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Episode
GuideEpisode 223: The Final Duel, Part 3 (Strong Heart, Gentle Heart)
Yugi stands on the field behind his trap card, as Kaiba says that if Yugi really thinks he can win, he should stop talking about it and do it already. Mokuba wonders if what Yugi said is true—does he really have some sort of card combination that can destroy the three Egyptian gods? (Japanese Kaiba asks, he has the card combination to destroy the gods? Mokuba notes that Yugi has weakened the god cards, but he has no monsters.)
The Pharaoh tells Yugi it's his move. He wants to see this plan of Yugi's. Yugi draws, then plays his Magnet Reverse magic card. This allows him to choose any Rock or Machine monster that was destroyed this turn and bring it back to the field in defense mode. He chooses Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3850 DEF). Since he's summoned a monster, Slifer's effect activates, sending a blast towards Valkyrion to reduce its defense points by 2000. But Yugi's Magnet Force trap card is still in play, so the blast is redirected towards Obelisk. Obelisk's attack has been reduced to 500, and it's destroyed by Slifer's blast.
One down, two to go, says Yugi, who then orders Valkyrion to separate into its three component monsters. Mokuba wonders why Yugi would do that, and Kaiba explains that every time Yugi summons a new monster, Slifer the Sky Dragon is forced to strike it. Slifer sends three blasts at the monsters, which are deflected by Yugi's Magnet Force trap card. One blast hits Ra, reducing its attack from 3000 to 1000, then the second blast destroys it. The third blast rebounds on Slifer itself, whose attack is reduced from 2000 to 0. Slifer is also destroyed.
No way! exclaims Mokuba, and Kaiba says, he guesses Yugi really did have a plan after all. The others are just as astonished—Yugi beat the Egyptian gods in one move! Joey says he never expected anything less from Yugi. Bakura and Grandpa join hands and dance around in a circle, chanting, "He did it, he did it, he's better than the Pharaoh!" Grandpa turns to the Pharaoh to add, "No offense." (Japanese Bakura and Grandpa say, "Sugoi! Sugoi!" which means, "Splendid!" or "Awesome!" and exclaim that Yugi did it! Grandpa adds, that's his grandson!)
Yugi says there's no way he could have destroyed those monsters without the Pharaoh's help. All the battles they've been through together taught him something—battling someone who wields a strong force often means using that force against them. He knew the only way he could take down the three Egyptian gods was to figure out a way to attack them with their own power, so that's exactly what he just did. (Japanese Yugi says that the weakness of the powerful is their own power. Kaiba thinks to himself, Yugi used the gods' power to defeat the gods. Yugi says he watched his other self use the god cards, and thought about how to fight them.) The Pharaoh says it was excellent work. By trusting his instincts, Yugi was able to accomplish the seemingly impossible. He destroyed the most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters. But that doesn't mean he's won the game. (Japanese Pharaoh says that defeating a stronger opponent is the mark of a True Duelist. But the Pharaoh hasn't used all his power.)
Yugi says that's true—he hasn't won yet. He ends his turn, and the Pharaoh draws, saying he has plenty of tricks left. He starts by playing Polymerization, merging Gazelle and Berfomet together to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (2100 ATK). Duke says, what a comeback! That's the strongest monster on the field! The Pharaoh orders Chimera to attack Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and Yugi's monster is destroyed.
Mokuba says that even though the Pharaoh lost his three best cards, he bounced right back, and now he's got the upper hand again. But Kaiba says, no, not quite. Yugi may have fewer life points, but he managed to come up with an unprecedented strategy to defeat the Egyptian god cards. Kaiba's never seen anything like that before. He can see now that he was wrong—Yugi is the King of Games. (Japanese Kaiba says that now he believes Yugi.)
Pleased and surprised, Yugi asks Kaiba if he really means it. Joey wonders if he's going nuts, or did Kaiba just admit that he was wrong? (Japanese Jounouchi is surprised that Kaiba is rooting for Yugi.)
Yugi draws, then sacrifices Beta and Gamma the Magnet Warriors to summon Buster Blader (2600 ATK). Bakura says this duel is quite a close race! Just when he thinks the Pharaoh is back in the lead again, Yugi speeds ahead. Joey says that only one thing counts—crossing the finish line first. His money's on Yugi. (Japanese Bakura says that Yugi isn't giving up. He's managed to summon a high-level monster in one turn. Jounouchi says it's amazing. For them, the god cards aren't important.)
Yugi orders Buster Blader to attack and destroy Chimera. (This shot of Chimera after Buster Blader's attack is changed in the US version to add an explosion of light that conveniently covers Chimera's nether regions.)
The Pharaoh's life points go down to 3500, and he tells Yugi, well done. But Chimera's special effect allows the Pharaoh to bring back one of the two monsters merged to form Chimera, so he chooses Berfomet, bringing him back in defense mode (1800 DEF).
(Cut from the US version is this bit where Honda or Otogi, I'm not sure whose voice it is, says that it's great—Atem keeps summoning monsters! But Jounouchi says that now that the gods are gone, there's no stronger monster than Yugi's Buster Blader. Anzu says that that means that Yugi will take the lead.)
Yugi wants to see what else the Pharaoh's got. The Pharaoh says Buster Blader is powerful, but not indestructible. He draws, then sacrifices Berfomet to summon Beast of Gilfer (2500 DEF). (The real card's name is Archfiend of Gilfer. Its Japanese name is Gilfer Demon.) The Pharaoh sets one card face down and ends his turn. Joey thinks the Pharaoh's lost it—he just summoned a monster weaker than Yugi's—unless the Pharaoh wants Yugi to destroy the monster so he can activate its special effect. (Japanese Jounouchi says that Gilfer Demon's attack is lower than Buster Blader's, but when it's destroyed, its effect will lower the opponent's monster's attack by 500.)
Yugi thinks that Joey's got a point, but it's a risk he'll have to take. It could be even more dangerous to let the Pharaoh keep that monster on the field. (Japanese Yugi thinks that he knows what his other self is trying to do, but this is his best chance, and he has to take it.) He draws, sets a card face down, then attacks Beast of Gilfer with Buster Blader. As he sends the card to the graveyard, the Pharaoh explains that this activates Beast of Gilfer's effect, lowering the attack of one of Yugi's monsters by 500. Buster Blader's attack goes down to 2100. Disappointed, Yugi ends his turn.
The Pharaoh sets one card, then activates a magic card, Awakening from Beyond. This allows his opponent to draw two cards, while he transfers one card from his graveyard to his hand. Yugi draws his two cards, wondering which monster the Pharaoh has retrieved from the graveyard. Besides the Egyptian gods, what's the most powerful monster in his graveyard? He remembers the Pharaoh's opening move, discarding one card from his hand to summon The Tricky. But Yugi thinks that bringing back The Tricky would be pointless. First of all, the Pharaoh would have to remove a card from his hand to summon it. And even if he could, it still wouldn't be strong enough to defeat Buster Blader.
The Pharaoh asks if Yugi's trying to guess what monster he brought back, then tells Yugi he can't. It's a monster Yugi didn't even know he had, and now he summons it—Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300 ATK). Joey wonders how that got in the Pharaoh's graveyard. The Pharaoh explains that, even though it's a Level 7 monster, he can summon it without a sacrifice because it was the only card in his hand.
Yugi protests that he never sent that card to the graveyard. The Pharaoh agrees that that's true—he sent it to the graveyard himself, at the start of their duel. It's the card he discarded to summon The Tricky. Yugi asks why the Pharaoh would throw away such a powerful card so early in the duel. The Pharaoh says he was preparing for this—he's known from the beginning that they would get to this point. Yugi asks how the Pharaoh could have predicted that.
The Pharaoh explains that, from the moment he chose the cards in his deck, he knew the course this duel would take. Although he held the three most powerful cards in existence, he knew he needed more. (In the US version, the three god cards are added over the shot of the Pharaoh building his deck.)
He knew that Yugi would defeat the Egyptian gods!
That's impossible! Kaiba says. There's no way the Pharaoh could have known how this would go down. The Pharaoh says that destroying the three Egyptian gods was just the first step of this ritual. Now that they're gone, the true test of their readiness to separate can begin. If Yugi's ready to live on his own, he must prove it by winning this duel. Then the Pharaoh orders Swift Gaia to attack Buster Blader.
As she watches the attack, Ishizu thinks that there's only one soul with the power to save the Pharaoh—Yugi. Only by defeating the Pharaoh can he release his spirit to its final resting place. She encourages Yugi to be strong.
(This stylized shot of Gaia attacking Buster Blader, leading into the commercial break, is cut from the US version.)
(And, a bit of glowy stuff is added to the shot of Gaia's lance piercing Buster Blader in the US version.)
Buster Blader is destroyed, and Yugi's life points go down to 2200. Téa asks if Yugi's all right, and Bakura says, let's hope so. Yugi activates his trap card, Soul Rope, allowing him to summon a monster from his deck to replace the one he just lost by paying 1000 life points. (Japanese Yugi says that he can summon a Level 4 or lower monster with Soul Rope.) His score goes down to 1200, and he summons Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode (1200 DEF). The Pharaoh protests that it's hardly enough to protect Yugi. (Japanese Pharaoh ends his turn.) Bakura wonders why Yugi would pay 1000 life points just to play that. Tristan thinks Yugi might be getting desperate. Duke thinks Yugi just realized there's no way he can win. But Grandpa's sure this is all part of Yugi's strategy. He summoned that Witch for a reason. Joey says, he knows—to sacrifice it. Grandpa agrees.
Yugi draws, then sacrifices Witch of the Black Forest to summon Summoned Skull (2500 ATK). And, when Witch of the Black Forest goes to the graveyard, her effect allows him to transfer a monster from his deck to his hand, and he chooses Marshmallon. The Pharaoh says, well done—that's a move he didn't expect. (Japanese Pharaoh says, "Demon Summon." Jounouchi says, Dark Knight Gaia and Demon Summon!)
Téa says, two of Yugi's strongest monsters are face to face in battle. The whole thing is pretty bizarre. (Japanese Anzu says that both are monsters Yugi has fought alongside. Cut from the US version is this flashback sequence showing Dark Knight Gaia and Demon Summon in previous battles, as Jounouchi agrees that in times of crisis, these monsters lend a hand to Yugi.)
(Anzu says that now they have to attack their old partner.)
Tristan says, if it's weird for them, think how Yugi and the Pharaoh must feel. (Japanese Honda says he thinks it's the monsters who suffer the most.)
Yugi orders Summoned Skull to attack Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, destroying it, and reducing the Pharaoh's life points to 3300. Yugi says the Pharaoh's life points are wide open, but luckily, his turn's over.
The Pharaoh thinks that this duel could be the toughest challenge he's ever faced. Ever since he was reborn into this world, Yugi has been behind him, supporting him, and giving him strength. But now, for the first time, Yugi is facing him as an opponent. He has to believe that Yugi feels the same way he does—staring into the face of his closest friend, and greatest rival. But, like Yugi, he must fight harder than he's ever fought before, and do everything in his power to win this battle. (Japanese Pharaoh thinks that there's only one way to win—he must believe in himself, and in his cards.)
The Pharaoh reaches for his deck, saying that the card he draws will be the exact card he needs. (Japanese Pharaoh says that if Yugi can create a miracle, he can, too. He'll summon Big Shield Gardna.) He draws, and, without looking at his card, he lays it on the field, summoning Big Shield Gardna in defense mode (2600 DEF).
Joey says, now he's seen it all. Tristan says, that's nuts—how could the Pharaoh have known what card he was going to draw? Bakura says he supposes that's what they mean by "the luck of the draw." (Japanese Jounouchi wonders what's happening. Honda says that Atem announced his card before he drew it, and Bakura wonders if he knew what card he was going to draw.) But Marik says, that move had nothing to do with luck. The Pharaoh knew exactly what card he was about to draw. (Japanese Marik says, no, he didn't know what card he would draw. He chose the card he wanted to draw.) Téa protests that the decks were shuffled, and Joey asks if the Pharaoh can see the future. If he can, that qualifies as an unfair advantage. (Japanese Anzu says, the card he wanted? Jounouchi says he doesn't believe that. The order of the cards in the deck is already determined.)
Ishizu says, the Pharaoh didn't predict what his next card would be—his willpower made it so. It appears the Pharaoh's determination was so strong, he influenced fate with his own will. Téa and Joey gasp, and Téa says that's insane—since when can fate be controlled? Joey says, if he's learned anything from hanging out with Yugi, it's that nothing is impossible. (Japanese Ishizu says that the draw was influenced by fate. But now, the Pharaoh can influence fate with his will and belief. Anzu says, he can influence fate with his will? Jounouchi says, Atem and Yugi have gone beyond imagination.)
The Pharaoh ends his turn, and Yugi draws, beginning his turn by playing Pot of Greed and drawing two more cards. He summons Watapon, then sacrifices it to summon Curse of Dragon (2000 ATK). (Watapon's effect allows it to be Special Summoned to the field immediately if it's added to the hand by a card effect, which is how he could summon it and Curse of Dragon in the same turn.) Duke says Yugi's moving up in the world—now he's got two powerhouses.
Yugi orders Summoned Skull to attack Big Shield Gardna. Tristan says, Yugi's monster is too weak—why would he attack? Joey says Yugi knows what he's doing. Yugi loses 100 life points, taking him down to 1100, but Big Shield Gardna changes to attack mode—and its attack is only 100 points. Joey explains that by attacking Big Shield Gardna, Yugi switched it into attack mode. Next, Yugi attacks Big Shield Gardna with Curse of Dragon, destroying it and reducing the Pharaoh's life points to 1400. Now, the Pharaoh's last line of defense is gone!
Joey says, Yugi's having the time of his life up there! If he wins, that means he's ready to face the world on his own. (Joey's dialog is added to the US version. These shots of Yugi and the Pharaoh are moved here in the US version from later in the Japanese.)
(Cut from the US version is this shot of Bakura with his fist in the air, saying that now Atem and Yugi are in a close race, and Otogi adding that Yugi has two high-level monsters.)
Tristan adds, and the Pharaoh will finally be free. (Japanese Honda says that he can see now that Yugi will win.) Téa is saddened by this sudden reminder of the Pharaoh's fate, and turns her back on the duel. She says she can't watch any more. If the Pharaoh loses, this is the last time they'll see him. She doesn't know about the others, but she's not ready to say goodbye yet. Please make them stop! (Japanese Anzu says she can't watch. She doesn't think Atem wants to go. He wants to stay with them. So why do they fight?)
Joey says that this isn't easy for any of them, but this duel has to go on. Besides, she knows as well as he does that they couldn't stop this duel if they tried. Téa says she guesses so, but remind her why. (Japanese Jounouchi says this duel isn't about what Yugi and Atem want. It's about their duelist's spirit. Anzu says, duelist's spirit?)
Joey says that everything that's happened since those two met has been leading up to this. Every duel that Yugi and the Pharaoh ever faced together was preparing them for this one. Every enemy they ever stared down, every strategy they ever planned, and every friend they ever saved helped shape who they are today. And now they need this test to see how far they've come. Téa asks why, and Joey says that when these guys met, they had a lot to learn, and they needed each other to get by. But hopefully, by now, they're both ready to move on with their lives. (Japanese Jounouchi says, those two have fought many duels: with himself, Kaiba, Marik, Bakura, Mai, Haga, Kajiki, Pegasus, and many other duelists. They learned with their decks, but they have to fight with their spirit. Jounouchi says he thinks Yugi and Atem have put aside thoughts of the underworld. No one can stop this duel. The close-up shots of Yugi and the Pharaoh that were added to the US version above are here in the Japanese, as Jounouchi says that they fight with the souls of duelists, no matter what's ahead of them.)
Joey says this duel is really all for the best. (Japanese Jounouchi says that he and the others can't do anything.) He puts his hand on Téa's shoulder, telling her that, as tough as it seems, they need to support those two guys all the way. (Japanese Jounouchi tells Anzu she must wait until the end as a friend.) Wiping away a tear, Téa turns back to the duel.
The Pharaoh looks at his deck, thinking that he senses the presence of an old friend, and it's time for them to reunite. He might be defenseless now, he says, but that's all about to change. (Japanese Pharaoh says he can feel it... the restless soul. He tells Mahad he's sorry to have kept him waiting.) He draws, then activates the magic card Dark Magic Curtain, allowing him to pay half his life points to summon Dark Magician (2500 ATK). His life points go down to 700, as Dark Magician appears on the field. Yugi says he was afraid the Pharaoh would do that. Téa says that now Yugi's forced to fight against his favorite monster. Kaiba says he's glad he stuck around.
The Pharaoh's not done yet. He activates his face-down card, Book of Secret Arts, raising Dark Magician's attack by 300 points, to 2800. Then he orders Dark Magician to destroy Summoned Skull with Dark Magic Attack. Yugi's down to 800 life points. The Pharaoh tells Dark Magician, nice work. Looking at the Pharaoh over his shoulder, Dark Magician says he's traveled five thousand years across time and space to serve his king in this battle. Ishizu watches, stunned. Marik asks her if something's wrong, but she says it's just nerves. Then she thinks to herself that Dark Magician's arrival has sparked a strange vision. But what are these memories of old that haunt her? (Japanese Ishizu wonders why she feels so sad.)
The Pharaoh tells Yugi that this is the strongest monster he has left—and Yugi knows him quite well. If Yugi intends to defeat him today, he must first defeat Dark Magician. Yugi thinks that, if he intends to save his closest friend, he must destroy his most trusted monster!
To Be Concluded
