Mako Tsunami Mako Tsunami , known as Ryota Kajiki in the manga and Japanese versions , is a fisherman who wants to become the greatest fisherman ever in honor of his father , who died on a shipwreck ( in the dub , Mako is searching for his long - lost father , who survived the shipwreck , indicated by a missing lifeboat ) . He uses mostly WATER - based cards in his " Duel Monsters " Deck . He came third in the Regional Duel Monsters Championship ( Japanese National Duel Monsters Championship in the Japanese version ) . Naming . Kajikimagurō means " " . His English anime name , Mako , originates from the " " , and a " " is a type of large wave formed by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions . Biography . Duelist Kingdom . Mako ' s first appearance is in the Duelist Kingdom arc , where he Duels Yugi Muto in a battleground near the sea . Due to the fact that his side of the field was water , all of his monsters gained power bonuses and they were able to hide themselves from attack . Therefore , Mako ' s monsters were able to devastate Yugi ' s monsters until Yugi played " Full Moon " to increase the ATK of his " Silver Fang " . From here , he shattered the moon with " Giant Solder of Stone " , draining the sea and exposing Mako ' s monsters . Then he played " Curse of Dragon " which in combination with the " Burning Land " card , incinerated Mako ' s monsters and won Yugi the Duel . Battle City . His next appearance in the series is during the Battle City arc . It showed him trying to catch fish in the killer whale tank at Domino City Aquarium , where he was chewed out by the Domino City Aquarium worker , the killer whale ' s trainer . When the worker was too ill to perform the scheduled show , Mako volunteered to take her place , due to his bond with all sea creatures . He was found at the show by Joey Wheeler who he Duels to determine which one of them will go to the playoffs . Using the Field Magic Card " Umi " , Mako gains offensive and defensive bonuses for his monsters as well as hiding them . Eventually , Mako calls forth his " The Legendary Fisherman " , who is immune to Magic Cards and monster assaults as long as " Umi " is on the field . To Mako , " The Legendary Fisherman " is the embodiment of his father and also what he aspires to be in life . Mako then Summons " Fortress Whale " , whose power allows him to dominate the field . Joey eventually uses " Panther Warrior " in conjunction with the Equip Magic Card " Lightning Blade " in order to weaken the " Fortress Whale " as well as increase the power of the " Panther Warrior " . Mako then used his " Legendary Fisherman " as a shield to protect his Life Points but with the removal of " Umi " via Joey ' s " Giant Trunade " , it was easily destroyed , winning Joey the Duel . Joey won his " Fortress Whale " , and Mako gave his " The Legendary Fisherman " to Joey as well to thank Joey . This is Mako ' s final Duel in the series . Mako was also the only Duelist Joey faced in tournament apart from Seto Kaiba that didn ' t cheat or twist the game to their own will . Mako is shortly seen along with the rest of the Duelists during the semifinal match between Seto Kaiba and Yugi Muto , in which he marvels at the power of the Egyptian Gods " Obelisk the Tormentor " and " Slifer the Sky Dragon " . Dawn of the Duel . In the final episode , Mako is seen on a boat that has a sail that reads " Tairyō " ( 大漁 ) , which means a large catch of fish . When Kajiki arrives on shore , he encounters the Roba brothers , with Espa Roba ready to Duel . This scene is shown only in the original anime as it takes place during the credits . Non - canon appearances . " Pyramid of Light " . Mako also makes a cameo in " " watching the news of Yugi being the champion on TV , as well as a montage created by Maximillion Pegasus shortly before the final Duel when Pegasus says that everyone Yugi and the Pharaoh met had played a role in what was coming up next . Deck . Mako uses a WATER Deck in Duelist Kingdom it is focused on using the " natural environment " to hide his strong WATER monsters . In the " Battle City " tournament , it is focused around utilizing " Umi " to conceal his monsters while also using cards such as " Tornado Wall " and " Torrential Tribute " to disrupt his opponent ' s strategies . He also uses this strategy to gather enough resources for his more powerful monsters such as " The Legendary Fisherman " and " Fortress Whale " .