Why the Original Yu-Gi-Oh Means so Much to Me and Possibly Others
I think a lot of us, at some point in our lives, felt we were weak and timid, unsure of ourselves and our potential. For so many, we still feel that way. So in a way I think we can relate to this guy very much. Insert young Yugi Muto. (His first appearance in the manga)
A lot of us didnât know who the f#*$% we were as kids/teenagers and apparently neither did Mr. Takahashi himself⌠because this guyâs color scheme and hair style would constantly change as the story progressed. Seriously brown eyes? Who wouldâve thought our main character would have human colored pupils. Jokes aside, let me get a little personal here and maybe some of you reading this can relate. I identified with YugiâŚlike a lot. While other kids wanted to be Ash Ketchums, Gokus, Narutos, and Marvel/DC superheroesâŚI wanted to be Yugi. My childhood resembled his so much from the isolation, maybe having only one friend if at all, the constant bullying, and of course my love for niche things such as games, anime, and art. During my time in elementary school, after a certain point, it wasnât cool to like anime or look up to some cartoon character. People always asked me when was I going to get out of this phase, when was I going to get out of Yu-Gi-Oh. In a weird way I kinda did, but not out of free will. It was more about being in the closet with liking the things I did.Â
I had to change who I was to minimize the struggle of dealing with assholes and other people who would otherwise think I was âstrangeâ. At home I was one way and outside I was another. This idea of putting on an alter ego is something we all have to do.Â
(Iâm sure we all wish we could have one as sexy or as powerful as Mr. Pharaoh)Â
It could be going to school, heading to work, or meeting up with any type of stranger. I think we would all be lying if we were to say we didnât put on some face that is not our own when confronting other people. Especially those we arenât familiar with. Hell we might even do this with different clicks of friends. But for my younger self, this was a habit that went a little beyond being professional or accommodating to the crowd.
I sometimes felt like I was two different people and maybe this is something Kazuki Takahashi was trying to get at when he created Yu-Gi-Oh. We all have these moments where our alter egos tend to take over and it can get to a point were it takes a while for us to realize what we are doing. Fortunately for myself, I recognized my behavior and I became a lot more confident with my personality going into High School and College. If anything my experiences made me stronger and the individual I am today. My own development mirror Yugiâs a lot and this series was always there as I grew up. I gained irreplaceable friendships and expanded my talents to make a profession out of it. Even when the show and manga ended, I could always look back to it and enjoy it all over again.Â
(The difference between the first image and this one is mind blogging at times, but progress in an artistâs work is always great to see.) So as weird as it may sound, I guess I have a lot to thank my spiky headed friend for. I often wonder what other characters I would have looked up to if Yu-Gi-Oh was not in my life. It is certainly not something I will ever âphase out ofâ either. I hope some of you can relate to my story and perhaps recognize your own alter egos. Feel free to share any of your thoughts on this or your experiences.
