Yu☆Gi☆Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!

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I finally finished reading this masterpiece... All I must say is this manga is not just a must-read or must-rate, but a MUST-FAVORITE! You can't run into another masterpiece like this in many decades. This one surpasses all other manga series in my fav-list, even though its anime adaptions are not so great.

Story: 8/10
-The only thing it lacks is ROMANCE. This was a pain at first for me but I quickly forgot that, being completely enthralled by the duels. Also, there are times when the motives behind the duels were not so reasonable and convincing. Nevertheless, the author did a great great job.

-In the ... first volumes, our two Yugis and companions started off building friendship with their ex-enemies and admonishing guys beyond cure, by playing a lot of bizarre and EXTREMELY INNOVATIVE games. These games require both physical and brain power and often concluded CONVINCINGLY with Yugi's victories.

-Most and main parts of the manga comprise of only duels of Monster Card Game, which is mostly agreed to be the best and most intelligent MEDIUM to settle things. Even though there are MIRACLES happening from time to time to the protagonists' favor but, given the countless number of battles throughout 343 chapters, these DRAMATIZED events are completely OK! There's completely nothing to complain about the perfect flow and ending.

-In conclusion, the plot is very well planned and carried out CONSISTENTLY from beginning to end even with all the ad-lib/improvisation, weaving together characters' relations and even the cards in Yugi's deck.

Art: 9/10
-At first the tone was very hard and dark. The characters looked short and bold. But later on when the Card Duel Games got more and more serious and intense, the character design improved gradually. The determined look of Yugi II and the atrocious look of all antagonists are perfect. FEMALE characters are notably lovable most of the time! Besides, monster designs are perfect and consistent - the author successfully created a distinguishable universe for his monsters - just like in Pokemon - they are not just a bunch of random shits like in Berserk or D.Gray-man and other common lots.

Character: 8/10
-The character development/growth of protagonists - Yugi I, Yugi II, Kaiba, Jonuochi - can be observed easily. They became more and more mature, determined, and strong in many ways. However, all supporting characters are overshadowed right after their debuts.

Enjoyment: 9.5/10
-My enjoyment is absolute during the first volumes when Yugi played games other than the Duel Monster Card. Even though it waned a bit towards the end, no matter how many times I read this work, no matter how times I think about this manga, it always should stand out to be loved the most!

Overall: 10/10
-Despite all the tiny faults and misses, as I said, you canNOT read anything like this any time soon so you should OVERRATE it and encourage mangaka's to draw great things like this!

This is for the first 7 volumes. I enjoyed these a lot more then the rest of the Yu-Gi-Oh series.

It focuses a lot more on the characters and not just "The Heart of the cards" in fact it barely mentions duel monsters at all. Which I think makes it a lot more enjoyable that i'm not reading a card battle every chapter.

The volumes past 7 really goes into the duel monsters cards and doesn't really have an interesting story like the first 7 volumes.

I would recommend this to those who have seen the rest of the Yu-Gi-Oh series. It shows the original version of the ... characters. Who are much darker and more human.

It is a lot more violent, so teens to older teens.

The Yu-Gi-Oh manga is a work I wish I could convince more people to read. Most people I know have some experience with the franchise, whether it be through various anime series, films, video games, or the card game – but very few are familiar its origin. Even though the franchise is extraordinarily successful, the manga is much lesser known than the aforementioned media. I am very grateful to have finally read this magnificent work by Kazuki Takahashi, and feel compelled to express some thoughts on this manga in the hopes that it will kindle someone’s interest.

I have found that due to people’s association ... of Yu-Gi-Oh with the English dub of the Duel Monsters anime (amazing for wholly different reasons), they tend to not treat the story or characters very seriously. I will be the first to admit that Yu-Gi-Oh relishes in shounen tropes such as character archetypes, relationships, motivations, etc., as well as plot elements and progressions. However, I find that the execution is good enough that these borrowed storytelling elements do not bother me so much. One of the more popular criticisms of the writing is the ever-recycled “power of friendship” and so-called “heart of the cards” antics that allow Yugi and his allies to overcome hardships. While this is a valid criticism, I personally feel that this convenient writing actually functions well within this story.

One overlooked aspect of Yu-Gi-Oh is the absolute ridiculousness of it all. I do not mean this as a fault in the writing, but rather that it is hilarious that the events of the series are determined by the results of trading card game matches. Even the villains, evil as they are, are just as invested in this game as Yugi himself. One of the series’ primary antogonists, Seto Kaiba, is my favorite example for this. He is an ultra-rich, self-absorbed tech tycoon with dreams of power and influence. But above all, he just wants to be the king of games. The fate of the world comes to hinge on the outcomes of these matches, and it is for that reason that I can excuse some of the outrageous ways in which Yugi comes to seize his victories.

I should note that a crucial difference in the manga is that the first part is not exclusively dedicated to the game we know as “Duel Monsters.” There is an entire arc of Yami Yugi playing random “shadow games” with different people, usually bullies. It is quite sadistic and brutal at times, and is a sharp departure from the Yu-Gi-Oh that most people are familiar with. However, this portion is important for developing the bonds of friendship between our main cast, particularly Yugi and Jonouchi, which I feel is the most important character relationship besides Yugi his alter ego Yami Yugi. There is a noticeable disconnect between some characters and overall atmosphere from this first part to the Duelist Kingdom Arc and onwards, but I believe this to be an example of Takahashi being fluid and flexible with his work. Since his readers were so enthralled with the game of Duel Monsters, he decided to use that game as the core of the series going forward. This first portion is by no means bad, but is admittedly a bit of a slow start for those excited to get into the duels it is so famous for. Once this aspect takes over as the main drama, Yu-Gi-Oh truly begins to shine.

Takahashi hits his stride once the part known as “Duelist” begins. This is the bulk of the series and contains its most iconic characters and drama. I find Takahashi’s sense of style to be absolutely brilliant. The anime does not do his art justice in my opinion. In this manga you can really appreciate his talent for drawing. However, I should mention that there was certainly a strong sense of nostalgia for me as I was reading this series, which would come to affect my engagement with it on many levels. Since I have been interested in Yu-Gi-Oh for such a long time I have a strong appreciation for the characters and artwork – but that being said, such a long term investment is absolutely not required in order to cultivate a strong appreciation for its many brilliant qualities.

The duels themselves are certainly among the high points of action and drama in this series, as well as some of the best showcases of his art style – though many of my favorite panels were simply different characters standing around in stylish clothing. As with any shounen series concerned with action, there are numerous hits and misses with the battles. I did not find any of the duels to be “bad,” however, and just felt that they were either duller or had less important implications than others. Each reader will have their own favorites depending on their preference of characters, but they are still all expressive and unique. Every duelist employs a deck that is both reflective of their personality and overall aesthetic – which works so well with a game that has so many diverse archetypes and designs. I am still impressed at just how consistently good Takahashi’s card designs are, both in originality and memorability. This also goes for his character designs, which I have already mentioned as being iconic not just within shounen, but the entire medium.

This work is difficult to discuss in a concise manner because there is so much to appreciate. I doubt that Takahashi could have predicted the success of his series, as well as how profoundly influential it would come to be in the future. Although this could be said about many artists before their breakthrough work, I find it important to note with regards to Takahashi, because Yu-Gi-Oh is such a personal series for him. He is a gamer at heart and expresses his love for it within these pages. Before every volume he writes a brief author’s note that contains various observations or explanations of his influences – small pieces of information that I came to cherish due to his down to earth personality and disarming sense of humor. Yu-Gi-Oh has been a part of my life for a long time, and I am happy to have finally had my own experience with its foundation. I have been moved by this work, and hope that others will continue to find their own enjoyment with it in the future. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga is by no means perfect, but it is one of the most enjoyable pieces of fiction I have ever encountered.

I was very shocked about this manga.
I've never been a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! show with it's card battling EVERY SINGLE EPISODE, very repeative, so of course when my father bought me 4 of it's manga I was like, "Oh GOD, how will I survive this? Watching it is bad enough...". The manga, unlike it's anime, does NOT have to do with card playing at all times and is actually fun to read! It's more focused on developing it's characters, which makes you love the story overall. I still am cringing though, waiting for it to becoming like the anime and ruining its goodness.

So I ... clap to you Kazuki Takahashi, author of the story for making even me like this series.

Yu-Gi-Oh! You've either saw on KidsWB or you saw kids in your school playing the card game. This was actually how my first encounter went with the franchise. I've actually had never finished reading the manga until recently as I had wanted to watch the Darkside of Dimensions with the manga storyline fresh in my head (and because that movie is a sequel to the manga, not the anime). Warning to those wanting to read though, there are some slight spoilers in this review.

I figured I needed to reread Yu-Gi-Oh! from the start. So from reading the early chapters again, I still was shocked by ... how different it was from the standard Duel Monsters anime. The early chapters focused entirely on shadow games and each chapter or arc dealt with different games. Think Kaiji but with magic! The early artwork was a bit rough but after a couple chapters Takahashi-san's artwork improved especially around Death-T and Duelist Kingdom.

One of my favorite things about Yu-Gi-Oh is how well some of these characters complement each other. I think Yugi's friendship with Jounouchi and the Pharaoh are great, his rivalry with Kaiba is also one of my favorites in general. I'd also argue that the hair designs and clothing are some of the most appealing and iconic in manga/anime.

I can understand why some people were disappointed in how Yu-Gi-Oh! went from a shadow game survival manga to just a card game manga but since I was fond of the card game, I did not mind the change. I actually managed to appreciate some of the characters a bit more after reading this as I did not really like Jounouchi/Joey at first but seeing their friendship grow over the storyline made me enjoy the friendship Yugi and Jounouchi have. One moment in particular was the duel between the two in Battle City. The writing done during that moment was very emotional and you could tell that these two characters valued their friendship. It made me want a friendship that was as strong as Yugi's.

One of the few gripes I have with this manga is how forgiving Yugi is with some of his adversaries. I know Kaiba is one of the most popular characters in the franchise but I felt his change was quite rapid and how quick Yugi was able to forgive him. This was a guy who had spent millions of dollars just to create a theme park with the goal of killing Yugi and his friends. At least Jounouchi was the reasonable voice and exclaimed to Yugi in how he wasn't able to forgive him for the misdeeds he had done in the past. There's also Ryuji/Devlin's dad who almost killed Yugi and burned his entire business down just to exact revenge on his grandfather, yet in the canon DSOD movie we see Jounouchi working for his new business. Where's the police? Shouldn't these people even be in jail for attempted murder? At least with Kaiba he had his penalty game set to recover his lost heart but with the creepy clown he basically got off the hook from attempted murder. I get that it’s fictional with shadow games but this detail irked me alot.

I think Yu-Gi-Oh's weakest quality is with some of its characters and sappy dialogue but I really do enjoy how Takahashi-san is able to give some of his characters charm and chemistry with one another. I especially enjoy Kaiba's rivalry with Yugi, and Yugi's friendship with Jounouchi and the Pharaoh. That’s also probably a good reason why there’s so much doujins involving these characters cause the characters really are in sync with each other and complement one another. I think this is why DSoD felt a bit off since Yugi no longer had the Pharaoh to guide him and Kaiba viewed him more as a rival than Yugi which eventually led to Yami having to step in and save the day.

I think that Yu-Gi-Oh! Is a great manga overall and I would highly recommend it for those who did grow up with the card game and never got past the anime. There’s a lot of cuts and changes made from both anime adaptations and it’s really a shame since the manga is much darker as other reviewers have pointed out even during the Duel Monsters focused arcs and its reputation as kids anime has outshined it’s darker origins. You can tell that Takahashi-san was very influenced by Araki and JoJo with some of the art and horror aspects. Other than that, it’s a great Shonen Jump classic and Its cultural impact is still felt to this day with the new spinoffs and daily references to it in modern anime like No Game No Life to even western shows like Family Guy as it’s still one of Shonen Jump’s most popular and beloved titles alongside titles like One Piece, JoJo and Death Note.

Overall, Yu-Gi-Oh! Has certainly taken its rightful place as King of Games.

This is going to be really long, because I'm going to divide it into three sections, corresponding to each of the arcs present in the manga.
Original Yu-Gi-Oh! was meant to start off as a horror story, which Takahashi mentioned himself. The art corresponds to that - author tried to draw more realistic characters, which resulted in a eerie feeling at times. It's not done well though, I'm glad he moved on from that later.
It serves as a great introduction to the main story. On its own its main flaw is the episodic construction, much like the duels later on. Its also the part where the ... characters have the most depth to them, over time they seem to lose it and focus of the manga turns completely onto dueling.
The original idea behind "The King of Games" seems like a prototype for "The Saw", I think it was the best part of the story, when the card game is introduced it becomes kind of dull.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist (Battlecity arc) is the longest and most tedious to read part of the series, same themes of friendship are repeated too often, the rules of matches are too poorly woven. Sometimes they even change chapter after chapter, leaving the reader with some kind of dissapointment. Duelist was what drove me to remove the manga from my favourites and leave it on-hold for over a year. Its end though, is satisfying and reveals depth to both the story and the characters, especially Kaiba.
I was pleasantly suprised finishing mentioned Duelist and starting Millenium World, where the horror elements are introduced again. There's no hardcore gore, but I was caught off guard when people suddenly started dying in the panels, the exact opposite of how everyone was somehow saved during the Battlecity arc. Takahashi didn't revert to his semi-realistic, eerie style, but adapted his current one to give off a surrealistic vibe just when needed to. I think this is also when the monster designs get the most attention and detail, and I just can't help but stare in awe at some panels.
The game of Duel Monsters is removed completely (thank god) for the sake of its ancient equivalent. The way its executed is a bit too similar to the modern counterpart, but its bearable and leaves much of the reading time for an actual development of the story and disclosure of characters motifs.
Summary: The series oscillates between being extremely cheesy and well thought-out, it has some plot holes and some unneeded characters. It's not a masterpiece nor a total trash. I read it mostly due to my childhood sentiment but I still managed to enjoy it immensely.

By far, the most interesting aspects the Yu-Gi-Oh manga are the first 7 volumes, which are an interesting cross section between a gambling and horror story. This series really hit the ground running. The story then goes on to arcs that would be familiar to those who watched the anime, but probably has a better ending than the anime that really gets into the backstory and lore in ways the anime never really touched or explored. I definitely recommend the first 7 volumes for everybody. The duelist portions are best for those who want to experience the anime with a slightly darker take on the ... story. The millennium world is good for people who watched the anime attentively and want more details.

I feel like the only way to talk about Yu-Gi-Oh is to talk about the three major arcs in the series, as they are all different but they all show different facets of the work.

The first is the original series "Yu-Gi-Oh" In this we meet Yugi, his group of friends, and join him as he solves the Millennium Puzzle. What it is will be hinted at but mostly we learn about what's contained in the Millenium puzzle, a spirit who uses Yugi's body to extract revenge on various people.

The thing is this first series is my favorite but it's not "Yu-Gi-Oh" ... at least not what the series will become and how it'll make all it's money. Instead it's a gambling manga, usually high stakes games, though usually with the added benefit of the hero, punishing those who cheat at the rules. It's also quite a dark story at times, and honestly, I rather enjoyed that.

But the thing is, during the original story, "Yu-Gi-Oh" stumbles on a card games and everything changed. It was revisited a couple times, but suddenly the second series emerged.

"Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelist" would sound like the point where the series hits its stride, but I actually think this is the weakest part of the series. While it's the longest part covering two major stories of the Island Tournament, and Battle City... it also struggles a lot because it was based on a card game that was evolving at the time.

The thing is the rule of any bet or battle need to be consistent and when Yu-gi-oh started it throws out that anything can be summoned without effort, Players had 2000 life points (normally 8000) and cards have random effects. Some of this was due to the manga needing big exciting twists and the real cards while useful never would be able to turn the tides of the battle as much as the manga needed, or at least people would use the "same" combo over and over. How many times could Dark Hole be played to reset the board before it became stale.

Instead the rules of the game slightly evolve over time, however from a manga view, it's kind of strange how tournaments keep changing major rules of the game or adding new features such as field effects. It feels unfair to the players, but ultimately it's due to how the card game itself grew over that time.

The third arc was "Yu-Gi-Oh: Millennium World" And started to develop the story of the spirit inside the Millenium puzzle, giving him a full backstory and starting to answer most of the questions about him. This section is a mixed bag for me. I like the fact they step away from the card game while still developing a bit of the idea of the card game and where it came from, but there's a plot shift about halfway through that changes the meaning of the arc, and it feels abrupt.

However, it's still a well told and tight story, and if you've already read the first two arcs, this one will be enjoyed just as well. The writing is good, and while the action can be a little muddy at times, overall this helps to bring a proper closure to the story.

I absolutely adore the first arc. The second arc is good but the person who enjoys the card game really hates the liberties the game takes both with the format and the fake cards they just pull out of nowhere, and the third arc is a perfect desert finishing off the entire series in a solid format.

But the thing is Yu-Gi-Oh is entertaining the whole way through, even though there's three distinct arcs, I'd still read all three of them with out a question. The first continues to be my favorite, getting me starting into the "gambling" genre of manga. The second I love for its recreation of the card game however flawed it may be, and the over the top experience, and the third gives me a satisfying conclusion to a series that I love.

Overall this is a series I recommend. Really my only complaint is that the initial arc is a little more "mature" focusing on shadow games, and really games of "death" that disappear later in the series, but I wish remained. Yet the entire series is still an excellent read that I'll return to time after time.

Long ago was the ages of Pharaohs. In the African country of Egypt the pyramids were built by one of the most advanced civilizations in the history of the planet. Egypt also happened to be the birthplace of the first games ever made. This manga takes this fact about the ancient Egyptians and expans upon it to make a fantastic story.

Story: Long ago when the pyramids were still young, there was a war between humans and monsters. A Pharaoh who's name has been lost to time used the power of the Sennen items to seal away this evil while sacrificing himself. 3000 years later, in ... the late 1990's, High School freshman Mutou Yugi discovers the Sennen Puzzle in his grandpa's game shop. He solves the puzzle and is taken over by the spirit of the nameless Pharaoh when times get rough and he punishes the bad guys with his sadistic PUNISHMENT GAMES if they lose to him in the YAMI NO GAMEU. This structure is a villain of the week up until about the Duelist Kingdom Saga which starts at around Volume 8. Then the Plot centers around the card game of Duel Monsters which was first introduced with the recurring villain of Kaiba Seto who becomes a supporting character in this arc. Duel Monsters is a simple game and it is simply explained early on, but the rules aren't well established until the Battle City Arc. The rules are very similar to the real life YUGIOH card game so its really nothing too alien. This is very early in the series so the rules were not as set in stone however. It is a great story, but some things don't make sense due to the rules not being well established.

Art: The art is meh at first, but it slowly developed into the iconic art style synonymous with the series. So the art looks fantastic and doesn't go off model as much as the anime tended to. The change is a bit weird at first, but it makes the art way better. Also the monster designs are amazing, and the PUNISHMENT GAMES are horrifying.

Character:The characters are really nice. You have Yugi a nice kid with a bit of a pervy side, but he pushes that aside a couple chapters after he solves the Sennen Puzzle. He is a very sweet guy and becomes more independent over the course of the series. Yami Yugi is the spirit of the nameless Pharaoh and he starts out as sadistic, but slowly starts to be like his host over the course of the series. He is Yugi's determination and who Yugi will aim to become. Jonouchi Katsuya (Joey in the anime dub) is a pervy and rude dude, but he has a nice heart. He used to bully Yugi, but developed a strong friendship with him after Yugi saves him from Ushio's beatings. Honda Hiroto (Tristan in the anime dub) is a nice wisecracking and smart fella, who along with Jonouchi bullied Yugi and becomes his friend slowly over the course of the first couple of voumes. He cheers on Yugi when times get rough. Anzu is Yugi's love interest and is a nice and supportive girl. She always supports Yugi and has a bit of a crush on him. Yugi shares the feelings, but is really modest about it. They go on a couple of dates in the series. Mai is boobs. Dats it. Shes a slut. Kaiba Seto is a bit of a dick, but he loves his little brother Mokuba. Kaiba is rich, and has abig rivalry with Yugi. This starts out as a hatred, Kaiba even attempts to murder Yugi, but eventually they become allies in battle.

I am enjoying reading this classic manga. I have watched the anime in the sub up until the Pandora fight and in the dub up until one of the flashback games. I am still reading the manga, but I love the anime and the manga is even better so far.

The beginning of a multi-millionaire franchise.
When you watch the Anime and you notice that there might be something lacking (The Anime Adaptation has way too much filler).
The source material is more gruesome, more graphic as in does not shy about the gore usage, something that in the Anime is heavily censored, you have everything extremely detailed here.
You noticed how all the minor cast are more developed or fully flesh out in the manga and become very well written characters.
If you are a fan of the franchise or familiar with the card game (In case that you have played the game or heard about it unless ... you have been living under a rock since 1995), is one of those mangas that are a must for the completionist. Worth reading.

Everyone has heard “the manga is better”, and regardless if that’s true or not for most series… I strongly stand by it for Yu-Gi-Oh

So many of the things people meme on about the anime simply do not exist, or are significantly less prominent. Everything is a vast improvement from the story, art and pacing. It’s not focused on trying to sell you a children’s card game – even after that had became a thing with the anime’s introduction. The manga is just so much more about the story and atmosphere that, if you like Yu-Gi-Oh or manga, I’d highly recommend giving this one a read.

Honestly, ... my only gripe is that the editing on some (a lot) of text bubbles partially overlap with the art and said bubbles with text and new boxes that it seems very amateurish in even the official translation. It makes me wish we could get a new version of these issues being fixed, but that seems remarkably unlikely.

As someone who already has an extensive background on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG, many of the cards in the manga have effects that have great deviation from their real world counterparts. But honestly, don't let that be a hindrance when trying to enjoy the story about a boy trying to make friends and learning to stand for himself, and an ancient king who learned kindness, through the medium called games.

Let's start with the world-building. It might come across as wacky. The first 50+ chapters are your typical game of the week, with the latter third focusing on the Duel Monsters card game and then a dangerous ... tabletop RPG. Most of the small time antagonists were school bullies, criminals, and other jerks who were punished by the ancient king (the protagonist's alter ego) for messing with the protagonist and his friends. The big time antagonists were more of a threat, as they had a connection with the ancient king. On the other hand, there were also sexy jokes and bits of ecchi here and there. Kinda intrusive but still funny. Well, with all of that set in a similar looking '90s Japan were watching porn on VHS was a thing back in the day. Then came the 60th chapter and onwards were the focus made a very very sharp turn primarily to the Duel Monsters card game, artifacts from ancient Egypt, the ancient king's past, and settling the score with his destined rival (where said rival developed augmented reality-esque technology to make the card game life-like that is also kinda advanced for its time period and out of place from the current setting I mentioned above). Random ecchi and jokes were non-existent here at this point (which was a good choice taken by the author). Duels were far more dangerous as it involves dark magic where lives may be at stake. Card and duel rulings were more structured than before. Truthfully speaking, this direction was a blessing even though it was a sudden shift of plot focus.

Speaking of art, the first few chapters felt a bit off in terms of character design. Give it a chance, it gets better and better. For the monster design (talking about Duel Monsters), it already started off as splendid and it gets progressively better.

I believe the best part in this 343-chapter story was when our protagonist Yugi has gotten to a point that he used certain Duel Monsters cards that symbolized he has grown up and doesn't have to rely on his "alter ego" self anymore; that he can already stand for himself. Those last duels that led to the culmination of this story were the most memorable. Said last duels were scripted in a way that certain cards and card effects mirrored the setting, the character development, and the action/s one must take so that they'll not be constrained on the past and must look on ahead in the future.

With all of that said, please give this a try. Just turn-off your knowledge of the Yu-Gi-Oh OCG/TCG card rulings and focus more on the narrative instead for a more fulfilling reading experience.