So I pop back to tumblr for a while to share a theory thatās been bumping around my head. Of course, concerning YGO Arc-V. I get way too involved into this cardgame show.
What I want to discuss is the timeline of the anime. I just checked a few and found all of them to be a bit lacking. So, without further ado:
The first is, of course, Duel Monsters. Pegasus uncovers the stone tablets of ancient Egypt and, through that connection, rediscovers Duel Monsters for the modern age; decides to make them into a card game. Whether that was his individual decision or one guided by the principles of the world is irrelevant. I personally lean towards the latter. But again, irrelevant.
Next, Yugi Mutou solves the Millenium Puzzle and through that reawakens the soul of the Pharaoh, which sets forth the hunt for Millenium Items which will continue throughout Duel Kingdom, Battle CIty and several other incidents. Eventually the spirit of the Pharaoh is laid to rest and Millenium Items become lost forever.
Next is Duel Academia, obviously. Around this time fusion summoning is starting to become more popular as a method of special summoning that is more powerful than normal tribute summoning. Seto Kaiba is in charge of Duel Academy and eventually, Jaden/Judai enrolls. Thanks to his exceptional potential and a link to Duel Monsters spirits, he becomes involved in various incidents, which now focus around Academia, most likely due to the fact that it is the first school to train itās students in Duel Monsters first and foremost and therefore becomes the focal point for the forces of the world to focus. During this time Yubel returns to retrieve Jaden and orchestrates his possession by/transformation into the Supreme King. Jaden eventually beats back that persona but retains some of itās power. Eventually he graduates the Academy after beating back the last world-threathening enemy and sets to travel the world in order to use the spirit connection he ahs for something good.
Further into the timeline, Neo Domino City is built. With the introduction of Momentum and the Duel Runners powered by it, a new summoning method is created - Synchro Summoning, which overshadows fusion due to itās popularity. While it may seem a coincidence, later events signify that both are closely connected and this energy and the summoning behind it will lead the world to destruction. Yliaster, a group of time-travelling survivors of this devastation, try to modify history in order to change the flow of the events. This causes the Zero Reverse, which separates Satellite and the City, causing the former to be discriminated againts and used as a dumping ground for junk. Yusei Fudo is orphaned and people possessing the Birthmark of the Red Dragon start appearing - possibly due to the Zero Reverse weakening the seals on the Earthbound Gods and therefore turning the Crimson Dragonās attention towards Neo Domino City.
Yusei, along with other chosen by the Crimson Dragon, fights againts the threaths of Yliaster, slowly becoming aware of the manipulators. This eventually leads to an all-out showdown between him and Z-ONE, the initiator of Yliaster and the last human alive on the earth (as his companions were eventually converted into androids). Z-ONEās plan to destroy Momentum and save the world is thwarted, as the becomes persuaded that the world can be saved by other means. As he dies in a Momentum engine to stop the impending crash of a future city with Neo Domino City, Yliasterās time manipulation is stopped once and for all. Recognizing this, the Crimson Dragon leaves.
And here where it gets interesting.
At this point there are two forces in the world which are a threat to itās stability: first is the Momentum, which has already been proven to be potentially lethal if allowed to run loose. The second is The Supreme King. Even with Jadenās case, it is hinted that the Supreme King is a being older than him and a potential threat. And that was when all he had was fusion.
What happens at this time is unclear unless confirmed, and why theories have a place. I personally believe that there were two events which took place. First, Xyz summoning has been created, which again shifted the power balance. Second, the next Supreme King appeared, perhaps as Jadenās successor or perhaps it was Jaden himself. Mastering all avaiable summoning methods he became a massive threat to the world, as his power would upset the balance of Momentum - which is a reflection of the human hearts and therefore would not do well with mass panic and paranoia - and spiral the world into oblivion. In order to retain the integrity of the world, it was split into four dimensions, sealing within each the power of the Supreme King. This gave birth to the dimensions present within Arc-V, split by the different summoning methods permitted, to ensure that even those fractions of the Supreme King could not gain the previous power.
I believe Zexal takes place already after this dimension split. The newly-created Xyz summoning was immediately detained and, due to itās nature, the dimension itself was further split, creating the Barian and Astral world. This is however an uncertain hypothesis. Should Numbers appear in some form in Arc-V it would confirm it to a point.
Itās very clear however that the Synchro Dimension from Arc-V has very little to do with the world in 5Ds. It is no longer Neo Domino City, but just City. The divide between the CIty and Satellite is changed into the Tops and Commons. There are some familiar characters, but their histories and relationships are rewritten.
Unsurprisingly, I believe that Yuuya and his counterparts are the constituent parts of the Supreme King - and yes, it is because of the Supreme King Dragon. But not only. First, each of them possesses a dragon that holds the primary summoning method of their dimension in itās name. I would deign that it either makes them or those cards the focal points of each dimension. Second, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragonās āodd eyesā match those of Yubelās - and she was after all fused with the spirit of the first Supreme King we encountered in the series. Third, there was no mention of the Supreme King until Yuuya and Yuuto joined together - clearly hinting at the notion that they are one whole person split apart and that person commands dark, if not evil, powers.
When you look at it they actually split pretty nicely. Yuuya would be the soft light, healing but with little impact. Yuuto is the gentle darkness, ruthless, but for a good purpose. Yuugo is the harsh light, aggressively working towards his goal but with no ill intent. And Yuuri would be the most wicked of the four, both ruthless and cold. Yuuya himself in fact shows little depth outside of wanting to follow in his fatherās footsteps until joining with Yuuto - which bestows upon him anger he can barely contain.
In this setting, Yuzu and her counterparts would serve as something of a guardian for the Supreme King incarnates, both as a reformative influence and by ensuring that there are never two of them in one place at once. This, of course, can be fairly easily bypassed, and in truth, only Yuzu has been shown to have that power; perhaps the others have other means of doing it. As shown by the Academia hunt, they are most likely also a necessary part of merging the dimensions back together again.
And as for Pendulum summoning? Well, you tear out a fourth out of the Supreme King and put him in a dimension with almost no special summoning methods, Iām not that much surprised he coined that one. For all we know it might be a reflection of his current state. Buuut I talked enough and already shared my theory. As I wonāt be frequenting Tumblr that much, should anyone have any questions or want to discuss the thing, email me at: [email protected]. Just put something about YGO in the title.
