Yugi goes on quite a journey during his time as the protagonist in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. However, because the character was so popular, he has also made a few other appearances outside his own series, whether it's to simply give some advice to other characters, or when he decided to pull out his Dueling Deck to prove his belief in the Heart of the Cards.

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While he always has full trust in his deck of cards, Yugi also relies on his friends a lot throughout the series, and as a result, he's formed some incredibly close and meaningful bonds with some of the people he's traveled with. There's no doubt that Yugi has a lot of friends, but there are only a select few who have spent enough time with him to be considered a true best friend. It should be noted that because Yugi is the actual person forming the relationships, Atem will be regarded as another character, since he and Yugi have their own type of friendship.

6 Jaden Yuki

Yugi Has Shown That He Respects Jaden Highly As A Duelist

At the very beginning of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Atem gifts Jaden a Winged Kuriboh that would eventually go on to save him from losing multiple duels. This was an extremely generous act, but while it was technically Atem doing this, since he and Yugi share the same thoughts, it's likely he was also fond enough of the young Duelist to share this powerful card with him.

Fans get to see Yugi and Jaden speak to one another a little bit more in the Yu-Gi-Oh Bonds Beyond Time movie, and while these moments are only brief, they do show that a lot of care is shared between the two. Yugi does also meet Yusei in this film, but the fact that he has made contact with Jaden on more than a few occasions shows just how friendly he is with the GX protagonist.

5 Mai Valentine

Eventually Becomes Much More Likable And Selfless After Meeting Yugi

Despite starting as an arrogant and pretty selfish character who cares only about winning and prize money, Mai eventually grows to become much more selfless once she meets Yugi. Because Yugi decided to initiate a Duel with Panik who had stolen Mai's Star Chips, she realizes that there's a lot more to life than just trying to be better than other people, and from then on, she and Yugi help each other out on numerous occasions.

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Her traumatic experience of being absorbed into the Shadow Realm eventually forces her to remain distant from her friends, but this only goes to show even more just how much she cares about Yugi and the others. Mai is a character who goes through her own arc once she encounters Yugi, and it's undeniable just how close they become during their time together in the series.

4 Tristan Taylor

Tristan And Yugi Have Demonstrated Multiple Times That They Always Have Each Other's Backs

It's clear just from Tristan's actions that he cares deeply for his pal Yugi. He has gone out of his way on multiple occasions to save Yugi from danger, such as throwing him a rope when he was about to drown in Duel Kingdom and rescuing him from the burning building at the start of Battle City.

This seems to be more of a quiet mutual respect though, as the two don't get that many scenes where it's just them having some alone time together. The show demonstrates Tristan and Joey to be closer as they're always bickering like they're brothers, but this isn't to suggest that Tristan and Yugi lack affection. It's just that they aren't as up-front about it as some of the others.

3 Tea Gardner

Intimate Friendship Eventually Blossoms Into A Fully Fledged Romance

While Tea has known Joey through her teenage years and eventually grew to like him as a person, she's been a very close friend of Yugi's since high school when they were young. When fans first see Tea at the beginning of the series, she acts as somewhat of an older sister to Yugi, always spurring him on in duels and being very protective over him, but as time goes on, they both begin to feel much closer and more affectionate for one another.

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This becomes especially clear during the final few seasons where Tea is constantly shown to be extremely worried about Yugi's safety, such as when he falls unconscious, and she can be seen kneeling by his side and tightly grasping his hand. These feelings are mutual though, as it becomes evident very quickly that Yugi also has a crush on her. Still, while it's implied that the two do get together by the end of Duel Monsters, this romance only bloomed as a result of the very intimate friendship that has always existed between the two for nearly all their lives.

2 Joey Wheeler

Started As Pals, But By The End Of The Series, They Become Brothers In Arms

Joey initially starts as nothing more than Yugi's clumsy pal who can barely hold his own as a Duelist, but as he becomes more experienced throughout Dual Kingdom and Battle City, the two begin to form a much stronger relationship. This is clearly shown when Joey is being manipulated by Marik, where Atem says to Yugi that only he is capable of pulling him out of the trance due to how close they are as friends. There are plenty of examples like this of the two sacrificing a lot to save one another, such as when Yugi decides to forfeit a match against Joey where the loser would drown, with Joey eventually doing the same to force the duel into a draw.

There's also a real brotherly bond shared between the two since while they always know they have each other's backs, they also go the extra mile to push the other to even greater heights. This is perfectly demonstrated during their duel after Battle City where the winner gets possession of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, the card that was once Joey's ace monster. The choice was made not to show the result of this Duel, but considering that Joey is shown to have his Red-Eyes later in the story, many fans have assumed that Yugi was impressed with how far his pal had come and gave him the card anyway, proving just how passionate they both are about pushing one another to succeed.

1 Atem

The Two Formed An Unbreakable Bond That Will Always Live On

While the Yu-Gi-Oh! show at its core is based around a card game, the heart of the anime has always revolved around the importance of friendship and being able to count on the people around oneself. Because of this, there are a few smaller scenes where Yugi and the gang will show their affection for one another, but since Atem is literally part of the same body as Yugi, he's the one who spends the most time with him, eventually becoming his best friend.

Whether it's Atem saying that Yugi has the heart of a Pharaoh to cheer him up when he's down, or just outright admitting that he never wants to leave his side, Yugi's friendship manages to break down Atem's stoic barrier to make him seem a lot more human and believable. Despite Atem being extremely powerful, Yugi still never takes him for granted or forces him to win his duels for him. Instead, he learns from the ancient Pharaoh about the art of Dueling, while at the same time, helping his friend find out more about where he came from and how he can move on into the afterlife. There's a reason Yugi broke down crying at the end of the season when he had the chance to finish Atem off with a final attack, and it's because he'd never experienced a friendship quite as special as this one.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Adventure

Fantasy

Release Date

April 18, 2000

Seasons

5

Studio

Gallop

Streaming Service(s)

Tubi , Amazon Freevee