Egyptian God Cards
Encyclopedia
The Egyptian God cards or the in Japan, are a series of powerful monster cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!
that serve as a focal point in the series' manga
, the second series anime, and video games based on the anime and manga. The cards have ties to the truthful history of Ancient Egypt
within the series and become central plot devices. The real versions of the cards have become widely hunted collector's items, and are not legally playable in any sort of official tournament. However, legal versions of Obelisk and Ra have been released. The cards consist of , and or The Winged Dragon of Apollo the Atem/Yami the Pharaoh. As such, Marik Ishtar, the main antagonist of the Battle City arc, seeks possession of the cards in addition to the Millennium Puzzle in an attempt to take possession of the Pharaoh's long lost power. He manages to acquire the Winged Dragon of Ra and Slifer the Sky Dragon, but his sister Ishizu manages to safeguard the final card, Obelisk the Tormentor
Ishizu gives the final card – Obelisk the Tormentor – to Seto Kaiba
, whom she believes is destined to help the Pharaoh defeat Marik by using the power of her Millennium Necklace (another of the Seven Millennium Items). Kaiba, eager to show off his new power at a tournament he is planning to throw, but he says no to the powerful card. He later accepts the card, as Ishizu had hoped, which lures Marik and his Rare Hunters there with the promise of acquiring the final card and taking down the Pharaoh. Marik (dueling through the mind of a mime through the power of the Millennium Rod) loses Slifer the Sky Dragon to the Pharaoh in a duel.
In the Battle City finals, Yugi defeats Kaiba and wins Obelisk from him. Then the Pharaoh faces Marik for the championship. Marik is again up to his tricks and Pharaoh now has to worry about losing Yugi's soul to the Shadow Realm (In the original Japanese version, Yugi would die if Yami lost). He uses Obelisk and Slifer in a final battle with Marik, winning and claiming the final God card, the Winged Dragon of Ra.
Afterwards, the God cards are stolen in Season 4 by Dartz and his henchmen as part of a plan to revive a beast from 10 thousand years ago, the Great Leviathan, to destroy the world, and are not retrieved until the end of the season when the Pharaoh turns everyone's hearts into a light strong enough to summon the Egyptian Gods. He uses them to battle against The Great Leviathan. With everyone's hearts full of light and fueling the Egyptian Gods the Pharaoh wins the battle. Then The Great Leviathan revives himself and tries to destroy the Pharaoh, but with the light that's in his own heart he seals it away forever and the world is safe.
The cards are used in Season 5 to send the Pharaoh into a world made up of his own sealed memories, allowing him to experience memories that he had in the past and defeat the opponent he defeated in the past, the God of Darkness, Zorc. During the battle, the Pharaoh learns his true name,(with the help of Yugi, Tea
, Joey, and Tristan) Atem (which is the secret key to unlocking the Pharaoh's memory), and merges the Gods together into their ultimate form, The Creator of Light – Horakhty. He uses the God cards in his final duel against Yugi, and they are sent to the afterlife with him at the end of the original Yu-Gi-Oh!
The God cards appear in the movie Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light
which occurs after Battle City and in the Paradise arcs, where the film villain Anubis uses the titular item, much like the Millennium Puzzle in an attempt to destroy the God cards and revive the power of Dark using Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. However, the film is not considered canon
to the anime or manga. The God cards are featured prominently in the video games Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards
and Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, both of which are alternate universe
games based on the second season of the anime.
The Slifer the Sky Dragon and Winged Dragon of Ra cards re-appear in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
. The former is used by Yugi in the final duel against Jaden Yuki
, which occurs after Jaden is transported to the past, at a time before the cards were destroyed. The latter card is seen only as a copy which is stolen by a developer for Industrial Illusions, which Jaden wins back by defeating the thief in a duel. He then gives it to Pegasus. Pegasus then leaves and Jaden is left with the memory of actually seeing an Egyptian God, the most powerful one, with his own eyes.
, or a connection to a Millennium Item, like Yugi Mutou
, can wield them. Anyone else is punished with death or near-fatal injury, but this is only seen happening on limited occasions. The god cards are coloured by their appearance, not the traditional colouring by type.
Slifer the Sky Dragon (The Saint Dragon, God of Osiris in Japanese) is the second God card revealed in the anime. It was one of the two God cards owned by Marik, who gives it to one of his mind slaves, Strings, in an attempt to defeat Yugi. Yugi however defeats Strings and claims Slifer as his prize. Although reluctant to use due to its vast power, Yugi places it in his deck during the finals of the tournament, in order to battle against both Seto Kaiba's Egyptian god card Obelisk The Tormentor and later Marik Ishtar's Winged Dragon of Ra. This English dub adaptation of the card has the name "Slifer the Sky Dragon". The original name of the card in Japan is "Osiris
", which is also the name of the Egyptian God of Death and Rebirth.
Slifer originally has zero attack and defense points, but its effect allows it to gain 1,000 attack points for every card in the player's hand. In the video games, it can destroy any monster with 2,000 or less defense points if it is special summoned; in the anime, it decreases the defense of a special summoned monster by 2,000, and if its defense is decreased to zero, the monster is destroyed.
Slifer the Sky Dragon's English name comes from the 4Kids Entertainment
executive producer, Roger Slifer
.
Obelisk originally has 4,000 attack and defense points. It's effect allows the player to sacrifice two monsters to destroy all your opponent's monsters (in the anime, it gains infinite attack points).
Ra originally has an unspecified amount of attack points; this is because his effect gives him attack points equal to the combined attack of the monsters used to tribute summon it. It can also gain attack points by giving up life points until the player has 100 left (in the anime, the player gives up all but one life point to power up Ra; if the player uses "De-Fusion", the player's life points are restored). You can also pay 1,000 life points to destroy one monster on your opponent's side of the field. In the anime, the controller of Ra can attack any monster their opponent controls, and afterward attack their life points directly.
Ra is also the name of the Egyptian god of the sun.
as a privilege for those who made a pre-order of the Japanese Game Boy Color
game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelist released on December 7, 2000. The second set was released by Konami
on April 17, 2003 as special pack-in cards in the Game Boy Advance game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters International — Worldwide Edition, the Japanese version of the English-language Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel
.
Unlike previous versions, the third set of the God Cards was not released simultaneously. The Winged Dragon of Ra was included as a limited edition card in the Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dawn of Destiny game for Xbox
, released March 23, 2004. Slifer the Sky Dragon was released as a special pack-in card for the ani-manga of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: The Pyramid of Light, published November 23, 2004 by VIZ Media
. Obelisk the Tormentor, finally, was released as a free gift to subscribers of United States Shonen Jump in May 2005.
A legal version of Obelisk was released in December 2009 in the January 2010 edition of United States Shonen Jump, which displayed alternate artwork signed by Kazuki Takahashi. This card is an effect monster card and is allowed in official tournaments.
Also the December 2010 issue of Shonen Jump contained a special edition of the Winged Dragon of Ra. Like the tournament-legal version of Obelisk the Tormentor, this card is an effect monster card, and displays alternate artwork signed by Kazuki Takahashi.
It is unknown at this time whether or not a tournament-legal version of Slifer the Sky Dragon will be released, but it is not likely that Konami would re-release the first two without the third.
On October 5, 2010, Konami released Yu-Gi-Oh! Legendary Collection. It comes with the 3 Egyptian god cards (Ultra Rare), Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Ultra Rare), Dark Magician (Ultra Rare), Red-Eyes B. Dragon (Ultra Rare), and 6 of the earliest booster packs (Metal Raiders, Pharaohs Servant, Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Spell Ruler, Dark Crisis, and Invasion of Chaos) in a God Card themed binder.
Obtaining the God Cards once demanded high prices on the secondary market. This was prior to their current widespread availability. During this time, countless counterfeit copies were made and distributed throughout multiple countries, causing widespread warning articles on the internet and in card price guides on how to avoid paying for counterfeits and ensuring authenticity.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
that serve as a focal point in the series' manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, the second series anime, and video games based on the anime and manga. The cards have ties to the truthful history of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
within the series and become central plot devices. The real versions of the cards have become widely hunted collector's items, and are not legally playable in any sort of official tournament. However, legal versions of Obelisk and Ra have been released. The cards consist of , and or The Winged Dragon of Apollo the Atem/Yami the Pharaoh. As such, Marik Ishtar, the main antagonist of the Battle City arc, seeks possession of the cards in addition to the Millennium Puzzle in an attempt to take possession of the Pharaoh's long lost power. He manages to acquire the Winged Dragon of Ra and Slifer the Sky Dragon, but his sister Ishizu manages to safeguard the final card, Obelisk the Tormentor
Ishizu gives the final card – Obelisk the Tormentor – to Seto Kaiba
Seto Kaiba
is a fictional character and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. As the majority shareholder and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game...
, whom she believes is destined to help the Pharaoh defeat Marik by using the power of her Millennium Necklace (another of the Seven Millennium Items). Kaiba, eager to show off his new power at a tournament he is planning to throw, but he says no to the powerful card. He later accepts the card, as Ishizu had hoped, which lures Marik and his Rare Hunters there with the promise of acquiring the final card and taking down the Pharaoh. Marik (dueling through the mind of a mime through the power of the Millennium Rod) loses Slifer the Sky Dragon to the Pharaoh in a duel.
In the Battle City finals, Yugi defeats Kaiba and wins Obelisk from him. Then the Pharaoh faces Marik for the championship. Marik is again up to his tricks and Pharaoh now has to worry about losing Yugi's soul to the Shadow Realm (In the original Japanese version, Yugi would die if Yami lost). He uses Obelisk and Slifer in a final battle with Marik, winning and claiming the final God card, the Winged Dragon of Ra.
Afterwards, the God cards are stolen in Season 4 by Dartz and his henchmen as part of a plan to revive a beast from 10 thousand years ago, the Great Leviathan, to destroy the world, and are not retrieved until the end of the season when the Pharaoh turns everyone's hearts into a light strong enough to summon the Egyptian Gods. He uses them to battle against The Great Leviathan. With everyone's hearts full of light and fueling the Egyptian Gods the Pharaoh wins the battle. Then The Great Leviathan revives himself and tries to destroy the Pharaoh, but with the light that's in his own heart he seals it away forever and the world is safe.
The cards are used in Season 5 to send the Pharaoh into a world made up of his own sealed memories, allowing him to experience memories that he had in the past and defeat the opponent he defeated in the past, the God of Darkness, Zorc. During the battle, the Pharaoh learns his true name,(with the help of Yugi, Tea
Anzu Mazaki
, known in the English anime and English video games as Téa Gardner, is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!.Anzu's given name is sometimes written in hiragana next to the kanji in order to emphasize the fact that her name is read as "Anzu" instead of "Kyoko."-Character...
, Joey, and Tristan) Atem (which is the secret key to unlocking the Pharaoh's memory), and merges the Gods together into their ultimate form, The Creator of Light – Horakhty. He uses the God cards in his final duel against Yugi, and they are sent to the afterlife with him at the end of the original Yu-Gi-Oh!
The God cards appear in the movie Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, known in Japan as is a 2004 anime film produced by Nihon Ad Systems based on the second anime series of Yu-Gi-Oh!....
which occurs after Battle City and in the Paradise arcs, where the film villain Anubis uses the titular item, much like the Millennium Puzzle in an attempt to destroy the God cards and revive the power of Dark using Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. However, the film is not considered canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
to the anime or manga. The God cards are featured prominently in the video games Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards, or Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 7: Kettou Toshi Densetsu in Japan, is a Game Boy Advance game based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime developed and published by Konami. It was first released in Japan on July 4, 2002...
and Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, both of which are alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
games based on the second season of the anime.
The Slifer the Sky Dragon and Winged Dragon of Ra cards re-appear in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as , is an anime spin-off and sequel of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime. It aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between October 6, 2004 and March 26, 2008, and was succeeded by Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's...
. The former is used by Yugi in the final duel against Jaden Yuki
Jaden Yuki
Jaden Yuki, known as in the original Japanese version, is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime and manga series. His name is meant to be a pun in Japanese, as "jūdai" is the word for "teenager"...
, which occurs after Jaden is transported to the past, at a time before the cards were destroyed. The latter card is seen only as a copy which is stolen by a developer for Industrial Illusions, which Jaden wins back by defeating the thief in a duel. He then gives it to Pegasus. Pegasus then leaves and Jaden is left with the memory of actually seeing an Egyptian God, the most powerful one, with his own eyes.
Anime God cards
The God Cards are unaffected by any Spell cards, Trap cards, or monster effects, and they are immune to Control Switch, Removal, and Destroying effects. If the God cards are in one's hand, Deck or Graveyard, Spells, Traps and Monster Effects work as normal. The God Cards also have an unofficial effect that states only someone with strong ties to Ancient Egypt, like Seto KaibaSeto Kaiba
is a fictional character and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. As the majority shareholder and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game...
, or a connection to a Millennium Item, like Yugi Mutou
Yugi Mutou
is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
, can wield them. Anyone else is punished with death or near-fatal injury, but this is only seen happening on limited occasions. The god cards are coloured by their appearance, not the traditional colouring by type.
Slifer the Sky Dragon
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
", which is also the name of the Egyptian God of Death and Rebirth.
Slifer originally has zero attack and defense points, but its effect allows it to gain 1,000 attack points for every card in the player's hand. In the video games, it can destroy any monster with 2,000 or less defense points if it is special summoned; in the anime, it decreases the defense of a special summoned monster by 2,000, and if its defense is decreased to zero, the monster is destroyed.
Slifer the Sky Dragon's English name comes from the 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
executive producer, Roger Slifer
Roger Slifer
Roger Slifer is a writer of comic books, animation, and video games, well-known for a run on Omega Men in the 1980s.-Biography:Slifer started out in comics as an editor at Marvel Comics where he also wrote a number of comic books....
.
Obelisk the Tormentor
Obelisk the Tormentor is the first god card revealed in the anime. It was given to Seto Kaiba by Ishizu Ishtar, who gave it to him for the Battle City Tournament, but expected the card back. Kaiba first used the card to defeat a robot controlling his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and used it several other times throughout the tournament. However, during the finals, Yugi won the card from Kaiba.Obelisk originally has 4,000 attack and defense points. It's effect allows the player to sacrifice two monsters to destroy all your opponent's monsters (in the anime, it gains infinite attack points).
The Winged Dragon of Ra
The Winged Dragon of Ra or The Winged Dragon of Apollo is the third Egyptian god card revealed in the anime. It is one of the two and, after Strings was defeated, the only remaining god card owned by Marik Ishtar. It was first played by Yami Marik in a Shadow Game against Yami Bakaru and Marik's spirit, though the latter two lost. The card was later given to Yugi after he won the Battle City Tournament, giving him control of all three Egyptian god cards.Ra originally has an unspecified amount of attack points; this is because his effect gives him attack points equal to the combined attack of the monsters used to tribute summon it. It can also gain attack points by giving up life points until the player has 100 left (in the anime, the player gives up all but one life point to power up Ra; if the player uses "De-Fusion", the player's life points are restored). You can also pay 1,000 life points to destroy one monster on your opponent's side of the field. In the anime, the controller of Ra can attack any monster their opponent controls, and afterward attack their life points directly.
Ra is also the name of the Egyptian god of the sun.
Trading Card Game God cards
The first version of the God Cards was released by KonamiKonami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
as a privilege for those who made a pre-order of the Japanese Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelist released on December 7, 2000. The second set was released by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
on April 17, 2003 as special pack-in cards in the Game Boy Advance game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters International — Worldwide Edition, the Japanese version of the English-language Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel is based on the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game and TV series has you set during the Battle City arc, dueling popular characters from the anime and manga...
.
Unlike previous versions, the third set of the God Cards was not released simultaneously. The Winged Dragon of Ra was included as a limited edition card in the Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dawn of Destiny game for Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, released March 23, 2004. Slifer the Sky Dragon was released as a special pack-in card for the ani-manga of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: The Pyramid of Light, published November 23, 2004 by VIZ Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. Obelisk the Tormentor, finally, was released as a free gift to subscribers of United States Shonen Jump in May 2005.
A legal version of Obelisk was released in December 2009 in the January 2010 edition of United States Shonen Jump, which displayed alternate artwork signed by Kazuki Takahashi. This card is an effect monster card and is allowed in official tournaments.
Also the December 2010 issue of Shonen Jump contained a special edition of the Winged Dragon of Ra. Like the tournament-legal version of Obelisk the Tormentor, this card is an effect monster card, and displays alternate artwork signed by Kazuki Takahashi.
It is unknown at this time whether or not a tournament-legal version of Slifer the Sky Dragon will be released, but it is not likely that Konami would re-release the first two without the third.
On October 5, 2010, Konami released Yu-Gi-Oh! Legendary Collection. It comes with the 3 Egyptian god cards (Ultra Rare), Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Ultra Rare), Dark Magician (Ultra Rare), Red-Eyes B. Dragon (Ultra Rare), and 6 of the earliest booster packs (Metal Raiders, Pharaohs Servant, Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Spell Ruler, Dark Crisis, and Invasion of Chaos) in a God Card themed binder.
Obtaining the God Cards once demanded high prices on the secondary market. This was prior to their current widespread availability. During this time, countless counterfeit copies were made and distributed throughout multiple countries, causing widespread warning articles on the internet and in card price guides on how to avoid paying for counterfeits and ensuring authenticity.