Yu-Jyo A Yu-Gi-Oh!Episode Guide

Focusing on the differences between the American and Japanese episodes

Episode 178: A Duel with Dartz, Part 2 (The Tragedy of Atlantis)

Floating above the lost city of Atlantis on the Seal of Orichalcos, Dartz tells Yami and Kaiba to behold it in all its glory, just as it was ten thousand years ago, a perfect civilization—or so he thought. Surrounded by ocean, they were isolated from the rest of the world.

Their view passes over water gushing from a serpentine fountain, then white buildings laid out in concentric rings around the island, then a cart passing through a golden field with little fairies flitting by. (The fairies have been given clothing in the US version.)

Dartz says that their lives were simple, existing side-by-side with all of earth's creatures. They knew nothing of violence.

But then, that changed. A volcano is seen erupting, and a beast-shaped cloud swallows the sun. Dartz says that darkness descended upon them, and a strange substance rained down from the heavens. Glowing green stones are seen landing in the streets and waters. Yami says, the Orichalcos. (Japanese Dartz says that one day, a giant dark dragon descended upon them and swallowed the sun. The Orichalcos appeared. Yami repeats, Orichalcos....)

Kaiba hopes that story time is over—he'd like to duel. But Dartz says that the tale of his past directly affects Kaiba's future, so he'd better pay attention. (Japanese Kaiba says, a mysterious creature that appeared from within the Earth.... Dartz says that Orichalcos was a treasure given to humanity by the planet.) The vision now shows air vehicles flying through city streets, as Dartz says that, thanks to the stones of the Orichalcos, the people of Atlantis made advancements in technology never before imagined. And soon, Dartz ruled over the most highly advanced civilization the world had ever known. However, with progress comes greed, and eventually, violence. Dartz knew what needed to be done, but his father, former King Ironheart, had different ideas. (Japanese Dartz says that Orichalcos could be used to produce energy, to make clothing and industrial products. It could be used for all things, like a miracle. When he was king, Atlantis was a very advanced civilization. But he didn't notice one thing—nor did his father, Ironheart—their people were slowly and quietly becoming corrupted.)

Yami exclaims, Ironheart was Dartz's father? But how? Kaiba warns Yami that if he asks questions, this story's never going to end. (Japanese Kaiba asks, is he saying that the Orichalcos was corrupting his people?) Dartz says that that old fool never had what it took to be king, and on Dartz's twenty-first birthday, he allowed his son to take over. (Japanese Dartz says, yes, where there is much desire in the midst of love, there are also the seeds of human darkness. That society and the current one are very similar.)

As technology continued to advance, and the hearts of his people continued to sink deeper into the darkness, it was up to Dartz to remedy the situation. But then, the Orichalcos began to test them, and revealed the truth about who they were. (Japanese Dartz says that technology is very convenient, but everyone has forgotten to be thankful to nature. Everyone is living in a reality that doesn't allow imagination. They've lost their emotions. There's no living creature more cruel than humans. These shots of the modern world are replaced in the US version by a repeat of technologically-advanced Atlantis.)

Now, people are seen turning into beasts, as Dartz says that those who were wicked on the inside became wicked on the outside. Dartz's queen, Iona, is seen clutching her head and crying out in pain. Dartz runs to her, but she pushes him away, as her hand turns gray and sprouts purple claws. She runs from their throne room screaming, Dartz running after her. But when he reaches her, she's turned completely into a horrible creature, with fangs and pointy ears and red eyes. (The queen's body, which the beast drops to the floor, is removed from the US version.)

(Cut from the US version are these shots of the beast attacking Dartz, who draws his sword and kills it. Then the fountains' waters turn the color of blood.)

Dartz says that the true colors of his people were revealed to him that day. In the vision, he stands overlooking his city, wondering why this is happening, when the fountain behind him begins to glow green. As present-day Dartz says that he couldn't understand why a perfect society like theirs could crumble like this, Dartz in the vision walks into the fountain, where he finds a chunk of Orichalcos stone and picks it up. Soon, he says, the Orichalcos would answer all his questions. The people of Atlantis were evil, and he had been chosen to wipe them out and start over again. As Dartz in the vision stares into the stone, his right eye turns from gold to Orichalcos green. (There's no voice-over in the Japanese version.)

But he couldn't accomplish such a task on his own, Dartz says, so the Orichalcos gave him a gift—something powerful enough to lead his fight against mankind. Below the Earth's surface lurked the most incredible creature that ever lived—the Great Leviathan. Soon, that great beast will return to finish what it began! (Japanese Dartz says that he finally understood—Orichalcos is not a miracle. It increases the darkness in the heart, slips into human hearts and creates a new life. Orichalcos appeared as a test. This reaction shot of Kaiba and Yami is cut from the US version.)

Dartz continues, saying that he was ready to begin his task of recreating civilization on Earth, but one person stood in his way. (Japanese Dartz says that the Orichalcos was a test to see if humanity would destroy itself because of the darkness within.)

The vision shows Ironheart, with Chris and Sky the wolf, telling Dartz that he must destroy the Orichalcos stones so they can return to the life they once knew. Sitting behind a curtain on his throne, Dartz laughs, asking if Ironheart really believes they can go back to the way things were. It's too late for that. The true nature of their people has been exposed. They now know that the citizens of this planet are evil and must be destroyed. They should be thanking the Orichalcos for showing them the truth, not blaming it for the faults of mankind. (Japanese Dartz says that it's too late. Even if they throw away the Orichalcos now, people won't change back. He says he finally understands everything. He's heard the voice of the planet from inside the Orichalcos.)

Behind the curtain, Dartz's Orichalcos eye is exposed, as he tells his father that not only has the Orichalcos shown him what's wrong with the world, it's given him the tools to fix it. (Japanese Dartz asks why were only humans given high intelligence and imagination? it's because humans exist to protect the planet. Earth is using Orichalcos to test the humans, but they failed.) Dartz stands up from his throne and steps towards Ironheart, saying that by the power of the Orichalcos, the Great Leviathan will rise up from the depths of the Earth and fight by his side, and when he's through, he will rebuild civilization. (Japanese Dartz says the Earth gave him a new mission—to let the Orichalcos god descend, destroy all corrupt humans, and create a new mission. Then, he was given the power to complete this mission.)

Dartz holds a chunk of Orichalcos stone in his hand. It begins to glow, sending up a beam of light that turns into the Seal of Orichalcos. From it, Orichalcos Soldiers descend, surrounding Ironheart, Chris, and Sky. Chris runs to Ironheart, her grandfather, telling him she's scared. Dartz laughs, telling them that if they join his side, they have nothing to fear. If not, farewell! (Japanese Dartz says that in order for the Orichalcos god to descend, it needs many souls.)

Ironheart says they'll never join him (Japanese Ironheart asks Dartz if he's crazy), and he runs from the throne room, taking Chris and Sky with him.

Dartz goes out onto a balcony and looks out over the city, which is full of Orichalcos Soldiers. He announces that the time has come to cleanse the world of its impurities. He tells them to conquer the people Earth, and laughs. (Japanese Dartz announces that according to the rituals passed down from ancient times, the planet will have a new god.)

Beyond the city, Ironheart leads Chris and a line of refugees through the rain to a cave in the side of a mountain. Chris asks what they will do, and he tells her that her father is under the influence of an evil force, and he must be stopped. The future of the planet depends on it. (Japanese Ironheart says that if they can find the creatures with ancient powers, they will certainly help them.) They go through the cave into a large cavern, where monsters are carved onto the walls. (This shot of Chris looking at the carvings on the cave walls is cut from the US version.)

Ironheart says they will ask them for help. An aurora shines over the mountain, and the three Legendary Dragons arise from it.

And so, Dartz says, the battle of Atlantis began. His father had opened a gateway to the dominion of the beasts, using them to form an army of his own. The vision shows Ironheart, Chris, and Sky standing with an army of monsters against the Orichalcos Soldiers. The Great Leviathan and another beast send their blasts of energy against each other, the light of their conflict blotting out the vision.

Yami asks what the outcome of the battle was. (Japanese Yami says, this vision is of the battle of the Plains of Stone.) Dartz says that neither side was victorious, and Atlantis sunk to the bottom of the sea. His father's monster army was scattered around the world and sealed away until they'd be needed again. The Leviathan was drained of his power and also sealed away. It's taken Dartz ten thousand years to gather the energy to bring it back. All that's left for him to do is defeat Yami and Kaiba in a duel, and then their souls will awaken the Great Leviathan, and his plan will finally come to pass. (Japanese Dartz says that before he died, his father sealed the door to the world of the monsters, leaving behind their spirits, scattered all over the world. Dartz says he has waited ten thousand years, but humanity is still corrupt and continues to err, so he has no choice but to revive the Orichalcos god, and once again destroy this land and the world of the monsters. He's made up his mind.)

Hold it, Kaiba says. They already defeated him. Their Master of Dragon Soldier should have wiped out the rest of Dartz's life points. Dartz says he's afraid it didn't. The duel's still on.

The Seal reforms in the temple, and they reappear within it. Tristan and Téa and Mokuba cheer that they're back. Dartz still has all of his previous 3500 life points. He explains that due to the special ability of his Kyutora, his damage was reduced to zero. And now it's his turn.

Orichalcos Gigas returns to the field. Yami reminds Kaiba that each time Gigas is destroyed, it comes back even stronger. Now its attack rises from 900 to 1400, as Dartz tells them they'll never defeat him. Since Gigas returned, he can't draw, but Dartz says it doesn't matter—he has everything he needs to defeat them in his hand. He says he'll enhance the power of the Seal of Orichalcos with this—the magic card, Orichalcos Deuteros. (This card, like all the other Orichalcos cards Dartz plays, has the title and card data written on it in... Atlantean, I suppose.)

Waves of glowing power wash over the Seal, and the players within it. Somehow, Yami says, Dartz has made the Seal even stronger.

Meanwhile, a float plane is approaching Dartz's island. As it flies over, a ramp opens up and Rafael drives out of the plane on a motorcycle, landing on the island and heading up the stairway to the temple.

Inside, a new ring has formed around the outside of the Seal. Dartz says, welcome to the second level of darkness! Téa asks, so what does that mean? Dartz explains that the first benefit of Orichalcos Deuteros is the addition of 500 life points each turn for every monster he has on the field. Since he has two, he now gets another 1000 points, bringing him up to 4500. How are they supposed to wipe him out? Kaiba asks, and Dartz replies, they're not. Next, he attacks Master of Dragon Soldier with Orichalcos Gigas. (Cut from the US version is this scene where Honda wonders about a monster with 1400 attack points attacking a monster with 5000 attack points.)

Yami says their monster is too strong—and Gigas is destroyed, but Kyutora absorbs all of the damage, and Gigas returns to the field with another 500 attack points, bringing it up to 1900. Tristan says he's letting his Gigas get its butt kicked on purpose, so it can come back stronger. Yami thinks that can't be it—Gigas would have to be destroyed seven more times before it would be strong enough to defeat the Master of Dragon Soldier. There must be something more to his plan. Maybe it has something to do with Kyutora—it must have another special ability.

It's Kaiba's turn. He draws, thinking that as long as Kyutora's on the field, there's no point in attacking, because it will just absorb all of Dartz's damage. Plus, Gigas will just come back stronger. But if he attacks Dartz directly, he should be able to win. Kaiba sets a card face down, then summons Blade Knight (1600 ATK). Since he only has one card left in his hand, Blade Knight gets another 400 attack points, bringing it to 2000. He ends his turn, looking at Yami expectantly.

Yami knows Kaiba's setting himself up for something. Kaiba thinks, Yugi had better not screw this up for him. (Japanese Kaiba thinks that they only have one chance.) Yami draws, but Kaiba interrupts, sacrificing Blade Knight to activate his face-down card, Reflect Energy (Energy Reflector). It launches a small satellite, which lodges into the wall behind Dartz. Kaiba tells Yami that when he attacks, his Reflect Energy satellite will redirect the attack to Dartz's life points, wiping him out. So Yami orders Master of Dragon Soldier to attack.

Téa says, nice—they were able to blast that freak together, and Mokuba agrees.

But Orichalcos Gigas is destroyed instead, and Dartz is safe behind a force field put up by the second layer of the Seal. Dartz explains that whenever his life points are targeted, Orichalcos Deuteros steps in to save him. He makes a sacrifice so that their monster takes the hit.

But Yami plays De-Fusion, splitting Master of Dragon Soldier back into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Black Luster Soldier, saving them from the attack. Dartz says it's luck of the draw, but Yami says it's not luck—it's through teamwork and determination they've avoided his attacks. Dartz says the Pharaoh has a little speech for everything. He must get tired of being right all the time—but that ends here. (Japanese Dartz says Yami almost didn't make it in time. Yami says, because of Orichalcos Deuteros they can't attack directly, either. Kaiba says, but they still have the strongest monsters on their side of the field. Dartz says, is that so? He knows everything, whether it's a human weakness or a strong point. These two are no exception. The greatest weakness Yami and Kaiba have is themselves.)

Dartz draws, then plays a magic card called Orichalcos Mirror, sacrificing a monster from his hand (the monster he sacrifices is Timeater) to summon Mirror Knight Calling (0 ATK, raised to 500 by the Seal of Orichalcos), which in turn calls four knights to the field to protect him. Téa exclaims that he summoned four monsters in one turn! Dartz says they'll never get past his Mirror Knights, and thanks to Orichalcos Deuteros, he gains another 3000 life points, raising him to 7500. Each of his Mirror Knights has an attack of zero, raised to 500 by the Seal of Orichalcos.

Dartz tells them to pay close attention to the reflection in the mirrors the Knights are holding. Each mirror reflects someone or something on their side of the field, which determines their attack points. One of the Knights' mirrors reflects the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon; one Black Luster Soldier; one Yami, and one Kaiba. So their attacks become 4500, 3000, 500 and 500. They attack, destroying Yami and Kaiba's monsters, then attacking Yami and Kaiba directly for 500 points of damage, bringing them both to 3500 life points. (Cut from the US version are these shots of Honda saying if the attack points are the same, Dartz's monsters should be destroyed, too. Then the mirror is smashed by a Knight's fist, and Mokuba says it's that card shielding them.)

As the Knights' mirrors reform in their hands, Dartz says that as long as his Mirror Knight Calling is on the field, his Knights' shields will always return, so they can't be destroyed.

It's Kaiba's turn, and he draws, then plays the magic card, Card of Demise. He can now draw five new cards, as long as he discards his entire hand five turns later. Next, he plays the magic card, Silent Doom, which allows him to bring back a monster from his graveyard in defense mode. (The US version of Silent Doom has a purple background when it's in Kaiba's hand, then it turns blue when he plays it. The Japanese card is blue all along. The image on the card has been redesigned slightly in the US version.)

He chooses Blade Knight, then sacrifices Blade Knight to summon Kaiser Glider (2400 ATK). Then, he sets a card face down. Dartz is impressed—Kaiser Glider is safe from any monster with the same number of attack points, so his Knights can't crush it.

Yami thinks Kaiba may be safe for now, but they need to find a way to destroy his monsters, not hide from them. He draws Mirror Force, thinking this should help. He sets it face down, then summons Big Shield Gardna (2600 DEF) in defense mode and ends his turn.

Dartz draws, gaining another 3000 life points from Orichalcos Deuteros, bringing him up to 10,500. Yami says they must stop him, and fast! He thinks, when Dartz attacks, he'll activate Mirror Force and destroy his Knights. Then Kaiba activates his trap card, Ring of Destruction. (The Ring's grenades are turned into balls of flame in the US version.)

Kaiba says that Dartz's Mirror Knights are only protected as long as Mirror Knight Calling is in play (he calls it a magic card, but it's actually a monster card), so he uses Ring of Destruction to destroy it. Both he and Dartz take 500 points of damage, bringing Kaiba to 3000 and Dartz to 10,000. Now, when the Mirror Knights are destroyed, they can't come back.

But then the Mirror Knights' helmets crack and fall, exposing the Knights' identities—it's Yugi, Joey, Mai, and Pegasus. Dartz says he controls the souls of their companions. Attack his Knights, and they'll be attacking their friends. Yami realizes that if he uses his Mirror Force, his friends will be gone forever.

No matter what they do, they lose, Dartz says. It's impossible to defeat him without destroying these monsters. And they can't destroy his Knights without destroying the souls of their friends!

To Be Continued

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