Card Trivia:The Winged Dragon of Ra

Egyptian History

 * Ra (Rê and later Amun-Ra; reconstructed as *ri:ʕu) is the ancient Egyptian sun god. He was a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion by the fifth dynasty. Identified primarily with the mid-day sun, the chief cult centre of Ra first was based in Heliopolis (ancient Inunu) meaning "City of the Sun".


 * In later Egyptian dynastic times, Ra was subsumed into the god Horus, as Re-Horakhty (and many variant spellings). He commanded sky, earth, underworld.


 * According to E. A. Wallis Budge he was the one god of Egyptian monotheism, of which all other deities were aspects, manifestations, phases, or forms of this deity. Ra itself, however, was also a monotheistic god. A Hymn to Ra (approx. 1370s BC) was written to stress the pantheistic nature of Ra to combat encroaching polytheism. In it, several deities are described, not as beings in their own right, but certain forms of Ra. For example:


 * ''"Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the habitations of Ament, behold [thy] body is Atum."
 * "Praise be unto thee, O Ra, thou exalted Power, who dost enter into the hidden palace of Anubis, behold [thy] body is Khepera."''


 * The Bennu bird (the Egyptian correspondence to the phoenix) is Ra's ba (soul) and a symbol of fire and rebirth. The sun disk, also shown as the hieroglyphic ⊙ ; Ankh, symbolizing the life given by the sun; Obelisk, representative of the rays of the sun and worshiped as a home of a solar god; Pyramids, aligned east/west Falcon; Bull; Uraeus, a cobra commonly seen wrapped around the sun disk. As the sun, Ra was thought to see everything.


 * Together with Atum, Ra was believed to have fathered Shu and Tefnut, who in turn bore Geb, Nut. These in turn were the parents of Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. All nine made up the Heliopolitan Ennead.

Hieratic Text

 * According to the Japanese version of the anime and manga, the Hieratic Text printed on the card records the following three groups of Ra's abilities (quoted from Seto Kaiba's own translation of the Text in Duel 248 of the Japanese manga):


 * (1st ability) "太陽神は３体の生贄を束ねてその力を得る　ただし神を従えし者古の呪文を天に捧げよ "
 * (2nd ability) "神は地より蘇生する　再生の術と術者の命を与えよ　時はひとつであろうとも戦場の敵は炎によって屍と化す  "
 * (3rd ability) "時ひとつとして神は不死鳥となる　選ばれし魔物は大地に眠る  "


 * When (roughly) translated to English, it reads:


 * (1st ability) "Ra shall acquire the power of three tributes. However, only those who offer the ancient incantation to heaven shall God follow."
 * (2nd ability) "God shall revive from earth. By offering the Ritual of Revival and his own life, one shall be united with God, and all enemies on the battlefield shall be incinerated."
 * (3rd ability) "In an instant, God shall become a Phoenix, and all evil spirits chosen by it shall repose on earth."


 * In the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, though, the Hieratic Text appears to have a different meaning. This can be seen when Marik recited the Text while gaining control of Ra during his duel with Mai Valentine in episode 92:


 * "Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry.


 * Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.


 * Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe.


 * Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win.


 * Appear now in this Shadow Game as I call your name,


 * Winged Dragon of Ra!"


 * Note that in the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, when Yami Marik attempted to gain control of Ra in his duel with Mai, the viewer can hear him speaking understandable words. However, in the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga, what he recited was the Hieratic Text itself (in the anime, Marik recites some unknown words; in the manga, his speech bubbles are filled with Hieratic Text). In the English episode 221 when Atem Summoned Ra, he uses the chant but it is changed (the Japanese version uses the incomprehensible Hieratic). Here is this chant:


 * "Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry.

''
 * ''Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.
 * I beseech thee, grace our humble game.


 * But first I shall...call out thy name,


 * Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Anime Effect
Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime:

When summoned by tributing three monsters, Ra's attack and defense points become the combined attack and defense points of the tributed monsters. Ra also has several additional powers; Malik can pay a number of life points to increase Ra's attack and defense points by the same amount and by tributing monsters the player controls to further increase its ATK and DEF points, The Winged Dragon of Ra's other effect is to turn into a Phoenix by paying 1000 life points. This "Phoenix" mode gave Ra immunity to destruction and the ability to instantly destroy everything on the opponent's side of the field. 'Phoenix mode' only lasts until the end of the turn it is activated in.


 * Further research compiled from both what has been stated in the Anime/Manga and video games, has yielded what I've placed below as the determined powers Ra possesses in his entirety.

The Winged Dragon of Ra Level 10/DIVINE/Divine-Beast/ATK????/DEF???? This card cannot be Set. This card can only be Tribute Summoned by Tributing 3 monsters. The Normal Summon of this card cannot be negated. When this card is Normal Summoned, Spells, Traps and other monsters' effects cannot be activated. While this card is on the "[[Field", "Control" of this card cannot switch and the card is unaffected by the effects of "Spell Cards", "Trap Cards" and "Monster Effects" other than “The Winged Dragon of Ra”. The effect of “The Winged Dragon of Ra” only affects this card for one turn. The Winged Dragon of Ra can only be revived from the graveyard for one turn. This card can always attack in the turn it is Summoned. This card’s "ATK" and "DEF]" are equal to the combined "ATK" and "DEF" of the monsters Tributed to summon it, respectively. Once per turn, you may pay 1000 Life Points to destroy every monster your opponent controls. You may "Tribute" monsters in order to increase this card’s "ATK" by the Tributed monsters’ "ATK". You may pay any amount of "Life Points" in order to increase this card’s "ATK" by the amount of "Life Points" paid. If you use this effect, you may send one "De-Fusion" in your "Hand" or under your control to the "Graveyard" in order to reduce this card’s "ATK" to 0 and increase your "Life Points" by this card’s prior "ATK". You may activate this effect at any time. During either player’s turn, you may pay 1000 "Life Points" to transform “The Winged Dragon of Ra“ into its Phoenix Mode. Until the end of the turn this effect is activated, the "ATK" and "DEF" of this card are reduced to 0 (The "ATK" and "DEF" of this card return to their respective values prior to this effect‘s use) and it gains the following effects: ● This card "Cannot be destroyed by battle", and you take no "Battle Damage" from battles involving this card. ● This card cannot be targeted and is unaffected by the effects of other Monsters, Spells, and Traps, other than “The Winged Dragon of Ra”. The effect of “The Winged Dragon of Ra” only affects this card for one turn.

The Winged Dragon of Ra DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must offer 3 Tributes to Special Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the sum of the respective ATK and DEF values of the Tributes. When this card is Special Summoned from the graveyard, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monsters that designate a target. When this card is successfully summoned, you can activate the following effects:


 * Pay 1000 Life Points, select one monster on the Field and remove it from the game, this card cannot be destroy until the end phase.
 * Pay all but 1 Life Point, and increase ATK and DEF by the amount of Life Points paid.
 * you can tribute 1 or more monsters on your side of the field to increase the ATK and DEF of this card equal to the ATK of the tribute(s).

Videogame Effects
One of the three Egyptian God cards, The Winged Dragon of Ra is unusual in that it's flavor text is printed as it's "effect". Despite this obstacle, however, effects have been given to it in its videogame appearances.


 * In Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters IV: Battle of Great Duelist, The Winged Dragon of Ra can revive card from the player's and opponent's graveyard and control 1 of the oppenent's card.

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards and Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction: The Winged Dragon of Ra DIVINE/Machine/12/4000/4000 A dragon that has the power to cut its LP to 1 and hit the opponent with the LP amount that it has lost. (Requires three tributes.)


 * In Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, the "Sphere Mode" and "Phoenix Mode" of Ra are treated as separate cards.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime:

When summoned by tributing three monsters, Ra's attack and defense points become the combined attack and defense points of the tributed monsters.[8] Ra also has several additional powers; its owner can pay a number of life points to increase Ra's attack and defense points by the same amount and by tributing monsters the player controls to further increase its ATK and DEF points,[10] The Winged Dragon of Ra's other effect is to turn into a Phoenix by paying 1000 life points. This "Phoenix" mode gave Ra immunity to destruction and the ability to instantly destroy everything on the opponent's side of the field. Unless the owner keeps paying the additional 1000 during each of his/her following turns, 'Phoenix mode' only lasts until the end of the turn it is activated in.

The Winged Dragon of Ra DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must offer 3 Tributes to Special Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the sum of the respective ATK and DEF values of the Tributes. When this card is Special Summoned from the graveyard, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monsters that designate a target. When this card is successfully summoned, you may activate one of the following effects:


 * Pay 1000 Life Points, select one monster on the Field and remove it from the game, this card cannot be destroy until the end phase.
 * Pay all but 1 Life Points, and increase ATK and DEF by the amount of Life Points paid.
 * you can tribute 1 or more monsters on your side of the field to increase the ATK and DEF of this card equal to the ATK of the tribute(s).

Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour: The Winged Dragon of Ra DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/????/???? You must offer 3 Tributes to Tribute Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the sum of the respective ATK and DEF values of the Tributes. When this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monsters that designate a target. When this card is successfully Special Summoned, you may activate one of the following effects:


 * Pay 1000 Life Points to destroy one monster on the Field and remove it from the game.
 * Pay all but 1 Life Points, and increase ATK and DEF by the amount of Life Points paid.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3: The Winged Dragon of Ra DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must offer 3 Tributes to Tribute Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the sum of the respective ATK and DEF values of the Tributes. When this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monsters that designate a target. When this card is successfully Special Summoned, you may activate one of the following effects:


 * Pay 1000 Life Points to destroy one monster on the Field and remove it from the game.
 * Pay all but 1 Life Points, and increase ATK and DEF by the amount of Life Points paid.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2009: Stardust Accelerator: The Winged Dragon of Ra DIVINE/Divine Beast/10/?/? You must offer 3 Tributes to Tribute Summon this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the sum of the respective ATK and DEF values of the Tributes. When this card is Special Summoned, it is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or Monsters that designate a target. When this card is successfully Special Summoned, you may activate one of the following effects:


 * Pay 1000 Life Points to destroy one monster on the Field and remove it from the game.
 * Pay all but 1 Life Points, and increase ATK and DEF by the amount of Life Points paid.

Miscellaneous

 * UDE representatives used a copy of "The Winged Dragon of Ra" which had a different image and the Hieratic text in the place of the flavor text
 * Many fake cards exist of Ra with the alternate art. However, the flavor text varies on the card.
 * Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder is the legal incarnate of this Card.
 * This card has an evil version called The Wicked Avatar.
 * "The Winged Dragon of Ra" appears in the artwork of "Quiz Panel Ra: 10", "20" and "30".
 * In the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, this card, and the other Egyptian God Cards are in English, while still using the Japanese name.
 * Like "Obelisk the Tormentor" before it, "Ra" has a legal version.
 * In the manga, anime and several video games "The Winged Dragon of Ra" depended on being Special Summoned from the Graveyard to activate certain effects. The real life legal version of "The Winged Dragon of Ra" however cannot be Special Summoned.
 * The legal version of Ra is arguably the strongest AND the weakest Egyptian God due to its own effect. If you do pay LP when you Normal Summoned it, it can have a very high ATK & DEF, depending on the amount of your LP when you pay, at the cost of you having only 100 LP left. However if you don't, just so you can have enough LP to pay for its destruction effect, then this legal Ra will have 0 ATK & DEF.
 * The legal version of Ra looks very different from its original version. It is gold-coloured instead of the dull yellow from the old version, it has 4 claws instead of 3 on the original, it has the shoulder pads and arch that the anime features while the original did not, it has a feather tail instead of a long lizard-like one (this is actually different from the anime), and it appears to have an eagle-like beak without any teeth (as featured in the Season 5 Opening and in the manga version of the Millennium World arc, but not in any episode of the anime).
 * The Legal Ra's effects differ slightly from its original counterpart: The original also gained the attack of the monsters used as a tribute, was not affected by any other effect regardless of the current turn, and most notably was NOT banned from being Special Summoned.
 * Other than "Backs to the Wall", this card is also the only card to have the cost of "pay Life Points until you have 100 left".
 * Marik Ishtar stated in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga (Issue 24 of the Duelist Arc) that the Winged Dragon of Ra was the most powerful of the 3 Gods, even being considered in another class between the 3 Gods.


 * This card closely resembles Kaiser Glider, but it resembles Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 more and may allude to when Horus was merged with the God Ra.


 * Each of the three legal God cards seem to be more "Focused" on a certain play style:

Obelisk is offensive using its static ATK & DEF combined with its targeting immunity to crush everything and overwhelm the opponent.

Slifer is Defensive/stall based using it's effect to keep weak monsters (and the tribute fodder for the stronger monsters) off the field, forcing them to be set and flipped to avoid destruction. Meanwhile becoming stronger. (since you probably would've used up your hand in summoning him.)

Ra is OTK based, using his effect to turbo-charge his ATK to enormous levels to fry the enemy in one all-or-nothing shot. alternatively using his destruction effect to pave the way for other monsters to do so.