THE Yu-Gi-Oh! The anime franchise has introduced fans to many incredibly powerful creatures throughout its 25-year existence. From Yugi to Yudia, the protagonists of the latest Go Rush!! series, each duelist is confident in their monsters’ ability to overcome all possible obstacles. Among these fascinating letters, the Egyptian gods tend to shine due to their impressive abilities and importance to the plot.
However, there is another being that should have been hailed as equal to these ancient deities, one that is arguably more iconic than them: Kaiba’s Blue Eyes. The original incarnation of this legendary beast was said to be as strong as a god, a detail that has been lost to time. The reason behind this disparity in abilities lies in Seto’s past life, who wanted to honor the memory of his dear friend Atem.
The blue-eyed white dragon could have defeated the gods
The spirit within Kiara had overwhelmingly destructive power.
Episode #205 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster anime shows the dark origins of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Father Seto, the past incarnation of Kaiba, saves a young girl from being stoned to death by a group of villagers. The civilians explained that they feared him because of his pale skin and deep blue eyes. Seto, angry at the villagers for their unfair treatment, picks up the woman, named Kisara, and takes her to his comrades. Shortly after meeting her, another priest of Atem, Shada, realizes that a powerful spirit inhabits the fair-skinned womanone that could rival the power of even the gods.
Days later, during the attack of the fearsome monster Zorc Necrophades, Kisara dies protecting Seto, becoming one with the spirit that lives inside her and creating the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. During her final moments of lucidity, her spirit swore to serve and protect Seto in all lives, as proof of her deep love for him. With his loyal and imposing companion by his side, the priest was able to defeat his manipulative father and join Atem on his quest to save Egypt from his attacker. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon proved to have almost godlike strength during the battle.
Centuries later, Pegasus discovered the tablets that the ancient Egyptians used to contain their loyal spirits, using them as inspiration for his game: Duel Monsters. Maximillion used the Tablet of Lost Memories as a reference when giving the game’s most powerful creatures their abilities and attack points. This implies that the author of this sacred treasure, Father Seto himself, did not portray his loyal companion as being on the same level as the gods. If he had done so, Blue-Eyes White Dragon would have been a card with strength equal to the iconic deities themselves.
Father Seto wanted to honor the memory of his predecessor
He didn’t want to claim Atem’s achievements as his own.
While extremely similar to his modern counterpart in many ways, one distinction between the priest of Atem and Kaiba is his willingness to work with others. Seto may have been one of the pharaoh’s most ruthless guards, but he often acted with the best intentions in mind, wanting to keep the peace for his ruler. The priest held Atem in high regard, considering him a fair and wise king. The only time he acted against his cousin was when Aknadin, his father, used his magic to control his mind.
Still, Kisara helped him break the spell and he joined Atem in the final fight. Once Bakura was defeated and Atem was ready to pass on to the spiritual realm, Seto was named his successor, a request made by the previous pharaoh himself. It was during his time as ruler that the priest created the Tablet of Lost Memories, in which he described the history of his kingdom and the sacrifice of Atem. Although the series does not implicitly state this, it suggests that the priest wishes to honor his predecessor’s legacy in this treasure.
There is a high probability that he purposely described the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as weaker than the Egyptian gods controlled by Atem to keep the latter as the hero of the story. Seto worked hard to honor his cousin, not only erasing his name from historical records to prevent Zorc from being freed, but also ordering the Tomb Guardians to protect the pharaoh’s resting place. It seems that his last gift to Atem was to keep him as the hero of the story, the one who wielded the most powerful creatures in existence.
Yu-Gi-Oh!Blue-Eyes White Dragon will forever remain one of the anime’s most beloved and recognizable cards. Although he is not as strong as the gaming gods, he has achieved many monumental tasks, even going so far as to win a world championship. Kaiba may never know it, but he wields the power of one of the most powerful beasts in history.