Yugioh - Yuugi MutouxYami no Yuugi

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Yugioh! - Yuugi Mutou x Yami no Yuugi
Title I'll give all of my memories to be with you - Puzzleshipping at its canon
Fandom Yugioh!
Author lediz
Spoilers The majority of the Yuugiou: Duel Monsters anime and Yugioh manga.
Credits Images taken from kokoro no naka and Yugioh images. Manga scans from janime and Yugioh! Volume 5. Thanks to jkateel , hales731 , obabscribbler  and all the others who helped (and put up with) me for this essay.

NOTES Yugioh! is not like most anime in that manga-to-anime-to-dub makes small changes that don’t affect anything. The changes from Yugioh! to Yuugiou: Duel Monsters to YuGiOh! are kind of huge. This doesn’t necessarily make one better than the others, but my personal preference is not with the English dub. I figure the characters and relationships change too much to really consider them the same. So my essay will revolve around the Japanese Yuugi Mutou and Yami no Yuugi, mainly using Yuugiou: Duel Monsters as example.

DISCLAIMER The Yugioh! manga and Japanese anime have finished. In both of them, the relationship between Yuugi and Yami was left... vague, and Yami moved onto the afterlife. Obviously, the pairing is not canon. Despite many people believing it to be as canon as ‘shounen-ai’ can be in this particularly genre, I know it's not. I'm purely ranting about how and why I can enjoy the pairing in all its fanon glory.

GLOSSARY
Puzzleshipping – the title of the Yami/Yuugi pairing
Yuugi - the name of the main character of Yugioh!, is a rarely used word for ‘game’ or ‘amusement’. These days, the Japanese--especially in this particular series--tend to use the English word, but the pun remains.
Yami no Yuugi - simply put, means ‘Yuugi of Darkness’. This was Yami’s original title. The Japanese fandom shortened his name to ‘Yami’, and it was picked up for the dub (though it has since been ignored), and gets used in almost all fanon as his casual name.
Aibou - The Japanese Yami calls Yuugi this. It can be translated as anything from ‘partner’ to ‘loved one’ (though that would require a different kanji spelling), but it doesn’t have a good English translation. The best I can do is ‘someone you need and depend on’.

YUUGIOU: DUEL MONSTERS
Believe it or not, Yugioh! was not supposed to be about a card game. It was simply because the fan response was so huge to what had been just a one-off appearance that the series gradually began to revolve around it. Naturally, though, because it is what it is, the anime I will be using always did revolve around it, and a lot of character relationships are built through their ‘Duels’.
As such, I have to draw attention to one major difference between the original anime (Yuugiou: Duel Monsters) and dub (YuGiOh!). While the dub portrays Yugi as fairly weak and dependent on Yami, the anime makes an issue of Yuugi’s strength, and shows Yami to depend on Yuugi when fighting his duels and otherwise generally function. It’s a minor point in the overall series, I believe it makes a large difference in their relationship, will be making reference to it, and so to avoid getting my head bitten off by dub fans, it's gotta be said before we start.

Yugioh! Puzzleshipping
"I'll give you all my memories, because I always want to be with you..."

What are we talking about, now?

Yugioh! is the world-famous creation of Kazuki Takahashi, though not everybody knows the same version of it, as there are now nine different Yugioh out there (the original manga, Yugioh the animated series, Yuugiou: Duel Monsters the second animated series, YuGiOh! the dubbed anime, YuGiOh: Uncut, the more liberal dub, Yugioh! the card game, Yugioh: GX, Yugioh R and Yugioh Hero). The original manga began in Shounen Jump in 1997, finished in early 2004, after 38 volumes, and began three whole new spin off series.

The story revolves around the growth of its two main characters, Yuugi Mutou and the Pharaoh Atemu, who spent the vast majority of the series as a nameless spirit living in Yuugi’s overbearing necklace, the Millenium Puzzle. While the background of the story delves into Egyptian mythology and the struggle between light and darkness, the theme has always been about friendship and trust.

I stumbled into Yugioh by accident, having never been particularly impressed by the few dubbed episodes I had seen until I spent a sleepless night watching a marathon on mute. Without the dialogue to confuse me, I noticed a few strange instances in the show, and went online to find out more. A failed experiment and 32 badly subtitled episodes later, I was hooked.

A little disturbed by the fandom, especially the Yuugi/Yami fans who all seemed so insistant that their pairing was canon, it took me a while to join in, but the more episodes I watched, and more manga I read, the more I fell in love with the story, and then the pairing. Yuugi and Yami were not, I discovered, the same person and their relationship was so deep and meaningful, despite their tactile distance, that I had to learn more, until one day I realised that I was obsessed.

I am not a very good fangirl, as I quite enjoy the fact that my pairing isn’t defined canon, and I actually quite like the female love interest (most of the time), but I enjoy the subtleties of the canon relationship and see constant hints of my pairing in the anime, which I hope to explain here.

And the pairing?

THE SPIRIT


Full Name: The Nameless Pharaoh Atemu (his name and overall existence were struck from Egyptian records)
AKA: Yami no Yuugi/The other Yuugi, Mou hitori no boku/The other me, Namonaki Faro/Nameless Pharaoh, Ouji/Prince, Yuugi, Yami (first by Japanese fandom and then English dub), Faro/Pharaoh, and a variety of terms that can usually be translated as ‘son of a bitch’.
Age: It’s never specified or even guessed at. He died a young pharaoh, but considering the time that could mean anything under the age of thirty, and was locked in a puzzle for around three thousand years.
Family: Father Pharaoh Akunumkanon, Uncle Priest Akunadin, Cousin Priest Seto.

Although Atemu’s father was a just king, he ordered the creation of seven mystical objects, the Millenium Items, in order to defend his besieged country. It was not until later that he discovered they came from dark forces, and had required the sacrifice of an entire village to be made. The dark origins of the Millenium Items’ power was kept secret until the day of Atemu’s coronation, when the sole survivor of the sacrificed village began a plot to resurrect the evil that was supposed to come along with the Millenium Items. Now pharaoh, Atemu knew the only way to protect his kingdom was to lock himself, the survivor and the dark power away in the Millenium Items. Three thousand years passed, Atemu becoming more and more imbedded in dark power and forgetting all his memories, until the greatest of the Millenium Items—the Millenium Puzzle—was solved and the darkness was once again released into the world.
Due to the fact that he has no memory, Yami can be forgiven if he occasionally seems like he has no personality, either. His personality changes completely over the course of the story, going from an insane, uncontrollable gambler to the benevolent pharaoh he once was. For the majority of his time with Yuugi, however, he is what his character profile title would paint him as: Darkness. He is self righteous, arrogant, hypocritical and cold. He trusts very few people and has literally killed for the sake of his pride. Despite this, or maybe because of it, he is fiercely loyal to his friends and those he calls his partners. He is also violently protective of Yuugi, who is the only person he allows to see his softer, more playful side. Occasionally given to bouts of self-doubt, he only has to look to Yuugi for a quiet cheer before returning to his often quite literal "I can beat god" persona. He also has a very cruel sense of humour, which he tends to use only in taunting his opponents or teasing Yuugi.

THE BOY


Full Name: Yuugi Mutou
AKA: Aibou, Mou hitori no ore/The other me, Mou hitori no Yuugi/The other Yuugi (though usually left ignored by his friends when Yami is in control), Yugi Motou (the dub’s punny name translates to Original Yuugi), and a variety of terms that range from Chibi-chan (an insulting term for someone short) to Darling to Vessel.
Age: 16 through 17 over the course of the series.
Family: Grandfather Sugoroku Mutou, Mother (unnamed), and Father (who remains conspicuously absent. On a ‘business trip overseas’ according to Takahashi’s on the spot answer).

Much of Yuugi’s character evolved from the fact he was alone for most of his life. Growing up, he only had one friend, Anzu Mazaki, who was usually off spending time with someone else. He’s a little strange, as almost every main character has commented at least once, and completely obsessed with games, especially puzzles. He solved the Millenium Puzzle, believing it would grant his wish of gaining true friends, and began to be possessed by Yami, quickly immersing him in a world of dark magic. Until the very end of the manga, he remains stubborn in the belief that he would never have made any friends without the puzzle, despite the hell it made of his life.
Yuugi is quiet. He is always polite, modest to the point of being self-depreciating, and is a bit of a pushover. He also tends toward the martyristic, which works quite well because there an awful lot of people that want to hurt him. In the beginning of the manga, he didn’t have much experience with social situations, and in public would tend to act much younger and excitable than he really was. However, the more he came to trust himself and his friends, the quieter and more mature he became. This is actually a problem, because he hides behind Yami, and it leads even his best friends to think he’s far weaker than he really is, thinking many of his good points to belong to the spirit. Yuugi is naïve and far too trusting, believing in the good in people even after they’ve tried to kill him several times. However, considering that all of his friends have hurt him at least emotionally, that could be construed as a good thing. He is always kind and a little too emotional, but a combination of naivete and strength will always keep him going, even after he’s dead and souless.

So, why ’ship it?

In the Fandom…

I could go through all every single point of the series, mentioning looks and moments and minor dialogue that hints there is something more to Yami’s relationship with Yuugi than is necessarily let on. I will next. But since the Yugioh fandom is slightly different to most, I feel that is the best place to start.

The series of Yugioh is often referred to as a breeding ground for slash/shounen-ai. The majority of its characters are male and several of them are, to be perfectly honest, pretty. Many of the main characters (epecially Yami) favour leather, belts, chains, and bare midriffs. Yuugi has occasionally been likened to a girl even in the manga, and his animators often don’t help the accusation any. Yami in particular tends to ‘sashay’ when he walks, and has a habit of standing with one hand on his jutting hip. Not that it realistically means anything, but it’s enough for some fans to get excited.

Online fandoms are also a little ridiculous in that they will literally take any two characters and just put them together, even if they have never spoken in the series. Yugioh is no exception, as the ‘shipping list’ will show you. However, the possibility of Yami/Yuugi is quite high, and I personally believe it’s probably second of all possible canon, after Jounouchi/Mai and tied with Yuugi/Anzu, especially considering romance is rarely given any place but comedic backstory in Yugioh.

Since it is so nearly-canon, those that go into the ‘why pair them’ often turn to the series itself to explain it. One particular fanon-theory was regularly supported throughout most of the series, and by Kazuki Takahashi himself, until the very final arc of the series – The Ceremonial Duel.

The theory uses the Ancient Egyptian theory of the soul: the ankh. Upon death, the ankh is separated into two halves, a ka (the spiritual side) and the ba (the human side). Supposedly, the two halves remeet in the afterlife and continue on to the next plain. In Yugioh, however, Pharaoh Atemu sealed his spirit into the Millenium Puzzle, beginning the fanon soulmate theory.

In this theory, Yuugi and Yami are quite literally soul mates. When Pharaoh Atemu sealed his spirit—his ka—into the Millenium Puzzle, his ba was left to reincarnate. It did so until it eventually became Yuugi Mutou, who solved the Millenium Puzzle, thereby rejoining with its other half.

This theory is well liked because it not only explains why they look so similar but also why Yuugi was ‘the chosen one’ – the only one who could possibly solve the Millenium Puzzle. Also, throughout the manga and series, there is constant reference to the idea that the true power of the puzzle can only come out when Yuugi and Yami join as one. As a final rounding off of the theory, Kazuki Takahashi himself has always said that he believed Yuugi and Yami to just be two sides of the same person, which fans declare to be the same as when people describe their lovers as their other half.

Naturally, there are other theories, none of which are substantiated so well, but they do exist. The greatest annoyance to all of them is the fact that for all its reincarnations and past lives and moments of fate, Yugioh never once clearly defines exactly what Yuugi is in terms of the Millenium Items.

That doesn’t stop fanfiction writers coming up with their own stories, of course.

In the Canon…

Yuugi and Yami have a difficult relationship to describe. Even from the beginning things were confusing, as Yami knew full well of Yuugi’s existence, but not only did he hide from Yuugi’s notice, he also preferred everyone to believe he was Yuugi. Even after the secret is out and they know and occasionally interact with one another, the two personalities clash. Yuugi is a martyr, Yami is a killer. By all rights, the two should not be able to peacefully coexist in the same vicinity, let alone the same body. They occasionally have to fight to maintain control over the other, but that, believe it or not, is the reason they work so well together.

In the beginning, Yami is wild, sadistic and reactionary. Playing the part of a dark avenger, he feeds off Yuugi’s anger and sadness, causing pain, insanity and/or humiliation to whoever made Yuugi feel that way. It is very small, but even these actions give hint to the eventual relationship between the two: Yuugi may not know it, but Yami is already fighting to protect him from literally anything that might cause him pain. There is no particular reason for this, though much later in the series it is suggested that like his opposite—Yami Bakura—he was merely doing it because it was his duty to protect his host body, like paying rent to a landlord. However, this theory does not hold up so well, as although Bakura does do that, its only when his host is in real mortal danger, rather than offended. Yami fights and attacks as soon as Yuugi begins to feel even the slightest stirrings of anger.

But that is not the only time he will fight. Their relationship as we know it does not even really begin until Yami chooses to fight his archrival Seto Kaiba for little reason other than he can. At the final round, all Yami has to do is call his attack to win, but before he can do so, Kaiba declares that he will kill himself if he loses. He is not bluffing, but Yami believes a loss or surrender would be a far greater sacrifice than just letting Kaiba kill himself. Luckily for Kaiba, Yuugi splits from Yami and forcibly takes back control in time to stop the attack and surrender. This foreshadows onto his next duel, in which Yami is faced with the very real possibility of defeat. His opponent uses his arrogance against him, and quickly becomes frustrated with how easily she is winning. She demands he wake up to himself, using the phrase ‘what can be shown but not seen’ to tell him he is weak without the strength to admit defeat. Although it is not necessarily what she had in mind, Yami does wake up, realising that Yuugi could possibly be stronger than him and that he does need Yuugi’s help and support.

The moment seems small and insignificant, but it best shows the way their relationship works. While it is always Yami that fights the battles, makes the sweeping statements and encourages the group, it is Yuugi that helps him to do all of that. Not just by continuing to wear the puzzle and therefore allow himself to be possessed, but Yuugi is always there behind Yami, encouraging and reassuring him. To quote Yami himself: "I’ve never felt fear in a duel before. That’s because you were always there, you were always supporting me." Without Yuugi’s support or at least Yuugi in mind, he will always lose his duels. The duel against Mai Kujaku is the first example, though he gained Yuugi’s help before the end, and the Ceremonial Duel that quote is from is another. But the greatest example is the fan-favourite Doma arc.

Doma could very well be a Puzzleshipping essay on its own. It has a painfully melodramatic premise, with both the human world and world of Duel Monsters at risk, and the wall between the two crumbling. Yami and Yuugi are naturally charged with saving it. However, like all Yuugiou: Duel Monsters arcs, this must be done with duels, and the risk this time is that they are not only playing against people that accept and use their own darkness as strength, but the loser of each duel will have his soul taken. Things go badly enough at first, until Yami is given the opportunity to use the same power as their enemies. Knowing Yami’s darkness is too strong for him to control the way the opponent does, Yuugi begs him not to accept it, even trying to physically hold him back. Already part way controlled by his fear, anger and arrogance, Yami ignores his pleading and takes the power, not even noticing that it has sealed Yuugi away from him until long after the event. Without Yuugi’s support and guidance, Yami loses himself to his darkness. The end result is that his soul is almost stolen, until Yuugi finds his way back in time to shove him out of the way, thereby taking his place. Despite what Yami has done, his final words are nothing but the quiet assurance "I believe in you".

Aside from saving Yami’s soul, this seems to do more harm than good. Without his ‘soul’, ‘strength’ and aibou, Yami collapses. Only literally at first, until Jounouchi sighs out in relief that he is fine, and Yami tells them that he is not fine at all. He then falls to his knees in tears, screaming to the skies for his aibou. This is even more significant to Puzzleshipping than it might seem. While Yami regularly displays anger, he almost never allows anyone to see his fear or sadness. Through an earlier arc, three of his friends—including his closest friend Jounouchi—had been hurt, with very little chance of recovery, but the most he did was punch a wall. Here, Yami not only falls apart, but over the next few episodes he goes into a state of shock. Never showing any real emotion beyond self-hatred and apathy, he feels and begins to act fairly useless. He no longer thinks they can defeat their enemy, and he all but ignores anyone who tries to tell him things will work out alright. This is not because he has lost a friend – he has lost Yuugi.

Then, as if it were not obvious enough that he needs Yuugi back, another opponent arises, pulling dirty stunts in an attempt to defeat the already weak pharaoh. He even goes so far as to make Yami believe he has destroyed all chance of having Yuugi’s soul returned. When he discovers it was just a ‘joke’, Yami does not just get angry, as he would for another friend. He attacks with a cold violence we have never yet seen from him, even after the opponent has had his soul taken and is nothing more than an empty shell. Eventually Anzu has to physically hold him back, but he breaks free to haul the soulless body up off the ground, screaming for it tell him where his aibou is.

Eventually, Yami is taken to the ‘Desert of Rocks’, where he can meet a form of Yuugi’s spirit. The risk is that once they have entered the desert, only the strong can leave. Yami brushes off the danger, and literally runs into the desert, only to be confronted by a cold and abrupt version of his aibou, who scoffs at even the most heartfelt words.

                        Yuugi: Why are you here?
                        Yami: I… No matter what, I wanted to be with you.
                        Yuugi: Wanted to be with me? This empty shell of me?
                        Yami: Aibou… I don’t understand myself, I don’t know what’s right, or what’s wrong. When you’re with me, I judge things naturally… but your warmth and concern are gone from me now… If I keep fighting, it’ll only hurt people.

But Yuugi just snaps at Yami to stop complaining, and challenges him to another duel, in which Yuugi uses the time to yell at him, accusing him of being weak, and an arrogant coward. Other opponents have done this in the past, but each accusation cuts this time, until Yami ends up begging Yuugi to stop, not wanting to fight anymore.

After the duel is over, Yami does something he has never done before and pulls Yuugi onto his lap, holding him close as Yuugi tells him "you have to believe in us, believe in your partners," and that he will always be with him. Though Yuugi disappears, leaving the pharaoh in tears and screaming, the promise is enough. While the others have tried everything to bring Yami back to normal, talking, yelling and even punching him, Yami has ignored them all. It is only Yuugi that he believes when he is told everything will be fine.

Despite the ending of Doma including a scene that has Yuugi and Yami walk off with their arms around one another, Puzzleshippers are still left unsatisfied, as their reunion is cut short in lieu of further impending doom. However, if nothing else, it proves their relationship is strong, and often dependent. Yami is the hero of this series, but every hero in every story needs a supposedly weaker person, one he always protects, but who will always protect and support him in return. In Cowboy Bebop, Spike had Julia, Sailor Moon had Tuxedo Mask, Buffy had Riley, even the old super-heroes like Superman had their Lois Lane… The only difference is that in this one, the relationship is completely unspoken.

The fact is, Yami does not think of Yuugi as part of his group of friends. He speaks and acts differently around him, calls his friends ‘nakama’ (a casual translation of colleague or friend) while Yuugi is only ever his aibou, and even verbally separates him from the others by always calling out to him separately, even if Yuugi is in the back of the group and has not spoken yet. Yami’s side of Puzzleshipping is easy to see.

Unfortunately, Yami is not the hard part of Puzzleshipping. Heartfelt confessions, his trust, his habit of touching Yuugi whenever he has a good excuse; the way he dresses, the way he walks, sits, stands; the fact that he is, without fail, always conspicuously absent when Yuugi is confronted with a girl (even to the point of scowling and disappearing when one is about to glomp him) – all these canon occurrences are easy (and often enjoyable for a Puzzleshipper) to add up to one thing: Yami likes Yuugi far more than he is given credit for. Yuugi, on the other hand, makes things difficult.

Being the self-depreciating martyr that he is, Yuugi would do anything for his friends. Because of that, the things he does for Yami can occasionally be brushed off as things he would do for anyone. In particular, the beginning of the second major arc of Yuugiou: Duel Monsters (it is only a minor arc in the manga, more to introduce a new character and show how close Yuugi and Yami have become) can be construed as either a hint or just what Yuugi would do for anyone in that situation. His puzzle stolen, Yuugi is forced to play a game to get it back. Although he agrees, the puzzle is eventually dismantled, and the building it and Yuugi are in bursts into flames. With the top of the puzzle nailed to an immovable spot, Yuugi has no way to get the pieces out, and he translates this to mean he will never see Yami again. Rather than save himself, Yuugi decides to stay in the fire and solve the puzzle, so he can see Yami "one last time". Jounouchi (and Honda, in the anime) begs Yuugi to leave it behind, but accepts the fact he won’t leave without it. Yuugi eventually does solve the puzzle, but not without getting burned and finally falling unconscious. What makes this different to his other self-sacrificing moments is that even unconscious he refuses to leave the puzzle behind, latching onto it so tightly that even bodily yanking Yuugi away won’t remove his hold. Usually he will allow himself to be rescued in some way or another, but as the manga comments, his bond with Yami is as "strong as a chain", and cannot be broken.

Of course, there are a few issues in the way of talking this too far up. Like the one seen in almost every manga series, though it usually warrants some kind of conflict, rather than the occasional comment it gets in Yugioh. From the very beginning, Yuugi has a crush on Anzu, his childhood friend. Although she has always tried to ignore Yuugi’s affection, one day Yami saves her life, unfortunately causing her to fall in love – but only with his voice, never having seen his face. Yami’s continuing actions cause her to watch Yuugi more closely in an attempt to see Yami, until she decides she actually likes them both. Though she does say she likes Yuugi just as much, she tends to focus more of her romantic attentions on Yami. Just wanting them to be happy, Yuugi accepts this, and assumes Yami feels the same way, leaving himself to be ‘just a friend’. No one ever bothers to correct him (though Yami teases Yuugi about making Anzu fall in love with him), but it quickly becomes obvious to see how wrong he is, at least in regard to Yami.

Fans of the Yami/Anzu pairing will often stop a Puzzleshipper at this point to ask, if that is the case, then why did Yami go on a date with Anzu? But the real canon quickly explains that. Yami never wanted to be on the date in the first place. To cheer him up, Yuugi set him up to go out with Anzu, never telling him exactly what was going on until it was too late for Yami to back out. It is true he went along with the ‘date’, but in the whole montage, Yami never seems to enjoy himself, except for a few moments where he’s buying cards. In fact, he spends a great deal of his time looking bored or frustrated, and somehow manages to bring Yuugi up in every single conversation. Unlike the two boys, Anzu never makes note of the triangle, just enjoying her time with Yami and becoming rather talented at jumping into jealousy over every girl to even smile at Yuugi.

The next issue is, of course, that while Yami thinks of Yuugi as his aibou, Yuugi only ever refers to Yami as "The other me", and only calls himself Yami’s ‘nakama’ (colleague or friend). Of course, that is not to say he does not have his Puzzleshipping moments. To be specific, after the aforementioned fire, Yuugi demands to know who Yami is, prompting a rather touching scene as Yami confesses he remembers nothing over his past.

                        Yami: All I know is that as long as you have the puzzle, I will be here.
                        Yuugi: No more…
                        Yami: So I will—
                        Yuugi: No more!
                        Yami stares, shocked at the outburst, then smiles.
                        Yami: Even if I don’t get my memories back, I always want to be with you.
                        Yuugi: Me too. Always! I’ll… I’ll give you all of my memories!
                        Yami steps forward, cupping his hands around Yuugi’s on the puzzle.
The symbolism of that scene can and has been interpreted several different ways. Personally, I believe it to be best interpreted as Yami’s way of returning what he felt after Yuugi stayed in the fire for him. The series often comments on why memories are important, describing them as necessary to allow a person to move forward, but here, both Yuugi and Yami are willing to give up their pasts for each other. This is understandable from Yami, who has no memories and therefore nothing to lose, but as terrible as his life was, Yuugi is still fond of his memories with his family, but Yami means so much more to him.

Like many of the bonds in Yugioh, Yuugi’s feelings for Yami are only really displayed in very small moments. Preferring to stay hidden in the background, a throwback to his days of being alone, Yuugi very rarely shows his strength. Except for fun, Yuugi does not duel unless the people he most cares about are on the line – his grandfather, his first real friend Jounouchi, and Yami. Of those three, Yami is the only person he will win for, and he will do it against all odds. This is probably most obvious in the second to last arc, in which, for the first time, Yuugi is completely alone with his friends, and forced to take the responsibility of leadership so the others never give up. Not only does he duel Yami Bakura—someone who has always given even Yami difficulty to defeat—but fights several real monsters, always reminding himself that it is all for Yami.

Regardless of how far the emotion goes, Yuugi and Yami do have a strong bond together, and it is occasionally commented that they complete one another. It, of course, remains impossible for canon, with too many factors—such as Yuugi’s ability to be completely oblivious to people that feel anything beyond friendship for him; Yami having to go on to the afterlife; and the fact that no matter how much all the characters wish it was otherwise, one of them is dead—keeping the two apart. However, canon can always be changed for the sake of fanon, which is why all Puzzleshippers love it so. Besides – there has to be some reason for all the chains and leather. And it does makes Duel Monsters that much more interesting…

Ficcage reccomendations:
Like most of Yugioh, really canon fanfiction is hard to find. But for your interest--
Perchance to Dream, by innominate
A Christmas Ritual, by Ceresi
Pernicious Incandescence, by SeraphEyes
Hikari, by Sailor Comet
Northward Pointing Compass, by Nicole Silverwolf
If the World Doesn't Want me, by Artist Josie
And some Fanfiction.net communities--
www.fanfiction.net/c2/6019/0/1/
www.fanfiction.net/c2/1995/0/1/

Comments

[akusai.livejournal.com]

Wow. Even I can't criticize anything, and that's not that common. Well, I loved it. I like how you've explained all, specially the significant moments and why they define their relationship, no matter how you look at it.
I am not a very good fangirl, as I quite enjoy the fact that my pairing isn’t defined canon, and I actually quite like the female love interest (most of the time), but I enjoy the subtleties of the canon relationship and see constant hints of my pairing in the anime, which I hope to explain here.
We should start some kind of group, something like Fangirls against their ships in canon.
Besides – there has to be some reason for all the chains and leather.
So true...

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks! And there I thought I'd get people wanting to bite off my head... But yes. I tried to stick as close to canon as I could, so I'm glad it worked. Thank you so much.

[star-of-heaven.livejournal.com]

Ah, Yami/Yugi. Possibly the one shounen ai pairing in Yu-Gi-Oh! that is the closest to being canon. Except for the fact that Yami doesn't have his own body, so any romantic relationship between Yami and Yugi would involve a lot of creativity.

I always enjoy a good Yami/Yugi story, but nothing ruins Yami/Yugi like Anzu-bashing. Unfortunately, that happens in a lot of Yami/Yugi stories, and it gives Yami/Yugi fans everywhere a bad name. I'm one of those "weird" fans that like both Anzu and Yami/Yugi, and I don't like seeing my favorite character get bashed when trying to find a good Yami/Yugi story to read.

[lediz.livejournal.com]

I know! I mean, I went on a little anti-Anzu trip after reading that manga chapter at the amusement park, but on the whole, she's a good enough girl! So many people ruin such good stories with Anzu-bashing. Oh well. It's not like characterisation means much in fanfiction, right? Heh... anyway. Thanks for reading/commenting. I agree with you completely.

[silverwing147.livejournal.com]

I went Anti-Anzu after reading the amusement park chapter also. I bashed her in the first fic I ever wrote... then felt bad about it cos she didn't make a huge long friendshippy speech in the dub the next morning.

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Aww... well... I can believe that. I'm not a Tea fan. But I'm not a dub fan, so hey, who am I to talk? But don't feel too bad - we all make mistakes in our first fic. It's like a given. Trust me... I definitely know the feeling...

[scheherezhad]

Nice essay. I'm not much of a Puzzleshipper (I'm a Puppyshipper, if anything—KaiJou rocks me), but you laid out your argument very well. I like you accounted for the Y/Y/A triangle. The scans and caps make nicely illustrate your points, as well. You're also very right that Yuugi is the one who makes the pairing difficult, and that's something I hadn't really thought about before. You get a gold star. *

Oh, and your Captain Planet icon cracks me up.

[scheherezhad]

*The scans and caps nicely illustrate

I know grammar, I swear.

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Heh heh. Grammar's so much fun, honest. And I didn't catch the Captain Planet comment, but yes, doesn't it just?

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Yay! I haven't gotten one of those since Primary School! I feel so proud!
I was really worried about the reactions I'd get to this essay, so I'm very happy you liked it - and I don't blame you for liking Puppyshipping. I'm a Mai/Jou girl myself, but Misura is slowly but oh so surely winning me over. It's sickening.
Thank you heaps!

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

And here you have a diehard Anzy/Yami and Yuugi/Jounouchi fangirl giving you a thumbs-up and a hug. Thank you SO MUCH for writing this excellent essay... and respecting my dear Anzu. :3

CAPTAIN PLANET YAY! :D

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Heh... People seem to like that, don't they?

Well, you are very welcome. If I didn't step on YOUR toes I can assume it must have been okay. Thank you very much.

[silverwing147.livejournal.com]

YaY puzzleshipping *waves little puzzlesmut flag*

That was a great essay! If I ever had to write one, I'd just steal you cos I could do no better (it would probably be so bad and full of "Puzzlesmut owns you!" phrases it would get lost in translation). And Yes, DOMA is the biggest slab of puzzleshipping proof ever!

That was awesome *goes back to reading Yami-no-Yuugi's translated - Cross Soul 1*

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Sure, steal away... with credit. Heh.
I was never really a fan of Cross Soul, but I must admit I have read it. Now THAT is Puzzleshipping smut!

[silverwing147.livejournal.com]

yes it most certainly is ^_^

[zephyrwk.livejournal.com]

Smut indeed... poor Jou! Have you guys drooled over read Cross Soul 2? x3 (By the way, SilverWing, if you don't mind, could you tell me where you obtained your translated version of Cross Soul 1? I'm stuck with the raw... =( )

[lediz.livejournal.com]

There's a group you can join - yy doujinshi or something. I'm not a fan myself, not really feeling the need to read manga if I can't read it, and I tend to avoid smut just coz... well... just coz, really. But the group is there... if I find the link I'll comment it to you.

[silverwing147.livejournal.com]

I have scan trans of one and two but not three and four sadly. I got the translated versions of one and two off of the Pharaoh's Hikari Yahoo group, but the old group was deleted. I know the person who did it though and I'll ask her if it's okay for me to e-mail them in a zip file to ya.

wow!!

[t-kitty.livejournal.com]

This was awesome!! I am a big YamiXYuugi fan (possiably the oldest >.< ) You explained this so well, better than I could ever do.

I can't stand the YamiXAnzu pairing, because it just doesen't go. I have watched the Japanese version of YGO and never saw any hint of Yami ever likeing Anzu, but so many people say there is. >.<

I hope you don't mind me linking this so other people can read this. I have a YamiXYugi DA site that I can put this on. I hope you don't mind. Heres the link www.YamiXYugi.deviantart.com

I am t-kitty! =^,,^=

Re: wow!!

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Thanks! You can link away - I'll just feel that much cooler for it!

I don't care what they say, I really do not see YamixAnzu working that well. But I think the whole close friendship, hetero and the fact he DID go on 'dates' with her are supposed to overlap all the glaring problems...

I believe I've visited your deviant site before, but I am most definitely going to go check it out again. Thanks!

Re: wow!!

[t-kitty.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks ^^ I have the link on the YamiXYugi page, and my DA page as well..and well cough cough I actually posted it on the comments page on the AtemuXAnzu site too >.< I will see what bashing I will get for that ^^

hehehe bad kitty bad lol

[xamosy.livejournal.com]

AHHH!!!
that's one marvelous essay! I am steadily nodding my head (all the way) when i read the essay!! Oh dear, how true your essay is! hehe, i didn't even notice the little sparks of relationship between them, but now, watching Yugioh will never be the same again for me!

I'm a big YamixYuugi yaoi fan! hehe... and yes, Doma Arc is a very good breeding ground of shounen-ai for Yugioh... oh dear! A lot of hints was got from there.. one of it was Seto xJou, but Yami and Yuugi is the obvious, hit-roof like of relationship!

hehe, i love your essay! and definitely going to print out so that i can read as often as i want ^-^ hope u don't mind! ^-^

hehe... one thing i just can't imagine is that they say Yami likes Anzu... where in the world is the hint? -.-
i only have the feeling that Yami is frustrated when he is forced to stay with her... nothing more than a friend...

hehe, but i'm not a Anzu-basher... em... i'm neutral! ^-^ hehe, no dislikes nor likes on Anzu ^-^

way a go on the great essay! It's really one great job done! ^-^

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks dude! As long as I make sense and some people agree with me, it's very cool. I can't see why I would mind if you print it out, so go ahead. Heh heh... Anyway...

The hint for AnzuxYami is all over the place. She acts as if he actually were her boyfriend in some points of the manga, but yeah, Yami never seems too keen on her. I'm neutral myself... I usually like her, but she occasionally makes me want to hit her over the head... But who doesn't?

Thank you very much!

[xamosy.livejournal.com]

thankies ^-^ (huggles)
hehe, i just can't imagine yami and Anzu... hehe, yap, she really acts like one.. which is sometimes really annoying to me... who is a neutral ^-^ hehe...

no need to thank me ^-^ i'm really happy to read such a wonderful piece ^-^

[bobrhyn.livejournal.com]

Oh oh OH. <3 You have just gone and reminded me, once again, how much I love them. The entire thing is fabulously done, and I certainly can't think of anything you missed. Definitely adding this one to memories! The second the Doom arc comes out uncut I am SO putting it at the top of Netflix. <3

and a variety of terms that can usually be translated as ‘son of a bitch’.

*SNORT*

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! Now that makes me feel squishy. Doma was good fun... until you try and actually make sense of it, at which point you realise it was really kinda bad. But yay for Puzzleshipping, right? Yay!

Anyway... I didn't write that. Honest. =shifty eyes=

[bobrhyn.livejournal.com]

Pfft. What? Logic? Doom arc? Bah. My only problem with it was the mass of Yami/Seto (though, fortunately, there was Jou's famous 'Seto-san' to make up for it >D). But really, I thought it was great crack fun, or at least the dozen or so episodes that I actually got to see.

Of course, seeing as how they were raws anyway, I probably shouldn't bother to criticize anything about them not making sense. XD; Oh, the mighty power of episode guides..

And of course not. <3

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Yami/Seto? Oh... is that where this onslaught came from?! Damn, now I have something to blame! I didn't get that from Doma, so I never figured where it came from. Seto-san! Eeeheehee... Misura would be proud.

I'm so proud of me - I can almost get real understandings of the raws now! Janime episode guides though - love!

[silverwing147.livejournal.com]

Is that where the Yami/Seto came from? But... I didn't catch any YamiSeto-ness in there...odd. I picked up much Yami/Yuugi, and some Seto/Joey at the end there when they walk of together but no Yami/Seto....hummmm.

[qem_chibati]

I just wanted to say that this essay is really good, I really enjoyed reading it.

I love the little things that you've pointed out. I personally really liked the puzzleship, but I couldn't really see it as straight out canon either.
Thanks for the fanfiction recommendations ^_^

[elektra3.livejournal.com]

Wonderful essay! I'm not a Puzzleshipper *waves Yuugi/Anzu flag* but I can definitely see where the pairing comes from, and you've explained it beautifully.

*wanders off to check out recs*

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Yaaaay! Anzu/Yuugi fan! You are far and few between, and I've never met one that hasn't tried to bite off my head! So I love you all the more. Thank you for reading, and do try the recs - they are very good. Thank you!

[zephyrwk.livejournal.com]

Ahh, YY/Y, the first shounen-ai/yaoi 'ship that I went into obsessive mode over during my first few years of otaku and fangirlism. Anyway, dude, you are just absolutely brilliant. I love the way you wrote the essay, and how you managed to define their relationship so well - I just wanted to say, 'You rock, and good job!' ^^

[http://users.livejournal.com/_kiwee_/]

Ah...awsomely written pieces like this is the entire reason for my rabid YY obsession. *basks in the love that is this writting* This is extremly well-written, and it definitely gives a deep, meaningful look into their relationship. I bow to your greatness! *bow, bow, bow*

[radfel.livejournal.com]

I've being a puzzleshipper... for... 5 years. I cried a WEEK when the manga ended. And I'm putting this in my memories, because I love you.

[slanted-edges.livejournal.com]

This is, simply put, amazing. I love you forever for writing this because it's all just so well done -- well articulated, well researched, well everything.

Thank you so much for writing this! ♥ ♥ ♥

[(Anonymous)]

That was a very impressive and detailed essay. You pointed out issue that made you slap myself and say how the hell did I not notice that. Like the fact that people are oblivious that Yami might get jealous of the woman who's hugging HIS Yugi that's why he disappears into the puzzle. so cute! :3 *sigh too bad they can never be ;; Oh also read some of your fanfic in fanfiction.net and I loved them, you're an amazing and passionate writer!

[redconvoy.livejournal.com]

I think DOMA was the WORST ARC I have ever seen. It's a plot taken out of Gatchaman, except for people in bird suits saving the planet, we have duelists. Dartz is as androgenous as Berge Katze. I thought Takashi wrote that story and I dreaded to have to read if it was in the manga. I was so darn tired of the angst from the biker idiots I thought I was reading a bad fanfic with Gary Stus. I found out later, those arcs like Noah and KC were filler arcs. I think the fillers would have been better spent with characterization rather than duels. DOMA was probably fan service at best, BUT Takashi treaded on something that is talked about outside of his manga and I think he backed away from it because it's a shonen story, not shonen-ai. The only reason Yugi could solve the puzzle, is because they are "Twin Flames". Twin Flames are two souls, one feminine, one masculine, not necessarily male/female that were created together, two halves of each other, but complete in their own right. They both have separate personalities and learn apart and some lifetimes they may come together to be together, or they could be bitter enemies and destroy each other not knowing who they are to each other. You did shed some light on Yugi's oblivious nature which I will play upon in my fic and I think if Atemu were to get involved with Yugi, I had justified this once with Atemu waiting until Yugi got more mature, because right now Yugi is not mature enough to handle a relationship of that magnitude. At 16, it wouldn't last and they would both be missing out on something great.

As far as Anzu goes, yes, Atemu has a fondness for her, but not the way everyone wants to think it. I don't think he has feelings for her, but he does have a clue about her feelings for him. To even think of getting involved with her, would betray his partner and Atemu would never do that because he does have some honor. The saying goes, when a guy sees his best friend with a great girl, he wishes he could find someone like her out there. When a girl sees her bestfriend with a great guy, she wants her man. I am a female saying this because I've seen this happen. With Anzu and Atemu, I think Anzu has the "knight in shining armor" complex and I think Atemu would disappoint her because he's not the dashing gentleman prince she fantasizes. If he had the chance to live, Anzu would be tired of him in a week. He would drop his royal teachings and probably become a regular teenager. By the way, he became Pharaoh when he was seventeen. Bakura was in his 20's, 23 or 25 and he was eight when Atemu was born. The voice acting in the dub is way off for that character. Don't compare teens that are grown now at 17 because Egyptians didn't have hormones, chemicals, or additives in their foods to speed up puberty.

Truthfully, when I thought of puzzleshipping, I could not put Yugi and sex in the same sentence. I'm still trying to figure out blindshipping (I am still thinking of Atemu saying I'm blind after sex with Yugi as which point Yugi smacks him). I think they go well together, but for those of you reading this, could you quit with Anzu bashing or making her a bitch? She would be totally happy for them even though it would kill her inside. She has her own dreams and she would be stupid (which she isn't) to give them up for some guy. She'll find someone and hopefully they could put up with her. Another thing, where is the light and dark stuff coming from???? Yugi is a little hormonal pervert like the next teenage guy. He's not that innocent.

[arien-elensar.livejournal.com]

DOMA was probably fan service at best, BUT Takashi treaded on something that is talked about outside of his manga and I think he backed away from it because it's a shonen story, not shonen-ai. The only reason Yugi could solve the puzzle, is because they are "Twin Flames". Twin Flames are two souls, one feminine, one masculine, not necessarily male/female that were created together, two halves of each other, but complete in their own right. They both have separate personalities and learn apart and some lifetimes they may come together to be together, or they could be bitter enemies and destroy each other not knowing who they are to each other.

Great comment here. I also wanted to mention how this twin flame concept could apply not only to Puzzleshipping, but Puppyshipping as well. The prospect of them becoming bitter enemies is certainly made clear during Duelist Kingdom, but it seems their as the series progresses, they take the route of finding out what they are to one another rather then going out to destroy each other. It is subtle but apparent in the evolution of their actions; especially during Seto and Joey's duel towards the end of Battle City. Evolution such as this is what I think makes pairings like Puppyshipping so feasible, and along similar lines Puzzleshipping. Though puppyshipping is more likely to come to fruition due to the lack of physical boundaries and more interaction can be assumed in the future between the two; both pairings have emotional undertones that are equally strong and give them equal oppurtunity on that level. Thank you for your comment, it gave me a nice little brainstorm. YGO continues to amaze me...

[darknessneko.livejournal.com]

The only reason Yugi could solve the puzzle, is because they are "Twin Flames". Twin Flames are two souls, one feminine, one masculine, not necessarily male/female that were created together, two halves of each other, but complete in their own right. They both have separate personalities and learn apart and some lifetimes they may come together to be together, or they could be bitter enemies and destroy each other not knowing who they are to each other.

Great explanation but somehow applying this to Puzzleshipping doesn't seem to work...

Okay, Atemu lost his soul (we'll say it was half as he never found his soulmate before fighting Zork) which separated into two, his ka and his ba. Since one went into the puzzle and one got reincarnated that means Yami and Yuugi both have half of what was already a halfed soul. So, putting those their souls together would make only half soul, right? That would mean they would still need to find that other half... So, could they be Twin Flames soulmates if they don't totally complete each other? (They could be soulmates just not Twin Flames...)

And like you said, Twin Flames reincarnate until they find each other. I don't think Yuugi would reincarnate since if Yami dies/is dead then Yuugi's soul would combained back with Yami's, who would then reincarnate.

This is just me speculating and probably overthinking it. ^^;;

[destinystarrr.livejournal.com]

I know this entry/essay is SO OLD. But I just had to comment how wonderful it was. I love the Yami/Yugi pairing, always have since I discovered the show. This essay was an interesting read. People say it's not canon but to me it seems obvious that there was something there even if Yugi was too innocent and naive to notice much. And these days even in 2010 it's wrong to even have pairings like that on TV/Cartoons/whatever which brings to me to the theory that -maybe- [don't shoot me for this, it's just a thought] the creator intended something of the sort but won't confirm for sure other than saying it was a love triangle. People over react too much though I admit we've gotten better with soaps and movies with gay themes but you'll never see the whole movie based on just a gay romance. It's almost always a back story.

Back on track, [before I get lost] to be honest I wasn't much of an Anzu/Yugi pairing fan until I watched season 0. When I watched it, I found myself rooting for them but obviously we all know it never happened, heh.

It was a small shock to me noticing Yami had frowned when Yugi was found by Rebecca and Anzu. I would have never noticed had I not read this article ^-^ It feels kind of like a missing piece to my fangirl fandom haha...

I doubt you'll remember, being that you wrote this in 2005, but I don't remember the "I’ve never felt fear in a duel before. That’s because you were always there, you were always supporting me." Quote. By any chance do you remember what episode it was in? If not, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to know because it's something I don't remember seeing.

I recently got back into this Yu-Gi-Oh! thing, having come across a video by mistake. I realized I never finished it [I finished watching it weeks ago though] and went back to see where I left off, which was during the Battle City arc. The Jap sub version is so much better and it's obvious the Anime was not meant for little kids like the 4kids dub made it seem to be -_-

Anyway I'm very sorry my comment is so long. Nice essay I really enjoyed reading it tonight! :) I'm probably over thinking this too much like the previous comment stated but it was a fun read and a good Anime from start to finish.

[lediz.livejournal.com]

Heh. Thanks - it's something I forget about having done, half the time, but it's always nice to hear people like it...!

Mmm... I dunno if it was intended. I think cultural differences make things a lot more meaningful when seen from a Western perspective - our boys don't tend to admit to having strong relationships, whereas the Japanese (on TV) are all about the nakama. But it'd be nice if it was, huh? I hear Naruto seems to be leaning that way...

Anyway... The quote is from the final Japanese episode. I've honestly got no idea what it said in English, and my Japanese is and always has been rusty at best, but yeah. Yami says it in the ceremonial duel. He does his fist-clench, eyes-closed thingy, has a vision of Yuugi standing behind him being all determined... ahh, the boy was dramatic. I miss Yami.

Anyway! Thanks for reading (and enjoying!)...!

Anonymous passerby says...

[(Anonymous)]

I'm no puzzleshipper, but I loved reading your essay. Very well put together, and your unbiased and logical approach impressed me. Yami and Yugi are my favorite characters, and their relationship (whatever it is) fascinates me, so your interpretation of it was interesting to read. I guess I just prefer to think that two people can have a very close and loving relationship without being romantically involved. They do push the boundaries of platonic love, I will admit. And I even catch myself wondering sometimes if Yami didn't love Yugi in a less innocent way, but never acted upon it out of respect for the boy... And also certain physical limitations haha.

Anywho, great essay!

♥;

[(Anonymous)]

Oh man. I take a look at the date and woah, this entry`s pretty old. I wish I`d found it sooner LOL. In fact, I`m sure that most people who come across this wish they`d found this sooner too XD

Blah, anyway, I didn`t get into puzzleshipping until just a few months back. After watching the season finale of the original YGO series and not bothering to watch any of the previous episodes because they`ve aired on TV before, I thought Atemu being with Yuugi was kind of.. cute. Curious, I searched for evidence to back up this pairing in the canon. I came across your lovely essay here and let me tell you, it`s amazing ;v; The interactions between Atemu and Yugi are so sweet, and the way you included images reinforces the possibility of Puzzleshipping being canon... well, near canon anyway. Your thoughts are well organized, makes sense and have I mentioned that it manages to bring a smile to my face whenever I feel like reading some puzzleshipping stuff? C:
Needless to say, I am smitten with this pairing. Your reasoning only strengthened my liking for Atemu+Yuugi ♥;