Marik was undoubtedly the greatest villain in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Apart from being the leader of the Rare Hunters, Marik’s alter ego Yami Mari had a more villainous and daunting side to him that was only available in the original Manga. Here is a look at ten things about Marik that changed between the Manga and anime.
Marik original goals
In the Manga, Marik was portrayed as the ultimate villain who wants to rule the world. But the creators of Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime decided to take the goal away from him and give him something more personal and close to his heart, like wanting to take revenge for Pharaoh’s title and power to free his family from Tombkeeper duties. The anime adaptation simplified his goals and made him fit in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Ecosystem without revealing his true villainous side.
Rare Hunters and Ghouls
In the Manga, ghouls were used as the name for Marik’s team, but somehow they changed the name to Rare Hunters in Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime adaptation. Although ghouls sound more sinister and real but considering the differences in anime and Manga and how anime was portrayed before, Rare Hunters sounds more fulfilling as the show was meant for younger audiences and children.
The skinning of Mr. Ishtar
Mr. Ishtar is the father of Marik Ishtar, Ishizu, and stepfather of Rishid. The anime completely changed the death of Mr. Ishar and made it a simple and easy to digest death where Marik stabs him in the Japanese dub, and in the English dub, he was sent to the Shadow Realm. But in the original Manga, Yami Mari(Dark Marik) peels his father’s back with a dagger and tortures him to death.
The Torturing of Mai
The Mai Kujaku and Dark Marik’s Duel is one of the greatest moments in the Yu-Gi-Oh! history. Both the mediums portrayed the duel in their way. While the anime adaptation didn’t go very far with its imagination, the Manga had Mai trapped in her consciousness, and the top half of the timer glass was filled with “Brain Insects,” killing her in 24-hours. Although, in both instances, Mai ends up in the hospital, the manga version of the torture was way more cunning and twisted than the anime adaptation.
The carvings and tattoos
One thing that was notable throughout the anime was the substitution of carving behind the Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters. In the Manga, Marik had a carving on his back, similar to his father and other siblings, but in the anime adaptation, the carving was replaced by tattoos, which was a quicker and simpler way to make the anime commercial as it was meant to be viewed by kids.
Marik almost kills Téa
The duel between Joey and Yami Yugi was one of the most exciting and thrilling fights of Yu-Gi-Oh!. The anime adaptation comes very close to the Manga, but as usual, the Manga throws a little extra element to make the fight memorable. In the Manga, Marik forces Téa to hold a poison pill between her teeth and forces Yugi to duel Joey; otherwise, he would force Téa to swallow the deadly pill. In the anime adaptation, this part was fixed with an anchor connected to both the duellists.
Marik clothing
In the Manga, Marik’s clothing was fixed with beige pants and a black tank top underneath his hoodie. In the anime adaption, he was made to wear black pants with a purple hoodie, and the alter ego Yami Marik wears the same beige pants outfits, which was the initial dress for Marik Ishtar in the original Manga.
Ishizu hatred towards Marik(Dark Marik)
In the anime, Ishizu loved and adored her brother Marik. She did everything in her power to bring him back, and the anime adaptation justified the love Ishizu has for her brother. But the Manga had a slightly different perspective than the anime adaptation. In the Manga, Ishizu hated Yami Marik(alter ego of Marik), and she detested his existence inside of his brother, which was felt subdued in the anime adaptation.
Marik-chan
In the Manga, Joey used to call Marik, Marik-chan. The anime adaptation switched the honorific by giving Marik an upper-hand because being a villain, Marik has a more evil side to him, and getting called Marik-chan takes away the villainous persona off of him. In the anime, the Yu-Gi-Oh! team switched the mocking tone by making ‘Little Joey’ as a teasing name for Joey instead of Marik being called Marik-chan.
The creation of Yami Marik
The anime adaptation, just like usual, changed the cause for the creation of Yami Marik. In the anime, Marik’s father exiles his son, causing him to go berserk and develop the alter ego, Yami Marik. But things were way different and intense in the manga.
Instead of being exiled, Marik’s brother receives a deadly beating from his father, causing him almost to die if Marik hasn’t intervened. This particular instance caused the creation of the Dark Marik, and the difference between the manga and anime is just way off and doesn’t make any sense.
Conclusion
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a legendary anime; the characters, the voice-cast, and the old school animation style make it one of the best anime ever made. Although the animation studios tend to change the stories and plots to fit in the script, the Manga, however, takes full advantage of the freedom to use and experiment with the story, characters, and scenes.
As a final note, it is not wrong to say, anime has some limitations, but it has its charm and advantages, which is not possible with the Manga.
Both the mediums provide excellent storytelling, and the use of anime and Manga is always subjective, and it is a user-driven experience.
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