Astral (manga)

Astral (アストラル Asutoraru) is a mysterious entity in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL manga, and one of the main protagonists, along with his partner and best friend Yuma Tsukumo.

His memories are scattered in the form of the 99 "Numbers". When two or more "Numbers" confront in a Duel, they will fight each other to consume one another. When their owners are defeated in a Duel, the cards are absorbed into Astral.

Biography
When Yuma Tsukumo was Dueling against Shark, Shark was overpowering Yuma since the beginning. But when Yuma decides to believe in himself, his broken pendant restores itself, and Yuma uses it to open The door of his dreams. When he does so, a dark card, called a "Number", possesses Shark, making him even stronger. However, at the same time, a mysterious entity, called Astral, appears before Yuma, and tells him to "stand up and win".

Astral says that he is a Duelist, but that he lost his memories. Also, Yuma notices that nobody else can see Astral besides him. Later, seeing Shark's "Number 17: Leviathan Dragon", Astral remembers the "Numbers" are fragments of his memories, and that he shall collect all "Numbers" in order to retrieve his memories. Also, he says "Numbers" battle to absorb each other - so, if he and Yuma lose, he will disappear.

Astral gives Yuma advice during the Duel, and Yuma appears to begin a comeback. However, he flubs another move, forgetting to activate his "Bye Bye Damage" Trap Card, which could have saved him Life Points. When Shark reduces Yuma's Life Points to 500 and puts him in a corner, Kotori tells him not to give up, and he stands, betting everything in his draw. Yuma draws "Monster Reborn" and decides to counterattack Shark; however, Yuma accidentally makes a misplay. Astral says that Yuma is pathetic, but that his feelings are strong, and that they will win if Yuma trusts him. Suddenly, a black card is revealed in Yuma's Extra Deck - Astral gave him a "Number" card, "Number 39: Utopia", which was formed through Yuma's and Astral's hope (Note: The original name of "Utopia" is "Hope"). Then, using the "Number" and "Double or Nothing!", Yuma and Astral were able to win. After that, Astral absorbs Shark's "Number", and Yuma tells him the Duel was fun. Shark then leaves saying that he wouldn't forget that. From that on, Astral becomes Yuma's partner.

Later, Yuma is deceived by a boy named Tokunosuke, who gets interested in him as he was able to defeat Shark. He asks Yuma for his autograph, and gives Yuma "Baby Tiragon", saying that would represent their friendship.

At home, Astral asks who the two people in the picture Yuma has on his desk are. He tells him that those are his parents who never returned from their adventure. Astral recalls Yuma mentioning that his parents gave him the Emperor's Key and wonders if they are related to its powers. Yuma tells him to forget about that and shows him his new "Baby Tiragon" card - his very own Xyz Monster. Yuma hears someone coming. His sister, Akari, enters the room and asks when he's planning to go to bed - she's trying to write a news article and Yuma won't be quiet. He apologizes and says he'll go to bed now. Seeing the card in his hand, she asks if he's been playing Duel Monsters. He says that of course he hasn't, as his sister previously forbade him to do so. Their grandmother muses that Yuma is a poor kid to be picked on like that. Akari believes that for Yuma, Dueling is more than just a game, and that it can't be helped. Astral is surprised to learn that Yuma isn't allowed to Duel and Yuma responds that his sister doesn't wish him to, as she believes something bad may happen. Astral thinks that perhaps Akari is aware of the relationship between Yuma and The Emperor's Key.

Then, during the next day, Yuma Duels Tokunosuke at school. Yuma asks Astral if he was not going to participate in the Duel, and he replied saying that if "Numbers" are not involved, it doesn't interest him. During the Duel, Tokunosuke uses "Baby Tiragon" to take control of Yuma's "Numbers", and reveals that the paper which Yuma signed was an agreement to bet on their best cards for the Duel. But Yuma uses "Baby Tiragon" together with "Stinging Swordsman" and manages to win. After the Duel, Yuma offers Tokunosuke "Baby Tiragon" back, but Tokunosuke lets it to Yuma, and they become friends.

After a Numbers holder attempts to rob a shopping mall, Kaito Tenjo a Numbers Hunter, defeats him and absorbs his "Number", alongside with his soul. Akari was investigating about the incident and asked Yuma if he knew anything about a "Numbers Hunter". Surprised, Yuma asked why she knew about the "Numbers". Akari asked if he knew something, but Yuma awkwardly denied. She then explained that the bandit kept muttering "Numbers Hunter", but that she didn't know what that means, and that it seems to be related with Duel Monsters. Yuma then said that he couldn't know anything, since he is forbidden from Dueling. Akari noticed something wrong, but didn't say anything. Yuma then went to bed, while she kept working on the news.

Later, at school, Astral discussed with Yuma about that "Numbers Hunter", worried about what is his goal and if he would come after Yuma. However, Yuma didn't worry about that. As it was raining, everybody was in the class, wanting to go out and Duel. One of Yuma's classmates than suggests going to the gymnasium, and all rushed out towards there. In the way, it started raining more, and Kotori was getting behind. Yuma then told her to run, but when she was crossing the street, a truck was passing on it. Yuma immediately ran and pushed her out of the way, but now the truck was going to hit him. Yuma then notices he wasn't hit, and Astral finds the time has been stopped. Then, Kaito, the Numbers Hunter, appears. Kaito explains his servant robot, Orbital 7, has caused the time freeze, and then, forces Yuma to a Duel, betting his "Numbers" and his soul. With no option, Yuma Duels him. However, even with his "Kattobingu" spirit, he wasn't a challenge to Kaito, who dominated the Duel. When Kaito was about to win, Orbital 7 warns him his brother Haruto is in bad conditions, and Kaito immediately cancels the Duel and goes after him. With that, time goes back to normal, and Yuma falls on his knees, shocked on noticing how weak he is.

Upon his loss to Kaito, Yuma's spirit is totally broken. Seeing that, Kotori tries in many ways to cheer him up, but it doesn't work, and she even ends up being hospitalized. Then, in order to help Yuma, his friends form the Numbers Club, with the intention of helping him collecting the "Numbers". Then, after many research, Tokunosuke finds an information that "Numbers" exist in the Heartland Theme Park. By that way, they take Yuma to the park. However, the owner of the park, Mr. Heartland, hired three Numbers Hunters, who work in the park, collecting "Numbers" secretly disguised as employees.

Yuma and his friends than go to the park, and have fun in many attractions. After trying many of them, they go to a roller coaster attraction called "Nature Crooz", owned by a popular character from the Theme Park, Captain Corn. However, Captain Corn is one of the Numbers Hunters from the park, and as soon as Yuma enters in the roller coaster, he splits the wagons, separating Yuma from his friends, and challenging him to a Duel betting the "Numbers".

While Yuma and Corn Duel, Kotori, Tetsuo, Cathy and Tokunosuke notice Yuma's missing, and try to leave to look for him. But Captain Corn traps and almost kills them. However, Cathy's agility saved the group, while Yuma managed to defeat Captain Corn. Yuma and his friend then meet, and eat Captain Corn, who exploded into a pile of popcorn due the explosion of Yuma's "Hope Buster".

When Astral absorbs Captain Corn's "Number", Mr. Heartland appears and reveals he is hunting the "Numbers" to destroy Astral's home, the Astral World, because it is evil, and Astral is the "messenger". Yuma defends Astral, but Mr. Heartland clicks his fingers, and a kind of door opens in the floor, making them fall in the "Speed Loader", another attraction in the Theme Park. There, they find another Numbers Hunter from the Park, Thunder Spark, who challenges Yuma to a "Speed Duel" in the "Speed Loader". He also gives Yuma's friends a helicopter, so that they can watch the Duel. However, as Yuma couldn't concentrate in the Duel and in the ride at the same time, Astral offered himself to instruct him what cards to play while he rides, and said Yuma to trust him. In response to Astral's feelings, Yuma gets very spirited and begins riding.

During the Duel, Thunder Spark showed himself as a valuable opponent, but that wasn't Yuma's only problem: the "Speed Loader" contains a large variety of fields, each one with different obstacles, and while Astral Dueled, Yuma had big problems driving through them. When arriving at the water field, Yuma falls in the large and deep river located in there, and almost die. Kotori and Cathy even jumped from the helicopter trying to save him. However, as Yuma sinks, he listens to his father's voice, and does "Kattobing". With Astral's help, Yuma manages to go back to the Duel, bringing out Captain Corn's "Black Corn", which together with his "Utopia", allows him to reach victory.

After a hard Duel, Astral finally reaches victory with Yuma. After Thunder Spark is defeated, Yuma thanks Astral, and they try to shake hands, but Astral's hand goes directly through Yuma's, and they just laugh on that. Yuma then goes to where Spark is, when Spark asks Yuma to shake hands, as he "did" with Astral. Yuma accepts it, but gets electrocuted with Spark's touch. Spark explains he could never shake hands with anyone, because he wasn't a human, and would electrify anyone he touched. However, happy for being able to touch a person, Spark now says his last words to Yuma, and quietly disappears in peace, letting his "Number" to Yuma. Yuma and Astral take the "Number", as they lament Spark's "death".

After jumping into the Speed Loader's river field in order to save Yuma, Kotori and Cathy got totally wet. They then find a room with some female clothes, and borrow a dress for each. There, Yuma and his friends find a big door after a staircase, which they pass by, entering a dark room, decorated with lots of dolls, and featuring a big stairway leading to a Doll House. Suddenly, Cologne, another popular character from the Heartland Theme Park, comes down the stairs, holding a candlestick. She initially greets them, but when Cathy replies, she notices Kotori and Cathy are using clothes from hers. The girls try to excuse, but Cologne doesn't listen to them, and enraged, throws the candlestick, which surrounds them with flames, and challenges Yuma to a Duel.

Cologne quickly Summons her "Number", "Number 22: Fran Ken" (called "Ken-chan" by her), totally overpowering Yuma. However, at a certain point of the Duel, Yuma asks her why is she so obsessed in winning and serving Mr. Heartland, and if she had any personal reasons like the previous assassin. She then tells Yuma and his friends about her past, and crying, yells that she doesn't want to be a miserable doll anymore. This feeling strike Yuma and the others, making Yuma hesitate about the Duel. At that time Cathy notes she was the girl who abandoned Cologne. She gets awkward and confused about what to do, but when she decides telling the truth, Kotori says that she was the one who abandoned her, and apologizes. She did this so that Cologne soothed her anger, and that Yuma could concentrate in the Duel, but Cologne knows she is lying, and gets even angrier, throwing oil in the fire surrounding them so that it gets higher, almost hitting them. Yuma and Astral continue the Duel.

However, due to a strange event involving her "Number" and Yuma's "Gagaga Girl", she loses the Duel. The impact of "Utopia's" attack throws Cologne to inside the Doul House, which was in fire.

At that time, Cathy dives into the flames and tries to save her, saying that she was the one who abandoned Cologne, and had to save her. Cathy's noble attitude makes Yuma, Tetsuo and Tokunosuke get shocked, but in the hurry, Cathy mistakes and gets out of the fire carrying one of Cologne's doll. This time, Yuma decides to go save Cologne, but, who comes out of the Doll House carrying her in his arms is Grandpa Demetto. Cologne's soul was supposed to leave her body, but Demetto gave her his own soul, which allowed her to keep alive. While he sends Cologne out of the fire towards Yuma, he is engulfed by the flames together with the field.

Cologne mourns the death of Demetto, who she loved. As she had nowhere to go now, Yuma invites her to live with him in his house. Cologne asks him why he is doing that, and he answers saying that everybody that Duels him becomes his friend. Cologne accepts Yuma's invitation, becoming friends with him and the rest of the gang.

Yuma, the Numbers Club and Cologne then run towards an iron bridge in order to escape from the Heartland Theme Park, but the exit locks, and Kaito and Orbital 7 appear. Kaito challenges Yuma to a Duel in order to obtain his "Numbers", but Mr. Heartland shows up from the upper stairs, interrupting them. Mr. Heartland smiles and orders Kaito to defeat the messenger from the Astral World in front of him. However, Kaito says that he didn't become a Numbers Hunter because of his orders, and triggers Orbital 7's self-explode mechanism, kicking him towards Yuma's gang, which destroys part of the bridge. This makes Yuma and his friends fall in the water under them, which allow them to escape.

Cologne explains that Kaito has became a Numbers Hunter to protect his little brother, who is ill. Astral tells Yuma that even Kaito's reasons being noble, as long as he continues being a Numbers Hunter, someday they'll have to fight each other. Yuma replies saying that he knows that, and when that happens, he will not lose.

Later, Yuma and the members of the Numbers Club gather in Cathy's house. Everyone get impressed at her mansion. Astral comments that it is much better than Yuma's house. Tetsuo then asks Cathy what she wanted to show them. She then presses a cat paw-like button, which opens a door leading to a big room, with many researchers and big computers. Cathy explains that as an apology for the trouble she caused, the Numbers Club's headquarters would be established there, where they can look up mysterious phenomenons happening throughout the world, and therefore, locate the "Numbers". While the guys get amazed on the technology and say how Cathy is really put into it, Kotori sarcastically says Cathy is letting her money do the talking, while she replies saying asking if Kotori could do that. Yuma says that finding the "Numbers" is not a game, to which Astral replies saying that yet it was heartening, and advising Yuma to tell the others about the previous day.

Yuma then tells them that Astral told him that now he got three "Numbers", some of his memories have returned. Yuma asked what he remember, and Astral says his enemy is Dr. Faker, who plans on using the hidden powers of the "Numbers" to destroy the Astral World; However, it is linked to this world. So, if the Astral World dies, this one will die as well. Kotori asks if that's for real, and Yuma answers saying that Astral doesn't lie - in fact, he can't lie. Cathy asks what is that hidden power of the "Numbers", but Astral haven't regained that much memory yet. Takashi asks if Dr. Faker knows both worlds are connected, and Cologne says that he brought her to life, but that he is a really scary scientist, and that she wouldn't put it past him. Takashi and Tokunosuke get scared on how he knows about that fact but still wants to destroy the Astral World, and on how a man like that is collecting the "Numbers". Yuma says that they have to get the "Numbers" first to stop Dr. Faker's plans, and Tetsuo then deduces the fate of the world is riding on this. Then, everyone, except for Tokunosuke, gets spirited up and say that they will keep on collecting the "Numbers", and that the Numbers Club will protect the world. Astral then says to himself that thanks to Yuma, it looks as though his destiny is on the move.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL
In the special chapter "Destined Meeting!!", a voice tells Astral to wake up and work with a certain boy in the human world to save their world. During Yuma's duel with Kaito, The Door appeared before him and told Yuma to open it and he will gain new strength in return. Yuma does so and Astral appears before him and tells Yuma to active "Monster Reborn" and bring back "Ganbara Knight", then Overlay the two Level 4 monsters to Summon "Number 39: Utopia". When "Utopia" appears, it causes Kaito's D-Pad to malfunction and he retreats. Afterwards Astral introduces himself and ask Yuma to fight alongside him and save the Astral World.

Yu-Gi-Oh! D Team ZEXAL
In the spin-off manga Yu-Gi-Oh! D Team ZEXAL, Astral is a Dueling Ghost who helps Yuma in his Duels. However, he can only be seen by him.

Some time later, after defeating some kids, Yuma gets cheered up, but Astral tells him he is only able to win due to his help, and that he relies on monsters too much. Yuma says that intensely attacking with monsters is more interesting and that he can win without Astral's help. Tokunosuke hears what Yuma says about his strategy and goes to Team ZEXAL to tell them that he doesn't have any friends, so he doesn't really have anyone he could Duel with. Hearing that, Yuma Duels Tokunosuke. During the Duel, Yuma plays very recklessly, falling in Tokunosuke's tricks, although Astral kept warning him about them. However, Astral then backs helping Yuma, and he manages to win.

Deck
While Dueling, Astral uses Yuma's Deck but focusing on defensive strategies, and uses card effects to Swarm monsters to his field and Summon Xyz Monsters.