The the iconic Shadow Realm in the first season to the various world-ending events that the protagonists of the following shows had to deal with, this beloved series can scare even the bravest viewers.

A recurring theme with these horrific moments is the use of magic or celestial forces giving them power, making it impossible for them to exist in real life. Nonetheless, one of the main characters from the GX anime, Zane Trusdale, understood how dangerous being a duelist could be, and his suffering had nothing to do with the supernatural.

Zane Risked His Life as an Underground Duelist

He Was Introduced to a Cruel and Dangerous New Way of Playing

In episode #57 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime series, the best student in all Duel Academy and owner of the mighty Cyber Dragons deck, Zane Trusdale, ed the pro dueling world. Despite his amazing skills as a player, his opponent, Aster Phoenix, humiliated him by winning in just a couple of turns. This loss hit Zane hard, making him wonder if he was even worthy of becoming a professional. His spiraling thoughts led him to search for ways to improve, ing an illegal practice known as Underground Duel. In these horrible games, the players are severely punished for each mistake.

Zane was forced to wear a collar and bracelets that would ister a high-voltage electric shock each time his life points were reduced. While his skills did improve, becoming an underground duelist caused him excruciating pain, so much so that his entire outlook on life changed. He stopped being the collected and respectful student he once was, becoming a cruel and sadistic adversary. Worse of all, the constant shocks damaged his heart, taking away his ability to walk while he was still in his early 20s.

The Underground Ring Had Nothing to Do With Ancient Magic

This Horrid Practice Was Created by Regular Humans

Throughout the various seasons of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, fans have been introduced to the many types of dark and evil magic that exist in this vast multiverse. While the Shadow Realm remains the most popular, for good reason due to its horrifying traits, there have been several other realms and malevolent creatures that have caused pain and suffering to the heroes. Yet, the dangers and terrors of Zane’s story have nothing to do with the arcane. Underground dueling is a practice born from humans wanting to profit from the anguish of others.

The people who pushed Zane to this practice promised him that he would gain fame and fortune while honing his skills for the professional circuit. Instead, he caused irreparable damage to his body and psyche, becoming an arrogant and uncaring person who could hurt even his little brother. As he did this, the rich people who would sponsor the underground network laughed and relished his suffering. Zane’s tragic story was not influenced by dark magic or evil spirits, he was simply unfortunate enough to come across the worst human nature had to offer.

Zane's Life Was Never the Same After ing Underground Dueling

He Could Have Died At Any Point in the Series

While Zane’s story in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Gx anime did not end in a tragedy, like the often-forgotten Bonz, his actions did cause him several health issues. During season 3, in which most of the heroes were dragged into the Duel Monster Dimension by the enigmatic Yubel, Zane revealed that the shocks he received caused his heart to weaken. Any strong emotion could cause him to have a heart attack and die instantly. Nevertheless, his tortured mind still pushed him to find strong opponents who could give him the challenge he was looking for.

This unsafe mentality almost caused his demise during his duel against Yubel in episodes #147 and #148. Even though he knew that he was facing the powerful villain of the season, he gave it his all, almost dying after losing the game. Although he survived, his heart became too weak to live a regular life, ending with Zane being unable to duel or walk ever again. It was saddening to see a promising duelist end in such a state, knowing that his destiny could have been avoided if he had not encountered people willing to profit from his pain.

Zane Trusdale’s ending might be one of the most tragic in the entire Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Knowing that this horrific event had nothing to do with the mystical forces that rule this universe makes it that much more saddening. Nevertheless, details such as this help the world of the series feel alive, proving the series can respectfully deal with mature topics.