The 10 Best Episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh, ranked

Yu-Gi-Oh might have only been a thinly veiled guise to sell trading cards to children, but I’ll send anyone to the Shadow Realm who tries to claim it wasn’t a good one. While duelists from Pokemon risked nothing but their pride, Yu-Gi-Oh characters battled for the fate of their SOULS.

10. The Heart of the Cards

If you were a child of the ’90s, odds are that you remember this episode. The Heart of the Cards this the one that started it all. It’s the first step of a long, perilous journey. We get an introduction to Yugi, the character with perhaps the greatest characters in anime history, along with the concept of “The Heart of the Cards”, the unknowable, spiritual force that duelists must surrender to in times of strife. Plus we get to watch Yugi pull Exodia the Forbidden One and absolutely decimate Seto Kaiba. Delicious.

9. Face Off, Part 3

This episode will forever be burned into my brain as the moment when Yu-Gi-Oh got REAL. Before Face Off, Part 3 duelists were just fighting to become champions, nobody’s actual lives were on the line. In an unbelievably gutsy (and totally cheap) move, Seto Kaiba stands on a steep ledge, challenged Yugi to destroy his duel monster, the resulting shockwave sending Kaiba to his death. Yami Yugi is happy to oblige, but Yugi has to intervene. It’s the moment when you realize that Yami Yugi might be the protagonist, but he’s not actually the good guy.

8. Match of the Millennium – Yugi vs Pegasus Part III

The Match of the Millennium duel is Yugi’s battle with one of the most slay characters ever created: Maximillion Pegasus. With a perfect blowout, impeccable fashion taste, and oodles of attitude, Maximillion Pegasus was brat before brat was even a glint in Charlie XCX’s eye. While Pegasus ends up defeated, it’s the perfect example of how he is one of the most threatening and fabulous villains to ever grace the show.

7. In the Name of the Pharaoh

Not even Seto Kaiba could handle the furious onslaught of series baddie Zorc! In the Name of the Pharaoh sees the good guys in a down and out moment, back to the wall on the brink of disaster. In classic Yu-Gi-Oh fashion, the gang snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. How? Yami Yugi finally remembers his true identity: The Pharaoh Atem. It’s a shocker backstory moment that fleshes out the best character in the show.

6. The Final Face Off, Part 4

Oh man, how’s Yugi gonna get out of this one? Evil Marik is easily one of the most chilling antagonists that Yugi has ever had to face. We’re loooooong past the days when defeat meant nothing but losing bragging points. People are gonna DIE. With his soul on the line, Yugi (with the help of frenemy Kaiba) is able to pull himself back from the brink with THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA. ONE OF THE HYPEST CARDS IN THE ENTIRE GAME. THIS THING IS THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF A LITERAL GOD.

5. The Fate of the Pharaoh: Part 3

While epic monster card summons and last ditch victories are fun and all, the real heart of the cards of Yu-Gi-Oh is the relationship between Yugi and Yami Yugi/Atem. The pair don’t always see eye to eye (Yami and Yugi certainly disagreed when it came to the question of killing Kaiba) but the pair put aside their sometimes murderous differences in order to form a loving bond. That bond couldn’t be made more clear in this episode, when Yugi sacrifices his very soul for his Pharaoh friend. It’s an emotional moment for all, Atem especially.

4. Clash in the Coliseum: Part 3

The Clash in the Coliseum five parter is easily one of the best duels in the entire series. It’s the true knock down, drag out slugfest between Yugi and his longtime rival Seto Kaiba. The pair spent the first two episodes of the duel rushing to play their Egyptian God Cards, and now that moment has come. Yugi’s Obelisk the Tormentor challenges Kaiba’s Slifer the Sky Dragon in a monster heavyweight championship of the world bout.

3. The Final Face Off: Part 5

The Final Face Off: Part 5 marks the end of Yugi’s battle against Evil Marik, one of the show’s deadliest antagonists. Unlike other episodes where victory is cinched through a Heart of the Cards powered luck of the draw card pull, Evil Marik is defeated by… himself. Yugi’s battle with Evil Marik ends with good Marik taking control of himself once again. It’s a reminder of one of the show’s central themes: that even in the depths of darkness, redemption is possible.

2. Clash in the Coliseum, Part 6

The Clash in the Coliseum: Part 6 is the conclusion of the greatest Yugi vs. Kaiba duel in the show. Yammi Yugi gives Kaiba a therapy session disguised as a duel, telling Seto that a life spent wallowing in hatred is no way to live. Yami Yugi then goads Kaiba into unleashing all his hatred against him, only to turn the tables at the last second and lay some serious smackdown on Kaiba’s seemingly invincible Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The crown jewel of this episode? The jaw dropping animation with which Seto and Yugi’s attacks and counterattacks are rendered. We’ve come a long, long way from the low budget days of season one, baby.

1. The Final Duel: Part 4

The Final Duel four parter is easily the best duel in the entire show. Rather than give all four episodes the top 1 – 4 slots, the number #1 pick on this list goes to the conclusion of the battle. The Final Duel serves as a culmination of everything that Yu-Gi-Oh is. It’s a series about wrestling with oneself, trusting in the power of good, and never giving up. Yugi’s final duel with Atem serves as the last lesson the Pharaoh can teach the young duelist, and serves as Yugi’s ultimate test in both the strength of his dueling strategies and his heart.

(Featured Image: Toei Animation)