Ancient Egypt (place)

Egypt, especially as it appears in the pre-Classical period, is an important part of the some of the earliest Yu-Gi-Oh! lore, as it pertains to the the history and plot arc of one of the first protagonists, Yami Yugi, as well as the in-universe development of the Duel Monsters card game. The setting continues to exert an aesthetic influence on the modern day OCG/TCG through themes such as "Triamid" and "Ogdoadic".

Historical context

The fertile Nile River, cutting through the harsh Sahara Desert, is one of the cradles of human civilization, with multiple of the very first true states rising along its course. Approximately 5000 years before the present day, King Narmer/Menes unified Upper Egypt in the south with Lower Egypt in the north, forming the unified polity recognized as the official start of Egypt as it has been known throughout history. Narmer is considered the first "pharaoh" in historiography, though the term only acquired its modern meaning long after his life. Ancient Egypt experienced three "golden ages" referred to as the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom, with the comparative "dark ages" in-between being referred to as Intermediate Periods, and each of these ages is traditionally further divided into Dynasties (similar to imperial China).

The iconic pyramids, mausoleums for pharaohs wishing to project power, were mostly completed during the Old Kingdom, with the Great Pyramid of Giza being the tallest man-made structure for most of recorded human history. These were later abandoned in favor of excavated burials tombs such as those at the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, largely to help deal with the threat of grave-robbing (such tombs can be seen in-franchise with Pharoah Atem and Anubis). Other distinguishing features of Egyptian civilization that are sometimes seen in Yu-Gi-Oh! media include: Ancient Egyptian religion (from which deities such as "Horus" and "Nephthys" originate), including the use of magical amulets and other items (analogues to the Millenium Items), as well as mummification of the deceased; hieroglyphic writing (as seen in places such as video game loading screens and backgrounds); the Afro-Asiatic Egyptian languages (such as chanted by Anubis in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light); music that includes instruments such as the ney, simsimiyya and local drum varieties (influencing soundtracks e.g. that of Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monster Coliseum); and use of a stylized eye as a motif of magic and power (from which the franchise's Eye of Wdjat symbol is derived).

Egypt was conquered by foreign powers repeatedly in its history, such as temporarily by the Semitic Hyksos people and also during its incorporation into the Kushite Empire (centered on modern-day Sudan). However, a succession of conquests would mark the end of many of the traditional practices it is remembered for. The last native kings were ousted when Egypt was added to the Persian (Iranian) Achaemenid Empire by the successors of Cyrus the Great. The Hellenistic Macedonian forces under Alexander the Great and his generals, including Ptolemy Soter, took Egypt during their conquest of that empire; after Alexander's death Ptolemy would establish the independent Ptolemaic Egypt, during which Egypt came under increasing Greek cultural influence. The last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty was the famous Queen Cleopatra, who clashed with the Roman Empire, leading to Egypt coming under long-term Roman control. During its time as a Roman province the polytheistic religious traditions were rapidly abandoned in favour of the new religion of Christianity. The majority religion would change again when Egypt was an early conquest of the first Islamic Caliphate, after which the general language of the population as well as other cultural practices became increasingly Arabic. After changing ruling dynasties several more times, eventually Egypt came into the hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, who lost the territory to the British Empire in the modern era, from which the modern state of Egypt achieved independence.

Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime

Solomon Muto, a gaming enthusiast and archeological explorer, investigates the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh in the Valley of the Kings. After strange and life-threatening events, he retrieves the pieces of a mysterious artefact known as the Millenium Puzzle and takes it with him to Domino City (located in Japan in the original version) where he opens a game store. His grandson, Yugi Muto, a timid schoolboy, takes the puzzle and completes it, accidentally awakening an ancient spirit which can take possession of his body. The spirit asserts itself against various threatening individuals Yugi and his friends encounter, subjecting the antagonists to supernatural contests known as Shadow Games, which severely punish the loser of the game.

Meanwhile, Maximillion Pegasus, the American head of a gaming company and wielder of the Millennium Eye, has created a trading card game, eventually marketed as "Duel Monsters", secretly based on ancient rituals from a lost age of Ancient Egypt, where powerful individuals would use monsters called ka to engage in Shadow Games of their own. Yugi and the spirit are forced to win Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom Tournament and defeat him in order to free the souls of Yugi's grandfather, Yugi's rival Seto Kaiba, and the latter's brother. During the tournament the connection to Ancient Egypt starts to be revealed. The Millenium Eye is claimed by the spirit inhabiting yet another Millenium Item, the Millennium Ring, using the body of Yugi's classmate Bakura.

Ishizu Ishtar, a museum curator and member of the Tomb Keeper clan, who live an isolated and subterranean existence in Egypt guarding the secrets of the Nameless Pharaoh, manipulates Kaiba into hosting a tournament of his own, the Battle City Tournament. She identifies Kaiba as the reincarnation of an ancient rival to the Pharaoh, the Egyptian priest named simply Seto, and that the spirit inhabiting Yugi Muto's body is that of the Pharaoh himself. During the tournament the Millenium Items gather, and the three Egyptian God Cards come into play, cards that contain the spirits and power of Ancient Egyptian deities. Yugi and the Pharaoh are victorious, but are now compelled to use the cards to enact a ceremony described by Marik Ishtar to rediscover the past.

Eventually the group travel to modern-day Egypt, and enact the ritual, which transports them all into the Nameless Pharoah's memories of the distant past (circa 1000 BC in the original, 3000 BC in the English dub), including recreations of the places and people he knew in life. Here they must overcome the threat of the Spirit of the Ring in his mortal form, Thief King Bakura, the last survivor of the village of Kul Elna, which was destroyed to create the Millenium Items. The final antagonist, however, is revealed to be Zorc Necrophades an extremely powerful and evil being who the Pharaoh defeated in the original rendition of the past.

After Zorc is overcome, Yugi and the Pharaoh hold one final Duel Monsters match in Ancient Egyptian ruins. This acts as a ceremony to release the spirit, who can now enter the afterlife, having recovered his name and completed his goals of stopping the ancient evils and helping Yugi to grow into a confident and skilled gamer in his own right.

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions

In an epilogue to the original manga series, Yugi and Kaiba must stop Aigami, the disciple/foster son of Shadi (who was an Egyptian who as a spirit aided and directed Yugi and others during the plot of the original series). Shadi's death and Bakura's acquisition of the Millenium Ring take place in Egypt, in the ruins where the Items are kept. Sand and deserts appear in several places not explicitly set in Egypt. The ending features Seto Kaiba traveling to a dimension that seems to be intended to be the afterlife as depicted in Ancient Egyptian religion.

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light

Anubis, a being known as the Lord of Death, awakens after his tomb in Egypt is excavated. He seeks revenge against Yami Yugi for a previous defeat in the distant past.

Further References to Ancient Egypt include:

• Prominently featured is the Pyramid of Light, a magical item modeled after a traditional Egyptian pyramid, including being light colored on the sides and metallic on top, with gold accents (which is how the pyramids were decorated after construction).
• Anubis himself being named after an Egyptian god of death, and using a similar canine motif.
• Anubis' "Sphinx" deck being a reference to a famous ancient structure in Egypt.
• The inner world of the Pyramid containing reanimated mummies.

Places in Ancient Egypt

• Kul Elna
• Shrine of the Millennium Stone
• Shrine of Wedju
• Pharaoh's palace
• The Valley of the Kings (including the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh)
• The Winking Camel

Characters from Ancient Egypt

• Aknadin
• Aknamkanon
• Gebelk
• Isis
• Karim
• Kisara
• Mahad
• Mana
• Seto
• Shada
• Shimon Muran

Spin-off material

Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters

Solomon invites his grandson and his friends along when an Egyptian pyramid is discovered out-of-place in Asia. Eventually the group must defeat the dark personality of Alexander the Great. An ending scene of the arc features Alexander and Yami Yugi, both dressed and set in an Ancient Egyptian context, respectfully addressing one another.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Abidos the Third is another character said to be an ancient pharaoh, and utilizes a deck that is themed accordingly. His name references a place in Egypt, while his sun and celestial boat aspects allude to the real-world mythology surrounding Ra.

Pegasus is still alive and actively contributing to the game by undertaking archaeological visits to Egypt for inspiration for new Duel Monster cards, such as in the case of "Rainbow Dragon".

Tragoedia, the final antagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga, was formerly a citizen of Kul Elna that survived the Pharaoh Aknadin's massacre of the population, and uses another Egyptian-themed Deck.

In the OCG/TCG

The names of the following sets contain references to Ancient Egypt:

• Pharaoh's Servant
• Curse of Anubis
• Pharaonic Guardian
• Pharaoh's Inheritance

Themes

Theme	Reference
Egyptian God	Cards representing in-franchise Egyptian deities. Ra and Osiris (in the Japanese name of Slifer) are deities found in Ancient Egyptian religion. Obelisks are stone monuments shaped like free-standing square pillars; ancient Egyptians erected them for commemoration, covering them with hieroglyphic writing.
"Exodia"	Exodia features motifs such as ankhs and a head-dress themed after pharaonic death masks. Its name alludes to the Exodus, an event from Abrahamic religion where former Hebrew slaves escaped from Egypt, as depicted in the Biblical book of the same name.
"Gravekeeper's"	Based on the Tomb Keepers from the original manga, who live underground in Egypt and trace themselves back to those who served the Nameless Pharaoh after his death.
"Horus"	Derived from the falcon-headed Egyptian deity of the same name, and his four sons, the latter being associated with canopic jars (vessels to contain a mummy's eviscerated organs).
"Millennium"	Related to "Exodia". Cards that have various connections to Yu-Gi-Oh! characters that lived in or visited Egypt. Often feature the Eye of Wdjat.
"Nephthys"	Based on an Egyptian goddess associated with magic, death and dusk. The western phoenix (a mythical bird), which resurrects after dying is said to have its origins in Egypt. Cyclical resurrection and the practice of magic are important themes in Ancient Egyptian religion.
"Ogdoadic"	Based on eight highly archaic Egyptian deities, depicted as amphibians and reptiles, associated with the chaotic primordial waters from which the world emerged in many ancient religions.
"Palladium"	Depicts ancient Egyptian characters from the manga in appropriately-inspired fantasy garb. "Ankuriboh" has an ankh.
Sarcophagus	Themed around mummies and such-like.
"Sphinx"	The Great Sphinx of Giza is, besides the pyramids, often considered the most iconic of ancient Egyptian architectural feats.
"Triamid"	Depicts a what-if scenario regarding the pyramids being transforming machines. The monsters feature Egyptian animalistic and pharaonic aesthetics.

Individual cards

Not including those that feature the Eye of Wdjat as their only reference.

Card	Reference
"Embodiment of Apophis"	Has a retrain, "Apophis the Swamp Deity". Apophis/Apep is a serpentine entity that attacks Ra in the Ancient Egyptian myths surrounding the daily solar cycle.
"The End of Anubis"	Card is based on the Ancient Egyptian canine-headed deity Anubis, whose domain is entry into the afterlife, including body preparation (mummification) and judgement of souls.
"Judgement of the Pharaoh"	Depicts Atem standing in front of a wall of hieroglyphic text.
"Monster Reborn"	Original artwork is simply an ankh, a symbol that has its origins in Ancient Egyptian religion, and appropriately refers to "Life" (as opposed to Death). International artwork censors this for reasons of religious sensitivity.
"Mystical Beast of Serket"	Serket/Serqet/Selket was an Egyptian goddess associated with scorpions and medicine.
"Neko Mane King"	Based on the Japanese maneki-neko (beckoning cat) good luck charm, but using a pharaonic aesthetic. Cats were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt.
"Nubian Guard"	Nubia was the area to the south of Egypt along the Nile, it's people having a distinct language and being depicted as darker in physical appearance. Nubia and Egypt interacted extensively, including conquering each other, such as during the Kushite Empire. Examples of cultural interconnection between the two places includes the existence of pyramids in Nubia, and the adoption of Nubian deities such as Bes into the Ancient Egyptian pantheon.
"Sebek's Blessing"	Sebek/Sobek was an Ancient Egyptian god associated with the Nile River, crocodiles and appetites.
"Three-Eyed Ghost"	Part of a broader theme used by Tragoedia in the GX manga. Resembles the death mask of a pharaoh.
"The True Name"	Depicts the hand of Atem holding a cartouche, an item/format in which names were inscribed in Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian religion and magic held names to be significant.

Video games

Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monster Coliseum

The stage named Treasure Trove depicts an ancient Egyptian tomb, complete with statues of Anubis and plentiful wealth for the deceased to use in the afterlife. Bandit Keith is the opponent here in Campaign Mode; uniquely, after he is defeated the stage is shown being destroyed.

Trivia

• Like in the original manga and anime, a pharaoh's name was considered magically and spiritually significant, as it was one component of the soul. Various historical pharaohs and their administrations would try to posthumously harm predecessors they didn't appreciate by trying to commit damnatio memoriae against their names, such as what happened with Hatshepsut (for usurping power from her successor Thutmose III and proclaiming herself queen regnant instead of merely acting as a regent) and Akhenaten (for formulating the heresy of Atenistic monotheism and consequently persecuting traditional religious authorities).