Death of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Creator Kazuki Takahashi saddens the world

By: Max Cao

The body of Takahashi was found two days after his death in snorkeling gear on the coast of Nago in Japan.Takahashi, the creator of the famous “Yu-Gi-Oh!” game died at a relatively young age 60 years old on July 4th, 2022.

“Yu-Gi-Oh!” tells the tale of Yugi Mutou, a spiky-haired high school outsider named Yugi. One day, he solves an ancient puzzle called the Millennium Puzzle, causing his body to play host to a mysterious spirit. From that moment on, whenever Yugi or one of his friends is threatened by those with darkness in their hearts, this other Yugi shows himself and challenges them to dangerous Shadow Games which reveal the true nature of someone's heart. The losers of these contests often being subjected to a dark punishment called a Penalty.

For nine years, the comic was published in the Weekly Shonen Jump, one of Japan’s commonly read magazines. “Yu-Gi-Oh” revolved into a card game using the character in 1999. To play “Yu-Gi-Oh!” players start with a deck of cards, and every turn, summon monsters, traps and spells to defeat the other person. The objective of the game is to reduce the amount of health, or life points the opponent has, 8000, down to zero. The game became immensely successful, even making it into the 2011 Guinness World Records as the largest card-trading game, selling over 25 billion cards!

You can believe something this successful wouldn’t just stay in Japan. Using the weapons of “Yu-Gi-Oh”, it came into the U.S as the Pokémon exotic machine gun, the Heir Apparent.

Geoff Thew, one of Kazuki Takahashi’s fans, said that “Yu-Gi-Oh! defined my taste in anime when I was a kid, and the game got me out of the house and my own head when I needed it most as an adult. Kazuki Takahashiʼs dark and brilliant imagination did a lot to shape the course of my life, and I’m far from the only one. RIP, Legend.”

Another fan added, “Yu-Gi-Oh! has touched so many lives and made a massive impact on global culture. It’s an important story about facing evil head on with hope and friendship, and always fighting for a brightertomorrow. Thank you, Kazuki Takahashi. You were gone too soon, but rest in peace.”

The death of Kazuki Takahashi is a great loss to the world. Rest in peace, Takahashi.

Source:

‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ creator Kazuki Takahashi dies at 60 - The Washington Post.pdf

Yu-Gi-Oh! - Wikipedia