the
world

A comprehensive look at everything one needs to know about Yu-Gi-Oh 2050. This carrd is a 'world bible,' or a detailed guide of events, characters, artefacts and the overall lore of this diverse world of gods and monsters created to fit snuggly between the events of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.

• PRODUCTION
• THEMES & STRUCTURE
• STORY
• CAST, CREW & CREDITS

YU-GI-OH 2050 written by the duelist requiem.
established october 6th 2019.

carrd template copied from deviantart.com/cassiaslair

❛ insert a short quote here.
keep it to two lines, short sentences. ❜

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❛ all great literature is one of two stories.
a man goes on a journey or a stranger walks into town. ❜

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Yu-Gi-Oh! 2050 (遊☆戯☆王2050) was a planned fan-made spin-off of a series of fanfictions covering events between the unknown time gap between Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.Produced by The Duelist Requiem and other miscellaneous collaborators, Yu-Gi-Oh! 2050 was made as a loving tribute to the first two series and was initially released to coincide with GX's 15th Anniversary and end for 5D's' own 15th Anniversary, but was scrapped after real-life complications of the writing team behind it. This carrd documents the entirety of the story, lore, and characters in an incredibly comprehensive 'world book' which contains everything one would need to know about the story, including unreleased chapters and completed duels, concept art, sketches, anecdotes from the writer's notes and more.Aside from the cast of writers mentioned above, the story was initially conceived by Valentine in 2014 as a more realistic and grounded take on the previously mentioned Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's called 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Re:5D's' as a completely new story, but eventually evolved into an OC-Driven narrative that begins 30 years after Dark Side of Dimensions and 20 years after GX. Dark Side of Dimensions is referred to in the story heavily by a returning Seto Kaiba.

2050 follows the mainline continuity of the series. Which can be and should be interpreted as following the original manga's storyline for pre-GX events, but, being a sequel to GX's anime due to all post-original series anime content being the primary canon/vessel for the franchise. For this reason, only materials written directly by Kazuki Takahashi and events from the GX Anime are considered canon. Events from Yu-Gi-Oh R and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX's manga were planned to be loosely adapted act as the background/catalyst to a story based on Takahashi's scrapped Yu-Gi-Oh! vs GX movie. Some events occurring even before the original series are referred to, and are adapted from actual historical fact and known sources, statements and inspirations in Kazuki's work.The series predominantly takes place in Manhattan, New York City in the eponymous year of 2050, and follows the exploits of Kagami Yuusuke and his friends and foes alike as he attends the first Duel Academy opened in over 20 years that is affectionately referred to as 'the power plant'. This new generation of young duelists walks in the shadow of a titanic monster battle that nearly wiped out the Big Apple 10 years before the series begins, which claimed the lives of thousands, including the King of Games Yugi Muto.This new Duel Academy was founded by and overseen personally by a much older and radically changed Seto Kaiba, whose mind, body and soul have been left irreversibly damaged by a lifetime of continued conflict and other hardships. Although this new academy follows the conventional ranking system named after the Egyptian God Cards, there is an additional fourth dormitory known as the Royal Violet Dorm whose colours and name are in tribute to Yugi and the other lives lost in 2040...

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❛ all great literature is one of two stories.
a man goes on a journey or a stranger walks into town. ❜

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Although the initial half of the 'first act' begins similarly to GX, the latter half of it follows the third & fourth seasons of that show's tone as well as the original manga's much closer. The supernatural elements, along with the Judeo-Christian subtext present throughout the series, are present from the very beginning, slowly escalating as the series goes on, and include the typical strong thematic ties to destiny, fate and faith that most would expect from the series.Much like GX, the series has some ties to the Cthulhu Mythos by H.P. Lovecraft and draws heavily on influences from more contemporary pieces of Lovecraftian-Esque Horror such as Beyond the Black Rainbow. Most notably, Yu-Gi-Oh! 2050 draws its heaviest influences from the writings of Alan Moore and collaborators in their approach to writing Watchmen and other heavily influential series such as Dragon Ball, and (less majorly) its influences Satomi Hakkenden and Journey To the West.Its central plot and setting draw influence from films such as The Warriors (and the novel of the same name), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 Film), and other classic pieces of American film media spanning from the late-70s to the 90s, such as Ghostbusters, The Goonies and Monster Squad. Many of the characters are based on tropes and other character archetypes seen in these movies, with villains acting as homages and being very similar to the 'Universal Monsters.'Although the series as it existed was an anniversary tribute to GX, it also acted in service to the late-Kazuki Takahashi's love of American media, specifically comic books, and is more in-line with and in reverence to the original manga (as previously stated) with GX-like characters and (later-GX) supernatural themes, which are heavily based on the occult-sides of the DC and Marvel universe; with some of the characters being referred to as 'Mutants' similarly to the X-Men. Kouta Hirano's Hellsing lends heavy influence to the primary antagonists of 2050, which is a satanic-like cult known as the Ministry of Darkness (named after and primarily based on the wrestling stable of the same name).

Though the series was pre-planned and had its outline completed long before the passing of Takahashi, his untimely death, combined with the careful attention paid to make 2050 (and everything in this card) stick as closely to his original vision, is done purely out of love and respect for his work, and is also in tribute to him more than the world he created, and attempt to make something as close to being real and genuine to the series as possible.The fanfiction was split into chapters labelled as 'episodes,' whose overarching sagas were split into four acts; Awakening, Departure, War and Unity, the latter of which was a soft-sequel to the 2010 animated feature Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time; titled 'Bonds Beyond Time & Space.' A 5th 'special' act which expands upon concepts and characters seen in part 4 titled After Life was also planned, as well as a 6th taking place immediately after Zero Reverse called After Death.Much of the main plot of 2050 continues trends set in the latter half of GX but also incorporates a heavier lean into more grounded, profoundly personal and relatable story arcs to counter-balance the sensationalized sci-fi fantasy aspects of its world, giving readers a tone and feel more similar to the manga/'season 0' and (early) Heisei Series Kamen Rider, which the series gets much of its themes from as well.The primary theme of Yu-Gi-Oh 2050 and a major word that represents what the story is to be aristically and thematically is unity. Finding the middle ground between people and making compromises for the sake of peace. How our similarities and our differences as people and ideologues can bring us together and help us aspire to and create a better, safer world regardless of trivial things like the immutable traits we have, or the troubled pasts we may have. Unity is the key, and in order to reach it, everyone must co-operate and find balance within themselves to do what is right and what is practical; and learn to live or overcome the pain and consequences that both may yield.It's a coming of age story, a story about life, death and rebirth, self-destruction, reinvention, betrayal, perserverance and in the end... Unity.

Awakening: Arc 1 Summary

Departure: Arc 2 Summary

War: Arc 3 Summary

Unity: Arc 4 Summary

It is April 1st, 2040... It has been 20 years since the battle against Aigami, and since the veil of darkness was cast away... The world has changed; our heroes are grown, their legacies chiselled in stone as legendary duelling heroes. But, all is not right in the world... As time goes on, the disparity grows between people and classes, injustice, societal unrest, and the lack of a unified goal leaves humanity aimless and left to their own devices. The true colour of human nature shows and the cracks in society begin to form on their own. Conflict arises, ashes fall, time and time; there is war... The world has radically changed in the 20 years since we've seen our heroes.In the year 2038, Kaiba Corporation's R.R.D. division (M.I.D.S. in the original) has developed Ener-D (Momentum in the original) thanks to groundbreaking discoveries by an incredibly young university student. Shortly after that, Synchro Monsters are created, and a prototype version of illegal Turbo Duelling explodes in popularity in the urban centres of the world. Massive expansions of Kaiba Corp's own societal infrastructure have created global gentrification. The enormous interest in the promise of 'infinite' energy from Ener-D has given Kaiba Corporation record profits, giving the company more power than most governments through their sheer wealth of resources alone.Many consider Seto Kaiba to be an uncaring tyrant and is constantly drawing ire from everyone, including increased pressure from governments worldwide to scale back his operations... Tonight is no exception, but tonight is notable for one thing and one thing only... The Duel Monsters World Finals. Even for only a significant fraction of the earth's population, tonight is a night where the global unrest of the world is meaningless in the face of the world finals matchup; Yugi Muto, the King of Games, defends his title against a sensational masked duelist from the Bronx in the main event simply known as 'Ichigo.'Although many initially assume that this match is simply the main event to end a spectacular year of the professional duelling juggernaut known as the World Duelling Federation's (W.D.F.) programs, this event holds more significance than many would assume. As both men make their way down opposing entrance ramps in Madison Square Garden, Seto Kaiba stands at the gorilla position knowing something that most of the boys backstage and the entirety of the audience don't. Not only is Yugi's title on the line, but tonight would mark his retirement match. His wife, Rebecca Hawkins, is expecting, and it's time for him to put down the cards his grandfather had given him so many years ago, and call it quits...Madison Square Garden, the entire show had been on an emotional rollercoaster and on fire, having witnessed some of the greatest matches of all time in one night on the mid-card bracket leading up to the finale... And now, the final game of Yugi's entire career, and unknowingly, his entire life. In a massive upset, the rising star Ichigo defeats Yugi after an incredibly gut-wrenching and emotionally draining affair, having the crowd captivated at every moment, but none more than a young boy who sits in the front row. Finally, after the highly heated bout, Ichigo claims victory over the King of Games, the first time he'd been defeated in almost 3 years since the last King of Games, Jaden Yuki.Madison Square Garden is in a state of chaos. Many are cheering, but many, many more are booing and jeering. Many lose thousands in bets and gambling on the match, but it's still a moment of celebration for the victor... In a display of what many would consider disrespect, Ichigo refuses the post-match ceremony and simply makes his way to the exit. Before he does, he removes the mouthpiece from his helmet and hands his deck to the young boy in the front row. As he stands in the archway, he raises his fist and makes his exit. Unseen to everyone, he quickly withdraws a handkerchief from his pocket and coughs a light smattering of blood into it...The young boy holds the deck that defeated Yugi Muto but has a sombre look on his face as if it's not what he wanted. Nevertheless, he clutches the cards into his coat, knowing they are one-of-a-kind and priceless due to their history... He hides them in his jacket and hastily exits the arena before the crowd. While walking the streets back home with his mother, an eerie red fills the sky, the moon is just barely visible behind the light pollution, and the grimy haze of the city fills with a bloody red. The ground shakes, and the sound of what the young boy recognises as a duel monster can be heard... Soon, fires erupt, and the screaming begins...April 2nd, 2040, 12:58 AM. Five massive monsters erupted from land, air and sea and set the city ablaze, sending everything into chaos. The five monsters were there for one thing, and one thing only; to do battle. And over the course of an hour, nearly 2/3rds of New York City and her people were erased... The young boy, now losing sight of his mother, saw one thing to guide him out of the black smoke of the burning city; a single shaft of golden light pierced through the darkness. In only an hour, an entire city was almost reduced to rubble, millions dead. All were cut by a single shaft of light, a spot that would soon be known as the final resting place of Yugi Muto. As the fires died, all the young boy saw were five crimson red cards whose eerie, ominous glow cut through the darkness of the night...The screaming stopped. And his world after that was never the same...Yugi Muto is dead.

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❛ it was said that whoever solved the puzzle would be granted one wish, but the puzzle was never the pyramid strapped around his neck, but the life he shared with us; all of us. It has taken me almost 30 years to realise that it was never the magic or the mysticism that granted wishes, but the heart and the soul of a man i used to acknowledge as my enemy that gave him everything he wanted and more. and now, after all these years, i no longer have a way to sit down and tell him to his face that he was right, that he was always the better man, and that the events that transpired around him helped me solve the real puzzle, life; and finally find a way to move on, and take the first steps to make peace with my own shortcomings. although his journey has come to an end, i know he is in a better place. and of all the wishes and prayers i have ever had in my life, i only wish one thing, and that is for my message to somehow reach the man i've spent my entire loathing and deriding to know that i will never forget the things he's done and the lessons he taught me, that i'm sorry, and to not worry about what he's left behind. even now, as i utter these words, i know he is well. even if he is departed, and our hearts are heavy; he is resting. and that for now, and forever, he is resting in the kingdom of god, and that he is happy and not alone... ❜

— an unreleased excerpt from seto kaiba's eulogy for yugi muto

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10 Years Later. The fires that washed over New York City, in a way, have cleansed it... What was once a dense, crowded cityscape is now much less compact. Many who survived the events of what is now known as 'the impact' have long since left the city and have restarted in the rest of the New York State. Despite the rebuilding efforts, the skyline of New York City is entirely different, with only a few historic buildings being restored. New York City is no longer a sprawling urban jungle but a much smaller, humbler, quieter city. 'The City that Never Sleeps' is now still and quiet at night. And in the 10 years that have transpired since that day, those that stayed and those that came in have contributed to creating an even more diverse and culturally distinct corner of the world than the big apple ever has been.Among those that migrated in, the biggest name is Seto Kaiba, who has sold off a large majority of his stake in the company that made him. Although he is still chief executive officer, his duties are massively downplayed. In the last 10 years, he has attempted to reshape his image. Although incredibly high and stable, Kaiba Corporation's stock value has massively tanked in value and has lost over 70% of its value despite a buyout and subsequent merger with Industrial Illusions. Although they still own the proprietary technology to create the Ener-D reactor, only one remains due to fears of instability. In the 12 years since it was created, it has been running 'just fine' according to internal reports from Kaiba Corporation.Regardless, the Japanese-based Kaiba Corporation has shut down most of its departments and is solely responsible for the continued production of Industrial Illusions prior engagements, general merchandising, and technology development to assist in the production and play of Duel Monsters. Since the 2040 world finals, there has been a massive surge in indie professional duelling promotions, and almost 7000 miles away; Seto Kaiba plans to open the first of his Professional Duelling schools in over 30 years to be personally overseen and maintained by him as a side-venture. This new school, built on the New Union Square, has been entirely funded by himself, not Kaiba Corporation, and runs under the old-style-duelling-philosophies made famous by the late Doctor Vellian Crowler.This new academy runs under the old Slifer-Ra-Obelisk ranking system but includes an incredibly prestigious and ruthless group of young students known as the 'Royal Violets,' whose dorm represents Yugi and those wounded in the events from ten years before now. Among these four groups, they have their elected 'heads' of class, the 'elite four.' The Slifer Red leader, 'Akikta ', the Ra Yellow leader, Yori-Alexander Suarez, the Obelisk Blue leader, Kishi Reeds and Violet's leader, Hayashi Akiko. Among students at this new duel academy is a young man, the boy from the front row all those years ago now all grown up...The story truly begins on his way to his induction match against his soon-to-be roommate Chipp Macaster, who is paired with him due to a clerical error. On his way to Madison Square Garden, he looks at himself in the reflection of a window and thinks about how long he and this city have come since ten years ago... On his way to Madison Square Garden for the first time in many years, he accidentally bumps into his idol, Jaden Yuki, and causes his cards to scatter. Jaden notices his very-incomplete Elemental HERO Deck and notes how long it's been since he's seen someone play the (admittedly) outdated deck he made famous... Then, in a scene mirroring one almost 30 years ago, Jaden signs the young man's special-edition printing of Elemental HERO Sparkman and unknowingly sticks something 'a little extra' at the back.Unseen and unheard to the boy, Yubel says she feels something special about him that is 'irregular' and 'not normal.' As the young boy is fawning over his newly autographed collectable, Jaden thinks to himself that he can feel it too— and not just in him, but a lot of the kids around the city. Yubel feels like something is amiss about the youth and the air in this city and that it's the exact same feeling they experienced with Nightshroud... Jaden asks the boy for his name, and he answers;Kagami Yuusuke.

— EXPANDED TIMELINE OF PRE-2050 EVENTS —

• ENTER

— FULL 2050 TIMELINE OF EVENTS —

• ENTER

PSYCHOSIS | 21. insert a short description of yourself, (M/F/E), pronouns, occupation, etc. keep it to a small para! 3-5 sentences.

⸻ Icon Credit: (sousouman)

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PEN NAME | AGE. insert a short description of yourself, (M/F/E), pronouns, occupation, etc. keep it to a small para! 3-5 sentences.

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THE
DUELIST
REQUIEM.

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❛ the writers and contributors to the 2050 project. ❜

tagline.
goes.
here.

established october 6th 2019.

PEN NAME | AGE. insert a short description of yourself, (M/F/E), pronouns, occupation, etc. keep it to a small para! 3-5 sentences.

⸻ Icon Credit: (artist)

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PEN NAME | AGE. insert a short description of yourself, (M/F/E), pronouns, occupation, etc. keep it to a small para! 3-5 sentences.

⸻ Icon Credit: (artist)