Mark of the Dragon
| Mark of the Dragon | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Kanji |
竜の痣 |
| Rōmaji |
Ryuu no Aza |
| Japanese translated |
Dragon Birthmark |
| English |
Mark of the Dragon
|
| Appears in (anime) | |
A Mark of the Dragon, known as a Dragon Birthmark (竜の痣 Ryuu no Aza) in the Japanese version, is a special mark that indicates that a person is a Signer.
Five thousand years ago, an ancient civilization known as the People of the Stars worshiped a mystical light called the Dragon Star, which was prayed on by the leader of the People of the Stars, the Star Dragon King, at the top of the Stairway to the Dragon Star.
When the star shined, the King knew it would be a message from their god, the Crimson Dragon. The dragon was then Summoned to imprison an incarnation of an ancient evil in the earth. This evil is represented in the Nazca Lines.
According to legend, the Crimson Dragon could only be Summoned with the help of the Signers, whose individual marks either represented the Heart, Hand, Tail, Wings, Foot and Head of the dragon. These people were being searched for by a group known as Yliaster, disguised as the Sector Security. According to what Rex Goodwin told Yusei, he organized the Fortune Cup not only to confirm the identities of Yusei Fudo, Akiza Izinski and Luna as Signers, but also in order to awaken their powers so that they could fight against their nemesis, the Dark Signers.
Interestingly, in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2009: Stardust Accelerator and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia, the Crimson Dragon full mark already had the Heart mark on it.
Owners
| Mark of the Dragon | Signer | Time frame | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head |  |
Yusei Fudo | Episodes 64-154 |
| Wings |  |
Jack Atlas | Birth-episode 154 |
| Foot |  |
Akiza Izinski | Early childhood-episode 154 |
| Hand |  |
Luna | Early childhood-episode 154 |
| Tail |  |
Crow Hogan | Episodes 64-154 |
| Heart |  |
Leo | Episodes 142-154 |
The Head and Tail Marks of the Dragon have been possessed by three other individuals in addition to those listed above.
| Mark of the Dragon | Signer | Time frame |
|---|---|---|
| Tail | Yusei Fudo | Episodes 5-64 |
| Head | Rex Goodwin | Episodes 62-64 |
| Head | Roman Goodwin | Birth - Zero Reverse |
- Note: Five of the six marks were previously owned by the People of the Stars, and the Signers of present day are reincarnations of these people. It is unknown, however, whether the Heart has ever existed before being given to Leo. It is also unknown whether Leo is a reincarnation as well, as both "Black-Winged Dragon" and "Life Stream Dragon" have been seen in ancient flashbacks, though never in the same flashback, and from different time periods.
History
Roman Goodwin's arm once possessed the Head birthmark, but was then severed from his body when Roman became a Dark Signer. Rex then attached Roman's severed arm to himself through the powers of the Dark Signers though he stated that there was some resistance. Regardless he was able to call forth the marks of the other Signers as well. Towards the end of episode 64, Rex lost his Head mark when it transferred to Yusei, and Yusei's Tail birthmark then selected Crow as its new owner.
In the English dub, Yusei assumes that his birthmark is the Head (which at the time was the Tail) after seeing Yanagi's sketch of the Crimson Dragon. However it is proven to be a mistake as in the English dub of episode 62 Rex confirms that his brother's mark is the Head and not the Tail.
Behavior
The Marks of the Dragon indicate a deep connection between the Signers, and represent this by glowing and throbbing at certain times, such as when a Signer is about to Duel against a Dark Signers.
The marks also rival the Dark Signer's dark mark. Whenever a Signer is in the presence of one of the Dark Signers, both of their marks react. In this case the Signer's mark will pulse very painfully on the arm it's on.
The marks give the Signer in question powers and abilities that no normal man possesses. They can be used to locate other Signers if they focus enough, even if the Signer in question is moving. So far, only Akiza used this ability to locate Yusei when he was kidnapped by a rival team. Also, a Mark of the Dragon will always protect the Signer itself or any companions close to them from harm's way or any other kind of threat. The marks may also have the power to materialize Duel Monster cards and their effects.
The mark may also give a Signer access to the Crimson Dragon's full power, as signified by the full mark appearing on the Signer in question. This allows them to summon the "Majestic" versions of their dragons, and in Bonds Beyond Time, Yusei can use its full power to transport himself and others through time.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D Bonds Beyond Time, the mark gives the ability to communicate with both Duel Monster and human spirits.
Combining Marks
It is possible for a Signer to, temporarily, take control of all 6 Marks of the Dragon at once as the entire Crimson Dragon's seal, however the criteria for doing so is sketchy. Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, Rex Goodwin and Leo are the only Signers (past or present) to have done this, with the Legendary Signer (who possessed the whole mark on his chest) being the only exception. Yusei and Jack did so inadvertently while trying to save Kalin Kessler and Carly Carmine, respectively, and possessing all 5 marks allowed them to Summon their respective Majestics monsters. Rex was instead able to do so at will during the 3-vs-1 Shadow Turbo Duel against Yusei, Jack and Crow Hogan. However doing so did not seem to afford him anything non-cosmetic. Yusei was also able to take control of all 5 marks at the end of his Duel with Primo. Leo obtained the seal after being on the verge of death. While at this, the Heart mark formed itself along Luna's Claw Mark within the seal. In episode 150, Yusei receives again the Marks from his friends, and his clothes along with his Duel Runner turn gold when he is about to perform an Over Top Clear Mind. The completed mark appears again on Yusei's back when a time slip is opened up in order to allow Yusei to travel back in time on his duel runner to save Maximillion Pegasus from Paradox, with the help of Jaden Yuki and Yugi Muto in Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D Bonds Beyond Time.
Non-canon appearances
In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2009: Stardust Accelerator, the player's character has a Mark of the Dragon on their arm. This mark was artificially placed there by Rex Goodwin in an attempt to awaken the Crimson Dragon. It is possible this mark is meant to represent the Crimson Dragon's body.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia the player's character gets a Mark of the Dragon at the end of the game. Which mark is not clear since the full mark of the Crimson Dragon is shown. The three main theories are that the player recieves the Head, as Yusei doesn't mention a change in his mark, the Tail, giving Yusei the Head, or an unkown mark such as the Body from WC10.
