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 specific type of professional Duelist similar to his father.

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 idolized and loved 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 Gong brought up the fact that he should act more serious about his Duels like his father. However, after his Duel with Ishijima, during which he reportedly "reinvented" himself, Yuya displays a more serious demonomer, saving his theatrical persona for his finishing combos.

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.

Similar to Yugi Muto, Yuya has shown to have a good deal less self confidence than the protagonists in the previous series. As such, when he finds himself cornered (for example when Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was destroyed in his duel against Sora Shiun'in), or something happens that breaks his confidence (like when Declan and Shingo Sawatari used Pendulum Summoning), he tends to pull his goggles down so nobody can see his eyes. At times like these, he ends up recalling lessons from his father, or relies on support from his friends or mother to regain his confidence and continue the duel.

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's name is derived from Yuya, 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, whose namesake may have inspired Akhenaden, the father of Priest 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, locating his Pendant hanging from a tree branch. At one point, Yuya said that he wanted to be a Duelist just like his father when he grew up, and his father said Yuya's got it a bit wrong. He said instead of being like him, Yuya should always be himself.

He also looked at Gong's purely Monster Card composed Deck at another point, discussing Gong's philosophy of not using Action Cards. Gong explained that Action Cards were too risky if one were to rely on them, though Yuya claimed that that was the exciting part about them.

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. He was bullied for these remarks, even being challenged to a Duel directly by Gen Ankokuji, one of the disciples of the Gongenzaka Dojo who wanted to represent Ishijima, but he was protected by Gong.

Pre-Maiami Championship
Yuya and Gong were engaged in a Duel in You Show Duel School to recruit future students. As Gong 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 "Performapal Hip 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 Balloons", 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 "Performapal Sword Fish", "Performapal Whip Snake" 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 Gong 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 Gong, 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, Ally 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, Ally, Tatsuya and Futoshi held hostage, Yuya had little choice. He took the first turn and used "Performapal Whip Snake" 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 Snake," 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 Kaleidoscorp", "Performapal Turn Toad", 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 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 "Performapal" monsters, but then Sora Fusion Summoned his monster, "Frightfur Bear". Sora proceeded to destroy and equip "Hip Hippo" to "Frightfur Bear," also effectively slowing Yuya down in mobility and powering up his "Frightfur 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, "Punch-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 "Frightfur 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 Ally to get back with ice-creams; however, only Ally 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 Gong 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.

Hokuto immediately brought out his "Constellar Pleiades," which he used to counter Yuya's Pendulum Summoning by returning "Odd-Eyes" to Yuya's hand, as well as barring Yuya's way when he attempted to find Action Cards. Hokuto's expertise with the Action Field puts Yuya at a disadvantage and purposefully in danger, and even though Yuya manages to withstand "Pleiades" until it runs out of Overlay Units, Hokuto simply brings out another, then uses the first one as Xyz Material to Xyz Summon "Constellar Ptolemy M7". Hokuto again timed his attacks to hurt Yuya, resulting in a building collapsing around Yuya as he grabbed an Action Card. Yuya was able to survive, commenting that if he had fled, it wouldn't have been exciting, and he countered with the card, inflicting damage to Hokuto for the first time. Hokuto went into a rage for being damaged for the first time in 40 Duels, and used "Constellar Tempest" to reduce Yuya to 200 Life Points, raining down meteors on Yuya, who was only just able to dodge them. Yuya proceeded to switch his "Stagazer Magician" and "Performapal Turn Toad" around with "Performapal Trampolynx," allowing him to counter "Pleiades'" effect and keep "Odd-Eyes" on the field, then used "Magical Star Illusion" to boost the ATK of all of his monsters by their total Levels. The effect was applied to Hokuto as well, but since his Xyz Monsters had Ranks rather than Levels, he recieved no bonus, and Yuya proceeded to wipe out the rest of Hokuto's Life Points.

Yuzu was up next, Dueling the Fusion Specialist, Masumi Kotsu. Yuya supported Yuzu, telling her to win, but Yuzu was still distracted by recent events and she was defeated by Masumi, much to Yuya's horror. He ran over to her after the Duel, and the two ended up embracing until Masumi snarkily took note of it. Yuzu quickly and violently shoved Yuya away, much to his surprise. He reassured her that it was all right that she had lost - they just had to win the next Duel, was all. The next Duel was between the Synchro user Yaiba Todo and Gong, who took Sora's place after Sora bowed out. Shuzo raised the stakes to ensure that if their Duelists won, LDS wouldn't bother them again. During the Duel, Yuya reassured the watchers that Gong was fine despite not going after Action Cards, as this was how he Dueled. He was proven right, as Gong was able to nearly win, but eventually forced the Duel into a draw. Gong apologized to Yuya, who reassured him it was thanks to him they'd been able to get a draw. A furious Himika proposed a tie-breaker Duel between Yuya and Masumi, the two winners, and Yuya, donning his goggles, prepared to face her, but before they could begin, a mysterious grey-haired Duelist arrived, Declan. He claimed that he would put an end to this.

As they stood in the Duel Arena, Yuyz, noting that Yuya wasn't his normal self, urged him to laugh and smile. Yuya did so, stating that bright and fun entertainment was his motto, realizing that he couldn't forget that. Shuzo made the Action Field Yuya's favorite, "Athletic Circus" after Declan reassured Yuya that the choice did not matter. Declan took the first turn at Yuya's offer, and Fusion Summoned "DDD Temujin the Blaze Overlord," but the cost was placing three Continuous Spell Cards that would inflict 3000 damage to him on the field. Yuya attempted to counter with "Whip Snake," but Declan was able to use an Action Card to evade the attack, but now he had four "Covenant" that would all inflict 1000 damage to him during his next turn. Declan observed that Yuya seemed to be very kind, though he called such kindness useless on the stage of battle; despite being given the option to end his turn and win, Yuya was hesitating. Yuya Set a card and ended his turn, but Declan nullified the damage he would take by sending the "Covenants" to the Graveyard and drawing a card for each one with "Lease Laundering." Yuya admitted that he'd thought it to be too good to be true, and that he wouldn't have liked to win that way, as he wouldn't have been able to show off his Entertainment Dueling that everyone was anticipating. Declan asked Yuya if he meant Yusho's Dueling, much to Yuya's shock. He asked if Declan knew his father, to which Yaiba shouted from the sidelines that of course they knew him; he was the coward that ran away. Declan yelled at the LDS Students to be silent, before apologizing for his outburst and explaining to Yuya that of course he knew Yusho, the man who had brought them their current Action Duel, he respected Yusho from the bottom of his heart. Declan then proceeded to Synchro Summon "DDD Alexander the Gale Overlord" and Xyz Summon "DDD Caesar the Wave Overlord." Despite Declan having three powerful monsters, Yuya weathered his attacks with "Hippo Carnival." He complimented Declan on bringing out a Fusion, Synchro and Xyz monster, and he admitted that while he didn't control any of those, he had his own unique power of Pendulum Summoning. Declaring his Entertainment Dueling that only Yuya Sakaki could do, he Pendulum Summoned "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" and "Performapal Fire Muffleo," using "Mufflio's" effect to allow "Odd-Eyes" to destroy two of Declan's monsters and then using an Action Card to allow it to destroy the third. Declan simply used "Caesar's" effect to revive them all, though at the cost of taking game-ending damage on his next turn, and then he destroyed them all with "DDD Resource Management" to add two more "DD" monsters to his hand. Yuya admitted that he was looking forward to whatever Declan had in store for him, then jokingly claimed he was kidding. Declan returned the compliment, and told Yuya to confirm whether Pendulum Summoning was unique to him with his own eyes. Declan proceeded to Pendulum Summon three copies of "DDD Hell Armageddon the Cruel End Overlord", all with 3000 ATK, and devastated Yuya's monsters, leaving him with only 350 Life Points left. Shocked, Yuya demanded to know where Declan had gotten Pendulum Monsters, but Declan refused to answer, and Shuzo had to get Yuya back in the Duel. He Pendulum Summoned his destroyed monsters back, along with "Performapal Partnaga" and he formed a plan to destroy all three "Infernal Armageddons" with "Odd-Eyes," "Fire Muffleo" and his Set card. He destroyed the first, but this activated the effects of the other two to gain the ATK of the destroyed monster, boosting the other two to 6000 ATK. He ended his turn in shock - and then the Pendulum Monsters in Declan's Pendulum Zones malfunctioned, reducing the range of their Pendulum Scale to 2 and 5 and destroying the remaining "Infernal Armageddons." Declan began to laugh, and he claimed to have seen the possibilities for further evolution in Pendulum Summoning. Before they could continue, Declan received a call from his employee Nakajima, and he gave Yuya the win. He told Yuya his full name when asked before he departed.

Yuya was shell-shocked that Declan had been able to Pendulum Summon. After Sora's comments that it had been Yuya's efforts alone that had kept the school safe, Tatsuya encouraged Yuya to teach them about his Pendulum Summoning, but Yuya yelled that Pendulum Summoning wasn't his anymore and he tried to run off, only for Shuzo to stop him. Shuzo told him off for running, pointing out that reality wouldn't change if Yuya fled from it, despite the fact that other people could Pendulum Summon had shown up. Shuzo pointed out that one day the world could be overflowing with Pendulum Cards, given Declan's status as the CEO of the Leo Corporation. He ordered Yuya to Duel him, so that he could beat Yuya's pessimistic personality into shape. They Dueled in Yusho Sakaki's signature field, and Shuzo told him he'd show Yuya what a real Entertainment Duel was like. Yuya protested at his Duels being called fake, and Shuzo claimed that Yuya's Duels were not comparable to his or Yusho's. Forcing Yuya to reveal his hand, Shuzo harassed him, and Yuya Dueled for a turn without using his Pendulums, despite having both his Magicians in his hand. When Yuya's attack failed, he claimed that Yusho's Duels were more entertaining than Shuzo's, a fact that Shuzo agreed with. Shuzo pointed out that Yusho's Duels weren't always like that and initially attracted criticism, but eventually, the jeers became cheers. He told Yuya that to open a door to a new world, one with courage had to push it, and Yuya had opened a new door called "Pendulum." But they wouldn't be exclusive to him anymore, soon anyone could Pendulum Summon. To prove it, he took control of the Magicians and used them to Pendulum Summon more monsters. Shuzo commented that Yusho would have been overjoyed and improved his skills, while Yuya was shocked instead, and encouraged Yuya to set and example and hone his skills. but ended his turn without attacking and returned the Magicians to Yuya (due to his card conditions). Regaining his confidence and taking a step forward with courage, Yuya Pendulum Summoned "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" and two new "Performapals", "Performapal Plustortoise" and "Performapal Spikeagle," and then he used the effects of his monsters and the assorted Action Cards he found to switch Shuzo's "Guts Masters" to Defense Position and thus prevent them from using their effects, allow "Odd-Eyes" to inflict piercing damage, and attack all of Shuzo's monsters, allowing him to win. Shuzo over-dramatically faked a death scene and Yuya responded just as dramatically, until Yuzu smacked her father with her fan. Yuya vowed to train harder and be a Duelist like his father.

The next day, as he messily ate lunch with Yuzu, Shingo approached them, commenting that he heard Yuya attacked someone again, though he knew Yuya wasn't the culprit, and he called Yuya's Pendulum Summoning cowardly as only Yuya could do it. Shingo vowed to get his hands on the new Pendulum Cards being developed by LDS and defeat Yuya, saying that he'd be waiting at the Junior Youth Championship before departing. Yuya remembered that he couldn't join the Championship, as his win rate was only 56% rather than the required sixty. Yuya tried to find someone to Duel all day, but they all refused. Tatsuya worked out that if Yuya defeated his next four opponents, he'd be able to qualify. Yuya bemoaned the fact that his win against Ishijima was causing people to think he'd get a free pass, something that he didn't want, and then realized that there were four of his friends right there - but they all refused; Ally, Tatsuya and Futoshi as they were only in elementary school, and Yuzu because she and Yuya had Dueled many times before and she'd already qualified. Yuzu suggested asking Gong for help, but Yuya decided against it, as Gong had helped him too much in the past and Yuya wanted to get stronger by himself. Yuzu, who also wanted to do so, departed, asking Yuya to tell Shuzo that she wouldn't be at Duel School that afternoon. When a confused Yuya wondered why she'd left, Ally slyly suggested it was because Yuya had forgotten to thank Yuzu as well. Yuya freaked, but it was too late to fix his mistake. He arrived at You Show to find Nico Smiley there, who offered him a free pass into the Junior Youth Championship. Yuya declined, not wanted to be given special treatment, but he was able to get Nico to set up his next four Duels. He found Yuzu, Sora and Masumi in the warehouse that Shingo had been attacked in after he was sent there by Shuzo. He was immediately interrogated by both Masumi and Yuzu, but had no clue what they were talking about. Sora mediated the situation by distracting Masumi and explained to Yuya that he'd been teaching Yuzu to Fusion Summon. When he explained that he'd found his next opponents, Sora asked Yuya about entering, and Yuya explained that if he won six Duels in a row, Sora would be able to enter.

After reorganizing his Deck the following day, Yuya noted that his mother was bringing in more stray animals, including Sora, who was eating with them again. They wished each other luck, but Yuya ended up having to skip breakfast since the new recipe his mother was making was taking too long. He arrived at the Cuisine Duel School to Duel Michio Mokota, and they Dueled in the "Action Kitchen," a field that Michio demonstrated skillful knowledge of. Michio swarmed the field with weak monsters, and Yuya used "Whip Snake" and his own Action Card to counter Michio's, giving Michio the opportunity to place his destroyed "Cookmates" in his "Food Cemetery." This in turn allowed Michio to bring out his "Royal Cookmates," which, when Yuya Pendulum Summoned next turn, force-fed his monsters until they were destroyed, but returned to Michio's hand. In a bind, Yuya was able to take advantage of the damage to add two "Performapals" to his hand, ready to Pendulum Summon the next turn, but which would lock him out from his others for the turn. This in turn allowed Michio to add two more "Royal Cookmates" to his hand. Drawing a Trap card, Yuya knew it couldn't help him and he leapt for an Action Card, but his hunger prevented him from reaching it. He tried Pendulum Summoning again, but his monsters were force-fed and destroyed again by the Royal Cookmates, and Yuya reluctantly ended his turn again with the Trap card he'd drawn. Micho then proceeded to bring out all of his "Royal Cookmates" and used their effects to double the ATK of one of them four times, to 4800. Yoko arrived, surprised at Yuya's struggle, citing it due to not having breakfast (Yuya himself was getting slightly distracted by how delicious the monsters looked.) She tossed him Michio's recipe, but wrapped in pancakes, and Yuya eagerly devoured it, and then leapt for the Action Card again, using it in combination with his Trap to survive the attacks. On his next turn, he drew his "Illusion Balloons" Spell Card and Pendulum Summoned again, Summoning all five of his destroyed Pendulum Monsters from his Extra Deck. Michio returned all of his "Royal Cookmates" to his hand again and destroyed all five of Yuya's monsters, but Yuya had been counting on this, and he used this to trigger "Illusion Balloons," the balloons appearing as the breakfast Yoko had made for him. He excavated the top five card of his Deck, and the final one was his "Performapal Hammer Mammoth," which was thus Special Summoned with enough ATK to wipe out Michio's Life Points, winning Yuya the first of the four remaining Duels that he needed to qualify. Michio took the loss gracefully, telling Yuya he'd see him in the Junior Youth Championship.

Yuya later went to find Yuzu again, unaware that her braclet had activated just before he'd shown up, having been sent after her again by her father. He wondered why she wasn't coming to Duel School anymore. As he was due to Duel at the Quiz School the next day, after having several of Michio's recipes that had been prepared by his mother, he stayed up late watching quiz shows, but this had a negative effect on his concentration. As he walked down the street, he was suddenly pursued by three LDS students led by Mr. Sawatari, who still believed Yuya to be the person who had attacked Shingo. Fleeing, unaware of the reason behind his pursuit, Yuya was saved by the intervention of Shun Kurosaki, who proceeded to Xyz Summon a monster that dealt real damage to the LDS students and seal them in cards, while knocking Yuya himself out. Nico Smiley later found Yuya, who babbled about a monster that destroyed the area, but there was no visible evidence of the encounter. Nico asked if Yuya had been sleeping, and Yuya admitted that he'd stayed up all night doing quizzes.

Yuya then Dueled Eita Kyuando from the Cram Duel School. Although Yuya lost most of his Life Points due to the "Quiz" Action Cards, "Quiz Monkey", and "Sphin-Quiz", he eventually won using the effects of "Performance Resurrection - Reborn Force", "Performapal Curtain Call", and "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon".

The next day, Ally, Futoshi and Tatsuya noticed Yuya seemed bothered and wondered why. Yuya remembered Nico Smiley congratulating him from his two recent Duels. Yuya noted that Nico didn't seem so excited, with Nico replying that it's the Pro Duelists' job to be excited. He told Yuya that the Entertainment Duelists surpassed the wildest imagination of the audience. Yuya took his pendant off his neck and swung it around. He restated surpassing the audience's imagination and how his father stole the hearts of his audience, too. Yuya remembered what Declan said about seeing further evolution in Pendulum Summoning, and was frustrated about how he couldn't see it, though. He went to Shuzo and asked what he should do, with Shuzo replying that he should move forward. Yuya commented that if he didn't know which path to take, he couldn't move forward. Later, while reading a magazine, Yuya remarked on how Yuzu was learning Fusion Summoning from Sora. Hokuto Shijima intercepted him, and they told each other to watch where they were going just before they recognized each other. Yaiba then reminded Hokuto that they had to go. Yuya asked what happened, and Yaiba replied that Masumi found the culprit of the recent attacks. The trio arrived at the crime scene, only to find Masumi, Sora, and Yuzu with her cards scattered across the ground. Yuya asked Yuzu what was wrong, and she sobbed, saying she didn't know what's going on anymore. The LDS security then arrived, and Masumi ran toward them apologizing. Sora told Yuya and Yuzu they should probably go. Yaiba remarked to Yuya that he still needed two more matches to join the Junior Youth Championship. Yuya asked how he knew that, and Yaiba replied that he wanted to say good luck, although it might be difficult for him, and he left. Yuya then noticed Yuzu's "Polymerization" on the ground, and guessed she accidentally forgot about it.

He was due to Duel Mieru Hochun the next day, but slept in and arrived late, bumping his head on his desk and mixing up his cards at his house and cartwheeling down the stairs to land in a position to see up Mieru's skirt. Mieru whacked him on the head with her crystal apple for that. Yuya's bad luck coninued into the Duel, drawing high-Level monsters and low Scales, leaving him with a dead hand and forcing him to pass, allowing Mieru to take an early lead with her Flip Effect Monsters, and then her Ritual Monster, "Tarotray the Sibylla." Fortunately, Yuya was able to draw "Timegazer Magician," allowing him to Pendulum Summon five powerful monsters and boost "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" to 3700 ATK, but his monsters were all frozen in Defense Position by the effects of Mieru's Flip Monsters, which "Tarotray" could freely trigger. Mieru then had "Tarotray" read Yuya's fortune, the Towers card, which indicated a destructive future for Yuya. Mieru told him to stop the match to avoid that future. Yuya refused to let his dream be ended there, but Mieru used her Flip Monsters to set up a combo that wiped the field of his Defense Position monsters and dealt him damage. She continued to urge him to surrender, even sealing Yuya's draw with "Draw Lock," which Yuya would need to dispel with an Action Card. Yuya began to search, eventually finding one as the chandelier of the Duel Field began to collapse around him. Sprinting hard, Yuya was able to grab the card and survive the fall, apparently having changed his future. He drew on the next turn, but he'd drawn Yuzu's "Polymerization," as was disheartened, believing that he couldn't use it. He then received a vision of a sealed monster, and he Pendulum Summoned again, then returned his "Magicians" to his hand and Summoned "Stargazer Magician," then fused it with "Odd-Eyes" to create "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon," which was able to attack mulitiple times and win the Duel. He returned Yuzu's "Polymerization" to her, and they shared a touching moment that was broken up by the infatuated Mieru, inciting swift rebuke from Yuzu. He had to tell Sora that they wouldn't be having a party until Yuya had qualified for the Championship, much to Sora's disappointment.

Waking up the next day, Yuya found both his house and the Duel School empty save Nico Smiley, who took him to the Gongenzaka Dojo to Duel Gong. Gong revealed that in order to get a serious match from Yuya, he'd arranged it so that they were both one win away from entering the Junior Youth Championship, much to Yuya's shock. He didn't know if he could defeat Gong like that, but their Duel commenced on the "Sword's Graveyard" field that Gong had Dueled Yaiba on. Gong brought out his "Big Benkei" early, and Yuya fought back with "Performapal Silver Claw," and Action Cards. But on his next turn, Gong proceeded to Synchro Summon "Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susanowo." Yuya was shocked that Gong had Synchro Summoned, and even more so when his father attempted to stop the match, believing that Gong had stolen the technique. Gong revealed that he had instead requested instruction from Yaiba, and he drove Yuya back with "Susanowo." Yuya assembled a hasty defense by Pendulum Summoning, and he was only barely able to survive the turn. He Pendulum Summoned again, bringing out "Hip Hippo" so that he could Tribute Summon "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon," and was able to use his "Performapal Lizardraw" to draw "Performapal Trump Witch," thus allowing him to Fusion Summon "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." Though he defeated "Susanowo," Gong was able to revive it, so Yuya had to leap for an Action Card to pay the cost of his "Dangerous Draw," gambling everything on his next draw. He drew "Big Return," which allowed him to re-use his "Trump Witch's" effect to Fusion Summon "Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon," attacking to win the Duel. His friends, who had been secretly watching the Duel, congratulated him afterwards, including Gong, who reassured Yuya that he still had a chance to enter the Championship.

Maiami Championship
The day of the Championship, Yuya stood on the bridge looking at the Dueling Arena, while swinging the pendant in front of him. He remembered the day before his father's Duel with Strong Ishijima. After the recollection, Yoko chided Yuya, telling him that she just got a call from Yuzu. She said that Yuya should be worrying there, pointing at the stadium.

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 a "Performapal" Deck, which consists of animals dressed in carnival attire, referencing his passion for entertaining people. Though most of his monsters have relatively low ATK, they have various useful effects to fit a variety of situations such as allowing multiple attacks, ATK/DEF manipulation, etc. Yuya also uses Trap cards in the same manner, though they commonly require monsters on his side to be destroyed to work properly, taking advantage of the fact that Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck when destroyed. Due to the way he duels, Yuya doesn't have many Spell cards in his own deck, opting to use Action Cards he finds on the field to circumvent this. In fact, Yuya claims that one of his specialities in Action Duels is his ability in finding Action Cards. 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 "Performapal Hip Hippo", "Performapal Whip Snake" 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".

Yuya's favored strategy typically involves getting two Pendulum Monsters with a great difference in scale (usually "Stargazer Magician" and "Timegazer Magician") and after setting them in the Pendulum Zones, promptly Pendulum Summoning as many monsters as possible. To this end, he often stalls as long as possible until he can get those cards in his hand.

After using Yuzu's Polymerization in one of his Duels, Yuya starts using cards like "Performapal Trump Witch" to Fusion Summon Fusion Monsters like "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" and "Beast-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.