So. This one is going to be interesting. 5DS is the only Yugioh Show that I didn't watch as it was coming out. I knew it existed, but it wasn't something that I went out of my way to watch.

I kinda wish that I did. Because 5DS is really good. It's not my favorite Yugioh Series, but I think it's up there for me personally.

5DS takes place in two cities. Domino and New Domino. Unlike GX, this isn't an after thought aside from a filler episode or two. This premise is the driving force for most of the series.

The series is like one of those rebellion stories with gangs and stuff. Which is kind of why I like it so much.

5DS tackles a very tough subject. Classism. A constant is how the people of New Domino look down on and treat the people of Old Domino.

It's not afraid to show the reality of the subject. Yusei defeats Jack in the tournament and the people still treat him like garbage. It's a well handled aspect of the show and I really like it.

The story of the Crimson Dragon was also good. It drove good characterization (Akiza gets the most out of it.) and a good mystery with it until we get the explanation.

A lot of people derided the concept of Speed Duels. Saying that it was too silly. This is a franchise with Ancient Egypt powers, demon invasions, card sprites, and holograms for a children's card game.

What I'm saying is that it's not THAT out there for this franchise. I mean I wouldn't even call it out there period.

The series doesn't really have a big bad until the Dark Signers Arc. I guess since Rex was manipulating things, you could say he was the big villain from the start of the series until the end of the DS arc. Aporia for the three team tournament. And Z-One after that point.

Rex was probably the best of the main villains. He had a good plan and came the closest to winning.

Aporia had emotional depth. Just wanting to save the future and trying to stop Z-One from causing death.

Z-One was there to give the story a villain for the end. He had some sad scenes and is better than Don Thousand and Zarc.

As for the heroes. Yusei was a lot more serious than the other protagonists, but what I liked about him was that he was likable. He wasn't a 'grim dark, jerk' protagonist. He was nice to people and wanted to help them. He had his low point, but he came out from it.

Jack was different from the other rivals. While he was an egocentric jerk, he did have an interesting dynamic with Yusei. There were friends once and that gives their interactions some more weight than most of the rivals. He did have his nicer moments with some of the characters (Like Carly.) but he did still have a gear shifter in his trunk. Which is good. He was rough with soft spots, which gave him more parallels with Yusei.

Akiza is definitely one of, if not the best female protagonist in the franchise. She had a very good backstory and personality. Her character development was a joy to watch as she went from this bitter and aloof person to a genuinely happy and kind person. (Something I do have a soft spot for.)

Luna and Leo were fun to watch together. I hate the identical twins trope, so I love how they make Luna and Leo different from each other. I also like how they're not hostile to each other. Light teasing maybe, but they are supportive of each other. I would have preferred Leo not be a Signer, so that his struggle with his confidence when surrounded by Signer's would be stronger, but it did give him a little depth aside.

Crow was a fun character. He was a likable street smart guy and him caring for the kids always made me happy to see. He didn't have any development from what I remember. He basically left as he came. Which is fine. He was a likable character that was helped with Yusei's story.

If I were to criticize anything, it'd be that everything after the Dark Signers isn't as good as what came before. The stories were a bit out there for the story of 5Ds up till that point. I have no issues with a time traveling Yugioh story, but I think they should have waited for another series to do that.

Anyway. Time to high five the sky with Yu Gi Oh Zexal.