Yuya Sakaki

Yuya Sakaki (, Sakaki Yūya) is the main protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. He is a born-entertainer who attends the You Show Duel School to advance his Dueling expertise and become an "Entertainment Duelist", a unique type of professional Duelist.

Appearance
Yuya is a young teenage boy with crimson eyes, and dual-colored green and crimson hair of average length sticking out in downwards pointing spikes all around his head in a similar manner to Jaden Yuki, with the exception of one short-upwards pointing spike of green hair. He wears his good-luck charm pendant on a simple string around his neck, and a buckled choker, and a pair of golden goggles with orange lenses on his forehead, with a blue star obscuring the right lens.

Yuya wears a simple red shirt with a thick, silver-buckled brown belt over it, green pants with what appear to be "Deck pockets" on each leg, and magenta shoes, as well as crimson wristbands. He also wears his gold and red lined white school jacket over his shoulders like a cape, in a similar manner to Yami Yugi.

Personality
A fun-loving and energetic boy, Yuya is very theatrical and loves to entertain people, traits he seems to inherited from his father, Yusho Sakaki. He idolizes his father very much and wishes to become an entertainer like him one day. After his father disappeared during an important match, Yuya was left heartbroken and traumatized by the event because his beloved father was labeled as a "coward". As Yoko Sakaki had stated, Yuya acts like a fool merely to beat people to insulting him about his father disappearing. Yuya even joked about his father when Noboru Gongenzaka brought up the fact that he should act more serious about his Duels like his father.

Due to Yuya's buffoonery, his friends and other people are often baffled by Yuya's behavior and believes he doesn't take things seriously. Because his father was so famous, his friends and other people seems to have high expectations of Yuya to live up to his father's reputation while simultaneously quick to bring up Yusho's "cowardice" or scold him for his clownish actions. During his Duel with Strong Ishijima, Yuya proved to be quite clever and skilled in Action Duels, having learned everything from his father.

Yuya has a habit of putting his goggles over his eyes when he is either upset or embarrassed, something he did since he was young. When Yuya Duels, he announces "Ladies and gentlemen!" when he is about to perform a finishing move.

Etymology
Like the protagonists of the other series, Yugi Muto/Yami Yugi, Jaden Yuki, Yusei Fudo, and Yuma Tsukumo, his name contains the character「遊」(Yu). He is the first protagonist whose surname only contains one character.

Yuya is the name of a powerful Egyptian courtier during the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt, father of Tiye, the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III. When the latter died, his son ruled the Ancient Egypt as Amenhotep IV, but later changed his royal name for Akhenaten, who may have been a reference to Akhenaden, the father of Seto and uncle of Atem.

History
In his childhood, Yuya sat by himself crying when his father, Yusho Sakaki came in to cheer him up. He gave him advice on laughing whenever he felt down and used Yuya's Pendant to explain that if Yuya was happy, the happiness would swing back at him. At another unknown point in his childhood, he lost his Pendant in a a park, and cried when he was unable to find it. His father learned of the incident and reaffirmed the statement that Yuya should look up and laugh whenever he felt like crying. Yuya did so, seeing his Pendant hanging from a tree branch.

At a later point, Yuya and his mother, Yoko Sakaki, watched the final Duel between Yusho and Strong Ishijima. When Yusho did not show up, Yuya ran to the bottom of the stands, saying that his father would appear, and challenged Ishijima to a Duel until his father arrived. Yoko pulled Yuya from the stands as he continued to protest.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Yuya and Noboru Gongenzaka were engaged in a Duel in You Show Duel School to recruit future students. As Noboru called out to Yuya to Duel in a one-on-one match, he boldly made a stage performance with "Hippo Carnival" and started to dance. After Yuzu Hiragi accidentally broke the Solid Vision machine, Yuya fell to the ground, but he managed to make a quick recovery and pulled a funny face after seeing Tatsuya looking concerned. At the lounge, Yuya was frustrated that he couldn't entertain his audience, much to the annoyance of his friends. When Nico Smiley offered Yuya a chance to fulfill his desire of Dueling Strong Ishijima in his father's place, Yuya became upset. Eventually, he left the school and sat by himself, remembering the time when his father told him to stay positive when he felt down. He later made his way to the Dueling arena to participate in Ishijima's Duel, dressed as a clown. Yuya sneaked up behind Ishijima and taunted him behind his back before revealing himself, much to Ishijima's shock and anger. Yuya apologized for his actions before commencing the Duel. He put up a good performance with "Entermate Discover Hippo" and used the Action Cards that were scattered around the battlefield to save himself. Yuya eventually Summoned "Odd-Eyes Dragon" in an attempt to defeat Ishijima's "Battleguard King", which had been weakened by "Wonder Balloon", but Ishijima managed to counter Yuya's play with his own Action Card, "Miracle". "Odd-Eyes" was then destroyed by "Battleguard King", pushing Yuya to a corner and making him lose hope. Remembering his father's words, Yuya regained the courage to continue. Suddenly, his pendant reacted with three of his Effect Monsters - "Stargazer Magician", "Timegazer Magician" and "Odd-Eyes Dragon", transforming them into Pendulum Monsters, while "Odd-Eyes Dragon" was transformed into "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon". Using his Spellcaster-Type Pendulum monsters, Yuya performed the first Pendulum Summons, Special Summoning "Entermate Sword Fish", "Performapal Whip Viper" and "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon", to the amazement of the audience. Using his new monsters to support "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon," he destroyed "Battleguard King" and wiped out Ishijima in a single attack. Afterwards, he was swarmed by people asking about the Pendulum Summon that he'd performed, though he seemed unaware of the details himself and didn't seem to remember exactly what had happened.

The You Show Duel School received a flood of applicants, all eager to learn how to Pendulum Summon. Yuya and Yuzu had an exhibition Action Duel, though Yuya received a swat from Yuzu's fan beforehand for not taking it seriously. He portrayed her as a fan of Ishijima looking for revenge after being put on the spot. On his second turn, Yuya attempted to Pendulum Summon again, but the Summon failed. Theorizing that it might only work when he was in a pinch, he urged Yuzu to attack him with all she had, but the Summon failed again and Yuzu defeated him. He showed Yuzu and the applicants his Pendulum Cards afterwards, annoying the applicants as they thought that Yuya might have cheated against Strong Ishijima and they couldn't use the Summon without the Pendulum Cards. All but Tatsuya left, though the boy believed in Yuya, and Gongenzaka encouraged Yuya to support his fans. Yuya agreed, vowing to master Pendulum Summoning. He finally did so, replicating the conditions of his Duel with Strong Ishijima after 291 Duels against Gongenzaka, though the ordeal left him sleeping through his math class the next day. When asked the answer to a problem, he bolted upright in his seat and began to recite his Pendulum Summon chant, before trying to wriggle his way out of the situation by stating that the answer was "the right one," earning him a swipe from Yuzu's fan.

After the day ended, Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi arrived, eager to see the Pendulum Summon. They were interrupted by a student of the Leo Duel School, Shingo Sawatari, who threw three sucker-tipped darts at Yuya. He admitted he was a big fan of Yuya's Pendulum Summoning, and after learning that they were going to see a Pendulum Summon, offered the use of the Center Field at LDS. Shingo showed them around, and Yuya was impressed by the various courses the school had on different Summoning forms. He was briefly distracted by someone noticing him, and rejoined the others. At the Duel Field, three of Shingo's friends approached them, and Shingo asked if he could show them Yuya's Pendulum Cards. Yuya was reluctant, but he agreed, holding out "Stargazer Magician" and "Timegazer Magician". Shingo swiped the cards and showed them to his friends, then he stated that he was keeping them for himself, suggesting that Yuya Duel to get them back. With Yuzu, Ayu, Tatsuya and Futoshi held hostage, Yuya had little choice. He took the first turn and used "Performapal Whip Viper" to make his way around the "Dark Town's Prison Tower," attempting to find Action Cards, but not only were they Traps that reduced the ATK of "Whip Viper," but they also put his friends at risk. Shingo then proceeded to use the two Pendulum Monsters that he had stolen to Pendulum Summon three monsters himself, much to Yuya's shock. Yuya began to grieve for the sake of his friends, but regained his confidence when he drew "Block Spider", using it in conjunction with "Mimiclay" against Shingo to defend himself. Yuya later used "Empty Fishing" to regain his two Pendulum Monsters and used them to save his friends from falling. He then Pendulum Summoned "Performapal Kaleido Scorpion", "Performapal Tiptoad", and "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" and defeated Shingo with them. After losing to Yuya, Shingo sent his friends to take back "Timegazer Magician" and "Stargazer Magician", but they were intercepted by a boy named Sora Shiun'in, who knocked them unconscious with his lollipop stick and declared himself as Yuya's apprentice.

The next day, Yuya woke up after having a dream about being the world champion, only to find that Sora had followed him all the way home. As the day went on, Sora continued to follow Yuya to school, appearing in front of him and calling him "teacher". Later, Sora met Yuya at the You Show Duel School, where Sora wanted to Duel Yuya. Yuya initially refused to Duel him, but after Yuya's friends and Shuzo supported Sora, Yuya gave in and reluctantly accepted the Duel. Yuya added two conditions to the Duel: if he won, Sora would stop following him and calling him teacher, but if Sora won, he would continue to follow him. Yuya managed to Pendulum Summon his ace monster, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" along with his other "Entermate" monsters, but then Sora Fusion Summoned his monster, "Des-Toy Scissor Bear". Sora proceeded to destroy and equip "Discover Hippo" to "Scissor Bear," also effectively slowing Yuya down in mobility and powering up his "Scissor Bear" so that it was even stronger than "Odd-Eyes." When Yuya tried to retaliate the next turn, Sora had two copies of the same Trap ready for him, "Jack in the Box," which bypassed the effect of "Timegazer Magicican," and weakened "Odd-Eyes" to the point that it could be destroyed with ease. Yuya immediately went on the search for an Action Card to protect it, but Sora grabbed it first and also used it to protect his monster from Yuya's Trap. Depressed at the loss of his ace monster, Yuya hid his eyes behind his goggles, believing that he had lost. He then remembered a time from his childhood where he'd lost his pendulum, and his father reminded him to look up and laugh when he felt like crying; Yuya had done so and then found the pendulum. He did so now, much to the surprise of everyone watching, and then he saw an arrow on his Duel Disk that was pointing to his Extra Deck - "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" had been sent to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard, and thus prevented Sora from completing his combo. Emboldened by this, Yuya took his next turn, bringing out both "Performapal Cheermole" and "Odd-Eyes" in a Pendulum Summon. Using "Cheermole" and "Sword Fish" to reduce the ATK of "Scissor Bear," Yuya finished Sora off with an attack from "Odd-Eyes." After the Duel, he reminded Sora of his promise, so Sora instead decided to become his friend (annoying Yuya by using Yuya's first name). Despite Yuya's protests, an enthusiastic Shuzo accepted Sora into the You Show Duel School and went to get the paperwork. Yuya asked Sora where he'd learnt to Fusion Summon, with Sora being evasive by claiming it was normal from where he came from, frustrating Yuya with his evasiveness.

After experiencing a sensation that he was being talked about one day, Yuya was waiting with Futoshi, Tatsuya and Sora for Yuzu and Ayu to get back with ice-creams; however, only Ayu returned, telling Yuya that Yuzu was in danger. Yuya raced to the warehouse where Yuzu had been, finding her unharmed, and she asked if something had been his doing, much to his confusion. Yuzu remained preoccupied next day, leaving Yuya to attempt to prevent Sora from eating in class, which worked futilely. She abruptly asked Shuzo if their school taught Xyz Summoning, much to Yuya's and Shuzo's confusion. After it was clarified that they didn't, they heard Gongenzaka yelling "that Yuya would never do such a thing". Confused, Yuya found him with Shingo's friends, who all claimed that Yuya had attacked Shingo and hospitalized him, much to Yuya's surprise and confusion, and furthermore, Yuzu had also witnessed the incident. Yuya denied that he'd attacked Shingo, but the conversation only intensified when Himika Akaba became involved. His friends were convinced that Yuya had not attacked Shingo, even Yuzu, who had been doubting her own conclusions. Regardless, she stated, Shingo had lost and their School's name tarnished. The group realized that Himika was using the incident as an opportunity to add the You Show Duel School to LDS when she proposed a Duel between schools, best out of three. If her Duelists won, she would buy the You Show Duel School. Yuya vowed to fight, refusing to let the Duel School that his father had founded with the intent to teach Entertainment Dueling be taken over by one interested in money and power. He requested to Duel first, despite Sora trying to do so, and ended up facing Hokuto Shijima, LDS's top Xyz-user.

Manga biography
Yuya is shown facing Reiji in an Action Duel in the special manga chapter. He is 14 years old and aims to be a Pro Duelist. Yuya uses the same strategies as his anime counterpart, using his "Entermate" monsters to explore the field, like riding on "Entermate Silver Claw", for example. He is also able to perform Pendulum Summons in the manga, although how he got his Pendulum Monsters is not explained. Yuya keeps his anime counterpart's opinion regarding Action Duels: he believes that Duels are entertainment, and should be "happy, fun and silly".

Anime
Yuya uses an "Performapal" Deck, which consists of animals dressed in carnival attire, referencing his passion for entertaining people. The majority of his tactics involve reducing the ATK and DEF of his opponent's monsters through the effects of his "Entermate" monsters or cards such as "Wonder Balloon". During the Duel against Strong Ishijima, Yuya gained access to the Pendulum Summon mechanic to Summon multiple monsters at once. When Pendulum summoning, he typically uses a combo with "Stargazer Magician" and "Timegazer Magician" to pendulum summon monsters of a wide array of levels.

He also Summons high mobility monsters to help him grab Action Cards, primarily his "Entermate Discover Hippo" and "Odd-Eyes" monsters. Prior to obtaining his Pendulum Monsters, his ace monster appeared to be "Odd-Eyes Dragon," but it was transformed into "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon".

Before his duel with Hokuto Shijima, Yuya had an approximate win rate of 56%.

Manga
In the special manga chapter, Yuya runs an "Entermate" Deck, like in the anime.