Japanese Title: Saio Appears! The Tarot Deck of Destiny
Original Airdate: November 30, 2005
US Airdate: August 31, 2006
Pick a card, any card
While looking for Jaden in the woods, Chazz has a fateful encounter with Sartorius, who just arrived at Duel Academy hours ago.This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Brainwashed and Crazy: After losing the duel, Chazz becomes the first person to get brainwashed by Sartorius.
- Evil Costume Switch: Chazz exchanges his black jacket for a white Obelisk Blue uniform.
- More than Mind Control: Sartorius brainwashes Chazz by promising that he can give him the power to beat Jaden, leaving Chazz vulnerable to Sartorius' magic.
- Phlebotinum Breakdown: Sartorius goes over how his spell on Aster's deck should have brainwashed Jaden but instead just took away his ability to see monster spirits and even card images. Even he has no idea how that happened, only concluding, "It seems Jaden is more powerful than I imagined."
- Put on a Bus: Jaden decides to leave the island since he's not able to see his cards and thus not able to duel.
- Tarot Motifs: Sartorius defines Chazz with XII - The Hanged Man, which indicates lacking the capability of freeing oneself and gaining enlightenment upon freedom: Back in Season 1, Chazz felt oppressed by his older brothers' existence and was forced to duel for their sakes, but Jaden, throughout their third duel, manages to comfort Chazz and convince him to duel for his own sake, freeing him from his brothers and becoming kinder and more confident. The Hanged Man also represents a juxtaposition between Earth and Heaven (the latter associated with light), fitting since he would later recruit many other students to the Society of Light through dueling.
