Keith Howard ( manga ) Keith Howard , also known by the nickname Bandit Keith , is a character in the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " manga . This is the original depiction of Bandit Keith . He was an experienced and successful " Duel Monsters " player , but had a tendency to cheat and use unsavory means to win . Keith was the former United States " Duel Monsters " champion and number one ranked Card Professor . He got the nickname Bandit Keith , because of his success in winning big prizes . All of his opponents ceased playing any card games , after losing to him , due to him defeating them so brutally that the sight of a card brings great trauma to them . His reputation slumped after a humiliating defeat to Maximillion J . Pegasus , in a challenge Duel . Afterwards , Keith became immersed in alcohol , drugs and underground gambling , including playing . To get revenge on Pegasus , he snuck his way into the Duelist Kingdom tournament . He cheated throughout the tournament and aided three other participants , hoping to qualify as the four semifinalists . However , after one of them lost to Katsuya Jonouchi , Keith turned on them and took their remaining Star Chips for himself . He lost to Jonouchi , in the semifinals , after which he confronted Pegasus in an attempt to steal the prize . However Pegasus , having seen Keith cheat , subjected him to a Penalty Game , killing him . In " Yu - Gi - Oh ! R " , Keith was revived by Yako Tenma , who sought information on Pegasus ' death . In the English manga , much of Keith ' s dialogue is modified to include censored profanity , in part to reflect his ruder pattern of speech from the original Japanese . It also has him refer to Jonouchi , by the nickname , " Joey " , which is his name in the English anime . Biography . Challenging Pegasus . Keith challenged Maximillion J . Pegasus , the creator of " Duel Monsters " to a Duel . At first Pegasus was not interested , but later accepted under the conditions that the prize be one million U . S . dollars , the Duel take place in a large stadium capable of holding fifty thousand people , be broadcast nationwide and the earnings be split with the sponsors and TV stations . Keith agreed and the Duel took place in the New York Duel Stadium . Pegasus used the time before the Duel to gather children unfamiliar with the rules and teach them how to play . When the Duel started , Pegasus did not touch his cards . He stared at Keith for a moment , and performed a Mind Scan , reading Keith ' s plans for the Duel . He wrote down Keith ' s cards , strategies and how to counter them on a piece of paper , before calling over one of the children he had been speaking to earlier , Tom . Pegasus gave Tom the paper and left the table , asking Tom to take over for him . Keith was unhappy with Pegasus ' antics , but thought this would at least guarantee him to win the prize money . After a few turns , Keith Summon ed a monster , but Tom countered by playing " Flying Elephant " in Attack Mode , nullifying the fissure attack Keith was attempting and winning the Duel . Tom was surprised by how the paper Pegasus had given him detailed all the moves Keith made and described how to beat him . Keith snatched the paper and was surprised to see that it was true . Following his humiliation , Keith tried to drown his loss with alcohol and drugs . He eventually joined an underground gambling circuit and played Russian roulette , with nothing left to lose . Duelist Kingdom . Keith snuck his way into the Duelist Kingdom tournament to try and get revenge on Pegasus for humiliating him . He filled his jacket with numerous Decks , filled with rare cards , capable of countering any opponent , and managed to avoid having them confiscated , due to the tournament ' s rule saying forty cards per participant . He teamed up with Ghost Kozuka , Takaido and Satake , and helped them win their Duels , in the hopes of splitting their Star Chip s and entering Pegasus Castle as the four semifinalists . Satake and Kozuka reported to Keith when they spotted a group of people , including two Duelists . They thought that they might be safer avoiding them , as one of them was Yugi Mutou , who was famous for beating Seto Kaiba and a favorite to enter the castle . Keith had not heard of Yugi , but said that the people , who thought he was a favorite , did not know what they were talking about . He suggested that they separate the other Duelist , Katsuya Jonouchi from Yugi ' s group and take him to the hidden underground Battle Box in the crypt . He explained that this Battle Box had a Graveyard terrain and nominated Kozuka to Duel Jonouchi , since he used Zombie cards , which would be powered - up by the crypt . However , he was dissatisfied with Kozuka ' s Deck and lent him some of his own cards , to strengthen it . Keith ' s companions kidnapped Jonouchi , while he was urinating and dragged him into the cave . Keith mocked Jonouchi for fainting and ordered Satake to wake him up . Keith helped Kozuka throughout the Duel . He discouraged him from playing Zombie cards , which would benefit from the Field Power Source , causing his first three monsters to be easily destroyed . However Kozuka soon drew " Call of the Haunted " and revived his monsters as Zombies , which would revive even stronger each time they were destroyed . As Keith continued to help Kozuka , Jonouchi asked who he was and then realized he was the Card Professor , who had only been defeated by Pegasus , that Seto Kaiba had told him about . Keith got Kozuka to use " Pumpking the King of Ghosts " to strengthen the Zombies and wait for " Stop Defense " to complete the combo . However Jonouchi managed to win the Duel , before Kozuka could make use of " Stop Defense " . While they were leaving the cave , Jonouchi suggested to Keith that he play fair next time . Keith told Jonouchi not to be telling him how to play the game , which he claimed was about outwitting the opponent , an act which begins before the game starts . He insisted that Jonouchi drop the nice guy act , after which prizes and glory would come his way . To give an example , he showed him his extra Decks he had smuggled into the tournament . Dark Yugi , who had caught up to Jonouchi , reminded Keith of the forty card rule . Keith claimed that since he was an unofficial participant that rule did not apply to him , and that his only rule was to get to Pegasus Castle at whatever cost it took . Keith and his companions exited the cave before Jonouchi and his friends . Keith then ordered Kozuka , Takaido and Satake to block the exit with a boulder , trapping the others inside . He then proceeded to beat up Kozuka for losing . Kozuka pleaded that he had only played the cards Keith told him to , but Keith insisted that he should have won in that case . He spat on Kozuka and called him useless without his Star Chips . He then turned to Takaido and Satake and demanded that they give him each of their five Star Chips along with one of their Duel Gloves . After taking them , he beat up the two and made his way to the castle . Keith arrived at the castle and qualified as the first of the four finalists . He discovered that Yugi and his friends escaped the cave , as he saw Dark Yugi and Kaiba preparing to Duel nearby . Keith laughed at Kaiba ' s threat to commit suicide if he lost and was surprised that Yugi refrained from winning because of this . Having overheard Kaiba ' s metaphor , stating that each person ' s life is a chip God gave them to play games , Keith asked Kaiba if the chip was worth the same for each person : rich or poor . Kaiba replied that he thought that distinction was to be made by " prize hunting hyenas " , such as Keith , while they hunted for their next feast . When Yugi , Jonouchi and their friends entered the castle , Jonouchi tried to start a fight with Keith , for trapping them in the cave . However Keith directed his attention to the impending Duel between Pegasus and Kaiba . Keith cursed Pegasus during the Duel , for using a powerful he had created for himself " Toon World " , and thought that nobody stood a chance against that card . Keith and the other finalists , Yugi , Jonouchi and Mai Kujaku , were told that the finals would take place the next day . In order to participate , they needed to have one of the two cards , " The Honor of the King ' s Right " or " The Honor of the King ' s Left " , which were included in their invitation . As he had not been invited , Keith had neither of those cards . Keith chose not to attend the dinner party , during which Jonouchi was matched as his opponent for the semifinals . When the others left the party , Keith hid in the hall and watched which bedrooms they went into . Later that night , he snuck into Jonouchi ' s room and stole his " The Honor of the King ' s Right " . He was startled by the sound of Jonouchi threatening to beat him , but then realized he was just talking in his sleep . As he left the room , Yugi also came out of his room , having heard Jonouchi shouting , and asked if he was okay . Pretending to be Jonouchi , Keith said he was fine . Yugi realized he was not Jonouchi and asked what he was doing . Keith proceeded to punch Yugi , until he kept quiet . However , Jonouchi came out of his room and fought Keith off . Keith then returned to his room , knowing Jonouchi did not have another " Honor " card , meaning he would be disqualified . The next day , Keith put his feet on the table at the Duel Arena , before his Duel . When Jonouchi stated his dislike of seeing the bottom of someone else ' s boots , Keith offered to forfeit if Jonouchi licked the bottom of his boot . Dark Yugi admonished him on disrespecting a Duelist ' s battlefield , but Keith asked if Jonouchi has the right to be called a Duelist . He then presented " The Honor of the King ' s Right " and reminded Jonouchi he also needed one to sit at the table . Jonouchi was given five minutes to find his card and Keith accused him of pretending to forget it , as he was too afraid to Duel . However Jonouchi managed to return in time after been given Mai ' s " The Honor of the King ' s Right " . Keith used Machine monsters , built with anti - magic armor , making them immune to the magic - based attacks of some of Jonouchi ' s cards . He also used the non - Machine , Zoa , to lure Jonouchi into attacking , before turning it into " Metalzoa " , using " Metalmorph " . Again , he used " Stop Defense " , to prevent Jonouchi playing cards in Defense Mode . Jonouchi still managed to dispatch of Keith ' s Machines , using " Garoozis " and Trap Card s . Pegasus knew that Jonouchi ' s experience , strategy and Deck strength did not come close to Keith ' s and wondered what was making up for the difference . He decided to read their minds and saw that Keith was filled with revenge and despair , while Jonouchi was filled with hope and trust . Illustrating a game of Russian roulette , with his hand , Keith asked if Jonouchi had ever risked his life and seen Hell . He described Hell as a place where one does not care who they have to kill , as long as it means saving themselves . He added that Duelist Kingdom is the same thing and the only way out of his Hell is through Pegasus . Keith then Summoned " Barrel Dragon " , which used its " Russian Roulette " effect to destroy Jonouchi ' s monsters . Jonouchi countered with his own gamble card , " Time Wizard " , which weakened " Barrel Dragon " and strengthened " Baby Dragon " into " Thousand Dragon " . However Keith used " Time Machine " to restore " Barrel Dragon " to its previous state , making it strong enough to beat " Thousand Dragon " . Using " Copycat " on " Metalmorph " , Jonouchi turned his " Red - Eyes Black Dragon " into " Red - Eyes Black Metal Dragon " , which defeated a number of Keith ' s machines . Using the " 7 Completed " cards hidden in his wrist band and the " Shield and Sword " he took with " Pillager " , Keith made his " Slot Machine " stronger than " Red - Eyes " . However Jonouchi used " Graverobber " on " Time Machine " , returning " Red - Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon " to its previous ATK , defeating " Slot Machine " and winning the Duel . After his Duel , Keith met Pegasus in the hall . He held out a knife and demanded that Pegasus give him the prize . Pegasus ' guard prepared to take out a gun , but Pegasus insisted there was no need for a weapon . He commented on how undignified the " old ' prize king ' " was now . Pegasus said that he was aware Keith had cheated against Jonouchi and that he intended to punish him . Keith did not care and said it was legal by his rules . Pegasus deemed Keith to have lost his Duelist ' s mind when they fought in America and inflicted the " Hand and Gun " Penalty Game on him . Keith ' s hand then turned into a gun , which he was forced to use to play Russian roulette with , killing himself . Project R . A . . Yako Tenma revived Keith using " The Wicked Avatar " , in order to gain information about Pegasus ' death , since he was a competitor at Duelist Kingdom . Ultimately , Keith lied and said that Yugi killed him , furthering Yako ' s thirst for revenge ; he was genuinely surprised when he later learned that Yugi hadn ' t killed Pegasus , but didn ' t care either way . He first appears after Deschutes Lew is defeated , apparently attempting to take " The Wicked Avatar " and conversing with Yako , who explains that without the Duels , the RA Project could not succeed . Later , after Gekko Tenma has joined up with Yugi , he waits for them with Ted Banias , having been gambling with him ( Banias claiming that he was cheating ) . He accused Gekko of losing to Banias on purpose to help the RA Project succeed , only to watch in shock as Gekko turned the Duel around and defated Banias in a single turn . After Banias ' s loss , he angrily beat him up , claiming his debt had doubled , but the beating had caused Banias to pass out . Yugi and Gekko asked for the key card , unless he was going to fight them next , but Keith tells them he ' ll take them right to Yako himself . On the way , they meet up with Richie Merced and Depre Scott , and Richie beats Keith up for trying to bypass them just to lure out his " someone special . " Yugi defends him , and Gekko defuses the situation by pointing out that Keith isn ' t Richie ' s real target . With the Card Professors departing to Duel Yugi and Gekko , Keith struggled to his feet and walked down the hall . After Richie defeated Gekko and decided to go after Jonouchi , Keith leapt off the top of the balcony and attacked Richie for beating him up earlier . Richie angrily pointed out that Keith had only been a guinea pig for Pegasus ' s Summoning , but Keith retorted that he did not care . He only had one target - Jonouchi , and that was the reason he was alive , so he was not giving him to Richie . Admitting that he didn ' t know all the new rules yet , he Duels and defeats Richie with " The Wicked Eraser " as part of Yako ' s plan to provide energy for the RA Project , and he took the one - of - a - kind black Duel Disk that only the top Card Professor was allowed to wear , claiming that " he " was number - one top Card Professor . He then encountered Dark Yugi and Gekko , but before anything could happen , Jonouchi dropped down from an air vent to attack Gekko , as he thought he was Yako . Honda dropped down and noticed Keith too , but Jonouchi appeared to have missed him , and Keith laughed , commenting that he hadn ' t felt this good since waking up for the first time . Jonouchi continued to ignore him , and Keith lost his temper , threatening to shoot Jonouchi if he didn ' t turn and face him . Jonouchi grinned ( having taken notice of him earlier ) , and then proceeded to mock him , but decided to handle Keith alone , allowing Dark Yugi , Gekko and Honda to bypass him . The two then Dueled against each other once again . During this confrontation , he used a new Machine Deck , composed of the " Motor " series , as well as the " The Wicked Eraser " . Keith revealed that he hated Jonouchi as much as Pegasus , because of the defeat at Duelist Kingdom . He claimed to have came back solely for revenge ; having lost his chance to Duel against Pegasus , who had died , Keith set his attention on the only other person who ever defeated him : Jonouchi . Keith had used Yako ' s own desire for revenge to help lure Jonouchi to him ; he cracks up at how easily the kid believed everything he said . During the Duel , Jonouchi used the " Time Machine " card he left behind at the Kingdom that Jonouchi had picked up . Keith was furious that Jonouchi had stolen his card , but Jonouchi suggested he hand over something better after Jonouchi won this time - namely the black Duel Disk . Keith then tried to cheat , but the alarm of the Duel Disk prevented him to slipping in " Ring of Destruction " from his wristband ; he became angered that Seto Kaiba did this . He gained the upper hand when he sealed Jonouchi ' s Set cards and Summoned " The Wicked Eraser ( though he was shown to dislike the card and implied that it would be boring to win with it ) . Jonouchi used " Summon Capture " to take Keith ' s " Fiendish Engine Ω " and destroy " The Eraser " . But when " The Eraser " was destroyed , its black blood drenched the field and enveloped the two Duelists in darkness , which was dispelled when Jonouchi defeated Keith . Having lost , Keith , consumed with rage , threw the black Duel Disk to Jonouchi and angrily demanded Jonouchi fight him again . However instead Jonouchi returned the " Time Machine " card , and offered Keith a chance for one more rematch when Keith lets go of the his grudge , and to fight him for fun . After the Duel with Jonouchi , Keith slumped up against the wall ; collapsed . Deck . Duelist Kingdom . Keith used a Machine Deck in his Duelist Kingdom Duel against Katsuya Jonouchi . Two of his " 7 Completed " cards were slipped from his wristband instead of his deck . Project R . A . . In Project R . A . , his Deck is based on Summoning high - powered cards , specifically " The Wicked Eraser " , similarly to Yako Tenma ' s Deck . However , the main body of his Deck is composed of " Motor " cards , which leave " Motor Parts " on the field after they are destroy ed , giving Keith easier access to high - Level monsters . His " Ring of Destruction card was slipped from his wristband , but due to the Duel Disk ' s anti - cheating installation , it was meaningless . Duels . The Project R . A . Duels , from " Yu - Gi - Oh ! R " , are of disputed canon .