Viral 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Scene Showcases Why Fans Love the English Dub

English dub localizations often have a bad reputation with fans, and while English dubbing has [...]

By Nick Valdez

English dub localizations often have a bad reputation with fans, and while English dubbing has made great strides in the last decade, there are fans who still have the stigma. A lot of this was most likely due to 4KIDS' English productions, which often notably changed how a series sounded compared to its original Japanese release. But Yu-Gi-Oh! was different.

The English dub of the series is just as loved as the original Japanese release because many of the changes injected a huge amount of personality unique to the English portrayals of the characters. One scene from Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions has been going viral because it showcases these differences well and highlights what fans love about the dub. Check it out below.

As pointed out by @DjandoM on Twitter, a scene from the most recent film Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions sounds completely different across languages. This scene in particular comes after Seto Kaiba defeats a hologram version of the Pharaoh, and sees him discussing it with his staff. In this Japanese version, he feels the victory is hollow and prepares to make his next move. It's a stern performance.

But the English dubbed version of the scene injects a slightly more talkative and humorous take on Kaiba that can't stop throwing jabs. He talks about Yami Yugi's "perfectly coiffed hair" (when the Japanese version only mentioned Yugi's personality), and even threatens to fire whoever designed a certain water bottle. That's completely unique to the dub, and this flare given to Kaiba is part of why fans love the dub of the series.

It often featured many ridiculous moments of grandeur such as this, and somehow played each scene completely straight but often left room to be in on the joke. It was why fans fell in love with this series about children's cards games.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions first released in 2016 as a celebration of the franchise's 20th Anniversary. Taking place six months after the events of the Kazuki Takahashi's original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, the film follows Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba as they try and cope in a world without the Pharoah Atem when a mysterious, new dark entity challenges the to a deadly shadow game. You can currently find it streaming on Hulu.

Yu-Gi-Oh! was originally created by Kazuki Takahashi for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, and ran from September 1996 to March 2004. The series follows Yugi Mutou, a young boy who solves an ancient puzzle and is possessed by the spirit of the Egyptian pharoah. Being skilled at deadly games, the Pharoah goes on to create and solve problems for Yugi based on deadly games of chance.

Two anime adaptations were created for the series, but the one most fans will recognize is Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Duel Monsters was the first arc in the story to focus on the "Duel Monsters" card game and was the first season licensed for an English language release by 4Kids Entertainment. The first season of the series, which fans often dub as "Season 0," has such deadly games of chance with horrible consequences that fans could not believe it was a part of this series at first.

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