Atticus Rhodes

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Atticus Rhodes (Fubuki Tenjouin)
Appears in	Yu-Gi-Oh! (Duel Monsters) GX
Debut	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Episode 5 (Photograph)
Birthday	Unknown
Deck	Idol
Sign	Unknown
Age	16 at debut; 17 at second season's end
Height	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Blood type	Unknown
Favorite food	Unknown
Least favorite food	Unknown
Status at debut	Missing Obelisk Blue duelist
Relations	Younger sister: Alexis Rhodes (Asuka Tenjouin)
Seiyū	Kouji Yusa
Voice actor(s)	Jason Anthony Griffith

Atticus Rhodes, known in Japan as Fubuki Tenjouin (天上院吹雪, Tenjōin Fubuki^?), is a fictional character in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX in Japan). His given name means "blizzard" in Japanese, from which he derives his self-appointed title, "Blizzard Prince" in the original version of the series.^[1] His signature is written as "Fubuki 10 Join".^[2] In the English version, Atticus is voiced by Jason Anthony Griffith, while Kouji Yusa takes the role in the Japanese version.

The missing brother of Alexis Rhodes, Atticus' disappearance is a driving force in his sister's determination during the first season of the series.

[edit] Character design

Atticus' design incorporates multiple layers of clothing and a wide range of expressions. Depicted here is the duelist in full Nightshroud regalia from front and rear alongside views of his head and mask from different angles.

Atticus' character design was overseen by Kenichi Hara.^[3] His usual outfit consists of the standard Obelisk Blue uniform, flowing out the costume's lower back. His brown hair is sporadically arranged, with a large portion trailing the upper part of the nape of his neck. He carries an Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left hand.

As Nightshroud, Atticus wears a tight-fitting overcoat with raised shoulders and waistline and gold and green trimmings. His dark dragon mask, similar to that worn by his signature monster Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, is completely black with the exception of blue eye-pieces and a red stone in the center of the forehead. In this incarnation, the bangs closest to his face are postitioned in front of the mask.

[edit] Fictional character biography

A student of the Obelisk Blue dormitory at Duel Academy (Duel Academia), Atticus and several other Obelisk Blue duelists were to attend a duel exam. In reality, they were being lured into the abandoned Obelisk Blue dormitory by Lyman Banner (Daitokuji) for ulterior purposes. (In the English version, they visit the Shadow Realm.) Although the fate of the other duelists was never revealed, Atticus himself was transformed over time by the leader of the Shadow Riders (Seven Stars), Kagemaru into Nightshroud (ダークネス, Dākunesu^?, Darkness in the Japanese version) to assist him in reviving the Sacred Beasts. Alexis Rhodes (Asuka Tenjouin) devotes much of her time thereafter to seeking her missing brother.

In his Duel with Jaden Yuki (Judai Yuki), Atticus, as Nightshroud, took Jaden's friends prisoner and forced him to take part in a Shadow Duel wherein the loser has his soul sealed in a card. Jaden prevailed, and Atticus was released from the dark power that controlled him. Placed in the medical ward, Atticus offered help by giving Jaden the other half of the Shadow Charm pendant for his Duel with Camula, and eventually came to his sister's aid during her Duel with Titan.

Atticus promptly reverts to his old self after the Shadow Rider fiasco. Frequently showing up dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and strumming a ukelele, he is incredibly optimistic most of the time, but is seen as an idiot of sorts by his sister. He is an accomplished surfer, and is popular among women, a fact which leads Chazz Princeton (Jun Manjoume) to seek his advice on love-related topics.^[4] Atticus' antics are a constant source of irritation for Alexis, as he tries without end to set her up with duelists or get her to go into show business with him in a band called "Bro-Bro and Sissy" (in the original version of the series, he instead urges her to join him under the stage name, "Asuryn," whilst he recruits more followers for his "Bucky" fanclub to rival his friend, Ryo Marufuji).^[5] In the English version, Atticus also distributes and subtracts "stars" from others based on their actions as a means of expressing his mood at any given time, while his original series counterpart instead gives out "munekyun points" (literally "strong beating points").

Because Atticus was absent during the previous term, he repeats the studies of his second year alongside his sister. He is among the few Obelisk Blue students who do not come under the influence of the Society of Light. Following Zane's "rebirth," Atticus duels him using Nightshroud's deck instead of his own to remind him of the horrors gained in taking a dark path as a duelist when he attends the GX tournament.^[6] In doing so, however, Nightshroud's lingering influence once again exerts control over him, but dissipates after he loses, with Zane informing him that there is no darkness in his heart, and that he merely wishes to achieve victory through force.

[edit] Deck

Atticus plays an Idol deck, which reflects his love of stardom, and revolves around various strategies involving Beast-Warrior monsters. He gains a continuous advantage with Spotlight, powering up his Panther Warrior, and supporting it further with cards such as Path to Destiny and Stray Lambs. His signature card, Ultimate Stage Costume, provides his monsters with an extreme augmentation in terms of strength, but cannot be used for offensive purposes.

Note: Atticus' deck is considered separate from Nightshroud's.

[edit] References