“Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” is a manga series with card battles that young fans and even older fans will enjoy! The fourth volume features Yusei taking on his friend Crow Hogan, meanwhile “The King” Jack Atlas takes on the “The Handless Demon” Kalin Kessler. Action-packed from beginning to end, this exciting volume 4 of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” is recommended!
Image courtesy of © 2009 by Masahiro Hikokubo, Masashi Sato. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Vol. 4
STORY AND ART BY: Masahiro Hikokubo and Masashi Sato
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga
RATED: T for Teen
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2013
Yusei has defeated the twins Luna and Leo, but they promise him a rematch in Satellite city. On the way to Satellite, Yusei meets Rex Goodwin, who wants Yusei’s help defeating the Skeleton Knight, and although Yusei doesn’t trust this new ally.
As the second round of the Grand Prix opens, the sinister Lazar presents the Duelists with a new challenge: face the 12 “Duel Zodiacs” and open the Duel Gate to advance to the final round!
With the first stage of the D1 Grand Prix complete, Yusei Fudo has beaten two tough challengers to earn a spot in the second stage.
But after seeing his good friend Sect being consumed by darkness, Yusei has vowed to get his friend back. Meanwhile, the D1 Grand Prix host, Goodwin, has sent twin Turbo Duelists Leo and Luna to find competitors who are compatible with Dual Dragons. And so, the twins challenge Yusei Fudo to a duel.
Meanwhile, Goodwin reveals his plans to find someone powerful through the D1 Grand Prix to find a duelists who can hold the power of the Duel Dragons and rid the evil of the Skeleton King.
As the second stage of the D1 Grand Prix is about to begin, Vice-Director of Sector Security, Lazar introduces the group of 12 Turbo Duelists that they must win a total of 12 “Star Ticket” levels in order to pass through the Duel Gate and the winner will become the Turbo Duel Emperor.
And the first matchup will feature “Satellite’s toughest Turbo Duelist” Yusei Fudo taking on his new friend, “The Black Whirlwind” Crow Hogan.
Meanwhile, two old friends and rivals, “The Handless Demon” Kalin Kessler takes on “The King” Jack Atlas.
Find out who wins in “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” Vol. 4!
What is “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s”?
In 1996, Kazuki Takahashi would create a manga series about card games known as “Yu-Gi-Oh!”. Wanting to create a battle manga that was unique and not about fighting and a fan of tabletop role-playing games, Takahashi did not imagine how popular the series would be among fans worldwide.
With the original manga serialized in Sept. 1996 through 2004, the games have been popular among anime, manga and of course, the card gaming fans in America and also around the world. The series would spawn off various series (featuring manga adaptations by other artists/writers) such as “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX” (2005-2011), “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” (2008-2011) and most recently with “Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal” (2011-2012).
In America, both “Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal”and “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” are being released concurrently on manga. It’s important to note that the storyline of the manga version of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” is different from the anime series. The primary characters of Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas and Akiza Izinski from the anime series are in the manga but the circumstances are much different, especially how the manga series includes the character, Sect.
After “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX” was shown as an anime series in Japan, “Yu-gi-Oh! 5D’s” was released.
Like previous series which featured characters playing a game of “Duel Monsters”, the series takes place in New Domino City in the year 20xx. Turbo Duels are fought from the seats of Motorcycle-shaped duel disks called “Duel Runners” and is the hottest game in the city. While the upper class population lives in New Domino City, the lower class live in a remote island where Domino’s sewage is transported, called Satellite.
We are introduced to the main protagonist, Yusei Fudo, who lives in Satellite and the 18-year-old is considered the toughest duelist in the Satellite District. His younger friend Sect is like a brother to him but he knows that Sect’s goal is to one day beat him in a Turbo Duel.
In volume 1 of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s”, Yusei got caught up in matches with Jack “The King” Atlas and was defeated easily. He then took on top ranked Akiza Izinski, a Turbo Duelist who holds the title “Queen of Queens” and has only lost once and that is to Jack Atlas. And the result ended with Yusei losing again!
But this time, Akiza gave him advice that he relies too much on speed and that there are other strategies important for him to work on if he is to face Jack Atlas ever again.
Despite his embarrassment and loss of pride for losing against Jack Atlas, Yusei is determined in beating the champion.
Which leads us to volume 2 of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s”, which begins the D1 Grand Prix, a battle between the top Turbo Duelists and performing in front of over a 100,000 audience.
In volume 2 and 3, we watched as Yusei took on tough challenges but also seeing his good friend Sect, being corrupted by the Skeleton King’s Darkness and being taken away.
Vowing to rescue his friend, Yusei Fudo must win each tournament and gain the power necessary to take on the darkness. But for now, he must focus on defeating his latest rivals in Stage 2 of the D1 Grand Prix.
Can Yusei do it?
The characters of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s”:
- Yusei Fudo – The main protagonist and an older teen who lives in the poor area of Satellite. Considered the toughest Turbo Duelist of the area, he hopes to have a one-on-one battle with Jack Atlas again. He is a guy who values his friend and his Duel Runner.
- Jack Atlas – The “King of Riding Duels” that is arrogant and feared by other duelists.
- Akiza Izinski – The “Queen of Queens” and an excellent Turbo Duelist who has lost only once and that is to Jack Atlas.
- Sect Ijuin – Sect is a young Turbo Duelist who looks up to Yusei like an older brother but also a rival.
- Crow Hogan – A skilled duelist who uses super quick synchro who is amazed by Yusei’s Dueling skills.
- Kalin Kessler – A Mysterious and powerful opponent who is known as “The Handless Demon”. He also has a bond with Jack Atlas that has yet to be revealed.
- Leo & Luna – Twin Turbo Duelists working for Goodwin in search of one who may be powerful enough to control the Dual Dragon.
The Second Stage of the D1 Grand Prix begins in “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” as Yusei Fudo and Crow Hogan, two friends and master of the synchro must take on each other during battle! As Yusei’s motivation is to save Sect, Crow’s motivation is to give confidence to his younger brother who needs to undergo a major surgery.
Meanwhile, the D1 Grand Prix Host, Goodwin, appears to have interest in Yusei as a possible challenger who may win the power of the Dual Dragons and destroy the Skeleton King. But that is what Yusei is being told by Goodwin, but can this man be trusted?
The second battle features Kalin Kessler taking on Jack Atlas, two individuals who have past history which is revealed in this fourth volume.
But Yusei must also undergo several tests, one featuring a battle against twin Turbo Duelists Leo & Luna and also finding a way to gain the power of a Dual Dragon. But is he up to it?
Another Action-packed volume which focuses on Stage 2 of the D1 Grand Prix competitions, volume 4 of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” features the most intense card battles featured in a volume so far!
For those not familiar with “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s”, the concept still focuses on card battles and top competitors going against each other. But in the case of 5D’s, they compete in card battles while racing in Duel Runner vehicles at the same time. So, the three ways of winning a matchup in the D1 Grand Prix are not done by tournament brackets, opponents are announced before each duel. Victories are when opponent’s lifepoints are zero, one beats the other opponent in the designated race or if one renders the opponent’s Duel Runner immobile.
So, the sport is Turbo Dueling which brings out large audiences watching in a stadium as the Turbo Duelist race while they are competing in a card match, so not only does one have to keep their eyes on the race, they also must plan their strategies effectively during their card battle.
For fans of “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, the card battles featured in volume 4 is exciting and almost non-stop, as you go through several battles in this single volume alone! It’s also important to note that there are characters exclusive to the manga series and this is not the same storyline that that was featured in the anime series.
Also, another fun aspect of the manga series is seeing both writer Masahiro Hikokubo and artist Masashi Sato sharing their experiences as newbies in the industry through a single-page manga panel. Definitely fun to see and read!
It’s important to note that with each volume purchased of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” an exclusive card is featured. In this case, an ultra rare card “Blackwing Gram – The Shining Star” is included with volume 4.
Overall, “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” is definitely continuing to be an exciting, action-packed manga series. But now with 12 competitors left in the competition, this volume alone features significant battles for both Yusei and Jack Atlas.
If you are a fan of “Yu-Gi-Oh!”, “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” is recommended!