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Episode
GuideEpisode 222: The Final Duel, Part 2 (Bring Down the Three Gods!)
The Pharaoh has just summoned all three Egyptian gods: Slifer with 2000 attack points, Ra with 5000, and Obelisk with 2500. Yugi, who's down to 1400 life points, stares up in awe, thinking that the Pharaoh just summoned the most powerful cards in the game!
But the Pharaoh's not done yet. Next, he plays Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards, which raises Slifer's attack to 3000. Mokuba says, there's no way Yugi is going to get out of this! Kaiba agrees that Yugi is in over his head. (Japanese Mokuba says, Yugi's great! Kaiba says, all three gods are on the field!) Grandpa says that dueling the Pharaoh is the ultimate test of Yugi's skill. (Japanese Grandpa says he never in all his life imagined seeing this sight.)
Marik says, incredible! And Ishizu agrees that, since he regained his memories, the Pharaoh is stronger than ever. (Japanese Ishizu says, the Pharaoh's power is beyond their imagination.) Téa asks Joey what Yugi is going to do, but Joey doesn't know. (Japanese Anzu says, this is Atem's ability.) Joey says, even though Yugi's trap weakened Obelisk, it still has 2500 attack points! Mokuba says, don't forget about Slifer—one lightning blast, and Yugi's monster takes 2000 points of damage. Worst of all, Marik adds, if the Pharaoh activates the special ability of the Winged Dragon of Ra, he can raise its attack points to almost 15,000!
Kaiba says, this isn't brain surgery, folks. It's obvious that only one of the Yugi twins inherited the dueling skills, so why even watch? Looks like his little secret is out—Yugi can't duel his way out of a paper bag, so he got his lookalike to duel for him. (Japanese Kaiba says only Atem's super heavy deck could contain all three god cards and call them to the field. This duel will go down in history. But the result is clear.) Kaiba turns to walk away, but Joey tells him to get back here—this duel isn't over till it's over. Tristan and Téa say that Joey's right—how about showing a little respect? Kaiba stops, but doesn't turn around. Do these losers honestly believe that Yugi can still win? Joey says, you bet! (Japanese Kaiba says Jounouchi doesn't control any god cards, so what does he know? Jounouchi says, what?) Then, Kaiba says, answer this: what possible combination of cards would Joey use to defeat all three Egyptian god cards?
Joey gets defensive, asking Kaiba, what's the point? Kaiba says he rests his case. Joey's as clueless as Yugi is. (Japanese Kaiba says Jounouchi doesn't know because there is no way.) Joey says he may not have the answer, but there is one. Then he turns to Marik, telling him he's the expert—what's their weakness?
Marik looks at the Egyptian god monsters, sweating. Individually, they have drawbacks, he says, but when all three are together, they're practically indestructible. Ishizu says that only fate will decide the outcome of this ritual. If Yugi is unable to defeat his alter ego, then the two are not yet ready to separate from one another. If this occurs, the Pharaoh will be trapped here for another five thousand years. (Japanese Ishizu says this might be fate. In three thousand years, the Pharaoh's sword has become so sharp that no one can stand against it. If no one can defeat him, the battle ritual won't succeed.)
Téa says, that's not fair! She turns away, troubled, thinking that she's so confused—she wants the Pharaoh to stay, but not if it means trapping him against his will.
Kaiba tells Mokuba to come on, and they both start to leave. Joey tells him, fine, go. Kaiba stops to say that if the Pharaoh does end up sticking around for a few more years, there is a bright side—the two of them can finally have their rematch. And by the looks of this duel, the Pharaoh's not going anywhere. The Pharaoh says, that remains to be seen. (Japanese Pharaoh doesn't respond to Kaiba. Kaiba wonders to himself if he can defeat the three gods.) The three gods hiss and growl, and Kaiba just laughs as he continues towards the exit.
Then Yugi calls out for Kaiba to wait. What's the rush, he asks. He thought Kaiba would love the chance to watch him lose. Kaiba says, wrong. He only wants to see Yugi get crushed if he's doing the crushing. (Japanese Yugi tells Kaiba he hopes he'll stay until the end. Kaiba says he doesn't have time to watch Yugi lose.) Yugi says Kaiba owes it to the Pharaoh to stay. (Japanese Yugi tells Kaiba he's wrong.) He remembers the Pharaoh giving the Millennium Puzzle to Seto, passing on the kingship to him. Yugi says, Kaiba and the Pharaoh have a bond that goes back thousands of years—and Kaiba should be here to say goodbye to him when he loses.
Kaiba turns on Yugi, insisting he can't be serious! Yugi says he's more serious than he's ever been in his life! Those Egyptian gods may be strong, but they're not undefeatable. And Yugi's going to take them down, one by one. Kaiba says he's nuts. The others are impressed.
Yugi turns back to the Pharaoh, and says he has a duel to win.
The Pharaoh says he's proud of Yugi. Well done. (Japanese Pharaoh says, that's the spirit!) Kaiba's not impressed, asking Yugi if he really has a strategy in mind for defeating all three Egyptian god cards. Yugi nods. Fine, Kaiba says with a smile, this he's got to see. And when Yugi fails miserably, Kaiba says, he'll step in and show him what real dueling's all about. (Japanese Kaiba says, all right, since Yugi's so determined, Kaiba will stay until the end.)
The Pharaoh asks if Yugi's ready, and Yugi nods. Hand trembling, he prepares to draw his next card. (Cut from the US version is this bit where Otogi calls out to Yugi.)
(Then Honda starts to shout for Yugi to work hard, but Marik stops him.)
(Marik explains that Yugi is concentrating on the fight within himself. Frightened and threatened by the three gods, only Yugi knows what he is feeling.)
(Jounouchi says, exactly, and remembers being attacked by Ra in his duel with Marik. Such terror is unspeakable, he says.)
It won't be easy, Yugi thinks, but he needs to defeat all three Egyptian god cards. It's the only way for him to pass this test and free the Pharaoh by proving he's ready to be on his own. (Japanese Yugi thinks, he stands here facing the three gods. He knew this would come, but he's still afraid. He's afraid to run. He's always been running after his other self.) He pictures himself on a narrow stone bridge, walking behind the Pharaoh. He thinks that, ever since their spirits joined together, he's always let the Pharaoh take the lead during their duels. He sees himself falling to his knees, covering his face to protect it from the harsh wind, the Pharaoh disappearing in to the mists ahead of him. He thinks that every obstacle they faced together pushed him to try harder, and he always knew that some day, he'd be good enough to walk by the Pharaoh's side. He just hopes that day's today. (Japanese Yugi thinks that he felt that he was coming closer to his other self, but he's still so far away.)
The Pharaoh says he can see the uncertainty in Yugi's eyes. If Yugi expects to win this duel, first he must overcome his self-doubt. (Japanese Pharaoh says that a player who loses faith in his deck will never beat him.) Yugi looks surprised, as the Pharaoh says he believes this is why fate brought them together—so that Yugi could learn to trust in himself, and be the duelist he truly is inside. And so that the Pharaoh could learn from Yugi. (Japanese Pharaoh says that if Yugi is a true duelist, he should have been thinking about ways to defeat the Pharaoh all the while standing with him as his partner.) Téa says that what the Pharaoh is saying makes a lot of sense. The Pharaoh says, he wouldn't be who he is without Yugi, and he thought about everything Yugi taught him when he was building his deck. (Japanese Anzu says, Yugi should think of ways to beat the other Yugi? The Pharaoh says, that's a duelist's instinct. As they built their decks, they both thought about how to beat the other.)
Yugi says that's exactly what he did when he built his own deck. The Pharaoh taught him about bravery, and about having self-confidence, even when all hope seems lost. He thought about that with every card he picked. The Pharaoh says Yugi taught him about friendship and having compassion for others. Remembering his duel with Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom, he says that Yugi taught him that there are some things more important than winning, like the safety of a friend. Each of them has given the other a gift—like bravery, Yugi says, and the Pharaoh says, like kindness, sympathy, and heart.
Yugi says that even though they've separated, they've each maintained the other's strengths, and those strengths are represented in their decks, so they're pretty evenly matched. The Pharaoh says that's right.
Yugi thinks that that was just the pep talk he needed. Part of him was worried that the sides of this duel were uneven. But now he realizes that even though the Pharaoh has all three Egyptian god cards, Yugi has everything he needs to stop them, and that's exactly what he's going to do. (Japanese Yugi thinks thanks to his other self. He's no longer afraid. This deck is charged with the things he learned from his other self: Never give up the fight. Have faith in your cards and trust your monsters. Fight with courage and honor.)
Yugi draws, and Téa, Joey, and Grandpa urge him on. Yugi's Silent Swordsman advances another level, to LV4, with 3000 attack points. Tristan says, cool! and Bakura says it's enough to beat Obelisk. Next, Yugi sends his three Magnet Warriors, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to the graveyard to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500 ATK) in attack mode.
Summoning a monster activates Slifer the Sky Dragon's special ability, its second mouth attacking to weaken Valkyrion by 2000 points. But Yugi says he has a back-up plan, and activates his magic card, Mirage Spell (Mirage Magic). Mirage Spell is activated when one of his monsters is targeted, negating Slifer's effect and increasing Yugi's life points by 2000, to 3400. Tristan cheers, and Mokuba tells his brother, he's got to admit, that was pretty awesome. Kaiba says it may have been a decent move, but it's going to take a lot more than that to defeat the three Egyptian gods. (Japanese Kaiba is impressed that Yugi used Osiris' effect to restore his own life points. But, he adds, in the face of the gods, that amount of life points is nothing.)
Next, Yugi places two cards face down and ends his turn. Bakura wonders why Yugi didn't just attack Obelisk. Joey says he guesses Yugi didn't want to take the risk. Marik says a careless attack on an Egyptian god could easily backfire. But there's still one thing Joey doesn't get—why did Yugi leave all his monsters on the field in attack mode? It's not like Yugi to leave himself wide open to an attack. Kaiba tells Yugi if he has a strategy, let's see him use it. The Pharaoh wonders what Yugi is planning. For some reason, Yugi must want him to attack, otherwise he wouldn't have left his monsters in attack mode. They may be powerful, but they're no match for the Egyptian gods. There's only one way to find out.
The Pharaoh draws. He's now holding four cards, so Slifer's attack rises to 4000. He orders Slifer to attack Silent Swordsman. Yugi says this triggers his trap, but the Pharaoh reminds him that traps don't work against Slifer. It's just too strong! someone says. Kaiba says, of course, he's been saying that all along. (Japanese Kaiba says the god is using his hammer.) Slifer attacks, and Silent Swordsman disappears, reducing Yugi's life points to 2400. Mokuba says, it's not looking good, and Kaiba calls out to Yugi that this would be a good time for that strategy!
The Pharaoh now orders the Winged Dragon of Ra to attack Valkyrion. Valkyrion is destroyed, and Yugi says, there goes monster number two, as his life points go down to 900. Marik says Yugi's out of monsters now, and Duke points out that the Pharaoh can still attack with the last Egyptian god. One shot from Obelisk, and Yugi's a goner, Joey says. Téa urges Yugi to come on, and Mokuba turns to Kaiba, asking if it's done. Kaiba says, oh, like you're surprised? (Japanese Kaiba says, it's the end.)
The Pharaoh tells Yugi he knows he tried his best, and for that, he's forever thankful. But now the time has come for him to end this duel. (Japanese Pharaoh says this is his final attack.) He orders Obelisk to wipe out Yugi's life points with his Fist of Fate. Yugi braces himself for the god's attack, and Téa gasps, oh no!
But suddenly, Valkyrion appears on the field, and Obelisk's attack stops. But how? the Pharaoh exclaims. This doesn't make any sense! Then Silent Swordsman appears beside Valkyrion. The Pharaoh protests that he already sent those monsters to the graveyard. How was Yugi able to bring them back?
Yugi reminds the Pharaoh of the trap card he played, as his life points return to 3400. Astonished, Joey says that Yugi's life points came back! Téa says, she knew he had something up his sleeve. Yugi says that his Mirage Ruler trap card activates whenever all of the monsters on his side of the field are destroyed in one turn. It brings back his monsters and restores his life points to what they were before his opponent's turn began. Plus, it only costs him 1000 points. Yugi's life points go down to 2400.
Well done, the Pharaoh says. He's impressed. Kaiba thinks that now Obelisk can't destroy Yugi's life points. Looks like Yugi's saved himself—for now. (Japanese Kaiba thinks, he sees, Yugi used the trap card on his own field, and Obelisk's attack is only 2500—lower than either of Yugi's monsters—so it can't attack without being destroyed. Part of Kaiba's scene is cut from the US version.)
The Pharaoh ends his turn, and Yugi sighs with relief. So does Tristan, who says, that was too close for comfort. Joey turns to Grandpa and asks him if he's hanging in there. So far, so good, Grandpa says, but his ticker can't take much more of this! Joey says he's seen Grandpa duel, and he's stronger than any of them. Grandpa says, come to think of it, he does keep himself in pretty good shape. Who do they think Mr. King of Games inherited his strength from? He thinks he's never been more proud of Yugi than he is today. (Japanese Jounouchi says he's worried about Grandpa, but Grandpa says he'll never see another duel like this! Until it's over, he can't die. Then he thinks that Yugi's stronger than ever. Yugi must fight with no regrets.)
Even Téa breathes a sigh of relief. Then, startled at her own reaction, she wonders, when did she start rooting for Yugi? Mokuba tells Kaiba that it looks like Yugi's holding his own against the Egyptian gods. But Kaiba says, all that geek did is stall for a little more time. In order for him to win, he needs to figure out the weakness of each Egyptian god card. Mokuba asks, what are their weaknesses? Kaiba says that's something even he's not sure of, but he knows they exist. The first major weakness is that they require three sacrifices to summon them. But since they're already on the field, that weakness was eliminated. Now it's up to Yugi to do the impossible—find the fatal flaws of the most powerful monsters in the game. (Cut from the US version is this shot of Mokuba turning to Kaiba, saying, "Nii-sama," and Kaiba says that the gods have no weaknesses. Then he turns to the playing field, thinking, what will you do, Yugi?)
There's no way Yugi can win this duel, Kaiba thinks. He's not even the real King of Games. All this time, someone else has been dueling for him while he took the credit. (Japanese Kaiba thinks, even he can't figure out the gods' weaknesses. If Yugi wants to beat the gods, he'll have to show Kaiba their weak points, and fight a duel beyond Kaiba's imagination.)
Ishizu says she feels as if Yugi's going to turn things around with his next move. Marik asks if she's seen the future. She says she hasn't had a vision of the future in years. Let's just call this a strong hunch. Marik asks if she thinks Yugi has a chance against the Egyptian gods. Ishizu says something occurred to her that she hadn't thought about before. (Cut from the US version is this shot of Ishizu saying that the Pharaoh has strength beyond their imagination.)
Ishizu says that maybe fate chose Yugi as the vessel for the Pharaoh's spirit not because he needed the Pharaoh's help, but because Yugi himself is the modern-day version of the Pharaoh, equal in every way. The two were brought together because they represent opposite sides of the same soul. (Japanese Ishizu says the vessel of the Pharaoh's soul must be equally strong. Yugi may have been small at first, but after carrying the Pharaoh's soul for so long, he's become strong.)
Marik starts to protest, but Ishizu finishes for him: they're so different from each other, because Yugi is shy and the Pharaoh is assertive and confident? The truth is, they each have a quality the other needed, so they learn from each other. (Japanese Marik says, Yugi? Ishizu says that humans who pass the tests can enlarge their vessel without limit. Sometimes the vessel can contain the possibility of a miracle.) Marik asks if she's saying they're complete now. Ishizu says, they'll soon find out if their journey together is truly over. Then fate will allow Yugi to defeat all three Egyptian god cards and win the duel. (Japanese Marik asks, miracle? Will a miracle befall to Yugi? Ishizu has no further dialog. Instead, Yugi thinks that he managed to evade the gods' attack. But in the next turn, if his other self attacks, he'll have no chance.)
Yugi stares at the Pharaoh's side of the field, where one face-down card remains. If he expects to win this, he thinks, he needs to start thinking like the Pharaoh. He needs to figure out what the Pharaoh's face-down card is. For some reason, the Pharaoh hasn't activated it yet. Then Yugi realizes that he hasn't launched an attack since the Pharaoh set that card. He bets the Pharaoh's planning to use it to make one of Yugi's attacks backfire—it must be Mirror Force. (Mirror Force is reversed in the US version, as if the image is being seen through the card. In the Japanese, it's shown upside-down, but not reversed.)
If Yugi's right, there might be a way he can take down the Egyptian gods! But it's not going to be easy. Yugi needs to play the right card combination. (Japanese Yugi thinks that there's only one card combination in his deck that can defeat the gods. But he's got no cards in his hand.) Everything is riding on this next draw...
Yugi tells the heart of the cards it knows the deal: guide him! Yugi draws, saying that he has a plan. The Pharaoh says, good. Joey hopes Yugi's not going to attack.
First, Yugi's Silent Swordsman increases to LV5, with 3500 attack points. Then he activates Valkyrion the Magna Warrior's special effect, sending it to the graveyard to bring Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior back to the field. Kaiba thinks Yugi's lost it—why dismantle one of his most powerful monsters just to summon three weaker monsters to take its place?
Valkyrion disappears from the field, and the three Magnet Warriors appear: Alpha (1400 ATK), Beta (1700 ATK), and Gamma (1500 ATK). The Pharaoh says that whenever Yugi summons a new monster, Slifer's ability activates. Joey wonders what Yugi is thinking—now every one of his monsters gets blown off the field! Slifer's second mouth attacks, and Yugi activates his Magnet Force trap. Whenever one of his Rock or Machine monsters is targeted by the effect of another monster, he can activate Magnet Force to turn the effect against his opponent's monsters. Kaiba says, he's turning the Egyptian gods against themselves! Joey wonders if this move is really going to work.
Slifer's reflected blasts hit Slifer, Ra, and Obelisk, reducing their attacks to 2000, 3000, and 500, respectively. Grandpa says, he weakened them by 2000 points! Joey says that now Yugi's Swordsman can take on any one of the Egyptian god cards.
Yugi orders Silent Swordsman to attack Obelisk the Tormentor, but the Pharaoh activates Mirror Force, destroying Silent Swordsman and all three of the Magnet Warriors. Yugi's left with nothing on the field but the Magnet Force trap card.
The Pharaoh tells Yugi it's over. Joey says, oh, man! All of Yugi's monsters are gone! Tristan says, this can't be happening. Grandpa moans, and Marik says Yugi came closer than he thought possible. (Japanese Marik says that his sister's hunch failed.) Kaiba says, close doesn't count. In his book, Yugi's the same loser he always was. (Japanese Kaiba says that Atem's game tactics are superior. Yugi wasted Kaiba's time.)
The Pharaoh tells Yugi it was a valiant effort. If only Yugi had predicted the Pharaoh's face-down card. But Yugi smiles and says he did—and that's why this duel's not done. As soon as Mirror Force was activated, Yugi was able to complete the card combination he needed. He tells the Pharaoh it's about time he eliminated those Egyptian god cards. The Pharaoh asks, but how?
Everyone looks on in surprise, waiting for Yugi's next move.
To Be Continued
