Kite Tenjo (ARC-V)

Kite Tenjo, known as Kaito Tenjo ( カイト, Tenjō Kaito) in the Japanese version, is a character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. He is an alternate universe version of the Kite Tenjo that appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. He was a famous professional Duelist in the Xyz Dimension's Heartland City before the invasion of Duel Academy, after which he becomes a member of the Resistance. After his family were sealed into cards by Duel Academy, Kite abandoned the Resistance and began a one-man vendetta against Duel Academy, vowing to seal thousands of its soldiers into cards and earning a bounty on his head as a result. After his Duels against Yuya Sakaki and Shay, Kite has a change of heart and he becomes an ally of the Lancers.

Appearance
Kite's design is largely unchanged from his appearance in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL. He has light blue-grey eyes, pale skin and blonde hair that curls up in a point with a dark green spiked front and bangs. Kite wears a black trench coat with a high collar over a grey shirt and white pants with black boots. He also wears a belt with two purple Deck boxes. In place of the black finger-less glove he sported on his hand in ZEXAL he wears a red Resistance scarf wrapped around his right wrist. Unlike his ZEXAL counterpart, Kite does not undergo Photon Transformation nor use a Duel Gazer Tattoo when he Duels; he maintains his regular outfit when he does so. During his time as a student at the Clover Branch, Kite wore the outfit that he wore in his youth in ZEXAL; a light pink shirt, brown pants, and braces attached to his belt, and he also used a normal Xyz Duel Disk.

Personality
Kite used to be a kind and a cheerful person who enjoyed Dueling but in the present he is cold and serious. Like Shay and Yuto, Kite holds a vengeful hatred against Duel Academy, which manifested after they invaded the Xyz Dimension. Similar to Shay, Kite Duels and acts ruthlessly when it comes to facing Duel Academy Duelists, immediately turning them into cards once he defeated them. Duel Academy's invasion also caused Kite to be distrustful of outsiders who are not from the Xyz Dimension, even if they are not from Duel Academy, seeing them as nothing more than intruders that threaten the peace of his world. Unlike Shay who can be pragmatic, losing his family and comrades at the hands of Duel Academy has completely hardened Kite's heart, making him more aggressive with little to no compromise, necessitating force to make him listen.

After his Duel with Shay, which ended with Kite narrowly deciding not to seal Shay in a card, Kite began to display more noble traits; intervening to save Yuya against the Obelisk Force and telling him to take care of his comrades. He also refrained from sealing the Obelisk Force into cards after he defeated them. His Duels against Shay and Yuya made Kite see the error of his ways and caused him to remember how important his comrades are, and Kite returned to his true kinder personality. At the same time, he also shows guilt for his vendetta, knowing full well he is as guilty as Duel Academy for turning many of them into cards, and willing to try to forgive Duel Academy for what they have done to his family despite his earlier resentment. He was horrified as a result when Dennis McField voluntarily sealed himself into a card.

According to Yuto, Kite's previous Dueling style was subtle and dynamic and he had an uncanny ability to see through his opponent's strategy. However, the hardships he faced changed this, and though Yuto still describes his style as dynamic, the subtlety had been replaced by ruthlessness. Allen Kozuki later agreed with this claim, stating that Kite had become stronger on his own. Kite's Dueling style and philosophy subtly changed after he returned to accepting the ideals of Yusho Sakaki; while he remains impatient in regards to theatrics he notes that Dueling predictably would be boring.

Like Shay and Yuto, Kite has a habit of saying "field" in kanji (「場」 Ba) instead of in katakana (「フィールド」 Fīrudo). Similarly to his ZEXAL counterpart, he also commonly asks his enemies "Are you ready to repent?" (「慚愧の用意は出来ているか」Zangi no Yōi wa dekite iru ka) before challenging them to a Duel, making his winning move, or sealing them into a card.

Abilites
Kite claims that he never forgets the abilities of an opponent that he has Dueled, and both he and Yuto have stated that Kite has a knack for figuring out what he needs to counter specific playstyles after witnessing them in action; possibly an indication of an Eidetic memory. After he defeats Sylvio and Gong he anticipates Yuya using Pendulum Summon to Special Summon multiple monsters at once in the following Duel, and uses Double Exposure and Double Sensor Ship to take advantage of Yuya's swarming capabilities.

History
Kite attended the Clover Branch of Heartland Duel School and he used to be close friends with Sayaka Sasayama and Allen Kozuki who attended the same school as him. One of the teachers at the school was Yusho Sakaki. Kite was known as the school's best Duelist and was predicted to be a future Duel Champion in Heartland City. He was a rival of Shay Obsidian, who attended Heartland Duel School's Spade Branch. Whenever the two Dueled one another, they drew large crowds of children who looked up to them. Shay, Yuto and Lulu Obsidian watched some of Kite's matches from the audience.

During the invasion Kite joined the Resistance and fought alongside Shay and Yuto. At some point after the two departed for the Standard Dimension, Kite's family was sealed into cards by Duel Academy. Enraged and seeking revenge, Kite became infamous among the soldiers of Duel Academy for the large amount of them he sealed into cards, resulting in them being ordered to take him down, and he also chose to cut ties with the rest of the Resistance.

Heartland City
Kite encountered three Duel Academy Duelists after they were defeated by Yuya, Gong and Sylvio. He proceeded to seal the Duel Academy Duelists into cards before confronting the trio from Standard with his "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon". Suspecting that Yuya, Gong, and Sylvio were Duel Academy Duelists, Kite immediately challenged Sylvio to a Duel. In the middle of the Duel, Gong joined as well, and Sylvio attempted to seal Kite's Xyz Summons. Kite traded blows with the two and learned of Action Duels, Action Cards, Pendulum Summoning and Synchro Summoning. Kite decided that these unknown techniques meant that the Lancers were invaders from another dimension and thus enemies of Heartland and he defeated both of them with the power of "Cipher Dragon".

With Yuya learning his name, Kite concluded that Yuya and his friends were indeed from Duel Academy. Yuya denied this accusation, stating he simply wanted to speak with him through a Duel. Kite replied that talking was pointless as he vowed to destroy every single Duel Academy Duelist. Kite took the first turn and immediately brought out "Cipher Dragon", while Yuya Summoned "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon". Having Dueled Sylvio and Gong, Kite easily deduced the tactic Yuya would use and countered each of Yuya's attacks by using a combination of "Double Sensor Ship", "Cipher Interfere", and "Cipher Dragon", but Yuya saved himself with "Miracle". Unwilling to give up, Yuya Xyz Summoned his strongest monster, "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon", surprising Kite, who started to question Yuya's identity. Even then, Kite used "Double Cipher" to Summon another "Cipher Dragon" and double its ATK. Likewise, Yuya also doubled the ATK of "Odd-Eyes Rebellion" with "Dragoncaller Magician". The attack destroyed both monsters, but Kite had another "Cipher Dragon" left on the field.

Yuya then activated the effect of "Odd-Eyes Rebellion" to Summon "Timebreaker Magician" and "Performapal Whim Witch" back to the field under Yuto's instructions. Kite deduced that Yuya would Xyz Summon a Rank 3 monster, but to his shock, Yuya instead used the effect of "Performapal Le-Bellman" to increase his monsters' Levels and then used them to Xyz Summon "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon", causing Kite to recognize it. For a moment, Kite thought that Yuya had defeated Yuto and stole his card, but then saw Yuto within Yuya, making Kite think that he was him. Shay, Allen, and Sayaka interrupted the Duel and cleared up the misunderstanding as Shay revealed that Yuya, Sylvio and Gong were his comrades. While Kite was still in doubt, Shay assured Kite that Yuya wanted to stop Duel Academy as much as they did, asking him to trust Yuya like he did. Upon hearing Yuya's last name and Sayaka's plea to return, Kite refused before taking his leave of them.

Kite continued hunting Duel Academy Duelists. Upon defeating three of them, Kite was found by Allen and Sayaka, who had been searching for him. Kite told them not to get in his way and sealed the Duel Academy Duelists into cards despite their pleas to be spared. He immediately walked away, ignoring Allen and Sayaka. Shay arrived and grabbed Kite's shoulder. Kite threatened to seal Shay into a card as well if he got in the way. Shay told Kite to go ahead and try and the two began a Duel. Shay Summoned "Raidraptor - Rise Falcon" on his first turn, a move Kite called a disgraceful misplay. Despite bringing out "Cipher Dragon", Shay was able to counter the effect of "Cipher Dragon" with "Raptor's Intercept Form" and mitigate some of the impact of that attack with an Action Card, "Miracle". Kite claimed Shay was a coward for using Action Cards. Shay brought out "Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon" and destroyed "Cipher Dragon", but Kite revived it and Summoned a second one. Yuya arrived and asked them to stop the fight, as they were comrades. Kite claimed that "Cipher Dragon" was a part of him and that he no longer needed comrades. Shay used a combination of the Action Cards in an attempt to take down "Cipher Dragon" but failed, and brought out "Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon". Kite chided him for claiming the Action Cards represented his new comrades and that the move failing must mean his comrades will fail too. Though "Ultimate Falcon" nearly won Shay the Duel, "Cipher Mirror Knight" and "Cipher Clone Magic" enabled Kite to come back and defeat Shay. Kite moved to seal Shay into a card after the Duel, but stopped to reconsider after Sayaka pleaded with him. Having already lost Lulu, Sayaka said she couldn't bear to lose Shay as well. Kite still seemed to consider sealing Shay into a card, but stopped and left without saying a word.

Kite reappeared during Yuya and Shay's Duel against three Obelisk Force members. He grabbed and activated the Action Card Yuya missed, "Quick Guard", to protect Yuya from defeat, but took the intrusion penalty in the process. Kite managed to quickly use his "Cipher Wings" to bring out "Cipher Dragon" and combined its effect with "Cipher Diffusion" and "Cipher Interfere" to defeat the Obelisk Force. Kite was ready to seal them into cards, but he decided to leave them alone and turned to join Yuya and the others. Before he could reach them, Aster Phoenix and his squad suddenly appeared and challenged Yuya to a Duel. When Aster's squad moved in to corner the Lancers and Resistance, Kite defeated them with five "Cipher Dragon's". He then carried Shay on his back and escaped with the others while Yuya Dueled Aster.

Reaching their hideout, Kite asked his Resistance comrades to go together with him and assist Yuya, arriving just in time as Mamoru Noro ordered the Duel Academy soldiers to attack Yuya along with Aster and Tyler sisters who had decided to defect. He reminded Mamoru that he should be facing him first since he was on Duel Academy's wanted list, though he doubted Mamoru could beat him and his Resistance comrades. He challenged Mamoru to Duel him if he had the resolve to put his life on the line, forcing the frightened Deputy Commander-in-Chief to surrender. Back at their hideout, Allen expressed his concern over their decision to let Aster and his former Duel Academy squad come to their hideout and help them. Kite understood Yuya's trust in Aster and, revealing that he realized how important his comrades are and how wonderful smiles are through his Duel against Shay and Yuya, and how Dueling was supposed to protect these things. Kite also felt Aster's sincerity to help them as also realized the same thing, so the former Commander-in-Chief came to atone for his sin.

Seeing Aster bravely admit his mistakes, Kite also resolved to do the same since he had also inflicted fear upon countless Duel Academy soldiers. Yuto assured Kite that he showed the same bravery by admitting his own mistakes and enduring the pain of losing his family and friends. Aster then revealed that there was a way to change back the people who had been sealed, prompting Kite to question whether this was true or not. In order to free the sealed people, they would first have to retrieve the cards from Duel Academy, where the cards were sent. Kite received a card from Sayaka and promised that he would save Lulu in her place. Using the Interdimensional Travel Device in Duel Academy's base in Heartland, Kite, Yuya, Gong, and Sylvio transported to the Fusion Dimension.

Upon arriving in the Fusion Dimension, they found Zuzu cornered by Duel Academy soldiers. When the Lancers spotted Dennis McField, Kite learned that he was the one responsible for Lulu's abduction and chased after Dennis when he fled. He caught up to Dennis on the boat to Duel Academy and took Yusho's place to Duel Dennis, noting that he would get Lulu's location if he won. He also told Dennis and Yusho that Yuya opened Aster's heart and got Duel Academy's army to rebuild the Xyz Dimension. Kite brought out "Cipher Dragon" and used its effect to try to defeat Dennis in one attack, but Dennis Summoned "Performage String Figure" to negate the battle damage. Dennis Fusion Summoned "Performage Trapeze Force Witch" and had it and "Performage Trapeze Magician" repeatedly attack "Cipher Dragon". Kite activated "Cipher Deterrent" to prevent its destruction and double its ATK, but Dennis activated the effect of "Force Witch" to continually decrease the ATK of "Cipher Dragon". After surviving those attacks, Kite drew and played Sayaka's "Little Fairy" and used its effect to send "Cipher Étranger" to the Graveyard; triggering the effect of the latter to add "Rank-Up-Magic Cipher Ascension" to his hand. He then Ranked-Up "Cipher Dragon" to "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon" and used the effect of "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon" to take control of Dennis' monsters. Dennis claimed that he would still survive because he could halve the damage, but Kite activated his signature "Cipher Interfere" card and attacked Dennis directly, with "Cipher Interfere" doubling the ATK of "Neo Galaxy-Eyes", defeating him. When Dennis revealed the locations of Lulu and Rin, Kite watched in shock and yelled at Dennis to stop as he sealed himself into a card.

Kite arrived at Duel Academy with Yusho and Alexis, wondering if they were in a trap when there were no Duel Academy soldiers waiting for them. Kite was still determined to rescue Lulu and headed to the Western Tower. Yugo appeared, and Kite pinned him to the ground, as he thought that Yugo was a Fusion follower. Yugo clarified his identity, and Kite helped Yugo back up and ran off, telling him to hurry. He arrived at the top of the Western tower where Diana was guarding the entrance. Kite quickly Xyz Summoned "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon", and heedless of the effect of "Moon Protector", he destroyed Diana's two "Protector's Shield Tokens", increasing Diana's LP and decreasing the ATK of "Cipher Dragon". With the tokens eliminated, he used "Rank-Up-Magic Cipher Pursuit to Rank-Up "Cipher Dragon" into "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon" and used the effect of "Neo Galaxy-Eyes" to take control of Diana's "Moon Protector", then used "Galaxy-Eyes Nova" to revive "Cipher Dragon". After defeating Diana with both dragons, Kite broke down he door leading to Lulu's room and met up with Lulu, telling her that Shay was waiting.

To his shock, Lulu changed and she pushed Kite off the tower. Fortunately he spotted Shay's "Rise Falcon" and jumped on it. He met up with Shay and Aster, asking them what they were doing there. Shay asked him about Lulu, and Kite explained that she pushed him off the tower, prompting Shay to run up the stairs. He learned from Aster that the Professor had a Duelist who could control people's minds and asked Aster to go to the Eastern tower and tell Yugo while he informed Shay, fearing that the same had probably happened to Rin. Kite made it to the top of the tower and found Shay with Lulu. He explained to Shay that the Professor had a Duelist who could control people's minds and that Lulu was under that Duelist's control. Indeed, Lulu tried to attack Shay, and Kite told him that he would go find the Duelist and left Lulu to Shay. Before he ran down the tower, Kite tossed Sayaka's "Little Fairy" to Shay.

Duel Academy
Kite found Shay in the Doktor's laboratory, and he told him that he had already learned about the Doktor controlling Lulu. Aster arrived to tell them the same thing, and Kite assumed that the Doktor should be deeper in. Kite learnt from Shay that Yuya was following Lulu and Celina, he and Aster went on ahead. They found Yuya locked inside a cage, but wondered what was wrong with him and were blasted back by his synchronized awakening. Kite regained consciousness after Aster, who asked him if that power had really been Yuya. Kite explained to Aster about Yuya and Yuto, but noted that the force that they had felt was abnormal. He asked Aster whether the Doktor could be controlling Yuya, and they decided to pursue them.

Kite and Aster ran into Yusho and they explained that something strange had happened to Yuya and that they thought that the Doktor might be controlling him. Yusho explained that Yuya, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri were actually fragments of a demonic Duelist named Zarc, and that they were trying to revive him by becoming one. Yusho explained that Yugo and Yuri were Dueling and attempted to head to them, but stumbled weakly and Kite caught him before following Aster. He caught up to Aster just as he reached Yugo, Yuri, and the defeated Sora Perse and they both joined the Duel, receiving the intrusion penalty, prompting Yugo to turn hostile and oppose them. Kite traded blows with Yugo on his turn, countering his cards as he attempted to destroy "Clear Wing". He managed to bring out "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon" to take control of "Clear Wing" and Yuri's "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon", but Yugo was still able to leave a last line of defense with "Speedroid Vidroskull", much to Kite's frustration, and he apologized to Aster for being unable to leave optimal conditions for his turn. Aster reassured Kite that it was fine and took up the role of trying to get through to Yugo, explaining to Kite that there was still hope for Yugo after Yugo responded to the mention of Rin's name. Yugo and Aster clashed with the effects of "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon" and "Destiny HERO - Dystopia", and Kite used "Split Guard" to negate their destruction. Aster brought out "Destiny HERO - Duskutopiaguy", which returned Yugo to his true self. To his surprise, Yuri used "Super Polymerization" to fuse using the "Starving Venom" that Kite had taken control of to Fusion Summon "Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon". Yugo used the effect of "Crystal Wing" to destroy "Greedy Venom", but Yuri used the effect of "Greedy Venom" to destroy every monster on the field and inflict damage equal to their original ATK. Kite agreed with Aster to use the effect of "Duskutopiaguy" to prevent the destruction of "Crystal Wing", and he and Aster were defeated and blasted into the wall. Despite this, Yuri defeated Yugo and Kite watched as their dragons glowed before Yuri absorbed Yugo. Aster and Sora left separately to pursue Yuri, while Kite went to find Shay. As he wondered where he was, he saw the world distorting around him. Shay found Kite first and Kite explained that Aster had followed Yuri.

Kite and Shay observed an ominous fog coming from the City. Kite pointed out the dimensional rift showing Sora and Aster Dueling. Shay wondered who they were Dueling, and they observed their opponent to be a monstrous Yuya. Kite realized that this was Zarc, and told Shay that they should hurry to help them. Upon arriving, Kite and Shay joined the Duel and both received intrusion penalties, with Shay's Duel Disk turning the Duel into an Action Duel. Zarc defeated Sora and Aster and Kite ran to check on Aster, asking him if that was Zarc and what had happened to Yuya. He learned that Yuya had become one with Yuri and returned to the form of "Supreme King Dragon Zarc". Kite and Shay then prepared to take on Zarc.

Kite called the integration between humans and Duel Monsters a joke, and Shay noted that Sora and Aster had believed in and fought for Yuya's heart; Kite told Shay that they would inherit that belief. Leaping up the platforms of "Crossover" to reach Shay and Zarc, Kite quickly Xyz Summoned "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon". He recalled how Yuya had saved the Xyz Dimension from the invasion of Duel Academy with his Dueling, noting that if Yuya and Yuto's hearts still remained, then he and Shay could talk to them through their Dueling. He attempted to take control of "Supreme King Servant Dragon Dark Rebellion" with the effect of "Galaxy-Eyes", but the effect of "Supreme King Dragon Zarc" protected his monster. When Shay brought out "Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon" via Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, Kite used "Rank-Up-Magic Limitover Force" to Rank-Up "Cipher Dragon" into "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon" and multiply the ATK of "Neo Galaxy-Eyes" by the number of "Rank-Up-Magic" cards used; Shay used his own "Limitover Force" to bring out "Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon" and likewise increase its ATK. Kite urged Yuya to listen and used "Rank-Up Gravity" to force Zarc's monsters to attack their Ranked-Up monsters. However, Zarc used the fourth effect of "Dark Rebellion" to return it to his Extra Deck and Special Summon two "Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurms" from his Graveyard to reduce the ATK of Kite and Shay's monsters to 0. As Zarc attacked them, Kite and Shay activated Action Cards, but the effect of "Supreme King Dragon Zarc" destroyed them as they had been added to their hands outside the Draw Phase. Kite and Shay were defeated and blasted off the platforms. Fortunately, the newly arrived Gong had joined the Duel with Jack Atlas, and Gong caught them safely.

When Zarc told Jack that he had already lost when he Synchro Summoned, Kite wondered what he meant; Zarc soon showed them by Synchro Summoning "Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing" during Jack's turn as he had Synchro Summoned. Kite watched Jack and Zarc counter one another's attacks and was surprised when Zarc reacted negatively to Dueltaining. To Kite's surprise, New Domino City of the Synchro Dimension began to materialize in the Fusion Dimension, and a highway began to materialize in front of Jack. As Jack began to travel up the highway, Kite wondered if there was any substance in Jack's words. Kite was surprised when Crow Hogan showed up to Duel Zarc alongside Sylvio, as Crow had been sealed into a card. Kite was surprised when Crow was able to deal damage to Zarc and when it appeared that Sylvio had destroyed "Supreme King Dragon Zarc". To his shock, the effect of "Supreme King Dragon Zarc" took advantage of the Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monsters in the Graveyard to prevent its destruction, including Kite's two "Galaxy-Eyes". Kite and Shay were surprised when Leo Akaba joined the Duel as well. He and Shay were pleased when Declan Akaba managed to deal damage to Zarc. However, Kite was worried that the world would be destroyed when Zarc turned the Duel around, and he was surprised when he thought "Zarc" killed Declan. Kite and Shay watched as Ray turned all of Zarc's Xyz Monsters into Normal Monsters with their effects negated.

Following the battle against Zarc, Kite watched Yuya and Dennis' Duel after Yuya came to the Xyz Dimension, and he remained by himself, not commenting on the Duel. He silently applauded at the end after Yuya won. Kite is later seen watching Yuya's Duel against Jack with Gloria, Grace, Mamoru, Aster, Allen, and Sayaka. He was happy when Yuya won and watched Yuya and Declan's Action Duel.

Deck
Kite uses a "Cipher" Deck. He uses an array of Continuous Cards that largely focus on giving benefits by controlling multiple "Cipher" monsters of the same name, using cards like "Cipher Interfere" to double the ATK of one of them, or "Cipher Shield" to prevent them from being destroyed by battle. As his monsters are mostly Level 4 and his ace card "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon" is Rank 8, his main tactic is to swarm the field through "Cipher Wing" in order to gain the benefits of his "Cipher" cards or to increase the Levels of his monsters to 8 in order to Xyz Summon "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon". Once he controls "Cipher Dragon", he also makes use of an array of Trap Cards to either protect it or Summon more copies.

Like Shay, many of his card effects specifically apply when he controls multiple monsters with the same name, which is also aided by the effect of "Cipher Dragon". Kite also uses cards like "Cipher Chain" and "Cipher Diffusion" to deal with multiple opponents at once. In addition his Deck also contains "Rank-Up-Magic" Quick-Play Spell Cards to Rank-Up "Cipher Dragon" into "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon

Like the rest of the Resistance, Kite's Deck reflects his ideals towards dealing with Duel Academy. In Kite's case, his belief is that if Duel Academy took away his home and allies then he would do the same to them. This is reflected by his ace monsters' effects stealing the opponent's monsters. In addition his reliance on "Galaxy-Eyes", which he considers to be a part of him, stems from his previous belief that he didn't need comrades to survive as per the might of his ace.