Katsuya Jonouchi is a tough guy with a soft heart. He used to pick on Yugi and make fun of him for being a wimp, but after Yugi stood up to a bully for him, Jonouchi offered to become Yugi’s friend instead of his enemy. Jonouchi has a bad history of getting into fights and joining gangs. His parents divorced when he was young, so now he lives only with his alcoholic father.

In the beginning of Chapter 5, Jonouchi told Yugi that he thinks he is running out of luck because he fought four guys at once and came out with a scratch. Yugi thought he was lucky for not getting hurt more than that, but ever since then, Jonouchi has been trying to find ways to improve his luck.

Well, now Jonouchi has a chance to improve his luck and pay off his father’s drinking debts by entering a game show for a chance to win 1,000,000 yen.

Jonouchi announces to his friends that he is going to be on a game show called “The Get the Million Yen Game!” As the name might imply, if you win all of the challenges, you win 1,000,000 yen. If Jonouchi wins that much money, he can finally pay off his father’s gambling and drinking debt, he won’t have to run from the collection agencies anymore, and he won’t have to work any more part time jobs.

The day of the game show finally arrives. Yugi, Honda, and Anzu sit in the audience to support Jonouchi, who has taken the stage as the next contestant. The game show host announces the first trial. It’s called “Darts of Fortune”. For this game, the host will spin a wheel. A very large portion of the wheel has 100,000 yen. A very small portion of the wheel has the word LOSE. Jonouchi is to throw a dart at the spinning wheel and will receive whatever prize the dart lands on.

The host spins the wheel. Jonouchi throws a dart. It hits the 100,000 slice (of course), but just barely.

(Yikes, I’m not sure if Jonouchi’s luck is good or bad at this point.)

The second challenge is called “The Electric Helmet”. Jonouchi is to navigate a maze of high voltage wires while wearing a helmet with a stick on top. If the stick touches the wires, Jonouchi will receive a devastating electrical shock. (Is this even legal?)

Jonouchi bends down and carefully navigates the maze, making sure not to let the helmet touch the wires. After carefully maneuvering the electric labyrinth, Jonouchi makes it to the end. He has now won 500,000 yen.

The host announces they will take a commercial break before the final round. All of the excitement makes Yugi tense, so he leaves to go find the restroom. While searching the halls, Yugi overhears the producer speaking to the engineer.

“So in the next round, is the wheel rigged to lose?” asks the producer.

“Yes sir, everything’s ready,” says the engineer.

What did he just say, thinks Yugi, All along, this game show was rigged? How dare he use Jonouchi’s desperate hopes. I’ll never forgive him.

Yugi transforms into his alter-ego and prepares to switch the odds back into Jonouchi’s favor.

The game show host announces that it’s time for the final round. In this challenge, Jonouchi will have a chance to compete for 1,000,000 yen! The game is called “The Wheel of Fate”. The wheel is divided into eight equal sections. One section has 1,000,000 yen. The other sections either say ‘Lose’ or have zonks. (Let’s Make a Deal, anyone?) Jonouchi is to spin the wheel, and will win whatever prize the pointer points to when the wheel stops.

Jonouchi spins the wheel. Meanwhile, backstage, the producer and the engineer are preparing to end Jonouchi’s whole career. The engineer has set up an electrical box with an array of buttons. There is one button that will stop the wheel on a losing space, and this button has been cleverly painted red so it doesn’t get confused with the others. Suddenly, a presence appears behind them. The producer and the engineer turn their heads to see Yami-Yugi standing next to two ropes.

“What do you want?” shouts the producer, “Only staff are allowed back here.”

“Are you feeling lucky?” asks Yugi, “Then why don’t we test your luck?”

Yugi challenges the producer to pull one of the two ropes next to him. Yugi will pull the other rope. One of them is tied to a bucket of red paint. The one who pulls down the paint can loses.

“We don’t have time to play with you,” says the producer.

“You don’t want anyone to find out your game is rigged, do you, Mr. Producer?” says Yugi.

The producer grudgingly agrees to play, but he makes the engineer chose a rope. Yugi and the engineer both take hold of their ropes, then tug. The bucket comes falling down and lands on the engineer’s head, covering him in red paint. The producer goes to stop the wheel, but the electrical box has also been covered in red paint, making it impossible to tell which button to press.

(So Yugi actually created a win-win scenario here. Even if he lost, the bucket of red paint would still have fallen and covered the electrical box with paint. But of course, Yugi never loses, and because he didn’t lose, Yugi now dishes out a…)

“Penalty Game! Mind on Air!” cries Yugi.

The penalty game causes Yen symbols to appear on the producer’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the wheel is still spinning. Jonouchi calls for the wheel to stop, and the space that the pointer lands on is…

The game show host congratulates Jonouchi and presents him with a check for 1,000,000 yen.

Suddenly, the host and the audience hear a commotion. They turn their heads, and to their horror, the producer has pressed his face up to the camera.

“Hey all you broke, lazy, working class couch potatoes!” shouts the producer, “Get away from the TV just long enough to send me your cash, checks, money orders!”

“Apparently true poverty lives in the soul,” says Yugi.

Several days later, the production company went bankrupt, making Jonouchi’s check null and voided. Hopefully he will have better luck the next time he has a chance to win a million (whenever that will be).