In 2022, legendary Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi tragically died from drowning while helping rescue people caught in a rip current. Anyone who grew up watching anime in the 2000s likely would have watched Yu-Gi-Oh! when it was at the peak of its popularity, maybe even had it as one of their favorite anime growing up, so it’s safe to say why Takahashi’s sudden passing hit the anime community as hard as it did.

Few people had as big an impact on the world of anime as Kazuki Takahashi, yet, surprisingly, whether in life or in death, neither he nor Yu-Gi-Oh! has ever truly received the recognition they deserve, even if there are several good reasons why that may be. That’s always been the worst part about Yu-Gi-Oh! on the fandom side of things, but four years after Takahashi’s death, he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves, and overall, that’s great to see.

Yu-Gi-Oh!’s 30th Anniversary Rewards The Series With A Major Honor

While Yu-Gi-Oh! is best known for the anime and the card game, the original manga was also very successful; with over 44 million books sold worldwide, it’s one of the most successful manga in the history of Shonen Jump, yet fans often overlook it, and any events celebrating Yu-Gi-Oh! are usually centered around the anime, not the manga. That’s finally set to change, however, as it’s just been announced that in celebration of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s 30th anniversary, a special art exhibit of Kazuki Takahashi’s artwork, “Yu-Gi-Oh! Art Works”, will be held in Japan this upcoming winter.

It’s not uncommon for mangaka to get art exhibits celebrating their work, but Kazuki Takahashi notably never received anything of the sort, and it always fed into the criticism that the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga is seen as an irrelevant part of the franchise by general audiences. At long last, though, Takahashi is finally receiving that same honor, even if it’s happening posthumously, and there’s even an implication that the artwork Takahashi made outside of Yu-Gi-Oh! will also be highlighted, and that can make it an even bigger celebration of his legacy.

Even the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game seems to be highlighting Kazuki Takahashi’s work for the 30th anniversary; in addition to a special booster pack with cards referencing the manga, the latest Core Boosters also feature retrains of classic cards with artwork and effects referencing the manga, as well, even though Core Boosters usually focus exclusively on the anime. Between that and the art exhibit, Yu-Gi-Oh!’s 30th anniversary is finally giving Takahashi’s work on the manga the respect it deserves, and overall, that’s great to see.

Why Yu-Gi-Oh’s Manga Is Criminally Underrated

The way Yu-Gi-Oh!’s manga is finally getting so much attention is great, not just for the franchise’s anniversary, but because of how criminally underrated the manga is. For starters, Takahashi’s artwork is great at conveying incredible creativity and flair for both his monster designs and his human characters, and his later work was even better at that, with the extensive detail he poured into every new piece of art. Even his black-and-white work stood out thanks to his signature style and use of pointillism, of all things, and it still holds up so many years after the fact.

Naturally, the story is also a major highlight of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. When talking about the manga, many people only focus on the somewhat dark, episodic stories of the first seven volumes loosely adapted into Yu-Gi-Oh!’s first anime, “Season 0”, but even the content adapted into the main anime is a great read for being more down-to-earth and having a stronger focus on character work than being flashy. That’s especially true for anyone who grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh!’s English dub, and that added depth speaks wonders to Takahashi’s talents as a writer.

All of that, of course, perfectly builds into a truly standout finale; while not as bombastic as the anime’s take on things, Yugi and Atem’s final duel did a perfect job of bringing their growth as individuals and partners to an end, and if anything, the overall abruptness of it all even highlights how bittersweet the whole ordeal is. As far as manga endings go, it’s one of the best a person could ask for, and in many ways, it’s far superior to the anime’s take on things.

The immense popularity of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime played a big part in stripping focus away from the manga, and with how even the anime is often overshadowed by more conventional and less gimmicky anime of the 90s and 2000s, like Dragon Ball, Pokémon, and the “Big 3” of anime, only made things even worse. Despite all of that, Yu-Gi-Oh!’s original manga has a style in its art and writing that gives it an atmosphere unlike any other manga, and as good as the anime is, it’s an entirely different sort of masterpiece everyone should experience.

What’s Next For Yu-Gi-Oh! As A Franchise?

There’s something truly special about the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, and all the attention it’s been getting lately begs the question of what’s next for the franchise. Aside from the short series Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Game The Chronicles, there hasn’t been anything in the way of anime since Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! ended last year, so the franchise is more than ready for a new anime. More specifically, Yu-Gi-Oh! celebrating its 30th anniversary has sparked rumors of an anime remake, one that’s more faithful to the manga and would even incorporate material from the first seven volumes, as well.

With how strong a story the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga is, a remake that’s more faithful to the manga would be great to see, especially if its animation and visual style are up to the amazing standards of Kazuki Takahashi’s last work on the franchise, The Dark Side of Dimensions. That being said, as much as it might have diverged from the manga, the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime is still a great series in its own right, so it’s hard to say if a hypothetical remake would be necessary.

With how much Yu-Gi-Oh! became defined as a game franchise more than anything, Kazuki Takahashi’s work ended up lost in the shuffle, but whether it was because of his gorgeous artwork or his fantastic storytelling, he was a creator unlike any other who deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest mangaka of all time. The world of anime and manga truly suffered one of its biggest losses with Takahashi’s passing, and with any luck, Yu-Gi-Oh!’s 30th anniversary will help even more people realize that fact.

Video Game(s)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom, Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel, Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos: Yugi the Destiny, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004, Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler, Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monster Coliseum, Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Tag Force Special, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution

Character(s)

Yugi Mutou, Atem, Joey Wheeler, Tea Gardner, Tristan Taylor, Ryo Bakura, Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba, Miho Nosaka, Yami Bakura, Maximillion Pegasus, Marik Ishtar

Comic Release Date

27042

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a multimedia franchise based on the manga by Kazuki Takahashi. The series primarily revolves around characters solving supernatural and sci-fi conflicts with the Duel Monsters card game, and the series spawned not only 10 anime and four movies, but a real-life card game that’s one of the best-selling trading card games in the world.