A 25-year legacy is certainly worth celebrating, so it’s no surprise that Konami has gone to great lengths to commemorate over two decades of Yu-Gi-Oh!. For the first time since 1999, the popular trading card game (TCG) will return to grace Tokyo Dome on 3 and 4 February 2024, with exclusive merchandise, special card designs, and plenty of activities in tow.
It’s an apt follow-up, considering how 1999 marked the game’s release year and its first summer event at the venue. The two-day affair, which goes by The Legend of Duelist: Quarter Century, was announced during the opening ceremony of last year’s Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships, with tickets retailing for 3,300 yen. The lottery reception has ended, but ticket holders are granted access to the general site, the arena area, and the stand area.
While doors open at 8am, visitors can only enter the arena during one of the two assigned time slots: 9am to 1pm, or 2pm to 6.30pm. Various activities will be held here, including a Battle City experience, a special movie theatre, a quiz championship, a mini-attraction inspired by all eight seasons of the anime, a digital play area, a photo spot, and a photo card creation corner.
Participating in the first four events rewards fans with PP Points, short for Promotion Packs, which are used to exchange for a Promotion Pack with all-new cards. The Battle City tournament, in particular, is a highlight for duelling enthusiasts, as it features a duel format where individuals with similar abilities are matched against each other.
Over at the stand area, a mystery-solving challenge invites attendees to put on their thinking caps. All ticket holders will also receive special commemorative cards, with the 25th anniversary version of Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon up for grabs on 3 and 4 February respectively.
For those looking to grow their collection, the event brings exclusive offerings like the Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Duel Monsters Duel Legend Quarter Century Edition, Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Duel Monsters EX Reprint Edition, Magicians of Unity and Bonds/Dragon of Pride and Soul Duel Set, as well as the Quarter Century Edition of the Masters of the Spiritual Arts and Forest of the Traptrix structure decks.
Rounding out the celebration is the special stage. Running from 10am to 5.50pm, the lineup for the first day is as follows:
| Time | 3 February, Saturday |
| 10:00 | Opening stage: Sojiro Oki |
| 10:40 | Anime Yu-Gi-Oh! theme song LIVE stage: JAM Project / Masaaki Endo |
| 11:50 | Duel Opera Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D‘s ~ Yusei Fudo vs. Jack Atlas: Yuya Miyashita / Takanori Hoshino |
| 12:50 | Duel Opera Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL ~Yuma Kujuku vs Ryoga Kamishiro~”: Yu Hatanaka / Toshiki Masuda |
| 14:50 | Variety stage: Shunsuke Kazama / Kai Asakura / Magnifying Glass |
| 16:20 | Voice actor stage: Shunsuke Kazama / Yuya Miyashita / Tasuku Hatanaka / Yosai Ishibashi |
| 17:50 | Latest information & grand lottery stage: Hajimeshacho / Magnifying Glass / Sojiro Oki and more. |
The second day, meanwhile, will feature past voice actors, such as Kenjiro Tsuda, who played Seto Kaiba in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, KENN (Judai Yuki in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX), and Kensho Ono (Yuya Sakaki in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V). Here’s the full schedule:
| Time | 4 February, Sunday |
| 10:00 | Opening stage: Sojiro Oki |
| 10:30 | Variety stage: Mr. Shachihoko / Enako and more |
| 11:50 | Duel Opera Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS ~ Playmaker vs. Revolver ~: Shoya Ishige / Shunsuke Takeuchi |
| 12:50 | Duel Opera Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters ~ Katsuya Jonouchi & Mai Kujaku vs Marik Yami ~: Hiroki Takahashi / Haruhi Nanao / Tetsuya Iwanaga |
| 14:40 | Anime Yu-Gi-Oh! theme song LIVE stage: KIMERU / Masami Okui / Sojiro Oki |
| 15:50 | Voice actor stage: Shunsuke Kazama / Kenjiro Tsuda / KENN / Yuya Miyashita / Tasuku Hatanaka / Kensho Ono / Shoya Ishige / Yosai Ishibashi / Arthur Lansbury |
| 17:50 | Latest information & grand lottery stage: Mr. Shachihoko / Enako / Sojiro Oki and more |
For both days, the special stage is set to end off with a grand raffle, where visitors stand to walk away with a rare card or a treasured item. There are also collaboration menus on site, so hunger pangs won’t be an issue.
The Legend of Duelist: Quarter Century event will be held at Tokyo Dome from 3 to 4 February, with more information listed on the official website.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
