Egyptian God Cards

The Egyptian God cards or the Three Phantom Gods (三幻神, Sangenshin?) in Japan, are three cards that are some of the most powerful monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh! that serve as a focal point in the series' manga, the second series anime, and video games based on the anime and manga. The cards have ties to the history of Ancient Egypt within the series and become central plot devices. The real versions of the cards have become widely hunted collector's items, and are not legally playable in any sort of official tournament. However, legal versions of all 3 Gods have been released. The cards consist of Obelisk the Tormentor (オベリスクの巨神兵, Oberisuku no Kyoshinhei?, lit. Giant God Warrior of the Obelisk in the original Japanese anime and The God of Obelisk in the Japanese OCG card), Slifer the Sky Dragon (オシリスの天空竜, Oshirisu no Tenkūryū?, lit. Heaven's Dragon of Osiris in the original Japanese anime and Saint Dragon - The God of Osiris in the Japanese OCG card) and The Winged Dragon of Ra (ラーの翼神竜, Rā no Yokushinryū?, lit. Winged God Dragon of Ra in the Japanese version). As such, Marik Ishtar, the main antagonist of the Battle City arc, seeks possession of the cards in addition to the Millennium Puzzle in an attempt to take possession of the Pharaoh's long lost power. He manages to acquire the Winged Dragon of Ra and Slifer the Sky Dragon, but his sister Ishizu manages to safeguard the final card, Obelisk the Tormentor

Ishizu gives the final card – Obelisk the Tormentor – to Seto Kaiba, whom she believes is destined to help the Pharaoh defeat Marik by using the power of her Millennium Necklace (another of the Seven Millennium Items). Kaiba, eager to show off his new power at a tournament he is planning to throw. He accepts the card, as Ishizu had hoped, which lures Marik and his Rare Hunters there with the promise of acquiring the final card and taking down the Pharaoh. Marik (dueling through the mind of a mime through the power of the Millennium Rod) loses Slifer the Sky Dragon to the Pharaoh in a duel.

In the Battle City finals, Yugi defeats Kaiba and wins Obelisk from him. Then the Pharaoh faces Marik for the championship. Marik is again up to his tricks and Pharaoh now has to worry about losing Yugi's soul to the Shadow Realm (In the original Japanese version, Yugi would die if Yami lost). He uses Obelisk and Slifer in a final battle with Marik, winning and claiming the final God card, the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Afterwards, the God cards are stolen in Season 4 by Dartz and his henchmen as part of a plan to revive a beast from 10 thousand years ago, the Great Leviathan, to destroy the world, and are not retrieved until the end of the season when the Pharaoh turns everyone's hearts into a light strong enough to summon the Egyptian Gods. He uses them to battle against The Great Leviathan. With everyone's hearts full of light and fueling the Egyptian Gods the Pharaoh wins the battle. Then The Great Leviathan revives himself and tries to destroy the Pharaoh, but with the light that's in his own heart he seals it away forever and the world is safe.

The cards are used in Season 5 to send the Pharaoh into a world made up of his own sealed memories, allowing him to experience memories that he had in the past and defeat the opponent he defeated in the past, the God of Darkness, Zorc. During the battle, the Pharaoh learns his true name,(with the help of Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan) Atem (which is the secret key to unlocking the Pharaoh's memory), and merges the Gods together into their ultimate form, The Creator of Light – Horakhty. He uses the God cards in his final duel against Yugi, and they are sent to the afterlife with him at the end of the original Yu-Gi-Oh!

The God cards appear in the movie Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light which occurs after Battle City and in the Paradise arcs, where the film villain Anubis uses the titular item, much like the Millennium Puzzle in an attempt to destroy the God cards and revive the power of Dark using Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. However, the film is not considered canon to the anime or manga. The God cards are featured prominently in the video games Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards and Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, both of which are alternate universe games based on the second season of the anime.

The Slifer the Sky Dragon and Winged Dragon of Ra cards re-appear in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. The former is used by Yugi in the final duel against Jaden Yuki, which occurs after Jaden is transported to the past, at a time before the cards were destroyed. The latter card is seen only as a copy which is stolen by a developer for Industrial Illusions, which Jaden wins back by defeating the thief in a duel. He then gives it to Pegasus. Pegasus then leaves and Jaden is left with the memory of actually seeing an Egyptian God, the most powerful one, with his own eyes.