A Special Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Was Based Off A Dragon Ball Z Hero

If there is one thing anime loves to do, it is using crossovers and easter eggs. The foreign industry has countless titles to mix in with others, and fans have seen some popular anime series crossover with others. For instance, One Piece made Luffy partake in a three-way crossover with Goku from Dragon Ball, and that only scratches the surface of anime’s in-house inspiration.

For fans of Yu-Gi-Oh!, they may wonder if the beloved shonen title has ever gotten a few easter eggs over the year. The answer to that question is yes. Anime references are littered throughout Yu-Gi-Oh! in both its anime and trading card game formats. And, if you hadn’t figured it out already, there is a pretty obvious easter egg about Future Trunks in the latter arena.

In the early 2000s, the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game brought in a new card known as “Tyler the Great Warrior.” The card was made after a 14-year-old fan named Tyler Gressle was given a chance to design a card after beating a rare form of liver cancer. Through the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Tyler had a chance to make a card for the game, and the boy’s first sketch of the card was detailed to give it a very familiar look.

That’s right! Tyler’s inspiration card was ultimately based on designs for Future Trunks from Dragon Ball Z – and the hero hefts an impressive 3000 ATK stat. The card shows a shirtless man with a large sword strapped on his back. Wearing white pants, Tyler the Great Warrior can be seen making a massive energy attack with his hands, and his upright blonde hair is a direct call out to Future Trunk’s Super Saiyan form.

If you want to get you hand on Tyler the Great Warrior, then you will be sorely disappointed. The card is a one-of-a-kind creation as 4Kids Entertainment gifted it to Tyler in-person. There is no telling how much the card would be worth, but it seems unlikely that the brave Yu-Gi-Oh! fans would ever part ways with the card. It’s value is immeasurable, and the card’s unique tie to Dragon Ball makes it even more popular within the fandom.

Dragon Ball Super‘s “Universal Survival” saga is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturdays at 7:15 p.m. CST. Toonami will begin airing the English dub on Adult Swim Saturdays at 11:30 p.m.