Summary
EveryYu-Gi-Oh!anime protagonist has their signature card. This is a monster that becomes their go-to when the going gets tough. In some stories, these monsters have a personal history with their user that goes back to the ancient past. In others, they are but one of many cards that need to be collected during the adventure.
While some monsters are more iconic than others due to their history, which ones have been the most useful in the TCG? When you stack every protagonist’s signature monster together, there can only be one true victor.
10Galactica Oblivion - Yudias
A Go Rush Exclusive Card
If you’ve never heard of this card, it’s because it technically doesn’t have a printing in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. However, Yudai’s signature monster does have a printing and an archetype in Japan’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel format.
As far as signature monsters go, Galactica Oblivion is a cool-looking monster. It also has the benefit of being part of its own exclusive Galaxy Type. This makes Galactica Oblivion unique for what it is despite not having a counterpart in the TCG.
9Seven Roads Magician - Yuga Ohdo
Beefing Up In Its Own Format
Another card exclusive to the Rush Duel format is Seven Roads Magician. This monster does not appear in the TCG, so it doesn’t have any particular history within the game’s meta. However, it fits perfectly with the pacing of Rush Duels.
You can send a card from the top of your deck to the graveyard, then have Seven Roads Magician gain 300 attack for each different Attribute found within it. This can result in a pretty heavy beatstick with an easy graveyard set up.
8The Dark Magician - Atem
Needs Additional Support
The Dark Magician may havethe power of nostalgia on its side, but does it stack up against the other signature monsters? Not really. In fact, this card is only really good if you’re running a deck that revolves around it. During the Duel Monsters era, it was even shown up by The Summoned Skull which had nearly the same amount of attack and only required one tribute to bring out.
On the bright side, The Dark Magician is still usable in the TCG. Thanks to the nostalgia factor, it even gets plenty of neat printings for collectors to chase after. What it needs though, isthe Blue-Eyes treatment.
7Elemental Hero Neos - Jaden Yuki
Jeden Yuki’s Deck Gets A Makeover
Jaden Yuki has two signature cards that get just as much presence in the anime. However, as it is, Elemental Hero Neos is the weaker of the two. The archetype also doesn’t fare too well despite having plenty of fusions to go into. Luckily, Elemental Hero Neos has a great backstory in the anime to make up for it.
Drawn by Jaden Yuki himself, Elemental Hero Neos waslaunched into space as part of a competition set up by Kaiba. His drawings eventually became the card through cosmic energies and imbued with the duel spirit of the monster depicted.
6Gandora The Dragon Of Destruction - Yugi Muto
Yugi Muto’s Secret Signature Monster
One thing to note is that Yugi Muto and the Pharaoh Atem have very different ace monsters. With The Dark Magician leaning more towards Atem’s side, Yugi’s lesser-known signature monster is Gandora The Dragon of Destruction. This card appears in only a few episodes, but is labeled as Yugi’s ace in Duel Links.
This card may seem powerful at first glance with the ability to destroy and banish everything on the field for half your life points. However, destroying can trigger many different effects and most importantly, it cannot be Special Summoned. This card is important enough thatit even got a retrainfor Yugi’s return in the movie, Yu-Gi-Oh!: Dark Side of Dimensions.
5Elemental Hero Flame Wingman - Jaden Yuki
When Heroes Combine
The Flame Wingman isn’ta game-breaking card, but it has one powerful effect if you can bring him out. Used by Jaden Yuki, this monster can dish out some sweet burn damage whenever it destroys another monster in battle.
As a Fusion Monster, this card can be brought out as a Special Summon as long as you have the appropriate cards. Design-wise, The Flame Wingman is one of those monsters that truly looks like the ingredients used to create it. It is Jaden Yuki’s first signature monster and the best one at that.
4Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - Yuga Sakaki
The Pendulum Zone Arrives
Unlike some of the earlier signature monsters, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon has effects. The downside is that they are either too slow or don’t do much to lock in the game. With a pendulum scale of four, it isn’t exactly the best choice to slap in the Pendulum Zone.
It can search out a card, but it happens during the End Phase. So, unless you’re searching out some sort of niche, undiscovered hand trap, it isn’t really doing much that matters during your turn. Despite everything, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon has a great design to pull it through.
3Stardust Dragon - Yusei Fudo
A Legendary Signer Dragon
Stardust Dragon is an excellent signature monster in Yusei Fudo’s arsenal. It is also one ofthe best cards from the 5Ds eraof the game. Unlike many of the signature monsters that came before it, it has an ability that has survived the test of time.
Being able to negate a destruction effect and having Stardust Dragon revive itself after the dust clears is way too good of an effect. Not only does the card have a significant place within the plot of 5Ds, but being instantly useable in the game during the era’s launch makes it top-tier.
2Number 39: Utopia - Yuma Tsukumo
The Hunt For Number Monsters
Asone of the earliest Xyz Monsters, Number 39: Utopia made a splash the moment it entered circulation. Its materials are all generic as long as they are level fours. Each time you detach one, you can stop an attack from going through.
Interestingly enough, Utopia has an additional ruling that is exclusive to the anime. This is where only number monsters can destroy other number monsters. The card also received additional support, making it one of the few signature monsters that can potentially OTK a player.
1Firewall Dragon - Yusako Fujiki
A Signature Monster So Powerful It Got Nerfed
Firewall Dragon is one of the first big Link Monsters to be released. In fact, it was so powerful that it needed an errata to make it balanced. It introduced the concept of Link Arrows and the benefits of putting monsters wherever this card points to.
Whenever a monster dies in the appropriate spot, you could immediately Special Summon another one from your hand. This got nerfed in later printings where the monsters you could bring out were limited to cyberse monsters. you may only do it once per turn following the change.
