Yu-Gi-Oh! Announces Anime Remaster (But Not For The Series You Think)

A remaster for a classic Yu-Gi-Oh! has finally been announced, but it’s not the series most fans’ would assume. Yu-Gi-Oh! has become one of the most renowned card games in the world, with much of the iconography of the series making it into the mainstream subconscious. Where would the world be without Exodus or Blue-Eyes White Dragon memes flooding the internet every full moon? However, all the most iconic parts of Yu-Gi-Oh, the aspects everyone remembers, come from the original series. The duel disks, the classic monsters, the Egyptian imagery, and the iconic characters of Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba all originated from the first series.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! has had multiple follow-up shows, with most of them taking place in their own universe and continuity. The original series already had its own remastered re-release that only aired in Japan and skipped over the filler arcs. Rather than go straight to remaking the entire original series, Konami decided to make a new remaster for the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, the first follow-up series in the franchise. The GX Remaster will air in 2005 to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary.

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What Is Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Why Is it Getting a Remaster?

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX was the first follow-up to the original series. While future iterations of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime would reboot the continuity and be separate from the Duel Monsters canon, GX was initially thought of as taking place on the same timeline as the original show. Characters like Yugi Muto and Maximillion Pegasus appeared in the show, with the events of Duel Monsters being referenced occasionally. The Yu-Gi-Oh! multiverse would later be established in the sequel series, placing Duel Monsters and GX as their own separate universes.

Since Duel Monsters already got its remaster, it makes sense for the next Yu-Gi-Oh! series to get the remaster treatment would be the direct follow-up. GX getting a remaster may surprise many fans, considering the show has always had mixed responses from fans. GX is not as popular as Duel Monsters or 5DS, but it is iconic in its own way. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX was also released before the anime transitioned into widescreen HD, allowing the remaster to professionally upscale the series for modern television. The Duel Monsters remaster never became available outside of Japan, and it’s currently unknown if the GX remasters will stream globally either.

H/T: Crunchyroll