Yu-Jyo A Yu-Gi-Oh!Episode Guide

Focusing on the differences between the American and Japanese episodes

Episode 176: Grappling with a Guardian, Part 3 (Smash the Darkness of the Heart!)

Atop the Paradias building, Tristan and Téa, Kaiba and Mokuba stand outside the dome of the Seal of Orichalcos, now shrouded in darkness and flashing with lightning. Tristan, still carrying Joey's soulless body on his back, says the Pharaoh's trapped in there with that creep! How did this happen? Mokuba says he knows—Yami played that Underworld Circle card. (Japanese Honda doesn't say anything. Mokuba says, "Yugi.")

Inside the dome, Yami is walking through thick fog. He says it's strange—is this another vision generated by the Seal of Orichalcos? Before him, he can see a pathway leading through a field of graves. Then he realizes—Underworld Circle lets them bring back monsters they've lost. Perhaps he's somehow been transported to the card graveyard. (Japanese Yami wonders where he is. He remembers playing the magic card that allows the players to summon monsters from the graveyard—but this is a real graveyard.) Then he hears Rafael's voice saying that this wasn't part of his plan, and he sees Rafael's shadowed form standing beyond him in the fog.

Yami hears someone calling for help, and sees another form running towards him. As the form becomes clear in the fog, Rafael gasps, and Yami exclaims that it looks like Rafael. Rafael agrees that it is him, and he calls out to the younger version of himself as he runs past, but the other Rafael ignores him. Rafael begins to run after him, and Yami warns him it might be a trap—but then he, too, takes off after the two Rafaels.

Soon, Rafael stops before a row of large gravestones. Yami catches up, still warning Rafael that this might be dangerous—they don't know where they are. But Rafael says he knows exactly where they are. (In the Japanese, these are the graves of Rafael's family. The gravestones have been changed in the US version to show the Seal of Orichalcos.)

They hear laughter behind them, and Rafael says it's all starting to make sense. As the younger Rafael and Dartz appear, standing in the rain, Rafael says that Dartz once took him here to expose him to the truth. This must be the day they met. Yami asks if this is a vision from Rafael's past.

Dartz tells the young Rafael to always remember that life is cruel, and the sooner he learns that, the sooner he can start over. Since the accident, Dartz says, Rafael's family has forgotten all about him. (Japanese Dartz tells young Rafael that it's always the same. No matter where he runs, he'll come back here in the end. Does Rafael know why? It's because he's afraid to face the fact that they're dead.) As Yami and Rafael watch, Dartz continues telling young Rafael that his family has moved on, and he should as well. Just let them go. (Japanese Dartz tells Rafael that he is the only survivor of the shipwreck.)

A flashback shows Rafael as a child on the deck of the cruise ship, as his brother and sister are swept away in the storm. Present-day Rafael watches the vision, an anguished look on his face, as Dartz tells the young Rafael that he brought him here to bury his past and leave it all behind. Today is the day he begins his new life. Rafael must do as he says, and the pain will be gone. Dartz is his family now. (Japanese Dartz says young Rafael thinks that if he's alive, his family must be, too. But fate chose only Rafael. His family is dead. If Rafael keeps running away from this, he'll never understand the answer to fate.)

Dartz tells young Rafael there's one final task he must perform. He must tunnel into the ground and unearth his destiny. (Japanese Dartz tells young Rafael that he must throw himself into fate to see fate's answer. He tells him to affirm it with his own hands. His family is buried in those graves.) Young Rafael goes to the spot Dartz has indicated, while Dartz tells him to use the anger inside him to guide him. Focus on the pain in his past, and he'll find the tools to build his future. (Japanese Dartz says if Rafael wants to get away from here, he must affirm it with his own hands.)

Young Rafael drops to his knees before the graves, and begins to dig in the ground with his bare hands. Yami says he doesn't understand—what is Rafael looking for? (Japanese Yami says, "This is your past.") Dartz laughs, telling young Rafael to let the darkness consume him. (Japanese Dartz stands silent over young Rafael.) The pit young Rafael is digging grows larger and deeper, and he says he's getting closer. (Cut from the US version is this shot of young Rafael digging up two skulls. He stands, clutching them to him, and screams.)

Yami asks again what it was that Dartz forced Rafael to uncover that day. (Japanese Yami asks, how can this be? Rafael's family should only be missing.)

Then, they see it at the bottom of the pit—a Dark Duel Disk. (Japanese Dartz tells young Rafael that his destiny begins here.) Young Rafael reaches for it, but then he sees Guardian Eatos floating over the pit. Dartz tells him to forget that creature—it's part of his past, and young Rafael picks up the Duel Disk and puts it on his arm. (This sequence has been rearranged in the US version, and some scenes have been cut. In the Japanese version, young Rafael stands clutching the skulls, then Guardian Eatos reaches out to him. He turns to her, and she takes the skulls from him.)

(She holds the skulls to her chest. The skulls have been removed from the US version.)

(As he watches her floating above him, Dartz drops a Dark Duel Disk into the pit behind him.)

(He picks up the Duel Disk and puts it on.)

Dartz tells him to face his destiny, and young Rafael draws a card from the deck—it's the Seal of Orichalcos. Dartz tells him to activate the card, and his transformation will be complete. Young Rafael slots the card into the field zone, and the Duel Disk lights up, and the Seal forms around him. Young Rafael groans as if in pain, but Dartz tells him not to fight it, but to let the Seal of Orichalcos set him free. (Japanese Dartz tells young Rafael to give his heart to the darkness, be one with it and then surpass it. The answer to his destiny is in front of him.) The Seal is drawn in young Rafael's forehead, and grows around him until it reaches Guardian Eatos. (In the Japanese version, the skulls dissolve in Eatos' hands as the Seal reaches her.)

The monster bursts into flames and sinks into the pit. Young Rafael tries to run to her, as Dartz tells him he has a new Guardian now.

Guardian Dreadscythe rises out of the pit. Dartz tells young Rafael to meet the custodian of darkness. This creature was formed from the rage in his heart. Now, Dartz tells him, his journey is over. Welcome to Dartz's family! (Japanese Dartz tells Rafael that this is the monster created from the darkness in his heart.)

Rafael asks Yami if he now understands the brilliance of Master Dartz, who knows exactly how the world works, and how to save it. Yami asks, if Rafael is so loyal to Dartz, why does he disobey him? Dartz told him to let go of the past, but he stays loyal to his Guardians. Rafael says Yami doesn't get it. Dartz was trying to help him move on. But Yami says Dartz is a madman, and the only person he's helping is himself. (Japanese Rafael says that his destiny was decided from that day on. Becoming one with the darkness in his heart and throwing himself to fate saved him. Yami asks him, if he's saved, why does he feel sad when he sends his monsters to the graveyard? If he's thrown himself to fate, he shouldn't have felt anything. Rafael asks Yami, what does he know? Yami says Rafael doesn't want his monsters to have the same fate as his family. That's why he's so afraid of the graveyard. That's the real Rafael.)

The Seal glowing in his forehead, Rafael says that Master Dartz gave him the power he needed to survive—and now it's time to unleash it on Yami! (Japanese Rafael says that he's surpassed the darkness in his heart. He can't turn back.) Guardian Dreadscythe appears before him.

The dome of the Seal clears, and once again, Yami and Rafael are facing each other on the roof, with their cards in play. The gang can see them again. Téa asks if the Pharaoh is all right.

But Yami has no monsters on his side of the field, while Rafael still has Guardian Dreadscythe with him, holding its scythe, powered up to its full 5500 points. Yami says his Underworld Circle magic card should have destroyed every monster on the field. It also forces them to remove every monster remaining in their decks. After that, they can only use monsters from their graveyards. Yami's Dark Magician Girl is gone. So why is Dreadscythe still on the field?

Rafael explains that by eliminating a card from his hand, Guardian Dreadscythe is able to revive itself. It was created to be indestructible, so not even Rafael can get rid of it. (Japanese Rafael explains that by discarding a card, he can bring Deathscythe back. But it's not his choice—Deathscythe will decide.) Téa wonders if that means the Pharaoh can't win. (Japanese Anzu wonders, a monster that can't be destroyed?)

Thanks to his magic card, Yami says, he has access to every monster in his graveyard. But because of Dreadscythe, Rafael's graveyard is off-limits. Rafael says there's no turning back. The monsters he sacrificed are gone, and he doesn't need them. There's only one creature he needs now. (Japanese Rafael says his destiny is one with Deathscythe. He will throw himself to fate.)

Yami thinks that Dartz gave Rafael that monster to feed the darkness in his heart, so maybe if he can destroy it, he can set Rafael free. With the power of Underworld Circle, Yami brings back Dark Magician. Kaiba says maybe Yami has a shot after all, and Mokuba agrees—now that he can play cards from his graveyard, he can start kicking some butt. (Japanese Kaiba says the dead are coming back to life. Mokuba says, as long as he can summon monsters from the graveyard, Yugi still has chance.) Yami sets a card face down and ends his turn.

Rafael draws, telling Yami he's done. Not as long as his magic card's in play, Yami says, and brings back Jack's Knight as well. Mokuba says it's awesome—Yami can summon monsters on his opponent's turn!

Rafael says Yami's puny monsters don't scare him, and attacks Dark Magician with Dreadscythe. Yami activates his trap card, Zero Gravity, forcing all monsters on the field into defense mode. Tristan says Yami just stopped that zombie thing in its tracks, but Rafael says he doesn't think so. He activates his trap, Spirit Hunting, switching Guardian Dreadscythe back into attack mode, and continuing its attack. Its scythe sweeps Yami's field, destroying both of his monsters. (Japanese Rafael says that the effect of his trap destroys all the opponent's monsters in defense position.)

Yami draws, using Underworld Circle to bring back Dark Magician Girl. Then he plays the magic card, Altar of Restoration, which lets him bring back another monster from the graveyard by discarding two cards from the top of his deck. He brings back the Eye of Timaeus, merging it with Dark Magician Girl to form Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight (2600 ATK), then using its effect to destroy Guardian Dreadscythe.

But after the attack, Dreadscythe remains on the field. Rafael laughs, as another card dissolves from his hand, saying that Dreadscythe is indestructible. Kaiba wonders why Yami attacked when he knew that monster could revive itself. Yami sets a card face down and ends his turn, as Kaiba thinks that Yugi had better not let this chump defeat him again—Kaiba's the only one who deserves that glory. (Japanese Kaiba thinks that if Yugi's still thinking of useless things like changing Rafael's mind, he'll certainly lose.)

Rafael draws. Yami uses Underworld Circle to bring back Queen's Knight. Rafael tells Yami his strategy isn't working, and discards a card—which Yami sees is Monster Reborn—to activate his magic card, the Orichalcos Sword of Sealing. The Sword pierces Timaeus' foot, and the dragon roars in pain. (Japanese Rafael explains that the sword seals Timaeus' special effect.) Then Rafael attacks Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight with Guardian Dreadscythe. Yami cries out as his monster is destroyed—but his life points only go down to 10. Yami reveals his trap card, Reduction Barrier, which reduces his damage to ten percent. Yami promises to fight until his last life point is gone.

Rafael tells Yami to suit himself, but soon his soul will belong to Dartz. Yami says Rafael has been brainwashed, but Yami believes there's still good inside him, and he plans to bring it out.

Yami draws, then uses the Underworld Circle to bring back Big Shield Gardna. Then he plays Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards—a magic card, and the Claw of Hermos. He plays the magic card, Spider Web, which lets him use a card from Rafael's graveyard. (Japanese Yami says Spider Web lets him use the card Rafael discarded in his last turn.) He chooses Monster Reborn, which he says he'll use to save Rafael by setting him free from the darkness. He plays Monster Reborn to bring back Guardian Eatos from Rafael's graveyard. Then, looking over his shoulder at Joey's body hanging on Tristan's back, he thinks that he can only accomplish this with Joey's help, and summons the Claw of Hermos. Tristan tells Joey to check it out, but Joey just lies there, senseless.

Yami merges Hermos with Queen's Knight to form Goddess Bow, which he equips to Guardian Eatos, doubling her attack to 5000. Since Eatos has been removed from Rafael's graveyard, Dreadscythe loses 500 points, reducing its attack to 5000. Rafael wonders what Yami's up to—if he attacks now, both monsters will be destroyed—but Rafael's will come back. (Japanese Rafael says destiny cannot be changed.)

Yami says they'll see about that. (Cut from the US version is this flashback showing Rafael and his family, while Yami says that Rafael's bond with his monsters and his family are the power to change destiny, followed by a flashback of shipwrecked Rafael discovering his Guardian monsters.)

Yami orders Eatos to attack, activating the special effect of the Goddess Bow, allowing Eatos to attack again each time Dreadscythe revives itself. (Japanese Yami explains that Goddess Bow activates whenever the opponent's monster activates a special effect, and continues to attack. The five arrows from the Goddess Bow hitting Dreadscythe are obscured in the US version.)

With each attack, Rafael loses another card. Mokuba says, of course! When Rafael runs out of cards, Dreadscythe can't come back. The last card dissolves out of Rafael's hand, and Dreadscythe burns away, leaving only its mask, which Eatos clutches to her heart as she, too, disappears into the clouds.

Rafael falls to his knees, and Yami asks if he understands what he's done. He turned his back on his monsters. Once they meant the world to him, but Dartz convinced him to abandon everything that was important to him. Dartz told him lies about his family and fueled his rage, and in a moment of weakness, Rafael allowed himself to be consumed by the dark magic of the Orichalcos. But Yami knew the real Rafael was still in there, and he knew what he had to do—force Rafael to face the darkness. (Japanese Yami says that Rafael can't become one with the darkness in his heart. He couldn't face the fact that his family's gone, so Rafael chose to throw in with Dartz and destiny. But the darkness in his heart is only an illusion. Rafael's destiny hasn't been decided yet—he has to build it himself.)

Rafael says there's only one problem—the Seal of Orichalcos still needs a soul. He draws, then uses Underworld Circle to bring back Guardian Grarl. Then he plays the magic card, Soul Charge, allowing him to summon more monsters from his graveyard. Backup Gardna, Guardian Elma, Guardian Kay'est all return to the field. Tristan says, now Rafael has four monsters! But Kaiba points out that any monster summoned by Soul Charge can't attack for one turn, so Yami is safe. So why do it? Mokuba wonders.

Rafael says that's it—his graveyard is empty, and his Guardians are free. But each monster he brought back from the grave cost him 500 points. His life points go to zero, and the Seal of Orichalcos begins to shrink around him. Yami runs towards him, calling out his name.

Then, from the clouds, Guardian Eatos returns. She stands with the other Guardians, the Seal disappearing from their foreheads. Yami tells Rafael he's made the right choice—the darkness has lifted. Rafael tells Yami he's right, and thanks him. Then, to his surprise, his little brother and sister appear at his side, clinging to him and telling him that they missed him. His parents appear before him, standing with his monsters. Rafael smiles tearfully, saying this is a vision of what's inside his heart. Everyone he turned his back on is still here, and they'll always be with him.

The monsters and the vision of his family rise into the sky and fade from sight. The Orichalcos stone cracks and disappears from around Rafael's neck, and the Seal vanishes.

Yami and the others run to Rafael, who remains as he was, kneeling. Téa wonders what happened to the Seal—doesn't it usually put on a big green laser show? (Japanese Anzu asks what happened to the Seal, and Kaiba asks Yugi if he destroyed it.) Rafael agrees—it usually takes someone's soul, too. But Rafael's still here. (Japanese Rafael asks, why isn't his soul taken away?)

Yami has a theory. The Seal of Orichalcos is powered by the darkness within the person who plays it. But Rafael was able to conquer that darkness, so his soul was spared.

Then the building begins to shake. Is it an earthquake? Tristan asks. Yami's afraid it's much worse than that.

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