Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

***Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's*** is the third *Yu-Gi-Oh!* anime series and the second main spin-off in the franchise. The series aired in Japan between April 2, 2008 and March 30, 2011, following the conclusion of the previous series, *Yu-Gi-Oh! GX*. In the United States, most episodes of *Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's* were dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment. This series was succeeded by *Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal*.

The story focuses around characters playing a card game called Duel Monsters. This series introduces Synchro Monsters in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. A new method of dueling with motorcycle-like vehicles called Duel Runners are used, and the duelists engage in games called Turbo Duels. The show is set in 2035, where the upper class population live in New Domino City and the lower class in a remote island where Domino's sewage is transported, Satellite. Yusei Fudo, the 18-year-old protagonist, lives in Satellite and makes it his objective to reach his rival Jack Atlas, who lives in Domino. The series focuses on the five Signers, people embodied with a mark of one of the legendary Five Dragons, their conflict with the Dark Signers, and the Three Emperors of Yilaster.

As with the previous two series (*Yu-Gi-Oh!* and *Yu-Gi-Oh! GX*), this series was acquired by 4Kids Entertainment for broadcasting in the United States in September 2008. and aired on The CW4Kids, from September 13, 2008 to September 10, 2011, although with many episodes left undubbed. The English language dub premiered on July 24 at San Diego Comic-Con 2008, where the first English dubbed episode was previewed. Like the previous two series, changes have been made to the plot, cards, localized character names. On June 1, 2009, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's started airing 5 days a week on Cartoon Network. A manga based on the show began serialization in *V-Jump Monthly Magazine* from August 2009 to January 2015.

## Plot

Template:See also
*Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's* is set in 2035, in New Domino City, where Yusei Fudo, an aspiring duelist from Satellite, builds his own Duel Runner, but his best friend Jack Atlas betrays him and steals his vehicle along with his most precious monster, Stardust Dragon. Two years later, Yusei builds another one and sets out to win back his Dragon. Jack has made a name for himself and his monster, Red Dragon Archfiend, in New Domino City. Yusei and Jack face each other in a Turbo Duel, and Yusei is able to regain control of Stardust Dragon. As Stardust and Red Dragon Archfiend battle, a third dragon appears and brings an abrupt end to the fight. This attracts the attention of Rex Godwin, who reveals to Jack a five thousand year old secret, involving the "People of the Stars" (星の民, *Hoshi no Tami*), a pre-Incan civilization, the "Crimson Dragon" (赤き竜, *Akaki Ryū*), and "Signers" (シグナー, *Shigunā*), identified by a red birthmark on their arm. Goodwin also reveals that Jack and Yusei, along with child Duelist Luna and Psychic Duelist Akiza are descendants of them and are destined to face the Dark Signers. The Signers head to the Satellite to face these foes, who consist of Roman, Goodwin's brother, former Signer of the Dragon head mark and leader of the Dark Signers: Kalin, a former friend of Yusei, Jack and their friend Crow Hogan: Devack, who wielded the Ancient Fairy Dragon card until Luna, with Leo's help, won it from him: Misty Tredwell, a model who blamed Akiza for the death of her brother Toby until she discovered the man who recruited Akiza, Sayer, was the true culprit: and briefly Carly, a blogger with feelings for Jack and Greiger, who blamed Goodwin for his village's disappearance until he discovered the Dark Signers were responsible. After their defeat, Goodwin is revealed to have become a Dark Signer and uses his brother's severed arm to become a Signer as well: he then Duels Yusei, Jack and Crow to a Turbo Duel to stop him and the released King of the Netherworld during which Yusei gains the head mark while Crow gains his former tail mark, making him a Signer. With the power of the Seal of the Crimson Dragon and Majestic Star Dragon, Yusei defeats Goodwin who, along with Roman, sacrifice themselves to destroy the King of the Netherworld and revive the Dark Signers.

After the Dark Signers' defeat, New Domino City and Satellite are finally reunited into one prosperous city with the building of the "Daedalus Bridge," an intricate net of roads linking both Satellite and New Domino City with some sections also used for Turbo Duels. Yusei and his friends, now calling themselves "Team 5D's," prepare for the upcoming World Racing Grand Prix (WRGP) tournament. A new threat appears whose main monsters, the "Machine Emperors," can absorb Synchro Monsters from their opponents to empower themselves. Yusei encounters a fellow competitor, Sherry LeBlanc, who is investigating an organization named "Yliaster," that is reportedly responsible for her parents' deaths. Team 5D's is also joined by a mysterious amnesiac mechanic named Bruno, who teaches Yusei about the secrets of "Accel Synchro" that allows him to bring out an improved version of his Stardust Dragon. The WRGP soon begins, with Team 5D's facing tough opponents before eventually confronting the Emperors themselves, who are revealed to be three different incarnations of Aporia, a cyborg sent from the future to destroy New Domino City to prevent a great calamity from befalling mankind in the future.

Although Team 5D's defeats Aporia and wins the WRGP, a massive citadel known as the Ark Cradle appears and threatens to crash into New Domino City. Team 5D's climbs aboard it to stop it. Before reaching the core of the fortress, they confront Sherry, who is promised to have her parents returned to her. Bruno recovers his memories and is revealed to be Antinomy, another member of Yliaster. Leo awakens his dormant powers and becomes the sixth and final Signer bearing the mark of the heart during his Battle Royal Duel with Jack and Luna against Aporia. When the Signers finally duel with Z-one, Yliaster's leader, Yusei borrows his friends' dragons to add them to his deck, and challenges Z-one to a final duel to decide New Domino City's future. Z-one is revealed to be a scientist from the future who assumed Yusei's identity and traveled back in time to prevent the destruction of humanity. Yusei manages to use his friends' cards to summon his strongest monster, "Shooting Quasar Dragon." After Z-one is defeated by Yusei, Z-one decides to entrust the future of mankind to Yusei, and sacrifices himself to save New Domino City from destruction.

A few months pass after the Signers' victory over Yliaster, and the former members of Team 5D's move on with their lives following separate paths. They all part ways, except for Yusei, who decides to stay in New Domino City. The other Signers decide that they will return after fulfilling their dreams. As they ride together one last time, the Crimson Dragon removes their Signer marks, as their mission as Signers is accomplished.

## Themes

The first story arc addresses class division, segregation, and discrimination. The Dark Signer arc then deals with how the consequences of the past can affect the present and seeking redemption for the past. The final arcs, the World Grand Prix and Ark Cradle arcs, deal with how the present impacts the future and the consequences these actions may bring.

Like all Yu Gi Oh series, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's places emphasis on bonds between the protagonist and other characters.

Template:Main
*Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's* aired on TV Tokyo between April 2, 2008 and March 30, 2011, following the end of the previous series, *Yu-Gi-Oh! GX*. As with the previous two series (*Yu-Gi-Oh!* and *Yu-Gi-Oh! GX*), this series was acquired by 4Kids Entertainment for broadcasting and began airing in the United States in September 2008. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's began airing on The CW4Kids, starting on September 13, 2008, and was later moved to Cartoon Network. On May 29, 2010, the series once again began airing in 1-hour episode blocks on The CW4Kids. The series moved over to the Toonzai block on September 18, 2010. The dubbed series ended on September 10, 2011, leaving out several episodes from the Japanese broadcast. This anime became the second *Yu-Gi-Oh!* series to not have a complete English dub as a result. Changes have been made to the plot and cards, character names have been localized, and violent scenes have been edited.

In Germany, however, the dub stopped using the 4Kids version and began adapting the show directly from Japan from episode 65 onward for unknown reasons. While the original voice cast from the first 64 episodes was still used, the show no longer edited quite as much, used the original music (including the original Japanese opening and ending themes), and adapted their scripts directly from the original Japanese scripts rather than from the revised English scripts.Template:Citation needed

On September 22, 2010, Toonzaki and Hulu uploaded subtitled and dubbed episodes of *Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's*. These episodes use the English names for the cards instead of the Japanese names. In an Anime News Network interview with Mark Kirk, Senior Vice President of Digital Media for 4Kids Entertainment, Kirk claimed this was due to legal reasons.

## External links

* *Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's* (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia