I've decided to give any Yu-Gi-Oh! fans that still visit this site a warning about the manga version of Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. This will likely turn into a rant near the end, so you've been warned.
The reason I'm making this warning is because I read the final volume of the ARC-V manga last night. I'll say now that generally, the manga versions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! spinoffs/sequels are not that great. The manga version of 5D's is actually pretty decent, but nowhere near as good as the original anime version. Meanwhile the GX manga doesn't have the same level of character development as the anime, but it did at least introduce some pretty cool cards (Masked Heroes, Legendary Planets, and other neat archetypes). And the ZEXAL manga...well, the ZEXAL anime wasn't that great either, but the manga wasn't much better.
The ARC-V manga though is way worse than the manga versions of the above mentioned titles. I mean I'll grant that the ARC-V manga did do some things right. For one thing, we get a version of Yuri that isn't a two-dimensional psychopath (in the manga, he's more of a somewhat charming antihero). Plus the manga version of Yuya and Reiji's final duel was pretty well done in the way they managed to work in a little comedy here and there. But the thing that ruins the whole manga series is the way it ended. Now, I'll admit that it's hard to imagine an ending worse than the ending to the ARC-V anime.
But the ending to the manga version is just about as bad if not worse in some ways. I mean it's not as rage-inducing as the anime ending; thinking about the way the manga ended doesn't cause me to feel like I'm on the verge of Hulking out the way the anime ending does, but it's still pretty screwed up. I'll go ahead and tell how the manga ended, but put it under spoiler redaction for those who may be interested in reading the manga regardless of the negative review I've given up to this point.
Now, to understand how bad this ending in, I first need to explain that the manga version of ARC-V focuses on time travel instead of alternate dimensions. The twist is that Yuya and Reigi are from the future and were sent back in time by their respective fathers to keep them from being killed in an apocalyptic event caused by a card called the Genesis Omega Dragon (cleverly abbreviated as G.O.D.). Another thing I should probably mention is that Yuri, Yugo and Yuto are Yuya's brothers instead of his counterparts from other dimensions. Now then, another point I should mention is that Yugo and Yuya's other two "brothers" recognize Yuzu as someone from Yuya's past, but Yuya hasn't noticed this because during the early part of the story he's suffering from partial amnesia. Yugo and the other two brothers recognizing Yuzu is one of the most important things to remember here when talking about the manga's ending.
After Yuya and Reiji's final duel, the two of them are forced to go back to the future in order to fight the malevolent creators of the G.O.D. card (a battle which we'll never find out about, I'm sure). As Yuya is leaving, Yuzu attempts give him a love confession, only for Yuya to cut her off at the last moment and leave her with his ace monster, saying that it's their destiny to eventually meet again. Later in the next scene, Yuzu meets a teenage Yusho Sakaki, Yuya's father. Now I could be wrong here, but the implication seems to be that in this continuity of ARC-V, Yuzu is in fact Yuya's mother.
That ending is just one of the most messed up endings I've ever read in a manga! Now it's bad enough that the other three Bracelet Girls don't even exist in this version of ARC-V, but to have something like this being the nature of Yuya and Yuzu's relationship? That is just twisted! What idiot on the writing staff for the manga thought that was a good idea? I mean, I don't even know where to begin with the list of reasons why that ending is so messed up!
That concludes my short little warning/rant about the ARC-V manga. If you've read the spoiler, you know why it should be avoided. If not, just take my word for it. The only reason to buy any volumes of that manga is to get the promo cards, and with the final volume not even that. Just the avoid the whole manga like the plague. And if you really want the promo cards from some of the volumes, just buy them online. You can probably get a lot of them for cheap, and I think the best of the ARC-V promos have even been reprinted fairly recently. Just don't read the manga itself, trust me!
