List of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters

The following is a list of characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's anime series.
Names refer to the 4K Media English version, with the original Japanese names presented in the descriptions where available. Some international releases feature alternative names.
The Signers (シグナー, Shigunā) are people who bear the Mark of the Crimson Dragon (赤き竜, Akakiryū), a deity worshiped by a pre-Incan civilization that defended the world from the Red Nova and the Earthbound Immortals with the help of the Signer Dragons, powerful dragons that have been turned into Duel Monsters cards that the current Signers now possess. Signers are chosen by the Crimson Dragon to protect the world from evil.
Voiced by: (Japanese); Bella Hudson (English)
Dark Signers (ダーク・シグナー, Dāku Shigunā) are the antagonists of the second arc of the show, who fight against the Crimson Dragon and the Signers. Dark Signers are born when someone who has died (usually someone wanting revenge on a Signer) is resurrected by an Earthbound Immortal (Earthbound God in the Japanese version), evil entities imprisoned in the Nazca Lines by the Crimson Dragon. Infused with dark powers and possessing dark cards, the Dark Signers are able to form a barrier around their opponents, initiating a Shadow Duel where attacks from monsters cause real damage. Sometimes, if the Dark Signer is showing weakness or resistance, the Earthbound Immortal itself can take over the Dark Signer's body. Dark Signers have special cards called Dark Tuner Monsters that can summon Dark Synchro Monsters with a negative level. They also have an Earthbound Immortal, represented by their birthmarks. When summoned, these monsters sacrifice the souls of anyone caught within the Dark Signer's geoglyph (with the exception of the duelists, Signers, and anyone protected by a barrier emitted by a Signer's birthmark). Their common attribute is the ability to attack directly and not be chosen as a target, although some circumstances allow them to attack monsters and be attacked themselves. In the anime, they are unaffected by Spell and Trap cards.
There are also Dark Signer-like figures (called Shadow Drones in the dub) who are recruited and controlled by Roman's spiders. They only have access to Dark Tuner and Dark Synchro Monsters. When these Shadow Drones are defeated, their Mark of the Shadows and Deck disappear, and they lose their memories of being possessed. According to Goodwin, a true Dark Signer cannot be returned to normal, because they have already died. In addition, their duels end with the losing duelist being killed (in the dub, the loser is sent to the Netherworld). When a true Dark Signer is defeated, all the souls that were used for summoning their Earthbound Immortal are freed (this also seems to apply to non-Dark Signers who were defeated in Shadow Duels). After Goodwin and the King of the Netherworld are defeated, Goodwin and Roman pass on to the afterlife while Carly, Misty, and Devack are revived with no memory of their time as Dark Signers. Kalin is later shown to still remember his time as a Dark Signer, as well as Greiger.
Originally led by Goodwin, Yliaster (イリアステル, Iriasuteru, also Iliaster) was an organization of Star Guardians, who are said to bring peace to the world and worship the Crimson Dragon. Their true purpose, however, is to steer the world to change the future, which was destroyed by Dr Fudo's creation of Ener-D (Momentum in Japanese). In the third season, the founding Yliaster members come from the future with the purpose of setting things right. They hope to accomplish this by harnessing energy from Turbo Duels during the WRGP to power the Ark Cradle, which will be used to destroy Ener-D, and ultimately New Domino City and Satellite, and thus undo the calamity Ener-D had caused.
The Fortune Cup is a tournament organized by Rex Goodwin with the purpose of awakening the powers of the Signers. The winner will be able to challenge Jack Atlas for the title of King. Along with Yusei, Aki and Leo (disguised as Luna), there are other duelists whose jobs are to put pressure on their opponents in order to awaken their abilities (the exception is Hunter Pace, who replaced one of the combatants in order to beat Yusei).
The following are the competitors in the World Racing Grand Prix (World Riding Duel Grand Prix in Japanese version, WRGP for short) alongside Team 5D's and Yliaster's Team New World. Players battle in teams of up to three players, each with 4000 points per player. When one player's life points reach zero, the next player takes over until all players are eliminated.