The Big Five

The Big Five, initially known as the "executives for Kaiba Corporation" are a group of five businessmen that used to work for Gozaburo Kaiba and the main antagonists in the Legendary Heroes arc, producing weapons of mass destruction for KaibaCorp, and then later for Seto Kaiba making video game-related software.

They often take the side of whoever they feel has and can give them more power, as they go from working for Gozaburo, to Seto Kaiba, to Maximillion Pegasus, and finally, to Noah Kaiba.

KaibaCorp
When Gozaburo Kaiba's step-son Seto decides to make his play for power, he convinces the Big Five he'll restore them to their former power and claims that Gozaburo does not give them the respect or power they deserve. The Big Five agree, and thus buy 49% of KaibaCorp. Combined with 2% that Gozaburo had previously given to Seto for a test to prove his business skill, the Big Five vote out Gozaburo and vote in Seto as the president of the company.

Duelist Kingdom
However, Seto quickly backs out on their deal, stripping them of their power and leaving the Big Five little more than figureheads and consultants. Furious over their betrayal, the Big Five strike a deal with Maximillion Pegasus, similar to their previous deal with Seto: if Pegasus defeats Seto and Yugi Muto in duels, then they will use their 49% to vote Pegasus into power of the company by kidnapping Seto's brother Mokuba, who has been entrusted with the security codes to the two percent the Big Five need.

For the majority of Duelist Kingdom, until Pegasus's defeat, the Big Five are shadowed.

The plan fails, and when Seto learns of their betrayal he threatens to fire them. The Big Five offer Seto his complete Virtual Reality game as a peace offering, sparking the Legendary Heroes arc. When Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler enter the Virtual World with Mokuba, the Big Five sent Kemo and two other operatives to go unplug their pods. After being rescued, what Seto did to the Big Five is not known as Kemo and the other operatives rushed back to the Big Five before Seto can get to them.

In the manga, the Big Five were fired and were never seen again.

Virtual World (anime only)
For some time, the Big Five wander KaibaCorp's computer banks until they are found by Gozaburo's biological son Noah. Noah also desires to take control of Kaiba Corporation from Seto, and strikes a deal with them. Noah lures Seto Kaiba, Yugi, and his friends to an underground military base, and there forces them to enter his version of the Virtual World. The Big Five greet them and reveal the deal they have made with Noah: after being trapped in the Virtual World, they have lost their connection to their bodies and thus need new ones. In exchange for being allowed access to the bodies of Seto, Yugi, and his friends, the Big Five will defeat each of them in a duel.

One by one the Big Five fail to defeat their chosen opponents, each underestimating the gangs' natural feel for the game as opposed to the Big Five's more calculated business-like strategies, and Noah is furious. As a last ditch effort, the Big Five use the body of Tristan to unite into one and duel Yugi and Joey in a two-on-one match. They once again fail to defeat them and are summoned back to Noah's headquarters after trying to take the gang's bodies by force, which infuriates Noah. Noah refuses to give them a third chance. In the original version, Noah deletes the Big Five. In the English dub, he imprisons each of the Big Five in an isolated portion of the Virtual World.

The Big Five United


When they faced Yugi and Joey, the Big Five dueled as one in the body of Tristan Taylor, rotating their Deck Masters in turn, as well as which member of The Big Five had control.

In this Duel they use a Deck of their combined powers, highlighted by "Five-Headed Dragon", the monster they attempted to use to trap Seto in the Virtual World before he fired them. They were nevertheless defeated when Yugi and Joey combined their Deck Masters ("Dark Magician" and "Flame Swordsman") to form "Dark Flare Knight", subsequently using its effect to Summon "Mirage Knight" to destroy "Five-Headed Dragon", before destroying their "Berserk Dragon" by transforming "Dark Magician" into "Dark Magician Knight" and transferring most of the ATK of "Flame Swordsman" to him, thus giving him the strength to defeat "Berserk Dragon".