Ceremonial Battle

The Ceremonial Battle (Tatakai no Gi), called End Game in Kids' WB's promotions, is the final story arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series in Millennium World. The Ceremonial Battle took place in episodes 221-224.

The Introduction
Both the Pharaoh and Yugi have obtained all seven millennium items and all three Egyptian God Cards, The Pharaoh has defeated Zorc Necrophades in the memory RPG, and The Pharaoh has learned his name. Now it was time for the final test, to see if Atem and Yugi were finally ready to separate for good; Atem would have to be defeated in a duel where he was actively trying to win, demonstrating that he had learned from Yugi that one did not need to win all the time and that defeat could teach us just as much as victory.

Following the ancient guideline that The Pharaoh must depart via boat, Yugi and company take a cruise that will take them to Egypt. Both Joey (Jonouchi in the Japanese anime) and Kaiba asked Yugi if they could battle The Pharaoh. Yugi declined both requests, feeling that battling The Pharaoh was something he had to do to prove to himself that he was ready to separate from him.

The boat docked and everyone was waiting for him. Ishizu then lead them across the desert to an underground cavern, to the back of the cavern there was a large door with a carving of The Eye of W'djat, which Ishizu explained would unravel The Pharaoh's spirit from Yugi's. Yugi approached the Shrine of The Millennium Items and placed all the items in their appropriate places. A wave of light passed over Yugi, his shadow split in two, then his body. The Pharaoh and Yugi walked opposite ways to the far sides of the tavern. The Duel had begun.

Summoning of the Egyptian Gods

 * Atem Special Summons "The Tricky" by discarding 1 card from his hand (which is later revealed to be "Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight"). He then sets "Bounce" facedown.
 * Yugi summons "Green Gadget", sets "Stronghold the Moving Fortress" face-down, and activates "Swords of Revealing Light" to hinder "The Tricky".
 * However, Atem uses Rebellion to force Green Gadget to attack Yugi, but Yugi activates "Stronghold the Moving Fortress", which, when activated, becomes a Trap Monster and blocks the attack, but Yugi loses 600 Life Points, since his own monster did declare an attack.
 * Yugi activates "Ties of the Brethren". Paying 1000 Life Points, he summons his Yellow and Red Gadgets in Defense Position.  On this note, his "Stronghold's" ATK becomes 3000 since all 3 Gadget monsters are on the field under his control.  He attacks, but Atem activates "Bounce" to transfer the effect of "Swords of Revealing Light" to Yugi's field.  With his attacks useless for 3 turns, Yugi decides to switch his Green Gadget to Defense Position and end his turn.
 * Atem activates "Tricky Spell 4", allowing him to Tribute his "Tricky" in exchange for Tricky Tokens equal to the number of monsters that Yugi controls. Since Yugi controls 4 monsters, Atem can summon 4 Tokens.  Afterwards, Atem tributes 3 of his Trickys to summon "Obelisk the Tormentor" in Attack Position.  Obelisk destroys Yugi's Stronghold, and Yugi's Life Points decrease to 1400.
 * Yugi sets 3 cards and summons his "Silent Swordsman".
 * Atem responds by setting his own card, and plays "Card of Sanctity", allowing both players to draw until they each hold 6 cards. Then he sends "Obelisk" to attack "Silent Swordsman", but Yugi activates "Ground Erosion", which will drain "Obelisk" of 500 ATK for each turn that passes on the field.  He also activates "Turn Jump", which advances the turn count by 3 for each player in the Duel.  "Silent Swordsman" gains 500 ATK with every passing turn that it is on the field, so now, it and "Obelisk" stand tied at 2500 ATK apiece.
 * However, Atem activates his "Summoning Clock" Trap, tributing his final Tricky Token to summon 1 extra monster for each one of his turns that passed. Due to "Turn Jump's" effect, 3 turns have also passed for Atem, so he can summon 3 extra monsters.  He chooses his "Queen's Knight" and "King's Knight", and since the latter was summoned while he controlled the former, Atem can also summon "Jack's Knight" from his Deck to join them.  With one extra summon left, Atem summons "Slifer the Sky Dragon", whose ATK rises to 3000, since Atem currently holds 3 cards in his hand.
 * Yugi activates Ambush Shield, sacrificing his "Red Gadget" to add its DEF to "Silent Swordsman's" ATK, bringing it to 4000.
 * Atem attacks with his "Queen's Knight" and "King's Knight", destroying Yugi's two remaining Gadgets. To end his turn, he then tributes his "Jack's Knight", "Queen's Knight", and "King's Knight".  When Marik and Ishizu Ishtar hear Atem recite the chant that can awaken "The Winged Dragon of Ra", they are amazed at how much the Pharaoh had learned while unlocking his lost memories.  On this note, Atem summons Ra, who appears and emerges from its Sphere and appears, with an ATK of 5000.  This completes Atem's strategy: all 3 Egyptian Gods have now been summoned, and all in no less than two turns.

The Created Bonds of the Past and Present

 * Atem plays Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards.
 * Meanwhile, Ishizu Ishtar relates the story of the Power of the Pharaoh, which, she says, was so strong that no one wanted to battle him because of the unmatched strength of his sword.
 * Seto Kaiba then talks about the God Cards, believing that since Atem holds the most feared cards in the world, no one can defeat him. He feels that this is why his name is written in history and hastily decides to leave but is momentarily stopped by Joey, but Kaiba shuns Joey by asking him if he knew any way to defeat the cards, because no Duelist present here was able to.
 * Ishizu says it is up to fate now: if Yugi and Atem are ready to separate, then Yugi will win. If not, Atem will remain for another 5000 years.
 * Kaiba offers Atem a rematch, since it seems (to Kaiba, at least) he'll be sticking around for a while
 * Yugi asks why Kaiba will leave if Yugi is losing, but Kaiba replies that he only wants to watch Yugi lose to him, so he reminds Kaiba about their bond (sparking a flashback when Atem gives the Millennium Puzzle to Priest Seto), and says Kaiba has to stay to watch. Yugi assures Kaiba that he has a plan to defeat the Egyptian Gods, and Kaiba stays, if only to step in and duel Atem once Yugi loses.  On this note, fear enters Yugi's heart.
 * Tristan tries to encourage him but Marik stops him. He and Joey rekindle the fact that the fear in facing the Egyptian Gods is indescribable.
 * Yugi ruminates that forever he has tried to follow in Atem's footsteps and yet when he thinks he is nearing, he is actually so far.
 * Atem then encourages him by telling him to trust in the deck or he would not win, and that it takes heart in building the deck that one trusts. Yugi responds that he gained his strength from Atem, but reminds him that he himself has also taken pain that Atem was supposed to receive.  Afterwards, Yugi is more confident and tells him that he built his deck so that Atem's spirit would rest, and Téa realizes that Yugi is about to build a strategy that can defeat the Egyptian Gods.

Defeating the Egyptian Gods

 * While Silent Swordsman grows to Level 4 with 3000 points, Yugi tributes his Magnet Warriors—Alpha, Beta, and Gamma—from his hand to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior in Attack Position.
 * This activates Slifer's special effect, as it now opens its second mouth to drain Yugi's Valkyrion of 2000 points, but Yugi activates Mirage Spell, which negates Slifer's special effect and adds 2000 points to his Life Points, brining him up to 3400 Life Points.
 * Even Kaiba is impressed, but knows it will take more to beat the Gods. Yugi sets 2 cards and ends his turn.
 * Joey and Marik question why Yugi wouldn't attack Obelisk, since both of his monsters are strong enough to destroy it. Kaiba demands for Yugi to show his strategy, and Atem reflects that Yugi's monsters are still too weak to defeat either Slifer or Ra.
 * Atem then thinks that Silent Swordsman, now at Level 4, and Valkyrion are the best cards, but only pale in comparison to the God Cards. Then, he draws; now that he holds 4 cards, Slifer's ATK becomes 4000.  Atem attacks Silent Swordsman with Slifer, but Yugi activates a trap, and Atem responds in turn with the reminder that Slifer is immune to Traps.
 * Silent Swordsman is destroyed, and Yugi is down to 2400 Life Points. Next, Atem attacks Valkyrion with Ra, destroying it and bringing Yugi's score to 900.  Finally, Obelisk attacks, but Valkyrion and Silent Swordsman suddenly reappear on the field, and Yugi's score return to 3400.  It turns out that Yugi's last trap was Mirage Ruler, which, should all his monsters be destroyed in one turn, re-summons them to the field in the same battle position as when they were destroyed, and any damage he took from the attack is restored to his Life Points, although all this costs him 1000 Life Points, taking him down to 2400.  On this note, Atem ends his turn.
 * Everyone sighs in relief, including Grandpa (who thought he'd have a heart attack). Téa is also relieved, but is now confused about whose side she wants to be on.
 * However, Kaiba merely thinks Yugi is stalling until he can find a weakness in the Egyptian Gods. The only weakness Kaiba himself knows about the Egyptian God Cards is that each one require 3 tributes to summon them, but Atem's strategy eliminated that weakness, so he thinks Atem is the true King of Games.
 * But, Ishizu believes Yugi can still win, as she stated that the suffering that a soul bore after 3,000 years (5,000 years in the English dub) has strengthened him, and only a strong body would be able to carry that soul whose own soul strengthened with the other. Because of that, the soul who owns the body could make miracles, Yugi could make miracles.
 * Yugi decides to start thinking like the Pharaoh, and realizes that Atem had not played his set card since he took his first turn. After much thinking, he deduces that Atem's facedown card must be Mirror Force.  If he's right, he knows how to defeat the God cards.  He draws, and Silent Swordsman ATK rises to 3500 points and upgrades to Level 5.  Then, he activates Valkyrion's effect, de-fusing it into Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
 * However, Slifer's special effect activates again, blasting each of the 3 new monsters with a force strong enough to destroy them—but Yugi responds with his trap, Magnet Force, redirecting each blast toward each of the Gods, draining each of them of 2000 points. Ra, Slifer and Obelisk now have 3000, 2000, and 500 ATK, respectively.
 * Yugi orders Silent Swordsman to attack, but, as Yugi anticipated, Atem activates his facedown Mirror Force, which destroys all of Yugi's monsters, since they were in Attack Position. Yugi admits he wanted Atem to use Mirror Force, and tells him the time has come to destroy the God cards.  Yugi plays Magnet Reverse to re-summon Valkyrion, reactivating Slifer's special effect.  However, Magnet Force redirects the blast to Obelisk, destroying it.
 * Finally, Yugi de-fuses Valkyrion again, and Slifer's 3 blasts are again reflected, 1 blast to Slifer and 2 to Ra, destroying them.
 * Everyone is amazed: while Atem managed to summon all 3 God cards in 2 turns, Yugi destroyed them all in just one.
 * Yugi reminds Atem of something he learned of in their battles together: sometimes to defeat someone with a strong power, you need to turn that power against them. Atem is impressed and notes that that is how a true duelist thinks.

Post–Egyptian Gods

 * Atem comes back by playing Polymerization to fuse Berfomet and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from his hand, to summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast, who destroys Yugi's Alpha.
 * While Atem is now in the lead, Kaiba admits that Yugi is the true King of Games for defeating the Egyptian Gods, which surprises Joey.
 * Yugi tributes Beta and Gamma to summon Buster Blader, who attacks and destroys Chimera, bringing Atem to 3500 Life Points.
 * With Chimera destroyed, Atem uses its effect to revive one of the monsters used to summon it from his Graveyard. He chooses Berfomet, and tributes it to summon his Beast of Gilfer, sets a card, and ends his turn.
 * Yugi and Joey realize that Atem wants Yugi to destroy Gilfer, because, when it goes to the Graveyard, its effect will activate and weaken Buster Blader.
 * Yugi sets 1 card and attacks, destroying Gilfer and draining Buster Blader of 500 ATK, leaving it with 2100. Yugi ends his turn.
 * Atem sets 1 card, and plays Awakening from Beyond, letting Yugi draw 2 cards, and allowing Atem to add 1 monster from his Graveyard to his hand.
 * Yugi thinks that The Tricky can't be summoned unless Atem discards a card (which he can't, since he has only one in his hand), and the Egyptian Gods each require 3 tributes to be summoned. Nothing that Yugi can think of is strong enough to beat Buster Blader, but Atem reveals that he has retrieved the monster he discarded to summon The Tricky, during his first turn: Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight.
 * Yugi is amazed that Atem discarded Gaia at his first turn, and Atem admits he knew the duel would end up this way. When he'd chosen his cards and built his deck, he knew how this duel would go.  He surprised everyone by saying that he'd known all along that Yugi would defeat the Egyptian Gods, and now that they're gone, the true duel can begin.
 * Gaia destroys Buster Blader, bringing Yugi's Life Points down to 2200, but Yugi activates Soul Rope. Paying 1000 Life Points, he summons Witch of the Black Forest from his Deck.
 * Yugi draws and trades in his Witch for Summoned Skull, using his Witch's effect to add Marshmallon from his Deck to his hand.
 * Summoned Skull destroys Gaia and brings Atem's Life Points down to 3300. This is emotionally painful due to the fact that they had once defended each other.
 * Atem thinks he has to fight hard to win, and draws exactly what he needs, calling out the card's name before he draws it: he summons Big Shield Gardna in Defense Position.
 * While Joey and Tristan think its luck, Marik tells them that the Pharaoh knew what he would draw. Ishizu agrees that Atem's will was so strong, he influenced fate to draw what he needed.
 * Yugi plays Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards. Since Pot of Greed added Watapon to Yugi's hand, he can Special Summon it to the field and still Normal Summon.  Tributing his Watapon, he summons Curse of Dragon.  Then, Summoned Skull attacks Big Shield Gardna, but is too weak to defeat it, bringing Yugi to 1100 Life Points.
 * However, Big Shield Gardna's effect activates on this note, switching it to Attack Position. Then, Curse of Dragon destroys Big Shield Gardna, which brings Atem's Life Points down to 1400.
 * Téa says she can't watch anymore, and asks the duel to stop; she isn't ready to say goodbye to Atem.
 * Joey comforts her and tells her that every duel Yugi and Atem had ever fought has led up to this Duel, and reminds her that this a test to see how much both of them have grown, and if they're ready to move on. This duel is for the best, and Téa agrees.
 * Meanwhile, Atem thinks to himself that he senses an old friend in his deck and is sorry he kept him waiting for so long. Then he draws his next card.

Atem's Trusted Cards

 * Atem activates his Dark Magic Curtain: Now, by paying half his Life Points, he can summon Dark Magician from his Deck, but cannot summon any other monster this turn. Then Atem reveals his facedown card, Book of Secret Arts, and equips it to his Magician, giving it 300 extra ATK and DEF.
 * Dark Magician destroys Summoned Skull, bringing Yugi's Life Points down to 800. Then the Magician suddenly speaks using Mahad's voice, and tells Atem that he has crossed time and space to assist him in this final battle.
 * Yugi now realizes that to defeat Atem, he must defeat his most trusted and favorite monster in this Duel. He sets 1 monster in Defense, and switches Curse of Dragon to Defense Position.
 * Atem thinks Yugi's set monster must be Marshmallon, which, if attacked while set, will inflict 1000 points of damage to Atem when flipped face-up, and that would be enough for Yugi to win.
 * After Atem draws, he activates Thousand Knives. With Dark Magician under his control, Thousand Knives can destroy 1 Defense-Position monster his opponent controls.  Thousand Knives destroys Yugi's set Marshmallon, thereby negating the monster's effect.  Then, Dark Magician attacks and destroys Curse of Dragon.
 * Yugi summons Blockman in Defense Position and sets 1 card.
 * Atem counters with Dark Spear, allowing Dark Magician to gain the piercing effect. Dark Magician attacks, but Yugi activates Soul Shield, paying half his Life Points to negate the attack.
 * Yugi activates Gold Sarcophagus, and removes 1 card from his deck. If Atem plays the same card that was removed due to Gold Sarcophagus, Yugi can negate its effect(s).  While no one knows what card Yugi chooses, they all think it unlikely for Atem to play the same card.
 * Téa realizes the Gold Sarcophagus looks like the box that contained the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle—and now, that same symbol that brought them together may now split them apart. In reality, the card that Yugi placed inside his Sarcophagus is a card that he knows he could have used for himself, but knows that Atem would also use it when and if Dark Magician would be defeated.
 * Yugi uses Blockman's effect: since it has been on the field for 2 of his turns, he can tribute it to Special Summon 2 Block Tokens. Then he sacrifices those tokens to summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction.
 * Téa remembers that Yugi defeated Yami Bakura with that card, in order to prove he could duel on his own, so she thinks it is the perfect card Yugi can use to end this Duel.
 * Yugi uses Gandora's special effect, paying half his Life Points (leaving him with only 200) to destroy all the cards on the field and remove them from play. However, Atem activates his "Dark Illusion" Trap, protecting his Dark Magician from Gandora's effect, and allowing Yugi to draw 1 card.
 * Yugi sets 2 cards and ends his turn, and Gandora's secondary effect forces the monster to destroy itself, since it used its card-destruction effect.
 * Atem draws and attacks Yugi directly with Dark Magician, but Yugi activates Magician's Circle. Since a Spellcaster declared an attack, both players may Special Summon a Spellcaster from their hand or Deck.  Yugi summons his Silent Magician, while Atem summons Dark Magician Girl and continues his attack.
 * But then, Yugi activates his second facedown card, Spell Textbook. Now, he must discard his entire hand and draw 1 card, and if the card he draws is a Spell Card, he can play it with no restrictions.  Since Yugi has no cards in his hand, he declares, all he needs to do is draw.
 * He draws Card of Sanctity, which allows both duelists to draw enough cards until each player holds 6. On this note, Silent Magician's special ability increases its ATK by 500 for each card Atem drew.  Since Atem drew 5 new cards, Silent Magician's ATK rises by 2500, to 3500, and evolves to Level 5.
 * However, Dark Magician is still in the process of attacking, and with 2800 points, Atem will lose 700 Life Points, which is all he has left, but so that he wouldn't lose right away, he activates Magicians Unite to let Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl attack as one and attack with a combined ATK of 3000 points. Both are destroyed, and Atem and Yugi stand tied with 200 Life Points each.
 * Atem tells Yugi this is his last turn, and thanks Yugi for trying to set him free. But the duel will end with Atem's victory.

Atem's Defeat

 * With the thought of winning, Atem plays "Monster Reborn" to revive "Slifer the Sky Dragon". Since he holds 4 cards in his hand, Slifer's ATK becomes 4000.
 * However, Yugi reflects that, if he were in Atem's situation, he would have used the same strategy, and he was counting on Atem to do so himself. Within the next few seconds, Yugi's "Gold Sarcophagus" glows as it returns to the field, and as it opens, Yugi reveals that the card he'd removed from play with "Gold Sarcophagus" was the very same card Atem just played.  Everyone protests that only one copy of "Slifer the Sky Dragon" was in existence, but to their surprise, Yugi revealed the card inside his "Gold Sarcophagus": "Monster Reborn".
 * Joey realizes that Yugi could have also benefitted from that card, but he also reveals that, to ensure Yugi's victory, his friend needed to sacrifice that card.
 * Ishizu recognized it as a message to Atem that a peaceful soul should not return to life in order to experience suffering. Atem's "Monster Reborn" card is then negated by Yugi's "Gold Sarcophagus", while Slifer dissolves and returns to the Graveyard.
 * On this, Atem ends his turn and tells Yugi this has been the best duel of his life. Yugi stands motionless with his head bowed, and Tristan asks why Yugi is hesitating: he can win with his next attack.
 * But Bakura explains that that's the problem: once he wins, Atem will leave forever.
 * One last tear falls from Yugi's eye as he commands Silent Magician to launch a direct attack on Atem. Yugi has won the duel.

The End of Atem's Story
Yugi falls to his knees, cries and tells Atem that he is weak. Atem tells him that he would not cry if he were in his place. Yugi says that that is the point, he admits that he could not follow in the footsteps of Atem. Atem reminds him that he is not a coward and it was he who taught Atem about the principles needed to win. He also says that now he is leaving, there would be no one else for Yugi to follow and that there would only be one Yugi.

The Eye of Wdjat glows on the wall, and Ishizu says the spirit of the Pharaoh has been freed. Atem stands before the Eye and declares that he is Atem. The wall parts to reveal a glowing light, and Atem walks towards it. Téa, Joey and Tristan step forward, asking him if this is how it ends: Atem can't show up, change their lives, and leave.

Yugi says that they don't want to say goodbye, and Téa cries that while she know its for the best, it doesn't seem fair that Atem has to leave. They were just getting to know him, and Atem was just getting to know himself, but now he's leaving. She knows they should be happy for him, but its hard when they're losing their best friend and they don't understand why. Joey says there are some things they aren't supposed to understand: he goes through half his life like that. But he does know that while Atem's stay isn't as long as they'd like, they were lucky to know him at all. Atem silently thanks him, and Téa wishes him luck.

Joey shouts that Atem isn't going anywhere: the memories he gave each of them will remain in their hearts. Joey and Yugi give Atem a thumbs-up, and Atem returns the gesture as he walks forward. The Pharaoh's cloak and clothing appear around him as images of Adviser Siamun, Mana, Akhenamkhanen, and the six priests (Young Akhenaden, Mahado, Seto, Ishizu, Kalim and Shada) greet him. Atem vanishes into the light, the wall closing behind him.

The Wdjat temple then starts to crumble as the Millennium Stone shatters, scattering the Millennium Items in a bottomless pit. They all run away from the temple while Shadi's spirit watches the temple he protected crumble.

The Start of Yugi's Story
(This is in the one-off end credits. This is not shown in the English version as it ends with them still being in Egypt.)

Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan, Duke, Grandpa, Kaiba and Mokuba all leave Egypt and return to their home. In the airport, they meet up with Rebecca and Serenity. Both Duke and Tristan fall for Serenity but are pulled back by Joey. Yugi and Rebecca hug as they see each other again.

Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor get into an argument again and decide to duel. Zigfried and Leon von Schroeder make a business proposition with Pegasus, which turns to their favor. Mako Tsunami sets sail from their fishing trip to be met up with Espa Roba at the harbor. Mai Valentine and Vivian Wong are facing a two-on-two duel against the Paradox Brothers atop the Great Wall of China.

The credits end with a cutscene where Grandpa is sweeping while Yugi comes out from the house to join Tea, Joey and Tristan to go to school. Yugi ends the show by saying that his story has not ended and that his story is not about a pharaoh who after three-thousand years defeated the evil Zorc.



In fact, he says that his story is just beginning. This alludes to the famous phrase "This isn't the legend of a Pharaoh. Everybody has his own story....The story that completes in the light. My story has just started." FIN

Episodes

 * The Final Duel (1)
 * The Final Duel (2)
 * The Final Duel (3)
 * The Final Duel (4)

Trivia

 * The English-language episode ends with Yugi and his friends in Egypt; in the Japanese version, the episode contains more footage and ends with Yugi and his friends walking down a street.
 * In the English version, Kaiba finally acknowledges Atem as 'Pharaoh', and seems to accept that he and Yugi are different people. He even seems to believe in the idea that Atem will leave if he loses, telling him at one point when he is winning, that it looks like he is not going anywhere. He also seems to finally concede his rivalry with Yugi after he defeats all three Egyptian God Cards in one turn, acknowledging Yugi as the true King of Games, and finally making peace with himself and the rest of the gang, in the process.
 * The decks of both Yugi and Atem share only 3 of the same card: Pot of Greed, Card of Sanctity, and Monster Reborn. Both decks have cards used in prior seasons, but the above 3 cards are the only cards in both decks built specifically for the Ceremonial Battle.
 * Although, after Yugi summons the Silent Swordsman, Atem claims to set Mirror Force, but he does not. An underside shot of the card shows the card is, in fact, Dark Mirror Force. Later, the real Mirror Force is used.
 * The chant Atem uses to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra is different from the one Marik Ishtar uses in Battle City.
 * Yugi's Blockman card is a homage to Lego blocks.
 * In the English version of the anime, Atem continues with the phrase "Son of King Aknamkanon" but in the Japanese and Philippine versions, it continues with the phrase Pharaoh of Egypt.
 * Yugi's level monsters function differently from the real cards. The real version of Silent Swordsman only levels up when it attacks, and is only level 3, 5, or 7. Silent Magician, starts at level 4, only levels up once, when the opponent has drawn 5 cards, to level 8.