ARC-V Episode 140 Discussion: King Dragon & Servant Dragons vs Great Kings

[KingJinzo]

The Professor is frustrated about his embarrassing loss from last episode, but his biological son tells him that there is still hope in form of Yuya inside Zarc (apparently, nobody really cares for Yuto and Yugo in the end). Super Ultra Hyper Strong Duelist Neo New Sawatari tosses the Pendulum Pendant to Reiji who will continue to fight for everyone who has lost to the Devil Duelist.

Reiji begins his turn and draws a copy of DD Savant Nikola, then he sets the DD Savants Schrödinger and Dirac in the Pendulum Zones. With Scales from 2-8, he Pendulum Summons his entire hand (are you Yuya or something), the Level 3 Tuner DD Night Nowling, two DD Savant Nikola and DD Vice Typhon. He doesn't waste time and summons the Rank 6 DDD Wave Great King Executive Ceasar, the Level 10 DDD Hurricane Great King Executive Alexander and the Level 8 DDD Blazing Flame Great King Executive Temujin without any summon chants. Meanwhile, Layra agrees to help Ray.

Executive Alexander doubles his ATK thanks to the presence of two other DD monsters on the field, boosting his ATK up to 6000. Pretty much everyone on the sidelines who except those who dueled Zarc comment that the boost is not enough to get rid of Haouryuu Zarc or to possibly damage him. However, Reiji uses Executive Temujin's effect to negate the effects of Spell/Trap Cards the opponent controls up to the number of other DD monster Reiji controls until his next Standby Phase, negating the two Haoumon Zero and Infinity with it, which makes damaging posssible. In reaction to that, Zarc attempts to use Odd-Eyes effect to return it to his Extra Deck and to Special Summon his two Darkwurm, but Reiji chains with Executive Ceasar's effect by detaching a Over Ray Unit and to negate the Special Summon, then Executive Ceasar gains Darkwurm's 1800 ATK, and then his other effect is activated; after detaching his remaining Over Ray Unit, Executive Temujin gains the same boost, thus all three Daiou have surpassed Haouryuu Zarc in terms of ATK. Due to Odd-Eyes being gone, Reiji attacks Haouryuu Zarc with all of three Daiou, reducing Zarc's Life Points from 6000 to 2800. Basically, Reiji did the same as Crow, but just better.

Spoiler Alert!

Zarc laughes at Reiji's earlier statement, that Yuya is the creator of Pendulum Summon, as he "corrects" him that Zarc himself is the true creator of Pendulum Summon, a "tool" he created to awaken his soul and to defeat Ray next time. Ah, I forgot that Zarc legitimately lost once in his life. While Layra is asking Ray how to defeat Zarc with the four Spell Cards, the Professor give us the explanation about the four Kachou Fuugetsu cards (En Moon, En Winds, En Birds and En Flowers), but at the moment Zarc was defeated by those cards, the Pendulum was created which has granted him the power he has now. As usual, Layra trips, but then Tsukikage returns and helps him out.

Zarc activates his Trap Card Haou no Gekirin; as he has suffered 2000+ damage, Zarc Special Summons all four Kenryuu versions of the Heavenly Four Dragons, Haoukenryuu Odd-Eyes, Haoukenryuu Clear Wing, Haoukenryuu Dark Rebellion and Haoukenryuu Starve Venom. Dark Rebellion even has 2 Over Ray Units attached to it. And again, Starve Venom is the odd one again, being the only not to be summoned by its own effect. At leasts its Level is the same as Odd-Eyes and Clear Wing: 8.

Zarc begins his turn and is aiming for a quick victory by using his Clear Wing shenanigans on Executive Alexander, but Reiji uses Savant Dirac's Pendulum Effect to Special Summon him in Defense Position and negate the effect damage. Then Dark Rebellion uses its Requiem Salvation knockoff on Executive Ceasar, but Reiji repeats the same with the Pendulum Effect of Savant Schrödinger, and negates the Battle Damage this time. Continuing the Synchro vs Synchro and Xyz vs Xyz trend, we get Fusion vs Fusion this time. Starve Venom uses its Quick-Effect to gain Executive Alexander's effect from the Graveyard and eats him with his belly mouth. With the presence of three DD monsters on the field, Starve Venom's ATK are doubled and it attacks Executive Temujin, but Reiji uses Schrödinger's Monster Effect to negate the Battle Damage. Now with Pendulum vs Pendulum, Odd-Eyes attacks Dirac, and thanks to the Piercing Damage assist from Starve Venom, Reiji takes double Piercing Damage and has 200 Life Points left. Then Haouryuu Zarc deals the finishing blow on Schrödinger.

Spoiler Alert!

Layra intrudes the duel, while the resident Konoha-Nin Tsukikage pulls a Kawarimi no Jutsu and saves Reiji and the Professor from the impact, but in cost of Reiji's cool scarf. And Reiji lost.

Layra now reveals the plot twist that might some people have already figured out. He's actually a girl and has pretty long (and one-colored) hair under his cap and hood, and he is Ray. Er...now she can legitimately sound like a girl. She activates the Spell Card Transmigrating Life Force from her hand to send her entire hand to the Graveyard and recover the four Kachou Fuugetsu cards and sets them on her field (I almost typed "his", and I just learned from another gender reveal plot twist last night). Now it's time for Kachou Fuugetsu, the four beauties of nature. Ray activates En Flowers, which revives flowers. Since there are at least three Xyz Monsters in the Lancers' Graveyards (six), Ray activates En Moon to summon birds, which turns every Xyz Monsters on the field, Graveyard and Banish Zone into Normal Monsters and their effects are negated. With at least three Synchro Monsters in their Graveyards (five), she activates En Winds to call wind and does the same to Synchro Monsters. With three Fusion Monsters in the Graveyard, En Moon uses the power of the moon and does the same with Fusion Monsters. Finally, Ray activates the effect of En Flowers to negate the effects of Zarc's monsters (basically, just Zarc), destroys them and inflicts 600 damage for each monster sent to the Graveyard on him. The four bracelets appear on her right arm, they shine and all of Zarc's monsters are taken out. He takes 1800 damage as only three of the five monsters have been sent to the Graveyard. Looks like the Pendulum really saved his ass.

Zarc is in his humanoid form again, but his face is shattered, claiming that he is not Yuya. The Akaba siblings and Yuzu's spirit use the Talk no Jutsu to bring Yuya back to surface of his body and him taking control of it. Reiji throws the Pendulum to Yuya, with the latter beginning the last turn. He draws and activates the Quick-Spell Card Smile Universe to Special Summon Pendulum Monsters from his Extra Deck while ignoring their Summoning Conditions, reviving Haouryuu Zarc and Haoukenryuu Odd-Eyes with it, but their effects are negated. We get some Yami Malik shenanigens between Zarc and Yuya, and Yuya continues to explain how Smile Universe works. The monsters he has Special Summoned are treated as Normal Monsters and Ray gains Life Points equal to the total amount of their ATK, increasing her Life Points by 6500. Ray then re-uses the effect of En Flowers to destroy Haouryuu Zarc and Odd-Eyes (and they are apparently sent to the Graveyard this time) and Zarc loses the duel.

Zarc tries to divide the worlds again, with Ray attempting to seal him and Zarc attempting to stop her. Then we see a naked Yuya calling for Layra. The end.

Reiji proves again why he is the ace of Lancers. His Kings trio seems to be his response to Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes. Rather than having multiple copies of the same ace monster (if we view Hell Armageddon as a giant mook), he uses just a trio of monsters, and he doesn't even need to use their original forms to summon their evolved forms.

The twist with Layra isn't an asspull and has been foreshadowed since the beginning of his introduction.

Spoiler Alert!

Honestly, while I had a theory in mind that Layra is indeed Ray, but revived as a boy, it didn't come to my mind that she's just a crossdresser, even it's pretty obvious if you think about it. And there is no need to criticize Yui Ishikawa to make Layra sound so girly. But I wonder how Himika didn't know that she's a girl. Or she knew it, but didn't know about her true identity.

The Kachou Fuugetsu cards are Deus Ex Machina cards (it's nothing new though), but they are a) designed to take out Zarc, b) the concept of them being a Deus Ex Machina was established since they were first mentioned. However, that makes you wonder what kind of deck Ray actually used in her past life.

While there is no explanation why Layra is Ray, I guess that her body was reincarnated at some point and that Layra is simply the embodiment of her body. That is similar to DokiDoki PreCure, where Princess Marie Ange split herself into three people: Aguri/Cure Ace embodying the pure side of her heart, Regina embodying the selfish side of her heart, and Ai-chan embodying her body. And the ARC-V was not able to recreate her body, but recreated her soul instead, as Layra didn't have Ray's soul in her body. Well, that's my theory.

Also, Asuka, you will forever be forgotten.

Preview:

Spoiler Alert!

-Another Junior Youth Cup (well, it was said to take place twice a year, or do I remember that wrong and confuse it with a different series like Naruto?)
-Many Standard faces.
-A newborn.

[Destiny91]

Neo New Alexander and Neo New Genghis are really good, specially Alexander.
But Neo New Caesar is too situational. IRL, I would never waste 2 regular Genghis to Xyz Summon it (if it keeps it's anime Effect of course).

[LolsterXD97]

Plot-wise this episode was all over the place. Zarc's explanation of Pendulum Summon was half-assed and definitively a last minute additon (he just created it so he couldn't lose to Ray anymore... And then her Spells still fuck over him anyway even if Pendulum bypassed En Flowers' burn effect), and even then it still didn't explain jackshit about the pendant itself; Ray's possesion of Reira also comes out of nowhere; and finally you have the episode forgetting the other counterparts were a thing except for the "last turn" sequence which for some reason had Yuri helping Yuya too (Yuya is the only soul shown being inside Zarc besides the other counterparts, same with Ray only having Yuzu being shown).

Animation-wise this episode was ok ignoring a few shots. I thought the scenery created by the En Spell Cards was great (along with Zarc's monsters literally being transformed into Normal Monsters). By the flip side you have animation constantly being reused like when Reiji negated the Darkwurms' Summon with Caesar, Zarc's Summoning sequence, and the sequence of him being destroyed by the En Spell Cards including Zarc's reaction.

Pacing-wise this episode was definitively rushed, you have Reiji's Summon Chants being skipped, Tsukikage returning out of nowhere like Crow (at least show the cards transforming), and the episode ending nearly instantly after the Duel ended (Reira wins, Zarc is sealed into him, all goes white, profit).

I'm glad we got Servant Starving Venom, but it was kind of there since it didn't get its time in the limelight like the other Dragons and was nerfed hard compared to the other 3 who were extremely buffed after being Zarc'd. That being said it opening its belly to use its effect and attack was fucked up.

Overall this episode was "ok". Personally what I liked the most were the last two turns. Also Reira with long hair was so beautiful I don't even (dissapointed Ray herself didn't appear with her own Deck, but at least we got that in exchange).

[Dark-Shimy]

Wasn't just that Ray posessed Layra?

And I think it won't just end here.

That scene where the Haokenryu cards became Normal Monsters... I think there was a card shown that was turned into a Normal Monster in ARC-V. At least as an explanation on TV Tokyo site. I think it was one of the Signer Dragons, but I can't remember which was.

[KingJinzo]

Wasn't just that Ray possessed Layra?

But that doesn't explain the long hair that were there from the beginning and obviously hidden. I'm sure that Layra is indeed the embodiment of Ray's body and that also explains their spiritual connection. If it was just possessing, then the gender reveal would be unnecessary. Of course, Layra has developed her own consciousness, but the resurrection was completed when the sould emerged with the body.

[NassX]

i hated starving venom's ass pull piercing damage. the duel was going to well until that point. Also, i would've prefered if starving venom's last effect was different like "you can return this card to the extra deck to special summon 2 darkwurm and destroy all monsters your opponent controls" but it was nerfed too much, just like Ra from being the strongest in the anime and the weakest in the official version.
Well, i'm still waiting for subs but this episode was extremely rushed. But I enjoyed it overall.
I'm just so confused about the preview for next week's episode. The art looks childish...
From what i read, it seems they are setting up a potencial 4 yus vs zarc. I would love that

[Archsorcerer]

A tournament at the end. That's so shonen manga.

YuYa Hakusho. :P

[Dark-Shimy]

But that doesn't explain the long hair that were there from the beginning and obviously hidden. I'm sure that Layra is indeed the embodiment of Ray's body and that also explains their spiritual connection. If it was just possessing, then the gender reveal would be unnecessary. Of course, Layra has developed her own consciousness, but the resurrection was completed when the sould emerged with the body.

Pegasus, Dartz, Kaiser Ryo, Saiou, Fubuki, Fujiwara, Rex Goodwin, Bommer, Kiryu in Crashtown... and the Wikia is yet stating that Layra is a boy.

I didn't watch the entire episode, but it looks like its intense. Good luck with all nude scenes, 4K.

The true past of Layra wasn't shown yet. Not only he could hear Ray, but also reacted to Zarc's story. Either Layra is Zarc-Ray combined or something.

[KingJinzo]

Pegasus, Dartz, Kaiser Ryo, Saiou, Fubuki, Fujiwara, Rex Goodwin, Bommer, Kiryu in Crashtown... and the Wikia is yet stating that Layra is a boy.

I didn't watch the entire episode, but it looks like its intense. Good luck with all nude scenes, 4K.

The true past of Layra wasn't shown yet. Not only he could hear Ray, but also reacted to Zarc's story. Either Layra is Zarc-Ray combined or something.

The wikia isn't completely updated with that part, and unlike Layra, the other guys have no reasons to hide their long hair. Also, just compare her hair with most of them. It's meant to be feminine, not to be cool, mysterious, emo-like, etc.

And even if he is a boy, him having long hair just so to make Ray's possession look visually more effective and symbolic is way too convenient even for this series.

[King]

The main cast unable to defeat the villain and a child saving the universe ? I've seen this somehwere else...