Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 333 In the Name of the Pharaoh

Guys, guys, exciting news! I have found a kindred spirit! While browsing Tumblr for some Sims 3 custom content (because I'm basic, I guess), I stumbled across a user named hopefulstarfire, who has recently started a little Yu-Gi-Oh review project much like this one. It's a podcast called "Court Jester of Games" in which they recap and give thoughts/opinions on the Yu-Gi-Oh manga. I haven't listened to all of the episodes they have up yet, but I have listened to a couple of them, and they're VERY fun! I've added their PodBean link to my list on the right side bar of the blog, so if you can, head on over an show them some love! 

I thought they couldn't fly inside the tomb? Didn't Jonouchi try that? Or is this just them being launched into the air from the erupting ground beneath them?

Never mind, there's no time! We're back with them when they're about to get another dose of pure fire, and their hands are joined in a classic sports huddle as they try to imagine the characters they saw in the tomb. Trying to really VISUALIZE them reproduced on the cartouche. Their eyes are all squeezed shut, sweatdropping with the effort. 

Yami suddenly notices the cartouche tugging around his neck, slightly inclining toward his meditating friends. I grasps the chain to pull it up and peer at the pendant, and indeed, what was once a smooth blank surface is starting to manifest some clean lines. Yami realizes that this is it - the hieroglyphs are starting to appear on the cartouche. 

Has there ever been a kid that needed his own name written down for him THIS badly? 

Zorc is still hanging out, by the way. He INSISTS he's going to shatter their dreams with his shadow power, and their pathetic attempts to save themselves ends now. He stretches out his hands once more and lets loose yet another Zorc Inferno, but literally no one is paying ANY attention to him. Yami's friends have opened their eyes to look over at him when he yanks the cartouche and its chain from his neck, holding it out to his left dramatically. 

Then, when he's pulled back the cartouche to hold it close to his chest, a vision of his pharaoh dad appears and tells him that justice is in the name of the gods. While Yami acknowledges his appearance in astonishment, his father continues by reminding him that the pharaoh is the EMBODIMENT of the gods, and instructs him to unite the three hidden gods in the name of the king. Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu and Yuugi all stare at Yami, Yuugi in particular showing the beginnings of joy as he looks at his other self. 

Awwwww, he's got lots of birdies in his name. 

Yami stands up and stumbles forward, his friends standing aside for him to step toward Zorc, to whom he announces that the seal has been broken and he finally knows his own name. Zorc yells at him that it's useless, and he should just die already, but Yami clutches the precious cartouche in his fist, meditating on it with his eyes closed himself. He prepares to declare WHO HE IS, at last.

Whew! Glad he's not the one who knocks, you know what I'm saying? 

... I've never seen that show. *awkward fidgeting*

This declaration is like a wall on which the inferno just splats dead. He's in disbelief, describing this as his attack being swallowed by the light. Meanwhile, Yuugi and friends gape at Atem, repeating this real name, Yuugi in particular awestruck that this is his other self's real name. I'm already having to repeat this guy's correct name in my head over and over just to get it right throughout the rest of the chapter. 

Suddenly, Yuugi looks down at his arm, where his Duel Disk is apparently trying to get his attention. He notes with astonishment that a few cards are flying out of the deck in there all on their own. They arrange themselves into a pyramid formation above his head, where he discovers that they are in fact the three god cards. Points of light shoot out of them and higher into the sky, attracting EVERYONE'S attention, even Zorc's. He looks up and wonders what that light is about.

Atem shouts at him in answer that this is the power of unity, allowing him to call forth the power of the gods with his friends. Zorc is actually STUTTERING, denying haltingly that Atem CAN'T, but is soon made to cringe at the erupting light around him, complaining in even more disbelief that it's breaking through his shadows. Atem commands him to gaze upon the three gods, just as authoritarian as any true king. He's really grown into this role, for sure.

Pulling out ALL those stops! And he's not even DONE. Atem immediately announces that in the name of the king (his own, of course) he's fusing all of them together into one. 

Is his her design kind of melded with the ground, or is he she just not fully manifested yet?

Not that it matters. Either way, Horakhty comes across as almost bored, despite the fact that this is the coolest fucking scene anyone could be summoned into.

Not so much as a change in expression as he she explodes Zorc. *see comments for explanation on the strike-throughs!*

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It felt so... short. But not in a bad way, more like a CONCISE way. A vast majority of this comic is so cluttered to varying degrees with unnecessary dialog that it's a little bit of a relief to just have the pictures do the talking whenever KT chose to let them. I'm very glad that this was one of the moments he chose to just let speak for itself for the most part, because the emotions here... even though the chapter felt short, the emotions were BIG. Almost bigger than I was prepared to handle. 

Because for some reason I thought Atem learning his true name would be a SIMPLE matter. I guess it didn't occur to me, someone who has known her name and identity for her whole existence, as that big of a deal. But seeing Atem triumphantly declaring who he was to a dark adversary, using that true identity to banish that adversary, his friends marveling over this supposedly "simple" announcement in pure awe, really gave me a whole new perspective on the matter. As a moment it was so powerful that it destroyed any notion I may have had that the reveal would be a little anticlimactic; it really was anything but.

I've known what Atem's real name was since I started this blog, because by then it was just common knowledge on the internet. No avoiding spoilers when something is a good decade old. Still, it's proving difficult for me to switch after so much time calling him something else, which is the only part of this kind of situation that I'm semi-familiar with. But our main character being empowered to embrace his true identity, standing proud in the face of a malevolent force meant to destroy him makes some slightly parallel circumstances much more accessible. Granted, this declaration of true identity is less about correction and more about recollection, but perhaps if any of my readers are trans, they might let us know if the chapter resonates in any way with them. 

And I'll remind you once again to check out the podcast "Court Jester of Games" if you can spare a few minutes to listen, I'm quickly becoming a fan!