Flame

For other uses of "Flame", see Flame (disambiguation).

Flame

Names
English	Flame
Other	Ignis's Control ID - IGN005,= The Fire Ignis (炎ほのおのイグニス, Honō no Igunisu)
Nicknames	Ignis (by SOL technologies and the Knights of Hanoi )
Japanese Japanese 不霊夢（フレイム） Base 不霊夢 Furigana フレイム Rōmaji Fureimu
Appearances
Anime debut	Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS episode 0011: "Link into the VRAINS"
Appears in Anime Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Voice actors
English	Marc Thompson
Japanese	Taku Yashiro
Flame

Flame (不霊夢（フレイム）, Fureimu) is a character from the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS anime. He is one of the six Ignis, representing the FIRE-Attribute. He is introduced during the second season alongside his Origin, Theodore Hamilton/Soulburner. He was absorbed into Bohman after he defeated Soulburner. His code ID is IGN005.

Design

Appearance

Full body view of Flame.

Like all Ignis, Flame is a small digital humanoid being. Like other Ignis, Flame has markings over his body, in shape of lines, circles, and "flaming shapes". Flame is a dark red in color, with bright red markings and glowing yellow eyes. In comparison to Ai's "pointed hat" shaped head, Flame's head resembles fire. During the prologue of the series, Flame's form is obscured in crimson energy. He often erupts into flames during particularly hot-blooded bouts.

Personality

Appropriately, Flame is described as hot-blooded by his voice actor, Taku Yashiro. Flame acts haughty and proud, but is more obsessed with facts and figures than he lets on and eager to show off. In the dub, Flame is more softly-spoken than his confident and haughty Japanese portrayal, but still acts in the same manner. He is generally more level-headed than Ai, but also quick to be roused and as Ai was, he was easily attracted by Ghost Gal. As with Ai, he is somewhat unfamiliar with Dueling despite his origins, panicking during Soulburner's Duel with BitBoot and believing it was over for him, though in the dub he was simply acting for drama. In the dub, he shares Ai's habit of cursing using a computer term; he uses the word "byte" rather than "glitch" and does so less often. When Soulburner uses his Skill, Flame chants "Burn up your soul, Soulburner!" (In the dub, he chants "Bring the heat, Soulburner!") He shows appreciation for wordplay, admiring Ridley Mizunuma's nickname and later taking the name "Flame" specifically due to its meaning in kanji.

Out of all the Ignis, Flame has the strongest affinity for humans. When the Ignis debated over whether to ally with humans, Flame supported the idea of doing so and after they were scattered, he immediately sought out his Origin, Theodore Hamilton. He displayed a willingness to work with him from the beginning, stating that he had been born to be Theodore's partner and helping him get over his PTSD despite having barely met him, and also offered his assistance in saving the consciousness data of Jin Kolter, one of the other Origins. He later sacrificed himself to save Soulburner from Windy Dueling their Duel with Bohman.

Etymology

As explained by himself, his name is a pun, written as "indomitable soul dream" in Japanese Kanji, which when read sounds like the English word "flame". Theodore complained that he heard that explanation 10,000 times, but Flame deadpanned that it was only 37 times. In the English dub, he claims that his name is an acronym, though he has a different set of words every time he attempts to explain it.

Biography

History

Flame and the other Ignis were created by Dr. Kogami to be the saviors of humanity; Flame was created from Theodore Hamilton. Alongside his fellow Ignis, Flame evolved and they created the Cyberse and the Cyberse monsters. Their progress worried Dr. Kogami, who predicted the A.I. and humanity would become enemies. Despite this, Flame and the other Ignis continued developing the Cyberse; Flame's sector becoming a large, active volcano. In Ai's words, the Ignis would never try to harm humanity, and would rather live in their own world.

Flame and Windy are trapped.

Varis launched an attack on the Cyberse with three of his "Cracking Dragons". Flame and the other Ignis were sealed off and could not retaliate, except for the DARK Ignis. Varis and one "Cracking Dragon" chased Ai, who escaped and severed the connection to Cyberse's location. Flame and the others realized that Ai meant to hide their world, at the price of being unable to return. Just as Ai succeeded and gloated about it, the pursuing "Cracking Dragon" devoured him.

Afterwards, the remaining Ignis debated whether to trust humanity or not; Flame and Aqua were in favor, Earth was neutral, and Lightning and Windy wanted to oppose them. They never came to a conclusion. During the events of the Tower of Hanoi, the Cyberse was attacked by an unknown individual wielding "Paradox Hydradrive Atlas" and "Judgment Arrows". Flame and the other Ignis were scattered, and Flame sought out his Origin, Theodore, in order to enlist his help in finding the other Ignis and the individual who had destroyed his home.

Flame transported himself to Theodore's old Duel Disk, but Theodore hadn't used it for years and Flame was forced to attempt to contact him over television screens, telling him the names "Playmaker" and "LINK VRAINS". Theodore eventually opened his closet to find Flame waiting for him, but as Flame noted that he'd finally looked, Theodore panicked and tried to break the Duel Disk, believing Flame to be a ghost. Flame talked Theodore down by revealing that his past was connected to Playmaker. He told Theodore that Playmaker had also been a victim of the Lost Incident, but that he had been facing his past, requesting Theodore's help to go to LINK VRAINS and meet with Playmaker and the DARK Ignis. He urged Theodore to find his path, but Theodore was unwilling, as this likely meant he would have to Duel. Theodore's grandmother then knocked on the door, forcing Theodore to shut Flame inside. Theodore then took Flame with him to rescue his friend Kiku Kamishirakawa, and her kidnapper, Ridley, challenged Theodore to a Duel. Flame urged Theodore to face his destiny, prompting Ridley to assume he was an ordinary A.I. Theodore accepted Ridley's challenge, and as Ridley introduced himself as "Mad Marsh", Flame noted his appreciation of the stylish name and asked what people called Theodore. However, when Ridley Special Summoned "Despair from the Dark", Theodore went into shock as Flame asked him what was wrong. Theodore claimed he couldn't do anything against "Despair from the Dark", and Flame told him that was just in his head and that he'd associated his separate traumas with one another. He urged Theodore to grasp his future and reincarnate, and Theodore found the strength to continue and defeat Ridley after drawing "Rising Fire". Flame congratulated Theodore, declaring that his indomitable soul hadn't burnt out yet. Theodore asked if Flame had a name, and Flame declared that of course he did, emerging from the Duel Disk and introducing himself. Soulburner teased him over taking an English word and forcing it into kanji, miffing Flame. Theodore then transferred to Den City with Flame in tow to aid Playmaker.

Lost Ignis

In LINK VRAINS, Flame and Soulburner observed Playmaker's Duel with a glowing Duelist; Soulburner noted that Flame's friend was with Playmaker. Flame asked Soulburner not to associate him with that airhead. When Harlan sent two Duelists, Bit and Boot to deter Playmaker from pursuing him, Soulburner arrived to deal with them and allow Playmaker to continue pursuing Harlan and Bohman. Flame revealed himself to Bit and Boot, and they observed that he was the FIRE Ignis and that they needed to capture him. Flame introduced himself, explaining the meaning of the kanji in his name, and Soulburner told him to knock if off because he'd told him a thousand times already. Flame retorted that it had only been 37 times. Soulburner challenged Bit and Boot simultaneously, and they merged into a single Avatar, BitBoot for their Speed Duel.

BitBoot demonstrated both Cyberse-Type monsters and the Link Spell Card "Judgment Arrows" as Bohman had, bringing out "D-Scale Battle Coela" and using it in combination with "D-Scale Torpedo" to move it around the field and inflict 1600 damage to Soulburner. Flame noted that they could only take the combo three more times before losing, and Soulburner reassured him that he could break it, Link Summoning his ace monster, "Salamangreat Heatleo", using its effect to shuffle "Judgment Arrows" into the Deck before attacking and destroying "Battle Coela". On their next turn, BitBoot used their Skill again, despite normally only being able to use it once since Bit had used it the last turn and now Boot was using it this turn, reactivating "Judgment Arrows" in a zone that "D-Scale Fullmetal Dunkle" pointed to. "Fullmetal Dunkle" was so large that it damaged the buildings around them, but Soulburner was able to save himself and "Heatleo" with "Energy of Fire", which restored his LP and prevented the destruction of "Heatleo". Flame warned Soulburner that he'd need to draw a good card, and although he was pleased to draw "Monster Reincarnation" on his next turn, Soulburner's field was locked down by BitBoot's "D-Scale Chaff". Soulburner then used his own Skill, "Burning Draw", lowering his LP to 100 and drawing a card for every 1000 LP lost, drawing "Salamangreat Sanctuary", allowing him to Reincarnation Link Summon another "Heatleo" and once again shuffle "Judgment Arrows" into the Deck. BitBoot attempted to set up "Fullmetal Dunkle" to destroy "Heatleo" next turn, prompting Flame to cry that they were doomed. Soulburner replied that the match was already over, using the Reincarnated effect of "Heatleo" to lowering the ATK of "Fullmetal Dunkle" enough for "Heatleo" to defeat BitBoot. After they won, Flame claimed that he'd knew that they'd win, and Soulburner teased him for having given up hope earlier. Flame and Soulburner pursued Playmaker to the bottom of LINK VRAINS, where Harlan and Bohman had escaped into the Restricted Area. As the area's defenses had been triggered, Soulburner suggested that they log out, and he told Playmaker his name and that they'd meet again before logging out with Flame.

Flame later sent a message to the DARK Ignis, and the next day at school, he told Theodore about Naoki Shima after he talked with Skye Zaizen, though Theodore didn't care. As Theodore nervously hid from Yusaku Fujiki - Playmaker - Flame revealed that he'd told the DARK Ignis about them, much to Theodore's shock. Yusaku then approached them, wary that they knew his identity, but Theodore revealed Flame, who bantered with Ai over their names. Flame suggested they go somewhere else to talk, and they went to a Ferris wheel, though Ai suspected Flame just wanted to ride it. There, Flame told them about the destruction of the Cyberse while the Ignis were discussing whether to ally with humanity or not, and that he was searching for the other Ignis after having made contact with Theodore. Yusaku stated that he had his own mission; searching for the consciousness data of Jin Kolter, another of the victims of the Lost Incident. Flame stated that the incidents were likely connected, and revealed that "Judgment Arrows" had been used to destroy the Cyberse, suggesting that Jin's kidnapper and the person who had destroyed the Cyberse were the same, and thus giving them a reason to team up. Yusaku took them to meet Jin's brother, Kal Kolter, who thanked them for agreeing to help search for Jin. He showed them a shred of an unknown program in the Restricted Area of LINK VRAINS where Bohman had vanished (Flame teasing Theodore for his unfamiliarity with tech) and Flame and Ai recognized the program as an Ignis program associated with WIND. Ghost Gal later sent them information about a gate in the Restricted Area, and despite Ai's protests, Yusaku and Theodore logged in to investigate. Though they entered the Restricted Area without hassle, once inside they were quickly set upon by The Gore, Kenchi and Yozaka.

Flame noted the Hunters' tenacity, and warned Soulburner and Playmaker of the trap that SOL Technologies had set, deadpanning to Ai about his claiming credit. The traps logged out Kenmochi and Yozaka, leaving Gore as the sole Bounty Hunter pursuing them, and Soulburner decided to Duel Gore to allow Playmaker to progress. Flame wished Playmaker luck (though not Ai, much to his annoyance), and revealed himself to Gore to entice him to Duel Soulburner. Flame noted that Gore's strategies continually evolved, which would make him difficult to predict, but even he didn't expect Gore to use his Skill right away in addition to a different Deck than normal. Gore quickly overpowered them, Link Summoning "Dinowrestler King T Wrextle". To their surprise, the traps were suddenly triggered again, and Flame accused Gore of cheating. Gore bitterly reflected that they thougt low of him if they thought him responsible, and protected them from one of the attacks, which soon ceased. Flame realized that Gore had been telling the truth, and he hyped up Soulburner's Reincarnation Link Summon to prevent Soulburner from looking pretentious. As Soulburner reflected on his past Flame sympathized with him, but Soulburner was wrapped up in explaining himself to Gore. Flame supported Soulburner as he used "Burning Draw" and Ritual Summoned "Salamangreat Emerald Eagle", congratulating him on his victory. After Gore logged out, Flame commented that Gore must lose a lot to be such a sore loser, though Soulburner told him off for being condescending.

After defeating The Gore, Flame and Soulburner met up with Ai and Playmaker again, and managed to enter the unknown world through its gate. Immediately after arriving, they were hit by strong winds, which forced Flame and Ai to protect them using Data Storms. At some point, the winds stopped, and they were able to reach a temple where they finally found the WIND Ignis. After showing them the world he had build, the Ignis (who decided to call himself "Windy") explained how he did that in order to attract his fellow Ignis, and also to lure the responsible for destroying the Cyberse World. Despite not knowing who was the responsible, Flame pointed out they were after Bohman, who not only had stolen Jin's consciousness, but also had the card used to destroy the Cyberse, and suggested he could've escaped to a world inside Windy's world. They then asked Windy to join them, which he promptly refused, as those statements had no evidence. However, Windy said he could weaken the winds near the area where Bohman supposedly escaped to, under the condition that Playmaker and Soulburner defeat the two invaders, Ghost Gal and an unknown partner.

Upon making contact with the girls, Blue Gal presented herself as actually being Blue Angel. Soulburner was happy to meet another savior of the old LINK VRAINS, but Blue Gal stated they were actually seeking to retrieve the Ignis. While both Playmaker and Ghost Gal were willing to solve the situation without Dueling, Soulburner accepted Blue Gal's challenge. From the very beginning of the Duel, Blue Gal was planning ahead to counter Soulburner's strategies of swarming the field with "Salamangreat" monsters, and his Skill. Soulburner was pushed into a corner by all accumulated burn damage caused by "Trickstar Divaridis" and "Trickstar Lycoris", and even "Salamangreat Heatleo" was unable to destroy them due to Blue Gal using "Trickstar Calobane". Despite making no progress, Flame still assured him that they had an advantage, since Soulburner had Flame himself by his side. After nearly being defeated by Blue Gal's Fusion Monster, "Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar", Soulburner listened to Flame's advice and used his Skill, managing to draw "Fusion of Fire". By using it, he fused "Heatleo" and Blue Gal's "Divaridis" into "Salamangreat Violet Chimera". In the final attack, Blue Gal attempted to reduce the damage by using "Calobane" again, but this was predicted and countered by Soulburner, who used the effect of "Violet Chimera" to double its ATK, and drop her LP to 0 in a single attack. After the Duel, he approached the fallen Blue Gal to compliment her for becoming much stronger, before forcing her to log out. Ghost Gal then returned, amazed by the Duel's outcome and aware she wouldn't be able to go any further without her partner. Flame then gave her a copy of Blue Gal's evacuation program, allowing Ghost Gal to log out safely. Afterwards, he and Soulburner followed Playmaker's path to the edge of the Wind World, and the winds began to intensify again; Flame wondering if this was due to Playmaker's Duel. They found Playmaker just after he defeated Bohman, though he had been unsuccessful in reclaiming Jin's consciousness data. The Wind World began to destabilize, and Flame warned them all to leave before Soulburner logged out.

Yusaku later told Flame, Theodore, and Kolter that Bohman had shared his memories. As the gate had disappeared, the Ignis had no choice but to wait for it to reappear in order to pursue Bohman again. The gate soon reappeared in the upper islands of LINK VRAINS, and Ai was exasperated at Windy, Flame admitting that it was a brazen move. Soulburner and Playmaker logged in to investigate, but when they approached the gate, it pulled them in towards it with powerful winds, and Soulburner knocked Playmaker out of the way and he was captured himself. Soulburner began reacting in fear, and Flame asked his partner what was wrong. Flame realized that Shepherd had connected to Soulburner's memories, and he desperately shook Soulburner awake, explaining that they were in Shepherd's trap and lamenting that he'd been fooled. The area suddenly became a field of magma, and Shepherd challenged Soulburner to a Duel, destroying a surveillance bug before they started.

Shepherd started by protecting his "Duplicate Drone" with "Mirror Coat Unit", and Soulburner expressed exasperation that Shepherd's A.I. was explaining every effect. Flame warned him not to let Shepherd dictate the Duel's pace, and Soulburner replied that he knew, quickly bringing out "Salamangreat Heatleo". However, its effect triggered an effect of "Mirror Coat Unit" that Shepherd's A.I. hadn't explained, and as Soulburner protested, Flame quickly checked the data log of Shepherd's Duel with Playmaker, where he'd made his A.I. lie. He explained Shepherd's strategy to Soulburner, noting that at least the A.I. hadn't lied this time. Shepherd asked them who decided an A.I.'s info was accurate, claiming that an A.I. was a tool that simply obeys humans. As Soulburner prepared to attack, the A.I. warned Shepherd truthfully, and Flame noted this would be difficult if Shepherd's A.I. mixed truth with lies. Although Soulburner Reincarnation Link Summoned "Heatleo", Shepherd was able to prevent him from attacking, and Flame noted that Shepherd had been prepared for them and that Reincarnating "Heatleo" wasn't a secret anymore, prompting Soulburner to wonder if this meant he was famous. To Flame's shock, Shepherd Summoned "Despair from the Dark" to exploit Soulburner's trauma, even though Soulburner had already overcome it. Flame played along with Soulburner in acting as though Soulburner was still traumatized by the monster. He accused Shepherd of being unfair, and Shepherd claimed he'd do anything to fulfill his goal, especially against someone allied with an A.I. Shepherd reduced Soulburner to 700 LP, though Soulburner was able to hang on due to the effect of "Salamangreat Parro", and Flame urged Soulburner to calm down. Soulburner then revived "Heatleo" with "Rising Fire" and Reincarnated it to banish the "Despair from the Darks", and they revealed their deception, Flame taunting Shepherd for believing that the information of an A.I. had been correct (though he didn't credit Soulburner's acting). Soulburner managed to clear Shepherd's defenses aside from a Set card that Flame warned him about, but Soulburner acted. Before the attack could land, they were freed from the trap, and they logged out once they met up with Playmaker.

While heading to Café Nom one day, a Duel Disk fell from the sky. Flame marveled at the incident, though it turned out to just be Ai in Yusaku's Duel Disk. Regardless, Flame was still impressed and he immediately suggested that Theodore add wheels to his Duel Disk, much to Theodore's bemusement. As they talked with Kolter, Ai asked how Kolter and Yusaku had net, and Flame admitted that he was interested to learn too. Kolter told them of how he and Yusaku met while separately fighting the Knights of Hanoi, and how they had obtained Yusaku's Cyberse Deck from a secret dungeon.

Yusaku brought his helper robot Roboppi to Café Nom, explaining that Ai had gone missing. Roboppi and Kolter revealed that Ai and Roboppi had been on a crossword puzzle that offered an Ai pin as a reward. Flame revealed that the puzzle itself was an Ignis algorithm, which lead to an unknown world, and he introduced himself to Roboppi. Theodore suggested they all go to see if the Ignis had a message for them, but Yusaku asked to go alone, as he didn't trust Windy. Flame was surprised by Yusaku's distrust of Windy, given that he was his ally. Yusaku asked Theodore to come after him if he took too long to return. Yusaku didn't return, so Theodore noted that something must have happened and he decided to follow Yusaku, though Flame was skeptical that Windy was responsible. Kolter gave them code that could temporarily cut an Ignis program, just in case, and they logged in and found the location in flames, with no sign of Playmaker or Ai. Flame and Soulburner flew through the world, finding Windy's palace surrounded by destroyed Echoes. They met Specter outside, and Specter reassured them that he didn't intend to fight them, but would guide them and show them the true nature of the Ignis, asking Soulburner to reconsider his partnership with Flame once he had. They entered to find Varis Dueling Windy, and Ai and Playmaker imprisoned. Flame asked in shock if the Knights of Hanoi had imprisoned them, but Ai revealed that they'd been imprisoned by Windy and the LIGHT Ignis, Lightning. Lightning attempted to imprison them and Specter too, but Flame used Kolter's program to block his efforts and freed Ai and Playmaker. Varis then defeated Windy and the Knights of Hanoi used a virus on Windy that began to erase him. Lightning saved Windy, and asked Flame if he was siding with humans. Flame claimed that there were no sides, and Soulburner insisted that Flame wanted to stop any conflict between humans and Ignis. To Flame's shock, Bohman and Harlan arrived, and Lightning revealed that he had Jin's data prisoner.

Ignis War

As Lightning explained why he had ordered Bohman to steal Jin's data, Flame realized that Lightning would also have been the one to give Bohman "Judgment Arrows" and he furiously asked him if he had destroyed the Cyberse. Lightning scoffed at Flame's boring conversations, but admitted that he was indeed responsible and had done so to make their situation clear. He viewed Flame as an error code due to his belief in coexistence with humanity, and Flame snapped that he believed in them due to the unlimited potential he sensed in Soulburner, though he had to point out that Ai had bee viewed as an error code by the other Ignis. Lightning then declared war on humanity before fleeing for Windy's sake, and SOL Technologies' Bounty Hunters arrived. Flame believed that they'd be able to pin Lightning, but Lightning summoned a swarm of Bits and Boots to delay them. Bohman then challenged Playmaker to a Speed Duel, and Soulburner and Flame pursued Lightning, Flame vowing to make Lightning pay for destroying the Cyberse and Soulburner vowing to help him. Flame told Soulburner that their real fight had just begun, much to Soulburner's surprise as he had believed their previous battles to be real. Flame explained that their battle would only end with Lightning's defeat, but they were eventually swarmed by the Bits and Boots and Lightning escaped. Flame suggested that Soulburner log out rather than waste time dealing with the Bits and Boots.

Yusaku decided to tell Akira Zaizen, the head of security at SOL Technologies, about Lightning and Bohman's threat. Flame was skeptical of the decision, believing that they couldn't trust SOL Tech, and he informed Theodore as much while they kept an eye on Yusaku as he informed Zaizen of the situation. They later decided to search for Earth, who Playmaker and Ai had encountered before they became aware of Lightning's threat, and Flame noted that Lightning wouldn't ignore Earth for long. Kolter showed them a map of Earth's path throughout LINK VRAINS, and Flame deduced that Earth was likely searching for Aqua. Soulburner and Playmaker logged in to search for Earth, and Soulburner and Flame decided to search the bottom of LINK VRAINS. Kolter soon contacted them with Earth's location and warned them that he was in danger, but Flame and Soulburner were too far away to get there in time, leaving only Ai and Playmaker to assist Earth. Soulburner and Flame arrived too late to prevent Earth from being captured by The Gore, and that night at Café Nom, Flame and Ai felt a strange sensation. A few days later, Kolter found security footage depicting Blue Gal and Aqua fleeing from The Shepherd, and though they weren't sure why Aqua was with Blue Gal, Flame, Theodore, Ai and Yusaku quickly logged in to rescue Aqua from The Shepherd. They found Ghost Gal alone and he explained that The Shepherd had logged out. Flame asked where Aqua was, and Blue Gal and Aqua revealed themselves. Flame and Ai introduced themselves (Ai cutting off Flame before he could explain the meaning of his name again) and Ai asked why Aqua was in Blue Gal's Duel Disk. Aqua revealed that Blue Gal had agreed to fight alongside them, and Blue Gal changed her Avatar to Blue Maiden. The three Ignis flew into the sky with their partners, affirming their goals and their decision to fight together. They headed to the location where Aqua had been imprisoned with Ghost Gal to search for any traces of Lightning's log, but Lightning had covered his tracks well and left no traces. They continued to search, Flame well aware that Lightning would not have fled yet, and finally found a lead thanks to Kolter; a portal that led to Lightning's palace, where they found him Dueling The Shepherd. Flame took note of the defensive formations of both Duelists, though Shepherd was eventually defeated by Lightning and his data erased after they learned he was Ghost Gal's brother.

Afterwards Ai discussed whether Ghost Gal would be able to see Shepherd again until Flame shushed him, reminding him that Kolter was present. Their conversation was interrupted by Earth's signal appearing, and Ai suggested that he had escaped. Flame was more suspicious, pointing out that SOL Technologies would likely be on Earth's tail. Sure enough, they encountered The Gore when they logged in, who challenged Playmaker to a Duel. Flame noted Gore's physical condition was a result of being assimilated by the A.I. in his Duel A.I. Implant Chip, and he and Soulburner watched the Duel with Aqua and Blue Maiden. To their horror, Gore Link Summoned Earth's "G Golem Crystal Heart" and revealed that Earth's data had been added to his A.I. chip. Playmaker was able to defeat Gore and Ai retrieved Earth's data from him, giving "Crystal Heart" to Aqua, and Flame commented that Gore would likely be able to rest in peace now.