Top 20 Yu-Gi-Oh! Monsters

Top 20 Yu-Gi-Oh Monsters
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the most iconic monsters to appear across the illustrious history of Duel Monsters.

#20: Kuriboh

More of a mascot than anything, this fluffball has made itself shockingly useful over the course of the anime. Seriously, this thing has been the deciding factor in so many of Yugis duels. It's absurd. Whether creating an opening for victory or acting as the ultimate defense, Kuriboh seems to have no shortage of tricks up its non-existent sleeve. As long as you summon him at the right moment with the appropriate anime deus ex, victory is guaranteed.

#19: Number 39: Utopia

Having a mechanical angel serve as your ace monster certainly isnt the worst option for a fledgling duellist. Out of all the Number cards that fall into the grasp of Yuma and Astral, Utopia remains a standout. Not only for its handy ability to undo incoming attacks as long as it discards materials from itself, but thanks to a variety of forms, it soon became the shining monster of Zextrals anime, scoring wins one after another. Guess 39 is a luck number after all.

#18: Black Luster Soldier

Behold the creature that made all duellists both enthralled and terrified of Ritual Monsters. First summoned in Yugis battle against Mai Valentine, this was a monster that boasts not only incredible attack points also one of the slickest designs in the series. Portrayed as a knight of darkness, it only made a couple of appearances throughout the series, but it soon became clear that if Yugi summoned it, then a dragon was about to get slain. Harpys Pet Dragon, the Five Headed Dragon, seriously this thing is probably what dragon-type monsters have nightmares about.

#17: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon

Out of all the signature monsters belonging to Yu-Gi-Oh protagonists, this might just be the strangest. Though fitting for someone like Yuya, who lives to both entertain and smite others on the battlefield. Aside from having a radical design among all the Odd Eye beasts that filled his deck, this dragon was also the poster boy for the new pendulum summons mechanic, making it a trendsetter for the anime and trading card game. Even if you despise the gimmick, at least this monster made it appealing from the outset.

#16: XYZ Dragon Cannon

Despite what you may think, Kaibas not solely dependent on a certain blue-eyed lizard to win all his duels. Hes got other tricks up his sleeve. Mainly, this combination of mecha. Given how easily it can be special summoned, as well as automatically eliminate an opponents card right off the bat, its easy to see why a billionaire who loves squashing his rivals would be so fond of it. Its also technically a dragon so it's still on brand for him.

#15: Red Dragon Archfiend

Of course, a man like Jack Atlas, an uber rich bad boy who calls himself King while playing card games on motorcycles, would have a creature like this as his personal Signer. This thing is all about attacking no matter the cost, given that it can eliminate all of an opponents monsters that are in defense mode, while simultaneously destroying its users other summons if they dont attack on the same turn. Its quite the price to pay. But for having something as awesome as this in our deck, wed say it's worth it.

#14: Zorc the Dark One

It may not actually be a card, but how could we ignore the monster that served as the main antagonist for the explosive Dawn of the Duel arc. Created from the evil in the hearts of humans and the forger of the Millennium Items, this beast was so strong he managed to defeat Exodia, the three Egyptians Gods and the Blue Eyes White Dragon one after another. Now that takes some doing. Hard to make a creature with a dragon for a crotch look intimidating, but somehow, they made it work!

#13: Cyber Dragon

Stepping in for the likes of Kaiba, youve got Zane a no nonsense duellist who boasts an impossibly powerful deck, with a collection of cybernetic creatures serving as its foundation. Namely the Cyber Dragon, which along with its various evolutions is GXs answer to ol Blue Eyes. Not only do they boast crazy attack points, but have quickfire methods that allow them to be swiftly summoned to the field. A few of their variants even have some nasty ways of stripping away an opponents life points directly. Not a bad bunch to build a deck around!

#12: Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon

A rival with a bitter personality but goodness in his heart, who is also in possession of an awesome dragon-type monster? Were starting to see a pattern here. Not that were complaining because Galaxy Eyes here is epic! One of Kites best summons, the real danger Galaxy Eyes possess is in its ability to be re-summoned, with added attack points depending on how material was lost along the way. When strategically implemented, this dragon can do some gnarly damage.

#11: Summoned Skull

Going back to when Yugi had only just begun his dueling career, he had this fiendish monster handy in order to get out of bleak situations. Considering these were the days where you could summon any monster no matter their power level, Summoned Skull managed to land Yugi more than one victory. It nearly bested Pegasus, and had the distinct honor of shutting up Weevil Underwood by electrocuting his precious insects. We dont see much of him nowadays, but he certainly made his mark.

#10: Jinzo

Were surprised that Joey managed to actually get as far as he did in the Battle City Tournament, because going up against this monster is a recipe for disaster. Not only does it have high attack points, but this futuristic Frankenstein has the infuriating ability to negate all trap cards in play. As such, it became a powerful tool at Joeys disposal that served him well throughout the remainder of the tournament after he won it. Heck, Jinzo proved to be so popular that he came back as an actual villain in the Virtual World arc.

#9: Firewall Dragon

Possibly the most overpowered signature monster belonging to a Yu-Gi-Oh protagonist to date, not only does Firewall Dragon have a slick design to its name, but its ability is absurd. Point out an opponents monster, and if it leaves the field, special summon another monster from your hand, and reap the rewards. As you can imagine, it can easily turn into a one-sided slaughter fest, to the extent its a miracle that Yusaku ever lost a duel!

#8: Buster Blader

Upon entering the Battle City Tournament, Yugi had managed to fashion himself a new deck that had an impressive collection of monsters. One of the new guys on the block was this rather powerful summon that held the handy ability to gain five hundred extra attack points for every dragon-type monster on the opponents side or in their graveyard. As you might expect, it was a major pain in the backside for Kaiba, in fact were pretty sure this card was made just to piss him off.

#7: Elemental Hero Neos

Jadens deck was already chalk full of awesome superhero-based monsters that, time after time, pulled off some monumental wins. But Neos is a whole different package. Aside from its epic drip and boasting solid stats, the amount of fusions this thing can unleash is nuts. And thanks to that handy Contract Fusion clause, its all too easy for him to take on a variety of forms for any given dual dilemma at the drop of a hat. Jaden really got lucky with this one.

#6: Red Eyes Black Dragon

You can probably pinpoint Joeys prominent rise to being a decent duellist to the time when he managed to acquire this bad boy. It may be less powerful than its blue-eyed counterpart, but Red Eyes has still won its fair share of duels and secured itself as a monster worth having in your deck. Even when going up against tougher summons, the dark dragon has come out on top with its series of alternate forms, ranging from the Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon to the Black Skull Dragon.

#5: Exodia the Forbidden One

Were not sure whether having a monster that actually lets you win the game just by holding it is either cheating at its finest or actually quite brilliant, but either way Exodia is definitely a monster all duellists live in fear of. Making one hell of an introduction during the pilot episode, it secured Yugis first ever win against Kaiba by obliterating three Blue Eyes White Dragons in a single strike. Due to its instant-win ability, its understandable why the show would find a way to get rid of him, but hey, at least we got to see go toe to toe with Zorc.

#4: Stardust Dragon

You cant keep a good dragon down. Yuseis most famous card isnt only a powerhouse in its own right, but seems to do everything possible to ensure it summons itself to the field post-haste. Facing down a card or monster effect that spells doom for you? Stardust will happily cancel out the effect for you, and if youre lucky, you'll even be able to summon it from the graveyard. Synchro monsters dont get much better than this. Plus, how can you not love that design?!

#3: The Egyptian Gods

You have rare cards, you have super-rare cards, and then you have the three Egyptian Gods. The driving force behind the animes second season, these three legendary beasts are some of strongest monster summons youll ever come across. With ridiculous attack points, lethal special abilities and the nasty habit of giving duellists ancient Egyptian flashbacks, Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon and Winged Dragon of Ra stand tall as some of the most destructively awesome monsters to ever appear in Yu-Gi-Oh. Individually theyre powerful, but together? Woo-boy, good luck.

#2: The Dark Magician

Before Yugi started adding deities to his deck, this spellcaster was the monster he was most famous for summoning. Possessing decent attack points and a memorable design - whats most notable about this shadowy conjurer is his tendency to have a whole flock of alternate forms. From the Dark Sage all the way to the Dark Paladin, Yugis signature card has a whole plethora of tricks under his sleeve. We also have to give mention to his voluptuous assistant, The Dark Magician Girl. The only monster wed love to rizz up.

#1: Blue Eyes White Dragon

As much as wed hate to add to Seto Kaibas monumental ego, we cant deny he has a great choice in monster cards. Though wed have to say making a Blue Eyes White Dragon Jet Plane might be going a little overboard. As one of the most powerful dragon type monsters out there, its high attack points have often spelled doom for Kaibas enemies. Count yourself lucky if you only have to face off against one, because if three of these monsters end up on the field together, then chances are theyll end up fusing into the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and that is a customer you do not want to mess with!
Which of these monsters would you love to have as your signature card? Let us know in the comments!