As the plot advanced, the Earthbound Immortals awoke, and the hidden powers of the Signers began to emerge in turn, pushing this fateful war to its climax.
On the Signers' side, the main powerhouse was, of course, the Satellite's very own hero: Yusei Fudo, the orphan of Satellite Town. Facing his old friend and rival Kessler, this time Yusei didn't hold anything back. They launched straight into a heartfelt and ferocious duel. During the battle, Yusei even used the long-lost technique of the "Duel King"—talk-no-jutsu—and after a round of "verbal attacks," Kessler's heart was swayed. In the end, he believed Yusei had not betrayed him to Security all those years ago, and their misunderstandings were completely resolved.
Of course, making peace didn't stop Kessler from being sent back to the underworld by Yusei's Majestic Star Dragon's soul attack.
Yes, Majestic Star Dragon—the new ace card Yusei printed out on the spot. This marked the first time in 5D's that the Crimson Dragon Printing Press fired up, and Kira already foresaw that this battle would usher in Yusei's never-ending collaboration with the Crimson Dragon Card Factory from this point forward.
If Yusei's side is all about the passionate bonds and friendships that define the "Yu-Gi-Oh King" tradition, then Jack's part was perhaps the least like a Yu-Gi-Oh King episode.
As a man capable of running a harem in this series, Jack displayed astonishing charm this battle, to the point where he nearly pulled the fallen Carmine back from the Dark Signer side—basically with a straight-up confession.
As the saying goes, "In fights, there is intimacy; in scolding, there is love." After this battle, Jack and Carmine could have been married on the spot, and no one would've been surprised. But it's as if, at this very moment, the scriptwriter suddenly smacked their forehead and realized, "Wait, aren't we making 'Yu-Gi-Oh'? Isn't the plot going a little off course?"
So the writers quickly tagged on a new setting: after a Dark Signer duel, the loser simply loses all memory of the battle—allowing Carmine to forget not only the game, but all of Jack's heartfelt words.
However, come the end of 5D's, it turns out this memory loss plot only really stuck with Carmine—everyone else (Kessler, Greiger, etc.) seemed to remember, leaving Carmine and the other two "harem members" forever circling around Jack, only for the grand finale to feature Jack's famous line: "I want to be the world champion—women are just a distraction."
Carmine herself is left with no memory that she was ever so close to a romantic breakthrough.
It's hard to believe the scriptwriters didn't do this on purpose.
Still, Jack truly embodied the "duelist never marries" spirit—he is the model for us all.
On another front, Luna managed to overcome the Dark Signer she faced with the aid of her brother Leo, and successfully broke the seal on her Ancient Fairy Dragon in the spirit world.
Lastly, there's Akiza's battle. She faced a world-famous model, Misty. Misty, believing her brother was killed by Akiza, fell into darkness as a Dark Signer and sought revenge. But in reality, Akiza knew nothing of this and it was Sayer who was truly responsible for her brother's death.
This crucial information had already been unearthed and delivered to Akiza by Kira. Compared to the original story, Akiza had complete control over the situation this time.
With Kira's evidence, Akiza quickly convinced Misty that she wasn't her brother's murderer, resolving the misunderstanding between them.
Of course, the evil god behind the Dark Signers wasn't about to let his pawn go so easily. Sensing the fight was about to end, he forcibly took over Misty's body to fight in her place.
Unfortunately for him, while his status was impressive, his dueling skills in the original were infamously poor—never securing a win in any of his "stand-in matches," revealing himself as a textbook "loves to play, but not very good" type.
As a result, Akiza was able to clinch victory against Misty even more effortlessly than in the original story.
Of all the Dark Signers, Greiger was the first to act, sneaking behind enemy lines to directly attack Goodwin, the golden support among the Signers. Unfortunately, Greiger still hasn't returned from his mission, making him the fifth Dark Signer to fall.
Now, only one remains.
…
Satellite Area, Old Perpetual Engine Site
Rudger Goodwin slumped, leaning against a wall, clutching his head in agony as sweat poured down his face.
At that moment, a voice spoke from behind him.
"Looks like you're the only one left standing."
Rudger turned and saw his brother from years past, Rex Goodwin, standing there with arms crossed, smiling.
Rudger straightened up, controlled his breathing, and growled: "You're not Rex."
Kira nodded, admitting freely, "Indeed, I am not."
Rudger's face darkened: "Then who are you? What have you done with Rex?"
"Curious, are you? If you really want to know…"
Kira smiled and gestured to his Duel Disk.
"Shall we duel?"
Rudger snorted coldly.
"You—a non-Signer—would challenge the power of gods? Very well. Defeat me, and I'll reveal who I am."
"That's what I should be saying," Kira replied calmly. "Are you the Dark Signer Rudger Goodwin, or the Skeleton Knight Rudger Goodwin? Through this duel, I'll get my answer."
These two are counterparts from different dimensions—both named Rudger Goodwin, but with entirely different backgrounds and personalities. Both personas inhabit this single body. Last time he appeared before Kira, he was the Skeleton Knight, but now the Dark Signer aspect seemed to have gained the upper hand.
Rudger bared his teeth, then declared, "I am who I am! Come!"
"DUEL!" ×2
[Kira, LP 4000]
[Rudger, LP 4000]
Kira: "I'll take the first turn. Draw!"
He drew two cards, set one monster in his front row, and set a backrow card—a classic opening.
"Set a monster in face-down defense, set a card face-down, end turn."
Rudger: "My turn, draw!"
He drew, then raised a card overhead.
"Activate field spell—'Spider Web'!"(5D's effect)
Prismatic violet crystals erupted from the ground. White spider silk wove together in the air to form a massive web, covering the entire field.
"While 'Spider Web' is active, whenever either player's monster declares an attack, after battle, the attacking monster is changed to Defense Position. That monster cannot change its battle position until the controller's next End Phase," Rudger explained.
Kira: "So this sort of field restricts attacks to some extent."
Rudger nodded. "In the web, every attack must be thought through. And the monsters best suited for this field—"
He revealed another card from his hand.
"Special Summon Dark Tuner Monster 'Dark Tuner Spider Cocoon'!"
Kira observed: "A Dark Tuner—you're preparing for a Dark Synchro right out the gate?"
…