Zane Truesdale

Zane Truesdale, known in Japan as Ryo Marufuji|丸藤亮|Marufuji Ryō, is a fictional character in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX in Japan) and the manga series of the same name.

Character
17-year old Zane Truesdale is the stronger older brother of Syrus Truesdale (Sho Marufuji) who stays in the Obelisk Blue dormitory at Duel Academy (Duel Academia) along with Alexis Rhodes (Asuka Tenjouin) and Chazz Princeton (Jun Manjoume). Zane is highly respected, and a duel with him is reserved only for the elite. He is also close friends with Alexis and her brother, Atticus Rhodes (Fubuki Tenjouin). In the original version of the series, he is nicknamed "Kaiser Ryo" (カイザー亮 Kaizā Ryō).

Personality-wise, Zane is calm and collected, with a deep respect for his opponents and his own cards. He feels that the connection between a duelist and his opponent, as well as the duelist himself and his deck, make victory meaningful. In the English version, he is also somewhat more harsh than his Japanese counterpart.

When Syrus was younger, he almost used the card Power Bond without thinking during a duel. He was stopped by Zane who revealed that if he used it, he would have lost the duel at the end of his turn because of the card's drawback. Paying off Syrus' opponent to end the duel, Zane sealed the card, stating that his brother could only use it when he was truly ready. Syrus, believing himself to be a disgrace to his older brother, did not unseal the card until much later after his friend Jaden Yuki (Judai Yuki) faced off against Zane.

Zane was selected by Camula, the second member of the Shadow Riders (Seven Stars), as a victim of her shadow duel. Though he easily overpowered her, the vampire forced him into an intentional loss by offering his brother's soul as payment for her Illusion Gate card. As a result, he was turned into a doll for a short period of time, before Jaden managed to defeat Camula.

Zane is famous for being one of three people to have ever defeated Jaden in a duel thus far, the others being Kaibaman and Aster Phoenix (Ed Phoenix). He later faces Jaden in a rematch, choosing him as his opponent for his ceremonial graduation duel. The duel ends in a tie after Zane and Jaden use a variety of cards to raise their monsters' attack strengths to astronomical levels, but ended up taking damage equal to both monsters' attack points. Zane goes on to compete in Duel Pro League after his graduation.

A fan favorite in the Pro League, he suffers his first true loss at the hands of Aster Phoenix, who continuously tells him that his defeat is "predetermined by destiny." The duel that the two engage in marks the first time Zane takes damage from Power Bond. The battle takes its toll; from then on, Zane finds himself trapped perpetually in a losing streak. He is approached by  Mr. Shroud (Monkey Saruyama), a promoter who offers him the chance to redeem himself, and although reluctant at first, Zane ultimately accepts.

Zane is soon pitted against Mad Dog (Inukai) in the "Underground Duel," a competition in front of a shady audience wherein both contestants are sealed inside a cage and forced to wear electrodes ("Shock-Amplifying Devices") that shock them each time life points are depleted. Zane again finds himself on the losing end, but realizes that his former philosophy of respecting the opponent above the desire to win is flawed. Frustrated and desperate, he resorts to cruelty and aggression and summons Chimeratech Overdragon, which practically destroys the dueling ring. As the smoke clears, Shroud is amazed (he calls Ryo a "monster" in the Japanese version). The next time Zane is seen, he proves his strength to the dueling world once more. He has donned a dark outfit, and is referred to by the public as "Hell Kaiser Ryo" (ヘルカイザー亮 Heru Kaizā Ryō) in the Japanese version.

In episode 83, Zane travels into the mountains after casting off his promoter to confront Sheppard (Samejima) in the dojo where he was brought up dueling, hoping to acquire the forbidden Underworld (サイバー流裏 Saibā Ryū Ura) deck that existed opposite of his own Cyber Dragon deck. Though Sheppard manages to keep Zane at bay with his Cyber Ogre and various methods of manipulating his opponent's monsters, he is defeated by his own Cyber Ogre 2 when Zane betrays his respect for Cyber End Dragon. Zane takes his prize, but Sheppard believes that he will regain the respect he once held for others during the Genex tournament, and thus gives him a medal that will allow him to participate.

Shortly thereafter, Atticus Rhodes duels Zane under the impression that his friend has fallen to the dark side, much like himself when he was taken in by the Shadow Riders, using the deck of Nightshroud (Darkness) to symbolize his belief that, just as he was able to break free from the darkness that had corrupted him, so too could Zane. Using his new deck, Zane easily dispatches his opponent, causing the dark power of Nightshroud to once again envelop Atticus as he loses faith in his friend's salvation. Zane, however, tells him upon his defeat that there is no darkness in his heart, and that his only wish is to achieve victory through unrelenting force and the accumulation of power. In turn, the monster that others perceive him to have become has merely been born of his inability to cope with failure.

In episode 95, Zane approaches Aster Phoenix for a second duel. Syrus, however, intervenes and demands to be his opponent instead. Similar to his previous duel with Inukai, both players wear electrodes, subject to the intense physical punishment of the "Hell Duel." It becomes clear that, in his current mindset, Zane spares no one; he is cold, ruthless, and abusive, regardless of who his opponents are, and enjoys seeing others suffer. Despite Syrus' efforts to defeat his brother, Zane trounces him by returning his Cyberdark Dragon back to its three original fusion components. He then makes his exit, stating that if there is anything he respects at all anymore, it is only victory itself. He appears again in episode 102 following a brief run-in with the disguised Blair Finnagan (Rei Saotome), giving her his tournament medal as he is no longer interested in participating, and leaves Duel Academy island.

During the third year, he returns to duel Johan Andersen to awaken Johans Rainbow Dragon, the Ultimate Gemlord card.

Card list
During the first year, Zane plays a Cyber Dragon deck, representing yang, the active and bright force in the universe. Zane was an expert at combining his three Cyber Dragons into their two Fusion forms, Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon (Cyber End Dragon being his strongest card), and could consistently strengthen them to very high levels with his signature Spell Card, Power Bond. After visiting Sheppard in the mountains during the second year, he took the Underworld Deck, representing the dark and passive yin, that was sealed away in his former teacher's dojo. He combined cards from both decks into a single deck, but continued to disrespect his Cyber Dragons, throwing away all related cards into his graveyard to strengthen his new servants, living mechanisms of torture known as the Cyberdarks (Cyber Darks in the Japanese version). The design of cards in the Cyber Dragon and Cyberdark series has links to Chinese mythology, with such references present throughout his deck, including mentions of the Chinese dragon, Qilin, and Fenghuang.

Monster cards

 * Cyber Dragon
 * Cyber Twin Dragon
 * Cyber End Dragon
 * Cyber Laser Dragon
 * Cyber Barrier Dragon
 * Metallizing Parasite - Lunatite
 * Cyber Kirin (Cyber Giraffe)
 * Cyber Phoenix
 * Cyber Soldier of Darkworld (Machine Soldier of Demon World)
 * Proto-Cyber Dragon
 * Heavy Mech Support Platform (Strong Supporter - Mecha Heavy Weapon)
 * Kaiser Glider
 * Chimeratech Overdragon (Chimeratech Over Dragon)
 * Cyberdark Horn (Cyber Dark Horn)
 * Cyberdark Edge (Cyber Dark Edge)
 * Cyberdark Keel (Cyber Dark Keel)
 * Cyberdark Dragon (Cyber Dark Dragon)
 * Infernal Dragon (Hell Dragon)
 * Exploder Dragon (Bomber Dragon)
 * Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon
 * Five-Headed Dragon (''Five God Dragon')
 * Cyber Ouroboros
 * Steam Gyroid

Spell cards

 * Polymerization (Fusion)
 * De-Fusion (Fusion Release)
 * Power Bond
 * Photon Generator Unit
 * Different Dimension Capsule (Time Capsule)
 * Pot of Greed
 * Monster Reborn (Resurrection of the Dead)
 * Mystical Space Typhoon (Cyclone)
 * Card from a Different Dimension (Treasure from a Different Dimension)
 * Future Fusion
 * Machine Duplication (Machine Duplication Technique)
 * Time Fusion
 * Cybernetic Fusion Support
 * Limiter Removal
 * Battle Fusion
 * Trap Booster
 * Overload Fusion
 * Creature Swap (Forced Transfer)
 * Ruthless Denial (Ruthless Obliteration)
 * Megamorph (Giant Growth)
 * Quick Summon
 * Warp Beam
 * Instant Fusion
 * Graceful Charity
 * Power Load

Trap cards

 * Attack Reflector Unit
 * Call of the Haunted (Call of the Living Dead)
 * Return Soul
 * Damage Polarizer (Damage Polarilyzer)
 * Rare Metalmorph (Rare Metal Conversion - Magic Reflect Armor)
 * Trap Jammer
 * Lost Pride
 * Power Wall
 * Fusion Guard
 * Rebirth Judgment (Samsara Dogma)

Trivia

 * Cyber Dragon is based off the Chinese Dragon.
 * Cyber Kirin is based off the Qilin. The card's original name, Cyber Giraffe, serves as a pun, noting the interpretation of the mythical beast being stylized after a giraffe.
 * Cyber Phoenix is based off the Fenghuang.
 * Chimeratech Overdragon is based off the Chimera, a mythical beast composed of the parts of many different animals, just as the Overdragon is a conglomoration of several Machine-type monsters. Its appearance, however, is more reminiscent of the Lernaean Hydra.
 * The original name of Damage Polarizer, Damage Polarilyzer, is a pun on the words "polarize" and "paralyze."