Yu-Gi-Oh! is a franchise that is inseparable from a trading card game, but originally, it was a manga series that paid tribute to gaming in general. The manga’s creator, Kazuki Takahashi, would alternate between showcasing a game that was created on the spot and a parody of a real-life game. In Chapters 9-10, the main characters play a game called Magic and Wizards, which is a parody of the real-life game Magic the Gathering. (Magic & Wizards would become the game fans know as Duel Monsters.) In Chapter 21, the characters play a game called Digital Pets, which is a parody of Tamagotchi. Chapter 24 features a game called Capsule Monsters Chess, which appears to be a parody of gacha games, and Chapters 43 and 44 feature a game called Monster Fighter, which seems to be a parody of Rock-’em Sock-’em robots. What new game will be featured in Chapters 48 and 49?

Chapter 48 begins with Jonouchi showing off his epic yo-yo skills. (Yo-yo’s!? Takahashi is clearly running out of ideas.) Apparently yo-yo’s are the hottest street item right now. Jonouchi shows off his tricks such as Dribbling, Long Sleeper, and Parade the Pouch (which is really just Walk the Dog).

Suddenly, one of the other students in the class tells Jonouchi to ‘get rid of that thing’.

Yugi turns to see his classmate Nezumi with a bandage on his face.

“I don’t want to see another yo-yo as long as I live!” says Nezumi. He explains that he got attacked by a gang that uses yo-yo’s as weapons to mug kids.

“How dare those jerks use yo-yo’s to steal from little kids!” cries Jonouchi, “I wish they were here right now! I’d show ’em!”

Nezumi asks if Jonouchi can get back at them. Never wanting to back down from a fight, Jonouchi agrees to help. Nezumi says he will show them where he got attacked, which is where he assumes the gang hangs out. He leads Yugi and Jonouchi to an abandoned warehouse that feels faintly familiar.

Yugi and Jonouchi quickly recognize the warehouse as the place where they fought Hirutani and his gang. (This was in Chapters 11-12.) Suddenly, a group of yo-yo-wielding ruffians launch themselves from the rafters and land on the floor. They start swinging their yo-yo’s and position themselves in a circle around the protagonists in order to create a yo-yo force field. Nezumi manages to pull Yugi away before he gets trapped, but Jonouchi gets left stuck in the defensive barrier.

“How does it feel, Jonouchi,” says a voice.

Jonouchi looks in front of him and sees none other than his old nemesis – Hirutani!

(Wait, you mean he didn’t die? I mean, he got electrocuted…)

“I’m the persistent type,” continues Hirutani, “I want you in my gang, and I’m not going to stop ’till you’re in it.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, boss monkey!” retorts Jonouchi, “I don’t think I’d like it in your cage!”

“Heh, I forgot, the first thing I’ve got to do is stop you mouthing off,” responds Hirutani, “Check this out.”

Jonouchi sees that Yugi has been captured by one of Hirutani’s thugs. The thug pulls down a hook and attaches it to the string that is holding Yugi’s Millennium Puzzle around his neck. The hook raises, and now Yugi is getting strangled.

(Geez, that got dark real fast.)

“Good work, Nezumi,” says Hirutani, “Everything went according to plan.”

(TRAITOR!!!)

Nezumi gives a bashful face.

Hirutani gives Jonouchi an ultimatum: join his group, or watch Yugi die.

Jonouchi chooses neither. He wraps his arm around his chest and pushes his way through the shield of swirling yo-yo’s.

Jonouchi receives several blows all over his body, but he manages to get to Yugi and lift him up so he doesn’t choke. Yugi gets the hook off his neck and returns to the ground. (I guess you could say that Jonouchi got Yugi off the hook.)

“Hirutani, the pain of these bruises is nothing compared to the pain of betraying my friend,” declares Jonouchi. He says he is ready to go on the offensive, but he still has to fight his way through the army of yo-yo wielders before he can get to Hirutani. Jonouchi asks to borrow Yugi’s Millennium Puzzle. He swings it around like a yo-yo to catch and tangle the others. Then, he attaches the bundle of yo-yo’s to the hook, lifting the thugs off the ground by their index fingers. (Yikes, another dark turn.) Jonouchi returns the Millennium Puzzle back to Yugi, who immediately transforms into his alter-ego.

“All right, Jonouchi, it’s payback time!” declares Yugi.

Jonouchi goes to fight Hirutani while Yugi leads the rest of the gang away from him. They both head up the stairs. Yugi leads the gang to the edge of a slanted metallic roof.

“Let’s start the game!” announces Dark Yugi, “The rules are simple! Last one standing on the roof wins! Make your move!”

Hirutani orders his gang to attack Yugi, but Jonouchi calls to him from behind.

“Let’s settle this once and for all!” announces Jonouchi.

They begin an all-out fist fight. (A straight up fist-fight in Yu-Gi-Oh!? Not something you would usually see.)

Meanwhile, the gang members are all swinging their yo-yo’s at Yugi. The spiky-haired protagonist runs around and uses his own yo-yo to make small cracks in the metallic rooftop.

“Run all you like, starhead!” cries one of the gang members, “Sooner or later, our yo-yo net is gonna take you down.”

(One of the surprisingly few references to Yugi’s hair in the series.)

Eventually, Yugi gets cornered…literally on the corner of the roof.

“Nowhere to run, loser!” says a gang member, “You’ve fallen into our trap!”

“You’re the ones who have fallen into a trap,” retorts Yugi, “This metal roof we’re standing on is old and rusted…weak enough to break with a yo-yo! I wonder how long it can hold your weight with all the holes I made under your feet.”

As soon as he says that, the roof caves in underneath the five gang members.

“You don’t aim yo-yo’s at people, you aim them at the ground!” cries Yugi, “Think about that in the hospital!”

(Good line!)

Meanwhile, Jonouchi’s fight with Hirutani continues. Jonouchi punches Hirutani in the face, which causes him to lose some teeth. The gang leader responds by throwing some shattered glass at Jonouchi’s face. Now, Jonouchi can’t see, but he can still hear Hirutani’s footsteps as they step on the glass shards. Jonouchi turns around and clobbers Hirutani right in the face before he can make a move. The boss monkey slides down the roof and grabs hold of the edge. Jonouchi uses his Parade the Pouch trick to knock Hirutani’s fingers off, sending him falling to the ground below.

Jonouchi meets up with Yugi where they see that both of them are all right. Then, they head home.

“Hey, where did that little rat Nezumi go, anyway?” asks Jonouchi, “When I find him, I’m going to kick his butt!”