Shadow Riders (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

The Shadow Riders, (The Seven Stars Assassins; セブンスターズ刺客 Sebensutārzu Shikaku in the Japanese version), are a fictional group of villains in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX in Japan). They intend to revive the Sacred Beast Cards (Three Wicked Phantoms; 三幻魔 Sangenma).

Each of the members that Jaden Yuki (Judai Yuki) and company faced possessed a Shadow Charm (Dark Item), similar to the Millennium Items in terms of supernatural power, but of unknown origin. These relics give them certain abilities depending on the Shadow Rider in question.

Kagemaru

Kagemaru (影丸) - The leader of the Shadow Riders and former superintendent of Duel Academy (Duel Academia). He was the one who sealed away the Sacred Beasts, and also gave the seven spirit keys to Chancellor Shepard. Kagemaru was in horrible health and hoped to attain eternal youth by sacrificing Duel Monster Spirits to the Sacred Beasts. To do so, he enlisted the aid of his Shadow Riders, who pitted themselves against Duel Academy's finest to create the strong dueling presence needed to revive his Sacred Beasts. During his duel with Jaden, his youth gradually returned. After his defeat, however, he returned to his aged state. He then asked forgiveness and promised to renounce his ways. He was last seen being carried to the hospital by helicopter.

Deck

Kagemaru's deck is based on the three Sacred Beasts. He carries a basic fiend deck to support Raviel, and plenty of Spell/Trap cards to support Uria and Hamon.

• Monster Cards
  • Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (Divine Flame Emperor Uria)
  • Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (Descending Thunder Emperor Hamon)
  • Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (Phantom Emperor Raviel)
  • The Creator

• Spell Cards
  • Abyssal Designator
  • Monster Reincarnation (Reincarnation of Dead)
  • Premature Burial
  • Pot of Greed
  • Resurrection Tribute (Sacrifice of Revival)
  • Phantasmal Martyrs
  • Fallen Paradise

• Trap Cards
  • Statue of the Wicked
  • Penalty Game!
  • Mispolymerization
  • Jar of Greed
  • Chain Burst
  • Divine Wrath
  • Cemetery Bomb

Trivia

• Uria's name is an alternate spelling for Uriah.
• Hamon's name may have originated from the Book of Esther, based on the name of its villain, Haman.
• Raviel's name may have been based on the name of the Judeo-Christian angel, Raziel.
• Fallen Paradise is a reference to John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost.

Nightshroud

File:Darkness.PNG

Nightshroud (Darkness)

Nightshroud (Darkness ダークネス Dākunesu) - The first of the Shadow Riders to challenge Jaden, and the owner of the other half of the Shadow Charm pendant in Jaden's possession. He wore a dark dragon mask, and set a Shadow Game in which the loser would have his soul sealed in a card. When defeated, Nightshroud's soul (represented by the mask) was sealed in the card, and Atticus Rhodes (Fubuki Tenjouin), who had been possessed by the dark personality, was freed. During the Genex tournament, Atticus uses Nightshroud's deck in hopes of convincing his friend, Zane Truesdale (Ryo Marufuji), that the dark path taken by a duelist is a terrible course. As a result, Nightshroud's influence, that laid dormant within his cards, was once again able to take control of Atticus, only to be banished following his defeat.

Deck

Nightshroud's deck revolved around Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon and its support cards.

• Monster Cards
  • Red-Eyes Black Chick (Black Dragon's Poult)
  • Red-Eyes Black Dragon
  • Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon
  • Troop Dragon (Army Dragon)
  • Attachment Dragon
  • Mirage Dragon
  • Spear Dragon

• Spell Cards
  • Inferno Fire Blast (Black Flame Bolt)
  • Mystical Space Typhoon (Cyclone)
  • Super Rejuvenation (Super Rejuvenation Ability)
  • Dragon's Gunfire (Fire Dragon's Flame Blast)
  • Dragon Heart

• Trap Cards
  • Call of the Haunted (Call of the Living Dead)
  • Negate Attack (Attack Nullification)

Camula

Camula (カミューラ Kamyūra) - A vampiress who is the second Shadow Rider. She was very serious when it came to dueling, as she hoped to revive her race from its destruction by the people of Medieval Times. She had been asleep within her coffin until Kagemaru uncovered it and invited her to join the Shadow Riders. She captures the souls of her opponents following their losses within dolls to fuel her cause, and uses the Shadow Charm choker around her neck to bet the souls of others in conjunction with the Shadow Game-exclusive Illusion Gate to ensure victory. She managed to obtained the keys of Vellian Crowler (Cronos de Medici) and Zane, but during her duel with Jaden, her shadow charm's power was negated by the completed item that Jaden possessed. Out of self-confidence, Camula placed her soul on the line, and it was dragged into the Gate after she lost. Her souless body turned to dust.

Deck

Camula's deck theme reflects Vampirism.

• Monster Cards
  • Zombie Werewolf (Immortal Werewolf)
  • Vampire Bat (Vampire Bats)
  • Vampire Lord
  • Vampire Genesis
  • Vampire Lady
  • Ryu Kokki
  • Despair from the Dark

• Spell Cards
  • Book of Life (Book of Life - Forbidden Magic)
  • Infernalvania (Immortal Kingdom Hellvania)
  • Illusion Gate (Phantom Gate)
  • Pot of Greed
  • Genesis Crisis
  • Giant Trunade (Hurricane)

• Trap Cards
  • Zombie Bed
  • Red Ghost Moon (Dubious Red Moon)

Trivia

• Camula's name is reference to Joseph Sheridan le Fanu's novel, Carmilla.
• Illusion Gate is fashioned after The Gates of Hell.

Tania

Amazoness Tania (アマゾネス・タニヤ Amasonesu Taniya) - An Amazoness who is the third Shadow Rider. She falls in love with Bastion Misawa (Daichi Misawa), and after some sweet talking and showing off her amazing dueling skills, defeats Bastion and makes him her bridegroom for a short time until she grew tired of him. She fought Jaden in a soul match with the effect of Amazon Arena, and later revealed her true form to be that of a white tiger, using a Shadow Charm gauntlet she obtained from joining the Shadow Riders to assume human form to find a worthy duelist to be her husband. She eventually resumed her true form and ran off. She has a pet tiger named Bass, who resembles the Amazoness Tiger.

Deck

Tania's Amazoness cards were divided into two decks: Courage and Knowledge.

• Monster Cards
  • Amazoness Swordswoman
  • Amazoness Blowpiper
  • Amazoness Paladin
  • Amazoness Tiger (Amazoness Pet Tiger)

• Spell Cards
  • Amazoness Spellcaster
  • Amazoness Charm
  • Amazoness Arena (Amazoness Death Ring)
  • Amazoness Call (Amazoness Spiritualism)
  • Amazoness Trainer

• Trap Cards
  • Pride of Tribe
  • Dramatic Rescue
  • Amazoness Archers

Trivia

• Tania's Amazoness monsters are based on the Amazons of Greek mythology.

Don Zaloog

Don Zaloog (首領－ザルーグ Shuryō Zarūgu)- The fourth Shadow Rider. Zaloog is actually a duel monster spirit brought to life by the power of the Shadow Charm eyepatch he wears. He is also the leader of the band of thieves called the Dark Scorpion Gang, who were also brought to life by the item. Zaloog is sort of a Robin Hood figure, as he steals from the rich and never hurts or kills anyone. He masquerades himself as a detective named Detective Zaloog (Keibu Manguer) set to help hide the four remaining spirit keys while his posse work on taking the keys incognito. However, since they did not obtain the keys in a duel, they would not unlock the spirit gate of the Sacred Beasts. When Zaloog and his gang were discovered, Zaloog and Chazz Princeton dueled with all the remaining keys on the line. In the end, he and his cohorts were defeated, and the power of his Shadow Item was nulified. After reverting back to their spirit forms, the Dark Scorpions joined the many other weak monsters in Chazz's care, to Chazz's annoyance. In the English dub, Zaloog's voice is an impersonation of Christopher Walken.

Deck

Zaloog's deck revolves around the Dark Scorpion Gang members.

• Monster Cards
  • Golem Sentry
  • Don Zaloog
  • Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow
  • Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn
  • Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong
  • Cliff the Trap Remover

• Spell Cards
  • Dark Scorpion Tragedy of Love
  • Mustering of the Dark Scorpions
  • Pot of Greed

• Trap Cards
  • Dark Scorpion Combination
  • Retreat of the Dark Scorpion

Abidos

Abidos the Third (アビドス3世 Abidosu Sanse) - An ancient pharaoh who never lost a single duel who is the fifth Shadow Rider. Abidos regained physical form through the powers of the Shadow Charm headband he wore. With an army of mummies, Abidos gathered Jaden and company on his celestial yacht for a duel. During the duel with Jaden, Abidos realized that the only reason he kept winning was because his opponents always lost on purpose, simply because he was pharaoh. Jaden however managed to give Abidos a real duel in which the opponent actually tried to win. Satisfied with his defeat, Abidos departed for the afterlife after giving Jaden his item, the latter making a promise to visit him in one-hundred years time.

Deck

Abidos' deck is themed around Servants of the Pharaoh.

• Monster Cards
  • Pharaoh's Servant
  • Pharaonic Guardian
  • Spirit of the Pharaoh

• Spell Cards
  • Thousand Energy
  • Tribute to the Doomed (Tribute to the Dead)
  • The Second Sarcophagus
  • The Third Sarcophagus
  • Pot of Greed
  • Soul Guide

• Trap Cards
  • The First Sarcophagus
  • Magic Jammer

Trivia

• Abidos' name is derived from the ancient Egyptian city, Abydos.

Titan

Titan (タイタン Taitan) - A hitman originally hired by Crowler to deal with Jaden. He captured Alexis Rhodes (Asuka Tenjouin) and forced Jaden to duel for her life. Despite his reputation of possessing the power of a Millennium Item, the "Millennium Item" was a fake Millennium Puzzle, and Titan used various tricks to mimic a shadow duel. He became the victim of a real shadow duel, however, but was saved by Kagemaru under the condition that he would serve as his sixth Shadow Rider, wearing a Shadow Charm mask that binds him to the real world. Taking advantage of Alexis' desire to restore Atticus' memories, Titan challenges her in the abandoned dorm where they first met. He is ultimately pulled back into the pits of darkness.

Deck

Titan used an Archfiend deck during his first encounter with Jaden, which was later supported by Fiend's Bullfighter cards in his duel with Alexis.

• Monsters Cards
  • Infernalqueen Archfiend (Inferno Queen Demon)
  • Terrorking Archfiend (Genocide King Demon)
  • Desrook Archfiend (Death Rook Demon)
  • Skull Archfiend of Lightning (Archfiend of Swift Lightning - Skull Demon)
  • Summoned Skull (Demon Summon)
  • Picador Fiend (Demon Picador)
  • Matador Fiend (Demon Matador)
  • Banderillero Fiend (Demon Banderillero)

• Spell Cards
  • Pandemonium
  • Dark Arena
  • Ritual of the Matador (Ritual of Calling the Matador Dark Paseo)

• Trap Cards
  • Battle Scarred
  • Des Counterblow (Death Counter)

Trivia

• Most of Titan's Archfiend monsters are based on the pieces used in chess.

Amnael

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Lyman Banner in Amnael regalia

Amnael (アムナエル Amunaeru) - The true identity of Lyman Banner (Daitokuji), the professor of the Slifer Red (Osiris Red) dorm. He is the seventh and final Shadow Rider who challenged his former pupil Jaden to a duel. He revealed that his body was actually a homunculus made in his own former image, which was decaying gradually. Amnael overpowered Jaden with his Alchemic deck, until Jaden managed to defeat him. After giving Jaden his Shadow Charm, the Emerald Tablet, Amnael was reduced to dust, along with his original body.

Deck

See: Lyman Banner