Yugi's darker half, Yami Yugi, is one of the most iconic characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! but its successor Yu-Gi-Oh! GX actually featured a much darker version of this for its protagonist Jaden Yuki. Interestingly enough, while the spirit of an ancient pharaoh that took control of Yugi while he dueled was always a major element of the original series, GX's take on this was introduced partway into its third season. But despite this late inclusion, it became very important to the series as a whole.

GX's third season went in a much darker direction than what came before it. Perhaps to differentiate GX from the previous series, where the Pharaoh spirit possessing Yugi was an actual murderer, the earlier seasons were generally lighthearted despite occasionally having some very high-stakes duels. However, season 3 sent the main cast into grim alternate dimensions filled with death and sadness. This experience caused Jaden to go through major emotional turmoil, all engineered by the season's ultimate antagonist Yubel. Eventually, Jaden gave into his dark emotions and took on the persona of the Supreme King.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX's Supreme King Is a Darker Version of Yami Yugi

As the Supreme King, Jaden became a ruthless conqueror, willing to duel and kill anyone who got in his way, even his friends. This was a sharp contrast from his normal kind and fun-loving personality and this shift was even reflected in his dueling style which became much more brutal. It was eventually revealed in the season's final climactic duel that this Supreme King personality actually stemmed from Jaden's past life, making it akin to a reincarnated spirit. Eventually, Jaden would overcome the darkness inside him, and use the Supreme King's connection to Yubel in both his lives to fuse their souls together in harmony, but this doesn't diminish how bleak his time as his other persona was.

All of these details draw a clear parallel between the Supreme King and Yami Yugi. Both are the "darker" versions of their base personalities, even if Yami became more of his own character as the series went on. Additionally, both personas connect their hosts to the distant past. Both also change their character's appearance, with Yami making Yugi look taller and edgier and the Supreme King changing Jaden's eye color. Even the names themselves are very similar, with the Supreme King sounding like Yugi's moniker of the King of Games.

Later series of Yu-Gi-Oh! like the underrated Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal would also feature relationships with major parallels to Yugi and the Pharaoh. However, none of these would ever get as dark as Yu-Gi-Oh! GX's take on it. While it lasted, Jaden's time as the Supreme King held up an arguably even darker mirror to Yu-Gi-Oh!'s central character dynamic than Yu-Gi-Oh's iconic Season 0 did. So, fans looking to see what Yu-Gi-Oh! could have looked like if Yami Yugi was much eviler need to check out GX's incredibly dark third season.