Aye, aye, those kids are not loyal fans to Onizuka at all. They switch over to the next hottest duelist in VRAINS within a heartbeat. It’s all about who’s winning and who looks the coolest, and for pretty much the entire episode, everyone forgot about Onizuka’s style – showing just how little faith they had in him. And really… it is quite cruel for Onizuka. We learned how he is selfless guy with a big heart. He was raised in a orphanage, and now as a professional duelist, he sends money to the kids at the orphanage, along with gifts and so on. And what does he get in return? Not one loyal fan among the kids (like come on, you’d think there would be at least ONE who would have uttermost faith in him!) You have to feel for the guy and understand why he has such an ego about being the best. Worst off people consider his entertainment duel style outdated, so that got to hurt. Onizuka’s style makes it so he deliberately takes damage early on, in order to build up the hype of his ultimate comeback – when in reality he was prepared for it all long.
Yuusaku had no intention of dueling Onizuka, but he was baited out by Onizuka’s and Zaizen’s collaboration to disguise him as a Hanoi Knight. However as soon as he realized it was a trick, he showed absolute no interest and had every intention of walking away without a care in the world. Of course neither Zaizen or Onizuka was going to let that happen, so they set up preventative measures to ensure that Playmaker is unable to log out. But little do they know, Kusanagi is in the process of dismantling the trap and creating a window for Yuusaku to escape. I don’t know about you guys, but I was absolutely thrilled by this possibility. I want to see Yuusaku run away from this duel. What makes this so exciting is because they made it immediately clear that Yuusaku has zero interest in this done. none. Nada. If he’s given the opportunity to log out, you can bet your damn dollar he would do it. It wouldn’t matter whether he’s winning or losing, we know there is an opportunity to get out – and I do hope they choose to do this, because let’s be honest with ourselves here: It would be freaking hilarious – and not to mention, would serve to be beneficial for Playmaker because it would taint his image as a hero and may tone down the hype that grown around him.
However given the way the duel is unfolding, I am getting the impression that while Yuusaku doesn’t particularly care for dueling, he does have his pride. So I would think it is safe to assume that even if he is given the opportunity to log out, he would choose not to because he wants to make a statement that he is superior to Onizuka. Should he choose to do this, this would definitely give us a bit of insight of perhaps the kind of duelist Yuusaku has been before he decided to quit dueling for a hobby.
As whole the episode was okay, not particularly amazing, and was fairly predictable. We’re already four episodes in, and I already knew the build up was a set up for the Skill to be used. As mentioned earlier, I think it would be an excellent twist to see Yuusaku log out in the middle of the duel. I know for fact I will get a good laugh out of that.
And lastly, I am sure some of us were a bit disappointed to see that Ignis did not get far with his grand escape. Instead, he had a lewd moment with the robot (i got a good laugh out of it though). I do wonder if it’s going to become a bit of a running joke, but time will tell. There will be another time for it however since he was able to get back into his cell before Yuusaku noticed.
UPDATE: Well we got news for YGO VRAINS! Crunchyroll has officially announced it will be simulcasting it!
The latest addition to Crunchyroll’s anime simulcast lineup is ready to duel! Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS is officially live, with episodes 1-3 now available to free users. Episode 4 will be exclusive to Premium Members until next Wednesday, and future episodes will launch on Wednesdays.Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS is available worldwide except for Asia, France, Canada, Australia, and Italy (including Vatican and San Marino).
Me: 🇨🇦 … 
… Well at least they are doing it, definitely a step in the right direction.
Seriously why must the rest of us be left out. God damn licensing restrictions…
Honestly, this might be the first time I HATE watching VRAINS. First, hyping up Yusaku as the Messiah after ONE duel in THREE EPISODES probably wasn’t a good idea because now you have everyone sucking his dick and ditching anyone who’re not on the Playmaker’s side. Even in the cases of Yusei and YUYA, the former had to endure all sorts of hardship to finally be acknowledged as the Yusei-Christ, while the latter’s cancerous Egao brainwashing only started during Arc V’s remaining 50 episodes. The adults were bastards for berating Go Onizuka as “outdated”, but THOSE CHILDREN of the orphanage were also obnoxious little shits who cheered for Playmaker 99% of the time and only resumed supporting Go after he summoned his Link ace. In both 5D’s & Arc V, Crow’s children ALWAYS supported and cheered for him no matter the opponent he faced, but Go’s children’s attitude instantly pissed me off. Speaking of Go, I DON’T think he’s even close to being qualified as a CHARISMA Duelist despite being the champion of Links VRAINS because I don’t sense any aura of “charisma” emitting from him. As for Goukis, they’re actually pretty strong but I’d love them more if they were a SYNCHRO archetype instead of Links.
They better SPEED up this “Speed” Duel next episode because the lazy animation makes it SLOW and it is putting me off.
Onizuka needs to go and find that kid who was his REAL fan. You know the orange-haired kid watching from the streets.
//. First, hyping up Yusaku as the Messiah after ONE duel in THREE EPISODES probably wasn’t a good idea because now you have everyone sucking his dick and ditching anyone who’re not on the Playmaker’s side. E//
I think that’s all the more reason why they should really make Yuusaku run away because that ought to make everyone go WTF THAT’S NOT COOL. Best way to solve that problem.
And I absolutely agree, there was nothing charismatic about Onizuka whatsoever. If this is supposed to be an entertainment duel, this certainly would not make the cut in ARC-V. At least make it look like you’re struggling, kneeling down with a so-called frown on your face doesn’t cut it.
“there was nothing charismatic about Onizuka”
It certainly doesn’t help that most of the VRAINS OST so far is very bland and lifeless. As much as I hate Zexal and Arc V (the remaining 50 episodes to be precise), their OSTs were LIVELY & VIBRANT starting from the first episode until their conclusions, letting us feeling that their duels were lively, but I DON’T feel any of those in VRAINS so far even though their era is so digitized but with shit tier animation. Heck, some people said that Go is Jack and Crow combined, but Jack himself is always THE Charismatic duelist that entertained people’s hearts during his duels, and let’s not even get started with Go’s children turning their backs on him (until he Link summoned The Great Ogre) while Crow’s children were always on his side. Go is simply a very poorly parodied embodiment of Jack and Crow.
I have to agree with you Eva… To me this episode felt kin of dull. Fairly predictable but not bad… Not great but it wasn’t bad.
I swear if Yusaku just ended up running from the duel then I would probably give this show a slow clap.
But more importantly, Go is now confirmed to be someone who uses “3” in their phrasing too.
Yusaku and Revolver give the 3 reasons for things. Go is all about his 3 count. I wonder if Blue angel will get something to do with 3.
*H5* DO IT WRITERS. MAKE YUUSAKU RUN AWAY. DO IT!!!!!!!!! BE THE ULTIMATE TROLL. RUN AWAY.
OFF TOPIC: Oh yes, we received your question, and Oki is alright, she will make her return once she is able to. I would suggest however for your to send such question to the FAQ page instead of contact us because we don’t usually respond to such inquiries through email.
So am I the only one that thought the orphanage looked like you show duel school from arc v?
I was glad to see Go get a reason for his aggressiveness, and I do feel pretty bad for him. He lost the support of all those kids even though he never actually lost a duel, and honestly, I doubt Yusaku cares in the slightest about being popular. In fact it damages his reputation more than anything, because he needs to remain anonymous and all the spotlights put that at risk.
On that note, it was utterly hilarious for me to see Yusaku talking shit on Entertainment Dueling right after we got through Arc-V.
The cage trap was funny to me because, just… imagine that in real life. A program that prevents you from ever logging out. But in all seriousness Kusanagi seems to be working on it, which is good, and I’m hopeful to see him get his moment to show off his hacker skills this time.
Another thing that makes me curious is that Yusaku clearly has no interest in dueling anyone but Hanoi, and he’s gonna run if he gets a chance. Sure they can trap him, but I can’t see someone like Blue Angel trapping him in a duel against his will, so later down the line I wonder if he’s gonna start to just accept it. I hope not, because a protag who doesn’t like killing time like that is a welcome change.
I also love that Yusaku just ran out in the middle of class to fight Hanoi as if it was nothing and was willing to leave just as quickly, like… Yusaku… didn’t you ever listen when they said stay in school.
I also noticed this time just how dirty Yusaku’s house is. Despite the secret area where he enters Link VRAINS, it’s really run-down. It makes me wonder about his living situation, if he’s poor or what kind of family he has, if any.
One last side-note, there was some really good background music in this episode.
IKR, ALL I COULD I THINK OF IS, I WANT TO SEE YUUSAKU VS YUUYA AND JUST WANT YUUSAKU BE UNIMPRESSED WHILE YUUYA TRIES SO HARD TO CRACK HIM UP! XDDDDDD
Yes I noticed the condition of his home as well. Looks pretty roughed up, but then again he got this fancy secret entrance so… LOL. But in all seriousness, yes i wonder about his family situation. It could be he’s an orphan as well, but may have not been raised at the orphanage, or he could possibly have a bad relationship with his family.
“I WANT TO SEE YUUSAKU VS YUUYA”
Hahaha… FUCK NO. Yusaku vs Yuya will be too one-sided because the new Links format and the latest Master Rules totally KILL OFF Pendulum Summons (like summoning ONE Pendulum Monster from the Extra Deck to one Extra Monster Zone WTF). Even 85% of Fusions, Synchros and Xyzs are severely limited if not outright rendered unplayable. In other words, Yuya better hope Yusaku’s Link Monsters have their Markers pointing to his Main Monster Zone(s) or he can’t summon his Extra Deck powerhouses at all. In a Speed Duel it’s more blasphemous because Yuya WON’T have the chance to Pendulum Summon even ONCE because Pendulum Zones have been relocated to the left & right Spell/Trap Zones, which are both CUT OFF during a Speed Duel, making Pendulum Summoning 100% impossible. That said, I’d love to see Yusaku going against Yuto, Yugo or Yuri, they basically sit on only their primary aces most of the time (Phantom Knights Xyzs were too few, Hi-Speedroids Synchros weren’t that good (despite my Yugo bias), ZERO Predator Plant Fusions had been used), and upgrading them to Dark Requiem, Crystal Wing and Greedy Venom eats exactly one Extra Monster Zone, which shouldn’t trouble them much.
LOL DUDE. I could care less about the odds in one’s favor for the duel itself, all I would care for is Yuusaku’s deadpan face the entire match, not budging the slightest at Yuuya’s efforts to entertain him.
Yuuya: SMILE YUUSAKU!
Yuusaku: No. I ain’t got time for this shit.
You haven’t keep up with the current game, haven’t you? I’m talking about the Links format & the latest Master Rules (effective post-Arc V) which makes Yuya UNABLE to play properly (much less spreading his Egao) even in a Yugioh show because it KILLS his deck’s primary strength: Pendulums. There’s no way he can spam monsters and combos freely like he did in his show when the VRAINS era shafts the Extra Deck.
No I am not up to speed with the current game. But I understand what you’re saying now, thank you for the clarification.
If the studio will make a Yusaku vs Yuya, I’m sure they’ll make a Deck and strategy compatible with Speed Duel and Master Duel for Yuya while still retaining Yuya’s Entertainment Style, or else it would be too boring to watch. Yuya is still a YGO Protagonist after all, so if there’s a crossover there’s no way the studio would just make Yuya an easy opponent to beat.
I’m loving how Yusaku subverts the expectations we have of him as a protaganist. After only 4 episodes, he is already a respected hero and idol, but he hates his mantle as he’s dislikes standing out. He also doesn’t enjoy dueling as is prepared to walk out of duels if he isn’t facing the Knights of Hanoi. He feels really fresh and I’m loving it.
As for this episode, it was OK. The duel was dull and predictable, but it did establish Go’s character well and I’m sure the duel will pick up next episode. I’m not the biggest fan of Go’s entertainment style though, especially after what we just got in Arc-V.
Yuusaku’s type of character is the much needed breath of fresh air the YGO series needed.
Onizuka ought to take some lessons from the REAL entertainment duelists. Ought to go to You Show Duel School ;), I heard Shuzo is still taking applicants. 😛
Or I could just go and teach the guy myself XD
In other news, Vrains is finally getting a simulcast with Crunchyroll. Looks like we will be able to watch Yugioh legally and with official subs, which is great news. Hopefully more people will get into Vrains now that it can be accessed legally.
Just saw the news on CR, adding it to entry. But it ticks me off that Canada isn’t included. =_=
//Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS is available worldwide except for Asia, France, Canada, Australia, and Italy (including Vatican and San Marino). -CR //
Well that sucks. I wonder why some countries get excluded, it doesn’t really make sense to me from a business viewpoint. At least it’s a huge step in the right direction
Oh definitely. I was wondering before its announcement whether or not it would be simulcasted this season because ARC-V was picked up quite late into the series.
Not really so excited watching this episode. Onizuka is not a bad character and all, but if talking about Entertainment Duel style, I personally still prefer types like Yuya and co in Arc-V. If Onizuka go to the Arc-V world, I have no doubt that he’ll get along with Entertainment Duelists there.
I really feel sorry for Onizuka here. It’s only been a few days (?) after Yusaku defeated the Hanoi Knight but everybody already called Onizuka’s Dueling outdated? Worse, the children in the orphanage too…even after Onizuka worked so hard for them. I really really can sympathise with him. On the other hand it kinda annoyed me hearing him accusing Yusaku as a ‘wanna-be-hero’ when Yusaku is in fact has no interest on being one at all. From what I see this is Onizuka’s ego speaking.
I wonder how it will be if Yusaku meets Yuya and Yuma. It would be interesting to see another crossover movie like the last one. Though considering Yusaku’s personality and the fact he is older than the two boys, I can imagine him acting like a senior/older brother to the cheerful and outgoing Yuya and Yuma.
Hi Eva I am so glad you are covering Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS! You did a very good job on covering Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. I have not commented on your blog for awhile but I am still reading them because I love to hear your opinion on the show. So thank you for covering Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS!
This episode for me was okay. I don’t like that Go is mad at the Playmaker because he lost his fans, he should be mad at his fans and not the Playmaker because the Playmaker is just doing what he always does which is fighting the Knights of Hanoi. If Go wanted to be the Hero then he should have dueled the Knights of Hanoi when he was attacking. But Go didn’t do anything about it but blame the Playmaker. Also I don’t think it’s fair that the Playmaker has to reveal his identity to everyone. If the Playmaker has to reveal his identity to everyone then everyone else has to reveal their identity just to be fair. I hope the Playmaker does log out and not finish this duel or maybe the Knights of Hanoi come and cancel the duel. I really want to know more about Yusaku’s Background. I have so many questions about his background. One question is where is his parents? Who takes care of him? And still I have more questions.
Also why did Yusaku leave Ignis alone? Yusaku should have Kusanagi to watch him.
Thanks again Eva for Covering Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS! I look forward to reading more of your blogs.
Go is really a mixed bag so far. You can sympathize with him for losing his fans (especially those children who were ungrateful little shits) but on the other hand I don’t think he’s even close to being qualified as a CHARISMA Duelist because he didn’t emit any aura of “charisma” at all, and his “Entertainment” was simply lame and dull. I think the writers are trying to make Go a hybrid of Jack and Crow (one for being the King/Champion of the series, one for his caring of the orphaned children) but their plan is failing pretty fast right now.