Marik Ishtar

Leader of the Ghouls and a character who wields powerful dark powers

A character from Yu-Gi-Oh!. Possessor of one of the Millennium Items, the Millennium Rod, which controls others' memories and wields dark powers. As the leader of the Ghouls, he aims for the God Cards. He has a split personality, and the dark personality is ruthless and destructive.

Quotes

  • "To become the true king and obtain freedom"
  • "Destruction is pleasure and bliss"
  • "I like darkness, but I also like loneliness"
  • "When I learned the truth of my father's death, the flames of revenge burned even brighter"
  • "Dark personality, I will show you that there is a future beyond atonement"

Trivia

  • Name origin is the Arabic word 'Malik' meaning 'king'.
  • The Pharaoh's Memories inscription carved directly on his back is depicted as an actual painful ritual.
  • The dark personality is the only one in the series set as a genuine multiple personality.
  • Childhood Marik has a setting where he likes motorcycles.
  • The dark personality is sealed by Rishid's seal.
  • Card usage and deck composition differ somewhat between the original and anime.

Alternate names

Marik Dark Marik Dark Personality Nameless Darkness

Tags

Yu-Gi-Oh! Marik Ishtar Ghouls Millennium Rod Dark Personality Battle City Rare Hunter God Cards Egypt

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Profile

Species
Human
Gender
Male
Birthday
December 23

Appearance

Overall appearance
A young man approximately 180cm tall. Hair color is brownish blond, and in dark personality mode, it stands on end. The surface personality has a calm and dignified appearance.
Height
About 180cm
Weight
55kg
Eye color
Brown
Hair color
Blond
Distinguishing features
  • Inscription of the Pharaoh's Memories engraved on his back
  • Hair standing on end in dark personality mode
  • Cold, ruthless gaze
Iconic items
  • Millennium Rod
  • God Card (The Winged Dragon of Ra)
  • God Card (Osiris the Sky Dragon)
  • Tomb Keeper's attire
  • Healing Seal (Seal of Binding)

Personality and abilities

Core personality
Greed
Detailed personality
Triggered by his father's death, he transformed into a twisted personality that spares no means for his goals, manipulates people's hearts, inflicts pain, and doesn't hesitate to kill. The dark personality is cruel and sadistic with a desire for destruction. He retains affection for his sister, but is fundamentally cold-hearted and obsessed with revenge.
Keywords
  • Ruthless
  • Greedy
  • Vengeful
  • Cunning
  • Split Personality
  • Darkness
  • Dominator
Motto
"To become the true king and obtain freedom"
Talents
  • Ability to wield the power of Millennium Items
  • Mind Control
  • Memory Manipulation
  • Dark Powers
  • Duel Strategy
Skills
  • Card Duels
  • Brainwashing and Suggestion
  • Strategic Planning
  • Leadership
  • Tactical Maneuvering
Motivation
To defeat the Pharaoh (Yami Yugi) and become the true king by transcending his clan's destiny
Habits
Surface personality often uses 'boku' as first-person pronoun, dark personality uses 'ore'. Has been interested in motorcycles since childhood.
Favorite foods
Koshari
Hobbies
Motorcycles
Disliked foods
Meat dishes

History

Backstory
Descendant of Egypt's Tomb Keeper clan and inheritor of the Millennium Item 'Millennium Rod'. At age 10 during the festival 'Tomb Keeper's Ritual', the intense pain birthed a vicious dark personality, resulting in a split personality. His father was the clan leader, but shortly after the ritual, the dark personality killed him, destroying family bonds. The dark personality was temporarily sealed by Rishid's healing seal but reemerged, engaging in fierce battles with Yugi and others in the Battle City arc. In the final battle, he destroyed his own dark personality and resolved to atone for his sins.
Debut date
1996
Work title
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Media type
Manga
Episode or chapter
Battle City Arc

Tomb Keeper's Ritual

Significant event
Tomb Keeper's Ritual
Description
A painful ritual performed on his 10th birthday that birthed the dark personality.

Father's Murder Incident

Significant event
Father's Murder Incident
Description
Dark personality awakened and killed his father. Family relationships collapsed.

Ghouls Formation

Significant event
Ghouls Formation
Description
Became the leader of the rare card theft group 'Ghouls' aiming for the God Cards.

Battle City Tournament

Significant event
Battle City Tournament
Description
Participated in the tournament himself, where the dark personality dueled Yugi in the ultimate Shadow Game.

Dark Personality's Destruction

Significant event
Dark Personality's Destruction
Description
In the final battle, destroyed the dark personality and resolved to live bearing his sins.

Relationships

Ishizu Ishtar

Sibling

Older sister. Strong sibling love, and he was supported by her.

Rishid

Guardian

Adopted. Sealed the dark personality with the healing seal and was a supporting presence.

Bakura

Rival

Had a cooperative relationship in duels and strategies, but also a fateful antagonistic relationship.

GHOULS

GHOULS: leader

Media appearances

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Manga / Protagonist

Serialization started in 1996

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Anime / Protagonist

2000 TV series

Yu-Gi-Oh! THE DARK SIDE OF DIMENSIONS

Movie / Protagonist

Released in 2016

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 8: The Great Evil God of Ruin

Game / Protagonist

2004

Voice cast and creators

Tetsuya Iwanaga

Voice actor
Tetsuya Iwanaga
Language
Japanese
Version or series
TV Anime Version

Akiko Kimura

Voice actor
Akiko Kimura
Language
Japanese
Version or series
Child Role

Jonathan Todd Ross

Voice actor
Jonathan Todd Ross
Language
English
Version or series
English Dub Anime and PS2 Games

Kazuki Takahashi

Creator name
Kazuki Takahashi
Role
Original author

Related goods

Marik Ishtar Figure

Item name
Marik Ishtar Figure
Category
Figure
Availability
Limited

Millennium Rod Replica

Item name
Millennium Rod Replica
Category
Accessory
Availability
Regular

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