by in
Yugioh! fans love when cards and their art tell stories about the characters and events in the many chapters of lore behind their cards. Such is the case for Ha Des and the story of revenge behind the shifting rulers of the underworld. Come with me and explore the tale of Dark Ruler Ha Des and the war for the underworld!
Ha Des and the King of the Abyss
The two main figures who feature in this tale are Dark Ruler Ha Des and Dark King of the Abyss. King of the Abyss was once the ruler of the Netherworld, but he was usurped by Ha Des, as seen in the artwork of Demotion. After Ha Des took the throne and demoted the King of the Abyss, the former king became the Abyssal Designator for Ha Des. In this new role, the King of the Abyss served Ha Des by selecting souls so send to the Netherworld. After severing in this role for an unknown amount of time, the King of the Abyss grew in power and plotted to take revenge on Ha Des. In the artwork of Herald of the Abyss, we see the former king once again regaining his power and control over the darkness of the Abyss.
The Plot to Overthrow Ha Des
Now, Ha Des was a powerful ruler with many minions and malicious abilities. His armies were made up of thousands of creatures (Order to Smash); he was capable of both mind control powers (The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler) and spiritual manipulation (Soul Demolition); and he could even manifest destructive blasts of energy (Raigeki Break). To defeat Ha Des, the King of the Abyss would need to be cunning. And cunning he was.
The King of the Abyss, wielding a weapon known as the Hate Buster, confronted Ha Des and drained him of his potent power, as shown in Skill Drain. Then, using his control over dark forces, the King of the Abyss destroyed Ha Des and reclaimed his thrown. But, the war was far from over…
Return of the Dark Ruler
In time, a blight would spread across the Netherworld, a zombie disease carried by the Plaguespreader Zombie. The zombie plague virus would enter the deceased Ha Des’ body and he rose again as the Revived King Ha Des. In his new, revived form, Ha Des gained additional powers, one of the greatest of these powers was the ability to raise the dead, as seen in Reanimation Wave. With these new powers, Ha Des was able to once again usurp the King of the Abyss by destroying him and absorbing his essence (Destruct Potion). Ha Des now had the throne for himself again, for good! Or so he thought…
Rebirth of the King
Just as Ha Des was revived, so, too, was the King of the Abyss in a Powerful Rebirth. However, his rebirth was much more mysterious. It was not a plague that revived the King, it was something much more malevolent. And like Ha Des, when the old King was reborn, he was imbued with new powers. But, even though Ha Des was prepared to take on any new adversaries, he was not expect to see his old rival. Ha Des and his army stood waiting on a precipice, the Dark Ruler rejecting his old rival again (Reject Reborn), perhaps believing it to be a ruse.
But it was no ruse; the King of the Abyss was back, and back a new power that granted him spiritual manipulation similar to that of Ha Des. He used this new Soul Drain technique on the Dark Ruler and stole his lifeforce. To add insult to injury, the King of the Abyss then lorded the Dark Ruler’s soul over him, taunting him and asserting his rule. Using Mind Drain, the King drove Ha Des into madness. With one final blow, the King used Ha Des’ own soul to issue a fatal energy blast. Ha Des was Dark Ruler No More.
The RIghtful Lord of the Netherworld
The defeat of the Rived Ha Des was not the end of the war. You see, for uncounted eons, a dark and powerful entity laid in wait for the right time strike. Before both Ha Des and the King of the Abyss, there was another lord of the underworld, an Archfiend. Archfiend Emperor, The First Lord of Horrors was, as his title implies, the first king of the Netherworld. It was he who orchestrated the entire war between Ha Des and the King of the Abyss, he who revived the fallen King of the Abyss, and even he who very likely created the zombie plague.
And now that Ha Des was defeated again, the First Lord or Horrors made his move. With a thunderous return, the Lord of Horrors returned and forced the King of the Abyss to answer the Call of the Archfiend. But, if we have learned anything from this tale, it is that the cycle of revenge is unending…
