Zane Truesdale

For other versions of this character, see Zane Truesdale (disambiguation).

Zane Truesdale
Zane with "Cyber End Dragon"
Names
English	Zane Truesdale
Japanese translated	Ryo Marufuji
Nicknames	Kaiser (Ryo) Hell Kaiser (Ryo) SaiKaiser
Japanese	丸藤 亮
Korean	강혁
French	Zen Truesdale
Personal
Age	17 (Season 1) 18 (Season 2) 19 (Seasons 3-4)
Height	184.7 cm
Gender	Male
Relatives	Syrus Truesdale (younger brother)
Career
Occupation	Professional Duelist
Organization	Cyber Art Dojo
Education
School	Duel Academy
Dormitory	Obelisk Blue
Duelist
Tournament Position Genex Tournament Dropped out
Team	Cyber Style (WC 2008)
Manga Deck	Cyber Art
Anime Deck	Cyber Art Deck (サイバー流デッキ Saibā Ryū Dekki) Underworld Deck (サイバー流裏デッキ Saibā Ryū Ura Dekki)
Other Decks
WC 2007	Cyber Dark Force
WC 2008	Underworld Deck Zane Truesdale Fortress
Tag Force	Ultimate Mecha-Dragon Supreme Mecha-Dragon New Mecha-Dragon Final Fusion Emperor's Accomplice Emperor Glory
Spirit Caller	Cyber Attack Cyber Crush Cyber Dark Force Chimera Explosion Ultimate Chimera
Appearances
Manga debut	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Chapter 8: "Two Big Brothers!!"
Anime debut	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode 1: "The Next King of Games"
Video game debut	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Duel Academy
Manga	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Anime	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Game Boy Advance	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Duel Academy
Nintendo DS	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Spirit Caller Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008
PlayStation 2	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force Evolution
PSP	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2 Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 3
Other	Duel Terminal
Voice actors
English	Scottie Ray Andrew Rannells (younger)
Japanese	Takeshi Maeda
Arabic	Hesham abu Suleiman
German	Dennis Schmidt-Foß
Italian	Luca Bottale
Spanish	Cholo Moratalla
Tagalog	Michael Punzalan

Zane Truesdale, known in Japan as Ryo Marufuji and nicknamed "Kaiser Ryo", is the top Duelist of Duel Academy when Jaden is in his first year. Zane serves as one of Jaden's friendly rivals during that year, though he takes a more brutal approach to Dueling after experiencing a transformation of mind during the next year. In subsequent years, he develops fatal heart conditions and seeks an opponent worthy enough to give him his final and greatest Duel before he expires, though he is later revived under unexplained circumstances during season four.

Zane is one of three people to have defeated Jaden in a Duel, the others being Kaibaman and Aster Phoenix.

An alternate universe version of Zane exists in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, but has not appeared on-screen.

Design

Appearance

Zane's design incorporates multiple layers of clothing and a wide range of expressions. Depicted here is the Duelist in full Obelisk Blue regalia from the front, rear and alongside views with views of his head from different angles.

Zane's character design was overseen by Kenichi Hara. His first season outfit (left) consists of the standard Obelisk Blue uniform with a more pronounced collar, tighter-bound sleeves, and pointed rims coming out the costume's lower back. His blue hair is sectioned in three layers, his blue eyes positioned directly beneath the bangs of the layer closest to his face. He carries an Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left hand. After graduating, he keeps his Obelisk Blue uniform and adds a black fingerless glove on his right hand. Also, the button on the shirt becomes star-shaped.

Zane's second outfit consists of a black overcoat with white trimmings and sharp edges. The letter "R" is centered on his belt buckle, drawn from the first letter of his name in the Japanese version. (This feature has been occasionally removed from the dub). Zane's facial expressions also elicit more angered and/or sadistic nuances than those of his previous design.

Personality

Zane's personality is markedly different during each of the seasons. In the first season and the start of the second season, Zane is calm and collected, with a deep respect for his opponents and his own cards. He feels that the connection between a Duelist and his opponent, as well as the Duelist himself and his Deck, makes victory meaningful. His dubbed personality is harsher and has a sharper tongue than his Japanese counterpart.

In the second season, following his Duel in the underground against Mad Dog, his personality is much harsher, crueler, and sadistic; as he enjoys watching his opponents suffer. In the dub, he even rants about how the world is made of hurt, and that Dueling is all about dealing with pain and inflicting pain on those who are weak.

By the time of the third season, Zane's personality appears to take on a mix of both his former attitudes. While he still Duels much more aggressively and with more passion than in the first season, Zane also appears capable of respecting his opponents again, and doesn't act so dark and needlessly cruel. His Deck changes as well; while he still uses the "Cyberdark" series, he uses his normal "Cyber Dragons" again, even bringing out "Cyber End Dragon" more often than "Cyberdark Dragon" and utilizing the former where the latter has failed.

It was originally believed to be the electrodes that were the cause of Zane's heart problems but it was later revealed the cause of his heart problems was the use of his "Cyberdark" Deck; the cards' desire to win at all costs were what inflicted the damage to his heart (in the original, Judai also mentions a wide variety of reasons why the cards might do so).

Following his revival in the fourth season, Zane has become quiet and reserved, losing most of the negative aspects of his personality that he developed in the second season. Though of the opinion that he had his best final Duel against Yubel, his Deck wants to keep fighting regardless of Zane himself. Despite this, Zane still attempts to Duel Makoto Inotsume. He later decides to start Dueling again with a new, evolving Deck, and demonstrates pride in his brother, believing him to have surpassed him.

Etymology

His Japanese given name means "Excellent". His Japanese last name means "Perfect Wisteria", with 丸(maru) meaning round, circle or perfection and 藤(fuji) meaning "Wisteria". His English given name means "God is gracious".

Biography

History

Zane Truesdale is the strong older brother of Syrus who stays in the Obelisk Blue dormitory. Zane is highly respected and a Duel with him is reserved only for the elite. He is also good friends with Alexis and her brother, Atticus. In the original version of the series, he is nicknamed "Kaiser Ryo" (カイザー亮 Kaizā Ryō).

When Syrus was younger he almost used the card "Power Bond" without thinking during a Duel. He was stopped by Zane who revealed that if he used it he would have lost the Duel at the end of his turn because of the card's drawback. Paying off Syrus's opponent to end the Duel, Zane sealed the card, stating that his brother could only use it when he was truly ready.

Seven Stars

Syrus, believing himself to be a disgrace to his older brother, did not unseal the card until much later after his friend Jaden faced off against Zane. Though Jaden put up a good fight, Zane defeated him. Zane would later suggest that Jaden be the representative in the Duel against North Academy after Chancellor Sheppard expressed a desire to choose a first year student. As the best Duelist in the Academy, Zane was chosen as one of the Key Keepers of the Spirit Keys. Zane was selected by Camula, the second member of the Shadow Riders, as a victim of her Shadow Duel. Although he overpowered her easily the vampire forced him into an intentional loss by offering his brother's soul as payment for her "Ilusion Gate" card. As a result, he was turned into a doll for a short period of time before Jaden managed to defeat Camula, returning Zane to normal.

He later faces Jaden in a rematch, choosing him as his opponent for his ceremonial graduation Duel. The Duel ends in a DRAW since they use a variety of cards to raise their monsters' ATKs to astronomical levels but ended up taking damage equal to both monsters' ATK due to "Final Fusion". Zane goes on to compete in the Duelist Pro Leagues after his graduation.

Society of Light

Zane's defeat against Aster.

A fan favorite in the Pro League, he suffers his first true loss at the hands of Aster Phoenix, who tells him that his defeat is "predetermined by destiny". The Duel that the two engage in marks the first time Zane takes damage from "Power Bond". The battle takes its toll; from then on, Zane finds himself trapped in a perpetual losing streak. He is approached by Mr. Shroud, a promoter who offers him the chance to redeem himself, and although reluctant at first, Zane ultimately accepts.

Linework.

Zane is pitted against Mad Dog in an "Underground Duel", a competition in front of a shady audience wherein both contestants are sealed inside a cage and forced to wear electrodes that shock them each time life points are depleted. Zane finds himself on the losing end again but realizes that his former philosophy of respecting the opponent above the desire to win has limits towards the end of the game. Frustrated and desperate, he resorts to cruelty and aggression and Summons the "Chimeratech Overdragon", which wins the Duel and practically destroys the Dueling ring in the process. As the smoke clears, Shroud is amazed (he calls Ryo a "monster" in the Japanese version). The next time Zane is seen, he proves his strength to the Dueling world once more. He is now addressed as "Hell Kaiser Ryo" (ヘルカイザー亮, Heru Kaizā Ryō) in the Japanese version; he has donned a dark outfit, and a personality to match. In the English Yu-Gi-Oh! video games, this version of Zane is referred to as "Dark Zane" to differentiate him from his former persona, as both versions are possible opponents.

Zane returns to the Pro League and goes on a new winning streak and many of his opponents are left seriously injured at the hands of his monsters' direct attacks. Zane fires his promoter, Mr. Shroud and travels into the mountains to confront Chancellor Sheppard in the dojo where he was brought up Dueling, hoping to acquire the forbidden Underworld Deck, known in Japan as Cyber Art Reverse (サイバー流裏, Saibā Ryū Ura) Deck that existed opposite of his own "Cyber Dragon" Deck. Although Sheppard manages to keep Zane at bay with his "Cyber Ogre" and various methods of manipulating his opponent's monsters, he is defeated by his own "Cyber Ogre 2" when Zane betrays his "Cyber End Dragon". Zane takes his prize but Sheppard believes that he will regain the respect he once held for his opponents during the Genex Tournament so gives him a Genex Medallion that allows him to participate. Although Zane has no interest in tournaments he accepts the invitation believing that it's a good chance to try out his new deck that he had won.

Zane in his new attire

Upon returning to Duel Academy to oversee the Genex Tournament, Chancellor Sheppard tells Zane's old friend Atticus Rhodes that Zane is no longer himself and has been controlled by darkness. Atticus confronts Zane in a Duel but Zane's new Underworld Deck overwhelms Atticus, eventually forcing him to give into the darkness and use his Nightshroud persona. Atticus believes that he will set the darkness free from Zane by defeating him but Zane wins and reveals that he still has complete control over himself and is not being controlled or influenced by darkness like many characters think. He simply changed his personality because he felt like being cruel and ruthless was the only way he could begin winning his Duels again.

Zane in his Duel with Syrus.

Zane approaches Aster Phoenix for a second Duel. Syrus, however, intervenes and demands to be his opponent instead. Similar to his Duel with Mad Dog, both players wear electrodes and are subject to the intense physical punishment of the "Hell Duel." It becomes clear that, in his current mindset, Zane spares no one; he is cold, merciless, and sadistic, regardless of whom his opponents are and enjoys witnessing others suffer, even if it is his younger brother he is torturing. Despite Syrus' impressive plays, Zane defeats him when he defuses "Cyberdark Dragon" back to its three original fusion components. He then makes his exit, saying that if there is anything he respects at all anymore it is only victory itself. He appears again following a brief run-in with the disguised Blair Flannigan, giving her his Genex Medallion as he is no longer interested in participating and leaves Duel Academy Island. Every single character that met him on the island is shocked by his change, including Aster. Up to this point Jaden was also revealed to have thought that Zane had just "tried on a new look".

Dimension World

He is not seen again until midway through the third year when he returns to Duel Jesse Anderson to supply the energy necessary for the awakening of "Rainbow Dragon". Later, after hearing about Yubel, he designates it as his final opponent. Soon after, along with Aster Phoenix, he sees Jaden and company off on their journey to rescue Jesse in the different dimension, but is dragged through the portal himself alongside Aster. By this time, it is believed that prolonged usage of electrodes (later revealed to actually be his Underworld Deck) has left him with fatal heart conditions. In the dub he says that his heart is weak from the electrodes but he never says that his heart condition is fatal (although it is heavily implied).

While in the alternate dimension, along with Aster, he helps Jim Crocodile Cook and Axel Brodie in their effort to defeat The Supreme King. After this task, he decides to restore a traumatized Jaden back to his old self but is unsuccessful as he didn't understand the extent of the trauma that being possessed had done to Jaden's psyche. He decides to Duel a Yubel-possessed Jesse in order to fulfill his dying wish of being immortalized but is defeated and dies from his heart conditions. However, he manages to grant his wish by making his "Cyber End Dragon" an eternal symbol of his skill and strength. Zane's performance in the Duel and last words along with the wisdom of the others allows Jaden to put his problems aside so that he may face Yubel.

Darkness

Under unexplained circumstances, he returns to Duel Academy after washing up, unconscious, on the beach, with no explanation given to how he survived his heart failing. His heart is still in bad shape but he is put under the care of his brother to recover. It is revealed that his heart condition was caused not by the electrodes but by his "Cyberdark" Deck. Zane also appears to have a gentler personality than before as he shows care and appreciation for those around him once again. He later Duels Makoto Inotsume, a practitioner of the Jinzo Art, who has made it his goal to destroy all those who practice the Cyber Art. The Duel takes its toll on Zane, as he becomes so weak that he cannot even reach to his own Deck to surrender. Syrus attempts to do it for him, then announces that his brother will not surrender but will merely pull out of the Duel. Syrus then takes Zane's Duel Disk to finish the Duel himself but comes to regret his decision as he starts to suffer the same heart problems as Zane, where the Deck attempts to inflict damage more quickly on Syrus due to the cards realizing that Zane will no longer use them. Syrus overcomes this by "making the Deck his own" by combining it with aspects of his own "Vehicroid" Deck. After the Duel with Inotsume, Zane allows Syrus to keep the Deck with Zane saying he will start over with a new Deck. His dream to create a Cyber Art-specific Pro League alongside his brother.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

In the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Blister mentions Aster Phoenix and Truesdale as one of the Duelists he wanted to Duel in the Pro League. Whether this was meant to imply Syrus, Zane or both of them is unsure.

In the German version, Blister mentions Zane by name.

Manga

Main article: Zane Truesdale (manga)

The article on Zane's exploits in America, where he appears alongside "Cyber End Dragon".

In the manga, Zane's role in similar to the role he plays in the first season of the anime.

Decks

Cyber Art

Zane uses a Cyber Art Deck, though the term is not used in the dub. Zane relies on "Cyber Dragon" and its Fusion Monster forms "Cyber Twin Dragon" and "Cyber End Dragon", Summoning them with "Power Bond" to raise their ATK. Zane otherwise uses various Fusion cards to speed up the Summoning of "Cyber End Dragon" such as "Time Fusion" and "Future Fusion", and protects himself from the damage inflicted by "Power Bond" with "Cyber Kirin", "De-Fusion" and "Damage Polarizer".

Cyber Art Deck

Monsters

Normal Monsters

• Cyber Soldier of Darkworld

Effect Monsters

• Cyber Barrier Dragon
• Cyber Dragon x3
• Cyber Kirin
• Cyber Laser Dragon
• Cyber Phoenix
• Kaiser Glider
• Perfect Machine King
• Proto-Cyber Dragon

Union monsters

• Heavy Mech Support Platform x2
• Metallizing Parasite - Lunatite x3

Extra Deck

Fusion Monsters

• Chimeratech Overdragon
• Cyber End Dragon x2
• Cyber Twin Dragon

Spells & Traps

Spells

• Battle Fusion
• Card from a Different Dimension
• Creature Swap
• Cybernetic Fusion Support
• De-Fusion x2
• Different Dimension Capsule
• Future Fusion
• Limiter Removal
• Machine Duplication x2
• Monster Reborn
• Mystical Space Typhoon
• Overload Fusion
• Photon Generator Unit
• Polymerization x2
• Pot of Greed
• Power Bond x2
• Ruthless Denial
• Time Fusion
• Trap Booster

Traps

• Attack Reflector Unit
• Call of the Haunted
• Damage Polarizer
• Final Fusion x3
• Lost Pride
• Rare Metalmorph x2
• Return Soul
• Trap Jammer

Underworld

In the Society of Light arc, Zane acquires an Underworld Deck (Cyber-Art Reverse (サイバー流裏, Saibā Ryū Ura in the Japanese version), consisting of darkened counterparts to his "Cyber Dragons". This Deck focuses on "Cyberdark Edge", "Cyberdark Keel" and "Cyberdark Horn", and their fused form "Cyberdark Dragon". Zane powers up his "Cyberdark" monsters by sending Dragon-Type monsters to his Graveyard, and sends nearly his entire Deck with "Power Wall" to strengthen "Cyberdark Dragon" further. His previous "Cyber Dragon" cards play a minimal role in this Deck until he begins using them again in the Dimension World arc.

Underworld Deck

Monsters

Effect Monsters

• Cyber Barrier Dragon
• Cyber Dragon x3
• Cyber Laser Dragon
• Cyber Ouroboros
• Cyber Phoenix
• Cyber Valley
• Cyberdark Edge
• Cyberdark Horn
• Cyberdark Keel
• Exploder Dragon
• Infernal Dragon
• Proto-Cyber Dragon

Union monsters

• Armored Cybern

Extra Deck

Fusion Monsters

• Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
• Chimeratech Overdragon x2
• Cyber End Dragon
• Cyber Twin Dragon
• Cyberdark Dragon (later played with a different effect)
• Five-Headed Dragon
• Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon

Spells & Traps

Spells

• Card from a Different Dimension
• Cybernetic Fusion Support
• Cybernetic Zone
• De-Fusion
• Different Dimension Capsule
• Dimension Explosion
• Future Fusion
• Graceful Charity
• Instant Fusion
• Megamorph
• Overload Fusion
• Photon Generator Unit
• Polymerization
• Pot of Greed
• Power Bond
• Power Load
• Quick Summon
• Warp Beam

Traps

• Attack Reflector Unit
• Call of the Haunted
• Cybernetic Hidden Technology
• Fusion Guard
• Power Wall
• Rebirth Judgment

Duels

Opponent(s)	Episode(s)	Outcome
Cyber Art Dojo disciple	83	Win (flashback)
North Academy student	20 (mentioned)	Win (off-screen)
Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale	8	Win (with Duel Academy student; dream)
Jaden Yuki	8	Win
Camula	32	Lose
Jaden Yuki	51-52	DRAW
10 Pro League Duelists	57 (mentioned)	Win (off-screen)
Aster Phoenix	57	Lose
Various Pro and Minor League Duelists	65 (mentioned)	Lose (off-screen)
Minor League Duelist	65	Lose
Mad Dog	65	Win
Minor League Duelist	65	Win
9 Pro League Duelists	83	Win (off-screen)
Pro League Duelist	83	Win
Chancellor Sheppard	83	Win
Atticus Rhodes/Nightshroud	89	Win
Syrus Truesdale	95	Win
Obelisk Blue student	102	Win
Jesse Anderson	128	No result
Goblin Elite Attack Force	141	Win
Chaos Sorcerer	142-143	Win
Jaden Yuki	146	No result
Jesse Anderson/Yubel	147-148	Lose
Makoto Inotsume	163	No result