Warning! Possible spoilers ahead!
Why do I respect some of the YGO people? Because they’re strong! I shall discuss this in 6 subjects.
Subject 1: Rishid/Odion
I have nothing but respect for this man. He bore up under his adopted father’s abuse, be it verbal or physical, for years. He truly loves his adopted younger brother Marik, and with all the bad things Marik’s done, that truly takes some strength. His loyalty to Marik even goes as far as him pretending that he was Marik! Also, he once tried to get Mr. Ishtar to accept him as heir, therefore giving Marik his freedom. It didn’t work, but at least he’d tried. I take a bow to Rishid/Odion.
Subject 2: Marik
The strength to reject your destiny, to forge your own path, for good or evil. And Marik has just that kind of strength. There is a thin line between that strength, and the strength to actually accept your destiny, but Marik is definitely on one side of that line. He forged his own path. I take a bow to Marik.
Subject 3: Seto Kaiba
It takes strength to be the sole skeptic in the show. Strength to either reject or just not see (I’m not sure which) what everyone else around him can see. What I mean is the Shadow Games, the Sennen Items, and the Pharaoh’s Power. Also, no matter how many times Yugi beats him into the ground, he will still keep fighting. That is both stubbornness and determination, and definitely strength. I take a bow to Seto Kaiba.
Subject 4: Yami Bakura
GAWD this guy is good. He is a mastermind, plus he is just so damn cool! Anyway, (Spoiler warning!) his bad past makes him evil as he is. He when he was a young boy in the Thief’s Town in Ancient Egypt, he was the only one left alive when the rest of the town was sacrificed to make the Sennen Items. He wants to get them back to get revenge. It takes strength to endure that and come out as sane as he is. Or, a possibility: since the flesh and blood of his friends and family were melted into the Sennen Items, he might just want to be close to them in some perverse way. Yes, it’s gross. (End spoilers!) But, godsdammit, that guy ALWAYS comes back! Once every season, actually, if I’ve kept track right. From the graveyard or from the shadow realm, it makes no difference. He is the shadows incarnate, and he will always return. I take a bow to Yami Bakura.
Subject 5: Ryo Bakura
Ah, loyalty to one’s friends. That is always important, and ‘Kura sure has it. He sacrificed his soul (or at least attempted to) at least twice in Yu-Gi-Oh! to stop his Yami from destroying his friends. Perhaps he had no or few friends before he went to Domino High, so he values the ones he has now, Yugi and Téa and Joey and Tristan/Honda and the others. It takes strength to stand up to your other self like that, and strength to sacrifice yourself for your friends. I take a bow to Ryo Bakura.
Subject 6: Shadii
(Yes, you knew it; I am going to talk about my Shad Shad. How could I not? Plus, best for last!) He’s definitely not happy. Does it look like he’s happy? The only time he even remotely looks like he’s happy is when he’s forcefully giving Pegasus the Sennen Eye. (Too much blood lust is bad for you, my Shad Shad.) He probably had a bad past to make him this straight faced. BUT, he is strong enough to get past that, strong enough to carry on. (You know, I’m not even sure I have license to call him “my Shad Shad.” He might not be mine! His heart may belong elsewhere than with mine. I do love him, but…) I take a bow to my Shad Shad, AKA Shadii.
That's it. Phew!
