Blue-Eyes White Dragon
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Blue-Eyes White Dragon (青眼の白龍) is a monster card in the anime and manga series Yu-Gi-Oh! and in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. It is the most powerful and one of the most popular normal monster cards in the game in terms of attack points. Curiously, even though Blue-Eyes is described to be white with blue eyes, all forms of Yu-Gi-Oh! depict it with a blue coloration. It is thought that this is simply so as to not make it seem totally colorless and two-dimensional. Its name is often shortened to BEWD or "Blue-Eyes" by fans.
Deck Master Ability: Fusion Monsters on your side of the field can attack the turn they are Fusion Summoned.
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[edit] Anime/Manga History
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga series, Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the signature card of Seto Kaiba. Much of Kaiba's corporate image is centered around Blue-Eyes, with the dragon serving as the corporation's de facto mascot (Kaiba even commissions a custom two-seat supersonic jet styled after the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which he frequently uses as his personal transport). Blue-Eyes's signature attack is known as the Burst Stream of Destruction in the original version, and as White Lightning in the English anime.
The card itself is considered to be an ultra rare card with only four copies originally created. In the manga, the four cards each came to three people not given names in the anime (one lived in the United States, another in Germany, and the last in Hong Kong), and Sugoroku Mutou (Solomon Moto in the English second series anime), a Japanese national. Kaiba stole these cards by bankrupting the owner of one card, making deals with the Mafia, and driving one of the owners to commit suicide.
While a duelist could (in general) only have three copies of a given card in their tournament deck, Kaiba also sought the card belonging to Sugoroku so that the card could not be used against him. In the manga, Kaiba tries to persuade Sugoroku, the grandfather of Yugi Mutou, to trade him his copy of the card. Sugoroku refuses, stating that it was a gift from an American friend (his name was is Arthur Hopkins in the Japanese second series anime and Arthur Hawkins in the English version of the second series anime), and that he treasured it greatly.
Unsatisfied with this response, Kaiba switches the real Blue-Eyes White Dragon for a counterfeit card. Yugi finds out about the theft and engages Kaiba in a Duel Monsters shadow game. Sugoroku's Blue-Eyes White Dragon betrays Kaiba and attacks his life points, causing him to lose. Kaiba was forced to imagine himself being killed by the card game's monsters. Later in the series, Sugoroku loses to Kaiba in a game, and Kaiba tears up the fourth card in revenge for its betrayal. A similar course of events are portrayed in the first series Yu-Gi-Oh! anime.
In the anime, with Sugoroku's card destroyed, Rebecca Hawkins (Rebecca Hopkins in the Japanese version), Arthur's granddaughter and American Duel Monsters champion, not knowing the entire story of how the card was destroyed, took exception, and challenged Yugi Mutou, Sugoroku's grandson, to a duel. As the duel unfolds, Arthur and Sugoroku, still remaining good friends, reveal over the course of the duel that, as archaeologists in their days, the two dueled for the last of their food supplies, which Sugoroku allowed Arthur to win (despite having a card that could have won the duel). As a show of his gratitude (as well as their friendship), Arthur gave him the fourth Blue-Eyes card. The same duel, down to the same cards played, would repeat itself between Rebecca and Yugi, which Yugi allows her to win in the same fashion. Likewise, Rebecca and Yugi became friends.
By the Millennium Memories arc, Kaiba's obsession with Blue-Eyes was revealed to be the result of his past life's feelings for Kisara, a mysterious pale-skinned woman who became the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to protect him out of love, making the Blue-Eyes White Dragon a female. It was also revealed that the Blue-Eyes is ranked as one of the ultimate beings of light - when summoned as a monster, its power rivals the Egyptian God Cards. Proving this to be true, the Blue-Eyes causes more harm to Zorc Necrophades than Exodia, who famously defeated the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in Yugi's second duel (first in the US) with Kaiba, and despite this feat, was destroyed almost effortlessly by Zorc. The power level of the Blue-Eyes when it is brought out as a monster (rather than used as a card) is therefore ranked as one of the highest in the Duel Monsters pantheon.
In the Yu-Gi-Oh GX series, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards are used by Kaibaman, a reflection of that monster in an alternate world that Jaden and his friends visit after going into a hot spring. Kaibaman utilizes the three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in what appears to be Seto Kaiba's deck, and ultimately defeats Jaden Yuki (Judai Yuki), being one of the three people who have done so. (The other two are Zane Truesdale (Ryo Marufuji) and Aster Phoenix (Edo Phoenix.)
[edit] Cards
As Blue-Eyes White Dragon is considered a central card in the series, many other cards have been designed around it, with a large number being used by Seto Kaiba. Some other related cards are used by Kaibaman in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
[edit] Monsters
[edit] Kaibaman
Kaibaman appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX as a Duel Spirit who duelled Jaden Yuki. He used what appeared to be Seto Kaiba's deck. He is noted for being one of the few duelists to defeat Jaden. The card Kaibaman's effect makes it easier to summon Blue-Eyes and was used by Kaibaman himself.
[edit] Kaiser Seahorse
Kaiser Sea Horse was first seen when Kaiba duelled Noah, where it served as his Deck Master and had the ability to reduce the number of tributes required for light monsters. It was used several times by Kaiba afterwards.
Kaiser Seahorse is an intentional pun on Seto Kaiba's name, as "kai" and "ba" can be written in different kanji to mean "sea" and "horse" respectively. While "kaiba" does not mean "seahorse," in a scene cut from the US version of Episode 79, Shadow of a Duel (Ghost Deck vs Occult Deck in Japan), Joey Wheeler called Kaiba "seahorse."
[edit] Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon
This card made its debut in the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie. Kaiba duelled Peagasus in order to obtain a card to counter the Egyptian Gods. After defeating Pegasus, Kaiba took the Shining Dragon card along with the Pyramid of Light which Anubis created. Kaiba later used it in his duel against Yugi by tributing his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
At the time this card was released in the TCG environment Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had yet to be released here, making the card essentially useless until the release of the Shonen Jump promotional Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon card.his special ability is he can destroy any trap/magic card and only monster cards attacks affect him.
[edit] Paladin of White Dragon
This card was used several times by Kaiba in the anime to help search out Blue-Eyes from his deck.
Despite being a ritual monster, Paladin of White Dragon is considered to be an exceptional support card due to its 1900 attack points and the ability to destroy face-down monsters without flipping them face-up or applying damage calculation (thus negating any flip effects the monster might have). One common tactic is to combine Paladin with Manju the Ten Thousand Hands, which can search out a ritual monster or ritual spell card from the deck when summoned, then use Manju as a tribute to get Paladin onto the field.
[edit] Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon made its first and most memorable appearance in Duelist Kingdom when Kaiba duelled Yugi. Yugi came close to defeating it but was forced to stop after Kaiba put his own life at risk.
The card itself was often used in the real world in Cyber Stein one-turn-kill decks but has since been outdated by cards such as Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon.
[edit] Master of Dragon Soldier
This Fusion of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Black Luster Soldier was seen three times throughout the anime. Each time it is summoned by a combined effort of Yugi and Kaiba. The first time was when the two rivals teamed up to defeat the Five Headed Dragon summoned by the "Big Five" in Kaiba's virtual world. The second time was when they duelled Dartz in Waking the Dragons. The final time was after Kisara and Seto's Blue-Eyes was defeated by Zorc. Kaiba then summoned Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and the Pharoah used the Millenium Scales and Puzzle to become Black Luster Soldier and fuse himself and Kaiba with the Ultimate Dragon. In reality, the card is released in "Ultimate Edition 2" under the name "Dragon Master Knight".
[edit] Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon (Anime exclusive)
"Tyrant Burst Dragon" + "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"
This card can only be Special Summoned by tributing the above Fusion Material on your side of the field(This is treated as a Fusion Summon). This card can attack each monster on your opponents side of the field once each. You cannot attack your opponent directly if you attack any monsters first. When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defence Position monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Seen in the Waking the Dragons Arc in Kaiba's duel against Alister, Tyrant Burst Dragon was formed by a combination of The Fang of Critias and the trap card Tyrant Wing. Kaiba then combined this with his Blue-Eyes and attacked for game.
[edit] Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon
Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon is one of Maximillion Pegasus's signature monsters, created to mock Kaiba. Kaiba considers the card to be a "perversion," and treats it with disgust.
[edit] Spells
[edit] Burst Stream of Destruction
It was played only by Kaibaman to destroy Jaden's Elemental Hero Mudballman after it matched his Blue-Eyes attack strength with its high defence.
The card itself is named after Blue-Eyes' signature attack in the anime.
[edit] White Dragon Ritual
Used for Ritual Summoning Paladin of White Dragon.
[edit] Relation to Red-Eyes B. Dragon
Blue-Eyes is often considered a counterpart to Red-Eyes Black Dragon because of their contrasting names. In the anime, Yugi makes a comment about the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's powers rivaling those of a Blue-Eyes. If one looks at attack points alone, this appears inaccurate, as the Blue-Eyes' attack of 3000 is much stronger. However, the first Yu-Gi-Oh! movie summarizes the hidden power of the Red-Eyes: "While the Blue-Eyes White Dragon brings victory, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon brings potential. Somewhere, a card must exist to bring out that potential" (Rough translation from fansub). In the movie, Yugi defeats Kaiba in a duel using a Red-Eyes Black Dragon that Jonouchi slipped from Shogo's deck into Yugi's deck when Shogo falls. During the duel when Yugi summons Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon by fusing Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Meteor Dragon, Jonouchi explains that the power that Yugi is referring to is not that of the Red-Eyes by itself but of its potential to fuse, as both of the Red-Eyes fusions have higher attack points than a lone Blue-Eyes. This triggered Shogo's will to duel, and ever since that time Shogo never doubted himself and began playing Duel Monsters with his friends again.
The two dragons are true counterparts, not only in name and look, but also in duelling style. Both have cards that are made for them only, or with them in mind. Below is a chart of all cards meant to support Blue-Eyes and their Red-Eyes counterparts.
- Blue-Eyes White Dragon/Red-Eyes Black Dragon
- Kaibaman/Red-Eyes B. Chick
- Paladin of White Dragon/Knight of Dark Dragon
- Burst Stream of Destruction/Inferno Fire Blast
- Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon/Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon
The Blue-Eyes can only fuse into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. In the Waking the Dragons arc there existed a fusion monster Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon, which was a combination of Blue-Eyes and Tyrant-Burst Dragon (An incarnation of The Fang of Critias). The Red-Eyes has two fusions: Black Skull Dragon and Meteor Black Dragon. And while the Blue-Eyes can fuse into an Ultimate form, Red-Eyes can combine with Metalmorph to create Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon. Also, though the Red-Eyes has no "Ultimate" form, there are two other fusions. Lord of the Red appears as a warrior wearing a suit of armour modeled after the skin of a Red-Eyes. This can be compared to the outfit of Kaibaman, as Kaibaman's outfit is designed to resemble a Blue-Eyes.
There is also a metaphorical meaning between these two cards. Seto Kaiba controls the stronger Blue-Eyes White Dragon, while Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler) is the user of the slightly weaker Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Kaiba often considers Jonouchi an inferior duelist, despite Jonouchi's various victories. The dark, often gritty look of Red-Eyes can be seen as a representation of Jonouchi's street-smarts and small beginnings, whereas the Blue-Eyes symbolizes Kaiba's power and grandeur.
Furthermore, "Yu-Gi-Oh!" is based on a scheme of three protagonists, a triumvirate made of Yugi, Kaiba, and Jonouchi. Each also has their respective signature monster. While Kaiba's is the most powerful, Yugi's Dark Magician has more abilities and can defeat this superior foe. Jounouchi is the weakest of the three duelists, his ability based on his standing as a regular human and not his ties to the past. As such, the Red-Eyes, with its underdog attack points but potential to become the best, is an excellent metaphorical match.
[edit] Rivalry with Dark Magician
Blue-Eyes is often called the rival to the Dark Magician, mainly because of they are the favorite cards of rivals Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba. When Yami Yugi was pharaoh as Atem, a stone tablet showed him and Priest Seto (the past incarnation of Seto Kaiba) fighting a shadow game and the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes were their main monsters. The outcome of the original battle was not known, although in the Memory World, Seto wins. If this result is the same as the original battle is not addressed. As well, the movie Pyramid of Light addresses the issue that Pharaoh Atem and Priest Seto (and thus their reincarnations as well) represent Darkness and Light, respectively, so that they are destined to be rivals, and as the Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes are the Duel Monster incarnations of these two forces, they too are destined to be rivals.
