A 
Episode
GuideEpisode 210: Village of Vengeance, Part 2 (The End of Thief King Bakura)
As Dark Magician Girl carries Dark Magician away from danger, Mana watches from the roof, telling him not to worry. Dark Magician tells Mana she always was his top student. (Japanese Mana says, "Teacher." Black Magician/Mahad says he never imagined she'd one day save him.) Even in his absence, he can see she's been keeping up with her training.
Meanwhile, Seto and the remaining sacred guardians ride through the village, beset by the spirits of the dead. (Cut from the US version are these scenes of the skeletal warriors wreaking havoc among the guards.)
Shada orders his Two-Headed Jackal Warrior to protect Seto, who's about to be attacked by one of the ghosts. Seto stops his horse near Shada, who says he'll hold back the spirits while Seto goes to the underground shrine to help the Pharaoh. Seto agrees, and Shimon tells Shada to be careful as they ride off. Shada and his guards attack the spirits.
Mana slides down one of the pillars to join the Pharaoh, who thanks her for her help. Bakura growls at her that she should have stayed at home. Dark Magician resumes his place in front of the Pharaoh, and says it's time. Dark Magician Girl stands beside him, and they attack together, sending repeated blasts of magic at Diabound.
Bakura tells them, nice try, but it will take more than that to defeat his Diabound. He orders the spirits of Kul Elna to give his creature some company, and two more Diabounds form beside the original. Bakura says that Diabound has picked up a few new tricks, thanks to his spirit friends. The three Diabounds attack. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl fight back, and the two duplicate Diabounds are destroyed. Bakura orders the remaining Diabound to attack with Helical Shock Wave, and Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are swept away. Dark Magician is slammed into the wall, and the Pharaoh falls to his knees in pain. Mana kneels beside him, as Bakura laughs, telling the Pharaoh that his reign is over.
Diabound attacks again, but Mana creates magical hats to hide herself and the Pharaoh, and the attack destroys one of the empty hats. Bakura says they can't hide, and Diabound attacks all the hats. The Pharaoh and Mana are thrown back as their hiding place is destroyed. Bakura tells Diabound to end this, and Diabound's huge clawed hand swipes at the Pharaoh.
A sword flies through the air, slashing Diabound's arm. The monster recoils, and so does Bakura, clutching his own arm. It's Seto's creature, Duos, who's arrived just in time to save the Pharaoh. Seto, Karim, Isis, and Shimon run down the stairs into the cavern, and gather around the Pharaoh.
Bakura sees that now there are three more Millennium Items present. Shimon asks the Pharaoh if he's all right, and Isis exclaims "Mahad!" as Dark Magician appears. He says he has returned, and Isis says it's just as she predicted. Dark Magician says that even though his spirit is sealed in stone, he'll continue to protect their king. (Japanese Isis says to Mahad that he's revived. He says yes, even though his body is dead, his soul will always protect the Pharaoh.) Shimon tells Mahad his devotion is an inspiration to them all. (Japanese Shimon says it's Mahad is the greatest magician in the country.)
Seto steps forward, saying they'll have plenty of time to praise Mahad later. Right now, they have a villain to defeat. Bakura laughs to himself, and Karim agrees with Mahad, saying that the Pharaoh is weak and time is short. Isis summons Mystical Elf, which replenishes the life energy of the king, and the Pharaoh glows with new strength. Bakura grumbles that those guardians have interfered for the last time, and the Pharaoh stands up, ready to duel. Shimon tells the Pharaoh it's too dangerous for him without his Millennium Puzzle. He should leave Bakura to them.
Bakura thinks that's an excellent idea—that way, he can acquire three more Millennium Items, for a grand total of five. Seto, Karim, and Isis stand together before the Pharaoh. Karim summons Curse of Dragon, which joins Duos, Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl to defend the Pharaoh. Bakura says, the more the merrier, and orders Diabound to show them the power of the Shadows. Seto tells his fellow guardians to respond with a synchronized blast, and their monsters all counterattack together. But when the smoke clears, Diabound is unharmed behind a web of spirits. Bakura explains that Diabound is protected by the dark spirits of Kul Elna, who despise the kingdom as much as he does. As long as they remain in the village, the spirits will protect Bakura.
Meanwhile, Aknadin makes his way along the streets of the village, leaning against the walls of the ruins. The spirits of this village are angry, he thinks. They blame him for what happened here all those years ago, when their spirits were captured to forge the Millennium Items. But he did what was necessary, and he stands by that decision. (Japanese Aknadin thinks, now that hateful memory is revived, and he remembers the creation of the Millennium Items. But, he thinks, this is where his son, Seto, becomes the new Pharaoh.)
Ghostly forms rise from the earth and the walls around him, and Aknadin starts back, falling to the ground. Helplessly, he tells them to stay back. Then the Two-Headed Jackal Warrior comes to his rescue, and Shada runs to Aknadin, asking him if he's all right, and telling him he shouldn't be walking these streets alone. Aknadin asks him where the others are, and Shada says they've all gone to an underground cavern to help the Pharaoh.
Aknadin notices Shada's Millennium Key rattling. Shada says it's detecting a powerful force. He tells Aknadin to wait there while he goes to investigate.
Shada follows the Key into a building, where a trap door in the floor reveals a stairway leading underground. Whatever his Key is detecting, he thinks, lies at the foot of these stairs. He starts to walk down, thinking that he can feel the dark energy growing. At the bottom of the stairs, he emerges into a large, dark room, where he raises his Key and tells it to cast its light upon the Shadows. He's surprised to see the tablet of Bakura's Diabound on the wall before him. (Cut from the US version is this pan up the side of the stone tablet, showing the skulls of the dead carved around the frame.)
Behind Shada, Aknadin appears, saying that everything makes sense to him now. Diabound must have been created by the evil spirits of this village. It was born out of their rage and sealed in stone down here. Shada says that if they destroy this tablet, Bakura's beast will be no more. He turns to the tablet, raising his Diadiankh and beginning to summon Two-Headed Jackal Warrior. But before he can finish, he's hit on the head with a stone block by Aknadin, and falls to the ground. Two skeletal spirits emerge from the stone tablet and pick up Shada. As they drag him away, his Millennium Key falls. Weakly, he asks Aknadin, how could he? Aknadin drops the stone and picks up the Key, saying he refuses to let Shada stand in the way of his son's destiny.
Bakura tells the guardians that their attacks will never penetrate his spirit shield. Karim is afraid Bakura is right. Bakura orders Diabound to attack, and Mystical Elf is destroyed. Isis sinks down in pain, and Bakura says the Elf won't be regenerating anyone's strength now. The Pharaoh runs to Isis' side, but she says she'll be fine. Bakura laughs, thinking that before long, all seven Millennium Items will be his, allowing Zorc the Dark One to rise—and this time, he won't be defeated. Remembering holding Tristan by the throat, Bakura adds, thanks to his newest servant. (Japanese Bakura thinks that he'll deal with these guys while Yugi and the others find the eighth key. It was a lucky chance that he was able to split off part of his body to go with them. Cut from the US version of the flashback is the shot of Bakura holding Honda up by the throat.)
Meanwhile, Yugi and the others are collapsed on a ridge overlooking the river. Bobasa says that chasing bad guys makes him hungry. Joey doesn't want to hear him talk about food. Below, they see Bakura's men crossing the river. Yugi thinks it's weird that Bakura's men haven't come after them since the Pharaoh left. (Cut from the US version is this bit where Jounouchi laughingly says it's because Bakura's men are afraid of him. Then he looks at Honda and asks him what's wrong.)
Tristan says they're safe, so who cares? They should be focusing their energy on figuring out how to help the Pharaoh win. (Japanese Honda says to forget about that—they should be talking about what they're going to do now. Jounouchi is removed from the scene in the US version.)
(Cut from the US version is this bit where Jounouchi says Honda's being strange. Isn't he a man of action? Honda thoughtfully says, I am?)
Téa agrees with Tristan. If they want the Pharaoh to defeat Bakura again, they have to do their part.
Tristan, who has a strange, dark look in his eyes, says that the first time the Pharaoh saved Egypt from destruction, he lost his memory. What if he did it on purpose? Yugi can't believe they never thought of that before! The Pharaoh must have been protecting a secret that only he knew. Joey's not quite getting it, so Yugi explains that the Pharaoh didn't just forget his past, he wiped his memory clean so no one could bring back the evil that he locked away. Téa wonders what he was trying to hide, then suddenly she realizes—his real name. Yugi agrees. The Pharaoh's real name had to remain a secret. (Japanese Honda says they've missed something. As Jounouchi asks Honda what he's talking about, Yugi wonders, they missed something? He says maybe Honda is right. Jounouchi turns to him in surprise, and Yugi says, why didn't he realize it? No, he knew it all along, but he didn't know it would be so important. Honda says, Oh? and Jounouchi asks Yugi what he's talking about. Yugi says, since they came to this world... no, ever since the beginning, there was something they didn't know. Anzu muses, something they didn't know? Can it be? Yugi nods, and says, yes, his other self's name.)
Joey wonders how they figured that out, and Yugi reminds him that the Pharaoh's name was removed from the stone tablet. The Pharaoh must have used it as a password to lock the evil creature away. (Japanese Jounouchi asks if it's really that important, and Yugi tells him to think—why did the Pharaoh's name disappear from the stone tablet? Cut from the US version is this bit where Jounouchi answers, because it was necessary, and Yugi agrees. Yugi says, this world is the Pharaoh's memory of three thousand years ago.)
Yugi says that now Bakura is trying to resurrect that monster to take over the world. Once Bakura collects the Millennium Items and frees the creature, the Pharaoh can only stop it if he knows his real name. Joey says they have to find it and tell the Pharaoh. Yugi adds that, unfortunately, they're running out of time. (Japanese Yugi says that Shadi told them that the Pharaoh's real enemy was Zork. If Yugi's other self is destined to repeat what happened three thousand years ago, he'll have to fight Zork. Jounouchi exclaims, the name of the other Yugi! and Yugi finishes, it's the key to defeating Zork. Cut from the US version is this bit where Yugi continues, saying that if he's right, when his other self fights Zork, if he doesn't know his name... Anzu finishes, he won't be able to win.)
Tristan asks, what are they waiting for? Let's find that name. Joey asks, but how are they going to do that? The Pharaoh doesn't remember, and it's not like they can look it up in an ancient Egyptian phone book. Yugi has an idea where they can start—there are bound to be some records at the palace that will lead them in the right direction. Tristan takes off for the palace, with Joey and the others running after him.
Back at Kul Elna, Seto has attacked Diabound with Duos, to no avail. Diabound attacks back, hitting all of the guardians' remaining monsters and leaving the guardians themselves on the ground, coughing. Seto stands up, and says that the spirit shield is deflecting even their most powerful blasts. Karim says it's time they called upon the power of the Millennium Scale. He and Seto must merge their creatures together to take down Bakura. He holds up the Scale, telling it to fuse their two spirits into one. Curse of Dragon and Duos combine to form Duos Dragon, and Dark Magician leaps atop the dragon. Now, says Seto, they've tripled their strength.
Bakura says their mutant is still no match for Diabound. Seto says they'll see, and the dragon attacks. Bakura orders Diabound to counterattack with Helical Shock Wave. The two attacks meet, neither one overcoming the other. Seto says their attacks are equal, but Bakura reminds them that he has the spirits of Kul Elna on his side. Diabound releases more attacks, and begins to beat back Duos Dragon's attack. Seto calls for Duos Dragon to use the Aura Sword, but he can't hold back the attack for long. Seto asks Karim for help, and Karim calls for Flame Burst Attack. The attack begins to melt the spirit shield, but Seto is nearly done for, and his arm holding the Millennium Rod is starting to sizzle. Karim tells him they're almost there—once they penetrate the shield, they'll be able to defeat Diabound.
Bakura says they won't get through. He still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He summons his flying eyeball monster, which attacks Karim, knocking the Millennium Scale out of his hand. Karim falls to his knees, and one of the spirits retrieves the Scale for Bakura. Without the Scale, the monsters can't maintain their fusion, and Duos Dragon turns back into Duos, Curse of Dragon, and Dark Magician. Diabound attacks, destroying all the monsters and blasting the guardians into the air.
Isis runs to the fallen Karim, but he tells her to help the Pharaoh. She looks around and sees Mana lying on the ground, and Seto sitting against a pillar. The Pharaoh lifts himself onto his hands.
Bakura says it's time to try his new toy. Using the Millennium Scale, he fuses Diabound with the flying eyeball. Now Diabound has an eye in the middle of its chest. Finally, Bakura says, the spirits of Kul Elna will have their revenge.
The Pharaoh struggles to his feet, and asks Bakura to spare his friends and take him. The others protest, but he walks forward, saying that this is something he must do. The Pharaoh stands before Diabound, and Bakura tells him to prepare to be trapped for all eternity in the spirit world. The spirit shield forms into a huge skull, about to attack.
(Cut from the US version is this shot of the Pharaoh, looking pretty beat up, telling the spirits to take him, followed by the shot of Seto and Shimon, as Shimon asks the Pharaoh what he's doing.)
The Pharaoh says that when his father ordered the creation of the Millennium Items, evil spirits needed to be captured to complete the spells. These dark spirits blame his father for trapping them there, and they want him to pay the price. He'll allow his soul to join them, and the grudge will be laid to rest. (Japanese Pharaoh says that, although his father didn't know it at the time, many souls were sacrificed to create the Millennium Items. If the same thing had happened to his friends, he would feel the same hatred as Bakura. It's his fate to accept the punishment.)
Bakura raises the Scale and tells the spirits to absorb the Pharaoh's spirit. They rush to him and begin to flow into the Pharaoh's stomach. (Purple Shadow stuff is added to the shot of the spirits flying into the Pharaoh in the US version.)
It's over, Bakura says. Farewell.
Arms clutched to his chest, the Pharaoh stands shivering, as the spirits swirl inside him. Deep within him, the young Pharaoh stands with his father, who says he never meant for this to happen. Tears stream from his father's eyes as the spirits approach.
A golden aura forms around the Pharaoh as he struggles against the spirits within him. A figure forms above the Pharaoh, telling the spirits of Kul Elna that it is he they want. The spirit of Aknamkanon stands over his son, arms outspread to accept the spirits, and they flow into him. (Again, purple stuff is added to the shot of the spirits flowing into Aknamkanon.)
In the other cavern, Shada suddenly emerges from Diabound's stone tablet and falls to the ground.
The spirits disappear into Aknamkanon. Diabound shrinks, and Aknamkanon turns to the guardians. The Pharaoh asks his father what will happen now. Mahad says King Aknamkanon will lead the wandering spirits to the realm of Shadows, where they belong. But then he'll be trapped there as well, the Pharaoh protests. That's not fair. (Japanese Mahad says Aknamkanon is leading the souls to the underworld. The Pharaoh says his father's sorrow and regret are the souls' redemption.)
Bakura calls to the spirits, commanding them to return to him. (Japanese Bakura shouts at the spirits, have they forgotten their hate? Tear him apart!) But Aknamkanon dissolves away, taking the spirits with him. The Pharaoh tells his father farewell, and, as he disappears, Aknamkanon tells his son to restore peace to their land. The Pharaoh tells Mahad to attack Diabound now, while it's weak. Dark Magician strikes Diabound with his staff, and his Dark Magic attack destroys Diabound. The Pharaoh tells Bakura that his reign ends now. (Japanese Pharaoh tells Bakura to sleep in the ancient darkness.)
As Shada watches, Diabound's stone tablet cracks and crumbles.
To Be Continued
