Yu-Gi-Oh!has been around for over twenty years at this point, having a surprising amount of staying power compared to many of its contemporaries that launched around the same time, with a few exceptions, of course.
RELATED:Yu-Gi-Oh!: Archetypes Based On Other Series
Like many other well-known series, Yu-Gi-Oh! has been parodied or referenced in many forms of media, including movies, shows, other anime series, and even video games. In video games, in particular, these references can be either the type where if you blink, you’ll miss it, or they’ll be extremely obvious, not being open to question or debate purely because of how obvious they are.
8Danganronpa V3
In Danganronpa V3, the third mainline entry of theDanganronpaseries, the character Kokichi Oma references Yu-Gi-Oh! in one of his free time events, challenging the protagonist Shuichi to a game and saying, “Then you gotta play a Shadow Game! It’s time to du-du-du-du-du-du-du-duel!”
This line is a reference to the English Dub of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters or Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic anime series, as “It’s time to duel!” was one of its taglines, and Yami Yugi says it in the dub’s opening theme in the same way Kokichi does. Koichi also references Kaiji, another popular manga and anime series about playing games, specifically those that involve gambling.
7Splatoon 3 Tableturf Battle
While not necessarily a direct reference, it has been suggested that the Tableturf Battle card game fromSplatoon 3may have been inspired by and be a reference to Dungeon Dice Monsters, a dice and movement game based on Duel Monsters that had a few manga chapters and anime episodes dedicated to it in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series, one video game, and a short-lived real-life version.
While Tableturf Warsdoesn’t use dice, it still has some similar mechanics to Dungeon Dice Monsters, as each card has an ink grid that takes up a select number of squares, similar to how monsters do the same when summoned in Dungeon Dice Monsters.
6Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
The first game in the humorous and belovedAce Attorneyseries has an elderly character named Yanni Yogi, likely named after Yami Yugi. He is also similar to those two characters in that he seems to have two personalities, a senile and friendly one and a more serious and resentful one, which is revealed to be his true personality.
Other than his demeanor changing, Yanni Yogi shares no similarities with Yugi Muto or Yami Yugi in terms of appearance, having more in common with and being closer in age to Yugi’s grandfather, Solomon Muto, also known as Sugoroku Mutou in the original manga.
5Bayonetta 2
A significant character inBayonetta 2has some suspicious similarities to characters from the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters manga and anime series. Like Yugi and Yami Yugi, Loki uses a deck of cards as his weapon, specifically tarot cards, instead of Duel Monsters. He also wears a similar upside-down triangular pendant around his neck connected to a gold chain.
RELATED:Best Yu-Gi-Oh! Villains
Loki’s evil half, known as Loptr, also clashes with him, similar to how Marik and Yami Marik clash after the latter has reawakened and taken over the former’s body. After ridding himself of his good personality, Loptr reforms into Aesir, the god of chaos.
4Bug Fables
ThePaper Mario-inspiredBug Fables: The Everlasting Saplinghas a few characters participating in the Spy Card tournament on Metal Island with looks and personalities inspired by select characters from the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series. There’s Bu-Gi, based on Yugi Muto, Ritchee, based on Seto Kaiba, Kage, based on Bandit Keith; and Serene, based on Serenity Wheeler.
Serene is the most interesting in that she is based on a character who dueled once, and poorly, in the anime and didn’t duel at all in the manga. Having a character inspired by her rather than her older brother Joey or a more involved female character like Tea Gardner or Mai Valentine is an odd choice.
3Yakuza 0
In the English localized version ofYakuza 0, when Kiryu encounters the Finance King in his office after defeating his hitmen, the Finance King says, “The money I made is MINE!!! Nobody can take it from me! The police!? Who cares? Screw the rules, I have money!”
RELATED:Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards Only Released In Japan
The latter part of this quote is not from Yu-Gi-Oh! itself, but Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, a popular ongoing parody of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime series that started a wave of similar series on YouTube. In The Abridged Series, it happens to be Seto Kaiba’s catchphrase since he is obscenely wealthy, after all.
2World of Warcraft Dragonflight Characters
The Dragonflight expansion forWorld of Warcrafthas The Heart of The Deck quest, which features Setogosa, a female Night Elf inspired by Seto Kaiba, and Yumadoru, a Gnome not only inspired by Yugi but also inspired by Yuma Tsukumo from Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal name-wise.
Setogosa takes Yumadoru’s deck and refuses to give it back, throwing it into a river when you try to step in. This is a direct reference to when Weevil Underwood throws Yugi’s Exodia cards into the ocean while on the boatto Duelist Kingdom. Another related quest involving the characters is called White Eyes, Blue Dragon, as a reference to theBlue-Eyes White Dragon.
1Inscryption
Inscryptionreferences a handful of other games, so having a Yu-Gi-Oh! reference, while surprising, isn’t completely unexpected, but its implementation is. You’re given a Duel Disk during the Finale, with Magnificus even calling it such. You then must play against him in a 400 Life Point duel, referencing the 4000 Life Points used in various Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
In Finale II, there are also the four Edaxio Sigils, the head, torso, arms, and legs of Edaxio. Having all four together will then summon Edaxio. This is similar to the effect of Exodia The Forbidden One, with Edaxio being an anagram of the name.
