''Cardfight!! Vanguard'' (season 1)
| Cardfight!! Vanguard | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the first volume of Cardfight!! Vanguard DVD released in 2011 | |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Release | |
| Original network | TV Tokyo, TV Aichi, AT-X, Cartoon Network Korea |
| Original release | January 8, 2011 – March 31, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
Season 1 of Cardfight!! Vanguard, titled Cardfight!! Vanguard (Japanese: カードファイト!! ヴァンガード Hepburn: Kādofaito!! Vangādo), aired in Japan beginning on January 8, 2011 and concluded on March 31, 2012, airing 65 episodes.
In July 2010, an anime television series based on the game was green-lit by TMS Entertainment[1] under the directorial supervision of Hatsuki Tsuji. Music is composed by Takayuki Negishi while Mari Tominaga provided the character designs. The series was broadcast on TV Aichi and then by AT-X, TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, and TV Setouchi systems. The media-streaming website Crunchyroll simulcasted the first season to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.[2] Crunchyroll began streaming the second season to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on June 30, 2012.[3]
Twenty-five pieces of theme music are used for the series—nine opening themes and seventeen closing themes (one of which is exclusive to the English dub). The anime also features two insert songs performed by Ultra Rare (i.e. Suzuko Mimori, Yoshino Nanjō, and Aimi Terakawa, who are the original Japanese voice actresses of Kourin, Rekka, and Suiko). The two songs are "Miracle Trigger ~Tomorrow Will Be Ultra Rare!~" (ミラクルトリガー ~きっと明日はウルトラレア!~) (used in episodes 18, 26, and 115; simply known as "Miracle Trigger" in the English dub) and "Stand Up! DREAM" (スタンドアップ! DREAM) (used in episodes 39, 115, and 118).
An English dub co-produced by Ocean Productions (recorded at Blue Water Studios) began airing on Singapore's Okto channel from October 16, 2011,[4] on Animax Asia from January 22, 2012, and on Malaysia's RTM-TV2 channel from November 18, 2012. Dubbed episodes also began being released on YouTube from May 29, 2012.[5] The series can be seen legally on a dedicated channel for it created by Bushiroad, the original creators and manufacturers of the card game, and as of June 25 is available for viewing in most countries without geo-blocking.
While there are a few changes, the English dub adaption is mostly faithful to the original Japanese version. However, the most notable change in the English dub is that three opening themes and three ending themes are used. The only openings are English versions of the first opening theme "Vanguard" (from eps. 1-65), the third opening theme "Limit Break" (from eps. 66-104), and the fourth opening theme "Vanguard Fight" (from eps. 105 onward), all of which are still performed by their original respective artists.
The first ending theme used in the dub is an English version of the third ending theme "Dream Shooter" (from eps. 1-65) while the second ending theme is a unique song titled "Way To Victory" (from eps. 66-104), both of which are performed by Sea☆A. The ending credit sequence for this exclusive theme is the one used for the original sixth ending theme "Jōnetsu-ism". The third ending theme used in the dub is an English version of the original ninth ending song "Endless☆Fighter" (from eps. 105 onward), which is performed only by Aimi Terakawa in the dub. Similarly, the Ultra Rare insert songs are performed in English by Suzuko Mimori, Yoshino Nanjō, and Aimi Terakawa (the original Japanese voice actresses of Kourin, Rekka, and Suiko).
Individual episodes from seasons 1-4 are known as "Rides".
Plot
The protagonist of this story, Aichi Sendou, is a timid boy in his third year of middle school. He had been living his life looking backward rather than forward, trying not to stand out. However, he had one thing that kept him going: Blaster Blade, a card from a card game that was given to him when he was little. That card is the reason why he begins to engage in Card Fights, something that changes his life drastically.
The name of the card game is "Vanguard." The game takes place in a different planet called "Cray," and due to a never before seen play system, it becomes popular throughout the world.
Aichi, immediately attracted by Vanguard, meets friends such as Misaki Tokura and Kamui Katsuragi, along with other rivals. Through friendly rivalry with them, Aichi begins to enjoy a fulfilling life. Aichi, however, has a goal: to once again battle with a Vanguard Fighter by the name of Toshiki Kai. Kai is an aloof and cold-hearted high school student who has outstanding abilities in the world of Vanguard. He is also the reason why Aichi started playing the game. For him, Toshiki is the person who saved him from his boring life and introduced him to Vanguard. In order to get better at Vanguard, Aichi puts his soul into it every day. He wishes that someday, he'll be able to battle Toshiki and have him recognize his worth.
He soon learns about a power called PSY Qualia, and another boy called Ren Suzugamori, who also has the same power.
The original season of Cardfight!! Vanguard centers on main character Aichi Sendou's introduction to the titular card game. Over time, he makes new friends, competes in the National Championships, and confronts a mysterious power called Psyqualia .
Theme songs
Opening themes
- "Vanguard" by JAM Project (eps. 1–33) (eps. 1-65 in English dub)
- "Believe in My Existence" by JAM Project (eps. 34–65)
Ending themes
- "Diamond Stars☆" (ダイヤモンドスター☆ "Daiyamondo Sutā☆") by Natsuko Aso (eps. 1-15)
- "Smash Up!!" by Shīna Hekīru (eps. 16-25)
- "Dream Shooter" by Sea☆A (eps. 26-38) (eps. 1–65 in English dub)
- "Starting Again" by Sayaka Sasaki (eps. 39-52)
- "Nakimushi Treasures" by Saori Kodama featuring Milky Holmes (Suzuko Mimori, Izumi Kitta, Sora Tokui, and Mikoi Sasaki) (eps. 53-65)
Episode list
| No. | Title | Original air date[6] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Vanguard of Destiny!" "Unmei no Vangādo!!" (運命の先導者!!) | January 8, 2011 |
| Kids from all over town converge to play Vanguard, a card game that seems to be the biggest thing going around. A timid boy, Aichi Sendou, has a rare card, the Blaster Blade, which makes him a target for Katsumi Morikawa, a player who wants to use Aichi's card to get revenge on another player, Toshiki Kai. After school, Morikawa and his buddy Yūta Izaki steal Aichi's Blaster Blade from him. Aichi runs to a card shop called Card Capital to find that Morikawa lost it in a bet against Kai. It is then that Aichi and Kai meet and play a game of Vanguard with Blaster Blade as the prize. Before the match, Kai gives Aichi Blaster Blade for the sake of completing Aichi's deck. During the course of the match, Kai teaches Aichi the rules of playing Vanguard. As the fight goes on, Aichi reveals that he has met Kai before when summoning him ace, Blaster Blade, which Kai gave to him long ago, stating that it was because of him that he wanted to get into Vanguard. | ||
| 2 | "Ride to Victory!" "Shōri e no Raido" (勝利へのライド) | January 15, 2011[7] |
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After Aichi plays Blaster Blade, he and Kai recall their first meeting. Back then, after seeing a young Aichi beaten up, the young Kai cheered him up by giving him Blaster Blade and telling him to imagine himself as a strong warrior like the card. With that in mind, Aichi got absorbed into Vanguard, creating his own deck in the hopes of playing against Kai, who had already moved away by then. Back to the game, Aichi deals a bit of damage to Kai, who retaliates with his ace card, Dragonic Overlord. It wipes out Aichi's units and greatly damages him. All hope seems lost until Aichi draws a heal trigger, which allows Aichi to stay in the game for one last turn. Aichi launches a final attack with Blaster Blade and drive checks a critical trigger, which breaks through Kai's defenses and deals one more point of damage to Kai, thus giving Aichi the win. A day later, Aichi revisits Card Capital. Despite thinking that Kai would not show his face after being defeated, Aichi is glad to see that Kai returns. | ||
| 3 | "Welcome to Card Capital" "Yōkoso! Kādo Kyapitaru e" (ようこそ! カードキャピタルへ) | January 22, 2011[7] |
| Aichi's little sister, Emi, is worried by Aichi's different behavior as of late. After school, Emi sees Aichi with Morikawa and Izaki, who want him to go with them to Card Capital. However, Emi misinterprets the situation as Aichi hanging with the wrong crowd. Concerned for her brother, she secretly follows the trio to Card Capital. There, Emi is astounded by all the people in the shop, including Aichi, Morikawa, and Izaki, playing Vanguard. It is then that the card shop's manager, Shin Nitta, appears and introduces Emi to the world of trading card games. The two then observe a cardfight between Aichi and Morikawa. The battle ends with Aichi winning without taking any damage. Watching Aichi play, Emi sees how much her big brother has changed because of Vanguard. And so, she becomes supportive of Aichi playing the game. | ||
| 4 | "Assault! Twin Drive!" "Mōkō! Tsuin Doraibu" (猛攻! ツインドライブ) | January 29, 2011[7] |
| After taking a look at Aichi's deck, Shin decides to show him "something nice". So, Shin has Aichi battle Misaki, who, despite working at the card shop, has never participated in a Vanguard fight before. Nonetheless, after Shin gives Misaki a special deck, she and Aichi begin their cardfight. In the midst of the battle, Misaki shows that she knows more about the game than she lets on as she draws multiple cards and rides her ace card, the grade 3 CEO Amaterasu. Using the Twin Drive ability that grade 3 cards have, Misaki defeats Aichi. Through this loss, Aichi learns that he has much more to know about Vanguard if he ever wants to play against Kai again. | ||
| 5 | "Whirlwind! Kamui, the Grade-School Fighter!" "Senpū! Shōgakusei Faitā Kamui" (旋風! 小学生ファイターカムイ) | February 5, 2011[7] |
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Aichi goes to Card Capital to buy a booster pack in the hopes of getting a grade 3 card. When he arrives, he sees an elementary-grade-school kid, Kamui Katsuragi, convincingly defeating Izaki in a cardfight. Aichi challenges Kamui, but he refuses, noticing that Aichi is not a strong player. Then, after Kamui beats Morikawa in a cardfight, Aichi tries to buy a booster pack. Suddenly, Emi appears, and Kamui immediately falls in love with her. Before Aichi could buy a pack, Emi drags him back home while Kamui looks on, thinking that the two are boyfriend and girlfriend. Later, Aichi buys a booster pack and is pleased to find that it contained a grade 3 card, Solitary Knight, Gancelot. Just then, Kamui shows up and challenges Aichi, demanding to get Emi if he beats him. Although Aichi misunderstands Kamui's intentions, the two begin their Vanguard fight. Kamui uses powerful cards like Brutal Jack and King of Sword to quickly deal a ton of damage to Aichi, who strikes back by using his newly acquired Solitary Knight, Gancelot. But in the end, Aichi loses to Kamui after he rides his ace card Asura Kaiser. Afterwards, Emi arrives and tries to get Aichi home, and it is then that Kamui learns that the two are siblings and that Aichi's deck has only one Grade 3 stating (in his mind) that Aichi will turn into someone scary once he gains enough experience. Now, hoping to get closer to Emi, Kamui starts referring to Aichi as his "big brother", although Aichi is not exactly glad about it. | ||
| 6 | "The Mysterious Card Shop!" "Nazo no Kādo Shoppu" (謎(なぞ)のカードショップ) | February 12, 2011[8] |
| Aichi and his friends decide to go to a different card shop called PSY. There, after being greeted by a girl named Rekka, they try out the shop's special Vanguard Fight Stage. It oddly reacts to Aichi, which leads to a woman, Kourin, challenging him to a cardfight. When the two begin the battle, Aichi is surprised that the stage brings the cards to life. Aichi and Kourin, who also uses a Royal Paladin deck, continue their battle, until Aichi makes a bad decision in not guarding one of her vanguard's attacks, ultimately leading to his defeat. Afterwards, another woman, Suiko, gives Aichi the King of Knights, Alfred card as a special memento for visiting the card shop. Later, Aichi learns from Morikawa that the card shop they visited has mysteriously disappeared. | ||
| 7 | "The Fearsome Soulblast!" "Senritsu no Souruburasuto" (戦慄のソウルブラスト) | February 19, 2011[8] |
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Shin introduces the "Standing Fight Table" to enrich the experience of a Vanguard fight, with Morikawa and Kamui being the first to play on it. After Kamui once again beats Morikawa, Aichi and his friends return to their homes but then see Kai walking back to his home. Wanting to learn where Kai lives, Aichi, Kamui, and Miwa try to follow him, but Kai soon notices them tailing him. Aichi apologizes and asks for Kai to battle him again, but he declines. However, Kamui challenges Kai, and he reluctantly accepts. The next day, the two commence their cardfight. Kai gains the upper hand by getting a grade 3 card, Embodiment of Victory, Aleph, into play before Kamui, who counterattacks with his own grade 3 unit Mr. Invincible. But Kai soon summons another grade 3 unit Vortex Dragon, and he later activates its Soulblast skill to destroy three of Kamui's units, leaving Kamui unable to defend himself from Kai's final attacks. Kai defeats Kamui and takes his leave, but not before Aichi tells him that he'll become a stronger and more worthy opponent for him. | ||
| 8 | "The King of Knights Enters The Fray!" "Kishi-ō, Shutsujin!" (騎士王、出陣!) | February 26, 2011[8] |
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The Card Capital Shop Tournament begins soon, but Aichi is hesitant to play in it, even after making a new deck. However, when he learns that Kai will be in the tournament, Aichi decides to enter as well. But when he submits his entry application form, another Vanguard player, Osamu Kishida, places his application at nearly the same time as Aichi. Both of them want to enter, but there is only one open spot left in the tournament. To resolve this issue, Shin recommends to have Aichi and Kishida play against each other to see who gets the last entry spot. Using his Megacolony units' effects, Kishida restricts Aichi's units from standing while scoffing at him for calling so many weak units. However, Aichi uses his new card King of Knights, Alfred, whose power is increased by the number of other Royal Paladins in play. With Alfred, Aichi defeats Kishida and is therefore officially in the tournament. | ||
| 9 | "The Shop Tournament Begins!" "Shoppu Taikai Kaimaku" (ショップ大会開幕) | March 5, 2011[8] |
| The Card Capital Shop Tournament finally begins. In the first round, Aichi must play against Izaki while at the same time, Morikawa battles Misaki. The atmosphere of the tournament makes Aichi grow nervous. His tournament jitters get the better of him as he makes many amateur mistakes. But when he sees that Izaki is also just as nervous and makes similar mistakes, Aichi realizes that he is not alone, regains his composure, and remembers that Vanguard fights should be fun. When he tells Izaki that, he too calms down, and the two continue playing the game at their best. In the end, not only does Aichi win, but Misaki also advances to the next round. | ||
| 10 | "Enter the Ninja Fighter!" "Ninja Faitā, Sanjō" (忍者ファイター、参上) | March 12, 2011[9] |
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Kamui and Kai advance to the second round of the tournament along with Ninja Master M, an eccentric player who dresses and acts like a ninja. He meets Aichi, who deduces that he is his teacher Mr. Mark Whiting, but he denies that claim (even though it is true). The tournament progresses to the second round matches with Aichi facing off against Ninja Master M while Kai plays against the previous tournament's champion Kazuki Inaba. Ninja Master M uses his Nubatama ninja units' effects to deplete the cards in Aichi's hands. He drives Aichi to a corner when he rides his ace card Stealth Dragon, Voidmaster and leaves only one card in Aichi's hand. While this is going on, Kai defeats Inaba in his match. | ||
| 11 | "Ninja Fighter Withdraws!" "Ninja Faitā, Taijō" (忍者ファイター、退場) | March 19, 2011[9] |
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Aichi makes a comeback by calling more units from his deck to boost the power of King of Knights, Alfred, forcing Ninja Master M to use most of his cards to guard against his attacks. As a result, M is left with no cards to defend himself from Aichi's last attack. Aichi wins and therefore advances to the semifinals. Ninja Master M disappears, and Mr. Mark soon arrives (with a bag containing his Ninja Master M attire). After Aichi's match, Kamui and Misaki play in their respective cardfights, and they both advance as well. Before the start of the semifinals, the tournament is put on hold for a lunch break. So, Aichi and Emi have lunch outside the card shop where Kamui tries to get Emi to feed him, but no such luck. After everyone returns to the shop, Aichi, Misaki, Kamui, and Kai all draw lots to determine who will be playing against whom. Aichi is put up against Kamui while Kai must fight Misaki. With the match-ups set, the semifinals begin. | ||
| 12 | "Aichi vs. Kamui" "Aichi VS Kamui" (アイチVSカムイ) | March 26, 2011[9] |
| It is the semifinals: Kai plays against Misaki, and Aichi once again battles Kamui. Both of them want to win for their own reasons; Aichi wants to fight Kai again while Kamui hopes to gain Emi's affection upon winning the entire tournament. Aichi defends himself from Kamui's Brutal Jack's attacks better than he did in their first cardfight. Aichi makes a surprising move by calling Blaster Blade as a rear-guard and using its ability to destroy Brutal Jack. As the battle between Aichi and Kamui rages on, the cardfight between Kai and Misaki comes to a close with Kai as the victor. | ||
| 13 | "Shop Tournament Winner Crowned!" "Kecchaku! Shoppu Taikai" (決着! ショップ大会) | April 2, 2011[9] |
| Aichi and Kamui's match comes down to the wire, with Kamui slowly building up his vanguard's soul. Despite Aichi getting a heal trigger to allow him to stay in the game, Kamui then uses his Mr. Invincible's Soulblast, dubbed the "Tornado Stand Galactica", making all of his units stand up and ready to attack again. With this move, Kamui once again defeats Aichi. After Aichi gets over this loss, the final battle between Kai and Kamui ensues. Even though Kamui uses Mr. Invincible and its Soulblast like in the previous match, Kai nonetheless successfully defends and survives the onslaught. In the end, Kai beats Kamui again and is therefore the champion of the entire tournament. Afterwards, Shin makes a special announcement: the four finalists (Kai, Kamui, Misaki, and Aichi) of this tournament are to represent Card Capital and participate in the regional qualifying tournament, shocking Aichi. | ||
| 14 | "The Fearsome Undead! The Granblue Deck!" "Fushi no Kyōfu! Guranburū Dekki" (不死の恐怖! グランブルーデッキ) | April 9, 2011[10] |
| Kamui takes Aichi to Card Shop Handsome, a pirate-themed store that Kamui used to visit. They meet the previous regional champions that had gone on to play at the national tournament, Team Handsome, which is led by Gouki Daimonji, an old friend of Kamui. Soon after, they also meet Gouki's little sister Nagisa. She has a huge crush on Kamui to the point that she wants to marry him despite their young age, but the feeling is not mutual. When Kamui tries to explain that he is in love with Aichi's sister Emi, the situation is misinterpreted as Aichi trying to take Kamui away from Nagisa and hurting her feelings. Always wanting to make her little sister happy, Gouki challenges Aichi to a cardfight with the winner getting Kamui. As the fight goes on, Aichi learns the horror of Gouki's Granblue deck as he constantly resurrects his undead pirates from the drop zone. The level of a cardfighter who has played in a national tournament proves to be too much for Aichi; Gouki defeats him, making Aichi learn the level of competition that he will face in the future and more eager to get stronger. After the game, the misunderstanding is cleared, and Nagisa goes back to chasing after Kamui, much to his dismay. | ||
| 15 | "Thrilling! Emi's First Fight!" "Harahara!? Emi no Hatsu Faito" (ハラハラ!? エミの初ファイト) | April 16, 2011[10] |
| As Emi continues coming to Card Capital, Shin convinces her to try the game out for herself. While approaching the game shop, Morikawa has his fortune told and he finds that he will have luck with his juniors today (however, Izaki corrects him and says that he'll have terrible luck today). When they arrive at the card shop, Aichi is surprised when Emi is preparing to play Vanguard. Emi is handed Misaki's deck as Shin wants both Aichi and Emi to battle together. However, following the fortune he read, Morikawa wishes to take Aichi's place and a battle between the new player Emi and the "Expert Naive Player" Morikawa begins, with Kamui bitter about how Morikawa is playing against her instead of himself. With some tips from Aichi, Kamui, and Shin, and only using "cute" cards, Emi defeats Morikawa with some beginner's luck. | ||
| 16 | "Team Q4 Heads for the Regional Tournament!" "Chīmu Q4, Chiku Taikai e" (チームQ4、地区大会へ) | April 30, 2011[10] |
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The day for the regional tournament is here, and Shin drives the team of Aichi, Kamui, and Kai to the tournament site. On the way there, while Aichi and Kamui make adjustments to Aichi's deck, Shin decides to name the team "Quadrifoglio" (Italian for "four-leaf clover"; "Q4" for short). They arrive and watch a promotional video of the pop idol group Ultra Rare, who are the three girls, Kourin, Rekka, and Suiko, who Aichi met at Card Shop PSY. After a run-in with Team Handsome, it is then announced that Team Q4 will play in the first round against Team Black Magic, three dark-robed men who all have "Kuro" (Japanese for "black") in their names. Because of Misaki's absence, Aichi will have to participate, and in the first match too! After being given special Vanguard gloves and using it with the tournament's Motion Figure System to bring the cardfight to life, Aichi begins his fight against Team Black Magic's Kurosawa, who uses the same clan as Kai, the Kagero, but with many new units. When Kurosawa superior rides Demonic Dragon Berserker, Yaksha and uses several skills to retire all of Aichi's rear-guards, Aichi panics, realizing that even if he rides Alfred, he cannot fully use its ability. In a desperate move, he uses all the cards in his hand, including the newly added Knight of Truth, Gordon, to create an almost full field. | ||
| 17 | "New Allies" "Aratanaru Nakama-tachi" (新たなる仲間たち) | May 7, 2011[10] |
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Aichi has difficulty pushing for victory, and his opponent Kurosawa gets a critical trigger on top, bringing him to five damage. Aichi desperately needs to block the next strike, but is unwilling to leave his hand empty. He guards with Wingal and intercepts with his new unit Knight of Truth, Gordon. At first, it seems that Aichi has an insufficient amount of shield, but he reveals that Gordon's skill, the Especial Intercept, allows its shield to rise by 5000 points during an intercept. After successfully defending against Kurosawa's last attack, Aichi proceeds to call Gigantech Charger, another new card whose skill is used to call Flogal to completely fill Aichi's side of the field, bringing Alfred up to maximum power and finishing the match with a critical trigger. Team Black Magic's next fighter, Kurosaki, appears, while on Team Q4's side, Kai steps up. They both use Kagero, and the announcer (MC Mya) and spectators seem to think it will be an exciting match. However, they are soon disillusioned - Kai annihilates Kurosaki without even breaking a sweat. Afterwards, everyone sees that underneath Team Black Magic's dark cloaks are three sparkling-bright men. Kai's victory leads to Team Q4 advancing to the next round and Kamui becoming enraged that he was not given the chance to fight. | ||
| 18 | "White-Hot Tournament!" "Hakunetsu no Tōnamento!" (白熱のトーナメント!) | May 14, 2011[11] |
| The regional tournament continues with Team Q4 easily plowing through their second and third opponents, Team Martial Arts and Team Chemistry Club, by defeating them both 2–0. Kamui's past relation to Gouki and Team Handsome is revealed, and Gouki and Kamui pledge to be the first to take the stage in the final match. During a break, Emi arrives with lunch, making Kamui happy to eat her food. But this moment is ruined when Nagisa charges in with her own prepared lunch and messes things up for Kamui. Incidentally, both lunches end up in Morikawa's stomach, who spews fire like a dragon from Nagisa's spicy food, which Kamui does not appreciate. Misaki finally arrives, but it is nonetheless decided that Aichi will still play should it come to his turn. After a musical performance by Ultra Rare singing their debut song "Miracle Trigger", the tournament finals commence. Kamui, expecting to play against Gouki in the first game, is shocked when Nagisa steps up to be his opponent. | ||
| 19 | "Showdown! Nova Grappler!" "Kessen! Nova Gurappurā!" (決戦! ノヴァグラップラー!) | May 21, 2011[11] |
| Surprisingly enough, Nagisa steps into the fray as the first fighter of Team Handsome, resulting in Kamui being in a desperate situation as she declares that Kamui has to marry her if she wins. Kamui answers back by declaring that if he wins, then Nagisa will leave him alone. Both parties agree to these terms and then start their cardfight. Using a Nova Grappler deck like Kamui, Nagisa proves herself to be an excellent fighter, fighting toe-to-toe with him. Though it seems that the agonizing Kamui can make a reversal using Lion Heat, Nagisa is able to fully negate his attacks and finish him off using her own Lion Heat and Magician Girl, Kirara with a "Wedding Hold" during the next turn. After the match, as per agreement, Nagisa gets dressed in a wedding gown and is ready to marry Kamui, who tries to run for his life. | ||
| 20 | "Hidden Message" "Himerareta Messēji" (秘められたメッセージ) | May 28, 2011[11] |
| In spite of Nagisa winning and her getting to marry Kamui as a result, Kamui weasels out by saying that Team Q4 as a whole hasn't lost yet, so their agreement is still pending. With one loss in their record, Team Q4 has to win both the next matches in order to advance through the regional tournament. Though everyone is certain that Kai will win, Aichi becomes increasingly desperate, as his match will be the one to decide the fate of the team, going as far as to thinking of running away to have Misaki participate instead. As Kai walks up to play, he indirectly tells Aichi that people who run away are not worthy of fighting him. His opponent, Kaoru "Ka-boom!" Komatsubara, seems to be a formidable opponent who gloats how he has gone to the national tournament before, but Kai gains an early lead, pushing Kaoru into a bad situation. Throughout the battle, Kai chooses to not defend against all except one of Kaoru's attacks, puzzling everyone about his decisions. Aichi believes that Kai is trying to tell him something through these actions; he deduces that Kai knows that he does not need to defend and will still be able to win. When both players are at five damage, Kaoru confidently declares that he will survive and claim victory, but Kai refutes that claim, loudly announcing "Final Turn!" He rides a new card, Blazing Flare Dragon, and uses Gattling Claw Dragon's skill to retire one opposing unit and increase the attack power of Blazing Flare Dragon. Kai relentlessly adds to its power by drawing two critical triggers in a row, thoroughly annihilating Kaoru. Seeing Kai's power, and remembering his own aspirations to reach his level, Aichi becomes motivated to win his fight! | ||
| 21 | "Rematch in the Final Match!" "Kesshō de no Saisen!!" (決勝での再戦!!) | June 4, 2011[11] |
| Aichi's match against Gouki begins. Aichi remembers Gouki as a formidable opponent, and realizes that he cannot stay the same as before if he wishes to win. Using a combination of the skills of Barcgal and Future Knight, Llew, he superior rides Blaster Blade from the deck, surprising Gouki and everyone else. With both sides getting a heal trigger and staying at nearly the same amount of damage, it becomes an intense fight. Gouki superior rides Spirit Exceed from the drop zone and prepares for a full frontal assault. | ||
| 22 | "The Holy Dragon Descends" "Maiorita Hijiri Ryū" (舞い降りた聖龍) | June 11, 2011[12] |
| The fight between Aichi and Gouki continues. Aichi blocks Gouki's attack, and counterattacks with Alfred, bringing Gouki to five damage. However, Gouki replaces his vanguard with King of Demonic Seas, Basskirk, who uses its Megablast to instantly revive as many Granblue units from the drop zone as possible! Although Aichi perfectly defends against all of Gouki's attacks during that turn, he realizes that he must end the battle immediately. Just then, a strange blue light emerges from his deck, which Kai notices. Aichi draws one of the new cards that he had acquired, which he had put in his deck despite Kamui's advice. He rides Soul Saver Dragon, the powerful God of the Royal Paladin clan, and activates its skill to power up his rear-guard units. Though it seems like Gouki will make it through, Aichi gets a stand trigger and finishes the game with a brutal attack. With Aichi's win over Gouki, Team Q4 wins the regional tournament and is therefore eligible to enter the national tournament. At the awards ceremony, Ultra Rare congratulates Q4 for their victory, and Suiko invites Aichi to visit Card Shop PSY once more. | ||
| 23 | "Fateful Encounter" "Unmei no Deai" (運命の出会い) | June 18, 2011[12] |
| Aichi, Kamui, and Misaki visit Card Shop PSY after Suiko's invitation. They meet an aloof red-haired stranger with a peculiar attitude. However, once the Ultra Rare group arrives, they learn that he is none other than Ren Suzugamori, the winner of the previous national tournament and current reigning champion! Then, Kourin and Ren engage in a cardfight, both using the exact same deck structure of entirely female units, and Aichi, who had been beaten by Kourin before, watches in amazement as Ren easily controls the match. Strangely using the same speech patterns that Kai does during his matches, Ren uses a seemingly simple grade 1 card called Blazer Idols to finish the game. However, what are these visions that Aichi has of the planet Cray, when Ren is about to make his move...? | ||
| 24 | "The Indelible Memory" "Kesenai Kioku" (消せない記憶) | June 25, 2011[12] |
| To prepare for the national tournament, worried about cardfighters on Ren's level, Aichi and Misaki engage in a fight. Throughout the battle, Misaki exhibits her excellent memorization skills, to which Aichi and Kamui praise. However, their constant compliments have the opposite effect on Misaki as memories of her tragic past about her parents dying in a car crash surface in her mind, causing her to break down. Though she dominates the match by preventing Aichi's strategy from taking effect until it is too late, and finishing him off by means of a critical trigger, she abandons the team directly afterwards, claiming to be unable to fight any longer. Stunned, Aichi and Kamui try to discover what they have done wrong... | ||
| 25 | "Beyond the Memories" "Kioku no Saki ni" (記憶の先に) | July 2, 2011[12] |
| Misaki stays locked in her room while Aichi and Kamui feel horrible for what they did to her. They want to get her to rejoin Team Q4, but Kai says to let her do what she wants. Emi visits Card Capital, worrying about the depressed Aichi. She encounters Misaki, who claims not to know anything, but Shin pushes the two into a cardfight using the new trial decks that just arrived. Going along for Emi's sake, Misaki uses the new Nova Grappler deck, whereas Emi uses the Oracle Think Tank one. Already having memorized all effects of the cards with her perfect memory, Misaki easily defeats Emi, but in doing so, she remembers the fun that Vanguard used to be for both her and her parents, and realizes that they would not want her to feel sad about the game. Receiving a key from her uncle to unlock the box with the deck her parents made for her and now wearing that key around her neck, she easily beats every regular customer of the shop the next day. She also rejoins Team Q4 to Aichi and Kamui's joy. | ||
| 26 | "A Stormy Beginning! The National Championship!" "Haran no Makuake! Zenkoku Taikai!!" (波乱の幕開け! 全国大会!!) | July 9, 2011[12] |
| Team Q4 arrives at the site of the national tournament grounds and meets Team Caesar, composed of Kenji "Koutei" Mitsusada and the siblings Gai and Yuri Usui, who were the last national tournament's finalists and former champions. Everything seems to be going well, but due to Kai's increasingly arrogant and insulting attitude, Kamui decides he can no longer work with him and abandons the team. Aichi attempts to go after him, but is reminded that if he also leaves, Team Q4 will be unable to participate in the tournament and will therefore be disqualified. With some advice from Kenji, Aichi decides to win the preliminary rounds and earn Q4 a spot in the finals, so Kamui can return. | ||
| 27 | "Jurassic Army" "Jurashikku Āmī" (ジュラシックアーミー) | July 16, 2011[13] |
| The national tournament preliminary rounds begin! After an explanation of the tournament rules by Ultra Rare, Team Q4 discovers that they are put in the same block as Team AL4, Ren Suzugamori's team and previous winners. To his great surprise, Aichi discovers that Kai not only personally knows Tetsu, one of AL4's members, but he is also acquainted with Ren. They are soon forced to forget about AL4, though, since the first round begins and pits them against Team Jurassic Army, a group of militaristic cardfighters using the brutal Tachikaze clan. Aichi takes the first match against Gunji Ryudo, and though he allows himself to take damage and effectively use the skill of Blaster Blade, he is cornered by the Tachikaze ace, Tyrant, Deathrex... | ||
| 28 | "Aggressive Movement! Tachikaze Deck!!" "Mōshin! Tachikaze Dekki!!" (猛進! たちかぜデッキ!!) | July 23, 2011[13] |
| Ryudo brutally corners Aichi with the speed and power of his Tachikaze deck, bringing the score to 5-3 in Ryudo's favor. To make a reversal, Aichi rides his new ace card, Soul Saver Dragon. Managing to get a critical trigger, it looks like the match has been decided. But luck favors Ryudo, who gets a last-minute heal trigger and survives, winning on the next turn. The next match features Misaki who, despite cleverly using the attribute of Silent Tom to cripple her opponent's ability to guard, is also defeated in the exact same manner. As a result, Team Jurassic Army defeats Q4 with a score of 2-0. Although Aichi and Misaki feel devastated after losing, they are comforted by Shin who tells them how well they fought. Jurassic Army also shows respect by saluting them for their efforts, making Team Q4 feel better and more eager to win the national tournament. | ||
| 29 | "When the Moon is Full" "Tsuki, Michiru Toki" (月、 満ちるとき) | July 30, 2011[13] |
| Team Q4's second match against Team Muscle Brain begins. Team Muscle Brain believes that training the body will result in a better mind, and thus practices brutal fighting prowess. However, when Kai steps up to the first match, he is able to easily annihilate his opponent, Kicking Shu, by superior riding Blazing Flare Dragon. Misaki takes the second match, using a new line of cards located in the deck that was given to her by her parents before their death. Her opponent, Punch Ken, shows off the synergy between the Nova Grappler and Megacolony clans to prevent Misaki's units from standing. Though she can't seem to get a grade 3 in hand, using the effects of her units that reflect the waxing of the moon, Misaki superior rides from Crescent Moon to Half Moon to Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi. Using skills that allow her to draw, she increases her hand to the point where she comfortably blocks Ken's desperate attacks, and finishes the game on her next and final turn. However, there is no time to celebrate as the next match is against Team AL4, the strongest team. | ||
| 30 | "The Strongest Team, Asteroid! / The Strongest Team, AL4!" "Saikyō Chīmu, AL4 (Apekkusu Rimiteddo Fō)!" (最強チーム、 AL4 (アペックスリミテッドフォー)!) | August 6, 2011[13] |
| Team Q4's final fight in the preliminary rounds, which they cannot afford to lose, begins. Kai takes the stage first, against AL4 member "Crusher" Kyou Yahagi, who potently uses a Spike Brothers deck. Kai rides Dragonic Overlord and activates its skill, but Kyou blocks it, pushing Kai on the defensive. However, Kai recovers his momentum with a heal trigger, allowing him to reclaim three unflipped damage. He uses Overlord's effect once more, annihilating Kyou's defense and claiming victory. An observing Ren claims the result was not unexpected and grins madly, while Kyou runs off in panic. | ||
| 31 | "Beautiful Assassin" "Utsukushiki Asashin" (美しきアサシン) | August 13, 2011[14] |
| Though Kai won the first match of the team battle, Misaki is challenged by Asaka Narumi, known as the "Assassin". Asaka skillfully uses a Pale Moon deck, and though Misaki tries to fight by reading her opponent's moves, Asaka plans further ahead and cripples Misaki's strategy while preparing her field. Using a tactic dubbed the "Deadly Shadow Beasts", Asaka superior calls units from the soul to launch an unavoidable three-pronged attack coupled with a draw trigger. With that, Asaka delivers the final blow to Misaki. This leaves both teams with a single match won, and it is up to Aichi to determine Q4's fate against Tetsu, the "General" of AL4. Tetsu, using a Dark Irregulars deck, deals 3 damage to Aichi in his very first turn - however, Aichi has a plan. | ||
| 32 | "Demon World General" "Makai no Shōgun" (魔界の将軍) | August 20, 2011[14] |
| The match between Aichi and Tetsu continues while an anxious Kamui watches. Confronted by Nagisa, Gouki and Emi, who learned of the situation via Team Caesar, Kamui, who had been hiding from his teammates throughout the entire tournament, is motivated to go support Aichi. Aichi begins to make a comeback by shutting down his opponent's offense and evening out the damage with a heal trigger, but Tetsu rides Demon World Marquis, Amon, and with a critical trigger, he pushes Aichi down to five damage. Aichi gains a vision of the Royal Paladin knights joined together, and draws and rides Soul Saver Dragon, whose effect is used to power up all his units. Regardless, Tetsu manages to block, and during his next turn rides Stil Vampir. This card has a deadly effect that replaces the opponent's vanguard with another rear-guard, thus Aichi is forced to ride the grade 0 Future Knight, Llew. In this weakened form, he is unable to withstand Tetsu's attack and suffers a terrible defeat. It seems as if all hope is not lost, as Jurassic Army loses to Muscle Brain and a 3-way tie is formed. Through a final judges' call based on overall performance, Ultra Rare announces that Jurassic Army is the team that progresses. Ren meets up with Q4 and tries to get Kai to rejoin his team, but Kai refuses him, and Ren blames Aichi for Q4's failure. | ||
| 33 | "Blaster of Darkness" "Shikkoku no Burasutā" (漆黒のブラスター) | August 27, 2011[14] |
| Team Q4 (minus Kai) gathers at Card Capital to watch the national tournament finals. Due to various delays, they only manage to catch the very last match, where Ren, leader of Team AL4, faces of against Kenji, leader of Team Caesar. Even though Kenji appears to put up a good fight, Aichi sees right through Ren's power. Ren quickly decides to take the battle a little more seriously and rides Blaster Dark, a black version of Blaster Blade. In a couple of turns, he completely annihilates Kenji, and Team AL4 is crowned the national champion. In an attempt to cheer Q4 up, Shin arranges for a beach trip, but Aichi is too demotivated for it. Miwa manages to convince Kai to speak to Aichi. Kai's words give Aichi the motivation to continue playing. Fired up, Q4 requests a special training session from Shin. | ||
| 34 | "It's Summer! It's Camp! It's Vanguard!" "Natsu da! Gasshuku da! Vangādo da!" (夏だ! 合宿だ! ヴァンガードだ!) | September 3, 2011[14] |
| Q4 has gone to the beach in order to train at Vanguard - though a lot of its supporters, such as Morikawa, seem to have other priorities such as swimming. The team meets up with Team Caesar, who set up the training camp, and they quickly engage in cardfights. Surprising everyone, Kai defeats Kenji, and the two engage in an elaborate discussion about strategies and tactics. In the meantime, Aichi loses to Yuri five times in a row. Yuri requests to see Aichi's deck; she acknowledges that it is a good deck but with a weak unifying victory strategy. Aichi thinks about her words as everyone prepares curry for dinner, and while everyone else sleeps, he begins working on his deck. | ||
| 35 | "Results of the Training Camp" "Gasshuku no Seika" (合宿の成果) | September 10, 2011[15] |
| Aichi awakes from a bad dream of his cards talking to him about keeping them in his deck while taking out others. Kai and Kenji have woken up before everyone else and are already engaged in cardfighting. They have leftover curry for breakfast, while Aichi reports the unfortunate results of his deck-editing session. They go to the beach, where Aichi, Morikawa and Izaki are put under a special training regimine by Kamui, which culminates in them imagining themselves as valiant vanguards on Cray. Shin presents Q4 with a briefcase full of rare cards, which they used to build up their decks. Aichi's Royal Paladins speak to him in his mind, and he reconstructs his deck without realizing it. Yuri challenges Aichi to a rematch, and Aichi skillfully uses the effects of High Dog Breeder, Akane and Pongal to get Soul Saver Dragon in his hand, before Morikawa interrupts the match. The team finally leaves the training camp with everyone satisfied with the experience they have gathered except Morikawa who had completely forgotten about going swimming. | ||
| 36 | "The King of Underground Fights" "Ura Faito no Ō" (裏ファイトの王) | September 17, 2011[15] |
| Miwa spys on Kai who has begun fighting in underground fights in order to find stronger opponents. Underground cardfights usually result in the loss of cards, and players do not abide by the rules that ensure fair play. When Miwa discovers that Kai is searching for Jun Mutsuki, the king of underground fights, he goes looking for him. He confronts Jun and is captured. Jun and Kai then have a cardfight with Miwa and Kai's freedom at stake. Jun uses a Dark Irregulars deck against Kai and puts up a fierce fight while setting up to play his key card, Edel Rose. Kai foresees this and adds the perfect-defense card Wyvern Guard, Barri to his hand in order to foil Jun's strategy. Jun makes a change in his plan by riding Demon Eater, sending Edel Rose back into his deck, and attacking to force Kai to use Barri. However, Jun reveals that he had a second Edel Rose all along, and he attempts to use its critical strike ability to finish off Kai, who nullifies the attack with another Barri he kept all this time. After defeating Jun, Kai and Miwa leave, with Miwa figuring out that he had been used by Kai to draw Jun out. | ||
| 37 | "The Return of the Ninja Master" "Kaettekita Ninja Masutā" (帰ってきた忍者マスター) | September 24, 2011[15] |
| A tournament is being held again at Card Capital, but it is now a team fight due to the large number of participants. In preparation for the tournament, while looking through his deck, Aichi has a vision of two Soul Saver Dragons appearing next to each other. The team tournament begins; Team Q4 moves all the way up to the final round, with Kai choosing to not participate. Q4 discovers their opponent to be Team Overthrow which consists of Miwa, Izaki, and Morikawa, who is dressed up as Ninja Master M, since the costume was donated to him by M, who decided to not participate in tournaments anymore. In the first round, Morikawa faces Misaki and completely loses as usual. The second round features Kamui versus Team Overthrow's secret weapon, Princess Maiden, who is Emi in disguise. Because of Kamui being unwilling to give his all against Emi, she defeats him using her Bermuda Triangle/Oracle Think Tank deck. Now it is Aichi's turn, and his opponent is none other than Miwa, who has never been seen playing in a Vanguard tournament until now! | ||
| 38 | "Miwa's Ability" "Miwa no Jitsuryoku" (三和の実力) | October 1, 2011[15] |
| The fight between Miwa and Aichi begins. Miwa, who surprisingly uses a Kagero deck like Kai, forces Aichi into a corner by using powerful unit-retiring strategies, and even though Aichi manages a powerful attack using two Pongals and Young Pegasus Knight, and then Solitary Knight, Gancelot as well as Soul Saver Dragon, Miwa blocks his efforts, and calls Dragonic Overlord, activating its Eternal Flame. Though Miwa gloats by declaring "Final Turn", Aichi blocks his attack, and then guards with Flash Shield, Iseult to neutralize Overlord's hit. He proceeds to win the game using another Soul Saver Dragon, just like he envisioned. Later, Kai is informed by Miwa that Aichi hears the call of card spirits, which greatly worries him. | ||
| 39 | "Return to Regionals" "Chiku Taikai, Futatabi" (地区大会、 再び) | October 8, 2011[15] |
| The regionals commence once again, with Team Q4 and Team Handsome competing. Battles rage between newcomers and returning players as Team Handsome advances to the next round. Team Q4's first opponent, though, is Team Fragrance, a dangerous group whose members claim to be able to sense their opponent's feelings by their scent. Aichi displays extraordinary confidence by claiming the first spot for Q4 and proceeds to the fighting arena. | ||
| 40 | "Dangerous Scent" "Kiken na Nioi" (危険な匂い) | October 15, 2011[15] |
| Aichi trusts the voice of his cards, riding Solitary Knight, Gancelot and calling King of Knights, Alfred as a rear-guard. His opponent, Parfum, uses an Oracle Think Tank deck. Though his first Counterblast with Gancelot is thwarted by Battle Sister, Chocolat, he tries again during the next turn, and scores an unexpected critical trigger, winning the match. Misaki proceeds to win the second fight against Team Fragrance's Toilette with a clever combination of Battle Sister, Cocoa, Oracle Guardian, Red-Eye and Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi to trick her into a false sense of security. Team Q4 also advances, but Aichi gets exhausted from his previous fight and collapses, unable to continue. The next fights are conducted without his presence, and Kamui and Kai easily dominate their opponents, allowing Q4 to move once more to the very last round, where they hope to face Team Handsome. However, Gouki and the others are defeated by a mysterious group called Team Avengers, whose leader is revealed to be none other than "Crusher" Kyou Yahagi, seeking revenge against Kai... | ||
| 41 | "Kyou's Revenge" "Fukushū no Kyō" (復讐のキョウ) | October 22, 2011[15] |
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Kyou is back for revenge against Team Q4, specifically Kai. Kyou then explains how things came to be this way - since he lost his match to Kai at the national tournament, he got banished from AL4. As a former member of AL4, Kyou had trouble finding a new team to join because no one wanted to recruit a discarded AL4 member to prevent any conflicts. After multiple rejections, Kyou went insane and swore vengeance against everyone who wronged him. So, he found two other former members of AL4 and joined with them to form Team Avengers. For the first match, Aichi decides to take the lead instead of letting Kai face Kyou again in hopes of earning more of Kai's acknowledgement. Under the influence of his new powers, Aichi becomes a completely different cardfighter. Before the match, Aichi declares his victory and the card Young Pegasus Knight as the key card to win the match - something that Ren would do. During the match, Kyou slowly becomes intimidated by Aichi's resemblance to Ren. Kyou believed Aichi was simply bluffing after retiring his Young Pegasus Knight during his second turn. But at the end, Aichi reveals the second Young Pegasus Knight he had and declared his victory with the same attitude and aura as Ren. | ||
| 42 | "Psyqualia" "PSY Kuoria" (PSYクオリア) | October 29, 2011[15] |
| After easily blocking Kyou's quadruple attack, Aichi declares "Final Turn". Though it seems his plan is going to be defeated, thanks to a stand trigger, Aichi manages to deliver the finishing blow using Young Pegasus Knight. It is determined by Suiko that Aichi possesses the ability Psyqualia, which they seek. Kyou has a vision of planet Cray, where he is slashed down by Pegasus Knight, and collapses, obliterated. Similarly, an exhausted Aichi falls in Kai's arms, and he is brought to the infirmary. The second match between Misaki and Team Avengers' second member begins. Aichi is visited by Emi, who claims Aichi looked scary during his fight, though Aichi doesn't notice anything different. Misaki wins her fight, though Suiko and the others decide she doesn't possess Psyqualia. Aichi is visited by Kai, and although he seeks his approval for becoming stronger, Kai calls him weak and abandons him and Team Q4 after Aichi challenges him to a fight in order to prove his strength. Kyou continues seeking his revenge, until Team Brilliant Stars appears, ordering Kyou and the others to be arrested. | ||
| 43 | "The Black Vanguard" "Kuroi Sendō-sha" (黒い先導者) | November 5, 2011[15] |
| Kamui is concerned when Aichi stops coming to Card Capital after the tournament. Aichi continues to be haunted by Kai's words and finds himself unexpectedly at the door of Card Shop PSY. Aichi enters the shop and is greeted by the members of Ultra Rare where he asks them if he was strong in the last tournament. Everyone is then surprised when Ren enters the shop. Confronting Aichi, Ren explains what has been happening to him lately and the nature of the power, Psyqualia. Ren tells Aichi that Kai will only acknowledge strong fighters and that he must get stronger. Ren then gives Aichi a Shadow Paladin deck, the dark opposite of his Royal Paladin deck. Seeing through Psyqualia, Aichi is nearly overwhelmed by the deck's power and believes this new deck makes him invincible. Kourin believes he is being arrogant and challenges him to a duel with her Royal Paladin deck. In the match, Kourin is easily and soundly defeated by Aichi using Blaster Dark and his new Shadow Paladins, demonstrating the fearsome power of Psyqualia. All the while, Ren watches from the shadows, smiling and encouraging Aichi to embrace his new dark power. | ||
| 44 | "Unexpected Visitor" "Yokisenu Raikyaku" (予期せぬ来客) | November 12, 2011[15] |
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After losing to Aichi, Kourin goes to Card Capital, asking for Kai. Since Miwa is the only person who knows where Kai is, he rides with Kourin to the underground cardfight area. They find Kai, who is beating all the underground fighters to relieve his frustrations. Kourin soon challenges him to a fight, where Miwa and Jun get to sit in the middle of the action. While Kourin uses her Royal Paladin deck, Kai reveals his newly modified Kagero deck, which focuses on Amber Dragons. As each of them are dealing damage to each other, Kourin confronts Kai about how it is his fault that Aichi has fallen into the power of Psyqualia, saying that Aichi only sought the power because he wanted to become stronger for Kai's approval. Kai agrees, and also claims that he had seen the corrupted effects of Psyqualia before, not knowing how to prevent it from happening. He then tells Kourin that it may have been one simple thing: to exceed that power. Kourin then asks Kai if he can stop Aichi before he falls completely under the influence of Psyqualia, to which Kai says that he can. After losing to Kai, Kourin gives him Aichi's Royal Paladin deck, and hopes that he can succeed where she had failed. Meanwhile, Aichi spends the entire night in his room, mentally preparing himself for the national tournament. When arriving at the tournament, Aichi tells Kamui to relax as he is sure that they will win, revealing his newly acquired Shadow Paladin deck, much to the shock of his teammates. | ||
| 45 | "Shadow Paladin" "Shadō Paradin" (シャドウパラディン) | November 19, 2011[15] |
| At the start of the tournament, Team Q4 is placed in C Block, which is the same block as Team Jurassic Army and Team Brilliant Stars, another faction of AL4. After having a brief conversation with Team Q4, Kiriya Bidou, leader of Brilliant Stars, is summoned by Ren, who tells him that if he can take care of Aichi, then he will be allowed into AL4. When Team Q4 is getting ready to face Jurassic Army, they are greeted by the members of Team Caesar, who wish them luck to meet in the finals. Aichi then claims that even without luck, they will be at the finals, since their victory is guaranteed, puzzling Team Caesar. As he steps onto the field, Aichi once again faces off against Ryudo, who asks if he has gotten stronger since their last match. Fed up with people asking how much stronger he has gotten, Aichi tells Ryudo that it is best to just show much power he has, and warns him that he will soundly defeat him. Using his new Shadow Paladin deck, Aichi beats Ryudo, despite drawing a heal trigger like last time. Although Ryudo claims that Aichi has gotten stronger, it is not something that is worth a salute. Soon after, Ren claims that Aichi still has not released his true powers, as Aichi once again collapses from using Psyqualia. As Aichi is resting in the infirmary, both Kamui and Misaki agree that till the finals, they would not let Aichi fight again, while Kourin returns, hoping that Kai will make it in time to help Aichi. | ||
| 46 | "The Coiling Thread" "Karamitsuku Ito" (絡みつく糸) | November 26, 2011[15] |
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After defeating Jurassic Army, Team Q4 is now up against Team Spyder. Wanting Aichi to continue resting, Misaki and Kamui prepare themselves to win without his presence. Before the next round begins, they are confronted by Team Spyder's members, who try to exploit Misaki's and Kamui's weaknesses. Kamui is tricked into believing that his opponent is a vulnerable "girl" (when in actuality, it is a man wearing a smock of a girl's face which resembles Emi) who wants Kamui to let "her" win when they face off. Misaki then runs into her future opponent who has analyzed Misaki's past fights and uses that collected data to psyche her out, questioning Misaki if she has mastered Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi. The fights between Q4 and Spyder then start with Kamui against the "girl" he met earlier. Eventually, the disguise is exposed, and Kamui defeats his opponent using Stern Blaukluger with no hesitation. Misaki is up next, but she is unable to get Full Moon in her hand. Her opponent uses the skills of deadly Megacolony cards like Elite Mutant, Giraffa and Death Warden, Ant Lion, activating the latter's Megablast to restrict Misaki's rear-guards from standing next turn. On what is practically her last turn, Misaki miraculously draws and rides Goddess of the Full Moon, Tsukuyomi, using its Counterblast to draw more cards and replace all of her rested rear-guard units. With that, she manages to win, and therefore, Q4 moves on to face the last team of C Block, the Brilliant Stars. | ||
| 47 | "Another Asteroid / Another Foo Fighter" "Mō Hitotsu no Fū Faitā" (もう一つのフーファイター) | December 3, 2011[15] |
| Team Q4 proceeds to fight Team Brilliant Stars and Kamui is up first, facing Hiromi from BS. Hiromi uses the skills of Young Pegasus Knight, High Dog Breeder, Akane, Great Sage, Barron, Knight of Godly Speed, Galahad, and Margal to power up his units. Kamui skillfully defends and uses the ability of Stern Blaukluger to stand Stern and the unit behind it to finish the fight. Hiromi congratulates Kamui about winning the first fight, but tells him that their victory as a team had vanished. Aichi then wakes up and manages to watch Misaki's fight, and discovers that Misaki had lost the match due to Seal Dragon, Blockade, a vicious card that disables Misaki's rear-guards to intercept. After watching the fight, Aichi slowly makes his way to the fighting area to start the third fight. As he walks towards the Motion Figure System, Shin, Misaki and Kamui are shocked. Aichi tells Misaki and Kamui that he is disappointed in the two and gives them a confident and evil smile. His opponent, Kiriya Bidou, tells Aichi he was convinced that Aichi would run away and Aichi replies by saying that there was no need to be afraid of him. The fight begins!! | ||
| 48 | "Lonely Fight" "Kodoku na Faito" (孤独なファイト) | December 10, 2011[15] |
| As the fight between Kiriya and Aichi begins, Kai is seen watching the match in another area. Emi runs to Team Q4, worried about Aichi playing in another fight, but finds both Misaki and Kamui visibly shaken from Aichi's words. While the fan girls for Brilliant Stars are cheering, Kiriya is still wondering if Aichi has really mastered the Shadow Paladin deck, while deciding to prove his worth by beating him in front of Ren. With his Pale Moon deck, Kiriya successfully deals damage to Aichi with his Juggler cards and calling cards from the soul. Aichi simply takes a few damage and defends himself with a couple of cards, all while taunting Kiriya about Ren giving him the Shadow Paladin deck because he is strong. After riding Dusk Illusionist, Robert, Kiriya is able to deal three damage to Aichi, giving him almost complete control of the match. However, as Miwa states, Aichi is just playing around with Kiriya, as he rides Phantom Blaster Dragon and calls another Blaster Dark as a rear-guard to help deal damage. Kiriya is able to defend himself, allowing only one damage as he eagerly calls "Final Turn" on Aichi. With Ren watching, Kiriya stands in shock as Aichi completely defends himself and takes no damage. Wondering if Kai is watching his fight, Aichi claims he will show how strong he is, calling his "Final Turn" on Kiriya. Calling two more grade 3 units, Aichi soundly defeats Kiriya, while still muttering that he needs to be even stronger for Kai's recognition. As everyone in the stadium cheers Team Q4 for winning the elimination rounds, Ren congratulates Aichi for winning, while forgetting who Kiriya is. Meanwhile, Kai is seen walking away from watching the match, swearing to himself that he will stop Aichi. | ||
| 49 | "Kai's Battle" "Kai no Tatakai" (櫂の戦い) | December 17, 2011[15] |
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Kai heads to the underground area to await his fateful match with Aichi. Back at home, as Aichi reviews his Shadow Paladin deck, he receives a Psyqualia-induced summon from Ren who is waiting for him at Card Shop PSY. Aichi, led by Ren's Psyqualia summon reaches as far as outside Card Capital when Kourin suddenly rides up throws him a helmet & tells him to come with her. Back at the underground area, Miwa shows up with Misaki and Kamui who both implore Kai to face Aichi in a Vanguard fight and help bring him back to normal. Just as Kai informs them that that is exactly why he is here, Kourin immediately arrives with Aichi. Miwa, Kourin, Misaki and Kamui clear the area to watch the fight from a distance. Kai upsets Aichi when he tells him that he still thinks he is weak, and Aichi vows to prove his strength to Kai as they get ready to begin their fierce battle. Aichi is startled when he realizes Kai is going to fight him with his former Royal Paladin deck. Kai vows to show Aichi the "true power" of the deck that he threw away which rattles Aichi even more. Aichi goes first and uses his units' skills to add Blaster Dark who he refers to as his avatar from his deck to his hand. Kai has a flashback of four years ago when he lost his parents, was taken in by his uncle, forced to move out of town, and transferred to a different school. There, he meets Ren and Tetsu, who challenges Kai to a cardfight. Tetsu ends up losing to Kai, and he and Ren tell Kai of Team AL4. They recruit Kai, and they have a lot of fun until one day Ren's Psyqualia awakened. He beat Tetsu repeatedly, claiming that he was now the "strongest fighter" ever. Ren abandoned the idea of him, Tetsu and Kai being Team AL4 and has begun construction for the new AL4 Headquarters where only the best fighters would be selected. Kai realizes that Ren has become obsessed with power and refuses to go along with his new plan and quickly challenges him to a cardfight. The match is fierce and as Ren announces his "Final Turn", he taunts Kai. But before he can claim victory, his overuse of Psyqualia causes him to collapse. Kai catches him in time but Ren is still fixated on how much stronger he has become. Kai quits the team and moves back home peeved about how powerless he was to stop Ren. Kai reminisces on how refreshing after all of this it was to meet Aichi again and of how much fun Aichi made him remember Vanguard fights used to be. He also remembers how fixated Aichi had become on "getting stronger". He vows to himself that while he couldn't stop Ren, this time will be different. With stern determination to accomplish this, Kai draws and uses Solitary Knight, Gancelot's skill to add Blaster Blade from his deck to his hand. Kai reminds Aichi that his avatar is not Blaster Dark as he claims but will always be Blaster Blade. Kai faces Aichi thinking that this time he is going to teach him what true strength is and declares that he is going to save him! | ||
| 50 | "At the End of the Battle..." "Tatakai no Hate ni..." (戦いの果てに…) | December 24, 2011[15] |
| Kai rides King of Knights, Alfred to give Aichi some damage. However, on the next turn, Aichi declares "Final Turn", attacking with Phantom Blaster Dragon and Blaster Dark attacks but Kai successfully guards against both of them. Failing his "Final Turn", Aichi is shocked and forced to end his turn, giving Kai the chance to show Aichi what true strength is. Kai declares "Final Turn" as he rides Alfred Early, a younger form of King of Knights, Alfred. Through Alfred Early's skill, Blaster Blade is superior called from the soul. Blaster Blade makes Aichi realize that relying on Psyqualia isn't real power and has him remember the kind of cardfight he originally wanted with Kai. Remembering all of that and realizing that he had the strength he wanted all along, Aichi is convinced to give up Psyqualia, the Shadow Paladin deck, and Blaster Dark as his avatar. The fight is called off, and Kai gives back Aichi's Royal Paladin deck. | ||
| 51 | "Golden Glow" "Ōgon no Kagayaki" (黄金の輝き) | December 31, 2011[15] |
| Wanting to apologize to everyone for his recent behavior, Aichi goes to Card Capital, which is holding a casual shop tournament. Aichi, Kamui, and Misaki enter in the senior division, while Emi competes in the junior division. Morikawa also wants to enter, but he unfortunately has left his "super-strong" deck at home. So, Shin lends Morikawa an unmodified trial deck to use. The deck does not have as many grade 3 units as Morikawa would like, leading him to believe the deck is weak. Nevertheless, to everyone's surprise, Morikawa goes on a winning streak with this seemingly "weak" deck, even beating Aichi, who no longer cares about winning but is instead reminded about just having fun. | ||
| 52 | "Songstress of the Sea" "Yōjō no Utahime" (洋上の歌姫) | January 7, 2012[15] |
| The shop tournament continues, with Morikawa having an unprecedented amount of victories and Emi's Bermuda Triangle deck dominating the junior division. While this is going on, Shin provides booster packs of the latest cards for Team Q4 to open and put into their decks in preparation for the upcoming national tournament finals. At the end of the tournament, Emi and Morikawa are crowned as the champions of their respective divisions. Morikawa decides to buy the structure deck that he was using throughout the tournament and goes home to "improve" it. The next day though, Morikawa's deck modifications by stuffing it with loads of grade 3 units has made him the loser he once was, thus turning things back to normal. | ||
| 53 | "The Battle Begins! Tournament Finals" "Kaisen! Kesshō Tōnamento" (開戦! 決勝トーナメント) | January 7, 2012[15] |
| The tournament finals begin, and Ren delivers an egotistical speech at the beginning that angers the other teams. Team Q4 battles through the first two rounds, but coming up next is their "rivals", Team Caesar. | ||
| 54 | "Gladiator" "Guradiētā" (剣闘士 （グラディエーター）) | January 14, 2012[15] |
| In the first battle of the semi-finals, Kamui faces off against Gai Usui, the "Gladiator" of Team Caesar. | ||
| 55 | "Caesar's Empress" "Kaesaru no Jōtei" (カエサルの女帝) | January 21, 2012[15] |
|
The second match is between Misaki and Yuri, two female fighters with completely different playstyles. While Misaki makes her decisions based on highest probabilities and most logical outcomes, Yuri relies on her intuition to take high risks for greater rewards. The latter strategy bears some truth as Misaki makes a grave misplay by not going for said high risks which could have won her the match. Showing the reason why she is called the "Empress", Yuri uses her instincts to draw a stand trigger as if she commanded her deck to allow her to do so, thus giving her enough power to defeat Misaki and take the second game. With the score tied 1-1, the last match between Kenji and Aichi will decide who will go on to the finals. As both players deal damage to each other, Aichi sets up to play Soul Saver Dragon in his next turn. However, Kenji sees through Aichi's plan and intends to put a dent in it. | ||
| 56 | "The Man They Call "The Emperor"!" "Kōtei to Yobareru Otoko" (皇帝と呼ばれる男) | January 28, 2012[15] |
| Aichi continues his battle against Kenji "the Emperor" for the right to face Team AL4 in the finals. Knowing that Aichi will play Soul Saver Dragon and use its skill on the next turn, Kenji attacks and retires Aichi's rear-guard units while also dealing major damage. Although Aichi does play Soul Saver Dragon and uses its skill to power up his few remaining rear-guards, it is not enough to fully damage Kenji. Aichi is put in a hopeless situation with Kenji having more cards on the field and in his hand, but he refuses to give up and use Psyqualia. Aichi's determination is rewarded when he draws and rides Alfred Early, using its skill to superior call Blaster Blade. With the addition of drive checking a stand trigger, Aichi miraculously defeats Kenji. Therefore, Team Q4 moves on to face Team AL4 in the final round. | ||
| 57 | "Fateful Showdown!" "Shukumei no Taiketsu" (宿命の対決) | February 4, 2012[15] |
| Although happy that Aichi woke up, Kai still thought of the time when he was still young. He wanted to get Ren out of his Psyqualia self, but then Ren's image was so bad that Kai left him defeated. Now that Kai changed, he vowed to rescue Ren from his Psyqualia addiction and is bent on winning! | ||
| 58 | "Clash! Overlord" "Gekitotsu! Ōbārōdo" (激突! オーバーロード) | February 11, 2012[15] |
| Determined to turn Ren back to his former self, Kai Crossrides Dragonic Overlord the End and performs its Personablast, discarding a copy of itself to have it stand up and attack twice. With this second assault, Kai hopes to attain victory in an attempt to snap Ren out of his Psyqualia obsession. However, it proves ineffective against Ren, who then Crossrides his own trump card: Phantom Blaster Overlord (which is revealed later to have been given to him by Suiko). In retaliation, Ren uses Phantom Blaster Overlord's Personablast to gain immense power and +1 critical, both of which help Ren win the game. Because of this failed battle, it leaves Kai devastated with no hope. Unable to help Kai in this situation, Aichi is then asked by Suiko to make a choice; will Aichi choose the light or the darkness? | ||
| 59 | "Fighting for the Top Spot" "Chōten no Za o Kakete" (頂点の座を賭けて) | February 18, 2012[15] |
| The final match begins, with Kamui against Tetsu. | ||
| 60 | "Wall of the General" "Shōgun no Kabe" (将軍の壁) | February 25, 2012[15] |
| Kamui deals some damage to Tetsu while being wary of his Stil Vampir, the card that beat Aichi in the last national tournament. In the midst of the battle, Kamui and Tetsu argue over their differences in beliefs of what teammates are. Although Kamui tries his hardest, Tetsu emerges victorious when he rides King of Diptera, Beelzebub, putting Team AL4 up 1-0. | ||
| 61 | "Feelings Towards Asteroid / Feelings Towards Foo Fighter" "Fū Faitā e no Omoi" (フーファイターへの想い) | March 3, 2012[15] |
| Misaki draws upon her memory power as she battles Asaka in this second-round revenge match. | ||
| 62 | "Lord of the Fight" "Faito no Shihaisha" (ファイトの支配者) | March 10, 2012[15] |
| Having ordered the positions of her last 16 cards thanks to the abilities of her cards, Misaki defeats Asaka. | ||
| 63 | "Two Powers, Side-by-Side" "Narabitatsu Nōryokusha" (並び立つ能力者) | March 17, 2012[15] |
| The final battle between Ren and Aichi begins, with Ren initially using his Psyqualia to overpower Aichi. | ||
| 64 | "The Truth of Psyqualia" "Saikuoria no Shinjitsu" (PSYクオリアの真実) | March 24, 2012[15] |
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Ren taunts Aichi throughout their battle, trying to get him to use Psyqualia. Aichi gives into his anger and calls Blaster Dark to the surprise of everyone. However, this causes him to change his personality back into what he was before when he first used Psyqualia. Meanwhile, a mysterious entity temporarily possesses Rekka, informing Kourin and Suiko of an impending doom about to happen on the planet Cray and a war between the many clans which will be decided based on the outcome of Aichi and Ren's battle. The mysterious being also explains the truth of Psyqualia. Back to the match, Kai reminds Aichi that this was not his true self which causes Aichi to overcome his dark self. To mess with Aichi even more, Ren asks him "if that's not the real Aichi, then who is?" While Aichi deals with his identity crisis, Ren declares "Final Turn" and Crossrides Phantom Blaster Overlord. | ||
| 65 | "Awakening of the Twin Blades" "Mezameshi Sōken" (目覚めし双剣) | March 31, 2012[15] |
| After calling out "Final Turn" and using the Personablast of Phantom Blaster Overlord, Ren fails to defeat Aichi as he miraculously draws a heal trigger. Aichi then realizes his true self, acknowledging both his light and dark sides, as he summons Majesty Lord Blaster to get Ren out of his Psyqualia addiction. Majesty Lord Blaster's skill shocks Ren as Majesty Lord Blaster gets +10000 attack power and an extra critical by adding both Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark in the soul. This power increase and getting a critical trigger help Aichi to finally defeat Ren, thus crowning Team Q4 the national champions and ridding Ren of Psyqualia. A week later, Aichi, also having lost Psyqualia, goes to Card Capital where all of his friends await him, including Kai, looking to have the real honest fight that Aichi wanted with him. | ||
References
- ↑ "Cardfight!! Vanguard Gets TV Anime, Manga Green-Lit". Anime News Network. July 15, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Crunchyroll to Simulcast Cardfight!! Vanguard TV Anime". Anime News Network. January 4, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Crunchyroll to Stream Cardfight!! Vanguard: Asia Circuit - News". Anime News Network. 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- ↑ "Singapore to Air English-Dubbed Cardfight!! Vanguard Anime - News". Anime News Network. 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- ↑ "Cardfight!! Vanguard Anime Streamed with English Dub on YouTube - News". Anime News Network. 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- ↑ "作品情報（シリーズ） – CARDFIGHT!! ヴァンガード" [Work information (series) – Cardfight!! Vanguard]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Japan: Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
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