Welcome to the Literary Analysis series on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV show. Here we will observe the themes and arcs of the characters as they develop. In this article, we will go over episodes 19 through 21.
Before we start the analysis, let's recap the events:
- Previously, Joey defeated Bonz (directed by Bandit Keith), but the Yugi gang was subsequently trapped by Bandit Keith pushing a rock to block the entrance.
- Bakura uses the Millenium Ring to hone in on Pegasus – or more specifically, his Millenium Eye. This leads them to the Paradox Brothers, who were hired by Pegasus to defeat duelists, and they challenge Yugi and Joey to a two-on-two duel. If they win, they will be allowed to face their riddle to escape. The Paradox Brothers state that only one of them speaks the truth and the other only speaks lies.
- Meanwhile, Kaiba is on his way to rescue the kidnapped Mokuba.
- Combined, Yugi and Joey defeat the Paradox brothers and figure out that they can change which door leads to Pegasus – and thus pass the test.
- Kaiba finds Mokuba, but Pegasus has already sealed his soul into a card. To duel Pegasus for Mokuba’s soul, Kaiba must first defeat Yugi.
Game Mechanics
What a different way to duel in these three episodes! Para and Dox use Labyrinth Wall to set up a maze for the monsters to traverse, similar to – yet again – Dungeons and Dragons. The Paradox Brothers’ strategy relies on trickery and using the hidden mechanics of the labyrinth to their advantage, such as having Wall Shadow slide across the wall and therefore not having to count the spaces it has to move. This reflects the Paradox Brothers’ tricky nature, as they never intended to let the duelists out of the underground maze.
Labyrinth Wall emphasizes movement. Joey and Yugi are careful not to move their monsters into range of an attack, but fall victim to Magical Labyrinth, which shifts around the maze. Yugi also takes advantage of the physical aspects of this space by using Mystic Box to perform a disappearing act that switches the place of Dark Magician with Jirai Gumo and lets it attack Labyrinth Tank. Naturally, Dungeon Worm can pop in and out of the battlefield by digging too.
In the later part of the duel, the Paradox Brothers combine three monsters into the Gate Guardian. This is a parallel for viewers that evokes the idea of Exodia the Forbidden One – but it’s only three pieces, so perhaps only about half as strong. Gate Guardian uses the elements to its advantage, blocking attacks and flushing out the maze. But the Paradox Brothers aren’t the only ones that can use the elements! Yugi conducts the water with Summoned Skull’s electricity.
Joey’s Growth
Joey is panned quite a bit in this episode, frequently being called the “lesser of two duelists” in comparison to Yugi. But in these episodes, Joey’s tactics are on full display. He places his monsters in strategic positions to avoid getting destroyed by the maze’s monsters, powers up Flame Swordsman at an opportune time, and even does an advanced maneuver by using Copycat to mimic the effect of the opponent’s Riryoku! While it was a team effort, Joey relied solely on strategy to win this fight and didn’t even have to use Time Wizard's lucky roulette. To the audience, this signals that he is a worthy competitor to stand at Yugi’s side – and sets up nicely their rivalry in future episodes where they must face off against each other!
Friendship
Namely in the strength of Yugi and Joey’s tag-team antics, in comparison to the Paradox Brothers, who have tactics that work well together but they do not take responsibilty for their mistakes nor support each other directly. Meanwhile, Yugi protects Joey’s Flame Swordsman with Magical Hats, and their friendship takes physical form in the fusion of Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull – Black Skull Dragon!
In the B-plot of this episode, Kaiba sneaks into Pegasus’s castle to save Mokuba. So far, Kaiba has been self-centered in his goal for card game domination, so putting himself at risk for his brother shows that he has a compassionate side after all! We get some backstory between the two regarding how they grew up, and it’s clear that Kaiba has been looking after his little brother for a long time.
Unfairness
Surprisingly, this time the unfairness is outside of the game of Duel Monsters! The Paradox Brothers claim that the door lead to Pegasus’s castle, but in reality, they can switch the doors at will. This is a clever play on a classic riddle in which there are two guards, one of which tells the truth, and the other tells lies. Older viewers may recognize this riddle and expect that this one would be solved in the same way, when in fact the riddle was impossible to solve without cheating. Oddly enough, Yami Yugi’s cheating is accepted as an answer and the Yugi gang is allowed to proceed. Perhaps there is honor among cheaters…?
Yugioh oscilates on how much physical danger it puts its characters through. On one hand, Bandit Keith is totally willing to trap the Yugi gang in a cave – but the Paradox Brothers honor the fact that they got tricked. Duels aren't the be-all solution to every conflict quite yet, as duelists like Panik can still try inflicting physical peril despite losing.
The Occult
Just like Grandpa Moto, Mokuba has now been trapped within a card with release under the condition that Pegasus is defeated in a duel. The powers of the Millenium items are vague, but are all tied together by their ability to manipulate the soul.
Conclusion
Both Yugi and Joey own 10 star chips, enough to earn the right to duel Pegasus… Right? In actuality, Kaiba stands in their way, having a similar but opposing goal: saving their loved ones from the clutches of Pegasus! Next time, Yugi and Kaiba have a fierce duel to determine who is going on to face Pegasus.
