Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions is a 2016 Japanese animated science fantasy film written and directed by Satoshi Kuwabara, with Kazuki Takahashi and Masahiro Hikokubo as co-writers, based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise by Takahashi. Produced by Studio Gallop and distributed by Toei Company, The Dark Side of Dimensions tells a new story that takes place after the events of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! storyline; specifically, it is set six month after the events of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, and thus features some slight contradictions to the storyline of the anime adaptation. The film stars Shunsuke Kazama as the voice of Yugi Mutou and Kenjiro Tsuda as Seto Kaiba, alongside Hiroki Takahashi, Takayuki Kondo, Maki Satō, Rica Matsumoto, Junko Takeuchi, Kento Hayashi, Kana Hanazawa and Satoshi Hino. The Dark Side of Dimensions was released in Japan on April 23, 2016, in the United States and Canada on January 27, 2017, and in Australia on February 2, 2017.
Plot
Seto Kaiba commissions an excavation to retrieve the lost and disassembled Millennium Puzzle from the ruins of the Millennium chamber, where a mysterious cloaked man appears at the underground shrine. Six months after the Pharaoh's departure, Yugi Muto and his friends Joey Wheeler, Téa Gardner, Tristan Taylor, and Ryo Bakura prepare to graduate from Domino High School and contemplate what they will do in the future.Kaiba locates the Puzzle, which once housed the spirit of the Pharaoh Atem, Kaiba's longtime rival, whom he hopes to revive in order to settle their ancient score. The excavation is interrupted by a young man named Diva, who faces Kaiba in a game of Duel Monsters and steals two pieces of the Puzzle. He keeps one fragment and gives the other to his younger sister Sera, who passes it on to Yugi; as the modern-day counterpart of the Pharaoh, he is the only one who can reassemble the Puzzle.
Diva, under the alias "Aigami," befriends Yugi and his friends while taking an interest in Bakura, whom he believes is responsible for the death of his mentor and father figure, Shadi Shin. Using the Quantum Cube, he transports Bakura and Joey to another dimension, where Bakura apologizes for Shadi's death and explains that the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring was responsible. However, they are interrupted by Diva's friend Mani, who has become warped by the Millennium Ring's evil energy. When Yugi, Téa, and Tristan find "Aigami", he reveals his true identity and his plan to eliminate Yugi and his friends. As Diva nearly disintegrates them into another dimension, Joey returns to the real world with help from Atem.
Kaiba rebuilds the Millennium Puzzle and discovers that the last two pieces are missing. He abducts Diva and approaches Yugi so they can duel to showcase his updated Duel Disk virtual reality technology while wagering their pieces of the puzzle. However, Yugi, furious with Diva for what he did to Bakura, decides to duel him instead, which Kaiba agrees to. Yugi defeats Diva, resulting in Bakura returning to the real world.
While dueling Kaiba, Yugi reassembles the Millennium Puzzle to prove that Atem's spirit is no longer inside. Diva becomes corrupted by the Millennium Ring's evil power and duels Yugi and Kaiba, during which Kaiba sacrifices himself and tells Yugi to summon Atem. Yugi puts on the Puzzle and continues the Duel, but is physically unable to draw his next card and begins to black out. However, he is suddenly engulfed by a beam of golden light and Atem returns. He possesses Yugi's body and defeats Diva, who returns to normal before disappearing. Atem and Yugi bid each other farewell, and Atem and the Millennium Puzzle then fade away.
Yugi and his friends graduate from high school and see Téa off at the airport as she leaves to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a professional dancer in New York City. Meanwhile, Kaiba uses his technology in conjunction with the Quantum Cube to transport his consciousness to the afterlife and challenge Atem to a duel. Atem smiles as Kaiba approaches.
Voice cast
| Character | Japanese voice cast | English dub cast |
| Yugi Mutou/Atem | Shunsuke Kazama | Dan Green |
| Seto Kaiba | Kenjiro Tsuda | Eric Stuart |
| Katsuya Jōnouchi/Joey Wheeler | Hiroki Takahashi | Wayne Grayson |
| Anzu Mazaki/Téa Gardner | Maki Saitō | Amy Birnbaum |
| Hiroto Honda/Tristan Taylor | Takayuki Kondo | Greg Abbey |
| Ryo Bakura/Dark Bakura | Rica Matsumoto | Ted Lewis/Michael Lockwood Crouch |
| Mokuba Kaiba | Junko Takeuchi | Tara Sands |
| Ryuji Otogi/Duke Devlin | Ryō Naitō | Marc Thompson |
| Aigami (Diva) | Kento Hayashi | Daniel J. Edwards |
| Sugoroku Mutō/Solomon Muto | Tadashi Miyazawa | Wayne Grayson |
| Ryō Bakura's Father | Kazuhiro Yamaji | Marc Thompson |
| Sera | Kana Hanazawa | Laurie Hymes |
| Mani | Satoshi Hino | Tamir Cousins |
| Scud/Kudaragi | Kendo Kobayashi | Billy Bob Thompson |
| Shadi Shin | Nozomu Sasaki | Wayne Grayson |
Production
The film was announced in the West prior to its announcement in Japan. 4K Media Inc. announced the film on the official Yu-Gi-Oh! website, that the movie was in development in Japan and that they were shopping for a distributor in all non-Asian territories. The film's teaser trailer was first shown in a panel featuring Kazuki Takahashi at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. It was later uploaded to the official yugioh.com YouTube channel. Original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga creator Kazuki Takahashi personally drew the keyframes for one of the film's sequences. 4K Media held a contest in August 2016, offering fans the chance to provide voices for the English-language release of the film.Release
The film was released in theaters in Japan on April 23, 2016, later receiving 4DX and MX4D screenings on September 24, 2016. Before the release on 2017, to promote the upcoming film, Six Flags theme park began to promote a campaign for the film from November 19, 2016 to January 1, 2017, as 4K Media confirmed to promote for the new holiday promotion in partnership Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The film received limited screenings in North America from January 27, 2017, to February 9, 2017, offering limited edition trading cards for attendees, while Manga Entertainment screened the film for a limited time in the United Kingdom in February 2017. Eleven Arts later listed the English subtitled version screenings in the United States.Transcend Game
Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi created a new one-shot manga called TRANSCEND GAME. The two-part prologue story is set between the end of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and the beginning of The Dark Side of Dimensions. In Japan, Part 1 was released in the 19th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump on April 11, 2016, and Part 2 was released in the 20th issue on April 18, 2016.In the United States, Part 1 was released in the December 19, 2016 issue of VIZ Media's digital Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Part 2 was released in the January 2, 2017 issue.