the hill i will forever die on is that Anzu was Atem’s best friend. Yugi may have been his soulmate, but she was his best friend — as in, out of all of Yugi’s friends, who automatically became Atem’s friends by proxy but not by intention, she made the effort to be his friend. she was the one who was with him at the museum. she noticed how much he worried about Yugi at the cost of himself. she learned his fears and insecurities. she talked to him. she showed him around Domino. she made him smile. she got him try out new things. she not only respected the fact that Atem and Yugi were inseparable — that they understood one another in a way she never could — but she found a way to be close to both of them on separate terms — as separate people. she put in the effort to make Atem feel included in the littlest ways. she shared her dreams with him. she encouraged him to follow his heart and search for his memories because she saw him as his own person, who needed an identity and his own self-fulfillment outside of Yugi, outside of the puzzle, and outside of being pharaoh. she spent the most time with him out of the main gang. she watched him cry and stayed with him after he lost Yugi in Douma/Waking the Dragons arc. she knew when to step back but also when to push Atem to be his best. she took the time to get to know him — when he wasn’t even sure there was anything about him to know. she got him the cartouche that eventually returned his name back to him. the night before the ceremonial duel, she was the only one who thought to say goodbye. nobody else cared about Atem like she did. she is his best friend.
