Zigfried Von Schroeder ( ジークフリード・フォン・シュレイダー Siegfried von Schroeder) is the main antagonist of the anime-only KC Grand Championship story arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime. In both incarnations, his name is derived from the name of Siegfried, a character in the opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of Nibelung).
He is the CEO of Schroeder Corp, a rival of KaibaCorp. As the champion of Europe, he participates in Kaiba's KC Grand Championship under the name "Zigfried Lloyd" (Sieg Lloyd; ジーク・ロイド Jīku Roido). He has been introduced as the "Untouchable Emperor of Europe" as he is the champion Duelist of Europe. He is also Leon von Schroeder's older brother.
Design[]
Appearance[]
Zigfried is depicted as a beautiful and gentle nobleman, wearing fashionable clothes. He has been called the 'trendsetter' by Roland. He appears in a palatinate purple suit with a black lapel which shows the Schroeder Corp's insignia at the left side, which is a purple rose. He wears black patent-leather shoes. Around his neck, he wears a cerise colored frilled jabot adorned with a purple brooch. He also carries a golden watch on his left wrist. He has aqua-colored eyes. His long pink hair is styled in a Hime cut fashion and is at waist-length, which is heavily criticized by Kaiba, Joey, and Rex because of its unusual color and shape. In his childhood and teenage years, his hair looks darker and shorter (only reaching his neck), and he wears a pink suit with a periwinkle colored collar, a purple ribbon, and a blue brooch.
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Personality[]
Zigfried comes across as arrogant and vain, and can be very condescending to his opponents, as shown when he constantly mocks Joey’s luck-based cards. He also likes to play with roses, like throwing them at his enemies at the end of a Duel in a very conceited way, which emphasizes his pretentious and narcissistic behavior. He does have a kind side however, as evidenced by how at the end of the arc he tearfully hugs his brother Leon, so Leon would help him with his plot. He genuinely loves his brother, as Seto loves Mokuba. Zigfried calls some people 'Herr' which means 'Mister' in German (in the Japanese version he only calls Kaiba 'Mister'). He is fond of indulging himself in luxury as he is first seen lounging in his pool accompanied by a harp performance and enjoys massages as well. He even owns a private jet and is proud of his programming and hacking skills.
In the Japanese version, he also believes that he is very lucky and the goddess of victory (or fate) always chooses him.
Biography[]
History[]
Zigfried and Kaiba's childhood photo.
Zigfried was born in an aristocratic Schroeder family with Leon being his younger brother somewhere in Germany. To groom his as the future leader of their family's corporation, he was made to study heavily in various fields of academic and presumably in athletics and music as well. Thus, his time with Leon is severely limited; whenever the younger Schroeder tries to spend a fun time together with him, the former was always being scolded for what their family saw as bothering his older brother during his lessons. Due to this, Zigfried created an inner compulsion to be successful. He and Kaiba first met at a business party at the age of 8. Zigfried's father introduced his son as a child prodigy, who has an extraordinary talent in technology. Zigfried managed to bypass Kaiba Corp's security system and played with the power supply to demonstrate his genius, impressing Kaiba at that time. When Gozaburo Kaiba announced the new company deal belongs to Kaiba Corporation, both Zigfried and his father were left stunned. This event triggered Zigfried, who promised himself to defeat Kaiba Corporation someday.
A devastated Zigfried, who arrives too late as Kaiba and Pegasus make their business deal.
His father became mentally unstable after so many defeats against KaibaCorp, so Zigfried became the new CEO of Schroeder Corp. He first got rid of the military department and then entered the gaming industry. But in a meeting, one of the Corp's executives said that Seto Kaiba also became the new CEO of KaibaCorp and they entered the gaming industry too. Zigfried didn't believe that at first but then learned it was true. He worked harder to surpass Kaiba this time. Finally, he invented the "Holographic Virtual Duel System" for Duel Monsters. He went to Industrial Illusions to make a business deal with Maximillion Pegasus. However, because he was late, Kaiba made the deal instead, which caused Zigfried to be even angrier at him. He sought to take down KaibaCorp as revenge because he felt that Kaiba stole his plans for holographic Dueling technology (In the Japanese version, it was because Kaiba's project was accepted before he arrived to display his own technology to Industrial Illusions).
KC Grand Championship[]
Zigfried and Kaiba meet again before the tournament.
After years, Zigfried hears that KaibaCorp is hosting a new tournament in Kaiba Land. With his talent on programs, Zigfried hacks the main computer system and plays with the security system, causing Mokuba, Yugi, and his friends to be locked inside of Kaiba Dome. He also recognizes Yugi and says that he is the champion of the Battle City tournament. After Yugi defeats the KC DuelTek 760 in a Duel, everything in the dome seems returned to normal, but Zigfried also joins the tournament with a fake name, 'Zigfried Lloyd'. He arrives at the Kaiba Hotel late and meets again with Kaiba, without Kaiba recognizing him.
Zigfried plays "Ride of the Valkyries", written in German 'Valküren Ritt' on the Japanese card version.
After the tournament begins, Kaiba starts to watch the contestants to see if they make any suspicious moves. Zigfried predicts that and tries to look especially suspicious to him. He was scheduled to Duel Fortune Salim at the Flower Clock. However, Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood impersonate him after knocking Salim out but are caught by Mokuba. Zigfried persuades Mokuba to let them Duel him. He looks at the security camera and says that Kaiba is about to see his true power. He defeats Rex and Weevil in 1 turn with "Ride of the Valkyries". In his later Duel against Joey, he looks at the camera several times again to look suspicious. Zigfried also sabotages the main computer again, this time causing the park vehicles to work too fast. He thinks that if Kaiba can't handle this, he is not a big opponent at all, but Kaiba stops the virus. He also starts to recognize Zigfried a little by remembering the past. Zigfried uses his Goddess Spell Cards and "Nibelung's Ring" strategy to defeat Joey. He then defeats Balfry Ginger in the semifinals.
Zigfried says that Kaiba disqualifies him because he is scared of him and now whole world knows this.
Kaiba starts to search about Zigfried. He finds that he entered the tournament with a fake name and is responsible for the troubles. When it comes to the finals where Zigfried is about to duel Leon, Kaiba intervenes. He says the winner is Leon and Zigfried has been disqualified. But Zigfried says Kaiba is doing this because he fears of his power. Since Zigfried says that while the whole world is watching, Kaiba makes a deal with him. They'll duel, and if Zigfried wins he'll stay in the tournament but if he loses he will be disqualified. During the Duel, Zigfried explains why he came here and what is his plan, says if Kaiba loses his company, Industrial Illusions will not work with him anymore, and Pegasus will make a new deal with Zigfried instead. Despite the fact that Zigfried used the same strategy against Kaiba, he defeats Zigfried, humiliates him and tells Roland to let him go, saying he can't do anything anymore.
Zigfried gives "Golden Castle of Stromberg" to Leon.
Before the final match of Grand Championship begins, Zigfried gives "Golden Castle of Stromberg" to Leon, says that if he plays this card, all Schroeder family will be thankful to him. After Duel begins, Kaiba learns that Leon Wilson has also entered with a fake name too and he is actually Zigfried's brother, namely, Leon von Schroeder. Zigfried appears and says that his real plan was actually to look suspicious and receive attention while Leon goes straight to the finals. Though Kaiba wanted to stop the Duel, he also knew that if he canceled the final Duel, the whole tournament would be nothing. He does nothing, thinking that Leon doesn't have a chance against the King of Games, Yugi Muto. But Zigfried doesn't agree since he gave "Golden Castle of Stromberg" to Leon. Leon finally draws the "Castle" during the Duel and activates it. Kaiba gets shocked and says that card is illegal, meaning that it shouldn't work on the Duel Disk. Zigfried says that he didn't enter the main computer just for hacking, he also rewrote and made the card legal for the Duel Disks. Leon learns that he was cheating so both Yugi and he tries to destroy it. But they can't. Zigfried says the card is also the biggest virus he ever made and it will remove all KaibaCorp files if it's not destroyed. Kaiba then goes back to the center to stop it while Zigfried enjoys the Duel. Because of the card's own effect (when Yugi only has one card in his Deck and can't send half of it to the Graveyard), Stromberg destroys itself. But Zigfried still believes he won because Yugi has only 1 card in his deck. Though Leon tries to surrender, Yugi says he shouldn't and continue the Duel. In his last turn, Yugi makes a perfect combo and manages to defeat Leon.
Leon encourages Zigfried to not give up.
Zigfried thinks he still didn't lose because the Golden Castle's virus removed a lot of KaibaCorp's files, but Kaiba appears and says he already saved them because he backed up all the files from the beginning. Zigfried gets shocked, says he didn't believe him. Immediately, Leon tells him to stop. He tries to convince him not to be obsessed with Kaiba Corp. Zigfried gives up and accepts that he'll never defeat Kaiba. He also feels sorry for what he did to Leon. Leon still believes in him and tells him that he can still be successful without defeating Kaiba. With the encouragement, Zigfried thanks Leon and hugs him.
Dawn of the Duel[]
In the last Japanese ending, Zigfried and Leon try to talk and make a deal with Pegasus. Pegasus looks unwilling at first, but after a speech by Leon, he accepts the deal, which makes both Zigfried and Leon very happy at last.
Deck[]
Zigfried plays a "Valkyrie" Deck, consisting of cards based on Norse mythology and named after characters and concepts from Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. His signature move is to Summon all his "Valkyrie" monsters at once using "Ride of the Valkyries" to perform a One Turn Kill. Zigfried otherwise combines his three "Goddess" Spell Cards with "Nibelung's Ring" to gradually deplete his opponent's Deck, banishing their monsters before they can play them. He also uses several stall and drawing cards to buy time for him to draw "Ride of the Valkyries" into his hand. He is one of the few male duelists in the series to use primarily Female cards in his deck.
- Enchanted Sword Nothung
- Final Light
- Goddess Erda's Guidance
- Goddess Skuld's Oracle
- Goddess Urd's Verdict
- Goddess Verdande's Guidance
- Golden Castle of Stromberg[Notes 1]
- Graceful Charity
- Gryphon's Feather Duster
- Magical Alms
- Mischief of the Time Goddess
- Mystical Space Typhoon
- Nibelung's Ring
- Nibelung's Treasure
- Nobleman of Crossout[Notes 2]
- Pegasus Wing
- Polymerization[Notes 3]
- Pot of Greed
- Rainbow Bridge Bifrost
- Ride of the Valkyries
- Swan Maiden
- Valkyrie's Embrace
WCQ Deck[]
Duels[]
Anime[]
| Opponent(s) | Episode(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor | 189 | Win |
| Joey Wheeler | 190-191 | Win |
| Balfry Ginger | 192 | Win |
| Leon Wilson | 194 | Lose (Disqualified) |
| Seto Kaiba | 194-195 | Lose |
North American WCQ 2018 Special[]
| Opponent(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Jean-Claude Magnum | Win |
Quotes[]
- ''Every rose has its thorn. So you better be careful, for even the most delicate flower can be quite dangerous.'' to Seto Kaiba. (Unwanted Guest, Part 1)
- ''Pardon my tardiness. Traffic was a nightmare. But I rose to the occasion.'' to Seto Kaiba. (Unwanted Guest, Part 2)
- ''My conquest has already begun to blossom. Now I shall harvest my victory.'' (Child's Play)
- ''The most foolish ones are those who don't know their own ability.'' to Joey Wheeler. (Down in Flames)
- ''Dueling you is as interesting as watching grass grow.'' to Joey Wheeler. (Down in Flames)
- ''A rose is a rose and a loser is a loser.'' to Joey Wheeler. (Down in Flames, Part 2)
- ''The prologue of fate does not always come quietly. Sometimes it brings a storm with it.'' to Seto Kaiba. (One Step Ahead, Part 1)
- ''As a rule, I usually refrain from kicking a man when he is down. But for you, I'll make an exception!'' to Seto Kaiba. (One Step Ahead, Part 1)
- ''You and your company have been a thorn on my side since the day we met, so it's time to remove you once and for all!'' to Seto Kaiba. (One Step Ahead, Part 2)
- ''This is what I'd like to call... payback!'' to Seto Kaiba, after taking half of his remaining life points. (One Step Ahead, Part 2)
- ''You say cheating I say creative dueling.'' to Yami Yugi (Sinister Secrets Part 2)
- ''I expect a duel against you will be as challenging as getting dressed for a day, and far less time consuming too.'' to Jean-Claude Magnum (WCQ 2018')
Trivia[]
- Zigfried's designs for holographic Dueling is near identical to the Duel Boxes used in the original manga.
- In the Japanese version of the anime, when Zigfried plays "Ride of the Valkyries", the actual Wagner melody Ride of the Valkyries can be heard.
- Zigfried bears certain physical similarities with Halldor from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds. Both used Norse Mythology-based Decks are in opposition to their respective show's main characters until they realized the error of their ways and acknowledged their former enemies as comrades.
- Zigfried, Gozaburo, and Noah are the only major villains in the second series anime that have no awareness of Yami Yugi's existence.
- He is also the only main antagonist of an arc who never Duels against Yami Yugi, as Zigfried viewed Kaiba as his primary enemy. He is also the only main antagonist whose goals and methods are totally mundane (even Noah had access to advanced technology).
References[]
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 190: "Down in Flames - Part 1"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 197: "Sinister Secrets, Part 2"
Notes[]
- ↑ This card can be seen in his hand after his loss to Seto Kaiba in episode 195.
- ↑ This card is placed on top of his Deck via the effect of "Wotan's Judgment" in episode 195.
- ↑ This card can be seen in his hand in episode 190.