Moon Shadow

Tsukikage is a Ninjitsu Duelist from the Fuma Clan and a participant in the "Junior" class of the Arc League Championship in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. He becomes one of the Lancers, a group made by Declan Akaba with the objective to fend off enemies invading the Standard Dimension.

Appearance
Tsukikage is accented by the color blue as opposed to Hikage's red. He has blue eyes and hair, which is held in a high ponytail. His scarf, which wraps around his face like a mask, and the details on his outfit, are blue as well. He dons a black ninja outfit, shoulder protectors and a headband with moon symbols, and carries a sword on his back. His right arm is covered by a sleeve as opposed to Hikage's left. Notably, Tsukikage is a left-handed Duelist.

During his Duel against Shinji, Tsukikage wears a Turbo Dueling suit that bears resemblance in form to his ninja costume. He wears a predominantly black jumpsuit with a secondary grey trim and blue markings. The chest of his jumpsuit is grey. His scarf, which wraps around his face like a mask and the helmet is dark blue with yellow detail.

Personality
Tsukikage generally holds a serious and quiet demeanor, though he is not above being startled by the strangeness of the actions of other people around him. He is also faithfully loyal to his mission, due to the guidelines of the Fuma clan, helping Selena no matter the cost, almost resulting in his own defeat at the hands of the Obelisk Force. As such he was incensed when Shinji Weber insulted his clan and the memory of his brother. Tsukikage is respectful to his opponents, but also honest in his own beliefs, which can cause some confrontation. However, while Tsukikage is a loyal servant to Declan, he has stated that if Declan treated his comrades as disposable then he would not have worked for Declan.

Etymology
His name can translate to "moonlight", or more literally, "moon shadow", the latter which can allude to his ninja background. When defending Selena and Shay, Tsukikage said that Hikage would attack to fend off foes with the brilliance of the sun, while Tsukikage would take care of defense and stall the enemy like the moon, reflecting their names.

Abilities
Due to his ninja training, Tsukikage is very athletic and is capable great feats of speed and agility, to the point that he was able to jump off his Duel Runner to take an Action Card and return to it almost immediately. He is also incredibly stealthy, which is a potent combination with his remarkable speed.

Arc League Championship


Tsukikage defeated Aura Sentia in a One Turn Kill in the first round of the Arc League Championship. before winning another Duel to qualify for the finals. During the Battle Royal Finals, he and his brother, Hikage, initially stayed in the Jungle Area. Declan Akaba hired him and Hikage to keep Selena safe from the Fusion Dimension in hopes that she would join their cause. With his brother, Tsukikage later saved Selena and Zuzu Boyle from the Obelisk Force by using a smoke screen to stop them. He remained with Selena and Zuzu in the Iceberg Area while Hikage returned to check on the Youth Team, and averted his eyes while they switched clothes so that Selena could meet with Shay and Zuzu could act as a distraction for the Obelisk Force. Tsukikage left once they'd split up. In the Volcano Area, Tsukikage and Hikage saved Shay from being captured by Sora. Tsukikage left Hikage to deal with Sora, taking the chance to lead Shay and Selena to safety.

Three Obelisk Force members arrived and asked that Selena come with them, but Selena refused. Tsukikage stepped in to defend Shay and Selena and they began a 3-on-3 Duel against the Academy soldiers. He took the first turn, Normal Summoning "Twilight Ninja - Shingetsu" and Sets 3 cards. His "Ninjitsu Art" cards ("Barrier Ninjitsu Art of Hazy Extinguishing" reduced any effect damage and "Barrier Ninjitsu Art of Gathering Shadows", avoided attacks by paying his own Life Points to protect his teammates. He reassured Shay when asked that the damage he took was nothing compared to Shay's injuries.

After Reed Pepper and Teppei Tairyobata were sealed into cards, Tsukikage was next to be taken down but was saved by Sylvio entering the Duel with a "Flame Guard" Action Card". Gong Strong also stepped in and helped the group defeat the Obelisk Force. Afterwards, Declan arrived and congratulated the group, granting them the title of Lancers.

Friendship Cup
When Selena revealed to the group that she was from Duel Academy, Tsukikage defended her, as per the wishes of his client, and he watched the Duel between Yuya and Declan. During the Duel, Tsukikage watched the conversation between Shay and Selena on the invasion of Duel Academy. After the Duel, Declan declared that the Tsukikage and the other Lancers would soon travel across dimensions before returning to the stadium where Declan and Henrietta announced the cancellation of the Arc League Championship and revealed the Lancers' existence to the world. The next day, Declan announced his plan to go to the Synchro Dimension to seek allies, and that their Duel Disks were upgraded to let them travel across dimensions.

When the Lancers arrived in the Synchro Dimension, they were split up. Tsukikage came to rescue Riley from Security, when Yuya, Selena, Sylvio and their new ally Crow Hogan were captured. He briefly made eye contact with Selena before grabbing Riley and vanishing. Selena theorized that he was instructed by Declan to find Riley, which was confirmed when he, Riley, and Declan appeared to defend the Lancers when they were being investigated by the Executive Council. Tsukikage, Declan, and the Council watched the Duels between Yuya and Jack Atlas and Crow and Gong.

Tsukikage accompanied Declan when the latter picked up Riley from his room for his upcoming Duel with Shinji Weber in the Friendship Cup. He tried to go after Riley when he ran off, but Declan stopped him. Tsukikage listened in on Declan and Yuya's discussion on what to do with Riley. When Declan asked Tsukikage to take Riley's place in the tournament, he agreed and left. His participation in the tournament confused Melissa Claire, who mistook Riley as a ninja.

Tsukikage took the first turn and swiftly started dealing damage steadily with his "Illusion Ninjitsu Art of Hazy Shuriken" by repeatedly grabbing Action Cards. The audience applauded him for this tactic. He used the effect three times until Shinji blocked him from getting another one, forcing him to end his turn. Tsukikage questioned Shinji's harsh comments about the Tops, leading him to believe that he had sided with the Tops and compared his role as a ninja to that of Security as a good for nothing bunch who merely bowed to his lord. Angered by Shinji's insult to the Fuma clan and Hikage's sacrifice, he vowed to punish Shinji's insolence. Tsukikage brought out his "Twilight Ninja Getsuga, the Shogun" to reinforce his defenses and kept using "Hazy Shuriken" to reduce Shinji's LP to 1000. In his next turn, Shinji manage to overpower his defensive formation with his "Bee Force" cards. Shinji was about to win, but Tsukikage found the Action Card, "Evasion". However, he refused to use it, causing him to lose the Duel and be sent to work in the underground facility. According to Declan, Tsukikage's defeat was part of his plan.

While in the underground facility, Tsukikage gathered information and found out a rumor that Jean-Michel Roger may come from another dimension. He effortlessly escaped and reported his findings to Declan, who then concluded that Roger must be allied with Duel Academy. Before he could return to the underground, Riley approached him and apologized to him for desiring his loss against Shinji, and he asked Tsukikage to tell Yuya to fight for the Lancers and gain recognition by defeating Jack Atlas. Tsukikage agreed, visiting Yuya and telling him that the rest of the Lancers were safe and assuring him that Declan wouldn't abandon his allies. Yuya then requested that he deliver a letter to Zuzu. Tsukikage agreed and slipped the letter under Zuzu's door before returning to the underground.

Friendship Cup Finals
Tsukikage left the underground again and learned of Security's widespread presence across the City, including the Executive Council chamber where Declan was being held. He later came across Zuzu, Sora, Amanda, Frank and Tanner in the slums and prepared to challenge Sora to a Duel in retribution for Sora sealing Hikage in a card. Zuzu managed to convince Tsukikage to stand down, and Sora apologized for what he had done to Hikage. Sora told Tsukikage that he knew an apology wouldn't be enough, and requested that he be allowed to rescue Yuya from Security before giving Tsukikage the chance to take revenge. Tsukikage agreed and suggested that Zuzu and the kids come to the Underground Labor Facility in order to avoid Security.

After Riley defeated three Security members and Jean-Michel Roger asked what was going on, Tsukikage then took a Security's helmet and introduced himself to Jean. Tsukikage informed Jean that Selena was safe and she was in the Lancers' protection. He brought Riley and the unconscious Selena to the Underground Labor Facility.

Deck
Tsukikage uses a "Ninja"/"Ninjitsu Art" Deck. He uses many defensive cards to protect himself while slowly dealing damage. His playstyle makes extensive use of Action Cards, which he can easily grab with his incredible speed even during a Turbo Duel, constantly discarding them for the costs of his card effects. His trump card seems to be "Illusion Ninjitsu Art of Hazy Shuriken": should the opponent be unable to prevent him from repeatedly paying its cost with Action Cards, he can potentially perform an OTK with it. He reinforces this strategy by using defensive tactics through "Twilight Ninja Shogun - Getsuga" and "Illusion Ninjitsu Art of Hazy Toad" in order to use "Hazy Shuriken" uninterrupted.

Trivia

 * Tsukikage is only one of a handful of left-handed Duelists in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, and the first such Duelist to be seen in ARC-V (notably, his brother Hikage is right-handed, underscoring the duality between the two). He is also the first major Yu-Gi-Oh! left-handed character who is not from Yliaster. Strangely, he uses his right hand during Turbo Duels.