Common Sense Media Review
Toon is more sophisticated than previous series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
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Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 18 kid reviews
Kids say that this series is engaging but darker than previous installments, with themes that might not be suitable for young children. Many reviews emphasize the interesting characters, the deeper narratives around friendship, social issues, and moral lessons, but also criticize the English dub for significantly toning down the original storyline's depth and violence.
- dark themes
- character depth
- poor dub
- suitable for teens
- friendship lessons
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
YU-GI-OH! 5D'S takes the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! further into the future than previous series have. Episodes still revolve around duels fought between characters and their decks of magical cards -- which create or bring forth monsters and dragons to fight one another in complex ways -- but the duels are now fought in stadiums and on motorcycle-like vehicles called Duel Runners. This time around, lead character Yusei seeks revenge against his former best friend, Jack Atlas, who stole his Duel Runner and prize dragon and has used both to become the "Duel King."
Is It Any Good?
The animation here is stylish and the action smooth -- although the voice dubbing creates an odd effect for viewers who aren't used to it (the series is produced and originally aired in Japan). The duels remain laughable for adult viewers, mostly because, as they fling their cards out with panache and produce their monsters, the characters are forced to narrate their actions and the effects (as in "Ha! Your move is foolish, because I shall produce this card, which makes your card upside-down and useless and calls back my hydra-dog from the grave! Fool!").
This brand extension loses some of the charm of earlier versions by raising the stakes -- these characters, while not adults, are fighting for adult things like fame and fortune, whereas in the earlier series, the kids were younger, dueling for their schools or their honor.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the relationship between entertainment and products. Would having and playing the related video or card games make watching this series more fun? Why or why not?
What do you think the show's primary goal is -- to entertain kids or encourage them to buy more stuff?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 2, 2008
- Cast : Frank Frankson , Kether Donohue , Ted Lewis
- Networks : Cartoon Network , CW
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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