MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes has, like many in his age group, followed Yu-Gi-Oh! on RTL2 in the early 2000s. However, he cannot forget a duel from the anime even after over 20 years, because it had an unsatisfying ending.
Which duel is it? For many, including myself, the Battle City arc in the first Yu-Gi-Oh! series is one of the best storylines of the series. New, epic cards were added and there were countless duels that pursued different concepts.
However, the biggest highlight was the villain Yami-Marik. The possessed enemy of the Pharaoh simply had a threatening and sadistic presence. In the 125th episode of the anime, which according to fernsehserien.de first aired in Germany in 2004, Joey faces Marik in the semifinals. The thrilling duel lasts for 3 episodes until Joey is about to win in episode 128. But the duel in the Shadow Realm drained so much energy from him that he collapses just before the final blow. Marik thereby wins the tournament.
Even in the manga, the duel ends this way. Joey (in the original: Katsuya Jonouchi) is on the verge of winning. He plays the monster Gerfried, but before he can execute the attack, he falls into a coma and loses.
This duel is incredibly exciting, but Joey’s defeat is a missed opportunity.
It would have been a great story
Joey’s defeat is still a disappointment for me. The duel is exciting and emotional from the beginning, as Joey wants to take revenge on Marik for his actions against Mai Valentine. The course of the duel itself is also good. Joey plays many iconic cards, such as the Insect Queen or Jinzo.
Marik also shows his best
side. He plays many nasty cards that highlight his sadistic nature well. The duel in the Shadow Realm does its part to keep the tension until the end. But the ending disappoints.
Joey has practically won, but due to his unconsciousness, he loses. That alone is a rather unsatisfying resolution that annoyed me back then. It feels like the motto is: Yugi just has to defeat the villain.
But that is a missed opportunity since Joey is one of the most exciting duelists of the series.
Joey is the loser
who never stops fighting
Why is Joey so special? Besides the supernatural characters like Yugi and Bakura and the wealthy Seto Kaiba, Joey seems, despite his fiery nature, normal. He just wants to play the game and become good at it, without relying on wealth or ancient pharaohs.
Allowing Joey to defeat the big villain would have been a good way to reward his character and diligence. In addition to successfully avenging Mai, a victory against Marik would have been a nice moment.
The Pharaoh and Kaiba get enough screen time, whether in ancient flashbacks or duels against the most important figures of the series. Joey always seems like Yugi’s sidekick, who may often duel, but mostly only against the second tier of enemies.
It is just unsatisfying to me that Joey wins the actual game, but because of the plot, he is forced to lose. For someone like me who used to enjoy playing the game, it just feels like an unfair way to lose a match.
At least a good moment from Yugi follows
Even though the duel still disappoints me, the further course of the series is really good. After Joey’s defeat and coma, Yami-Yugi sinks into self-doubt. The Pharaoh shows a weak side here and strengthens the bond with his best friend Joey.
In the manga, Kaiba also pays his respects. He accepts Joey, the character he has always looked down upon, as a true duelist who played to the death. Joey is and remains one of the most exciting characters in Yu-Gi-Oh!, because despite his nonsense, I could identify with no one from the series as well as with him. Even though he lost to Marik, he is actually not that bad: The Top 5 best duelists of Yu-Gi-Oh! shows who the real King of Games is
