World Championship Qualifiers
National Tournaments happen in selected countries, organized by Konami, usually through their official distributors in the nation.
In Europe and South America, there is also a continental championship featuring duelists from across the continent.
In the Anime/Manga
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime, several national champions have been seen, although limited to the United States and Japan.
American National Champions in the Anime/Manga
"Bandit" Keith Howard was a former American national champion until he lost the title to Maximillion Pegasus. (In the English dub, Keith was classified the Intercontinental Champion as the setting for the series was made more vague.)
Later in the series, Leon von Schroder (Leonhart von Schroider in the Japanese) became the European National Champion, participating in Seto Kaiba's KC Grand Prix Championship.
Japanese National Champions in the Anime/Manga
Seto Kaiba was formerly the Japanese national champion prior to pulling out of the latest national championship, leaving Weevil Underwood to claim the title. In the 4Kids dub, he is an American national champion along with Weevil Underwood.
