About “Yu-Gi-Oh!” in a few words:

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Japanese anime and manga series that follows the story of a young boy named Yugi Mutou, who is given an ancient artifact that allows him to duel monsters and enter into a mysterious realm known as the Shadow Realm. Along with his friends Joey, Tristan, and Tea, Yugi battles opponents in thrilling card duels in order to protect his loved ones and discover the secrets of the ancient artifact. The series has gained a massive following worldwide and has inspired a trading card game, video games, and numerous spin-offs.

Meet the characters from Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yugi Mutou

Oh man, Yugi is the sweetheart of the group — shy, endlessly kind, and probably the only person who can make a thousand friends by just smiling, which is ridiculous but true. He’s obsessed with puzzles (duh), but also loves snacks at weird hours and sometimes forgets to be dramatic until the exact right moment, like clockwork. There’s this gentle hero energy, but also this whole ancient, regal vibe hiding in his eyes that makes you sit up and nervous-laugh — and yes, he might hoard tiny trinkets, which, no judgment. He’s somehow both a quiet kid who wants to do well in school and also the center of world-shaking card battles, which is just peak contradiction and I love it.

Katsuya Jonouchi

Joey — sorry, Katsuya — is the loud, scrappy best friend who punches first and apologizes later, but he’s also allergic to losing and will train like a maniac until dawn, which is both exhausting and inspiring. He cares about his friends like they’re family (because they basically are), eats like a garbage disposal but will suddenly attempt a gourmet meal for someone he likes, and has that iconic hair that refuses to behave. He’s a classic underdog hero with a heart of gold and an appetite for both pizza and drama, and he somehow keeps making terrible plans that actually work. He’s rough around the edges, kind of clumsy with feelings, and yet when the chips are down he’s the last one standing — and probably chewing gum.

Anzu Mazaki

Anzu is the anchor — super supportive, organized (mostly), and obsessed with dancing and keeping everyone relatively sane, even when sanity is not an option. She gives the best pep talks, wears bracelets, maybe practices yoga sometimes, and will loudly nag you about trying harder but also bring homemade snacks that are suspiciously perfect. She’s got a fierce loyalty streak and a ridiculous soft spot for her friends’ drama, and she’s annoyingly good at remembering birthdays (even if she forgets her own hairbrush). Equal parts mom energy and teenage rebellion, she’s constantly surprised at how often she ends up leading without meaning to.

Hiroto Honda

Honda is the big-hearted, solid-to-the-core buddy who acts tough but actually cries at commercials — or was that a baseball game? — anyway he’s that guy who will physically block trouble for his friends and then grimace about the bruises for a week. He loves sports (or at least he used to; sometimes he’s more into video games now? memory blur), believes in justice like it’s an actual thing you can hand out on the street, and wears that same jacket until it becomes a legend. Clumsy with tactics but loyal to the last breath, he’s hilarious in an unpolished way and probably has an alarmingly soft plushie in his closet, which he swears is for morale. When push comes to shove he’s steady, even if his plans involve three bad puns and a pizza.

Ryo Bakura

Bakura is quietly unsettling in the best possible way — polite, bookish, sweet-smelling maybe, and then there’s a flip and you remember the Millennium item and suddenly it’s chill-to-creepy in one heartbeat. He likes antiques and cute things (like tiny cats? I think), but also harbors an ancient darkness that sips tea politely while plotting, which is wildly unnerving and cool. He’s both the timid friend who fidgets with his hair and the host of some centuries-old baggage, so every time he smiles you get nervous and emotional at once. He’s mysterious, gentle, and absolutely not someone you’d want to underestimate, even if he does bake cookies sometimes, probably.

Seto Kaiba

Kaiba is arrogance personified but in a CEO, ultra-clean, Blue-Eyes-summoning package and honestly it rules — cold, brilliant, and obsessed with winning to the point of performance art. He treats dueling like a corporate acquisition and dragons like fashion accessories, and his disdain for losing is basically his cardio. He’s deeply complicated under that armored coat though; he has a soft spot for his brother that he would never, ever admit aloud (but will smuggle in a slightly nicer dinner, obviously). Iconically intense, capable of monologuing while firing lasers (maybe not lasers), and always in very expensive shoes.

Mokuba Kaiba

Mokuba is the small, clever kid who somehow managed to be both adorably clingy and creepily wise beyond his years — big bro Kaiba would literally move mountains for him, which explains a lot. He loves sweets and cartoons and maybe has an imaginary friend who is also his emotional support demon? I’m joking — or am I. He’s sweet, a touch manipulative when he needs to be (like when convincing Seto to spend money), and has this childlike bravery that makes people underestimate him at their peril. He’ll hug you one second and then casually out-strategize you in a card game the next, which is deeply unfair.

Miho Nosaka

Miho is the soft, calming presence from the early days — kind of shy, caring, and a little mysterious because she’s more than just a background character, she’s important in weird, subtle ways. She collects small charms, maybe likes flowers, and has this tendency to pop up in memories right when everyone needs a gentle shove back to who they used to be. She’s quiet but quietly stubborn, helpful without wanting fuss, and sometimes frustratingly practical in the middle of chaos (like the exact person you’d want with duct tape and a bandage). There’s a nostalgic glow around her, plus a habit of humming to herself which is oddly comforting.