Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist - Duel 001

"Challenge!!", known as "Challenge!!!" in the Japanese version, is the first chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist in the English version and the sixtieth chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! in the Japanese version.

This chapter was originally printed in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in Japanese. It has been reprinted in Japanese in volume 7 of the tankōbon and volume 5 of the bunkoban. It has been released in English in volume 1 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist tankōbon.

Starting with this chapter, the plot shifts to a Duel Monsters centered universe.

Yugi and his friends watch the Japanese Duel Monsters tournament finals on TV, before Yugi opens a package from Industrial Illusions, containing a recording of Maximillion J. Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters.

Summary[]

Domino High[]

At Domino High School, Duel Monsters is being played by the students at recess. As someone Summons "Mountain Warrior". Yugi Mutou comments that Duel Monsters is "a trading card game where players become wizards who summon monsters and cast spells to do battle".

Katsuya Jonouchi, who is facing Anzu Mazaki Summons "Rock Ogre Grotto #1" in Attack Mode and laughs as he attacks Anzu with it and brags about how strong it is. However on Anzu's turn, she activates the Spell Card, "Wind of the Gods". The holy wind erodes Jonouchi's monster, turning it into dust and blowing it away. Jonouchi's Life Points drop to 0 and Anzu wins the game. Jonouchi throws his cards up in the air in frustration. Anzu smirks and calls Jonouchi lame.

Jonouchi seizes Yugi by the shoulders and shakes him as he asks why he can't win and what it is he's doing wrong. Yugi asks to see his Deck and looks through it. To Yugi's surprise, all 40 cards in Jonouchi's Deck are monsters. Jonouchi grins and says that he stuffed it with the toughest monsters he could find. However Yugi says that's not good; The biggest strategy in the game is combining monsters with Spell Cards. If someone fights with monsters alone, the opponent can easily dodge their attacks. Jonouchi pauses and thinks about that. He then grabs Yugi by the shoulders again, begging that he train him to become better at the game. Yugi agrees and invites Jonouchi to come by his house after school. Jonouchi has a great time, Yugi says, since the Duel Monsters tournament is on TV at 5:00 tonight.

Kame Game[]

Arrival[]

Yugi arrives home, with Anzu and Jonouchi just as his Grandpa closes the family shop. Jonouchi is surprised to see Grandpa closing this early. Grandpa laughs and says that he can't be stuck watching the shop when the Duel Monsters finals are on.

Inside, Grandpa hands Yugi a package that arrives earlier. Yugi wonders who it is from, but there is no name on the return address.

Watching the tournament final[]

At 5:00, Anzu, Yugi, Jonouchi and Grandpa sit down with some food and drink to watch the Duel Monsters final on TV. In front of the TV is a console, resembling a PlayStation. Just before the show starts there is a Cora-Cola commercial on the TV.

Jonouchi says that this tournament will determine the number one duelist in Japan. He asks Yugi why he didn't take part, commenting that Yugi had the potential to have went all the way. Yugi replies that he had made a decision; When he enters a tournament it will be to fight "him". Anzu asks if he means Kaiba. Yugi affirms this and says that it is dream to duel Kaiba fair and square. Anzu says that she hears Kaiba is still in the hospital, and Yugi says that he visited Kaiba yesterday, but there was still no change. Even if Kaiba does come back, Jonouchi says, he will never trust that creep.

The presenter then says that, for the thousands of Duel Monsters fans across the country, it all comes down to this moment; the final round of the Duel Monsters tournament is about to begin. Out of the two hundred who made it through the regionals, he introduces the two finalists; the fourteen year old Insector Haga from East Japan, and the fifteen year old Dinosaur Ryuzaki from West Japan.

Haga and Ryuzaki sit down in a Virtual Simulation Box, which was developed by Industrial Illusions in cooperation with KaibaCorp. Haga says that he can feel Ryuzaki's cards shaking in fear. However, Ryuzaki is unmoved, and says his dinosaurs will crush Haga like an ant.

The Duel begins, and Jonouchi asks Yugi who he thinks will win. Yugi explains that Haga specializes in insect combos, while Ryuzaki uses the megaton power of his dinosaurs to overwhelm his opponents. To Jonouchi, there's no question that the dinosaurs will beat insects.

At some point in the Duel, Ryuzaki brings out his most rare and powerful card, the "Two-Headed King Rex" in Attack Mode. Haga counters with "Basic Insect" in Attack Mode.^{[Note 1]} However, "Basic Insect" has only 500 ATK and 700 DEF. Jonouchi wonders why Haga is playing such a wimpy card and says Ryuzaki has it won already. However, Yugi is certain Haga is planning a trap.

Ryuzaki orders "Two-Headed King Rex" to kill "Basic Insect". Haga points at Ryuzaki and laughs that he has declared an attack. In response to the attack, Haga is able to play his Trap Card, "Infinite Dismissal".^{[Note 2]} Haga explains that this sucks "Two-Headed King Rex" into a whirlpool of time for all eternity.

Haga starts his turn. He uses the power-up "Insect Gun Armor Level 5" on "Basic Insect". Although it is a Spell Card, it has "Insect Gun Armor" printed as its name and is given 5 Level Stars. "Basic Insect" attacks and destroys "Two-Headed King Rex", causing Ryuzaki to lose.^{[Note 3]}

The presenter declares Haga the winner, and introduces a guest to give Haga his trophy and prize money. The guest is Maximillion J. Pegasus, the president of Industrial Illusions and creator of Duel Monsters.

Pegasus congratulates Haga and hands him the trophy. As he does so, he tells Haga that he must come to the tournament his company will be sponsoring.

The presenter announces the end of the show, and reminds viewers to collect the limited edition Duel Monsters tournament cards at centers near them.

Grandpa and Yugi aren't surprised that Haga won, but Yugi still feels it was a great Duel. From watching the Duel, Jonouchi now understands what Yugi said about how strong monsters can't stand against a good combo, and urges Yugi to train him.

Watching the video[]

Before Yugi starts training Jonouchi, Grandpa suggests that he open the package first. Everyone gathers around as Yugi opens the box and finds a gauntlet, two star-shaped chips and an 8 mm videotape. They're slightly puzzled, but Jonouchi guesses that there might be some explanation on the tape and asks if Yugi can play it. Yugi says that they have an 8 mm player and inserts the tape.

Maximillion Pegasus appears on the TV screen, saying that he is pleased to finally meet Yugi. Yugi and Jonouchi are surprised and recognize him as the American who was on the TV, the man who created Duel Monsters. Pegasus says not to be surprised, he just wanted to send a video letter to Yugi, "the real champion". Pegasus congratulates Yugi on his Duel Monsters skill and victory over Seto Kaiba. Pegasus expresses his desire to test Yugi's skill and challenges Yugi to a game of Duel Monsters against the recording of him. Yugi is shocked and Grandpa says how preposterous it is to Duel against a prerecording; There's no way Pegasus can know what cards Yugi is playing. Pegasus instructs Yugi to build his Deck in front of the monitor and says that they shall begin their Duel in five minutes. Yugi considers it a dream to be able to face the creator of Duel Monsters and accepts the challenge. He spreads some cards across the floor and prepares his Deck.

After Yugi is ready the Duel begins. Yugi goes first and Summons "Koumori Dragon", the "Devil Dragon" card. On the TV screen, Pegasus guesses that Yugi is playing "Koumori Dragon". Yugi, Grandpa and Jonouchi are surprised that a prerecording can know what cards Yugi has. Pegasus explains that he knew Yugi would play that card and he even knows the other cards in Yugi's hand. He says that Yugi was planning on combining "Koumori Dragon" with the "Dragon Knight" on his next turn to increase its power. Yugi is stunned and wonders if Pegasus can read his mind.

Pegasus says that they can't allow that combo and counters with "Dragon Capture Jar". "Koumori Dragon" is removed and sealed it in the jar.^{[Note 4]} To Yugi's surprise the illustration on the card is sucked out and drawn into the TV screen. He quickly realizes that this is a Shadow Game, so the other Yugi takes over to continue the Duel. He thinks that this isn't going to be easy as he is facing the creator of the game. Pegasus smiles and a portion of an artificial eye is barely visible behind his hair.

Featured Duels[]

Katsuya Jonouchi vs. Anzu Mazaki[]

Duel is shown from an unspecified turn.

Someone Summons "Mountain Warrior" (ATK: 600).

Jonouchi's turn

Jonouchi Summons "Rock Ogre Grotto #1" in Attack Position (ATK: 800). Jonouchi attacks with "Rock Ogre Grotto #1".

Anzu's turn

Anzu activates "Wind of the Gods", destroying "Rock Ogre Grotto #1" and dropping Jonouchi's Life Points to 0.

Dinosaur Ryuzaki vs. Insector Haga[]

Duel is shown from an unspecified turn.

Ryuzaki's turn

Ryuzaki Summons "Two-Headed King Rex" (ATK: 1600).

Haga's turn

Haga counters with "Basic Insect" (ATK: 500).^{[Note 1]}

Ryuzaki's turn

Ryuzaki attacks "Basic Insect" with "Two-Headed King Rex". Haga activates his face-down "Infinite Dismissal" negating the attack.^{[Note 2]}

Haga's turn

Haga equips "Basic Insect" with "Insect Gun Armor" (ATK: 500 → 2000).^{[Note 3]} "Basic Insect" attacks and destroys "Two-Headed King Rex", dropping Ryuzaki's Life Points to 0.

Yugi Mutou vs. Maximillion Pegasus[]

Turn 1

Yugi

Yugi Summons "Koumori Dragon" (ATK: 1500).

Turn 2

Pegasus

Pegasus counters with "Dragon Capture Jar" (ATK: 100), sealing "Koumori Dragon" inside it.^{[Note 4]}

Continued next chapter...

Featured cards[]

The following cards appeared in this chapter. Cards in italics debuted here.

Anime adaption[]

Episode 2 of the second series anime, ""The Gauntlet Is Thrown"" is based on this and the next two chapters of the manga.

A number of changes were made including:

• Téa (Anzu) flipped over the card "Happy Lover", after Joey (Jonouchi) Summoned "Rock Ogre Grotto #1". Joey mocked it for being a weak card. Then Téa (Anzu) played "Breath of Light" ("Wind of the Gods").
• Yugi explained the effect of "Wind of the Gods" to Joey, rather than Téa.
• Tristan (Honda) told Joey that he stinks at the game, after he lost to Téa.
• Yugi looked through Joey's Deck later on outside school, rather than in the classroom after Joey and Téa's Duel.
• The Japanese National Duel Monsters Championship took place much later. Yugi still brought Joey home to train him that night. It was a later date when he came to watch the tournament finals.
• When Yugi brought Jonouchi home the first time, Grandpa was putting up a poster for the tournament. What happened next was different in the Japanese and English versions:
  • In the Japanese, Jonouchi saw the prize money and planned on entering and winning it. Yugi and Grandpa were skeptical of him winning it on short notice, but Jonouchi begs them to train him for it.
  • In the English, Yugi told Grandpa that he had brought him a new student. Joey said that Téa beat him three times at school, but Yugi corrected him, saying that it was five. Joey begged to be taught. Grandpa was reluctant at first, but agreed.
• Joey was briefly shown undergoing painful training from Grandpa.
• When Yugi invited his friends over to watch the tournament on TV, Tristan also came.
• Joey said that it should be him in the finals. In the Japanese version, Anzu says that he at least made it to the top eight, but Honda pointed out that it was only the top eight and the town preliminaries.
• In the English version, they knew that the package was from Industrial Illusions before Yugi opened it and the scene involving Yugi explaining that he didn't enter the tournament because Kaiba wasn't in it was replaced with Yugi suspecting Industrial Illusions sending him this may be connected to his victory over Kaiba.
• When Yugi recalls facing Kaiba before a flashback is shown.
• The Cora-Cola commercial was removed.
• Weevil (Haga) and Rex (Ryuzaki) faced each other in a Dueling Arena, rather than a Battle Box.
• Pegasus entered the stadium through a trap door, rather than a doorway.
• The scene with the presenter reminding people to buy the limited edition cards was removed.
• After the tournament, Pegasus was seen in a limo. In the Japanese version, Pegasus said that none of the contestants he saw today excited him. In the English version, Pegasus' employee said that Pegasus' announcement should attract thousands of duelists to his upcoming tournament and Pegasus hoped it will attract people with Millennium Items. In both versions, the employee informed Pegasus that Yugi received his package.
• Pegasus imposed a fifteen minute time limit before he and Yugi started the Duel. This was not put in place until a later chapter in the manga.
• When Yugi and Pegasus' Duel started, everyone else in the room was frozen and the room was replaced with a dark aura. Pegasus explained that they were in the Shadow Realm.
• Yugi realizes that it is a Shadow Game before he starts the Duel and switches to the other Yugi straight away.
• There is no mention of Yugi planning to power-up "Koumori Dragon" with a "Dragon Knight".
• "Dragon Capture Jar" was a Trap Card rather than a monster. Pegasus went first, so he was able to Set it before Yugi Summoned "Koumori Dragon".

Notes[]