Kazuki Takahashi is a name you've seen before. It's at the bottom right of every single Yu-Gi-Oh! card you've ever looked at.

That name, that man is responsible for what we know as Yu-Gi-Oh! today. Takahashi started work as a manga artist in 1982, but didn't see success until 1996, when he created Yu-Gi-Oh!

This manga was Takahashi's love letter to the table top games he loved and cherished. The original name for the duel monsters game was "Magic and Wizards", in reference to Magic the Gathering and its respective publishing company, Wizards of the Coast.

Yu-Gi-Oh! was originally intended as a one off series, but the publisher of the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine received so much fan mail for Yu-Gi-Oh!, that Takahashi decided to extend it.

Fast forward 13 years later to the 2009 edition of Guinness World Records, and Yu-Gi-Oh! was crowned as the top selling trading card game in the world, having sold over 22 billion cards world wide. As of 2021, estimates for cards sold are approximately 35 billion, which means there have been 4 cards printed for each person who exists today.

However, most peoples introduction to Yu-Gi-Oh was the anime. The first episode of the first season aired on the 29th of September in 2001, and it introduced us all to the not only the cast of the show, but also the iconic Blue Eyes White Dragon. If you ever watched cartoons in the morning in the early 2000's, chances are, you've heard of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. And the Dark Magician. And Exodia. These are cards that some of us will simply never forget.

And in a way, Takahashi is immortalized by his legacy. His name has been printed out over 35 billion times. People today are making content about a game he created, to help put bread on the table. And right now, as I'm speaking, 15,000 people are playing Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. He has left behind dozens of video games based on his dream, and countless memories for people all around the world.

While Takahashi is no longer with us, his legacy still remains, and Yu-Gi-Oh! continues to create memories for people all around the world. Perhaps even memories of people talking about their memories of Yu-Gi-Oh!. And while we were only children in the early 2000's watching Yu-Gi-Oh! and wanting to be the best duelists in the world, the world has changed. We've all grown up. And we're now approximately the age Takahashi was when he initially created Yu-Gi-Oh. And I want you to think about that, in his mid 20's, Takahashi put his passion into something, and it not only changed his life, but it changed the entire world.

And you, sitting here, watching this video, may be the next person to create such a phenomenon. You who grew up in a world with Yu-Gi-Oh, and is in some way inspired by it.

Takahashi was born on the fourth of October 1961, and tragically passed away on the 6th of July, 2022 at the age of 60. He was reportedly found wearing snorkelling gear in the waters off Nago, at Okinawa. While it is too easy to confirm the full reasoning, the most likely outcome is a tragic snorkelling accident. And as sad as it is to say, we must think about Takahashi and his passion, living his life doing what he loved until the very end. Perhaps snorkelling was one of his all time favourite hobbies, and as a child, he took to the waters to inspire his designs. Takahashi has a great imagination, and his taste from as early as his bandai namco cards show a depth of taste and personality, and a reminder of where it all started, and how it got to where it is today.

Rest in peace.

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