Durbe

PLAYER INFO
Name | Diana
Personal Journal | maesterlicious
Contact | AIM: Maesterlicious / maesterlicious
Current Character(s) | N/A
Reserve Link | Here.

CHARACTER INFO
Name | Durbe
Series | Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL (anime)
Canon Point | End of episode 128
Reference |
Series Wikia
Character Wikia
Episode summaries for episodes 1-73
Episode summaries for episodes 74-current
List of characters; listed are the English dub names as well as the original Japanese names. For the sake of reading through the articles on the YGO Wikia, refer to this. I use the Japanese while the articles use the English dub names.

I'll also be using this section to offer a sort of glossary of terms that might be commonly used elsewhere within the application, and would find it easier to show here rather than linking to individual pages, assuming those that read this are canonblind and are unfamiliar with how the world works.

Duels - This is the way that most conflicts are resolved within the entirety of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Duels are typically between two people, one versus the other, and a deck of cards is used to battle, which are played onto what is known as a D-Pad in ZEXAL. In the series, each player starts with 4000 Life Points; once a player hits 0, they lose the duel, and it's up to their opponent to get them to that point. There are cases of special rulings, such as 2v1 duels in which the two players have 4000 LP and their single opponent starts with 8000 to even the odds, but other times that single opponent is confident enough to keep their 4000 LP to start. There are also tag duels, in which the characters are up against each other in a 2v2 battle, piggybacking off of their teammate's plays to try to work together and win the duel. There have even been cases of 3v1 duels, as well as a Battle Royale style where it's 1v1v1.

D-Pads and D-Gazers - From a technological standpoint, D-Pads and D-Gazers go hand-in-hand. The D-Gazer which hooks over the left ear to rest a lens over the user's left eye, when activated during a duel, is used to see the dueling field in an Augmented Reality field - multiple D-Gazers can link together to allow those standing by to watch a duel if they wish. The system is convenient, as it allows for those that don't want to see the duel to pass on by without the holograms of the previous series' causing a distraction. D-Gazers also double as communication devices, allowing people to make audio or video calls to each other, and presumably texting as well. Those that don't use the physical D-Gazer devices often have their left eye change color and some even have a tattoo appear around. The Barians, when in their human forms, only have their left eye turn red.

The D-Pads also have multi-functionality. They're what a deck goes into to use as the 'playmat' for a duel, with slots for the deck, the graveyard, five monster card slots and five spell & trap zone slots. They're also used to access the network within Heartland City, making it possible to look up newspaper articles and visit websites, and even use the Yu-Gi-Oh! equivalent of Photoshop. Of course, the second functionality only applies to the standard-issue D-Pads as well as some slightly customized ones, as those people that are enhanced with biotechnology or use inhuman powers only have D-Pads (and D-Gazers) to duel with.

Decks - Decks in the show typically consist of 40 cards in the Main Deck and up to 15 cards in the Extra Deck. Occasionally, a side deck is apparent, particularly with the main protagonist, seeing as they always must have new cards to use.

The Main Deck is where most Monster cards go (Effect, Normal and Ritual Monsters), as well as support cards known as Spell and Trap cards. I won't go into each individual type of Spell/Trap cards, as that could easily add another one thousand words to read, but more often than not, a character's deck is balanced (20 Monster cards, 10 Spells, 10 Traps), depending on the type of deck they run. Types of decks can range from a Burn deck, a Beatdown deck, or something a little more dangerous to run such as Card Destruction; there are quite a few others as well.

The Extra Deck is only allowed 15 cards for a reason: it contains special Monster cards, such as Fusions, Synchros and Xyz Monsters. However, in ZEXAL, Synchros don't seem to exist, and most characters' Extra Decks contain only Xyz Monsters, which were introduced in ZEXAL's era.

Xyz Monsters - In regards to the series itself, Xyz Summoning is a Big Deal. The Monster cards that are used in the Main Deck are used to summon Xyz Monsters by using the Overlay Network, which I will explain below. Each Monster has a specific level given to them in the form of stars just beneath the name of the card, and these levels are important to summon Xyz Monsters, as they have 'Ranks' instead of 'Levels'. To summon an Xyz Monster that is, for example, Rank 3, you must 'overlay' two or more level 3 Monsters to summon it, depending on the summoning requirements listed on the card.

Overlay Network - This is a portal between dimensions. When summoning an Xyz Monster, players are building the Overlay Network with the Monsters used for the summoning, through which the Xyz Monster appears through. It seems like it's mostly for show, but Konami has confirmed that these monsters are indeed coming from another dimension into the world where these characters are dueling. The Overlay Network is also used as a portal for those with Barian powers; it can also be used for communication, the network remaining open to allow the user to continue speaking until they are done.

Numbers - Number cards are all Xyz Monsters within the series, and are relevant to the plot of the series from the very beginning. Each Number card that is numbered 100 or lower are part of Astral's memories, which he loses when he's brought from the Astral World as its messenger to Earth. The Legendary Numbers are numbered 100 or lower as well, and while they're part of Astral's memories, they're unique in the fact that they symbolize the past lives of the Seven Barian Emperors. The numbers that are over 100 are not pieces of Astral's memory, but they are the signature cards of the Seven Barian Emperors.

Astral World - The high energy world in which Astral was born. It's considered a parallel world without Chaos, which had been cast out previously. The Astral World and Barian Worlds used to be the same world, and the two worlds are now at interdimensional war.

Barian World - The high energy world from which the Barians are from. It's also a parallel world, but containing the Chaos that had been cast out of the Astral World. The entire world was created to house souls that harbored Chaos so that those in the Astral World could send them there. However, due to a large war that Durbe had taken part in during his past life, at Nasch's side, the small size of the Barian World expanded drastically thanks to all of the souls that went straight to it.

Age |
Durbe physically appears to be no younger than 15 in his human form, though I personally tend to lean toward 17, seeing as he isn't automatically put in a school uniform like some of the other Barians when shifting into his human form. Mentally, it can be assumed that he's at least a couple of centuries old; Durbe was reincarnated by force as a Barian after his death during a medieval period of time, and the ZEXAL series takes place in 20XX.

Gender |
Male, through and through. Durbe has never been shown to have any particular issues with his gender. And though Barians, in their Barian forms, are assumed not to have reproductive organs, females are still distinguished from males; females have breasts while males do not. (Seen here.)

Suitability | This probably isn't necessary for me to fill out, but I'm doing so just to be safe!

In his current life, reproduction isn't exactly something that can be accomplished - not while in Barian form, anyway. Or so it's assumed. It's hard to tell with their crystal hearts and bodies made of rock and gems. But all the same, though sex isn't something that Durbe would know of in his current life, it's likely that in the midst of remembering things about his past life as a knight, he'd picked up on a few things here and there.

Historically speaking, knights were not the pinnacle of chastity and goodness, despite their vows and their purity when knighted. From what we see of Durbe's past life however, it can be assumed that his soul is a gentle one, truly sticking to the code of chivalry unlike other knights he may have gotten close to would have done. It's likely that he's seen what his brethren have done to commonfolk, the ones that don't fall under the category of "noble women and children" like most knights' interpretation of "weak" was.

All the same, with his experience with war in both lives, being given the opportunity to "make love, not war" would settle well with Durbe. It would take some time for him to really take the idea of it seriously, doubtful of the truth in the words being spoken to him about needing to have sex if the mark appears, but the first time he sees the mark, that's when he'll start to truly consider what he's been told as the truth. And as much as he'd probably prefer to have sex with someone he trusts, someone close to him, if Nasch is around, that will be his first choice. If something happens and Nasch disappears for whatever reason, he'll have built up enough CR by then for it to seem plausible for him to go to someone else, especially if they're in more need of it than he is.

Appearance | Durbe has a human form in his canon to change into, seen in full here.

--For Original Characters Specifically--
World Overview |
N/A
Character History |
N/A

Personality |
The first trait of Durbe's that we see is his levelheadedness. He is typically a very quiet individual, only speaking when necessary or when he's addressed. He's often to the point with what he says. His leadership qualities are also something we see from his first appearance. As the stand-in leader for the Barians in Nasch's and Merag's absence, he's shown to be the best leader that a man like him can actually be. There are flaws in how he goes about things, such as underestimating Yuuma and Astral, and he's not quite the leader that Nasch seems to be born to be, but it's evident that despite that, he tries his very best to do what he can for his people and his world. He also exhibits a strong loyalty not only to Nasch and Merag, but to the Barian World itself, prioritizing their safety above all else. This is shown to be a part of his personality that's ingrained within his very soul, as in his prior life as a human knight, he has shown to be a very trustworthy and loyal comrade and companion to Nasch, and presumably Merag before her untimely sacrifice that he attempted to save her from in that life.

He thinks highly of his comrades, the remaining members of the Seven Barian Emperors, often seeing them off with words of encouragement when he sends them on a mission to Earth. Durbe also has a tendency to compliment his opponents and treating them with the same sort of respect he would give the other Barians; during his duel against Shark, Durbe praised his determination and dueling skills. When dueling the woman Droite and presumably killing her, he tells her to rest, and that she's deserved it, showing a very polite side despite her being his enemy. From this, it can be assumed that the honor and chivalry he once held to as a knight in his past life has also carried over into his present life as a Barian. The archetype of monsters he uses sort of speaks for itself in terms of the kind of person he is; Holy Lightning in the OCG, otherwise known as Star Seraph in the English version of the card game, all LIGHT Attribute Fairy Monsters. Typically, a duelist's deck and their strategy while playing is what shows what a person is like.

On the flip side of things though, Durbe does not tolerate unnecessary conflict, especially within the ranks of the Emperors. Most often, we see this when arguments between two Barians, Mizael and Vector, arise. Typically, Vector is the one to start things, Mizael slings out threats, and Durbe is the one to keep a conflict from arising, simply calling out Mizael's name with a warning tone in his voice; he prefers it that, as a group, the Emperors should all stick together and be on the same page, rather than turn on each other and cause infighting among their ranks. Another situation in which he uses a more stern tone of voice is to get others to listen better is when the presumably 'youngest' Barian, Alit (or so he comes off as), fusses about going on a mission. Durbe uses a strict tone when speaking his name, and Alit relents. Simply put, Durbe acts more like a typical mother than an actual leader.

When it comes to Nasch himself, Durbe is entirely dedicated, willing to do anything and everything for the man. When he and Merag are still 'missing', Durbe spends a considerable amount of time looking for Nasch, not giving up hope in finding him. He's often seen staring at Nasch's throne from the bottom of the stairs within the Barian World, and every time that there is the slightest chance that Durbe may find out about Nasch's whereabouts, he jumps into it wholeheartedly, despite any protests from others (namely Mizael). Before finding out anything of his past as a human, his first excursion on Earth leads to him hiding his true identity (as the protagonist and his friends had already met Durbe in his Barian form), and he calls himself 'Nasch' to keep them from knowing who he is while searching for the Legendary Number within the ruins. He's desperate in his attempts to get Nasch back to where he belongs, even going as far as showing Nasch the memories hidden away of their past together and showing him that Nasch is absolutely the leader Nasch doesn't believe himself to be, pushing him to choose his 'true friends' over his human friends. Once Nasch and Merag are back into the picture though, Durbe settles comfortably into his place beneath them, giving them back their leadership they've had since they had been reincarnated and eager to help the two in everything that they desire.

Durbe's strong emotional connection isn't just reserved for Nasch; in a duel against Vector in which he teams up with Merag, Durbe is quite literally the shield to Merag's sword, focusing more on supporting Merag's offensive plays and pulling out his ace monster. And as mentioned above, in their previous life when Merag had been ready to sacrifice herself for the greater good, Durbe had been willing to put his life on the line to save her. Time and time again, he's proven to serve as a shield to those he cares for, and he's even called himself the 'White Shield of the Barians'. The two work rather well together in a duel in which they rely on each others' decks to work out strategies, so it can be assumed that the two have worked closely in regards to dueling to learn each others' decks better.

Another important relationship of Durbe's was with his pegasus, Mach. Though Mach is more prominent in his past life as a knight, one of the Numbers cards, to which a piece of Don Thousand's soul was sealed to, takes after Mach; Number 44: Sky Pegasus. And it is in fact the spirit of Mach that protects the Number within the ruins that were once Durbe's home. Though, in his current life, he never got to meet the spirit of Mach, but it was in those ruins that Durbe remembered a piece of his past and how he had died, with the pegasus jumping before him to protect him. In the past, Durbe fought valiantly to protect Mach in an attempt to save him, but the two died together and were buried together by their attackers. All the same, Mach was a very important part of Durbe's life.

With Vector, it's quite the delicate situation. Durbe is quite open to hearing plans from others - the idea of searching for the Legendary Numbers in the first place was by Vector's suggestion, after all. However, Vector has this tendency to not quite communicate what he's doing to the others, especially not to Durbe. In the midst of Durbe sending the others off to Earth in his attempts to accomplish something in regards to Yuuma, Astral and the Numbers, Vector had been going around behind Durbe's back - without even a mention that he'd been around in the first place due to suffering a tremendous loss previously thanks to Yuuma, Astral, Shark and Kaito - and was working on his own plans that slightly interfered with Durbe's own. When the details of Vector's plan become apparent to Durbe, he's rather displeased, finding the act a 'makeshift method' of doing things, but despite that, he still tries to ensure that Mizael doesn't make good on his threats to kill Vector. Durbe values the unity of the Barians and Vector's strength, knowing that he needs him around until Nasch and Merag return.

Mizael on the other hand, is someone that provides moral support, someone that remains at Durbe's side throughout his bout as leader, to ensure that Durbe has at least some form of guidance. The two are often seen speaking alone, discussing plans and giving each other updates of what's happening among their fellow Barians. Once the hunt for the Legendary Numbers begins and each Barian visits a ruin where they hear of their past life as a human in some way, they speak to each other about the possibility of being human, and though Durbe initially denies that he believes in it, he simultaneously believes that the ruins have a link to Nasch and Merag, seeing as they're all linked to the rest of the Barians. So while Nasch and Merag are gone, Mizael is Durbe's closest friend among the Barians, a sort of confidant, and above all else, the Barian that Durbe trusts the most.

Past Game History |
N/A

Possessions |
Durbe has nothing more than the clothes on his back and his deck, which can be viewed in his wikia article. The other items of his that he would technically have on him are his D-Pad and his Baria Lapis, which will be covered more in the abilities section.

Character Abilities/Powers |
Physiology - Barians, being superhuman rock beings, have enhanced physical endurance, strength, speed, and agility - even in their human forms, they're capable of being stronger than most humans in this regard. Durbe himself has shown this by consistently saving a certain person from being crushed by traps within some ruins or outrunning things to save both of their hides. Also it's to be noted that the Barians, when in their true forms, typically have no mouths, pointed ears, no noses (with the exception of Durbe, though Nasch looks like he has a slightly more prominent one than the rest), exotic-colored skin (Durbe's is grey for example while Mizael's is yellow) colored gems all over their bodies - there's usually one specific color, such as Durbe's being blue, as well as what's to be considered their 'central' gem which rests on their chest in plain sight and presumably over where their crystal hearts are inside of their bodies. They also have veins within their bodies, despite being made of what's assumed to be rocks - when damaged, parts of their bodies chip off, but it can be healed with time.

Portals - This seems to be a basic, all-around ability that the Barians have. Using the Overlay Network, they are able to create a portal between dimensions, and it's often used to transport themselves back and forth between the Barian World and Earth. As mentioned earlier, these portals can also be used for light communication. I'm expecting that the portals won't be allowed to be used within the game's setting.

Teleportation - Basically what's on the box. Barians can teleport within the world that they're in. So if Durbe is on Earth, he can only teleport to places that are on Earth. However, it seems likely that they can only do so if they know the general area in which they want to go already, otherwise they have to fly there.

Flight - All Barians can fly within the space between worlds, however it's only been shown that Durbe can fly while on Earth, and he does so by creating a ball of energy around himself, likely as a protective measure. The exception to this is when the Barian World is starting to overtake Earth, which allows all Barians to use their powers on Earth freely since the energy of the Barian World is present there.

Human Form - Each Barian has a human form for them to take, which they're forced to do when they're on Earth. There are only a few Barians that can retain their Barian form on Earth without the assistance of the Barian World's energy, Durbe being one of them. There is one exception to him being forced to remain in his human form, and that was when his Baria Lapis was broken for a while. Barians can bleed while in their human forms however, and sleep and eat as humans do, which leads to the assumption that they have the same internal organs that humans do as well so long as they're in these forms.

Baria Lapis - This is the adornment on the human forms of the Barians that allows them to have access to small amounts of Barian energy. It comes in different forms for each Barian, and Durbe's is the form of a golden bracelet with red gems that remains on his right wrist. It also allows Barians to change into their Barian forms when they're exposed to enough Barian energy around them while remaining on Earth.

D-Pads - The D-Pads of the Barians seem to be part of them rather than separate items. Each one has a different style and they're only ever seen when they're preparing a duel. They materialize onto the arms of the Barians when a duel is about to start in a flurry of red particles.

Barian's Force - With a card known as Barian's Force, Barians can brainwash humans to do their bidding. They can still come off as their normal self until they enter a duel, or in some cases, when they draw the card from their deck during a duel, in which they become more fierce, but within their personality limits. The control can be broken if that person is defeated in a duel or (presumably) the control is taken off of the victim.

Weaknesses/Fears |
While there's never been anything outright stated in regards to fears of Durbe, with the way that he seemed to wait and wait when the rest of the Barians had given up in regards to Nasch and Merag, it could be very safe to say that before their return, he had been afraid that they simply... wouldn't return at all. And while it's likely that this fear was for selfish reasons, such as him missing his closest friends, it's evident that Durbe had no real idea what was doing as leader, what changes he needed to make to really lead the way he should have. He wanted them back so he didn't have to lead anymore. Though, as of his current canon point, now that they've returned, it's incredibly likely that he's afraid of losing them again, of being put back into that situation where he has to lead a ragtag group of Barians that barely get along, and losing those close to him once again.

In regards to weaknesses however, his leadership is a very passive kind. He prefers to send others out to do work rather than do it himself - not for lack of will to do so, but because he feels it's necessary that he stay behind. With the way he often gazes at Nasch's throne, it could have something to do with the fact that he believes Nasch and Merag could return any moment and he wants to be there... though it's also due to his nature of not wanting to be involved in conflict unless it's necessary, or unless it might be ordered of him by Nasch.

Another is... less of a weakness and more of a large oversight on Durbe's part, but... simply listening to Vector and believing him without much thought. It's by Vector's words that Durbe willingly volunteers to be the first to visit one of the ruins that's supposed to hold one of the Legendary Numbers, and all it took was the mention of Nasch and Merag. He went without hesitation, without having a single thought about the fact that it could possibly be a trap, especially after a particularly nasty stunt that Vector had pulled just before that point. He would do anything for Nasch and Merag, whether it be following a false lead in hopes of finding them or throwing himself in the way to physically protect either one of them. In this regard, Nasch and Merag can be seen as simultaneously Durbe's greatest strengths and his most devastating weaknesses.

Otherwise, he seems to get annoyed when others put words into his mouth; Mizael accuses Durbe of believing in the fact that they were human once, and he seems affronted by it.

Requested Village | Muir
NPC mini-plot | Absolutely!
Notes |

SAMPLES
First-person |
[ There's the sound of someone clearing their throat, the screen black for a moment before Durbe figures out how to switch on the video function. He doesn't look all that pleased really, but all the same there's some glimmer of hope in his eyes. ]

If I'm to be staying here, then I suppose I'll need transportation.

[ Durbe glances away from the device, focusing his attention on some item in his home, and just briefly, there's a flicker of a smile before turning his attention back. ]

I've heard that there are Pegasuses to be rented out, but how much would one have to pay to keep one? I'm assuming it's possible, and it's important that I have one, as much as the idea of them being sold as a commodity seems wrong. [ There's a pause as he considers his next words. ] I made a promise to a dear friend of mine, and I would like to keep it.

[ With that, he ends the feed and awaits a response. ]

Third-person |
As Durbe watched Athlis leave, he frowned deeply, waiting for the door to close before beginning to look around his apparent new 'home' a little more closely. The surroundings were rather bare actually, with a few red crystalline decorations here and there along with the furniture. A black metal candelabrum with red candles in all seven branches complete with the red crystals of his home so familiar to him dangling from each branch was among the decorum, as well as a bookshelf off to the side of what Durbe assumed to be the living area filled to the brim with books. He'd make a mental note to look at those later. There was also a sort of warmth to the home, something almost holy. Briefly, he wondered if something related to his trusted pegasus would be around as well. With a quick shake of his head, Durbe began to focus more on his situation instead.

Attollo... That didn't sound familiar to him in the least. And what of being marked? What was he meant to do about that? And he'd noticed it before, when he'd awoken on the beach to see Athlis standing over him, but he was rather stuck in his human form. Not that... it was necessarily an issue, seeing as he could still duel if needed, but it also meant that he couldn't get home. Was his Baria Lapis somehow broken again? He needed that to be fixed, and thinking back to his time at the ruins, Ryouga-- no, Nasch had been the one to fix it just from touching him. If he could get it fixed, he could head home. He had work to do, he had to fight on Nasch's behalf and--

Just where was Nasch, anyway?

Immediately after thinking that, Durbe moved to the door and pulled it open, trying to fight off the fear bubbling up that he may have very well lost Nasch once again. He couldn't have, he had only just gotten him back a few days ago after nearly ten years of searching. Stepping out into Muir, Durbe's gaze immediately flickered about, looking for that familiar violet hair, or that billowing red cloak (or the blue one from their days past, he'll take anything). He had to find Nasch, he had to figure out what was wrong, and he had to get him and Nasch out of there.

"Nasch?" he called out, glancing around quickly as he stepped away from his 'home'. Durbe turned his attention to the front of the building, taking in its appearance in an attempt to remember what it looked like in case his search is fruitless. Once done though, he turned back to the expanse of the area, stepping away and noting landmarks as he continued to look for his leader and best friend. "Nasch!"