TheYu-Gi-Oh!anime franchise has a vast cast of endearing and unique characters. While the protagonists tend to be among the most beloved cast members, many side characters have quickly become fan favorites for various reasons. Some are hilarious, bringing enjoyment to the viewers each time they appear. Others are admired for their outstanding skills, likeGX’sBastion Misawa.
A member of the prestigious Ra Yellow dorm, Bastion was once the intelligent and driven second-best first-year student in Duel Academy, behind only Jaden. Yet, once season two was released,Bastion went from a competent student to a disrespected comic relief.This treatment is one of the franchise’s biggest issues, as it constantly wastes the potential of many amazing side characters.
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Bastion’s Downfall Is A Concerning Trend In Yu-Gi-Oh!
Many Amazing Characters End Up Being Ridiculed
WhenYu-Gi-Oh! GXbegan, Bastion was introduced as an incredibly smart duelist whoused mathematics and probability to design the perfect strategy to defeat all opponents. During his test to become a Duel Academy student, he utilized his proctor’s cards against him, proving how smart he was. He would later go on to duel against Jaden in one of the series’ most interesting games. Knowing that the protagonist’s deck was based around Fusion Summoning, Bastion prepared a strategy that would prevent his opponent from ever utilizing Polymerization.
After his duel against Jaden, Bastion was mostly forgotten about, not giving him any relevance until Tania, one of the Shadow Riders trying to revivethe terrifying and overpowered Sacred Beasts, appeared. Misawa was the one tasked with defeating this fierce opponent, a task that he failed after falling in love with her in the middle of the duel. This wasthe beginning of Bastion’s ridicule, never again being treated seriously in the series. When the Society of Light appeared, Jaden’s former rival willingly succumbed to their brainwashing, demonstrating his loyalty by running shirtless through school.
In the end, the writers ofYu-Gi-Oh! GXdecided toabandon Bastion in the Duel Spirit World, where he supposedly became Tania’s partner. While not on the same level, many side characters in the franchise have been similarly treated by the plot. One of the best examples is Joey Wheeler, often considered the third-best duelist in the world. Despite his amazing skills, Joey was never given a proper final duel before the end ofDuel Monsters,being used as a plot device to make season 5’s first villain look more dangerous.
This Trend Greatly Affects the Female Characters
Most Women in the Franchise Tend to be Underutilized
Despite Bastion being the most egregious case of a side character being misused and ridiculed in Yu-Gi-Oh!, this trend tends to mostly affect female characters.Most women in the series are never given the same level of importanceor respect that their male counterparts receive. For example, Alexis Rhodes, also fromGX, was presented as the best female duelist in Duel Academy, being admired by almost all students. Nonetheless, once other male characters were introduced, Alexis became a love interest for several male students.
Other talented female duelists like Akiza, Yuzu, and Skye went through similar character arcs. Despite being introduced as impressive players who could rival even the protagonists of their respective seasons, they all ended up as mostly supporting characters, rarely ever contributing to the plot. Skye’s case is particularly upsetting, as her Trickstar deck was proven to be almost unbeatable during the beginning ofVRAINS, as proven by the strategy winning a World Championship that year. Still, she lost almost all her important duels, mostly to become a damsel in distress for Yusaku to save.
Male side characters have been affected by this curse to a lesser degree, but their ending also left a lot to be desired.Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V’s Yuto was supposedly the best duelist in the XYZ Dimension and was feared and respected thanks to his imposing Dark Rebellion Dragon,a powerful card also used by the protagonist Yuya. Even then, he was defeated almost immediately after being introduced, only to never appear again on the show. These characters are proof that the franchise has an issue with maintaining its side characters relevant.
Although not perfect,Yu-Gi-Oh!is a franchise that has brought joy to the world for more than two decades. Many characters are still among the most iconic and beloved in anime to this day. Fans will forever remember the various seasons of this emblematic franchise with love for the rest of their lives.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Cast
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX follows Jaden Yuki, a talented young duelist, as he enrolls in Duel Academy, a prestigious institution where students train to become expert duelists.
