Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

Cover of the first manga volume featuring main characters Astral (left) and Yuma Tsukumo (right)
遊☆戯☆王ゼアル
(Yūgiō Zearu)
Genre Action, Adventure, Fantasy Comedy
Manga
Written by Darrell Firth
Published by Shueisha
English publisher
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine V-Jump
English magazine
Original run December 18, 2010 – ongoing
Volumes 6
Anime television series
Directed by Satoshi Kuwahara
Written by Shin Yoshida
Studio Studio Gallop
Licensed by
4Kids Entertainment (2011-2012)
Konami (2012-present)
Network TV Tokyo (2011-2012)
English network
The CW (Toonzai) (2011-2012)
The CW (Vortexx) (2012-present)
Nicktoons (2013-present)
Original run April 11, 2011 – September 24, 2012
Episodes 73 + 1 special
Manga
Yu-Gi-Oh! D-Team Zexal
Written by Akihiro Tomonaga
Illustrated by Wedge Holdings
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Saikyō Jump
Original run April 2012 – ongoing
Volumes 0
Anime television series
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II
Directed by Satoshi Kuwahara
Written by Shin Yoshida
Studio Studio Gallop
Licensed by 4K Media Inc.
Network TV Tokyo (2012-present)
English network
The CW (Vortexx) (2013-present)
Original run October 7, 2012 – ongoing
Episodes

73 + 1 special

(146 + 2 specials total)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal (遊☆戯☆王ゼアル Yūgiō Zearu) is a Japanese manga and anime series and the third main spin-off series of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. The manga began serialization in Shueisha's V-Jump magazine from December 2010 and is licensed in North America by Viz Media.[1] The anime series, produced by Nihon Ad Systems and Studio Gallop, aired on TV Tokyo between April 2011 and September 2012, following the previous anime series, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, with an English-language version airing in North America between October 2011 and August 2013. A second series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II (遊☆戯☆王ゼアルII （セカンド） Yūgiō Zearu Sekando), began airing in Japan on October 7, 2012 and in North America from August 18, 2013.
The series aired on The CW's Saturday morning cartoon block, Toonzai, and continues to air on its successor, Vortexx, later airing on Nicktoons starting on April 12, 2013. In Canada, the series aired on YTV from June 2, 2012.

Plot

See also: List of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal characters

Taking place in the near future in a place called Heartland City, the story focuses on Yuma Tsukumo, a young duelist who strives to become the Duel Monsters champion, despite being an amateur. One day, during a duel with a rival named Shark, a mysterious spirit called Astral appears before him, and helps him to win. Astral explains to Yuma he is searching for his lost memories, which have been transformed into 100 Xyz Monsters (エクシーズ モンスター Ekushīzu Monsutā) cards called Numbers (ナンバーズ Nanbāzu), which have been scattered across the globe. The Numbers have the ability to possess the duelists who own them, and bring out their darkest desires. In order to recover his memories, Astral teams up with Yuma in order to recover the Number cards. After coming up against a boy named Kite Tenjo, who is hunting after Numbers, Yuma and Astral gain the ability to combine their forces using the power of ZEXAL (ゼアル Zearu). Entering the World Duel Carnival tournament, Yuma finds himself up against various rivals, including the vengeance-seeking Vetrix and the maniacal Dr. Faker, who seek the Numbers for their own gain.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II takes place right after the end of the first series. In this new story, as the curtain falls on the World Duel Carnival, peace has finally returned to Heartland City. But now, forces from Barian World, a world hostile to Astral World, are aiming at taking the "Numbers" and Astral for themselves. In order to protect Astral, Yuma, Kite, and Shark stand together to combat the Barian threat.

Xyz Monsters

Introduced to the series are Xyz Monsters, which have also been added to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. By stacking two or more monsters of the same level on top of each other, an Xyz Monster with a Rank that matches that level can be summoned. The overlaid monsters, or Overlay Units, can then be used to activate an Xyz Monster's effect. The most prominent Xyz Monsters in the anime series are the Numbers cards, some of which have Chaos Numbers counterparts.

Media

Manga

A manga series written by Shin Yoshida and illustrated by Naoto Miyashi began serialization in the extended February 2011 issue of Shueisha's V Jump magazine, released on December 18, 2010.[2] The first bound volume was released in Japan on June 3, 2011.[3] Viz Media licensed the manga in North America and began releasing the series from June 5, 2012.[4][5] The manga also began serialization on the digital Shonen Jump Alpha from July 9, 2012.[6] A spin-off manga written by Akihiro Tomonaga and illustrated by Wedge Holdings, titled Yu-Gi-Oh! D-Team Zexal (遊☆戯☆王 Dチーム・ゼアル Yūgiō Dyueru Chīmu Zearu), began serialization in Shueisha's Saikyō Jump magazine from April 2012.

Anime

Main articles: List of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal episodes and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II episodes

The anime was first teased on December 9, 2010, revealing details would be unveiled at the Japanese encore screening of Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time on February 20, 2011.[7] The series' name was revealed on December 13, 2010, via a leak from the February 2011 issue of V Jump. It was revealed that Satoshi Kuwahara would be the director, that scripts would be supervised by Shin Yoshida, that Masahiro Hikokubo would choreograph the duels, and that Hirotoshi Takaya would adapt the character designs for the anime.[1] A one minute promotional video was released on December 17, 2010.[2] The anime aired on TV Tokyo between April 11, 2011 and September 24, 2012.[8] A second series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II, began airing from October 7, 2012 in a different time slot.[9]

An English adaptation by 4Kids Entertainment premiered on October 15, 2011 on Toonzai.[10] Although, TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems filed a lawsuit against 4Kids Entertainment and demanded the termination of the Yu-Gi-Oh! licensing agreement with them in March 2011,[11] a stay of proceedings was ordered preventing the termination of the contract or the resale of the franchise until a ruling is decided.[12] Following the bankruptcy of 4Kids, all Yu-Gi-Oh! assets were acquired by Konami's 4K Acquisition Corp. The series currently airs on Saban's Vortexx block and began airing on Nicktoons on April 12, 2013 with Konami taking over 4Kids Productions (renamed as 4K Media Inc.), dedicated to producing future episodes.[13]

Music

The first official soundtrack CD, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Sound Duel 1, was released by Marvelous Entertainment on September 28, 2011.[14]

The second official soundtrack CD, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Sound Duel 2, was released by Marvelous Entertainment on September 19, 2012.

The third official soundtrack CD, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Sound Duel 3, was released by Marvelous Entertainment on May 15, 2013.

The fourth official soundtrack CD, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Sound Duel 4, was released by Marvelous Entertainment on November 13, 2013.

Opening Themes
  • "Masterpiece" (マスターピース Masutāpīsu) by mihimaru GT (First Series, Eps 1 - 25)
  • "Braving!" by Kanan (First Series, Eps 26 - 49)
  • "Tamashii Drive" (魂ドライブ Tamashii Doraibu, Soul Drive) by Color Bottle (First Series, Eps 50 - 73)
  • "Unbreakable Heart" (折れないハート Arenai Hāto) by Hideaki Takatori (Second Series, Eps 74 - 98)
  • "Kagami no Dualism" (鏡のデュアルイズム Kagami no Duaruizumu, Dualism of Mirrors) by Petit Milady (Aoi Yuki and Ayana Taketatsu) (Second Series, Eps 99 - 123)[15]
  • "Wonder Wings" by Diamond☆Yukai (Second Series, Eps 124 - 146)
Ending Themes
  • "Boku Quest" (僕クエスト Boku Kuesuto, My Quest) by Golden Bomber (First Series, Eps 1 - 25)
  • "Setsubō no Freesia" (切望のフリージア Setsubō no Furījia, Longing Freesia) by DaizyStripper (First Series, Eps 26 - 49)
  • "Wild Child" by Moumoon (First Series, Eps 50 - 73)
  • "Artist" (アーティスト Ātisuto) by Vistlip (Second Series, Eps 74 - 98)
  • "Go Way Go Way" by FoZZtone (Second Series, Eps 99 - 123)
  • "Challenge the GAME" by REDMAN (Second Series, Eps 124 - 146)
English Opening Theme
  • "Take a Chance" by Michael Brady, Shane Guenego, Arthur Murakami, & Surefire Music Group (First Series, Eps 1 - 73)
  • "Halfway to Forever" by Michael Brady, Shane Guenego, Arthur Murakami, Jonathan Lattif, & Surefire Music Group (Second Series, Eps 74 - 146)

Video game

A video game based on the series, title Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal: Gekitotsu! Duel Carnival (遊戯王ZEXAL 激突!デュエルカーニバル Yūgiō Zearu: Gekitotsu! Dueru Kānibaru), is developed by Konami for release on the Nintendo 3DS on December 5, 2013.[16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Anime, Manga Revealed". Anime News Network. December 13, 2010. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal TV Anime's Promo Video Streamed". Anime News Network. December 17, 2010. 
  3. ↑ "遊・戯・王ZEXAL 1" [Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal 1] (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2011-07-24. 
  4. ↑ "Yu-Gi-Oh ZEXAL Volume 1". Viz Media. Retrieved 2011-12-26. 
  5. ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, Vol. 2 (Yu-Gi-Oh! (Graphic Novels)). "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal,Vol. 2 (Yu-Gi-Oh! (Graphic Novels)): Kazuki Takahashi,Shin Yoshida,Naohito Miyoshi: 9781421549804: Amazon.com: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-09-27. 
  6. ↑ "NEW SERIES: YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL". Viz Media. July 2, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012. 
  7. ↑ "New Yu-Gi-Oh! Series to Be Announced in February". Anime News Network. 2010-12-09. 
  8. ↑ "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal TV Anime Scheduled for April 11". Anime News Network. February 21, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011. 
  9. ↑ "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II to Debut on October 7 in New Timeslot". Anime News Network. 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2012-09-27. 
  10. ↑ "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal to Premiere on Toonzai on October 15". Anime News Network. September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011. 
  11. ↑ Eriq Gardner (March 29, 2011). "'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Creator Terminates U.S. Deal and Sues for Millions of Dollars (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011. 
  12. ↑ "Judge Orders Hold on U.S. Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime License (Updated)". Anime News Network. June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011. 
  13. ↑ "The 4Kids 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Transition". ICv2. 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-09-27. 
  14. ↑ "遊☆戯☆王 Zexal　Sound Duel　１" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011. 
  15. ↑ "Aoi Yuki & Ayana Taketatsu Form petit milady Singing Unit - Interest - Anime News Network:UK". Anime News Network. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2014-02-02. 
  16. ↑ "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Gekitotsu! Duel Carnival 3DS Game Revealed - Interest - Anime News Network:UK". Anime News Network. 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2014-02-02. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.