Exodia the Forbidden One

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About

Exodia the Forbidden One is the name of a fictional creature composed of five cards from the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game that triggers an automatic victory when all five cards are in a player's hand.^[6] As one of the most popular card sets in the franchise, Exodia has inspired several parodies online.

Origin

On April 18th, 2000, Exodia first appeared in the premiere episode of Yu-Gi-Oh. The Exodia card set was later released as the first alternative win condition in the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game.^[6]

Spread

Five Pieces of Exodia

The Five Pieces of Exodia are an iconic set of five cards comprising the whole body of Exodia the Forbidden One. Though the origin is unknown, joke Exodia cards, featuring 4 limbs and a head, have become a popular meme in the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom.

On February 14th, 2017, Redditor kaijobin27 submitted a card set made of a photograph of CeeLoo Green's Grammy outfit (shown below, left). Over the next three weeks, the post garnered more than 2,300 points (88% upvoted) on /r/funny.^[10] On March 1st, Redditor JerichoSavedUs submitted a Paul Blart-themed card set titled "The True Forbidden One," gathering upwards of 14,200 points (89% upvoted) and 100 comments on the /r/dankmemes^[9] subreddit within 48 hours (shown below, left). That day, Redditor DunlopMC submitted a post asking if Forbidden One memes were "one the rise" to /r/memeeconomy.^[11]

Exodia It's Not Possible

Near the end of the first episode of Yu-Gi-Oh, Kaiba says in response to Yugi summoning Exodia the Forbidden One "Exodia, uh it's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him," (shown below). This line of dialogue went on to be quoted and mocked by the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom, most notably in the first episode of the online Yu-Gi-Oh abridged series made by LittleKuriboh (shown below).

Spyro's Subway

Spyro's Subway is the name given to a scat fetish art featuring Spyro the Dragon and a dragon defecating on a Subway sandwich, which has often been used on 4chan as shock image.^[8] Soon, people started posting Yu-Gi-Oh! cards with the faces of all the characters of the picture; if five cards are posted the original picture is also posted. The earliest example of this derailment practice can be found on a 4chan's /v/ thread from June 18th, 2012.^[7]

Criticism

Exodia decks are often criticized within the Yu-Gi-Oh! community because of their linear playstyle and the tendency for new players to use the deck because it is easy to play and recognizable. They are often considered solitaire decks with little interactivity with the opponent.^[4]