Nexus Reviews

The Ceremonial Battle is the final arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. This arc was covered in chapters 337 to 343, which completes the entire series. The arc was also released in the West as part of the Millenium World subseries.

This is the last part of a 5-part series review that discusses the entirety of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. As such, this review will not focus on the details surrounding the animé series, although it may mention some important differences.

STORY
The arc focused on Yami Yugi’s final journey as he had finally recovered his memories and his lost true name, Atem. With that goal achieved, he must then travel to the Pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt so his spirit can be finally laid to rest. But it was not a simple matter. Atem must be defeated in a duel first before he can proceed to the afterlife.

And no one else was fit to play the role of Atem’s final opponent than Yugi himself.

The two characters shared the same body for almost the entire series, and they have made an immense bond with each other. Yugi was conflicted, as were his friends, if they could let Atem go to the afterlife instead of spending the rest of their lives together. But knowing the right thing to do, Yugi resolved to do his part for himself.

Then the final duel commenced.

Atem and Yugi dueled using their own built decks. It was one of the best duels in the entire series. The back and forth between the two trying to counter the combos and traps that they prepared against each other was nothing short of ecstatic. They knew what the potential moves were the other would do, and timed reversals tipped the game in favor of the other.

At this point in the manga, Atem was virtually undefeated. And Yugi must step up beyond his own limits and confines if he is to defeat Atem. The final turn of the duel was utterly mind-blowing. The victor of the match won thematically, which was both fitting and emotional.

The arc only revolved around the buildup and that singular duel. It was short, but it was so concise that prolonging it was unnecessary. The anime added a few turns and scenes. One such great addition was how Yugi faced all the Egyptian God Cards on a single turn and bested them almost all at once. Kaiba was also present in the animé as witness to the duel he wished he could have. The manga also ended with not much of an epilogue, while the anime added more scenes via the credits scene showing other minor characters and post-credits showing the fate of the main characters.

ART
Still, what can be said that was not said before regarding the art of the manga? It was great, and it was the perfect art to close out this series.

OVERALL
Yu-Gi-Oh! showed that games are fun when played together with friends. Yu-Gi-Oh! also showed the dangers of playing with darkness and an evil heart, as it could bring harm to others. It was the author’s intent that through his work, people would be able to enjoy gaming, especially Duel Monsters.

Kazuki Takahashi’s legacy lives on through the multitude of anime and manga sequels to Yu-Gi-Oh!. The card game may be what introduced the series to many audiences. And some could really believe in the power of cards to change what is seemingly a bad draw to a better destiny.

Yu-Gi-Oh! still remains popular today. And while it can be argued which Yu-Gi-Oh! series is the best; none of it will come to be without the original walking so that the rest could run.

Final Rating: 9/10