Millennium Puzzle (manga)
The Millennium Puzzle (
This is the original depiction of the Millennium Puzzle.
Events
It is written in the Book of the Dead that whoever solves the Millennium Puzzle inherits the Shadow Games, becomes the guardian of right and passes judgment on evil.[1]
The Millennium Puzzle was placed inside a box. According to Yugi Mutou, the hieroglyphics etched into the box read "whoever solves this puzzle shall be granted one wish". According to Sugoroku Mutou, they said "the one who solves me shall gain the powers of knowledge and darkness".[1]
The Millennium Puzzle was found at the beginning of the twentieth century in the Valley of the Kings. A British archaeological team removed it from the Pharaoh's crypt. However, everyone on the team died a mysterious death with the last one uttering "the Shadow Games" in his dying breath.[1]
Sugoroku Mutou came to possess the Millennium Puzzle and left it on a shelf in his family's game store, Kame Game. It was later found by his grandson, Yugi Mutou, who regarded the Puzzle as his greatest treasure and spent the next eight years trying to solve it and always carried it around in its box.[1]
One day while Yugi was sitting alone at school with the Puzzle, Hiroto Honda snatched it from him and tossed it to Katsuya Jonouchi as the two of them taunted Yugi. Jonouchi secretly swiped the center piece of the Puzzle from the box before throwing it back to Honda. However Anzu Mazaki arrived and caught the box before Honda. She returned the Puzzle to Yugi and told the others to leave him alone. Without Yugi's knowledge, Jonouchi threw the piece of the puzzle he took into the school's swimming pool.[1]
Ushio declared himself to be Yugi's bodyguard and beat up Jonouchi and Honda. Despite Yugi insisting he did not want that and defending Jonouchi and Honda, Ushio imposed a bodyguard fee of ￥200,000 (about US$1800 at the time) and beat up Yugi as a warning should he not pay. Moved by Yugi defending him, Jonouchi recovered the piece of the puzzle he threw into the pool. He returned it to Sugoroku later that day and told him what Ushio was doing to Yugi. While thinking of what to do about the fees, Yugi found himself compelled to work on the Millennium Puzzle, finding it much easier to solve than previous attempts. He got to the point where the only piece left was the one Jonouchi who had taken and panicked on realizing it was missing. However Sugoroku returned the piece to him and secretly slipped money for the fees into Yugi's bag. Knowing the person who solves the Millennium Puzzle gets the power to pass judgment on evil, he suspected Ushio would be the one getting into trouble.[1]
Yugi's completion of the Millennium Puzzle caused Dark Yugi to emerge, with the ability to take control of Yugi's body for what Yugi would see as moments of memory loss. Dark Yugi then confronted Ushio and proposed they play the Money and Knife Shadow Game for double the money Ushio had demanded. Ushio's attempt to cheat resulted in him suffering a Penalty Game.[1]
Yugi believed solving the Puzzle would grant a wish and had earlier wished for friends. The events that took place in the lead up to his completion of the Puzzle caused Jonouchi to become Yugi's friend, which Yugi regarded as the fulfilment of the wish.[1]
History of possession
| Holder | Means of acquisition |
|---|---|
| Akhenamkhanen | Created for, to protect his kingdom |
| Atem | Inherited from his late father |
| Bakura | Stolen |
| Atem | Regained from Bakura |
| Sugoroku Mutou | Recovered from Atem's tomb |
| Yugi Mutou | Found in his family's game shop |
| Curator Kanekura | Lent to |
| Shadi Shin | Safe kept after killing Kanekura |
| Yugi Mutou | Returned to from Shadi |
| Street Fighter | Stole |
| Katsuya Jonouchi | Retrieved |
| Yugi Mutou | Returned to from Joey |
| Imori | Stole |
| Yugi Mutou | Recovered |
| Katsuya Jonouchi | Lent to |
| Yugi Mutou | Returned to |
| Atem | Used in the Shadow RPG |
| Bakura, King of Thieves | Stole |
| Atem | Retrieved |
| Yugi Mutou | Returned to the Memory Tablet, where it was dismantled and is sealed away |
| Seto Kaiba | Excavated |
| Seto Kaiba | Aigami steals two pieces from Kaiba |
| Aigami | |
| Seto Kaiba | Aigami gives a piece to Sera |
| Aigami | |
| Sera | |
| Seto Kaiba | Sera gives her piece to Yugi |
| Aigami | |
| Yugi Muto | |
| Seto Kaiba | Yugi wins a piece from Aigami |
| Yugi Muto | |
| Seto Kaiba | Yugi completes the puzzle for Kaiba, to show Atem is not inside |
| Yugi Muto | Kaiba gives Yugi the puzzle to summon Atem |
| Atem | Takes the puzzle with him as he returns to the afterlife |
