Vector

Vector is a character appearing in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. An Emperor from the Barian World, he manipulated Dr. Faker and Vetrix to achieve the Barians' goal of destroying the Astral World. After his first defeat, he orchestrated a new plan by taking on a human form on Earth and calling himself Rei Shingetsu, becoming friends with Yuma Tsukumo as a gambit to orchestrate the latter's fall.

He serves as the central antagonist of ''Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL alongside Dr. Faker and later becomes one of the major antagonists in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL II''.

Appearance
Vector's true form is colored gray and purple, with white hair. He possesses a pair of wings, which are black with pink jewels on them. He also wears a dark purple cloak while in his true form. His eyes bulge quite noticeably sometimes, highlighting his insanity.



While in his energy form, Vector resembles a red winged version of Astral. When Vector possessed Dr. Faker, Dr. Faker's appearance became demonic, changing Dr. Faker's skin red, as well as giving him horns, wings and sharper nails.

As Rei, he has fair skin, purple eyes, and bulbous spiked, orange hair with bangs curling outward around his face. He has a very unique Duel Gazer, larger than a normal Duel Gazer with a large red lens and a black head gear that wraps around his head. As a first year student, he wears the first-year male uniform of Heartland Academy, a white shirt with red-lined sleeves and collar, a red tie, blue pants, and a pair of brown shoes. During the Heartland Academy's festival, he wore a "Dandylion" cosplay.

After he was sent to Earth by Don Thousand, Vector discarded the Heartland school uniform in favor of a black outfit with a fur-collared jacket.

Personality
Vector is manipulative, unpredictable and utterly insane, whose sole motive for gathering the "Numbers" is to destroy both the Astral World and the human world. Vector has also been shown to be extremely cunning, with a tendency to make convoluted, yet effective plans; he made use of various pawns like the Tenjo and the Vetrix families, manipulating both parties and escalating their conflict in order to make them gather "Numbers" quicker and to destroy the Astral World. On his return, he gave Astral "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" in order to lure him and Yuma into attempting to travel to the Barian World, in which he then generated a portal to transfer them to "Ancient Battlefield of the Different Dimension - Sargasso" where he and his fellow Barians would have a Dueling advantage. Another example was giving Yuma the "V" cards while posing as Rei, as both a way to gain his trust and later as part of Dueling strategy to destroy his Deck and Life Points, as well as corrode Astral's trust in Yuma and make him embrace the darkness.

Cruel and sadistic, he enjoys tormenting others for his amusement, even shown to have no compassion for his fellow Barians, even insulting them when they are hurt, much to Misael's disgust. Vector also has a tendency to act alone, making plans on his own without any regards to his fellow Barians, even going as far as to ambush Alit and siding against Gilag just to further his own twisted agenda. He has a great hatred for Yuma Tsukumo, Astral, Kite Tenjo, and Reginald Kastle - due to the four constantly interfering with his plans - particularly Yuma, whom he takes pleasure of taunting him and causing him pain. He also demonstrates a tendency to break out into fits of deranged laughter. After being defeated for a second time by Yuma Vector's hatred for Yuma grew even greater as he went as far to revive Don Thousand.

As Rei, he has a very cheerful and loud exterior, which exasperates others at times. He is also very friendly and eager-to-please, but tends to rush recklessly into things and is quite clumsy. Although he usually has good intentions, Rei tends to cause problems or make things worse, something that Flip Turner and Caswell Todoroki have pointed out. Rei has a strong admiration, and an albeit fan-boyish personality towards Yuma Tsukumo, since he knew that Yuma won the World Duel Carnival, and even refers to Yuma as the "crown jewel" of Heartland Academy and Heartland City. In order to get close to Yuma, Rei treats Yuma with the utmost respect and is eager to do things for Yuma that will please him, such as getting him to have a Duel with pro-Duelist Daisuke Katagiri or voting for Yuma as new class representative of their class. He even wishes to join the Super Secret Number Cards Investigation Club when he learned the club supports Yuma in his adventures.

Voice/Mannerisms
Vector is extremely egotistical, referring to himself as "the strongest Barian warrior" and uses "kono ore" to refer to himself.

As Rei, he used the boyish "boku", which is common for young boys who are usually demure in nature. When pretending to be a "Barian's Guardian", he used the formal and neutral "watashi" and a deeper voice.

Abilities
In a similar manner to ZEXAL, Vector can merge with another being, except that he is the only one in control. Much like Gilag, Vector can also brainwash humans into doing his bidding, as seen with Umimi. He is also the only known Barian, who aside from taking on a human form, can also assume an energy form, which is physically similar to Astral.

Like others of his kind, Vector also has the ability to teleport through portals. He can also make himself invisible, and phase from one spot to another, as seen when he re-encountered Durbe and Misael. He can create powerful illusions. Doing so, he can effectively create a copy of himself, which he can Duel through while still in his original body. These illusions can take the form of his original Barian self even on Earth. He also has great physical endurance, as he was able to swim through the waters of the Lake of Ill Omen, that were burning through his body.

After becoming the host for Don Thousand, he was able to revive Gilag and Alit from their stasis.

Etymology
Vector's name is derived from Gamma Ursae Majoris, also known as Phecda, a star located in the Big Dipper asterism.

Rei means "zero", which can be related to the "Numbers". His last name's literal meaning is "true moon". The word "Shingetsu" can also come from the word "shining" or "enlightenment," referring to the type of Deck he uses in Duels.

History
Five years before the World Duel Carnival, when Dr. Faker opened the door to the Barian World, Vector appeared before him. Believing that Hart Tenjo could only be kept alive with powers from the Barian World, Faker agreed to collect the "Numbers" for Vector in order to destroy the Astral World. If Faker did not complete his task, Vector would take Hart for himself.

World Duel Carnival Finals
When Faker's plan was near completion, he Dueled Yuma Tsukumo, Reginald Kastle and Kite Tenjo. When the Duel turned towards their favor, Vector appeared and possessed Faker to continue the Duel, but eventually was defeated due to Yuma's "Number C39: Utopia Ray", "Xyz Unity" and "ZW - Ultimate Shield" combination. After the Duel, he disappeared, giving Faker control of his body back.

Barian Invasion
Alit mentioned Vector, saying he did not want to waste his time like Vector did when attempting to destroy the Astral World.

Following his defeat at the hands of Yuma, Astral, Shark and Kite, the other Barians believed Vector to be dead. In reality, he took on human form on Earth and began calling himself "Rei Shingetsu".

As Rei Shingetsu
After the Duel between Yuma Tsukumo and Fuma, Rei observed everyone celebrating from an upper window, and then smiled.

While running to Heartland Academy, Shingetsu crashed into Yuma on his way, and when he realized it Yuma, was excited to have met the champion of the World Duel Carnival. When Yuma said he was late, Shingetsu refused to let that happen to Yuma and forcefully dragged him through rather odd "shortcuts" to make it to school. Once they arrived at class, Shingetsu loudly announced their arrival and introduced himself as the new student of the class. Later, Shingetsu overheard Yuma wishing to Duel pro-Duelist Daisuke Katagiri and took upon the task of getting Yuma a Duel by himself. Once Shingetsu found Katagiri, he tried to make his request, but found that he is brainwashed by the Barian World. Katagiri then Dueled Shingetsu in the hopes of finding out where Yuma is, but Shingetsu refused to give him any information and is brutally defeated. When Yuma arrived and Dueled Katagiri, Shingetsu watched and cheered for Yuma. After the Duel, Shingetsu quickly ran over to a tired Yuma to carry him to the infirmary on his back. Officially friends, Shingetsu then carried off Yuma while running, oblivious to Yuma's screaming.



When the class was electing a class president, Shingetsu nominated Yuma, and when Yuma won, Shingetsu voiced his congratulations. During lunch, Shingetsu learned of the Super Secret Number Cards Investigation Club from Yuma's friends and asked Bronk Stone for membership. They are interrupted by Caswell Todoroki, who has been assigned "Special Disciplinary Commander", and were shocked when he started to enforce rules upon the school. Later, Shingetsu secretly watched Yuma Duel against Mamoru Jinguji by the gym pool with a concerned look. After Yuma won, Shingetsu accepted Caswell's apologies and is later seen with Yuma talking about relinquishing his position as class president to Caswell. .



After school one day, Shingetsu was walking with Yuma and his friends when Chitaro Ariga asked Yuma to be his model for his manga, with Shingetsu expressing excitement for Yuma. Later, Shingetsu tagged along with Yuma and Tori Meadows to visit Rio Kastle at the hospital, bringing fruits and snacks for Rio, but Tori reminded him that Rio couldn't eat since she was unconscious at the time. They encountered Shark and was shocked to hear that his sister was missing. When a Barian-brainwashed Chitaro appeared and challenged Shark to a Duel, Shingetsu watched and cheered Shark on. As Shark was losing due to Chitaro threatening Rio, Shingetsu goes along with Yuma to search for Chitaro's sketchbook in hopes to find his weakness. At school, Shingetsu and Yuma found Chitaro's manga about his Duel and informed Shark over his Duel Gazer that it ends with Shark losing and Rio not being saved. As Yuma urged Shark to continue Dueling for his sister, Shingetsu watched the rest of the Duel over Yuma's Duel Gazer and was happy Shark won in the end.



When Rio came back to school, Shingetsu ate lunch with her, Yuma, and the rest of his friends while listening to her talk about her brother. Later, Shingetsu watched as Rio easily defeated a number of clubs and was amazed by her skills. When Rio was invited to the Ikebana Club, Shingetsu came along with his friends and met the leader, Aika Hanazoe. As Aika talked to them, Shingetsu was the first to sense that there was something wrong with her. When Aika used her power to make everyone unconscious, Shingetsu appeared to be affected, but was really pretending to be asleep. Rei maintained this facade and secretly listened to Aika revealing her trap to get Yuma and Shark's "Numbers" for the Barian World. When Yuma and the girls went outside, Shingetsu watched Rio Duel against Aika from the window. After Rio won and they walked home together, Shingetsu feigned ignorance about not being awake until after Rio won, and was amused to find out that Rio was afraid of cats.

One day on the way to school, Shingetsu chased after Yuma, who was racing with Bronk, and pleading with him to wait for him. During Alit's failed attempts to woo Tori, Shingetsu accompanied Yuma through the transitions, one involving nearly drowning due to Yuma's forcing him to jump into the school's pool. When Yuma found a note on his desk, Shingetsu popped out from under him and told Yuma it was a note of a challenge, startling Yuma in the process. While Yuma Dueled Alit on top of the roof, Shingetsu went to find Tori and explained what Yuma was doing for her. They arrived to the roof after Yuma won against Alit, and witness the two formed a friendship.

One day after school, Shingetsu made an innocent suggestion to have a mascot girl for the Super Secret Number Cards Investigation Club. At first, Shingetsu though Tori should be it, since he thought she was Yuma's "girlfriend", but then realized that Tori can't Duel and therefore can't be the mascot, incidentally causing a fight between her and Cathy Katherine. Shingetsu rushed outside to get Yuma and take to the classroom to stop the fighting, explaining the situation to him. Although Yuma and Shingetsu tried to calm everybody down, their friends and Rio's arguing became worse and they refuse to speak to one another the next day. While walking home, Shingetsu tried to cheer Yuma up by offering to Duel him, and they were met by Gilag. Shingetsu and Yuma listened to Gilag suggesting they hold a "Sports Duel Tournament" to help their friends make up, which they agreed to. During the tournament, Shingetsu acted as the announcer for each round and helped Gilag referee the events. Before the final round, Shingetsu expressed happiness that their friends made up with each other, and then became suspicious when Gilag arranged a Duel between Yuma and Tori's teams, but he does not do anything about it. On the "Baseball Field", Shingetsu continued to be the announcer and watched the Duel from the stands with his friends. When Tori Summoned her "Chaos Xyz: Dark Fairy Cheer Girl", he showed visible concern, but was happy that Yuma was able to defeat the girls and cheered when he won.

One day after school, Rei walked home with Yuma and Tori and asked Tori why Yuma seemed so depressed. Later, Shingetsu went into the woods after Kite Tenjo took Yuma's place to Duel against Misael and stayed hidden in the trees to watch. After the Duel, Shingetsu paid a visit to a hospitalized Yuma, and was slightly scared of Kari Tsukumo after seeing her scold Yuma. Once Yuma was discharged from the hospital, Shingetsu waited for him to come by so they can go to school together, but then they were approached by many Barian-brainwashed Duelists from their school. Yuma, who was worried about his safety, told Shingetsu to run, but they were surrounded at the Heartland pier. Luckily, Shark, Tori and Rio came to help them fight off the Duelists. While Yuma and others were defeating the minions, Shingetsu became brainwashed by Gilag as well and grabbed Yuma from behind. Holding Yuma in place, Shingetsu and the Duelists were going to finish Yuma off, Alit appeared and defeated them, thus freeing them all from Barians control. As he regained consciousness, Shingetsu's left eye glowed red when Alit revealed his alliance with the Barian World. When Alit and Yuma started to Duel, Shingetsu intensely watched the Duel with his friends, but vanished afterwards and attacked Alit.

A few days later, Rei and Yuma tried to find a shortcut to school together, only to be chased down on the way by a group of dogs. The two arrived at school late, exhausted and slightly injured, Rei apologized as he thought that it the best way for them to go to school that way. When Caswell and Flip commented how Rei's intentions never did any good, he apologized again, but Yuma told him it's fine and Rei burst into tears of happiness. Flip and Caswell then commented that Rei and Yuma are a good combo of friends. The next morning, Rei met up with Yuma, who wanted to ask him a question about Alit. Rei interrupted Yuma by telling him he found the shortest way to school and asked Yuma to trust him. After school, Rei found out that Gilag challenged Yuma to a Duel and he was to bring Rei along too. Rei confronted Tori and Bronk, and they told him that Yuma didn't want him to be involved and kept it a secret from him, but Rei still wanted to go. Frustrated and crying, Rei stated that he knew he would get in the way since he was timid and not very skilled at Dueling, but he still wanted to go because Yuma was his friend. Following Tori and Bronk, Rei pleaded with Yuma to let him join the Duel, Yuma agreed as along Rei doesn't overdo it. Rei made many blunders throughout the Duel, which resulted in the rapid depletion of his and Yuma's Life Points. Once again, Rei apologized for making Yuma protect him. As the Duel continued, Rei started to play seriously and protected Yuma from Gilag. He finally revealed his secret by throwing "Rank-Up Magic - Limited Barian's Force" to Yuma, who used it to change "Number 39: Utopia" to "Number C39: Utopia Ray V". They then shortly win the Duel, Gilag questioned who Rei was, but only smirked and said that he will learn "sooner or later". Once Gilag retreated, Yuma demanded answers from him - Rei claimed he was a "Barian's Guardian", but told him be to be quiet about it in front Bronk and Tori. At night, Rei explained his mission to Yuma and asked him to keep this a secret from everybody else. He then told Yuma that he would be his "subordinate" from now and watched nervously as Yuma nearly fell off the roof.

At school, Rei and Yuma searched the old gym that Gilag and Alit had used as their hideout, only to find they were not there. He and Yuma talked about Astral's condition and told Yuma that he might rank up if Yuma works hard enough with him. Later, Rei accompanied Yuma to the infirmary when he was worried about Astral and witnessed the Emperor's Key sucking Yuma inside. Once Yuma came out, Rei saw Number 96: Dark Mist give a warning to Astral and Rei listened to Yuma explaining what had happened, which seems to worry him. During gym one day, Rei presented a "Barian's Guardian" badge to Yuma and questioned him about Kite Tenjo. Their conversation was cut off when a soccer ball was heading towards them and Rei ducked, letting the ball hit Yuma instead. Later, Rei watched the Duel between Yuma and Orbital 7, with his reactions range from excitement to bemusement, but laughed once he found out Orbital did this for Lilly. Later, Rei and his friends was giving advice to Bronk how to get Rio's affections and Shark's approval. Rei suggested that Bronk Duel Shark for his approval, indirectly setting off a chains of events leading an misunderstanding. Later, he joined Rio when she confronted her brother about the rumor and witnessed their Duel.

During Heartland Academy's Cultural Festival, Rei and his friends hosted a Monster Cafe and cosplay, with Rei himself cosplaying as "Dandylion". When Rei heard about the "Couple Duel Tournament" with pro-Duelists team Tobio Habara and Umimi Habara, he ran to notify Yuma about this and ended being threatened by Anna Kaboom to see if he was telling the truth about Umimi was retiring from Dueling. At some point in the night, Vector returned to his energy form and brainwashed pro Duelist Umimi Habara, giving her "Rank-Up Magic - Barian's Force". Later, Rei and Yuma spoke inside a bathroom stall and Rei told Yuma that they are look for any Barians that might be at the festival. Although Rei was happy that Yuma cooperating with the mission, he became a little annoyed how Yuma was more focused on food than their job. After Anna dragged Yuma away to enter the tournament, Rei followed them to watch their Duel. He pretended to be worried after finding out that Umimi was brainwashed by a Barian. When Yuma Summoned "Number C39: Utopia Ray V", Rei watched proudly as he won the Duel and they exchanged smiles. Afterwards, Rei stayed near Yuma as he chatted with Tobio and nervously watched as Yuma and Anna fell off a flight of stairs.

Dropping the Masquerade
Vector proceeded with his plan and lured Yuma to him at night. Deploying a Barian's Sphere Cube and still in the form of Rei, he projected an illusion of himself, with it looking like his cloaked Barian form, thus setting up a Duel with himself. When Yuma arrived, "Vector" fled and Rei claimed that Vector was a criminal that had plagued the Barian's Guardians" for years. He handed Yuma new "V" cards to help fight the Barians. Later, Vector appeared before Misael and Durbe, surprising the two as they thought he was killed when Dr. Faker was defeated. Vector joked about how Alit and Gilag lost, annoying Misael to the point that the latter had to be restrained from physically attacking him by Durbe. Durbe then blamed Vector for his previous failures, but Vector claimed that everything went according to his plan - including his defeat while possessing Faker. Durbe warned him to stop acting on his own, threatening to put an end to him with his own hands. Nevertheless, they agreed to let Vector continue his plan. Using the illusion of himself, he "arrived" on Earth in a energy ball, attracting Yuma's attention by nearly mowing he and his friends down and destroying several buildings. While still posing as Rei at the Duel's sidelines, Vector Dueled Yuma through his illusion. Yuma drew one of the cards that Rei gave him, "V Salamander", and used it to counterattack and win the Duel. With his loss, the illusion reached out to kidnap Yuma, but Vector himself, as Rei, got in the way. With that, Vector departed for the Barian World, leaving "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" with Astral.

Using "Master Key Beetle", Astral activated the Different Dimension Airship inside the Emperor's Key. The ship took them to "Ancient Battlefield of the Different Dimension - Sargasso", where Vector, Durbe and Misael awaited them. They separated the group, with Vector facing Yuma, Misael facing Kite, and Durbe facing Shark. Vector mockingly greeted Yuma, who demanded to see Rei, and brought an unconscious Rei through a portal, taunting Yuma by saying he wasn't going to wake up ever. Extremely enraged by that, Yuma angrily commenced the Duel, with Vector bringing out "Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Shining". When Yuma Xyz Summoned "Number 39: Utopia", he told Yuma about the effect of "Sargasso" and watched the effect of Sargasso hit him with lightning. . Vector continuously taunted Yuma, causing Yuma to reach his breaking point and Summon "Number C39: Utopia Ray V" and reduce Vector's Life Points to 1300. With that strike, the illusory body he had been using was destroyed, and when the dust cleared, "Rei" stood against Yuma. Finally revealing himself, he underwent Bariarphose into his true form and said that he had been masquerading as "Rei Shingetsu" in an effort to befriend Yuma and further his plans against him. He clarified that the "Vector" Yuma had Dueled before and was Dueling up until now was merely an illusion and mockingly saluted his assistant "Detective Yuma". Yuma was enraged and saddened by the sudden revelations and appeared to lose hope. Continuing the Duel, Vector used "Vain - Sneer of Betrayal" to mill Yuma's "V" cards and most of his Deck, leaving him with few options, while mocking Yuma by using "Rei's" voice.

Using "Shining", Vector reduced Yuma's Deck further, while "Sargasso" reduced his Life Points, putting him in a desperate situation. Seeing Astral and Yuma arguing with each other, Vector chided Yuma for keeping secrets from his partner and called Yuma a "traitor", who just wanted to be friends with him more than with Astral. When Yuma and Astral attempted to use ZEXAL, Vector questioned if Astral could really become one with Yuma right now and reminded Astral that Yuma kept secrets from him, which increased Astral's distrust of Yuma. Vector stated that the darkness would grow and asked Astral if he really thought he could resist the darkness inside of him in his current mental state, reminding him that "Utopia Ray V" is of Barian origin. Vector observed with glee as Astral's entire body turned dark and he forcefully initiated ZEXAL with Yuma, resulting in Dark ZEXAL. With Dark ZEXAL's reckless Dueling, Vector used this to his advantage and trapped them in a loop where Dark ZEXAL would lose all his Life Points before Vector did. When Yuma and Astral reconciled with each other, Vector lost the Duel against ZEXAL II. Before retreating, Vector warned Astral the dark stain in his heart did not disappear and will corrode his bond with Yuma.

Legendary Number War
Frustrated and enraged by his loss against Yuma, Vector journeyed to the Lake of Ill Omen. Swimming through it, he found the spot where Don Thousand was sealed and released him. He offered Don Thousand his life in exchange for the power to defeat Yuma and Astral. Thousand told him to journey to Earth and find the seven sealed "Numbers", which would fully revive Don Thousand. Vector agreed and Thousand merged with him, empowering Vector with new abilities and restoring his broken wing. Vector proceeded to meet with Durbe and Misael again and told them that Astral's full powers will awaken soon. They blame him for the failure of the "Sargasso" plan, saying that Yuma and Astral are even stronger now. Vector retorted that without his plans, the Barians would be even worse off. This enraged Misael, but Durbe stopped him once more. He revealed that thousands of years ago, Astral defeated Don Thousand. Without his memories, Astral's powers aren't as strong - if he recovered all his memories, the Barian World would be finished. He told them of the Legendary "Numbers" that were sealed and revealed he revivied Mr. Heartland from the Lake of Ill Omen in the form of a fly. Heartland told them of information he had obtained when he served Dr. Faker - the twenty-three points on Earth where doors to other dimensions may open. Vector added to Durbe that they may find Nasch and Merag as well - the other Barian Emperors who vanished. Durbe and Misael ultimately agreed and left to start searching, while Vector used some of Don Thousand's powers to accelerate the healing of Gilag and Alit.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL
During Dr. Faker's Duel with Yuma, Shark and Kite, Vector possesses him as he revealed everything that Vector had told him to do. He uses Dr. Faker's Deck for the duration of the Duel.

Shining
As Rei, Vector plays a "Shining" Deck, which focuses on low Level and low ATK monsters with effects that inflict effect damage in combination with monster destruction. He hides his true Dueling prowess from his opponents at first, then surprises them with his traps and various strategic maneuvers later on. He is also willing to take losses to maintain his clumsy public persona.

Umbral
Vector uses an "Umbral" Deck focused on Deck Destruction through cards like "Vain - Sneer of Betrayal" as well as Burn damage. Part of his Deck is specifically designed to take advantage of Yuma using the "V" cards given to him, since "Vain" requires the opponent to possess "V" cards, and "Barian Bomb" needs the opponent to hold any Barian cards to take effect.

Trivia

 * His ace monster "Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Shining" changes to "Number C104: Masquerade Magician - Umbral" after Ranking Up. The name mirrors the change from "Rei Shingetsu" (using a Shining Deck) to Vector (using an Umbral Deck). Their Attributes are also reflective of this and the personality change, going from LIGHT to DARK respectively.