Jaden Yuki, the protagonist of the beloved Yu-Gi-Oh! GX The anime series is the proud owner of some of the franchise’s most iconic monsters. Throughout the show, the master of Fusion Summoning impressed fans by using various merged creatures with distinct abilities. Among his vast collection of fused monsters, the Neo Spacians stand out for their particular summoning method.
By sending Jaden’s iconic signature Yu-Gi-Oh! card, elemental hero Neos, and any other member of the Neo Spasian archetype back to the deck, Jaden could fuse their creatures into a new more powerful one. While most of the heroes have returned several times in the form of new support for the archetype, there is one that has been missing for more than a decade: Elemental Hero Air Neos.
Air Neos are not reprinted or introduced in most video games
This card was ignored by Konami for years
Elemental Hero Air Neos is the fusion between Jaden’s most loyal ally and the often underappreciated Neo Spasian Air Hummingbird. This mighty creature is a Level 7 Warrior-type monster with 2500 attack points. Although not as impressive as some of Jaden’s other incredibly powerful ones Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, Air Neos hides a special ability that can help it grow in strength. While the user’s Life Points are lower than the opponent, the Fused Warrior gains attack points equal to the difference. Jaden used the monster to win various duels that seemed doomed moments before.
Like many other members of the Neo Spasian family, Air Neos were first introduced to the TCG version of the game in a booster pack called Strike of Neos. After its first printing, the card was released only once, in 2011, when its original set was brought back again to give players a chance to get many coveted cards. Since the presence of Air Neos in the franchise is almost non-existent. The monster can still be obtained in amazing video games like Legacy of the DuelistBut never in major projects like Duel links Or master duel.
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Unfortunately, this card seems to be affected removed from the Neo Spasian archetype, as if he was never a member of the group. In 2022, a card named Instant Contact was released, as a tribute to one of Jaden’s most iconic moments. The scene depicts nearly all of the protagonist’s Neo Spasian fusions flying together, an image taken directly from one of GXs openings. so, Despite Air Neos being featured in the original image, he was removed from the Instant Contact artworkWithout any explanation.
Konami may be legally unable to use Air Neos
Fans speculate the monster infringes copyright
As years have passed, fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Anime have been wondering about the sudden disappearance of Air Neos from the franchise. The community has tried to obtain information from Konami without any success, as the company has never issued an official statement on the controversy. Due to this, several theories have been proposed, ranging from copyright infringement to issues with the appearance of the character. The first theory implies that Air Neos’ name could be seen as problematic by an airline known as Neos Air.
The similarities in the name may have caused issues for Konami, which is why they never again tried to print the card or add it to their most popular games. Nevertheless, many fans have commented that this theory is most likely wrong, because Air Neos’ name would not interfere with the airline in any way. Another speculation claims that the artist who worked on the design of the card retains the right to its use. Since Konami does not own the image, they cannot reproduce it anymore.
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This is highly unlikely, as the creature was first introduced in the GX anime, meaning that the company actually holds the rights to the card. Finally, many fans claim that the design of Air Neos is either traced or copied from another source. To avoid legal issues, the card was never reprinted. A similar problem occurred in the past with a card known as Mad Lobster that copied artwork from another card game, being one of many Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards with altered artwork.
Probably, Jaden’s wind fusion will not be seen again for a long time, as proven by his decade-long absence. It’s a shame, because Air Neos has a loyal following of fans who would love to see him again. For now, his disappearance will remain one of Yu-Gi-Oh!s biggest mysteries.