Seto Kaiba
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga
and anime
series Yu-Gi-Oh!
. As the majority shareholder
and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba (as he is referred to by the other characters) aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game. To accomplish this goal, he must defeat his arch-rival, the main protagonist of the series, Yugi Mutou
, who has defeated him on several occasions.
Seto's mother died after the birth of Mokuba, and the father died in an accident when he was eight years old(He never was the same). Orphaned, their relatives used up their inheritance and left them at the orphanage. When Seto was ten (twelve, in the English language version of the series), the-head of KaibaCorp, Gozaburo Kaiba, arrived at the orphanage to perform a publicity stunt, Kaiba saw the chance to challenge him to a game of chess, with Gozaburo forced to adopt Seto and Mokuba should he win. Seto defeated him and the brothers were adopted, but Gozaburo forced Seto into a rigorous accelerated school program, making him study several academic subjects. Six years later, however, these studies had given Kaiba the skills and knowledge to acquire less than Gozaburo's half of the company shares, but Mokuba gave Seto his percent, giving Seto KaibaCorp's shares, seizing control of the company and discharging his foster father. Gozaburo then committed suicide by throwing himself out a window. In the American version, he uploaded his mind to a type of KaibaCorp software where he temporarily lived in cyberspace.
. He is dismissive in his manner of speech, represented in the original Japanese version of the series by his omission of honorific
s, and his use of the boastful word ore to mean "I" instead of the usual boku and he doesn't have the same respect for Mokuba. Despite his personality, he is devoted and protective towards his only brother Mokuba, and has risked his life for him on several occasions. Likewise, Mokuba is equally devoted to Seto and is frequently seen at his side.
Although magical powers and items are often used in the series, Kaiba does not believe in such things, and, when necessary, convinces himself that it is all tricks and illusions due to the fail-safes in his programming. Although this trend had a tendency to be exaggerated in the English version of the series, it is present in both language versions of the anime and manga. Eventually he comes to accept that there is little other explanation for the bizarre, fantastical events he witnesses throughout the series.
Kaiba changes in personality from the second season of the second series anime onwards. In the first season, Kaiba acknowledges Pegasus' ability to read minds, as well as the "Heart of the Cards". Although he does not like Yugi and Joey, he does not act hostile towards them, except during the first episode. However, in the second season, his acceptance of faith and magic vanishes and, in the English anime, he adopts the habit of saying that it's "hocus-pocus nonsense". His desire to defeat Yugi also grows from a grudge to an obsession, and Kaiba shows a disregard for the safety of Yugi and his friends. Despite this, he still often helps them with defeating the villains they face, claiming that Yugi or one of his friends helped him and he thus owes them, or that the villain's desires are in direct conflict with his own interests. Of Yugi and his friends, Kaiba seems to hold the most respect for Yugi and least respect for Joey.
In the Memory World arc Kaiba's past self, Priest Seto, is introduced. Priest Seto is depicted as being less antagonistic than modern-day Kaiba, and is portrayed as being loyal with a strong sense of justice.
, owns the rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. Kaiba steals the card from Yugi by switching it with a fake copy. Yugi recognizes the card for a fake and duels Kaiba to get it back. Yugi, Honda Hiroto and Katsuya Jonouchi
were beaten up by Kaiba's guards until the spirit of the Pharaoh Yami from within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle – beats up the guards and challenges Kaiba to a game of Duel Monsters with the card as a prize. Although Kaiba nearly wins, the magical nature of the game prevents him from attacking with the stolen Blue-Eyes, and Kaiba is defeated, suffering a penalty game.
Begrudged over the loss, Kaiba plots a revenge. He acquires the other three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in existence and builds "Death T," a "theme park" made up of many deadly games and challenges designed to end the lives of Yugi and his friends. After being subjected to the hazards, Yugi and his friends witness a Duel Monsters match between Seto and Yugi's grandfather, who was forced to participate when Kaiba threatens Yugi's life. Kaiba wins and tears up Sugoroku's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba then challenges Yugi to a rematch. Although Kaiba proves formidable with the three Blue-Eyes in his deck, Yugi wins by summoning Exodia. Yugi then uses the power of his Millennium Puzzle to subject Kaiba to a Mind Crush, shattering his mind to pieces and leaving Kaiba in a coma. Kaiba eventually regains consciousness later in the manga during the Duelist Kingdom arc.
In the second series anime and its adaptation of the manga, Kaiba instead kidnaps Sugoroku and duels him to win the card. Kaiba already owns the other Blue-Eyes at this point, and acquires the fourth card to destroy it so nobody could use it against him. To avenge his grandfather, Yugi duels Kaiba and defeats him with Exodia, then uses his powers to purge the darkness that has clouded Kaiba's mind. Kaiba later loses interest in dueling and his company and leaves on a trip to find himself. In both the anime and manga, with Kaiba gone, Duel Monsters creator Maximillion Pegasus schemes to take control of Kaiba Corp from Seto by conspiring with its board of directors, the Big Five, and abducting Mokuba. Part of his plan involves hosting a Duel Monsters tournament on his private island, Duelist Kingdom, which Yugi participates in.
. Meeting up with Yugi and his friends, Kaiba regains his deck and proceeds to Pegasus's castle. Here, Kaiba is offered a deal – defeat Yugi in a duel in exchange for the right to duel Pegasus and save his sibling and company. Kaiba and Yugi later duel atop the castle parapets, with Kaiba unleashing the fused form of his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Even with this, Kaiba is once again on the cusp of defeat, until he places his own life on danger by balancing on the edge of the turret, forcing Yugi to forfeit the duel for fear of killing his opponent. Kaiba goes on to duel Pegasus, but is overcome by the power of his Millennium Eye and is defeated. Pegasus captures Kaiba's soul, but when Yugi beats him in the final round of the tournament, the Kaiba brothers are both freed.
In season two of the anime, Kaiba is summoned to the Domino City museum by Egyptologist Ishizu Ishtar, Kaiba is shown the ancient stone tablet that depicts the duel between his past self and the Pharaoh. Although Kaiba does not believe into Ishizu's warning that history was sure to repeat itself, he is interested by her tale of the Egyptian God Cards
– three powerful one-of-a-kind Duel Monsters cards that Pegasus has entrusted to her. Two, however, were already stolen by her brother Marik, and she gives the third – Obelisk the Tormentor – to Kaiba, encouraging him to hold a tournament of his own to draw in Marik and his organization, the Rare Hunters. Seeking to obtain the remaining two God Cards for himself, Kaiba agrees, and begins his "Battle City" tournament, which Yugi and Joey Wheeler become participants in. During the tournament, Kaiba defeats his opponents using Obelisk the Tormentor while Yugi wins his own God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon.. Eventually, Kaiba teams up with Yugi to rescue Mokuba and Yugi's friends from Marik. Afterward, Yugi, Kaiba and Joey enter the finals, unaware that Marik has made a deal with Yami Bakura, and he, along with Marik and Marik's stepbrother Odion, are registered as well. During his duel in the finals, Kaiba duels Ishizu herself. After being sent a vision by Marik's Millennium Rod, the same Millennium Item his past self owned, Kaiba forgoes his originally desired strategy of using Obelisk the Tormentor to defeat her and sacrifices it to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was his past-life's monster in the duel against the Pharaoh. With the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba manages to trump Ishizu's prophecy of defeat and claim victory.
In season three, Kaiba faces Yugi in the semifinals, and the two unleash their Egyptian God cards against the other. When the two finally attack each other, they each receive a vision of their past selves dueling. Encouraged by the vision, Yugi manages to defeat Kaiba and go on to the final battle against Marik. Although initially disgusted over his loss and determined to blow up the island the duel is being held on, Kaiba is convinced by Ishizu to stay and watch the battle between Yugi and Marik. Kaiba gives Yugi the card Fiend Sanctuary prior to the duel, and with it, Yugi is able to hold off the attacks of Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra and defeat him. The entire group escapes the island before it explodes afterward.
Shortly after his return from the Duelist Kingdom, the Big Five attempt to appease an outraged Kaiba by revealing that they have finalized his virtual reality game software, and invite him to test it out for himself. However, this was another attempt to do away with Kaiba, but Yugi and his friends manage to rescue him. The Big Five log into the virtual world in an attempt to stop them from escaping, but they are defeated in a duel, and their own minds became trapped in the virtual reality program. Some time later, in the midst of the Battle City tournament, the Big Five's digital consciousnesses are discovered stranded in cyberspace by a mysterious boy named Noah, who recruits them for a revenge campaign against Kaiba. The craft taking the Battle City duelists to KaibaCorp Island for the finals is hijacked by Noah, who then traps Kaiba, Yugi and several of Yugi's friends in his own rendering of the virtual world, forcing them to duel the Big Five.
As Yugi and his friends defeat the Big Five, Kaiba's past is revealed (see above), and Noah admits to being Gozaburo Kaiba's biological son, and claims his mind exists as a computer program after he was fatally wounded as a child and later digitized. Although Kaiba ignores Noah's claims and duels him, Mokuba is more sympathetic as Noah's blighting by Gozaburo, who began to neglect Noah and breed Kaiba as his new heir. After Noah is defeated, Gozaburo reveals himself as alive and inside the virtual world, and sets a series of orbital missiles to launch and destroy the world. While Kaiba stops Gozaburo, a reformed Noah reprograms on of the satellites to attack the main computer database and helps Yugi and his friends escape. Afterward, the anime continues on to the Battle City finals.
In Season 4 of the anime, Kaiba, along with Joey and Yugi, is one of three duelists chosen to fight the Atlantean
King Dartz. During the season, Kaiba meets Alister, an orphan whose brother and parents were killed by KaibaCorp owned military forces under Gozaburo Kaiba's command. Due to his love for his brother, Kaiba becomes sympathetic to Alister and carries his soul-less body to safety after their duel. Kaiba and Yugi eventually duel Dartz, and although Kaiba loses, Yugi defeats Dartz and Kaiba is restored and takes part in the battle against the Great Leviathan.
In the first half of Season 5, KaibaCorp's stock prices are at an all-time low as a result of a failed takeover by Dartz, and when Kaiba hosts a tournament to restore the company's reputation, Zigfried von Schroeder infiltrates it and hacks Kaiba's computer systems. Catching Zigfried, Kaiba dispatches him a duel. However, Zigfried has his brother Leon duel Yugi in the finals. During the duel, Zigfried tricks Leon into activating Golden Castle of Stromberg, releasing a computer virus into Kaiba's system and forcing Leon to attack and thus forcing his hand. However, Yugi prevails while Kaiba, who anticipating such a plan, has already had his computer systems backed up.
ian priest Seto, holder of the Millennium Rod and cousin to the pharaoh Atem, whose spirit inhabits the body of Yugi Mutou
in the present day. When the Pharaoh comes under threat from Thief King Bakura, Seto has many villagers gathered together so that he may identify those with powerful "Ka" – monsters created within an individual's soul – that may help defend the Pharaoh's rule. During his search Seto takes into custody a girl named Kisara, whose Ka is revealed to be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seto develops strong feelings for the girl, which appear to be returned, as Kisara later sacrifices herself to save Seto from Akhenaden (in reality possessed by Zorc Necrophades). In the aftermath, Seto holds Kisara's body in front of the BEWD tablet and weeps – notably, this is the "vision" which appears to Kaiba during his duel in Battle City.
According to Takahashi, Priest Seto's feelings for Kisara are the basis behind Kaiba's modern-day obsession with the Blue Eyes White Dragon.
Priest Seto later assists Atem in the final battle against Zorc Necrophades. After Zorc is defeated, Atem says that his reign is over, and names Seto the new pharaoh. Priest Seto then creates the famous stone carving of the two of them as a tribute to their friendship.
Although Kaiba plays no direct part in the memory world in the manga, in the anime, Yami Bakura gives him the Millennium Eye, which begins to show Kaiba visions and convinces him to fly to Egypt to determine if they are real or not. During the final battle, Kaiba summons his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, shown in the anime as a fusion between his own spirit, that of Kisara, and that of Priest Seto. He is able to hold his ground against Zorc, something that even the three gods were unable to do. (Zorc later explains that the Blue Eyes White Dragon is the "ultimate creature of light," and when pitted against Zorc – "the ultimate creature of darkness" – its power is greater than any other force on earth.) In the original Japanese anime, Kaiba eventually does acknowledge his past and the events that occurred in the Memory World, although he warns Jonouchi
to keep his mouth shut about it.
Kaiba proceeded to challenge Yugi to yet another duel in his Duel Dome, and put the first of the two cards into play – the enigmatic "Pyramid of Light," which prevented the Egyptian God Cards from participating in the battle. As the duel proceeded, however, it was revealed that Kaiba had been used as a puppet for the ancient Egyptian sorcerer, Anubis, who had placed the Pyramid of Light card in Pegasus's deck. The Pyramid's powers were draining the lifeforces of Yugi and Kaiba as the duel progressed, eventually resurrecting Anubis, who dispatched Kaiba and took his place in the duel. With Kaiba's aid, however, Yugi put the second mighty card into play – the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, able to destroy any card in play. The Shining Dragon destroyed the Pyramid of Light, and later wiped out Anubis.
series, Kaiba is referred as the one who owns and started Duel Academy (Duel Academia) and named the dormitories personally. He has made several appearances, the first being when he makes a bet on his ownership of the school. Bold and having full confidence in the duelist representing Duel Academy, Chazz Princeton, Kaiba agrees to an unfair set of stipulations that place Chazz at a great disadvantage. Chazz prevails despite such odds, and Kaiba is unsurprised due to Chazz being a student of the Academy. Another few times were in flashbacks, once where Jaden remembers a competition he entered that was held by the KaibaCorp and another when a reporter sneaks into Duel Academy. He is also briefly shown while Pegasus was telling Aster Phoenix who his favourite top 5 duelists are with Yugi first and Kaiba being the second. The Duel Spirit Kaibaman also appears, and has the same voice and deck as Kaiba, in addition to resembling him and reportedly being designed by him, although Kaibaman's personality is more benevolent.
Kaiba's only appearance in person comes when Sartorius
visits him to request the use of his Kaiba Land amusement park. Kaiba's character design in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is nearly identical to his original appearance, although his facial structure is changed subtly. Due to the fact he is twenty-five years old, Sartorius makes an inside joke
about his teenage appearance. Kaiba indicates he knows about the Society of Light
, although such knowledge is not expanded upon. Kaiba has not made any other appearance since, though it has been shown that he is the only surviving citizen of Trueman's invasion in Domino City.
The Kaiba Dome is seen often in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
. His company Kaiba Corp is responsible for turning Domino City into New Domino City. His name is mention by a guard,that tries to stop Crow from talking to Pierson.
Kaiba also appears in some of the Yu-Gi-Oh! video games as an opponent which the player can duel (or play as).
Kaiba's signature cards are his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and the fusion monster formed from the three dragons, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. At multiple times, he has shown the ability to draw the card whenever needed, and sometimes even draws all three at once. Summoning a Blue-Eyes for a final assault is Kaiba's trademark victory move. To this end, he also utilizes a wide variety of support cards to power up the Blue-Eyes and make it easier to summon. However, he does utilize other cards in his deck.
During Battle City, as well as focusing on his Blue Eyes White Dragons Kaiba introduces to his deck several Machines, especially Cyber Jar and the XYZ series. After Battle City, Kaiba's deck features even more Dragon-type cards to compliment his Blue-Eyes, including Thunder Dragon and Spear Dragon. He eventually adapts to a Dimension strategy of removing his cards from play, then returning them with Dimension Fusion/Return From the Different Dimension for a final assault. However, his Blue-Eyes still serves as his trump card. He also had the Egyptian God Card
, Obelisk the Tormentor, given to him by Ishizu Ishtar, but lost it to Yugi in the semi-finals of Battle City.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
, Kaibaman's deck, based on Kaiba's own, focuses on summoning and protecting the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. In particular, the card representing Kaibaman himself can be instantly sacrificed to summon a Blue Eyes from his hand.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
. As the majority shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba (as he is referred to by the other characters) aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game. To accomplish this goal, he must defeat his arch-rival, the main protagonist of the series, Yugi Mutou
Yugi Mutou
is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
, who has defeated him on several occasions.
Background
Personality
Kaiba is an arrogant and self-centered person, who wears a purple trenchcoat, with little time for anyone beyond himself or his younger brother Mokuba, making him a classic anti-heroAnti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
. He is dismissive in his manner of speech, represented in the original Japanese version of the series by his omission of honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
s, and his use of the boastful word ore to mean "I" instead of the usual boku and he doesn't have the same respect for Mokuba. Despite his personality, he is devoted and protective towards his only brother Mokuba, and has risked his life for him on several occasions. Likewise, Mokuba is equally devoted to Seto and is frequently seen at his side.
Although magical powers and items are often used in the series, Kaiba does not believe in such things, and, when necessary, convinces himself that it is all tricks and illusions due to the fail-safes in his programming. Although this trend had a tendency to be exaggerated in the English version of the series, it is present in both language versions of the anime and manga. Eventually he comes to accept that there is little other explanation for the bizarre, fantastical events he witnesses throughout the series.
Kaiba changes in personality from the second season of the second series anime onwards. In the first season, Kaiba acknowledges Pegasus' ability to read minds, as well as the "Heart of the Cards". Although he does not like Yugi and Joey, he does not act hostile towards them, except during the first episode. However, in the second season, his acceptance of faith and magic vanishes and, in the English anime, he adopts the habit of saying that it's "hocus-pocus nonsense". His desire to defeat Yugi also grows from a grudge to an obsession, and Kaiba shows a disregard for the safety of Yugi and his friends. Despite this, he still often helps them with defeating the villains they face, claiming that Yugi or one of his friends helped him and he thus owes them, or that the villain's desires are in direct conflict with his own interests. Of Yugi and his friends, Kaiba seems to hold the most respect for Yugi and least respect for Joey.
In the Memory World arc Kaiba's past self, Priest Seto, is introduced. Priest Seto is depicted as being less antagonistic than modern-day Kaiba, and is portrayed as being loyal with a strong sense of justice.
Early manga
In the early manga, Seto discovers that the grandfather of his classmate, Yugi MutouYugi Mutou
is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
, owns the rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. Kaiba steals the card from Yugi by switching it with a fake copy. Yugi recognizes the card for a fake and duels Kaiba to get it back. Yugi, Honda Hiroto and Katsuya Jonouchi
Katsuya Jonouchi
is a fictional character and the deuteragonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! He is known as Joseph "Joey" Wheeler in the English-language anime and video games....
were beaten up by Kaiba's guards until the spirit of the Pharaoh Yami from within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle – beats up the guards and challenges Kaiba to a game of Duel Monsters with the card as a prize. Although Kaiba nearly wins, the magical nature of the game prevents him from attacking with the stolen Blue-Eyes, and Kaiba is defeated, suffering a penalty game.
Begrudged over the loss, Kaiba plots a revenge. He acquires the other three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in existence and builds "Death T," a "theme park" made up of many deadly games and challenges designed to end the lives of Yugi and his friends. After being subjected to the hazards, Yugi and his friends witness a Duel Monsters match between Seto and Yugi's grandfather, who was forced to participate when Kaiba threatens Yugi's life. Kaiba wins and tears up Sugoroku's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba then challenges Yugi to a rematch. Although Kaiba proves formidable with the three Blue-Eyes in his deck, Yugi wins by summoning Exodia. Yugi then uses the power of his Millennium Puzzle to subject Kaiba to a Mind Crush, shattering his mind to pieces and leaving Kaiba in a coma. Kaiba eventually regains consciousness later in the manga during the Duelist Kingdom arc.
In the second series anime and its adaptation of the manga, Kaiba instead kidnaps Sugoroku and duels him to win the card. Kaiba already owns the other Blue-Eyes at this point, and acquires the fourth card to destroy it so nobody could use it against him. To avenge his grandfather, Yugi duels Kaiba and defeats him with Exodia, then uses his powers to purge the darkness that has clouded Kaiba's mind. Kaiba later loses interest in dueling and his company and leaves on a trip to find himself. In both the anime and manga, with Kaiba gone, Duel Monsters creator Maximillion Pegasus schemes to take control of Kaiba Corp from Seto by conspiring with its board of directors, the Big Five, and abducting Mokuba. Part of his plan involves hosting a Duel Monsters tournament on his private island, Duelist Kingdom, which Yugi participates in.
Second Series Anime and Later Manga
After Kaiba gets wind of Pegasus' plans, he travels to Duelist Kingdom with a new, portable version of his holographic technology, the Duel DiskDuel Disk
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Disk, sometimes referred to as the Duel Disk Launcher, as marketed in the United States, is a card-holding device attached to the left forearm by way of Velcro straps and plastic plate. It consists of two movable "wings" into which one can slip Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in either attack or...
. Meeting up with Yugi and his friends, Kaiba regains his deck and proceeds to Pegasus's castle. Here, Kaiba is offered a deal – defeat Yugi in a duel in exchange for the right to duel Pegasus and save his sibling and company. Kaiba and Yugi later duel atop the castle parapets, with Kaiba unleashing the fused form of his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Even with this, Kaiba is once again on the cusp of defeat, until he places his own life on danger by balancing on the edge of the turret, forcing Yugi to forfeit the duel for fear of killing his opponent. Kaiba goes on to duel Pegasus, but is overcome by the power of his Millennium Eye and is defeated. Pegasus captures Kaiba's soul, but when Yugi beats him in the final round of the tournament, the Kaiba brothers are both freed.
In season two of the anime, Kaiba is summoned to the Domino City museum by Egyptologist Ishizu Ishtar, Kaiba is shown the ancient stone tablet that depicts the duel between his past self and the Pharaoh. Although Kaiba does not believe into Ishizu's warning that history was sure to repeat itself, he is interested by her tale of the Egyptian God Cards
Egyptian God Cards
The Egyptian God cards or the in Japan, are a series of powerful monster cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! that serve as a focal point in the series' manga, the second series anime, and video games based on the anime and manga. The cards have ties to the truthful history of Ancient Egypt within the series and...
– three powerful one-of-a-kind Duel Monsters cards that Pegasus has entrusted to her. Two, however, were already stolen by her brother Marik, and she gives the third – Obelisk the Tormentor – to Kaiba, encouraging him to hold a tournament of his own to draw in Marik and his organization, the Rare Hunters. Seeking to obtain the remaining two God Cards for himself, Kaiba agrees, and begins his "Battle City" tournament, which Yugi and Joey Wheeler become participants in. During the tournament, Kaiba defeats his opponents using Obelisk the Tormentor while Yugi wins his own God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon.. Eventually, Kaiba teams up with Yugi to rescue Mokuba and Yugi's friends from Marik. Afterward, Yugi, Kaiba and Joey enter the finals, unaware that Marik has made a deal with Yami Bakura, and he, along with Marik and Marik's stepbrother Odion, are registered as well. During his duel in the finals, Kaiba duels Ishizu herself. After being sent a vision by Marik's Millennium Rod, the same Millennium Item his past self owned, Kaiba forgoes his originally desired strategy of using Obelisk the Tormentor to defeat her and sacrifices it to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was his past-life's monster in the duel against the Pharaoh. With the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba manages to trump Ishizu's prophecy of defeat and claim victory.
In season three, Kaiba faces Yugi in the semifinals, and the two unleash their Egyptian God cards against the other. When the two finally attack each other, they each receive a vision of their past selves dueling. Encouraged by the vision, Yugi manages to defeat Kaiba and go on to the final battle against Marik. Although initially disgusted over his loss and determined to blow up the island the duel is being held on, Kaiba is convinced by Ishizu to stay and watch the battle between Yugi and Marik. Kaiba gives Yugi the card Fiend Sanctuary prior to the duel, and with it, Yugi is able to hold off the attacks of Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra and defeat him. The entire group escapes the island before it explodes afterward.
Additional anime story arcs
Kaiba departed the original manga storyline at the conclusion of the Battle City story arc and was not seen again. However, the anime added several additional story arcs featuring the character (including one specifically centered around him), and incorporated him into the events of the manga's final storyline, "Memory World," which he played no role in originally. During the Duelist Kingdom arc, a subplot is introduced in which KaibaCorp's Board of Directors (later referred to as the "Big Five") plot to overthrow Kaiba with the help of Pegasus and take control of the company. In the manga, Kaiba fired the five men – the second series anime, however, expanded on the story to create an additional arc that formed the first half of the show's third season.Shortly after his return from the Duelist Kingdom, the Big Five attempt to appease an outraged Kaiba by revealing that they have finalized his virtual reality game software, and invite him to test it out for himself. However, this was another attempt to do away with Kaiba, but Yugi and his friends manage to rescue him. The Big Five log into the virtual world in an attempt to stop them from escaping, but they are defeated in a duel, and their own minds became trapped in the virtual reality program. Some time later, in the midst of the Battle City tournament, the Big Five's digital consciousnesses are discovered stranded in cyberspace by a mysterious boy named Noah, who recruits them for a revenge campaign against Kaiba. The craft taking the Battle City duelists to KaibaCorp Island for the finals is hijacked by Noah, who then traps Kaiba, Yugi and several of Yugi's friends in his own rendering of the virtual world, forcing them to duel the Big Five.
As Yugi and his friends defeat the Big Five, Kaiba's past is revealed (see above), and Noah admits to being Gozaburo Kaiba's biological son, and claims his mind exists as a computer program after he was fatally wounded as a child and later digitized. Although Kaiba ignores Noah's claims and duels him, Mokuba is more sympathetic as Noah's blighting by Gozaburo, who began to neglect Noah and breed Kaiba as his new heir. After Noah is defeated, Gozaburo reveals himself as alive and inside the virtual world, and sets a series of orbital missiles to launch and destroy the world. While Kaiba stops Gozaburo, a reformed Noah reprograms on of the satellites to attack the main computer database and helps Yugi and his friends escape. Afterward, the anime continues on to the Battle City finals.
In Season 4 of the anime, Kaiba, along with Joey and Yugi, is one of three duelists chosen to fight the Atlantean
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
King Dartz. During the season, Kaiba meets Alister, an orphan whose brother and parents were killed by KaibaCorp owned military forces under Gozaburo Kaiba's command. Due to his love for his brother, Kaiba becomes sympathetic to Alister and carries his soul-less body to safety after their duel. Kaiba and Yugi eventually duel Dartz, and although Kaiba loses, Yugi defeats Dartz and Kaiba is restored and takes part in the battle against the Great Leviathan.
In the first half of Season 5, KaibaCorp's stock prices are at an all-time low as a result of a failed takeover by Dartz, and when Kaiba hosts a tournament to restore the company's reputation, Zigfried von Schroeder infiltrates it and hacks Kaiba's computer systems. Catching Zigfried, Kaiba dispatches him a duel. However, Zigfried has his brother Leon duel Yugi in the finals. During the duel, Zigfried tricks Leon into activating Golden Castle of Stromberg, releasing a computer virus into Kaiba's system and forcing Leon to attack and thus forcing his hand. However, Yugi prevails while Kaiba, who anticipating such a plan, has already had his computer systems backed up.
Memory World
In the Memory World arc of the manga and anime, Kaiba is revealed to be the reincarnation of the ancient EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian priest Seto, holder of the Millennium Rod and cousin to the pharaoh Atem, whose spirit inhabits the body of Yugi Mutou
Yugi Mutou
is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
in the present day. When the Pharaoh comes under threat from Thief King Bakura, Seto has many villagers gathered together so that he may identify those with powerful "Ka" – monsters created within an individual's soul – that may help defend the Pharaoh's rule. During his search Seto takes into custody a girl named Kisara, whose Ka is revealed to be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seto develops strong feelings for the girl, which appear to be returned, as Kisara later sacrifices herself to save Seto from Akhenaden (in reality possessed by Zorc Necrophades). In the aftermath, Seto holds Kisara's body in front of the BEWD tablet and weeps – notably, this is the "vision" which appears to Kaiba during his duel in Battle City.
According to Takahashi, Priest Seto's feelings for Kisara are the basis behind Kaiba's modern-day obsession with the Blue Eyes White Dragon.
Priest Seto later assists Atem in the final battle against Zorc Necrophades. After Zorc is defeated, Atem says that his reign is over, and names Seto the new pharaoh. Priest Seto then creates the famous stone carving of the two of them as a tribute to their friendship.
Although Kaiba plays no direct part in the memory world in the manga, in the anime, Yami Bakura gives him the Millennium Eye, which begins to show Kaiba visions and convinces him to fly to Egypt to determine if they are real or not. During the final battle, Kaiba summons his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, shown in the anime as a fusion between his own spirit, that of Kisara, and that of Priest Seto. He is able to hold his ground against Zorc, something that even the three gods were unable to do. (Zorc later explains that the Blue Eyes White Dragon is the "ultimate creature of light," and when pitted against Zorc – "the ultimate creature of darkness" – its power is greater than any other force on earth.) In the original Japanese anime, Kaiba eventually does acknowledge his past and the events that occurred in the Memory World, although he warns Jonouchi
Katsuya Jonouchi
is a fictional character and the deuteragonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! He is known as Joseph "Joey" Wheeler in the English-language anime and video games....
to keep his mouth shut about it.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: The Pyramid of Light
In the wake of his defeat at the Battle City Tournament, Seto began to suggest a means of defeating the three Egyptian God Cards that Yugi now holds, in order to defeat him and reclaim his title as world champion. His quest led him to Pegasus's island (which is not Duelist Kingdom, they are visually distinct from one another), theorizing that Pegasus would not have created the Egyptian God Cards without creating some means of destroying them. Wagering his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons against the lone mysterious card that Pegasus promised him, Kaiba succeeded in winning their duel, only to find two cards within Pegasus's deck that could accomplish what he sought – despite Pegasus's protestations that there should only have been one.Kaiba proceeded to challenge Yugi to yet another duel in his Duel Dome, and put the first of the two cards into play – the enigmatic "Pyramid of Light," which prevented the Egyptian God Cards from participating in the battle. As the duel proceeded, however, it was revealed that Kaiba had been used as a puppet for the ancient Egyptian sorcerer, Anubis, who had placed the Pyramid of Light card in Pegasus's deck. The Pyramid's powers were draining the lifeforces of Yugi and Kaiba as the duel progressed, eventually resurrecting Anubis, who dispatched Kaiba and took his place in the duel. With Kaiba's aid, however, Yugi put the second mighty card into play – the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, able to destroy any card in play. The Shining Dragon destroyed the Pyramid of Light, and later wiped out Anubis.
Appearances in other media
Though not seen much in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GXYu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as , is an anime spin-off and sequel of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime. It aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between October 6, 2004 and March 26, 2008, and was succeeded by Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's...
series, Kaiba is referred as the one who owns and started Duel Academy (Duel Academia) and named the dormitories personally. He has made several appearances, the first being when he makes a bet on his ownership of the school. Bold and having full confidence in the duelist representing Duel Academy, Chazz Princeton, Kaiba agrees to an unfair set of stipulations that place Chazz at a great disadvantage. Chazz prevails despite such odds, and Kaiba is unsurprised due to Chazz being a student of the Academy. Another few times were in flashbacks, once where Jaden remembers a competition he entered that was held by the KaibaCorp and another when a reporter sneaks into Duel Academy. He is also briefly shown while Pegasus was telling Aster Phoenix who his favourite top 5 duelists are with Yugi first and Kaiba being the second. The Duel Spirit Kaibaman also appears, and has the same voice and deck as Kaiba, in addition to resembling him and reportedly being designed by him, although Kaibaman's personality is more benevolent.
Kaiba's only appearance in person comes when Sartorius
Sartorius (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)
Sartorius, known as in the original Japanese language version, is a fictional character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime series. His name is meant to be a pun in English, as "satori" denotes a "spiritual awakening"...
visits him to request the use of his Kaiba Land amusement park. Kaiba's character design in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is nearly identical to his original appearance, although his facial structure is changed subtly. Due to the fact he is twenty-five years old, Sartorius makes an inside joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
about his teenage appearance. Kaiba indicates he knows about the Society of Light
Society of Light
The is a fictional cult in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime series, appearing between episodes 53-104.Led by the alien-influenced Sartorius, the Society of Light's legion of followers dedicate themselves to worshipping the Light of Destruction, and serve as the main antagonists of the series' second season,...
, although such knowledge is not expanded upon. Kaiba has not made any other appearance since, though it has been shown that he is the only surviving citizen of Trueman's invasion in Domino City.
The Kaiba Dome is seen often in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
is a Yu-Gi-Oh! series which aired in Japan between April 2, 2008 and March 30, 2011, following the previous series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and was succeeded by Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, on April 11, 2011...
. His company Kaiba Corp is responsible for turning Domino City into New Domino City. His name is mention by a guard,that tries to stop Crow from talking to Pierson.
Kaiba also appears in some of the Yu-Gi-Oh! video games as an opponent which the player can duel (or play as).
Deck
During Battle City, as well as focusing on his Blue Eyes White Dragons Kaiba introduces to his deck several Machines, especially Cyber Jar and the XYZ series. After Battle City, Kaiba's deck features even more Dragon-type cards to compliment his Blue-Eyes, including Thunder Dragon and Spear Dragon. He eventually adapts to a Dimension strategy of removing his cards from play, then returning them with Dimension Fusion/Return From the Different Dimension for a final assault. However, his Blue-Eyes still serves as his trump card. He also had the Egyptian God Card
Egyptian God Cards
The Egyptian God cards or the in Japan, are a series of powerful monster cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! that serve as a focal point in the series' manga, the second series anime, and video games based on the anime and manga. The cards have ties to the truthful history of Ancient Egypt within the series and...
, Obelisk the Tormentor, given to him by Ishizu Ishtar, but lost it to Yugi in the semi-finals of Battle City.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as , is an anime spin-off and sequel of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime. It aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between October 6, 2004 and March 26, 2008, and was succeeded by Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's...
, Kaibaman's deck, based on Kaiba's own, focuses on summoning and protecting the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. In particular, the card representing Kaibaman himself can be instantly sacrificed to summon a Blue Eyes from his hand.