Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions: A Finale of Two Halves

[@Goku22411]

Darkside of Dimensions is a great film/finale to the series. It definitely has issues regarding pacing and character motivations, but the movie wraps up the characters arcs of Yugi and Kaiba moving on.

[@axelreboot8475]

Not really Kaiba still wouldn't let go of his obsession with Atem always being his better he literally built a machine just to see Atem in the afterlife and we have no way of knowing how that duel ended and If Kaiba finally abandoned his obsession with being the number 1 duelist since Takahashi sensei is no longer with us

[@bluebearie7230]

Seto was nearby during the ceremonial duel. he just didn't enter the temple and decided to wait outside for some reasons. he acknowledged that Yugi had surpassed both him and Atem. the only reason he called Yugi out as a vessel wasn't because he looked down on him, it was simply because he wasn't the one person he wanted. imo he just missed the only person who he could call friend, he just couldn't admit it, being a tsundere that he was. his regret was probably more about him not being able to see Atem off properly, rather than just having a strong rival. their friendship in their past lives was also written on the stone slab too, i wouldn't be surprised if he went there for more reasons other than a rematch. Also, perhaps they found a way to send him back from the afterlife somehow. we will probably never know.

[@scottsummers616]

The funny thing is as long as the items exist, the dark magic still remains. We saw this in the millennium arc. its no wonder Atem takes away the millenium puzzle. I guess so many people get wrapped up with the idea Atem could never return

[@mrbubbles6468]

No. Kaiba accepting Yugi beat Atem and Atem can’t come back and then saving the world is rewarded by giving him his chance at closure. Because up until that point he had not had it.

[@bigoof4610]

I agree with you on pretty much everything except for the ending with kaiba. In my opinion, the machine kaiba makes wasn’t built to be a one way thing, but had risks to it. Kaiba was willing to risk his life to say goodbye, even though he found another equal in Yugi. I think it fits, as it also feels like Kaiba is putting his old self to rest with this duel as well.

[@Fearbeforezach]

I wish Joey had one duel in the movie

[@spartanq7781]

What against Scud?

[@justinlindfors8512]

I like to think that ignoring Konami and toei animation for a moment and look at dark dimensions as it is, it's message is more nuanced than you paint it. For instance letting go of the past and moving on doesn't mean you can't look back nor that the past can't pop up on it's own. Yugi and Kaiba both miss Atem, the millenial items are still being guarded in case of the darkness within them, and Seto fricking Kaiba! I think the movie concluded wonderfully resolving the issues here. Lastly in it's conclusion Everything is officially resolved with Yugi making his own games and Seto being Seto decides to actually settle the score with the Pharoah without interruptions (Anubis ahem).

[@emberthefox4951]

I have a few theories on the ending of DSOD, all connected. 1. The Millennium Ring had the tiniest sliver of power left in it, rekindled by the Quantum Cube (Or whatever it was called, I don't remember everything from the movie). 2. When it was fully reactivated, this gave the Millennium items a brief surge of power, enough to let Atem come back on his own terms and finish the job he thought was finished: Getting Zorc and his influence out of the picture. 3. Kaiba did accept Yugi as his new rival, but when he saw Atem return, he came to a sort of middle ground. He was going to get his rematch no matter what, but he also accepted that Yugi is a worthy duelist in his own right. After getting his win or loss in his duel against Atem in the afterlife, he moved on with a sense of closure. He got his definitive duel, and now he could fully accept Yugi as his new rival. 4. Yugi creating a new game may have also had a role in Kaiba accepting him as his new rival. It's a new battlefield, where they each can start fresh with nary a magical artifact or pharoah in sight.

[@samirjohnson4524]

How does this video have so few views but soooo many likes? Matter of fact, how does this guy not have at least 50k?? This is fire 🔥🔥🔥

[@FenixPJ_]

Haha thank you very much! The likes all come from my friends who have been very supportive of me for making my videos which I am very grateful for. I'm not out to make KZbin my job, it's just a hobby and outlet for me to write and make content so for me anything past 100 views is a success in my eyes.

[@ShadowCritias]

I still call a perfect epilogue movie giving us the conclusion of both the anime and the manga plus i disagree about Kaiba heading the afterlife part. When Kaiba smiled he sees that that he was wrong about Yugi, he sees that Yugi is the new rival to him as his new equal but he didn't giving up on Atem at all regardless he accept Yugi as his new rival & equal he still want to have his final rematch against Atem no matter what, it doesn't change or ruin the message at all. You can tell he hasn't let go of his upset that Atem return he just want to prove Yugi wrong to prove a point to him.

[@Godzilla00X]

Honestly, really like how the main theme is to let go and move on, very meta considering all the reboots. One fan issue I had was Joey pushing to be a professional duelist. As a Runner up at duelist kingdom and top 4 in battlecity should have sponsores lining up to work with him

[@homunculus7]

Alot of Kaiba fan boys will tell you he wasnt about to lose to yugi inhaling that Copium hard but if you keep track of the cards on his hand the while match you see his facedown was a cliff it was a spell card I think Polymerization perhaps it's been a while but he had nothing but they will say he wa smiling cause he was about to win or some bs

[@galaxy-eyesmastercordero7860]

Idc it was a masterpiece it even improved me as a person by how the characters personalities are

[@lloydbagby8355]

it a great film and it implied by the imege takhash made that kaiba won and is moving on

[@thegamingrook]

some one probably said this i think with the ring destroying the world and what not it would probably be both an act noticeable for atem and a big enough sliver for atem's spirit to return to what real world was still left and save it before he was forced back into the realm of the after life

[@weaselhatgaming1010]

Dark Bakura and Yami were metaphors. Kazuo was very specific about Yu-Gi-Oh being a story of building friendships and community. Bakura represented the absence of that, and at least from my one viewing of the movie, I remember the loneliness creeping back into him before the ring reactivated. Dark Bakura is Bakura’s trauma, and Yami’s return was as much Kaiba being selfless as the avatar of the friendship that Yami represented to the main crew as it was anything else. That’s my armchair read anyway; very solid movie

[@OmegaChase1002]

All atem did was draw yugis last card. Yugis deck he himself built won that duel. You can see the image of yugi flash as atem draws the card, showing it was yugi doing this all along. Atem didnt really do anything. He just helped yugi stand up and draw a card because the villains shadow powers were about to cheat yugi out of a win. Thats it. He even leaves immediately afterwards. And theres really nothing wrong with Kaiba just getting his run back. I disagree with the notion that dsod ruined anything. However, i consider takahashis art post to be the canonical epilogue of the film after kaiba found a way back from the afterlife somehow. It really feels like this is how takahashi wanted it to end.

[@ben_sisko2149]

Anzu's change in this movie is insane XD. She's a proper waifu now. PS: Yugi is finally proved to be the better duelist. Unlike Atem, he doesn't cheat lol

[@Insert_Bland_Name_Here]

I love that Kaiba is so extra, that even the original Japanese version of the movie points out that his ego is so strong it straight-up negates Diva's ancient Egyptian magic. Also, let's just keep in mind that Kaiba built a space-elevator and private space station, and invented portable hologram-projectors and VR systems that directly tap into the user's brain. IN THE YEAR 1997! They still use freaking VHS cassette tapes for movies and shit like that, yet here we have Kaiba just building a private space-station in the shape of his company logo, because fuck his haters, I guess. A lot can be said about Kaiba, but he sure doesn't half-ass things.

[@theflyingace611]

Not sure why people have the idea that Kaiba's trip to the afterlife was 1 way. He found a way to get there in the first place, has a company to run, and a brother. He definitely made a way to get back. Kaiba's developed is meant to be 1 step behind Yugi. He hasn't fully accepted the person he's been chasing after is truly gone. He accepted Yugi is the King of Games, but he needs his own duel with Atem to prove something else entirely, win or lose. Kaiba reverted back to his mindset from Death T in this movie and it really shows, and it only goes away after his duel with Yugi where he was outright beaten. (No Kaiba wasn't about to win. His set card was Polymerization. You can track the cards played and in their hands to see this.)

[@VestedUTuber]

He definitely made it back, there's an official art piece by Kazuki Takahashi before he passed depicting Kaiba and Yugi playing a game designed by Yugi called Spherium II aboard the terminal station of the Kaiba Corporation Space Elevator. Kazuki himself stated it was a followup after Dark Side of Dimensions.

[@granola055]

I feel like kazuki bringing atem wasn't his idea

[@challengerjakku1943]

There is no dark spirit in the Ring anymore, the ring itself is evil. Each millennium Item represents either Justice or Evil: The Eye, Rod and Ring represents Evil, whilst the Tauk, Scales and Ankh represent Justice. The Puzzle is Neutral, this is why they were corrupted by the ring by the end of the movie not due to any evil spirit that might reside inside it.

[@yhajime]

Another great video :)

[@sgtDrumriX]

My take on Kaiba and the film's themes: 1. Kaiba smiles because he was about to counter Yugi's finishing blow, thus proving his point that Atem is his true rival. Ofc interrupted by the dark ring. 2. Atem and the dark ring show up at the transition point of Yugi's life to represent the lingering nature of strife and solution. 3. Kaiba doesn't go to the literal after life, but creates a realm wherein he can get as close to his rematch as possible. These interpretations lead me to view the ending as each character getting the closure they wanted; Yugi a reminder that Atem will always be a part of him; Kaiba finds a way to recreate the essence of Atem long enough to duel him; and Joey never has to see his ex, kaiba, again. Joking aside, I always saw the ending as a resolution of the theme how does one surpass the Past. For Yugi it is recognising the impact it has had on him as a source of strength. But Kaiba has to literally sacrifice his future to surpass his past Because Seto is the personification of victory at any cost, recognising Yugi as a more worthy rival than Atem implies Kaiba could never surpass Atem, which he cpuld never accept, thus his only resolution is to beat Yugi, then go to the afterlife to finish this best of 5 he started with Atem all those years ago 🍪

[@VestedUTuber]

Unfortunately for Joey, an art piece drawn by Kazuki Takahashi before he passed shows Yugi and Kaiba playtesting a game called Spherium II aboard the terminal station of the Kaiba Corporation Space Elevator. Kazuki himself stated that this piece is a canon epilogue to Dark Side of Dimensions. Which means that Kaiba finished up his business in the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife, or the approximation thereof, and returns to the real world.

[@pokeperson1000]

Counterpoint to number 1: If you track the entire duel, you would know that Kaiba’s only facedown was Polymerization. He, in fact, had no responses or counters to Yugi’s finishing blow, whether it be on his field, in his grave, or hand.

[@mrbubbles6468]

It does not ruin the message of the film. Yugi has never been as resistant to dark magic as Atem. And it’s straight up a fight against something that was Atem’s job to deal with. Honestly the biggist issue was the shadow magic was still there at all. But if you accept it the ending makes total sense

[@FenixPJ_]

I still have to disagree on that, the film sets up Yugi to be the one who solves the Dimensional crisis and beats Aigami. He does all of that right before his duel with Kaiba and the only reason he loses to the dark magic at the end is because he just had three back-to-back duels. Meanwhile the entire movie is about how Atem is gone and that the cast has moved on except Kaiba but having him return at the last minute is a betrayal to the film's own message about accepting the fact that the people most important to you are now gone.

[@justinlindfors8512]

​@@FenixPJ_screw the message Kaiba wants his rematch! Seriously tho can Seto have a rematch without someone barging in?

[@pseudopanda2538]

The ending to Dark Side of Dimensions completely undermines Yugi's character arc. Kaiba tells Yugi that they "need" Atem in order to save their asses AGAIN because Yugi isn't capable of doing so. He comes back again and one shots Aigami with literally no difficulty. It already established that Yugi didn't need Atem to fight his battles for him and he was more than capable of doing that on his own. Even Atem said that Yugi "surpassed" him after their ceremonial duel. It detract from the overall point lol. By this point Yugi has already proven that he is more worthy for the title of king of games. I understand feeling disappointed by Atem coming back again to save the day when he was supposed to stay dead but I guess it was just a nice fanservice moment to see him again for a few seconds. Even as fan of the manga, despite me not being a fan of the film. I wish it could've focused more on Kaiba and Yugi moving on from Atem, and Kaiba acknowledging Yugi as his rival.

[@kaibacorp13]

Konami did change taka hashi written especially the ending and even takahashi post a image in social media and explained how he wanted the movie end, so you can blame Konami for it.

[@chipa_cito]

The reasson Kaiba smiled and that the LP stoped at 100 instead of going down to 0 is bc he had a set card wich we never knew if it could make him survive or not.

[@tuhoang6609]

No matter how epic etem return is, I do not like it. Man, if it is something like small talk that encourage Yugi it would be better