Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 Best Signature Monsters From The Anime
9. Dark Magician
Yami Yugi's key monster, Dark Magician, is in many ways a foil to Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon. Although Dark Magician is not as powerful as his Dragon counterpart, a number of support cards have made the monster a viable asset in Spellcaster decks in his own right.
In the anime, of course, Dark Magician got Yugi out of many a tight spot. moves attributed to the wizard, such as Dark Magic Attack, became cards in the TCG, bolstering the vanilla monster with abilities he really should've been given in the first place.
Like many cards in this list, Dark Magician's popularity has spawned an entire archetype of its own, as well as solidifying Spellcasters as a formidable Type in the game.
But where Dark Magician's archetype differs from others that revolve around ace monsters is that a number of cards in it have become iconic on their own merit. For example the wizard's sidekick, Dark Magician Girl, could have easily had her own place on this list.
Essentially a Duel Monsters stand-in for Yami, Dark Magician's badass no-nonsense personality has remained a fan favourite, becoming one of the most enduring monsters (and characters!) in the franchise.