Maximillion Pegasus
| “ | "The world has taught me that only the strong and the ruthless survive. In memory of all I have lost, I fight on with all I possess, and I intend to win!"
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„ |
| ― Pegasus thinking to himself. Best of Duels, Best of Friends - Part 2 |
Maximillion Pegasus, known as Pegasus J. Crawford (ペガサス・Ｊ・クロフォード Pegasasu Jē Kurofōdo) in the Japanese version, is the president of Industrial Illusions and the creator of Duel Monsters. He possesses numerous rare and unreleased cards. Before developing the game, Pegasus aspired to be an artist, but his fascination with Egyptian history led him to create Duel Monsters, allowing him to fulfill his artistic dreams by illustrating its creatures.
Initially serving as the main antagonist of the Duelist Kingdom arc, Pegasus later redeems himself. His primary goal was to take over KaibaCorp to use its Solid Vision technology to see Cecelia once more. In the English version of the anime, this objective is altered—he seeks both KaibaCorp and the Millennium Items to merge their power, hoping to revive his deceased lover, Cecelia. Following Battle City, he becomes an ally to Yugi and his friends.
| Names | Maximillion Pegasus, Pegasus J. Crawford ペガサス・Ｊ・クロフォード |
| Gender | Male ♂ |
| Race | Human |
| Occupation | Duelist, CEO of Industrial Illusions, Creator of Duel Monsters |
| Origin | Yu-Gi-Oh! Chapter 60: "Challenge!!" ！！！, 挑戦！！！(March 4, 1998) (tankōbon volume) |
| Alignment | Evil, Reformed in the Battle City Arc |
| Age | 24[1] |
| Height | 188 cm[1] (6ft 1in) |
| Weight | 65 kg[1] (143.3 lbs) (10.23 st) |
| Created By | Kazuo Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋 一雅) |
| Personality Type | ENTP |
| Voice Actors |  Japanese: Jiro Jay Takasugi
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Appearance
Pegasus is depicted as a tall, slender man with long, silver-lavender hair styled in a way reminiscent of an Egyptian pharaoh's headdress. His bangs cover his left eye, even after he loses the Millennium Eye. His signature outfit consists of a red suit with white stripes and gold buttons, worn over a white ruffled shirt and a thin tie, complemented by silver shoes. However, in Episode 2, during his Duel with Yugi, he is seen wearing a red turtleneck with a black jacket.
Personality
Pegasus is a well-mannered, theatrical individual with a flamboyant and eccentric demeanor. He maintains a sophisticated and gentlemanly attitude but conceals a ruthless business and gaming mindset. He frequently uses the affectionate suffix "-boy" when addressing Yugi and Kaiba, a habit that continues in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Though typically composed, he has a temper when provoked.
His refined and extravagant style has led to characters like Bandit Keith calling him "cutie-pie" and Joey Wheeler mocking him as an "overdressed prima donna." Despite his aristocratic mannerisms, Pegasus is deeply passionate about cartoons, especially Funny Bunny, a childhood favorite he claims to have watched all 3,013 episodes of. His love for cartoons directly inspired the creation of Toon Monsters.
Initially, Pegasus appears as a devious villain willing to cheat and steal souls to accomplish his goals. However, his true motivation—reviving Cecelia—reveals a more sympathetic side. His actions, including striking a deal with the Big Five to acquire KaibaCorp, kidnapping Mokuba, and dueling Yugi unfairly, were all means to achieve this end. Despite using the Millennium Eye to gain an advantage, Pegasus despised blatant cheating for personal gain. He humorously ridiculed Bandit Keith for attempting to cheat in front of him and used a trapdoor to eject him from Duelist Kingdom. However, he allowed Joey’s Duel against Keith to continue, possibly to observe Joey’s growth as a Duelist.
In the manga, Pegasus often deceives his opponents by pretending to be weak or luck-driven, only to outmaneuver them strategically. He feigns surprise at minor setbacks during his Duels with Yugi and Kaiba and pretends to struggle with Kaiba's Duel Disk prototype to manipulate the situation in his favor.
By the events of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Pegasus has abandoned his more ruthless tendencies, adopting a laid-back and jovial attitude. This is evident during his Duel against Vellian Crowler and Jean-Louis Bonaparte and when he interacts with Jaden Yuki’s group at Duel Academy.
In Bonds Beyond Time, Pegasus is portrayed with an exaggeratedly vain personality in the English dub. While this trait is present in the original series, it is significantly less pronounced.
Biography
Background
Fourteen years before Duelist Kingdom, Maximillion Pegasus met Cecelia at a party hosted by his businessman father in Las Vegas. The two quickly fell in love, with Pegasus often painting portraits of her. In the English dub, they were married. Tragically, Cecelia passed away from an illness at the age of 17, leaving Pegasus devastated.
Determined to find a way to bring her back, Pegasus searched the world for anything that could revive the dead. His quest led him to Egypt, where the culture's beliefs in the afterlife fascinated him. There, he encountered Shadi, a guardian spirit of the Millennium Items. Shadi warned Pegasus that he would not find the answers he sought and urged him to leave. However, Pegasus, believing Shadi had read his mind, followed him to an underground temple. Realizing Pegasus was tailing him, Shadi subjected him to a trial for the Millennium Eye. If he was worthy, he would be granted his deepest wish—to see Cecelia again. Shadi then forcibly replaced Pegasus’ left eye with the Millennium Eye.
After receiving the eye, Pegasus briefly saw Cecelia and embraced her before returning to reality. He soon learned of the ancient Shadow Games played in Egypt and became fascinated with their power. Upon returning to the United States, he founded Industrial Illusions and developed Duel Monsters, basing it on these ancient duels. By merging the power of the Millennium Items with the card game, Pegasus was able to replicate the effects of the original stone tablets used in antiquity.
On a later trip to Egypt, Shadi took Pegasus to a hidden underground city and led him to a chamber containing a stone tablet depicting the Egyptian God Cards. Inspired by the carvings, Pegasus returned to America and began creating the God Cards. However, in the English dub, the project proved fatal—many of his employees who worked on the cards mysteriously vanished or died. Pegasus refused to abandon the project and took it upon himself to finish painting them. While doing so, he fell asleep and had a nightmare of an Egyptian city being destroyed by the Gods. In his dream, Shadi appeared once again, warning Pegasus that he was unleashing great danger and that the only way to prevent disaster was to return the God Cards to their resting place.
Fearing for his life, Pegasus returned to Egypt and entrusted the Egyptian God Cards to Ishizu Ishtar, a guardian of the Pharaoh’s tomb.
In the English dub, at some point during the development of Duel Monsters, Pegasus also traveled to Eastern Asia, where he drew inspiration from various religions and mythologies to create the Spirit Monster archetype.
Duel Monsters & KaibaCorp
Pegasus received a proposal from Seto Kaiba, who was interested in developing dueling arenas to enhance Duel Monsters through holographic technology. Pegasus agreed to the collaboration.
He also participated in the Intercontinental Duel Monsters Championship, facing Bandit Keith in the finals. Rather than dueling seriously, Pegasus toyed with Keith, using the Millennium Eye to read his mind. Amused, he wrote down specific moves on a note and handed it to a young boy named Sam, instructing him to follow the strategy against Keith. Pegasus then sat with Kaiba, casually observing as Sam humiliated and defeated Keith.
Later, Pegasus attended the Regional Duel Monsters Championship in Japan. He awarded the winning title to Weevil Underwood and personally invited him to compete in the Duelist Kingdom tournament.
Pegasus also served as the inspiration for Dungeon Dice Monsters, a game created by Duke Devlin. After playing a match against Duke, Pegasus approved the game’s production and encouraged its expansion. At Pegasus’ request, Duke permitted him to make an addition to the game, which unknowingly led to Pegasus including "Dark Magician" as a playable monster.
Additionally, Pegasus hacked into KaibaCorp’s computer system and inserted Dungeon Dice Monsters data into their network, further integrating the game with KaibaCorp’s technology.
Duelist Kingdom
Pegasus learned that Seto Kaiba, the reigning Duel Monsters champion, had been defeated by Yugi Muto. Seizing the opportunity, he struck a deal with the Big Five, KaibaCorp’s board of executives, to overthrow Seto and take control of the company. To achieve this, Pegasus organized the Duelist Kingdom tournament, intending to defeat Yugi Muto and restore KaibaCorp’s reputation. In the English dub, he also sought to obtain Yugi’s Millennium Puzzle. Pegasus' ultimate goal was to use KaibaCorp’s Solid Vision technology to create a holographic version of Cecelia. In the dub, he planned to combine the power of the Millennium Items with the technology to revive her.
To lure Yugi into the tournament, Pegasus sent him a videotape along with the necessary items for participation. Through the tape, Pegasus was able to communicate with Yugi in real time and challenged him to a timed duel. Using his Millennium Eye to read Yugi's moves, Pegasus secured victory and, as punishment, trapped the soul of Yugi’s grandfather. He then forced Yugi to enter Duelist Kingdom, promising that the only way to save his grandfather was by defeating him.
Meanwhile, Pegasus ordered his henchmen to eliminate Seto Kaiba. Kaiba managed to escape, making it appear as though he had jumped to his death. However, Pegasus' men successfully kidnapped Mokuba. In the original version, Mokuba had swallowed a key to a safe containing crucial documents Pegasus needed to seize KaibaCorp. In the dub, Mokuba was taken not only for eavesdropping on Pegasus' conversation with the Big Five but also because, with Seto gone, Mokuba was next in line to inherit the company.
Kaiba eventually infiltrated Duelist Kingdom and confronted Pegasus, demanding Mokuba’s return. In response, Pegasus sealed Mokuba’s soul inside a Soul Prison card, stating that the only way to free him was to defeat him in a duel. Kaiba immediately challenged Pegasus, but Pegasus imposed a condition—Kaiba would need 10 Star Chips, like any other contestant, to earn the right to duel him. To help Kaiba get started, Pegasus returned the five Star Chips Mokuba had previously stolen, then told him he would have to win the remaining five by defeating Yugi.
Kaiba successfully defeated Yugi and returned to challenge Pegasus, confident that his newly designed Duel Disks would counter Pegasus’ mind-reading strategy. Pegasus agreed to use them but imposed one final stipulation—Mokuba’s unconscious body would be used to hold Kaiba’s Duel Disks during the duel. Unable to bring himself to attack his brother, Kaiba was forced to duel using a traditional Dueling Arena. Despite Kaiba’s efforts, Pegasus used his Millennium Eye to read his mind and anticipate his moves, ultimately defeating him. As punishment, Pegasus sealed Kaiba’s soul inside another Soul Prison card.
Pegasus observed the semi-final duels of Duelist Kingdom: Yugi Muto vs. Mai Valentine and Joey Wheeler vs. Bandit Keith. During Yugi and Mai's duel, Pegasus quickly noticed that Yugi was holding back. He knew that if Yugi wanted to win, he needed to fully trust in his Millennium Puzzle. During Joey and Keith's match, Pegasus recognized that Keith was only dueling out of desperation after his previous loss, while Joey was fighting for his friends and his sister. Pegasus was unexpectedly moved by Joey's determination.
Despite Joey's victory, Keith refused to accept his loss, claiming Joey's entry card wasn't his. However, Pegasus exposed Keith as a cheater and disqualified him from the tournament. He then personally congratulated Joey on his performance and victory. Enraged by his humiliation, Keith later confronted Pegasus, pointing a gun at him and demanding the tournament prize money. Unfazed, Pegasus activated a hidden trap door, sending Keith plummeting into the ocean.
As planned, Pegasus eventually dueled Yugi in the tournament’s final match. If Pegasus won, Yugi’s soul would be sealed in a card. If Yugi won, Pegasus would release the captured souls of Solomon Muto and the Kaiba brothers. With the power of the Millennium Eye, Pegasus initially dominated the duel by reading Yugi’s mind and countering his strategies. However, Yugi and Yami Yugi devised a clever "Mind Shuffle" tactic, in which they played cards face-down and switched control between them without revealing their moves to each other. This strategy allowed them to destroy Pegasus’ Toon World, gaining a slight lead in Life Points.
In response, Pegasus drew Yugi into a Shadow Game, using the dark magic of the Millennium Eye to intensify the duel. The overwhelming pressure caused Yugi to collapse, but Yami Yugi endured. With the support of Yugi’s friends calling out to him, Yami was able to resist Pegasus' power, ultimately destroying Thousand-Eyes Restrict and securing victory.
Following his defeat, a sorrowful Pegasus retreated to his private sanctuary, where he honored his promise and released the souls of Solomon, Seto Kaiba, and Mokuba. As he reflected on his failure to revive Cecelia, Yami Bakura suddenly appeared, challenging him to a Shadow Game with their Millennium Items at stake. Severely weakened from his duel with Yugi, Pegasus was easily defeated. Yami Bakura forcibly removed the Millennium Eye from Pegasus, leaving him in a coma. His final appearance in the arc shows him being carried away by Kemo, presumably for medical treatment.
Dungeon Dice Monsters
Pegasus' disappearance after Duelist Kingdom delayed the global release of Dungeon Dice Monsters, a game created by Duke Devlin. Blaming Yugi for Pegasus’ absence, Duke challenged him to a match in Dungeon Dice Monsters as revenge. However, Yugi won the game using Dark Magician, a monster Pegasus had personally added. Shortly afterward, it was revealed that Industrial Illusions had approved the worldwide launch of Dungeon Dice Monsters.
Later, when Duke found himself trapped in the Virtual World, he used Pegasus’ additions to the KaibaCorp computer system to his advantage, incorporating Dungeon Dice Monsters’ original creatures into his deck.
Pyramid of Light
These events take place after Battle City and before Waking the Dragons. Pegasus experiences a premonition of impending danger, sensing its presence even though he no longer possesses the Millennium Eye. Shortly afterward, Seto Kaiba arrives, demanding a way to defeat Yugi’s three Egyptian God Cards. Kaiba assumes Pegasus must have created a countermeasure and insists he hand it over. Pegasus confirms that he does have a card that may work but refuses to hand it over unless Kaiba wagers his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in a duel.
Relying on his beloved Toon monsters, Pegasus puts up a fight, but Kaiba ultimately defeats him by using XYZ-Dragon Cannon to destroy Toon World, wiping out Pegasus’ Toons and attacking directly. Kaiba discovers two cards capable of countering the Egyptian Gods and is skeptical when Pegasus insists he only created one. Concerned about the mysterious extra card, Pegasus investigates and uncovers the history of Anubis.
When Kaiba’s Duel Dome collapses, Pegasus arrives just in time to rescue Téa Gardner, Solomon Muto, and Mokuba from being crushed. As Anubis reveals himself and challenges the Pharaoh, the structure continues to fall apart. Pegasus summons Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon and Toon Dark Magician Girl to catch debris in a comically exaggerated fashion, preventing further destruction.
Waking the Dragons
Pegasus reappears in the Waking the Dragons arc, investigating the mysterious Paradius Corporation and uncovering its true motives. Recognizing the looming threat, he warns Yugi and his friends and gifts Yugi the Legend of Heart card, a crucial key to defeating Dartz.
Later, Pegasus' soul is taken by Mai Valentine but is eventually restored at the end of the arc. When Dartz summons the Mirror Knights, Pegasus is revealed to be among the souls trapped in the cards, alongside Mai, Yugi, and Joey Wheeler. He is ultimately freed after the destruction of the Great Leviathan.
KC Grand Championship
Although Pegasus does not physically appear in this arc, he is frequently mentioned. Yugi and his friends recall that Pegasus personally funded their trip to America. Additionally, Leon von Schroeder credits Pegasus as the creator of the Fairy Tale cards he uses in the tournament.
Zigfried von Schroeder later boasts that his computer virus will erase KaibaCorp’s data, forcing Pegasus to sign a business contract with Schroeder Corp. However, his plan is thwarted when the hidden flaw in Golden Castle of Stromberg causes the virus to self-destruct before it can complete its task.
Ceremonial Battle
Toward the end of the series, Pegasus learns about the upcoming Ceremonial Battle and provides a brief narration, reflecting on how Yugi’s adventures have led to this final moment. In the Japanese version, he later strikes a business deal with Zigfried von Schroeder, though this scene is omitted in the dub.
Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Shortly before graduating, Chumley Huffington is personally recruited by Pegasus to work as a card designer for Industrial Illusions after successfully submitting his original card, Ayers Rock Sunrise.
Later, an I² employee named Franz steals the only remaining copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra, modifying it with a custom Field Spell of his own creation. He then travels to Duel Academy to test the card on participants in the Genex Tournament. Pegasus and Chumley pursue him to Duel Academy, where they team up with Jaden Yuki to locate the thief. After Chancellor Sheppard suspends the tournament, they find Franz, and Pegasus prepares to duel him. However, Jaden steps in instead. Despite initially struggling against a God Card, Jaden manages to hold his own. Witnessing Ra in pain, he vows to free the monster from Franz’s control and ultimately succeeds, defeating Franz in the process. Pegasus, impressed by Jaden’s confidence and skill, compares him to Yugi—just as Solomon Muto once did. After the duel, Pegasus acknowledges Franz's talent but warns him that he must approach his work differently if he wishes to continue at I².
Sometime later, Pegasus challenges Dr. Crowler and Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte to a Triangle Duel for the opportunity to work at Industrial Illusions. The two mistakenly believe they have been fired by Chancellor Sheppard. Despite winning the duel, Pegasus offers them employment at I². However, Sheppard soon arrives and clarifies that they were never actually dismissed. Shortly after, Pegasus and Sheppard meet privately to discuss the stolen "Ultimate D-Card" once possessed by Aster Phoenix's father.
During Jaden's duel with Jesse Anderson, Aster recalls a previous meeting with Pegasus. At that time, Pegasus revealed his personal ranking of the top five Duelists:
- Yugi Muto
- Seto Kaiba
- Joey Wheeler
- Aster Phoenix
- Jesse Anderson
He explains that Jesse is the only Duelist capable of wielding the Crystal Beast cards he created. However, Jesse does not yet possess Rainbow Dragon, as its tablet has not been discovered. Later, when Jesse and Duel Academy’s students are trapped in another dimension, the missing tablet is finally uncovered. Pegasus, using a high-tech portable card designer, creates Rainbow Dragon on the spot and sends it to Jesse, allowing him to harness its power to help return the academy to their world.
At another point, when several cards stop functioning on Duel Disks, Pegasus hires Axel Brodie to investigate. Eventually, Nightshroud, the mastermind behind the failing cards and a much larger threat, challenges Jaden to a duel for the fate of the world. During the duel, Nightshroud recounts the origins of the universe, which includes a moment depicting Pegasus’ discovery of the Tablet of Lost Memories.
Bonds Beyond Time
In the unaltered timeline of Bonds Beyond Time, an old newspaper article reports that the tournament Pegasus hosted at Domino Plaza proceeded without incident. The article features a photograph of Yugi Muto winning the tournament, with Pegasus shaking his hand in congratulations.
In an alternate timeline created by Paradox, the main antagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time, Pegasus becomes his primary target. Paradox seeks to eliminate Pegasus before he can establish Duel Monsters, believing that doing so will prevent the catastrophic future caused by Synchro Summoning. To achieve this, Paradox travels to Yugi Muto's era, attacking Pegasus’ tournament with his Malefic Dragons and causing widespread destruction. Pegasus, along with several other bystanders, including Solomon Muto, is killed when a collapsing building crushes them.
Determined to restore history, Yugi, Jaden Yuki, and Yusei Fudo travel back in time to a point before both Pegasus and Paradox arrived in Domino City. The trio challenges Paradox to a duel and successfully defeats him, preventing his actions from ever taking place. As a result, history is restored, and Pegasus is later seen distributing cards at his event as originally intended.
Legacy
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! R Manga, Pegasus' heir, Yako Tenma, discovered his mentor’s blood splattered across the table where he had been killed. Overcome with grief, Yako mourned Pegasus' death, only for Croquet to inform him that Yugi Muto was responsible.
Sometime after Pegasus' passing, Yako assumed control of Industrial Illusions and initiated Project R.A., a secret experiment designed to resurrect Pegasus. A few months later, Esper Roba, who previously faked having ESP, claimed that he was now genuinely communicating with Pegasus’ spirit.
Following the events of Battle City, Yako forced Yugi into Project R.A. by kidnapping Téa Gardner, intending to use her as a vessel to host Pegasus’ soul. Although Pegasus’ spirit was briefly revived, Seto Kaiba intervened and shut down the Duel Ring server, causing Pegasus' soul to vanish once again. Téa was saved, but Yako was left enraged by the failure of his plan.
During the final duel between Yami Yugi and Yako, as The God of the Obelisk clashed with The Wicked Avatar, Yako caught a fleeting glimpse of Pegasus’ spirit. However, Pegasus did not acknowledge him, disappearing one final time without so much as a glance back.
Powers and Statistics
Tier: 10-B physically. 2-C via Millennium Eye
Powers and Abilities: Hacking (hacked into KaibaCorp's computer system and adds some of Dungeon Dice Monsters' data) Soul Manipulation, Sealing (The Millenium Eye Can Steal and seal souls within cards), Magic, Summoning, (The monsters summoned through Shadow Games are real), Empathic Manipulation (Shadow Games reveal a person's true nature), Aura, Mind Manipulation (Shadow Games can have an extremity of death by shock or a complete shutdown of the mind) Extrasensory Perception (the eye can sense the location of people of interest and spirit inhabiting minds.) Resistance to Magic (The Eye protects its user from harm)
Attack Potency: Human level physically. Low Multiverse level via powers (Can summon monsters with various degrees of power and amplify their power with his spirit energy up to the strongest monster he has in his deck)
Speed: Human level
Lifting Strength: Human Level
Striking Strength: Human level (By himself), Low Multiverse level with summons
Durability: Human level
Stamina: Superhuman
Range: Standard Melee Range physically; Tens of Kilometers with several monsters, spells, and traps;
Intelligence: At least Gifted (Created the game of Duel Monsters)
Weaknesses:
Standard Equipment: Duel Monsters cards, Duel Disk.
Pegasus wields a Toon/Illusion/Eyes-Restrict Deck centered around Toon World, a unique card in the manga and anime that enables him to summon powerful Toon monsters. During the Duelist Kingdom arc, he supplements his Toon strategy with control-based cards designed to disable enemy monsters, such as Trap Displacement and Magical Neutralizing Force. He also employs tactics to turn an opponent’s own cards against them, using combinations like Dragon Capture Jar with Dragon Piper or Doppelganger. These strategies maximize the advantage of his mind-reading abilities, allowing him to anticipate and counter his opponent's moves effortlessly.
For his Duel against Yugi, Pegasus designed a set of illusion-based monsters, including Relinquished, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, Thousand-Eyes Idol, and Dark-Eyes Illusionist. These cards specialize in neutralizing enemy attacks and absorbing the strength of Yugi’s monsters, reinforcing Pegasus' mastery over manipulation and control.
Optional Equipment: Millennium Eye
The Millennium Eye's primary ability is to peer into the mind of an opponent, which allows the owner to know what they're thinking at all times, no matter what. When Dueling, the owner can use the Eye to see their opponent's cards and strategies clearly, giving them a significant advantage (effectively cheating). They can also see their hidden memories and sense if there is a spirit inhabiting their minds.
Like the rest of the Millennium Items, it can also initiate Shadow Games, materialize the effects of Duel Monsters cards, and also cast illusions and protect its owner from harm among other magical powers. It can also initiate the Mind Card Penalty Game, where it seals the soul of someone inside a card, or in the manga, other types of Penalty Game, as Pegasus used a fatal one on Keith for cheating. Other lesser powers include sensing the location of people of interest.
In the manga, it was said that anyone who wears the Eye will be given one wish.
Trivia
- On the English dub soundtrack Yu-Gi-Oh! Music to Duel By, Pegasus performs the song Face Up Face Down.
- A poster in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s suggests that Pegasus had passed away sometime after the events of the original series.
- Pegasus is the only major character from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters to appear frequently in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
- He is often seen carrying a pocket watch throughout the series.
Themes
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Chapter 1: Character Directory" (in Japanese). Yu-Gi-Oh! Character Guidebook: The Gospel of Truth. Shueisha. p. 56
