Millennium Items

The Millennium Items were forged to keep the ancient magic of the Shadow Games locked up forever. There are seven 'official' Millennium Items:

History
There are two different, contradictory accounts that explain how the Millennium Items were created.

In an early chapter of the manga (Duel 14: The Man From Egypt (Part 2) in Volume 2: The Cards With Teeth), Shadi explains that the Millennium Items were created by the magicians of the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt to punish thieves who rob the pharaohs' tombs. Shadi says that this is written in the Pert Em Hiru, or Coming Forth By Day (the Egyptian title of The Book of The Dead). The first series anime also uses this story.

The later chapters of the manga (published as Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World in North America) and the second series anime explain the origin differently, performing a retcon. With Egypt under threat from invading armies in 3,000 years ago (5,000 in English Version), the Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen (Aknamkanon in the English anime, Akunamkanon in the Japanese anime) sought to protect his land through mystical means, and laid down the command for the seven magical Millennium Items to be forged. Akhenamkhanen's brother, Akhenaden (Aknadin, Akunadin in the Japanese) was charged with creating the items, but Akhenaden refrained from informing his brother that in order to do so, ninety-nine human sacrifices were required. The village of Kul Elna became the victim of the Pharaoh's unwitting decree, as Akhenaden had them slaughtered, their blood, bone and flesh melted in with the gold that was cast in the mystic rite that formed the items (in the English anime, to replace this gory concept, it is the spirits of the slaughtered which are harnessed to complete the rite that forges the items).

With Akhenamkhanen possessing the Millennium Puzzle, the remaining six items were entrusted to his high priests - the Millennium Ring was held by Mahado (Mahad in English anime), the Millennium Rod by Seto (ancient version of Seto Kaiba), the Millennium Tauk (Millennium Necklace) by Isis, the Millennium Key by Shada, the Millennium Scale by Kalim (Karim) and the Millennium Eye by Akhenaden himself. Using the Items' combined power, an army of Duel Monsters was summoned which repelled the invading foes of Egypt. However, upon discovering the dark truth behind the Items' creation, Akhenamkhanen attempted to atone by offering his soul up to the Egyptian Gods as penance, sparing his son from any future retribution for his own indirect actions.

When his father died, the Pharaoh Atem was given the Millennium Puzzle, and in time, Siamon Muran (Shimon) relinquished the Millennium Rod to the hands of Seto, a young priest who was, unknown to everyone, including himself, the son of Akhenaden, who became a strong friend of Atem, though both young men remained unaware that they were cousins. Thief King Bakura, a survival of the slaughter in Kul Elna, stole the holy duel disk from the tomb of Akhenamkhanen. By using it, Bakura could summon the ka, or soul, sealed in slates in the tomb of Akhenamkhanen and the demon Diabound, which created by the ka of the deceased people in Kul Elna (originally, a Millennium Item was needed to summon Ka, except your own.). After failing to beat Atem, he defeated Mahado and acquired the Millennium Ring. Then, using the Millennium Ring, Bakura injected evil thoughts into Akhenaden's Millennium Eye to corrupt his mind. Akhenaden wanted his son, Seto, to become the new Pharaoh, so he helped Bakura defeat the other priests and Atem, then he placed the Millennium Items upon the stone slab to summon the Dark God Zorc. While Zorc attempted to decimate the planet, Atem used his own name and the magics of the Shadow Games, within the Millennium Items, sealed his own soul in the Millennium Puzzle and Zorc in hell, wiping his memory so that he could not recall it, so that the binding might never be undone.

With Atem's eventual death, the Millennium Puzzle was entombed along with him in his crypt in the Valley of the Kings. And in a chamber beneath the village of Kul Elna, a sculpted stone rested - should the seven Millennium Items be placed upon it, along with the eighth key, the Pharaoh's name, Zorc would be free again.

The magic of the Shadow Games was unleashed when the Millennium Puzzle was solved by Yugi Mutou in the present day, and he embarked on a series of adventures that eventually resulted in the locations of the Millennium Items being revealed, and the three Egyptian God Cards coming into his possession. Placed on a stone tablet that professed to chronicle a battle between the Pharaoh and Seto, the cards and the Puzzle opened a gateway to Ancient Egypt, through which the soul of the Pharaoh was pulled. Back in his original body, but still lacking in his memories, the Pharaoh was reunited with his priests, and Akhenaden's treachery was revealed as the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, which had also travelled back in time, stole the Items from their owners and used them to resurrect Zorc, only to have him be eradicated for eternity at the hands of the union of the three Egyptian Gods, The Creator of Light. Back in the present, following Atem's defeat at the hands of his vessel, Yugi, in the conclusion of the Ceremonial Battle and the series, the Millennium Items, placed onto the tablet just before the duel began, would open a gateway to the afterlife, allowing the Pharaoh Atem to be finally at rest. Afterwards, the temple would then crumble, sealing all 7 Millennium Items deep underground for eternity.

Millennium Puzzle


The Millenium Puzzle is the Millennium Item owned by Yugi Mutou. It was given to Yugi by his grandfather. The puzzle, once completed, resembles an upside-down pyramid with an eye on the front. It has a ring ontop, allowing it to be worn around the owner's neck.

The puzzle once contained the soul of the Pharaoh, Atem. It is extremely complex to solve, having taken Yugi at least eight years to successfully assemble it. Once he finally managed to do so, the puzzle released the power of the Shadow Games, split his soul in two halves, and then infused the soul of the Pharaoh it contained into Yugi's body.

In addition to holding the soul of Atem, the Puzzle is able to fulfill one wish of the one who solved it, and heighten its owner's chance of success in a game judging by their skill as well as the importance of the game at hand. The hieroglyphics enscribed on the puzzle say, "The one who solves me shall gain the powers of knowledge and powers of darkness..."

In addition to many other abilities, the puzzle is able to allow it's user to change the card they draw at the beginning of their turn to be whatever they desire.

In the manga, Yugi (as Dark Yugi) describes the power of the puzzle as "the power of unity", comparing a puzzle's pieces forming a whole to friends coming together. Yugi frequently credits the Millennium Puzzle with bringing him friendship with Joey.

In the Japanese version, Yugi originally used the phrase "Something that can be seen, yet cannot be seen" to describe the Millennium Puzzle before it was completed, since even though you can see the pieces, you can't see the whole puzzle since it isn't complete. This riddle has been asked many times over the course of the series, with different characters providing different answers.

Millennium Eye


With the Millennium Eye, a duelist can read the minds of others as well as see through their eyes, allowing the holder to know what is in their opponents hand at all times no matter what. The holder of the Millennium Item has the ability to seal the souls of his/her duel-defeated victims in a blank duel monster's card. The souls remain trapped until the soul stealer is defeated in a duel and the souls are avenged. The Eye's first owner was Akhenaden. Later, it was used by Maximillion Pegasus until Yami Bakura won it from him in a Shadow Game. It was later given to Seto Kaiba after he defeated Yami Bakura in a duel as a lure to get him to travel to where the pharoh Atem resided.



Millennium Ring


Millenium Ring - it splits its holder's soul in half, leaving them in a constant internal confliction between their good and evil sides ( in replace of dark bakura as seen in the original series ). This item, like the puzzle only not as predictable, strengthens dueling ability to a higher level. It also has the ability to indicate where other millenium items are by gesturing in their directions with its spikes as seen in the both animated series. The holder of this item can steal souls and send them into inanimate objects, especially people who do not hold a millenium item of their own. However, the souls do not remain trapped in the objects for long, after a very short period of time they become free again and return to their bodies. However, if a victim is defeated in a duel their soul can be locked away permanetely until ther holder is defeated and the lost soul is avenged. Another effect of the Millennium Ring is it's ability to summon a monster from it's card.(This was shown when Bakura summoned the Man-Eater Bug to eliminate some guards in Duelist Kingdom)The holder of this item generally becomes unpredictable, almost neutral because they are capable of casting pleasantries as well as misfortune.



Millennium Scale


The Millennium Scale is a Millennium Item that can weigh a person's heart against the feather of Ma'at, the goddess of truth. If a person lies while being interrogated by the owner of the scale, or is revealed to be truly evil, the side opposite of the feather will lower, as if weighted down by the person's sins, and if the side without the feather drops to the bottom, and the person's soul with be sucked into the depths of the Shadow Realm, where it shall remain until the soul realizes its wrongs and changes its outlook on life to a less sinful outlook. During this time of waiting, the soul will encounter The Reaper of Cards. The Reaper will show them flashbacks of their past, their present, and visions of what is yet to come. If the souls refuse to change, they will be doomed to dwell in the shadows forever until they become nothing more than mere shadows themselves, seen and heard from no more. In a duel, this item also contains the power of fusion, which means that while a person has this item with them in a duel and they chose to use fusion monsters, Polymerization is no longer required. As another dueling contribution, the holder of this item may Normal Summon level 5 monsters without tributes.



Millennium Key


Millennium Key - Its primary unique ability is its power to unlock the doors of a person's soul, giving the user access to the "Room of the Soul," where their thoughts can be observed, or the "room" can even be "redecorated," allowing the user to alter a person's personality. Additionally, it can make the user, and others, invisible, and may or may not allow them to sense any disruption of the Sennen Items' mystical energies that would be cause by an Item being taken from its rightful owner. The owner of this item may also force images, scenes, or visions into the minds of others and may or may not give the holder the ability to communicate telepathically with others, depending on the circumstances in a given situation.



Millennium Rod


Millennium Rod - often referred to as the "scepter" in the Japanese version. This item grants the holder the power of bending the wills of others through mind control, and also lets its user telepathically communicate with his/her servants. There is also a sharp sword concealed in the bottom of the rod, although this was only used in the manga. A victory duel is not required to use this ability. In Kaiba's duel with Ishizu, the Millennium Rod showed Kaiba a vision of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, causing him to summon it instead of attacking with Obelisk the Tormentor (which would have caused him to lose the duel). This is because it was originally owned by the Egyptian priest Seto, of whom Kaiba is a reincarnation. After Marik's defeat at Battle City he gave the Millenium Rod to Yugi.



Millennium Necklace


Known as the Millennium Tauk in the Japanese-language version of the anime series, this Item was originally owned by the priestess, Isis, in Ancient Egypt, and became one of the two Items owned by the guardians of the Pharaoh's tomb throughout history, eventually coming to be owned by Marik's sister, Ishizu Ishtar, who is the reincarnation of the priestess Isis. The necklace allows its user to see through time, offering glimpses of the past and near future - futures whose outcomes can only be altered through the use of other Millennium Items. Using it to foresee her victory against Seto Kaiba in the Battle City tournament, Ishizu handed the necklace over to Yugi when her vision failed to come true, knowing that the necklace would no longer respond to her.



Pyramid of Light


Appearing exclusively in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, the Pyramid of Light is not truly a Millennium Item; according to the novelization of the film, it was a failed attempt by Akhenaden (Aknadin in the English anime) to recreate the Millennium Puzzle for his son, Seto, to give him a power on a par with the Pharaoh, so that he might defeat him and assume the throne. The Pyramid was co-opted by the sorcerer, Anubis, who was then defeated in battle by the Pharaoh. Undaunted, however, Anubis sealed himself within the Millennium Puzzle alongside the Pharaoh and the other powers of the Shadow Games

Anubis sought to recreate his physical form by implanting a Duel Monsters card fashioned in the likeness of the Pyramid within the deck of Maximillion Pegasus, and then reanimating his own mummified remains, taking the Pyramid, which had been kept with them in his tomb. The Pyramid of Light card then fell into the hands of Seto Kaiba, who employed it during a duel with Yugi, using its ability to remove the Egyptian God cards from play. However, now that the Pyramid was in play, Anubis could draw on the life energies of the two combatants, steadly regenerating himself. Taking Kaiba's place in the duel, Anubis seemed defeated when the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon destroyed the Pyramid of Light card, taking the artifact itself with it, but Anubis's spirit remained within the jewel at its centre, reforming as a giant monster, which the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon then destroyed, shattering the jewel and destroying Anubis.