Thread: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

I'm not sure if Rei wants to make Yuma evil. Giving him that Barian Power Up card didn't have a negative effect on Yuma after he played it and I think he's just using Yuma to help him crush the other Barians and to find the Numeron Code. The glare in Rei's eyes after Yuma talked about the Numeron Code definitely makes me think that he just wants to use Yuma to find it so that he can turn his back on him and take it for himself. They could use him like a weapon without making him evil by having Rei pretend to be a good guy, convincing Yuma that he's a friend and so that he would help him through their duels.

The Animation of the latest episode was so good !
Anyway @Hidden Mew , I believe that just because the Anime showing Yuma's dependence of Astral , It doesn't mean Yuma can't be better dualist without him.
After all, Yuma & Astral can't be together forever .
So , Do you expect Yuma to return as a pathetic dualist after Astral disappear .
Ya , The Anime showing Yuma Dependence on Astral.
But , The Anime might just trying to show the Bond between Yuma & Astral.
When A Anime show too much friendship , It mean that ether one of them will die or betray the Protagonist.
Then Writer use the Frustration Protagonist feel to develop him .
Its happened on a lot Anime .
So , There is a chance that the Anime showcasing Yuma & Astral friendship too much to separate them and use Yuma's frustration for his growth .

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

The Animation of the latest episode was so good !
Anyway @Hidden Mew , I believe that just because the Anime showing Yuma's dependence of Astral , It doesn't mean Yuma can't be better dualist without him.
After all, Yuma & Astral can't be together forever .
So , Do you expect Yuma to return as a pathetic dualist after Astral disappear .
Ya , The Anime showing Yuma Dependence on Astral.
But , The Anime might just trying to show the Bond between Yuma & Astral.
When A Anime show too much friendship , It mean that ether one of them will die or betray the Protagonist.
Then Writer use the Frustration Protagonist feel to develop him .
Its happened on a lot Anime .
So , There is a chance that the Anime showcasing Yuma & Astral friendship too much to separate them and use Yuma's frustration for his growth .

I'm sure that the writers are trying to use Yuma's dependence on Astral as a way of showing their bond. That's the impression I got when with the first two of the new season and during his last duel against Shark. It still makes it look like Yuma can't handle strong opponents, which would be anyone involved with the plot, without Astral's powers/advice. I'm aware that they won't be together forever since at one point, Astral will have to go back to his world. I don't expect them to actually use that dependence as a means for Yuma to grow when they have showed his dependence on Astral in a positive light and his skills as a duelist has been rather inconsistent depending on the situation and if they want to make him look like a joke, so I doubt that they're going to make Yuma look like he needs to grow when they'll probably just have him already a good duelist without Astral's influence.

As for the recent episode, I didn't really care much for it, Anna is still an unnecessary character and she still comes off as loud, annoying and rather selfish, so seeing her for two episodes really does nothing for me. I still don't like going back to Barian brainwashing other duelists method, but at least they're using it to reintroduce Vector to the audience instead of waiting for a couple of episodes. That still doesn't change that it's a huge step backwards for the villains to use that method at this point and I doubt that it will make these episodes important, but I guess it isn't as bad if Gilag was the one who did it. The Monster Cafe was kind of nice and Shark being in a band instead of dressing up was pretty awesome. I didn't care much for the duel because I really don't like Anna, especially when it looked like she was just jealous of the married couple, and seeing giant blimps, ships and trains battling it out doesn't do anything for me either. At least the episodes after this two-part match sound a lot more interesting.

I didn't understand what the conflict was, so I'll form a proper opinion on the two-parter once subs air. It was animated really well, and I really liked the costumes everyone was wearing. The duel wasn't that interesting as I'm not a fan of machine monsters, and I don't have an idea of what the conflict even was about. It was good that they reintroduced Vector to remind the audience that he exists, but they could have done that in the episode after the two-parter anyway, and put him to good use. Rei wanting Yuma to use the Barian Card he gave him is rather suspicious in my eyes. It still could be because he wants to manipulate Yuma with it to help the Barians, but that would be if what happens in episode 95 is just an act to get Yuma to go to the Barian World. Using it only once would obviously not do much to him, but I'm sure that it should have some effect if he keeps on using it.

Here are the new episode summaries for the upcoming episodes for those that didn't check them out:

Episode 95:

"Let's Go! To the Final Battle! Let's Start 'er up, the Emperor's Key Airship" is the ninety-fifth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. It will first air in Japan on March 17, 2013.
Yuma is shocked when Rei, who stepped in for him, ends up being kidnapped by the diabolical "Vector". Meanwhile, Astral receives the card of "Master Key Dragon" from Vector. He senses a strange power from that card. At that time, Kite and Shark rush to Yuma, knowing a Barian was involved. Yuma is now determined to get to the Barian World, but he has no idea how to get there.

Episode 96:

"Vector's Madness: The Battle Aboard the Ominous Sargasso!" is the ninety-sixth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. It will air in Japan on March 24, 2013.
When the Different Dimension Airship reaches "Sargasso", Yuma and the gang run into the Barians who are a part of Vector's gang. Yuma begins a Duel against Vector, with his anger at its very limits. Meanwhile, Kite Duels Misael, while Shark ends up Dueling Durbe! "Sargasso" is actually a planned Field Spell Card called "Ancient Battlefield of the Different Dimension", that slowly whittles away at Yuma, Kite and Shark's Life Points. Yuma, already suffering mentally and physically, suffers an even greater blow when Vector reveals a shocking truth!

Episode 97:

"Countdown to Defeat! The Terror of Deck Destruction" is the ninty-seventh episode in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL series.
Due to a cruel trap by Vector, Yuma and Astral can no longer move. The fog of confusion grows thicker for Yuma as he learns all the things he believed in 100% have only been hurting Astral and everyone else. Tori and the rest of the Numbers Club, and even Astral decides to accept the mistakes Yuma has made. And the two unite and use ZEXAL and decide to attack. But, a few words from Vector causes Astral's body to completely change!

Episode 98:

"Break the Limits!! "Hope Ray Victory, the King of Wishes"" is the ninty-eighth episode in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL series.
A corrupted Astral takes control of "Dark ZEXAL". Although he's able to inflict massive damage to Vector due to his incredible offensive might, the way he fights is a manner that no longer cares what damage he takes. Yuma is horrified at the change in Astral, and realizes at this rate, they'll lose the Duel. However Astral refuses to listen to Yuma anymore. When Vector unleashes an attack that'll decide the entire Duel, in order to protect Astral, Yuma decides to take a desperate gamble!

Episode 99:

"Restart the Airship! Let's shoot for the Legendary Numbers!!" is the ninety-nineth episode in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL series.
Although Vector is defeated in the Battle of Sargasso, he unleashes the next threat due to his endless hatred for Yuma. He revives the "God" of the Barian World itself! On the other hand, Yuma and Astral are aware of the existence of a "Number" sleeping deep in the various mysterious ruins due to a message Kazuma left on the Different Dimension Airship. When they head with their friends to the first set of ruins, they run into a mysterious boy named "Nasch", and his true identity, surely enough, is.....

Dark Zexal sounds really exciting, and the duels sound really cool too. The "God" of the Barian World sounds really threatening, and I'm wondering if Nasch is possibly an Arclight.

This week's episode was okay. I still didn't care much for the duel itself though. Anna still comes off as an annoying, unlikable and pretty unnecessary character, so I didn't care how this duel affected her personally. The fact that she was going to use that Spell card to basically shield Yuma yet again was painfully obvious, so that made the duel pretty boring until Yuma drew his Barian card. That was far more interesting than anything else going on in the duel. Astral sounded understandably surprised, but I was expecting him to be more upset with Yuma using the power of their enemies. Maybe that will come up later or maybe having the card around his deck, as well as transforming Hope, will have a negative effect on Astral. Being in a Barian Sphere already weakens him a lot, so having Barian power in Yuma's deck and transforming one of Astral's Numbers might weaken him as well. Rei also continues to look suspicious at nearly every shot of his face, especially when Yuma summons Hope V.

I'm guessing that Anna's teacher is going to have a child based on their conversation afterwards. I should have expected that they would end these love-centric filler episodes with a married couple having a baby. I'm still hoping Anna won't join the main/supporting cast, even though the teacher clearly supports their pairing. She really wouldn't add anything to the series beyond more fights among Yuma's harem and adding another cheerleader in Yuma's group of friends, both of which are completely unnecessary in my opinion. At least the next few episodes sound pretty interesting. I don't know if I'll actually like them since the episodes in this series that I genuinely like are few and far in-between the ones I find okay, boring or just don't like at all, but the developments to the storyline should make them at least more interesting to watch.

New Episode title -

-Episode 100 : "A Recollection from the Past: Durbe and Hakuba (White Horse), a Legendary Phantom"

With the mysterious boy "Nasch" in tow, Yuma and co. head to the deepest depths of the ruins where the Number sleeps, but they come across a spirit guarding the Number. In order to get the Number, Yuma challenges the spirit to a Duel, but this Duel has a trick interwoven into it. Due to it, Nasch and Shark are captured. Yuma must help the two of them somehow, and the tips to solve this trap are hidden in the murals all over the ruins, written in ancient letters. In the depths of this struggle, Nasch demonstrates an amazing ability!

-Episode 101 : "Vector the Cunning: Astral VS Number 96".

Yuma and Astral disagree with one another about the Barians. Saddled with their feelings, they head for the next set of ruins where the next Number sleeps. On the other hand, Vector, by the orders of Don Thousand, who is awaiting the rebirth of his body, heads to Dark Mist to get his hands on a new power. Vector and Number 96 get their hands on the Number in the ruins first, and are waiting for Yuma and co. with this new power in hand.

-Episode 102 : "The Field of Chaos: Number 96, the Incarnation of Insanity!!"

The ruins exude a strange air, as if refusing Vector, while Astral complies with a Duel for the Number. But things go from bad to worse as any damage dealt to Number 96 will be inflicted to Yuma as well, leaving Astral in a trap with this Duel. Laughing at Astral for only protecting or caring about Yuma, Number 96 summons the mighty "Number C" monster. However, something strange happens to Number 96's body when the Number C appears, while Yuma and co. get swept up by this shocking twist of events

We might see a new opening & Ending soon !!!

I was wondering about the next Yugioh series last night !
And I wanted the next series to be a combination of Yugioh & Digimon Adventure 02 .
Where-
-The new Protagonist will be like Gold (Adventure) who has a crush on his classmet just like how Devis (Digimon) had a crush on Kari (Digimon).

-Then A Transfer Student appear who happen to be a old friend of the girl the protagonist crushing on . Just like TK (Digimon).

-Then The Protagonist will find out that his crush & the transfer student happen to be a Special type of duelist & they are involve in a war related to Dueling and He shows his own amazing dueling skill to save them.

-It will turn out there the Protagonist was a powerful duelist as a Kid but An accident cause him to stop & hate Dueling .

-However he does carry a deck that his late-grandfather gave him as a memento

-It also turn out that the protagonist himself one of the special duelist and the deck his grandfather gave it to him contain a special & Rare monster .

-At first , he refuse to join his crush & the transfer student due to his trauma involving dueling.

-But his crush manage to persuade him and he slowly start to re-discover the fun of dueling .

-3 of them will create a ""Dueling Club'' and they will try to participate in the National Dueling Tournament.

-The Protagonist's crush & The Transfer student will have 2 rare & Special Angelic Monster of different gender as their ace Monster. Just like Kari & TK. (Digimon)

-Other character will join them in the club .

-But It turn out that A Dark Personality dwell inside the Protagonist and take control of him when he about to lose a really serious duel . When that personality take over , The Protagonist become insane and brutally attack his foe. Just like Hollow Ichigo (Bleach)

-It turn out that this personality took over the protagonist in his childhood and nearly killed his opponent . Which was the reason he stopped Dueling .

-The Protagonist start to lose his love of dueling again because of his fear toward that personality but his friend help him to gain control over that personality .

-He will also duel with his other personality to gain control

Now that I think about it , I never saw a Yugioh series where the Hero has One-side Feeling for a girl While the girl is interest in another guy who has his own body in the hero's timeline. .
Off-course , we could talk about Yugi & Tea .
But , can that be consider One-sided ???
Because Tea believe Atem & Yugi to be the same person with split Personality.
I really can't see it as One-sided !

The recent episode was actually pretty good for me, but that was because of Vector. I couldn't understand much of what he said, but just his voice and behavior made him look like another trollish villain and the obvious setup for his trap for Yuma made him look smarter than I initially thought he would be based on his sudden appearance near the end of last season. Needless to say, he was so entertaining and easily stole the episode.

I'm also back to my theory that he and Rei are the same person. I know that they appeared as two beings at the beginning and end of the episode, but Vector was able to stay in his Barian form, or one of them at least, outside of the Sphere Cube. That makes me think that he's already in his human form as Rei and he's overpowered enough to where part of his power can maintain a Barian form and his human disguise at the same time. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. It would also explain why Vector apparently just left Rei at the beginning of the episode instead of finishing him off. I could see the reveal in a couple of episodes being that Vector was pretending to be Rei all this time to weaken Yuma and Astral's relationship and Yuma believing that Rei is still his friend. It could also connect to Yuma and Astral arguing about the Barians a few episodes later with Yuma firmly believing that Rei is his friend, while Astral believes that he's the enemy.

Even if that isn't the case, Rei is clearly a villain. Not only have they been dropping obvious hints at every chance they get since he appeared, but Rei giving Yuma those Hope Ray V support cards just before Vector challenges him was pretty suspicious. The duel itself was pretty weak, but full of suspicious moments as well. Vector sealing Yuma's Barian card just so he can get it in his hand sooner and then giving Astral his Number card after he lost just screams like a big setup from Vector.

While I could tell that they were trying to make the ending dramatic with Yuma feeling bad about Rei being kidnapped, I couldn't really feel bad for him or for Rei. They've put most of their focus on making Rei look like an obvious villain that I don't think that they've done much with his interactions with Yuma. Whenever they weren't throwing in more hints about Rei being a villain, he was in the background with Yuma's other friends. For me, they lack interesting interactions or a deep connection to make me feel invested in their friendship and to feel bad about the current situation. Bruno and even Johan were handled better because they spent time focusing on their relationship with Yusei and Judai respectively to where I could see a genuine connection between them and feel bad to what happened to them. With Rei and Yuma, they haven't really done much for their interactions to develop their relationship. Even after that whole Barian Guardian bit, Rei talks down to Yuma, instead of treating him more equally, and Yuma just trusts him because they're friends. Their relationship just lacks anything for me to feel emotionally invested in and they had plenty of time to do that.

Though, based on the preview for next week's episode, it looks like only Shark, Rio, Kaito and Orbital are going along with Yuma and Astral in the ship. I'd be perfectly happy leaving the rest of Yuma's friends behind since they would be completely useless. I'm worried that Rio would basically have Kotori's role, which would be disappointing, but at least she would have more of a chance to actually be useful in facing the Barian villains due to her dueling skills and ability to sense their powers somehow.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

The recent episode was actually pretty good for me, but that was because of Vector. I couldn't understand much of what he said, but just his voice and behavior made him look like another trollish villain and the obvious setup for his trap for Yuma made him look smarter than I initially thought he would be based on his sudden appearance near the end of last season. Needless to say, he was so entertaining and easily stole the episode.

I'm a fan of trollish villains as long that aren't annoying, and Vector luckily didn't come off like that, but that could just be because it's his first appearance. The voice-acting nailed it.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

I'm also back to my theory that he and Rei are the same person. I know that they appeared as two beings at the beginning and end of the episode, but Vector was able to stay in his Barian form, or one of them at least, outside of the Sphere Cube. That makes me think that he's already in his human form as Rei and he's overpowered enough to where part of his power can maintain a Barian form and his human disguise at the same time. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. It would also explain why Vector apparently just left Rei at the beginning of the episode instead of finishing him off. I could see the reveal in a couple of episodes being that Vector was pretending to be Rei all this time to weaken Yuma and Astral's relationship and Yuma believing that Rei is still his friend. It could also connect to Yuma and Astral arguing about the Barians a few episodes later with Yuma firmly believing that Rei is his friend, while Astral believes that he's the enemy.

I think that him using his Barian power to make a human form of him is a stretch. Vector leaving Rei off could also be because they're 2 different Barians, and I think the reason why he didn't finish him of is because Yuma showed up in the last minute. I still stand by the twin theory, only this time they're actually working together with the same goal. The Anna two parter had Rei conveniently talking to Yuma about the card to use it to win, and then Vector shows up to manipulate Anna's sister.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

Even if that isn't the case, Rei is clearly a villain. Not only have they been dropping obvious hints at every chance they get since he appeared, but Rei giving Yuma those Hope Ray V support cards just before Vector challenges him was pretty suspicious. The duel itself was pretty weak, but full of suspicious moments as well. Vector sealing Yuma's Barian card just so he can get it in his hand sooner and then giving Astral his Number card after he lost just screams like a big setup from Vector.

Yeah, it's just way too convenient, and with Vector saying that Alit and Gilag were just used as a sacrifice for the bigger plan, something has to surely be up. The duel wasn't that good to me because I got bored of Hope Ray V being used to win. Vector taking the card made the duel more interesting at first, but with how Yuma easily got it back, I lost interest. The new card that was used didn't have an interesting effect, and it was way too overly predictable that he'd draw one of the cards in his last draw to win like with the duel in the Anna two parter.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

While I could tell that they were trying to make the ending dramatic with Yuma feeling bad about Rei being kidnapped, I couldn't really feel bad for him or for Rei. They've put most of their focus on making Rei look like an obvious villain that I don't think that they've done much with his interactions with Yuma. Whenever they weren't throwing in more hints about Rei being a villain, he was in the background with Yuma's other friends. For me, they lack interesting interactions or a deep connection to make me feel invested in their friendship and to feel bad about the current situation. Bruno and even Johan were handled better because they spent time focusing on their relationship with Yusei and Judai respectively to where I could see a genuine connection between them and feel bad to what happened to them. With Rei and Yuma, they haven't really done much for their interactions to develop their relationship. Even after that whole Barian Guardian bit, Rei talks down to Yuma, instead of treating him more equally, and Yuma just trusts him because they're friends. Their relationship just lacks anything for me to feel emotionally invested in and they had plenty of time to do that.

I agree. They just didn't really have much in common. All the things he did have in common with Yuma, like being ditsy, was all just an act. Johan and Bruno had things in common with Judai and Johan. Rei just doesn't have anything in common with Yuma. Plus, with it obviously being an act, the emotion is even less engaging.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

Though, based on the preview for next week's episode, it looks like only Shark, Rio, Kaito and Orbital are going along with Yuma and Astral in the ship. I'd be perfectly happy leaving the rest of Yuma's friends behind since they would be completely useless. I'm worried that Rio would basically have Kotori's role, which would be disappointing, but at least she would have more of a chance to actually be useful in facing the Barian villains due to her dueling skills and ability to sense their powers somehow.

I'm happy about it too. They have no say in the plot, and I can't see them affecting it unless they get kidnapped again, which has been an overused reason already. I doubt she would, and even if she's in the background, she'll at least have some good interactions with Shark whenever they're together, which is more than I can say for Kotori.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I'm a fan of trollish villains as long that aren't annoying, and Vector luckily didn't come off like that, but that could just be because it's his first appearance. The voice-acting nailed it.

I haven't seen a lot of trollish villains in other series, but they seem to work in Zexal for at least being entertaining and so far, Vector's setup for his plan looks more solid than Tron's setup. I'm not sure how long that will last, but hopefully he'll still be fun to watch.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I think that him using his Barian power to make a human form of him is a stretch. Vector leaving Rei off could also be because they're 2 different Barians, and I think the reason why he didn't finish him of is because Yuma showed up in the last minute. I still stand by the twin theory, only this time they're actually working together with the same goal. The Anna two parter had Rei conveniently talking to Yuma about the card to use it to win, and then Vector shows up to manipulate Anna's sister.

It doesn't really seem like a stretch to me. They could explain it by making him ridiculously overpowered compared to other Barians. Plus, I think it would be more like he's able to divide his power in half to be seemingly in two places at once. As for why he didn't finish Rei off in their duel, it was clearly another setup to give Yuma Hope Ray V support cards, so he planned to leave right when Yuma got there. The twin theory is still quite possible though. Yuma already used the card before that two-parter. I think that Rei was telling him to keep it in case of another attack, or something along those lines.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

Yeah, it's just way too convenient, and with Vector saying that Alit and Gilag were just used as a sacrifice for the bigger plan, something has to surely be up. The duel wasn't that good to me because I got bored of Hope Ray V being used to win. Vector taking the card made the duel more interesting at first, but with how Yuma easily got it back, I lost interest. The new card that was used didn't have an interesting effect, and it was way too overly predictable that he'd draw one of the cards in his last draw to win like with the duel in the Anna two parter.

I'm pretty sure that Hope Ray V has only been used three times, including this episode. Compared to how many times Yuma has won with Hope, Hope Ray and powered up Hope and Hope Ray to make them look all shiny and cool, three times doesn't seem like enough to make me bored with it just yet. It probably helps that I like Hope Ray V's design and I keep expecting using these Barian cards on Hope, as well as just having it in his deck, is going to have a huge backfire with something like hurting Astral. Though, I agree that it was incredibly predictable that Yuma would win with Hope Ray V and one of the new support cards Rei gave him, but that was probably the point when they're throwing all of this setup for the climax and they've made pretty much everything about Rei's true nature rather predictable anyway.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I agree. They just didn't really have much in common. All the things he did have in common with Yuma, like being ditsy, was all just an act. Johan and Bruno had things in common with Judai and Johan. Rei just doesn't have anything in common with Yuma. Plus, with it obviously being an act, the emotion is even less engaging.

Even the stuff they had in common, before it was revealed to be an act, wasn't really enough to make them look like they had a deep connection. It probably helps that Rei putting on an act was pretty obvious too, but he just came off as just another one of Yuma's friends without anything interesting in their interactions to really make the relationship work. Maybe if they had focused on their interactions after Rei revealed himself as a Barian Guardian and there was more of a genuine connection between them, instead of Rei looking down on Yuma, it could have worked, but in my opinion, they haven't done a good job with fleshing out the relationships among a lot of the characters since the series started.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I'm happy about it too. They have no say in the plot, and I can't see them affecting it unless they get kidnapped again, which has been an overused reason already. I doubt she would, and even if she's in the background, she'll at least have some good interactions with Shark whenever they're together, which is more than I can say for Kotori.

Having Kotori and the others be kidnapped would be annoying and they would be basically dead weight in this situation. If the writers wanted them to be more than just Yuma's group of cheerleaders, then maybe they wouldn't be so useless, but that's clearly not going to happen. I think that the chances of Rio fading into the background are sadly good just because that tends to happen to most, if not all, female Yu-Gi-Oh! characters, but at least she actually has a chance to be useful and should have some good interactions with Shark.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

It doesn't really seem like a stretch to me. They could explain it by making him ridiculously overpowered compared to other Barians. Plus, I think it would be more like he's able to divide his power in half to be seemingly in two places at once. As for why he didn't finish Rei off in their duel, it was clearly another setup to give Yuma Hope Ray V support cards, so he planned to leave right when Yuma got there. The twin theory is still quite possible though. Yuma already used the card before that two-parter. I think that Rei was telling him to keep it in case of another attack, or something along those lines.

I can see how that makes sense now. I don't think he needed the setup to give him the cards. He could have just told him to meet somewhere privately and gave them to him just in case the Barian showed up.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

I'm pretty sure that Hope Ray V has only been used three times, including this episode. Compared to how many times Yuma has won with Hope, Hope Ray and powered up Hope and Hope Ray to make them look all shiny and cool, three times doesn't seem like enough to make me bored with it just yet.

And in those three times, once Hope Ray V was summoned, the duel would then end in less than a minute with its overpowered effect. With Vector, there was more of a struggle with needing Rei's cards, though.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

It probably helps that I like Hope Ray V's design and I keep expecting using these Barian cards on Hope, as well as just having it in his deck, is going to have a huge backfire with something like hurting Astral. Though, I agree that it was incredibly predictable that Yuma would win with Hope Ray V and one of the new support cards Rei gave him, but that was probably the point when they're throwing all of this setup for the climax and they've made pretty much everything about Rei's true nature rather predictable anyway.

I know that, but the problem is that the setup and the writing is just too predictable, and the twists that are meant to give the show some unpredictability make it even more predictable instead. I know that Yuma is obviously going to win in the end, and that Zexal is going to end with a happy ending, but the predictable path and the progress of the show, where I could tell exactly what's going to happen next in the duels and the story just a few minutes before the events happen just take out the excitement of following the show, week by week.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

Even the stuff they had in common, before it was revealed to be an act, wasn't really enough to make them look like they had a deep connection. It probably helps that Rei putting on an act was pretty obvious too, but he just came off as just another one of Yuma's friends without anything interesting in their interactions to really make the relationship work. Maybe if they had focused on their interactions after Rei revealed himself as a Barian Guardian and there was more of a genuine connection between them, instead of Rei looking down on Yuma, it could have worked, but in my opinion, they haven't done a good job with fleshing out the relationships among a lot of the characters since the series started.

Yeah. They had the time too.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I can see how that makes sense now. I don't think he needed the setup to give him the cards. He could have just told him to meet somewhere privately and gave them to him just in case the Barian showed up.

They probably didn't need to have Rei face Vector before giving Yuma the support cards. I think that it was so that Yuma could see Vector again before he faces him himself, as well as throwing in another suspicious moment with Rei giving him those support cards before their duel.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

And in those three times, once Hope Ray V was summoned, the duel would then end in less than a minute with its overpowered effect. With Vector, there was more of a struggle with needing Rei's cards, though.

Oddly enough, Volcasaurus has the same effect, but because it isn't Hope or an evolution of Hope, it's only been played once since Yuma got it. I'm still not quite as bored as with Hope Ray V as with all of the other Hope upgrades and just seeing Hope in nearly all of Yuma's duels. Winning in less than a minute with an overpowered effect doesn't seem as annoying or boring to me just yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if that changes later on.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I know that, but the problem is that the setup and the writing is just too predictable, and the twists that are meant to give the show some unpredictability make it even more predictable instead. I know that Yuma is obviously going to win in the end, and that Zexal is going to end with a happy ending, but the predictable path and the progress of the show, where I could tell exactly what's going to happen next in the duels and the story just a few minutes before the events happen just take out the excitement of following the show, week by week.

I agree. The writing being so predictable and giving so many obvious hints about Rei is a major problem. That prevents any short of surprises when they can't really be subtle and they make outcomes of the duels painfully obvious. The writing in general isn't even that good to begin with, so being incredibly predictable really doesn't help Zexal out in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

They probably didn't need to have Rei face Vector before giving Yuma the support cards. I think that it was so that Yuma could see Vector again before he faces him himself, as well as throwing in another suspicious moment with Rei giving him those support cards before their duel.

I don't see the need in Yuma having to see Vector before. I didn't find anything suspicious about him giving him the support cards.

To make your theory about them being the same Barian more plausible, I've heard that Vector's VA isn't listed, so his voice actor could be the same as Rei's.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

Oddly enough, Volcasaurus has the same effect, but because it isn't Hope or an evolution of Hope, it's only been played once since Yuma got it. I'm still not quite as bored as with Hope Ray V as with all of the other Hope upgrades and just seeing Hope in nearly all of Yuma's duels. Winning in less than a minute with an overpowered effect doesn't seem as annoying or boring to me just yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if that changes later on.

Volcasaurus requires 2 Level 5 monsters to Xyz Summon, while to summon Hope Ray V Yuma needs 2 Level 4 monsters and the Barian Rank-Up Magic Card. I think it's easier to summon Hope Ray V with not having to go through summoning 2 Level 5 monsters to Xyz summon Volcasaurus. Plus, Hope Ray V can use the support cards to be even stronger. I do think Hope Ray V is the coolest form yet, and I'm interested in seeing more of the support cards be used, just as long as they don't immediately make Yuma win instantly. It just leaves for an anti-climatic duel. I can forgive the duel of this episode only if it really was all just an act to make Yuma and his friends go to the Barian World. It still entertained me a bit, but I didn't care much for it.

Originally Posted by Hidden Mew

I agree. The writing being so predictable and giving so many obvious hints about Rei is a major problem. That prevents any short of surprises when they can't really be subtle and they make outcomes of the duels painfully obvious. The writing in general isn't even that good to begin with, so being incredibly predictable really doesn't help Zexal out in my opinion.

I wouldn't have had a problem with the hints if they weren't so obvious and numerous. Leaving a few hints to gauge the interest of the audience is perfectly fine, but hinting it in every episode is just way too much. Hopefully the Barian World arc provides some interesting and unpredictable twists that don't come out of nowhere that make the show more interesting.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I don't see the need in Yuma having to see Vector before. I didn't find anything suspicious about him giving him the support cards.

To make your theory about them being the same Barian more plausible, I've heard that Vector's VA isn't listed, so his voice actor could be the same as Rei's.

It might have been to re-introduce Vector to Yuma and by extension the audience, as well as making Rei look more suspicious to have him duel Vector out of nowhere. Giving Yuma the support cards right before he needs them is extremely suspicious. It's just way too convenient. I have heard about Vector's VA isn't listed and I think that's usually because it's someone in the cast and they don't want to spoil it. It probably is Rei's voice actor. It could also be used to help your theory since I think some twin characters share the same voice actor.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

Volcasaurus requires 2 Level 5 monsters to Xyz Summon, while to summon Hope Ray V Yuma needs 2 Level 4 monsters and the Barian Rank-Up Magic Card. I think it's easier to summon Hope Ray V with not having to go through summoning 2 Level 5 monsters to Xyz summon Volcasaurus. Plus, Hope Ray V can use the support cards to be even stronger. I do think Hope Ray V is the coolest form yet, and I'm interested in seeing more of the support cards be used, just as long as they don't immediately make Yuma win instantly. It just leaves for an anti-climatic duel. I can forgive the duel of this episode only if it really was all just an act to make Yuma and his friends go to the Barian World. It still entertained me a bit, but I didn't care much for it.

Hope Ray V is faster to summon, but I'm not sure if it's necessarily easier to summon than Volcasaurus. Yuma has plenty of level modifying cards and monster effects that could let him get two level five monsters out on the field relatively easily. He was able to summon both Volcasaurus and Chronomaly Machu Mech on his first turn when dueling that random guard in the Emperor's Key, so it's not like it's that difficult. It's just faster to get out two level four monsters on the first turn and they really love promoting Hope due to being the marketable ace monster. Plus, Hope Ray V is most likely going to have a big impact on the storyline with combining Barian cards with Astral's Numbers, along with how it will connect to Rei being a villain, so that's another thing in its favor. I can understand not wanting Hope Ray V to give Yuma an instant victory. While that was an obvious outcome in this duel, especially with Rei giving him those support cards, it still hasn't really gotten to the point where I'm annoyed or bored with it. I got much more tired of seeing them overpower Hope and Hope Ray to make them look shiny and cool after a few duels. The duel itself didn't really do much for me, but that isn't new and Vector was far more entertaining for me anyway.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I wouldn't have had a problem with the hints if they weren't so obvious and numerous. Leaving a few hints to gauge the interest of the audience is perfectly fine, but hinting it in every episode is just way too much. Hopefully the Barian World arc provides some interesting and unpredictable twists that don't come out of nowhere that make the show more interesting.

Yeah, if they spaced out the hints and did them every once in awhile, it wouldn't be so bad. They threw in some hints about Bruno, but they didn't go overboard with it. That did make Bruno kind of fade into the background at times, but it also made the reveal more of a surprise since they didn't cram hints in every single episode he appeared in. I don't think that they were interested in taking a more subtle approach to these hints though, especially when they weren't interested in doing anything interesting with the Yuma/Rei dynamic to make the relationship worth being emotionally invested in. There might be a few unpredictable twists later on. I'm not sure how much that could help the show, but not seeing a big twist coming is better than seeing it coming miles away.

I rather prefer Yugioh Zexal to be predictable rather then becoming ''Unpredictable'' like Pokemon Best Wishs .
Plus , If Story is handle well then a obvious plot can be more interesting !

As for Rei & Vector ,
Vector seem kind of insane & Mad .
Compare to that , Rei is much more Sane & calmer.
May be , Rei & Vector are 2 different part of one original Barrian like Yin & Yang .
Rei might be the Yin (Light) Whille Vector is the Yang (Dark).
That would explain why Vector is so insane !

Also ,
The Summary talk about Vector's endless hate for Yuma.
But I find it hard to believe that Rei's hate for Yuma can be that much , Even after Yuma defended him .

Anyway ,
I'm guessing that only Yuma , Kite & Shark will go to Barrian world.
I would prefer it Nistro , Dextra & Arclight sibiling joining them !
Seriously what happened to them ?
I would love if Quinton become Yuma mentor if Astral does goes evil .

At this Moment ,
Barrian are the bad guy but I'm wondering if Astral world is as Pure Good as they seem.
Specially Dark Mist talk about Astral & Number were created to destroy the world.
What if Astral World is the mastermind of everything while Barrian world is victim .
That Astral World was the one the turn Barrian world into a ruin and the Barrian world just trying to get revenge .

FYI : I don't support Rio X Bronk !
They are too unfitting .
I prefer Rio X Kite because they are fit for each other .
Does Anyone think the Shark & Rio might have sibling Complex ?
After All , It won't be the first time Yugioh breaking The Incest Taboo !
This show Almost broke it in Yugioh 5D with Leo & Luna !
But most Yugioh romance aren't a cannon So I guess the taboo wasn't broken even though Leo & Luna shown almost every hint of being a romantic couple .

I wished there was another Tournament like ''World Duel Carnival'' !
Please @ , Don't tell me that you didn't liked ''World Duel Carnival'' and you prefer short rushed Tournament like the Tournament in Best Wishs !

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

I rather prefer Yugioh Zexal to be predictable rather then becoming ''Unpredictable'' like Pokemon Best Wishs .
Plus , If Story is handle well then a obvious plot can be more interesting !

I'm not sure how that's any better when the predictable twists makes the story less engaging. The story hasn't been handled well in my opinion, which prevents obvious plots from being more interesting. The lack of good characters, in my opinion anyway, also makes it difficult to make an obvious plot twist more interesting.

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

As for Rei & Vector ,
Vector seem kind of insane & Mad .
Compare to that , Rei is much more Sane & calmer.
May be , Rei & Vector are 2 different part of one original Barrian like Yin & Yang .
Rei might be the Yin (Light) Whille Vector is the Yang (Dark).
That would explain why Vector is so insane !

Rei doesn't seem like the Yin when he's been acting far too suspicious, especially after he said he was a Barian Guardian, and he has been talking down to Yuma, instead of treating him more like an equal after he told Yuma that information. Rei is calmer than Vector is, but that could be part of the act too. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he's been lying about being a Barian Guardian, or that there is no such thing, and everything he's done and said since he met Yuma has been an act to gain his trust in order to manipulate him and his relationship with Astral. If he isn't Vector, then at the very least, he is working along with him, so I can't really see Rei being the Yin to Vector's Yang when they both seem pretty villainous to me.

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

Also ,
The Summary talk about Vector's endless hate for Yuma.
But I find it hard to believe that Rei's hate for Yuma can be that much , Even after Yuma defended him .

Rei hasn't been particularly nice to Yuma. He does talk down to him like a subordinate instead of an equal and the friendly behavior he has towards Yuma when they're around other people is clearly an act. So, I could see Rei hating Yuma, or at least not really caring about him as much as Yuma thinks.

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

Anyway ,
I'm guessing that only Yuma , Kite & Shark will go to Barrian world.
I would prefer it Nistro , Dextra & Arclight sibiling joining them !
Seriously what happened to them ?
I would love if Quinton become Yuma mentor if Astral does goes evil .

While seeing the Arclight siblings again would be pretty cool, I don't care to see Gauche and Droite again. While Gauche could be entertaining at times, neither he or Droite have any role in the current plot, while Shark, Kaito and Rio actually do. Besides that, Droite basically became an adult Kotori in her last appearance with cheering for Kaito and nothing else, so I don't care to see her again. Chris was honestly the least interesting out of the Arclight siblings, so I don't think I'd want him to become a mentor figure. Besides that, whenever Astral does become evil, Yuma will probably try to bring him back to normal by himself.

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

At this Moment ,
Barrian are the bad guy but I'm wondering if Astral world is as Pure Good as they seem.
Specially Dark Mist talk about Astral & Number were created to destroy the world.
What if Astral World is the mastermind of everything while Barrian world is victim .
That Astral World was the one the turn Barrian world into a ruin and the Barrian world just trying to get revenge .

That does sound entirely possible. I still wouldn't be surprised if Yuma has been helping the villains all this time, including Astral, and the Barians, aside from Vector, are the traditional good guys.

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

FYI : I don't support Rio X Bronk !
They are too unfitting .
I prefer Rio X Kite because they are fit for each other .
Does Anyone think the Shark & Rio might have sibling Complex ?
After All , It won't be the first time Yugioh breaking The Incest Taboo !
This show Almost broke it in Yugioh 5D with Leo & Luna !
But most Yugioh romance aren't a cannon So I guess the taboo wasn't broken even though Leo & Luna shown almost every hint of being a romantic couple .

I honestly don't want Rio in any relationship. They've basically made all of the other female characters nothing but love interests to one of the main characters and that just makes it look like they have no idea how to make them do anything else. Having a character around primarily for being a love interest can work, like with Carly in 5D's, or at least in the Dark Signer arc it worked, but that would require making them more likable with interesting personalities and actually having a point to making them a love interest. So, unless the relationship provides character development for both characters involved and they have a genuine connection instead of just being love interests just because, which I doubt they're capable of doing in this series, I don't want Rio in a relationship. I can't really see Kaito being interested in her when he barely cares about anyone who isn't Haruto. A Shark and Rio pairing disturbs me and they haven't seemed that close. Rua and Ruka didn't really give off a romantic vibe to me. They were just dependent on each other, especially in Ruka's case, after their parents practically abandoned them.

Originally Posted by Hurricane Kishore

I wished there was another Tournament like ''World Duel Carnival'' !
Please @ , Don't tell me that you didn't liked ''World Duel Carnival'' and you prefer short rushed Tournament like the Tournament in Best Wishs !

A tournament arc wouldn't really fit in the current storyline and I didn't like the World Dueling Carnival anyway. I'm not sure if I prefer the rushed tournaments in BW since those have been pretty bad, aside from maybe the second one, but the WDC wasn't really better. The preliminary round was just an unorganized mess, especially with Yuma dueling nothing but one-shot characters for the first day and until he dueled III, all of the duels that actually advanced the plot either didn't involve him or didn't give him a new heart piece. It got a better focus once the finals started, although I kind of wish that they had skipped the Roller Coaster duels and just had a tournament setup the final matches among the important characters, but even then, it wasn't good in my opinion. It wasn't the worst Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament. That would be the GX tournament, which felt very shoe-horned in and didn't really connect to the plot. I had problems with the WDC, but it did connect to the plot from the start. I'd rather see them traveling through the Barian World than going through another sloppy tournament arc.