Chazz Princeton

Infobox animanga character
name = Chazz Princeton
series = Yu-Gi-Oh! GX


caption = Chazz Princeton
first = Anime: "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" Episode 1
Manga: "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" Chapter 1
last =
creator =
voiced by = Taiki Matsuno (Japanese)
Anthony Salerno (English)
alias =
age = 15 at his debut; currently 18
born = Date Unknown
relatives = Older brothers: Slade and Jagger Princeton

Chazz Princeton, known as nihongo|Jun Manjoume|万丈目準|Manjōme Jun in the original Japanese language version, is a fictional character in the "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" anime and manga series. In the English version, Chazz is voiced by Anthony Salerno, while Taiki Matsuno takes the role in the Japanese version.

A selfish and arrogant duelist, Chazz is initially portrayed as an antagonist but eventually serves as one of Jaden Yuki's rivals throughout the series. However, it is revealed early in the first season of the series that his elitism stems from his older brothers who urge him to become a great duelist in order to have their family reign over the dueling world. After becoming estranged with his brothers, Chazz decides to pursue a career in dueling without their help. Later during the second year in the Duel Academy, Chazz loses to a duel with Master Sartorius; duel manager of Aster Phoenix and becomes a member of the Society of Light.

Character design

Chazz's character design was overseen by Kenichi Hara. [cite web|title=Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Televising Data|work=|url=http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~flying-in-the-sky/on-air-data.htm|accessdate=2007-03-15] His usual outfit consists of a slightly tattered black jacket with grey trimmings and sharp edges, though he has also worn the standard Obelisk Blue uniform, flowing out the costume's lower back. His black hair is sectioned in two layers, his black eyes positioned directly beneath the bangs of the layer closest to his face. He carries an Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left hand.

Biography

In the timeline of the "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" anime, Chazz is at first a peerless duelist believing himself to be the most elite duelist at Duel Academy, who initially lives in the Obelisk Blue dormitory. He was formerly the leader of Team Elite until his defeat at the hands of Jaden Yuki. Being the youngest of three brothers, with his siblings Slade and Jagger heads of the political and financial worlds, respectively, Chazz is pressured into becoming the head of the dueling world to ensure the superiority of the Princeton Corporation ("Manjoume Group" in the original Japanese language version) worldwide. ["Yu-Gi-Oh! GX"] .

Despite having access to rare cards provided by Vellian Crowler, Chazz is defeated by Jaden early on in the first year. He is then overwhelmed by Bastion Misawa, and eventually became so dispirited and confused from his losses that he left Duel Academy to enter North Academy. There, he defeated the top duelists and became "king" of the school. ["Yu-Gi-Oh! GX". Episode #24. March 16, 2005.]

At that time he gains the catch phrase "Chazz it up," while in the original version of the series it is nihongo|"一、十、百、千、万丈目サンダー"|"ichi, jū, hyaku, sen, Manjōme-sandā", which serves as a pun given that the "Man" portion of his surname is the symbol for the number ten-thousand, and is preceded by the numbers one ("ichi"), ten ("jū"), hundred ("hyaku"), and thousand ("sen"). In the latter case, he also acquires the moniker nihongo|"Manjoume Thunder"|万丈目サンダー|Manjōme Sandā. Due to his insistence that he be addressed respectfully, he often finds himself correcting others who merely call him "Manjoume" by saying "Manjōme-san da!" ("It's Manjoume-san!"; "-san" being a Japanese honorific). The students of North School, however, mistook the title as "Manjoume Thunder" ("sandā" being a Japanese pronunciation of the word "thunder"), and the name stuck upon his return to Duel Academy. In the English version, he also often refers to himself in the third person as "The Chazz", and at times uses the phrases "It's go time" and "You go bye bye".

Acting as North Academy's representative duelist, he was defeated again by Jaden, but realized the errors of his ways and was finally able to take charge of his own life. He was welcomed back to Duel Academy, but forced to restart his studies out of the Slifer Red dormitory. From the ordeal, Chazz obtained a Duel Monster spirit partner in the form of "Ojama Yellow".

Due to his dueling skills, Chazz is chosen as one of the seven Key Keepers charged with keeping the Shadow Riders from reviving the Sacred Beasts, and later faces Slade in a Duel to determine ownership of Duel Academy. In the chain of events leading up to the Duel, Chazz finds "Ojama Black" and "Ojama Green", both of which join Ojama Yellow as his spirit partners. During this time, his feelings for Alexis Rhodes also become common knowledge; he constantly chases after her, love-struck. ["Yu-Gi-Oh! GX". Episode #47. August 24, 2005.] In the original version of the series, Manjoume even goes as far as to address her brother Fubuki as "onii-san," treating him as though he were his brother-in-law.

During the second year, Chazz duels Sartorius for the opportunity to rise to the Pro League, but loses. ["Yu-Gi-Oh! GX". Episode #61. November 30, 2005.] As a result, he joins the Society of Light, acting as Sartorius' means of converting the top students of Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow. Sporting a new White Knight deck given to him by Sartorius, Chazz would soon duel Jaden, who had recovered the Ojama Trio for temporary use in his own deck. Chazz eventually regained his senses, tearing off his white coat to don his signature black one once more. He retrieved the Ojama Trio to destroy "White Knight Lord", the card representing Sartorius' evil, but in doing so, willingly lost the duel to an effect of "White Knight Lord". In the Japanese version, following the battle, he dons his former outfit, revived as nihongo|"Black Thunder"|ブラックサンダー|Burakku Sandā, relinquishing the nihongo|"White Thunder"|ホワイトサンダー|Howaito Sandā nickname he had been using up until this point, though others continue calling him by his first nickname in the series.

With the assistance of the remaining Obelisk Blue students, Chazz takes on the Society of Light's members to make amends. They successfully return most of them to their former selves, releasing Duel Academy from the Society's grip, but before Chazz is declared champion of the GX tournament, he is challenged by Blair Flannigan, who had come back to Duel Academy in hopes of officially entering Slifer Red. He defeats her, and is therefore allowed to return to Obelisk Blue, but ultimately finds himself back at Slifer Red because of the little respect he receives.

Shortly after the beginning of the third year, Chazz, irked by the superiority and secrecy of the Gecko family, forces Adrian Gecko into a Survival Duel wherein the participants are suspended from helicopters. Although he puts all his strength into attaining victory, he is knocked off his dueling platform and into the lake with his opponent's final strike.

After Duel Academy is pulled into an alternate dimension, Chazz and the rest of the cast are left to watch the Academy while Jaden and the foreign champions go out to find medicine for Blair's illness. When the Academy itself comes under attack from zombified students, Chazz is unable to repel them indefinitely, and becomes one of them, though he recovers after Duel Academy is returned to its proper place.

While on the search for Jesse, Chazz becomes the first temporary sacrifice for the completion of Brron's Super Polymerization card. However, during Jaden's duel against Yubel, he confirms that he and the others are still alive, but trapped in 12 different dimensions unless Yubel should ever be defeated. So it was done.

During the fourth season, Chazz decides to become a pro duelist all on his own, only to be rejected numerous times, much to his chagrin. He is later put under the harsh tutelage of Aster Phoenix, whom he later abandons by forming a contract with a manager behind Aster's back. Chazz is then forced to learn how complicated the life of a celebrity is by being constantly manipulated to advance his manager's agenda, but eventually decides to take charge of his career instead of being used by others and returns to the Duel Academy. He then duels Aster and was able to overcome the missing Dragoon D End card which Aster was given during the duel.

Later on, during the assault on the academy by the forces of darkness, Chazz and the rest are attacked by multiple copies of Trueman who is trying to get everyone mind controlled, while Jaden is not there to stop him. Eventually, Chazz, along with Mindy, Jasmine, Alexis and Atticus were the five remaining students in Duel Academy who were not consumed by Darkness. Chazz and Atticus bought time for the other three by dueling against Trueman. Although the duel is not shown, it can be assumed that it took awhile- Alexis was cornered and defeated before he was, despite his duel starting much earlier. After his defeat, he is consumed into Darkness. Along with Syrus and Alexis, Fujiwara initially has difficulty trying to get him to reveal the darkness in his heart. However, after placing him in illusions of failing in his career as a pro, having to quit, and then losing to a gang of Rare Hunters (apparently going under the same name as the gang in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series) in an ante-duel. Each of the duels were nearly identical, with the last turn always being a choice between using the Spell Card "Reload" and summoning Ojama Yellow in defense position, before he lost. Eventually he cannot take it anymore, and his soul is consumed by a black wave of darkness. This illustrates Chazz's fears of not living up to the expectations of his family as well as others, as that is the theme of his darkness illusion. His last message to Jaden says for Jaden to come back and duel him anytime.

In the manga, Chazz was an elite duelist in the junior tournaments and won countless trophies. However, upon entry to Duel Academy, rumors circulated that he was allowed entrance only because of his family's wealth. Determined to prove them wrong in a Duel with Jaden, Chazz buried the card containing his Duel Spirit and dueled without it. However, upon realizing Jaden had a spirit partner as well and used it to defeat him, Chazz sees his partner watching the Duel in spite of being abandoned. Chazz thus resolves to defeat Jaden with his partner, "Light and Darkness Dragon".

In the manga, Chazz has no known interest in Alexis (or any female) whatsoever. Instead in his place is Bastion Misawa, who is even more infatuated than Chazz was.

Deck

Chazz originally plays a Chthonian (Hell) deck, but after being given a number of rare cards by Crowler, he runs a VtoZ deck focusing on summoning and combining the five eponymous cards. Losing all his cards while stranded, he enters North Academy with a deck of cards he found on the grounds around the school, focusing on a "One Turn Kill" strategy. During a school duel against Jaden, he is given North Academy's prized Armed Dragon cards that grow stronger as he destroys an opponent's monster, and against his brother Slade, he uses a deck with monsters with 0 attack points focusing on the Ojama Trio'. In the second year, his deck is powered up after receiving Beetron cards from Sartorius based on his VtoZ cards, and gradually evolves to reflect his deepening obsession with the White thematic. Ultimately, Chazz combines and uses cards from all his previous decks. In this way, Chazz's deck focus becomes Evolution, centering on monsters that grow and combine with each other to become stronger, reflecting his own maturation during the series.

In the manga, Chazz plays a Dragonic deck focusing on fusing his monsters together to form stronger beasts.

References