Yugi Muto, the protagonist of the dearly beloved Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime is one of the most popular heroes in the franchise. Despite his popularity, a large portion of the fandom has called the character out several times for his blatant cheating during the show. Although certain events cannot be categorized as dishonest plays, as the hero was following the rules of the series, there is no denying that he is not as honorable as the anime made him seem.

Yet, when taking a closer look at the franchise, Yugi is not the worst offender, not by a long shot. Yuma Tsukumo, the protagonist of the highly underrated Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal anime, is several times more dishonest than the King of Games. Worst of all, he is not the only one of Yu-Gi-Oh!’s amazing heroes to have been aided by the plot in ways that could be considered cheating.

Yuma Is Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Biggest Cheater

His Shining Draw Overshadows Anything Yugi Did

Throughout the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster anime, the protagonist faced various powerful and dangerous villains, all of whom were incredibly talented duelists. While he was more than skilled enough to defeat many of them, there were occasions in which either the hero or the plot had to bend the rules in his favor. The Duelist Kingdom arc of the series is a perfect example of this trend, as Yugi used underhanded strategies in almost all the games he played during this tournament. His predilection for dishonest plays diminished shortly after, but it never truly went away.

For many years, Yugi's cheating has been one of the most iconic moments among anime fans, who decided to approach the issue with humor, as the best duels in the original series are still impressive to watch. Nevertheless, what many viewers fail to realize is that Yugi’s worst cheating cases are nothing compared to what Yuma did during Zexal. The protagonist of the fourth show in the franchise had a unique skill known as the Shining Draw, given to him by the power of the Astral World.

When activated, this ability would transform the top card of Yuma’s deck into a tool that often guaranteed his victory. Most of the time, Shining Draw would create an entirely new monster, spell, or trap that had never been seen before and was not a part of the hero’s original strategy. Yuma did not even try to hide this skill, using it right in front of his opponents several times as the Zexal anime progressed. As bad as Yugi could get, he never altered his deck in front of his opponents to win a duel.

Shining Evolution Takes Cheating to a New Level

Yugi’s Destiny Draw Would Never Be This Broken

One of Yugi’s most criticized abilities was the power gifted to him by the magic of the Millenium Puzzle, known as Destiny Draw. This skill would allow the hero to alter probability, making it more likely to draw a card that would help him overcome difficulties. His powers did not give him access to any card he wanted from his deck, unlike what many fans tend to believe. Despite its limitations, Destiny Draw was an incredibly powerful ability that is akin to cheating.

When compared to Yuma’s Shining Draw, parallels can be seen, which is why many believe that Yuma is still not on the same level as Yugi. Still, the Zexal anime revealed that the protagonist had one final skill under his sleeve, one that would let him win against the most powerful of opponents: Shining Evolution. According to the anime, this skill uses the power of the Astral Dimension to unlock the potential hidden inside a card, effectively transforming it into a new tool.

This ability was several times stronger than the Shining Draw as Yuma could consciously think and select the card he wanted to be affected by his powers. In episode #98 of the anime, he utilized this ability to transform his Limited Barian’s Force into Numeron Force, one of the best cards he ever acquired in the series. He did so right in front of his opponent, without trying to hide this blatant use of outside forces to influence the result of the duel. It is by far one of the worst cases of dishonest dueling among Yu-Gi-Oh!’s heroes.

The Plot Cheated To Keep Yusei Undefeated

​​​​​​​5DS’ Hero Should Have Lost Several Times

Even though the Yu-Gi-Oh! heroes had an affinity for breaking the rulers during their duels, the plot of the anime itself would often find ways for them to either win or prevent their defeats. The biggest example of this phenomenon is Yusei, often considered one of the most talented duelists in the franchise. The protagonist of the 5Ds series was on the verge of losing a game several times throughout his adventure, only to be saved at the last moment by pure luck. In episode #35, Yusei was about to be defeated by the Dark Signer Kallin.

Just as he is about to receive the final attack and be eliminated from the game, his D-Wheel breaks and the teen is sent crashing to the ground. Because of this failure, the duel ended with no victor, despite the villain being mere moments away from winning. His duel against Team Unicorn was also heavily criticized, as the hero had no cards left on his deck and would have lost if his opponent finished his turn. Instead, Jean decided to continue playing, giving Yusei the perfect opportunity to defeat him and his other two team .

Bending the Rules Helps Yu-Gi-Oh! Be More Memorable

​​​​​​​Fans Might Not Like It, but the Official Rules Would Make the Anime Overwhelmingly Boring

Regardless of how blatant the cheating of the Yu-Gi-Oh! heroes might feel at times, there is no denying that these unorthodox strategies helped the series be far more entertaining. Moments such as Yugi destroying the moon or using Joey’s Time Wizard to summon his Dark Sage are still ed fondly by fans to this day. The rules of the real-life game would have made the anime feel repetitive and boring and would never have allowed for some of Yugi’s most memorable and badass scenes to play out as they did.