While many fans often compare Yu-Gi-Oh! to Pokémon, it is actually most similar to a different beloved franchise. Part of the reason for the classic comparison between Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon is that both shows released around the same time targeting the same demographic, and both shows had their own trading card game. On a story-driven level, the two are rather different.
Yu-Gi-Oh! begins with a much darker tone than Pokémon, having its roots in the horror genre, like the manga. Additionally, the franchises operate in very different ways, with Pokémon following the same main character up until its most recent season and Yu-Gi-Oh! switching up its main cast with every new entry of the franchise. After the power creep of the central game of the series caused its duels to become more complex, the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise shifted gears with its seventh series focusing on a new game called Rush Duels. All of this has natural parallels to another beloved anime franchise that fans may not have realized.
Yu-Gi-Oh! is More Similar To Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Than Pokémon
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a series following various members of the Joestar family as they fight against a myriad of evil foes. The series begins heavily rooted in horror elements, with the first part featuring thevampire Dio as its main antagonist. Each part changes the series a bit, with a new protagonist in each iteration. After its sixth part, the series focuses on a brand-new universe. While none of these parallels perfectly to their corresponding similarities in Yu-Gi-Oh!, the fact that they exist is incredibly surprising and opens up deeper questions about their connections.
Both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure feature dramatic battles over relatively mundane things. For instance, in Part 3, Jotaro had to play multiple games like poker and a baseball video game in order to defeat certain enemy stand users. This focus on non-typical shonen battles mirrors the focus of Yu-Gi-Oh! on its card game. Just like how Stands all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so to have the different decks and strategies in Yu-Gi-Oh!, while the battles remain the main focus. The decision to change the characters in each installment of both franchises enable both to tell different types of stories, a capability both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure take advantage of.
These similarities should hopefully encourage fans of both franchises to check out the other one if they haven’t already. While they may have some major differences, their similarities them a lot more connected than fans may initially realize. This is why instead of comparing Yu-Gi-Oh! to Pokémon, more fans should compare it to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
