Kenjiro Tsuda, who plays the role of Kaiba, recorded a lot of new lines in the video! Interview with the developer of "Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters" Enemy Controller COMPLETE EDITION

A Premium Bandai limited edition item of the Enemy Controller, a magic card that appears in "Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters," is currently available for pre-order.

Used by the popular character Sejin Kaiba, the "Enemy Controller" is shaped like a game controller, so this item, which is equipped with a gimmick, will be the first official three-dimensional figure with EL. As a Premium Bandai limited edition "Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters" item, it follows the "Sennen Puzzle," but what charms does the "Enemy Controller" hold? Mr. N, who is in charge of planning and development at BANDAI (and is also a Duelist), tells us about it.

The photos in this article are prototypes under development. Please understand that the actual product may differ.

⇒From " Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters" comes a PVC figure of "Enemy Controller," a magic card used by Seto Haima! By inputting commands, Seto Kaiba's lines are activated!

--First of all, how did you come up with the idea to sculpt the "Enemy Controller"?

N I have always loved "Yu-Gi-Oh! That's why I decided to take over from my predecessor to produce "Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters" items for adults. We wanted to commercialize more and more items, but we also wanted to release items that were different from those of other companies. So we thought, "What about an item depicted on a card?

--That's where the Hippocampus Enemy Controller came into the picture.

N: I was impressed by the scene depicted in the original manga in which Kaiba inputs the commands of the Enemy Controller. I thought to myself, "If this were to be made into a 3D model, I would want to actually press it. ...... From there, we made adjustments to the size and playability specifications, and proceeded with the commercialization project.


--I had a chance to touch the controller for the interview, and I got the impression that it is a controller with elaborate gimmicks and play when you press the buttons.

N: As you can see in the story, the way commands are input is depicted in the game, so it was interesting to see how the user, the player, would react if such commands were available. N: The way the commands are input is also depicted in the game, so we incorporated the sound of the user's hippocampus voice into the game.

--What did you pay particular attention to in the planning and development process?

N: The most valuable part of the Enemy Controller is the command play. We could not neglect that, so we were careful to make the buttons comfortable to press. The long strokes allow you to press them firmly. Although the item is a reproduction of an item from a manga or anime, it was originally designed to be a game controller, so making sure the buttons can be pressed firmly is a must.

--The design of the card is also very much in line with real game controllers. The design also complements the parts that are not depicted on the cards. ......

N Yes, that's right. The illustration on the card doesn't show the back side or the tip of the cord, but I re-sculpted it to complement the image of what it would look like if it really existed as a game controller.

--I also felt that the fact that the screw holes are not visible was also an attention to detail in the modeling.

N Thank you (laughs). (Laughs) The back side is covered with a cover so that the screw holes are not noticeable. We have made it so that it cannot be removed, so I think it gives a clean appearance to the exterior.

--N: In terms of content, the voices you mentioned earlier are the key to playing with the game. I heard that there are as many as 70 voices recorded. ......

N Since we are going to commercialize this product, it would be great if there were a lot of sounds in it!　We wanted to have the voices from the original story, but we also wanted to hear the summoned dialogue of the monsters, so we mixed and matched to create the 70 voices and lines. There are actually some original lines, but I think Yu-Gi-Oh! I think fans of Yu-Gi-Oh!

--N: If there are original lines, did Kenjiro Tsuda, who plays the role of Kaiba, record the voices again?

N: I think that in many of these items, the library makes appearances, but for the Enemy Controller, we asked Tsuda to newly record all of the voices. I think that fans will be happy to know that the current Mr. Tsuda played the role of Kaiba.

--I know that most of the commands were thought up uniquely this time around. There are also some lines where the C button, which is not used in the original work or anime, is also included in the commands.

N There are only two commands that are depicted in the work. As for the C button, we wanted to give some meaning to the commands in the commercial version, so we made it so that the summon dialogue of the monster sounds when the C button is used. The monster summoner dialogue has a long list of commands. The longer the command, the higher the level of the monster to be summoned. Also, if you turn on the power while holding down the C button, a backdoor mode is activated in which the hippocampus shouts out the button you pressed, which we hope you will enjoy.

--If you press and hold each of the A, B, and C buttons, you will also enjoy the playback of the anime play and SE.

N I chose the song "Fang of Critius" for the A button, and "Duel with Rivals" for the B button, which my predecessor wanted to include. It has a high affinity with duels, so I thought it would be fun to play the monster summoner dialogue while playing the accompaniment, creating a more realistic atmosphere. Also, the C button plays a sound effect for paying 1000 life points. We have also adjusted the volume of the accompaniment to be slightly lower while the dialogue is playing.

--Now that reservations have finally begun, how do you, as a project developer, want people to play the Enemy Controller?

N: When people pick it up, I would like them to input commands and hear various sounds. But I think it would also be a product that would look great just as a decoration, so I would be happy if you could place it next to your favorite cards. It's still a pipe dream, but we are planning to create more "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters" items after the Enemy Controller, so please give the Enemy Controller a try first.

(Interview and text by Shohki Ota (TARKUS))

[Product Information
Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters Enemy Controller COMPLETE EDITION
Retail price: 7,920 yen (tax included)
Pre-order end: 23:00, August 9, 2023
Delivery date: Scheduled to ship in November 2023

<Set Contents
Enemy controller COMPLETE EDITION...1

<Product size
H approx. 400mm (height) x W approx. 150mm (width) x D approx. 42mm (depth)

<Product Material
ABS, PVC

<Age range
15 years old and up

<Battery
AAA batteries x 2 (sold separately)

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Product specifications are subject to change without notice.
The pictures shown are under development and may differ slightly from the actual product.

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