labor. After Yuya's brutal victory over his opponent, she wondered if that was the message Yuya wanted to send to her. While Zuzu watched Yugo's Duel against Silvio, she was surprised when she recognized Yuya's personality in Yugo when he grabbed an Action Card and copied Yuya's catchphrase.

Zuzu was lying depressed in her bed when she received a letter from Yuya, which unbeknownst to her had been delivered by Tsukikage. Yuya informed her of his desire to defeat Jack and bring smiles to the people of the City, end the war, and return home with their comrades, bringing a smile to Zuzu's face.

She watched the Duel between Dennis and Shay and was surprised when Dennis revealed that he was from Duel Academy. Zuzu was disturbed by the brutal battle between "Ancient Gear Chaos Giant" and "Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon", knowing that the "Giant" was toying with its opponent. She was further shocked when Dennis told Shay that he was the one who caused the Invasion of the Xyz Dimension and Ruri's kidnapping. After he was defeated, she wondered why Duel Academy captured Ruri and Rin and why they were after her and Selena. She later recalled Yuya's letter, vowing to win in the Friendship Cup like Yuya.

Friendship Cup Finals
Zuzu Dueled against Sergey Volkov in the first Duel of the Friendship Cup's second round, Dueling on the highway due to Shay's destruction of the Duel Palace arena. Favored by the crowd, she successfully exited the Duel Palace to gain the first turn and set herself up for the next turn, but to her shock, Sergey Summoned the 0 ATK "Thorn Prisoner - Van" and ended his turn. Zuzu brought out three "Melodious" monsters on her next turn, including "Mozarta", and attempted to inflict game-ending damage, but Sergey used the effects of his "Thorn Prisoner" monsters to protect himself by paying his own LP and taking the damage from one of the attacks by ignoring an Action Card; an act that caused him extreme pain, much to Zuzu's distress. Sergey then set up an array of Thorn Counters that would harm both players, so Zuzu fused all of her monsters into "Bloom Prima the Melodious Choir" to avoid the damage and attempted to win again, but Sergey, again at great cost to himself, was able to survive the turn. Concerned for Sergey's safety and believing that she had the Duel won, Zuzu attempted to warn the crowd about the interdimensional war and to convince them that the Friendship Cup was wrong. Sergey mocked her for believing that she had won and revealed a horrifically sadistic side, performing a Fusion Summon to bring out "Thorn Over Server - Van Darli Zuma" and using his low LP and its effect to set up an OTK. Zuzu attempted to grab an Action Card, but Sergey recklessly blocked her attempt by ramming her Duel Runner with his own. The combined impacts this and his attack blasted Zuzu into the air, causing her to crash through a building. She was seriously injured from the crash but was rescued by Sora and taken to a room. Later Sora brought her helmet to Yuya during his own Duel so he would know she was okay.

After waking up she wondered who brought her to the room and felt dizzy. She was then approached by Frank,Tanner and Amanda and they recognized her as the one who crashed from the building much to her confusion, as she could not remember what happened to her after she was defeated by Sergey.

Yuya Sakaki
Zuzu and Yuya have been close friends since childhood. Yuya cherishes her and respects her greatly, and he is also grateful for her help over the years. Zuzu in return, is very supportive of Yuya and among his other friends. She is the one who hangs out with Yuya the most and often defends him when someone insults him. Whenever either of them gets depressed, the other is usually the one who gets them out of the depression. Though she cares about Yuya, Zuzu occasionally gets annoyed with Yuya's antics and whacks him with her paper fan whenever he does anything foolish. Zuzu, blushed when Sora and Chojiro mistook her as his girlfriend. She hugged Yuya after her loss to Julia (only to push him away after Julia commented on the situation), and showed jealousy whenever Mieru made advances towards him or called him "darling", though Yuya is oblivious to these advances. Her bond with Yuya is what drove her to become stronger so that she could protect her friends and You Show Duel School, and in return, this drive drove Yuya to push the boundaries of Pendulum Summoning. Yuya's feelings regarding Zuzu are more complex, but no less caring; her apparent loss during the Battle Royal breaking Yuya into tears.

Skip Boyle
Zuzu is often annoyed by her father's goofy nature, which causes her to beat him with her paper fan. However, as father and daughter, they care for each other and Skip is shown to be a very supportive father, who often encourages her and cheers for her when she Duels. Zuzu in return promises that she will win. Skip cares deeply about his daughter, having raised her as a single parent and is distraught upon hearing of her disappearance.

Yuto
When Yuto met her for the first time, he mistook her for Ruri and grew protective of her. Zuzu, in turn, mistook him as Yuya. After seeing Zuzu use Fusion Summoning, something Ruri never did, he realized that she was not Ruri at all, but he continued to look after Zuzu until his defeat at Yugo's hands.

Yugo
When they met for the first time, Yugo mistook her for Rin. Yugo's appearance also saved Zuzu from Yuri by activating her bracelet, which teleported the latter away. When they were transported to the Synchro Dimension, Yugo and Zuzu developed a close friendship. After Zuzu told Yugo what she knew about the interdimensional war, the two cooperated to warn everyone about it. Much like Yuya, Zuzu is frequently annoyed by Yugo's antics and often smacks him with her paper fan just like she does with Yuya.

Mieru Hochun
Mieru and Zuzu have a rivalry for Yuya's affections, despite Yuya being largely oblivious. Zuzu gets jealous whenever Mieru makes advances or calls Yuya "darling". Despite this, Mieru believes that Zuzu is Yuya's true girlfriend as she was angered when she saw Yugo and Zuzu together, as she believed Zuzu to be cheating on Yuya.

Selena
Zuzu and Selena are on good terms. At first Selena didn't take much notice of Zuzu, but was shocked because of how similar they looked. Selena held herself responsible for Zuzu's disappearence and was not afraid to admit it.

Deck
Zuzu uses a "Melodious" Deck, focusing on swarming tactics through cards such as "Sonata the Melodious Diva" and "1st Movement Solo", giving her early access to her ace, "Mozarta the Melodious Maestra". After her loss to Julia Krystal, she decided to learn how to Fusion Summon, and began practicing incorporating that strategy into her Deck, using cards such as "Soprano the Melodious Songstress", "De-Fusion" and "Fusion Samsara". She also included cards to work with her new ace, "Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir such as "Pianissimo" and "Slow Tempo". She is also shown to utilize a large amount of Fairy and LIGHT support cards as well as multiple copies of her "Melodious" monsters, shown when she dropped her Deck.