Picture this: A futuristic city populated by teenagers with multi-colored hair, time-stopping robots, ghosts from outside our universe, and trading cards. In other words, picture Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal—the latest (and most colorful) installment of the ongoing Yu-Gi-Oh! saga. A bizarre-yet-awesome romp through a colorful landscape to save the world with friendship and trading cards. Zexal is a fun read for hardcore Yu-Gi-Oh! fans and casual manga readers alike! Having trouble picturing more? Then read on!

Gonna Jet

Our hero is Yuma Tsukumo, an intrepid duelist determined to jet his way to victory. Yuma’s determined to become a champion, and isn’t going to let anything get in his way, not even the fact that he’s terrible at school, sports and dueling. His luck changes when his mysterious key-pendant, a keepsake from his conveniently absent explorer parents, unlocks the door to another world. Yuma finds himself linked to the ghostly Astral, a spirit on a vital mission.

Unfortunately, Astral has lost his memories in making the journey. To make matters worse, the door Yuma opened has also released the hundred Numbers Cards upon the world. The Numbers contain the scattered fragments of Astral’s lost memories, but come with many other, deadlier powers. Humans unfortunate enough to acquire a Number unawares find that the cards amplify the good or evil in their hearts.  

And in case you thought cards that make bad people worse weren’t enough of a problem, enter Dr. Faker and Mr. Heartland, the founder and mayor of Heartland City respectively. They’re determined to use the Numbers’ power for their own purposes…namely the destruction of Astral’s world. Serving them are many other Numbers Hunters out to amass the cards for their own. So, to restore Astral’s memories, protect mankind from the Numbers’ destructive power and thwart the villains’ schemes, Yuma sets out on his own quest.  Armed only with his parent’s deck, Astral’s advice, his friends’ support, and Number 39: Utopia, Yuma will stop at nothing to gather the remaining ninety-nine numbers.

Old and New

Fans of the show will be off to a familiar start since the premise and initial chapters mirror those of the anime. Starting from the second volume, however, the plot diverges considerably. Several new characters join the cast, turning the story in a very different direction.

Story-wise, the Zexal manga is very focused. Ditching the standard Yu-Gi-Oh!  tournament arc like a hot rock, the characters instead proceed directly to the central world-in-peril conflict. The most competent duelists, Yuma included, waste no time in gathering the Numbers from the civilian players before declaring war on one another; even the token throwaway villains often move the plot forward. In other words, rest assured that Yuma does not put his mission on hold for five chapters to help little Timmy Johnson down the street.

Bright New World

The artwork for Zexal is amazing, and nowhere does it shine brighter than during the monster fights. Abandoning the standard holograms of previous generations, Zexal’s duels take place in via augmented reality, courtesy of the D-Gazer headsets.

(Vegeta would be proud!)

The world of Zexal is also a reason to read. Though Heartland naturally has a dark side (courtesy of the resident mad scientist and evil mayor), it nevertheless is a very bright and well-realized setting. The backgrounds make Heartland look like somewhere you’d actually want to live—there are even little robots that take care of the garbage!

And this wouldn’t be Yu-Gi-Oh! if we didn’t have a whole mess of people with hair that defies nature and physics and similarly impossible wardrobes. Still, this is the future, and crazy fashion’s better than chrome and space suits any day.

So next time you’re looking for vibrant action, crazy images or just want to get your Yu-Gi-Oh! fix, check out the Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal volumes 1–3 are available from VIZ.com!

by Chris Turner