Kaiba is a fan favorite character, known for his cocky attitude and hilarious quips, but Yu-Gi-Oh! fans who only watched the first anime have missed out on the glory of his best quote. This may seem surprising as for the most part each entry in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise is separate from one another, featuring a completely new cast of characters, but Yu-Gi-Oh!‘s direct sequel, GX, is tied to the original show more closely than any other anime, and it includes some unforgettable Kaiba cameo appearances.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX takes place sometime after the original series, but its setting allows it to still occasionally feature characters from its predecessor. In fact, its opening episode features Yugi giving the new main character, Jaden, a special Kuriboh card. Beyond that, the Duel Academy where Jaden and his friends study is ultimately owned by Kaibacorp, giving a natural reason for Seto to occasionally make cameos as well. Although the series doesn’t rely on these cameos too heavily instead focusing on its new characters, when old characters do appear it is often very impactful as Kaiba’s best moment from the series proves.
Kaiba’s Best Line Is Actually in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
In the second series of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Jaden receives some new cards from space to upgrade his deck. A flashback explains how these cards got there, showing a special program that Kaiba enacted when Jaden was a child. Kaiba challenged children across the world to design their own cards to send into space because in Kaiba’s own words, “If there is intelligent life up there, let’s teach them how to duel!” This line is then of course capped off with a magnificently maniacal laugh that really hammers home how absurdly great this quote is. While it may seem silly it is also an incredible flex on Kaiba’s part as he is finding a space program solely to spread the card game he loves so much to the stars.
Part of what makes this line so great is how it continues to build Kaiba’s character even after the series he was prominently featured in ended. Throughout the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, Kaiba and his company sought to make the Duel Monsters card game a central part of society, and given the existence of Duel Academies and pro duelists in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, it seems he has succeeded in that goal. But instead of resting on his laurels after this achievement, Kaiba presses ever onward, seeking to extend his mission into the unknown reaches of space. This elevates Kaiba’s character to an even cooler level than in the first series while still remaining true to his initial personality.
Fans Of The Original Yu-Gi-Oh! Series Should Give GX a Chance
Many fans of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime aren’t as fond as GX, viewing it as less serious and thus less worth their time (which is ironic given how dark Yu-Gi-Oh! GX can get). Kaiba’s epic line proves that this silliness can actually make these series even cooler and also improve on aspects of the original. Fans of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime who haven’t seen GX need to give it a watch, not only to witness Kaiba‘s best quote but also to enjoy the wacky epicness that the series contains.
