Summary
ClassicYu-Gi-Oh!cards are well known for their Egyptian inspiration. However, this is not the only source that the card game pulls from when designing archetypes. You can find designs and inspiration from various mythologies across the world, both ancient and modern. You just need to know where to search.
Some archetypes will bring ancient structures to life while others adapt modern myths and legends with their own unique twists. So what are some of these card archetypes that you’ll be able to recognize as inspired by the real world? How about those that you’d need to dig a little deeper to uncover their roots?
10Earthbound Immortal
The Secret Of The Nazca Lines
The Earthbound Immortals first appeared duringthe Yu-Gi-Oh! 5ds era. They resemble various animals such as monkeys, spiders, and birds. These massive monsters are so powerful, there can only ever be one of them on the field at a time.
These monsters are inspired by the Nazca Lines of Peru. Then symbols are meant to be viewed from up above, where the lines reveal their animal shapes. These same lines can be seen on each of the Earthbound Immortals' bodies with a colorful glow.
9The Egyptian Gods
Egypt’s Powerful Gods
There are plenty of monsters based on Egypt inthe Duel Monsters era of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. After all, the original series has Egypt as a main centerpoint for the story. The Egyptian God cards are the most famous due to their presence in the anime and the number of times they’ve been reprinted.
While The Winged Dragon of Ra’s inspiration is in the English translation. The God inspirations for Slifer and Obelisk take a bit of digging. Slifer’s OCG name is Osiris, which ties it to another named God. However, Obelisk is inspired by an ancient monument tied to Ra itself and not any particular God.
8The Dangers
Modern Creature Mythology
The past has always had creatures of legend such as dragons or the minotaur. Urban legends can be considered the modern equivalent of such mythical creatures, like missing link between apes and humans, or a creature that heralds death and destruction wherever it appears.
Mothman, the Thunderbird, and Loch Ness are members of these cryptid categories that have roots in legends all across the globe. Each one has inspired a different monster in the Danger! archetype while being just as elusive in their gameplay style.
7Vernusylph
Fairies And The UK
Europe has plenty of fairies in the legends and mythologies of England (particularly Cornwall), and Wales. For the Vernusylph archetype, these legends are blended with the stories of Beatrix Potter fora cute spin from Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Here, the fairies give animals the power to maintain balance in nature. These can be seen in the designs of each card by the halos on top of each animal’s head. Some cards even feature the moments when these animals were chosen by the fae for their purpose.
6Nordic And Aesir
Norse Mythology Storms In
There are two distinct archetypes that depict Norse mythology and work together. The Nordics are divided into four categories. These are Norse creatures, elves, people, and artifacts. In-archetype, they are refered to as beasts, alfars, ascendants and relics. One example of this categorization would be Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascent.
The Nordics are meant to synchro into the Aesir archetype, where the Norse inspiration becomes more direct. These are the boss monsters of the archetype, which are based on the Norse Gods, Loki, Odin, and Thor.
5Fire Kings
Mythological Gods Of Fire
The Fire Kings have everything they need to turn up the heat in battle. After all, they are inspired by various deities from Hindu, Chinese, and Greek mythologies. These can be differentiated by their names, designs, as well as the ornate designs of each monster’s armor.
Inspirations for the cards include Ganesha and Garuda from Hindu mythology. Barong is taken from the Bali legends with no changes to its name. Meanwhile, Qilin is a deity from Chinese cultures which appears in the archetype as Kirin.
4Noble Knights
The Legend Of King Arthur
If the Noble Knights seem familiar, it’s because they are based on the old legends of King Arthur. Each of the monsters is based on one of the members of the round table as well as characters King Arthur’s journeys. They even have similar names to their inspirational counterparts.
The King Arthur stand-in for the archetype is Noble Knight Artorigus, who can be seen pulling the legendary sword from the stone. There are even cards depicting iconic locations from the stories, such as Camelot and the Round Table itself.
3The Golden Land
The Lost City Of El Dorado
El Dorado is a legendary city said to be located somewhere in South America. It is made entirely of gold, making whoever discovers it rich beyond their wildest dreams. The Golden Land archetype takes inspiration from this with many golden zombies that failed in their quest.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! card lore, The Golden Land is real but those who stumble upon it are turned into gold themselves. This can be seen in cards like Huaquero and Conquistador, which are both looters and conquerors that attempted to seek treasures only to end up forever tied to the land.
2Bujin
Holy Items And Japanese Clans
To understand the inspiration for the Bujin, you need to brush up a bit on Japanese lore as it encompases multiple stories as the base. This includes the ten treasures known as Tokusa no Kadakara, the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, and the four children of the Shinto creator gods.
The archetype is a blend of all these stories and mythos with an emphasis on using some cards as guardians for the stronger ones. They all have light-filled and divine-looking designs ranging from animals to dieties.
1Zoodiac
Animals Of The Chinese Zodiac
The Zoodiacs were once a pretty powerful archetype in the game. Take a closer look at these anthropomorphic monsters, and you’ll realize that they’re all inspired by the 12 members of the Chinese Zodiac mixed with their own unique weapons.
Ratpier is the rat wielding a rapier. Meanwhile Broadbull is an ox wielding a broadaxe. These same patterns repeat themselves with each member of the Zodiac, making it one of the easiest archetypes to recognize the inspiration of. It’s even in the name just to make it clearer.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
The Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME (TCG) allows kids, teenagers, and adults of all ages to relive the exciting Duels that take place in the animated Yu-Gi-Oh! series. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, players use the cards they’ve collected to construct Decks consisting of 40 to 60 cards. Then, they use their Decks to face off against opponents in a game of strategy, luck, and skill.
