Shougo Aoyama

Shougo is timid, insecure, and intensely afraid of losing. He avoids playing games with other children because he associates defeat with humiliation rather than treating it as a normal part of competition.

Obtaining Red-Eyes initially makes the problem worse. Instead of giving him the courage to duel, the rare card becomes something Shougo can display to discourage other people from challenging him.

His fear is not caused by a lack of interest in Duel Monsters. Shougo wants the confidence associated with being a strong duelist, but he initially tries to obtain that confidence without exposing himself to the possibility of failure.

Shougo owns Red-Eyes Black Dragon, an exceptionally rare and powerful Duel Monsters card. He obtains it unexpectedly from a booster pack after visiting a card shop.

Only a small portion of Shougo's deck is shown. In addition to Red-Eyes Black Dragon, he obtains Kuriboh from the same pack and is associated with Silver Fang.

Shougo's main limitation is psychological rather than technical. He refuses to test the potential of Red-Eyes because doing so would mean accepting that even a rare card cannot protect him from defeat.

Shougo acquires Red-Eyes Black Dragon after being mocked by other children for his poor dueling ability. The rare card quickly gives him a reputation, but he uses that reputation to avoid actual Duels.

Kaiba learns that Shougo possesses Red-Eyes and invites him to his tournament. When Shougo refuses to participate, Kaiba's men pursue him, bringing Yugi and his friends into the conflict.

Red-Eyes ultimately becomes part of Yugi's deck during his Duel against Kaiba. Shougo finally overcomes his fear enough to call upon the card, allowing Yugi to combine it with Meteor Dragon and summon Meteor Black Dragon.

After Kaiba is defeated, Yugi returns Red-Eyes to Shougo. Shougo's final appearance shows him actually dueling Yugi, demonstrating that he has begun overcoming the fear that previously kept him from playing.

Yugi Mutou helps Shougo understand that owning a powerful card means little without the courage to use it. [Yugi Mutou ultimately returns Red-Eyes to Shougo after using it against Kaiba.](#spoiler)

Seto Kaiba targets Shougo because of his ownership of Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Seto Kaiba's determination to gather powerful cards forces Shougo into the tournament conflict.

Katsuya Jonouchi becomes frustrated by Shougo's refusal to duel and pushes him to stop hiding behind Red-Eyes' reputation.

Mokuba Kaiba is approximately Shougo's age, although the two do not share a major personal relationship.