Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 Best Signature Monsters From The Anime
6. Relinquished
Before becoming a camp supporting character and surprise ally of Yugi and friends, Maximillion Pegasus was originally the main villain of Yu-Gi-Oh!. The original series would see him attempting to take over KaibaCorp for his own gain (while stealing a few souls in the process).
The card game's creator, he reserved a number of Duel Monsters' most powerful cards for himself. Although Pegasus largely relied on his beloved Toon monsters (which were more powerful cartoon versions of popular cards), Maximillion had another dark trick up his sleeve: Relinquished.
One of the most powerful Ritual monsters at the time (and the easiest to summon, being only a Level 1 creature), Relinquished's original release had so much game text its Ritual requirements had to be axed from the card.
Its wording has been cut down over the years, and Relinquished's effect is quite simple: it can 'absorb' an opponent's monster, gaining its ATK and DEF, while essentially shielding itself from destruction in battle. In many ways, Relinquished's effect was an allegory for Pegasus' tendency to steal the souls of anyone who got in his way.
Despite being twenty years old, Relinquished remains one of the darkest monsters (and amongst the most powerful Ritual cards) in the whole of Yu-Gi-Oh!