Vector

Vector is a character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. An Emperor from the Barian World, he manipulated Dr. Faker and Vetrix to fulfill his own agenda of destroying the Astral World. After his first defeat at the hands of Yuma Tsukumo, Reginald Kastle and Kite Tenjo, he orchestrated a new scheme by taking on a human form on Earth and calling himself Ray Shadows (Rei Shingetsu in the Japanese version), as part of a gambit to orchestrate Yuma and Astral's downfall. When that failed, Vector released the god of the Barian World, Don Thousand, and became his host. Though they collaborated efficiently, Thousand eventually betrayed Vector and absorbed him to increase his power.

His actions establish him as one of the central antagonists of the series, having been the prime instigator of most of the events in the series through his manipulations of Dr. Faker and Vetrix along with cooperating with Astral's nemesis, Don Thousand, and his treachery against his former colleagues.

Appearance
Vector's true form is colored gray and black with tiny pink gems found on the sides of his body, with a crudely shaped Barian emblem at the center of it. He has purple eyes with black outlines, and bulbous spiked, gray hair with bangs curling outward around his face. He wears a dark gray short sarong decorated with pink gems around the waist and possesses a pair of black demonic wings also adorned with pink gems on them. He also originally wore a dark purple cloak, while in his true form. His eyes bulge quite noticeably sometimes, highlighting his insanity.



While in his energy form, Vector resembles a red winged version of Astral. When Vector possessed Dr. Faker, Dr. Faker's appearance became demonic, changing Dr. Faker's skin red, as well as giving him horns, wings and sharper nails.

As a human, he has fair skin, and his bulbous spiked hair is colored orange. Under the guise of Ray Shadows, he wears the first-year male uniform of Heartland Academy, a white shirt with red-lined sleeves and collar, a red tie, blue pants, and a pair of brown shoes. During the Heartland Academy's festival, he wore a "Dandylion" cosplay. He also has a very unique Duel Gazer, larger than a normal Duel Gazer with a large red lens and a black head gear that wraps around his head.

After he was sent to Earth by Don Thousand, Vector discarded the Heartland school uniform in favor of a dark outfit consisting of a black fur-collared jacket over a purple shirt, dark purple shoes and black pants. His Baria Lapis is a red jeweled necklace. When Vector watches Duels, he no longer uses his unique Duel Gazer; instead, the iris of his left eye turns red.

After absorbing the power of the some of the other Seven Barian Emperors, Vector gains to the ability to change his armor, gaining a mask and garb similar to Don Thousand's.

In the past, he was a prince who had sliver sashes across his chest, a wind chime-like necklace, a red jeweled sliver necklace on his head, sliver earrings, silver bracelets on his right arm, a purple cape with a hood, purple pants with pointed shoes, and a large golden gauntlet covering his entire left arm, with a spike protruding from said gauntlet.

Personality
Though he was revealed to have been a kind and benevolent ruler before his corruption, in the present, Vector is manipulative, unpredictable and utterly insane, whose sole motive for gathering the "Numbers" is to destroy the Astral World and the Human World. Vector has also been shown to be extremely cunning, with a tendency to make convoluted, yet effective plans; he made use of various pawns like the Tenjo and the Vetrix families, manipulating both parties and escalating their conflict in order to make them gather "Numbers" more quickly and to destroy the Astral World. On his return, he gave Astral "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" in order to lure him and Yuma into attempting to travel to the Barian World, in which he then generated a portal to transfer them to "Sargasso the D.D. Battlefield" where he and his fellow Barians would have a Dueling advantage. Another example was giving Yuma the "V" cards while posing as Ray, as both a way to gain his trust and later as part of a Dueling strategy to destroy his Deck and Life Points, as well as corrode Astral's trust in Yuma and make him embrace the darkness.

Cruel and sadistic, he enjoys tormenting others for his amusement, even shown to have no compassion for his fellow Barians, even insulting them when they are hurt, much to Mizar's disgust. Even in his past life, though he took his own life to atone for his actions, he was shown to be extremely psychotic and paranoid, unlike the other Barians, due to his altered personality. Vector also has a tendency to act alone, making plans on his own without any regards to his fellow Barians, even going as far as to ambush Alito and siding against Girag just to further his own twisted agenda. He has a great hatred for Yuma Tsukumo, Astral, Kite Tenjo, and Shark - due to the four constantly interfering with his plans - particularly Yuma, whom he takes pleasure in taunting him and causing him pain. He also demonstrates a tendency to break out into fits of deranged laughter. After being defeated for a second time by Yuma, Vector's hatred for the boy grew to extremely dangerous levels, even going as far as releasing the Barian deity, Don Thousand. He also is shown to be distrustful as noted by Number 96: Dark Mist, calling him a "second-rate villain" for using dirty tricks to manipulate duels. Vector also considers himself a god due to he and Don Thousand merged as one, and as such did not care if he and the Barians were all being used by Don Thousand. It was then revealed that the majority of his persona was due to Don Thousand's manipulation of his memories, and that he was a truly benevolent potentate who detested the concept of war and cared for his people. He got very upset at Don Thousand for this and yelled in agony. However, despite knowing what Don Thousand did, Vector ultimately tossed it aside, continued to mock Nash, and expressed a false remorse. When he saw how far Yuma went to rescue him even after he tried to take Yuma with him as he was about to be absorbed by Don Thousand, Vector had a change of heart, deciding to sacrifice himself while sincerely saying "Yuma-kun" one final time to Yuma.

As Ray, he has a very cheerful and loud exterior, which exasperates others at times. He is also very friendly and eager-to-please, but tends to rush recklessly into things and is quite clumsy. Although he usually has good intentions, Ray tends to cause problems or make things worse, something that Flip Turner and Caswell Francis have pointed out. Ray has a strong admiration, and an albeit fan-boyish personality towards Yuma Tsukumo, since he knew that Yuma won the World Duel Carnival, and even refers to Yuma as the "crown jewel" of Heartland Academy and Heartland City. In order to get close to Yuma, Ray treats Yuma with the utmost respect and is eager to do things for Yuma that will please him, such as getting him to have a Duel with pro-Duelist Devon Knox or voting for Yuma as new class representative of their class. He even wishes to join the Super Secret Number Card Investigation Club when he learned the club supports Yuma in his adventures.

Voice/Mannerisms
Vector is extremely egotistical, referring to himself as "the strongest Barian warrior" and uses "kono ore" to refer to himself.

As Ray, he used the boyish "boku", which is common for young boys who are usually demure in nature. When pretending to be a member of the "Barian Cosmic Crime Unit", he used the formal and neutral "watashi" and a deeper voice. He also used "watashi" when he possessed Dr. Faker.

He also has a habit of making sounds using the word "jyan" when revealing actions that he has done, doing so to Yuma and Astral after revealing that he was Ray, and when he was Dueling Marin and Dumon. During the aforementioned Duels, Vector occasionally used "Ray's" voice to taunt his opponents. In the English dub, Vector uses his regular voice to taunt Yuma, but he uses his Ray voice whenever he emphasizes a statement.

Abilities
In a similar manner to ZEXAL, Vector can merge with another being, except that he is the only one in control. When he does this, the merged form resembles his true form. Much like Girag, Vector can also brainwash humans into doing his bidding, though they act more like sleeper agents, not acting on the orders bestowed until a specific time, as seen with Brook. He is also the only known Barian, who aside from taking on a human form, can also assume an energy form, which is physically similar to Astral.

Like others of his kind, Vector also has the ability to teleport through portals. He can also make himself invisible, and phase from one spot to another, as seen when he reunited with Dumon and Mizar. He can create powerful illusions. Doing so, he can effectively create a copy of himself, which he can Duel through while still in his original body. These illusions can take the form of his original Barian self even on Earth. He also has great physical endurance, as he was able to swim through the waters of the Barian Sea that were burning through his body.

Vector can also create energy waves that push his enemies back. After becoming the host for Don Thousand, he was able to revive Girag and Alito from their stasis. He is also capable of utilizing telekinesis, shown when he used the ability to levitate Mr. Heartland. After gaining more power from those he absorbed, he was able to even restrain Don Thousand inside him with his energy.

Before becoming a Barian Emperor, Vector demonstrated the capability to play a Shadow Game. How he was able to do so is unknown.

Etymology
Vector's name is derived from Gamma Ursae Majoris, also known as Phecda, and a star located in the Big Dipper asterism. The name Vector is also a reference to Hector of Greek Mythology.

Rei means "zero", which can relate to alter ego's "Umbral Horror" Deck as it revolves mostly around 0 ATK. His last name's literal meaning is "true moon". The word "Shingetsu" can also come from the word "shining" or "enlightenment," referring to the type of Deck he uses in Duels. "Rei" could also translate into the word "ray", (used in the English dub) which in optics is defined as the vector pointing in the direction of propagating light, which can refer to both Vector's masquerade and also type of Deck Ray uses.

History
Centuries ago, Vector was born the human son of a ruthless warrior king. Shortly after his birth, the infant Vector received "Number 65: Djinn Buster", which fell into his crib from the sky. Years later, Vector's father fell ill, causing control of the country's military to fall to Vector. Not wishing to fight, he brokered a peace treaty with those they were at war with. This enraged his father, who insisted those kingdoms were close to becoming part of his. In a rage, he attacked his son with his own sword, but Vector's mother sacrificed herself to save him. After his mother died, his father fell prey to his illness. Don Thousand appeared before him and modified his memories by giving him "Number 104: Masquerade". Vector then remembered this event as he himself having killed both his parents. Thousand's actions corrupted Vector, causing him grief over his parents' death, resulting in his becoming just like his father.

Vector became a vicious monarch and conqueror of other kingdoms, much like his father. He eventually led a fleet of ships to the United Lands of the Poseidon Ocean, ruled by the past incarnations of Nash and Marin. He launched an assault using these ships and several "Gorgonic Guardians". Though very effective at the first, the gorgons were defeated with their own powers by reflecting them with mirror shields. When one of his men tried to talk him out of this particular conquest, Vector murdered him, then ordered his other men to throw his body into the ocean as a sacrifice to Abyss. He was pleased when Marin attempted to sacrifice herself to Abyss but was very annoyed when Dumon attempted to rescue her but failed. Instead, Marin's sacrifice brought forth another ocean god.

Knowing they cannot engage two ocean gods, Vector then ordered a retreat and later initiated war against Nash's kingdom. Vector eventually led Nash to a secret tunnel in what would eventually become a Number ruin, which also featured Don Thousand's Emblem above the doorway. There, he challenged him to a Shadow Game, with the rules being that the more monsters that were sent to the Graveyard, the more of Nash's troops would die. Vector's mill strategy resulted in the decimation of Nash's army, though Nash himself won the Duel. Vector survived though, and limped back to his own kingdom. He executed his servants and everyone else in the kingdom, executing a purge of all his own people, as they had that continually urged him to stop the war (in the dub, Vector exiled them). Nash pursued him and the two Dueled again, with Nash winning once again. Upon losing, Vector was overwhelmed by the souls of the people he slaughtered, dragging him to the darkest abyss as his punishment to be purge for all horrible things done in his nature.

An unknown number of years later, Don Thousand reincarnated him as one of the Seven Barian Emperors, as his soul was one that was connected to a Mythyrian "Number" card, which had sealed Thousand's power. Vector had no memory of his previous life, due to the "Over-Hundred Number" that he received from Don Thousand. Nash and Marin had also been reincarnated as Barians and Nash was leader of the group. Vector often clashed with Nash's leadership. After Nash had annoyed him enough to score 100,000,000 "points" on a scale Vector created, Vector took Marin hostage. When Nash intervened, Vector used "Great Sword of the Heavens" to open a bottomless rift and threw Marin into it, while Nash followed behind attempting to rescue her. Vector believed them dead, while Dumon believed they had simply vanished and assumed leadership of the group from them in the interim.

Due to both worlds being made of energy, they could not directly interact with one another and were also incapable of taking the "Numbers" directly. Instead, Vector schemed to use humans as pawns in his plan.

Five years before the World Duel Carnival, when Dr. Faker opened the door to the Barian World, Vector appeared before him. Making him believing that Hart Tenjo could only be kept alive were the powers from the Barian World, Faker then agreed to collect the "Numbers" for Vector in order to destroy the Astral World. If Faker did not complete his task, Vector would take Hart for himself.

Sometime after Byron Arclight was cast into the Barian World and rescued by the Emperors, Vector somehow enlisted him in his scheme to collect the Numbers and help destroy the Astral World in exchange for revenge against Dr. Faker.

World Duel Carnival Finals
When Faker's plan was near completion, he Dueled Yuma Tsukumo, Shark and Kite Tenjo. When the Duel turned towards their favor, Vector appeared and possessed Faker to continue the Duel, but eventually was defeated due to Yuma's "Number C39: Utopia Ray", "Xyz Unity" and "ZW - Ultimate Shield" combination. After the Duel, he disappeared, giving Faker control of his body back.

Barian Invasion
Alito mentioned Vector, saying he did not want to waste his time like Vector did when attempting to destroy the Astral World.

Following his defeat at the hands of Yuma, Astral, Shark and Kite, the other Barians believed Vector to be dead. In reality, he took on human form on Earth and began calling himself "Ray Shadows".

As Ray Shadows
After the Duel between Yuma Tsukumo and Fender, Ray observed everyone celebrating from an upper window, and then smiled.

While running to Heartland Academy, Ray crashed into Yuma on his way, and when he realized it Yuma, was excited to have met the champion of the World Duel Carnival. When Yuma said he was late, Ray refused to let that happen to Yuma and forcefully dragged him through rather odd "shortcuts" to make it to school. Once they arrived at class, Ray loudly announced their arrival and introduced himself as the new student of the class. Later, Ray overheard Yuma wishing to Duel pro-Duelist Devon Knox and took upon the task of getting Yuma a Duel by himself. Once Ray found Devon, he tried to make his request, but found that he was brainwashed by the Barian World. Devon then Dueled Ray in the hopes of finding out where Yuma was, but Ray refused to give him any information and was brutally defeated. When Yuma arrived and Dueled Devon, Ray watched and cheered for Yuma. After the Duel, Ray quickly ran over to a tired Yuma to carry him to the infirmary on his back. Officially friends, Ray then carried off Yuma while running, oblivious to Yuma's screaming.



When the class was electing a class president, Ray nominated Yuma, and when Yuma won, Ray voiced his congratulations. During lunch, he learned of the Super Secret Number Card Investigation Club from Yuma's friends and asked Bronk Stone for membership. They were interrupted by Caswell Francis, who had been assigned "Special Disciplinary Commander", and were shocked when he started to enforce rules upon the school. Later, Ray secretly watched Yuma Duel against Carlyle Chesterton by the gym pool with a concerned look. After Yuma won, Ray accepted Caswell's apologies and was later seen with Yuma talking about relinquishing his position as class president to Caswell. .



After school one day, Ray was walking with Yuma and his friends when Art Stanley asked Yuma to be his model for his manga, with Ray expressing excitement for Yuma. Later, Ray tagged along with Yuma and Tori Meadows to visit Rio Kastle at the hospital, bringing fruits and snacks for Rio, but Tori reminded him that Rio couldn't eat since she was unconscious at the time. They encountered Shark and was shocked to hear that his sister was missing. When a Barian-brainwashed Art appeared and challenged Shark to a Duel, Ray watched and cheered Shark on. As Shark was losing due to Art threatening Rio, Ray went along with Yuma to search for Art's sketchbook in hopes of finding his weakness. At school, Ray and Yuma found Art's manga about his Duel and informed Shark over his Duel Gazer that it ended with Shark losing and Rio not being saved. As Yuma urged Shark to continue Dueling for his sister, Ray watched the rest of the Duel over Yuma's Duel Gazer and was happy Shark won in the end.

When Rio came back to school, Ray ate lunch with her, Yuma, and the rest of his friends while listening to her talk about her brother. Later, Ray watched as Rio easily defeated a number of clubs and was amazed by her skills. When Rio was invited to the Floral Design Club, Ray came along with his friends and met the leader, Lotus Hanazoe. As Lotus talked to them, Ray was the first to sense that there was something wrong with her. When Lotus used her power to make everyone unconscious, Ray appeared to be affected, but was really pretending to be asleep. Ray maintained this facade and secretly listened to Lotus revealing her trap to get Yuma and Shark's "Numbers" for the Barian World. When Yuma and the girls went outside, Ray watched Rio Duel against Lotus from the window. After Rio won and they walked home together, Ray feigned ignorance about not being awake until after Rio won, and was amused to find out that Rio had a fear of cats.

One day on the way to school, Ray chased after Yuma, who was racing with Bronk, and pleading with him to wait for him. During Alito's failed attempts to woo Tori, Ray accompanied Yuma through the transitions, one involving nearly drowning due to Yuma's forcing him to jump into the school's pool. When Yuma found a note on his desk, Ray popped out from under him and told Yuma it was a note of a challenge, startling Yuma in the process. While Yuma Dueled Alito on top of the roof, Ray went to find Tori and explained what Yuma was doing for her. They arrived to the roof after Yuma won against Alito, and witnessed the two form a friendship.

One day after school, Ray made an innocent suggestion to have a mascot girl for the Super Secret Number Card Investigation Club. At first, Ray though Tori should be it, since he thought she was Yuma's "girlfriend", but then realized that Tori couldn't Duel and therefore couldn't be the mascot, incidentally causing a fight between her and Cathy. Ray rushed outside to get Yuma and take him to the classroom to stop the fighting, explaining the situation to him. Although Yuma and Ray tried to calm everybody down, their friends and Rio's arguing became worse and they refused to speak to one another the next day. While walking home, Ray tried to cheer Yuma up by offering to Duel him, and they were met by Girag. Ray and Yuma listened to Girag suggesting they hold a "Friendship Games" to help their friends make up, which they agreed to. During the tournament, Ray acted as the announcer for each round and helped Girag referee the events. Before the final round, Ray expressed happiness that their friends made up with each other, and then became suspicious when Girag arranged a Duel between Yuma and Tori's teams, but he did not do anything about it. On the "Baseball Field", Ray continued to be the announcer and watched the Duel from the stands with his friends. When Tori Summoned her "CXyz Dark Fairy Cheer Girl", he showed visible concern, but was happy that Yuma was able to defeat the girls and cheered when he won.

One day after school, Ray walked home with Yuma and Tori and asked Tori why Yuma seemed so depressed. Later, Ray went into the woods after Kite Tenjo took Yuma's place to Duel against Mizar and stayed hidden in the trees to watch. After the Duel, Ray paid a visit to a hospitalized Yuma, and was slightly intimidated by Kari Tsukumo after seeing her scold Yuma.

Once Yuma was discharged from the hospital, Ray waited for him to come by so they could go to school together, but then they were approached by many Barian-brainwashed Duelists from their school. Yuma, who was worried about his safety, told Ray to run, but they were surrounded at the Heartland pier. Luckily, Shark, Tori and Rio came to help them fight off the Duelists. While Yuma and the others were defeating the minions, Ray became brainwashed by Girag as well and grabbed Yuma from behind. Holding Yuma in place, just before Ray and the Duelists were going to finish Yuma off, Alito appeared and defeated them, thus freeing them all from Barian's control. As he regained consciousness, Ray's left eye glowed red when Alito revealed his alliance with the Barian World. When Alito and Yuma started to Duel, Ray intensely watched the Duel with his friends, but vanished afterwards and attacked Alito.

A few days later, Ray and Yuma tried to find a shortcut to school together, only to be chased down on the way by a group of dogs. The two arrived at school late, exhausted and slightly injured. Ray apologized as he thought that it the best way for them to go to school that way. When Caswell and Flip commented how Ray's intentions never did any good, he apologized again, but Yuma told him it was fine and Ray burst into tears of happiness. Flip and Caswell then commented that Ray and Yuma were a good combo of friends, despite Ray's bumbling antics. The next morning, Ray met up with Yuma, who wanted to ask him a question about Alito. Ray interrupted Yuma by telling him he found the shortest way to school and asked Yuma to trust him. After school, Ray found out that Girag challenged Yuma to a Duel and he was to bring Ray along too. Ray confronted Tori and Bronk, and they told him that Yuma didn't want him to be involved and kept it a secret from him, but Ray still wanted to go. Frustrated and crying, Ray stated that he knew he would get in the way since he was timid and not very skilled at Dueling, but he still wanted to go because Yuma was his friend. Following Tori and Bronk, Ray pleaded with Yuma to let him join the Duel. Yuma agreed as long Ray didn't overdo it. Ray made many blunders throughout the Duel, which resulted in the rapid depletion of his and Yuma's Life Points. Once again, Ray apologized for making Yuma protect him. As the Duel continued, Ray started to play seriously and protected Yuma from Girag. He finally revealed his secret by throwing "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force" to Yuma, who used it to change "Number 39: Utopia" to "Number C39: Utopia Ray V". With their new card, Yuma and Ray won the Duel. Girag questioned who Ray was, but only smirked and said that he will learn "sooner or later". Once Girag retreated, Yuma demanded answers from him - Ray claimed he was an officer of the "Barian Cosmic Crime Unit", but told him be to be quiet about it in front Bronk and Tori. At night, Ray explained his mission to Yuma and asked him to keep this a secret from everybody else. He then told Yuma that he would be his "subordinate" from now and watched nervously as Yuma nearly fell off the roof.

At school, Ray and Yuma searched the old gym that Girag and Alito had used as their hideout, only to find they were not there. He and Yuma talked about Astral's condition and told Yuma that he might rank up if Yuma worked hard enough with him. Later, Ray accompanied Yuma to the infirmary when he was worried about Astral and witnessed the Emperor's Key sucking Yuma inside. Once Yuma came out, Ray saw Number 96 give a warning to Astral and Ray listened to Yuma explaining what had happened, which seemed to worry him. During gym one day, Ray presented a "Barian Cosmic Crime Unit" badge to Yuma and questioned him about Kite. Their conversation was cut off when a soccer ball was heading towards them and Ray ducked, letting the ball hit Yuma instead. Later, Ray watched the Duel between Yuma and Orbital 7, with his reactions ranged from excitement to bemusement, but laughed once he found out Orbital did this for Lilly. Later, Ray and his friends were giving advice to Bronk how to get Rio's affections and Shark's approval. Ray suggested that Bronk Duel Shark for his approval, indirectly setting off a chain of events, leading an misunderstanding. Later, he joined Rio when she confronted her brother about the rumor and witnessed their Duel.

During Heartland Academy's Fun Fair, Ray and his friends hosted a Monster Cafe and cosplay, with Ray himself cosplaying as "Dandylion". When Ray heard about the "Couples Duel tournament" with pro-Duelists team Mayday Walker and Brook Walker, he ran to notify Yuma about this and ended being threatened by Anna Kaboom to see if he was telling the truth about Brook retiring from Dueling. At some point in the night, Vector returned to his energy form and brainwashed Brook, giving her "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force" as well. Later, Ray and Yuma spoke inside a bathroom stall and Ray told Yuma that they were looking for any Barians that might be at the festival. Although Ray was initially happy that Yuma was cooperating with the mission, he became slightly annoyed when Yuma started to focus on food rather than their job. After Anna dragged Yuma away to enter the tournament, Ray followed them to watch their Duel. He pretended to be worried after finding out that Brook was brainwashed by a Barian. When Yuma Summoned "Utopia Ray V", Ray watched proudly as he won the Duel and they exchanged smiles. Afterwards, Ray stayed near Yuma as he chatted with Mayday and nervously watched as Yuma and Anna fell off a flight of stairs.

Dropping the masquerade
Vector proceeded with his plan and lured Yuma to him at night. Deploying a Barian Sphere Cube and still in the form of Ray, he projected an illusion of himself, with it looking like his cloaked Barian form, thus setting up a Duel with himself. When Yuma arrived, "Vector" fled and Ray claimed that Vector was a criminal that had plagued the Barian Cosmic Crime Unit for years. He handed Yuma new "V" cards to help fight the Barians. Later, Vector appeared before Mizar and Dumon, surprising the two as they thought he was killed when Dr. Faker was defeated. Vector joked about how Alito and Girag lost, annoying Mizar to the point that the latter had to be restrained from physically attacking him by Dumon. Dumon then blamed Vector for his previous failures, but Vector claimed that everything went according to his plan - including his defeat while possessing Faker. Dumon warned him to stop acting on his own, threatening to put an end to him with his own hands. Nevertheless, they agreed to let Vector continue his plan. Using the illusion of himself, he "arrived" on Earth in a energy ball, attracting Yuma's attention by nearly mowing him and his friends down and destroying several buildings. While still posing as Ray at the Duel's sidelines, Vector Dueled Yuma through his illusion. Yuma drew one of the cards that Ray gave him, "V Salamander", and used it to counterattack and win the Duel. With Vector's loss, the illusion reached out to kidnap Yuma, but Vector himself, as Ray, got in the way. With that, Vector departed for the Barian World, leaving "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" with Astral.

Using "Master Key Beetle", Astral activated the Different Dimension Airship inside the Emperor's Key. The ship took them to "Sargasso the D.D. Battlefield", where Vector, Dumon and Mizar awaited them. They separated the group, with Vector facing Yuma, Mizar facing Kite, and Dumon facing Shark. Vector mockingly greeted Yuma, who demanded to see Ray. Vector complied and brought an unconscious Ray through a portal, taunting Yuma by saying he wouldn't ever wake up. Enraged, Yuma angrily commenced the Duel, with Vector bringing out "Number 104: Masquerade". When Yuma Xyz Summoned "Number 39: Utopia", he told Yuma about the effect of "Sargasso" and watched it hit him with lightning. . Vector continuously taunted Yuma, causing Yuma to reach his breaking point and Summon "Number C39: Utopia Ray V" and reduce Vector's Life Points to 1300. With that strike, the illusory body he had been using was destroyed, and when the dust cleared, "Ray" stood against Yuma.

Finally revealing himself, he underwent Barian Battlemorph into his true form and said that he had been masquerading as "Ray Shadows" in an effort to befriend Yuma and further his plans against him. He clarified that the "Vector" Yuma had Dueled before and was Dueling up until now was merely an illusion and mockingly saluted his assistant "Detective Yuma". Yuma was saddened by the sudden revelations and appeared to lose hope. Continuing the Duel, Vector used "Vain Betrayer" to mill Yuma's "V" cards and most of his Deck, leaving him with few options, while mocking Yuma by using "Ray's" voice.

Using "Masquerade", Vector reduced Yuma's Deck further, while "Sargasso" reduced his Life Points, putting him in a desperate situation. Seeing Astral and Yuma arguing with each other, Vector chided Yuma for keeping secrets from his partner and called Yuma a "traitor", who just wanted to be friends with him more than with Astral. When Yuma and Astral attempted to use ZEXAL, Vector questioned if Astral could really become one with Yuma right now and reminded Astral that Yuma kept secrets from him, which Astral was confused with Yuma. Vector stated that the darkness would grow and asked Astral if he really thought he could resist the darkness inside of him in his current mental state, reminding him that "Utopia Ray V" is of "Barian origin", before blasting out a shockwave that separated the two. Vector observed with glee as Astral's entire body turned dark and he forcefully initiated ZEXAL again with Yuma, resulting in Dark ZEXAL with Astral in control, though he did not expect this to occur. Vector was able to use Astral's reckless Dueling to his advantage and trapped them in a loop where Astral would rapidly lose his Life Points. Before the final attack that would cause Dark ZEXAL's Life Points to reduce enough that he'd be defeated by "Sargasso" at the End Phase, Dark ZEXAL defused, and Yuma stopped the attack. Vector then brought out his "Number C104: Umbral Horror Masquerade", and destroyed their "DZW - Chimera Clad", rendering "Utopia Ray V" vulnerable. Yuma was able to fight on, using the cards that were sent to his Graveyard to bring out "Utopia" and negate the attack, but leaving him with "Limited Barian's Force" as the only card in his Deck. Vector taunted Yuma about not being able to fight back, and Set "Barian Explosion" to ensure Yuma's defeat. When Yuma and Astral reconciled with each other, they merged again into one as ZEXAL II and changed "Limited Barian's Force" into "Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force", defeating Vector with their new monster, "Number C39: Utopia Ray Victory". One of Vector's wings was badly damaged in the process. Before retreating, Vector warned Astral the dark stain in his heart did not disappear and will corrode his bond with Yuma.

Mythyrian Numbers War
Frustrated and enraged that Yuma and Astral had defeated him for a second time, Vector journeyed to the Barian Sea. Swimming through it, he found the spot where Don Thousand was sealed and released him. He offered Don Thousand his life in exchange for the power to defeat Yuma and Astral. Thousand told him to journey to Earth and find the seven sealed Mythyrian "Numbers", which would fully revive Don Thousand. Vector agreed and Thousand merged with him, empowering Vector with new abilities and restoring his severely wounded body. Vector proceeded to meet with Dumon and Mizar again and told them that Astral's full powers will awaken soon.

They blamed him for the failure of the "Sargasso" plan, saying that Yuma and Astral are even stronger now. Vector retorted that without his plans, the Barians would be even worse off. This enraged Mizar, but Dumon stopped him once more. He revealed that thousands of years ago, Astral defeated Don Thousand. Without his memories, Astral's powers are not as strong - if he recovered all his memories, the Barian World would be finished. He told them of the Mythyrian "Numbers" that were sealed and revealed he revived Mr. Heartland from the Barian Sea in the form of a fly. Heartland told them of information he had obtained when he served Dr. Faker - the twenty-three points on Earth where doors to other dimensions may open. Vector added to Dumon that they may find Nash and Marin as well - the other Barian Emperors who vanished. Dumon and Mizar ultimately agreed and left to start searching, while Vector used some of Don Thousand's powers to accelerate the healing of Girag and Alito.

In pursuit of a Mythyrian "Numbers", Vector headed to South America, where he traced Number 96: Dark Mist, finding him in possession of a politician named Parker. He asked to be Number 96's servant, which Number 96 found amusing. Vector claimed he simply wanted to be at the right hand of the "true king". Telling Number 96 of the Mythyrian "Numbers", he gave him "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force" as a sign of loyalty. The two journeyed to the ruins. As soon as he entered, Vector seemed affected in some way and felt dread, which amused Don Thousand. Vector demanded an answer, but Thousand told Vector he did not need to know the truth yet and urged him to take advantage of every opportunity he has, including his partnership with Number 96. Exploring the castle, Vector's body moved on its own, unlocking the path to the chamber of the "Number". Number 96 defeated its guardian and obtained it, while Vector detected that Yuma and Astral were headed to the ruins. They trapped Yuma and his friends in cages. Vector taunted Yuma, saying he felt lonely since Yuma would not even call him "Ray Shadows" anymore. Vector told Astral that he and Number 96 will Duel for the "Numbers" if he wanted to free Yuma and his friends. While Astral was forced into a Duel with Dark Mist, Vector sadistically watched and activated the temple's traps whenever Number 96 took damage, endangering Yuma's life. When "Number 65: Djinn Buster" was summoned to the field, Vector felt a bizarre presence from it. After Number 96 tied the Duel with Astral, Vector triggered the ruins' self-destruct mechanism and fled with Number 96. Traveling through the dimensions, Number 96 departed from Vector as they fled, telling him to meet him again if he has a new plan. Although Vector wanted to go after Number 96, Don Thousand told him to let the latter go and said that Alito and Girag should be awake now.

Vector called Dumon and Mizar back to the Barian World and informed them that Alito and Girag had awoken. Vector was unfazed by Alito's new personality, and was rather pleased with Alito's goal of "crushing" Yuma. Thousand later informed Vector that the last two Mythyrian "Numbers" had fallen into the hands of Yuma's allies, though he claimed it wouldn't be a problem though. Vector asked how much Don Thousand really knows and Thousand responded "everything", including what Vector felt when he entered the ruins. He confirmed that Vector was once human, then became a Barian and claimed that he was also responsible for the deaths of Nash and Marin. He then ordered Vector to find Number 96 as the latter was about to put his own plan into effect. When Number 96's attack affected Earth and both the Astral and Barian Worlds, Thousand again told Vector to go after him. Vector finally located Number 96 and witnessed his defeat by Yuma and Astral in their ZEXAL II form. Thousand called Vector to his palace after this and clarified that Number 96 was a shard of his power stuck in Astral during their battle. He granted Vector four "Numbers", but instructed him to wait to use them and revealed a device that could fuse the human and Barian Worlds, amplifying Thousand's power and destroy the Astral World. More devices were needed for it though and Thousand must remain in the palace to use Number 96's power to create them. He instructed Vector to sit on the throne, which then encased his body within an encumbering armor. Vector then called on Mr. Heartland and the Fearsome Four of the Dark Dueling World to use the new "Numbers" to battle Yuma.

After Semimaru's defeat at the hands of Yuma and Trey, Heartland reported the failure to Vector and apologized. Vector responded that he would tolerate no more failures. Heartland revealed he had the next assassin set up - Kurage, a WATER Duelist who once served as Heartland's own mentor. Upon hearing this, Vector ordered Heartland to send Kurage after Shark and mused that whenever he thinks of Shark, his chest fills with rage. Around the time Yuma finished his Duel with Eliphas, he and Don Thousand had completed the devices and Vector was released from the throne.

They met with Mr. Heartland in Thousand's palace and showed him the vast amount of fake "Numbers" in the Dimension-Fusing Device, which they planned to release upon the human world. After threatening Heartland, Vector and Thousand sent him along with the "Numbers" to Earth to start their plan. While Vector himself remained in the Barian World, he watched Mr. Heartland Duel with Kite Tenjo and childishly laughing at the way Heartland pummeled Kite with dirty tricks. His pleasure was cut short when he noticed a flash in the Barian World that signal for the Barian Emperors to meet. He met with the other Barians, but was shocked by hearing a familiar voice from next to the throne, which he identified as Marin's and deduced the one next to her to be Nash, both of whom he had murdered in the past. As Vector inwardly reeled from his shock, Dumon revealed to him that Nash and Marin had ended up Earth as Shark and Rio and lost their memories as a result. Vector was ready to panic, wondering if they had all their memories back, but Don Thousand told him to calm down and that though they had their memories, Vector's blood was not what was on Nash's mind. In an effort to prove his loyalty to the Barians, Nash gave Vector leave to kill him should he sense any degree of betrayal. Dumon then questioned if the current situation on Earth was Vector's doing - only Don Thousand should be able to merge the worlds. Vector denied any involvement and pinned it on Heartland, suggesting it was he that released Thousand. Vector went on to suggest they attack Earth now since Yuma and Astral are away. Nash chided him for underestimating them - they would return. Nash gave each of the Barian Emperors new powers first, then consented to Vector's plan.

Barian Emperor Onslaught
After Mr. Heartland was defeated, the Seven Barian Emperors arrived together on Earth in front of Yuma and commenced Barian Battlemorph. After Yuma was rendered unable to Duel when the Emperor's Key reacted with Nash's Barian Emblem, Roku and Kaze arrived and pelted the Emperors with smoke bombs, allowing Yuma's group to escape. The Emperors gave chase, with all of them except Vector being forced into Duels with Yuma's friends. Vector instead chose to sit on a rooftop and watch Nash's Duel with Quattro in an effort to gauge Nash's current power. As the Duel continued, he reacted with shock when Nash led the other Emperors in a simultaneous Barian's Chaos Draw. This allowed each of them to create "Rank-Up-Magic The Seventh One" and bring out their "Number C" monsters instantly. Vector was floored by this power and even Thousand expressed surprise that Nash was able to pass that power to the other Emperors. Vector gloated that defeating the humans should be easy now even if they get ganged up on, but wondered if Nash would be able to Duel his former friend. As the Duel continued, Vector believed Quattro had won at several points, but Nash countered each move. Determining he could not underestimate Nash's power, he commented it was time to enact his own plan after Nash ordered the remaining Emperors to pursue Astral, Yuma, Kite, Trey and Quinton.

Vector met with Girag and Alito, ordering Girag to lure Nash back to the Barian World and Alito to pursue Yuma, knowing he could not avoid to fight both Nash and Yuma. The two questioned why they should listen to Vector, and he responded by asking who they thought woke them from their "nap" earlier and called on Don Thousand, who appeared and grabbed both Girag and Alito by the necks. Alito called him a fool for unleashing Thousand, but Thousand exerted his influence on them both, effectively turning them into Vector's puppets. From on top of a blimp, Vector saw the Sphere Field generated by Quinton and Trey's bracelets, which trapped Mizar, Dumon and Marin. He opted to keep his distance but watch the Duel, chiding Mizar and mockingly calling him "Miza-chan" when he drew "Rank-Up-Magic The Seventh One" at a time he was unable to play it. He commented that a dragon tamer was nothing without a dragon to control. He was floored by the effect of Quinton's "Number C9: Chaos Dyson Sphere" and once Mizar made his comeback he departed to the Barian World.

In the Barian World, Vector sat on the throne and greeted Marin and Dumon when they arrived. He informed them he intended to unite the power of the Seven Emperors. Dumon responded that the seven were already united, but Vector corrected him, saying he would absorb their powers for himself. He revealed that he had released Don Thousand and that the Seven Emperors were simply his pawns to ensure the restoration of his power. Dumon pointed out that that applied to Vector too, but Vector claimed that with Thousand's power, he was a god himself. The three Dueled in a Battle Royal style, though Marin and Dumon combined "Number 103: Ragna Zero" and "Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry" to destroy "Number 96: Dark Mist". However, Vector Summoned "Number 43: Soul Marionetter" and equipped "Dark Mist" to it before recovering his Life Points using the Continuous Spell "Don Thousand's Throne", which drew its power from Nash, who is held captive within a Sphere Field, which in turn increased the monster's ATK and deals damage to Marin. Vector revealed his "point" system and the fact that he had killed Nash and Marin previously. Marin, enraged by Vector's words, used "The Seventh One" to bring out "Number C103: Ragna Infinity". Unfortunately, despite Marin and Dumon's strategies, with the latter Summoning his own Chaos Number, "Number C102: Starfallen Seraph Noble Archfiend", in the process, Vector managed to escape defeat and used the effect of his "Damage Pot" to try and take down both Emperors in one go, Dumon used "Saint Shield" to reflect all the damage to himself, causing him to vanish. An enraged Marin then attacked Vector directly, but just as she thought she had defeated him, Vector's laugh ominously echoed from the smoke.

He revealed to Marin that by sending "Don Thousand's Throne" to the Graveyard, he could negate her attack and end her turn, while also Ranking-Up his Number. He performed a Chaos Xyz Evolution, Summoning "Number C43: Chaos Marionetter" and activated "Cursed Chaos", preventing Marin from activating the effect of "Ragna Infinity" without paying 500 Life Points. By activating the effect of "Chaos Marionetter", he Summoned a "Soul Token" that could attack multiple times, while giving "Chaos Marionetter" ATK equal to the damage Vector would have taken. Vector used both monsters to defeat Marin. He then taunted Marin and absorbed her soul along with Dumon's. Afterwards, Don Thousand informed him that Girag had recovered his true memories and was free from his grasp. Vector transported to Girag's location and attempted to kill him and Yuma with "Chaos Marionetter". Girag pushed Yuma out of the way, taking the blow. Vector then absorbed Girag's soul, taking Alito's and Ponta's souls in the process. Sensing Nash was breaking free from the area Don Thousand confined him to, Vector headed back to the Barian World. Vector transported the ruins connected to his past life to the Barian World to serve as the arena where he would face Nash.

As Nash was about to arrive, Don Thousand conversed with Vector, only to be restrained by Vector and removed from his sight. After Nash arrived, he and Vector had a brief talk, then they began their Duel. Although Nash was able to inflict damage to Vector, Vector used this to his advantage and brought forth his fellow Barians' Chaos "Numbers", while taunting Nash about Marin's sacrifice. Eventually Vector's "Number C104: Umbral Horror Masquerade" clashed with "Number C65: King Overfiend", awakening his true memories. After regaining his true memories, Vector tricked everyone into thinking he was going to reform, but then revealed it was an act to lower Nash's guard. He later explained to Don Thousand that he had been suspicious of him since learning he tampered with memories of the others. Declaring himself to be more powerful than Thousand, Vector incinerated him and proceeded to attempt to finish off Nash, only to be countered since Nash didn't believe in his words. Vector used "Rank-Up-Magic Admire Des Thousand" to bring out "Number C5: Chaos Chimera Dragon", but Nash narrowly survived and counterattacked with "Rank-Up-Magic Quick Chaos" and "Number C73: Abyss Supra", defeating Vector.

After his defeat, Vector was about to be absorbed into Don Thousand only for Yuma to attempt to save him at the last second, wanting to reconcile his bonds as Ray Shadows. Vector attempted to take advantage of this by dragging Yuma with him, but he was taken aback by Yuma's sincerity, as he wouldn't abandon him or their former friendship. Seeing the trust that Yuma put on him, and remembering the times that he spent with him as Ray, Vector had a change of heart and sacrificed himself to Thousand to protect Yuma.

During Nash's Duel with Yuma, Vector's soul appeared to support Nash alongside those of the other Emperors after Nash overlaid their "Chaos Over-Hundred Numbers" to create "CXyz Dystopic Barian".

Reginald Kastle/Nash
He demonstrates an uncontrollable loathing towards Nash, claiming he "disliked him" from the moment the two met and even going as far as creating a "point system" in which Nash would score 1 point each time Nash spoke, annoyed Vector or did anything and decided to betray him after scoring the grand total of 100,000,000 points.

Vector is also shown to be afraid of Nash to an extent, as he was horrified and backed away when he found out he was still alive, and had to be calmed down by Don Thousand when he started to panic at Nash possibly remembering what he did. Vector has a habit of sitting on Nash's throne when the latter is absent.

Their animosity goes far back in the past, as they went to war with one another, which ended with Nash losing his sister and his army. It is so strong that Vector mused that his heart filled with rage whenever he thought of Shark - before he knew that Shark was actually Nash.

Yuma Tsukumo and Astral
Vector shows immense hatred towards both Yuma and Astral due to his defeat at the hands of Yuma, Shark and Kite. He vowed revenge and began his new plan almost immediately, taking the persona of Ray Shadows in an attempt to gain Yuma's trust as well as undermine his and Astral's friendship.

Vector's hatred for both Yuma and Astral was the catalyst for him releasing Don Thousand from his prison in the Barian World and he even sold his soul to him in order to have the power to utterly defeat the duo. However after Yuma sees Vector's real memories he trusts that Vector is in fact kind at heart. While Vector used this to his advantage, to trick Yuma and Nash, Vector tried to pull Yuma with him when he was about to be absorbed into Don Thousand, but Yuma did not mind and was willing to go with Vector, since he still regarded him as his friend. Seeing the trust Yuma had placed on him, he had a change of heart and decided to sacrifice himself to ensure Yuma's safety.

Number Hunting
Vector's "Over-Hundred Number" is "Number 104: Masquerade", with its upgraded "Chaos" form being "Number C104: Umbral Horror Masquerade".

Vector acquired "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" via unknown means and intentionally lost a Duel to Yuma in order to give the card to Astral. After the defeat of Number 96, his power returned to its origin - Don Thousand. This resulted in Vector obtaining the "Numbers" that Number 96 owned, among them "Number 65: Djinn Buster" and "Number 96: Dark Mist" itself, as well as their corresponding "Number C" forms, "Number C65: King Overfiend" and "Number C96: Dark Storm".

Don Thousand gave Vector access to four fake "Numbers" - "Number 1: Infection Baal Zebul", "Number 2: Shadow Mosquito Ninja" , "Number 3: Cicada King" and "Number 4: Stealth Kragen". These he gave to the Fearsome Four of the Dark Dueling World.

Vector obtained "Number 43: Soul Marionetter" through unknown means and also upgraded it into "Number C43: Chaos Marionetter".

After beginning his vendetta against his fellow Barian Emperors, Vector obtained the "Over-Hundred Numbers" they had previously owned - "Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry" from Dumon, "Number 103: Ragna Zero" from Marin, "Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus" from Alito and "Number 106: Giant Hand" from Girag. This also gave him access to their "Number C" forms - "Number C102: Starfallen Seraph Noble Archfiend", "Number C103: Ragna Infinity", "Number C105: Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus" and "Number C106: Giant Red Hand", respectively. Presumably, he also gained "Number 58: Burner Viser" from Girag and "Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu", "Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk" and "Number C80: Requiem in Berserk" from Alito.

Vector also has access to "Number C5: Chaos Chimera Dragon" and presumbly its base form as well. After his loss to Nash, his "Numbers" were taken by Don Thousand when the latter disposed of him.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL
During Dr. Faker's Duel with Yuma, Shark and Kite, Vector possesses him as he revealed everything that Vector had told him to do. He uses Dr. Faker's Deck for the duration of the Duel.

Shining
As Ray, Vector plays a "Shining" Deck, which focuses on low Level and low ATK monsters with effects that inflict effect damage in combination with monster destruction. He hides his true Dueling prowess from his opponents at first, then surprises them with his traps and various strategic maneuvers later on. He is also willing to take losses to maintain his clumsy public persona. While these monsters look cute and happy, a couple of them show malevolent appearances before making attacks or using effects, insinuating at the Duelist's true nature.

Umbral Horror
Vector uses an "Umbral Horror" Deck focused on swarming through the effects of his monsters. The first variant of the Deck centers on Summoning "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" and use its effect to protect "Magical Tomb" in order to lock the cards of his opponents. This variant also combines "Corrupted Keys" and "Umbral Horror Retaliation" in order to destroy the opponent's monsters and perform a OTK.

The second variant of the Deck focuses on a Mill strategy through cards like "Vain Betrayer" as well as burn damage. Part of his Deck is specifically designed to take advantage of Yuma using the "V" cards given to him, since "Vain" requires the opponent to possess "V" cards and "Barian Explosion" counters "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force".

Mythyrian Numbers War
In the past, Vector used a "Gorgonic" Deck, focused on Deck Destruction. Via the rules of the Shadow Game, this directly affected Nash's soldiers.

Barian Emperor Onslaught
Vector continues to use his "Umbral Horror" Deck, his first variant, in his Duel against Dumon and Marin has an emphasis on Level/Rank 2 tactics and dealing burn damage, which he achieves through "Umbral Horror Ghost" and "Umbral Horror Will o' the Wisp" to Summon monsters like "Number 96: Dark Mist" and "Number 43: Soul Marionetter". He then uses "Don Thousand's Throne" in combination with "Number 43: Soul Marionetter" to inflict burn damage while having "Number C43: Chaos Marionetter" as a back-up.

His second variant, in his Duel against Nash, focuses on swarm tactics, by Special Summoning "Number C" and "Chaos Over-Hundred Number" monsters, including those he acquired from Dumon and Marin via "Chaos Rising" and "Chaos Mad Feast". Ultimately he uses these cards in his goal to Summon "Number C5: Chaos Chimera Dragon" via "Rank-Up-Magic Admire Des Thousand".