Yu - Gi - Oh ! ARC - V - Episode 025 " Battle Between Buddies : Part 1 " , known as " Steadfast Resolution ! ! Noboru Gongenzaka " in the Japanese version , is the twenty - fifth episode of the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! ARC - V " anime . It first aired in Japan on September 28 , 2014 and in Australia on November 28 , 2015 . It became available with official subtitles via Crunchyroll on November 22 , 2016 . Summary . Claude and the Leo Corporation employees step aside as Declan approaches Shay . Shay asks who Declan is , and Declan introduces himself as Leo Corporation ' s current president . Shay repeats Declan ' s name to himself . Declan remarks that Shay ' s continued assaults on Leo Corporation - related parties in Paradise City suggest that Shay wishes to meet him , asking if he ' s mistaken . Shay smiles , and he brashly asks if Declan is the son of Leo Akaba . Claiming that he ' s been waiting for this moment , he challenges Declan to a Duel . Declan asks Shay why he ' s fighting him , and Shay retorts that he doesn ' t need to answer that . Declan muses that it ' s most likely to rescue Shay ' s comrades , as the girl behind him testified that when she first encountered Shay he was asking for someone named Lulu . From this , he deduced that Lulu was to him , to all of them , a dear comrade who has yet to escape from their enemy . Shay freezes up in shock as Declan states that this is why Shay is continuing to attack LID like this , as he looks over the unconscious Kit , Julia , and Dipper . Shay remembers Yuto telling him that Zuzu wasn ' t Lulu , as Zuzu learned Fusion Summon ing with a smile on her face , something that Lulu would never do . Back in the present , Shay agrees that there is no doubt that Lulu is still captive , but he will save her . This is why he continued to attack LID and sent Declan the cards with the cards sealed inside , all to draw him out . Declan muses that it ' s just as he suspected ; Shay wants to use him as a hostage for an exchange . Shay agrees , since if he has Leo Akaba ' s son as a bartering chip , even Leo will be unable to say no . Declan wonders about that , admitting that he doubts that his father values him that much . Shay asks what he means , but Declan brushes the remark off and states that he has no objections to Shay fighting him , but he has one condition . If Shay alone fulfills that condition , then Declan will gladly be his opponent , and should Shay win , he can do whatever he wants . He and Claude turn and leave as Shay protests . Zuzu runs through the street where Shay Dueled Julia , Kit , and Dipper , but she finds no - one there but the crows . The next day , Yuya picks up his Deck and remembers Nico Smiley ' s words from after his third match . Yuya has grown just as Nico expected ; in the first Duel , he showed that there were no perfect plans in cooking or Dueling and learned that having a flexible state of mind and the ability to improvise on the spot create the best hospitality ; in the second Duel he learned that one wouldn ' t improve through complacency and that it ' s important to communicate with both the opponent and the audience ; and in the third Duel , he finally surpassed Nico ' s imagination and left the entire gallery in awe . So far so good , but the final match , the fourth and final match that Nico arranged for him , is the most important ; if Yuya wins this , he ' ll have won 30 out of 50 times this year and reached the 60 % benchmark needed to qualify for the Junior Arc League Championship . He told Yuya to show Nico the summation of his acquired skills in this next battle and make his first step towards becoming a pro . Thinking that his future will be decided today , Yuya vows to enjoy himself no matter the opponent and make it through with his Entertainment Dueling . He cheerfully slides down the pole to the lounge , deciding to have a serving of 30 pancakes for his 30th win ; but his mother is nowhere to be seen , and neither are his pets or even Sora . He desperately asks where everyone went . Later , in the You Show Duel School elevator , a thoroughly annoyed Yuya eats his breakfast , irritated at his mother not making her son breakfast on such an important day . But when he emerges from the elevator , he can ' t find either of the Boyle ' s or the kids . He wonders aloud where they went , as does Nico Smiley , who bows deeply to Yuya . Yuya asks again where everyone went , and Nico wonders if it ' s bothering Yuya . Yuya replies that it is , but gets no response from Nico , who comments that Yuya will be late for his match and drags him into the elevator . Yuya angrily asks him where everyone is as Nico smiles innocently . Nico leads Yuya to the Strong Dojo , and Yuya asks Nico who his fourth opponent is , don ' t tell him it ' s who he thinks it is . Nico tells Yuya to confirm that for himself , and the enter the Dojo grounds , where Gong tells Yuya that he was getting tired of waiting for him . Yuya wonders why Nico went out of his way to make him fight Gong , as they ' ve already fought tons of times . Nico agrees , but they haven ' t had a serious match yet . He ' s aware that Gong is Yuya ' s best friend , who protected him from the cruel public after Yuya ' s father ' s disappearance , an act that moved Nico . Wiping the tears from his eyes , Nico tells Yuya that even if they are best friends , a real match is another matter entirely , especially if Yuya is aiming to be a pro . Gong agrees , claiming that despite having fought countless times before , there was no seriousness in those matches . While Gong couldn ' t fault Yuya for how he felt after Yusho ' s disappearance , he realized that feeling pity for Yuya only served to weaken him . Even though they were tied at 1 - 1 in the matches against LID , he still wasn ' t able to win his Duel . Yuya reminds him that it ended in a draw , but Gong claims that he couldn ' t win the Duel due to the weakness of his heart that came from being unable to break away from his own softness . He has to push himself further if he is to purge himself of such weakness . Nico cuts in , explaining that Gong even went as far as betting his entrance into the Junior Arc League Championship on this Duel , winning matches until he was just one away from the required 60 % win ratio , and then refusing any challenges until Yuya was in the same position . With both of them requiring just one more win , simply put , only the one who wins this Duel will be the one to enter the Championship . Yuya asks in shock why Gong went that far , and Gong explains that he didn ' t think he ' d be able to get a serious match out of Yuya if he didn ' t go this far . Eventually , Gong will inherit this dojo , so the Duel will also be a test for his Heavystrong Dueling , and Gong will put aside his weakness and fight with everything he ' s got because Yuya is his best friend . He tells Yuya to prepare himself , and Yuya bites his lip in frustration . In the past , Yuya walked down a street with his goggles over his eyes , as the children around him whisper that it ' s " the coward ' s kid , " the one who was at the stadium saying that he would Duel The Sledgehammer . Depressed , Yuya walked right into a bigger boy wearing a shirt with the Sledgehammer ' s face emblazoned on it . The boy removed Yuya ' s goggles and told him that if Yuya ' s going to fight in place of his father , then the boy would fight for the Sledgehammer . He challenged Yuya to a Duel , but Yuya was hesitant . The boy called Yuya a weakling , riling Yuya up , but Gong stepped in to break them up , refusing to tolerate bullying of the weak . He asks if the boy had forgotten the iron rules of their dojo . The other boy claimed that he wasn ' t bullying Yuya , but that they were going to fight on behalf of Yusho and the Sledgehammer . Gong warned the boy that their dojo did not teach him Heavystrong Dueling for such acts , and that those who took part in meaningless fights would be excommunicated at once , whether the boy was his senior or not . In the present , standing before the disciples of the Strong Dojo , Nico asks if Yuya has not yet steeled himself , though it ' s understandable , since he has to cut down the man who ' s supported him through all these years or he won ' t be able to enter the tournament . Yuya wonders where everyone else is at a time like this . Nico adds that Yuya will also have to learn to stand alone , since up until now , he ' s been protected not only by Gong but also plenty of others , and always being cheered on by others has given him strength . Being a pro means that Yuya must display his own skills even as the away team , even if everyone around him is cheering for the enemy , which was why he had Yuya ' s " cheer crew " take a leave of absence today . But this isn ' t entirely true - unbeknownst to Yuya , the three kids , Zuzu , Sora , Skip , and Yoko are hidden in an upper room looking through a grate . Skip wishes the two Duelists luck in their first serious match , while Zuzu whispers Yuya ' s name . Nico asks Sensei Strong if they shall begin , and Sensei Strong stands up , declaring that Dueling is to polish one ' s soul , diligently cultivating each other ' s character while possessing an immovable spirit no matter the circumstances : that is the path that their dojo travels upon . They shall clash with each other fair and square in this fight , and he wishes for them to polish each other ' s souls . He declares the activation of the Action Field , " Sword ' s Cemetery . " The same field that Gong Dueled Kit Blade on materializes around them , and Yuya asks Gong why he picked this one . Gong reassures Yuya that he ' ll find out why soon , and they ready their Duel Disk s . Gong yells , " Duelists locked in battle , " while Yuya declares , " Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters ! " Gong roars " They storm through this field ! " " Behold ! " Yuya cries , and they both declare " This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling ! Action ! DUEL ! " The Action Card s scatter through the field . Gong takes the first move , and he Summons " Superheavy Samurai Flutist " from his hand . On the turn he successfully Normal Summon s " Flutist , " he can Tribute it to Special Summon a " Superheavy Samurai " from his hand , and he Tributes it to Summon " Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei " in Defense Position . Tate is shocked to see a Level 8 monster right out of the gate , and Sora comments that little - Gong is going all out from the start . Poor Skip is conflicted as to who he should cheer for with both of their entries into the Junior Arc League Championship , Gong , who ' s been such a big help over the years , or Yuya , his student , and as he gets desperate , Zuzu has to smack him with her fan to calm him down , reminding him that they can ' t let Yuya hear them . Ally agrees , pointing out that Nico told them to watch quietly . Skip apologizes , and Sora wonders how Yuya will react to little - Gong ' s fighting spirit , and he excitedly declares that this is going to be fun . Yuya asks himself why his most important match has to be against Gong , the reason that he ' s come this far since the reason that he even has fifty matches this year is due to being referred to disciples from the dojo , and now he has to defeat the person who helped him and make him unable to enter the tournament . Gong warns Yuya that pitying his opponent so much is the same as disrespecting them , and he reiterates that it ' s because Yuya is his best friend that Gong will defeat him with all his strength , and Yuya should throw away those meaningless feelings and face Gong with all his might . Yuya draws , and then he Summons " Performapal Silver Claw . " He leaps onto " Silver Claw ' s " back and the monster sprints forwards . Yuya snags an Action Card from the ground , " Extreme Sword , " which increases " Silver Claw ' s " ATK by 1000 during the Battle Phase . " Silver Claw " rises to 2800 ATK and Yuya grabs another Action Card , excitedly exclaiming that he can use it too . He activates " Over Sword , " which will increase " Silver Claw ' s " ATK by a further 500 during the Battle Phase . The ATK of " Silver Claw " rises to 3300 . Sora observes that Yuya is going on the offensive , running around while getting Action Cards , and Tate exclaims that Yuya is Dueling as he normally does , while Frederick comments that it always gives him the shivers . Zuzu points out that " Silver Claw " still only has 3300 ATK against " Big Benkei ' s " 3500 DEF . Screeching to a halt , Yuya leaps off " Silver Claw " and declares his Battle Phase , and as " Silver Claw " lunges forwards , he activates its monster effect , increasing its ATK by 300 when it battles . " Silver Claw " is surrounded by a blue aura and Tate and Ally praise " Silver Claw ' s " ability to beat " Big Benkei , " as Frederick gets his shivers . But Gong activates the effect of his " Superheavy Samurai Soulfire Suit " from his hand , sending it to the Graveyard to negate " Big Benkei ' s " destruction . " Soulfire Suit " appears and blocks the attack with a red energy dome before disintegrating . Gong adds that " Big Benkei ' s " DEF is reduced by 800 when the effect is used , and " Big Benkei " falls to 2700 DEF . Thinking that he can ' t fight this Duel with half - hearted feelings , Yuya Sets a card to end his turn . Nico observes that Yuya is attacking while Gong is defending ; the first round has gone as expected . Gong ' s father agrees , stating that no matter how much the opponent may move around , one must always hold a steadfast stance , the primary fighting style of their dojo ( the Japanese name of Gong ' s Heavystrong Dueling style is " Steadfast . " ) He congratulates Gong , telling him to pierce through the Junior Arc League Championship with his Heavystrong Dueling . Gong comments that his father is getting ahead of himself , since the match has only just started and he hasn ' t even exerted his true strength yet . He declares his turn and draws " Superheavy Samurai Trumpter , " declaring that it ' s here . He muses that he has cast off his shell and steeled his heart in order to defeat his friend . He tells his father to watch , this is the new Heavystrong Dueling that he aspires to create , and he Summons the Level 2 Tuner monster , " Superheavy Samurai Trumpter . " Everyone gasps in utter shock as they realize that Gong is going to Synchro Summon , and Gong tunes the Level 8 " Big Benkei " with the Level 2 " Trumpter . " He chants " Raging deity , in unison with the roar of a thousand blades , appear now in a spiralling sandstorm ! Synchro Summon ! Now come before us ! Level 10 ! Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susanowo ! " As the Synchro Monster jams its halberd into the ground , displaying its 3800 DEF , everyone reacts in shock , and Skip wonders if this was why Gong picked this field . Yoko murmurs her son ' s name . Gong stamps on the ground , and he tells Yuya that he ' s coming , and the serious match has finally started . He tells him to prepare himself , as Yuya remains in a state of shock . Featured Duel : Yuya Sakaki vs . Gong Strong . At the start of the Duel , the Field Spell Card " Sword ' s Cemetery " is activate d , as per the rules of an Action Duel . It will allow the players to use Action Card s , but they may only have one in their hand at a time . Turn 1 : Gong Gong Normal Summon s " Superheavy Samurai Flutist " ( 500 / 1000 ) . As it was Normal Summoned this turn , he activate s its effect , letting him Tribute it to Special Summon a " Superheavy Samurai " monster from his hand . He Tributes it to Special Summon " Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei " in Defense Position ( 1000 / 3500 ) . Turn 2 : Yuya Yuya draws and subsequently Normal Summons " Performapal Silver Claw " ( 1800 / 700 ) . He finds and activate s the Action Card " Extreme Sword " , increasing the ATK of a monster on the field by 1000 until the End Phase ( " Silver Claw " 1800 → 2800 ) . He then finds and activates the Action Card " Over Sword " , which increases the ATK of a monster on the field by 500 for the Battle Phase only ( " Silver Claw " 2800 → 3300 ) , and prevents its attack s from being negate d . " Silver Claw " attacks " Big Benkei " , with its effect activating and increasing its ATK by 300 ( " Silver Claw " 3300 → 3600 ) during damage calculation . Gong activates the effect of the " Superheavy Samurai Soulfire Suit " in his hand , send ing it to the Graveyard to target a Level 5 or higher Defense Position " Superheavy Samurai " monster he controls . It cannot be destroyed by battle this turn , but its DEF is decreased by 800 ( " Big Benkei " 3500 → 2700 ) . Yuya Set s a card . Turn 3 : Gong Gong draws and subsequently Normal Summons " Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter " ( 300 / 600 ) . He then tunes the Level 2 Tuner monster " Trumpeter " with the Level 8 " Big Benkei " to Synchro Summon " Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susanowo " in Defense Position ( 2400 / 3800 ) . Featured cards . The following cards appeared in this episode . Cards in italics debuted here .