Yu - Gi - Oh ! - Episode 001 " The Heart of the Cards " , known as " The Terrifying Blue - Eyes White Dragon " in Japan , is the first episode , and premiere , of the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " anime . It is the first episode of the Duelist Kingdom arc . It first aired in Japan on April 18 , 2000 and in the United States on September 29 , 2001 . Summary . Prologue . The narrator explains how in Ancient Egypt , when the pyramids were young , ancient Kings played Shadow Game s , which erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the world . However a Pharaoh sealed the magic away , imprisoning it in the Millennium Items . 3000 years later ( 5000 in the dub ) , Yugi Muto unlocked the secrets of the Millennium Puzzle infusing him with ancient magical energies . Destiny has chosen Yugi to prevent the return of the Shadow Games , just like the Pharaoh did . Present . School . At Domino High School , Yugi is teaching his friend , Joey Wheeler , how to play " Duel Monsters " , while Tristan Taylor , Téa Gardner and Bakura Ryou watch . Tristan jokes that Joey looks cute when he is thinking . Joey shows Tristan the cards , explaining that they ' re playing " Duel Monsters " . Tristan looks at him blankly and asks " Drooling Monsters ? " Joey pushes him away and Téa says that they have been at it for hours ; Joey ' s starting to get the hang of it , but Yugi ' s an expert . As Joey plays " Kagemusha of the Blue Flame " , Téa explains to Tristan that each monster has an ATK number and a DEF number and the first Duelist to eliminate their opponent ' s Life Points wins the Duel . Joey ' s pleased with his move . Although Yugi agrees it was good , he plays " Blackland Fire Dragon " , which is powerful enough to defeat Joey . Tristan teases Joey ' s skill , but Yugi assures Joey that he played alright . Yugi just has better cards , he tells them , which is because his grandfather owns a game shop , where he gets all his good cards . Joey gets fired up to visit the shop and Yugi talks about a super rare card his grandfather has . A few tables across , Seto Kaiba is reading " " . ( In the dub , the cover of the book is blank . ) He overhears Yugi ' s conversation and wonders if the rare card is the one he has been searching for . Game shop . After school , Yugi and his friends , Joey , Tristan and Téa arrive at his grandfather ' s shop . He asks his grandfather if he could show them his rare card . Solomon thinks about it , laughs and says " how can I refuse ? " . He produces a decorative box and tells them that they are in for a treat and he does not usually take this card out . He holds up the " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " card , telling them it is so rare and powerful that he never lets it leave his hands . The kids are impressed apart from Tristan , who grabs the card from Solomon ' s hand , remarking that he does not see anything special about it . Solomon snatches it back , insisting that the card is priceless ; there are only four of them in the world . As Joey prepares to trade for other cards , Kaiba enters the shop . Solomon asks if he can help him and Kaiba says if he cannot , it would not surprise him . The kids are surprised to see him here , as he has a big company to run . Kaiba says he is here to see the card . Joey is glad to hear that Kaiba plays " Duel Monsters " too and suggests that they could all Duel together . Kaiba mocks the idea , saying he would have more of a challenge playing solitaire ; he is the number 1 ranked Duelist in the country and the favorite to win the " Duel Monsters " World Championship . Joey is intimidated and suggests they settle this with fists instead of cards . Yugi steps in between them and tries to calm Joey down . Kaiba sees the " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " on the table in its case . He rushes over to it , pushing Yugi aside . Solomon takes the card away and asks if there is anything else he can help him with . Kaiba slams his briefcase on the counter and opens it , showing it is full of " Duel Monsters " cards . He offers to trade all of them for the " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " . To everyone ' s surprise , Solomon declines . Kaiba then attempts to buy the card , asking Solomon to name his price , he can pay anything that he asks . Solomon refuses and explains that he does not want to give it away because it was given to him by a dear friend , so he treasures the card . Kaiba leaves , realizing it is useless trying to get it peacefully . Kidnapping . As Kaiba leaves in his limousine , he is sickened by Solomon ' s attitude about the Heart of the Cards . He believes the cards are all about power and one way or another , the Blue - Eyes White Dragon card will be his . At the KaibaCorp building , Kaiba tells his employees that he wants them to pick up something at the game shop . The next morning , Hobson and two other goons arrive at the game shop . Hobson tells Solomon that his master , Seto Kaiba , challenges him to a Duel . He asks " And if he was to decline ? " , Hobson says they must insist . Solomon thinks that Kaiba does not understand , but he will teach him a lesson about the Heart of the Cards . Yugi and his friends arrive to find his grandfather missing . Suddenly the phone rings and Yugi answers it only to find out that it was Kaiba , telling Yugi that his grandfather is not feeling well and needs picking up . ( In the dub , the words " Now Printing " are removed from a box near the phone . ) Yugi and his friends make their way to KaibaCorp where they find Solomon seriously injured . Solomon tells Yugi that he failed ; he had tried to teach Kaiba a lesson about the Heart of the Cards but he lost . Kaiba appears in the room and says that he defeated Solomon in a Duel , with each of them putting up their most valuable card as the prize . He guesses that playing against a champion like himself was too much stimulation for Yugi ' s grandfather . Téa accuses Kaiba of cheating , which he denies . In the dub , she tells Kaiba he should be ashamed of himself . Kaiba holds up the " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " then tears it in two and Yugi protests that it was his grandfather ' s most " treasured card " . Kaiba says that since a Deck can only hold three copies of each card , the fourth could become an enemy . In the dub , he says that he did not want anyone to use it against him . Solomon hands Yugi his Deck , saying that he put his soul in these cards and taught Yugi everything he knows . He instructs Yugi to take them and teach Kaiba respect for the Heart of the Cards . Yugi insists that he needs to take him to a doctor but Kaiba remarks that it sounds like an excuse . Yugi ' s friends offer to take Grandpa to the hospital , while Yugi faces Kaiba . Yugi is unsure , but the others offer support . Joey says " I used to love fighting , but it was you who changed me , Yugi . You can do it . " In the dub , Joey says Yugi ' s the best Duelist he has ever seen and he has the Millennium Puzzle . He knows Yugi can do it . Before Yugi leaves , Téa uses a marker to draw a smiley face symbol of friendship on everyone ' s hands . She says that even though the ink will wash away , they will always remember the circle of their friendship . ( In the dub she says that when Yugi ' s Dueling , he will know that he is not alone . They will all be right there with him . ) As Téa , Tristan and Joey take Solomon to the ambulance , Téa suggests that Joey stay behind to support Yugi . The Duel . Kaiba takes Yugi to a virtual stadium . Kaiba says he designed the stadium himself and he thinks Yugi will agree that it will add a bit more life to the game . Kaiba says they ' ll play using the Kaiba Special Rules . In the dub he says that they each begin with 2000 Life Points and the first player to hit 0 loses . Yugi activates the Millennium Puzzle and changes into Yami Yugi . Kaiba is slightly startled by Yugi ' s change in attitude . Yugi says " Now Kaiba , it ' s time to Duel " . Kaiba goes first and Summons " Hitotsu - Me Giant " . A hologram of the monster emerges onto the field . Yugi is surprised to see the monster come to life . Kaiba explains that it is his virtual simulator ; it creates life - like holograms of every " Duel Monster " . Yugi realizes that this is how Kaiba beat Solomon . Yugi starts his turn and Summons " Winged Dragon , Guardian of the Fortress " . At this point , Joey arrives at the Duel and is shocked by the presence of the monsters . The two monsters get ready to battle and Yugi commands " Winged Dragon , Guardian of the Fortress " to use its " Fireball " attack . " Winged Dragon , Guardian of the Fortress " launches a fireball at " Hitotsu - Me Giant " , destroy ing it and lowering Kaiba ' s Life Points to 1800 . Mokuba Kaiba rushes into the room , asking his brother if he is okay , while Joey celebrates on Yugi taking out 1 of Kaiba ' s monsters . Kaiba says that he should have started with a handicap this size anyway . In the dub , he says " Well played . . . for a beginner " . He asks how Yugi will stand against this and Summons " Saggi the Dark Clown " in Attack Position . Yugi is puzzled , as the monster has only 600 ATK but Kaiba combines it with the Magic Card " Negative Energy Generator " , tripling its ATK . ( " Negative Energy Generator " has in the dub and Japanese versions . ) " Saggi ' s " ATK goes up to 1800 . Kaiba orders Saggi The Dark Clown to attack " Winged Dragon , Guardian of the Fortress " with " Dark Light " . " Saggi " launches a ball of energy at its target and destroys it . Yugi ' s Life Points drop to 1600 . Yugi thinks Kaiba ' s good , he knows every aspect of this game , but his Grandpa put all his gaming knowledge and his heart into this Deck so he must believe it holds some secret strategy . He draws " Right Leg of the Forbidden One " . ( This has in the dub and Japanese versions . ) Yugi thinks the card is useless as it cannot defeat " Saggi " so he Set s a monster card in Defense Position to protect his Life Points . Kaiba starts his turn and uses Saggi to attack and destroy Yugi ' s face - down monster which turns out to be " Sangan " . ( " Sangan " did not have an effect at this point in the series . ) Joey tells Yugi to hang in there as Kaiba continues to destroy more of his monsters , including " Battle Steer " and " Torike " . Kaiba says he can practically hear Yugi ' s grandpa ' s dying breath coming from those cards . In the dub he says Yugi ' s not doing any better than Solomon did ; his Deck is just as weak and feeble as his grandfather . Yugi argues that his grandfather is a great man and a better Duelist than Kaiba will ever be . He can feel his heart in this Deck and doubts Kaiba has that kind of faith in his cards . Saying he believes in his grandfather ' s Deck , Yugi draws his next card . He tells Kaiba that his faith has rewarded him with " Gaia The Fierce Knight " . Yugi Summons " Gaia " and uses it to attack and destroy " Saggi The Dark Clown " , lowering Kaiba ' s Life Points to 1300 . Joey compliments Yugi , who invites Kaiba to make his move . Kaiba laughs that the Duel will be over sooner than Yugi thinks and draws a card . He Summons " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " . Joey is surprised again and states that it is impossible ; they saw Kaiba tear that card in half . Kaiba says Yugi ' s grandfather was not the only one to possess a " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " . " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " attacks and destroys " Gaia The Fierce Knight " , dropping Yugi ' s Life Points to 900 . Kaiba says that , faith or no faith , Yugi will fall before his superior monsters ; faith is for losers , like his grandfather . As more of Yugi ' s monsters are destroyed by " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " including " Horn Imp " and " Beaver Warrior " , Kaiba states that there is not a card in Yugi ' s Deck that can stand up to a " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " . He asks Yugi what hope he has against two , as he Summons another " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " . Meanwhile , Solomon is being rushed through the hospital on a bed with Téa and Tristan at his sides . Solomon calls to Yugi , encouraging him not to give up . Back at the Duel , Yugi refuses to give up . He draws and plays " Swords of Revealing Light " , which prevents all of Kaiba ' s monsters from attacking for three turns . Kaiba calls the move desperate and asks Yugi " what good will a three - turn delay do you ? " . Yugi thinks Kaiba ' s right and looks at the cards in his hand : " Left Arm of the Forbidden One " , " Right Leg of the Forbidden One " , " Left Leg of the Forbidden One " and " Rude Kaiser " . ( The dub mistakenly shows the " Right Arm of the Forbidden One " instead of the " Left Arm " . All " of the Forbidden One " cards have different artworks in the dub and Japanese versions . ) He cannot figure out what to do with these cards ; they are just pieces . Yugi then hears Solomon ' s voice . It says to him , for someone who claims to have faith , he is giving up too easily and that sometimes the cards are like a puzzle and you must put all the pieces in their proper place . " Like the Millennium Puzzle ? " , Yugi asks . " Exactly " , Solomon replies , " Each piece helps build a greater entity , like the pieces of a puzzle " . Yugi starts to ponder on this and remembers his grandfather telling him about " Duel Monsters " only unstoppable monster , " Exodia " . However " Exodia " can only be Summoned by gathering all 5 parts ; a feat that , to this day , no one has ever accomplished . Kaiba threatens to treat Yugi ' s stalling as a forfeit , if he does not stop . Yugi draws the " Right Arm of the Forbidden One " . Kaiba claims that Yugi can draw whatever card he wants but it will not change a thing . Although his two " Blue - Eyes White Dragons " are frozen , his new monster is under no such spell . ( At this point in the series , the effect of " Swords of Revealing Light " was different than its real - life counterpart . It only affected monsters that were already on the field when it was activated . ) Kaiba Summons " Judge Man " who takes - out Yugi ' s face - down " Rude Kaiser " . Yugi draws " Dark Magician " . He thinks he can use this to attack , but it will not stand a chance once Kaiba ' s dragons are free . He goes ahead and Summons " Dark Magician " and uses it to destroy " Judge Man " . Kaiba ' s Life Points fall to 1000 . Kaiba considers that to be a sacrifice which does not even faze him . Although his dragons cannot attack , he Summons his third " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " , which can attack . It attacks and destroys " Dark Magician " , dropping Yugi ' s Life Points to 400 . Kaiba asks Yugi how his faith is now ; with his three " Blue - Eyes White Dragons " free to attack next turn , there is nothing Yugi can do ; Yugi was never a match for Kaiba . Joey urges Yugi not to listen to him . Yugi realizes that Kaiba wanted the fourth " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " just so he would have them all , then tore it up so it could not be used against him . He realizes that he must draw the last piece of " Exodia " , but the odds are against him . He tries to draw but his Deck seemingly moves away from him . Yugi wonders if the cards are moving away from him but thinks , no , it is just himself and he is afraid to draw . In the dub , he says the Deck senses his doubt so he tells Yugi to concentrate and not lose faith . He notices the mark Téa drew on his hand and imagines his friends standing there with him . Kaiba tells Yugi to draw his last " pathetic " card , so he can end this Duel . However Yugi says his grandfather ' s Deck has no pathetic cards but it does have the unstoppable " Exodia " , as he draws " Exodia the Forbidden One " . Kaiba recoils in horror , remarking that it is impossible . Yugi places the five pieces on the field and a large star appears . ( In the dub , the star has been given more points . ) The complete " Exodia " emerges from the star . Kaiba steps back once again , calling it impossible , as no one has ever managed to call " Exodia " before . Yugi orders " Exodia " to " Obliterate " . " Exodia " destroys Kaiba ' s dragons and drops his Life Points to 0 . Aftermath . Joey cheers and Mokuba looks up in surprise , since his brother never loses . Yugi tells Kaiba that he plays only for power and that is why he lost but if you put your heart in the game , there is nothing you cannot do . Kaiba wonders how he could have lost . The Eye of Anubis appears on Yugi ' s forehead . Yugi tells Kaiba that he will crush the evil in his heart and taps into the power of the Millennium Puzzle , granting Kaiba a " Mind Crush " . In the dub , Yugi tells him if he wants to know to open his mind , he needs to do it ; " Kaiba , if you truly want to know , open your mind ! " . Kaiba falls to his knees . Over at the hospital , Solomon wakes up , knowing that Yugi won the Duel . Elsewhere Maximillion Pegasus is informed that the uncontested champion Seto Kaiba has been defeated by someone named Yugi . Pegasus smiles and his Millennium Eye flashes . Appearances . Items in bold debuted here . Featured Duels . Yugi Muto vs . Joey Wheeler . Duel already in progress . Joey ' s turn Joey ' s hand contains " Kageningen " , " The Furious Sea King " , " Claw Reacher " and " Skull Stalker " . Joey Normal Summon s " Kagemusha of the Blue Flame " ( 800 / 400 ) in Attack Position . Yugi ' s turn Yugi Normal Summons " Blackland Fire Dragon " ( 1500 / 800 ) in Attack Position . " Blackland Fire Dragon " attack s and destroy s " Kagemusha " ( Joey : 700 or less → 0 LP ) . Yami Yugi vs . Seto Kaiba . Turn 1 : Kaiba Kaiba Normal Summons " Hitotsu - Me Giant " ( 1200 / 1000 ) in Attack Position . Turn 2 : Yami Yugi Yugi Normal Summons " Winged Dragon , Guardian of the Fortress " ( 1400 / 1200 ) in Attack Position . " Winged Dragon " attacks and destroys " Hitotsu - Me Giant " ( Kaiba : 2000 → 1800 LP ) . Turn 3 : Kaiba Kaiba draws . He then Normal Summons " Saggi the Dark Clown " ( 600 / 1500 ) in Attack Position . Kaiba then activates " Negative Energy Generator " to triple the ATK of " Saggi " as it is a DARK monster ( " Saggi " : 600 → 1800 / 1500 ) . " Saggi " attacks and destroys " Winged Dragon " ( Yugi : 2000 → 1600 LP ) . Turn 4 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws " Right Leg of the Forbidden One " . He then Set s a monster . Turn 5 : Kaiba Kaiba draws . " Saggi " attacks and destroys Yugi ' s Set " Sangan " ( 1000 / 600 ) . Turn 6 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws . He then Sets a monster . Turn 7 : Kaiba " Saggi " attacks and destroys Yugi ' s Set " Battle Steer " ( 1800 / 1300 ) . Turn 8 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws . He then Sets a monster . Turn 9 : Kaiba " Saggi " attacks and destroys Yugi ' s Set " Torike " ( 1200 / 600 ) . Turn 10 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws " Gaia The Fierce Knight " and subsequently Normal Summons it ( 2300 / 2100 ) in Attack Position . " Gaia " attacks and destroys " Saggi " ( Kaiba : 1800 → 1300 LP ) . Turn 11 : Kaiba Kaiba draws " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " and subsequently Normal Summons it ( 3000 / 2500 ) in Attack Position . " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " attacks and destroys " Gaia " ( Yugi : 1600 → 900 LP ) . Turn 12 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws . He then Sets a monster . Turn 13 : Kaiba " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " attacks and destroys Yugi ' s Set " Horn Imp " ( 1300 / 1000 ) . Turn 14 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws . He then Sets a monster . Turn 15 : Kaiba Kaiba draws . " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " attacks and destroys Yugi ' s Set " Beaver Warrior " ( 1200 / 1500 ) . Kaiba then Normal Summons another " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " ( 3000 / 2500 ) in Attack Position . Turn 16 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws " Swords of Revealing Light " and subsequently activates it . Now for three turns , all monsters Kaiba control s must be face - up and cannot attack . Turn 17 : Kaiba Kaiba passes . The effect of " Swords of Revealing Light " will expire in two turns . Turn 18 : Yami Yugi Yugi ' s hand contains " Rude Kaiser " , " Left Leg of the Forbidden One " , " Right Leg of the Forbidden One " and " Left Arm of the Forbidden One " . Yugi draws " Right Arm of the Forbidden One " . He then Sets a monster . Turn 19 : Kaiba Kaiba Normal Summons " Judge Man " ( 2200 / 1500 ) in Attack Position . Since " Judge Man " was Summoned after " Swords of Revealing Light " was activated , it can attack . " Judge Man " attacks and destroys Yugi ' s Set " Rude Kaiser " ( 1800 / 1600 ) . The effect of " Swords of Revealing Light " will expire in one turn . Turn 20 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws " Dark Magician " and subsequently Normal Summons it ( 2500 / 2100 ) in Attack Position . " Dark Magician " attacks and destroys " Judge Man " ( Kaiba : 1300 → 1000 LP ) . Turn 21 : Kaiba Kaiba draws his last " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " and subsequently Normal Summons it ( 3000 / 2500 ) in Attack Position . The newly Summoned " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " attacks and destroys " Dark Magician " ( Yugi : 900 → 400 LP ) . At the End Phase , the effect of " Swords of Revealing Light " expires . Turn 22 : Yami Yugi Yugi draws " Exodia the Forbidden One " . Since Yugi also has " Left Arm " , " Left Leg " , " Right Arm " and " Right Leg " in his hand , he automatically wins . For dramatic effect , " Exodia " is Special Summon ed ( ∞ / ∞ ) in Attack Position . " Exodia " attacks and destroys every monster Kaiba controls ( Kaiba : 1000 → 0 LP ) . Differences from the TCG / OCG . The Duels in this episode followed the earlier " Duel Monsters " rules , so 2000 Life Points were used instead of 8000 , Tribute s were not required for Level 5 or higher monsters and players could only attack with 1 monster per turn . Differences in individual cards included : Featured cards . The following cards appeared in this episode . Cards in italics debuted here . Manga version . This episode is based on various chapters from the manga . It combines Yugi ' s first 2 encounters with Seto Kaiba but excludes many events , including the Death - T theme park . The Cards with Teeth . The Cards with Teeth is the ninth and tenth chapter of the manga . In this chapter , Yugi , Anzu ( Téa ) and Jonouchi ( Joey ) went to Sugoroku ' s ( Solomon ' s ) shop to see " Duel Monsters " cards , without Honda ( Tristan ) and before seeing Yugi and Jonouchi play at school . Kaiba came to the shop , not particularly looking for the " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " . He didn ' t have the other 3 at this point and wanted Sugoroku ' s to become more powerful , rather than to stop it from being used against him . Yugi Dueled Jonouchi at school after visiting the shop . Rather than " Kagemusha of the Blue Flame " , Jonouchi had a Zombie monster , which was not shown . They had the attention of much more people in the class , but not Honda or Bakura . At school , after Kaiba told Yugi that his grandfather had taught him how to love the cards , Kaiba asked to see the " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " again . Yugi showed him the card , but Kaiba exchanged it for a counterfeit . When Yugi tried getting the real one back , Kaiba struck him with his briefcase , causing Dark Yugi ( Yami Yugi ) to come out . Dark Yugi Dueled Kaiba in a Shadow Game of " Duel Monsters " to win back the card . Kaiba cheated and slipped the " Blue - Eyes " into his hand . However the " Blue - Eyes " remained loyal to Sugoroku and betrayed Kaiba , by destroying itself . After Kaiba lost , Yami inflicted a Penalty Game , where Kaiba imagined he was sent to the Duel Monsters Spirit World and repeatedly killed by Duel Monsters . Death - T . Death - T is an arc in the manga , where Yugi is forced to play in Kaiba ' s theme park of death . Kaiba invites Yugi to his mansion the night before the opening of his KaibaLand theme park . At the grand opening , he reveals he has kidnapped Yugi ' s grandfather and Duels him . They Duel using Battle Box es rather than the large Dueling Arena s . Sugoroku uses " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " , but is overwhelmed by the holograms and Kaiba ' s 3 " Blue - Eyes White Dragons " . Kaiba tears up Sugoroku ' s " Blue - Eyes White Dragon " and subjects him to an artificial Penalty Game . In order for him to be released , Yugi is coerced into swearing he will face Kaiba ' s Death - T . Like in the anime , Sugoroku gives Yugi his Deck to use against Kaiba . Much of the stages of Death - T are skipped in the anime . Some of the conversation used at the start of Death - T 3 is used in the anime , shortly before Yugi faces Kaiba . Jonouchi tells his friends that he changed after meeting Yugi . That is used in the Japanese version of this episode . Honda says he always wanted to pick a fight regardless of who or what it was with , but realized the person he wanted to hit was himself . The anime has Jonouchi say something similar " I used to love fighting , but it was you who changed me " . Shortly after hearing this , Anzu draws the smiley face on their hands . After Death - T 3 , Yugi admits to thinking there is another Yugi to his friends . He does not disclose this until much later in the anime . Yugi ' s Duel with Kaiba in this episode is based on their Duel in Death - T 5 . A number of changes were made , including : After receiving the Mind Crush , Kaiba is left in a coma for six months .