Yuusei Fudou is out to get back what was stolen from him.
The world of dueling has evolved, with Riding Duels becoming the peak of entertainment for the residents of Neo Domino City. They are played on D-Wheels, a hybrid between Duel Disks and motorbikes. After the mechanically skilled Yuusei managed to build his own D-Wheel, his former friend Jack Atlas stole it alongside Yuusei's best card, Stardust Dragon; ditching their decrepit hometown of Satellite, he escaped to Neo Domino City.
In the two years since then, Jack has risen to the top of the dueling world, while Yuusei has been making preparations thanks to the help of his friends. With his new D-Wheel finished, he now sets off to Neo Domino City, his only goal to find Jack. Unbeknownst to either of them, there are far bigger things at stake than they can imagine, with puppeteers pulling the strings behind the scenes.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Lord_Rutsah
take the scenario from Terminator + tons of mindless violence + card games on motorcycles (that are surprisingly good) + a badass protagonist: Welcome to 5ds! 5ds revitalized the game when it needed it most. Konami created new types of cards (synchros) and introduced them through an anime so good that people actually got over the fact that Konami was creating new rules again (The same tactic was repeated quite successfully with Arc V and completely failed with Zexal). The duels suddenly became A LOT faster and more enjoyable and the game that was going downhill until then suddenly stepped up. For starters FINALLY we're through with"school children protagonists". Yusei was already 18 when the show started, had already trouble with cops and was basically living in a giant scrapyard/post-apocalyptic city. Literally from the first minutes of the anime all you can say is "wow, is this really yugioh?!". Obviously the super-added levels of violence meant that 4kids butchered the anime even more than usual in the dub, making it utterly unwatchable, but that's hardly the original's fault.
And staying on the "violence makes good" theme, lets talk about emotional violence as well. Aki, the show's female lead is quite clearly a girl with a LOT of problems and torn between her loyalties, from the start to the end. On the one hand she wants to go with the protagonist... Mostly because she just fancies him, on the other she wants to stay with her boss, who she also fancies (kinda, and also kinda sees him as a fatherly figure, honestly it's a pretty interesting subplot). And the main reason she can't choose is that in 5ds, there is no clearly evil character. Obviously the protagonist is good, but there is no character you can clearly call an "one-sided villain", including her boss. On one hand that makes for a much more mature plot, on other it doesn't allow for the sheer evil badassness that Vector was (read my zexal II review). In fact even the last main villain of the anime, the big bad behind it all, STILL isn't evil. Misguided maybe, yes, but he only had the best of intentions (you know, unlike the motherfu%$ing Vector and the others).
The protagonist, Yusei, best of all, never jokes, almost never smiles and is in fact from start to finish dead serious about everything. The fact that he can outrun security (constantly), beat the crap out of everyone (no, I don't mean in a card game, I mean literally, beat the crap out of people), build 2 whole motorcycles from scrap and understand physics (without ever going to school mind you) makes him a total boss. After him comes Jack Atlas, the second male lead, who gets almost equal screentime, and is a fan-favourite due to his dueling style and unparalleled ego. He makes for an amazing antagonist and surprisingly well-written character (and is in fact the only character in the anime to get more chicks than Yusei). Lets be honest here, EVERYONE who has seen 5ds was hyped every time that "Red Demon's Dragon" was summoned. (Come on, you can even recite the summoning chant)
The plot starts from post-apocalyptic future, goes to "suck my Aztec d$%^" and ends up Terminator (down to the last detail). While pretty light on twists there are a few that really make for interesting story (for example who the final opponents of the second and final Arcs were). Most of the anime is delightfully dark, with purple and dark blue being the primarly used colors. (As far as I can remember you almost never see the sun in the first Arcs).
When it comes to animation and OSTes 5ds was way above the antagonism. In fact when it came out, I quite honestly thought it had the best OST in anime after Bleach (Fairy Tail hadn't come out yet). The animation has a unique dark style to it that really makes the anime enjoyable and you asking for more.
It doesn't matter if you didn't like yugioh in general, at least the first 8-9 episodes of this one are a must-watch.
ShadowSkiel
5D's, my favorite show of all time. This show is a beautiful work of art, with some of the most real characters I have ever experienced. However, between Dark Signers and Pre-WRPG there is a huge shift, however I personally adore season 2 for there depiction of the main threat of the series, Yliaster. -Art- The art is beautiful, and the monsters are some of the most beautiful we've gotten yet. The Signer Dragon's complexity could make them hard to look at if your use to the original, but once adjusted they are some of the best designed monsters in the franchise. The Earthbound Immortals couldbe considered simple, and they are simplified black versions of the Nazca Line the represent with a different color line vairty across them, but they somehow manage to still look amazingly badass. The Machine Emperors are just sheer eye candy to anyone a fan of machines in general, and the characters still have gravity-defying hair, making certain characters(ESPICALLY APORIA) a pain to draw.
-Sound-
The Voice Acting is sheer beautiful, from the sexy voices of Yusei Fudo and Aporia to just the plain awesome voice work that is given to Lucciano. However the music is where it really shines. Almost all OSTs are amazing, including Yusei's theme, Lucciano/Skiel's theme, Light and Dark, Placido's theme and many MANY others. However the openings, endings and inserts are where they just BOMB IT. 5D's and GX are the only shows were I love every single opening and ending, and my god, do they not disappoint. Future Colors, Cross Game, Start, Last Train, Going my Way!!, Believe in Nexus, Freedom, -OZONE-, Close to You and Kizuna are the best songs in the entire franchise by far, and we have the all holy insert song sung by freaking Masaaki Endoh known as Clear Mind.
-Characters-
I will admit I have a crush on Placido to the point where it's kinda scary and sad, but the characters feel so real. Yusei and Jack are by far the best Yugi/Kaiba duo yet, and the entire major rest of the list excluding the characters from Secruity and Satellite are amazing. Rua, Ruka, and Lucciano are by far the best children characters in this franchise along with Arc-V's Sora, and damn does Z-One troll everyone. There's even a character exclusive to the spinoff Bonds Beyond Time who gets mentioned, and well, just watch the freaking show.
-Enjoyment-
I have never enjoyed a show this much. Every episode, even the filler, was good in some way. My personal favorite episodes are 105-110(the Placido VS Yusei mini-arc as I like to call it). But just, watch it.
-Overall-
This franchise is amazing, and this series is a treat from beyond heaven. If you like anime in general, WATCH YU-GI-OH! 5D'S RIGHT NOW.
We_EGAO_now
When looking at a series, is it better to start strong but end weak or start weak but end strong? I believe a strong finish is better than a strong start because while it won't hook people immediately, it will allow for people to have something to look forward to while watching. The problem with 5D's is that it follows the latter, being a disappointment after the first season, which ends at the end of the dark signer arc. The unfortunate truth behind this is that the director for the fortune cup arc left to work on Symphogear, leaving behind notes for the dark signerarc. The new director followed these notes, but once the dark signer arc finished, he unfortunately screwed up a lot of things. If I could rate the seasons seperately, I'd give the first season a 9 and the second season a 5. So let's delve into some of the best and worst yugioh has to offer.
The story for the first season is structured pretty well. There is little to no filler and you can feel the progression. At the start, Yusei just wants to get back the card that symbolizes his bonds, Stardust Dragon, but then he gets stuck in Godwin's plan and becomes a signer. While the plot doesn't stand out, it also doesn't falter, allowing for strong character development. The second season has a convoluted plot where all the problems are solved because of Yusei suddenly becoming overpowered. It just sucks when the solution to every plot related problem winds up being Yusei. Another major issue is how there are 6 signer dragons when the original plot wanted 5. It felt like they wanted to give a character signer status just so he could stay with the main cast instead of a legitimate reason. It all just felt like so much of the original intent spiraled down into a cesspool of absurdity.
The art and sound are pretty spot on, with the soundtrack containing some of the best vocal pieces in the yugioh franchise with songs like CROSS GAME and Clear Mind. The structural and artistic design of each D-wheel definitely shows each character's personality. The duel disks are designed to look like their respective D-wheels, as the motorcycles are a hybrid of transportation and a dueling machine.
The biggest divide between the seasons is how the characters are handled. The first season had some of the best character development, delving deep into what makes each character and how they all overcome their mental and physical barriers to become stronger and better people. Overcoming the darkness in your heart is a prevalent theme within the dark signer arc, and it made the development even better. Unfortunately, the second season throws much of the development out the window and streamlines every character's personalities and emotions. There could have been so much more done with the characters introduced in the second season to make them meaningful and not just a bland sideshow.
I heavily enjoyed the first season, and it became one of my favorite parts of yugioh. It's a engrossing and fulfilling experience that you should experience. The second season, however I didn't enjoy so much. I did manage to watch through it all, and it was about the same as Zexal 1. I recommend only watching the first season while completely ignoring the second season, unless if you want to laugh at the problems it has. Remember kids, you can turn off the monitor whenever you want.
Lilyvess
CHILDREN’S CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!!!! Ok, now that everyone has gotten that out of their system we can enter the world of high speed action that is Yugioh 5d’s The third series of the Yugioh Franchise is marked by breaking away from many of the tropes that had plagued the other two, in particular the previous series Yugioh Gx. Rather than being built upon a tournament or school structure system, 5d’s manages to create its own almost post futuristic world. The setting of this world is the best developed in all of Yugioh history. Our cast for this series is slightly different from the usual Yugiohcast. Yusei is not our average Yugioh protagonist. Not only is he older, but his maturity is shown to us time and time again. This is a shounen protagonist who is smart, cool and collected. He forges his own destiny, building his own motorcycle out of the scraps available to him. Jack Atlas takes the rival slot for the series. He starts off as the basic Kaiba clone for the series, arrogant and prideful. In a wise move they manage to develop him in such a way that makes him one of the more beloved characters of the series. Akiza becomes one of the most developed female characters in Yugioh history. Not only does she have a tragic past but she also is a strong duelist capable of putting Yusei and the like in their place. The uneasy bonds that these three share make up the core of Yugioh 5d’s.
The plot still follows the regular card game format. Expect a couple tournament arcs with one time characters. Expect highly situational random dues ex machina card draws at the last minute that will never see print. Expect people to not stay dead for long. This is what the Yugioh franchise is about, and for what it’s worth, 5d’s manages to pull it off for the most part. Villains have personal connections to their opponents to make them more than just fights to save the world but also character battles. The Synchro mechanic introduced in 5d’s proves to be interesting and fun (Synchro Chants are addictive) but in general the card designs in 5d’s are some of the best in all Yugioh history which make for some very entertaining duels. There is also a lot less random opponent of the week, and more plot oriented episodes. There are some really genuinely shocking moments in this series.
If this was all there was to 5d’s (up to episode 64) I probably would be able to give it an 8/10. A good reinvention of the Yugioh franchise. Unfortunately Yugioh 5d’s continued past the first season for almost 100 episodes. They start the second season with near 20 episodes of filler. Once they start engaging the actual plot of the second season, you realize that maybe the filler was the more humanitarian option. Character assassination doesn’t begin to describe what occurs in Season 2 of Yugioh 5d’s. The number of editorial changes and plot holes quickly begins to pile up, leaving no doubt that the writers are making this up as they go along. Towards the end of Season 2 they manage to recover a bit with some rather epic duels, but the damage has already been done.
The animation is what you would expect of an ongoing series with more than 150 episodes under its belt. There are some episodes that kick it out of the park with stellar animation. There are some few rather rare moments where the animation completely backfires and a dramatic moment is defused. It should be noted that I am not a fan of the 3D animation used in anime, especially inserted in regular animation. It interrupts the flow of the series at best. At worst it looks totally silly. Luckily 5d’s manages to keep the 3D animation to a minimum, not over using it. It is easy to overlook these few random moments.
The soundtrack of the series is one of the most enjoyable elements of Yugioh 5d’s. A lot of the character theme’s are so intense and gripping that they can make even the most simple of duels seem like the world cup. Every moment is dripping with drama because of the awesome soundtrack. This is one part of the series that never takes a dip. Later in the series they add insert songs by Masaaki Endoh who also does a couple of opening themes, all of which are filled with so much energy and charge.
In total, Yugioh 5d’s can be inconsistent. It started off strong, and when it wants to be good the series can been very enjoyable, but when it is weak it can be disastrous and the last half of the series is filled with weak plot elements. If you are a Yugioh fan than this is something you must watch, but for everyone else there is better series to watch.
Riding Duel Acceleration!!!
onat
CaRd GaMeS oN mOtOrCyClEs! While this idea sounded like an awful addition to the series back in 2008, the show has proven itself worthy throughout its 3-year run. It definitely is my favorite Yugioh spin and one of my top3 shows of all time. Here's a spoiler-free review! **Story - 10/10 Okay, our main character is some guy called Yusei Fudo. Cool guy. The story takes place in a harsh world, where there are two cities called Satellite and Neo Domino. Satellite is the aftermath of a big explosion where the peasants and workers live, while Neo Domino is a place of luxury where rich people thrive.Worst part is, there is no connection between two cities by land. No one gets out of Satellite. Also, people in Satellite can't duel nor possess motor cycles for dueling that we call "D-Wheels".
Yusei lives in Satellite, and makes his own D-Wheel with the help of his friends. His goal is to make it to Neo Domino City to take revenge from his former friend Jack Atlas, who's known as the "King" of duels and receives a crap ton of praise. Yusei just wants his stolen precious monster card back.
Also there are Syncho Monsters now! You use a tuner monster and a regular monster, put them together, and voila! You have a synchro monster. BTW, the card Yusei's after is also a synchro monster.
The writers take on from there, and make one good helluva show!
There are two main arcs, and while I don't wanna spoil anything, everyone loves and respects the first one. There is literally nothing- NOTHING bad about it; people loved how dark and interesting it was (so here's the point where I'm supposed to tell you not to watch the english dubs). It's packed with a lot of action, emotions, as well as plot twists!
The second arc isn't necessarily bad, but some people seem to have not liked it as much. This is mostly because the writers took a more sci-fi approach, which is out of the norm when you put OG Yugioh into account. I loved it regardless. There was a Gurren Lagann vibe, because the villains weren't very happy about how fast mankind was evolving with the Synchro monsters, and wanted to do something about it. I also think this one has one of the most relatable Yugioh main villains of all time, they just wanna do the right thing and aren't driven by evil spirits and whatnot.
There's also a Crashtown mini arc which stars at episode 86 and is just brilliant. Card games on motorcycles, but now in the wild west! I think it deserves a lot of praise, and that's why I had to mention it. It has a great story and you definitely should give it a go.
**Art - 7/10
Art style is very similar to what you see in other Yugioh animes; there are several "rape faces" and weird shots, that's just typical Yugioh for you. Needless to say, the looks and designs of characters and monsters are just eyecandy. The duels have become more packed with action (all thanks to motorcycles!), so there are plenty of monsters that have great looks and attack animations.
The only think bad about the art I can think of, are the transitions. The anime uses both 3D and 2D animation, and the transition can be reaaaaaaally awkward. Not bad, but awkward.
**Sound - 10/10
The show has great music. They make me cry like a baby, or scream "SYNCHRO SHOOKAN" in my mom's basement at 3am. It just evokes a lot of emotions, you know? They are of very high quality as well, don't even get me started with it because I could write a 5000 word essay on it. Just check Youtube for 5D's soundtrack, and you won't be disappointed. You know what? Dont, the videos might give you spoilers, just take my word for it? x)
My personal favorites are "You Say", "Freedom", "Yakusoku no Melody" and "Clear Mind", if anyone cares!
One more thing I love is that the producers often cut the hyping music in some moments, so we know for sure that Yusei won't be getting powerups over and over like your regular shonen MC, and the antagonists actually have a solid chance of winning.
**Character - 7/10
Character development is great in episodes 1-65. You can see that a lot within Jack Atlas, Akiza Izinski and the villains. We also see that our optimistic, friendly Yusei Fudo has a dark side that he hides and we barely know about. The characters feel very real.
So why'd I give it a 7/10? Here's why.
Episodes after 65 revolve around Yusei. After this point, no character has free will and they all rely on Yusei to do something. This ESPECIALLY applies for Akiza who had loads of potential as a strong, independent female sidekick, and Jack Atlas who (in my opinion) became a softie after everything that has happened. Unfortunately, we barely see any proper developments here until the last two episodes. Although, I gotta say, the villains of this arc have GREAT character development, as well as the guy who became a part of Yusei's friend circle.
**Final thoughts
So yeah. 5D's was very revolutionary for Yugioh, as it increased the pace of duels and allowed for today's dueling mechanics. This show was a very unique experience to me, as it felt "relatable" all the way and wasn't only about friendship nonsense that Yugioh franchise likes to follow. Whenever I think of the ending, I still cry like a baby! Not because our ship didn't become a reality or something, but because Yusei's last words really stuck with me and it's kinda sad. It was also very hurtful to say goodbye to such a great show. Aw man, I think I'm gonna cry again!
All in all, that's a solid 10/10 from me. I strongly recommend you watch it WITH SUBS AND NOT DUBS. I REPEAT, DUBS, SUCK, BALLS.
KapnTemple
I'd like to start off by saying that I've been a huge fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! since I was a grade schooler. However, I'm not talking about all the terrible 4Kids dubs. The Japanese versions have such great writing and storytelling, you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice by watching this in the censored and butchered English dub. 4Kids decided not to even dub and air the last 10 episodes. I will be reviewing this series as a whole and not each individual arc. Now with that out of the way, here are my thoughts on what I believe to be the best Yu-Gi-Oh! has to offer:Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Story: 10
What I hear a lot from people in both the avid and non-avid community is that the whole idea of card games on motorcycles sound incredibly silly. At first, I felt the same way. But hear me out, it's really badass.
The act of dueling on motorcycles known as D-Wheels (or Duel Runners in the dub) is called Riding Duels (or Turbo Duels in the dub). Think of this as this world's equivalent of circuit racing and illegal street racing. Of course, when there's illegal street racing, there will be police chases. The Public Security Maintenance Bureau (or Sector Security in the dub) is the authority that forces illegal D-Wheelers into a duel, in which the loser's bike shuts down.
The setting takes place some time waaay after the events of Duel Monsters and GX in Neo Domino City. A highly maintained and advanced city that feels so much more alive than just a city that glorifies a card game. Away from the main city is a slum area known as the Satellite. This place is basically the ghetto. This is also where laborers are forced to separate trash and recyclables. Security keeps heavy watch over Satellite, arresting anyone they possibly can. People living in the city treats people from the Satellite with heavy discrimination. A theme of this show is overcoming that discrimination and unifying those in the city and those in the Satellite.
The show also tackle themes of regarding revenge, death, and mass genocide. Just wanted to put that out there.
Characters: 9
5D's has my favorite protagonist in all of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Yusei Fudo. An 18 year-old duelist and mechanic living in the Satellite slums. He has a more mature and collected personality than the previous protagonists, adding to that, he's an incredibly good duelist. Rather than defeating his opponents with powerful cards, he uses a collection of what is thought to be weak and useless cards to achieve massive victories. He represents the weak but many lives of those living in the Satellite.
As for the rest of the cast, I would rather not spoil it, but I will say that they are the most developed and complex characters in Yu-Gi-Oh!
I do, however, want to mention Aki Izayoi. She is the female protagonist of 5D's and is only one in all the Yu-Gi-Oh! series that was not tossed aside as a cheerleader or damsel in distress for the main character. She received one hell of her own story arc and was written to be one of the best duelists and characters in the show.
Art: 7
It's pretty decent. Definitely a huge step up from Duel Monsters and GX. I'm very fond of the CG used in the show, as it makes for VERY eye-catching summon animations.
Sound: 10
My god, am I in love with the OST for this series. Yutaka Minobe did a fantastic job for 5D's. The OSTs from Duel Monsters and GX were only okay, but this one was just soooo good. It was such a shame that not even this was left in the English dub, 4Kids replaced it with their own crappy music.
An insert song was written by Masaaki Endoh called "Clear Mind." And let me just say that the scene where it played was hype as f**k.
As for sound effects, also great. A huge step up from the previous series.
Enjoyment: 10
There is a huge bias here, as I am still a very active Yu-Gi-Oh! player in college. There was no barrier of entry here, as I already play the game myself at a competitive level. So I was able to enjoy the story to its fullest extent.
Overall: 10
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's has a special place in my heart and I cannot fairly rank it on my favorites list. Yusei is my favorite character in any form of fiction of all times. He's such a heroic and righteous figure. There really were times where the show brought tears to my eyes. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's wasn't meant to be the children's show/advertising campaign that 4Kids made it out to be. It has a deep and compelling story and a large cast of lovable characters that I can never forget.
funland
This is my personal favorite entry into the yugioh franchise of the 3 that I have watched (Duel Monsters, GX, and 5Ds). This brings us a fairly different take on some duels in the form of riding duels while still keeping the heart of the yugioh franchise alive. Story (8/10): As with any yugioh series, the story follows a series of adventures our heroes must take on against antagonists to save the world. How do they do it? In a series of card games, of course. However, I feel like the in-depth plot development of these arcs were very well-done. The audience was given a chance tounderstand the viewpoints of both the antagonists and our protagonists. The overall theme of the show is something along the lines of 'the importance of bonds between friends'. The show demonstrated this theme several times through the character's actions as well as through monologues and speeches made.
This show introduces the concept of dueling while riding a D Wheeler, basically a motorcycle. At first this idea seems silly, but the atmosphere of riding duels was very exciting. The characters and monsters were constantly in motion so there was a lot more going on than just finger pointing and monsters just chilling in front of our duelists.
We are also introduced to a new summoning technique, synchro summoning, to bring out new synchro monsters. This is what is used to bring out most of the new powerful monster, but it did not feel overpowered and was not the absolute single summoning technique in the show either. It brought a new update to the game that only served to make the duels more interesting to watch.
Art (7/10):
The character designs were on-point with yugioh's crazy hairstyles while managing to keep the overall deign of characters balanced. The background design of the different settings were distinct and unique. My main issue is that the quality of animation was somewhat inconsistent. Some episodes, we had breathtaking animation with fluid motion with excellent layout designs. Other episodes, the characters would look out of proportion even during closeups. The 3D models used worked very well for the most part even though it was fairly obvious that the characters/monsters were not drawn. There were a few times where the 3D just didn't work very well.
Sound (10/10):
5Ds knew exactly where it was going with its sound. The openings were all fantastic in terms of both music and animation while keeping with the overall theme of 'bonds'. The battle music helped several duels go from exciting to on-the-edge-of-my-seat exciting.
Characters (8/10):
Yusei is our first and only yugioh protagonist to start out at the age of 18. Not only that, he has had to deal with issues such as poverty and being an orphan as a child which made him grow up to be a strong adult. The rest of the cast each get the spotlight for their character development when necessary and are fleshed out very well. There were a few characters who had a lot of potential for better development and a larger role in the story that were slowly left out of the plot.
Enjoyment (10/10):
I laughed, I cried, and there were whole scenes that I re-watched at least 5 times because of how amazing they were. It was great seeing an older cast and the slight darker tomes the show had.
I would recommend this to anyone trying to get into the yugioh franchise and even if they weren't. You do not need to have watched any of the other yugioh shows to jump into this one, but be warned that the show does not hand-hold the audience through the rules of duel monsters that other yugioh shows might do.
Darkness-Ryu
Ok, first of all, I'm just going to say it, when Yugioh 5D's first came out I had zero interest in it. I'm not to sure why either. Probably because when I first watched it, it was like the 20th episode or something and that's probably why I couldn't get into it. So, after I applied to Hulu and decided to watch it I really kicked myself in the foot, because I can't believe that I missed such a great anime because I think Yugioh 5D's is not only the best in the series thus far, I think it's one of the best anime's everestablished. It had an unique story line that really kept viewers engaged with its well developed plot lines for both seasons, the first one especially. Plus, this was the first time that we actually had a story that actually centered around not just one character but five. Yeah, Yugi and Jaden had friends that backed them up and everything but they pretty much did all the dueling and saving. In this one, it's five characters who are both dueling and saving the world.
The anime was top notch in this series, in certain situations or the summoning's of certain monsters like the Earthbound Immortals, the Majestic Dragons, Shooting Stardust Dragon, it almost felt like that they were actually there in actual life. It was outstanding.
Yugioh once again brought us some great themes to the show and a great theme song. Hyperdrive is the best theme of the show thus far and believe it or not, I actually never get bored of it whenever I hear it. The other two were ok for a while but then sadly loss their touch. I think the reason why this one works well is because it's a slow rock theme instead of a super hipped rock theme like the other two were. Nevertheless; it's a great theme.
The characters, while admitidly a couple of them are a little boring or so are very well done in this one and I think that, that is this series strongest point, the characters. Yusei is pretty much the same as Yugi and Jaden, but the difference is, is that he does more actually. While the other two pretty much only did was duel and save the world, Yusei was also a mechanic along with Crow and Jack, and if fit well for him and his friends because they were turbo duelists, so it only made sense that they would have to have mechanic skills so they could work on their duel runners.
Jack was a great character also though I'll admit I thought at first that he was gonna fall into the same rut as Kaiba. Being power hungry, wanting to prove that he's the best and do whatever it took to defeat his rival, but here not only does Jack not fall into that rut, but the rivalry here really, really works. It's my version of a rivalry done right. Cause unlike Yugi and Kaiba, as well as Jaden and Chaz who weren't friends and started out as rivals by being defeated by the hero. Yusei and Jack were actually friends to begin with, growing up in the Satilight, being part of a team known as the Inforcers, and what I really loved was that whenever Yusei loss to Jack due to some flashbacks that we got was that Jack would give Yusei some guidence by telling him that he has to trust in every card in his deck. Plus, unlike Kaiba and Chaz who would only work up a plan to try and defeat Yugi or Jaden to win back their honor, Jack would actually spend his time either drinking coffee, helping out with his friends on improving their duel runners, or would be out helping others. Like in one episode, he challenges a crime boss and demands that if he wins, they have to hand over every contract that they have. He of course does win, not using his deck of course but one of the victims decks which is a huge plus and rips up every contract that they have, freeing every victim from whatever contract they had. Jack was definetly a strong character and a huge step-up for your everyday rival. I would talk about every character but then this review would be too long. Maybe I'll update it one day and talk about the other characters, one of which that I would really love to talk about.
I really did enjoy this series and will probably watch it again, if you haven't seen this series yet and you're a die hard Yugioh fan like myself, I strongly reccomened that you see it, you will not be dissapointed unlike some certain peace of crap that came after this.
Phasar2022
Yugioh 5'ds has to be one the greatest anime series I have ever seen. It wasn't afraid to go after dark themes such as death and beytral ( to name a few). It wasn't as overly done as yugioh! or yugioh GX imo. Story 1010/10 The stroy was amazing in the fact each character actually had a role to play in it. I also liked the idea of riding duels ( even if i didn't think it was that good at first) because it was differnt from the other series. I also play the actual card game and I have to say I loved the introduction ofsycnhro monsters in the series. Why? Because this time around they themselves ( more spefically the dragon synchros used by the main characters) had a role to play in the story and weren't just used because they were used 1000x by the main characters (ie. neos and dark magicain). The only complain i have is after the dark signer arc you really don't get to see that many female duelists duel when compared to males. ( Hell I think Ruka only got to duel twice the whole seris were as Rua got more than that)
Animation 10/10
The animation was all around pretty good probally cause it was recently made.
Sound. 10/10
I loved the sound. Each ost actually tied into what was going on in the episode. For example the first time I head " Legend of the People of the Stars " was planning when yuesi duels jack early in the begining of the series sent a shiver down my spine.
Characters 10/10
Definatly the main thing that made this anime stand out. You have a head strong protag who isn't a childish good-to-shoes that actually treasures freindship, an egostic rival who's actually managed to beat the protag more than a couple times and really grow as person and as well as girl who you see gets treated as a "psychopathec" monster by other people ( this to name a few). Character devolpment is really shown throughout the series espcially with someone like Rua who goes from a brat who acts tough to a man who has the balls to protect his sister. Everyone plays a vital role somehow or another. For example carly in particular I thought she was gonna be another joke character until after her encounter with divine. You also learn about everyones pasts and you can actually understand why the hell certain characters end up the way they are. Like I said before though I wish after the dark signer arc there could have been more emphaize on characters like Carly or Misty ( who pratically disapeers after the dark signer arc). But well imo its no big deal.
Overall: 10/10
Yugioh 5'ds is an anime that anyone should watch espcially if your a shouen genere type of person. Sure its not another one of those series where people just restort to voilence for everything, but either way the story characters and everything else will probally be some of the best youll ever see in the yugioh universe. LET'S REV IT UP!!!!!
Ah, 5Ds, how silly but awesome your concept was. I'll be honest, the first time I heard about it, I thought it was totally awesome. I mean, it's Card Games on Motorcycles, and I was in 5th grade. I loved Yu-Gi-Oh, and I loved motorcycles. And OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!, it delivered. The concept works, and was greatly entertaining. The characters were interesting, and much more mature in tone, which is both interesting for a series involving saving the world with a trading card game. The whole crew is awesome, and much like the entire series, so strongly written. Honestly, I just say you just watch it, stop reading my review and go and watch it for yourself. The music is good stuff, the characters are nice, the story is good, the duels are thought out well, and the writing is the best in the series compared to the last 2 series. Go, OFF WITH YOU, go give it a watch.
Killerbarr
When people bring up Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's, what first comes to mind for many is "CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!" While it is true that this show does use motorcycles (called D-Wheels in the Anime) for duels, it does so in a believable manner. Coupled with enjoyable characters, an interesting story, and the best music of all the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, this could easily be the best anime adaptation for the beloved card game. Story: I'll try not to spoil any of the plot. Prologue: About 17 year before the beginning of 5D's, a huge disaster occured that destroyed half of Neo Domino City, the setting of the show. The cataclysmicevent left the city in ruins and tore off a huge chunk of land. After the city was repaired and everything returned to normal, that little island became to be known as Satellite, and that is where all the poor people are quarantined, along with convicts and other people that are not considered upper class. Satellite is where Yusei and his friends lived and grew up.
The first arc of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is the Dark Signers Arc. It focuses on the Signers vs Dark Signers war. The Dark Signers are trying to revive ancient deities to conquer the world. The Signers are people who have the mark of the Crimson Dragon, an ancient deity, and must stop the Dark Signers. The Signers comprise of the main protagonist group of the series; Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, Aki Izayoi, Crow Hogan, and Leo and Luna.
The second arc is the Ark Cradle. In the far future, humanity has been all but destroyed, by the very things they love most, Synchro Monsters. To prevent this future, a group of people travel back in time to erase what they believe to be the source of all the destruction of the future, Neo Domino City, which happens to be Yusei's home.
The first arc is slightly better than the second arc of the series. It had more plot twists and was much more darker in terms of themes and actions. That is not to say that the second arc is bad. Both arcs provide very entertaining duels, good character development, and other memorable moments. The actual story that each arc provides is easy to understand but is still geared more towards an older audience. The only fault is that the second arc has one or two little plot holes that can go easily unnoticed, and quite a few episodes of filler.
Art:
Visually this is just like any other Yu-Gi-Oh!. Cool monsters, sparkly card effects, and outrageous hairstyles. But it should be noted that this is first Yu-Gi-Oh! series to use quite a bit of CGI. The CGI is mostly used for the Synchro Monsters, most notably the protagonists cards. The art style changes from drawings to CGI frequently, and it sometimes makes the mosnters look a bit wierd.
Sound:
Easily the best out of all the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchises. The instrumental pieces used throughout the series do their job very well. Some themes are very recognizable that when it starts playing, you know what's going to happen next. But what really stands out are the vocal tracks that are played during the show. Even after the introduction of Zexal, 5D's is the only Yu-Gi-Oh! series to insert vocal music during the show. The most notable song would be "Clear Mind' by Masaaki Endoh. It is a Japanese rock song that first plays when Yusei first summons "Shooting Star Dragon". With the fast paced action of dueling on D-Wheels, this song playing in the back ground, while Yusei renounces the needed summoning chant, adds up to the most epic summon I've seen in Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Character:
I will only be covering the six main protaganists.(Minor spoilers)
Yusei Fudo is the true main protagonist of the series. Yusei is a calm and collected individual who rarely raises his voice when not needed. He is very loyal to all his friends, even one's who have back stabbed him in the past. Growing up poorer than dirt, he's learned that nothing is worthless and that all people should be allowed to have what they need, especially friends. Even though he may pass off as stoic and headstrong, beneath this facade is a man who is deeply depressed about the disaster that happened in the past. His personality changes greatly during the first arc, becoming much happier, and the second arc really shows how he's grown since the beginning. His skills not only lie in dueling, for he has also learned many other useful skills. He can fix anything with an engine, and has vast knowledge on Momentum, the power source of the city.
His duels are mostly on his bike, but many duels have his two feet firmly on the ground. Either he way, he uses superior tactics and strategy to defeat all opponents who look down on him.
Jack Atlas, a childhood friend of Yusei, he too grew up in the poor district of Satellite. As he got older, he got sick of the poor man's life and wanted to be among the riches. A mysterious person offered him a life such as that, but the catch would be abandoning his friends. He then became a master duelist known as the King, and his history from Satellite all but forgotten. Jack comes off as arrogant, obnoxious and really over-confident. He always proclaims that no one can defeat him in a duel. But as the series goes on, he comes to regret betraying his friends and then does his best to keep the friends he has. His duels are just as entertaining as Yusei's and his number of duels in the show are second only to Yusei.
Crow Hogan, he does not make an appearance until halfway through the first arc. But his personality is nearly the same as Yusei. Kind, caring, and good at heart. But when compared to Yusei and Jack, Crow is easily the most childish of them. He can come off as an immature prankster, but he only wants all friends to be happy. Unlike Yusei and Jack, Crow chose to stay behind in Satellite.
Aki Izayoi, is one of the more interesting characters of the show. She is known as a psychic duelist, people who can make duel monsters come to life, not just holograms. In addition, whoever duels her receives physical damage equal to their lifepoint damage. Her past is the darkest of all the protagonists, and it really adds to her character development, for she debuted in the series as a cruel and heartless person, uncaring for other people. But in reality, she's just a poor girl who needs a little love, and who else but Yusei comes to the rescue. Her duels are definitely interesting since people actually get injured during her duels, some even to the point of unconsciousness.
Leo and Luna are twins, with Leo a boy, and Luna a girl. These twins are completely unlike the protagonists, because they're young, rich, and inexperienced. But they still try to find the good side to anything and always try to be their happiest. Luna has the power to talk to duel spirits, much like Jaden from GX. Leo has no special powers. After an encounter with Yusei, they begin to experience things that help them grow into better duelists and better people.
Enjoyment:
Like all Yu-Gi-Oh! animes, the true treasure in this show is the duels. There are mainly two kinds of duels, either on a D-Wheel or on your feet. Either way, the duels in this show are the most like duels in real life. There aren't any game breaking cards that let a player win instantly. The duels take time and each player sets up their victory many turns ahead of time. Most of the time, the protagonist cards are weaker than their opponents, and they must adjust their tactics and strategy to beat them. With duels that force each character to change their playstyle for a while, no duel is uninteresting.
Overall:
The anime is great. While humor and seriousness are not even, it makes the show more enjoyable. For an estimation, the show is about 70% serious and 30% humor, with most of the humor coming from filler episodes. If you are a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! or just fast paced strategy games, then don't ignore this anime.
Skeletonxf
I wouldn't recommend this to any people that aren't familiar with Yu Gi Oh because they would struggle to follow the duels that make up far more than who wins. Lots of character development is tied into the dueling and play styles reflect characters. For people that can follow the dueling, the start of all these Yu Gi Oh animies tend to start slowly with bad duels but they duels themselves get much better later in. The character development is superb and arcs well throughout. My main complaint would be the dubbing US company cut out around 20 episodes at the end and literally changed the ending. Thedubbed ending is basically just bad and cuts out crucial development and story features, so even if you prefer watching dubs, switch over to subs over Season 4 because the dub cuts out there.
Mat
Let's talk about Yugioh 5d's. If you've ever heard about the monstrous discrepancy between the Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh anime and the smoothed anime by 4kids (talking about Dual Monsters), well, it's even worse. 5d's is the moment when a real director tried to make something out of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise by putting it in a futuristic dystopian context. Far away from the age of the Heart of the Cards, the fancy millennium items and championships for titles, the card game in 5D's has become the social norm for settling anything and everything. It's become a kind of ultra-popular, over-mediated sport. The rich own the rare cards anduse them to crush the working class, it's almost Marxist on the edges. Fudo Yusei is one of those oppressed but who manages to get out of his unhappy fate by the sheer force of his talent. We are not talking about just knowing how to play a few cards well and having a lucky draw, this is the first time that we see players actually playing their own deck well rather than each time getting cards out of the script.
In short, Yu-Gi-Oh 5d's is not only Yu-Gi-Oh on motorcycles, it's probably the only one in the franchise to have tried to have a deep message, a sustained rhythm, complex characters, symbolic violence that really comes to life (it's about class struggle, sect, suicide, prison, discrimination) and that dares to put a main character already mature but not without evolution. Just making a good anime simply and not just a tool to sell boosters. So there are some flaws that remain eh, there is still magic and destiny lying around. But I sincerely think that given what the anime has to offer, it's worth seeing even for a non fan of the original series and even more so for those who had left it far away thinking that it must have been something close to stupid.
8/10 Story (Deep & intelligent but have some boring or predictable parts)
6/10 Art (Kinda old now)
10/10 Sound (Amazing OST!)
8/10 Character (Some are really great, notably Aki)
9/10 Enjoyment (Well directed)
8/10 Overall (Very Solid)
Watch Yu-Gi-Oh 5d's, and in subbed for pity's sake.
Geddon616
You know when you have that feeling that you just have to review an oldy but a goody thats is what happened when i thought to do this. 5D is that great anime that just keeps you on your toes and keeps you wanting and it does it better than alot of other yugioh series and i will say why. The story in itself is great and original if you look at it in a yugioh perspective. It grasp you with a badass story which doesnt begin with a world all happy go lucky. No 5d gives a more real world perspective by dividing thedifferent city parts in Satellite and Neo domino. Neo is the place thats got all the money basically while Satelilite is used for cheap labor basically. This beginning has never happened and prob will never happen in yugioh series later because it gives you a more serious feels to its world. Because yugioh often is alot of goofy hahaa basically 20 episodes in. This is not saying the story doesnt have its humor parts but it gives a more badass feeling than any yugioh series has given earlier. And as the story progress through the seasons it becomes better and better it never gets boring or much of the same it always has something new to offer.
While the story is great the nice music that goes with it just helps it get better. Most openings and endings in 5d is great which is rare for an anime like yugioh imo and the soundtrack adds to it all even more.
Remember earlier when i said the story was badass well you need great characters by its side which this anime has plenty although i will just mention 3 cause well 5d have to many Xd. Yusei fudo has no equal when it comes to the MCs in yugioh in my opinion. Hes calm hes cool although he has the cheese feeling of friends is all thing that we know yugioh always must have. But its not something that seeps into him and becomes him. Yusei is that badass Mc everyone wished for and even those seeing Zexal or later should admit that they fell short to him. Although with a name thats slight cheesy Jak atlas is a great yet at times annoying character considering he tends to be arrogant but dont let that fool you. He has a great personality as the time goes although he stays a little arrogant since jak atlas wouldnt be it if he wasnt. If there is a character i could say he was similar to it would be Kaiba from the original series. They both have that superior view but Jak has some more humility than Kaiba ever got. And no anime or yugioh series is without a great heroine. Again 5d shows another point it does better than most yugioh series in creating a independent female character that can do all that and look beautiful. Her closest simiilarity is Alexis Rhodes or Asuka as in japanese who is from Gx. But Aki is just better than her also in every sence of the word. She has a better feel to her in general as you watch her develop and she is more interesting of a character that actually becomes part of the series and not just one sidekick girl that is along on the ride.
If i praise it so much so yes of course i enjoyed it. Its a yugioh anime i have longed for. One that can be serious and still call itself a yugioh anime. There is little i dont enjoy about it. Although as with many Yugioh series this just keeps on getting better as you watch through the seasons and it has a great climax to finish it.
Overall i mean if there is anything negative i would say that sometimes Yusei does comboes that isnt possible unless your in bed with lady luck but thats just about it. Its great on every point its the yugioh anime which is most unique in the franchise including the newer series. And this will probably be my all time favorite yugioh anime until the day they dare to do what they did with 5d and make a more serious wicked and badass world. Keep in mind you have to watch the later seasons on sub because Murica didnt like that this anime had violence in it so they didnt want to dub it
As a sidenote people will complain about the motorcycle duels which is unique to this anime but in my opinion its part of what makes it so good. It has something of its own and it does it well. So dont be discouraged from watching this great yugioh series if its only small things like that which people tell is bad because i honestly think their going to be better than most people think when they hear it.
toastalchemist
5D’S should have only been one season. It had the most original story I had seen from a Yu-Gi-Oh series yet. It felt like the storytellers were passionate about what they were doing and had a real story to tell. Then the series had to continue…what follows is generic. Evil cults, tournaments, epic monsters—if you’ve seen any Yu-Gi-Oh series you’ve seen it before. It wasn’t bad, but it felt like the series was going through the motions, like having a tournament just for the sake of having a tournament. You probably already know if you're going to watch it, it's Yu-Gi-Oh after all, but Iwouldn't recommend it for anyone but the die-hards.
CabernetRose
When I first heard of the series, I thought it would be a lame attempt to try to get people to continue buying the merchandise. I got bored after watching the first few episodes and put the series on hold for many months. After a while, I decided to get the series off my list and decided to watch it. Boy, was I glad I did. Plot: Personally, I found that this plot was a lot better than the plots of the previous two series. It wasn't just people wanting revenge for random reasons, it was people trying to change the world for the better, albeit using thewrong techniques. It also focused on a lot of real-life issues such as discrimination and how the under-classed people have hopes and dreams too.
I liked the second season storyline better than the first.
Art:
For a Yuugiou series, the art is pretty good. I find that animators focused their art skills more on the monsters than the characters. The characters are pretty simple, but they look good. However, I think animators should pay more attention to details when characters are zoomed out; usually the characters don't look great from far away.
Sound:
Sound effects are realistic. I love the theme and insert music; I think they are the best out of all the Yuugiou series. Soundtrack fits with the mood - mysterious, dark - , but I feel that Yusei's theme was overused - it played just about every episode...
Character:
Overall, characters were great; they weren't flat. Development is good too. I just found Yusei to be the same in the first 40 episodes or so; he kept talking about bonds and the speech every time was kind of annoying, but other than that, it was good.
Enjoyment:
I enjoyed this series very much. I'm sad it's the shortest series.
-Sigh, my first review ^^-
SpinDoctor
Ah yes, Yu-gi-oh, a show that perhaps most of the kids growing up in the 90s have at least heard of. I remember the agonizing wait for each new episode of the original Yu-gi-oh to air on Saturday mornings. It wasn't until I grew older that I realized how corny the whole premise of Yu-Gi-Oh when I decided to re-watch a childhood favorite. I still enjoyed the show, but I found it was lacking depth. It was a show about people taking children's card games way too seriously, and that was that. The next iteration of Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh GX was a step back from theoriginal. It took a long time to develop any meaningful momentum, and the whole show was seeping with high school angst. In the end, I never finished the series -- it felt like it was on a road to nowhere.
I was about to give up on the whole franchise, but one day a sudden fit of boredom struck me. I didn't have any anime that looked appealing and I had nothing to do. I heard about a new Yu-Gi-Oh series that took place on *gasp* motorcycles! Wait... motorcycles? Really? So... with great trepidation I once delved into an old childhood favorite of mine that was now on two wheels, only to find out that this version of Yu-Gi-Oh is very different than the other two.
5ds sets a much darker, heavy tone from the get go from the other two series. It's more heavy handed in it's delivery, and things are much more serious, than in the predecessors. Despite the absurd notion of dueling on motorcycles, 5ds makes it clear from the get go that it is dealing with far heavier, and loftier themes than it's predecessors. In fact, I'm inclined to not even call this a children's television show anymore.
I say this because Yugioh 5ds is very dark, especially when compared to its predecessors. From episode 1 there is a clear difference in tone. The setting is a beat up slum that was separated from the rest of the city in a cataclysmic event. The buildings look like they have been bombed out, and junk stretches as far as the eye could see. This is where our protagonist Yusei is from. Every day the residence of this slum called satellite are discriminated against, the only the only hope they have for a future is bleak. The protagonist grew up an orphan, not knowing his parents, and he is out to seek revenge on a friend that took something very important to him. The very image of such a city invokes images of the Jim Crow era in the United States.
That being said this is not an anime for everybody, not even fans of yugioh. I find that those who like yugioh either love this anime or hate it. I personally think this is the best iteration of yugioh, it's not simply just card games -- it is an anime that transcends its source material. If you want a gritty form of yugioh, this is the anime for you
middleground4471
First, Yu-Gi-Oh is an anime based off of a card game and unless you're a big fan of the card game then this anime is going to be pretty boring for you because all the conflict in this anime is based around characters playing the game. Of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-OH! GX, and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's I'd have to say 5D's is my favorite. I love how Yusei is so much more serious of a character than Jaden from GX was. Also, synchro summoning and turbo duels really made this anime twice as good and kept old viewers like me watching. Plus, the series finale was muchbetter this time than it was in GX.
The bad things I have to say about this anime is for one it can get a little boring watching some characters duel, some duels in this anime get so complicated and drawn out that I just completely lose track and interest. Also, I understand that the entire anime is based around this, but why do the characters in this anime have to solve every problem they have by dueling? For example, in GX there's an episode where a girl gets kidnapped and Jaden must rescue her by beating the kidnapper in a duel. Why? because obviously any problem in this anime, and I'm referring to the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise as a whole, can be solved by playing a card game. That's a problem with this anime, all the action scenes are just characters playing a card game and there's never any good old fashioned fight scenes. Also, I saw the 4 kids edit of this anime and let me just warn you that 4 kids is infamous for ruining the animes it translates. 4 kids chose not to include this little mini story arch that happens at the end of the series that I believe would have been a much better ending then the way 4 kids decided to end the series.
If you are a big fan of Yugioh that already saw Yu-Gi-Oh! and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX then I highly recommend watching this anime.
