In a lot of ways, Joey Wheeler is the deuteragonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. His duel career is the second most important in the series after Yugi's, and his journey from inexperienced player to consummate duelist is one of the most compelling and complete in the show. As one of Yugi's best friends, he's present in nearly every episode and plays a major role in every arc.
Still, and for all the growing-up he does in the show, Joey is still seen by most characters as an immature, hot-headed prankster who's way out of his league when it comes to dueling. And despite his best efforts to prove himself, he never quite succeeds in earning the respect he clearly longs for.
He's Manipulated And Turned Against His Friends
During the Battle City arc, Marik takes control of Joey's mind using the Millennium Rod and uses him to try to defeat the Pharaoh in battle. Marik sets up an elaborate duel in which Yugi and Joey's ankles are strapped to an anchor hanging over their heads. Whoever loses the duel will get sent to the bottom of the sea.
Joey tries his best to fight the mind control, but the Rod is too powerful. Still, his friendship with Yugi proves too strong and the duel eventually ends in a draw. Joey actually risks his own life to save Yugi's, proving just what a loyal and valuable friend he is.
His Obligation Towards Serenity
Joey enters into the Duelist Kingdom competition because he wants the prize money to pay for his sister Serenity's eye operation, Throughout the entire arc, he keeps going because he feels obligated towards her, especially after they get separated at a very young age. Without the operation, she will completely lose her sight, so he knows he's her last hope.
Joey wants more than anything to be a good older brother. However, there are times when Joey's motivation seems to become tortuous, especially when things get complicated for him. He usually thinks of Serenity as his inspiration and reason to keep going, but he usually acts more like a parent than a sibling.
His Broken Relationship With His Mother
Joey's parents divorce when he's ten, which results in his mother taking Serenity to live with her. Joey stays with his father, though he's hardly ever mentioned in the show. However, Joey makes it clear that he hasn't spoken to his mothers since she separated him from Serenity and clearly holds a grudge against her.
Because he never mentions his father, it can also be assumed that Joey's relationship with him is also strained, which explains why he's so close to his friends. They are like a second family to him and he goes to great lengths to protect and care for them.
His Unresolved Relationship With Mai
Joey's relationship with Mai remains a confusing topic to this day. The anime shows them as sharing a fairly flirtatious dynamic, although Joey seems to remain oblivious to the fact. A very gifted duelist, Mai initially thinks little of Joey but eventually grows to greatly care for him.
Joey risks his own life several times to save Mai's, although he always claims it's out of friendship. Under the influence of the Seal of Orichalchos, Mai becomes hellbent on capturing Joey's soul to get rid of her own weakness. She eventually breaks away from the seal but is too ashamed to face Joey and leaves. The anime ends with their story unresolved, and while it's likely that they eventually reconcile, it's sad that viewers never get to see it.
His Rivalry With Kaiba
Seto Kaiba spends most of the anime behaving like a huge jerk, especially towards Joey. Kaiba famously says that Joey is "a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck" as one of his victory lines in the Duel Links game. Despite Joey's considerable improvement, Kaiba never changes his opinion about the blonde boy.
Joey is usually able to ignore Kaiba's numerous taunts but they do get to him. It doesn't help that Joey is never able to defeat Kaiba in a duel, which only adds more fuel to their rivalry's fire.
He Always Depends On Luck To Win His Duels
Joey's overreliance on luck and good fortune is obvious in the way he constructs his deck. He has numerous cards that depend on chance, like his Graceful and Skull dices, or his Roulette Spider. Several characters often show surprise and frustration at just how lucky he is.
Luck, however, can only get him so far. And every time Joey faces a duelist who's a true tactician, mainly Yugi, Kaiba, and even Zigfried, he loses because he doesn't plan ahead. Joey's biggest weaknesses as a duelist are always his inability to strategize and his reckless behavior, which leads him to act without really thinking.
His Achievements Are Always Diminished
Joey finishes second in Duelist Kingdom and fourth in Battle City. His victories in such high-profile and challenging tournaments should be enough to grant him a respectable reputation as an accomplished duelist.
That's not the case, however, and other characters often say that Joey only reached the ending stages of the tournaments because of Yugi. People often mock Joey for never winning, rather than celebrating him for being an amateur duelist who still manages to defeat a myriad of foes to make it all the way to the finals of both competitions.
Yugi's Shadow
And speaking of Yugi, Joey's close relationship with the King of Games means that his own achievements always pale in comparison to Yugi's. Whether it's winning a duel tournament or literally saving the world, Joey is always second best to Yugi.
Their bond is very strong, though. Indeed, Joey doesn't seem to mind that everyone sees him as Yugi's less impressive friend and generally feels fortunate to just be in such good company, It's still sad that, because of his very high-profile best friend, Joey's considerable triumphs never seem like a big deal.
He Never Wins A Tournament
As it was previously mentioned, Joey finishes second in Duelist Kingdom and fourth in Battle City. He fares even worse at the KC Grand Championship, where he loses during the Quarter-finals to the big bad of the arc, Zigfried.
For all his talent and good fortune, he's never able to win a major tournament, at least during the course of the anime. He gets really close numerous times and tries his level best, which makes his defeats all the more painful to watch. Still, Joey has enough talent and will probably win a major title one day. It's a shame that audiences never get to see that happening, though.
No One Takes Him Seriously
Out of all the characters in the show, Joey is the one who receives the most insults and mockery. Whether it's because of his laid-back, happy-go-lucky attitude, his colorful deck, or his failure to win any major duel, Joey ends up being ridiculed more than any of his friends.
Every major villain taunts him and makes fun of his abilities, and sometimes even his friends put him on the spot, especially Tristan. It's likely that once Joey grows and matures a little, the teasing stops or at least becomes less constant. During the course of the show, however, it's very much present and it can get rather sad, rather quickly.
