Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

This is a collection of some background on Yu-Gi-Oh!, and some information about this page.

  • What does Yu-Gi-Oh! mean? Is it Japanese or something?
  • Yes, it's Japanese. It's also a play on the main character's name. Yugi means game or play (for another comparison, there is another animated series called Fushigi Yugi, which translates to "mysterious play"). The ending, ou, indicates royalty, its tense meaning "king." Thus, the name is "The Game King" or "King of Games" (either is correct; it's just a matter of semantics of which one you'd like to use).


  • So, is the "other" Yugi called Yugioh?
  • No, there is no character called that. The title is just a description that the "other" Yugi is actually the king of games. In the animated series and comic, they refer to him as the "other" Yugi. In other media (games, magazines, etc.), they refer to him as the "Dark Yugi". Coincidentally, the name that they give for him in the English version, Yami Yugi on the official site, yami actually means "dark" or "darkness."


  • How much has been changed from the Japanese version??
  • Well, aside from the names of almost all of the characters, and most of the card names (check other sections of this page for more information about that), about eighty to ninety percent of the dialogue has been changed from the Japanese version.


  • Is it true that there was a previous Yu-Gi-Oh! season? Why didn't they broadcast it here?
  • No, there was not a previous season. There was a previous series. There are several reasons that the previous series was not released in English, among them being: both series are animated by different companies, the first series had a lack of good animation quality (it was somewhat low budget -- most of the money went to hire big-name voice actors), and it parallels the early part of the comic book. Now, that usually is a good thing, but the earlier portion of the comic was very violent. If the first series would have been brought over, it would have been sliced up beyond belief. However, one of the final reasons is that sake of money: companies like 4Kids Entertainment don't make much money off the series; they actually make their money off of derivitive works, such as toys. The earlier portion of the series didn't have much to offer in the sake of those items, which means a lack of derivitive renevue. The second series involves a card game, which means a lot of derivitive games.


  • Is there a subtitled version of the current series, or previous series of Yu-Gi-Oh!
  • There is a fan-subtitled version of the first series, but I think it's only a few episodes. There is a fan-subtitled version of the second series (Duel Monsters) that I have translated for Central Anime. Currently, up to episode 64 has been translated. NO, I AM NOT MAKING COPIES, SO DON'T ASK.


  • How long is the Yu-Gi-Oh! comic book?
  • Currently, there are twenty-six graphic novels of the series. The comic series is still going on in Japan, released weekly.


  • How long is the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series?
  • The second series is still going on in Japan, nearing its one-hundredth episode.


  • When does the Duelist Kingdom take place during the comic? I can't find it!
  • The Duelist Kingdom "story arc" officially begins at the very end of the eighth volume, and then continues until the very end of volume fifteen.


  • How long does the Duelist Kingdom last in the animated series?
  • The Duelist Kingdom lasts until episode 41-1/3. Yes, 1/3. The very end takes place at the beginning of an episode, then it jumps right into the next story (about the twelve year old American champion, who comes to Japan for two episodes).

    • Go back