Ranking EVERY DUEL THE PROTAGONIST LOST in Yu-Gi-Oh!

[@UltimaSaviorDragon]

I actually have to disagree with the forgetable duel explanation with Yuma and Shark. This duel showed not only the viewer but Yuma that the Numbers were not invincible. That with good strategy, anything can be overcome. Yuma had come to depend on his Number monsters to win him the day and this duel even showed how scared Yuma is of losing - so much so that he had promised Tetsuyo that he would NOT use his Numbers only for him to use Hope in the end AND STILL LOSE. Honestly think this one could have been a bit higher on the list because of how it helped cement the idea that nothing is invincible and showed us just how 'small' Yuma is until he became better at being a duelist.

[@dancostello4872]

This. Especially because Astral pointed out that the focal point of the loss was Yuma's lack of vision to fully utilise Monster Reborn beyond his own GY; the next duel he takes part in - the one where he tags with Shark against the gang leaders Scorch & Chills - sees him draw Monster Reborn again and this time Yuma makes the optimal play, after Astral reminded him of his previous mistake so he would not repeat it.

[@cameraredeye3115]

Yuma's development throughout Zexal was really cool to watch...

[@silvernapper2797]

I didn’t like that duel tho it was forgettable imo

[@SaucyCharmander]

Agreed it was a great character moment for Yuma and the numbers, but at a really weird time

[@MudphlapMudphlap]

I enjoyed that duel when I watched it, but in hindsight I absolutely loved it, and for a very weird reason. In season three, the barons played a very large role, being quickly painted as very powerful duelists. However, with only one exception, that being Nash vs. 4, the numeron code won every duel against someone using barion power (due to it’s association with numeron dragon, I do not consider 107 to be a barion monster). If you think about it, barion vs. barion duels always ended with one using the numeron code, not their barion power, to win the duel. Therefore, the numeron code is even stronger than barion power, and Shark was able to defeat Yuma without any sort of power.

[@nexusshark]

Personally I consider Yusei's first duel against Kiryu as a loss. The show treats it as a legitimate loss and would have resulted in Yusei's certain death if his D-Wheel didn't crash, which is ironic because Yusei was actually at the brink of death because of that crash. His friends actually had to get him to surgery to save his life, which in my eyes makes it a much more devastating defeat than just mere game results. And nobody will convince me otherwise. Besides, being unable to continue results in your loss, right Jonouchi?

[@davidmac9010]

In my opinion it’s kind of what happened with Lightning. If the writers wanted Lightning to have a loss or draw, they would have wrote it that way. I respect your stance though.

[@nexusshark]

@@davidmac9010 The bit with Lightning was more of a character display. It was meant to show how much of a sore loser Lightning really is and through what lengths he would go through to achieve victory. Legally Lightning lost that duel and would have been disqualified. Everyone knows that. The fact that he had to bend the system and literally screw the rules to keep one LP means that his victory was NOT legit and therefore cannot be treated as such.

[@davidmac9010]

@@nexusshark I’m not saying Lightning was going to lose, that was never up for debate. It was whether it was a tie or win. If Lightning lost the duel like you said Revolver would not have “died”. I get it’s a sensitive issue especially around the Yugioh Everything crew however lol, but they counted it as a win so I do as well. Simple math, 1 beats 0. Same as Yusei-Kalin in my opinion. I’m glad they gave him an emotional loss but it’s just too bad the writers never had to moxie to give out a real one (non-flashback).

[@benjaminpeters6729]

5ds seemed to have yusei "lose" in the way a wrestling champion will "lose" leading up to a ppv. Like they wont legitimately lose, but there will be a no contest that makes them feel like they lost even though the duel is not technically decided. 5ds actually had yusei win a duel but still lose something at the end making the villain successful even in defeat.

[@nexusshark]

@@davidmac9010 I count it as more than just an emotional loss. Simple game results are not as effective when it comes to life and death situations or cheating. I forgot that the duel was actually ending in a draw, but thanks for reminding me. Lightning didn't beat Revolver due to game mechanics. He cheated and screwed the system to escape a draw. That't why this cannot be considered as a legit win for Lightning. And keep in mind that the show only treats it as a legit win because Lightning was making the rules. The reverse Link Vrains was his world with his rules. Rules that he could bend and break as he saw fit. Accepting Lightning's win as legit is treating his cheating as a legal move. Legally the duel ended in a draw. And I go by what's legal, not just by the numbers.

[@Hugelag]

I find it interesting that Kaibaman told Jaden that there's nothing wrong with losing, then season 3 happened where losing meant literal death.

[@CharmeIeon]

it wasn't over from there the rest never got dubbed it got over after jaden and yugi dueled

[@deathshead556]

And continued into and through Season 4. There is a duel where this is really pointed out when Jaden has to duel Sartourious again (this time without the light) and Sartourious literally tells him: “Do not look at me with those eyes” and Jaden refuses to turn them off. And even at the end when everyone is celebrating he gets paired with Alexis in a tag duel tournament (a tournament Jaden didn’t want to participate in) and Jaden is ignoring Alexis’s tag team tactics and is essentially soloing the entire tournament. All the way until this is shoved in Jadens face and he slowly starts warming up again.

[@Tibainium]

Doesn't Yugi vs Atem technically count aswell? They are both considered protagonists and one of them got defeated

[@nexusshark]

I agree. Personally that would have been my Number 1.

[@Thatbasedcat]

That’s what I was thinking too. What’s annoying is that he doesn’t even give an explanation of why he didn’t include it on this list. 🙄

[@promisnwekenta9703]

I think it just went under the radar.

[@lpfan4491]

Those are my favorite two duels of the duel monsters series, to be entirely honest. And it is just for how synergetic they are with each other. The first duel is a test for Atem about if he is able to continue and even tho Yugi is the better duelist of the two, he loses in the end. The second duel is a test for Yugi about if he is able to stand on his own and because he embraced himself as his own person, he manages to win.

[@PathBeyondTheDark]

Thats a weird one I guess. For the majority of the series they are co-protagonists, however, its at that point in the story that Yugi is thematically deemed his own individual, effectively taking his place as the sole protagonist. That is the thematic point of the duel, to separate himself from Atem as a person. So thematically, it doesn't work as a protag loss since Atem steps into a side character position. But technically, if going by the series as a whole, yes a protag loses in that duel.

[@necarevis6600]

Oh come on Yusei definetly lost to Kalin the first time they dueled.

[@Beatbot400]

That was a DNF

[@so0meone]

@@Beatbot400 On technicality and only in the anime, yes. Realistically, if his Duel Runner hadn't broken Yusei would have died in that match as he had absolutely nothing for Ccapac Apu in their first game. Or, disappeared I guess, thanks 4Kids In the manga he does lose, as a Duel Runner breaking causing a duel to end is considered a loss for the person whose Runner broke in the manga

[@heatsflamesman5353]

We all know Yusei lost that one.

[@gumerzambrano]

I was waiting for him to talk about it the whole time but he didn't!

[@Alucardko]

if he had lost, his soul would have been taken, so the duel was without result

[@franciscojuarez6632]

we all know that the best duel in the history of yugioh is joey vs marik, even if joey is not the main character, period.

[@Saixjacket]

He cemented his legacy there, if he didn’t have that moment, we would remember Joey very differently. Amazingly played moment where the main villain of the arc was legitimately quaking in his boots at the hands of a “third rate duelist”

[@transroid93]

We all know Joey won that duel.

[@vontewick9172]

I agree best duel and Marik only won cuz Joey passed out other than that it was his win.😤

[@unknownmsa3968]

100% agree and I wish they made him win it wouldve made the series so much better

[@BigWes95]

Nah yu gi vs Rafael

[@shinkaiatsuya950]

My favorite has to be Aster beating Jaden. He called Jaden out, he played a pretty mean duel, and left the protagonist in trauma without the protagonist breaking character. Both Jaden and Aster also used similar decks, especially at the beginning of the duel.

[@michaelpisciarino5348]

1:46 Time Out Victory 2:33 Yuzu by Yuya mistake 3:56 Rebecca by surrender 4:53 Rook 6:08 Sergey enters and wins 7:31 Shark’s Win 8:42 Asana 9:55 Roku 10:59 Kaibaman teaches Judai 12:05 Kaiser ends Judai’s win streak 13:08 Jack Atlas 14:12 Romin defeats Yuya 15:40 Seto Kaiba’s Tactical Win 17:09 Edo/Aster Plot Device 18:25 Nail 20:12 Kaito/Kite 21:16 Raphael shows The Pharaoh his own darkness 22:51 Reiji 25:17 What else is happening?

[@shadowgames6164]

The kaiba vs yugi round two. When kaiba threatened to throw himself off the balcony, it wasnt just about him winning. It was also so he could save mokuba from pegasus

[@federicomacias1946]

That was the actual point. The Japanese dub shows kaiba was desperate to save mokuba

[@camharkness]

Yeah. I kinda hated that the narrator just kinda misunderstood it that badly

[@bongchoof]

@@federicomacias1946 Uh, it's not like the English dub doesn't make this very clear. I understood the implication at 10.

[@KaoruMzk]

>Yusei left the chat >Yusaku left the chat

[@zeo4481]

Yusei lost to Kalin ! Yusaku lost 2 duels as a kid !

[@KaoruMzk]

@@zeo4481 flashbacks & DNFs don't count dude.

[@skeletonwar4445]

@@KaoruMzk Flashbacks absolutely count lol. It's a canon, confirmed, legitimate loss. Idk how much clearer a loss could be.

[@KaoruMzk]

@@skeletonwar4445 it happens BEFORE the show starts, it's not reflective of the character in the present.

[@skeletonwar4445]

@@KaoruMzk Yusei starts 5Ds being angry about losing to Jack (and that he's such an asshole traitor) so that loss is *very* important to Yusei's character.

[@antoniobolden8992]

1.Reiji vs yuya 2.Katio vs Yuma 3.Edo vs Judai 4.Asuna vs Yuga 5.Rapheal vs Yugi Great duels and help the protagonists to learn and grow from there lost and an honorable mention (Kiryu vs Yusei despite his Lp didn't hit zero he definitely for sure lost when his D wheel crash).

[@1111-e4p]

I know that 5ds doesn't like to count it for some reason but I really like the first Yusei vs Kalin/Kiryu duel. There's a line in the manga (which I know is technically a different canon but still) that states if your duel runner stops moving during a turbo duel, then you atomatically lose, so Kiryu still technically won that duel, he just arbitrarily decided not to count it as a victory.

[@Deathmare235]

Even in the anime Joey lost to Marin even though he was about to win

[@Saixjacket]

@@Deathmare235 Joey even managed to declare an attack fully. The ultimate plot armor loss!!!

[@pn2294]

No, the characters in-universe considered it a loss and pointed out that the only reason Yusei survived at all was because of his D-Wheel Breaking down.

[@Alucardko]

if he had lost, his soul would have been taken, so the duel was without result

[@briarbarfield5809]

@@Alucardko that really doesn't matter. Most people, even the characters in the show considered it a loss

[@joe88john]

Also I disagree with your Yuzu vs Yuya duel. Its important to note that Yuya lost that duel fair and square due to a lack of his own skill. Yuya was supposed to show off pendlum summoning only, it was still a competitive match between them, there was no scripting. The only script was that Yuzu was pretending to be the bad guy to spice up the show. When he messed up and loss, that's important because that loss made Yuya get better for his new fan, and want to practice and train so he never lost like that again. He lost, accepted the loss however painful it was, and then trained with Gongenzeka and the others to master pendlum summoning. It wasn't a fluke win on Yuzu's part, she used her effects and stuff to the full extent not holding back.

[@canaira]

Man I can't disagree with you more calling Shark's win over Yuma a forgettable duel, it was such a great emotional duel and a lot of emotional stakes involved with Yuma struggling with whether to summon a number or not, breaking his promise, Yuma putting his key on the line, and Shark just outplaying him and discovering the numbers' weakness. I really can't believe you put Roku vs Yuma over this, and especially so low on the list

[@StardustLegend]

Honestly ZeXal in general gets a lot of shit, but generally I think a lot of Yuma's losses tend to blend together more since he started out not really being a good duelist. Which isn't bad at all imo since it was kinda refreshing to see a protagonist not actually that good at the game and overtime learn and get better.

[@urm0m69]

For those who think Jack never beats Yusei, 5D's starts with Yusei angry with Jack because he was an a-hole and that traitor thing but in the flashback you see how Jack wipes the floor with Yusei's cards

[@retro.7673]

Correct. Just the same as Yusaku technically lost multiple duels during the lost incident.

[@urm0m69]

@@retro.7673 exactly, and I do count those as well

[@GravityFaiz]

I like to imagine that Yusei was a moderately good duelist but not too overpowered until he loses to Jack the first time and took his suggestion of getting better to heart.

[@urm0m69]

@@GravityFaiz I mean, guessing from Jack's comments his deck was op until Yusei came

[@sdbzfan1]

@@GravityFaiz it lit a fire under him to get better and from that point onward Yusei doesnt lose to prove a point that fighting for your friends doesnt make you weak

[@SkiKoala]

Fun fact. Tea has the best winning percentage of any duelist in the first series. She won every duel she participated in. That's a higher winning percentage than Yugi and Kaiba.

[@FurnaxIkki]

Yeah but the plot armor she had going for her vs. Krump is ludicrous.

[@MsKeylas]

@@FurnaxIkki which plot armor?

[@FurnaxIkki]

@@MsKeylas That the Sage's Stone lets her special summon a Dark Magician card from a deck not involved in the duel.

[@MsKeylas]

@@FurnaxIkki what do you mean not involved in duel?

[@FurnaxIkki]

@@MsKeylas She played the card and it summoned the Dark Magician from Yugi's deck, rather than her own. And he wasn't in the duel.

[@pacoaguilar7988]

I WAS SOO BORED UNTIL HE UPLOADED THIS PERFECT 👌

[@bestjayceejay2518]

Fr me to

[@ems6706]

Sevens bringing down the the general stakes was a good choice. Vrains went full tilt so fast I never really felt like Playmaker actually gave a shit about playing the game, so much as preventing the apocalypse. At least to me. Like Sevens characters generally feel like they can win or lose and it gets me a lot more invested.

[@dranzergigs66]

I personally consider Kite vs Yuma R1 and Yusei vs Kalin R1 as losses. I mean If kite hadn't had to leave or Yusei hadn't had his d-wheel break they would have lost. Also if Kaiba had used monster reborn on any monster with 1500 or more attack points, instead of a single blue eyes head he would have won without threatening suicide.

[@resttrashtalker1413]

kaiba choked hard in that game, which is understandable bcause his opponent fused a monster with a spell to make blue eyes rot lmao

[@dranzergigs66]

@@resttrashtalker1413 personally I viewed it as Kaiba testing Yugis capability to be ruthless, but yeah he kinda did choke. I would've put ultimate dragon in defense mode sense it has three lives in duelist kingdom

[@resttrashtalker1413]

@@dranzergigs66 yea that duel was hard decided by plot armor, not a fan of duels like this

[@sungod9797]

You should rank all of the draws that occur in the show, that sounds like a fun video. Didn’t Kaiba threaten to kill himself because he wouldn’t be able to duel Pegasus and rescue his brother if Yugi defeated him? I don’t think it’s just Gozaburo’s influence, especially post-Mind Crush. Also, on an unrelated note I think the background music near the beginning of this video is called Gozaburo Kaiba’s theme or something in the original Japanese OST. It plays right before passionate duelist when Yugi is about to turn around the duel against Kaiba in the battle city semifinals.

[@christopherb501]

He already did Top Ten Draws.

[@Sniffyy]

Its a mixture of both his stepfather's influence and his brother being imprisoned.

[@dudebladeX]

If Asana blindsiding Yuga with a Maximum puts an asterisk next to her win, it should also happen with Nail.

[@jameshays4298]

even though it was a filler arc my favorite duel and the one i most often see myself going back to rewatch again and again is the Rafael Vs. Yami yugi

[@dspace4514]

Yusaku: Sorry can't relate. Ryoken: *Shows Flashback of Lost Incident* Yusaku: *Has Vietnam Flashback*

[@sdbzfan1]

Thats why he doesnt lose, he'd probably end up a vegetable like Kusanagi's brother

[@Deathmare235]

@@JunkoEnoshima. and Kalin and maybe even Crow cause why not

[@adrianthesnowkoopatroopa4810]

@@Deathmare235 Oh yeah, Crow losing on purpose lol

[@Deathmare235]

@@adrianthesnowkoopatroopa4810 I was talking about Crow beating Yusei and since Jack and Kalin done that why not Crow

[@adrianthesnowkoopatroopa4810]

@@Deathmare235 He doesn't have enough plot armor...

[@TheMasterBlaze]

I love Yuya. Yuya's my boy, but him getting pegged for preaching his fathers word half heartedly was the wake up call he needed and I enjoyed it.

[@ahlixemus8903]

Somewhat agreed

[@mistreviews]

Yuya is my 2nd favorite protagonist, other than the Pharaoh. The show just did him dirty.

[@gradualdecay]

Yuya gets pegged? On a kid's show?

[@mistreviews]

@@gradualdecay LMFAO 🤣! I missed that.

[@kazeryuu3603]

Waking dragons was actually one of the beast seasons of the DM series, Dartz was a very good villain to be remembered forever

[@JCDLGAMINGTV]

Edo vs judai comes up and my first thought is "schmaden schmukey"

[@MicycleTV]

Seeing this reminded me that there were duels that the protagonists should have lost, but ended up winning and/or being without conclusion. Two in GX alone being the Season 3 duel against Ryo when Judai was gearing up to fight Yubel, and against Manjome in Season 4, where Manjome was instructed to throw the duel by his manager. Seeing a rival genuinely win a duel against the protagonist is a very rare thing in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I always wish Manjome had won that duel.

[@Nightlit]

I generally agree with this (for the duels in shows I saw the entirety of) though I would make one major change. I would move Kaito versus Yuma to the top slot. The main reason being it's one of if not the ONLY duel the protagonist loses where that loss is followed by a positive moment. I felt it was a critical moment in Yuma's character, where he has this awesome duel with one of his main rivals, a character who he's wanted to beat for a while, and not only does he lose, which was a surprise, but the duel reinforces their bond and friendship anyway. It's an amazing moment which really solidifies Yuma's ideal that dueling creates bonds between people. And it's the only time in the entire franchise (that I know of) where the protagonist manages to get that point across in a duel that they lose, despite it being a theme in every show (except maybe VRAINS). It was also a great duel for Kaito, as it was the first time we see Kaito duel purely for fun. And even though he makes a point that dueling isn't about fun for him, he can't quite shake off Yuma's positive attitude. While Kaito had been in the process of a heel face turn, this duel solidifies him as a protagonist and heroic character going into the second half of the show. One could argue, in fact, that this duel resolves Yuma and Kaito's rivalry as they never duel again and are, essentially, on good terms for the entire rest of the series.

[@kobsterhope9270]

I love how there is no 5D’s since Yusei never lost unless it was that one time with Jack in a flashback and the closest he came to losing was against Kallen but his duel runner broke before the attack could be finished

[@dantemitsoyu977]

I still count that as a lose cause even if his runner didn’t break he would have lost and he himself counted it as a lose

[@bryankutchens7495]

@Aggelos Anastasoulakis hated that fight. Lightning wasn't even a good duelist

[@bryankutchens7495]

@@dantemitsoyu977 I still count him losing twice. Cuz in the tournament he was gonna have a deck out loss. But the opponent didn't wanna win that way and gave yusei a free turn. And yusei beat him by using some kind of fusion stardust card.

[@bryankutchens7495]

@Aggelos Anastasoulakis All he did was cheat. Spectre easily should have won. I forget the exact specifics, it's been like 3 years, but pretty sure he beat spectre by using his own card against him. But when spectre used it, it's side effect destroyed all cards on his field along with his opponents. But when lightning used it, it only destroyed spectres field. I was like what? Similar to when yugi beat the rare hunter by using a trap from his hand.. I call shananigans.

[@unbeatable750]

@Aggelos Anastasoulakis both of them are terrible as well

[@leonidasre1120]

We got to give props to Jack Atlas though he is the only man to be 2 Yugioh protagonist ever that just true skill

[@psychicmaster92]

In case anyone wanted to know, the Sevens episode 50 has been confirmed Gakuto VS Nail. I've already sent my Nail pick.

[@carlackersii]

I think I’d like it if the stakes weren’t always life threatening. That way the protagonist can lose the battle but not the war. Gives way for more development

[@skullzfc]

The "high stakes" formula in Yu-Gi-Oh was pretty poorly handled because of how predictable it is, to be clear. Cardfight Vanguard handles that formula better, and even Bakugan to an extent.

[@carlackersii]

@@skullzfc I was legit surprised during Vanguard. I thought “obviously this character wins for the plot” then they actually lose

[@skullzfc]

@@carlackersii Me too. Even in Vanguard, there were some friendly losses left and right like Aichi losing like three times to Misaki, granted first time he was a newbie but still. Even in the V Series, Aichi loses to a Psyqualia Zombie Naoki and becomes a Psyqualia Zombie himself, for a series that gets a lot of hate.

[@kingmuizz708]

So yusaku and yusei atleast gotta get some honourable mention? Like Yusei's first Kalin duel and Yusaku's duel with Revolver

[@wargreymon25]

Playmaker never lost to revolver they had a draw twice and revolver lost twice to playmaker. Yusei technically didn't lose to Kalin because his life points never hit zero and the duel had no result due to Yusei falling off his d wheel. It's kinda debatable if it does count as him losing

[@bryankutchens7495]

Vrains had sooooooo many battles ending in a draw. Way more than any other series.

[@KaoruMzk]

@Black Luster Soldier - Envoy Of Whatever you're talking about Yusei, he could top deck harder than Atem. Who can say his next card wouldn't have been an asspull that let him make a comeback.

[@Slither.Wing.]

@@KaoruMzk dude he would have lost when the earthbound immortal attacked even the anime suggests in all versions he had nothing left to stop the attack there would be no next turn

[@sdbzfan1]

@@KaoruMzk what top decking yusei had no cards on the field or in his hand other than stardust and it wasnt his turn, he was gonna lose and i love Yusei but he was gonna lose that duel so hard

[@ReederMG]

I would've put Atem losing to Rafael as #1. The emotion losing Timaeus and Yugi, the shock of the pharaoh actually losing, Atem giving in to the dark/Orichalcos, sacrificing Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, there's just no other duel like it.

[@cameraredeye3115]

Nail catching Yuga off-guard with the first Maximum Summon and literally one-shotting him should have been top 3 on this list tbh. Why? Because this moment seemingly came out of nowhere and was a massive WTF for everyone watching. And I love it.

[@TSfish94]

I’m surprised yusei vs kalin wasn’t on here, but I guess you could argue yusei didn’t technically lose, his d-wheel just broke. But the fact that he almost died would’ve counted for me as a top spot

[@MONKEYDZETS]

He still lost he was on deaths door that's not a win its plot armor to save him

[@eiilos98]

I really like that Yusei doesn't have any losses in 5Ds, it shows a lot about the writing in that time.

[@brunosanto3488]

However, Yusaku also did not lose any duels and Vrains is not remembered for his writing.

[@genyakozlov1316]

@@brunosanto3488 Of course it isn't remembered for his writing, Kusanagi/Kolter is the one keeping a diary, not Yusaku. Remember episode 29?

[@almamater489]

He technically lost to Kiryu, but it was stopped because his bike malfunctioned He also lost to Jack Atlas in a flashback

[@Golfkid100]

Same for me! Also, love that Yusaku and Yusei both never lose in their shows. The only two undefeated Yu-Gi-Oh! lead protagonists.

[@TheMellowFilmmaker]

For #6 I think it's strange you didn't mention that the reason he almost killed himself was because he needed to win the duel to save his brother's soul. It wasn't just winning. If it was, he probably would have killed himself after his first loss.

[@OGDanteZero]

I agree with the number 1 and 2 picks and I get it, those 2 duels really are packed with various emotions and excellent back and forth moves from them. Reiji and Kaito are solid duelists that makes you not always bet on the main protagonists winning. Love this list! Excellent job as always!

[@sphinxx5322]

Nice video! I love watching them :) My favourite is Kaiba vs Yuugi round 2. As you said, there is a lot of emotions and we see the effect of Gozaburo on Kaiba. But it is also an important moment in the Yuugi / Other Yuugi's relationship. Yuugi starts realising he can't keep pretending the Other Yuugi doesn't exist and he starts facing 'this problem' head on. I'm also pretty sure Anzu stops being stupidly in love with the Other Yuugi at about that time and gets more and more interested in Yuugi. The Other Yuugi himself has to face his greatest fear which is losing and this loss has effects on him during the nexts two or three episodes. All in all, one of my favourite duels from DM because of the character development that we get from it.

[@akrammeziane9979]

Yusie Lost to kiryu fair and square ,and it was the best protag defeat (5ds best duel) alongside judai's with aster

[@skeletonwar4445]

"Blindsiding him with a Maximum" Idk, I think using the card game mechanics to win doesn't deserve an asterisk next to her victory. Put some respect on Asana's name here man.

[@alcatrazvongola]

I agree. Romin technically blindsided Yuga with her new Can:D card if we're going by this logic.

[@WaterKirby1994]

I agree Asana is awesome she deserves more respect & you guys think we'll ever get a female main protagonist? Maybe Yume could be her name because it means dream which at this point it feels like getting a female main protagonist is essentially. Maybe next series we'll get a waifu material main protagonist if we're lucky? So is it weird that Asana is my favorite girl in Se7ens so far? Also speaking of waifus from Yugioh Franchise, do you have any Top 5 or Top 10 choices you want to shout out? I haven't decided on an order personally although I know Aoi Zaizen from Vrains & Akiza Izinski are both high ranking choices for me & I think Asana may possibly be within my Top10 if we're not counting actual not soul prison cards.

[@ProphecyPhrase]

This!

[@cozzillagaming1869]

I think it was more the fact that even Asana herself admitted it didn't feel fair since Yuga didn't have a maximum and even to her it felt one sided. After her recent duel with Tiger, Asana has proved she is a more than capable duelist as Tiger defeated Rook in a flash back and *nearly* defeated Yuga

[@skeletonwar4445]

@@cozzillagaming1869 I get what you mean, but like, Yuga not having a maximum isn't her fault. Maximums are part of the game, so believing that only Nail could have one is kinda naive. Like, if you challenge someone to a race and it turns out they're actually an olympic sprinter, that's still a legitimate loss, no matter how one-sided it is. You know what I mean?

[@jooberyuckman]

I could've sworn that Judai lost to Johan in in season 4 when Judai was hallucinating that Johan was Trueman.

[@dancostello4872]

If Johan was playing seriously i.e dueling to defeat Judai rather than help him, then yeah Judai would've lost that duel. But they stopped once Johan used Rainbow Dragon because its light purified the infected Polymerization & snapped Judai out of the darkness-induced hallucination so at that point there was no reason for them to keep going.

[@tjbonnes4936]

Not sure how it went in the original Japanese script, but my favorite part of the Yugi vs Kaiba round 2 duel was when Anzu/Tea called out Kaiba for his battle tactics and then says a few things that cut Kaiba deep...pretty cathartic after Kaiba stooped to committing suicide to win

[@bongchoof]

Really? I remember being 10 and being like, 'Bitch. shut the fuck up.' She knows nothing about Kaiba, his family and what he went through. She was judging him? He put EVERYTHING on the line to save his brother. His legacy didn't matter. The company didn't matter. The money didn't matter. He was going to save Mokuba or he was going to actually die trying. And if he didn't do EVERYTHING he could and things turned out badly, Kaiba never would have been able to forgive himself. Not after everything that happened in his life. Mokuba is a child and is also all Kaiba has. I am not saying Solomon should die, but he is an older gentleman. And Yugi has a lot of love in his life. Kaiba and Mokuba are all each other have. Tea doesn't know shit from the pea having a car accident in her cavernous head.

[@MegaMachiOnline]

5) Yuga vs Asana (completely blindsided again) 4) Yuya vs Reiji (reiji showed who’s boss) 3) Yugi vs Rafael (shocking but “rock”) 2) Yuma vs Kaito (yuma still gotta grow) 1) Judai vs Edo (man went card games blind)

[@kirbstagoontheaxolotl]

My 5 favorites are (In order from 5th to first) Shark vs Yuma, Reiji vs Yuya, Yuzu vs Yuya, Jack vs Yuya and Kaito vs Yuma, with my honourable mention being Yusei vs Kalin I haven't gotten around to GX, I'm watching 5d's at the moment, I grew up with Arc V and have watched Zexal twice

[@GothremenBhason]

Arc V is underrated because of the action cards, but regardless it has the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard in the entire Yu Gi Oh, also Akaba Reji (hopefully I've not butchered his name) is one of my favourite characters in all the series.

[@bryankutchens7495]

You should read the yu-gi-oh arc 5 manga. Completely different from anime. Yuya is a terrorist and akaba is basically batman trying to stop him. Easily best yu-gi-oh manga.

[@GothremenBhason]

@@bryankutchens7495 I'll definitely consider it then

[@Deathmare235]

@@bryankutchens7495 sounds interesting

[@Deathmare235]

@@bryankutchens7495 Yuya’s trying to save the world so doesn’t that make Akaba the bad guy

[@bryankutchens7495]

@@Deathmare235 I'm lost. Yuya's trying to save the world? Did u start reading?

[@varisrevolver4061]

What shocked me was Yuya kept losing quite a bit of duels

[@jacksoncorvus]

In the match between Jaden and Zane (yes I'm using dub names. I grew up with the dub. Don't like it, fight me.) Zane wasn't "Hell Kaiser" just yet.

[@godsman00]

So excited for that Arc-V duels ranked video, your longest video to date is gonna be hype!

[@stonesaiyan]

Sevens looks like Pokemon in artstyle to me...

[@kitetenjo4246]

there is a seventh yugioh show i thought he was showing pokemon the whole time

[@genyakozlov1316]

When did Pokemon ever look like that? The hairstyles alone are enough to discredit your joke.

[@stonesaiyan]

@@genyakozlov1316 Different people perceive things in different ways. It wasn't a joke either, it was a legitimate statement.

[@Gachadon97]

Yusei is my fav yugioh protagonist ever, but there are duels in the show he should've lost, and I kinda wanna count those even if plot armor made him win.

[@TheJaredPunch]

I guess we aren’t perfect after all. Edit: Only Yusei and Yusaku are lucky enough.

[@kingmuizz708]

Yeppp

[@cameraredeye3115]

Actually only Playmaker can make that boast... Lol

[@redviper57]

At least yusei almost lost and almost died because he crashed his Dwheel. Playmaker just slaps everyone

[@nexusshark]

Luck is a bit of a stretch in Yusei's case. He almost died in that crash.

[@bryankutchens7495]

While I think zexal was the worst series and Yuma was the worst protagonist, I'm 100% sure Yuma would destroy all the other main yu-gi-oh characters. His 3rd zexal form allows him to draw any card he needs. Even cards that aren't in his deck.

[@Varaydein]

Oh Yusaku, the one who got a away

[@alexandergray1261]

The reason Yugi get lost against Pegasus is because he wasn't wearing his leather shoes, the true source of the Pharaoh's power 😂😂😂😂

[@thatman666]

Now I want a Ranking List of your Favorite Summon Mechanic.

[@bryankutchens7495]

Pendulum (way to broken) < link (needlessly complicated, but at least it's original) < xz (every card has the same ability, either destroy or return 1 card on the field. Literally like 75% of all abilities) < ritual ( basically just fusion, using a spell to sacrifice 2 monsters) < fusion (made the series amazing) < synchro (makes it possible for weaker monsters to be useful; not broken; overall, well thought out and original. ) Miss anything?

[@thatman666]

*1. Xyz* Simple for not needing very specific materials. Having Ranks makes them unique. *2. Synchro* Values low level monsters though Synchro combo decks felt boring if doing the same set up. *3. Fusion* Whether it requires generic materials and/or not require Polymerization, fun to mix. *4. Maximum* I know it's a Rush Duel exclusive and likely based from other TCG, but loved how card art expands to 3 card components. *5. Pendulum* Compilated and arguably broken but does card hybrid right unlike Gemini tried to attempt. *6. Ritual* Felt cool in anime but never felt prominent to use until MUCH later generations. *7. Tribute* It's a Summon Mechanic even if a form of Normal Summon. Has a weird history to be relevant in meta (Monarch, Steelswarm, True Dracos) *8. Link* MR4 made me hate them suppressing all other Extra Deck summons while they are unopposed. Tokens shouldn't have been Link Materials.

[@bryankutchens7495]

@@thatman666 if I had to choose which has the most overpowered decks. I'd choose ritual. Like blue-eyes chaos max dragon or ghiski monsters. I'd give xyz 2nd place in most broken decks.

[@ThomasTenma]

After duelist Kingdom Yugi became the kids games, but since he lost that door with Rebecca technically she holds the crown of being the king of games. But she and Duke Google against vallin wish they both lost in season 4 which makes him the king of games lost. He lost to Joey, Joey lost Mai, Mai lost Raphael, then Raphael lost to Yugi. Which means technically there were 5 other king of games in yugioh

[@mikea.3250]

Hey, Dylan! I just want to say how much I enjoy your videos. Not only do you break down the intricate details of probably my favorite anime in history, you just have such a positive and upbeat way about you that really puts a smile on my face. I've really been going through some difficult times on a personal level recently and whenever I listen to one of your videos, it just perks me right up. You would make a great audiobook narrator, seriously. Good narraration is key to any kind of verbal media, and you clearly have talent, man. It's because of you that I've moved on to other Yu-Gi-Oh! shows, like 5D's and Zexal, as I used to strictly be a Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters viewer only. I can't wait to get to Arc V and V-rains, as I hear you speak so passionately about those. Anyway, not to keep rambling on here, but keep up the excellent work, Dylan. You're tops with me!

[@ahmedaly4328]

Came to see Reiji vs Yuya at no. 1 and I was not disappointed!

[@kyuura4324]

Yugi vs Kaiba deserves an even bigger asterisk than Yugi vs Rebecca IMO

[@lordwarryl5712]

Yuya forgot how to pendulum summon? That is totally understandable

[@douglaskocsis9025]

Anyone else like the English names over the Japanese names for gx maybe I'm biased cause that's what I grew up on.

[@donthousand3296]

yuma lost so many duels then he got so good he battled the gods

[@christopherb501]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ6Vo5egqsd4nas

[@playmaker4700]

Yusaku is the only undisputed protagonist who never lost a single duel

[@anthonythomas305]

18. Rebecca defeats Yugi 17. Pegasus defeats Yugi 16. Sergey defeats Yuya 15. Rook defeats Yuga 14. Yuzu defeats Yuya 13. Kaibaman defeats Jaden 12. Roku defeats Yuma 11. Shark defeats Yuma 10. Romin defeats Yuga 9. Asana defeats Yuga 8. Jack defeats Yuya 7. Zane defeats Jaden 6. Kaito defeats Yuma 5. Nail defeats Yuga 4. Rafael defeats Yugi 3. Reiji defeats Yuya R2 2. Edo defeats Jaden R2 1. Kaiba defeats Yugi R2

[@MichaelWilsonMedia]

Yusei clearly lost the first time he duelled Kalin. If his duel runner hadn't broken down his life points would have hit zero and he would have died. If he hadn't been the protagonist, those things would have happened for sure. Plus they could have easily shown Yusei lose at least one non-shadow duel. They did that with the other protagonists, so why not Yusei as well? I liked 5D's but my biggest problem with it was they only showed him lose (with no interruptions like his runner breaking down) in a flashback, which doesn't really count. Losing duels from time to time allows the protagonists to develop as characters and as duellists and therefore makes the shows better. So I'm not sure why they wouldn't do that with Yusei.

[@UltmtDestroyer]

Imagine Yugi just didn't play the tape

[@AxelWedstar411]

Yusei and Yusaku are prty big offenders when it comes to the boring invincible hero trope.

[@WaterKirby1994]

Yusei would have lost 2 duels had he not convinced Team Unicorn's Last member that A Deck Out wasn't a satisfying enough win & gotten lucky that his Duel Runner broke down during his duel with Kalin before he could be defeated by the Earthbound Immortal & sent to the Netherworld. Which let's face it the duel with Kalin really was a loss that he was lucky to survive much like how Rafael was lucky to survive losing when using The Seal of Oricalcos.

[@scorpionsapprentice3248]

@@WaterKirby1994 team unicorn was stupid in how it ended while kiryu he lost from a forfeit. the rematch was stupid because savior dragon was a deus ex machina.

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@scorpionsapprentice3248 I watched the Dub of 5Ds who was Kiryu? I know Aki, Reo, & Ruka are obvious although a lot of the other 5Ds names are harder to guess at. 5Ds was the last Yugioh Series I really watched, although I saw some of Arc V. Zexal was trash, while Vrains never released Stateside.

[@scorpionsapprentice3248]

@@WaterKirby1994 kiryu is kalin in the dub.

[@e-heromanny4348]

Yeah by all rights Yusei lost to Kalin/Kiryu. There was literally nothing he could do in response to the Earthbound Immortal’s direct attack. Just because the runner broke down at the very VERY last second before the already declared attack completed shouldn’t protect him from it counting as a loss

[@SerenitySpiderMonkey]

Yami Yugi Vs Rafael and Jaden Vs Aster are probably my #1 and #2. Knowing the duel with Aster was his last time without a pure E-HERO deck is both really sad but amazing (I really didn't care for Neos or the Neo Spacians at all to be perfectly honest, Wingman will always be Jaden's Ace in my book) While I think I prefer the rematch between Rafael and Yami Yugi, the first duel was pretty awesome too, and only sort of suffers because of Yami Yugi playing the Seal, when he actually didn't need to

[@mahmoud6843]

Just a heads up, Ryo has a duel with Judai in Season 3. Its nowhere near as good as the first two duels, as Judai was traumatized by what he did and completely misplays. Its the set up to the best duel in GX between Ryo and Johan

[@WeaponXSigma]

Regarding Rafael vs Yugi, there was nothing at stake in that duel up until Atem decided to play the seal. Unfortunately for Atem, even if the seal wasn't played he STILL would've lost that duel.

[@latentradiance1650]

i Really love the seto vs yami duel in duelist kingdom n im glad its getting the attention it deserves in this video. the combination of seto threatening to kill himself if he lost, yami starting the attack anyway, and yuugi taking over at the last moment to stop that attack and make himself lose is just *chefs kiss*. really one of the best twists in a duel

[@TrevorAllenMD]

The fact Yu-Gi-Oh! Protags don’t lose more is an absolute shame. Really takes away a lot of potential / curiosity.

[@brunosanto3488]

Yusei and Yusaku are the protagonists of Yu-Gi-Oh who have hardly lost any duel. Yuma is currently the protagonist who has lost the most in duels (either as a joke or serious)

[@Yeetbc]

That’s usually due to the writers putting the characters in duels that are too high stakes. All of vrains had the threat of Ai getting taken if yusaku lost, and 5ds had duels where they characters could die if they lost, or they were in a tournament where losing would defeat the purpose of the arc. Arc V and GX struck a good balance since fewer duels were high stakes. It’s a difficult balance to keep since the only way to make these duels exciting, especially to a younger audience who probably don’t understand the rules, is with a loss condition. And on the other hand, people who are older and understand the game will take their enjoyment from seeing interesting strategies rather than whatever plot bullshit is going on.

[@skullzfc]

Well there are some card game anime protags who lose a lot like Dan Kuso from Bakugan or Aichi Sendou from Cardfight Vanguard. In fact Dan loses like 15 times in total and Aichi gets his ass kicked about half of the time, despite both shows being dark at times with high stakes. Just a side note tho.

[@axelbrionac4614]

3-4 losses for a ygo protagonist seems fair enough to me

[@nightshroud9671]

@@skullzfc I know Dan lost some times but I don't recall him losing 15 times in total actually.

[@Coolgamer..]

I like your list, my favorite is yami vs Raphel, I wish Yusake got a lost.

[@Medinacrystalheart]

Yeah yusei and yusaku never lost i wish i had see them lose yusei in a flashback but that dosen't count and vs kiryu but his d-wheel get's broken

[@so0meone]

@@Medinacrystalheart The manga considers Yusei vs Kiryu a loss for Yusei, and even in the anime it was only a DNF on technicality. That attack would have beaten (and, let's be honest, KILLED) Yusei had his D-Wheel not broken

[@Medinacrystalheart]

@@so0meone whatever

[@adventarchivist5789]

I don't know if this can be shortened, but anybody else notice duels were a main charcter fights someone with a gimmicky or underpowered deck just to make the normal archytypes look better? I noticed this alot in Vrains with the Knights of Hanoi. Arc-V had some like Cookpals, the Earth/Sky stars, and Battlewasps before the official releases. Anyone else notice this pattern or is it just me?

[@MichaelWilsonMedia]

My three favourite duels a protagonist lost: 1.) Yugi vs Rafael. For most of the duel, Yugi was getting creamed because Rafael had an answer for every move he made, including summoning Timaeus. The only way he could fight back was by doing what Rafael wanted: playing The Seal of Orichalcos, which led to him losing the duel. It was a good change to see Yugi struggle and worry that much, and the heart of the cards not be enough to save him. 2.) Yugi vs Kaiba. Yes it was Duelist Kingdom rules, but still a very entertaining duel, as it always is when those two square off. For most of the duel, Kaiba was in control but then Yugi did a great job at turning things around. Then right when it looked like Yugi would win, Kaiba threatened to take his own life if he'd lost, showing how determined he was to save Mokuba, even though he didn't mention him to Yugi. To me, it was ultimately this duel that established how big and great Yugi and Kaiba's rivalry was. 3.) Jaden vs Aster. At first, Jaden looked in control and showed that he'd learned from Aster's duel with Zane because he took quite a lead and beat one of his top monsters. Then when Aster summoned his Destiny Heroes, he really turned the duel around. For the rest of the duel, Aster had full control and an answer for every move Jaden made. Like Yugi vs Rafael, it was a good change to see Jaden struggle and not be able to save himself. These three duels were all very fun to watch because of how epic they were. Also, the fact that the protagonists lost them made the seasons better because it gave them reasons to develop as characters and as duellists. I loved Duel Monsters and liked GX and 5D's, but I wish there had been more epic duels that the protagonists lost because it would have really helped the shows.

[@ProtossTempest]

Well with Time Rules in place now, that technical win by Pegasus is a legit win to some people Hehe, I hate Konami's newer Time Rules for matches

[@MudphlapMudphlap]

I’m late to the party, and I completely get why people would disagree with me, but I would have put Yuya Vs. Jack at number 18. Yuya was about to beat Jack on the second turn, and then Jack played an action spell, completely just ignoring Stargazer Magician’s pendulum ability. Then, Yuya attacks again, and Jack plays a trap, this time completely ignoring Timegazer’s effect. Yuya should have dethrone the king on his very first turn, but the script writers just decided that pendulum effects no longer exist.

[@raina1848]

I hate that nobody ever counts the Kalin duel just because the fanboys want an excuse to give Yusei a perfect record. So what if Yusei fell off his duel runner and his counter didn't get to go to zero? He still got destroyed by that Earthbound Immortal and there was nothing he could do anymore. The game was over. The only reason they had to end it that way was because Yusei obviously needed to be around and he couldn't do that if he got absorbed and lost in that thing thanks to the dueling conditions.

[@cameraredeye3115]

What if Jack and Crow teamed up to take down Kiryu? In the anime, when a Dark Signer and his Earthbound God are defeated in a duel, everyone they captured is set free. So Yusei theoretically could have lost legit and then Jack and Crow would team up to beat Kiryu and free Yusei, bringing him back into the fight. Regardless, I do count this as a loss for Yusei and I believe it would rank as a top 3 protag loss if it were legit.

[@raina1848]

@@cameraredeye3115 I don't know how they could have done this differently tbh. That's why I hate situations like this where they don't know how to make a win "work" without some kind of negative consequence to the plot. And I just hate the idea of a character never being able to lose.

[@nexusshark]

Not to mention that Yusei barely survived that crash and almost died if he didn't have surgery.

[@Elaine14196]

Thank you Dylan for a Good Video!

[@teamfmreborn7045]

1:15 oh come on those flash cut losses were halerious especially the one to Caswell 😂

[@DungeonBricks]

Yuuya Vs Jack (round 1) is still one of the best showcases I've seen (number 3 favorite duel after Yusei vs Jack last duel and Yugi vs Athem)

[@teamfmreborn7045]

5:52 Yuga not winning was the best outcome puts that Spellcaster of a annoyance seven's road magician in its place second to a dragon

[@themantyf1116]

Nail vs Yuga is the moment that Sevens to me truly proved it could have some impressive duel (Kirishima's shenanigan around banned cards was amazing and love the unique idea behind it, but that was when the duel action itself proved great), the fact that it has a double shocker first with cyberse monsters and then with Maximum helps. To me it's in third place with Reiji's victory in second, but to be honest the first place is a duel that wasn't out yet when the video came out, the rematch against Luke. The duel against Raphael is one I like less and less the more time passes, instead. It's just too contrived, not only because activating Necromancy could have given Atem another turn, and Atem using the Seal of Orichalcos when there are no real stakes is too out of character for the sake of making him wrong and spoils the result.

[@alonsoarana5307]

Some day you'll have to do what WrestleTalk did and rank every duel ever from DM to Vrains

[@bijuutamer729]

Where’s 5Ds? People need to stop disrespecting Kalin.

[@kate_1910]

Gx and Arc V duel in top 5 YEY!!!

[@matthewlincheckjr.1606]

I like how you said this duel is forgettable when you forgot Yusei loss to Kalen, Yusei loss to Jack, and Jaden and Yugi loss to each other

[@dbzfreak60]

I think my favorite one was Jack defeating yuya. He may be a counterpart and not the same guy from 5D's, but he's my favorite main rival. Next to Seto Kaiba.

[@Till_is_alive_trust]

Ah yes, Vrains never really has any protagonists losses 😓

[@christianholzschuh6853]

The whole duel is kind of an acid trip for yudai... Uhm... This was an acid trip? Not the duel against the guy with the sleep-powers? Or the duel against the talking monkey? Or the duel against the ginzo-spirit? Or the duel against that guy who could draw what he wanted and did not use exodia? Or the fursion with an antagonist? Or when his classmate fell for an tigress? Or the duel against a soul-sucking-vampire-lady? Or the time they got hunted by duel-zombies? I would add also the dueal in an active volcano, but that seems to normal. A duel in an active vulcano was normal in GX...

[@greilthelegendaryhero252]

I got an idea. Top boss duels. What I mean by this is things like yugi vs Pegasus or marik. Basically the main protagonist vs the big bad of the season. It's a vague topic but obviously you're not obligated to do it.

[@SleepyTaylor]

ever since I watched pieguy's giant spongebob episode reviews, I always hoped more people would do something similar with other shows. I can't wait for the series review, even if you just decide to do Arc-V!

[@hikarimemeirooficial]

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon protagonists nightmare.

[@My1xT]

12:09 Ryo/Zane wasn't the hell Kaiser until the season 2 chaos.

[@alcreamiemaster7293]

Kite is the only antagonist not to lose to his protagonist

[@jayd.doubledubs]

5. Reiji Round 2 (Just a cool fight, always great to see Reiji dominating) 4. Ryo (Jaden's plot armor is not invincible) 3. Edo (Jaden's plot armor and strategies are definitely not invincible/introduction to a really clear and powerful rival) 2. Kaito Round 2 (Spectacle to watch, really did not see Kaito winning this one) 1. Rafael (How could you not put this here? Great antagonist, fantastic stakes, fitting spectacle, excellent voice delivery, etc)

[@midknight1782]

the funny thing about that is I saw jack on the thumbnail didn't think twice about it lol

[@crimsoncrusader518]

I would add the first duel with Yusei and Kiryu or Kalin.