Yu-Gi-Oh!: What Did the Millennium Items Actually Do?

The original Yu-Gi-Oh! series followed the adventures of a boy named Yugi Muto who obtains the mysterious Millennium Puzzle. In doing so, he becomes possessed by the spirit of the King of Games. This iconic item is synonymous with the series, but it's not the only one of its kind.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is filled with several Millennium Items, all of which grant their users different and important powers. These include clairvoyance, the ability to find other legendary artifacts, and the power to activate deadly Shadow Games. Here's a list of all the Millennium Items in the long-lasting series and what they can do.

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Millennium Puzzle

The centerpiece item featured throughout the series is the Millennium Puzzle, or the Millennium Pendant as it was once called. It's a gold upside-down pyramid with an Egyptian eye carved into it. Created to protect its users from invaders, it was crafted after nearly 100 souls were sacrificed to empower it. It was eventually given to the Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Atem before it was stolen in order to summon the creature known as Zorc.

Atem sacrificed himself to stop Zorc, sealing his soul in the Pendant and wiping away any memory of his existence. Its shattered remains were eventually found by Solomon Muto and reassembled by his grandson Yugi. Whenever he activated the Puzzle's power, Yugi's body would be overtaken by Atem's soul and turned into Dark Yugi.

Millennium Eye

The Millennium Eye allows its user to look into someone's mind and know their thoughts. This is especially valuable in the franchise's Duel Monsters card game, where whoever uses the Millennium Eye gets to see the other's deck of cards. Like other Millennium Items, it can also begin Shadow Games and create vast illusions.

It was created in Ancient Egypt by Aknadin, though the anime and manga give different reasons for its existence. The manga version was crafted to make Aknadin's son the pharaoh, while the anime version was to help ward off Zorc.

Millennium Ring

Like the Millennium Pendant, the Millennium Ring was created to defend the Kul Elna village from attackers. The ring exists as a sort of compass to locate other Millennium Items and can otherwise aid the user in finding whatever it is they seek. It can also initiate Shadow Games, as well as give the user second sight abilities and can disrupt the abilities of other Millennium Items. It contains a portion of both Zorc and Bakura's original souls.

Millennium Scale

The Millennium Scale, or the Scales of Truth, exists as one of the deadliest Millennium Items. One of its powers is fusion, which results in the creation of several dual-natured Duel Monsters cards. However, the Scale's most impressive ability is the power to weigh the evil in a person's heart. This is an element from Egyptian mythology involving the afterlife and can result in the person's soul being eaten by a crocodile-like creature called Ammit. Due to this power's esoteric nature, it's only briefly used in the series.

Millennium Key

The Millennium Key, AKA the Millennium Ankh, is in the shape of the Egyptian symbol of life and is the only item in the series that lacks an eye of Anubis on its design. It was originally used to seal Exodia into five tablets, only to release him later to fight Zorc. The Key contains the ability to look into and alter someone else's soul. This allows the user to brainwash whoever they please, though touching the key will undo this.

Millennium Rod

Like the Millennium Key, the Millennium Rod allows the user to manipulate and spy on others, learning their every thought and action. In Yu-Gi-Oh!, it was also used by Dark Marik to conduct some of the most ruthless and merciless Shadow Games. Other powers include telekinesis and electrokinesis, while the version in the original Japanese manga and anime also has a small blade.

Millennium Necklace

The Millennium Necklace is based around defense more than the other items, lacking a weaponized feature. It allows the user to see glimpses into the past and future. While the past visions are typically set centuries ago, the future glimpses are events soon to come. The Necklace is also unique in that it's the only means of protection against the other Items' magic. Many times, disastrous events in Yu-Gi-Oh! can only be prevented by using one of the Millennium Items in some way.

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