My Little Over-Analysis of 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters' Part 3: Episode 2 'The Gauntlet Is Thrown'

As the pilot episode did what any proper opening move should do and simply let us settle into the world, this second one in turn does what any good follow-up should: it goes and unsettles that world for both us and the characters. More importantly, it does it in style, as the show's first main antagonist—the one and only Maximillion Pegasus—takes the centre stage and properly kicks season 1 in motion.

However, before he gets to do that, we're essentially treated to another addition to the sitcom called "Yugi and Friends" as we simply continue seeing our leads go through their everyday lives. So, let's kick things off from there, as we start our second little over-analysis of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters.

Continuing the Slow and Steady Start

Once again we open with Domino High and once again we see the characters engage in a game of Duel Monsters. Albeit, this time it's Joey going against Tea (although with similar results to him going against Yugi in the previous one). And well, while we're already on the subject, let's talk a bit about the two before we go on.

Starting with Tea, what's interesting upon rewatching the show is that these early episodes portray her as quite handy in the Duel Monsters card game and it's honestly bit of a shame that she mostly ends up filling the role of the glorified cheerleader of the group (along with Tristan, of course). Indeed, while she doesn't seem to be the most popular of characters, the show wouldn't exactly have suffered with having a tiny bit more female touch amongst the main duelists.

As for Joey, when walking into this episode without having seen the opening credits, one would certainly be excused for thinking that he's actually our lead character, as he's pretty much the archetypal anime protagonist. His hot-headed and a bit dim but also hugely proactive and has his heart in the right place. Oh yeah, and he like really really wants become the best at whatever activity the show is built around.

In fact, this is actually one of the nicest little quirks about the show, as it makes a character you normally associate with a supporting role the lead (Yugi) and puts the typical lead character archetype like Joey in a supporting role. A notion, which is immediately made clear, as Joey doesn't even get his training montage when starting his Duel Monsters tutelage under Yugi's grandpa. Instead, we cut to several weeks later to our gang chilling out at Yugi's place and watching some sports on TV.

Now, needless to say that the sport in question is a Duel Monsters tournament, as we get some nice little teases of the first arc's minor antagonists Rex and Weevil. More importantly, however, this is also where Pegasus makes his grand entrance to the show. And, well, he doesn't exactly waste time filling his baddie role as Yugi—who has earned a bit of a reputation by beating Kaiba at this point—receives a mysterious box containing another ancient artefact to add to his Millenium Puzzle known as the VHS. Naturally, it turns out to be a portal to a shadow duel with Pegasus, as we finally uncover something, which has been largely missing for these first one and a half episodes—the plot.

Welcome to Season 1!

So, here's the thing: while the duel itself is short and and nothing that special (well, apart from the neat ticking clock gimmick and the mind reading powers of Pegasus' Millenium Eye), it does offer us a brilliant example on the show's ability to progress the story through dueling (a rather essential skill considering how much of its runtime is spent doing it). You see, within these eight or so minutes, we go from not knowing much at all about this first arc (or the story overall) to having a pretty good overview of the ride we're in for.

Firstly, this is where the motivation of our lead gets established, as Pegasus deprives Yugi's grandfather of his soul and makes it rather clear that the only way to regain it is by winning a humble little tournament he's about to throw in his humble little island (or kingdom).

Secondly, we're also made more aware of the fact that there are greater forces at play here than Pegasus, as the show's overarching Ancient Egyptian lore revolving around the power of Millenium Items becomes a great deal more tangible. Granted, we're still left in the dark as to how exactly Yugi's Millenium Puzzle will factor into all of this, but at least it's now clear that it's going to play a key role in the story. Lastly, we simply get to know the villain himself. Speaking of whom...

A Simply Fabulous First Baddie

So, to put it simply, for a show that owes a lot of its appeal to making seemingly contradictory elements work, you couldn't have asked for a more fitting first villain than Pegasus. He's both utterly campy, yet somehow menacing. A foppish man-child on the surface, but a shrewd operator with a tragic backstory underneath. And, well—apart from the tragic backstory—it's all on full display here, as we get our first taste of undeniably Pegasus style of taunting his opponents ("Yugi boy").

Speaking of "Yugi boy," he is of course left rather devastated, as the episode ends with Pegasus winning the duel and setting our heroes on their journey, which we'll begin in the next episode as it's now time to dive into into all the other miscellaneous points of interest the episode had on offer.

Today's Card Trivia

• Summoned Skull: This iconic fiend is a great symbol for outright power, as he's easy to summon and has a high attack (2500) with the price being his low defence (1200). On a more personal note, this card was a bit of a minor revelation to me back when I first saw this episode as a kid. Simply put, there was something cool and refreshing about the lead character (or the good guy) having this fiendish looking creature on his side. In other words, this monster ended up shifting my young mind's perception of good and evil in its own little way.
• Rock Ogre Grotto: A "grotto" is a natural or artificial cave often used by humans for both practical and aesthetic purposes. It is derived from the Latin word crypta (crypt).
• Breath of Light: Continuing with our little elementary school nature lesson, this card is a reference to the process of erosion.
• Vortex/Infinite Dismissal: Nothing special here. Just the first trap card played in the show.
• Koumori Dragon: "Koumori" is the Japanese word for "bat."
• Eye of Illusion: The eye in the center of this card's artwork is The Eye of Anubis, which is featured on the all the Millenium Items.
• Celtic Guardian: Yugi's ever-efficient swordsman is featured on the artwork of four other cards: Hero's Guild, Summoning Clock, Superior Protector and Triggered Summon. That, in turn, represents another fascinating side to not just the show but Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game in general, as the cards often have their own story to tell.

Lore Trivia of the Day: Kaiba Corp. and Industrial Illusions

While the main piece of lore came from Pegasus explaining the Duel Monster's Ancient Egyptian origins, let's focus this time on the more earthly side of this universe and give a brief overview of two major corporate entities featured in the show—Kaiba Corp. and Industrial Illusions.

Starting with the latter, it's of course run by Pegasus and makes Duel Monsters card game. Kaiba Corp, on the other hand, is a former military arms dealer that shifted its focus on gaming industry when Seto Kaiba gained control of the company through a hostile takeover. The two are connected via the fact that Industrial Illusion supplies Duel Monsters expansion data to Kaiba Corp for their Solid Vision holograms, thus making Pegasus and Kaiba business partners (for now, at least).

Changes in the Dub

• The poster in the dub that Yugi's grandpa was putting up featured Black Luster Soldier and Harpie's Pet Dragon, which is a reference to episode 30. In the Japanese version, it's an advertisement for an upcoming National Duel Monsters Tournament with a 3,000,000 yen cash prize and on it are the Celtic Guardian and Hercules Beetle.
• When entering the game shop to visit Yugi's grandpa, the Japanese Joey and Yugi have the decency to ask about Solomon's health following him being seriously injured by playing a children's card game in the previous episode. The English Joey on the other hand cuts straight to business of begging for tutelage.
• In the dub, Pegasus tells Yugi about Egypt, the Shadow Realm, and the Millennium Items. In the Japanese version, he's more focused on the Duelist Kingdom Tournament.
• During the duel we see Yugi making a rather stupid movie by attacking his own Koumori Dragon—who was under Pegasus' control—instead of attacking Pegasus' Dragon Piper, which would have effectively sealed the duel for him. In the English version, this strategic brain freeze is glossed over. In the Japanese version, we actually learn that Yugi (or Atem at this point) did not want to win the duel by having his monster under the enemy control.

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series Quote of the Day

Yugi: Hey, there was a video inside the packageSolomon: I just hope it's not one of these cursed videotapes that are all the rage these days.Pegasus [while popping onto screen]: Seven days...Solomon: Oh snap! I knew it.

Keeping the Score

• Number of major friendship speeches: 0 (show's overall count: 2)
• Monologues on the heart of the cards: 0 (show's overall count: 2)
• A needless flashback to a previous episode: 1 (show's overall count: 1)
• Yugi's overall victory count: 2
• Yugi's overall losing count: 1 (although by default)
• Joey's overall victory count: 0
• Joey's overall losing count: 2 (keep trying, Joey)
• Pegasus' overall victory count: 1
• Pegasus' overall losing count: 0
• Weevil's overall victory count: 1
• Weevil's overall losing count: 0
• Rex Raptor's overall victory count: 0
• Rex Raptor's overall losing count: 1
• Tea's overall victory count: 1
• Tea's overall losing count : 0

Also read:My Little Over-Analysis of 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters' Part 2: Episode 1 'The Heart of the Cards'