Ryou Bakura
Name: Ryou Bakura / 獏良了
Age: 16-18 estimate
Ryou Bakura is a student at Domino High, holder of the Millennium Ring, host of Yami Bakura, and the reincarnation of Thief King Bakura. He lives on his own in an apartment in Domino City and loves playing games, mainly board games and TTRPGs. Ryou is more introverted and reserved than other characters but he cares deeply for his friends.
Ryou Bakura was introduced to the series in chapter 15 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga titled: "Millennium Enemy 1: The Mysterious Transfer Student" or "千年の敵１ -謎の転校生-" in japanese. He was a transfer student to Domino High and is shown to be good-looking and into games. It is later revealed that, like Yugi, he also has an ancient spirit inhabiting him, known as "Yami Bakura" or "Dark Bakura".
Ryou Bakura's debut in the first Yu-Gi-Oh! anime adaptation in 1998 was in episode 19 titled: "The Grand Melee!! Popularity Contest" or "大乱戦！！ 人気コンテスト" in japanese. Surprisingly, he is introduced earlier in the anime as he isn't yet a student at Domino High. While Yugi was getting a drink with Miho, his Millennium Puzzle reacted to Ryou unknowingly, while Ryou seems dazed or not fully conscious. This could be because of the prescence of Yami Bakura. When he comes back to consciousness, he nervously asks "Did I do something to you just now?" When Yugi answers no, he's relieved and claims he sometimes loses his memory. He also immediately catches the eye of Miho Nosaka, as she quickly falls in love with him.
Ryou Bakura's debut in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters was actually in episode 1 titled: "The Heart of the Cards" or "戦慄のブルーアイズ・ホワイト・ドラゴン" in the japanese version. He can be seen in the background as Yugi and Jounouchi are dueling, though his face and voice remain hidden. He is seen a couple more times before finally getting a speaking role in episode 12 titled: "Trial by Red Eyes" or "黒き炎！ レッドアイズ・ブラックドラゴン" in the japanese version. When Yugi and friends are in a forest during the first night of Duelist Kingdom, they hear rustling from the bushes. Jounouchi yells for whoever it is to come out, to which Ryou promptly does calmly. They sit together as Ryou asks everyone what their favorite card is, revealing his to be Change of Heart. Ryou then asks Yugi for a duel to which he agrees to.
Ryou Bakura's debut in Yu☆Gi☆Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions was around the 4 minute mark in front of Domino High, where he is seen with his fangirls surrounding him. The dub of this movie is the first time the dub has acknowledged Ryou's fanclub, chalking up the attention due to his accent.
Why do I like Ryou Bakura in particular? Well firstly based on looks alone he fills my criteria of a perfect bishounen, white long hair, tall (enough), lanky, dark eyes, there's a reason he has lots of fangirls, both in real life and in his school. But looks aren't even close to the only reason why I love his character, that'd be too shallow. Even if he looked like Mineta I'd still make this website. What I personally really love about his character is how much more resereved he is than the rest of the cast, like I mentioned above. His more calm and polite demeanor and social awkwardness is a breath of fresh air in the loud extroverted cast of characters, and it especially contrasts well with his Yami, who is a lot harsher and arrogant than him. And well, I heavily relate to him. One could even say he's my biggest kin. I relate to him in a lot of ways, like how he hides the damage his Yami did during Battle City, or how he has a group of friends but is oddly almost left out from them, even down to the fact that he runs to a holy place to seek refuge from his Yami. I see myself in him, almost like I'm looking in a mirror, and it's a really nice feeling seeing a character so much like yourself, like maybe you aren't so alone after all? Is that weird? That's fine, this is a website dedicated to an anime character after all, what were you expecting?
In the manga, Jounouchi Katsuya was the first person Ryou met in Domino High, when their teacher placed Ryou to sit by him. Jounouchi enthusiastically calls him over, despite the rest of the class' opinions. Ryou is pleased by this and gives him a warm smile after exchanging pleasantries. Jounouchi also introduces Ryou to his friends Yugi, Anzu, and Honda. He also shows interest in playing Monster World with him. Although, Jounouchi is a bit jealous that Ryou has a lot of female attention at school, that doesn't stop him from being a good friend.
Yugi Mutou was Ryou's friend since he transferred to Domino High. They bonded over their shared love of games, with Ryou taking interest with Yugi's game shop. Ryou was also drawn to Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, and was willing to tell him about his own Millennium Ring before he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Yugi was also the first to noticce something wrong with Ryou, before he even came in contact with the puzzle.
Miho Nosaka first met Ryou in season 0, she immediately fell head over heels for him, joining Domino High's popularity contest just for him. Ryou however, clearly doesn't reciprocate but Miho doesn't get the hint. Still, Ryou treats her kindly.
Anzu Mazaki became friends with Ryou alongside her other friends and is one of the few girls at Domino High that doesn't fawn over him. She was also the only one who noticed him sneaking onto Duelist Kingdom.
Sugoroku Mutou treats Ryou very kindly and is the one who takes him to the hospital in Battle City. During the Ceremonial Duel, they hold hands and jump around while cheering for Yugi.
Ryou Bakura's family is rarely shown throughout the Yu-Gi-Oh series. His father who despite being left unnamed has the most screentime out of Ryou's relatives is shown briefly in the anime during a flashback, showing he was the one who purchased the ring in Egypt and gifted to Ryou. In the 2016 movie Yu☆Gi☆Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions, he is given a face and voice. In this version of events, Ryou's father was actively searching for the Millennium Ring and found it in the Shrine of the Millennium Stone. Once putting it on however, the Ring rejected him, causing great harm. Ryou also has a sister named Amane Bakura, who he was seen writing to in chapter 15. In the book "Yu-Gi-Oh! Character Guidebook: The Gospel of Truth", it is revealed that Amane and Ryou's mother passed away in a traffic accident, and that Ryou was writing a letter to her in heaven. She and her mother are never mentioned again.