I just finished watching episode 158 of the anime. I'm putting my thoughts at the bottom because I have a few things to say regarding the entire arc so far.

To Emori Loul: Thank you for telling me! I didn't hold much stock in it, but a confirmation is nice. Truthfully though, I still think of it as a viable headcanon. Though, I think the major reason why I think so is because I have a friend with diabetes who was the shortest kid in my entire high school (she grew taller though). It's not a good generalization nor is it good stereotype, but I suppose it was one of those unconscious connecting of the dots even if they might not correlate.

| Monster (Season 4; Episode 158)

He wanted to believe it was a dream - just a nightmare that had gotten a little too real for his taste. He couldn't be... he wasn't... Yuugi couldn't be gone. He just couldn't!

But he was and the spirit had no one to blame but himself.

That man, Rafael, had taunted him. The man had told him that there was darkness in his heart. Of course there was - no one could've done the things he has with such callousness and determination with no darkness. But he was better than that - Yuugi had helped him to be better. Where ever the spirit failed and was weakened in, Yuugi excelled in and helped to bring him back up.

His Aibou's very voice was enough to make him stand in the face of terror and failure. Not even his uncontrollable pride could stand up to the might that was his partner and he was okay with that. With Yuugi by his side, he felt like he could do anything - including controlling the darkness in his heart.

Thus, he wasted no time in telling the man just that. He was in complete control.

But why, just why, as the duel continued did the spirit start to feel his confidence and control slip through his fingers? Why did he turn his head away from the voice of his partner? Why when he knew that his Aibou was trying to soothe his fears and anxiety? Why when he knew that when they worked together - they were nigh unbeatable?

Because he was a coward.

He didn't want acknowledge that he was losing control of the situation and duel; the very thought scared him. Rafael was a formidable opponent, one that made him uneasy with his very presence. The spirit was a paranoid person and matched with his stubborness and pride, could be very hard to dissuade from his chosen path. Only his Aibou and Fate herself could make him change his mind.

But in that moment, when his confidence was shaken to the very bone, he couldn't bring himself to listen to either. He had the card in his hands - the card that could change everything. If he could just use it, then maybe... he won't lose.

He can't lose.

Not again.

He can't keeping losing the things most important to him.

He wouldn't lose those important things.

He will not lose!

His desire to win was strong and manifested in such a raw display of darkness - he remembered this darkness. It hung over him back from the early days of his release. The days where he listened to no one but the dark whispers inside begging him to let lose and rip apart his opponent's mind until they were a screaming, blubbering mess.

That was the part of him that he claimed to control - the part that Yuugi helped him control. The part of him that ended up controlling him.

He had ignored his Aibou's desperate and worried warnings and shunned Yuugi's voice from his mind. He believed he didn't need him just this once. This time, this fight was his to win, not theirs. Not Yuugi's.

That was his first mistake.

His second was his careless mistreatment of his monsters - the ones who had served him with the best they could, the monsters he and Yuugi had picked together. He had practically ripped his promise to the Black Magician Girl right in front of her and slapped the pieces across her face. But even still, she had listened to her - she had sacrificed herself per his wishes and he hadn't even blinked.

All of his monsters were treated so poorly and he couldn't blame them.

The spirit couldn't bring himself to even dare at their cards because the feelings of wrath and disappointment was clearly emanating from his deck. No. Not his deck. He couldn't even call himself their master - what kind of master would do such a thing? A cruel one. A monstrous one.

He should've been punished. He should've been taken.

But he wasn't.

Yuugi was taken. The voice he had shunned and ignored, the voice that he considered his guiding light and pillar of strength when it looked bleak - the person he cared for the most was taken away.

What was left behind was the monster who had started this mess; himself.

Yeah... this arc has been pissing me off so far for two main reasons. Let me lay down why:

1: JounouchixMai/Shipping Fodder Bullshitery

I don't hate this pairing. I don't hate either character. In fact, I love both characters and I think the pain Mai is suffering from is actually really interesting and could really work.

...

How does the anime fuck it up?

First of all - they keep pushing the pairing. Like I said, I don't mind the pairing itself, I hate when it's shoved down my throat like it has all throughout the anime. I do believe they care greatly for each other, but at the same time, they're doing something that I despise: making a character shipping fodder - especially girl/female/feminine characters. In this anime, it happens so fucking much that it's ridiculous.

If you don't already know, I have a couple of bones to pick with Anzu's characterization. I fucking hate it when being shipper fodder encompasses most of a character's development. It's like the only thing they can make interesting about this character is their romantic love for another character. I am fine with her being the "mom" of the squad (even though she's more mediocre than some other characters who hold such a trope, ex: Mirando Lotto from D. Gray Man, Aqua from KH, and Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica), but then having most of her character development revolve around one character makes he one-note and leaves less of an impression than those who have development revolving around multiple characters (ex: Jounouchi).

In fact, I'm really upset that they decided to have Rebecca become shipping fodder for Yuugi. It basically makes me ask, "So, the fact that she's a Duel Monsters genius and in college at such a young age isn't interesting? You had to add a romantic interest to her to make her stand out more? The actual fuck."

Now, we have Mai, my favorite feminine character from the manga and on the show. Her plight is really good and I can see how she might've come to the point she's at, but putting her in a love interest triangle between Valon and Jounouchi doesn't make me more interested in her love life - I'm more interested in how she came to this point and what she might've done to help herself.

Speaking of help, I've really come to hate the phrase and paraphrasing of the following statement. "I've got to save [insert character]."

The save mentality is a dangerous and toxic one. There's no "saving" people with such deep-rooted issues like Mai is having. There is counseling, therapy, and help available - because shit like that doesn't go away just because you "saved" them. Maybe you think I'm being sensitive to it, but as a person who suffers from mental illness and knows full and well that they're not going away, I'd much rather hear the words "I want to help you" rather than "I want to save you".

Saving sounds like an obligation - you're obligated to do it so you can feel righteous about yourself. It doesn't sound like you're doing it for the benefit of the suffering person; you're doing it for yourself.

Helping sounds like you're doing it because you genuinely want to help. You want the other person to feel better, even just a little, and will be there by their side to get them to a better place.

2: OOCness everywhere and it doesn't even need to be

As you will notice above, I've changed Yami's response to Rafael taunting about him having darkness in his heart. I honestly believe that Yami would whole-heartedly agree that he has darkness in his heart; he's not the type to lie about that kind of shit.

Rather than asking if he had darkness in his heart, Rafael should've been asking Yami if he can control the darkness. That right there would've been a strike at Yami's pride which is a big no-no for him.

Here's the thing, I don't think what they're trying to do (put Yami in a position where he's at fault for giving into his darkness and Yuugi takes the fall for him) is a bad idea. It's actually really brilliant given that a good deal of Yami's development is indirectly and directly influenced by Yuugi's presence. I do think that the way they presented it (with Yami, of all fucking people, denying it) was botched.

Given a bit of a different wording and maybe a few more dialogue between Rafael and Yami, we could've gotten something more believable (and in my opinion, the above writing with Yami accepting he has darkness but not accepting that he's not able to control it as well as he thought he could is more believable).

Anyway, long rant over. I'm going to upload this and then get started on watching episode 159 for the rest of the gang's reaction.