The various Yu-Gi-Oh! anime have a number of characters that develop darker alternate personas. Appearing in different variations on the protagonist and villainous side of their respective series, these personas act in pursuit of their ultimate goals. Considering their backstories, which one of these characters deserves to be considered the best "Yami" counterpart?
Yami Bakura
Yami Bakura is a threat throughout Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, but takes the forefront in the last arc of the show. The source of this personality is the remnant of Zorc that resides in the Millenium Ring, an item drawn to Bakura that allows his evil counterpart to act through him. Even when the Millenium Ring is thrown some distance away from Bakura, it’s only a matter of time until it ends up in his hands again.
Yami Bakura works alongside other villains such as Marik, as long as it benefits himself. The goal of the Millennium Ring's spirit is to gather all of the Millennium Items, something so important that it is willing to fetch a god card for Marik in exchange for his item. Beyond that, Yami Bakura occasionally uses his powers to engage in Shadow Games with other people. These games result in many lesser duelists losing their souls.
His arc explores the background of Yami Yugi, as the two of them engage in a special type of shadow game. It’s thanks to this game that Yami Yugi re-lives his life as a pharaoh, along with experiencing the threat of Zorc’s resurrection. In this game Yami Bakura directed his Egyptian counterpart in getting the resources necessary to summon Zorc, a being of evil that could even overpower the Egyptian Exodia along with the God Cards.
Yami Marik
Yami Marik is one of the most iconic villains in Yu-Gi-Oh! His rough childhood contributes to the birth of this Yami counterpart. Marik’s father abused him and Odion, someone who the original Marik sees as potentially family. After Marik takes one of the Millenium Items and kills his father, this evil festers inside of Marik. What keeps Yami Marik from completely taking over is Odion, who manages to seal Yami Marik deep inside.
From that moment, Odion continues to serve Marik despite the treatment that he receives for it. He helps Marik to advance in the Battle City tournament, pretending to act as the real Marik with a fake copy of Ra’s Egyptian God Card. This ruse, along with the sealing of Yami Marik, ends up being broken when Odion duels Joey Wheeler. After Odion attempts to summon Ra with his fake card and gets both duelists electrocuted in the process, Yami Marik emerges and becomes the dominant personality over Marik.
Unlike some who only deal punishment to those who offended them, Yami Marik’s sole purpose is to spread suffering onto others. An example of this in his duel against Mai Valentine, who after cuffing her with various monsters attempts to blast her with Ra’s full power. After defeating her in this duel she becomes unconscious, with Yami Marik leaving her soul to suffer in the meantime.
Yami Marik brings cruelty and suffering whenever he gets attention. Marik himself is a very influential due to the looming presence that he and his Rare Hunters always bring when it comes to the Battle City tournament, making him one of the better villains of the first season.
Yami Yugi
Unlike previous examples, Yami Yugi isn’t entirely malicious in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime, though Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 0 depicts a crueler version of the character. That's not to say that Yami Yugi is perfect. His duel against Weevil Underwood in the Seal Of Orichalcos arc shows how he can be overcome by anger. After losing Yugi’s soup to Dartz and having to fight against this minor villain, he has enough of Weevil and uses the card Berserker Soul to continuously attack. Yami Yugi’s attacks go beyond Weevil’s life points, choosing to attack despite the fact he already won since the Seal Of Orichalcos made damage feel real.
After this moment, Yami Yugi fights alongside Yugi and his friends. He spends a fair portion of the series not knowing the truth behind his past and his own name but keeps this in mind while residing inside Yugi. However, he always helps to protect Yugi's friends and goes on multiple journeys with them until his final duel. The Ceremonial Duel serves as a way to put Yami Yugi to rest along with the rest of the Millenium Items.
Jaden the Supreme King/Yubel
The first season of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX has Jaden Yuki experiencing what a duel school has to offer, with plenty of chances for him to “get his game on.” While the early portion of GX has a light-hearted feeling to it, the Supreme King's story gets dark.
In the events that led to its creation, Jaden loses almost everything right before his eyes. While Jaden and his friends travel to another dimension, his friends get kidnapped by Dark World monsters and a boy who looks like Jesse gets killed by one of them. After getting into a duel with Byron, he awakens as the Supreme King. Jaden as the Supreme King lacks any compassion. His orders cause duelists to be killed and villages to be sacrificed, losing himself in the carnage for the sake of developing the ritual of Super Polymerization.
Yubel’s backstory is linked to the story of the Supreme King. As it turns out, Yubel once served someone known as the Supreme King. Jaden is a reincarnation of this king, and so Yubel is compelled to stay with Jaden. In their final duel, Jaden fuses Yubel with himself so that they can remain connected.
Which is the better 'Yami' counterpart?
Overall, each of these "Yami" counterparts brought something to the table when it came to their respective series. However, out of all these respective personalities, Yami Marik is the best of them. Yami Marik's personality is one most of the series' villains struggle to compete with, defined by his cruelty and hatred. He doesn't even have to be onscreen in order to influence the characters present, and when he does appear, he instantly grabs your attention.