Editing Marik Ishtar (section)

== Personality ==
As a child, Marik was an innocent and curious boy who dreamed of exploring the outside world, despite his clan’s strict laws forbidding it. He cherished his sister, Ishizu, and considered Odion his brother, despite their lack of blood relation.

Marik’s life took a dark turn due to his father’s cruelty and the demands of his heritage. His father subjected him to a painful ritual that involved carving (or tattooing, in the dub) hieroglyphs onto his back, symbolizing his duty to guard the family’s secrets. This ritual caused Marik immense suffering and deepened his resentment towards the Pharaoh, whom he blamed for his lack of freedom. This resentment, combined with the pain, gave rise to his alter ego, Yami Marik, who embodied his suppressed anger and hatred.

A pivotal moment in Marik’s descent occurred when his father brutally punished Odion for helping Marik and Ishizu leave their home. Marik, unconscious at the time, allowed Yami Marik to emerge and kill his father. When Marik awoke with no memory of the incident, he mistakenly believed Shadi, a servant of the Pharaoh, was responsible, solidifying his desire for revenge against the Pharaoh and leading to his betrayal of his clan. (This aspect is omitted in the dub.)

As the leader of the Rare Hunters, Marik became ruthless and manipulative, wielding the Millennium Rod to control others, forcing them to steal, cheat, and inflict harm. His victims included Bandit Keith and Strings, whom he used without remorse. Marik showed no hesitation in punishing failure with death, as seen with [[Arkana (Yu-Gi-Oh)|Arkana]] and Lumis, or sacrificing his subordinates to test counterfeit copies of "The Winged Dragon of Ra." Despite his cruelty, Marik’s love for his family endured, though it was overshadowed by his mistreatment of them, including threatening Ishizu and coercing Odion to use a fake Ra card.