Rex Goodwin, sometimes romanized as Rex Godwin, was a major character in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. Goodwin was a former developer from R.R.D., head of Sector Security, and the man from the Daedalus Bridge legend. He is the only Dark Signer to not wear a cloak and the only Dark Signer to not have his dark mark on his right arm (instead, he had it on his back). He bears the dark mark of the Condor and his Earthbound Immortal is Wiraqocha Rasca.
Just before Roman became a Dark Signer, he entrusted Rex with the mission to gather the Signers together to someday stop him and save the world. For the next 17 years, he would go to great lengths to accomplish this.
But after many failed attempts trying to help, Goodwin lost faith in "people sharing bonds" (as stated in 'Signs of Doom Part 3'), developing the idea of turning into a Dark Signer with the powers of a Signer (by using Roman's birthmark). Believing only in the power of his two marks, Rex planned to stop the cycle of conflicts every 5,000 years, which he succeeded in, though he lost the Mark of the Dragon Head (however, in Z-one's timeline, he was not a Dark Signer[2]).
Design[]
Appearance[]
Rex Goodwin was a tall pale-skinned man with long grey hair that reached onto his lower back, with one section of it tied into a ponytail, gold round stud earrings, and light blue eyes. He wore a dark grey long sleeved suit and pants, with a black cummerbund over a light blue collared sweater that featured the Condor geoglyph emblazoned on it. He lost his left arm in an accident and replaced it with an artificial robotic one, with a built-in Duel Disk. Goodwin wears his long sleeved suit and white gloves at all times so his mechanical arm went unnoticed. When he was much younger, his hair was brown-black and slightly shorter, and he typically wore a lab coat and black pants over a light blue shirt and a teal necktie.
After transforming into a Dark Signer, his body bulked up incredibly and he gained purple markings over his face and now exposed upper body. His eyes gained black scleras. He also ripped off his artificial arm and used his new powers to connect his brother's arm with the Head Mark of the Dragon on it in place of it.
Personality[]
Rex was very manipulative, and usually spoke in a calm, friendly demeanor, and appeared very respectful to others, particularly Jack and referred to him politely as King-sama. However he wasn't above being physical and direct when he grabbed Mina by the jaw after not wanting to listen to her excuse about Jack.[3] He believed that the separation of the New Domino City and the Satellite was necessary, as they complimented each other well and promoted growth. He sinisterly claimed that he would sacrifice one side for the other, in order to preserve the peace. He was quick to take action in turmoil, as even after Grieger attempted to kill him, he rallied to the audience of the Fortune Cup that he would protect them all as that was his duty as Director, even at the cost of his own life. During the Fortune Cup, he was utterly determined to expose the Signers via his varying agents that he had placed in the Tournament; and set up various plots in order to do so. He was also incredibly knowledgeable in the Legend of the People of the Stars and information about the Dark Signers.
He had great love for his brother, often calling him "niisan" in the Japanese version. He promised him he'd take his arm with the birthmark to gather the Signers and stop him and the Dark Signers in the future. After sending the Signers into the Satellite, he later revealed to his brother he had found a new possibility; gain the powers of both a Signer and a Dark Signer in order to stop the cycle of conflicts every 5,000 years. After he became a Dark Signer, he revealed his plan to destroy and recreate the world in his own image, to become the Ultimate God and rule all (probably due to the Dark Signer mark having an influence over his mind, because he never mentioned this 'plan' prior to becoming one). He also believed friendship to be nothing, but after his defeat, was convinced by Yusei the means to fight destiny was the bonds with friends, just before he died.[4][5][6]
Etymology[]
The word "Rex" is Latin for "King". This demonstrated his influence and power in both New Domino City and Satellite.
Biography[]
History[]
Rex and his brother Roman, were scientists who became Dr. Fudo's assistants for the development of Ener-D technology. The three of them worked on the project and making steady progress but at some point the Ener-D started behaving strangely and causing abnormal weather every time they tested it. As a result, Dr. Fudo wanted to cancel the project before something bad happened, much to Rex's dismay.
Roman was made lead developer after Dr. Fudo's request to abort was rejected. Dr. Fudo managed to pass on three of the four control units; the cards "Red Dragon Archfiend", "Stardust Dragon" and "Black Rose Dragon", to Rex after being shot at for taking them. He begged Rex to stop the Ener-D project.
Rex went to find Roman and found him in a lab, having just amputated his arm. Roman handed Rex a container with the arm and told Rex to do what it took to defeat him after the Signers appeared. He ordered Rex to leave and hit a self destruct button, which resulted in Zero Reverse, so that he was reborn as a Dark Signer.
Rex survived the catastrophe but was left stranded in the Satellite area, which was now a recluded island. Rex constructed a Duel Runner and moved to a coastal part of Satellite. Nobody knew or found out who he was at the time because he never took off his helmet. Every day he used to stare across the waters dividing Satellite and New Domino City. One day, he began constructing a bridge to the city, hoping to find Roman.
Initially, people thought he was crazy, but came to help him after a while, after seeing his progress and determination. Some people frowned at the idea and forced construction to halt. Rex became wanted by Sector Security and his helpers abandoned the project. Rex ended up cornered by Security one day. Rather than be caught and spend the rest of his life in jail, he rode his Duel Runner along the bridge and flew off to the other end of the sea. No one who saw him jump could figure out if he survived or not, nor what his real identity was, thus they regarded him as a legend, and the incomplete bridge was later named Daedalus Bridge.
Goodwin managed to survive the jump off the bridge and made his way to the city, but lost his left arm in the process. Eventually, Goodwin replaced his arm with a mechanical one. Goodwin managed to make his way to becoming Director of New Domino City and Sector Security, as well as leader of a cell within the secret organization known as Iliaster, with Lazar as his all-purpose assistant. In order to make sure that the Dragon cards fell into the possession of their corresponding Signers, Goodwin released them to the public.
Since the original Ener-D Reactor, located in Satellite, was the gateway to the Underworld, Satellite was to become the battlefield. Goodwin, aware of this, made it illegal for residents of Satellite to migrate to the city and refused to complete the Daedalus Bridge, as doing so would have dragged the people of New Domino City into the situation. Goodwin masqueraded his beliefs of class and plutocracy with utilitarianism, and said that everyone must work together to maintain the delicate balance between Satellite and New Domino City. Goodwin continued Ener-D research in New Domino and used it to power the city. Zigzix led the project, but operated under Goodwin's strict vigilance to ensure the new Ener-D doesn't overload again.
Using his influence within the city, Goodwin began to locate the Signers. He found the Satellite resident, Jack Atlas, who had a Mark of the Dragon, and identified him as a Signer. Goodwin organized an escape plan for Jack, and promised him that he would live as a Duel King in New Domino. Jack complied, although it meant turning his back on and stealing from his friends. Jack apparently became Goodwin's protegé, but was really used for publicity and a tool in Goodwin's plans.
Fortune Cup[]
After witnessing the appearance of the Crimson Dragon during Yusei's and Jack's Turbo Duel, he revealed his status to Jack as the 360th Star Guardian and informed Jack that he was a prophetical savior called a "Signer". However, Goodwin concealed the whole truth from Jack. Goodwin believed that the truth would spark Jack's fire.
Goodwin later arranged the Fortune Cup, in the hopes of finding Signers by inviting participants randomly and inserting his own Dueling assassins who would expose a Signer upon Dueling one. Goodwin was shown to have control of nearly every aspect of the tournament either directly or through Zigzix and Lazar. He also had a large string of backup plans should things not go his way: for example, upon discovering that Leo had substituted for his Signer sister in the tournament, he arranged a "consolation Duel" to in order to expose Luna.
Greiger, whose hometown had been destroyed, had been promised reconstruction aid to his hometown depending on how well he preformed in the Fortune Cup. Greiger got misinformed that Goodwin was responsible for the village's destruction and after he lost to Yusei, he tried to attack Goodwin, which resulted in a spike from his Duel Runner flying off and Goodwin catching it, stunning Lazar. The spinning spike shreds Goodwin's glove and part of his suit revealing he had a mechanical left arm. Goodwin manages to calm down the audience while hiding the mechanical arm, then tells Jack that he had lost his arm in an accident years ago.
During the Fortune Cup Final, while the other four Signers were in the premises, he used Roman's old arm with the 5th Mark of the Dragon to Summon the Crimson Dragon. (In the dub, he referred to himself as the Fifth Signer). He was unconcerned when Jack lost to Yusei in the final round. Due to the appearance of the Crimson Dragon during the Duel, the public and media couldn't see how the Duel had ended. When the media questioned him about it, and stated that the public wasn't satisfied by the outcome of the Duel, he was able to avoid telling them the truth by claiming there was a malfunction with the Solid Vision.
Dark Signers[]
Goodwin appeared at the premiere of the film Atlas Rising. After assisting at opening event and talking to the people, he tried to leave but was stopped by Angela Raines, who publicly questioned him about Jack being from Satellite.
Goodwin and Lazar met Yusei on a bridge to in order to tell the boy "the truth". Goodwin told Yusei about the 5,000 year old battle between the Signers and Dark Signers, how the Earthbound Immortals got sealed in the Nazca Lines and how the Crimson Dragon divided itself into 5 parts, each sealed in a Mark of the Dragon. When Yusei asked him why the battle had begun again, Rex told him about Zero Reverse and how it unleashed negative energy, which was also emitted from the Nazca Lines and now the Dark Signers plan to use the same Ener-D reactor from the Zero Reverse incident to open the door to the Underworld. In order to stop this, the Signers must defeat the Dark Signers.
Yusei insisted on evacuating Satellite before this happened. Goodwin refused as the people in New Domino would become victims instead. Yusei angrily figured out that this was why Goodwin isolated Satellite. Goodwin told Yusei he must combine his powers with the other Signers in order to stop the Dark Signers. After Yusei asked who the Fifth Signer was, Goodwin says that he was destined to appear eventually. Goodwin arranged for Yusei to be airdropped into Satellite.
Goodwin watched the first Duel between Yusei and Kalin.
After Carly Carmine became a Dark Signer, Lazar and Goodwin became aware of her presence and watched her Duel Sayer on a screen, in which they saw the Hummingbird geoglyph appear in the city. They also saw Misty Tredwell Duel around the same time and observe her Lizard geoglyph appear there as well.
Rex later invited the Signers to his house to give them more information that concerned the Signers and Dark Signers. He told the Signers how they have been brought together by fate, more about the Dark Signer's powers and their use of the "Earthbound Immortals". Reluctantly, he told them that a Dark Signer cannot return to their normal self as they were no longer of this world.
After the Black fog incident in Satellite, Goodwin arranged for the Signers to return to Satellite to fulfill their mission. Before the Signers left, Yusei asked Goodwin to promise to finish the Daedalus Bridge, once the Dark Signers threat had been eliminated, which Goodwin accepted.
Rex met up with Roman and engaged in a Duel, and used his Duel Disk, which folded out of his mechanical arm. Rex lost on purpose, so that he was reborn as a Dark Signer. Rex told his brother that he knew he (Roman) couldn't defeat Yusei and if the Dark Signers lost the battle, then another battle would occur in the next 5,000 years. In his dying words, he told his brother that he intended to stop the chain of fate by taking on both the marks of a Signer and Dark Signer and create a new victor in the battle between good and evil. After a while, Crow Hogan found him in an old room. Rex informed Crow a little about the past before cutting him off by turning toward a sliding door. Later Rex returned back to New Domino City and back to the Sky Temple to collect Roman's arm.
Later, after Akiza failed to seal the Lizard control tower before sundown, the Condor Geoglyph appeared in the sky. Then, the Crimson Dragon appeared once again and guided the Signers to Goodwin. He revealed to them that he had acquired the powers of both a Signer and a Dark Signer, as Goodwin intended to become the Ultimate God and lay waste to the entire world using the King of the Netherworld's power. Then, by using the Crimson Dragon's power, he would remake the entire world in his image and under his rule. As the Condor mark on his back showed itself, he then removed Roman's preserved arm from the canister and attached it to himself and then declared that a Shadow Turbo Duel would be held within Condor Geoglyph as a ritual to welcome the King of the Netherworld.
Yusei, Jack, and Crow accepted the Duel in order to stop the resurrection of the Underworld Ruler. During the Duel, he revealed to them about how and why he became a Dark Signer. Shortly after the Duel began, Goodwin Summoned forth all the birthmarks together to form the Mark of the Dragon on his chest. He revealed the strongest of the Earthbound Immortals, "Wiraqocha Rasca". He also revealed that he was the stranger from the Daedalus Bridge legend.
Ultimately, Rex lost to Yusei when his Earthbound Immortal was destroyed by "Majestic Star Dragon", and the King of the Netherworld was destroyed by the Crimson Dragon. The 5,000-year cycle of the Signers-Dark Signers war was broken, as Rex wielded a mark from both factions in the final battle. With their defeat, the Dark Signers were revived as their old selves, but Rex and Roman remained decided to remain in the Afterlife.
Legacy[]
Even after Goodwin's defeat, his presence was still felt throughout certain parts of the series. It was shown that Goodwin had paid off strong Duelists to lose to Jack when Jack was King, with Dragan having been shown to be one of them. Primo compared the plan of the Three Pure Nobles to be similar to Goodwin's own, but without harnessing the power of the Crimson Dragon. When Yusei prepared to travel to the Ark Cradle, he prayed that Goodwin would guide him through this trial, and reflected that like Goodwin, he would ride over the unfinished Daedaelus Bridge in the hope of changing the future.
Manga biography[]
The manga was set in an alternate universe than the anime and as such contained different events. Goodwin was still the Director of New Domino City, and worked with Mina Simington and Lazar.
Deck[]
Rex used an Inca Deck, which primarily focused on swarming the field to easily Synchro Summon his "Sun Dragon Inti" and "Moon Dragon Quilla" to being his sun and moon cycle, and also used cards like "Destruct Potion" to force their destruction alongside other benefits, and also allowed one to revive in the process. His Deck was spearheaded by his powerful "Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca" which he used alongside cards such as "Passion of Baimasse", to cover its only weak spot and "Meteor Flare" in an attempt to perform a One Turn Kill.
Duels[]
Opponent(s) | Episode(s) | Outcome |
---|---|---|
Roman Goodwin | 56, 62 | Lose |
Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, and Crow Hogan | 62-64 | Lose |
References[]
- ↑ "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D Les Personnages". http://www.canalj.fr/. http://www.canalj.fr/La-tele/Dessins-animes/Yu-Gi-Oh-5D/Details/Les-Personnages/Rex-Goodwin. Retrieved October 15, 2015. (French)
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 149: "The Revived Hero"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 4: "A Blast from the Past, Part 1"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 62: "Signs of Doom, Part 1"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 63: "Signs of Doom, Part 2"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's episode 64: "Signs of Doom, Part 3"
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 This card is dropped in episode 62 in a flashback.
|
- ↑ Deutsche Synchronkartei: Felix Spieß