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Duel Masters Anime
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Duel Masters is the anime adaption of the manga series and is produced by Takara Tomy.

See also: List of Characters

Season Listings

English and Japanese seasons

Japanese-exclusive seasons

Shobu Kirifuda

Katta Kirifuda

Joe Kirifuda

Win Kirifuda

English-exclusive seasons

Spin-off seasons

Duel Masters Movies

Short Film

Details

There have been many different anime adaptions, the original anime Duel Masters follows the original storyline of the manga and so does its sequel Duel Masters Charge.

However, the English adaptions of the anime have had many changes compared to the Japanese versions, as it was not a proper translation of the Japanese anime. Duel Masters Charge was referred to as "Duel Masters 2.0" for the English dub.

There have been many seasons of the Duel Masters anime, such as the alternate reality CGI franchise which contains Zero Duel Masters, Duel Masters Zero, Duel Masters Cross and Duel Masters Cross Shock. There has also been a movie and a spin-off series called Duel Masters Flash. Duel Masters Cross and Duel Masters Cross Shock slightly follow the Duel Masters Fighting Edge series of the manga which is a sequel to the original series. The events of Shobu's fate was followed by the manga series Star Cross, which was canon to the anime and Shobu disappeared from the Duel Masters World for years.

The Victory Saga, as well as its follow-up Versus Saga, introduce new characters and a new protagonist Katta Kirifuda who is the younger brother of the previous season's protagonist Shobu Kirifuda. These new seasons also have their own new manga series with the same name as the TV Show, they also feature the same characters as well but they feature a slightly different story plot compared to the ongoing TV show.

This was later followed by the third generation protagonist; Katta's son Joe Kirifuda. This was the refresher point of the series as the anime and manga retains its original name. This anime fuses the gag elements of Katta's Saga with the serious elements in Shobu Saga with entire episodes being serious in nature.

Synopsis

In the beginning generation, Shobu Kirifuda who plays a trading card game called Duel Masters which revolves around the five civilizations (Light, Water, Darkness, Fire, Nature).

In Duel Masters, there are 2 worlds that are featured.

There is the real world of Earth in which the main characters live, as well as the creature world in which the civilizations are at war against each other. By using a fictional martial art called "Kaijudo" (known as the "Duel of Truth" in the Japanese version) the players can bring the monsters to life and appear in their duels.

In the later Victory seasons of the anime, the outer space of the creature world is known as Pandora Space and from there has been appearances of different creature races appearing into the real world. Facing these creatures is Katta Kirifuda, Shobu's younger brother. Katta Kirifuda then faces his greatest challenge with the worlds at stake, combating the Alien race, a mysterious band consisting of creatures and the Oracle Cult during the Outrage and Oracle war. In the Versus saga, Katta faces new rivals and more usage of the Dragon Races. His final challenge involves fighting against an Armageddon creature that threatens the world.

Joe Kirifuda, Katta's son is the next central protagonist of the series, taking place 14 years after Katta's final battle against Dormageddon X. In the new era, technological advancements had change the style of Duel Masters. At the same time, a Duel Master was needed again to maintain the balance in between both worlds.

Season Summaries

For the assumed series of events that happened in chronological order, see here.

Original Series

Season 1

The young duelist Shobu Kirifuda battles his way to stardom, in an attempt to follow in his fathers footsteps and become a Kaijudo Master, aided by his mentor Knight, and his friends Rekuta, Sayuki and Mimi he battles against many strong adversaries such as the Reaper duelist Kokujo, leader of the White Soldiers, Hakuoh as well as the Master of the Temple.

Sacred Lands

Shobu battles with the power of Amulet Deck Case against the evil organization P.L.O.O.P. and their plans to use Dark Amulet Deck Case's powers on the creatures from the Creature World in order to take over Earth.

Charge

3 years after the events of their Sacred Lands quest, Shobu and his friends Rekuta, Mimi, Hakuoh and George enter the Duel Masters Battle Arena to battle the Black Soldiers. The Black Soldiers are a group of duelists wishing to defeat Hakuoh after failing to join the White Soldiers.

Later in the season the group battles against the villainous Zakira and his organization of Fua Duelists who wish to obtain the "Great Spirit of Duel Masters" which is distributed into various Awakening Cards which only can be used by a Kaijudo duelists with a pure spirit. Zakira decides to brainwash Hakuoh, turning him into "White" but Shobu and his friends try to stop him and rescue their friend from the grips of Zakira.

Flash

This series is based in the same universe of Duel Masters and Duel Masters Charge but the story is based on the future timeline in which Shobu doesn't appear. The Duel Masters card game has evolved with new technology.

The story revolves around Teru Yumemi and his older sister Cocoro Yumemi and their friends who met Rei Kukami. Rei is a descendant of a family who holds the mysterious pendant ARC which holds the Great Spirit of Duel Masters. Rei and her family protect this pendant from the clutches of the evil Nest organization. Rei does not trust anyone and she fights this organization on her own until one day when she was cornered but then Teru and his sister saw her and helped her out of the situation. She finally saw the honest boy with such a great spirit whom she felt she could finally trust. She decided to bring them to her grandfather Kenshiro Kukami, who owns a dojo in which he teaches Duel Masters. Teru decided to become stronger from learning in this dojo, so he could not be overshadowed by his older sister and would finally have the power to protect his friends.

Teru later met his rival Hayate, who later had the same goal as Rei, which was to protect the pendant ARC from NEST. Teru became strong after each duel and helped Rei with his sister and friends to stop the NEST organization. In the end Chikage Kasumi a member of Nest organization had obtained the power of the pendant and was controlling a Guardian Card as well. But Teru was not the chosen one yet even though he holds a guardian card. So in order for Teru to become the chosen one and earn the title of the legendary duelist Teru had to duel against his rival Hayate who also holds a Guardian Card. Teru won against Hayate who also finally acknowledged him. Teru then dueled Chikage and won. Teru and his friends defeated Nest and now hold all of the Guardian Cards. Teru has become the Legendary Duelist of the future.

The Guardian Cards in this series are the same as the Awakening Card but in this series these cards are different creatures since it is the future, and in the future the creature world has a different timeline as well and these creatures are the new Guardians for the Great Spirit of Duel Masters. Which resides in the ARC pendant.

In this series the traditional usage of cards are no more, instead the cards are put into the a new deck holder which reads the cards and transfers data to a virtual headset gear which provides information on cards and gives memorable options on every card details and brings out virtual reality experience of creatures and spells, for more immersive playing experience. The game is controlled via gestures and voice.

The headset is also used as communication gear instead. Children in the future mostly use these headsets and no other devices since they provide them an immersive gaming experience and a communication device. This series also debuted Creature Battle Duel a popular Duel Masters game for these head-gears.

Zero

Shobu, Mimi, Boy George and Rekuta go to Duel Island in order to train by dueling in the tournament and encounter new enemies and rivals who work under Professor March.

Cross

Shobu and his friends continue their battle against Zakira and his Fua Duelists, rescuing Hakuoh from becoming "White" and trying to stop Zakira from obtaining the power of the "Great Spirit of Duel Masters" and stop him from ever using it for his evil plans.

Cross Shock

Shobu and his friends finally defeat the remainder of the Fua Duelists and go in to the creature world to stop a new enemy Diabolos from destroying the creature world as well as destroying the human world. Shobu and his friends go on a quest to obtain the legendary cards with the power necessary to stop the Annihilation from happening.

Victory Saga

Starting from this point on, with the exception of V3, The series takes on a lighter and much more humorous tone and resembles a gag anime, with much fewer people killed or physically hurt in the process of events.

Victory

Katta Kirifuda, a duelist of the next generation and the brother of Shobu was introduced, taking place years after the events in Star Cross and Shobu's apparent disappearance. Katta wants to become the best duelist in the world but in his own way unlike his brother, and with all of his new friends helping him along on his journey. He also considers Dragon Ryu as his rival.

Katta goes on his journey to become a stronger duelist then his rival and faces new stronger opponents such as Onsen as well a making new friends along the way. He continues to fail to beat his rival and trains to become stronger and face for one final time in the "Duel Carnival Tournament". However, in the tournament, Katta watches his rival lose to one of his strongest opponents, Onsen.

Katta then finally found out the truth behind both his rival and his new enemy that they are both from different worlds and are here for the same purpose. Katta finds out that his rival is actually a Hunter race creature who is here because of another creature called Prin Prin, the Eternal. Prin Prin is actually the princess of the Alien race and comes from a different world called "Pandora Space". She is currently in her card form and is being given as a tournament prize. Onsen is revealed to be controlled by an Alien race creature and is in the human world take the princess by force to the "Pandora Space".

Katta after finding this out had a hard time to believe all this but then he finally believes in Ryu when Ryu and his followers transform into the cards and offer to help defeat Onsen. After a fierce duel, Katta manages to win the tournament, but just after having the prize card, it gets stolen by Katta's own teammate Yohdel who was controlled by Onsen. Onsen had almost escaped with the Alien princess card but Katta catches up to him and challenges his for the one final time. Both of them prepare to face each other for one final time and after a challenging battle, Katta manages to defeat him with his Gaial Ore Dragon, the Vainglory card and becomes a hero and champion duelist.

Victory V

Katta and his friends return into a school setting. They are placed in a class where each student is a duelist. Katta is very popular in the class after becoming the last champion from the "Duel Carnival Tournament" in the last season.

Katta meets a new transfer student named Leo who appears to be very good looking and quite a strong duelist, impressing everyone with his looks and his duels. Due to this newcomer, Katta's popularity has been diverted to Leo.During the time in school,he got involved in a conflict against the Y.A.R.A.S.I and fights to save his friends.

Victory V3

Katta and his friends team up with the outrages in a war against the group of Oracles. In the end, Katta and his friends won and saved the world.

Versus Saga

Versus

Taking place 2 years after the events in V3, Katta, now a secondary 2 student returns to his dueling journey to be the strongest duelist. He entered a new world and era of dueling; the Dragon Saga. Along the way, he reunites with his old friends and meets new ones as well as new rivals which test his limits.

Katta then participates in the Duel Masters National Tournament in order to battle his rivals and to reclaim the glory of being the strongest duelist in the world of Duel Masters. Along the way, he encounters new challenges and styles in dueling and reunites with his long lost brother Shobu, after years of separation. Shobu returns to assist Katta in his journey to become stronger before he leaves again after being defeated by Katta in their first duel. Katta then faces off his opponents in the finals of the Duel Masters National Tournament. At the same time, he has to face an unknown enemy relating to his brother's past, with Shobu joining in to fight the threat.

Versus Revolution

A new attraction park was linked to a dark secret, which may eventually destroy the World of Duel Masters. Katta have to master the new power of the Revolutionary race to fight against the Invader deck users. At the same time, one of the most dangerous card, linking back to the events in Star Cross have risen. With the new threat looming, Shobu Kirifuda decides to fight alongside Katta, as the two siblings proceed to fight in a war to protect the Duel Masters World.

Versus Revolution Final

This season involve Katta and his friend's battle against Basara, Dokindam X and the cult Rare Killers. At the same time, new Revolutionary Teams partners up with their respective users to counter the threat.

Duel Masters 2017

The story follows the journey of new generation protagonist Joe Kirifuda. 2 years after his father's departure to the creature world, Joe and his mother moved to a new town. In his era, holographic images and creatures are displayed in duels, which was a stark contrast to Shobu and Katta's era.

Spin-offs

In Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, a new American series, a 14-year-old boy named Raiden Okamoto discovers a secret world where creatures rule, he must learn the ancient art of Kaijudo to master the arts of the game to protect his world and their own.

Versions by country

The American and Latin American versions of the Duel Masters seasons added several elements not found in the original that were included to become more of a comedy series in order to separate it from other card battling shows on the market. Added to American version were dub-parody jokes about typical anime conventions, such as split-screens and a missing father-figure (in this case, Shobu's father Shori). Frequent references are made throughout the show to pop culture phenomenon, such as when one of the characters, Kyoshiro Kokujo, says "I am dark...I am the night...I am Bat-oh wait, wrong show.". As such, they recur as running gags during the course of the show.

Another common form of humor found in the show is its breaking of the fourth wall. The characters will constantly say things like, "Looks like it's time for a fade-out,", "I hope the writers do better next week."," Why is the camera too close on my face?" or "You know, I like it when they use this scene." While the storyline is technically dramatic, most episodes are punctuated by a comedic storyline mixed in with the serious storyline. Duel Masters also has promotional gimmicks which depart greatly from the traditional fantasy embraced in Magic: The Gathering.

Differences between Japanese and English Versions

The "Sacred Lands"/"P.L.O.O.P." storyline is not based on the manga and was created specifically for the American market. The Japanese version has a separate second season entitled "Duel Masters Charge", which is based on the manga. Duel Masters Charge was eventually produced for the American market as "Duel Masters 2.0", although only the 1st half of the season was aired. The rest of the season was only aired in Japan

As a whole, the Japanese version is more serious than the American version. While the Japanese version seems to rely more on visual and situational humor, the American version tends to use much more verbal humor. Also, while the Japanese version is mostly a traditional card game show with much humor, the American version is a flat-out parody of the genre. In fact, the American version is not a true translation, but is instead a "parody dub". The American version also has different music and sound effects than that of the original Japanese version.

Eventually, a Japanese third season premiered in Japan entitled "Shinseiki Duel Masters Flash", followed by "Zero Duel Masters" and "Duel Masters Zero" (separate from "Zero Duel Masters"). "Duel Masters Cross" was the 6th season shown, lasting 100 episodes.Then the 7th season, "Duel Masters Cross Shock" which has also finished airing in Japan with 51 total episode and one special episode including in it. Currently since April 2. 2011 "Duel Masters Victory" has been airing with already up to 22 episodes aired in Japan However, the American version of the anime has ended, and future seasons after "Sacred Lands"/"P.L.O.O.P." will not be translated.

Differences between Japanese and Korean Versions

The Korean version of Duel Masters is called Duel Legend. They do not have a corresponding manga series alongside the anime but do the same episodes in the Season 1 and Sacred Lands seasons. After those seasons a "Duel Legend 2" season started, featuring the same episodes as "Duel Masters Charge". A "Duel Legend Zero" season followed and contained all episodes from "Zero Duel Masters" and "Duel Masters Zero". "Duel Legend Cross" also featured the same episodes shown in "Duel Masters Cross".

The next season "Duel Legend Shock" aired at the same time a "Duel Legend Cross". "Duel Legend Shock" had the same episodes as "Duel Masters Cross Shock". All five of these "Duel Legend" seasons are in Korean.

In Korea, the Duel Legend cards have a different appearance. While they feature the same artwork and effect as their Japanese counterparts, they instead feature a white card frame, Korean text, and a unique card numbering system. The card backing also features the "Duel Legend" logo. Duel Legend is produced by Sonokong, a Korean toy, game and entertainment company. However, their technical license is still owned by Takara Tomy and Hasbro.

Official Links

Each of the following websites are in Japanese.

Trivia

  • The name Duel Masters is often believed to be a pun on "Duel Monsters" (the name used in the second series anime and English manga for another card game (also known as Magic & Wizards - that name is a pun off of Magic: The Gathering) in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime franchise.) It actually takes its name from Magic: The Gathering, which had Duel Masters as its codename early in development. Yu-Gi-Oh! is even briefly referred to, when Shobu speaks of "Yugi Muto" that one show with the "Egyptian guy with spiky hair".
  • The first release of the first 6 volumes of the manga series featured the card game of Magic: The Gathering. In these volumes, the story featured the same characters and plot revolving around Shobu, with only slight differences from its anime counterpart. It was not until the 7th volume of this manga that the game of Duel Masters was introduced, with Shobu being given a pre-built deck in order to duel against Hakuoh.
  • The first English-language season of the TV series was produced by Plastic Cow Productions. The second season that was created for the American market was produced by Elastic Media Corp. The third season was produced by Howling Cat Productions (featuring some of the former Saban Entertainment VA's, such as Brian Beacock, Philece Sampler, and Wendee Lee). In the UK, Duel Masters airs on Toonami and used to air on five. In the US and Australia, it aired on Cartoon Network.
  • Japanese dialogue also plays a part in duels. A player declares "Ikuzo" to challenge another player. The challenged then chooses to accept with "Koi". "Hai" literally means "yes" in Japanese. "Ike" is a command to attack, and "Todomeda" is similar to calling "checkmate" and ends the game.


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