The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga is written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. It was originally serialized in Japan in Weekly Shōnen Jump from Shueisha from 1996's issue 42 to 2004. The plot follows the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou who is given the ancient Millennium Puzzle, and awakes an alter-ego within his body, who helps him with any problem he is having using various games.
Shueisha collected the chapters in tankōbon format; the first volume was released on March 4, 1997, and the last volume (volume 38) was released on June 4, 2004. Shueisha republished the manga in twenty-two volumes from April 18, 2007 to March 18, 2008. In the United States, Viz Media serialized 14 volumes worth of the manga in Shonen Jump from December 3, 2002 to December 4, 2007. They also released the manga in volumes, but divided in three series. The first series, Yu-Gi-Oh!, includes the first seven volumes, and were released from June 4, 2003 to December 7, 2004.Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist includes volumes 8-31, and Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millenium World, the volumes 32-38. Both series started publication in 2005, and while the last volume from Duelist was released on December 4, 2007, Millenium World ended on February 5, 2008. Chapter 60, originally the last chapter of volume 7, was moved to the beginning of the first volume of Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist (originally volume 8).
Yu-Gi-Oh! was also adapted to two anime series with the first being created by Toei Animation under the same name and the second by Nihon Ad Systems subtitled Duel Monsters (the subtitle was removed for its international release).