Yu - Gi - Oh ! First Series - Episode 001 " The Violent Battle - A Game of Darkness " is the first episode of the Toei " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " anime . It first aired in Japan on April 4 , 1998 . Summary . Prologue . A group of archaeologists enter an Egyptian tomb . One man referred to as Professor approaches a gold box , saying that if he becomes numb and faints , it is a sign of a Game of Darkness . The professor begins to suffer pains and falls to his knees . As the others rush to his aid , he tells them it is the puzzle of darkness . Day 1 . The scene cuts to Domino High School , where it is lunch time . The boys decide to play basketball and let the girls play too . Someone calls Yugi , causing him to lose concentration and let his collapse . He tells Yugi to come play rather than play games by himself . Yugi declines saying " Yeah . . . but what if the team I join loses " . Yugi tidies up his cards wishing there was a game he could play with everyone else . He then cheers up reaching for something in his bag , saying that today he will solve it . He then pulls out the box from the Egyptian tomb . Yugi begins to talk about the secret puzzle inside the box , " It ' s something that you see , but have never seen before " . He begins to open the box saying , " the answer is . . . " , but Jonouchi suddenly swipes the box from Yugi . Jonouchi asks Yugi what he ' s looking at and talking about by himself . Yugi asks him for the box back , but Jonouchi hurls it across the room and runs over to catch it . He tells Yugi that he ’ s going to teach him to be a man . Holding up the puzzle Jonouchi says , " You want this box back , right ? Then Gimme all you got . " Yugi protests shouting " I hate fighting and violence ! " Hiroto Honda appears telling Jonouchi to hold it . Jonouchi mocks Honda saying that as president of first year students Honda wants to fulfill his duty as soldier of comfort and become the janitor . Honda protests , " not a janitor , an honor student " . Honda begins to talk about his authority . Jonouchi ignores him by asking Yugi what ' s inside the box , while Honda speaks . Yugi tells Jonouchi that its okay to look , if he doesn ' t tell anyone , because its really valuable . Honda who had still been talking to this point tells them to listen to someone when they are talking . Jonouchi peeks inside the box and pulls a dull face , saying that it ' s dumb . Anzu Mazaki then appears swiping the box from Jonouchi telling him to give it back if he thinks it ' s dumb and that bullying those weaker than you makes you look dumb . Jonouchi objects that he ' s not bullying the weak , he ' s teaching Yugi to act like a man . Anzu tells him to be quiet , just as Miho Nosaka appears . Miho tells them that the cafeteria line is long and she has had nothing for lunch . Honda immediately volunteers to get her lunch . Jonouchi says he ' ll go with him , so he could escape from Anzu . Jonouchi tells Honda about how Anzu " pisses him off " . As he says " Who ' s bullying the weak " both of them bump into Ushio who asks them what they were saying about bullying . Jonouchi says " nothing at all " and begins to say something else , but Honda quickly restrains him and forces a smile saying " nothing at all , really " . Ushio announces that bullying is not good . Honda quickly agrees . After Ushio leaves Honda tells lets go of Jonouchi , who starts to rant about that hurting . Honda calls him an idiot and tells him that that was Ushio , he enforces all the regulations and is very powerful . Jonouchi is unconvinced and remains bitter to Ushio . Back in the classroom , Yugi thanks Anzu , who informs him that they get worse if you keep quiet and insists that Yugi should stick up for himself once in a while . Yugi replies that Jonouchi isn ' t so bad . Anzu reminds him that saying things like that is why people make fun of him . Yugi starts to look slightly depressed , so Anzu changes the subject by asking him about the box , Yugi gets excited and offers to show her , if she promises to keep it a secret . Anzu is impressed by the sparkling gold pieces . Yugi says that it ' s a puzzle . He ' s never finished it so he doesn ' t know what it looks like . " Something you see , but haven ' t seen before " . Yugi explains that his family owns a game shop . He found the puzzle in a corner of the shop hidden under dust . It ' s supposed to be a strange puzzle discovered in the ruins of Egypt . He shows her something written on the front of the box . According to his interpretation , it says " Whoever solves the puzzle , can ask me to fulfill one wish " . He laughs saying that he might have been a bit over - dramatic . His head drops in shame and he asks Anzu if she ' s making fun of him . Anzu laughs friendly saying that ' s not true and asks Yugi what his wish is . Yugi winks . That is too secret to tell . Back in the corridor , Jonouchi slips his hand into his pocket and reveals a piece of Yugi ' s puzzle , he managed to swipe from the box earlier . He grasps the piece and grins , saying how Yugi won ' t be able to solve it if he ' s missing a piece . Honda tells Jonouchi that he is truly helpless . He should try to give wings to his heart ' s beauty ( meaning lighten up ) . Jonouchi reminds Honda that he ' s supposed to be buying lunch . Honda quickly rushes off and Jonouchi throws the piece out the window into a canal . he thinks to himself , Yugi is such a child , that ' s what makes Jonouchi sick . Later , Ushio is training the disciplinary group . While Yugi walks past , Ushio calls to him . He asks him if he ' s being bullied by people in his class . Yugi replies that he doesn ' t think so . Ushio tells him that just because he ' s a nice person he doesn ' t have to answer like that . Ushio then anoints himself Yugi ' s bodyguard saying Yugi does not need to worry . Yugi insists that that isn ' t necessary as he leaves . Yugi meets Anzu when he arrives home . His grandfather , Sugoroku says that Anzu has told him Yugi hasn ' t given up on the puzzle . He informs Yugi that the puzzle is for an intellectual person , impossible for Yugi to solve and that the team of archaeologists which took it from a Pharaoh ' s tomb entirely died of mysterious deaths . The last said with his dying breath " The Games of Darkness " . Whoever solves the puzzle will get knowledge of the Games of Darkness . Anzu gets worried , but Yugi gets interested . He intends to solve the puzzle no matter what now . Sugoroku makes an attempt to grab the puzzle , saying he has a buyer for it . At night Yugi works hard on the puzzle in his room . Sugoroku looks through the keyhole at Yugi . He has faith in Yugi , but is concerned about the consequences of solving the puzzle . Regardless he decides that he ' ll let Yugi finish it . Day 2 . At school , Ushio greets Yugi , wanting to show him something . He leads Yugi to Jonouchi and Honda where they lie beaten up . Yugi tells Ushio that this is too much and asks Jonouchi and Honda if they are okay . Jonouchi grunts and asks Yugi if he ' s satisfied . Yugi explains that it ' s not true , he didn ' t ask Ushio to do this . Ushio continues to attack Jonouchi , but Yugi protests , he won ' t let Ushio do this to his friends . Ushio jokes about Yugi calling them his friends and imposes a bodyguard fee of ¥200 , 000 . That night while Yugi was trying to work out what was to be about Ushio and his fee , he couldn ' t help but work on his puzzle . Unlike other days solving the puzzle seemed a lot easier that day . Yugi quickly began assembling the puzzle until there was one piece left . He is shocked to find that the last piece is missing . While Jonouchi and Honda are walking home , they talk about Ushio . Jonouchi looks into the canal where he threw the piece of the puzzle and remembers Yugi sticking up for them and calling them his friends . He jumps into the canal to retrieve it . Meanwhile Yugi dashes to school , hoping he can find the missing piece of the puzzle there . He meets Ushio , who asks if he has the bodyguard fees . Yugi says that he ' s just come to the school to get something he forgot . When Ushio realizes Yugi can ' t give him money , he thinks he should punish him . Back at the canal , Jonouchi recovers the piece . Honda throws him a towel and notices Ushio leading Yugi somewhere . They run up to Ushio who is after attacking Yugi and Yugi gets knocked unconscious . Jonouchi gives Yugi the piece while Honda tells Ushio that until today he had respected him , but he wouldn ' t get away with this . Jonouchi and Honda attack Ushio but get beaten - up again . Ushio announces that this is what becomes of those who oppose him . Yugi gains consciousness and sees the two fall . He then realizes he has the missing piece and reaches to the puzzle , inserting it . The puzzle glows and a large shadow appears behind Yugi . The Eye of Anubis flashes on the shadow . Yugi with a more confident voice calls Ushio to play a game . The Game of Darkness . Ushio is suddenly suspended by rope from a dome . He looks up and sees Yugi at the other end of the rope . Yugi tells Ushio that he has the money , but just handing it over is boring and suggests that he and Ushio play a game for it , a Game of Darkness . Ushio agrees saying that he has never lost a game . Yugi jumps down so that the rope hangs freely from a pole at the top of the dome , leaving both players suspended from the rope at equal height . As he jumps he spreads a deck of cards face - down along the dome . He explains the rules . Ushio goes first , turning over the 10 of Diamonds . Yugi turns over the King of Diamonds , allowing him to climb 13 spaces . Ushio turns over the 2 of Spades . Yugi turns over the Queen ( 12 ) of Spades . Ushio , the three of Diamonds , Yugi the 9 of Hearts , Ushio the 6 of Clubs , Yugi , the Jack ( 11 ) of Spades . Yugi is one step from the top . Ushio says that he can turn the game around if he draws the next card . Ushio then draws a Joker . Yugi explains that Joker is the end of the line . As Yugi begins his turn , Ushio says that Yugi must have planned this from the start . Yugi turns the Ace of Diamonds . Ushio gets furious and climbs up to Yugi . Yugi informs him that breaking the rules results in very bad consequences . He attempts to punch Yugi and breaks the rope attaching them . Yugi falls from the dome . Ushio proceeds to take the money , but finds it ' s only a deck of cards . The Eye of Anubis lights up on Yugi , who is hanging from the building . Yugi punishes Ushio for cheating . Ushio falls from the building , and Yugi creates the illusion that there are monsters in the water Ushio is falling into . Day 3 . The next day a group of people find Ushio curled up scared . Word spreads that he suffered a massive shock . Yugi , who has no recollection of the game with Ushio , is greeted by Jonouchi . Jonouchi says that he also has a treasure and asks Yugi if he wants so see it . Yugi nods . But Jonouchi says that his treasure too is something you can show , but can ' t see . Yugi wonders and Jonouchi tells him that the answer is friendship . Jonouchi dashes off to class , thinking , how could he say such corny stuff . Yugi runs after him calling him back saying he forgot his shoe . Differences from the manga . Instead of playing " Bluebeard ' s Attack " , Yugi is building a card tower . Each activity foreshadows the Shadow Game about to be played . In the manga , the boys invited the girls to play basketball , in the hopes of seeing under their skirts as they took shots . The motive is not mentioned in the anime . Honda is not Jonouchi ' s crony , but a rejected candidate for class president and junior custodian . He is not entirely in favor of how Jonouchi treats Yugi and even tells him off at times . Miho Nosaka becomes a main character in this series . In this episode , Jonouchi and Honda use buying her lunch as an excuse to leave after Anzu appears . Jonouchi returns the piece of the Puzzle to Yugi after Yugi gets beaten up by Ushio , rather than give it to his Grandpa to pass on . The Shadow Game with Ushio was completely changed . The manga version , Money and Knife , involved players trying to control their greed by using a knife to pick up banknotes from their hands .