Anime Is Yu-Gi-Oh Evil?

[Zanarkand Abes]

Hey, I have been investigating this Yu-Gi-Oh show and card game, and can't quite tell whether it is evil or not. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I need to know ya'lls aspect. When I bought the cards, me and my mother noticed a demonic trend to most of the cards which is also carried through the show with shadow games. However, seeing as it is based on ancient Egypt, that can be justified. But is it me trying to justify something evil, or am I over analysing it? What is ya'lls take on it?

[Jinzouningen17]

Yu-Gi-Oh! is just like Magic, Dungeons and Dragons, Harry Potter, yada yada yada....ITS JUST A GAME/SERIES!! Its fake, its not based on anything real. Its not evil.

Now you talk about the shadow games, think about what you just said real quick. Shadow "Games". Its just a game bruh. Its not like that stuff can happen in real life. If stuff like that is considered evil, then Skeletor from He-Man would be evil. Space "Ghost" would evil, hell Cinderella would be evil(hey, that has magic in it. Bibidi Babidi Buu! :rolleyes: )

Personally, I just think people get too deep into these things, and when they see something like that become a phenominon, they wanna try their hardest and bring it down(not sayin you are, but theres people I run in to that are like that.) Thats pretty much what it is. When people see something get big, they'll try to find the littlest things just to bring it down. They did it wit Disney, Dungeons and Dragons, and anything else that you can think of. Hell, I've ran into people that said Dragonball Z was evil, and that was within the past weekend at work. :eek: JUST because they have special powers and what not, they think its evil.)

But people know that Yu-Gi-Oh! is about to become the hottest thing since buttered toast, so they're gonna try their hardest to try to find the smallest little thing, make it be considered evil, and all that other bullcrap(atleast I know all them Soccer Moms will...no offense if any one actually has a mom like that.)

So NO...Yu-Gi-Oh! is NOT evil. Its just a TV show...its just a card game....its just a video game...ITS FAKE! Make believe. We aint gonna go out there throwin cards at each other, chantin crap tryin to make a Blue Eyes White Dragon appear...although, that would be hot. A Blue Eyes White Dragon come out and destr...*ahem*.

But no, Yu-Gi-Oh! isnt evil. Dont look soo deep into things mang.

*takes a deep breath* Well, now that I've ranted on all this "TV bein evil" stuff, I can just chill now. ^_^

Note: I wasnt takin this on you bruh. Its just the fact that I've come across alot of this lately. *shrugs* But I aint mad at ya. Wasnt tryin to start nothin or what not. Man, I got nothin but love for ya. I just basically said what I wanted to say to all of these people that look too deep into things(those that come into my job and start talkin all this crap about certain things.). You know how it goes man. But like I said, got nothin but love for ya, and if I offended ya in anyway...then I'm sorry. *extends hand*

[Guest Altron Gundam]

Its a frickin anime and MTG like game..no its not evil..

[Hittokiri Zero]

[quote]...I know all them [b]Soccer[/b] Moms... [/quote]

I'm no soccer mom -_o;. my mom's not a soccer mom o_O. But what in the name of raging hell is that supposed to mean. Soccer is the most physically demanding sport out there, to speak of it in such a manner, is absurd. -_+ yeah go figure i'm a soccer player.

Now errr back on topic...

There are "ghost" and "dark" type Pokemon (rofl) now how come no one's complaining about them being evil? O_o!!?

It's just a T.V. show that's the problem with most people they try to find the hidden meaning in something when there is none, they try to turn something good into something bad. It's part of the reason why they butcher anime so it's politically and socially "correct".

[Circ]

Eh, just because it makes reference to Atlantis later, they will try to have Yu-Gi-Oh banned or something?

[Braidless Baka]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Hittokiri Zero [/i]
[B]There are "ghost" and "dark" type Pokemon (rofl) now how come no one's complaining about them being evil? O_o!!?[/B][/QUOTE]

Heh, if you remember, there was a lot of talk about it being "evil" - For example, the "colourless" creatures in the pokemon card game had a symbol like a star, and religious groups all over the country were protesting that is was evil and trying to convert their children with religious propaganda O_o

But anyway... No I don't reckon Yu-Gi-Oh's evil... I'm not a fan of it either... But it's a cartoon, that's all it was and all it ever will be (aside from a card game... and various types of merchandise, ack >_<). I don't think the themes are evil either... if the protagonist is out to save something good through the card-play (which I assume he is) then it can't be evil.

[Imaku3564]

Ya know, when Yu-Gi-Oh came out, it was supposed to be considered PG-13. There's a bunch of things that might not be appropriate for little kids, but it looks like everyone here knows that Yu-Gi-Oh is just a game, and that's the simple truth. Even if it does seem a bit demonic, there's no harm in that. It's just a game.

Now as for that Pokemon comment, it's been attacked by every possible group out there, and there's probably more to come. They've called it demonic, pagan, you name it. And you have to admit, Pokemon [i]was[/i] really big. My argument has always been the same. In Pokemon, Dark is not symbolic for evil, nor are ghosts. Dark is simply the absense of light, a state of being, and in that case, a basic element of the universe from which power can be drawn. Ghosts are simply spirits of the deceased that still remain on the earthly realm; whether they are evil or not simply depends.

[Youko Minamino]

Yuugiou in Japan: 4+
Yuugiou in America: 7+
Uncut Yuugiou in America: 14+

Yuugiou while having its very graphic nature in the manga, as well as in the anime, is just that. A cartoon. It is animated and filmed through an animation camera. Therefore it is a cartoon. And when have cartoons caused trouble in society? When have lots of cartoons promoted the word of lucifer, and etc...

Yuugiou is very violent. I will admit that. Yuugiou even has some satanic talk in the Ancient Egtpy Arc, with Preist Seto raping the girl to gain Godly power. But Yuugiou hasn't caused anyone to kill or rape anyone. Therefore it is not evil.

[Hittokiri Zero]

I can understand the Yu-Gi-Oh manga getting banned or people talking **** about that -_o; because that is a tad more "satanic" in teh beggining. But err yeah. Also I can't get over the fact that in the english yu-gi-oh card game "sacraficing" was changed to "tributing" god damn it it sounds so gay >_>' but the reason it was changed was because people were afraid of all that satanic mumbo jumbo people would make up.

[Domon]

Well basically the people that think it is evil are fanatic Religous people who think anything that has nothing to do with god or something is evil and therefore it should be banned or whatever. I'm so sick of jerks who think card games etc. are evil. Whoever does obviously needs a reality check. Its a game!!!! Duh!!

[TrickyNicky]

*Slinks in like she was never gone*

I guess I know where you're coming from, but still, it's just a TV show/Game. Our mum thought Yugi's hair was a hat - now that's somehow evil. How could anyone wear a hat that pointy....
Anyway, I'm blathering. I agree with Domon. I'm quite a religious person myself, but even I'm crazy abotu Harry Potter and watch YGO. As long as people don't get too caught up and obsessed, it's pretty safe to say it's fine.

[DeathBug]

Well, since YuGiOh is Japanese, and a good majority of the Japanese don't practice the Christian faith, it can logically not be intended to be 'evil' by Christian standards.

[Solo Tremaine]

Many people interpret it to be evil, but it really isn't, not least because that isn't what the show's trying to convey. It does not mean to provoke religious antagonism by having 'demon' spirits, and Beelzemon brought up a good point about Christianity- it isn't Japan's major religion, so any references to demons don't mean anything much to them.

I think it's all a case of being read into too much. If you look at it this way, every struggle between good and evil could be interpreted as the fight between heaven and hell, which it isn't necessarily meant to be. There is no plot in anything without a struggle between good and evil. If you want to start calling every vague reference to religion 'evil', then there would be no television at all. If people find it offensive then just don't watch it. It's obviously not made for you.

The American market is just too sanitized for a lot of the Japanese references, which is why some things can be lost in the translation which makes it less enjoyable than in its original form. I've never been particularly religious, but I think it's wrong to damn something that doesn't mean to have possibly offensive references in it. After all, I doubt many people who criticize it has ever watched it- there is always a decent moral behind the story, whether it's not to judge people on their appearance, not to lie, or to always be there for your friends. It's a children's anime. Not evil, is my verdict.

[TrickyNicky]

I say anyone who actually says it is is just sick minded themselves... after all, they're the ones who can see the evil in it...
Does anyone have any idea what I'm wittering on about now?

[Domon]

Yes Faris I understand what you're going at. People who consider things that they don't like evil have absolutely no life and decided to ruin things for other people who like things like Yu-Gi-Oh. And that's what gets me.

[TrickyNicky]

It's so nasty. People like that should mind their own business. I believe that this, like many things, is as case of "If you don't like it, then don't watch it."

[Youko Minamino]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Beelzebumon [/i]
[B]Well, since YuGiOh is Japanese, and a good majority of the Japanese don't practice the Christian faith, it can logically not be intended to be 'evil' by Christian standards. [/B][/QUOTE]


Have you been to Japan or picked up the Almanac? A large percentage of Japan is Christian. Christianity is a very close second in religion in Japan, just so you know.

[Digital Monster]

Note there Youko, [i]second[/i]. The majority is Buddhist in some form or other. But trying not to turn this into a religous debate here, I think it's simply a question of perception. I guess some people are easily offended.

[Solo Tremaine]

According to national statistics, only 1% of Japan's population is Christian. Mind you, that is two million or so people. The major religions are Buddhism and Shinto. But, as Digital_Monster pointed out, this isn't a debate about religion. It just happens that it's mainly the religious groups who get het up about things like this.

It was the same with Harry Potter. The idea seems to be that if it's popular, knock it. And get more publicity while doing so. But some people do have very outspoken views about what's right and wrong, and this is what they believe. In Japan the anime can be very immoral and disturbing, but I'm guessing this is because it's considered a form of art as well as entertainment. It's the same with a lot of the old statues and paintings- in a highly repressed society it seems strange that the statues seem to depict mostly naked people. But it was art, so people didn't object to it. They didn't strut around starkers themselves. It's possible their culture has this frame of mind. In Japan, as far as I know (or at least this is the impression that I get), it isn't considered right to display emotion in public. But in animes, the characters are emotional all the time. So it shows a detachment from reality, and even if it is allegorical to something religious it probably isn't a heavy basing on it- much less in a children's anime.

But cultures will always clash. The thing about the Western societies is that their children's programmes are very protective about what they show- most can't or don't even say 'death' or 'dead'. Suddenly, these programmes come from Japan in which things are torn in half, burnt to a crisp or eliminated in various other gory ways and it's probably just still a bit of a culture shock. Pokemon caused a huge stir when it arrived because of it's display of violence. It'll probably still be a while before people become accustomed to the things represented in anime.

[SS5 Gogeta]

There are a lot of Japanese anime that are based upon myths and legends instead of religion, which most people here in America thinks. People should just see that things represented in anime and manga are just forms of entertainment, which happen to have a little bit of myths and legends to keep things interesting. If you see an episode of South Park with the Japan trying to take over America through pokemon, that's probably the exact thing that people here think. Some people think that anime is suppose to try to teach their kids a new religion.

People here can understand that fantasy books don't imply to any religion but can't realize that mangas are pretty much considered as fantasy books in Japan. Life in Japan is so stressful, people would just rather read a manga instead of sit down and read a book. As anime and manga started to become more popular, they became like novels. So just like some romance scenes in books, they describe some nudity in it using words, while in a manga, they have to describe it using a drawn figure. So people in Japan aren't sick, they just use mangas as a form of telling a story.

Sorry that I wrote so much, I just had to write out my opinion on a subject that I believe shouldn't exist.

[Domon]

Its not a problem Gogeta. I fully agree with you. I mean it would be hard to read a book like we read in Japanese, I mean the print for books would have to be extremely small and those symbols that are used can become quite easily mistaken for another one so that's why Magna is so popular. They are novels, just that they do the story with Pictures

[G.D. Ryoko]

I don`t think that Yugioh is evil. However the cards kind of scare my parents. They don`t take it for evil but they say the cards look demonic. I asked my mom why people think yugioh and pokemon are evil and she said`` probably because they are extreme christians like her friend is.`` My mother`s friend doesn`t let her poor daughter watch anime or cartoons that are 7 and older and the poor girl is going to be 9 in June.

[LastSheikah]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by G.D. Ryoko [/i]
[B]I don`t think that Yugioh is evil. However the cards kind of scare my parents. They don`t take it for evil but they say the cards look demonic. I asked my mom why people think yugioh and pokemon are evil and she said`` probably because they are extreme christians like her friend is.`` My mother`s friend doesn`t let her poor daughter watch anime or cartoons that are 7 and older and the poor girl is going to be 9 in June. [/B][/QUOTE]

My parents think anything that involves monters is bad. Of course, My mom does like Teletubbies and Barney and was scared to death of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter #2...And my dad is scared of chat rooms...O_o ? But compared to my little sister :flaming: :devil: :mad: YGO...well is rather...You get the picture...:bluesweat :grumble:
Oy, I have a pathetic family...I don't get it...
I just vow to NEVER show my parents any fiend type cards...heheheh.

[Bandit Joeykuba]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SS5 Gogeta [/i]
[B]There are a lot of Japanese anime that are based upon myths and legends...[/B][/QUOTE]
This is true. And by looking at YGO cards, you see links to myths and also real history.

HISTORY- Take 'Giant Rat' for example. The rat may seem demonic to some because it's holding a small human skull and grinning. I think that it could also represent the Black Plague, a famous desease that killed many and it's main cause was rats. The 'Bubonic Vermin' has a rodent onit. Bubonic refers to a plague, so yet another reference to the Black Plague (or another plague like it.). 'St. Joan' is based of of a real heroine, Joan of Arc. She was dubbed a saint later on.

Myth- 'Legendary sword' is probably based on Excaliber, King Arthur's fabeled sword. It was considered a legenedary sword. 'Firewing Pegasus' is based off of the winged horse in Greek/Roman mythology.

Real Things- 'Dark Hole' is based off it's real counter-part that does suck everything, including light, into it.

That's all I have time to do now for that.

I guess it really does depend on how you look at it. I find nothing evil about it. I'll qoute my mom to conclude, "As long as you know it's fake, it's okay.":whoops:

[Mina]

Heh..
My parents don't have an opinion on the cards 'cept that Konami's brainwashing kids. But most of the time they don't care as long as I don't 'waste' money buying YGO cards.
My dad...he thinks all cartoons are Pokemon.
And my sister, she thinks Pegasus exists and is somewhere in California creating cards. This is getting embarrassing.:blush: