Millennium Puzzle
The Millennium Puzzle (
It is based on the Millennium Puzzle from the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.
Contents
Design[edit]
Appearance[edit]
The Millennium Puzzle resembles an upside-down pyramid with an eye on the front. It has a ring on top, allowing it to be worn around the owner's neck.
The puzzle is extremely complex and difficult to solve, having taken Yugi at least eight years to successfully assemble it.
Powers[edit]
Yami Yugi describes the power of the puzzle as "the power of unity", comparing a puzzle's pieces forming a whole to friends coming together. Yugi frequently credits the Millennium Puzzle with bringing him friendship with Joey Wheeler. Yugi originally used the phrase "Something that can be seen, yet cannot be seen" to describe the Millennium Puzzle before it was completed, since even though you can see the pieces, you can't see the whole puzzle since it is not complete. This riddle has been used many times in the Japanese version, with different characters providing different answers.
In addition to holding the soul/spirit of Pharaoh Atem himself, the Puzzle is said to fulfill a wish of the person who solves it.
Its main power grants the owner the powers of darkness and allowing them to use ancient magic. That magic is mainly used to start and control Shadow Games. The Millennium Puzzle is the strongest and most powerful of all the Millennium Items. When Yugi activates its magic, the Eye of Wdjat glows on his forehead. Its most well-known power is Yugi switching his body and mind with the spirit of the Pharaoh.
Atem could not summon the Egyptian Gods from the Shrine of Wedju without the power of the Puzzle. It can cast illusions, and can manipulate the minds and souls of others, such as when Yami Bakura put Bakura's soul inside of "Change of Heart" but Yami Yugi changed it to Yami Bakura's soul in the card. It can even interfere with the magic of other Millennium Items, and at its full power, it can repel the darkness of "The Seal of Orichalcos".
Other lesser-known powers include protecting the user and others from harm and magical forces.
History[edit]
 | This section is currently incomplete. |
Ancient Egypt[edit]
3,000 years before present day events (5,000 in the dub), the Millennium Puzzle and the other Millennium Items were forged in Kul Elna by sacrificing 99 souls of the Kul Elna villagers. The items were created in order to protect Egypt from attackers. Pharaoh Aknamkanon was given the Pendant, while six priests were given the other six items. Together, they fought off the attackers and saved Egypt.
After Aknamkanon became aware of how the Items were created, he fell ill and died shortly afterward. The Puzzle was inherited by his son Atem.
The Puzzle was later stolen from the then teenage Atem by Bandit King Bakura, who used it and the other Millennium Items to Summon Zorc Necrophades.
Atem defeated Zorc at the cost of his own life. He used his name as part of a spell that sealed Zorc's soul and his own into the Millennium Puzzle, which was shattered and was laid to rest in his tomb. Atem's memory, including his name, was wiped, so that he could not recall the spell, so that the binding could never be undone.
Excavation[edit]
Solomon Muto retrieved the Millennium Puzzle, in the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh.
Yugi's completion[edit]
Solomon gave the Millennium Puzzle to his grandson, Yugi Muto, who was led to believe it was found in ruins in Egypt. Yugi made a wish upon the Puzzle to receive a real friend.[1]
Yugi showed the disassembled Millennium Puzzle to Téa Gardner and told her he did not know what the completed version looked like because he had not yet been able to solve it, but that it is "something you can show, but can't see".[1]
Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor taunted Yugi by taking the Puzzle from him, with Joey going as far as throwing a piece into a swimming pool. Trudge later declared himself to be Yugi's bodyguard and beat up Joey and Tristan to extort a payment from Yugi. However Yugi defended Joey and Tristan, resulting in Trudge beating him up too. Moved by Yugi's actions, Joey recovered the piece of the Puzzle he threw into the pool. Yugi solved the Puzzle shortly afterwards and came to believe that befriending Joey was the Puzzle granting his wish.[1]
After solving it, Yugi's body bore host to part of Atem's soul, known as Yami Yugi. Yami Yugi was able to take control of Yugi's body while Yugi had the Puzzle. Yugi often wore the Puzzle around his neck on a brown rope allowing him to easily get Yami's help to play Duel Monsters.
Duelist Kingdom[edit]
When the jersey man knocked Yugi and Téa unconscious, Yami Yugi emerged. He used the Millennium Puzzle to turn a game into a Shadow Game and inflict the Mind Crush" Penalty Game on the man when he lost.[2]
The day Bakura transferred to Domino High School, he noticed a needle on his Millennium Ring pointing towards Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.[3]
Yugi used the Millennium Puzzle to switch to Yami Yugi to Duel Seto Kaiba, using Solomon's Deck. As the Duel seemed hopeless, Yami Yugi imagined Solomon telling him everything has a meaning, just like the Millennium Puzzle. Solomon elaborated that just like Yugi put the pieces of the Puzzle together, he now needed to do the same with the cards. Yami Yugi then realized that the "Forbidden One" cards in his hand were the pieces used to Summon "Exodia". With that knowledge Yami Yugi was able to win and used the Millennium Puzzle to inflict the "Mind Crush" Penalty Game on Kaiba.[4]
Yugi again used the Puzzle to switch to Yami Yugi for his first Duel with Maximillion Pegasus. (In the English dub, during this Duel, Pegasus called Yami Yugi oblivious to the power of the Millennium Puzzle. He explained that 5000 years ago, a powerful Pharaoh locked the magic of the Shadow Games away and captured their magical energies in the seven Millennium Items, one of which was the Millennium Puzzle. And that the magic in the Puzzle could change Yami's life forever if he knew how to unleash it.)[5]
Pegasus coerced Yugi into taking part in the Duelist Kingdom tournament.[1] (In the English dub, Pegasus did this as part of a plan to steal the Millennium Puzzle.) Yugi used the Millennium Puzzle to switch to Yami Yugi for his Duels throughout the tournament. In the Duel against the Impersonator of Death, Yami again used its power to deal the "Mind Crush" Penalty Game on his opponent.[6]
Yami Bakura used the Millennium Ring to seal the souls of Yugi, Joey, Téa, and Tristan in Duel Monsters cards after starting a Shadow Game. He then attempted to take the Millennium Puzzle from Yugi's lifeless body, but the Puzzle activated and Yami Yugi took control.[7] Yami Yugi continued the Shadow Game of Duel Monsters to free his friends souls, risking letting Yami Bakura take the Millennium Puzzle if he lost. The nature of the Shadow Game allowed Yugi to exist separately from Yami Yugi as he appeared on the field when the card he was sealed in was played. As his friends were confused, Yugi explained that Yami was his other self; another Yugi whose soul is inside the Millennium Puzzle. (In the English dub, Yugi was less aware and said that when he Duels it feels like someone is guiding him and sometimes it is like he can hear a voice coming from the Millennium Puzzle.) After Bakura Ryou appeared on the field as his chosen card was played, Yami Yugi used the Millennium Puzzle to swap which body the soul of each Bakura occupied.[8]
PaniK attempted to kill Yami Yugi with pyrotechnics after their Duel, but the Millennium Puzzle shielded him from the flames. (In the English dub, it also protected Yugi's friends from the flames.) Yami Yugi then used the Puzzle to subject Panik to the "Mind Crush" Penalty Game.[9]
Yami Yugi struggled in the Duel with Pegasus at the end of the tournament, due to Pegasus reading his mind with the Millennium Eye. Yugi then found a way to communicate with Yami Yugi from within their soul room. He proposed the "Mind Shuffle" strategy where they use the Millennium Puzzle to switch which of them was in control of their body just as Pegasus was about to read their mind. This enabled each Yugi to take a turn setting up a move, then switch to the opposite Yugi, who would be unaware of what had been set up, making him incapable of leaking it to Pegasus. Téa had understood Yugi's ability to "change" to be an emotional change, but after Yugi explained the strategy, she realized Yami Yugi was a separate person. With the Mind Shuffle, they defeated Pegasus Toon strategy.[10]
Pegasus then recognized Yugi as being a worthy holder of a Millennium Item and thought a Shadow Game was more befitting.[10] The nature of the Shadow Game caused Yugi to collapse, preventing the Mind Shuffle from being used any further.[11] On his defeat, Pegasus wondered if the housing of two souls in one body was the power of the Millennium Puzzle.[12]
Yami Bakura stole Pegasus' Millennium Eye and Shadi suspected Yugi could be the thief, after seeing him with the Millennium Puzzle. Visiting Yugi's soul room made him drop that suspicion, but instead wonder if Yami Yugi was the Pharaoh. He told Yugi that he and Yami must uncover the true power of the Millennium Puzzle and solve the mystery from 3000 years ago, as that is the fate of the one who solves the Puzzle. Before parting he warned Yugi to be careful because there is someone else with a Millennium Item who would come after the Puzzle.[12]
Battle City[edit]
Yugi replaced the lace he used to wear the Millennium Puzzle around his neck with a chain. He said that the chain created a special bond between himself and Yami Yugi, which cannot be broken. (In the English dub, he said the chain was to keep the Puzzle safe due to the amount of people who want to steal it.)[13]
Bandit Keith, brainwashed by Marik Ishtar, disguised himself as a fortuneteller. When Yugi approached him, fooled by the disguise, Keith asked if he could hold the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi was hesitant, but Keith claimed to have a knowledge of treasures from all over the world and that he might be able to identify it, so Yugi allowed him. Keith then knocked Yugi over and ran away with the Puzzle. Yugi tracked him down to a warehouse, where he Dueled him to win back the Puzzle. Yami Bakura heard what happened from Téa Gardner, but he needed Yugi to remain the holder of the Puzzle. So he used the Millennium Ring to locate the Puzzle.[13]
The Puzzle was later shattered by Keith and Yugi managed to reassemble it while the building he was in was on fire, as he could not bear losing Yami Yugi.
Pharaoh's Memories[edit]
After Yami Yugi collected the Egyptian Gods and presented them to the tablet, he was sucked into the Dark RPG, which was a replay of his life in Ancient Egypt. Yami Yugi was the player, while Atem was one of his characters, both of whom had the Millennium Puzzle.
As the RPG replayed Atem's life, Thief Bakura managed to steal it again. He once again gathered the Items and Summoned Zorc the Dark One.
Battle Ritual[edit]
After the RPG, Yugi once again had the Puzzle, which was laid to rest, before the Battle Ritual. After the battle the Puzzle, along with the other items, was destroyed.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX[edit]
The Millennium Puzzle's shape appeared on Dimitri's shirt in King of Copycats.[14][15]
A fake Millennium Puzzle, called the Millennium Pendant was used by Titan.[16][17]
History of possession[edit]
| Holder | Means of acquisition |
|---|---|
| Aknamkanon | Created for |
| Atem | Inherited |
| Bandit King Bakura | Stole |
| Atem | Recovered |
| Nobody | Left in Atem's tomb |
| Solomon Muto | Recovered from Atem's tomb |
| Yugi Muto | Given to |
| Bandit Keith | Stole |
| Yugi Muto | Retrieved |
| Joey Wheeler | Lent to |
| Yugi Muto | Returned to |
| Nobody | Buried in the Shrine of the Millennium Stone |
In other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Romanized |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Sennen Pazzuru | |
| せんねんパッズル (kana) | ||
| 千年パッズル (base) | ||
| Korean | 천년 퍼즐 |
In other media[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 3: "Journey to the Duelist Kingdom"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 22: "Face Off, Part 1"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 16: "The Scars of Defeat"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 1: "The Heart of the Cards"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 2: "The Gauntlet Is Thrown"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 10: "Give up the Ghost"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 12: "Trial by Red Eyes"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 13: "Evil Spirit of the Ring"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 15: "Winning Through Intimidation"
- ↑ a b Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 37: "Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium, Part 3"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 38: "Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium, Part 4"
- ↑ a b Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 40: "Aftermath"
- ↑ a b Yu-Gi-Oh! episode 49: "Dungeon Dice Monsters, Part 4"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode 18: "The King of the Copycats, Part 1"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode 19: "The King of the Copycats, Part 2"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode 5: "The Shadow Duelist, Part 1"
- ↑ Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode 6: "The Shadow Duelist, Part 2"
