Yu-Gi-Oh!

“Yu-Gi-Oh!” is a popular Japanese animated “franchise” created by Kazuki Takahashi. Originally a hit in Japan, “Yu-Gi-Oh!” has found strong success in the United States, as well, and is one of several Japanese anime and magna that have done well across the ocean, following in the footsteps of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Pokemon. “Yu-Gi-Oh!” has a story line that always involves characters playing one another in a card game called “Duel Monsters.”

“Duel Monsters” is a card game where each player buys, and then assembles, a deck of cards in an attempt to defeat each other. The decks are made of three different types of cards: Monsters, Magic, and Trap cards. The specific use of these cards is what determines each individual hand strength. Since the story line is repetitive and basic by some standards, in the United States “Yu-Gi-Oh!” has done especially well as children’s programming.

“Yu-Gi-Oh!” started as a magna, back in 1996, but has grown at an astounding rate into what can only be described as a global franchise. There have been two additional magna series’ (think sequels), three anime series, two movies, as well as the real-life version of the card game. This has sold millions of cards, not to mention the massive amount of clothing, toys, and even video games. Quite an empire to spawn out of what started out as a simple magna series.

The original series ran from 1996 to early 2004. The manga, which is where the entire “Yu-Gi-Oh!” craze strats, initially focuses on Yugi Mutou as he uses games to fight various villains. Yugi also gets into misadventures with his friends Katsuya Jonouchi, Anzu Mazaki, and Hiroto Honda. It is only later on where the plot arc shifts to include the well known duels between them and villains, and where the arc of the story that is well known and accepted now actually takes hold.

The amazing success of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” shows the continued popularity of magna and anime, and the amazing popularity both can attain, even with audiences outside of Japan. “Yu-Gi-Oh!” followed several other anime and magnas from Japan to the United States, and its strong success in both places is a tell-tale sign that more will follow.