List of Yu-Gi-Oh! main characters

This is a listing of major characters from the manga "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and the first series "Yu-Gi-Oh!" anime and "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters" (known outside of Japan as simply "Yu-Gi-Oh!") anime series.

The Japanese names in Western order (given name before family name) are listed first and the English anime names are listed second, when applicable.

* Yugi Mutou (武藤 遊戯 "Mutō Yūgi") / Yugi Muto - The protagonist of the show who always has his nose in some game ("Yūgi" means "game" in Japanese), Yugi is especially adept at playing Duel Monsters, a.k.a. Magic and Wizards. He wears the Millennium Puzzle, one of the seven Millennium Items and an ancient Egyptian artifact holding the spirit of the pharaoh around his neck. When Yugi is playing a game or under stress, the spirit inside the Millennium Puzzle surfaces and the 3,000-year-old nameless pharaoh (5,000 in the English anime) takes partial or complete control of the body.

* Dark Yugi (闇の遊戯 "Yami no Yūgi") or Yu-Gi-Oh (遊戯王 "Yūgiō") / Yami Yugi - The pharaoh Atem (アテム "Atemu") who sacrificed himself, thus saving the world from destruction. His soul is trapped in Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. After eight long years of effort, Yugi puts together the puzzle pieces and releases Atem, who then possesses Yugi's body. Atem calls himself "Dark" ("Yami") because he lost the memory of his previous life. His favourite card is the Dark Magician but he also holds the three Egyptian God Cards. Note: Atem is a variant of Atum.

* Anzu Mazaki (真崎 杏子 "Mazaki Anzu") / Téa Gardner - Anzu is Yugi's childhood friend. Although her dueling ability is decent and she regularly defeats Jonouchi, Anzu is not a game-player and her ability is well below that of Yugi. She is sweet and supportive to everyone. In the Duel Monsters anime, she and Honda are basically cheerleaders for Yugi and Jonouchi. In the manga, especially in the beginning, Anzu is somewhat of a "tomboy". She is athletic and secretly works at a fast food restaurant to save money; her dream is to attend dancing school overseas in New York City, New York, United States. Anzu has romantic feelings for both Yugi and Atem, creating a love triangle.

* Katsuya Jonouchi (城之内 克也 "Jōnouchi Katsuya") / Joseph "Joey" Wheeler - Jonouchi is Yugi's best friend. Initially nothing more than a street thug and bully, Jonouchi is touched by Yugi's behavior towards him and they become loyal friends. He likes playing games but usually loses to Yugi. Jonouchi is rash and gets himself into trouble quite often.

* Hiroto Honda (本田 ヒロト "Honda Hiroto") / Tristan Taylor - Honda is Jonouchi's friend, and another thug who changes his mind about Yugi. He does not play much Duel Monsters (he dueled in one episode in the Virtual World story arc against Big 4, Soichiro Ota) and rarely plays any other games with Yugi. In the first anime series, Honda is obsessed about being a janitor at his school, and in love with Miho Nosaka.

* Ryo Bakura (獏良 了 "Bakura Ryō") - Bakura is a transfer student who becomes friends with Yugi, though he is the holder of the Millennium Ring. Bakura also has a dark half who intends to collect all of the Millennium items. (see below)

* Dark Bakura (闇の獏良 "Yami no Bakura") / Yami Bakura - A 3,000-year-old psychotic spirit that lives within the Millennium Ring and possesses Ryo Bakura with its power. He wants to gather the seven Millennium Items to take control of their dark power. He also has a bitter grudge against Dark Yugi.

* Seto Kaiba (海馬 瀬人 "Kaiba Seto") - Kaiba originally appears as a villain, but later on becomes an ally. He believes that he is the best gamer in the world, and that Yugi is a threat. Despite his age, he is the president of Kaiba Corporation, the biggest game company in the world and the most influential in Japan. He is unafraid to flaunt his wealth.

* Mokuba Kaiba (海馬 モクバ "Kaiba Mokuba") - Seto Kaiba's younger brother. In the manga, he is at first a spoiled brat who tries repeatedly to get back at Yugi for defeating Seto Kaiba. After Kaiba realizes how important Mokuba is to him (as a result of Yugi's actions), their relationship is strengthened and Mokuba becomes a friendlier character. Mokuba is a good game player who specializes in Capsule Monster Chess.

* Sugoroku Mutou (武藤 双六 "Mutō Sugoroku") / Solomon Muto - Sugoroku is Yugi's grandfather. He owns the Kame (Turtle) Game Shop. "Sugoroku" is a Japanese game similar to Backgammon. He is the reincarnation of Siamun Muran, Pharaoh Atem's right hand man.

* Shizuka Kawai (川井 静香 "Kawai Shizuka") or Shizuka Jonouchi (城之内静香 "Jōnouchi Shizuka") / Serenity Wheeler - Shizuka is Katsuya Jonouchi's little sister. In the manga and the Duel Monsters anime, Katsuya enters a Duel Monsters tournament hoping to win and use the prize money for Shizuka's eye surgery. Shizuka sees Mai Kujaku as a role model.

* Ryuji Otogi (御伽 龍児 "Otogi Ryūji") / Duke Devlin - Otogi is the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. He opens a rival game shop across the street from the Kame Game Shop. Yugi and Otogi become friends when Yugi bested Otogi at his own game, despite not knowing the rules beforehand.

* Pegasus J. Crawford (ペガサス・ジェイ・クロフォード "Pegasasu Jei Kurofōdo") / Maximillion Pegasus - Pegasus is the American creator of the Magic and Wizards game and an early antagonist. He possesses the Millennium Eye, and tries to take over the Kaiba Corporation so that he could use its "Solid Vision" technology to see his departed lover, Cyndia

* Marik Ishtar (マリク・イシュタール "Mariku Ishutāru") - The holder of the Millennium Rod. Marik's family has guarded the tomb of the pharaoh for generations. He attempts to obtain the three God Cards through his secret organization, GHOULS, and become Pharaoh himself. Marik seeks to send the Pharaoh's soul into the darkness in which he had to spend his childhood. Another romanization of his name is Malik Ishtar.

* Dark Marik (闇のマリク "Yami no Mariku") / Yami Marik - Marik's alternate personality and a psychopath who loves killing his opponents, he was created by his host's hatred of the tombkeeper's life,Dark Marik first appears after Marik is forced to undergo the painful initiation ritual passed down through his family. The dark half fed on his misery until one day, when Marik was about to punished for going above ground, he took over both Marik's body and the Millennium Rod and brutally stabbed Marik's father to death.

* Ishizu Ishtar (イシズ・イシュタール "Ishizu Ishutāru") - Marik's sister, she lures Yugi and Kaiba into Duel Monster battles, using the Pharaoh's memories and the God Cards as bait. In an attempt to save Marik, she enters the semi-finals of the Battle City, diguising herself as the mysterious eighth duelist. Her Millennium Tauk enables her to foresee the future, granting her an advantage over her enemies.

* Mai Kujaku (孔雀 舞 "Kujaku Mai") / Mai Valentine - Mai is a confident, attractive woman who relies on her own strength in battle. She once worked on a casino ship as a duelist. After meeting Yugi and his friends, she begins to realize the rewards of supporting and being supported by others. In the manga, she develops romantic feelings for Jonouchi, though only Anzu seems to notice.

* Shadi (シャーディー "Shādī") - Shadi is the guardian of the tomb, the original resting place of the seven Millennium Items. He is the reincarnation of one of the Pharaoh's six priests 3,000 years ago. Because he was killed by Bakura at least five thousand years ago, he is actually a ghost whenever he appears in the anime series. Shadi also guards the Millennium Scales and the Millennium Key.