While the anime and manga versions of the ever-popular Yu-Gi-Oh! series share many elements in common, fans of both know that they can be quite different at times, as well. All versions of the story focus on a group of students who are pulled into the mystical world of the Duel Monsters card game.
Although much of the focus is on the game itself, Tristan Taylor is one of the main anime characters who rarely plays Duel Monsters in the series. Despite this, his role in the anime stands out to viewers thanks to his potential as a comic relief character, as well as his genuine moments of bravery when helping his friends on their often dangerous adventures.
His Name
In the original Japanese manga and its English translation, as well as the Japanese anime, the character American anime fans know as Tristan Taylor is actually named Hiroto Honda. This original name was also used for the character during the lesser-known original Toei anime series.
Much like "Hiroto Honda," the Americanized name "Tristan Taylor" in the western Yu-Gi-Oh! adaptation is alliterative and catchy, as well as meaningful. Although the name change is merely a cosmetic change, it also helps fans differentiate between the manga and anime versions of the character more clearly—at least in North America.
His Attitude
While the original manga and most recent anime adaptation both depict Tristan as a tough guy whose delinquency and friendship with Joey define him, the original Toei anime shows a different side of the character. In this adaptation, Honda, A.K.A. Tristan, is a stickler for the rules.
Not only is Honda a hall monitor who upholds school rules, but he also helps defend Yugi from the bullying Joey rather than participating in it, as he does in the original manga. The Toei Honda is also a nerdy character who is defined by his uptightness and his crush on Miho more than his tough attitude in the original manga and second anime.
His Death-T Experience
Both the original manga and the Toei anime versions of Yu-Gi-Oh! feature a story arc about a killer theme park run by Seto Kaiba called "Death-T," although the second anime does not. In the original manga, Honda (Tristan) is trapped in a room with falling blocks where the others have to leave him.
He is, however, eventually saved by Mokuba, and, similarly, in the Toei anime, it seems as though he dies in the falling block trap before he is later saved. Since the second anime adaptation condenses the storyline to exclude the deadly theme park, Tristan's potential death is not explored.
How Much He Plays Duel Monsters
Despite the fact that the Yu-Gi-Oh! series revolves around the Duel Monsters card game, Hiroto Honda never plays the game in the manga, instead primarily providing moral support to his friends when they play. The anime series, however, is much more focused on the game, and Tristan does play on one occasion.
With a deck built around machines and military motifs, Tristan duels alongside Duke and Serenity against KaibaCorp executive Nezbitt, although he would later duel two more times while possessed. Since much of the early manga is not focused on Duel Monsters, it makes sense that Tristan would only duel in the anime.
His Bullying Past
The manga, Toei anime, and the second Yu-Gi-Oh! anime all deal with Tristan/Honda's past experiences with wholesome protagonist Yugi a little bit differently. In the manga, which has a heavy focus on the characters' time at school, Honda joins Jonouchi, known as Joey in America, in bullying Yugi and stealing the Millennium puzzle.
In the Toei anime, however, Honda tries to stand up for Yugi and defend him from Jonouchi's torrenting, due to the character's rule-following personality in this version. Tristan, as seen in the second anime's flashback, previously bullied Yugi along with Joey, but he is clearly friends with Yugi and Téa at the start of the series.
His Skepticism
Sometimes, a dubbed version of an anime can add a completely new dimension to a character, as is the case with the 4Kids English dub of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, which sees Tristan become a skeptic. Frequently, this version of the anime will have Tristan comment on the impossibility of the show's magical happenings or mystical lore.
This element of Tristan's character is mostly played for laughs, as Tristan has clearly experienced supernatural happenings repeatedly over the course of the series, and yet he struggles to believe in magic. Since Tristan does not play Duel Monsters, this comic relief element gives the character more prominence.
Friendship Development With Yugi
Fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime may be surprised to know that the manga is paced differently with regard to the series' all-important, oft-memed friendships than the anime. For instance, the manga takes more time to set up the relationships between Yugi's group of friends, including by having Honda be a reformed bully.
After Yugi defends Honda from another bully named Ushio, Honda becomes friends with Yugi, although their relationship starts off rocky, with Honda forcing Yugi to hold his belongings or buy him adult magazines. In the anime, Tristan's friendship with Yugi is developed fairly fully from the start.
His Overall Presence
Once Duel Monsters becomes a major presence in the manga's story, Honda's importance begins to decrease drastically, with his character being practically absent for entire arcs. Although the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime takes more of a focus on the card game, it still manages to find more for Tristan to do.
Several filler arcs throughout the second anime adaptation's run feature Tristan as a major presence, preventing his character from fading into the background. While Tristan is far from the main character of the anime, he still maintains a solid standing among the big personalities and major duelists of the series.
Friendship With Joey
In the original manga, Honda and Jonouchi are inseparable, from their early days to their budding friendships with Yugi and Anzu, known as Téa in America. Even when they are established within the show's larger main group of friends, Honda spends most of his time interacting with Jonouchi.
Tristan and Joey in the anime, however, are not quite as attached to each other despite still being best friends. Tristan has plenty of interactions with Téa and Yugi in the second anime adaptation, making him a more clearly ingrained member of the group and strong supporter of Yugi.
A Crush On Serenity
Both the manga and the Toei anime versions of Yu-Gi-Oh! see Honda having a major crush on a girl named Miho, who becomes a recurring character in the Toei adaptation. In the second anime iteration, however, Tristan's consistent crush on Joey's sister, Serenity, is a fan-favorite running gag in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
As such, Serenity is a minor recurring character throughout the anime, and her need for an eye operation drives some of the tension during the Duelist Kingdom arc. Serenity does appear in the manga as Shizuka Kawai, but Honda does not have a crush on her in that version of the story.