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Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist #7
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist, Vol. 7: Heavy Metal Raiders
It's the final round before the fight with Pegasus, and only one of the four will survive! Mai Kujaku has always wanted to fight Yugi, and now she's got her chance! Can Yugi beat her harpies' pet dragon? Then, Jonouchi fights "Bandit" Keith Howard, America's most unscrupulous gamer. Jonouchi's deck is loaded with warrior monsters, but Keith's machine deck deals death with six-guns and slot machine... American style!
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 1999
18 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Kazuki Takahashi
295 books239 followersTakahashi (高橋和希) started as a mangaka in 1982. His first work was Tokiō no Tsuma (闘輝王の鷹), published in 1990. One of his earliest works was Tennenshokudanji Buray (天然色男児BURAY), which lasted for two volumes and was published from 1991 to 1992. Takahashi did not find success until 1996 when he created Yu-Gi-Oh!
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 14, 2025
Banger of a volume (the first half only, the second was meh)
Now, as much as I love the fact that he can manipulate the cards or any game he's in to win, I didn't like that against Mai.
It didn't feel fair not with her.
She's the best duelist, no, character, in the entire story hands down.
Now, as much as I love the fact that he can manipulate the cards or any game he's in to win, I didn't like that against Mai.
It didn't feel fair not with her.
She's the best duelist, no, character, in the entire story hands down.
April 2, 2020
A BDSM/gimp themed deck makes for a surprisingly subtle piece of story telling.
I have an uncensored version of this volume, and I am surprised how much of the sexual references in Mai deck went over my head as a kid. Outside of the sexual references, the deck is amazing as it is a reflection of Mai inner character. When Yu-Gi-Oh! wants to, it can actually pull subtlety, and I am impressed!
Outside of the great decks, complicated card play is actually at work, as Mai, Bandit Keith and Joey brings on not only strategy but also complex combos. This makes you root for Mai in her battle, as Other Yugi’s strategy relies on luck several times in a row. This, along with his much-needed lesson in respect (for his opponent), makes his eventual win fell sour, as he learned something but not enough to be a compelling protagonist.
What makes this volume is Joey’s and Mai’s continued character development. They display much better the themes and message of the book than its luck driven protagonist.
I have an uncensored version of this volume, and I am surprised how much of the sexual references in Mai deck went over my head as a kid. Outside of the sexual references, the deck is amazing as it is a reflection of Mai inner character. When Yu-Gi-Oh! wants to, it can actually pull subtlety, and I am impressed!
Outside of the great decks, complicated card play is actually at work, as Mai, Bandit Keith and Joey brings on not only strategy but also complex combos. This makes you root for Mai in her battle, as Other Yugi’s strategy relies on luck several times in a row. This, along with his much-needed lesson in respect (for his opponent), makes his eventual win fell sour, as he learned something but not enough to be a compelling protagonist.
What makes this volume is Joey’s and Mai’s continued character development. They display much better the themes and message of the book than its luck driven protagonist.
September 14, 2015
A Quickie Review
This seventh volume is pretty much business as usual for this series, except for one thing: There's a lot of talk about hell as a place. While we never see Satan or any actual demons, overuse of that word--even in a non-profane context--may upset some discerning readers and parents.
Score: 3/5
This seventh volume is pretty much business as usual for this series, except for one thing: There's a lot of talk about hell as a place. While we never see Satan or any actual demons, overuse of that word--even in a non-profane context--may upset some discerning readers and parents.
Score: 3/5
January 11, 2025
"Yugi...There are two ways of losing! A loss where everything truly ends...and a loss which is just a step on the road to victory. I will become stronger from this loss!"
Duelist, Vol.7 is comprised wholly of the Duelist Kingdom semi-finals: Yugi vs. Mai and Joey/Jounouchi vs. Bandit Keith.
Needless to say, Yugi's duel against Mai is infinitely more interesting than Joey/Jounouchi's duel against Bandit Keith.
In the match between Mai and Yugi, we get to see Mai really shine both as a duelist and as a character. Yugi allows Yami Yugi to take over and duel, but Yami is in large part distracted by Pegasus and unable to concentrate. Even though this results in Mai taking a strong lead, she's frustrated by the fact that her opponent is barely paying attention. She accuses him of being too arrogant to pay attention to the opponent in front of him; too certain of his own victory to pay her any mind.
Ultimately, she realizes that part of Yami/Yugi's hang-up are the feelings of doubt that still linger after being defeated by Kaiba in volume 5, and there's a lull in the duel as Mai describes what Duelist Kingdom has taught her about herself, and the lessons she's learned since losing to Joey/Jounouchi. Her main takeaway was that there can be courage in accepting defeat. And that only by accepting losing as an option when you step into the arena can you develop strength as a player.
This unlocks something in Yami Yugi who, in a moment of introspection, realizes that the reason he was willing to risk Kaiba's life in their duel was because he was afraid to lose, whereas Yugi had the clarity to realize that sometimes losing is better. Great character development moment for both of the Yugis, and the first time we get the acknowledgement that Yugi has a strength that his ostensibly stronger, more talented half still needs to develop.
It's a bit of an extension of the discussion of winning and losing that we got before, but it's such a central message of the series it's unsurprising Takahashi would really try to hammer it home. If you read the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, you will walk away understanding that losing does not make you a loser, but sometimes winning does if you don't win in the right way. I've said it before and will say it again: given the target demographic for Yu-Gi-Oh! this is such an important message to convey, and even if it can be on-the-nose and a little bit cheesy, I'm glad this was done in such a methodical and consistent way, and that it's a message the protagonist struggles to embody and take on.
Anyway, getting back to the dueling, once Mai gives her pick-me-up speech, Yami Yugi is back in it and prepared to put his all into the match. With his full heart in it, he's able to turn the tables and defeat her to earn a place in the finals.
I still think having her surrender rather than lose outright was an odd choice. It's not inconsistent with the message that winning isn't all-important, but she also could have just lost to Yami Yugi and that still would have come through.
Finally, Joey/Jounouchi faces off against Bandit Keith in easily the least interesting duel in the entire arc. Not only is it obvious that Joey/Jounouchi is going to win, Keith isn't charismatic enough as a villain to make it fun to read even knowing the outcome. We get a back story about Keith that literally I defy anyone to claim they care about, and on top of that, his deck is also very meh.
Sure, we get to see how Joey/Jounouchi has grown as a duelist and actually strategize rather than relying on luck, but it's still a very forgettable duel that just serves to kill time before the match between Yami Yugi and Pegasus.
Duelist, Vol.7 is comprised wholly of the Duelist Kingdom semi-finals: Yugi vs. Mai and Joey/Jounouchi vs. Bandit Keith.
Needless to say, Yugi's duel against Mai is infinitely more interesting than Joey/Jounouchi's duel against Bandit Keith.
In the match between Mai and Yugi, we get to see Mai really shine both as a duelist and as a character. Yugi allows Yami Yugi to take over and duel, but Yami is in large part distracted by Pegasus and unable to concentrate. Even though this results in Mai taking a strong lead, she's frustrated by the fact that her opponent is barely paying attention. She accuses him of being too arrogant to pay attention to the opponent in front of him; too certain of his own victory to pay her any mind.
Ultimately, she realizes that part of Yami/Yugi's hang-up are the feelings of doubt that still linger after being defeated by Kaiba in volume 5, and there's a lull in the duel as Mai describes what Duelist Kingdom has taught her about herself, and the lessons she's learned since losing to Joey/Jounouchi. Her main takeaway was that there can be courage in accepting defeat. And that only by accepting losing as an option when you step into the arena can you develop strength as a player.
This unlocks something in Yami Yugi who, in a moment of introspection, realizes that the reason he was willing to risk Kaiba's life in their duel was because he was afraid to lose, whereas Yugi had the clarity to realize that sometimes losing is better. Great character development moment for both of the Yugis, and the first time we get the acknowledgement that Yugi has a strength that his ostensibly stronger, more talented half still needs to develop.
It's a bit of an extension of the discussion of winning and losing that we got before, but it's such a central message of the series it's unsurprising Takahashi would really try to hammer it home. If you read the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, you will walk away understanding that losing does not make you a loser, but sometimes winning does if you don't win in the right way. I've said it before and will say it again: given the target demographic for Yu-Gi-Oh! this is such an important message to convey, and even if it can be on-the-nose and a little bit cheesy, I'm glad this was done in such a methodical and consistent way, and that it's a message the protagonist struggles to embody and take on.
Anyway, getting back to the dueling, once Mai gives her pick-me-up speech, Yami Yugi is back in it and prepared to put his all into the match. With his full heart in it, he's able to turn the tables and defeat her to earn a place in the finals.
I still think having her surrender rather than lose outright was an odd choice. It's not inconsistent with the message that winning isn't all-important, but she also could have just lost to Yami Yugi and that still would have come through.
Finally, Joey/Jounouchi faces off against Bandit Keith in easily the least interesting duel in the entire arc. Not only is it obvious that Joey/Jounouchi is going to win, Keith isn't charismatic enough as a villain to make it fun to read even knowing the outcome. We get a back story about Keith that literally I defy anyone to claim they care about, and on top of that, his deck is also very meh.
Sure, we get to see how Joey/Jounouchi has grown as a duelist and actually strategize rather than relying on luck, but it's still a very forgettable duel that just serves to kill time before the match between Yami Yugi and Pegasus.
May 17, 2023
Yu-Gi-Oh Vol. 7 continue the Duelist Kingdom semi-finals as Yugi finishes his duel with Mai and Joey faces off against former American DM champion Bandit Keith. Takahashi crafts some dynamic duels as the almost-Dungeons & Dragons-esque subrules create interesting situations with the Yu-Gi-Oh cards we've come to love across this series. Battle City, the next big arc, adaprs the standard rules of the real life card game so this and the next volume are the last time we see stuff like this.
Mai has some great moments in this volume, especially with Joey. Bandit Keith, while undeniably edgy, is a memorable baddie with a frighteningly effective metal-themed deck. Fans won't want to miss this penultimate collection in the Duelist Saga.
Mai has some great moments in this volume, especially with Joey. Bandit Keith, while undeniably edgy, is a memorable baddie with a frighteningly effective metal-themed deck. Fans won't want to miss this penultimate collection in the Duelist Saga.
September 4, 2022
The duels in this volume were amazing, I can't believe Mai surrendered when she knew she was going to lose. And Kieth is such an idiot, he stole Joey's card and cheated in the duel. The duel ended pretty good, Joey did amazing, and I am so happy he won. Next duel will be Yugi and Joey now, can't wait to see who wins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2022
Takahashi has a real knack for iconic character designs - Bandit Keith is such a cool looking dude. And he has a russian roulette gimmick because he's so edgy and fucked up. Very goofy but I love it. He has that sleazy vibe that makes him feel like a Kaiji character - they should've done a crossover where Bandit Keith teaches Kaiji how to play duel monsters for money.
December 29, 2023
This volume is the only one of the initial 8 that I never attained as a kid, so this is my first ‘new’ volume of Duelist.
This one’s fine. Yugi and Mai’s match is a lot more entertaining than Jonouchi and Keith’s; the latter has that feel of rapidly escalating dei ex machina, whereas the former only really has the one decisive instance.
This one’s fine. Yugi and Mai’s match is a lot more entertaining than Jonouchi and Keith’s; the latter has that feel of rapidly escalating dei ex machina, whereas the former only really has the one decisive instance.
September 9, 2025
Las estrellas o calificación va más para la nostalgia, el recordar lo buenísimos que estaban los episódios y el ver las cartas en la vida real, que eran bastante inconseguibles.
Pero el duelo y las cartas de Mai están geniales. El Keith es un personaje super odiable, que quizá tenga algo de simbolismo que sea americano, con máquinas, pistolas y trampas. hahaha
Pero el duelo y las cartas de Mai están geniales. El Keith es un personaje super odiable, que quizá tenga algo de simbolismo que sea americano, con máquinas, pistolas y trampas. hahaha
June 2, 2019
Yugi's impatience against Mai was one of the things I still remember about this duel all of these years later. He came so close to losing it all, and finally managed to turn things around.
Bandit Keith remains an obnoxious stain on the term "duelist".
Bandit Keith remains an obnoxious stain on the term "duelist".
December 9, 2024
Los dibujos han mejorado mucho en este punto. En este volumen vemos a Mai enfrentándose a Yugi, y a Jonouchi enfrentándose al Bandido Keith.
Con respecto a la versión del anime no hay grandes diferencias así que la emoción se pierde un poco.
Con respecto a la versión del anime no hay grandes diferencias así que la emoción se pierde un poco.
May 28, 2021
Es un manga decente.
August 28, 2021
Always loved yugioh, it was my favorite show as a kid and my first manga! Love all the great characters and the Egypt story line it has😻👌😁❤️
November 21, 2021
I do have to say this is the first time we have metal decks and I thought it weird that no one had used them before...
March 14, 2022
We get a sweet moment from Mai, and an amazing duel between Joey and Bandit Keith.
Pegasus forces Bandit Keith to kill himself which is super unexpected 😅
Pegasus forces Bandit Keith to kill himself which is super unexpected 😅
October 1, 2024
It’s just good nostalgia! Yugi finding himself mid duel and Joey overcoming that mean bandit Keith!!!
November 30, 2024
Dayum. Pharaoh needed some lessons in humility
June 28, 2025
The standout of this volume once again is Mai’s character arc. Watching duelists respect one another, give their all, and walk away with no grudges...that’s Yu-Gi-Oh! at its best. It’s heartwarming to see how much Mai has grown in such a short time. Just goes to show what a difference real friendship can make.
November 26, 2016
I really like Mai’s character and the way that she provokes Yami into dueling her at his full power when she realises that he is distracted. Yami is so focused on his upcoming duel with Pegasus, he already thinks that he can beat Mai and doesn’t give her his full attention. This leads to him loosing quite a few life points (Yugi reaches 300 while Mai remains on 2000) until Mai’s prompting brings his full focus onto their duel. It is a very good duel in which you get to see Mai’s full strength as she completes her Harpy combo. She also shows great strength and a huge change in character from when you first met her, in knowing when she is beaten and surrenders rather than see her Harpies injured.
Keith’s machine deck is strong, but he relies on cheating. Even so Jonouchi shows just how much he has improved as a duellist when he manages to defeat Keith, the former US champion, by himself.
One thing that I have noticed throughout reading these manga is the struggle to coincide the Japanese and American names of the duel monsters cards. It seems that in the pictures of the cards the American name is used, but often in the characters speech the literal translation of the Japanese name is used. This can be a tad confusing, but it’s okay if you know the cards well enough.
I enjoyed this volume, Mai and Yugi’s duel much more so than Keith and Jonouchi’s duel.
Keith’s machine deck is strong, but he relies on cheating. Even so Jonouchi shows just how much he has improved as a duellist when he manages to defeat Keith, the former US champion, by himself.
One thing that I have noticed throughout reading these manga is the struggle to coincide the Japanese and American names of the duel monsters cards. It seems that in the pictures of the cards the American name is used, but often in the characters speech the literal translation of the Japanese name is used. This can be a tad confusing, but it’s okay if you know the cards well enough.
I enjoyed this volume, Mai and Yugi’s duel much more so than Keith and Jonouchi’s duel.
December 4, 2016
And here it is... the finals of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. First is Yugi vs. Mai, but Yugi is distracted by Kaiba's soul being sucked out. His mind is already jumping to how to break Pegasus's seemingly unbeatable defense. Mai isn't having it though and introduces the latest beast to her deck, Harpie's Pet Dragon! Of course Yugi finds his Duelist Spirit and Mai is forced to concede. Then we have Bandit Kieth taking on Jonouchi. Keith battles with machine type monsters that have specific restrictions that overwhelm Jonouchi early on. Again, the heart of the cards comes through and this volume ends with the duels conclusion.
April 22, 2016
I thought this comic series was really good so far i cant wait to read #8 and see how the fight with Yugi and Pegasus go. Im hoping Yugi will win so he can get the two brothers (not yugis brothers) and Yugis Grandfather. I predict that Yugi is going to win and get the Brothers and his Garndfather back but theres going to be a sudden twist. I predict that Pegasus is hiding something and is going to out smart yugi and when and if u lose against pegasus you lose your soul and he puts ur soul in a card.
September 21, 2016
Amazing artwork and storyline. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I enjoyed the duel very much. I believe the duels for the championship were the best. I don't believe this volume had any crucial differences to the anime episodes so no little surprises this time, however I still enjoyed it very much.
September 26, 2019
Yu-gi-oh heavy metal raiders was an amazing entry in the Yugioh series.(probably one of my favorites)
This book contains 2 duels including (bandit)Keith Howard vs joey wheeler(his names different in japan)
and Yugi Motou vs Mai Valentine(again different in japan). But if you're into manga this will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
This book contains 2 duels including (bandit)Keith Howard vs joey wheeler(his names different in japan)
and Yugi Motou vs Mai Valentine(again different in japan). But if you're into manga this will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
May 18, 2015
Приятелство, измами, още приятелство, интриги и пак приятелство. Колкото и интересен от към дуели да беше тома, то това приятелство (което блика и струи от всяка една манга) ми идва малко горница. 'Що не сложат малко любов за заместител на движещата сила, ей така за разнообразие?
September 22, 2021
Dos duelos increíbles; con mucha tensión y perfectamente equilibrados. Me gustó principalmente el duelo de Yugi contra Mai, con todas esas reflexiones y diálogos sensibles. Luego, el duelo de Keith contra Joey le añadió toda la tensión que le faltó al primero para conseguir un gran equilibro.
May 14, 2010
Lots of cool action. I love the Joey vs. Bandit Keith match especially. Excellent artwork. =)
March 4, 2013
Reviewed on previous volumes Yu-Gi-Oh! Volumes 1-4 and Duelist Volumes 1-5 as well as the final volume
June 24, 2018
Book #25 of the 2018 Reading Challenge
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews