The Winged Dragon of Ra

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In the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!, The Winged Dragon of Ra (ラーの翼神竜 Rā no Yoku Shin Ryū, lit. "Winged God-Dragon of Ra") is one of the three God Cards. In the Japanese manga and anime, it is sometimes called by the Engrish name "The Sun of God Dragon", while in the English manga, it is called The Sun Dragon Ra. "The Winged Dragon of Ra" is the name used in the English anime, and on the English version of the real God Cards.

Initially owned by Marik Ishtar, the Winged Dragon of Ra is the deadliest and most powerful of all three God Cards. However, it was later proved that the other God Cards were just as powerful. Ra is the sun-god in Egyptian mythology, and the supreme being in most lists of the Neteru.

Its Yu-Gi-Oh! GX counterpart is Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder.

Contents 1 Effects 1.1 Meaning of the Hieratic Text 1.2 Ra's true abilities 2 Anime

[edit] Effects

Note: The effects stated in this section are based on the Japanese anime and/or manga of Yu-Gi-Oh!, for the purposes of the duels therein. The real Ra card does not have any effect printed on it, all it says is, "Spirits sing of a powerful creature that rules over all that is mystic." (See God Cards for more details.)

Normally, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, the card of "The Winged Dragon of Ra" only has four question marks ("????") for its ATK (ATtacK points), DEF (DEFense points) and card description (in the anime, the card doesn't even have this information printed on it). However, when it is summoned successfully into the field, this information will disappear. What appeared instead are several lines (four in the Japanese manga and anime and three in the English version) of strange characters, which Marik referred to as the Hieratic Text (古代神官文字, ヒエラティックテキスト), a special form of hieroglyphic script used only by high-ranked individuals in ancient Egypt. These mysterious characters hold the key to Ra's massively powerful secret abilities, which can only be unleashed when the lines of Text corresponding to the ability one wants to activate are recited (this is not the case in the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, because it has a totally different meaning for the Hieratic Text (see next section), and the Text was never recited except when Ra was summoned in its Sphere Mode (see "Ra's true abilities")).

[edit] Meaning of the Hieratic Text

According to the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga, the Hieratic Text printed on the Ra card records the following three groups of Ra's abilities (quoted from Seto Kaiba's own translation of the Text in Duel 248 of the Japanese manga):

• (1st ability) "太陽神は３体の生贄を束ねてその力を得る　ただし神を従えし者古の呪文を天に捧げよ "
• (2nd ability) "神は地より蘇生する　再生の術と術者の命を与えよ　時はひとつであろうとも戦場の敵は炎によって屍と化す "
• (3rd ability) "時ひとつとして神は不死鳥となる　選ばれし魔物は大地に眠る "

When (roughly) translated to English, it reads:

• (1st ability) "Ra shall acquire the power of three tributes. However, only those who offer the ancient incantation to heaven shall God follow."
• (2nd ability) "God shall revive from earth. By offering the Ritual of Revival and his own life, one shall be united with God, and all enemies on the battlefield shall be incinerated."
• (3rd ability) "In an instant, God shall become a Phoenix, and all evil spirits chosen by it shall repose on earth."

These abilities are reflected in the card game as the first two groups of effects explained in the next section, "Ra's true abilities".

In the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, though, the Hieratic Text appears to have a different meaning. This can be seen when Marik recited the Text while gaining control of Ra during his duel with Mai Kujaku (Mai Valentine in the English anime) in episode 92:

"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry.

Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.
Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe.
Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win.
Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name,

Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Note that in the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, when Marik attempted to gain control of Ra in his duel with Mai, the viewer can hear him speaking understandable words. However, in the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga, what he recited was the Hieratic Text itself (in the anime, Marik recites some unknown words; in the manga, his speech bubbles are filled with Hieratic Text). In the English episode 221 when Atemu summoned Ra, he uses the chant but it is changed (the Japanese version uses the incomprehensible Hieratic). Here is this chant:

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry.

Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.
I beseech thee, grace our humble game.
But first I shall...call out thy name,

Winged Dragon of Ra!"

[edit] Ra's true abilities

With what are observed in various duels, a deduction of the unique abilities of Ra is concluded below (it appears that some of the effects listed below cannot be deduced from the Hieratic Text printed on the card):

• (1st ability)
  • Ra's original ATK is the sum of ATKs of the monsters tributed to summon it; its original DEF is the sum of DEFs of the monsters tributed to summon it. This effect was first revealed by Marik's servant — Odion (Rishid in the Japanese versions) in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 216 and anime episode 89.
    • e.g., player uses 1 "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (ATK 3000/DEF 2500), 1 "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" (ATK 2400/DEF 2000) and 1 "Dark Magician"^[1] (ATK 2500/DEF 2100) as Tributes to summon Ra. Ra now has ATK 3000+2400+2500=7900, DEF 2500+2000+2100=6600.
  • One must be able to speak Hieratic Text to control Ra. This effect is open to both sides of the field. So if one player is not able to recite the text properly, the other player is free to try and take control of Ra. The effect was first revealed by Marik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 222 and anime episode 92. (It should be noted, however, that Yugi has been shown summoning the Winged Dragon of Ra without reciting the Hieratic summoning text. In the English anime, one must know the poem before summoning the card. Yugi, however, has not been required to do this, possibly because of his Millennium Puzzle.)
    • If one summons Ra but fails to recite the Hieratic Text, Ra will remain in "Sphere Mode" (a shining golden sphere), and one cannot use this mode of Ra to attack or defend (in other words, Ra's Sphere Mode has no battle position, cannot attack, and is never the target of attack (it cannot defend player's Life Points)), or activate its special abilities. Once the player recites the Text correctly, Ra will transform itself into "Battle Mode". Only until then can the player truly control Ra, and unleash Ra's secret abilities (in the Japanese manga and anime, though, this must be done by further reciting the lines of Text corresponding to the ability you want to activate).

• When Ra is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, it obtains one of the two following effects:
  1. (2nd ability) (Originally known as "One Turn Kill", this effect was first revealed by Marik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 236 and anime episode 97.
     • Transfer as many of your Life Points (LP) to Ra as its original ATK. This is known as "point-to-point transfer" in the English anime.
       • e.g., Ra has ATK/DEF 0, player has 8000 LP. Using this effect, player decided to pay 7999 LP, Ra has ATK 8000−1=7999.
       • Note: The twist to this effect is that player can pay as many LP as they wish. Having LP as low as 1 still keeps player in the duel, and if Ra's attack is successful, low LP does not matter anymore. This effect is used by Marik on the finals of Battle City, but Yugi activated the card that Kaiba gave him, Devil's Sanctuary, that returned the attack to Ra.
     • In addition, sacrifice any number of monster other than Ra on your side of the field. Their ATKs are added to Ra's original ATK. This part of the effect was not revealed until in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 269 and anime episode 139 by Marik.
       • e.g., Ra has ATK/DEF 0. Player sacrifices 1 "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (ATK 3000) using this effect, Ra's original ATK becomes 0+3000=3000.
       • Note: (1). Neither the anime nor manga of Yu-Gi-Oh! stated that the DEFs of the monsters sacrificed with this effect are added to the DEF of Ra. (2). It is still unknown here whether this effect uses the original or current ATKs of the monsters sacrificed as Tributes.
     • During the turn this effect is activated, Ra can attack each and every monster that exists on your opponent's side of the field and, if possible, further attack the opponent's Life Points directly.
     • Additional notes: In Yu-Gi-Oh! anime episode 222 in which Ra was Normal Summoned (not Special Summoned from the Graveyard) again by sacrificing three monsters, Marik stated that Ra can use its "One Turn Kill" effect, which contradicts what is stated above. However, what Marik said also contradicts Kaiba's translation on the meaning of the Hieratic Text printed on the Ra card, which stated that "God shall revive from earth". Also, Ra was only summoned in the anime. So it is questionable on whether Marik's statement meets with the approval of Kazuki Takahashi, the author of Yu-Gi-Oh!.
• (3rd ability) (When this effect is activated, Ra will transform itself into its "Phoenix Mode", otherwise known as "God Phoenix" (ゴッドフェニックス), the true and ultimate form of Ra.
  1. • Ra receives no battle damage (i.e., it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle, and its controller receives no damage as a result of its battle). This effect was first revealed by Marik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 267 and anime episode 138.
       • According to Marik, Ra's Phoenix Mode is "immortal". Although no Spell/Trap effect or Monster effect other than Slifer the Sky Dragon's has ever been used against it, it may be safe to assume that Ra, while in its Phoenix Mode, cannot be sent away from the field by any Card effect.

• • Ra destroys any one monster at the cost of 1000 Life Points. This effect was first revealed by Marik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 249 and anime episode 127. In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, this effect is extended to all monsters on the opponent's side of the field. (This affect does not apply to other god cards).

• Additional effects:
  • Ra can attack during the same turn it is Special Summoned. This effect was first revealed by Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 236 and anime episode 97. It is known as "Swift Attack" (速攻) in the Japanese anime and manga, and "Instant Attack" in the English anime.
    • According to the gaming rules (known as "Super Expert Rules" in the manga) used in the Battle City Tournament, a monster cannot attack during the same turn it is Special Summoned (unless by using the effects of a Monster, Spell or a Trap Card). However, Ra's ability allows it to bypass this rule. (Note that there is no such rule in the real Yu-Gi-Oh! card game.) Also, in anime episode 97, Ra bypasses the effect of a Continuous Spell Card known as "Vengeful Bog Spirit", which prevents all monsters from attacking during the turn they are Normal Summoned, Filp Summoned or Special Summoned. However, in the manga, no similar card effect, including this card's, was used against Ra.

There are also certain effects shared by all God Cards; these are listed in that entry for brevity.

In the Manga and anime, a duelist must use the real card to summon Ra. Summoning Ra with a counterfeit card often results in the duelist who played the counterfeit being struck down by lightning. This occurs in Anime Episode 89 and in the video game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction. However, in Episode 85 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Frantz avoids this with a Spell card that was specially created to control Ra.

Ra (Battle Mode)'s attack is known as "God Blaze Cannon" (ゴッド・ブレイズ・キャノン) in the Japanese anime and manga, and "Blaze Cannon" in the English version of the anime.

[edit] Anime

When Maximillion Pegasus discovered the ancient Egyptian script on the card, he made sure that the writing could only be revealed when the card was in play. Ra made most of its appearance in duels during the Battle City Finals. But Ra made other appearances during the Doma & Lost Memory arcs of the series.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, a copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra was in possession of Frantz, an employee from Industrial Illusions who entered the Duel World Cup as Jaden's first opponent. However Frantz created a Spell Card, "The Mound of the Bound Creator", that would enable him to use Ra's power without suffering the same fate as the ones who used copies of Ra in the anime and manga. It may be the same fake that Marik owned and Maximillion Pegasus must have acquired it.