Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

[Chopperxoxo]

episodes start Tommorow so i am making an official thread here!

In a city in the near future, in the Heartland, kids and adults are nuts about Augmented Reality Duels. Augmented Reality Duels are Duels that use D-Gazers and D-Pads, which when the two are used together, on the ground or in the sky, monsters can erupt from buildings and fight each other, it's a Super-Charged Duel!

But there's no-one in town who's crazier about dueling than our hero, Yuma Tsukumo. At a beginner level, he's a Champion at absolutely losing. Due to a certain event, Yuma ends up challenging the #1 delinquent at his school, Ryoga. The Duel before him will greatly change Yuma's destiny…!

A bizarre door that usually appears in Yuma's dreams suddenly appears in the midst of this fight. When he unlocks this sealed door, countless lights fly from the door. When he looks up, the mysterious entity, Astral, who came from a parallel universe, stands before him.

In order to regain Astral's lost memories, which have turned into the 99 "Numbers" Cards, these two must work together. What is Astral's true purpose appearing here? And what on earth is with the existence of the new monsters known as "Number Monsters"? A series of mysterious powerful rivals begin to appear before Yuma and Astral, which begins to explain the mystery...

With this combination, the curtain on a new Dueling Legend is about to rise on the world!
from yugioh wikia

[SonPan]

I was just gonna make a thread… you beat me to it!
KK everyone who agreed for the 10 episode watch say I....
I!

[Aaronrules380]

So I'm curious if this has anything to do with the timeline of the other yugioh series based on that description

[SonPan]

I hope it ties in with the projects Yusei will work on in his future. Like maybe he created a new source of energy which would explain the dissapearance of Synchro. I really hope it is in the same timeline or else it'll be a little weird IMO.

[Chopperxoxo]

I agreed To watch ten episodes. Seems like a new archtype called Photon from Soul hunter a villian

[D-kun]

The characters designs are horrid but I'll probably watch it anyway, meh.

[Chopperxoxo]

anyone know if there is a confirmed subbing by anyone?

[Kareem Said]

OK no offense to anyone who still likes Yugioh but I've grown out of it. After GX I decided to move on to other things. I haven't gotten into 5D's although I've heard a fair few people say it was actually pretty damn good. I did briefly like Yugioh again for a month or two when I was 14 (mostly because of the Abridged Series). In which case one of my "friends" decided to be a complete asshole and made fun of me for liking it. That wasn't what got me out of it again though, I just kind of felt like "eh I don't care the first Yugioh was the only one that was decent anyway". This was before I heard 5D's was actually a lot better than it looked.
But anyway this new series does not look promising. Come on be honest with yourselves, is anyone looking at that Promo and being like "That Looks Totally Awesome!" Because I don't think anyone is. Now I get giving things a fresh chance and maybe it'll be better than it looks but even if I wasn't tired of Yugioh I imagine I wouldn't be too excited for this series.

[D-kun]

@Kareem Said: You should try Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, the first two seasons are pretty good, I liked it a lot.

[Kareem Said]

@D-kun:

@Kareem Said: You should try Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, the first two seasons are pretty good, I liked it a lot.

I actually did watch 2 episodes and they were allright. I was told that it got better though.

[SonPan]

5D's gets really good (for YGO) after episode 10… I'd say you'd get hooked after Aki's introduction but thats just my bias cause Aki was the character that got me hooked to the series (other than Yusei ofcourse).
But yes no one is actually really excited about this (I'm not) but I've made a pact with a few ppl to watch the first 10 episodes lol.
But again... I really recommend 5D's, I could see why you got out of it cause of GX (I almost did too) but atleast finish your YGO interest with a good taste with (atleast) the first two seasons of 5D's...

[TLC]

I have low hopes for this series but 5Ds made it deserve a shot. Maybe it will surprise us with great characterization and an awesome story once it gets into the main plot.It's not all bad at the surface. I think Astral's design is pretty cool.

[No Maam]

For the record, I will realy not life if the hero is a bumbling happy grinning little idiot.

I've had my fair share of hate inducing experience with that already.

[SympathyX]

@SonPan:

5D's gets really good (for YGO) after episode 10…

Yet your only giving ZEXAL a chance up to that point? If previous experience is anything to go by then surely it'd need more than 10 episodes to get a good feel for it?

The original series arguably doesn't even start to get really good until Battle City or just before it. GX took a really long time to properly get going as well from what I remember.

[Crossword]

Haven't gotten all the way through 5D's despite some of its own faults and hangups, I might as well give this a handful of episodes to see how it goes. The first Big Bad looks like something from a cheesy old Super Robot anime.

Yuma and Akari must be adopted, because their parents look pretty normal for later Yu-Gi-Oh designs.

[Darkstorm]

I'm holding out for Yu-Gi-Oh ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

[SonPan]

5ds was good for me since nearly the beginning cause Yusei was q great character and his struggles were entertaining and interesting… I'm just saying that point is where I got hooked...
You know my greatest bother with this show? Poor little me has absolutely ZERO eye candy this time around. :( Even GX despite being far from it still had some decent looking characters but this?? Is scaring me I'm a older so kids won't do it for me (which is why 5ds felt it grew with me)

Edit: OP and ED theme for those interesting... it's no Masaki Endoh but their alright...

ED:

Judging by the end of the ending… I think Yuma is going to go through somethign similar to Judai ala season 4. (already getting the GX vibes)
And I guess the green haired girl is Yuma's love interest. (although it could never get better than YuseixAki in YGO)

[TLC]

Astral looks like he's gonna be a very fun character at least.

[SonPan]

Raw's out
Part 1:

Part 2:

Havnt watched it yet…
I think ChopperRules said he was gonna sub it (dont quote me on that) so I'm waiting for that :)

[Robby]

What the hell is up with that kid's hair.

I realize this franchise has wierd haircuts on the leads. But… that's really ridiculous.

Doubly so with that scouter.

[Narutossss]

you're not the only one robby I couldn't stop staring at sharks hair, are those dreadlocks?? oh yeah TETSUOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[Chopperxoxo]

Kotori is now the subject of my Lolicon fantasy, but ruka is still there too.

[SympathyX]

DEAR GOD THE VOCALS IN THE BRIDGE OF THE OPENING ARE JUST TOO DAMN FAST.

It's like some auto-tuned auctioneer

[TLC]

@RobbyBevard:

What the hell is up with that kid's hair.

I realize this franchise has wierd haircuts on the leads. But… that's really ridiculous.

Doubly so with that scouter.

Funnily enough, that's the biggest problem the series has.

[Kareem Said]

@RobbyBevard:

What the hell is up with that kid's hair.

I realize this franchise has wierd haircuts on the leads. But… that's really ridiculous.

Doubly so with that scouter.

Judai/Jaden's was the most normal looking and even then his hair looked like a mushroom. Or a Kuriboh. Or both.

[Chopperxoxo]

im surprised nobody cares i just said im a lolicon… but i hate Yuma's catch phrase sooooo much

[SonPan]

What does his catch phrase even mean?
Also… I dont really mind YGO's weird hair designs cause quite frankly atleast you could tell them apart because of it. The YGO franchise has so many characters that if all of them had normal hair it would prob be hard to tell them apart

[Zack]

@SonPan:

What does his catch phrase even mean?
Also… I dont really mind YGO's weird hair designs cause quite frankly atleast you could tell them apart because of it. The YGO franchise has so many characters that if all of them had normal hair it would prob be hard to tell them apart

It's not a good thing when you need crazy hair designs to tell characters apart, not that I don't mind the hairstyles.

[Retro]

Watched the raw and honestly am thinking GX 2.0 which isn't good as I wasn't a fan of that show (well beyond the second season anyway.) Still there a chance it could get better..hopefully.

[SonPan]

@HiroVoid:

It's not a good thing when you need crazy hair designs to tell characters apart, not that I don't mind the hairstyles.

For anime… its always a problem. No matter how normal they try to make characters because of the fact that its anime, its always an issue for creators to make characters look so distinguishable.
Even OP has the same problem with some of their characters sadly.
I think for YGO the hair styles really help in making all the characters look unique.

[Zkaiser]

I really liked that episode. The scouter world makes me fear for Yuma's street cred but it's a good development of the solid eye. Although, it makes bystanders disappear…that's really dangerous for both sides of the scouter.

Also, I love Yuma's voice.

[Chopperrules]

@SonPan:

Raw's out
Part 1:

Part 2:

Havnt watched it yet…
I think ChopperRules said he was gonna sub it (dont quote me on that) so I'm waiting for that :)

I will. But to let everyone know, I won't be subbing this series as fast.

I did read the manga, but the anime was pretty good for the first episode, in my honest opinion. I can tell already it will never surpass my interest for 5D's and the original, but I personally think the plot seems pretty structured for a Yoshida series and I like the cast overall. Actually, I only really like Kotori, and Yuma's decent, despite his ridiculous design. I don't like Shark or Tetsu - generic fatso asshole and evil rival. To me, Kaiba, Manjoume and Jack were much more interesting right from their first appearances.

Wait till next episode. If there's anything keeping me interested in this series after reading the manga that has come out so far, it is the interaction between Yuma and Astral. It's just… different. Kind of like how Yami Yugi/Atem took over Yugi and made him do crazy things in the start of the manga, only Astral just pops up and makes Yuma fight for him without any explanation or even asking him to. And one thing about Yuma that interests me is that, unlike Yugi, Judai or Yusei, he is not some off the street gaming genius. In fact, he sucks terribly at this game and everything he does.

I will definitely be sticking with this for a while to see where it goes. I love the opening/ending and animation. Although unlike the previous series, nothing about the BGM selection really stood out for me at all.

@Retro:

Watched the raw and honestly am thinking GX 2.0 which isn't good as I wasn't a fan of that show (well beyond the second season anyway.) Still there a chance it could get better..hopefully.

It's better IMO. GX was a fun series for me cast-wise, but plot-wise it was an absolute mess.

On the other hand, ZeXal has a plot right from the beginning - to get back Astral's memories, similar to Duel Monsters, only in a different fashion.

[SonPan]

Umm Ch'Rules, a little help here… what does Yuma's catchphrase mean? It's been bothering me >.<

[TLC]

@Chopperrules:

I will. But to let everyone know, I won't be subbing this series as fast.

I did read the manga, but the anime was pretty good for the first episode, in my honest opinion. I can tell already it will never surpass my interest for 5D's and the original, but I personally think the plot seems pretty structured for a Yoshida series and I like the cast overall. Actually, I only really like Kotori, and Yuma's decent, despite his ridiculous design. I don't like Shark or Tetsu - generic fatso asshole and evil rival. To me, Kaiba, Manjoume and Jack were much more interesting right from their first appearances.

Wait till next episode. If there's anything keeping me interested in this series after reading the manga that has come out so far, it is the interaction between Yuma and Astral. It's just… different. Kind of like how Yami Yugi/Atem took over Yugi and made him do crazy things in the start of the manga, only Astral just pops up and makes Yuma fight for him without any explanation or even asking him to. And one thing about Yuma that interests me is that, unlike Yugi, Judai or Yusei, he is not some off the street gaming genius. In fact, he sucks terribly at this game and everything he does.

I will definitely be sticking with this for a while to see where it goes. I love the opening/ending and animation. Although unlike the previous series, nothing about the BGM selection really stood out for me at all.

It's better IMO. GX was a fun series for me cast-wise, but plot-wise it was an absolute mess.

On the other hand, ZeXal has a plot right from the beginning - to get back Astral's memories, similar to Duel Monsters, only in a different fashion.

It's nice to see the awesome 5Ds characterization shining a bit. I sensed from the previews that Yuma was a bit different from usual protagonists. Where as we usually have either the happy go lucky prodigy or the timid, cowardly weak ass with a spirit to help him, this time we get a happy go lucky weak ass with a spirit to help him. A nice, refreshing change. Also Astral really looks to be fun. Also a sense of direction already? These are good signs.

[Crossword]

Well, I watched the whole first episode. It felt like it moved rather fast for an opener, since usually first episodes include some exposition of the setting and characters which this didn't really seem to have much of. The premise makes me think of a mashup between Megaman Star Force (sequel taking place further in the future, building aesthetic, hero wears red and has a plot-important pendant, blue spirit companion) and Megaman ZX (building aesthetic again, big tower in the middle of the city, Dr. Weil lookalike villain - even if Dr. Weil was only a sentient piece of metal at that point in the timeline -, and a crazy-faced henchman like Prometheus) with Duel Monsters.

The animation was more active than 5D's generally was, and things were colorful and I liked Ryoga's deck theme. And I am curious as to the purpose of that green blimp thing in the opening is. I guess I'll stick around for now and see how the first arc turns out, though it looks like we'll be in monster of the week format for the time being.

Oh yeah, I get the feeling that Ryoga's Zeus's Breath card got changed due to the earthquake, didn't it?

[Chopperrules]

@SonPan:

Umm Ch'Rules, a little help here… what does Yuma's catchphrase mean? It's been bothering me >.<

Kattobingu is essentially the dattebayo of Yu-Gi-Oh! Meaning it means nothing and is a bitch to translate. It's basically combining a term meaning "to send one flying" or "to beat the crap of out someone" (a term Luffy also uses, buttobasu) with a non existent word carrying the meaning of being energetic. A Chinese scanlation group for the manga came up with an interesting translation that had to do with spiritualism, but I forget atm. I'm going with something like "fly to the sky", a metaphor for optimism. But it's still up for discussion in Janime.

@Thousand:

It's nice to see the awesome 5Ds characterization shining a bit. I sensed from the previews that Yuma was a bit different from usual protagonists. Where as we usually have either the happy go lucky prodigy or the timid, cowardly weak ass with a spirit to help him, this time we get a happy go lucky weak ass with a spirit to help him. A nice, refreshing change. Also Astral really looks to be fun. Also a sense of direction already? These are good signs.

Yeah, and Astral is interesting. He's like a more goofy Atem. It's what Bakuman labels as "serious humor", the best kind of humor there is.

@Crossword:

Oh yeah, I get the feeling that Ryoga's Zeus's Breath card got changed due to the earthquake, didn't it?

He was possessed by "Numbers", an evil being released from that giant door shown at the beginning, who is opposes to Astral. Numbers is basically Astral's mempories broken up and sealed within several cards that possess Duelists. Why they have an evil conscious is yet to be explained. Knowing Yoshida, there will be mythology introduced at some point. Many are predicting it may be Aztec.

[Crossword]

@Chopperrules:

He was possessed by "Numbers", an evil being released from that giant door shown at the beginning, who is opposes to Astral. Numbers is basically Astral's mempories broken up and sealed within several cards that possess Duelists. Why they have an evil conscious is yet to be explained. Knowing Yoshida, there will be mythology introduced at some point. Many are predicting it may be Aztec.

No, I meant the real, Sendai Earthquake. A card named after Zeus is not something I'd expect to find in an ocean-themed deck, his brother Poseidon would've been more appropriate, and those ''clouds'' looked suspiciously like recolored foamy water.

[Chopperrules]

@Crossword:

No, I meant the real, Sendai Earthquake. A card named after Zeus is not something I'd expect to find in an ocean-themed deck, his brother Poseidon would've been more appropriate, and those ''clouds'' looked suspiciously like recolored foamy water.

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. Yeah, some of his cards are interesting.

[Zkaiser]

@Crossword:

No, I meant the real, Sendai Earthquake. A card named after Zeus is not something I'd expect to find in an ocean-themed deck, his brother Poseidon would've been more appropriate, and those ''clouds'' looked suspiciously like recolored foamy water.

I got this.

Yeah, it was originally called Poseidon Wave in both the manga and the actual card game. I'm sure that you are right about reason behind the change. Here is a (fuzzy) pic of the original card:

[Chopperrules]

Ah, I see what Crossword meant now. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they changed some things due to the recent earthquake/tsunami.

[SonPan]

Yea the change is prob cause of the earthquake. The manga came out before and the episode was released after…
Thanks for the explanation Ch'Rules! I actually like fly to the sky...

[TLC]

So I watched the first episode and here's my take on it.

It was…pretty enjoyable actually. The plot itself wasn't anything to sing home about, loser kid, generic bully bla bla but it had some pretty decent execution. The strongest point is easily the characterization. There was the 5Ds magic in there somewhere. Like I said earlier, I like how Yuma is a confident weak ass who needs a duel spirit to win. Very refreshing. In fact, I liked his characterization in general. He's over-confident but does realize his weakness. Pretty neat. There was some refreshing characterization all around. Yuma, Kotori, Akari and Grandma, pretty much everyone was likable and interesting except Tetsuo who's kinda blegh even if he had his moments and Shark is a good antagonist though he was kinda meh at the beginning. The duel itself was fine for a first duel but I'm freaking sick about how they explain EVERYTHING like we're babies. God, I know this is a new series where the industry is trying to get in new kids but not even 5Ds spoon fed so much. It's so annoying. I give them this, they really did a good job in showing what a hack Yuma is at dueling. I actually groaned when he said he set a trap card, ugh. Overall nice first episode, the new series looked terrible at the surface BUT good characterization, good plot execution, a clear direction? It has potential and from my experience nothing is more satisfying than a show which starts off with a really goofy setting becoming serious with wacky characters becoming bad ass and sweet, innocent worlds being thrown into chaos. Anyway can't wait for next week when we see Astral who looks to be the best character of the new series and the most hilarious straight-man ever. Given the previews Yuma and Astral look like they're gonna have some hilarious chemistry in general.

[Crossword]

Duels must look very weird to passerby now, since to anyone without a scouter, it just looks like people are getting knocked on their asses by invisible forces, to say nothing about reacting to debris that really isn't there.

And geez, I know Ryoga's nickname is Shark, but if he keeps chewing the scenery like this there'll be none left for next week! And I don't know why I didn't realize this during my first viewing because they sound identical, but Kotori's seiyuu is the same one who voiced Joey from Heroman.

Welp, I did like the music that played during the duel, and I hope that eyepatch guy who was on one of Akari's screens has a role.

[Zkaiser]

"My Name is Astral" is the second episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
A mysterious entity appears before Yuma during their Duel, introducing himself as Astral. He tries to give advice for the Duel, but Yuma refuses to listen at all! But when he's pushed into a corner due to the brutal attack of Shark's Number 1 Monster "Revise Dragon", Yuma's strong heart that refuses to give up allows him to begin a counterattack, as he takes Shark on.

The Events After The Fact is the third episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
Astral's been unable to leave since Yuma dueled Shark, so, despite his reluctance, he's begun living with Yuma. At an unconvient time, Akari Tsukumo has trouble when her PC she uses as a stay-at-home reporter crashes. When her big scoop is deleted as a result due to Yuma's bumbling, she orders Yuma to find an alternate scoop she can use for another manuscript. When Yuma goes into town, the traffic lights go nuts, causing downtown to fall into chaos. Yuma looks for the criminal who spread the computer virus that caused all this chaos.

"Turnaround Countdown! The Counter-Measure is Astral!?" is the fourth episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
Yuma challenges Professor Ukyo, who is behind it all. Professor Ukyo notes, that each time he reduces his opponent's Life Points with Electronic Computer-Beast Tera Byte, Astral's body weakens, causing him to slowly vanish! To make things worse, the Explosive Virus Time Bomb Ukyo has set is slowly reaching its countdown.

The Other Side Where The Other Side of the Duel is Read! is the fifth episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

A strange shadow approaches Yuma. Which turns out to be Tokunosuke, a classmate of Yuma's known for his duplicitous tongue. In the morning, Yuma was reprimanded for a prank he pulled in front of the whole class has no memory of causing. As a result, he's been cut off from every one else. Tokunosuke gently says "Let's Duel". With the "Baby Dragon" in his hand and his new Exceed Monster, Yuma might enjoy this duel, but Tokunosuke seems to be planning something.

The Treacherous Numbers!? is the sixth episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

Tokunosuke steals Yuma's hope, causing Astral to vanish as a result. On the other hand, Tokunosuke who stole Hope away, desires the great power of Numbers! Then, Yuma tries to summon Revise Dragon to fight back, but Tokunosuke's trap card takes away even Revise Dagon! When Yuma is pushed into a corner with his field, an unexpected monster will become the Trump Card this time!

The Grand Feast of Justice! Calling on ESPer Robin!! is the seventh episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

After having been around a while and having to work with Yuma, Astral's been fascinated by a TV Show Hero named "Different Dimension ESPer Robin". For some reason, Astral feels close and similar to this Robin from an alternate universe. On day, pictures show up with Robin in a fight downtown! Yuma, prodded by Astral, goes with Kotori to where the photographs were taken, and meets Robin's actor, a kid named Kanari! But Kanari is a timid boy who doesn't resemble the Robin they all admire in the slightest.

Star Robin is Forever is the eight episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

The mysterious person posing as Robin around town was Kanari. To stop Kanari's rage, a Duel begins between Robin and Yuma. Robin however possesses "No. 83 Galaxy Queen", causing Yuma to summon one monster after another in an attempt to attack. But, the character which appeared on the TV Show is the form of the monster, causing Astral to realize its effect to take it on. However, the Galaxy Queen possessed by Robin has taken on the appearance of Kanari's mother.

Cat Odoro - Cat Deck is the ninth episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

A suspicious shadow is trailing Yuma. It seems someone has been after Yuma, and their identity is the unassuming girl Cat-chan from Yuma's class. Yuma and Kotori fall into Cat-chan's trap. To rescue Kotori, he's going to have to Duel. Astral is cautious of the strange vibes he's getting from Cat-chan, especially with the strategy of her "Transforming Cat Deck"!

This series will be fun to follow.

[Crossword]

The Events After The Fact is the third episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
Astral's been unable to leave since Yuma dueled Shark, so, despite his reluctance, he's begun living with Yuma. At an unconvient time, Akari Tsukumo has trouble when her PC she uses as a stay-at-home reporter crashes. When her big scoop is deleted as a result due to Yuma's bumbling, she orders Yuma to find an alternate scoop she can use for another manuscript. When Yuma goes into town, the traffic lights go nuts, causing downtown to fall into chaos. Yuma looks for the criminal who spread the computer virus that caused all this chaos.

That reminds me of that episode of Rockman.EXE where Colorman was introduced by doing the exact same thing.

Yuma's using Revise Dragon? I thought that was going to be Ryoga's main ace monster.

[SonPan]

Wow… this series is really reminding me of Rockman.Exe and I loved that show... hmm maybe I'll enjoy this show as that "fun easy going show" I guess.

[Zkaiser]

@Crossword:

That reminds me of that episode of Rockman.EXE where Colorman was introduced by doing the exact same thing.

Yuma's using Revise Dragon? I thought that was going to be Ryoga's main ace monster.

I'm assuming that when Yuma beats a Numbers user, he gets that duelist's Numbers Exceed since it originally belongs to Astral anyway.

Since Shark is in the OP looking so cool I assume he partly reforms and becomes the Kaiba/Manjyoume of ZeXal.

[Crossword]

I find it weird then that it's shown clashing with what I assume is Yuma's ace in the opening then, unless he loses it later on. But I can see now that the card appearing with Ryoga in the opening is a different, non-Numbers monster. Since there are more than plenty to go around I assume that some of the other cast members will manage to get their hands on Numbers cards as the show goes on, as I really doubt Yuma's going to ultimately end up with each and every one.

[SonPan]

Why do I feel like the characters are dressed from the 70s? From Yuma to the Shark guy. Their outfits, minus the normal school uniforms (which not everyone is wearing clearly) are really weird this time around…
Yuma's pants... srsly a blast from the 70s

[Crossword]

It kinda has a Tezuka-esque retro-futuristic feel to it like in Astro Boy. I felt the same about Megaman Star Force, natch.