Z - one Z - one ( pronounced Zone ) , is a survivor of the Meklord Emperor Genocide who serves as the main antagonist of the Ark Cradle arc and the final antagonist of the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! 5D ' s " anime . He is the founder of Iliaster and is revered by its members as a god , or " The Ancient One " , or " The Creator " in the English dub . Along with Aporia , Antinomy , and Paradox , Z - one is effectively the central antagonist of " Yu - Gi - Oh ! 5Ds " , being responsible for all of its other main antagonists in one way or another , as well as for the first Zero Reverse that split Satellite and New Domino City apart . Like the other main members of Iliaster , he is from an alternate future about 200 years after the present day events of " Yu - Gi - Oh ! 5D ' s " . Z - one comes from an apocalyptic future where he assumed the identity of Yusei Fudo to try to protect humankind from extermination by the Meklord Emperors , but failed to stop the Zero Reverse that destroyed the planet . With the world in ruins and humans nearly extinct , Z - one sends robotic copies of his associates Antinomy , Paradox and Aporia back in time with the mission of changing history and averting the disaster . Though their agenda is noble , the four are willing to go to any lengths to succeed , massacring thousands of innocents . During the Ark Cradle arc , Aporia ' s incarnations as the Three Pure Nobles plot to bring Z - one ' s lab , the Divine Temple , into the past to fall on and crush New Domino City . By this , Z - one believes that the discovery of Ener - D can be erased and the end of the world they have lived through will be averted . One by one , Z - one ' s contemporaries were either defeated , or in the case of Aporia , turned against him upon seeing that the future could be changed . Z - one defeated Aporia to show Team 5ds that having a sense of hope was useless . He then faced off against Yusei , in which he was defeated and heavily damaged . He then redeemed himself , colliding with the Arc Cradle and stopping it from destroying New Domino City , albeit at the cost of his own life . Design . Appearance . Z - one is contained in a machine shaped like either a comma , the number six , or a ( depending on its position ) which prolongs his life and appears to make his voice sound mechanized . The back and front sides resemble the Yusei Go , with all markings identical to that of the Duel Runner , albeit in the exact opposite color scheme " ( white with red instead of red with white ) " . Leo & Luna were the first to notice the resemblance before Z - one revealed himself . His human body is inside the machine , with only his head coming out of the machine , but he covers it with a mask . His left eye is still visible , which is the same color , shape , and position as Yusei ' s eye . The figure has a marking on his mask similar to Yusei ' s criminal mark . Z - one ' s helmet is similar to Yusei ' s helmet " ( including the yellow diamond in the center front ) " , but also opposite color scheme " ( white instead of red ) " . His human outfit also shares design with Yusei ' s jacket , for instance the two gem - like garments on it ' s collar . A notable fact is when he is upside down , in his comma form , he appeared to help Yusei and co . He saved Yusei , Bruno and Sherry LeBlanc from being blown up in Sector Security . He also gave Yusei his " Shooting Star Dragon " in order to defeat Primo . Since then , he has been shown in his right side up position , plotting to erase New Domino City and kill the Signers , along with Aporia and Sherry . Z - one appears to have Duel Monsters cards in the blue canisters that are on his machine body . Z - one has also taken the form of Dr . LeBlanc . Following the apocalyptic future , Z - one modified his body in the form of Yusei Fudo and rides the Yusei Go . However , the red design on the inner shirt is altered somewhat from Yusei ' s usual design ( the alteration being that is still the same design in every way except " " completed " " with the " missing leg " forming a gateway - like design rather than the half - circle it normally is ) , as well as the orange patches on his collar that are normally round were square . His red helmet is also missing the white arrows on the sides . His version of the Yusei Go possesses similar small differences , with different coloring for the Duel Disk arm , different framing over the wheels , and what appears to be a gun - type weapon mounted on the seat on the right side . He also dismounts from the left side , whereas Yusei usually dismounts from the right . Some time after his failure trying to correct humanity by himself , he covered his face with a mask . When the mask was broken , his face is revealed to be a very old version of Yusei ' s face , due to his life prolonging device not preventing him from aging . To Duel , Z - one can attach two large , mechanical arms to his body . This is accompanied by a gigantic , floating Wrist Dealer , which holds the stone tablets he uses as cards . Z - One ' s name is a reference to the fact he is the very last ( " Z " being the last letter of the alphabet ) & only human ( " One " ) left in the ruined future . Personality . Ever since Z - one was a researcher during that time , he was always lonely and dependent on his work figuring out how to stop the Ener - D and the Planetary Particle from going out of control . When he discovered how Yusei saved the city from disaster , he became obsessed with becoming like him by changing his appearance and his personality into a form of Yusei Fudo . When he became Yusei , he shows a focus and a clear - minded attitude similar to Yusei when he tells the survivors that the Ener - D cannot be controlled as long as the people continue to seek evolution at such a greedy pace . After that , Z - one became more at ease when he finally saved them from their own demise ; however it only lasted for a short period of time . Because there were too many negative feelings in people , he couldn ' t save most of the remaining survivors on time before the Ener - D destroyed the world . As a result , he thought that saving people from their own demise is impossible and lost all hope of changing people ' s ways . Over time he met a group of survivors ; Aporia , Antinomy , and Paradox ; since then , he became determined to change the future by destroying New Domino City ' s Ener - D along with the city itself . After the death of his three companions , he became once again lonely and dependent . During the Duel with Yusei , he believed the power of Yusei couldn ' t save everyone in the future because he already failed trying to be Yusei and tried to destroy all the possibilities that Yusei believed in . After his downfall against Yusei , Zone was in a state of guilt and shame , and realized he was blinded by his own insanity of destroying New Domino City when all he just wanted was to save his future . He then admitted that he wanted to see the new future created by Yusei , and decided to stop Yusei from sacrificing himself to stop the Ark Cradle while doing it himself , finally ending his life . He is rather close to his subordinates , as evidenced by how he has engaged in friendly talks with the damaged Aporia and with Sherry LeBlanc , and supports them by giving them enhancements , but can quickly throw this attitude if they turn on him , which both did . After his defeat against Yusei , he tells him that having a bond with his comrades is pointless and tries his best to fight alone ; but , in a state like this , he claims that he is tired . Before his death , while crashing right into the old Ener - D reactor , he wishes to meet his friends in the new future Yusei creates . Z - one has a habit of not only utterly defeating his opponents , but also holding back just enough to give them a chance to win , only to have them learn how hopeless their situation is . A prime example of this is his usage of the Timelords , which have 0 ATK , making them seem harmless at first until his opponents witness their abilities . According to Aporia , Z - one held onto some fragment of hope despite his failure to save the future because he erased Antinomy ' s memory to have him aid Team 5D ' s , which hindered their plan of destroying Neo Domino City . Etymology . It is possible that the name Z - one is derived from the fact that he is the last human , Z being the last letter of the alphabet and having much the same connotation as the letter omega , and that he is the last one . Z - one could also be taken as symbolic of " alpha and omega " , using the first number and last letter , a phrase reflecting Z - one ' s self - assumed position as a god . Abilities . Being the leader of Iliaster , Z - one has access to technology from the future . Z - one uses this technology to travel through time and change reality itself . He is essentially regarded as the source of the Three Pure Nobles ' power , including supplying them with powerful cards in the form of monoliths send through time and space , which included the " Meklord " cards with the addition of Yusei ' s " Shooting Star Dragon " . < nowiki > < / nowiki > Moreover his technology also allows him to harness Ener - D through Duels , which fuels the Grand Design to summon the ArK Cradle . He is also capable of creating androids in the appearance of his deceased friends , all of these androids are potent Duelists in their own right . He is also capable of changing his form as Primo and Lester have before , taking the form of Sherry LeBlanc ' s father and Yusei Fudo . Z - one is capable of Clear Mind , as demonstrated when he Summoned " Shooting Star Dragon " in episode 149 to defend against the Meklord Emperor s . Sherry stated that he is capable of granting any wish , as he promised to change her past so that her parents can live again , however Sherry found this debatable and wasn ' t sure if he could actually do that . He is capable of moving his mechanical arms even if they aren ' t directly attached to him . He is also capable of floating and flying using the technology he is strapped in , which allows him to Turbo Duel in the air even . Biography . History . In Z - one ' s time when he was a scientist , humanity ' s accelerated evolution leads to a society that is cruel , greedy and corrupt . Then one day , an army of Meklord Emperor s appear to attack New Domino City . Watching the chaos that was spreading , Z - one researched a way to stop the Meklord Emperors by stopping their power source , Ener - D and the Planetary Gear which responded to people ' s hearts . Knowing he himself would not be enough to inspire people to change their ways , Z - one remembered the stories of a legendary hero who had saved Neo Domino City in the past . Researching Yusei ' s defeat of the Dark Signer s and Earthbound Immortal s , Z - one resolved to become Yusei himself , believing that by copying his personality and appearance he could be the hero the people needed . Using footage of Yusei ' s Duels , he became an identical copy of Yusei , the result being identical to the real Yusei in every detail saved in a cybernetic plate over the right side of his face . To keep the plate concealed Z - one kept his helmet on at all times , only revealing the left side of his face which bore Yusei ' s criminal mark . As Yusei , Z - one rallied the people of the world , telling them it was their accelerated evolution and greed that had lead to the rise of the Meklord Emperors by reversing the Planetary Gear , and only by changing their society could they make it turn in the proper direction again and hopefully destroy the Meklord Emperors . Achieving Clear Mind and Summoning " Shooting Star Dragon " to battle the Meklord Emperors , Z - one demonstrated that they could defeat the enemies by having the right state of mind . People took notice of his example and followed him , helping each other and learning to understand one another . With their negative feelings gone , the Meklord Emperors stopped attacking them . However , Z - one ' s efforts were too late , and there were still too many negative emotions in people - Zero Reverse occurred and society was destroyed , leaving few survivors . Z - one ' s cybernetic plate was damaged during the incident . Since then his outlook changed , as he believed his efforts had been in vain and that changing the hearts of humanity was impossible . Thus , the only way to save his future was to do so in the past , before Ener - D became widely used and the Machine Emperors appeared . Z - one saw Antinomy , who having given - up on life , was about to let himself be killed by a Meklord Emperor , but Z - one intervened and blasted the Meklord Emperor away with a laser cannon , saving Antinomy . Z - one also met Paradox at some point . In their old age , the two of them and Antinomy met Aporia . As the only survivors of the human race , the four of them believed it to be their mission to create a better future . They tried to dispose of the core power of Ener - D , which wiped out the world before and performed countless experiments to try and find a solution to restore the world to the way it once was . During their attempts , Z - one had his body mechanized in order to prolong his life and his companions began to die . After Paradox died , Z - one sent an embodiment of him back in time as a trial to eliminate the root source of " Duel Monsters " , by killing its creator Maximillion Pegasus . However , this plan failed as Paradox ran into the likes of Yugi Muto , Jaden Yuki and Yusei Fudo , who banded together to defeat him . Before Antinomy died , Z - one said that he was going to need his strength to save the world . Antinomy was confident that the day would come when the world would be saved , so to ensure this , he asked that he be put to work as Z - one ' s servant . After Antinomy died , Z - one sent an embodiment of him to the past , where he was given the mission to protect Yusei Fudo and aid in his growth . As Aporia was about to die , he placed himself in a capsule and asked Z - one to do whatever it took to prevent their future from ever occurring . He insisted that Z - one split him into three embodiments based on the three despairs of his life . Z - one split Aporia into the embodiments Lester , Primo and Jakob and sent them back to the past , where they served as the Three Pure Nobles . Z - one also built the Divine Temple out of the ruins of the future New Domino City , including the Daedalus Bridge and Old Ener - D as an energy source . Pre - World Racing Grand Prix . Z - one primarily existed within a mysterious white dimension . Yusei Fudo , Sherry LeBlanc and the embodiment of Antinomy , who had been stripped of his memories and called himself Bruno , were transported here after they scanned the " Z - ONE " card at Sector Security . They saw Z - one and were then transported to the outskirts of the city . World Racing Grand Prix . Later after achieving Clear Mind , Yusei found the " Shooting Star Dragon " tablet outside the city , upon touching it he was transported to location he saw Z - one earlier . It is there that Z - one gives him the respective card . Z - one gave a blank card to Yusei and explained that it had the possibility of Accel Synchro . He advised Yusei to believe what he thinks is right and then disappeared as Yusei returned to the location where the tablet landed . Z - one met Sherry again , after she had been sucked out of a dimension shuttle when trapped in a wormhole . He appeared in the form of Dr . LeBlanc to Sherry , but explained that he only looked that way because that is what her heart was showing . He offered to tell Sherry the truth , but she must accept her destiny being altered . Z - one showed Sherry a vision of the future where the world has been destroyed and blamed the destruction on Ener - D . He allegedly also showed her a vision where Yusei Fudo dies after boarding the Divine Temple . Z - one told Sherry that he had the power to grant any wish and in exchange for her helping him , he promised to bring her parents back to life . He then gave her " Soul - Binding Gate " to help her fight for his cause . Ark Cradle . After Yusei defeated Aporia , in the World Racing Grand Prix , the Grand Design was completed , allowing the Divine Temple to appear and begin its descent upon New Domino City . Z - one , along the human corpses of Paradox , Antinomy , and Aporia were within the Divine Temple . Z - one recovered the remains of Aporia ' s mechanical body , which had been damaged after Aporia ' s Duel with Yusei . Z - one informed Aporia that despite losing the Duel , he did not fail completely because the Divine Temple appeared . He said that they can continue their plan , but with a few changes . Z - one asked Aporia if he was willing to try to change the future again . Considering himself Z - one ' s eternal friend , Aporia agreed to help . Z - one assigned Sherry and Aporia to guarding two of the Divine Temple ' s three outer main Planetary Gear s . Z - one had Sherry inform Yusei of his plans to change history by destroying New Domino . Sherry also warned Yusei of his future death , but knew it wouldn ' t stop him boarding . Z - one questioned why she warned him , knowing it wouldn ' t make a difference . Sherry explained that it was courtesy and a testimony to her old friend , especially as she planned to kill him . Once , Team 5D ' s and Antinomy arrived on top of the Divine Temple , Z - one opened a hole in the ground below them , causing the group split - up and fall onto three platforms , each leading to a different Planetary Gear . Z - one had Sherry fight Akiza and Crow at the first and Aporia Duel Jack , Leo and Luna at the second . In both cases , his servants lost . When Yusei and Antinomy reached the third Planetary Gear , Z - one restored Antinomy ' s memory , so Antinomy proceeded to Duel Yusei at this Planetary Gear . Antinomy also lost and gave his life to save Yusei from the Death Course . Once Team 5D ' s stopped all three of the Planetary Gears , they gained access to the Central Gear , which led them to a scrapyard - like area , where they faced Z - one . Z - one explained that Ener - D and Synchro Summon ing are responsible for the future destruction of humanity and he plans on destroying New Domino City and its Ener - D to prevent this happening . He told them that he had sent Paradox , Aporia and Antinomy back in time as part of his plan . Enraged over how Z - one used Antinomy , who Yusei knew as Bruno , Yusei prepared to Duel Z - one , but was interrupted by Aporia . Having found hope from Team 5D ' s , Aporia changed his mind . He tried to remind Z - one that he also once had hope in Team 5D ' s , which is why he had Antinomy help them grow . Z - one denied that that hope exists , so Aporia challenged him to a Duel to remind him . Z - one equipped himself with a large set of mechanical hands and Deck holder . Stone " Duel Monsters " slabs in the arena flew into the holder and formed his Deck . Aporia managed to reduce his Deck to zero cards and activated " Afterglow " , which returned to his Deck . If Aporia could draw that on his next turn , he would win . However Z - one used his turn to shuffle thirty three cards back into Aporia ' s Deck and ready " Lazion , the Timelord " to inflict enough damage to defeat Aporia after drawing his next card . Effectively this meant , if Aporia drew " Afterglow " , he would win , but anything else , he would lose . This gave Aporia a 1 / 34 chance of winning . If hope truly was on Aporia ' s side , Z - one said he would win despite the odds . However , in ironic twist of fate , Aporia drew " Meklord Emperor Granel , " the monster which also caused the major despairs of his life , and lost . Aporia thought he had failed , but Yusei told him by teaching them of Z - one ' s " Timelord " cards , he has given them hope . Aporia then added wing modifications to Yusei Go , before dying . Leo angrily asked Z - one why he would harm his own friend , like this . However Z - one said that he did not consider the Antinomy and Aporia that Team 5D ' s knew as his friends , as they were only mechanical reconstructions of them . Yusei asked if Z - one ever considered that they may still be his friends and challenged Z - one to a Duel . Z - one agreed to the Duel and told Yusei to use his modified Duel Runner . Before the Duel , Team 5D ' s gave their Signer Dragon s to Yusei and Z - one caused six monitors to appear around the Divine Temple , so that the citizens of New Domino could watch the Duel . During the Duel Yusei began Summoning the Signer Dragons and managed to damage Z - one ' s mask , revealing that his face resembles Yusei ' s . Z - one claimed to be the future version of Yusei Fudo , but Yusei refused to believe such , saying that he would never think to save the future by sacrificing the city . Instead , Z - one explained how he had became Yusei , tried saving people the conventional way and concluded that it wouldn ' t work . Z - one and Yusei continued the Duel and he proceeded to Summon five " Timelord " monsters . Z - one assaults Yusei with all five of his monsters , but Yusei endures and calls on the bonds of his friends to Over Limit Accel Synchro " Shooting Quasar Dragon " . " Shooting Quasar Dragon " destroys all five of Z - one ' s monsters along with itself , allowing Yusei to ultimately Summon " Shooting Star Dragon " and attacking directly to reduce Z - one to 700 Life Points . With his final move , Z - one summons " Sephylon , the Timelord " and revives four other of his " Timelord s " , raising the ATK of " Sephylon " to 20 , 000 . Z - one destroys " Shooting Star Dragon " , but Yusei uses the Trap " Converging Wishes " to Summon " Stardust Dragon " and raise its ATK to 23 , 000 . Yusei then uses the second effect of " Converging Wishes " to force " Sephylon " to attack " Stardust Dragon " five times , depleting Z - one ' s Life Points . Defeated , Z - one ' s machine spirals out of control and crashes , the rest of his mask falling away . Yusei drives down to him , and Z - one tells Yusei the machine that prolongs his life will soon shut down . Z - one thinks back on his bonds with Aporia , Paradox and Antinomy , and asks Yusei if his actions were wrong . Yusei denies this , telling Z - one that he merely wanted to save his future , and by telling the people of the present about it they now have a chance to change things for the better . However , the Divine Temple is still falling , and Z - one realizes Yusei plans to sacrifice himself to make it rise up again , using the Ener - D reactor in the Yusei Go to reverse the negative reactor in the Divine Temple . Yusei drives into the reactor and Z - one follows , telling Yusei his machine is equipped with an Ener - D reactor of its own . Telling Yusei the future is entrusted to him now , Z - one throws him back and crashes into the reactor . Before dying , he wishes to meet Antinomy , Aporia and Paradox in a changed future . Afterwards , Yusei developed the computer program Fortune , stopping the Meklord Emperor Genocide from occuring in the first place , so Z - one may have gotten his wish . Deck . Z - one uses a " Timelord " Deck , focused on a Burn / Bouncing play style . His " Timelord " monsters are Level 10 , but he uses " Nonexistence " and its upgraded forms " Endless Emptiness " and " Infinite Light " to Summon them from his hand en masse without the need for Tribute s and Summoning his ace " Sephylon , the Ultimate Timelord " . He also uses tarot - themed Trap Card s that activate directly from his hand . The names of his monsters are references to the archangels of Sephirot , and correspondingly there are eleven " Timelords " , ten for each aspect of the Sephirot and one representing the entire group . Despite competing in both Ground Duels and Turbo Duel s , Z - one was only shown using one Deck . In the apocalyptic future , Z - one was also shown to use " Shooting Star Dragon " while impersonating Yusei Fudo .