Yu-Gi-Oh: 6 Best Rivals, Ranked

No shonen anime is complete without a competitive rival to push the main protagonist to their absolute limit. This especially goes for Yu-Gi-Oh!, which is entirely based around a hyper-competitive card game, so it only makes sense that the plucky main character would have a rival to test their abilities every now and again, but not every Yu-Gi-Oh! series follows this exact formula.

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While some of them feature a more traditional rival who is the clear thorn in the side of the protagonist, there are others where the story includes several characters that could just as easily fit the description. With that being said, though, it’s always a given that there will at least be one true rival to the protagonist of the series, and a few of them have even bested the main character on multiple occasions.

6 Shingo Sawatari (Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V)

Shingo Steals The Show With His Stuck-Up And Pompous Personality

• Best Card: Abyss Actor – Big Star
• Greatest Achievement: Defeating 5 underground facility guards

Shingo does admittedly lose each of his duels against Yuya during the events of Arc-V, but it’s really hard not to like the guy once he begins going through his personal arc after forming a bitter rivalry with the Pendulum Duelist. Shingo actually starts out as an enemy of Yuya’s, but as time goes on, and he is defeated time and time again by his Entermate monsters, he instead begins to respect the young man, labeling him as a rival from then on.

Rather than sticking to a single deck and building upon it throughout the series, Shingo actually utilizes multiple different decks throughout the series which feeds into his strategic and calculated personality. Because of the sheer amount of characters featured in Arc-V, it does mean that Shingo doesn’t get quite as much screentime as many fans would like, but he’s still an extremely enjoyable presence whenever he does appear.

5 Zane (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

Zane Was Always The Biggest Challenge For Jaden During His Time In The Academy

• Best Card: Cyber Dragon
• Greatest Achievement: Defeating the Chaos Sorcerer to protect Aster and Axel

Zane is actually one of the only people in all of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX to defeat Jaden, proving to him that he was worthy of holding the title of being the best Duelist in the academy, but this winning streak doesn’t carry over into their future matches. Just before graduating at the end of his third year, Zane specifically picks out Jaden to be his opponent, admitting that he simply wants to see how far Jaden has come since their first duel.

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This doesn’t feel like a teacher testing their mentor though, as it’s made clear that Zane is slightly worried that Jaden may be reaching his level, a suspicion that is almost proven correct by the end of their face off. After a long and arduous Duel, Jaden places down his Final Fusion Trap Card to finish off both players, resulting in a draw. Zane always felt like the biggest hill that Jaden needed to climb to become a great Duelist, and that’s what made him so captivating as a rival.

4 Luke (Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS)

Luke’s Fiery Determination To Be The Best Duelist Alive Is The Perfect Contrast To Yuga’s More Laid-Back Personality

• Best Card: Multistrike Dragon Dragias
• Greatest Achievement: Defeating Yuga on 4 different occasions

Unlike Yuga, who believes that the act of Dueling should just be for fun, Luke has a fiery determination to become the fabled “King of Duels”. This makes him the perfect foil to Yuga’s character, testing the protagonist’s belief in dueling and whether it should be something used for fame and power, or simply entertainment.

He therefore has a big involvement in the development of Yuga as a character which is always the sign of a good rival, but he’s also just a lot of fun to watch in general because of how lovable his personality is. While there’s no doubt that Luke is a skilled Duelist, especially with his lethal Dragon deck, he also tends to go a little overboard when mentioning his achievements to his buddies, a small detail which adds a lot to his character.

3 Chazz (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

Chazz’s Hatred For Jaden Runs Very Deep, Almost To The Point Of Hilarious Absurdity

• Best Card: Armed Dragon LV10
• Greatest Achievement: Defeating the child prodigy Aster Phoenix

While Jaden does have a few rivals, by far the most iconic, and the one who could be considered the most menacing and dangerous, is the arrogant Duelist known as Chazz. The main reason Chazz is such a joy to watch is that he possesses the perfect balance between a cartoon villain bordering on comic relief, and a fearsome Duelist who isn’t afraid to tear apart his opponent apart when he needs to.

Chazz’s intense hatred for Jaden can seem pretty harsh at first, especially when he’s mocking his Deck and smiling at glee at the thought of him being suspended, but they eventually learn to respect and even admire one another through their Duels. By the end of the series, Chazz is more or less a brother to Jaden, but this only came after the two forged a fearsome and long-running rivalry that would become the most memorable of their respective series.

2 Jack Atlas (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s)

The Emotional Rivalry Between Jack And Yusei Is At The Heart Of The Fan-Favorite Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s Series

• Best Card: Red Nova Dragon
• Greatest Achievement: Becoming the King by defeating everyone who challenged him

Jack Atlas is actually such a popular character that he was actually brought back in Arc-V, but it’s in 5D’s where he really gets to shine the most during his intense rivalry with Yusei. There are many reasons why Jack is so beloved among fans, whether it’s his snobby no-nonsence attitude, his immensely strong Power Deck, or even just his feverous obsession to become the “King”, they all make him a fearsome character who will do anything to be the greatest. Jack would eventually go on to live in Domino City, a luxurious area full of wealth and opportunity, but not before stealing Yusei’s Stardust Dragon and Duel Runner to help him achieve his goal of being the very best Duelist around.

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The fact that Jack willingly abandoned Yusei behind in Sattelite makes this a truly intense and emotional rivalry that is at the center of the 5D’s story, and it keeps the plot engaging from beginning to end. This rocky and complex relationship also feeds its way into their duels, such as during the Fortune Cup when Jack says that he cannot let Yusei win because this would mean he could do so without having to turn his back on his friends, which Jack had to do. Jack and Yusei would undoubtedly have the most intense rivalry in all of Yu-Gi-Oh! if not for one other pairing.

1 Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters)

Kaiba’s Obsession With Defeating Yugi, No Matter The Cost, Makes Him An Utterly Captivating Character To Watch

• Best Card: Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon
• Greatest Achievement: Defeating Ishizu during the Battle City Tournament

Kaiba isn’t just the most iconic villain in Yu-Gi-Oh!, he’s also one of the most recognizable rivals in all anime and manga, and there are plenty of reasons why this is the case. Kaiba follows the traditional rival formula of simply just being obsessed with beating the protagonist, but it’s the lengths he goes to achieve this which makes him so fascinating. In Battle City for example, Kaiba teams up with Yugi against two strangers to ensure he could Duel him straight after they were defeated, and he even helps Yugi find his friends with the promise that they’ll have a battle in the future.

It’s not that Kaiba simply wants to test the strength of Yugi, he just has to beat him, no matter what the cost, and it’s this simple and straightforward mindset that makes it so intriguing to see how far he will go in the next episode to achieve this goal. He and Yugi also have very different approaches and philosophies to Dueling which makes each one of their encounters very exciting. While Yugi believes in the Heart of the Cards and always respects his own Deck, Kaiba simply tries to utilize the strongest monsters possible to overwhelm his opponents, which can often lead him into trouble. Overall, Kaiba is a cunning, captivating, and iconic rival who steals the spotlight whenever he is on the screen.