The puzzle is extremely complex and difficult to solve, having taken Yugi at least eight years to successfully assemble it. In addition, in the manga, when Mr. Otogi tried to rebuild it after he shattered it, he ended up almost trapped in an illusion of the puzzle's maze, indicating that only a wise, chosen one can build it, as Ryuji Otogi could also not fit the pieces in. Seto Kaiba relied on the KaibaCorp space station’s advanced supercomputer and zero gravity chamber to reassemble the pieces. It could also be that the puzzle has some will of its own, as Yugi was unable to solve it until the night he played his first Shadow Game; up to this point he hadn't needed the power the puzzle could grant.

Yugi managed to solve the Puzzle, while under the pressure of getting money to pay Ushio's self-imposed bodyguard fee. [5] [6] After solving it, his body bore host to part of Atem's soul, known as Yami Yugi. However, the Key was unable to fully suppress the power of a "Chaos Number" when Yuma took control of " Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss". Though the "Chaos Number" did not possess him, the connection to it weakened Yuma and surrounded him in a dark aura which was eventually electrified, causing him great pain. Vetrix pointed out that if Shark did not do something, Yuma would be taken over by the "Number" like he was. [11] World Duel Carnival [ ] A diabolical door has haunted Yuma in his dreams trying to convince him to open it. The Emperor's Key was also the key to open that door, which released both Astral and the "Numbers"; and to do so, the broken key restored itself. [8] When the Key got separated from Yuma, a voice said that "Astral is immersed in the guidance of time" and that he must obtain the power of " ZEXAL". The voice described it as a power that turns all darkness into light. [3] The Key has the power to release the alternate form, of a "Number" - " Chaos Number". [12] In Reshef of Destruction, the ritual to revive Reshef the Dark Being scatters the Millennium Items, including the Puzzle, across the globe. Yugi is frantic to find it and save his other self. It's eventually revealed that Bandit Keith came into possession of the Puzzle; he uses it and the other Items in a ritual to attempt to awaken Ra. When this attempt fails, the Puzzle is taken from him and Yami Yugi reemerges, frying Keith with lightning from Ra. The Emperor's Key (皇の鍵, Ō no Kagi), sometimes shortened to the Key in both versions and also called the Golden Key in the dub, is a pendant that originated from the Astral World in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL series.

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It is able to initiate Shadow Games and corresponding Penalty Games that Dark Yugi used to punish those who harmed Yugi or his friends. In the Memory World arc, Atem couldn't summon the Egyptian Gods without the immense power of the puzzle. It can cast illusions, and (in the anime) can manipulate the minds and souls of others, such as when Yami Bakura put Bakura's soul inside of " Change of Heart" but Yami Yugi changed it to Yami Bakura's soul in the card. It can even interfere with the magic of other Millennium Items, and at its full power it can repel the dark Seal of Orichalcos. After Aknamkanon became aware how the Items were created, he fell ill and died shortly afterward. The Pendant was inherited by his son Pharaoh Atem. The Puzzle was later shattered by Mr. Clown in the manga or Bandit Keith in the anime. Yugi managed to reassemble the puzzle while the building he was in was on fire, as he couldn't bear losing Yami Yugi. The Emperor's Key gives the user some resistance to the influence of the "Numbers". [10] [3] It has at least once failed to fully suppress the power of a "Chaos Number", For example: When Yuma took control of " Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss" via " Rivals Unite", it was causing him great pain until Shark used " Underwater Snow Prison" to banish it from the field. [11] The Puzzle grants incredible skill at strategy and allows the wielder to use ancient and powerful magic. That magic is mainly used to start and control Shadow Games. The Millennium Puzzle is the most powerful of all the Millennium Items. When Yugi activates its magic, the Eye of Wdjat glows on his forehead. Its most well-known power is Yugi switching his body and mind with the spirit of the Pharaoh.

Takahashi, Kazuki (1997-05-06). " 遊闘 ( バトル ) 13 エジプトから 来 ( き ) た 神 ( おとこ ) 〈 前 ( ぜん ) 編 ( ぺん ) 〉" (in Japanese). Yu-Gi-Oh!. 2. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-872312-0. Originally, it was said that the Millennium Puzzle had been discovered by a team of British archaeologists in the Valley of the Kings at the beginning of the 20th century. Each of them suffered mysterious deaths, with the last one uttering "The Shadow Games" in his dying breath. [5] [6] This plot detail was later changed. In addition to holding the soul/spirit of Pharaoh Atem himself, the Puzzle is able to fulfil one single wish of the person who had solved it and heighten its owner's chance of success in a game, judging by their skill-level as well as the importance of the game at hand. The hieroglyphs inscribed on the puzzle say, "The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness..." [5]A fake Millennium Puzzle, called the Millennium Pendant was used by Titan in his duel against Jaden Yuki. [13] [14] Non-canon Appearances [ ] When Yuma Dueled against Fender, Astral (who was in the key) was electrocuted at times when Yuma's Life Points went down. [18] When Yuma and Ray Dueled against Girag, Yuma threw the key out of the Barian's Sphere Field to Tori once Astral was weakened from the effects of the field. [19] After their Duel with Number 96, Astral was forced to return to Astral World and the key went with him, falling through the portal. [20] As the RPG replayed Atem's life, Thief King Bakura managed to steal it again. He once again gathered the Items and Summoned Zorc. However, when Yugi and his friends were able to help Yami learn his original name, Atem managed to summon Holactie the Creator of Light, destroying Zorc without sealing him into the Puzzle or shattering it. The Pendant was later stolen from teenage Atem, by Thief King Bakura, who used it and the other Millennium Items to Summon Zorc Necrophades. In the 1960s, Solomon Muto retrieved the Millennium Pendant, now called the Millennium Puzzle in the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh who was Atem. [7] Over the years, no one had been able to assemble the puzzle, Solomon believed that the Puzzle was simply impossible. Solomon's grandson, Yugi, found the puzzle in the family game shop and spent eight years trying to solve it. Solomon repeatedly tried to convince Yugi to give up on the puzzle with no success. He also feared that the Puzzle contained the power of the Shadow Game so he hoped Yugi would never solve it. [5]

Dark Yugi describes the power of the puzzle as "the power of unity", comparing a puzzle's pieces forming a whole to friends coming together. Yugi frequently credits the Millennium Puzzle with bringing him friendship with Joey Wheeler. Yugi originally used the phrase "Something that can be seen, yet cannot be seen" to describe the Millennium Puzzle before it was completed, since even though you can see the pieces, you can't see the whole puzzle since it isn't complete. This riddle has been used many times in the Japanese version of the anime, with different characters providing different answers.The original wielder of Key, Kazuma Tsukumo, also has power over the Key as well. He mysteriously appeared in the Key and used the power of the 12 collected "Numbers" to break Trey's influence over Yuma, allowing him to regain his " kattobingu". [16] Kazuma later returned to tell the revived Astral that his son is calling him for help. [17] Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL II [ ] After the RPG ended, Yugi returned to the real world and once again had the Puzzle, which was laid to rest, before the Ceremonial Battle. After the battle the Puzzle, along with the other items, was buried underground in pieces. Mokuba Kaiba played Russian Roulette dinner against Yugi and Jonouchi. Dark Yugi realized that Mokuba was cheating by using a hidden switch in a syrup bottle, so he attached the Millennium Puzzle to the turntable so that it smashed the syrup bottle as it spun. [10]