Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime 25th Anniversary Special Panel From Anime NYC 2025

On Saturday, August 23, the convention was overflowing with love and excitement for the special guests Kenjiro Tsuda and Teruaki Jitsumatsu. For years, these two have achieved legendary feats within the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, earning the admiration of fans around the world. The crowd gave them multiple standing ovations, celebrating their incredible contributions. During the event, we got a rare glimpse behind the scenes, heard about their favorite memories, learned their top three moments of Seto Kaiba, and even witnessed a live demonstration from Kenjiro Tsuda-san himself!

Portions of this panel have been lightly edited for clarity.

Brief Rewind & Discussion

Before the event officially began, the audience was given a quick overview of the rich history of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. From the classic Duel Monsters to GX, 5D’s, Zexal, Arc-V, Vrains, Sevens, and Go Rush!!, we celebrated 25 incredible years filled with strategic duels, talented creators, and a community built on love for the game.

After the presentation, we were shown a powerful montage of Yugi and Kaiba’s most legendary battles, including their first duel, the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City arcs, and their clash in Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions.

NYC Experience

This event marked their very first visit to New York City, where they experienced famous sights like the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. One detail that stood out to Kenjiro Tsuda was the smoke rising from the ground, which instantly made him think, “Yeah, this is NYC.” Tsuda-san also shared his admiration for New York University and one of its notable alumni, Spike Lee, who is widely known for his bold style, innovative editing, and powerful use of music to explore controversial themes.

Kenjiro Tsuda-san’s Favorite Memories as Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh!

The legendary actor fondly recalled many moments from his time in the Shibuya studio, starting with the iconic draw phase. He described how Kazuki Takahashi and the rest of the staff would feel as if a gust of wind swept through the room, creating an intense atmosphere. Tsuda-san explained that in most battle scenes, the voice acting typically follows a rhythm of small, big, rest, speech, and then big again. However, in Yu-Gi-Oh!, the action never levels out, it just keeps climbing higher and higher.

The second memory Tsuda-san shared was dedicated to Shunsuke Kazama, the voice actor behind Yugi Muto and Atem. At the time, Kazama-san was only 16 years old and would arrive at the studio still wearing his school uniform. Watching him grow from a young student into one of Japan’s most respected actors left a deep impression on Tsuda-san. He also expressed how proud he felt seeing fellow cast members like Hiroki Takahashi, who voiced Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler), and Haruhi Nanao, who voiced Kujaku Mai (Mai Valentine), growing their careers over the years.

Tsuda-san concluded by expressing his gratitude for the role, sharing how much it means to be part of such a beloved series and how it has helped his acting career grow. He also mentioned how much he loves the theme of friendship that runs throughout the series.

Teruaki Jitsumatsu-san’s Favorite Memories

Producer Jitsumatsu-san recalled the transition into Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, where everyone asked him, “Why are they dueling on motorcycles, and what about the physics behind it?” He laughed as he remembered how the questions later shifted with Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, when fans began asking, “Why aren’t they using Duel Runners anymore?”

Jitsumatsu-san briefly explained how the team determined the flow of each episode by working with character designs that included special abilities or unique summoning techniques. Many cards were redesigned to feature more than one specific attack pattern, especially if they were intended to be an ace monster.

Lastly, he emphasized that the series would not have reached such success without its talented voice cast. Many of the voice actors were fairly new to the industry at the time, but the studios recognized and embraced their raw talent. As a result, both the studios and the actors grew together, crafting original and iconic voices exclusive to Yu-Gi-Oh!

Who would Tsuda-san be friends with in real life?

Tsuda-san shared that his favorite character is Katsuya Jonouchi, also known as Joey Wheeler, because of how kind and free-spirited he is, the exact opposite of Kaiba’s obnoxious attitude. Tsuda-san joked that he would tell Seto Kaiba how annoying he is, and was surprised to learn that some people in the audience would actually want to befriend him. When he asked why anyone would want to be friends with Kaiba, the audience replied with answers like “money” or simply “because he’s cool.” Tsuda-san laughed and said, “You must have a strong spirit to befriend him, especially since he’d be too busy dueling to even acknowledge you.”

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Top 3 Moments – First Scene

We were then shown the top moments that fans had submitted prior to the event, with number three being the unforgettable scene where Seto Kaiba summoned Obelisk the Tormentor in Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions.

In his quest to revive Atem, Kaiba returned to the place where the original series concluded: the Ceremonial Battle at the Shrine of the Underworld. There, he faced Aigami in a duel that seemed impossible to win, as Aigami blocked nearly every path to victory, until a literal miracle occurred. Kaiba’s bond with Obelisk reaches back to Battle City and to his ancient connection as Priest Seto, who once served under Atem. This bond allowed Obelisk to return, unleashing divine wrath upon Aigami.

Who else felt chills when Kaiba slammed his hand on the ground and drew the one card that was once lost? Truly one of the greatest moments of all time.

Second Scene

The second scene shown was when Kaiba sacrificed Obelisk for his Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his duel against Ishizu Ishitar (Episode 94). Throughout the duel, Ishizu was trying to convince Kaiba that his fate was set, until he was shown a new path thanks to the Millennium Rod. Blue-Eyes White Dragon has always been his favorite monster that represented ultimate power, but his immense mentality to overcome anything has helped to solidify his desire to achieve victory.

The second scene shown was when Kaiba sacrificed Obelisk the Tormentor for his Blue-Eyes White Dragon during his duel against Ishizu Ishtar in Episode 94. Throughout the duel, Ishizu tried to convince Kaiba that his fate was already decided. However, thanks to the power of the Millennium Rod, he was shown a new path. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon has always been Kaiba’s favorite monster, a symbol of ultimate power. His immense mentality to overcome any obstacle solidified his desire to achieve victory.

Top Scene

The top scene was the iconic rematch between Yugi and Kaiba on top of the Battle City Tower, where they finally shared their reasons for dueling (Episode 134). Up until this point, we knew about Kaiba’s past as an orphan who had fought his way to the top, but this was the first time he openly expressed his own goals and feelings.

Seto Kaiba loves his brother Mokuba and the game of Duel Monsters, but at one point, he began relying on hatred and anger to push away his past, isolating himself in the process. Yugi responds by warning that if Kaiba continues down this path, he will only be consumed by more darkness. This moment stands out as a defining one, highlighting Kaiba’s motives and beliefs as someone who is ultimately misguided but still capable of accepting his past and moving forward toward a brighter future.

Seto Kaiba loves his brother Mokuba and Duel Monsters, but has at one point started to rely on hatred and anger, isolating himself in the process. Yugi counters by saying that Kaiba would only find himself with more darkness if he were to continue this path. This is a defining moment that highlights all of Seto Kaiba’s motives and beliefs as a misguided person who needs to accept his past in order to move forward to the future.

Live VA

Fans were already exhilarated to be in the presence of such legendary guests, but they probably didn’t expect to witness the live voice acting from Kenjiro Tsuda-san that then took place. Before officially taking the stage to demonstrate, Tsuda-san suddenly and unexpectedly shouted out a line that wasn’t even planned for the panel:

“BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON, BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!”

A short time later, Tsuda-san prepared to recite his lines from Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions, as also shared on yugioh_anime’s X account. The audience was left completely speechless and stood up to give Tsuda-san the standing ovation that he deserved.

Conclusion

Thank you once again to Kenjiro Tsuda-san, Teruaki Jitsumatsu-san, ADK, Crunchyroll, and the Anime NYC staff for making this event one of the greatest moments of all time. No matter the generation, whether through video games, anime, card tournaments, or other forms of media, nothing brings fans together quite like witnessing history and celebrating its ever-growing legacy.

A heartfelt thank you to Kazuki Takahashi for creating this incredible world. You can stream all seasons and movies of Yu-Gi-Oh! on Crunchyroll.