Wait, so Yusei is a self-sacrificing individual who wants to protect his friends, feels massively guilty about a past destructive event, and is also a survivor? Holy shoot, so that's not only why Stardust tributes itself to activate its effect, but also why it prevents destruction effects and returns during the end phase. Now that's brilliant card design Edit: I am so glad you broke down Red Dragon Archfiend and Stardust's effects. While these effects are janky, the reasonings behind them are amazing

What surprises me is Yusei's desire to move forward away from sadness and not let it engulf him like the other protagonists in the series. This trait of his really shocks me since it's very rare in most protagonists.

The fact that this doesn't have millions of views is a crime. This is possibly the single best video About anything Yugioh related I have ever seen

Z-One didn’t secretly hope to be oposed. He quite openly gave Yusei the tools to oppose him and Yusei even realises what he’s done. It’s not contradictory. It’s having two ways of solving the problem completely and hoping he won’t have to pick the one where everyone dies. And playing the badguy because that is the only way Yusei will grow past himself and do what Z-One couldn’t.

The symbolism in monster effects continued even after 5D's end with the release of Ruddy Rose Dragon in 2021. While Black Rose Dragon represents Aki's state when she was first introduced - an emotionally wounded young woman lashing out at the world - Ruddy Rose Dragon represents her after her character development. Ruddy Rose Dragon is a Level 10 Fire Attribute Dragon type Synchro monster with 3200 ATK, 2400 DEF, and generic summoning conditions. When Synchro Summoned, Ruddy Rose Dragon can banish everything from both graveyards, then, if it was summoned using Black Rose Dragon or a Plant type Synchro monster as material, it can destroy all OTHER cards on the field. This change from Black Rose Dragon's board wipe isn't just power creep; Aki had been getting better at controlling her powers even as they grow stronger and is no longer a danger to herself, so naturally Ruddy Rose no longer blows itself up to reflect that. Instead of the additional offensive effect of BRD, Ruddy Rose instead opts to take a Stardust-esque defensive effect; When an effect is activated that would destroy a card(s), Ruddy Rose Dragon can tribute itself, negate that effect, and then summon a Black Rose Dragon from the graveyard or extra deck. The impact Yusei has had on Aki's life cannot be understated, and the fact that Ruddy Rose Dragon has a variant of Stardust Dragon's effect indicates just how much of an influence he is on her. Or it's just a nod to that pairing basically becoming canon with Aki stopping just short of confessing and Yusei not only seeming to catch on, but reciprocate at the end of the series.

Yusei is still my fav protagonist in Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. Mature, calm and his personality is just too good. He is living embodiment of self-sacrifice: just like his ace monster stardust dragon.

I've always considered Yugioh 5ds to be the peak of the franchise, I can also say that this review is top notch the most accurate description of 5d's🏍

Huh I never noticed that on Cosmic Blazar and Shooting Quasar, a minor thing to note is that quasar unlike Blazar is now Light instead of wind like stardust and shooting to show that Yusei had become the light that guided the way

The fact that jack drops yusei deck on the floor like it was trash says how much respect he lost for yusei

The writing in this show has no business being as amazing as it is. Such a hidden gem, and on top of everything in this video, there are so many other phenomenal character arcs with completely different angles. Aki for instance...

Damn. I liked yusei from the start but know i feel like he's the best protagonists in the entire yugioh series. I wish all yugioh protagonists where as well wry as him

Yusei's meltdown in the Rudger rematch gets me every time.

I actually loved antinomys or brunos dynamic as he helped yusei get back on track by teaching him clear mind. The clear mind sound track to this day is one of my fav ost from any anime. Amazing vid mate keep em comming!!

I had never before heard of you until seeing this video, but it has convinced me to subscribe. The amount of effort, passion, and understanding of this show and its characters put into this video is worth recognition. Growing up, I found myself relating to Yusei in many ways. But especially in how he put the value of others before himself, almost instinctively, time and time again. To the point where it soon became clear that he was forgetting about his own self worth. His journey to find that value in himself, learning to stand alongside others rather than giving himself up, that resonated with me as a kid and it still does now.

Man you did not miss a single thing, even bringing up the duality of quasar and blazar. I also did some more digging and noticed that blazar shares its three effects with the T.G. accel synchros, with halberd cannon negating summons, shooting star expansion negating battles as well as it and blade blaster negating monster and spell/trap effects respectively, which to me signals the bond Z-one had with Antinomy, and how while halberd cannon required no sacrifice to negate summons, Antinomy sacrificed himself for Yusei, creating yet another duality. Top-notch editing, soundtrack choices, commentary and analysis!

I am amazed it took so long for this masterpiece to wind up in my recommended. 5ds is my favorite of the series by far (Sub of course), such amazing characters. You explained all this extremely well and pointed out things even I didn't pick up on. Like the monster effects. The music in this series is also awesome. My favorite being Yusei's original duel theme before he got Stardust. It starts off chill with guitar riffs, what sounds like an accordion, and then a 2nd guitar that build up into a fast pace that strides until the finale where the main part of it is the drums and guitar slowing down. Unfortunate since it's all of a sudden become super hard to find on KZfaq. Then there are the opening songs, the only one I can really say I like less is 4th one. 2 and 3 are my favorites, and 1 and 5 are absolute bops. (as they are entire songs outside of the opening intro's, if you didn't know.) Sorry for going on that for so long. Amazing video, I'm gonna need to rewatch this series soon.

This is by far one of the best analysis videos regarding 5D’s I have seen. Your reasoning while opinionated really did resonate with me. You were able to find not only the flaws and makings of these characters but their humanity that ties it together. I also loved your words for your ending to this video. You’ve really given me a lot to think about now when it comes to the bonds of friends, family, and those we carry with us. Can’t wait for your next video. Till next time. Riding Duel! Acceleration!!!

It is lovely that Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds is getting the love it deserves! Personally, I had always enjoyed Yusei, his maturity, understanding towards others, not to mention his duels, the situational cards he uses part of the fun. I haven't shared the discontent of many over the fact he never loses, since not only are his duels fun, but the opponents are also formidable and place him in predicaments it is frequently entertaining to see how he overcomes. Besides that, he is not invincible: his first duel with Kiryu, even with the bike braking, would have been a loss for him; additionally, despite his skillful plays, his victory over Team Unicorn was not guaranteed, but rather happened due to Jean's inner turmoil and, as a result, the spur of the moment (personally, this is among my favourite duels). Well backed-up exploration of his character and the editing is lovely as well, loved you linked character quotes with imagery from the show to further elaborate on it visually. It has definitely changed how I perceive Yusei. The passion that has went into it shines through indeed, my subscription and my looking forward to more of your work becoming a path its light shines upon! Great work! The Yu-Gi-Oh anime as a whole is quite interesting to me, as it is an incredibly effective commercial that contains not just spectacle, but fun characters, often interesting stories or something deeper to think about too. I feel that the theme of bonds/connections, which you brought up here, is nicely explored in Zexal, a series that also needs more love. In the case of Zexal it is apparent how the connections Yuma makes with others help him both become a better duelist and mature. Despite their differences in character, many characters also end up benefiting internally from their interactions with Yuma, from Shark to villains such as Tron. Thus, I feel the way Zexal handles the theme of friendship and connections comes off really natural and conveys how meaningful interactions with others can transcend the great differences in our personalities and be mutual beneficial. In short, interactions and bonds are really helpful and enriching for both sides, at least that is interpreted Zexal. Thus, it kind of complements 5Ds. I do wonder if videos on the other Yu-Gi-Oh! series are planned, cause there are interesting things in all of them. Once again, great essay!

Kinda makes you forget that this is represented through card games, sometimes on motorcycles.

That was one fire intro. That really hit deep, especially for me. 5ds praise, let's go!

Okay that ending was a gutpunch i love so much, thanks for putting this into he world!!!

That is honestly the best thing i've seen all year, and it will remain at that, i'll have you know that this video made me cry more than 5D's last episode, and man, holy shit, i've never felt something resonate within myself so much, thank you so much for this video, it really is one of my favourite things as now, and probably ever, (congratulations on having such a perspective that isn't resumed to "YusEI iS A gARy StT Cuz He NEvEr lOSes????" and also showing it to everyone else) you have a new loyal sub.

This is an absolute master piece especially for a first video can't wait to see where you go from here

I just finished 5ds two days ago. This video was amazing and very accurate when describing Yusei's character or 5ds as a whole

A little bit late, but honestly your analysis made me realize the subtle things that make Yusei who he is. The parallels between him and other characters is something I did not pick up on until watching your video and it's spot on. Hope to see more analysis videos from ya

Bravo dude this is possibly the best character analysis on Yusei that I've seen on this website 10/10 would watch again

Thanks KZfaq for finally recomending a good video

Man didn’t miss a thing except for one ☝🏻 character and that is Akiza

I’ve discovered you through this, and I’m so happy to see someone say the stuff I’m always saying

i god damn loved 5d's man!!! like to this day i still feel like synchro summoning is the best type of summoning. it is easy enough to do but also hard enough to make summoning one special like it is just perfect like a better version of fusion

Duuuuuuude I am SO happy that somebody is making 5D's analysis videos, friggin love this series

Just found this when looking for random yugioh analysis and jesus fucking christ this probably the best yugioh analysis iv'e seen to this day the music, the editing everything is perfect anyone can see how much love you've put into this video So yeah it's a really good analysis

I found this video last year while looking for 5Ds content and i was very impressed with how you did the video. I always come back just to watch it. I have even referred it to friends who want to get into Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds. This video deserve more views that it gets. You did an amazing job on this video.

Wow really good in depth look at this show. It’s my favorite Yugioh series & on par with some of the best Anime of all time.

Thank you for an amazing analysis of an amazing character. To me 5Ds is the best not only cuz Synchro monsters are amazing but because of the amazing characters and story elements in the show, and Yusei is one of the reasons for that. Maybe a full show analysis one day? One can hope! Thanks my friend.

This is so amazing and sums up all the characters so well not to mention this also shows us that no matter what true friends will always be there to help you no matter what and that sacrifice isn't always needed to get somewhere

I miss Yugioh 5Ds. I wish they made more seasons of it. I love and hate how Yugioh gets us invested in these characters and then just moves on to the next story

I’m honestly upset I didn’t find this sooner. This video is a masterpiece, and you should absolutely feel proud of all the work you put into it. The link you made between Shirou Emiya and Yusei really helped me to understand the point you were trying to get across throughout the entire video. I hope you’ll continue to make amazing works such as this in the future.

this is the most accurate and specific 5Ds' video I have found on the internet. Your analysis was absolutely magnificent, I love this video, I love 5Ds.

Bravo, sir. This is one hell of a video. I love Yusei and 5Ds but damn, I appreciate it more after your video. Thank you!

I just watch an hour vid talking about ONE character and how he effects others which, in turn, effects him in some kind of weird, heart wrenching cycle. Yusei is definitely THE Homie fr fr, Always would’ve sacrificed himself for others. Gotta say, the finale with him saying how he wished he could ask all the signers to stay forever, AFTER we get a flash forward scene of the signers after their journey, was some of the best ways to send us off. With the 2 duelists who start off 5D’s and give the first duel Yusei and Trudge. Edit: never thought about this sooner, but that small inner monologue that ends the first episode of Yusei Vs Jack’s fortune cup duel, is genuinely a great moment. The guy was seriously so upset that he gave up EVERYTHING for that life but was probably just trying to cope and see his choice through and see it be proved right. An amazing moment from the rival character, definitely puts Jack up there, above others (maybe Zane and Aster are close too)

As an American who only watched 5D’s dubbed, we got fucking robbed by 4kids. This is great.

Well, just now found you, and I must say very well done. Love that you even stated the monster Stats and effects. Always loved that part in 5ds for some reason.

What a banger of a video. Well done sir!

there will never be another yugioh as good as 5ds

What an incredible analysis of my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh show, awesome work making me see the characters in a new way!

very beautiful video. well done!!!

Maybe the best video about yu gi oh i've ever see. That's why i love 5ds, this group of characters, their deck and their evolution we can see through their card (represent their user psychology and personality). I hope you will do more video about this license. Thank you

This is a beautiful analysis on YGO 5Ds, probably the best I've ever seen. The music choices, the clips... the words said, the explanations... it all reminded me why I loved 5Ds and why it's the best YGO series to date, and also my absolute favorite. Fucking Bravo.

Amazing video. I am glad I was able to find it. I'm sure everyone here can feel the passion you had for this project. Yusei has always been one of my favorite characters in anime and I always liked what he stood for. I try to emulate what he stands for and thanks to this video I have a much deeper understanding and much better appreciation. I can't wait to see your other videos as they come out.

Bruh this was just your first video!? You sure did a great job. I'll comment supporting the chanel. And i hope you get a 10 million sub

Perfectly done video! A real master piece! Never noticed a lot of the connections with the characters and their Ace monsters. Very well well done! Learned a ton. I don’t entirely agree that he is the best protagonist I can 100% but your reasoning and either way he’s definitely Top 3 Protagonist! I would love to see you analyze other protagonist too, but I don’t want you to feel tied to doing that. I can feel you did this because of your love and passion for Yusei and 5DS. I feel you brother 👊🏻 Hoe you feel about Yusei is going I feel about Yuma and Zexal. ☺️

This video is one of the best video analyses I've seen. I loved seeing you give words to what I've felt while watching 5Ds. Makes me want to rewatch the series even. Will you ever do something similar for the other Yu-Gi-Oh spinoffs?

Amazing analysis and so well executed! Love Yusei and 5d's as well! But goddamnit people when Z-one battle theme is on don't cut it out like that (another 5d's analysis that came out recently did the exact same thing cutting the ost at its very peak) :D

This is ridiculous how your video doesn’t have a million views, the way you articulate yourself and describe details of characters I failed to see is amazing I love the way you present your work and Chanel I’m a new subscriber thank you for this video I’ve always loved Yusei he helped me believe in myself a lot

Let's goooooooo best protag Sheeeeesh

Great video. I easily find 5Ds to have the most profound impact on me, so I'm glad you made this.

Excellent content. Really great analysis! Hope we can see more characters soon, especially Aki, such a great character that was unfortunately wasted. Although, her relationship with Yusei is one of the much beautiful in the Yugioh franchise.

Phenomenal video! I never considered all the constant characteristics & connections that yusei & jack represent throughout the show. I was shocked that you even included their duel runners and ace cards as primary examples to your main points. Overall, well done!

yes, finally someone that actually understands yusei, all of the analysis of him are just so shallow, all i hear is he is cool, or he is just a mary sue, but his is an understanding of who yusei fudo is, and why he is the best protagonist in yugioh, also why yugioh 5ds is the best yugioh series. also have to give credit to all of the themes in 5ds tackles gracefully, from discrimination, class division and segregation, how the past affects the present and how the future is influence by our present and how human connections with one other we can create a better future. if anything 5ds is such a meaningful series that tends to be ignore by certain people because of the yugioh on motorcycles, which riding duels are awesome and will debate anyone on why. also to add would love for konami to print speed spell and speed world 1 and 2 to duel with, that introduce really cool dynamics by making you really more on trap and monster that the use of spell as they requiere speed counter. also this vid earn you a sub, keep up this amazing work.

What an amazing video, man. I love 5Ds, but Really, it extracted feelings from me I didn't even know I had.

This was a really good video analysis on Yusei. Great job!

10:29 - 10:50 = I always did think that was rather odd, yet cool.

Really great analysis. I’ve always known that Jack and Yusei had amazing symbolism along with an excellent dynamic but I’ve never seen anyone go so in-depth on it before. Also raised my opinion on Godwin a lot as well. 5D’s is definitely one of my favourite series in anime and manga.

Watt007 recommended this video to me and needless to say iit's a masterpiece Edit : just finished it this is a beautiful video

Yusei is the type of character that transcends yugioh, and even anime in my opinion. He's like one of my favorite characters in fiction ever.

Wonderfull analisis. Thank you for refreshing this wonderfull series and lessons in me.

I love how u compared shirou and yusei and shirou is my fav mc after I've read the vn there are both very similar yusei having guilt for his father research and shirou guilt for surviving a fire where others died and can't even live with himself without making himself feel wrong for even living

Great Video! Hopefully this gets more views

Easily the best video you can find online about Yu-Gi-Oh. Finally someone that really grasps the beauty of 5ds without falling on mainstream statements. You just proved how 5ds is levels above the rest by far

Recalling this now, it's hard to imagine how his VA voiced such a compelling character but he's a massive dork IRL.

Awesome video, definitely liking and subbing!

Literally the best character analyzes video I’ve ever watched

Thank you for this awesome video

I loved your review please do more😍❤🙏

This guy's a true man of culture, awesome analysis! 💯🔥

Brilliant video. There's quite a lot that I didn't even think about. I've always liked Yusei, but I've drank the Kool-Aid that views him as too perfect. I've gotten a new appreciation for him.

Stardust Dragon is basically the Jesus Dragon: It dies to save others, and then resurrects itself.

Im so late to this but I recently just finish Yugioh 5ds in sub and it was amazing and I love this analysis video.

Really great analysis !

Yusei is still my favourite main character in yugioh)

honestly a great documentary on yusei very great background audio

It's pretty cool that you managed to talk about this for 47 minutes, respect.

Wow, late to the party but this is super quality yugioh content! Earned my sub, hope to see more!

Very metaphysical!!!!! Thank you sir!!!!

Amazing analysis!

It's definitely interesting to go into the way a character's ace represents the character. I will point out that this trait doesn't just encapsulate Yusei and Jack, but it encapsulates Aki as well. Black Rose Dragon's effect destroys everything on the field, itself included, when it hits the field. If Stardust represents Yusei's self-sacrificial traits, and Red Demon's represents Jack's willingness to sacrifice anything that can't keep up with him, then Black Rose represents Aki's *self-destructive* rage. She lashes out as a result of her own pain and rage, aiming to destroy anything and everything around her, which just so happens to include herself. She then falls completely on others in order to do anything else, with Aki usually using the effects of other cards entirely to bring Black Rose back... representing how overly-dependent she was on Divine to the point of breaking down completely when he wasn't around. If Yugioh at the time actually gave a shit about female characters and gave a focus to Aki as the third main member of the group instead of Crow, it would've been nice to see further evolutions of Black Rose Dragon that would represent her growth as a character, hopefully in the direction of becoming independent and more of her own person with less of the self-destructive rage. (You could, however, argue that Blood Rose Dragon, which came out in 2021 iirc-and no, im not referring to it as it's localized name-kind of represents this? It banishes all cards in both graveyards, which you could say is being dependent on itself rather than the effects of other cards, destroys all other cards *but* not itself this time, and has an effect remarkably similar to Stardust Dragon's effect in negating a destruction effect and then summoning back Black Rose... but eh, could be better. Doesn't help that they didn't actually do anything like this with Aki afterwards, so oh well)

Really enjoyed this

yusie will always be my fav yu gioh character and his deck is always something iwant to play ,or atleast a version of it,

As yusei is my favorite character I thought this video was amazing I think I finally understand yusei at lot more then I did before I also like how u brought the effects reflecting the characters that's one thing I noticed a while ago which even made stardust my favorite monster but maybe the reason I will so strongly about yusei is bc I can see myself in him alot

This video was fantastic

This is the best video I've ever seen

Great video

i always thought yusei was a boring protagonist. nah, after a decade, i think you've sold me on your viewpoint. good video!

Dope video and analysis of one of the greatest characters in the Yugioh franchise. Top 2 personally. Would you be able to do one of these for Shark/Nasch from Zexal?

This is simply wonderful.

Incredible video essay. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - as an anime and era of the TCG - occurred at *exactly* the right time in my life (very beginning of middle school up through the end of 8th grade) and under the *exact* real-life socioeconomic conditions to capture my heart forever. I have no shame in admitting that I like 5D's much more than GX and consider its greatest episodes to equal DM's in quality.

Man, I really appreciate your insight on how each character connects to one another in some way, shape or form, (Yusei especially) all the while expanding how a decision that an individual makes for their future can affect others, like Jack for instance. Even if 5D’s had flaws (plans changing abruptly midway) and I will readily admit that, I do think that the showrunners behind it definitely did the best they could with bringing out a story that was not only interesting, but relatable with actual social issues, and even silly in mixing card games with motorcycle races as well LOL. Even if 5D’s did fall off slightly in the middle and had a different set-up with villains we thought were totally the opposite from what we’ve seen in the Fortune Cup and Dark Signers arcs, I personally see it as a build-up towards the Ark Cradle arc, and it was a nice change of pace to see how everyone settled following the Dark Signers battle and their internal struggles and desires that came with it. In some aspects, I can understand why people would see Yusei as a character who’s too perfect, but then again, most of 5D’s focused on high tension, high risk duels that determined the fate of the world, so it wasn’t like he could lose badly. The amount of sacrifices Yusei made throughout the first two seasons - willing to sacrifice his first D-Wheel and Ace monster for the life of a friend, his freedom and identity upon being arrested, blackmailed into a tournament for the safety of his friends in Satellite, his health and well-being while dueling a former deceased friend from the old days and helping someone else realize she’s not alone and taking on damages while recovering from an injury, among others is nothing short of inspiring and heartbreaking. Someone give my man Yusei an F for respect. I do like the concept behind the entire project that, despite him having an almost perfect dueling record, the purpose of his character is to connect with others in way that makes them stand out stronger than they had in the beginning, even Aki who’s had a less than great handling of her development following Dark Signers. It’s especially interesting when you brought up Z-One who had good intentions, but turned to desperate reasons because of how his future turned out. It’s reasons like this that make me love 5D’s more as a series. Thanks so much for this much-needed analysis on this amazing character and series as a whole. ❤

Judai/jaden is actually my favorite protag, but yusei is definitely my 2nd favorite. This vid sums up why i love his character 👏

i wounder... did ya leave out the clustering wishes bit before the final blow to zone on purpose?