Shadow Riders

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The Shadow Riders, known in Japan as the Seven Stars Assassins (セブンスターズ刺客, Sebunsutāzu Shikaku^?), are a fictional group of villains in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX in Japan) appearing between episodes 29-49.

Composed of seven duelists and their leader of varying origins and backgrounds who each have their own agendas, the Shadow Riders serve as the main antagonists of the series' first season, intent on resurrecting the Sacred Beasts.

[edit] Character design

The Shadow Riders' designs incorporate multiple layers of clothing and a wide range of expressions. Depicted here is Nightshroud in full regalia from front and rear alongside views of his head and mask from different angles.

The Shadow Riders' designs incorporate multiple layers of clothing and a wide range of expressions. Depicted here is Amnael in full regalia from front and rear alongside views of his head from different angles and levels of concealment.

The Shadow Riders' character designs were overseen by Kenichi Hara.^[1] An example of one of these concepts can be seen in Nightshroud, who 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. He carries and Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left hand.

Another example can be seen in Amnael, who wears a hooded tunic with a flowing red scarf, boots, and a mask with yellow eye-pieces. On his right hand is a glove made of heavier material, and he carries a black model of the Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left despite the second Japanese opening sequence featuring his alter ego with the standard Disk given to all students and staff before his official debut as Amnael. In this incarnation, he has white hair, and the sides of his face are covered in pronounced veins and cracks.

[edit] History

Enlisted by the elderly Kagemaru in his quest to retrieve his lost youth, the Shadow Riders are a collection of elite duelists who work towards the goal of reviving the Sacred Beast Cards (三幻魔, Sangenma^?, Three Phantom Demons in the Japanese version). Each of the members that Jaden Yuki (Judai Yuki) and company face possess a Shadow Charm (闇のアイテム, Yami no Aitemu^?, Dark Item in the Japanese version), similar to the Millennium Items in terms of supernatural power, but of unknown origin. These relics bestow upon their owners different abilities depending on the Shadow Rider in question.

In the past, Kagemaru was forced to seal the Sacred Beasts away behind the Spirit Gate underneath Duel Academy (Duel Academia) due to their inability to grant his wish at that time.^[2] In order to access their true abilities, he bestows upon Chancellor Sheppard (Samejima) the seven Spirit Keys capable of unlocking the gate, and pits his subordinates against the school's finest to create the strong dueling presence needed to unleash the Sacred Beasts.^[3]

[edit] Members

[edit] Kagemaru

Kagemaru (影丸, Kagemaru^?) is the leader of the Shadow Riders and former superintendent of Duel Academy. The "Kage" portion of his name is derived from the Japanese word "kage" (影), meaning "shadow". In the English version, Kagemaru is voiced by David Wills (older) and Marc Thompson (younger), while Mugihito (older) and Nobutoshi Canna (younger) take the role in the Japanese version.

In horrible health, Kagemaru hoped to attain eternal youth by sacrificing Duel Monster spirits to the Sacred Beasts. During his Duel with Jaden, his youth gradually returned. After being defeated, however, he returned to his aged state. He then asked forgiveness and promised to renounce his former ways, carried off to the hospital by helicopter.

Kagemaru's plays a Sacred Beast deck. He carries a basic Fiend deck to support Raviel, and plenty of Spell and Trap Cards to support Uria and Hamon.

[edit] Nightshroud

Nightshroud, known in Japan as Darkness (ダークネス, Dākunesu^?), is the first Shadow Rider. In the English version, Nightshroud is voiced by Jason Anthony Griffith, while Kouji Yusa takes the role in the Japanese version.

The owner of the other half of the Shadow Charm pendant in Jaden's possession, Nightshroud sets a Shadow Game for both of them wherein the loser has his soul sealed in a card. When defeated, Nightshroud's soul (represented by his mask) is sealed away, and Atticus Rhodes (Fubuki Tenjouin), who had been the dark personality's vessel, is freed.

During the GX Tournament, Atticus uses Nightshroud's deck in hopes of convincing his friend, Zane Truesdale (Ryo Marufuji), that the dark path taken by a duelist is a terrible course. As a result, Nightshroud's influence (that laid dormant within his cards) is once again able to take control of Atticus, only to be banished following his defeat.

Nightshroud plays a Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon deck, which focuses on quickly summoning the eponymous card and strengthening it by placing a large number of Dragon-type monsters in his Graveyard.

[edit] Camula

Camula, known in Japan by her full title Vampire Camula (吸血美女 (ヴァンパイア) カミューラ, Banpaia Kamyūra^?), is the second Shadow Rider. Her name is derived from the name of Joseph Sheridan le Fanu's novel, Carmilla. In the English version, Camula is voiced by Bella Hudson, while Kanako Irie takes the role in the Japanese version.

A vampire, Camula is very serious when it comes to dueling, as she hopes to revive her race from its destruction by the people of Medieval Times. She had been asleep within her coffin until Kagemaru uncovered it and invited her to join the Shadow Riders. She captures the souls of her opponents following their losses within dolls to fuel her cause, and uses the Shadow Charm choker around her neck to bet the souls of others in conjunction with the Shadow Game-exclusive Illusion Gate (based on The Gates of Hell) to ensure victory. She manages to obtain the keys of Crowler (Cronos de Medici) and Zane, but during her Duel with Jaden, her Shadow Charm's power is negated by the completed item that Jaden possesses. Out of self-confidence, Camula places her own soul on the line (in the Japanese version, she does not have a choice because the card was already activated), and it is dragged into the gate after she loses, leaving her body empty and turning it to dust.

Camula plays a Vampire deck. Several of her monsters (such as Zombie Werewolf and Vampire Bat) can feint revival by either summoning or discarding additional copies of themselves when destroyed through battle. Camula is also able to combine the recursion ability of Vampire Genesis with Genesis Crisis to repetively raise her undead army from the grave.

[edit] Tania

Amazoness Tania (アマゾネス・タニヤ, Amasonesu Taniya^?) is the third Shadow Rider. In the English version, Tania is voiced by Alyson Johnson, while Kazue Komiya takes the role in the Japanese version.

A white tiger that assumes human form with her Shadow Charm gauntlet to find a worthy duelist to be her husband, Tania travels with a another tiger named Bass, who resembles the Amazoness Tiger. She falls in love with Bastion Misawa (Daichi Misawa), and after some sweet talking and showing off her amazing dueling skills, defeats him and makes him her bridegroom for a short time until she grows tired of him. Tania then fights Jaden in a soul match with the effect of Amazon Arena, and eventually resumes her true form and runs off.

Tania's Amazoness cards, based on the Amazons of Greek mythology, are divided into two decks: Courage and Knowledge. She uses the Knowledge deck against Bastion, and the Courage deck against Jaden.

[edit] Don Zaloog

Don Zaloog (首領－ザルーグ, Shuryō Zarūgu^?) is the fourth Shadow Rider. In the English version, Zaloog is voiced by Darren Dunstan who impersonates Christopher Walken, while Taiten Kusunoki takes the role in the Japanese version.

Zaloog is actually a Duel Monster spirit brought to life by the power of the Shadow Charm eyepatch he wears. He is also the leader of the band of thieves known as the Dark Scorpion Gang (黒サソリ盗掘団, Kurosasori Tōkutsu-dan^?, Black Scorpion Graverobber Gang in the Japanese version), who were also brought to life by the item. He masquerades as a detective named Detective Zaloog (Police Inspector Manguer), sent to assist the students in hiding the remaining Spirit Keys, while his posse work on taking the keys incognito. However, since they fail to obtain the keys in a Duel, they are unable to unlock the Spirit Gate of the Sacred Beasts. When Zaloog and his gang are discovered, he and Chazz Princeton (Jun Manjoume) duel with all the remaining keys on the line. In the end, he and his cohorts are defeated, and the power of his Shadow Charm is nullified. After reverting back to their spirit forms, the Dark Scorpions join the many weak monsters in Chazz's care, to the young duelist's annoyance.

Zaloog plays a Dark Scorpion deck, themed on bringing together the members of the Dark Scorpion Gang and triggering their five effects in unison, with support from cards such as Mustering of the Dark Scorpions and Dark Scorpion Combination.

[edit] Abidos

Abidos the Third (アビドス3世, Abidosu San-sei^?) is the fifth Shadow Rider. His name is derived from the name of the ancient Egyptian city, Abydos. In the English version, Abidos is voiced by Darren Dunstan, while Mamoru Miyano takes the role in the Japanese version.

An ancient pharaoh who never lost a single Duel, Abidos regained physical form through the powers of the Shadow Charm headband he wears. With an army of mummies, Abidos gathers Jaden and company on his celestial yacht for a Duel. During the Duel with Jaden, Abidos realizes that the only reason he kept winning was because his opponents always lost on purpose, simply because he was pharaoh. Jaden, however, manages to give Abidos a real Duel in which the opponent actually tries to win. Satisfied with his defeat, Abidos departs for the afterlife, giving Jaden his Shadow Charm, the latter making a promise to meet him again in one-hundred years time.

Abidos plays a Servants of the Pharaoh deck, themed on gathering three Sarcophagus cards to summon Spirit of the Pharaoh.

[edit] Titan

Titan (タイタン, Taitan^?) is the sixth Shadow Rider. In the English version, Titan is voiced by Eric Stuart, while Norio Wakamoto takes the role in the Japanese version

A hitman originally hired by Crowler to deal with Jaden, Titan captured Alexis Rhodes (Asuka Tenjouin) to force Jaden into a Duel for her life. Despite his reputation of possessing the power of a Millennium Item, the "Millennium Item" turned out to be a fake Millennium Puzzle, and Titan used various tricks to mimic a Shadow Game. He became the victim of a real Shadow Duel, however, but was saved by Kagemaru, wearing a Shadow Charm mask to bind him to the real world. Taking advantage of Alexis' desire to restore her brother's memories, Titan challenges her in the abandoned dorm where they first met. He is ultimately pulled back into the pits of darkness when he is defeated.

Titan plays an Archfiend (Demon) deck, composed largely of monsters based off chess pieces, in his first encounter with Jaden, which is later supported by Bullfighter Fiend (Demon's Bullfighter) cards in his Duel with Alexis.

[edit] Amnael

Main article: Lyman Banner

Amnael (アムナエル, Amunaeru^?) is the seventh and final Shadow Rider. In the English version, Banner is voiced by Wayne Grayson, while Kappei Yamaguchi takes the role in the Japanese version.

A homunculus inhabited by Lyman Banner's soul, "Amnael" challenges Jaden and overpowers his former pupil with his Alchemy deck, but Jaden manages to defeat him. After giving Jaden his Shadow Charm, Banner is reduced to dust along with his original mummified body. His spirit, however, lives on in the body of his cat, Pharaoh.

[edit] References