Ryuji Ootogi

Ryuji Ootogi idolized game maker, Pegasus J. Crawford (Maximillion Pegasus), and invented his own game using the creatures he created for Duel Monsters. Calling it Dungeon Dice Monsters, he got in touch with Pegasus and they set up a meeting. Pegasus tested out the game, agreeing to put it out for release after the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. However, when Yami Bakura defeated him in a magical battle, he disappeared and Ootogi believed that the game would never be released to the public. So he desided to release it himself, by opening his own game shop to sell the game. When representitives from the Kame Game Shop, a local competitor, came to check it out, Ryuji recognized Yugi Motou, the King of Games among them. One of his friends, Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler) challenged him to a game of Duel Monsters as revenge for being beaten by Ootogi at a dice game. Ootogi easily despenced of him, forcing him to wear a dog suit. Angry at seeing his friend suffer, Yugi challanged Ootogi to a game to win Jonouchi's freedom back. Ryuji was pleased, because he beleived that Yugi was to blame for Crawford's disappearance. Ootogi ensisted that Yugi play him at Dungeon Dice Monsters, if Yugi lost, he would relinquish his title. Yugi was able to beat Ryuji, but he didn't care, since after the game, he received an e-mail from Pegasus, saying that he was going to begin mass producing Ootogi's game. Ryuji then became a friend of Yugi's. Ryuji and Hiroto Honda (Tristan Taylor), another of Yugi's friends, instantly hated each other, especially since they both liked Jonouchi's little sister, Shizuka (Serenity). He was among those trapped in a virtual reality by Seto Kaiba's insane brother, Noa, and faced the Big Five's Nezbitt with Shizuka and Hiroto.