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"Black Magician"

(Original Duelist Kingdom Colorscheme)

Part 1 of 3

Here he is! This is it: the centerpiece of my project. Though I crafted every card I made with all the attention and care I could give, this was the absolute #1 card I felt I had to get right.

"Black Magician", after all, is THE Dark Yugi/Yugi card. Because of its immense significance to the series and to this project, I'll be giving it an extended focus on my blog.

Thank you for your incredible patience, @nevertem. I'm sorry I took so long to fulfill your request.

Now, I suspect many of you will be unfamiliar with this particular version of "Black Magician"'s card illustration. After all, over the past 30 years "Black Magician" has had an absolute ton of colorschemes- something like 9, to my count.

But when it comes to the manga's original weekly run, this is the only colorscheme the "Black Magician" card itself ever sported. We see this twice:

Excerpt from the color title page to chapter 95, "Terror of the Dungeon". Scan taken from Weekly Shonen Jump, #40, released 31 August 1998.

Detail from the cover of "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist" volume 7. Originally seen on the cover of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" volume 14, released in Japan on 2 July 1999. Edited from an image taken from Yugipedia; click here to see it in its original context.

To the best of my knowledge, the card's look never changed throughout the original manga's run, even though "Black Magician" itself got a slight revamp starting in a color page from 18 October 1999. But I'll get to that in Part 2.

I knew I wanted to include this version of the card in my project from the start. At the very beginning, though, I couldn't find a high-quality version of this card art anywhere on the 'net.

For a while, I thought I might just end up having to recreate it myself, using the 2016 color bunkobon version as a base- a prospect I wasn't excited about, because, well, all of the card illustrations from that source are a little messy, to put it lightly.

Then, while looking around, I realized: the page for Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist on Viz's website has a massive, high-quality version of the card's source art as its banner!

At first, I thought this was the big breakthrough I needed. All I had to do was ask Viz if they would be willing to give me the full version of that banner.

Sadly, a quick e-mail exchange put that idea to rest; my correspondent claimed that they weren't allowed to release the full version of that art.

I spent many months trying to figure out where to go from there. Though I'd finished most of the other cards in my project at that point, I wouldn't move forward with the whole thing unless I could do the original "Black Magician" card justice.

Once again, it came down to @illuthra and their illustrative expertise. They agreed to help me fill the gaps on this important card. And the result was truly excellent. It's because of them and their work on this card that I got the confidence boost I needed to move the project forward.

Now, I did eventually get my hands on a better source for this card's art; the second image shows the revised version of this card, with full uncut art taken straight from a real issue of Weekly Shonen Jump and restored to modern standards (with some advice and input from my friend Illuthra, of course). But even now, I look back on that first version of the card with fondness. It still represent a major milestone in this project's history.

Let's turn our attention to the card itself. Or, really, the meta-history behind it.

It's pretty well-known by now that the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga was never intended to revolve around the one Magic & Wizards card game. It simply became a core part of the series' identity as time went on.

The same is true of "Black Magician" and its status as the main character's ace card.

"The 'Black Magician' card..." Panel excerpt from chapter 38, "The Terror of Blue-Eyes!!". This scan is taken from my personal copy of Weekly Shonen Jump, #30, originally released 24 June 1997.

In its original appearance, and even for a little while afterwards, "Black Magician" was simply a strong card Dark Yugi used, and that's it. (In fact, it wasn't even a card he owned at first- it was Grandpa's!) The "Black Magician" card slowly came into focus as Yugi's ace card over time- as, indeed, the whole concept of a character having an ace card didn't really exist as a fully-formed concept either!

Knowing that just leaves one big burning question in my mind: why did Kazuki Takahashi decide to make "Black Magician" his main character's trademark card?

There were so many options he could have gone with. He could have made another preexisting monster Yugi/Dark Yugi's ace card. "Summon Demon", perhaps, since he was there from the start, or "Dark Knight Gaia", a card that got more fanfare in the Death-T arc than "Black Magician" did. He also could simply have made a new card for the main character to use, one specifically tailored to the themes behind Dark Yugi's character (in the same way "Resurrection of the Dead", "Exodia", and eventually Osiris were). Perhaps he could have found a way to make the already-popular "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" Yugi's main card of choice! And yet...Takahashi didn't do any of those things.

The sad truth is, we'll never really know why he made this choice.

Nevertheless, I'm going to show you all everything I learned. Under the cut, I have a full dissection of this particular card. I'm going to go into exhaustive detail about every aspect you see on that card's face.

Check it out below.

Before I start: it's important to know that all of the basic details about this card are tied to its first appearance in chapter 38. As I said, originally Takahashi didn't have any big plans for this card. So he shaped it to perfectly fit its role in that exact story.

Of course, that doesn't mean he didn't make some interesting choices along the way! So let's begin with the card's name.

I. The name, "Black Magician"

In Japan, this card's name is 「ブラック・マジシャン」. This is, as you can figure, a fairly close rendition of the English words 'black magician'.

Now, historically, a 'black magician' was thought of as a magician who practiced black magic.

The 'magician' part is fairly straightforward. Magic-users of all sorts have been a staple of fiction for perhaps thousands of years. Doubtless everyone reading this is familiar with the likes of mages, wizards, sorcerers, witches, and so on.

I've tried my best to come to an understanding of black magic from a historical perspective, but all my research has left me, well, befuddled more than anything else. There is quite a bit of nuance and disagreement on what the specific practices of black magic entails.

My understanding is that, in western societies (largely European ones, taking slight influence from West Asia and/or Africa; Mesopotamian roots are at play here as well), black magic was popularly regarded as supernatural acts brought about by the power of demons (or other supernatural beings) to achieve selfish, often harmful acts.

As I said, though, there's no exact definition here. Historically, many famous occultists and practitioners of magic through the ages- let's again take the likes of Alestair Crowley and A.E. Waite into account, though there were many others- sought to create a dividing line on what was and was not black magic, to differentiate it from their own particular practices.

Nevertheless, the idea of 'black magic is evil magic' persists in the minds of many older folks to this day.

I think the more relevant factor here, though, is magic as it's understood in popular fantasy tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. See also early attempts to make digital versions of tabletop RPGs, like Wizardry and Ultima- two series that were very popular in Japan back in the '80s.

Black magic in and of itself doesn't factor into these games. But the idea of powerful wizards and magicians who can effortlessly perform incredible feats of magic power was very much influenced by games like these; they likely shaped the idea of what such fictional characters could do.

Sticking with this video game track, let me show you two Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System games that mentioned a 'black magician' specifically by that name.

In the game Kung-Fu Master for the NES (originally an arcade game), there's a late-game boss called the 'Black Magician'. See it here on page 5 of that game's instruction manual.

In Japan, that game was called Spartan X; the boss mentioned above is seen on page 5 of that game's instruction manual, though here he's called 妖術使い, which doesn't seem to have as strong an association with black magic as his English name implies.

(Incidentally, Spartan X/Kung-Fu Master is a loose adaption of the action-comedy martial arts film called Wheels on Meals in English (its original title in Hong Kong was 快餐車). The original film contains no equivalent character to the Black Magician present in its video game adaptions.)

Next, let's look at the original Final Fantasy for the Famicom/NES.

Take a look at page 35 of the English instruction manual. Here, you can see that the player has the option to make one of their four playable characters a Black Mage, called a 'Bl. Mage' in-game thanks to technological limitations of the era. The description here, which states that "This character is skilled with Black Magic -- very powerful spells used to attack the enemy", is perhaps the closest yet to the "Black Magician" that is the subject of this post.

Indeed, on page 8 of the Japanese version's instruction manual, this character is called a 黒魔術師, which is a match to the name 'Black Magician'. The description of it, though, isn't quite as direct a match as the one above.

Now, black magic is also mentioned in at least some other NES games of the era (take a look at the English manual for the original Super Mario Bros., which mentions that the Koopa tribe uses black magic right on page 2!), but my point is this: despite the negative associations present in older generations in the west, the younger game-playing audience, both in Japan and across the world, was more familiar with 'black magicians' as merely strong magic-users who can be either allies or enemies.

Takahashi was himself a big fan of role-playing games of all kinds, and was known to play video games (he even worked in the field for a short while before he became a manga author/artist), so he would have been aware of this on a sort of general level.

But the biggest influence of them all is likely this right here.

Page 16 of the rulebook for Magic: the Gathering Revised Edition. Originally released 11 April 1994. The contents of this rulebook are an update of the rulebook seen with Magic: the Gathering's first release, Limited Edition, on 5 August 1993.

It's Magic: the Gathering, of course. Now, Magic was only officially released in Japan starting in 1995, but English-language cards had made their way into the country even in 1994, via specialty import shops. Takahashi may have seen cards in English (or other foreign-to-him languages) before they were released in Japan.

Moreover, Japanese versions of this rulebook (and its next revision) were available starting with the official 1995 release of the game. It's possible Takahashi had a copy of that rulebook, or even the English version, and liked the phrase when he saw it there.

And so, when he needed a name for a strong-sounding card for his main character to use, one that covered a dark wizard archetype to complement the previous demon and dark knight archetypes he'd used, he turned to the phrase ブラック・マジシャン for that card's name. And it all took off from there.

Now, Konami international called their version the "Dark Magician". No official rationale has been given, but players across the world often theorize that the name was changed for the U.S. release because the word 'black' in the name could be taken as a slight against Black Americans, which is certainly possible.

Personally, I think the change was done more to avoid the terms 'black magic' and 'black magician', which would have sounded alarming to older folks that were still prone to the influence of the 'Satanic Panic' scares that were still in vogue at the time of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s international launch (many U.S. fans of the Pokémon or Harry Potter series in the late '90s can attest to this, I'm afraid).

"Dark Magican" was also probably a more trademark-able name than "Black Magician" owing to its uniqueness back then.

It's hard to imagine now, in a time where the phrase 'dark magic' has largely superceded 'black magic', but the phrases 'dark magic' and by extension 'dark magician' simply weren't as widespread as their older counterparts back in the late '90s and early '00s. So it was much safer for Konami and 4Kids international to call their hero's card "Dark Magician" even though the terms were very similar, in the same way that they called Demon-types Fiend-types; there really isn't much difference between the two, but one would cause a cultural panic and the other, for some reason, wouldn't.

Despite all of that, some instances of "Black Magician" did slip through the cracks back in the day regardless! Check out page 7 and page 26 of the instruction manual for the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories. Page 28 of the English instruction manual for Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories also refers to "Dark Magician" as "B. Magician", too.

Now, the games themselves still refer to it as "Dark Magician" (or "D. Magician" in the case of the latter, due to technical limitations), but it's funny to think that some fans were still exposed to the original name in spite of everything.

Still, the archetypal significance of the character shines through in either form of its name. After all, the game is called Magic & Wizards; it makes sense that a magic-using wizard, of sorts, would play into it somehow, doesn't it?

II. 6 Level Stars

This one's pretty simple in comparison to "Black Magician"'s name.

In chapters 9 and 10, "The Cards with Teeth", "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"'s 8 level stars are established as the highest-possible amount of stars a card can have. This means that it's the rarest and strongest card. Thus, all other cards fall somewhere below that in rarity and toughness.

In chapter 10, we see that "Summon Demon" is a level 7 card with 2500 ATK, a step below Blue-Eyes. Kaiba specifically calls it out as a strong/rare card. This makes it the ceiling for all other rare cards at this point. Most other, weaker cards hover around the 4-5 level star area.

Now, in the Death-T arc, "Dark Knight Gaia" is said to be "the strongest Magical Knight-type monster" in the manga. It's shown to be a 6 level star monster with 2300 ATK. Already, we've established a range: cards that are very strong but don't quite reach Blue-Eyes's level hover around 6 or 7 stars.

When writing chapter 38, Takahashi knew that, in the next chapter, he'd put "Sealed One Exodia" at 7 level stars. And that's supposed to be the big finisher monster of this story. So none of Dark Yugi's other cards can be at that level, or else it'd dampen Exodia's impact.

Thus, it's only natural that a card like "Black Magician", which is strong but not as strong as "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (8 stars) or Exodia (7 stars) would be on the level of "Dark Knight Gaia", with only 6 level stars. After all, it's definitely not a weaker monster like "Fortress Guardian Wyvern" (5 stars) or "Louise" (4 stars)!

There's also a common misconception that, after Konami's game came out, Takahashi changed the amount of "Black Magician"'s level stars to match Konami's version of the card.

This is patently untrue. Through the entire original weekly run of Yu-Gi-Oh!, "Black Magician" was always depicted with 6 level stars on its face. The tankobons show this as well, and all English language versions of the series, which are derived from the tankobon release, always show it as having 6 level stars.

(Now, the bunkobon release is a different story. But I'll get to that in a future part.)

III. Illustration/Monster Design

Excerpt from the color title page to chapter 95, "Terror of the Dungeon". (Note that the above image has undergone minimal restoration work.)

It's hard for fans like us to properly assess this now, because we're so used to seeing "Black Magician"'s design, and so much of the series has built upon it as standardized iconography. But taken with fresh eyes, I think "Black Magician" has a really interesting visual look.

"Black Magician"'s card illustration is, itself, just taken directly from the panel where it attacks "Judge Man".

Excerpt from chapter 38, "The Terror of Blue-Eyes!!", as seen in the 2016 color bunkobon edition. I've provided the image both in its original inverted colors as well as an altered 'normal colors' version for the sake of clarity.

It's an odd choice, but it definitely works- the pose is pretty cool, after all.

The design of the monster is where things get more interesting.

There are several elements that call back to common western wizard/magician motifs. For instance, "Black Magician"'s hat is a combination of a typical wizard's slouched, pointed hat and a hood. It's wearing robes typical of both of those archetypes, but with slits on the sides to give it a little distinction. The staff is a standard wizard accessory; the inset gem at the top of the staff is a slightly more modern touch than the typical wood-only staffs traditional wizards were seen to use.

I strongly suspect that the biggest influence on Takahashi's design for this monster was the High Elf shaman-fighter Deedlit, from Group SNE's Record of Lodoss War.

Deedlit, as seen in Ryo Mizuno's Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch. Novel released 10 April 1988, an adaption of a magazine serialization that ran in Comptiq from September 1986 to April 1987. (Link to an English fan translation of those original stories here.) Illustration by Yutaka Izubuchi.

Deedlit, as seen on the cover of Ryo Mizuno's Record of Lodoss War 2: The Fire Demon. Novel released on 7 February 1989. Illustration by Yutaka Izubuchi.

Immediately, we see several similarities- a combination of armor and robes, with differentiated trim; absolutely massive shoulder pauldrons; and a notable spiral motif. Takahashi's design may well be a take on Deedlit's design as it was known back then.

The only elements I haven't been able to find an exact inspiration for are the Magician's back 'triangular collar' design and the front scoop. And both of those really aren't far out of place from typical fantasy armor designs seen in Japanese media in the late '80s and early-to-mid '90s.

All in all, "Black Magician"'s design is striking and distinctive. It really gives the viewer a good impression, both about the Magician's design itself and about the general style of the visuals of Yu-Gi-Oh!.

IV. Attack and Defense Values

Again, this card's ATK and DEF are solely related to what's happening in Death-T.

Consider that, before "Black Magician" is summoned, Kaiba has just summoned "Judge Man", a monster with 2200 ATK and 1500 DEF, and is using it to wreck havoc on Dark Yugi's weaker monsters while his own two on-field "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"s are incapacitated for two more turns thanks to "Protective Light Swords".

"Black Magician" is shown to have 2500 ATK and 2100 DEF. Takahashi gave it that defense value just so that it'd make natural sense for his character to play it in attack mode against a monster that has 2200 ATK like "Judge Man". After all, it'd be foolish if Dark Yugi played it in defense just for it to die immediately, right?

Similarly, its ATK value is dictated by the circumstances as well. "Black Magician"'s 2500 ATK is made to be higher than "Judge Man"'s 2200 ATK, of course. So the reader gets a small cathartic moment when Kaiba's monster is destroyed by "Black Magician".

But the very next page, Kaiba draws his third "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" and uses it to destroy Dark Yugi's "Black Magician".

This leaves him with only 200 Life Points- an obviously dangerously low amount for him to have. Which is perfect as set up for the next chapter. Now things have changed- this is Dark Yugi's most desperate hour, and he needs to draw the last piece of Exodia or else it's all over for him, his friends, and his Grandpa.

In short, "Black Magician"'s stats in this chapter are just part of Takahashi's set up for the lastest and most thrilling moment in the series to that point. The numbers are the way they are for functional reasons, without regard for the past or the future.

V. Everything Else

And really, that's everything we can see on the card face. "Black Magician", as I said, had a very cut-and-dry role to play in his chapter 38 debut.

Personally, I like to think that "Black Magician"'s use in this chapter represents Dark Yugi's determination in the face of impossible odds. He functions as a statement of righteous defiance against the overwhelming might of a mad opponent, reflecting Dark Yugi's characterization up to that point.

Of course, that's not exclusive to the Magician, as "Dark Knight Gaia" in the previous chapter functions in the same way. Despite the fact that this deck is owned by Grandpa in-universe, Takahashi made sure that every monster in it fits Dark Yugi's character perfectly.

Now, starting in the Duelist Kingdom arc, "Black Magician" gains much more substance. Even in chapter 61 and 62, it starts mirroring Dark Yugi more directly, even if it's not the finisher in that particular duel.

And throughout Duelist Kingdom, "Black Magician" becomes one of Dark Yugi's most reliable cards. He draws it in nearly every duel, it's a key part of most of his strategies, and it has a lot of dedicated card support in Dark Yugi's deck. Indeed, in the arc's final duel, it very much earns its place as Yugi's top card after its use together with "Chaos: Black Magic Ritual".

"Black Magician" becomes increasingly tied to Dark Yugi's history later in the series. But that's a story for a future part.

So, why did Takakashi make this card Yugi's ace? Is it because he felt the Magician didn't get his due in his first appearance? Did he think that the Magician was a little more relatable to his audience than the monstrous "Summon Demon"? Is it because the "Black Magician" forms a rather obvious parallel with the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"? Is it because "Dark Knight Gaia" and his horse would have been too difficult to draw repeatedly? Or perhaps it's just because Takahashi simply likes "Black Magician"; perhaps it called to him in a way that the other options just didn't.

As I said, we can never know for sure. But Takahashi clearly made the most out of this character as time went on. The author put a lot of effort into sculpting "Black Magician" into an important character in its own right, and because of his care for that character the fans have taken him and turned him into a true icon of the series in his own right.

Whew, that's all for today. Tomorrow we'll look at "Black Magician" as he appeared in the Battle City arc! 'Til then!

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