Yu-Gi-Oh!is one of the most iconic trading card games with thousands of cards, multiple series, and a manga to chronicle each individual story. While many might be familiar with the iconic duels and one-liners from the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, the manga is a completely different beast to experience.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga can get darker, has a few more diverse games, and even takes different routes when it comes to expanding individual characters. In fact, sometimes the anime does a better job at making you love one specific character. So which is better? Is it the manga or the anime?
8The Duels - The Anime
The Power Of Sound
The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime’s primary purpose is to sell children’s trading cards. So not only does it need the monsters to look cool, but it also needs to make the duels exciting. That’s not to say that the manga doesn’t do it well, but the anime just has more duels in general to get hyped over.
It also has the advantage of having sound effects, voices, and music to ramp up the tension and action. It’s this element that makes you want to play the game more and have this imaginary orchestra playing in your head as you reveal your ultimate strategy.
7The Protagonist - The Manga
Yugi And Dark Yugi
The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga treats little Yugi much better than the anime, especially in terms of design and backstory. While the anime skims over Yugi’s origin and has him meet Kaiba immediately, the manga shows what Yugi was like before the puzzle. Yugi is shown to be a pacifist, has very few friends, and has a scrawnier design. Yugi is willing to step up against bullies and, in doing so, is able to solve the puzzle for the first time.
This introduces us to Dark Yugi. Unlike the anime, this spirit isn’t just about the heart of the cards. If you mess with him, he will condemn you in a variety of different ways. While Dark Yugi gets less sinister as the series progresses, he is more willing to dish out vengeance to those who deserve it than his anime counterpart. The point goes to the manga.
6The Villains - The Anime
Darker Villains Don’t Always Win
Since there are no filler arcs, characters like Dartz and Noah don’t really make an appearance. This leaves all the focus on the main villains of the series, such as Bakura, Marik, Pegasus, and Seto Kaiba. These villains and their plots are usually more gruesome. In fact, Bakura is a savage for ripping out Pegasus’s eye and killing him. Even Kaiba murders multiple people to get the first three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Yet the anime has more time to make these characters iconic. Pegasus is a threat that later becomes fun to watch and somewhat of an ally. Even Kaiba has more of a presence in the anime since his manga counterpart goes into a coma, revives himself, and then isn’t present during the final duel. The point goes to the anime.
5The Shadow Games - The Manga
When Shadow Games Live Up To Their Name
Sure, Yu-Gi-Oh! is going tofocus on Duel Monsterseventually. However, one of the most iconic aspects of both are the shadow games; the anime plays around with how dark they can get. In some cases, buzz saws that chop off your legs get turned into blades that send your soul to the shadow realm.
The manga shoves shadow games every chance it gets. Not everyone is going to be put into a coma like Kaiba, but many antagonists get punished for being bullies, getting too greedy, or committing crimes. This almost makes Yugi feel like a superhero who has the power to dish out justice through games.
4The Pacing - The Manga
No Filler And Easier To Get Into
The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga has 38 volumes and 343 chapters to get through. The anime has 228 episodes, which include filler arcs. While the manga clears the anime in terms of pacing, there is a trade-off that occurs, making both worth getting into. The anime may be full of filler, but some of the most memorable are exclusive to it.
Joey and Yugi don’t duel during the Duelist Kingdom arc. Joey concedes, knowing that Yugi is the best bet to beat Pegasus. The anime lets us see the duel while also showing how far Joey has evolved. Without filler, Yu-Gi-Oh! is more concise, which helps readers stick with the story all the way through.
3The Arcs - The Anime
Some Filler Arcs Are Worth It
The manga may beat the anime in terms of pacing, but in terms of arcs and content, the anime might just have it beat. This is because the anime has way more duels and interactions between characters. You get arcs like the Noah arc that go deeper into Kaiba’s hopes and aspirations. It also introduces the concept of deck masters, which later became its own custom format.
Meanwhile, the added lore that Duel Monsters are older than Egypt and have roots in Atlantis is a cool concept. The Seal of Orichalcos is an iconic mechanic that is exclusive to the anime and results in the iconic “Monstah Cardo!” moment.
2The Supporting Characters - Manga
The Manga Versions Feel More Complete
When it comes to supporting characters, both the manga and the anime do very different things with them. The manga has more time before Duelist Kingdom, where Yugi’s friends are given more backstory as to how they all meet. You also have the subplot of Tea crushing on Dark Yugi after he saves her, but not realizing exactly who her savior was.
Tristan also falls into this category, since the anime has him play Duel Monsters occasionally, while the manga has him participate in some of the earlier non-duels. One example is Tristan being the MVP in a rigged game of laser tag at Kaiba Land. This point goes to the manga for letting them play games, and for giving them chapters where the entire plot revolves around them.
1The Tone - Manga
Slice-Of-Life Or World Ending Catastrophe?
When all is said and done, it really comes down to how the show presents itself. The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga is more about games, dark penalties, and almost touches uponthe horror genrewith how it portrays these punishment games. However, as the series progresses, it takes a more slice-of-life approach whenever there aren’t duels to be had.
The anime’s tone feels more action-oriented. This is because monsters are constantly going at each other during the duels and almost every arc has at least one villain trying to destroy or take over the world. The manga still keeps some of these important events, but it also focuses on each individual character’s daily lives and personal problems. You also get unique games that fit into each chapter’s plot which, at times, can be even more fun than the constant duels. The game goes to the manga.
