The Winged Dragon of Ra

In the manga Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime series (known as simply Yu-Gi-Oh! in English-speaking countries), The Winged Dragon of Ra (ラーの翼神竜 Rā no Yoku Shin Ryū, lit. Ra the Winged God-Dragon) is one of the three God Cards. In the original Japanese manga and anime, it is sometimes called by the Engrish name The Sun of God Dragon. The card is called The Sun Dragon Ra in the English manga. Initially owned by Marik Ishtar, the The Sun Dragon Ra a.k.a. Winged Dragon of Ra is the deadliest and most powerful of all three God Cards. The two poles it represents are "heaven" and "earth".

Ra was the sun-god in Egyptian mythology.

Effects

Note: The effects stated in this section are based on the Japanese Duel Monsters anime and/or manga of Yu-Gi-Oh!. The real Ra card does not have any effect printed on it, and cannot be used in duels. (See Egyptian God Cards for more detail.)

Normally, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and Duel Monsters anime, the card of The Winged Dragon of Ra only has three question marks("???") for its card description. However, when it is summoned successfully into the field, these question marks, as well as the ATK(ATtacK points) and DEF(DEFense points) (both of them are indicated as "????") printed on the card will disappear. What appeared instead are several lines (four in the original Japanese Duel Monsters anime and three in the English version) of strange characters, which Marik referred to as the Hieratic Text (古代神官文字, ヒエラティックテキスト), a special form of hieroglyphic script used only by high-ranked individuals in ancient Egypt. These mysterious characters hold the key to Ra's massively powerful secret abilities, which can only be unleashed when the lines of Text corresponding to the ability one want to activate are recited (this is not the case in the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, because it has a totally different meaning for the Hieratic Text (see next section), and the Text was never recited except when Ra was summoned in its Sphere Mode (see Ra's true abilities).

Meaning of the Hieratic Text

According to the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga, the Hieratic Text printed on the Ra card records the following three groups of Ra's abilities (quoted from Seto Kaiba's own translation of the Text in Duel 248: "The Third Ability of God!!" (神　第３の能力！！) of the Japanese manga):

• (1st ability) "太陽神は３体の生贄を束ねてその力を得る　ただし神を従えし者
  古の呪文を天に捧げよ "

• (2nd ability) "神は地より蘇生する　再生の術と術者の命を与えよ　時はひとつであろうとも戦場の敵は炎によって屍と化す "

• (3rd ability) "時ひとつとして神は不死鳥となる　選ばれし魔物は大地に眠る "

When (roughly) translated to English, it reads:

• (1st ability) "Ra shall acquire the power of three tributes. However, only those who offer the ancient incantation to heaven shall God follow."

• (2nd ability) "God shall revive from earth. By offering the Ritual of Revival and his own life, one shall be united with God, and all enemies on the battlefield shall be incinerated."

• (3rd ability) "In an instant, God shall become a Phoenix, and all evil spirits chosen by it shall repose on earth."

These abilities are reflected in the card game as the first two groups of effects explained in the next section "Ra's true abilities".

In the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, though, the Hieratic Text appears to have a different meaning. This could be seen when Marik recited the Text while gaining control of Ra during his duel with Mai Valentine (Mai Kujaku in the original Japanese) in episode 92: "Mind Game (Part 3)":

"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry.
Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.
Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe.
Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win.
Appear in the Shadow Game as I call your name,
(THE) WINGED DRAGON OF RA!"

Note that in the English version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, when Marik attempted to gain control of Ra in his duel with Mai, you could hear him speaking understandable words. However, in the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga, what he recited was the Hieratic Text itself (his speech bubbles were full of Hieratic Text).

Ra's true abilities

With what are observed in various duels, a deduction of the unique abilities of Ra is concluded below (it appears that some of the effects listed below cannot be deduced from the Hieratic Text printed on the card):

• (1st ability)
  • (ATK ????/DEF ????.) Ra's ATK is the sum of ATKs of the monsters sacrificed to summon it; its DEF is the sum of DEFs of the monsters sacrificed to summon it. This effect was first revealed by Marik's servant — Rishid (Odion) in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 216: "Judgement of God!!" (神の裁き！！) and episode 89 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime: "Awakening of Evil (Part 4)" (Jap. name: "Ra's Anger — Stand! Joey." (ラーの怒り　立て！城之内)
    • e.g., player uses 1 "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (ATK 3000/DEF 2500), 1 "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" (ATK 2400/DEF 2000) and 1 "Black(or Dark) Magician" (ATK 2500/DEF 2100) as Tributes to summon Ra. Ra now has ATK 3000+2400+2500=7900, DEF 2500+2000+2100=6600. (Ra (Battle Mode)'s attack is known as "God Blaze Cannon" (ゴッド・ブレイズ・キャノン) in the manga.)
    • Note: Whether this effect uses the original or current ATKs and DEFs of the monsters sacrificed is not stated in either the manga or anime of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Also, When Ra is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, since no monsters is offered as Tributes, its ATK and DEF = 0.
  • One must be able to speak Hieratic Text to control Ra. This effect is open to both sides of the field. So if one player is not able to recite the text properly, the other player is free to try and take control of Ra. This effect was first revealed by Malik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 222: "Awakening of God!!" (神の目覚め！！) as well as episode 92 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime: "Mind Game (Part 3)" (Jap. name: "Riddle of the Hieratic Text" (古代神官文字の謎).
    • If one summons Ra but fail to recite the Hieratic Text, Ra will remain in "Sphere Mode" (a shinning golden sphere), and one cannot use this mode of Ra to attack or defense (in other words, Ra's Sphere Mode has no battle positions, cannot attack, and is never the target of attack (it cannot defense player's Life Points)), or activate its special abilities. Once the player recites the Text correctly, Ra will transform itself into "Battle Mode". Only until then can the player truly control Ra, and unleash Ra's secret abilities (in the Japanese anime, though, this must be done by further reciting the lines of Text corresponding to the ability you want to activate).

• When Ra is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, its controller may activate one of the following two effects:
  1. (2nd ability) (Originally known as "One Turn Kill", this effect was first revealed by Malik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 236: "Birth of the God of Darkenss!!" (暗黒の神生誕！！) as well as episode 97 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime: "Showdown in the Shadows (Part 2)" (Jap. name: "ONE TURN KILL").)
     • Transfer all but 1 of your Life Points (LP) to Ra as its ATK and DEF.
       • e.g., Ra has ATK/DEF 0, player has 8000 LP. After using this effect, player has 1 LP, Ra has ATK/DEF 8000−1=7999.
     • In addition, sacrifice any number of monster other than Ra on your side of the field. Their ATKs are added to Ra's ATK. This part of the effect was not revealed until in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 269: "The One Sheet(Card) of Fate" (運命の一枚！！) as well as episode 139 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime: "The Final Face Off (part 2)" (Jap. name: "Devil's Sanctuary, Activate!" (悪魔の聖域 発動！)
       • e.g., Ra has ATK/DEF 0. Player sacrifices 1 "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (ATK 3000) with this effect, Ra's ATK becomes 0+3000=3000.
       • Note: (1). Neither the anime nor manga of Yu-Gi-Oh! stated that the DEFs of the monsters sacrificed with this effect are added to the DEF of Ra. (2). It is still unknown here whether this effect uses the original or current ATKs of the monsters sacrificed as Tributes.
     • During the turn this effect is activated, Ra may attack once on each monster existed on your opponent's side of the field and, if possible, further attack his/her Life Points directly.
     • Additional notes: In Yu-Gi-Oh! anime episode 222 "Pushing Down the Three Phantom Gods!" (三幻神を倒せ！) in which Ra was Normal Summoned (not Special Summoned from the Graveyard) again by sacrificing three monsters, Malik stated that Ra can use its One Turn Kill effect, which contradicts what is stated above. However, what Malik said also contradicts Kaiba's translation on the meaning of the Hieratic Text printed on the Ra card, which stated that "God shall revive from earth". So it is questionable on whether Malik's statement meets with the approval of Mr. Kazuki Takahashi, the author of Yu-Gi-Oh!.
  2. (3rd ability) (When this effect is activated, Ra will transform itself into its "Phoenix Mode", otherwise known as "God Phoenix" (ゴッドフェニックス), the true and ultimate form of Ra. While in this mode Ra can attack all opponents monsters on the field and destroy all of their magic and trap cards. They receive damage to their LP equal to half of Ra's current attack points.)
     • Ra receives no battle damage (i.e., it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle, and its controller receives no damage as a result of its battle). This effect was first revealed by Malik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 267: "Crash!! Heaven Dragon vs Sun God!!" ( 激突！！天空竜VS太陽神！！) as well as episode 138 of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime: "The Final Face Off (part 1)" (Jap. name: "Finals — Yugi vs Malik" ( 決勝戦　遊戯VSマリク).
       • According to Malik, Ra's Phoenix Mode is immortal. Although no Spell effects or Monster effects other than Osiris' has ever used against it, it may be safe to assume that Ra, in its Phoenix Mode, cannot be sent away from the field by any Spell or Monster effect.
     • When Ra battles with another monster, pay 1000 Life Points to destroy that monster. This effect was first revealed by Malik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 249: "Phoenix, Take Flight!!" ( 不死鳥 舞う!!) as well as episode 127 of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime: "The Darkness Returns (Part 4)" (Jap. name: "Turning the Table! Fighter of Lightning" (逆転！稲妻の戦士).

• Additional effects:
  • Ra can attack during the same turn it is Special Summoned. This effect was first revealed by Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 236: "Birth of the God of Darkenss!!" (暗黒の神生誕！！) as well as episode 97 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime: "Showdown in the Shadows (part 2)" (Jap. name: "ONE TURN KILL").)
    • According to the gaming rules (known as "Super Expert Rules" in the manga) used in Battle City Tournament, a monster cannot attack during the same turn it is Special Summoned. However, Ra's ability allows it to bypass this rule. Note that there is no such rule in the real Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. Also, in anime episode 97, Ra bypasses the effect of a Continuous Spell Card known as "Vengeful Bog Spirit", which states that all monsters cannot attack during the turn they are Normal Summoned, Filp Summoned or Special Summoned. However, in the manga, no similar card effects were used against Ra. (Note, however, that according to Malik, "Vengeful Bog Spirit" 's effect does affect a normally summoned Ra.
  • Ra is unaffected by the effects of "Obelisk the Tormentor" and "Slifer the Sky Dragon". This effect was first revealed by Malik in Yu-Gi-Oh! manga Duel 275: "One-point Life!!" (1ポイントの命！！).
    • In the Battle City finale, Yugi attempted to use Obelisk's effect — "Soul Energy Max" to destroy Ra but failed. According to Malik's explanation, the three Egyptian Gods are ranked among themselves, and Ra is ranked the highest among them. Because of this, Obelisk's special attack is useless against Ra. However, this scenario did not appear in the anime of Yu-Gi-Oh!, because in the anime Malik used the Quick-play Spell Card "Class System" ("階級制度". effect (translated from the text printed on the card): you may activate this card when your opponent's monster attacks your monster or activate an effect on your monster(s). If the Level of your opponent's monster is equal to or lower than that of your monster(s), that attack or effect is negated.) instead of Ra's own ability to stand against Obelisk's effect. This card can be seen in episode 141: "The Final Face Off (part 4)" (Jap. name: "Obelisk's Anger — Soul Energy Max" (オベリスクの怒り　ソウルエナジーMAX).

Card description

Card description of the English version Ra card:

"Spirits sing of a powerful creature that rules over all that is mystic."