Yuri

Yuri or Joeri (ユーリ Yūri) is a character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime, and is a member of Duel Academy. He is the Fusion Dimensional counterpart of Yuya Sakaki (Standard Dimension), Yuto (Xyz Dimension) and Yugo (Synchro Dimension) and one of Zarc's reincarnations.

Yuri is one of Duel Academy's ace Duelists, the most loyal to the Professor, and the person responsible for kidnapping Rin and Lulu Obsidian.

Appearance
Yuri's face resembles that of his counterparts. He has very short, thick, pink eyebrows and purple eyes. Like his counterparts, his hair is two-toned, in his case being uniformly violet with pink underneath - his fringes extending to frame his face, with two pointing upwards.

His outfit appears to be an officer's uniform of sorts, consisting of a purple and light blue waistcoat, pink cravat, a two-part cape of red and purple that resembles Yuya Sakaki's coat, a purple abbreviated coat with thick cuffs and gold shoulder bands with an amber-colored setting, fastened at the collar bone, and light blue pants tucked into silver-tinted leather boots. When he kidnapped Lulu and Rin, Yuri wore a brown hooded cloak that obscured his identity.

Yuri and his dimensional counterparts' attire and hair are all based on the color of the cards that their dimensions are based on. As such, Yuri wears purple like the color of Fusion Monsters, and the top layer of his hair is purple. Yuri's design also seems to take cues from those of his dimensional counterparts; wearing a cape resembling Yuya's coat, a long coat that evokes Yuto's torn one, and a short jacket similar in form to Yugo's.

As a child, Yuri wore purple-colored long-sleeved shirt with a pocket on the left side of the chest, orange-colored buttons and black-colored collar, white pants and brown shoes.

Personality
Unlike his dimensional counterparts, Yuri is cruel and ruthless with sociopathic tendencies, freely admitting he was the one who kidnapped Lulu and Rin. A very sadistic Duelist, Yuri has never considered that there is anything wrong with sealing people into cards and enjoys the act instead. Yuri also likes taunting anyone he's speaking to, often playing mind games to lure his opponents into a false sense of security. Like many other Fusion Duelists, Yuri takes malicious pleasure in their mission, seen when he pursued Zuzu, Rin, and Lulu, likening the activity to a game of hide-and-seek. However, his joy for it seems to exceed any other member of Duel Academy, ultimately not even caring about the Arc Area Project. His drive for carding people is simply to prove himself stronger than anyone else, his ideal world being one where he stands alone as the best, something that concerned even Leo Akaba, the person who set him on this path.

As a child training in Duel Academy, his talent and constant winning made others fear and avoid him, never allowing him to make any friends. This seemingly cause his self-serving and vicious aspect to take root. During his Duel with Alexis Rhodes, Yuri came to understand the feeling of having things that he cared about ripped away from him. Despite this, he still sticks to his self-serving ideals, taking personal delight in defeating a former fellow honor student.

Yuri speaks politely, using the personal pronoun of "boku" rather than the "ore" usually used by his counterparts and referring to others by the term "kimi". He is not above complimenting his enemies; sincerely praising Zuzu for evading him for a whole night and admiring Yugo's "". However he sees the ideal of everyone smiling during a Duel as ridiculous; believing that only the winner of a Duel gets to smile because a Duel is a battle. He is very loyal to the Professor and will fulfill his orders without question, going as far as eliminating anyone who he perceives to be hindering his mission, even his own comrades.

Abilities
Yuri appears to possess high levels of endurance, jumping from a moderately high rooftop to the ground with little consequence. He is also shown to be incredibly athletic and acrobatic as he shown to leap to different buildings in New Domino City, and perform a front flip when he and the Obelisk Force found Celina. Like his dimensional counterparts, Yuri can become Awakened. Yuri also possesses the ability to Synchronize with his dimensional counterparts, during which he uses their personal pronoun of "ore" rather than his usual "boku".

After entering a synchronized awakening with his counterparts, Yuri ended up under the control of an unknown darkness. Eventually, he started to learn on how to control the darkness after it returned again when the Four Dimension Dragons were all out at the same time. After absorbing Yugo, Yuri gained better control as he was able to use the darkness as a weapon to attack Yusho Sakaki and Declan Akaba as well as being able to sense Yuya's presence.

During his Duels, Yuri's pupils tend to become slitted like a serpent's just before he is about to finish his opponent off.

Etymology
Yuri, or Joeri means "farmer", although Yuri comes from Russian transliteration, while Joeri is from Dutch. Yuri can also mean "Lily" in Japanese, which could reflect on the kind of Deck he plays. His name is written in katakana, so it has no actual Japanese meaning.

History
Yuri was an orphan, having no memory of his parents or his life. As a boy, he was enrolled into Duel Academy, though he had difficulty making friends due to his strong methods of Dueling. One day, while sitting on a bench watching the other students greet newcomer Alexis Rhodes, he met Celina and Leo Akaba, who told him of his crucial role in the Arc Area Project.

After Dennis Macfield greenlit the invasion of the Xyz Dimension, Yuri and Dennis met Lulu Obsidian in the Resistance base camp when she was queuing up to draw water. He pursued her and she challenged him to a Duel after he cornered her in an alleyway. Yuri agreed, warning Lulu that he would take her with him to the Professor if she lost. Yuri defeated Lulu, captured her, and brought her back with him to Duel Academy.

After the invasion, Yuri went to the Synchro Dimension on Leo's order to kidnap Rin. He succeeded in tracking her down and securing her in the Commons slums just as Yugo arrived on the scene and escaped using "Violet Flash". He was then seen at Heartland, secretly watching the confrontation between Yugo and Yuto from behind a building.

Arc League Championship
After Yuto and Yugo's Duel, Leo Akaba informed Yuri about Zuzu Boyle's existence after investigating Sora's memories. He ordered Yuri to bring Zuzu to Duel Academy. Yuri later appeared before Dennis Macfield in the Standard Dimension appearing to know him.

Immediately after arriving in the Standard Dimension, he saw Zuzu preparing to battle the Obelisk Force. Dennis explained to him that Zuzu had swapped clothes with Celina, so that Zuzu could distract the Obelisk Force as they looked similar, like Yuri and Yuya. Yuri appeared to be somewhat displeased by the mention of Yuya's name and the familiarity with which Dennis used it. Just as Yuri and Dennis were about to join the Obelisk Force, they were interrupted by Olga and Halil, who mistook Yuri as a Tournament Duelist and challenged him and Dennis to a Duel. Despite being angered by the interruption, Yuri accepted the duo's challenge. He defeated them both and sealed them into cards.

Yuri then approached Zuzu just as she was about to Duel the Obelisk Force and ordered them to withdraw so he could talk to her himself. Zuzu initially mistook Yuri as Yuya, but Yuri quickly disabused her, explaining that she was required by the Professor and tried to convince her to surrender and join him, claiming it was pointless to stand in his way. However, Zuzu refused to do so, whereupon Yuri mused that she was just like Lulu and Rin in more than just looks. He then challenged her to a Duel, which Zuzu had no choice but to accept. Yuri's overwhelming power forced Zuzu to escape while Yuri calmly pursued her, eventually managing to locate her by using "" to destroy a huge block of ice. Yuri once again attempted to convince Zuzu to surrender. However, before Zuzu could do so her bracelet glowed once more to Yuri's surprise, causing him to disappear as Yugo traveled within range.

Friendship Cup Finals
When Leo assigned Barrett the mission to invade the Synchro Dimension he mentioned Yuri would also participate in the operation. Anticipating this upcoming assault from Duel Academy, Jean-Michel Roget seemed particularly worried about specifically Yuri's probable arrival in the City. Yuri did indeed appear at the Synchro Dimension standing atop the Duel Palace watching the Duel between Celina and Yugo. After the Duel concluded, Yuri stared coldly at Yugo from the top of the stadium, and Yugo noticed him in turn.

Yugo tried to chase after Yuri, but he left the Duel Palace and jumped on to a truck. Yuri looked at "" and noted that it was the one who brought him and Yugo here. He ignored Yugo's further attempts to chase him down and jumped onto a boat. During Yuya's Duel against Crow Hogan, Yuri's chest began to react in pain which caused Yuri to awaken along with his counterparts and he synchronized with Yuya. While he was in sync with his counterparts, Yuri started to exhibit a dark aura around his body, and he passed out after Yuya won the Duel.

Upon waking, Yuri wondered if he had Dueled. As he observed the Obelisk Force's arrival, he was confronted by Yugo on the rooftop. Yuri teased Yugo about his name, and Yugo demanded Rin's location, but Yuri asked Yugo for Zuzu's whereabouts in exchange. Yugo, who believed Zuzu to be dead, replied that Zuzu lived on in his heart. Annoyed by the reply, Yuri countered that Rin was in Yugo's heart as well and activated "Violet Flash" to flee from Yugo once more.

Yuri found Celina in an abandoned subway where Yuya and Barrett were Dueling after having tailed Sora. Denouncing Sora and Celina as traitors and intending to take Celina back to Duel Academy, he was eager to Duel her to entertain himself. When he noted that she was too weak to stand, he challenged Sora instead, noting that he wouldn't arrest him but execute him. Yugo arrived and he challenged Yuri to a Duel, which Yuri accepted after learning that Yugo had defeated Celina, and he ordered the three Obelisk Force under his command to restrain Sora and not interfere. Yugo began by Synchro Summoning "" before ending his turn. Impressed and unwilling to leave a stain on the history of Duel Academy, Yuri Fusion Summoned "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon" and, with all of the Four Dimension Dragons present on the field, he ended up awakening and synchronizing with the rest of his counterparts again.

While synced, Yuri and his counterparts started shouting that they had waited for this time to become one and revive. However, Zuzu arrived at Yuya's location and her close proximity to Yuri and Yugo caused her bracelet to teleport them away, leaving their Duel unfinished.

Heartland City
Yuri appeared again in the Fusion Dimension, where he managed track down one of Duel Academy's fugitives. This led Yuri to the harbor, where he encountered several students of the You Show Duel School. He sealed one of them into a card and then he challenged the remaining five to a Battle Royal. He was amused when the students talked about Dueling with smiles, believing it to be impossible as only the winner should smile. After all six players took a turn, with the five You Show students Summoning their own Fusion Monsters, Yuri Summoned his ace, "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon" and used its effect in combination with "" to wipe out all five students. After defeating and sealing the students into cards, Zuzu and Alexis confronted him. As Alexis asked Zuzu if she knew Yuri, Zuzu said she knew "that guy". This upset Yuri, as he viewed it as impolite, and he promptly introduced himself. Regardless, he tried to tell Zuzu to return to the Professor with him. Yugo suddenly appeared, charging at Yuri on his Duel Runner in anger. This triggered Zuzu's bracelet, which warped Yuri away.

Yuri later confronted Declan, Riley, Yusho, Sora and Alexis in a hallway at Duel Academy when Declan mentioned destroying Duel Academy. He threatened to seal everyone into cards, only to be pushed away by Alexis, and she and Sora trapped Yuri in the corridor with the defense systems of Duel Academy. Yuri showed Alexis his "Honor Student Deck" and replaced his "Predaplant" Deck with it. He challenged Alexis to a Duel, and she started swiftly by Ritual Summoning. When his turn came, Yuri requested some time to study his cards, claiming to have no idea how they worked. Despite this, Yuri managed to Summon "" and overwhelm Alexis. After his assault, Yuri childishly told Alexis to end her turn so he could finish her off quickly. Undeterred, Alexis managed to take control of "Reactor Dragon" with "". Yuri was horrified, and Alexis replied that he now knew what it felt like when he sealed other people's friends into cards. She used "Fusion Destruction" to banish Yuri's "s" and tried to convince Yuri that they were similar and they could be friends. Yuri admitted the similarities and his misfortunes, but he claimed that he would seal everyone else into a card because it made him happy and would prove that he was the strongest. Yuri revealed that he had modified the Honor Student Deck by including "". Alexis tried to counter it, but she failed, and Yuri Fusion Summoned "" and defeated Alexis Just as he sealed her into a card, Yuri briefly awakened, causing a demonic aura to emerge from his body. He then raised the bars that separated him and Sora, explaining that he could have done so at any time but he'd kept Sora locked up to amuse himself, and he challenged Sora to a Duel.

He Dueled Sora and pushed him into a corner until Sora counterattacked with "". However, Yuri Fusion Summoned "Ultimate Gear Golem" and destroyed "Chimera", defeating Sora. Before he could seal Sora into a card, he was interrupted by Yugo and Aster Phoenix.

Duel Academy
Yuri taunted Yugo and accepted his challenge after Yugo threatened to defeat him. He switched Decks because he felt something was missing while pronouncing Yugo's name wrong. Yugo Synchro Summoned "", causing Yuri's desire to burn everything to grow stronger and he Fusion Summoned "" in response. Yuri and Yugo entered a synchronized awakening again and they started shouting that they would become one again. Elsewhere, Yuya brought out "" and "", and Yuri's "Starving Venom" and Yugo's "Clear Wing" resonated with them while they continued shouting that they would become one. He and Yugo argued over who would become one with who, but Kite Tenjo and Aster Phoenix arrived and entered the Duel. Yuri complimented Kite's move against Yugo, and his and Yugo's dragons were taking over by Kite with the effect of "". Yuri asked Yugo whether he was done playing around, reminding him that Yuri was his real opponent and started to get angry. Aster managed to bring Yugo back to his senses, but when he announces his intention to do the same for Yuri, Yuri replied that it was too late to get him to smile. He used "Super Polymerization" to Fusion Summon "" and attempted to use its effect of "Destiny HERO - Duskutopiaguy", but Yugo used the effect of "" to negate the effect of "Greedy Venom" and destroy it. This triggered the second effect of "Greedy Venom" to destroy every monster on the field and inflict damage equal to their original ATK. However, Aster used the effect of "Duskutopiaguy" to prevent "Crystal Wing's" destruction, saving Yugo from defeat.

Yuri used the effect of "Greedy Venom" to revive it, and Yugo attacked "Greedy Venom" with "Crystal Wing". Yuri knowing full well that Yugo would use the effect of "Crystal Wing" to increase its ATK. He asked Yugo if he'd forgotten the effect of "Greedy Venom", which destroyed "Crystal Wing" and took out most of Yugo's LP, while Yuri revived "Greedy Venom" again. Yugo had anticipated the move it, and he revived "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon" with "Extra Shave Reborn" and combined "" with the effect of "Clear Wing" to destroy "Greedy Venom". Yuri used the effect of "" in his Graveyard to return "Starving Vemon" to the Graveyard and halve the damage, avoiding a loss. He then used "Extra Shave Reborn" as Yugo had to bring back "Starving Venom" and used the effect of "Starving Venom" to negate and steal the effect of "Clear Wing". He then use "Predator Graft" to revive "Drosophyllum Hydra" and used the effect of "Drosophyllum Hydra" in combination with the stolen effect of "Clear Wing" to increase "Starving Venom's" ATK and destroyed "Clear Wing", defeating Yugo.

Yuri complimented Yugo's Dueling, telling him their meeting was fate and that they one in the same. He pulled out "Starving Venom" and apologized to Yugo for treating him as annoyance, telling him they will become one. "Starving Venom" then resonated with "Clear Wing" as Yuri absorbed Yugo using his dark aura, which took the form of a dragon's silhouette, and acquired "Clear Wing" in the process. Happy that they became one, he then felt the other half nearby and resonated with it as his dark aura overflowed. He then sent Yusho flying into the throne room, telling Yuya his name and that he's Yugo as well. He sent Yusho flying to the ground while hearing Yuya call him father and Declan into a pillar next to Riley. He then questioned Yuya about his parents and learned Yusho is his father. He told Yusho he wouldn't give up because Yuya wants to become one and told Yusho he's was going to card him in front of his son. He then Dueled Yusho and Summoned "Predaplant Cephalotus Snail" while setting two cards, telling him its enough. When Yusho brought out "", Yuri thought he used a Spellcaster Deck but learned it was Performapal. He also learned from Yusho that his trump card was going to be destroyed and told him to try. He used "Dark Seed Planter" to change "Sky Magician's" Attribute to Dark and negate the attack, but Yusho used the second effect of "Sky Magician" to return "" to his hand and use "" to negate the trap. "Sky Magician" gained more ATK and continued the attack but Yuri used the effect of "Cephalotus Snail" to prevent its destruction and halve the damage. He told Yusho he failed to destroy his trump card but learned how everything went according to his plan. When Yusho used "Clairvoyance" to guess what card it was, Yuri reminded him that if he fails, he'll lose. He learned how Yusho found out what the card was and got angry when "Super Polymerization" was correctly guessed.

Yuri was then forced to return it to his Deck and told Yusho no one's ever given him this much pleasure before, not even Yugo. He also told Yusho he'll reward him in his own way and Summoned "Predaplant Lilyzard" while using "Seed Cannon Salvo" to weaken "Sky Magician" and inflict damage to Yusho. But, Yusho destroyed it with "Magician's Right Hand", allowing Yuri to use the second effect of "Seed Cannon Salvo" to destroy Yusho's cards but was stopped by "Performapal Sky Ring". Yuri then used "Ivy Bind Castle" to negate the effects of Yusho's cards, prevent him from attacking, and inflict damage for every monster on the field. Yuri wondered if Yusho could still pull off his Dueltaining and wanted Yusho to show him. He then started the second act of Dueltaining since he arranged stage with great care and told Yusho he'll give him applause if he pulls it off. Yuri then used the effect of "Ivy Bind Castle" to inflict damage to Yusho and asked him did he just wanted to show off the effect. He was surprised when "Sky Magician" escaped from "Ivy Bind Castle" and wondered how he did that. His "Ivy Bind Castle" was destroyed by the effect of "Sky Magician" when it leaves the field and Special Summoning "", angering him. His "Lilyzard" and "Cephalotus Snail", with its effects negated, were also destroyed and got frustrated. He then drew a card and was prepared to turn things around and asked Yuya didn't he want to become one with him. When Yuya refused, Yuri wasn't since he'll make him crazy for him again and become one like Yugo because it was destiny. But when Yusho refuted his claim, Yuri told him his prediction was wrong and that "Super Polymerization" wasn't his trump card. When Yuya called it a bluff, Yuri used the effect of "" in his graveyard to bring back "Lilyzard" and "Cephalotus Snail" by banishing it and drew a card due to the effect of "Lilyzard". He then used his trump card "" and started his own Dueltaining with it. He paid 1000 LP to Fusion Summon "Starving Venom" and brought back "Lilyzard" and "Cephalotus Snail" again with 0 ATK. He drew another card again due to the effect of "Lilyzard" and used the effect of "Transcendental Polymerization" to turn "Lilyzard" into a Tuner monster. He then Synchro Summoned "Clear Wing" and used the effect of "Starving Venom" to negate the effects of "Sky Magician" and used them as his own. However, he considered it boring and told Yusho his Dueltaining would surpass his expectations by using the effect of "Clear Wing" to negate the effects of "Starving Venom", destroy it, and increase "Clear Wing's" ATK. He still considered it boring if he attacks and that his Dueltaining should be even more enjoyable like himself. He destroyed "Magician's Right Hand" and "Magician's Left Hand" to use "Flower of Destruction" to decrease "Clear Wing's" ATK by 3000 and bring back "Starving Venom" and "Fruit of Destruction" to inflict damage to Yusho and lower "Sky Magician's" ATK by the difference between that and its original ATK. He told Yusho the real Dueltaining starts now but for him it'll be living hell and used the effects of dragons and spells again. He told Yusho it will happen six more times and has happy how the pleasant feeling came back. He continued his Dueltaining and told Yusho to surrender as Yuya is his and won't give him to anyone. He then attacked "Sky Magician", defeating Yusho, sealed him into a card, and showed it to Yuya while laughing.

Yuri liked Yuya's new look, thanking his carded father for it and was pushed back by Yuya's shockwave. Liking his anger and power, Yuri couldn't wait to be one with Yuya and challenged him to a Duel with Yusho's card on the line. He told Yuya to entertain him since his father worked so hard and Summoned "". He then used the effect of "Ophrys Scorpio" to send "Predaplant Stapelia Worm" to the graveyard and Special Summon "", using the effect of "Darling Cobra" to add "" to his hand and Fusion Summon "Starving Venom". He told Yuya his dragon is looking for his and set a card. When Yuya started to hesitate after drawing a card, Yuri criticized him and told him to surrender. When Yuya Summoned "", Yuri told him their hearts understand each other and was happy when their dragons resonated. He used "Predator Germination" to prevent "Starving Venom's" destruction and destroy "Odd-Eyes" but was protected by the effect of "Performapal Drago Remora" and still took damage from the effect of "Odd-Eyes". He thank Yuya since could advance his game and used the second effect of "Predator Germination" to Special Summon three "Predaplant Tokens", but one was destroyed by "Drago Remora". Yuri Tributed a "Predaplant Token" to Summon "Predaplant Banksia Ogre" and told Yuya how is best was wasted. He then tunes "Banksia Ogre" with his last "Predaplant Token" to bring out "Clear Wing" and felt more excitement from the dragons resonating again. He used the effect of "Starving Venom" to negate and steal the effects of "Odd-Eyes", but Yuya used "Starlight Force" to negate the effects of his dragons and change their levels to 4. Instead, Yuri destroyed Yuya's dragons and asked him what will he do. When Yuya brought back "Odd-Eyes" and Xyz Summoned "", Yuri felt more excitement as the Four Dimension Dragons resonated. When Yuya tried to use the effect of "Dark Rebellion", Yuri used "Dragon Creeping Plant" to take control of "Dark Rebellion". He told Yuya nobody will them and shouted to become one as he awakened again.

Predaplant
Yuri plays a "Predaplant" Deck that focuses on Fusion Summoning "". He typically aims to gather two of his "Predaplants" on the field as a material, "Starving Venom" will even stronger by its own effect. Like his Honor Student Deck, this Deck also includes "".

With the effect of "", Yuri can use "Starving Venom" to efficiently defeat several opponents at once in a manner similar to Shay with his "", profiting off of the presence of many enemy monsters, then attacking all of them.

After getting his "Fusion Dragon" on the field, Yuri forces his opponent into a situation that they must destroy it to survive its vicious effect that steals the ATK and effect of their monster, only to trigger the vicious burning-nuke effect of "Fusion Dragons". After that, he tries to bring his "Fusion Dragons" back in play to repeat this vicious loop.

After Yuri defeated Yugo, "" came into his possession. To make actual use of this monster, Yuri added cards to his deck to support it, including "" to turn a monster used in a Fusion Summon involving that card into a Tuner. Much like Yugo, Yuri takes advantage of "Clear Wing's" effect by activating it multiple times even by using it against his own monsters.

Honor Student Deck
Yuri also owns an Honor Student Deck, which is given to selected students. It focuses on "Ancient Gear" cards much like other members of Duel Academy. It relies on sheer offensive power to overwhelm his opponents. While being mostly the same as the standard recipe, Yuri made a few modifications to the Deck like adding the "" card.

Trivia

 * Unlike his counterparts and their relationships with their female companions, Yuri does not have any sort of relationship with Celina.