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{{Redirect|Spirit|the [[archetype]]|""Spirit"" (archetype)|the Type|Spirit (Type)}}

| image name = LastTurn-TF04TF05-JP-VG-artwork.jpgpng | image caption = "Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi" and "Yamata Dragon" in the artwork of "Last Turn"

| kanji = スピリット(モンスター)<ref group=Notes>The parentheses here specify what part is not shown on the cards' [[Type]]/[[Ability]] line.</ref> | romaji = Supiritto (monsutā) | japanese translated = | english = Spirit (monster) | french = (monstre) Spirit | german = Spirit(-Monster) (Geister Monster in the anime) | italian = (mostro) Spirit | korean = 스피릿 (몬스터) ''Seupirit (Monseuteo)'' | spanish = (monstruo) Spirit | portuguese = (monstro) Espírito<br/>Formerly: Spirit

| sets =

* [[Dawn of Majesty]]* [[Cyberstorm Access]] | anime =

| list = List of Spirit monsters | support list = List of Spirit monster support cards | anti-support list = List of Spirit monster anti-support cards

'''Spirit monsters''' (スピリットモンスター ''Supiritto monsutā'') are [[Effect Monster]]s with the [[ability]] "Spirit". With a few exceptionsUsually, they cannot be [[Special Summon]]ed, and have an effect that returns them to their owner's the [[hand ]] during the [[End Phase]] of the turn they are [[Normal Summon]]ed or [[flip]]ped [[face-up ]] (or the turn they are Special Summoned , in case of Spirit monsters that must be Special Summoned). They debuted in ''[[Mythological Age]]'' and first received support in ''[[The Duelist Genesis]]'', almost 7 years later.

The designs of most Spirit monsters are based on icons beings from Eastern mythology, primarily Japanese ones. They all have very similar purple backgrounds, ostensibly the and often feature ''Spirit World[[wikipedia:Onibi|onibi]]''lights on their card artworks. Their OCG names  There are in no [[Wikipedia:Kanji|kanjiarchetype]]s focused on Spirit monsters, but the [[Wikipedia:FuriganaShinobird]] and [[Martial Art Spirit]] [[series]] do. While most Spirit monsters are not members of an archetype, a few Spirit monsters belong to the "[[Ice Barrier]]" ("[[Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier]]") and "[[Gishki]]" ("[[Gishki Natalia]]" and "[[Gishki Emilia|furiganaEmilia]] is ") archetypes, both of which exist in the [[WikipediaDuel Terminal]] card storyline; these Spirit monsters are not based on mythological figures, but instead represent revived spirits of deceased characters in their storyline. ==Characteristics=====Shared effects===Most Spirit monsters share the following two effects:Katakana|katakana* Cannot be Special Summoned.* Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up this turn: Return it to the hand. The effect to return to the hand during the End Phase only activates during the turn they are Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. If they do not return to the hand in that End Phase (such as due to "[[Dimensionhole]]" or "[[Forbidden Chalice]]"), this effect does not activate in subsequent turns. If a Spirit monster with this effect was [[Special Summon]] ed face-up (which normally would indicate a foreignusually require an effect that [[Ignoring the Summoning conditions|ignores the Summoning conditions]]), then this effect does not activate, as it was not Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. These effects are not universal among all Spirit monsters. Notable exceptions include:* The [[Martial Art Spirit]]s can be [[Special Summon]]ed. They return to the hand during the End Phase of the turn they were Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, like most Spirit monsters.* "[[Yamato-no-language wordKami]]", "[[Konohanasakuya]]", and the [[Shinobird]] Ritual Monsters cannot be Normal Summoned/Set; they must be Special Summoned by their own Summoning procedure or [[Ritual Summon]]. They return to the hand during the End Phase of the turn they were Special Summoned.* "[[Amaterasu]]" cannot be Normal or Special Summoned; it must be [[Normal Set]], and it still returns itself to hand during the End Phase of the turn it is flipped up.

Most Spirit monsters are categorized within three groups: Eastern Mythology which are based on various specific beings from Oriental mythology, which includes both Japanese [[Wikipediawikipedia:YoukaiYōkai|YoukaiYōkai]] and various other Asian folklore, . The only Spirit monsters not specifically based on Oriental mythology are the [[Duel TerminalMartial Art Spirit]] of characters in s, and the Duel Terminal story who have passed on thus giving them the "Spirit" ability, and Martial Arts whom are monsters belonging to the most recent additions uniquely being [[Pendulum MonsterDuel Terminal]]s and take inspiration from multiple forms of combatstoryline. The [[Shinobird]] [[archetypeseries]] also takes inspiration from is, as a whole, based on the story of the characters played in ''[[wikipedia:Tanabata|the Tale of Tanabata]]''.

===Eastern Mythology===Most of these Spirit monsters' Japanese names are written in [[wikipedia:Kanji|kanji]] with [[wikipedia:Furigana|furigana]] written in [[wikipedia:Katakana|katakana]]; this is a reference to how Japanese orthography commonly writes the names of major Japanese ''kami'' in katakana. {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"|+ {{nowrap|Mythological Spirit monsters}}! Monster Spirit monster !! InspirationOrigin|-| [[Konohanasakuya]] || [[wikipedia:Konohanasakuya-hime|Konohanasakuya-hime]]

| [[Amaterasu|Amaterasu]] || [[wikipedia:Amaterasu|Amaterasu]]

| [[Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi|Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi]] || [[wikipedia:Kagu-Tsuchi|Kagutsuchi]]

| [[Yamata Dragon|Yamata Dragon]] || [[wikipedia:Yamata no Orochi|Yamata no Orochi]]

| [[Dark Dust Spirit|Dark Dust Spirit]] || Possibly [[wikipedia:Oni|Oni]] or [[wikipedia:Shinigami|Shinigami]]

| [[Yamato-no-Kami|Yamato-no-Kami]] || [[wikipedia:Susanoo|Susanoo]] and the heads of [[wikipedia:Yamata no Orochi|Yamata no Orochi]]

| [[Fenghuang|Fenghuang]] || [[wikipedia:Fenghuang|Fenghuang]] or "Hou-Ou"

| [[Great Long Nose|Great Long Nose]] || [[wikipedia:Tengu|Red Nose Tengu]]

| [[Susa Soldier|Susa Soldier]] || [[wikipedia:Susanoo|Susanoo]] and [[Sword of wikipedia:Kusanagi|Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]]

| [[Yaksha|Yaksha]] || [[wikipedia:Yaksha|Yaksha]]

| [[Rasetsu|Rasetsu]] || [[wikipedia:Rakshasa|Rakshasa]]

| [[Hebo, Lord of the River|Hebo, Lord of the River]] || [[wikipedia:Kappa|Kappa]] or [[wikipedia:Hebo|Hebo]]

| [[Asura Priest|Asura Priest]] || [[wikipedia:Asura|Asura]]

| [[Maharaghi|Maharaghi]] || [[wikipedia:Dogū|Shakoukidoguu]]

| [[Fushi No Tori|Fushi No Tori]] || [[wikipedia:Phoenix|Phoenix]]

| [[Izanami|Izanami]] || [[wikipedia:Izanami|Izanami]]

| [[Tsukuyomi|Tsukuyomi]] || [[wikipedia:Tsukuyomi|Tsukuyomi]]

| [[Gundari|Gundari]] || [[wikipedia:Kuṇḍali|Kuṇḍali]]

| [[Aratama|Aratama]] , [[Nikitama]], and [[Nikitama|NikitamaSakitama]] || [[wikipedia:Mitama|Mitama]]

| [[Inaba White Rabbit|Inaba White Rabbit]] || [[wikipedia:Moon RabbitHare_of_Inaba|Moon RabbitHare of Inaba]]

| [[Otohime|Otohime]] || [[wikipedia:Oto-hime|Oto-hime]]

| [[Yata-Garasu|Yata-Garasu]] || [[wikipedia:Three-legged crow|Three-legged crow]]

| [[Kinka-byo|Kinka-byo]] || [[wikipedia:bakeneko|Bakeneko]]|-}| [[Shinobird Crane|Shinobird Crane]] || The wearing of [[wikipedia:Yukata|Yukata]] during [[wikipedia:Tanabata|Tanabata]]{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | [[Shinobird Pigeon]] |+ {{nowrap| Possibly writing of [[wikipedia:Tanzaku|Tanzaku]] during [[wikipedia:Tanabata|Tanabata]]Spirit support}}! Support card !! Origin

| [[Shinobird CrowIzanagi]] || Possibly the Magpies that aid [[wikipedia:OrihimeIzanagi|Orihime]] during [[wikipedia:Tanabata|TanabataIzanagi]]

| [[Shinobaron PeacockMirror of Yata]] || The cowherd [[wikipedia:HikoboshiYata no Kagami|HikoboshiYata no Kagami]]

| [[Shinobaroness PeacockSword of Kusanagi]] || The princess [[wikipedia:OrihimeKusanagi no Tsurugi|OrihimeKusanagi no Tsurugi]]

| [[Yoko-Zuna Sumo SpiritOrb of Yasaka]] || [[wikipedia:SumoYasakani no Magatama|Sumo]]|-| [[Kai-Den Kendo Spirit]] || [[wikipedia:Kendo|Kendo]]|-| [[Kuro-Obi Karate Spirit]] || [[wikipedia:Karate|KarateYasakani no Magatama]]

==HistoryPlaying style==Spirit monsters debuted in ''[[Mythological Age]]'' and received support for the first time in ''[[The Duelist Genesis]]'', which was released almost 7 years later. When they are reprinted, it is usually in [[Structure Deck]]s and [[Tournament Pack]]s. There are no [[archetype]]s focused on Spirit monsters, but there is one [[series]] that does, "[[Shinobird]]". The only two archetypes that have Spirit monsters as members are "[[Ice Barrier]]" ("[[Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier]]") and "[[Gishki]]" ("[[Gishki Natalia]]" and "[[Gishki Emilia|Emilia]]"). Both archetypes are [[WATER]]-Attribute, and their Spirit monsters don't represent any real life mythological inspirations, instead representing revived spirits of dead characters of their storyline. All of these Spirit monsters were introduced in the ''[[Hidden Arsenal (series)|Hidden Arsenal]]'' series. Due to the low speed of a dedicated Spirit Deck, as well as their lack of Special Summons and field presence, they never experienced competitive relevance as a Deck theme (although individual members did). There are several competitively noteworthy Spirit monsters, such as "[[Yata-Garasu]]", the fundamental part of the ''[[Yata-Garasu Lockdown]]'', which has long been [[Forbidden]]; "[[Tsukuyomi]]", which used to be Forbidden due to its ability to [[Set]] [[Flip monster]]s again to allow them to activate their effects again, enabling powerful loops; and "[[Asura Priest]]", whose ability to attack every opposing monster was unique at the time of its release.

===In the anime===In the ''[[YuSpirit monsters, as an individual Spirit-Gi-Oh! (anime)|Yufocused deck, are focused on overcoming their negative self-Gi-Oh!]]'' animerestrictions, and utilizing Spirit support cards to bring out powerful individual Spirit monsters and use their strong effects in episodes the one turn they stay on the field. Due to their Main Deck nature and Special Summoning restriction, Spirit-focused Decks are primarily focused on [[Yu-Gi-Oh! - Episode 117Normal Summon|117Normal]] and [[Yu-Gi-Oh! - Episode 118|118Tribute Summon]]ing; however, [[Noah Kaiba]] used Spirit monsters in his duel against Decks focused on the [[Yami YugiShinobird]]. According to him, the Ritual Spirit boss monsters were created by focus on [[Maximillion PegasusRitual Summon]] when he was traveling to Eastern Asia and drew inspiration from the religions and mythologies from that regioning instead.

In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' and ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V]]'', "Asura Priest" and "Dark Dust While Spirit" had cameo appearances, monsters can be played as staple monsters in episodes [[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - Episode 111|111]] and [[Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V - Episode 021|21]]historical Decks due to having relatively strong effects that made up for their negative effects (relative to their contemporaries), respectivelymost Spirit monsters have become obsolete as the metagame progressed.

==Text==Latest effect text (using Spirit monsters have a wide variety of effects. Key Spirit monsters that provide consistency include "[[Aratama]]", a monster searcher, "[[Nikitama]]" and "[[Problem-Solving Card Text|PSCTSakitama]]) reads as follow:{{Quote|Cannot be Special Summoned. ", who grant extra Normal Summons to Spirits, and "[[...Konohanasakuya]] Once per turn", during a Special Summon extender with a GY effect to let a Spirit monster stay on the End Phase, if this card was Normal Summoned or flipped facefield (by preventing its return-up this turn: Return it to the -handeffect from activating).}}

==Playing style==Major Spirit boss monsters return to include the hand during the End Phase of the turn they were Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, so it is difficult to maintain field presence. This can be worked around with cards like "[[Spiritual Energy Settle Machine]]", "[[Mirror of Yata]]" and "[[Izanagi]]", which allow Spirit monsters to remain on the field in spite of their effects. Also, "[[Shinobaron Peacock]]" and "[[Shinobaroness Peacock]]" can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Spirit monster ([[ignoring the Summoning conditions]]), which in turn will stay on the field, since it will not have been Normal Summoned. Alternately, some cards provide positive effects whenever a Spirit monster returns to the player's handfollowing: "[[Spirit's Invitation]]" forces an opponent's monster to return to the hand whenever a Spirit returns to the hand.

Spirit monsters have a wide variety of effects, including searching for cards (e.g* "[[Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi]]" empties the opponent's entire hand before their Draw Phase if it inflicts battle damage. * "[[AratamaYamata Dragon]]"), allowing an extra Normal Summon (e.gfills its controller's hand with up to 5 cards if it inflicts battle damage. * "[[NikitamaDark Dust Spirit]]"), retrieving fallen destroys all other face-up monsters (e.gwhen Normal Summoned. * "[[IzanamiFenghuang]]"), locking destroys all of the opponent's attacks (e.gSet Spell/Traps when Normal Summoned. * "[[Great Long NoseAmaterasu]]"), and destroying all monsters the opponent controls (e.g. "which can only be [[Dark Dust SpiritNormal Set|Set]]"). "Shinobaron Peacock" and "Shinobaroness Peacock" Special Summon a Spirit monster , will [[ignoring its Summoning conditionsBanish]] while getting rid of every card on the field other than itself if it flips face-up to 3 opposing cards in the process, and .* "[[Shinobird SalvationAmano-Iwato]]" destroys an opposing card once per turn when a , which prevents all non-Spirit monsters from activating their effects. It is arguably the most powerful Spirit boss monster returns , as it can be easily summoned, and provides a strong continuous lockdown effect, providing real field presence in the opponent's turn if the player manages to have "Amano-Iwato" stay on the handfield.

Two of the strongest The Ritual Spirit monsters, "[[Hino-Kagu-TsuchiShinobaron Peacock]]" and "[[Yamata DragonShinobaroness Peacock]]", focus on maintaining significant hand advantage over despite their status as Ritual monsters, are arguably the most accessible, powerful, and relevant Spirit monsters in the opponentgame. Being Ritual monsters, with their effects activating when they inflict have access to large amounts of Ritual support, including the powerful "[[battle damagePre-Preparation of Rites]]: "Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi. Their Ritual Spell, " empties the opponent[[Shinobird's entire hand before Calling]]", can use GY Spirit monsters as resources for their Draw PhaseRitual Summon. Once Summoned, while "Yamata Dragon" fills its controller's hand with they can both remove up to 5 3 opposing cards. The highest level and Special Summon a Spirit monster "[[Amaterasuignoring its Summoning conditions]], being one of the few monsters that (typically "[[Cannot be Normal Summoned]] or [[Normal Set|SetAmano-Iwato]]", which will [[Banish]] every card stay on the field other than itself ), and after they return to the hand in the End Phase, will float into two tokens. These two Ritual monsters are easily accessible and instantly provide removal and board presence upon hitting the field, making it a devastating game changer if your opponent attacks the Set Amaterasu with no prior warningthem extremely effective Spirit boss monsters.

Since Spirit monsters only return to the hand during the End Phase In terms of the turn they are Normal Summoned or flipped face-upsupportive Spell/Traps, if they fail to return to the handSpirits lack efficient consistency Spell/Traps, such as due to "[[Dimensionhole]]" and mostly have obsolete battle-focused Spell/Traps or "[[Forbidden Chalice]]", they will not conditional card effects that remove their self-return to the hand in subsequent turns. Summoning Spirits through the effects of [[Shinobaron Peacock]] and [[Shinobaroness Peacock]] will also enable Spirit monsters to stay on the field, since they were never normal summoned. There are however monsters like "[[Dark Dust Two Spirit]]" and "Fenghuang" support Spell/Traps that shine when they can be used repeatedly. Both still have the ability to level the field, some relevancy are "[[Dark Dust SpiritShinobird Power Spot]]" destroying all monsters, "Fenghuang" destroying all of the opponent's set spell/trap cards. Summoning them repeatedly can be made easier by running cards like "Majiosheldon" which provides stat boosts and conditional searches, and "[[The Monarchs StormforthShinobird Salvation]]". When running these cards, using "Escalation of the Monarchs" as well is advised, as it allows the player which destroys an opposing card when a Spirit monster returns to splash either of these monsters during the opponents turn, repeatedly regaining field controlhand.

* "[[Gorz the Emissary of Darkness]]", "[[Tragoedia]]" and "[[Battle Fader]]": due to the lack of field presence, the player {{Decklist|Recommended cards<!-- This is likely to be frequently open for direct attacksnot an exact Decklist. Also, these monsters can be used as fodder for the Tribute Summon of a Spirit monsterDo not add multiples or staples.-->

|effect monsters =* "[[MarshmallonBattle Fader]]" and "* [[Spirit Reaper]]": Since these monsters cannot be destroyed in battle, they can survive long enough to be used as tributes for a highBlack Luster Soldier -level monster, as long as your opponent doesn't use card effects to destroy them. Use "[[My Body as a ShieldEnvoy of the Beginning]]", "* [[Magic JammerElectromagnetic Turtle]]", "* [[Seven Tools of the BanditSpeedroid Menko]]", and other spell/trap/destruction negation cards to protect them.

* "[[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning]]": it can be a great [[beatstick]], and can be Summoned by banishing, for example, "Nikitama", "[[Otohime]]", "[[Asura Priest]]" or "[[Effect Veiler]]" and "Yamato-no-Kami", "[[Aratama]]", "[[Great Long Nose]]" etc, giving the fallen Spirit |spirit monsters a last utility.=* "[[Forbidden Chalice]]": can be very useful, as it can negate the signature effect of the Spirit monsters and keep them on the field. Use this card after you used their main effect, like after attacking with "Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi" or after destroying a Spell/Trap Card with "Yamato-no-Kami". This card is more valuable when used on high-level monsters, such as "Great Long Nose" or "Yamata Dragon", or Spirits whose effects don't activate upon being Normal Summoned or flipped faceAmano-up, such as "Asura Priest" or "Fushi No Tori". * "[[D.D. Sprite]]": this monster can also be used to keep a Spirit monster on the field, and since it is a [[Tuner monster]], it can allow the Deck to perform [[Synchro Summon]]s. "[[Ancient Sacred Wyvern]]" is a useful [[Synchro MonsterIwato]] that can be Summoned by using one of the Level 6 Spirit monsters; since the Deck frequently has cards that increase the difference between the players' [[LP]] ("[[Spring of Rebirth]]", "[[Orb of Yasaka]]", "[[Fushi No Tori]]", etc.), this monster can be used at its maximum potential. * "[[Slacker Magician]]": this monster can be easily Summoned by the effect of "[[Kinka-byo]]" and can serve as a wall, since it cannot be easily removed from the field, except by effects that don't target. * "[[Creature Swap]]"/"[[Mystic Box]]": the Spirit monster given to the opponent will return to its owner's hand anyway. * "[[The Monarchs Stormforth]]"/"[[Soul Exchange]]": These cards can be used to get rid of an opponent's monster while also Tribute Summoning a Spirit monster. * "[[Soul TransitionAmaterasu]]": this card's drawback of not allowing Special Summons during the turn it is used generally is not a problem. It is best used if the monster tributed as cost is "Nikitama", while you control another Spirit monster, preferably "Aratama": in this scenario it is possible to draw 3 cards while also replacing the Tributed "Nikitama" with another copy of it, searched by "Aratama". {{Decklist|Recommended cards|monsters =<!-- This is not an exact Decklist. Do not add multiples or staples.-->

* [[AmanoTsumuha-IwatoKutsunagi the Lord of Swords]]

* [[KinkaYata-byoGarasu]] |tuner monsters =* [[D.D. Sprite]] |pendulum monsters =* [[Disablaster the Matchless Turret]] |ritual monsters =

* [[Izanagi]]* [[Battle Fader]]* [[D.D. Sprite]]* [[Level Eater]]* [[Marshmallon]]* [[Speedroid Menko]]* [[Spirit Reaper]]* [[Electromagnetic Turtle]]* [[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning]]* [[Gorz the Emissary of Darkness]]* [[TragoediaShinobaroness Peacock]]

* [[Slacker Magician]]* [[Daigusto EmeralConstellar Ptolemy M7]]

|normal spells =<!-- This is not an exact Decklist. Do not add multiples or staples.-->* [[Creature Swap]]* [[Mystic Box]]* [[Soul Exchange]] |equip spells =* [[Mirror of Yata]]* [[Orb of Yasaka]]

* [[Creature Swap]]|quick-play spells =* [[Mystic BoxForbidden Chalice]]

|normal traps =<!-- This is not an exact Decklist. Do not add multiples or staples.-->* [[Legacy of Yata-Garasu]] (Combine with "Creature Swap" or , "Mystic Box", or "Hebo, Lord of the River")* [[Soul Transition]]* [[The Golden Apples]] |continuous traps =* [[Metal Reflect Slime]]

* [[Metal Reflect Slime]]* [[The Golden Apples]]* [[Soul TransitionThere Can Be Only One]]

* The main weaknesses Despite having several strong boss monsters, the lack of the consistency support for Spirit Monsters are the fact that they can't stay on the field for long monsters, and cannot be Special Summoned (except "Yamato-No-Kami"), which make them having limited swarming capabilities. Due their inability to swarm the difficulty in maintaining field advantagefor combo plays, this Deck is susceptible still makes it difficult to direct attacksquickly summon Spirit boss monsters. Most Spirit decks thus play extremely slowly, so [[Beatdown]] and [[Aggro]] Decks, like "[[Six Samurai]]", "[[Dark World]]", "[[Yosenju]]", "[[Karakuri]]", "[[Noble Knight]]", "[[Spellbook]]", etc are good against this Decktheir plays can be easily disrupted.* [[Stall]] Decks are a large threat Because Spirit monsters have return to this Deckthe hand during the End Phase, since it is inherently slow due to its lack of swarming and Spirit Decks have very little field presence. If "Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi" or "Yamata Dragon" is Summoned but doesnstaying power, leaving the player't get a chance s board wide open to activate its effect, a lot of resources are wasted. As such, "[[Vengeful Bog Spirit]]", "[[Level Limit - Area B]]", "[[Threatening Roar]]", "[[Gravity Bind]]", "[[Chain Energy]]" and even "[[Skill Drain]]" can mean trouble.* "[[D.D. Designator]]" and "[[Mind Crush]]" can easily pick a card from the playeropponent's hand, since monsters frequently return thereattacks.

* The Spirit monster "[[Yata-Garasu]]" is infamous for [[Yata-Garasu Lockdown|its complete lockdown]] of the opponent's hand when combined with "[[Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End]]"; howeverthus, both have been Yata-Garasu was [[Forbidden]] since from 2004until 2022.

{{GameplayCard types}}