Summary

• Yu-Gi-Oh! duels are unique and captivating, combining interesting gameplay and high emotional stakes.
• The complexity of the game and the representation of duelist decks add narrative depth to the duels.
• Some of the best duels feature personal vendettas, absurdly powerful cards, intense gameplay, and emotional moments.

The duels in Yu-Gi-Oh! were a unique form of fighting that led to some incredibly awesome moments, but some of them stand out from the rest. These games were the ones that either had the most interesting gameplay, the highest emotional stakes, or in the best instances, a combination of both. Surprisingly, in this manner the show was able to make these simple card games compelling.

Part of what helped give these duels their narrative potential is the complexity of the game itself. Each duelist had a different deck that tended to represent them in some way, making most of these games act as standings for a battle of wills or ideologies. Beyond this deeper meaning, the gameplay itself was always exciting and easy to understand on a surface level. Of course, many of the best duels manage to transcend this basic description to become something truly special.

10 Joey vs Kaiba

After the semifinals of the Battle City Arc, Joey tracked down Kaiba and challenged him to a duel for third place. This was very personal to Joey who, after losing to Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, had put up with constant insults about his dueling skills afterward. Kaiba thought this duel was beneath him, but he relented, and the two had a rematch that fans had been waiting for for quite some time. While the duel was certainly exciting, with a lot of back-and-forth plays, Kaiba ultimately won the game pretty handily and the game didn't change his attitude towards Joey. But this was a fun bit of fanservice, and for that reason, it earns a spot as one of the series' best duels.

9 Yami Yugi and Kaiba vs Dartz

This duel is unique from the others on this list in that it is actually a tag duel, with Yami Yugi and Kaiba working as a team to defeat the ultimate antagonist of the Waking the Dragons arc, Dartz. While it is always a pleasure to see Yami Yugi and Kaiba having to work together, what makes this duel so great is the absurd over-the-top cards that the Pharaoh and Kaiba must defeat. Dartz keeps bringing out new boss monsters, each more powerful than the last until he winds up with a monster that has infinite attack points. Seeing the Pharaoh figure out equally absurd ways to defeat Dartz's monsters is incredibly fun and makes this duel definitely one of the best in the series.

8 Joey vs Marik

Joey entered this duel against Marik seeking revenge for his friend Mai, who Joey should have beaten Yu-Gi-Oh!'s biggest antagonist, the match is still one of the most intense in the series.

7 Yugi vs Rare Hunter

After an unnamed Rare Hunter beat Joey in a duel and won his prized Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Yugi challenged the man to a duel himself. Unknown to Yugi however, is that the man is playing a very powerful Exodia deck. This is somewhat poetic given Yugi's first victory in the series was through the power of Exodia and now he must defeat that self-same threat. However, through some truly clever gameplay Yugi goads the Rare Hunter into triggering a trap that destroys his entire strategy. This was a perfect way to start the Battle City arc, even if it wasn't against a major character.

6 Yugi vs Bakura

The one major duel featured in the Dawn of the Duel arc was between Yugi and Bakura, the antagonist of the series who had been lurking in the background throughout the entire show. What made this duel so great wasn't the villain or the gameplay itself but the fact that Yugi, who normally fought duels with the Pharaoh by his side, had to play this game alone, as Atem was busy fighting the dark spirit Zorc. This represented a major point of growth for Yugi who, despite some doubts, was ultimately able to defeat Bakura and prove to himself that he didn't need to depend on the Pharaoh to fight his battles.

5 Yugi vs Strings

This was the duel in which Yugi first faced an Egyptian God card, and it did a great job at showing why that set of monsters is so powerful. Playing against a creepy puppet controlled by Marik named Strings, Yugi ends up in a very tricky spot when Strings manages to bring out Slifer the Sky Dragon. Slifer gains attack for every card in Strings' hand, and Yugi's opponent has pulled off a combo where he can draw a lot of cards to buff up Slifer's attack to absurd amounts. However, Yugi able turned that combo against Strings, forcing him to draw through his entire deck and lose by deckout, a very unique win condition in Yu-Gi-Oh!. This is one of the cleverest plays in the series and for that reason deserves to be on this list.

4 Yugi vs Marik

This duel was the climactic final battle of the Battle City arc, and it lived up to the hype. By this point, Yami Marik's darker half had turned him into Yu-Gi-Oh's villainous mirror of Yami Yugi, which made the duel even more personal than it already was, and the gameplay matched the intensity of the stakes. It is one of the longest duels in the series, but it never stops being compelling. It ends very unorthodoxly with Marik surrendering and destroying his dark side. But this actually makes the duel even more emotionally resonant.

3 Yugi vs Joey

This is easily one of the most emotionally grueling duels in the series, as Marik uses his Millennium Rod to possess Joey and force him to duel Yugi in a death game. Their battle has multiple layers to it, as Yugi tries to stay alive while also snapping Joey out of Marik's control. The ending of the game is one of the most intense in the show, as Yugi sacrifices himself so Joey can live. However, Joey is finally able to break completely free of Marik's control and forces the game into a draw, enabling him to save both himself and Yugi. The game is an emotional rollercoaster and a true testament to the power of their friendship.

2 Yugi vs Kaiba in Battle City

Kaiba pulled out all the stops for his epic rematch with Yugi, having the two duelists play in a holographic Colosseum that perfectly represents the spectacle of the event. But the duel somehow manages to sur all expectations when both players bring out their respective Egyptian God cards, which cause the holograms to pale in comparison to their power. The gameplay itself is also worthy of these two titans, as Yugi and Kaiba both play at their best and have one of the most intense duels in the series. This match is the perfect distillation of their rivalry and while it may not be as emotional as other duels on this list, it earns such a high spot due to its sheer epicness.

1 Atem vs Yugi

The final duel of Yu-Gi-Oh! is appropriately also the best. With his true name rediscovered and the ancient evil Zorc destroyed, the Pharaoh is finally ready to on to the next life. The last thing he must do before ing is play one final duel against his best friend, Yugi. This game not only features all of Atem's most iconic cards from the Egyptian Gods to Dark Magician, it also features Yugi overcoming them in ingenious ways. This shows that Yugi has truly grown into the title of King of Games that he and the Pharaoh earned together. Of course, the best part of the game is the emotional ending, when Yugi realizes that by winning, he'll have to say goodbye to the Pharaoh forever. It is the perfect way to end the series, and easily the best duel in the series.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is filled with even more great duels beyond the ones listed here, but they rarely reach the emotional and epic highs that these games do. These duels all show the potential that the fights in a card game anime can have, which is important given how much the genre is maligned. Anyone who doubts that a card game can be as compelling as a typical Shonen fight needs to watch these Yu-Gi-Oh! duels and see how good they can be.