Some antagonists in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise don't just play games, they play their games exceptionally well.
Bakura controls the game board of fate.
Original Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga and Duel Monsters Anime[]
- Seto Kaiba could be one in the original manga. While before he was a bully of the week, albeit a formidable one, upon his return he was a dangerously intelligent literal Chessmaster of a villain who is the CEO of his own mega corporation and comes very close to defeating Yugi at the end. While his mental instability and petty asshole tendencies could classify him as a high functioning Smug Snake at best, he retained many of his formidable traits and skills in his Anti-Villain role in the arc he reappeared in and evolved into a full-fledged Magnificent Bastard, once again coming dangerously close to defeating Yugi in their rematch and then still technically winning the duel by playing Yugi's sense of morality and concern for other's well being against him, though he gets Out-Gambitted by Pegasus afterwards. He keeps this up in the Battle City Tournament, which he organizes in order to claim all three Egyptian God cards, only starting to lose his cool and fall back on his worse habits after being defeated by Yugi, but he manages a recovery and emerges in a Blue Eyed White Dragon shaped jet from his father's now destroyed island (which he self-destructed) in a truly magnificent style, setting off to veer his life in a better direction by focusing on making new innovations with his company for the enjoyment of needy children around the world.
- In Dark Side of Dimension, Kaiba is determined to resurrect the Pharaoh by any means necessary, developing highly complex technology in his attempts. When he excavates the Millennium Puzzle, Diva attempts to kill him with the Quantum Cube, but Kaiba repels the attack without effort. Kaiba turns the ensuing duel around by summoning Obelisk the Tormentor, and while Diva escapes, he's unworried. When Kaiba learns Diva stole two of the Puzzle pieces, he kidnaps him and agrees to Yugi's demand to duel Diva at an exhibition. He only briefly loses composure when Yugi reassembles the Puzzle to confirm the Pharaoh cannot return, and his reaction to seemingly losing their duel is a smirk. When Diva returns as a corrupted monster, Kaiba sacrifices himself to keep Yugi in the game, imploring him to call the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh returns and saves everyone, taking the Puzzle with him to the afterlife. Kaiba decides to follow him there, using the Quantum Cube and his own technology to breach through to the afterlife, prepared to duel. Throughout the movie, Kaiba is in control and weathers any setbacks to succeed in getting what he wants.
- Pictured above: Yami Bakura, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring also from the original series, is perhaps an even bigger example. In his debut appearance, he's shown to be the Pharaoh's equal in being a master of all games and he manipulates all events to fit in with his "game." Afterwards, he begins a Gambit Roulette that lasts for the remainder of the series that could bring his master and other self, Zorc Necrophedes the Dark One into the living world. He has no set plan for this and just plays Xanatos Speed Chess as opportunities present themselves; he attacks a weakened Pegasus to take the Millennium Eye, he cuts deals with Marik to get his hands on the Millennium Rod, and infuses a piece of his soul in the shattered Millennium Puzzle so he can enter its complete form. He does all this while either faking a Heel Face Turn and fooling even his own host Ryo Bakura into letting him help, or pretending to be his host so well almost no one realizes which Bakura they're talking to. Any defeat or setback he suffers never sticks, Yami Bakura always finds his way back from the shadows and gets his Ring about Bakura's neck to take control of him again and keep scheming. He's such a good schemer that he ends up being the true final villain of the series, surviving up to the final story arc when he initiates his final game against Yugi and his friends, the Shadow RPG, almost destroying all of them and almost succeeding in bringing about the world's destruction. All while being gleefully, deliciously and charismatically evil the whole way through.
- Maximilian Pegasus is one of the series' most fondly remembered Big Bads by reason of this trope. He displayed magnificence in his bastardry as a Laughably Evil but Not-So-Harmless Villain who successfully pitted Yugi and Kaiba against one another through manipulations and underhanded dealings, then clobbered Kaiba in a duel, using the mind reading powers granted to him by his Millennium Eye to maintain an edge, and brutal sarcasm to unnerve him. In his duel with Yugi, he overworks Yugi to the point of failing unconscious and nearly pulled off a win, only ever losing his cool for fractions of a second whenever he appeared to be getting crushed in the duel. In the end he's proven to have an honorable streak, and releases his prisoners as part of his deal with Yugi. Only narrowly defeated by Yugi and Yami's tag-team dueling strategy, Pegasus set a high bar for subsequent villains to aspire to, and whether as a duelist, corporate raider, or user of Shadow magic, always seemed to be holding all the cards. While in the manga he gets killed off by Yami Bakura, in the anime he lives on to do more business in this series, GX, and at least two movies.
- Ishizu Ishtar, sister of Marik and Rishid/Odion, vowed to stop the former's dark side at all costs to save her brother. To this end, she took possession of the Millennium Tauk/Necklace, using its power of predicting the future to win duels. Ishizu uses Kaiba to organize the Battle City Tournament to lure out her brothers and their criminal organization, the Ghouls/Rare Hunters, by using the many duelists as bait, nudging Yugi to enter the tournament as well. Advancing to the quarter finals, Ishizu uses her powers to back Kaiba into a corner and, after her loss, entrusts her will to Yugi in hopes that she can save Marik.
- Dartz, ancient ruler of Atlantis, had 10,000 years to complete his master plan, and it shows. He's set everything up so that no matter whether he and his minions win or lose, he still wins. He is the richest and most powerful man in the world owning a tiny piece of every company on Earth, and has enough capital to buy out Kaiba-Corp for no other reason than to provoke Kaiba. He has supernatural powers that outshine anything Yami Yugi has in his arsenal (The Power of Friendship excluded, naturally), has assembled the most broken deck in the series, and survived monster armies, Egyptian Gods and the loss of his own soul before he was defeated.
- Shadi remained the primary guardian of the Millennium Items even after death. Once a tomb keeper at Kul Elna, Shadi showed no mercy in punishing thieves and other criminals while being kind enough to take in orphans. In the present, Shadi makes his first appearance by testing and murdering a man who defiled a mummy. Taking an interest in protagonist Yugi Moto and the Millennium Puzzle, Shadi brainwashes Professor Yoshimori and Anzu Mazaki, using the former to distract Katsuya Jonouchi while keeping Anzu as a hostage. Shadi then subjects Dark Yugi to a series of mental challenges, with Anzu's life on the line, and accepted defeat when the boy proved himself worthy. Later, it's revealed that Shadi had a hand in both Starts of Darkness of Maximillian Pegasus and Marik Ishtar, setting them up as opponents for Yugi. However, in the end, Shadi proves himself an ally of Pharoah Atem by aiding him and his friends in the Memory World before sacrificing himself in the fight against Zorc.
- In Dark Side of Dimension, Diva was once a student under Shadi, and one of the children that could wield the dimensional powers of the Plana. After Shadi was killed by Dark Bakura, Diva swore revenge on the killer's host, adopting the identity of "Aigami" to get close to him and Yugi. Upon learning of Kaiba's quest to bring back Atem, which would result in the Plana and it's power disappearing, Diva dueled Kaiba in an attempt to stop him, and when that failed stole two pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. Confronting and banishing Bakura to another dimension, Diva was forced into a duel with Yugi by Kaiba, where he attempted to coax Yugi into joining him before trying to kill him. Though the events that transpired resulted in Atem's brief return and the Plana vanishing, Diva ultimately accepted his loss.
Toei Anime Series[]
- Yami Yugi, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle inhabiting Yugi Muto, proves to be a very smart and manipulative gamer. Challenging bullies and other threats to Shadow Games, Yami Yugi exposes their true character before using his Penalty Games to Mind Rape them into submission. Yami Yugi also shows a sense of mercy sparing opponents that he felt were worthy or kind enough after their defeats. In spite of constant challenges from opponents such as Seto Kaiba and his various henchmen, Yami Yugi prevails through their games, eventually resulting in him Mind Crushing Kaiba to free him of his darkness.
- Risa Kageyama sets her sights on Yugi Moto when he obtains the Violet Hecate card. Giving him love letters and other tokens of affection, she acts too charming for him to turn her down, and gets her sisters to foil Anzu Mazaki's attempts to help Yugi when he has a cold. When Yugi refuses to give her the card, Risa steals it and the Millennium Puzzle with a whip, challenging him to a duel to get it back. Yugi is losing the duel when Seto Kaiba takes over, and when he draws a Blue-Eyes White Dragon the Kageyama Sisters counter with the powerful Gorgon, only losing when he draws another, but aside from this loss, the sisters receive no comeuppance. Manipulative and able to act completely innocent, Risa's pretty face hides a scheming mind.
- Aileen Rao is Kaiba's third Game Master who has never lost a game before, has hypnotic powers, and excels in trickery and reading her opponents. Gleaning that Anzu is important to Yugi, she takes her hostage and endangers her life to prevent Yugi from learning the rules of raijinhai, nearly defeating him twice in a row. Upon her defeat, she accepts her loss gracefully and frees Anzu, telling Kaiba that Yugi is stronger than he is. At Death-T's fighting game she defeats Jonouchi in combat before the power of friendship gives him a second wind, also complimenting his strength. Yugi himself compliments Aileen's strength and strategic mind, acknowledging her as a Worthy Opponent.
- In The Movie, Seto Kaiba proves himself to be Yugi's greatest opponent, setting up a Duel Monsters gaming center to attract duelists and their rare cards. Upon learning of Shougo Aoyama's Red Eyes Black Dragon, Kaiba sets up a mandatory tournament in order to claim the card for himself. Sending his goons to first kidnap Shougo and then to steal the Red Eyes, Kaiba takes Yugi's Millennium Puzzle as a hostage in order to lure his rival into confrontation. Unveiling his new virtual reality system, Kaiba almost defeats Yugi through his brilliant strategies, and upon losing, accepts his defeat.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX[]
- Professor Lyman Banner, also known as Amnael, is the last of the Shadow Riders sent to defeat the heroes and awaken the Three Sacred Beasts. After contracting a disease that's slowly killing him, Banner uses his knowledge of alchemy to create artificial bodies for the sake of prolonging his life. Posing as the headmaster of the Slifer Red dorm, he manages to avoid suspicion while supplying information to his leader, Kagemaru. Once it becomes time to engage the heroes, Banner easily defeats Chazz, Alexis, and Atticus while giving Jaden Yuki his closest victory yet. Upon being defeated, Banner gives Jaden a card to help him defeat Kagemaru before being reduced to a spirit.
- Sartorius Kumar is the head of the Society of Light, corrupted to evil by the Light of Destruction. Born with the power to see the future, he seeks out promising duelists with the power to defy fate and turn them to his cause so they can't stand in his way and derail his plans. He does this through a combination of lectures and brainwashing, telling his victims that only he can help them get what they want, convincing them they want to join the Society. Through these methods he takes over the top dorm of Duel Academy, makes all of its students his loyal followers, and plans to use a Kill Sat to destroy the world (mind control humanity in the English dub) in the name of cleansing, purifying light.
- Yubel is a demonic Duel Spirit and the mastermind behind the seeming main villain of Season 3, Professor Viper. Making a deal with Viper to revive his dead son in exchange for gathering Duel Energy to regenerate her body, she disposes of Viper and transports Duel Academy to another dimension to continue her plans herself, possessing the body of student Marcel as a host. She orchestrates Jaden's horrific Trauma Conga Line in order to awaken his dormant alter-ego, the Supreme King, so Jaden can complete the Super Polymerization card and then she can take it for herself and use it to fuse the twelve dimensions into one. Why? Because she was in love with Jaden's alter-ego in his past life, and she will do anything to rule over the multiverse with Jaden and keep him all to herself. Yubel is what happens when a love sick Stalker with a Crush decides to conquer what they see in the name of proving their love to someone.
- Adrian Gecko, the champion of East Academy, had a desire for power since he was a child. Infiltrating Viper’s lab after a series of manipulation, Adrian finds out about Yubel. Agreeing to spy on Jaden for her in exchange for a portion of her power, Adrian eventually finds the seal of Exodia, intending to make it his servant and betray Yubel. Upon finding out that the sacrifice of a loved one is required, Adrian convinces his childhood friend, Echo, to sacrifice herself to break the seal. Adrian later takes the opportunity to duel a weakened Yubel, declaring that he’ll become the king of the alternate dimension. During the duel, Adrian reveals that his motive is to create a utopia where nobody has to suffer. Cunning and adapting to almost any setback, Adrian proved to be willing to go through any length to rule as a benevolent king.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's[]
- Rex Goodwin is a very different sort of villain given the genre. He rose to this position after being stranded and forgotten in the slum of Satellite, and has single-handedly turned Neo Domino City into a classist technological utopia under his control. For all of the first season, he operates behinds behind the scenes, manipulating the Five Signers in order to force them to reveal themselves and awaken their powers, then, while maintaining a calm, friendly demeanor, he presents himself to them as a mentor and benefactor who would aid them in their war against the Dark Signers led by his brother Roman. However, Rex is playing both groups against each other to make his own play for power, allowing Roman to kill him so he can become a Dark Signer, and then using Roman's severed arm bearing his Signer Mark to make himself a Signer. Transforming himself into a Yin-Yang Bomb with the power of both groups, Goodwin seeks to destroy and recreate the world, and almost succeeded if not for The Power of Friendship overriding his willpower to force the Signer marks to obey him.
- Jack Atlas is the arrogant and proud Duel King of the Synchro Dimension who dueled his way to the top of New Domino's brutal social hierarchy. When the Lancers come to the city seeking allies against the Fusion Dimension, Jack meets Yuya in an exhibition duel and insults his dueling as self-indulgent. Observing the Fortune Cup play out, Jack dismisses duelists who make empty displays of power but appreciates those who show genuine spirit and drive. When he and Yuya face each other in the finals, Jack motivates Yuya to forge his own path with his dueling, and responds by unveiling an even stronger evolution of his ace monster. Yuya still prevails and Jack welcomes his defeat with open arms, thrilled at finding a Worthy Opponent with skill and soul to match his own. The former Duel King returned several times in the future to aid Yuya and his allies, serving as a symbol to always push past their own limits and never let anything deter them from their chosen path.
- Jakob is the leader of The Three Emperors of Yliaster. Manifested from the despair Aporia felt due to feeling alone, Jakob works alongside Primo and Lester to prevent the future apocalypse. Manipulating the events that caused Zero Reverse to stop the creation of Ener-D, upon it's faliure, Jakob decides to summon Ark Cradle to have it crash onto Neo Domino City. Jakob gathers duel energy to summon Ark Cradle by having Jack duel an impostor that framed him for crimes, and by organizing the WRGP tournament, constantly adapting to the insubordination from Primo along the way. Later having the three enter the tournament directly by altering time to cover Yliaster's tracks, Jakob has Lester and Primo deliberately lose in their duel against Team 5Ds in order to boost his life points as well as the power of his ace monster to nigh-unstoppable levels.
- Z-ONE is the secret leader of Yliaster and the final villain in the series. Surviving the apocalypse which wiped out the world's population, Z-ONE went back in time to prevent it from happening, even if it meant dropping the Ark Cradle on Neo Domino City. To ensure this, he gives Yusei Fudo Shooting Star Dragon to create enough Duel Energy for the Ark Cradle to manifest. Upon being confronted by the reformed Aporia, Z-ONE easily defeats him while maintaining a polite demeanor. Requiring the combined efforts of Team 5D's and the betrayal of Antinomy, Z-ONE decides to spare Yusei's life in place of his own, pleased that he will reunite with his friends.
- Bruno, real name Antinomy, is a D-Wheeler from the future and one of Z-ONE's friends. Having his memories removed to be an effective False Friend, Antinomy teaches Yusei Accel Synchro in order to create enough Duel Energy to make the Ark Cradle destroy Neo Domino City. When the time comes for him to have a Duel to the Death with Yusei, Bruno chooses to remain loyal to Team 5D's and teaches him Delta Accel Synchro while not holding back. Faithful to his new friends in the present day, Bruno is mourned by Yusei, who uses what he learned to defeat Z-ONE.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal[]
- Vector was behind most of the plot from the show's beginning, but the second season has him play near the entire main cast for saps for about 20 episodes as Shingetsu, give no fucks when his plan to turn Astral evil backfires and creates Dark Zexal (he almost wins because of it, too), show his utter dedication to absolutely burying the main cast for beating him last season and eventually obtaining the Numbers in order to destroy the Astral World, and realize that using friendship against Yuma is most likely the best way to beat him. And even after all that, he's still a likeable villain because of the sheer respect you have to have for his dedication to his plans and his hammy, entertaining personality.
- Eliphas is the God of the Astral World who sent Astral out on his mission. Believing absolute order to be the only way for his world to survive, he tries to have his people who created him Rank-Up to combat the Barian World. When Yuma intervenes and challenges him to a duel, Eliphas makes full use of Shining Draw to give Yuma his biggest challenge yet. Upon losing said duel, Eliphas becomes more flexible and comes to accept The Power of Friendship. During the duel against Don Thousand, Eliphas takes Astral's place in a Heroic Sacrifice, tossing him Rank-Up-Magic Astral Force and entrusting the future of the Astral World to him.
- Nasch, formerly known as Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro, reassumes his identity after regaining his memories. Wanting to protect the Barian World at all costs, he leads the Barian Emperors' assault to wipe out Yuma and his friends. After getting caught in Vector's snaring trap and witnessing the deaths of Durbe and Merag, Nasch breaks free and defeats Vector, surpassing the latter's many tricks. Nasch teams up with Yuma shortly afterwards to defeat a common enemy in Don Thousand, being granted the latter's powers after they win. He then uses those powers to engage Yuma and Astral in one of the franchise's most climactic showdowns, only losing due to circumstances that he couldn't have known about. Never letting go of his reasons to fight, Nasch says goodbye to Yuma and Astral before dying, calling them his two best friends.
- Astral is the final opponent that Yuma faces to secure his desired happy ending. Believing the Barian World to be the root of all chaos, he intends to use the Numeron Code to wipe it from history, even if its inhabitants aren't necessarily evil. Yuma challenges him to a duel for the fate of the universe, where Astral shows just how versatile he can be with all of his memories and Numbers restored. Understanding how mentally broken Yuma is in the aftermath of recent battles, Astral becomes a Warrior Therapist to help him recover from his trauma. When Astral loses the arduous duel, he spares the Barian World and its people, hoping to find another way to maintain peace.
Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V[]
- Yuri is Leo Akaba's right hand man and most dangerous subordinate. Realizing that he shares a face with three other characters, he instigates a fight between Yuto and Yugo to indirectly rid one of his future enemies. When he's sent to the Standard Dimension to capture Yuzu, Yuri is shown to not need any help to be feared by others. Eventually gaining the chance to duel Yugo, he defeats and absorbs him, obtaining his Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Despite losing to Yuya afterwards, Yuri succeeds in resurrecting Zarc, exactly as he planned. Upon being freed from Zarc's influence, he decides to help the heroes defeat him and bring smiles to everyone. Overcoming all setbacks throughout the series, Yuri stands above all schemers within the narrative in terms of success, style, and improvising.
- The series also gives as an antiheroic example in Declan Akaba, who is behind most of plot involving the heroic side. He has good intentions and is anything but a jerk, but he would go so far as to appear like one to recruit Yuya to his team. Oh, and he suspected Dennis when no-one else did.
Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS[]
- Lightning is the true mastermind behind the entire plot of the series. During the Lost Incident he mentally tortured his then 6 years old Origin Jin Kusanagi, and made him the Empty Shell he is today, then he implanted a computer virus on his creator Dr.Kogami and made him think SOL was responsible for putting him comatose, avoiding punishment. Years later he destroyed his home world using Bohman to prevent himself from being suspected and rewrote the pure Windy's program and forced him to become his loyal ally. After imprisoning Aqua he implanted a computer virus on her Origin Miyu so that the former can't join forces with her, he then stole Jin's consciousness and turned him into lifeless puppet and uses him as a meat shield whenever he is in a disadvantage situation. Even after being on death's door from his duel with Revolver, Lightning was able to empower Bohman, his creation, which grants him a desirable outcome despite his condition.
- "Revolver", real name Ryoken Kogami, is the leader of the Knights of Hanoi one of Link VRAINS' best duelists. After his father, Dr. Kiyoshi Kogami was put on life support, Revolver swore to eliminate the Ignis in his name, believing their existence to be a threat to humanity. Combining new cards with older Trap Cards, Revolver holds his own against several opponents, only losing through foul play or his opponents being even better. After being defeated by Yusaku Fujiki in the climax of season 1, he returns to form an Enemy Mine with the heroes and sets his sights on Bohman's faction. During his duel with Soulburner, he gives him advice on how to move on from his trauma and faces his eventual defeat with dignity. In the end, Revolver and the Knights of Hanoi reform and decide to safeguard Link VRAINS, with him giving Yusaku a card to use in the final battle.
Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS[]
- Nail Saionji is a highly competent duelist and hacker, excelling at everything he does. As an enemy of Yuga Ohda and a Goha Corporation programmer, Nail attempts to end Rush Duels by granting a series of penalties to Yuga and his associates whenever any of them lose a duel. Nail's dueling strategy eschews The Magic Poker Equation by focusing on drawing multiple cards and searching his deck for the pieces of his ace monster. Using his massive intellect, Nail discovered some unused space within the Rush Duel code to invent Maximum Summoning, a power that changes the status quo of the series. Requiring Yuga's friends to sacrifice their accounts to be defeated, he proves to be a Graceful Loser, restoring the lost accounts and pulls a Heel–Face Turn, becoming a reliable ally.
Video Games[]
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories: Priest Seto, the Egyptian version of Seto Kaiba, started out as a minion of Heishin and subdues Prince Atem for his boss to murder both the Pharaoh and his wife. Giving the Millennium Items to Heishin's guards, Seto intends on manipulating the vengeful prince to defeat and claim them, only for Seto to then defeat the prince and take them for himself. Planning on betraying Heishin to conquer Egypt for himself with the use of DarkNite, Seto gives the prince hints to stop DarkNite when it turns them both into cards, never losing his charm or ability to adapt through all the challenges he faces.
- His descendant in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelist of the Roses, C. Seto Rosenkreuz, is the leader of the Yorkist army, and his tactics are the primary reason for their military success at the beginning of the game. His goals are to combine his side's White Rose Cards with the opposing Lancastrians' Red Rose cards, summoning a Physical God to renew a pact that will ensure his rule over the world forever. When the Lancastrians summon the Rose Duelist to aid the war effort, Seto offers a well-thought-out argument for the Rose Duelist joining his team instead. Should they accept, he leads them in dismantling the Lancastrian army, and should they refuse, he's unworried and works it into his plans. The climax of Yugi's campaign has him successfully summon Manawyddan fab Llyr regardless of the player's victory in a duel with him; in Seto's campaign he quickly realizes the spirit isn't the one he's looking for and gives instructions on how to send it back. Afterwards Seto escapes and vows to continue looking for the true Card Guardian, additionally honoring his promise to the Rose Duelist to send them home and giving them a pendant as thanks for their service. Regardless of which side the player chooses, Seto's goals are realized, and he stands out as the most charismatic, intelligent character in the game.