Kite Tenjo

Kite Tenjo, known as Kaito Tenjo in the manga, is one of the main characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL. He was formerly a Number Hunter, a rival to Yuma Tsukumo and Astral in gathering the "Numbers".

He is generally a kind person, but when Dueling he becomes quite ruthless, showing no mercy to his opponents, and especially to those who possess a "Number". When his brother Hart Tenjo fell sick, Dr. Faker told him that it was due to the Number holders and the Astral World. As a result, Kite became a Number Hunter, accompanied by a robot called Orbital 7. When Hart was cured, he became friends with Yuma and Astral.

Appearance
Kite has light blue-grey eyes, pale skin and blonde hair that is curled up in a point with a dark green spiked front, also featuring dark green bangs. His attire includes a black trench coat with a high collar over a grey shirt, a finger-less black glove on his right hand, and white pants with black boots. He also has a belt with two purple deck boxes for his cards. In the past, Kite's attire included a pink shirt, brown pants and braces fitted around his belt.



When Kite Duels, his black outfit switches to white through a process called "Photon Transformation". When he uses a "Photon" card while in "Photon Mode", his body lights up. It is later shown that this transformation physically and mentally drains Kite, eventually hurting him when it is used.

Unlike any other regular D-Pad version of a Duel Disk, Kite's disk is a blue and single-bladed disk that curves outside. He can Duel without a Duel Gazer; however, his left eye turns red and several marks resembling a Duel Gazer are seen when he Duels. He can also do this independent of Photon Transformation for when he is a spectator.

Personality
Kite shares a similar personality to Seto Kaiba when it comes to protecting his younger brother, who is his "everything", from any danger. Kite clearly cares more about Hart's safety than his own, as he keeps using the Photon Transformation to hunt "Numbers" not caring that it damages his body and constantly ignores Orbital 7's warnings because he needs the "Numbers" to heal Hart.

Because of Hart's condition supposedly being caused by the "Number" cards, Kite Duels and acts ruthlessly when it comes to facing those whose possess such cards. He announces his arrival by whistling which tends to frighten the person he is about to Duel. Before Kite Duels, he would always say his usual phrase, "Allow me to collect your "Numbers" along with your souls", and when he takes the "Number", he says "Numbers hunting complete". Kite is opposed to inflicting fear on his opponent, calling it an excessive and despicable thing to do. He is however not above using the fear his opponents already have to make them doubt themselves as seen with Astral when he could have Summoned "Number 39: Utopia" against Kite, but the fear of "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" prevented him to think clearly. He considers his hunting to be a job he has to do, not one he wants to do. During the World Duel Carnival Finals, Vetrix notes he began his hunt with the goal to cure his brother, but began reveling in stealing souls as a Numbers Hunter.

Kite doesn't trust and shows hatred towards Dr. Faker and Mr. Heartland, and tends to hide secrets from them. Whenever he talks with Mr. Heartland, he clearly is shown to be silently glaring at him. He also accuses Dr. Faker of hiding the truth from him about the "Numbers", and only hunts them in order to heal Hart. He also didn't tell them about his plan to find the "Numbers" origin by himself, or about Yuma and Astral, and lied to Mr. Heartland when he asked about that day. Besides Hart, Kite shows little compassion towards others, such as Nistro and Dextra. Kite has little interest in Nistro's one-sided rivalry, and told him if he gets in his way, Kite will consider Nistro an enemy. Kite show little consideration to Dextra, once told Dextra not to concern herself with him when they were young or when she sacrificed herself for him, he bluntly stated he doesn't care about anyone besides Hart.

In the beginning, Kite despises those wielding the Numbers due to Hart's condition and the lies told to him by Mr. Heartland and his father as well. However, during the Duel against his own father, Kite found that his reasons for hunting the Numbers were all a lie, his perception of those using such cards was wrong as he states that all those he hunted were innocent souls. After Hart was cured and having reconciled with his father, Kite shows a much lighter disposition, but remains feeling guilty about the actions he committed when he collected the Numbers. Although Yuma convinced him to move on, Kite admitted to Fender's Barian-brainwashed gang that his soul is still "guilty".

Voice/Mannerisms
In the Japanese version, Kite whistles a heavenly song, which can relate to how Kite sees himself as "the light that illuminates the darkness stagnating in the hearts of humanity", descending upon the wicked and delivering judgment. The actual tune of Kite's whistle is called "Haruto Tenjo's Theme", which is also featured in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL Sound Duel 1 for the series.

In the dubbed version, the song he whistles is more of a Western theme, like a cowboy does when he is about to Duel, which may be a reference to Kalin Kessler.

Kite exhibits some level of religious affiliation in the Japanese version. When striking a finishing move against opponents, he asks them if they are "ready for [their] confession". When he showed a level of guilt over his "Number Hunting", Kite referred to his soul as being stained and having resigned himself to hell one day.

Etymology
An alternate rendering of his Japanese name, "Kaitou", can be translated as "Phantom Thief", referring to his taking of the "Number" cards with his Photon Hand ability. His family name, "Tenjou", uses the Kanji for "Heaven and Earth".

"Kaito" is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Kite"; and given it is written in Katakana instead of Kanji, it can thus be correctly translated as either "Kaito" or "Kite".

Abilities
After he wins a Duel with a "Number" user, Kite uses his "Photon Hand" which enables him to extract the "Number" card from their users, though the process also steals their soul. Having lost their souls in this process, the original holders of each "Number" card ages dramatically. Kite possesses a "Duel Anchor", which he uses to prevent a "Number" user from running away, until the Duel is over. Both of these abilities are technological in origin and were provided by Dr. Faker. His Deck comes from the same source.

During the Duel against Trey and Quattro, Hart transferred the remainder of his Barian powers that Vetrix had not already absorbed to Kite. This caused Kite to acquire a red aura while using them, as well as being able to Summon "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon". After gaining Hart's power, he is able to see Astral.

He is also able to read the alternate language the "Number" monsters are written in, which only Astral and those possessed by "Number" monsters can read. Kite's robot, Orbital 7, possesses other abilities which aids him in his hunt for the "Numbers".

History
In the past, Kite lived with his brother Hart and Orbital 7 in a small, wooden villa where they would play all day while Hart drank his favorite drink, hot chocolate. Kite and Hart eventually moved into the facility owned by their father, Dr. Faker, which was located in Heartland. There he met Chris Arclight, who was reminded of his own brothers by Kite. Kite revealed he wanted power to protect Hart and Chris taught him how to play Duel Monsters in order to suit that purpose. Chris eventually left after learning the truth about what really happened to his father, Byron Arclight, and Kite was very upset when Chris left. Faker gave Kite a card, called "Message in a Bottle" when he was a child.



Years later, Mr. Heartland tested Kite alongside Nistro, Dextra and some other young Duelists to determine who the elite Duelist of that generation would be. They fought a Duel Robot, which Heartland cranked up to maximum level. The robot physically assaulted them, throwing Nistro against the wall. When the robot attempted to do the same to Dextra, Kite intercepted it, destroying it with his "Daybreaker", but having his face cut in the process. He told Dextra not to concern herself with him, or she was would lose herself. Sometime later, Kite showed Hart a butterfly, with Dextra secretly watching on nearby.

One day, Mr. Heartland took Hart away by force and told Kite that he will never see Hart again unless he serves Dr. Faker. Kite became angry and tried to punch Mr. Heartland, but it was in fact only a hologram. Some time later, his brother was acting very strange, Mr. Heartland informed Kite that he could only be cured if they obtained all of the "Numbers" cards. Using Heartland Tower as a base, they find and defeat the holders of the "Numbers". Using his Photon Hand ability, he stole the souls of the original owners and leaving them catatonic in the process. He wielded the "Numbers" himself to aide him in collecting more of them.



During one night in Heartland, Kite tried to escape with his little brother. As they were hiding from Heartland police, knowing that Hart's powers would appear due to him being stressed, Kite gave him his favorite candy, caramel, to calm him down. However, they were found soon by the police and Mr. Heartland, Kite was subdued by the police while Hart was taken away from him. By this point, Kite had rendered at least four people catatonic with Photon Hand and obtained eleven "Numbers".

Pre-WDC
When a thug was threatening people at a mall Kite watched from the roof of another building before entering the mall. He arrived with Orbital 7, and quickly defeated the criminal, capturing his "Number". Kite was feeling guilty about stealing the souls of the holders, but Mr. Heartland informed him that they had no choice, as all "Number" holders are evil, when in reality they are just victims of their card's influence. He then visited his brother Hart, asking him how he was doing and tried to cheer him up, but failed. Shortly after, he found Yuma Tsukumo, who became his next target.



During the Duel he easily outmatched Yuma with two "Numbers" and his true ace monster, "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon". When he saw Yuma using two "Numbers" as well, he claimed he is also a Number Hunter and looked quite pleased to have a rival. Just before he would have won the Duel, Orbital 7 showed him a hologram that Hart had collapsed. Therefore he stopped the Duel and went to help his brother. Before he left he revealed his name and told Yuma to remember it.

When Fortuno confronted Yuma while claiming to be Kite's servant, it appeared Kite watched. This however, wasn't the real Kite. It was revealed that the Kite that was watching the Duels was only a statue as Cathy broke it. After Fortuno lost to Yuma, he was shown to have another "Number", but the real Kite appeared, and Fortuno begged him to be his servant, proving that he was also lying about that. Kite instead defeated him and took his third "Number", along with his soul.

While looking after Hart, Kite complained that Hart shouldn't continue using his powers, as he could collapse again, but Hart said he wanted to continue using it as he was doing something good for the world. Mr. Heartland suggested Kite to hurry up and finish hunting the "Numbers" so that Hart can be healed. Kite suspected that Dr. Faker is not telling the truth about the "Numbers", so he ordered Orbital 7 to find the origin of the "Numbers". Orbital found that the Emperor's Key could be it.



He sent Orbital to obtain it and it was found in the locker room of Heartland Academy, as Yuma had taken it for swim class. Shark tried to protect the Key and as a result, he and Kite Dueled. During the Duel, he allowed Shark to take his "Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction", which inflicted damage to its controller. As a result, he won the Duel quickly. When he took Shark's soul and tried compressing a "Number" card out of it, he noticed that the soul didn't contain a "Number" card and absorbed it. He was unable to confront Yuma because Orbital 7 notified that Photon Transformation had already used 85% of its power and, therefore, there wasn't much left. He then took The Emperor's Key and flew off.

While analyzing the Emperor's Key, Orbital 7 said that nothing from this world would react to it, so Kite suggested they use the Baria Crystal, which comes from another world, and it worked. This allowed Kite to enter entered the dimension inside the Emperor's Key, where he confronted Astral, who is visible to Kite. Astral asked why Kite was after "Numbers", Kite doesn't tell him his real reason and only mentioned that he want to know about "Numbers", the Astral World, and the Barian World. Kite then proceeded to Duel Astral with all of their "Numbers" on the line.

Kite quickly overpowered Astral and threatened him with "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon". When Astral was ready to give up, Yuma appeared with the ZEXAL power, which he uses to combine himself and Astral, shocking Kite. Yuma and Astral were able to use this new power to defeat "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", so Kite was forced to use "Photon Shock" to end the Duel in a draw. Yuma asked Kite why he hunts "Numbers", Kite answered that he sold his soul to the devil for Hart's sake. Then, he returned Shark's soul and escaped once again.

Some time later, he was seen watching over his brother who was sleeping. When the three suns appeared and time stopped, he entered his Photon mode and traced Yuma's memories of "Numbers" with Orbital 7. Kite later met up with Yuma and subsequently told him that they would meet again in the World Duel Carnival.

World Duel Carnival Preliminaries
Before the World Duel Carnival started, Mr. Heartland summoned Kite to watch all the people coming to the tournament. During that time, Kite helped Yuma enter the tournament with the intention of settling his Duel against Astral. During the opening day of the tournament, Kite continued collecting the "Numbers", even taking on two "Number" holders at once in a two-vs-one Duel. After Cameron Clix caused a giant plane engine to be destroyed, Kite with the assistance of Orbital 7 flew onto the plane, and managed to crashland it onto a highway, saving hundreds of lives in the process. Seeing this, Yuma thanked Kite, but in actual fact Kite was doing it for his own needs as if the plane had crashed and killed all of the passengers, the World Duel Carnival would have been cancelled due to the event causing mass panic within the city. He then flies off again, leaving Yuma confused.



When Kite learned that Hart had escaped from Heartland, Kite panicked and frantically tried to find his little brother. Unbeknownst to him, Hart was kidnapped by Quinton. Kite and Yuma teamed up to break into an abandoned gallery, to rescue him from Vetrix, whom begins a ritual to extract his powers and memories. Upon arriving, they began a Tag Duel against Trey and Quattro. On his first move, he played "Photon World", not caring if Yuma was hurt or not by it. Although Yuma tried to reason with him, he refused to listen and fought on his own. After Quattro provoked Kite, he in a rage, Summons "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" just to attack Quattro's "Number", but he falls into their trap, which allows Trey to activate "Stonehenge Shield", rendering "Galaxy-Eyes" powerless and inflicting damage with "Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech".

Yuma saved Kite from the damage, but Trey and Quattro continued to target him and Yuma continued to protect him at the expense of his own Life Points. However, after Quattro brought out "Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings" and attacks Kite with it, he is on the verge of defeat with a mere 100 Life Points and seemingly given up. With some words from Yuma and remembering something from his past, he decides to fight to the very end. Hart then transferred his remaining power to his brother, forcing the ritual to end, and leaving Vetrix only some of the powers and memories he had intended to steal. This allowed Kite to obtain a new power from the bond with his brother and, using Yuma's monsters to Tribute Summon "Photon Caesar", he overlays it and "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" to Xyz Summon "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon". With it, Kite defeats both Trey and Quattro in one turn.

After the Duel, he attempted to take Quattro's soul, but his crest protected him and knocked Kite back. After Quinton returns an comatose Hart, Kite was devastated, thinking he did this to him. Later, Kite is seen trying to get past Nistro, but is unable to because Dr. Faker was in a meeting with Mr. Heartland. Just as Kite was about to try rushing in, Dextra told him that there was nothing he could do right now, even if he was by Hart's side.

World Duel Carnival Finals
As the World Duel Carnival finals began, Photon Transformation had taken a heavy toll on Kite's body and tests that were ran by Orbital 7 revealed that if Kite continued the way he was going, he would die. When asked about his status by Mr. Heartland, Kite told him he was fine. Heartland told him he does have expectations that Kite will gather "Numbers" in the finals. Kite responded that that's fine, as long as Heartland keeps his promise to heal Hart. Heartland told him not to worry about that and instructed him to attend the finals party to scope out his opponent's "Numbers". At the party, Kite confronted his former teacher, Chris, now known as Quinton. He asked why Quinton and his family had done what they did to Hart. Quinton responded that they only do what Vetrix tells them and Kite cannot hope to defeat them in his current state. Later, Dextra approached Kite with concern, telling him she knows that he needs to collect the "Numbers" for Hart, but urged him to stop Dueling and drop from the finals, which he refused. Yuma found Kite on his way out of the party and asked how Hart was. Kite told him not to concern himself with that and focus on the confrontation the two will surely have in the finals. Yuma agreed to that, but Kite then told him that it's not Yuma he's looking forward to defeating - it is Astral.

During the opening ceremonies of the finals, Kite exchanged glances with Quinton, and told Orbital 7 to freeze time in order to scan for "Numbers" in the Duel Coaster Stadium. He then jumped into his cart and sped off of on the Duel Coaster with the other finalists, leaving Yuma behind. Kite defeated another finalist with his "Reverse Buster", saying he has no time to deal with people who do not possess "Numbers", while Dextra whispered for him not to push himself. Kite entered the underground section of the Duel Coaster, pursuing Vetrix and Quinton. He noticed odd behavior from Vetrix's coaster and asked Orbital 7 to investigate. Orbital discovered that Vetrix's movements had become erratic because he was avoiding Trap Cards another Duelist had Set - and all of those cards had "Butterfly" in their name. Kite realized it was Dextra who then blocked him from facing Vetrix. She claimed she wished to face Vetrix for Mr. Heartland. Kite told her not to get involved, but Dextra threatened him with "Butterfly Ballet", causing Kite to subconsciously switch lanes.

Kite is then drawn toward the Space Duel Field, "Space Field" to Duel Quinton. During the first turn, Quinton managed to Summon his "Number 9: Dyson Sphere", which Kite attacked, not knowing what it truly is. When Yuma and Tori arrived with Orbital 7, Yuma informed him that Dextra sacrificed herself in an attempt to defeat Vetrix, but he responded that he didn't care. Even after hearing Dr. Faker's history with Vetrix and Kazuma Tsukumo, Kite said that he only cares about Hart, and continues the Duel by bringing out "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", but is unable to attack due to the effects of "Dyson Sphere". Quinton reduced Kite to a mere 100 Life Points with "Dyson Sphere", and then told Kite his family has thrown away their own name for revenge. He wished to save his father, but his heart was already filled with revenge when he returned. Kite told him that was wrong - he fights to oppose his own parent, Faker. Quinton was surprised at how strong Kite had become, and Kite told him he would inherit Quinton's feelings and settle things with Vetrix for him. Bringing out "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" with the aide of the card Faker had give him, "Message in a Bottle", Kite defeated Quinton. Quinton left through a portal, leaving "Dyson Sphere" behind for Kite, and after a brief conversation with Yuma, Kite departed with Orbital 7.

During the semifinals, Kite speaks to a comatose Hart and tells him he's leaving for the semifinals now and promises to defeat the remaining two Duelists to save Hart, even though his "Photon Transformation" is already damaging his body. Before proceeding to Duel Vetrix at the Duel Tower in the semifinals, Kite was greeted in the hallway by Yuma, and told him and Astral that he would meet them in the finals. The Duel began and Vetrix revealed an AR mask identical to Hart's face. Due to the connection forged between Vetrix and Hart during the ritual, Vetrix could inflict pain on Hart by hurting himself. Kite attempted to leave to help Hart, but Vetrix snared him with a Duel Anchor. Yuma and Orbital 7 departed for Heartland Tower in Kite's place. Continuing the Duel, Kite matched Vetrix's "Number 8: Heraldic King Genom-Heritage" with his own "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon".

Vetrix accused him of enjoying his actions as a Numbers Hunter, which Kite fiercely denied and justified it was only to cure Hart. Yuma and Orbital reached Hart, and Yuma and Astral entered Hart's consciousness. There, Vetrix appeared to them in the form of the dragon, which Yuma slew with "Number 39: Utopia", severed the connection between Vetrix and Hart. Kite continued an aggressive strategy, bringing out "Neo Galaxy-Eyes". Though he nearly defeated Vetrix, the latter brought out "Number 69: Heraldry Crest", which absorbed the effects of "Neo Galaxy-Eyes" and defeated Kite. He was saved from further physical harm by Hart, who projected a shield to defend him. Vetrix used his crest to take Kite's "Numbers", as well as his soul, leaving Kite in a comatose state and being looked after by Orbital.

After Vetrix lost to Yuma, he released the souls of those he has captured, resulting in Kite awakening from his coma. Finding Hart's room empty, Kite rushed towards the basement of Heartland Tower, knowing that Hart was in trouble when his "Neo Galaxy-Eyes" card began to glow. Due to the Sphere Field entering the tower, it began to collapse and Kite was trapped under fallen rubble. He was found by Tori, who was unable to get him out even with Orbital 7's help. When Shark arrived looking for Yuma, he agreed to help Kite out of the rubble. After some arguing, Tori convinced the two to work together to get to Yuma and Hart. When they reached the Sphere Field Cannon, Mr. Heartland, deployed an army of Litterbots to stop them. Orbital 7 destroyed several, enabling Kite, Shark and Tori to wield the litterbots weapons and destroy more. Orbital 7 finally shut down the reactor powering the litterbots, which interfered with the Sphere Field in the process. Astral released Yuma from the Sphere Field and he united with Shark and Kite to challenge Faker in order to save Hart and Astral.

Faker immediately brought out what he called the strongest "Number", "Number 53: Heart-eartH". This card dominated the field and the trio barely survived via the effect of Shark's "Shield Fin". Each Duelist was able to bring out their ace card, and it appeared that "Galaxy-Eyes" had dealt the final blow. When the smoke cleared, a new "Number" stood in place of "Heart-eartH". This new "Number", "Number 92: Heart-eartH Dragon" overpowered them once more. taking out the "Chaos Numbers" of both Yuma and Shark with ease. Yuma managed to defend their few remaining Life Points, while Shark left a trap that gave Kite that materials he needed to bring forth "Neo Galaxy-Eyes". It destroyed "Heart-eartH Dragon", causing damage to Faker's mechanical parts. Faker revealed the truth to Kite. Believing that Hart's illness was due to the existence of the Astral World, he made a deal with Vector, a being from the Barian World. Faker would collect the "Numbers" and Vector would save Hart. If Faker failed, Vector would take Hart for himself and use his powers to destroy the Astral World regardless. Not wanting to burden Kite with this knowledge, he never told him. Kite became a Numbers Hunter of his own volition, which Faker thanked him for. Vector appeared at this point, possessing Faker and reviving "Heart-eartH Dragon".

Wanting to help Kite and Yuma, Hart used his powers to lower the Sphere Field closer to the field, letting Yuma and Astral merge. They used "Neo Galaxy-Eyes" to help power up "Utopia Ray" and defeat Vector. The Sphere Field Cannon began to explode, with Hart being lowered down to Kite slowly and Kite catch him and told him his nightmares gone now. With Heartland Tower crumbling, Kite somehow reactivated Orbital simply by telling him to get up, and ordered him to get Tori, Shark and Hart out of the area. Kite himself jumped down into the pit to try to save Faker, with Yuma joining him. He reached Faker, but the ledge beneath them collapsed. Kite deployed his Duel Anchor, which was caught by Yuma, who managed to keep them from falling. Vetrix emerged from a portal, looking like he was going to take his revenge on Faker. He launched his crest towards them and transported them out of the area, thus saving them. As Kite reconciled with his family, Yuma told Kite that as WDC Champion, he gets a wish granted - he wished for Kite to live happily with his family. Amused, Kite responded it that that was none of Yuma's business, but them Yuma revealed his true wish - to Duel Kite again. Kite accepted, wanting to finish his confrontation with both Yuma and Astral.

While getting ready for his Duel, he thought about the fact that up until now, he had always fought as a Number Hunter for the sake of Hart, recalling the souls he has taken. When Hart came into his room, Kite smiles and promises he won't lose the Duel, but Hart can tell there's something wrong with his brother. Kite arrived to his meeting place by flying with Orbital 7 and signaled his arrival by whistling. As the Duel began, Kite Dueled seriously and managed to counter Yuma's moves and inflict damage, but lamented how Yuma loves Dueling and he never gives up. This saddened Kite, and he announced that he wanted to give up, hardly caring about it any more as he had lost his passion for Dueling since Hart is now cured. After Yuma and Astral did their best to encourage him to keep going, Kite reactivated his D-Pad and declared he'll open his own path and Duel for himself, continuing the Duel. In the end, Kite defeated Yuma, with the help of both "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" and "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" after countering Yuma's use of "Xyz Double Back" with his own copy. Afterwards, he helped Yuma to his feet as Yuma vowed to challenge him again someday. In response, Kite told Yuma he would always accept a Duel against him.

Barian Invasion
Kite and Orbital 7 picked up signals indicating a gravitational disturbance near the harbor, which was Girag's appearance on Earth. Kite rushed there using Orbital 7's motorcycle mode to intercept part of Fender's gang, while Shark arrived and intercepted another part of the gang. After Yuma defeated Fender, the two arrived to tell Fender of his gang's defeat and support Yuma in his fight against the Barian World.

Sometime later, Kite and Orbital 7 learn about an "abnormal energy" similar to the Sphere Field was occurring outside the city, shocking him. Kite and Orbital traveled there in glider mode, where they found Yuma too weak to continue his Duel with Mizael. Kite offered to take Yuma's place, keeping his current Life Point value of 2500, which Mizael agreed to, wanting to match their "Galaxy-Eyes" monsters against one-another. Kite battled Mizael's "Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" with his own "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", but struggled to deal with its effects. He countered with "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" and destroyed "Tachyon Dragon". Mizael revealed his Barian form and Summoned "Number C107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon". Mizael canceled the Duel after this, as the power of his new monster threatened to destroy the Barian's Sphere Cube. Before leaving, Mizael told Kite his name and his desire to control both "Galaxy-Eyes" monsters. Kite fell from the Sphere Field when it was disengaged, but was caught by Orbital. Kite then watched in horror as Yuma fell into a crevasse with Shark, who attempted to save him.

In the aftermath his friends' surviving the fall, Kite spent his time in the lab in the partially rebuilt Heartland Tower, looking over the data about Mizael and " Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" he gather from their Duel. Hart urged him to go the hospital to visit Yuma, although Kite didn't seem to hear him until Hart began to leave. Then Orbital 7 came in to remind Kite it was almost time for him to visit Yuma, which made Hart happy as Kite had planned to visit Yuma after all. Later, Kite witnessed the Duel between Shark and Yuma and was glad that Yuma's fighting spirit was revitalized. Sometime later, Kite had ordered Orbital 7 to investigated the Barian and notice Orbital's odd behavior one day when checking on his progress, but let it slide. After Orbital returned from his Duel with Yuma, Kite was waiting for him and told him that his Dueling was still "soft" before leaving.

After Rei Shingetsu is abducted to the Barian World by Vector, Kite flew to the location where the Duel occurred only to find a distraught Yuma. After inquiring on what occurred, Yuma began to sob further, prompting Kite to slap him across the face out of annoyance, telling Yuma to "calm down". He later invited Yuma and Shark to the semi-rebuilt Heartland Tower to discuss what happened. Yuma, wanting to save Rei, suggested they go to the Barian World, which Shark agreed to, but Kite informed them that they have no possible way to access it. Suddenly the tower began to shake, Orbital 7 appeared on a screen informing Kite that there was a distortion above the tower. Hearing this, the trio ran to the tower's summit, where they observed the Different Dimension Airship from the Emperor's Key landed. Astral then appeared, informing them that it would be able to transport them to the Barian World. Later that night, Kite informed Hart of his mission, bidding him farewell and promising to return soon. The next day, Kite along with Shark, Yuma, Astral and Yuma's friends climb aboard the ship and traveled through a dimensional portal only to be assaulted by an array of monsters. To protect the ship, Kite joined Yuma, Shark, Rio Kastle and Bronk Stone on the ship's exterior, Summoning their ace monsters to ward off the attacking monsters. They were pulled through another portal, this time arriving in "Sargasso the D.D. Battlefield", where Kite witnessed Vector taunt Yuma with Rei's corpse. He was then challenged by Mizael to a rematch, taking the first turn by Xyz Summoning "Starliege Lord Galaxion" only to be inflicted damage through the effect of the Field Spell Card that surrounded him and his friends. Although he was at an disadvantage, Kite remained confident and Summoned "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", taking more damage from "Sargasso". at the end of his turn. He noted right away when Mizael began Summoning monsters that he was bringing out Level 8 monsters, and his fears were justified when Mizael Summoned "Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon". He was quite surprised that Mizael chose to take the damage inflicted by "Sargasso" rather than avoid it with "Sargasso Lighthouse", but Mizael stated that he wanted to fight Kite equally as a "Galaxy-Eyes Master", something that pleased Kite. He also listened to Vector revealing that he was really "Rei" all along and boasting how it was so he could plan Yuma's downfall, which Kite showed visible disgust to.

As the Duel continued, Kite Summoned "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", while Mizael responded by Summoning "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" once more. When Yuma was blaming himself for putting his friends in danger, Kite told Yuma that he came on his own will and encouraged him to win his Duel, but was stunned when Yuma and Astral transformed into Dark ZEXAL. After Yuma undid Dark ZEXAL, Kite helped inform Yuma of his status and paused his Duel with Mizael to watch Yuma and Vector's. When Mizael asked why Kite didn't seem concerned about Yuma, Kite said that he believes in Yuma as a Duelist. After the power surge of ZEXAL II caused "Sargasso" to self-destruct, Kite's Duel with Mizael was canceled, and he returned to Heartland with everyone else.

Legendary Number War
After Orbital 7 detected a change in spatial mass, Kite flew to South America and wondered if the Barians were involved. He arrived at the deserted castle in time to rescue Yuma from falling into a pit, surprising him. Once everyone was safe, Kite was informed of the seven "Legendary Numbers" by Yuma. The group then head to Spartan City, where Kite and friends went to see the Pro Duelist Spartancity Tournament and reunited with Nistro and Dextra. Kite told his former colleagues that he was happy about their careers to inspire children, comparing it to how he would Duel for Hart before. Kite and the group learned the tale of a gladiator from the duo and deduced that "Number" was in the colosseum, which was under a lake. At night, Kite and the others were awoken by explosion coming from the ruins and rushed over there. When Yuma and Dextra began a Tag Duel against Alit, who brainwashed Nistro, Kite watched the Duel alongside Shark and Rio Kastle. During the Duel, Kite was confident in Yuma's and Dextra's Dueling skills, despite their situation; unlike the Kastle twins, Kite had a better understanding about the way Dextra and Nistro behaved, which he explained to the siblings. After the Duel ended, Kite and the others returned to the airship the next day and listened to Tori and Orbital 7 complaining to Rio about being left behind.

On the way to the next location, Kite waited outside of the airship when "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" was resonating with something. Upon arriving in an mountain range, Kite went with Yuma and Shark to climb a mountain to reach the ruins. While struggling to climb, the trio heard a dragon's roar that caused Kite's "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" to be excited and went out of Kite's control for a moment. The mountain then started to tremble sightly, causing rocks to down, making Kite lose his grip and nearly falling, but was saved by Yuma. When they came to the Number ruins, they met Jinlong, a Number Guardian who was very interested in Kite as he saw him as the Dragon Tamer. Jinlong mentioned that Kite was similar to "someone" who fought dragons and lived inside the palace long ago. This sparked Astral to ask Jinlong about Mizael, revealing to Kite and the others that the Barian were humans once, much to their surprise. Believing it was his destiny as a dragon master, Kite challenged Jinlong, putting his "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" for his "Number" up for stake. Before they started, Kite asked if Jinlong Dueled with Mizael and if Mizael won or not, but Jinlong didn't answer. Although Jinlong used "Number 46: Draggluon the Ethereal Dragon" as a means to Summon more powerful Dragons, Kite quickly overcome this strategy using "Book of Moon". Jinlong praised the young man, commenting how much Kite was like Mizael, but Kite angrily stated that he was nothing like Mizael. Kite was then was pushed into a corner when Jinlong brought out "Drain Dragon", whose ATK was boosted to 8000. Kite was able to get himself out of the dilemma and was ultimately able to defeat Jinlong. Jinlong then acknowledged Kite as a Dragon master and told him the legend about Mizael. He also told Kite was that he different from Mizael because he has the power to never give up on destiny regardless of desperate circumstances. Suddenly, Mizael arrived and challenged Kite to settle things, but the force of the "Neo Galaxy-Eyes" monsters began to destroy the ruins and Mizael retreated. Kite and his friends ended up on a mountain peak after the Number ruins vanished. Kite continued to listen to Jinlong explaining how when people searching for "Numbers" come to the ruins, huge changes will occur in the world and about the "two lights" battling in the sky long ago. Jinlong told that's was the reason he was testing Kite so he could lead this world on the right path and prevent any wars that will lead the world to destruction.

When Yuma and the others were setting off to the last ruins, Yuma mention that Kite wouldn't join them this time because he was looking into some things about Mizael. Sometime later, Kite and Orbital 7 flies around Heartland as were abnormal phenomenons occurring all across the city. He spotted Yuma and his friends being transported by Number 96 to another location and flown just in time to go along. Kite and the group listened to Number 96's goal of destroying all three worlds and observed Yuma Dueling against Number 96. As events came to a climax, they witnessed Astral destroying Number 96 and forced to parted ways with a tearful Yuma. Kite and the others were transported back to Heartland and stood silently as a heartbroken Yuma cried for his lost friend.

In a arctic area, Kite worked together with Quinton to build a Dimensional Transporter to go to the Astral World to find Astral. As they made progress, Quinton thanked Kite for his efforts and told him that the experiment was extremely dangerous and they could not let Yuma be aware of it. However, Kite secretly went to get Yuma and heard the boy proclaiming that he would search for Astral forever until he finds him. Kite commended Yuma on his resolve and takes him onto a plane to the lab site. He summarized that they need to find Numeron Code if they ever wish to save their world and Astral World from the Barians. Kite explained to Yuma that he and Quinton found a a way to world to Astral World using the Conqueror's Coins, which he stole from Yuma. As Kite tells Yuma about the Astrite that the coins are made of and the device, he got bitten by a mosquito, but shrugged it off seconds later. At the lab site, Kite argued with Quinton about how he wouldn't "coddle" Yuma like him, even though he knows the dangers that Yuma would face. He stated that the coins are a message from Kazuma Tsukumo to summon Yuma to Astral World and convinced Quinton to let the boy go. After Mosquito Ninja caused a blackout, Kite ordered Orbital to charge the device with his Baria Crystal as he and Quinton Duel Mosquito Ninja to protect Yuma.

Manga biography


Kaito is a Number Hunter who was sent by Dr. Faker from a different dimension in order to gather and destroy all of the "Number" cards as they are destined to destroy not only his universe, but all universes. His history in the manga is the same as in the anime, as well as his reasons to hunt the "Numbers".

Hart Tenjo
Kite loves his little brother, Hart, very much and he is "everything" to him. In their childhood, Kite and Hart lived together mostly by themselves and would play every day, from catching butterflies to playing hide-and-seek. Kite would do anything it took to protect Hart, even at the cost of his own life, pushing himself to hunt "Numbers" on his own and disregarding the dangers of his Photon Transformation. Whenever Hart was in danger or pain, Kite underwent great panic and stress, to the point of not thinking clearly as his anger and worries took over.

While Kite is normally cold and detached from others, Hart brings out Kite's gentle and caring side. Since Hart's "sickness" took a toll on him, Kite often tried to make him feel better, usually having a limited success. Kite also tried to spare Hart from being concerned about him, putting on a forced smile and assuring him that's he alright. Although he goes along with Kite's words, Hart can see through him and understands what Kite was doing for him. If he was able to, Hart would try to protect Kite as best as he can within his powers.

Dr. Faker
As a child, Kite seemed to share a good relationship with his father, who gave him the card "Message in a Bottle", much to his delight. Years later, lack of truth and trust strained the two, with Kite ceasing calling Faker "father" and addressed him as "Dr. Faker" only.

Simply trying to protect both his sons, Faker didn't want Kite to push himself more than he already did as a Number Hunter. During their Duel, Kite expressed nothing but anger towards his father until he revealed the truth about his deal with the Barian World to sustain Hart's lifeforce. Hurt, Kite told his father that he should have trusted him, and promised to deal with the Barians in his place and forgave him.

Yuma Tsukumo
As rivals in hunting "Numbers", Kite and Yuma initially saw each other as enemies. Kite first thought Yuma was a regular "Numbers" Holder and tried to get his Number. During the Duel, Kite was surprised that Yuma used 2 "Numbers", and identified him as Number Hunter, but looked happy to have a rival. After their first Duel, Yuma became depressed over his near loss and developed a fear of Kite. However, this was short-lived and Yuma become more confident when facing Kite, despite knowing the dangers. Yuma was shown to respect Kite's Dueling skills, calling him "scary", but strong.

When Yuma interfered in Kite and Astral's Duel, which ended in a Draw, Yuma asked Kite why he is collecting Numbers. Kite only answers that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange of his brother's sake. Determine to Duel Yuma, Kite told Yuma that they will settle their score in the World Duel Carnival. Knowing that Astral helps Yuma, Kite saw Astral as his rival instead of Yuma, whom Kite considered as "just an idiot".

Despite their differences, they joined up to rescue Hart from the Vetrix Family, which resulted is a Tag-Team Duel. Kite seems to have grown to respect Yuma as he begins to call him by his first name, however he still doesn't see him as his rival and still dislikes him. During the WDC finals, Yuma often made an effort to be friendly with Kite and cheered him on in his Duels, and even considered him as a friend. During the finals, Kite seemed to gain greater respect for Yuma, letting him watch his duel with Vetrix. Kite also appeared to soften up to Yuma due to the many times he showed concern towards Hart, though he never outwardly showed it. During the duel with Dr. Faker, he began to value Yuma and Shark as his friends. After their duel against Vector, Yuma proclaimed that his WDC wish was for Kite's family to live happily in peace. Amused and smiling, Kite says it was none of his business, but Yuma then revealed his real wish - to Duel Kite again to settle their score. Kite happily accepted the challenge, addressing both Yuma and Astral, while finally acknowledging Yuma as a rival. Yuma greatly looked forward to Dueling Kite again, and openly showed excitement throughout their Duel. Kite also thought about Yuma's never-give-up attitude and how much he enjoyed dueling. When Kite was about to surrender due to losing his passion to Duel, Yuma encouraged him to continue, calling Kite his "goal". When Kite won the duel, Yuma promised to beat Kite one day, which the latter accepted, saying that Yuma can Duel him as many times as it takes to achieve that goal.

Ironically, there is some resemblance between Kite's and Yuma's Dueling styles, as both seem to prefer a more offense-based strategy, and their Dueling styles were at least somewhat compatible when they Tag Dueled. This may have some relation about the similarities Yuma and Kite have that Astral himself has observed. At first, Kite denied being compared to Yuma, but seems to have somewhat acknowledged this when he asked Astral for support during their Tag Duel.

Astral
At first, Kite was unaware of Astral's existence, but left a great impact on him during his first Duel against Yuma. As Kite's Dueling skills surpassed Astral's and nearly beat the pair, Astral developed a great fear towards him. This left Astral severely depressed for some time and was reluctant to face him again. However, Astral eventually overcame his fears towards Kite as his bond with Yuma grew stronger.

They officially meet each other when Kite stole the Emperor's Key and was able to enter it, making Kite able to see him. Astral voiced his respect to Kite and told him that he wishes to know about him, but Kite rebuffed all his attempts. After learning of Astral, Kite saw him as his real rival instead of Yuma since Astral advised Yuma during his Duels. Throughout the World Duel Carnival, Kite and Astral show silent, mutual respect for each other, but couldn't converse since he couldn't see or hear Astral.

At the end of WDC, Astral told Kite, who could now see and hear him, that he considered him as a friend when encouraging to continue his rematched Duel with Yuma.

Reginald Kastle
Kite's initial meeting with Shark is when he stopped Orbital 7 from killing him and demanded that Shark hand over the Emperor's Key. Having heard about the "Number Hunter", Shark figured out his intentions towards Yuma and lied about having a "Number" card. This resulted to a Duel between them, where Kite easily defeated Shark, taking the key and the latter's soul. Shark bared a grudge against Kite since then, and meeting again in Heartland Tower, he was very hostile to Kite, though he did help free him from the rubble that had trapped him. However, Kite didn't care about it as Hart was in trouble and told Shark they could have a rematch later. After arguing, the two agreed to work together to save Yuma and Hart.

During the Duel with Dr. Faker, they developed a friendship and worked well with each other. Although Kite holds little contact with Shark, they come together if the Barian World poses a big enough threat, but they have a tendency to argue with each other. Initially, Kite refereed to Shark by his first name, but as they were around each other more often, he began using Shark's nickname just as others do.

Despite their differences, both he and Shark are a lot alike, both do whatever they can to protect their siblings (Hart and Rio) and become quite vengeful and angry when both are in danger, as well as both seem to possess cool and distant personalities.

Quinton
Kite first met Quinton when he came to live within his father's facility in Heartland, and they become very close. Quinton thought of Kite and Hart like his brothers and became Kite's Dueling mentor. Chris eventually left Kite when he learned about Dr. Faker's betrayal and was filled with anger and hate towards Kite's family. Wanting an explanation why he left, Kite chased after him, only to have Quinton toss him aside and leaving him very hurt in the rain. In his thoughts, Kite reflected how a part on him wanted to follow Quinton that day.

Five years later, Kite met Quinton again when he returned a comatose Hart and was very shocked to see him. However, both regarded each other coldly and in anger because of what their families did to each other. During the WDC, Kite pursued Quinton, hoping to get answers on the Vetrix Family's goals. They confronted each other with a Duel, where Kite learned what happened between their fathers and promised Quinton that he will deal with their fathers for him. Quinton was impressed to see how strong Kite became and entrusted him with saving Vetrix. Although he despised Vetrix, Kite did try to honor Quinton's wishes in his Duel against Vetrix by Summoning Quinton's "Number 9: Dyson Sphere" so Vetrix could remember his son.

Decks
Kite plays a "Photon"/"Galaxy" Deck, focused on swarming the field with LIGHT-Attribute monsters, which he can then use to Xyz Summon his "Number" monsters or Tribute Summon his ace card, "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon". According to Mr. Heartland, Kite's Deck was made by him and Dr. Faker by using science from another dimension.

As "Galaxy-Eyes" requires two Tributes of monsters with 2000 or more ATK, Kite includes cards which help him quickly fulfill that condition. His "Numbers" can be used for this purpose, or cards such as "Photon Spear", "Photon Thrasher" and "Photon Crusher". He also includes many cards which counter Xyz Monsters, such as "Galaxy Storm", "Forced Release" and "Overlay Break", as well as cards which counter Set cards, such as "Photon Cerberus" and "Photon Hurricane".

Prior to his first Duel with Yuma, he had already collected eleven "Number" cards After the mentioned Duel he was shown earning four more of them. Only five "Numbers" are known by name and it's unknown if he included all collected "Numbers" in his Extra Deck before losing them to Vetrix.