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The Best Episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Every episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters!

Bullies often target someone frail and weak—someone exactly like Yûgi Muto. He treasures his Millennium Puzzle, an ancient Egyptian artifact that was brought into his...
Genres:AnimationKidsAction & Adventure

Best Episodes Summary

"Evil Spirit of the Ring" is the best rated episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters". It scored 8.9/10 based on 85 votes. Directed by N/A and written by Junki Takegami, it aired on 7/11/2000. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Champion vs. Creator (1)".

  • Evil Spirit of the Ring
    8.9/1085 votes
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    #1 - Evil Spirit of the Ring

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 7/11/2000

    Yugi's classmate Bakura, possessed by his Millennium Ring's dark powers, traps Yugi and his friends in a Shadow Game where they become the cards themselves!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Junki Takegami

  • Champion vs. Creator (1)
    8.9/1074 votes
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    #2 - Champion vs. Creator (1)

    Season 1 Episode 26 - Aired 10/17/2000

    Yugi and friends enter the castle to discover Kaiba ready to duel Pegasus with Mokuba’s soul hanging in the balance! The power of the Millennium Eye gives Pegasus the ability to read other people’s minds. Can Kaiba defeat an opponent who knows his moves even before he does?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (3)
    8.8/1071 votes
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    #3 - Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (3)

    Season 1 Episode 37 - Aired 1/9/2001

    Yugi has found a counter to Pegasus’s mind-reading ability: Yugi switches back and forth between his two souls! Yugi is able to destroy Pegasus’s Toon World, but the duel has just only begun. The next level of the deadly Shadow Game is about to start!

    Director: Kenichi Kasai

    Writer: Junki Takegami

  • Face Off (2)
    8.7/1073 votes
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    #4 - Face Off (2)

    Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 9/26/2000

    Kaiba summons Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the strongest monster in the game fused from three Blue-Eyes White Dragons! Yugi has lost all his powerful Duel Monsters, but a true duelist never gives up!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Champion vs. Creator (2)
    8.7/1068 votes
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    #5 - Champion vs. Creator (2)

    Season 1 Episode 27 - Aired 10/24/2000

    Kaiba is helpless against Pegasus’s Toon World deck and mind-reading abilities. As the duel ends, Pegasus imprisons Kaiba’s soul into a card, just like Grandpa and Mokuba! Yugi has had enough!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (4)
    8.7/1067 votes
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    #6 - Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (4)

    Season 1 Episode 38 - Aired 1/16/2001

    Yugi crumples in exhaustion under the crippling power of the Shadow Game. His friends yell desperate encouragement, but their voices cannot penetrate the sphere of darkness. Yugi’s chance at victory is slipping away, as is his life!

    Director: Hiromichi Matano

    Writer: Junki Takegami

  • Face Off (1)
    8.6/1076 votes
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    #7 - Face Off (1)

    Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 9/19/2000

    Using the magic of the Millennium Eye, Pegasus traps Mokuba’s soul inside a card right before Kaiba’s eyes! In order to earn the right to challenge Pegasus, Kaiba must first beat Yugi and take his Star Chips. The rematch between Yugi and Kaiba is about to begin!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Face Off (3)
    8.6/1073 votes
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    #8 - Face Off (3)

    Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 10/3/2000

    Yugi begins spinning a strategy to put Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to rest, but he must decide whether to claim victory or spare Kaiba his life. Yugi’s heart is split in two!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (1)
    8.6/1073 votes
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    #9 - Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (1)

    Season 1 Episode 35 - Aired 12/19/2000

    Yugi prepares for the ultimate battle against Pegasus with the souls of Grandpa, Kaiba and Mokuba on the line. Meanwhile, Honda and Bakura infiltrate the castle to find the Kaiba brothers, but at this crucial moment, is Bakura turning back into his evil self again?

    Director: Masaki Kitamura

    Writer: Junki Takegami

  • Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (2)
    8.6/1071 votes
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    #10 - Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (2)

    Season 1 Episode 36 - Aired 12/26/2000

    Pegasus punishes Yugi using the same Toon Deck and mind-reading abilities he used on Kaiba. As Pegasus turns Yugi’s monsters against him, Yugi loses the will to battle. Will Pegasus capture Yugi’s soul into a card, just like Kaiba?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Junki Takegami

  • Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (5)
    8.6/1070 votes
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    #11 - Yugi vs. Pegasus: Match of the Millennium (5)

    Season 1 Episode 39 - Aired 1/23/2001

    Pegasus summons Relinquished, a fearsome monster that can consume Yugi’s Duel Monsters! Yugi counters with… Kuriboh? The smallest, weakest creature in the game? Has Yugi given up, or does he have one last strategy to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? The Shadow Game comes to a close!

    Director: Naoki Hishikawa

    Writer: Junki Takegami

  • Double Trouble Duel (3)
    8.3/1075 votes
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    #12 - Double Trouble Duel (3)

    Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 9/12/2000

    Yugi and Jonouchi each unleash their strongest monster, Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes B. Dragon, but their strength pales in comparison to the tremendous power of Gate Guardian. Individually, our heroes have no chance, but they will unleash the greatest power of all: teamwork!

    Director: Naoki Hishikawa

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • Best of Friends, Best of Duelists (2)
    8.3/1070 votes
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    #13 - Best of Friends, Best of Duelists (2)

    Season 1 Episode 34 - Aired 12/12/2000

    Yugi is shocked as Jonouchi uses the Time Wizard card on him, the very card he gave Jonouchi as a sign of friendship! However, as the two battle each other valiantly and one comes out the victor, they find confirmation of the strength of their friendship that surpasses any duel.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • Duel Identity (2)
    8.2/1068 votes
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    #14 - Duel Identity (2)

    Season 1 Episode 30 - Aired 11/14/2000

    Mai has rebounded from her previous loss to Jonouchi to become a better duelist. Has Yugi learned from his loss to Kaiba, or is the emotional defeat still weighing on his heart? The answer is in the cards!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Best of Friends, Best of Duelists (1)
    8.2/1070 votes
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    #15 - Best of Friends, Best of Duelists (1)

    Season 1 Episode 33 - Aired 12/5/2000

    With his pride in his strength as a duelist on the line, Jonouchi challenges Yugi for the right to face Pegasus. In a battle between friends, a fierce match ensues between the two people who know each other’s strategies and cards as they struggle to keep their thoughts of past loyalties at the back of their minds.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • Keith's Machinations (2)
    8.1/1067 votes
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    #16 - Keith's Machinations (2)

    Season 1 Episode 32 - Aired 11/28/2000

    After Bandit Keith’s Machine deck forces Jonouchi to take the defensive, Jonouchi mimics Keith’s battle strategy to metalicize his Red-Eyes B. Dragon! Is victory assured, or does the cheater Bandit Keith literally have one last card up his sleeve?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Aftermath
    8.1/1075 votes
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    #17 - Aftermath

    Season 1 Episode 40 - Aired 1/30/2001

    The Pegasus Saga comes to an end, but a new journey is about to begin! Yugi meets a mysterious Egyptian named Shadi who enters Yugi’s mind with the Millennium Key. What are these Millennium Items, and do they hold the answer to the mystery behind the Shadow Games?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Arena of Lost Souls (2)
    8.0/1073 votes
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    #18 - Arena of Lost Souls (2)

    Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 8/22/2000

    Joey's last ditch effort, his lucky Time Wizard card, fails against Bandit Keith's zombie monsters. But as his lucky streak comes to an end, will his improving skills as a duelist and his love for his sister inspire him to victory?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Double Trouble Duel (1)
    8.0/1078 votes
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    #19 - Double Trouble Duel (1)

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 8/29/2000

    Trapped in the labyrinth cave, Yugi and friends find an alternate exit, but the door is guarded by Pegasus’s Labyrinth Brothers. Yugi and Jonouchi will no longer be battling solo; they band together in a team battle against the Labyrinth Brothers! The battle for all the Star Chips and entrance to Pegasus’s castle is on the line!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • Duel with a Ghoul
    7.9/1083 votes
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    #20 - Duel with a Ghoul

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 6/13/2000

    Yugi must duel a magical doppelganger of Kaiba, created from the greed and power lust Yugi wiped from Kaiba's soul.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • The Light at the End of the Tunnel
    7.9/1076 votes
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    #21 - The Light at the End of the Tunnel

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 7/25/2000

    Pegasus's hired duelist Panik cheats Mai of all her star chips, and Yugi vows to defeat him and win them back. But when Panik's Castle of Dark Illusions enshrouds his monsters in a black mist, how can Yugi defeat an enemy he cannot see?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • Double Trouble Duel (2)
    7.9/1077 votes
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    #22 - Double Trouble Duel (2)

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 9/5/2000

    Yugi and Jonouchi pool their strengths and manage to fend off their opponents’ monsters, but things are about to change as the Labyrinth Brothers summon the almighty Gate Guardian, a monster that reflects all attacks! Is Jonouchi helping Yugi in this duel, or his lack of experience sealing their fate for defeat?

    Director: Koji Yoshikawa

    Writer: Masashi Sogo

  • Duel Identity (1)
    7.9/1069 votes
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    #23 - Duel Identity (1)

    Season 1 Episode 29 - Aired 11/7/2000

    Under Pegasus’s weighty glare, Yugi is distracted from his duel with Mai. After making foolish tactical errors and allowing Mai to gain a huge advantage with her Harpie's Pet Dragon, will Yugi gather his focus or succumb to the intense pressure?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Keith's Machinations (1)
    7.9/1067 votes
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    #24 - Keith's Machinations (1)

    Season 1 Episode 31 - Aired 11/21/2000

    Jonouchi frantically searches for the card that permits him to enter the final battle, not realizing Bandit Keith has stolen it from him. As he struggles to accept the fact that Shizuka will be blind forever, he receives help from a new, and unexpected, friend!

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Shin Yoshida

  • Give Up the Ghost
    7.8/1078 votes
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    #25 - Give Up the Ghost

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 6/20/2000

    Yugi defeats the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but there are two more waiting in the wings! Will the real Kaiba reach Yugi in time to help beat this impersonator?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Masashi Sogo