Ritual Monster

Ritual Monster
"Relinquished"
Japanese	儀（ぎ）式（しき）(モンスター)
Japanese (ruby)	ぎしき(モンスター)
Japanese (base text)	儀式(モンスター)
Japanese (romanized)	Gishiki (Monsutā)
English	Ritual (Monster)
Other names French: (Monstre) Rituel German: Ritual(monster) Italian: (Mostro) Rituale Korean: 의식 (몬스터) (儀式 (Monster)) Uisik (Monseuteo) Portuguese: (Monstro de) Ritual Spanish: (Monstruo de) Ritual Traditional Chinese: 儀式怪獸 Yíshì Guàishòu / Ji4 sik1 (Gwaai3 sau3) Simplified Chinese: 仪式怪兽 Yíshì Guàishòu
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Ritual Monsters (Japanese: 儀（ぎ）式（しき）モンスター Gishiki Monsutā) are a type of monsters that must be Ritual Summoned. Their card frame is colored in blue.

Characteristics

Ritual Monsters are stored in the Main Deck. They are Special Summon Monsters; they cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, cannot be Special Summoned with Pendulum Summoning, and cannot be Special Summoned from the hand or Deck by non-Ritual Summoning card effects, unless:

• The effect specifically states that it Special Summons Ritual Monsters (e.g. "Ritual Foregone"), and the Ritual Monster being Summoned does not have a "Must be Ritual Summoned" condition, OR,
• The effect Ignores the monster's Summoning conditions.

If a Ritual Monster is not properly Ritual Summoned before being sent to the Graveyard or banished, it cannot be Special Summoned from there by non-Ritual Summoning card effects.

A properly Special Summoned Ritual Monster loses its status if it is returned to the hand or Deck.

Ritual Summoning condition

Main article: Ritual Summoning condition

Every Ritual Monster mentions one or more cards that can Ritual Summon the Ritual Monster in the first line of its card text. The card(s) mentioned is typically a Ritual Spell, but can also be non-Ritual Spell cards, primarily for the Ritual archetypes that lack a Ritual Spell (e.g. "Megalith", "Libromancer").

The mentioned card(s) is never the only card(s) that can Ritual Summon the Ritual Monster, but rather one that can be used for its Ritual Summon. All Ritual Monsters can be Ritual Summoned using effects of other appropriate Ritual Summoning cards, even if they are not mentioned on the Ritual Monster card.

Ritual Summoning

Main article: Ritual Summon

Ritual Monsters must first be Special Summoned by Ritual Summoning, using the effect of a card that performs a Ritual Summon.

Usually, Ritual Summoning is performed by a Ritual Spell Card, with an effect that involves tributing monsters from the player's hand or field whose levels equal or exceed the Ritual Monster being Ritual Summoned, then Ritual Summoning the Ritual Monster from the player's hand.

In the anime

Ritual Monsters have not featured as a major mechanic in the anime.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (anime)

In Yu-Gi-Oh, some prominent characters used Ritual Monsters, including Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Seto Kaiba, Maximillion Pegasus, Dartz, and the Rare Hunters Umbra and Lumis.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Ritual Monsters occasionally appeared; Fusion Monsters were more prominently associated with the series. Alexis Rhodes used the first Ritual Monster-focused archetype; "Cyber Angel". Bastion Misawa, Titan, and Kaibaman all used a Ritual Monster.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

In Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, a single Ritual Monster appeared, used by Kite Tenjo.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V

In Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Ritual Monsters were used by two characters, Alexis Rhodes and Aura Sentia, neither of whom were featured significantly.

Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

In Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, Ritual Summoning was the first non-Link Summon Special Summon method reintroduced in the series. Yusaku Fujiki and Theodore Hamilton used one Ritual Monster each, and Ai later used one of his own.

Examples

• 

  Non-Effect Ritual Monster ("Magician of Black Chaos")

• 

  Effect Ritual Monster ("Raging Storm Dragon - Beaufort IX")

• 

  Spirit Ritual Monster ("Shinobaron Peacock")

• 

  Tuner Ritual Monster ("Magikey Mechmusket - Batosbuster")

• 

  Pendulum Ritual Monster ("Odd-Eyes Pendulumgraph Dragon")

• 

  Ritual Flip Monster ("Prediction Princess Tarotreith")

Trivia

• Ritual Monsters have the fewest number of anti-support cards of all monster card types, with only 16 cards specifically designed to stop them: "Brutal Beast Battle", "The Bystial Alba Los", "Bystial Baldrake", "Dimensional Barrier", "Heritage of the Light", "Inspector Boarder", "Invincibility Barrier", "Masquerade the Blazing Dragon", "Mikanko Spiritwalk", "New Frontier", "Ritual Buster", "Ritual Sealing", "Simul Archfiends", "Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth", "Steelswarm Sting", "Swordsoul Punishment".

• "Magikey Mechmusket - Batosbuster" is the only Tuner Ritual Monster.

• "Prediction Princess Tarotreith" is the only Flip Ritual Monster.

• "Odd-Eyes Pendulumgraph Dragon" is the only Pendulum Ritual Monster.

• "Drytron Meteonis Alpha Draconids" has the highest ATK and DEF of all Ritual monsters.

• In the early days of the game, Ritual Monsters were seemingly meant to be counterparts of Fusion Monsters:
  • Ritual Monsters needed a Spell specific to each of them. Fusions had a generic Spell they all could use.
  • Rituals needed to be searched for in the Deck. Fusions were easily accessible in the Extra Deck.
  • Rituals could use any monsters, and could use a single monster if the Level was equal or greater than their own. Fusions needed specific monsters, and a minimum of two.

• The blue color scheme for Ritual Monsters in the card game may have been inspired by "Relinquished".

• Yugi Muto and Yusaku Fujiki are the only protagonists to use Ritual Monsters.

• Seto Kaiba and Kite Tenjo are the only rivals to use Ritual Monsters.

• Alexis Rhodes is the only heroine to use Ritual Monsters.