Favourite thing about each protagonist?
great question I like a lot of things about them (it’s also hard to put some things into words) but just off the top of my head
Yugi: the scenes that made me like him initially were him wishing for friends and him standing up against Ushio in chapter one of the manga. As a whole I’d say the thing I like most about him as a character is both how he grows throughout the story to have more confidence in himself and stand on his own as a strong duelist without Atem’s help, and how you can see at the beginning that he’s already a good person who’ll stand up for others- just not strong or confident enough to be particularly successful at it, which is what he kinda learns from Atem. (Like how Atem learned kindness from his influence during the early manga.)
Judai- okay so the thing I like about early GX Judai is just how silly he is. He’s just a silly guy…. And then, The Horrors happen! In the end, his story is about him growing up while figuring out how to hold onto enjoyment despite The Horrors. It’s a good message, and all the “filler” in early GX is still important both because it’s fun and because it serves to show how clear of a difference there is in his character at the beginning and the end while still also being the same guy, if that makes sense. (Also in the modern day I think a lot of people need to learn that maturity doesn’t mean letting go of everything that makes you happy)
Yusei- so many things. But have you heard of the symbolism 5ds puts in the effects of characters Ace monsters?? The way stardust dragon goes from destroying itself to save others (and the implications that comes with) to Not doing that (shooting quasar) but being able to protect others anyway? The way that’s almost definitely tied to the guilt he feels about Zero Reverse??? the way his arc isn’t directly acknowledged too much but you can see it in his actions and (as mentioned previously) the effects of stardust’s evolutions??? The way Z-one represents his flaws by putting him on a pedestal no one person can actually reach and being a living example of the consequences of that?????? Yusei is just such a good character man
Yuma- I think the scene that best describes what I like about Yuma is the one where he tries to save Vector. The sub and the dub of that scene are on YouTube just go watch that it’s actual peak. Actually zexal as a whole is actual peak. Also I like how ZEXAL is a play on “zeal” as in “passionately pursuing a goal”
Yuya- ooooh boy Yuya. I love him but like in the “I want to hug him/squeeze him/inspect him under a microscope” way if that makes sense. For one he’s an excellent example of masking (not that that’s a good thing), and I do like the general message that smiles are better than war. He’s kind of stupid but that’s okay ❤️ I want to throw him at the wall (/affectionate) JOKES ASIDE, I do like his enthusiasm, and even though it’s definitely unhealthy at times, that’s part of what makes him an interesting character. I just wish arc v had touched on that side of things a bit more.
(NOTE: I do like arc v! It’s super fun! Probably one of my most rewatched out of the shows! There are just some things here and there that are gonna come up in every discussion. Which is fine, no show is perfect. I will say the issues aren’t nearly as prominent as some people think, though.)
Yusaku: I love his relationship with Ai. As Toby Fox said: “everything is only good because of contrast.” I also like how despite being kind of a loner he still has Kusanagi and Takeru and Ai and even the people at school who clearly want to be his friends if he would just let them in (though he never really does). The way he seems really focused on his own plans but won’t ignore someone who needs his help. Anyway on another note has anyone mentioned that vrains is about a traumatized teenage boy finding a real friend in someone literally CREATED FROM the past self he feels so disconnected to, and then when that friend dies SO HE CAN KEEP LIVING, instead of honoring that sacrifice he neglects his other friends to go looking for a way to bring him back? There’s something in there, I know there is.
Yuga- so in sevens we get an understanding of what kind of character he is. He occasionally leaves out important information. He’s a genius. He’s deathly terrified of ladybugs. He’ll break the law to make kids happy. He’ll give up his own life to make kids happy. Make his friends happy. The ending of sevens puzzled me for a really long time, why would Yuga do something he had no way of knowing he’d survive just to keep rush duels around? (I still don’t quite have an elaborate answer for that. Working on it though.) Then, when we see him in go rush, he’s clearly not doing great. He smiles and makes jokes but you know he’s not doing great. (“Doesn’t your heart hurt when you’re sad?” / “of course it does.”) the way at the end of season two he lets his fear (his fear of supposedly never going home, of ruining the timeline, of rush duels turning into something oppressive if he does go home) just consume him to the point of acting the way he did (not to mention however sevens fear magician came into existence) and how he’s willing to let what’s probably billions of people die out so that monster reborn can’t hurt his friends in the future? He’s just. So interesting. He intrigues me. I want him to get a hug but also to go through more of the horrors first so I can study him.
Yudias- the thing that made me like him initially was his willingness to trust people, which seems like an uncommon trait for a soldier character. This does get called out as a weakness later on when people start being irrational, but in the start it’s one of his greatest strengths (which is also acknowledged). Yuhi and Yuamu are, as he said himself, his two most precious things, (he loves his family so much it makes me so happy) and it was his unwillingness to fight them even when they ended up on different sides that became both something he had to change (like kuaidul said) but also hold onto as to not give into the anger Kuaidul was trying to create in him. I also love how silly he is sometimes
If any of that makes sense
