Who is Arkana?

Throughout the Yugioh! manga and anime, Yugi Muto goes up against many different antagonists. Some more fearsome than others. But he faces each opponent with resolve and courage. Even when his opponent is the sadistic, desperate, and crewel Arkana. But who is this madman, and what happened to him to make his so vile? Who is Arkana?

The Once-Great Illusionist

Arkana, known as Pandora in the Japanese anime, was once a talented and skilled magician. He was a stage performer and his specialty was escape magic, much like Harry Houdini. He seemed to have it all: fame, fortune, good looks, and the love of his life by his side, Catherine, his assistant. But, during one performance, something went wrong. He trapped himself inside a locked box that was set to explode. Unfortunately, Arkana was unable to escape in time and was caught in the explosion.

Arkana spent a long time in the hospital recovering. And when he awoke, he realized the full impact of his error. His reputation as a magician was sullied, his career was over, and his handsome face was scared and burnt. But he still had Catherine, right? Well, she loved him as best she could, but in his wounded state, he lashed out and drove her away. He realized too late that Christine’s love was the most important thing in his life. That’s when an even more powerful magician took notice.

Marik and the Rare Hunters

After loosing his career and the love of his life, Arkana fell into a darkness and wandered, loosing all hope. In this desperate and vulnerable place, Marik Ishtar, the great manipulator, saw an opportunity. Marik reached out to Arkana and promised him that he could reunite Arkana with Christine. All Arkana needed to do was join Marik’s Rare Hunters and seek out and eliminate Yugi Muto. Arkana readily accepted.

Battle City Chaos

It was during Battle City that Arkana would get his opportunity to put his dark arts to use against Yugi. The two were paired up, and Arkana and Yugi met for their duel. But, Arkana had more in mind for Yugi than an ordinary duel. The magician tricked Yugi, and trapped him in a duel for his life! You see, Arkana set up a trapped stage for their duel. Both duelists were locked in shackles around their ankles, and sawblades were set to slice off their legs id they lost the duel. Of course, in the dubbed anime, these sawblades were replaced with “dark energy blades” that would send the loser’s mind to the Shadow Realm. But in the original, they were real blades that would really kill you.

Even though he trapped in a duel for his very life, Yugi did not flinch. This is what set the two duelists apart. Arkana had only one thing in mind: winning at any cost. For Arkana, that meant using his tricks as a magician to cheat during the duel. He stacked his deck using an illegal shuffling technique as well as trimming his Dark Magician cards to make them slightly smaller than his other cards. He had no respect for his cards, and no respect for the game. While Yugi trusted his deck and believed in the Heart of the Cards, Arkana manipulated his deck, mistreated his cards, and relied on creating and slight of hand.

Arkana’s Defeat

Ultimately, it was this difference between Arkana and Yugi that made all the difference. Arkana abused his deck, and he paid the price. Throughout their duel, Arkana became more and more desperate and fell deeper into madness. And even though he was cheating, he still lost the duel. But, before the sawblades could reach Arkana, Yugi saved him. But it was too late for Arkana. Marik had already corrupted his mind too much. He was left broken and mad, realizing that Marik never intended on rewarding him in the first place.

Arkana’s is a sad story of loss, pride, and desperation.

Trivia

Arkana is the only other duelist to use Dark Magician besides Yugi. While he uses Yugi’s iconic monster in battle, Arkana’s Dark Magician looks a little different. Instead of blue and purple robes, he wears red and gold. He also has silvery hair and a sinister smile. This highlights the difference between how Arkana and Yugi duel and view the value of their cards.

We actually get to see Arkana in some actual Yugioh! cards! It may not be totally obvious, but, the character in the artwork of Card Shuffle and Dealer’s Choice is based on Arkana. These cards also speak to how Arkana cheated in his duel against Yugi.