Card-Battle Anime Series Creates Alternate Loser Universe
There are some popular card games out there that have made a name for themselves in the video game and anime industry, like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. However, there is a third one, known as Duel Masters, that is fairly unknown in the West. Despite this, the franchise is still going strong, releasing its 20th anime adaptation, Duel Masters LOST, set in an alternate reality to its previous anime, Duel Masters Win: Dual Wars.
An Anime About A Card Game
The Duel Masters various anime series are based on a card game called Duel Masters. The game focuses on five different categories: Nature, Light, Darkness, Fire, and Water. It’s similar to Magic the Gathering in its design and play style, though there are quite a few differences.
Later, it was adapted into an anime. In the original anime series, Shobu Kirifuda is the main character and has the fairly rare ability to bring the monsters on the cards to life. Series after the original still follows the Kirifudas, even down to the upcoming series Duel Masters LOST, with the main character being Win Kirifuda.
When The Hero Loses
Duel Masters has changed a lot over the years. There are now 20 different series. Duel Masters King, Duel Masters Win, and Duel Masters Win: Duel Wars are the newest, at least until Duel Masters LOST arrives later this year.
For those who have seen Duel Masters Win, it’s a similar premise, even featuring returning cast members. However, there’s one main difference between it and Duel Masters LOST, which is that the main character loses against the main enemy.
In Duel Masters LOST, 16-year-old Win Kirifuda (Shoutarou Uzawa), instead of winning as he did in the original series, loses everything. That includes his memories. Now, he is forced to engage in battles to get back everything he lost.
An Alternate Universe
Duel Masters LOST is set at the same time as Duel Masters Win: Duel Wars, which is a continuation of Duel Masters Win. However, instead of winning against Prince Kaiser and snapping himself out of the darkness, Win ends up losing, and the darkness takes over, creating the alternate universe of Duel Masters LOST.
In addition to the return of Shoutarou Uzawa (Caramel Honey), it was also announced that Wataru Hatano (Arslan Senki) will return to play the Jashin Emperor.
Anime Card Names Are Simply Amazing
During the series, fans of the Duel Masters franchise will see hints of the “Abyss Revolution Gaiden: Death Bell Crystal” card pack, which is a fairly new pack that was first sold in Japan in February 2024. In the United States, the cards are hard to come by, as the US producer, Wizards of the Coast, discontinued the series.
Coming This Fall
Duel Masters LOST will be animated by J.C. Staff (Maid Sama!). The series is based on a manga series by the same name. The original Duel Masters franchise creator, Shigenobu Matsumoto, is also credited for this series, and You Kanebayashi is the illustrator for the manga.
Duel Masters LOST is set to air in the fall season of 2024. With the manga version of the series being relatively new and not even a full volume out, it remains to be seen exactly how the season will go and how similar to the manga it will be.
