Obelisk the Tormentor

Obelisk the Tormentor, (オベリスクの巨きょ神しん兵へい, Oberisuku no Kyoshinhei,lit Obelisk the Giant God Soldier) is the character depiction of the card "Obelisk the Tormentor" from the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. It is one of the Egyptian Gods, regarded as among the most powerful monster spirits in the series. Its corresponding Duel Monsters card is also titled "Obelisk the Tormentor."

Names	Obelisk the Tormentor, (オベリスクの巨きょ神しん兵へい, Oberisuku no Kyoshinhei,lit Obelisk the Giant God Soldier) The God of the Obelisk
Gender	Genderless
Race	Divine Beast
Occupation	Egyptian God
Origin	Yu-Gi-Oh! Chapter 148: "The God of the Obelisk" 鬼神のごときカード, Kijin no Gotoki Kādo, lit: The Card as Fierce as God (March 3, 2000, tankōbon volume)
Alignment	Mixed
Age	Unknown at Least 3000 years
Created By	Kazuo Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋 一雅)

Appearance

Obelisk is a towering, muscular humanoid with blue skin and a fearsome, armored appearance. It features simple, triangular wings that match its height, emphasizing its immense size. Obelisk’s broad shoulders are adorned with large pauldrons, each featuring two prominent vertical spikes. Its forearm armor includes spikes at the elbows, while diamond-shaped plates protect its groin and knees, and a shield-shaped plate covers its posterior.

Its feet are anisodactyl, with three toes at the front and one at the back, providing a birdlike structure. Its hands, however, are more human in design, with sheath-like, spiked claws on the fingertips and small diamond-shaped plates over the knuckles.

Obelisk’s head is adorned with numerous spikes: twin spikes jut from its cheeks, long spikes extend sideways from the back of its head, and two spikes protrude from its temples. Additional features include a short chin spike and a tri-spiked crest atop its head. Its lipless mouth is filled with sharp white teeth, and its red eyes enhance its intimidating visage. Like other Egyptian Gods, a sapphire gem is embedded in its forehead, symbolizing its divine status.

In the Memory World arc, Obelisk's design varies slightly. Its spikes are shorter and more angular compared to the curved spikes seen in the present timeline. The crest is more elaborate, with its outer spikes extending further upward and downward, and darker blue markings appear on both the crest and chest, adding an ancient and more intricate aesthetic to its form.

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  TCG Legal Card

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  Anime, Illegal Card

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  Manga Obelisk

Personality

Obelisk the Tormentor is portrayed as a stoic and unwavering force of destruction, embodying immense power and dominance. Unlike Slifer the Sky Dragon, which has a more ferocious demeanor, or The Winged Dragon of Ra, which exudes divine majesty, Obelisk emanates an aura of unrelenting strength and authority.

It is a being of few expressions, reflecting its role as a relentless enforcer rather than a creature of emotion or will. When summoned, Obelisk operates with precision and decisiveness, focusing solely on obliterating its enemies without hesitation or mercy. Its personality is intrinsically tied to its colossal strength and immunity, standing as an indomitable guardian and ultimate weapon for its controller.

In various depictions, Obelisk’s presence is often marked by an overwhelming sense of intimidation, underscoring its role as a symbol of power that few can rival.

Biography

Ancient Egypt

Obelisk the Tormentor is one of the three Egyptian Gods, alongside Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra. These powerful monsters could only be summoned by the chosen Pharaoh, revealed to be Atem.

When Thief King Bakura invaded the Pharaoh's palace after looting Aknamkanon's tomb, he engaged in a ka battle with the priests. During the battle, Atem heard his father's spirit proclaim, "justice lies in the name of the gods." Heeding this, Atem summoned Obelisk to fight Bakura's Diabound, forcing the thief to retreat.

Battle City

Three millennia later, Maximillion Pegasus created cards representing the Egyptian Gods for his game, Duel Monsters. However, the gods’ souls inhabited the cards, making them dangerously powerful. Recognizing this as a grave mistake, Pegasus attempted to destroy the cards but ultimately entrusted them to the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities for safekeeping. The council buried them in the Valley of the Kings, though Rare Hunters later stole "Slifer the Sky Dragon" and "The Winged Dragon of Ra." However, they failed to find "Obelisk the Tormentor," which was given to Seto Kaiba by Ishizu Ishtar to host the Battle City tournament and recover the other God cards.

Kaiba wielded Obelisk during the Battle City preliminaries, showcasing its might in several Duels. In his quarterfinal against Ishizu, her Millennium Necklace foresaw her victory through the destruction of Obelisk. However, a vision of Priest Seto and Kisara inspired Kaiba to summon "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" by tributing Obelisk, securing his win instead.

In the semifinals against Yami Yugi, Kaiba pitted Obelisk against Slifer. Their clash caused both Gods to be destroyed, triggering a shared vision of an ancient city where the statues of Slifer and Obelisk stood as Priest Seto and Pharaoh Atem dueled. Following Kaiba’s loss, he gave Yami Yugi the Obelisk card per tournament rules. Yami Yugi later used it in the final match against Yami Marik.

Project R.A.

In Yami Yugi's Duel against Yako Tenma, "Obelisk the Tormentor" was revived using "Monster Reborn" after being discarded to Special Summon "The Tricky." Yami Yugi utilized Obelisk's effect to increase its ATK to infinity in an effort to overpower "The Wicked Avatar," which had assumed Obelisk's form. To counter the Avatar's superior Divine Hierarchy, Dark Yugi activated "Divine Evolution," elevating Obelisk's hierarchy to match that of the Avatar. This transformation caused Obelisk to ascend into its "Obelisk the Progenitor" form, enabling both divine monsters to destroy one another in a climactic clash.

Doma

Yami Yugi presented the three Egyptian God cards to the stone tablet at the museum to regain his memories, but Dartz siphoned their energy. Dartz's men later stole the God cards, and Gurimo used "The Seal of Orichalcos" to harness Obelisk's power. Despite Gurimo’s loss, Rafael took the card to Dartz, who used the Gods’ power to summon The Great Leviathan.

After Yami defeated Dartz in a Duel, he reclaimed the weakened God cards. Later, Yami called upon the gods to combat The Great Leviathan, freeing himself, Joey Wheeler, and Seto Kaiba. Obelisk, alongside Slifer and Ra, defeated the Leviathan, though it reemerged through Dartz, who was ultimately defeated.

Pyramid of Light

Kaiba obtained a card capable of countering the Egyptian Gods through a Duel with Pegasus. Anubis covertly added "Pyramid of Light" to Kaiba’s prize. In a Duel against Yami Yugi, Kaiba forced the summoning of all three Egyptian Gods, only to activate "Pyramid of Light," which removed them from play.

Memory World

In the Memory World arc, Yami Yugi relived his time as Pharaoh Atem, including his battle with Thief Bakura, during which he summoned Obelisk again.

The Pharaoh later used the Egyptian Gods against Zorc Necrophades, but Zorc overpowered them and turned them to stone. Upon relearning his name, Atem summoned the gods from Yugi's Deck and combined them into The Creator God of Light, Horakhty, defeating Zorc.

Ceremonial Battle

For the Ceremonial Battle to pass into the afterlife, Atem and Yugi constructed separate Decks. Atem included the three Egyptian God cards, summoning all of them during the Duel. Despite his effort, Yugi managed to destroy them, securing victory and allowing Atem to move on.

The Dark Side of Dimensions

In The Dark Side of Dimensions, after the Pharaoh’s soul entered the afterlife, the Egyptian God Cards were believed to have vanished with him. Seto Kaiba, obsessed with resolving their rivalry, pursued numerous methods to bring the Pharaoh back. This included advancing Solid Vision technology to develop a new Duel Disk capable of interfacing with his brain, allowing him to project virtual constructs of his imagination, such as a simulated Yami Yugi and recreations of the cards in his collection.

At the excavation site of the Millennium Puzzle, Kaiba encountered Diva and engaged in a Duel, pitting the power of Diva's Prana against his Duel Disk's collective consciousness network. During the Duel, Kaiba drew on the lingering essence of the Pharaoh in the area to summon Obelisk the Tormentor directly from the ground, despite no longer possessing the original card. Obelisk’s immunity nullified Diva’s Cubic Mandala effect, and its effect inflicted substantial damage to Diva’s Life Points. The Duel was left unfinished when the security systems safeguarding the Millennium Puzzle pieces were deactivated, allowing Mokuba to seize them.

What became of Obelisk or Kaiba’s ability to summon it after this Duel remains a mystery.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: High 7-C | 2-C

Key: Manga | Anime

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Weather Manipulation, Fusionism (with the other Gods), Dream Manipulation (Sent Pegasus a nightmare to torment him), Madness Manipulation (Those who used counterfeit copies of The God Cards were either driven insane or instantly died), Immortality (Type 1), Invulnerability, and Power Nullification (The Egyptian Gods are unaffected by anything less divine than them), Absorption, Earth Manipulation and Air Manipulation (It is said to bring burning winds and twisted land)

Attack Potency: Large Town level (Generated a storm of this level) | Low Multiverse level (The Egyptian Gods could somewhat competed with Zorc, who is stronger than Exodia the Forbidden One who was capable of pushing Yubel with his force)

Speed: Unknown | Massively Hypersonic+ (Kept up with Zorc)

Lifting Strength: Unknown | Unknown

Striking Strength: Large Town level | Low Multiverse level

Durability: Large Town level | Low Multiverse level (Took hits from Zorc)

Stamina: Limitless

Range: Several Tens of Meters (Given his size)

Standard Equipment: Nothing notable.

Intelligence: Unknown

Weaknesses: Nothing notable. | Susceptible to the Pyramid of Light. The Power Nullification has several weaknesses in this version, including: not working on BFR and Power Nullification; is not based on a divine hierarchy; and unless the ability instantly kills the God, the effect is still around albeit temporarily. Temporary Power Nullification works permanently on the Gods. Can only be temporarily resurrected.