Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Volume 4 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s comes after Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and before Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.  Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s is set in New Domino City and focuses on the city’s hottest game, Turbo Duel.  Turbo Duel is fought on Duel Runners, which are motorcycle-like vehicles called Duel Disks.  Players battle using cards that can summon assorted fantastic creatures and beings. Yusei Fudo, the toughest duelist in Satellite (a district in the outskirts of New Domino City), is the newest Turbo Duel hero.

As Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, Vol. 4 (Synchro vs. Synchro!!; Chapters 25 to 32) opens, Yusei finishes his turbo duel with the brat twin turbo duelists, Leo & Luna.  A victory helps Yusei move on in the D1 Grand Prix.

Now, it’s on to Saiko Island in Satellite Zone Zero for the second stage of the Grand Prix.  During the trip to Saiko Island (aboard a private yacht), Yusei comes to an agreement with Rex Goodwin, host of the Grand Prix.  Goodwin tells him the real reason the race exists.

Then, the race is on, and the riders must find the Duel Zodiacs in order to obtain the all-important Star Tickets.  Yusei takes on Crow Hogan – a super high-speed synchro user, but their battle takes a turn to the strange and ancient.  Also, the battle between old rivals/former friends, Jack Atlas and Kalen Kessler, reveals their past as the duel takes place in the present.

[This volume includes a Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card.]

THE LOWDOWN:  To repeat what I wrote in the previous review of the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s manga, the more I read, the more I like.  I still can’t figure out the rules of the Turbo Duels, but I’m enjoying the wide-range of strange creatures and beings that pop out or emerge from the duel cards.  Artist Masashi Sato is as strong as any other Yu-Gi-Oh! manga artist.  Also, this volume’s themes of friendship resonate – surprisingly.  Maybe, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s does not plan on being just a silly pastime.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Anyone who has been reading the other Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series will want the Shonen Jump title, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s.