Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

'''Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's''' is the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series, that began airing in Japan on April 2, 2008, as the successor to the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime.

This series was acquired by 4Kids Entertainment for broadcasting in the United States on Saturday, September 13th 2008.

The world English Premiere of this series was shown at the San Diego Comic Con 2008, on Thursday, July 24th 2008, where the first English dubbed episode was shown.

The Duelist Genesis and Duel Terminals were designed to introduce this new anime series to Yu-Gi-Oh! card game players. This series uses newer game mechanics and mechanics known as the Master Rules. The new Synchro Summoning rule in particular is popular amongst some characters, who often feature their Synchro Monsters as the centerpiece of their Duels.

Unlike the original series and GX, the decks used can actually be competitive.

Characters

 * See Category:Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters

The character designs are by Shuji Maruyama.

Plot
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is set in Domino City some time after the events concerning Yugi Muto and Jaden Yuki. A new form of dueling, "Turbo Duels", now take place on motorcycles called "Duel Runners". While regular dueling still exists, Turbo Duels have become a popular form of entertainment for spectators, who watch them in specially-designed stadiums.

Fortune Cup

 * Main article: Fortune Cup

Escape from Satellite Jack Atlas stole Yusei Fudo's card "Stardust Dragon" along with the first Duel Runner that Yusei made. He then leaves the poorer "Satellite" area of Domino and becomes a "Duel King" in the richer area, called "New Domino City". Yusei tries to meet up with Jack to get back what was stolen from him, fighting the Securities, who try to keep Satellite residents from entering New Domino City. Yusei meets Jack in New Domino and has a Turbo Duel with him. After both players ace monsters "Stardust Dragon" and "Red Dragon Archfiend" clash, a mysterious dragon appears causing the Duel to prematurely end. A group of Security guards then arrive to arrest Yusei.

The Facility Yusei is sent to the Facility. Here he learns the legend of the Signers. He also fights against unjust treatment of the inmates, particularly by dueling the warden Mr. Armstrong. After defeating Armstrong, Yusei is released. Yusei then takes time to retrieve his confiscated Deck and Duel Runner.

Fortune Cup The Yliaster group hold the Fortune Cup in the hopes of gathering the Signers. Yusei is forced to enter, for the safety of his captured friends from Satellite. After much twists and turns on the Cup, four Signers are finally gathered through Rex Goodwin and Lazar's plans.

During Yusei and Jack's Duel, the Crimson Dragon reappears. Through the Crimson Dragon their Duel is transported elsewhere along with Luna and Akiza, who are watching. The four of them are witness the past, when the Sky Temple existed. As they pass it, Yusei notices five individuals on top of the Temple who on that time carried the same birthmarks and were Signers back then. And after that they witness the future, where Satellite is being destroyed by a strange force, where on its remains a Spider mark appears. Jack pushes an intense Duel on Yusei in order to win and keep his title, but Yusei once again wins settling his score and being declared as the new King of Turbo Duels.

Dark Signers

 * Main article: Dark Signers (arc)

After the Crimson Dragon is seen at the Fortune Cup the Dark Signers take action and begin preaching that its evil and asking the people of Satellite to join them if they want salvation. They intend to open a gate to the underworld in the B.A.D. area of Satellite.

Yusei learns the history and motives of the Dark Signers from Goodwin. He is then transported back to his hometown in order to save it. Where upon arriving he meets up with his long time friend Crow. Yusei and Crow make their way to the B.A.D. area of the Satellite to defeat the Dark Signers. On the way, they run in to an old friend, Kyosuke Kiryu, now one of the Dark Signers and seeking revenge. Yusei and Kiryu engage in a Shadow Turbo Duel, where Yusei's Duel Runner ends up being trashed. Yusei is left mortally injured, so Crow takes him to a refuge facility where he's treated by surgery.

Leo infers that the Signers should stick together. As a result, he Luna, Tanner and Yanagi go to the Arcadia Movement in the hopes of Akiza siding with them. However they are tricked by Divine, who has other plans for Luna as he wants to make her a member. Divine duels and defeats Leo, while testing to see if he possesses any ability like Luna's.

Carly Nagisa in an attempt to investigate the Signers and the Dark Signers, is led to the Arcadia Movement. She sneaks into their building and finds Divine's secret room. Divine senses the incident and finds Carly. He challenges her to a Duel. As Divine wins the Duel, Carly is blasted through a window, leading to her apparent death.

However, Carly Nagisa is revived as a Dark Signer, and challenges Divine to a Shadow Duel for revenge. Meanwhile, Akiza, is confronted by Misty, who reveals herself to be a Dark Signer. The two Dark Signers corresponding Nazca Lines form in the city around the Arcadia Movement building. With Akiza dueling, Jack and Yusei's birthmarks began to react. Carly eventually defeats Divine with her Earthbound God, thus its attacks sends him flying from the room so that he falls all the way down the building.

Due to that Misty and Akiza's duel gets postponed for later as they both see him falling. However before that Misty tells her the reason for revenge, as she's convinced that Akiza is responsible for having killed her brother. Suddenly the building begins to demolish because of the Hummingbird God, Yanagi, Bolt, Leo and Luna get out. Thus Jack arrives asking of the situation he enters the building to help Akiza who is currently insconcious. As for Carly and Misty their picked up by Demak in a helicopter.

Akiza taken to the hospital that being in a comatose state, where her parents Hideo and Setsuko come to see her. However without a way of helping her prompts Jack to tell them that the only one who can is Yusei Fudo. Hideo then goes in search of him in Satellite, explaining there of their disastrous past with their daughter. After that he agree to try and help, after Martha persuades him to by reminding Yusei about what friendship means. As they both eventually come back to the city Yusei is able to awaken Akiza unbeknown to him with the help of the Mark of the Dragon. However after shes sees her parents, she then remembers what has happened to Divine and about Misty's revenge.

As because of her state Yusei duels her, seeing its the only way that he can reach to her closed heart. As he once more claims victory, the duel results with Akiza finally managing to gain control of her psychic powers. As well as she being able to finally be friends with him and the others.

After that the Signers are invited by Rex Goodwin into his house. As he wants to reveals to them some secret concerning the Crimson Dragon. Being that because of the Red Dragon's God power lies some sort of "fate", one which those who are Signers cannot escape from. According to Goodwin that same fate was predicted thousands of years ago, in which all of the current Signers would eventually met. He also tells them about the Dark Signer's abilities involving their powers and use of the Earthbound Gods.

As according to Goodwin their powers manifested in a duel all come from the underworld. Also as they appeared on the city many casulaties ocurred just like in Satellite due to their Gods. The Signers finally also learn that person transformed into a Dark Signer can't be turn back to their former selves. That's because they are actually already dead and that are only came back alive because of the powerful phenomenon ocurring on the other side of the Underworld.

Upon hearing that, Yusei become upset as his former friend, Kiryu, cannot be saved. However, thanks to Jack, he realize he must fight against him. At the same time, Goodwin sends Lazar to the Satellite. He is mistaken by Crow to be Dark Signer. After everything is explained, they duel. Lazar at first attacks him successfully and gets confident, however Crow manages to turn the duel around. As the two of them hold out to win the duel gets interrupted by the Dark Signers doing which makes Lazar run away from the duel leaving Crow behind.

Crow intends to escape with his Duel Runner from a dark cloud resulting from the ritual performed. However it's no use as it gets to him along with other Satellite residents. Because of this ritual all of Satellite becomes enclouded, and so the Signers in respond along with Leo and Mina all board into a helicopter to Satellite, flown by Trudge himself himself.

Once there Martha and Blister along with other children greets them. However the reunion is cut close as Yusei finds out that Rally and the others along with Crow have disappeared. Later on Yusei battles in a fierce Shadow Duel against Rudger in order to protect the children who reside on Martha's home. Half way in the duel, Rudger talks about the Zero Reverse and Yusei's parents and he confesses that Rex Goodwin is his brother. The Earthbound Immortal is Special Summoned. As the children's souls are about to be absorbed by the Earthbound Immortal, Jack appears saving the children just in time, but in the same time Martha gets sacrificed to save another child. This act pushes Yusei to the break of despair. After Yusei Synchro Summons "Stardust Dragon", Rudger gets out and Rally replaces him, but Rally sacrifices himself to help Yusei.

After their duel concludes, the rest of the Dark Signers show themselves up to their rivals, the Signers. As their final battle is about to begin. Later on as each one of the Signers is set on defeating their respective opponent, they split up to each of the 4 safety switches of the Old Momentum. However as Luna and Leo are taken by Trudge to where Demak is waiting, she instead travels to the Spirit World in order to free Ancient Fairy Dragon. Because of this Leo decides to duel Demak in her place, trying to fulfill his promise of protecting her.

Although against all odds of winning the duel, as he's not a Signer, Leo is fighting harder than ever against Demak in the Real World. As for Luna she finally finds Regulus with help of a spellcaster spirit named Toreka. After some concurring events Luna reveals to the White Lion, her identity as one of the Signers, along with the promise she made to the Dragon's spirit long ago. As for now the 3 are currently inside within King Zeman's castle hoping to find a way to release Ancient Fairy Dragon.

However, Zeman finds out they were trying to trick him and orders his army to attack them. Still, he is killed by Regulus at the same moment Leo defeats him in the real world. Demak then summons his Earthbound Immortal - Cusillu, attacking Leo, who whistands the attack. Then, Torunka sends Luna back to the real world, where she duels Demak, rescues Ancient Fairy Dragon and defeats Dark Signer with her brother's help.

Thus with Demak's defeat Crow is revealed to have survived the black fog, however he then later engages in a Shadow Turbo Duel against the new Dark Signer, Greiger. They both duel with intent to avenge their friends who have disappeared, despite Yusei's protest. However, when Greiger summons his Earthbound Immortal - Chacu Challhua, he learns it was summoned using the souls of his village friends, and that the Dark Signers were in fact responsible for his village's destruction. Wanting to stop the duel, Greiger's body is taken over by Chacu Challua's spirit, forcing Crow to have to defeat him. Greiger manages to stop Crow being crushed by a large debris. Before he disappears, he asks Yusei to stop the Dark Signers. With Chacu Challua destroyed, all of Greiger's friends are freed. Yusei once again sets off, where he finally meets up with Kiryu.

Differences in adaptions
In the Japanese anime, the class system between the upper class residents New Domino City and the often rejected residents of Satellite is a recurring theme throughout the series. While the class system exists in the English anime, it is not as severe and much less emphasized. Some dialogue referring to the class system such as "Satellite scum" is replaced. Nerve and Blitz also had their names switched, so now they are Blitz and Nervin respectively.

The English dub adds a part to episodes, where the effects of certain cards are explained.

Like the previous two series, changes have been made to character names and their personalities to make the show suitable for a younger age demographic of ages 6-10, as well as to make the show a lot less foreign and a lot more marketable across non-English countries.

The original Japanese music is replaced with a brand new soundtrack made by 4Kids although some pieces of the original Japanese music remain. But like with the previous series, 4Kids completely replaced all the sound effects with new sound effects they created and there are none of the sound effects from the original Japanese version used or remaining in the 4Kids dub. Even the beeping of the life point, attack point, and defense point counters is changed by 4Kids.

Previous dubs completely edited traces of certain text due to FCC regulations, as well as to make the shows more marketable to non-English speaking countries, as well as for the purpose of cultural streaming, just to make the show seem less foreign and understandable to an American audience. This included the complete removal of Japanese kanji or kana, with some or most of them replaced with some kinds of symbols, and not having any of them translated or changed to English, just as the English dub is set in the United States instead of Japan and all the characters originally Japanese are American in the 4Kids dub. Another of those text edits is the redesigning the cards to only display Attributes, Level Stars, ATK and DEF values and icons for Spell and Trap Cards.

Episodes

 * Season 1
 * Evolving Duel! Stardust VS Red Demons (OVA)

DVD release
A 28 minute DVD, containing the special episode is included in the Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG - Duelist Box.

Music
Japanese opening theme: Kizuna
 * Performer: Kra
 * Album: Kizuna

Japanese ending theme: START
 * Performer: Nakagauchi Masataka
 * Album: START / Sun will shine away

Japanese opening theme 2: Last Train - The New Morning
 * Performer: Knotlamp

Japanese ending theme 2: CROSS GAME
 * Performer: アリス九號 (Alice Nine)

The soundtrack, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Sound Duel Vol I features music from the anime.

The 4Kids TV website held an open vote for what should be the theme of the English dubbed version of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. Eight one minute songs were playable. The song with the most votes would be chosen to be featured when the dub premiered on CW4Kids on September 13th. The voting was only open to those who had registered an account on the 4Kids.tv website.

Users could vote for one of the following songs.
 * Better be Better than Best
 * Hyper Drive
 * Need for Speed
 * Rev it Up
 * Secret of Five‎
 * We are the Ones
 * We Ride to Survive

English Opening Theme: Hyper Drive