Sacred Beast Cards

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The Sacred Beasts, known in Japan as the Three Phantom Demons (三幻魔, Sangenma^?), are three divine monsters in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, which were later adapted into cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. Named Uria, Hamon, and Raviel, they are important pop cultural icons, similar in stature to Dark Magician, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

The Sacred Beasts first appeared in the card game in Shadow of Infinity. With regards to TCG release, they were reprinted in the 2006 Collector Tin's lineup as promotional cards. Unlike the God Cards, they may be legally played in a Duel.

[edit] Design

The designs of the Sacred Beasts, Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (神炎皇ウリア, Shinenoū Uria^?, Uria, Lord of Divine Flames in the Japanese version), Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (降雷皇ハモン, Kōraioū Hamon^?), and Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (幻魔皇ラビエル, Genmaoū Rabieru^?) were overseen by Kenichi Hara.^[1] Each of them resembles one of the three Egyptian God Cards; Uria finds a counterpart in Slifer the Sky Dragon, Hamon in The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Raviel in Obelisk the Tormentor. Unlike the God Cards, however, they possess certain visual cues that make them distinct from their predecessors, including translucent wings and more pronounced claws and skeletal features.

The Sacred Beasts are named after angels in Judeo-Christianity. Uria's name is an alternate spelling of the name of Uriah, Hamon's name originates from the Book of Enoch, and Raviel's name is an alternate spelling of the name of Raziel.

[edit] History

In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, the Sacred Beasts are legendary creatures whose cards were sealed by Kagemaru underneath Duel Academy (Duel Academia) behind the Spirit Gate, which requires seven Spirit Keys to open. Should they ever be set free from their stronghold, chaos and darkness will envelop the world, destroying everything. They were believed to have been created as a means of bringing about a balance of power between the Egyptian God Cards.

During the first season, a group known as the Shadow Riders (Seven Stars) seeks to acquire the Spirit Keys and revive the Sacred Beasts. In order to open the gate, a strong dueling presence is required; if the keys are stolen and placed in the gate, for example, nothing will occur. To meet the challenge of the Shadow Riders, seven of Duel Academy's finest duelists were selected, and although the Shadow Riders were defeated, Kagemaru managed to awaken the Sacred Beasts regardless. In exchange for freeing them from imprisonment, the Sacred Beasts slowly returned Kagemaru to a youthful state, empowering him with the energy sapped from Duel Monster spirits, but Jaden Yuki's (Judai Yuki) interference resulted in the man's downfall. They were thus locked away once more.

After Duel Academy is transported to an alternate dimension in the third season, a possessed Martin Kanou retrieves the Sacred Beasts and adds them to his deck.

[edit] References