Noboru Gongenzaka

Noboru Gongenzaka ( Gongenzaka Noboru), known as Gong Strong in the Dub version, is a character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. He is one Yūya Sakaki's childhood friends who attends Maiami Second Junior High School. He Duels using the "Non-Action" or "Steadfast" style, which means that even if he competes in an Action Duel, he refuses to search for Action Cards, standing firmly in the same spot. He is one of the Lancers. He is, without question, the manliest character in this show.

Appearance
While a teenager, Gongenzaka is a very large in his overall frame, being easily equivalent in height to some adults. While having a fairly round face, he is stockily built and rather muscular. Gongenzaka has black hair styled as a large pompadosur, restrained by a red bandanna (possibly his previous sash from his youth), and his nose is somewhat redder than the rest of his face. His cheeks have a constantly "blushing" appearance. Gongenzaka appears to wear a Maiami Second Junior High School jacket (albeit one that is more of a vest) over his closed white coat with a golden trim and buttons, and white pants. Gongenzaka wears a white sash crossed over his back, tied at the left shoulder. He briefly replaced it with a black one that was given to him by his father during his Duel with Gen Ankokuji, but wore his white one again after Yūya retrieved it for him and the black one was torn. Gongenzaka wears heavy sandals rather than shoes.

In his youth, Gongenzaka had shorter hair, wore a less elaborate coat under another short-sleeved one, as well as a red sash, and did not wear his bandanna.

Personality
Gongenzaka is generally somewhat gruff and proud. He has a short temper and is easily angered or antagonized, but despite this he generally speaks politely. In accordance with his speech pattern of referring to himself as "this man, Gongenzaka", he often makes statements regarding himself and his fellows as "men".

Gongenzaka is extremely loyal to his friends, encouraging the You Show Duel School students to believe in Yūya when Yūya was accused of Yūto's crime and reacting with shock when Yuzu revealed that she'd doubted Yūya. Despite his pride, Gongenzaka is not above requesting aid nor congratulating his opponents, and has demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice himself in order to allow a team victory.

After his draw with Yaiba Tōdō, Gongenzaka's outlook on his own strength changed. He claimed that his pity for Yūya due to the bullying Yūya suffered after Yūshō Sakaki's made him weaker, and that Yūya's for him if Gongenzaka couldn't make it into the Maiami Championship was disrespectful.

He isn't particularly interested in entertaining audiences, as shown by his frequent irritation by  Dennis ' antics and reluctance to accept  Gallager 's invitation to participate in Riding duels or be a narrator.

Past
Gongenzaka and his friend Yūya Sakaki were in a park one day, discussing Gongenzaka's tendency to not use Action Cards. Gongenzaka replied that there was always a chance that the card couldn't help him out, though Yūya protested that it was more exciting. Gongenzaka replied that he would believe in his Deck rather than in Action Cards. After the disappearance of Yūshō Sakaki and Yūya's subsequent bullying, Gongenzaka supported Yūya, protecting him from bullies, even though on one occasion, the bully was a senior member of his own Dojo. The two of them Dueled several times throughout the years, but they never once had a serious Duel. Gongenzaka also often arranged for Yūya to Duel against members of his Dojo.

Pre-Maiami Championship: Yūya vs. Strong Ishijima
Gongenzaka and Yūya Sakaki were engaged in a Duel in You Show Duel School to recruit future students. As Gongenzaka called out to Yūya to Duel in a one-on-one match, he boldly made a stage performance. Gongenzaka irritably yelled at Yūya to play seriously, but before their Duel could progress any further, the Solid Vision system was damaged, ending the Duel with no conclusion. He scolded Yūya after the Duel, pointing out that those watching the Duel didn't laugh with Yūya, but at him, reminding Yūya about how his father made audiences smile with his Dueling. When Nico Smiley arrived, offering to replace the school's Solid Vision system if Yūya Dueled Strong Ishijima, Gongenzaka stated that what was important about the situation were Yūya's feelings, noticing then that Yūya had disappeared. They later arrived at the Duel, witnessing Yūya's entrance and his immediate running off on his "Entermate Discover Hippo," something that Gongenzaka disapproved of, along with his dodging of Ishijima's attacks. Yūya's mother, Yōko Sakaki assured Gongenzaka that this was Yūya's way of fighting. He was quite surprised when Yūya performed a Pendulum Summon and even more when the monsters he'd Summoned were enough to defeat Ishijima. After the Duel, he and the others were happy and congratulated Yūya for his victory.

You Show Duel School Exhibition Duel
Afterwards, when Yūya and Yuzu Hīragi Dueled in an exhibition match of Pendulum Summoning, Gongenzaka, much to his annoyance, was regulated to operating the new Solid Vision System. Despite Yūya failing to Pendulum Summon at all, Gongenzaka, after Tatsuya stated his belief in Yūya and his Pendulum Summoning, encouraged Yūya to master it. He assisted Yūya in doing so, going through 271 Duels before Yūya was finally able to Pendulum Summon successfully again, and tearfully congratulated Yūya for succeeding.

You Show Duel School vs. LDS
Around a week later, Gongenzaka was in the middle of his morning run when he noticed three suspicious individuals lurking around the You Show Duel School. He confronted them, and was shocked to learn that Yūya had apparently attacked and hospitalized Shingo Sawatari. Gongenzaka vehemently denied that Yūya would do such a thing during the entire confrontation, encouraging the You Show Duel students to believe in Yūya as well. When Leo Corporation Chairwoman Himika Akaba proposed three Duels between students of both schools, Gongenzaka eagerly volunteered, only to be replaced by Sora Shiun'in, who pointed out that Gongenzaka technically isn't a student of You Show Duel School.

Gongenzaka vs. Yaiba
Gongenzaka watched Yūya and Yuzu's Duels with the LDS students. When Yuzu lost, he tried to motivate Sora to win the third round. However, Sora had Gongenzaka take his place in the last Duel. Gongenzaka squared off against Yaiba Tōdō, the LDS' Synchro Course representative, who immediately performed two Synchro Summons on his first turn, Summoning "X-Saber Souza" and "XX-Saber Gatmuz". He destroyed Gongenzaka's "Superheavy Samurai Kabuto" and reduced him to 1500 Life Points. Gongenzaka brought out his ace monster, "Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei", on his next turn and destroyed "Gatmuz". Yaiba brought out another "Gatmuz" on his next turn and powered it up with an Action Card, forcing Gongenzaka to use "Superheavy Samurai Soul Fire Armor" to protect his monster at the cost of lowering its DEF and taking piercing damage that reduced him to 100 Life Points. When Yaiba went for his second Action Card, Gongenzaka allowed him to grab it, refusing to go against his Dueling philosophy. Yaiba then used the effect of "Gatmuz" to send the rest of the cards in Gongenzaka's hand to the Graveyard. Despite this, Gongenzaka was able to draw a monster that powered up the DEF of "Big Benkei" and allowed it to destroy "Souza," only for Yaiba to revive it and call out a third "Gatmuz". He proceeded to attack, attempting to destroy "Benkei" via an effect, allowing Gongenzaka to reduce his monster's DEF to 0 and activate the effect of "Superheavy Samurai Soul Break Armor" to wipe Yaiba out. Yaiba was able to block the damage, forcing Gongenzaka to use "Superheavy Samurai Soul Big Bang" to end the Duel in a draw. He expressed regret to Yūya that he was unable to win the Duel, but Yūya reassured him that it was thanks to Gongenzaka that they had a draw. After the events involving LDS, Gongenzaka began training himself physically at his family's dojo by pulling up a boulder over the edge of a cliff  and standing under a waterfall. However, he didn't think that this training was enough. He later confronted Yaiba and requested to teach him how to perform Synchro Summon. The two later had a practice Duel on a shore platform, but Yaiba had to leave partway through.

Duel Against Yūya
Gongenzaka set himself up so that he had but a single win until he could enter the Junior Youth Championship. After that, he didn't Duel properly until he could Duel Yūya for Yūya's fourth Duel to enter the Junior Youth Championship, putting them in even positions. Gongenzaka chose the "Sword's Cemetery" field that he'd Dueled Yaiba on to Duel Yūya on. He refused to let Yūya have pity for him and be distracted during their Duel, and he brought out "Benkei" on his first turn. Yūya, in response, raised the ATK of his "Entermate Silver Claw" to the point that it could defeat "Benkei", but Gongenzaka was able to protect it. On his next turn, Gongenzaka showed off the fruits of his evolution by Synchro Summoning "Superheavy Koujin Susano-O", much to the shock of everyone watching. "Susano-O" retained the effects of "Big Benkei" to attack with its DEF while in Defense Position, and it cuts Yūya's Life Points in half with one stroke. Just then, Gongenzaka's father declared that Gongenzaka had lost for stealing the techniques of another Duel School. Gongenzaka explained that he requested instruction from Yaiba, despite the pain he'd been put through. He continued to drive Yūya back, even using the effect of "Susano-O" to access the Magic Cards in Yūya's Graveyard, until Yūya was able to make a comeback with his recently-acquired Fusion Monster, "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon", something that Gongenzaka had no knowledge of. Even so, Gongenzaka's defense managed to withstand all of "Rune-Eyes'" attacks, and allowed him to set himself up for a win on the next turn. But, trusting in his skills, Yūya was able to find an Action Card to activate his "Dangerous Draw" Trap Card, gambling that he'd be able to draw a card to win. He was able to bring out another new Fusion Monster, "Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon", and its effect allowed it to deal the winning damage after destroying "Susano-O". Gongenzaka reassured Yūya afterwards that he still had a chance to enter the Junior Youth Championship, and admitted that he was glad that he had been able to push Yūya as far as he did. The two shook hands, though Gongenzaka got emotional afterwards and tearfully embraced his friend.

Maiami Championship
Successfully qualifying just before the deadline, Gongenzaka arrived at the tournament venue to find Yūya butting heads with his former senior again, Gen Ankokuji. Before it could gone to worse, Gongenzaka came to Yūya's aid and held Ankokuji back. Ankokuji walked off, but not before promising to crush Gongenzaka in the tournament. Yūya expressed his relief that Gongenzaka has qualified on time and both wished each other luck. Entering separately from his friends (due to being part of the Gongenzaka Dojo), Gongenzaka learned that Ankokuji would be his first opponent.

Round 1: Duel Against Ankokuji
Gongenzaka and Ankokuji faced each other as the first match of the second day. Before the match, Gongenzaka meditated and vowed to defeat Ankokuji. His father agreed, giving Gongenzaka a black sash to wear before the match. Gongenzaka showed his back to Ankokuji in a show of dislike (and to show off his new sash) before the match. Ankokuji revealed that he'd placed Yūya in danger, causing Gongenzaka to panic and desire to finish the match quickly. He attempted to bring out "Susano-O" early, but Ankokuji took control of Gongenzaka's Tuner monster. Ankokuji commented that Yūya and Gongenzaka's monster had both betrayed him, causing Gongenzaka to panic further until Yuzu told him that Yūya was fine and his father reminded him that a Steadfast spirit was more necessary now than ever. Believing that Yūya would return, Gongenzaka faced Ankokuji's next attack proudly, at the cost of taking 3500 damage and being pushed to the edge of a cliff from the attack of his own "Big Benkei", which Ankokuji had stolen with "Barbarian Mad Shaman". Gongenzaka was able to survive with the effect of his "Superheavy Samurai Glove" and reduce the ATK of Ankokuji's "Mad Shaman" to zero, physically karate-chopping through the spike on "Mad Shaman's" hand himself. Yūya arrived and threw Gongenzaka his old sash, which Gongenzaka donned to replace the torn black one. He brought out "Superheavy Koujin Susano-O" on his next turn and boosted its DEF to the point that it could wipe Ankokuji out in one attack, as he'd promised to do earlier. Yūya congratulated Gongenzaka afterwards, apologizing for being late. Gongenzaka watched the subsequent Duels of the day; including Yūya's Duel against Shingo, where he noted that Yūya was still going strong despite being pushed into a corner,  and Sora's Duel against Shun Kurosaki. Having not been privy to any of the events regarding Shun, he had no idea what Shun referred to when he described a battlefield.

Sora Shiun'in vs. Shun Kurosaki
After Shun's victory and Sora's subsequent hospitalization, Gongenzaka was informed of the events that had occurred involving Shun and Yūto, who he learned had been the man who had attacked Shingo. He was shocked that Yuzu hadn't mentioned the subject before, but ended up confused as to what was happening given the conflicting info provided by Yuzu and Yūya's experiences with Shun and Masumi Kōtsu's claim that Shun had always been an LDS student. They heard a commotion in the hospital and realized that Sora had escaped. The trio split up to look for him, Gongenzaka heading for the harbour.

Round 2: Duel Against Yuzō Tanegashima
Two days later, Gongenzaka was delighted to see that Yūya had recovered from his coma, and hugged him. He then watched Yaiba's Duel against Isao Kachidoki, and was shocked when Isao defeated Yaiba using brutal physical assault to prevent Yaiba from getting any Action Card. His next Duel was against Yūzō Tanegashima, a Duel that he won by blindfolding himself to sense Yuzō's location who was camouflaging himself with his cloak to hide from Gongnenzaka's attack. He then watched Yūya's Duel against Isao, and was stunned again when Yūya brutally used "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" to defeat Isao.

Battle Royal: Gogenzaka & Yuzu vs. Olga & Halil
Gongenzaka went off by himself when the Battle Royal started, punching through the ice to uncover a Pendulum Card necessary to advance. He was lured by Olga further into the Iceberg Area and she explained that she was a Synchro user and challenged him to a Duel. They were about halfway through their contest when Yuzu accidentally fell on Olga, having topped over a nearby cliff. When Yuzu's opponent, Halil, arrived, Yuzu and Halil automatically joined the Duel according to the Battle Royal rules, with Yuzu paired with Gongenzaka. Gongenzaka saved Yuzu from a Duel ending attack at the cost of most of his Life Points and then brought out "Superheavy God Oni Shutendo - G" to destroy his opponent's Magic and Trap Cards, which gave Yuzu one of her Pendulum Cards back. His attack on Halil's Fusion Monster backfired, causing him to be knocked out of the Duel, but he still collected a Pendulum Card as his winnings when Yuzu was able to defeat both Halil and Olga in a single turn.

Academia's Invasion
The two parted ways, Gongenzaka heading to the Jungle Field where he found Teppei Tairyōbata lazily watching Michio Mokota Dueling Halil and Olga. He bet a Pendulum Card to Duel Teppei, but the pragmatic fisherman refused to Duel Gongenzaka unless he had five Pendulum Cards. Gongenzaka was furious at Teppei's cowardice and left for the Ancient Ruins area, where he ran into Mieru Hōchun, who had come to watch Yūya in person. They both saw Yūya Dueling three mysterious Duelists with "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon," in the same awakened state that he'd been in when he Dueled Isao Kachidoki. Gongenzaka held Mieru back from going to Yūya, wondering if that was really him, but when he saw Yūya going to where Shun Kurosaki was Dueling, Gongenzaka took action, saving Yūya from a collapsing pillar and restraining him as he began to thrash around. He ordered Mieru to go and get help, and Mieru enlisted Michio and Teppei's assistance in moving and restraining Yūya. Gongenzaka was shocked to hear that there was apparently another soul within Yūya and a darkness overpowering them both. Yūya eventually calmed down, and when he woke up, Gongenzaka explained to him what had happened. Gongenzaka later heard Yūya's vow to keep true to his ideals, and he smiled at the thought. He later thanked Michio during breakfast for helping Yūya recover, though this prompted a jealous Mieru to run away. Gongenzaka and Yūya later split up with Teppei and Michio, deciding to account for all of the Duelists in the Battle Royal due to the invasion and their inability to use their Duel Disk's communication functions. They ran into Dennis Macfield, informing him of the invasion and Dennis told them that Yuzu, who he'd beaten in a Duel, had said that she was going to the Iceberg Area, though they didn't find her there. Parting ways with Dennis, they went to the Ancient Ruins area where Shun had been Dueling, but there was no one there either. Finally, they found Sora Dueling Hikage in the Volcano Area, and they voiced their anger at his methods, but Sora ignored him. The duo then saw who they believed to be Yuzu Dueling members of the Obelisk Force, and they witnessed the sealing of Hikage, Michio, and Teppei into cards. Gongenzaka left Yūya with Sora and he went to assist "Yuzu".

Duel Against the Obelisk Force
Taking the 2000 LP penalty, Gongenzaka Pendulum Summoned monsters whose effects he used to add Shingo's Pendulum Monsters to Shun's hand, allowing Shun to win the Duel. He and the others later witnessed the inconclusive end of Yūya's Duel with Sora, and the arrival of Reiji Akaba afterwards, and Serena revealed to them that she wasn't Yuzu. Reiji revealed to the assembled Duelists, who he appointed as Lancers, that he had known that the Obelisk Force would invade and that he had them intercept them. Gongenzaka learned that Yuzu had acted as a decoy for Serena, and that the Obelisk Force had been pursuing her. Yūya then challenged Reiji to a Duel, and Gongenzaka explained to Mieru and Dennis about Reiji's strategy and his previous Duel with Yūya. He was excited when Yūya Fusion Summoned "Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon."

Departure
After the Duel concluded, Gongenzaka and the rest of the Lancers returned to the stadium where Reiji and Himika cancelled the Maiami Championship to reveal the Lancers' existence to the world. After that, his father requested him to have a serious match to test his resolve, which presumably resulted in him getting several injuries. The next day, Gongenzaka and Yūya went to LDS to meet with the Lancers. On the way, Yūya inquired him about his wounded face. Once they arrived, Reiji announced his plan to go to the Synchro Dimension to seek allies, and that their Duel Disks were upgraded to let them travel across dimensions.

Duel Against Dennis
Upon arriving at the Synchro Dimension, the Lancers were split, and Gongenzaka ended up with Dennis. Gongenzaka wanted to look for Yūya with little success, but Dennis was more focused on entertaining the people of the City, much to his displeasure. Dennis suggested that they have a "Hero vs. Villain" Duel with Gongenzaka as the villain. Gongenzaka initially refused, but in the end he reluctantly accepted after much convincing. Out of annoyance that Dennis wasn't taking his job as a Lancer seriously and that Dennis "lit him on fire", Gongenzaka demanded to be the Hero. Gongenzaka quickly Summoned "Superheavy God Oni Shutendo - G" and equipped it "Superheavy Samurai Soul Double Horn" and "Superheavy Samurai Soulshine Claw" to strengthen it. He brought Dennis to 100 LP, but he countered with a combination of "Entermage Trapeze Magican" and "Entermage Mirror Conductor" to weaken Gongenzaka's monsters and reduce his LP to 600. Gongenzaka Summoned "Superheavy Koujin Susano-O" to get rid of "Mirror Conductor" and use Dennis' "Entermage Hurricane" against him. "Susano-O" destroyed "Trapeze Magician", winning Gongenzaka the Duel. Afterwards, he and Dennis were approached by Gallager.

Underground Riding Duel
Gallager took them to an alley, and Gongenzaka refused to go any further, wanting to search for Yūya, until Dennis pointed out that they were fulfilling their mission as Lancers and Gallager dragged them into the elevator. Upon arriving in the City's Underground Dueling Arena, they were shocked to see Shun Dueling Mukuro Enjō. Shun later explained that he'd arrived alone and had joined the arena to look for strong Duelists, much to Gongenzaka's anger since Gongenzaka believed that he should have looked for the other Lancers first. Gongenzaka tried to keep the tension down between Shun and Dennis and explain to Gallager about the dimensions, but Dennis convinced him to keep it a secret. Learning about Riding Duels, Dennis was set up to Duel Shun, the plan being that they enter the Friendship Cup to meet many strong Duelists and Duel the Duel King, Jack Atlas, in hope of gaining more allies. Gongenzaka was still displeased about the arrangements, namely the greed and gambling of the spectators, but had no choice but watched the Riding Duel with Gallager as commentators. When Security arrived and interrupted the Riding Duel, Gongenzaka tried to escape with Gallager, but was cut off by a materialized "Gate Blocker" and arrested.

The Facility
Gongenzaka was sent to the Facility with Dennis and Shun, but Shun was put in solitary confinement for fighting on the first day that they spent there. He later witnessed the bullying of two new prisoners, who were unable to pay card bribes since their Decks had been stolen before they were arrested, and he angrily intimidated and bribed the blonde Security guard into keeping the two safe, and Dennis followed the suit by bribing another guards to allow the two to be given enough food and eat properly. The two prisoners developed immense respect for Gongenzaka as a result. Yūya and Shingo, along with two Commons, Crow Hogan and Shinji Weber were placed in their cell, having been arrested the day after Gongenzaka was. Gongenzaka told the two prisoners that he'd saved to stop acting unseemly before tearfully embracing Yūya, having never thought that he'd see his friend again. He introduced everyone to one another, but had to admit to them that he wasn't the "boss" of the prisoners. Later, after Yūya, Shingo, Crow and Shinji were bullied in the food rooms, Gongenzaka urged them not to fight, as they would only be sent to solitary confinement and reassured them that they would share their food. Gongenzaka later explained to the group that they could use their cards as bribes in order to receive better treatment, and revealed that he had done so for his fellow prisoners when Yūya protesting his action. The blonde Security guard then took them to Chojiro Tokumatsu, the "boss" of the prisoners, who demanded that they hand over their cards to ensure their comfort. Gongenzaka refused to hand over his cards for such a purpose and watched Yūya and Tokumatsu's Duel, reassuring the two prisoners that it would be okay.

Prison Break
After Yūya's victory, Chojiro held an Entertainment Duel Tournament between himself, Yūya and Shingo. Gongenzaka took notice of both Yūya's despondent mood and Crow's secrecy, and he inquired Crow about the events. Learning that Crow, Shinji, and recent arrival Damon intended to break out of prison, he was apparently able to convince them to work with the Lancers in doing so and alerted Yūya to Crow's decision. Gongenzaka then went to break Shun out of his cell, but Shun had already escaped and they briefly clashed in the corridor. Gongenzaka used his sandals to knock out a recovering guard and followed Shun to find their Duel Disks. He attempted to intervene during Yūya and Shingo's Duel with the Arrest Corps, but the effects of their "Goyo King" prevented Gongenzaka's attack lock and he was forced to end his turn. Shun joined the Duel and defeated the Arrest Corps with "Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon". They met up with Dennis, Serena, Shinji, Crow and Damon, and prepared to swim away from the Facility, but Tony, Damon's friend and their contact, had been captured by Jean-Michel Roget, who had Security recapture the group. The Executive Council then intervened, ordering the group to be brought to them. Once there, Yūya revealed their intents and origins to the Council, backed up by Reiji, who had already met with the Council. The Council had the group enter the Friendship Cup to prove their skills and intents.

Friendship Cup
With their entry to the Friendship Cup ensured, Gongenzaka and the others were taken to the hotel where all Friendship Cup participants are staying except for Yūya who was decided to be Jack's opponent in the exhibition match. Before being taken away, Gongenzaka told Yūya to do his best since he is sure Yuzu will be watching him somewhere.

Duel Against Crow
At the day of the Friendship Cup, Gongenzaka was chosen to be the Duelist to Duel in the first match with Crow as his opponent. He was quickly confused by the Riding Duel and D-Wheel's constant movement which almost caused him to crash, but knowing his mission, he resolved to not let it affect his steadfast spirit. As soon as the Duel began, Gongenzaka noticed Crow was distracted about something, which he considered disrespectful. Crow's rapid Synchro Summons managed to destroy Gongenzaka's monsters and put in a pinch. At that moment, an Action Card appeared, but Gongenzaka ignored it and took a 2600 ATK direct attack from "Assault Black Feather - Raikiri the Sudden Shower". On his next turn, Gongenzaka revealed his new Pendulum Monsters and performed a Pendulum-Synchro Summon, much to Yūya's surprise and the audience's excitement. Using his "Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B", Gongenzaka made a comeback and seemingly won the Duel, but knowing that Crow was being affected by something, he instead encouraged him to Duel more seriously, which gave Crow enough time to get an Action Card, "Evasion", and survive the turn with it. Crow then proceeded to defeat Gongenzaka, but Gongenzaka took the loss honorably and congratulated him before leaving.

Underground Labor Facility
Gongenzaka was taken to the Underground Labor Facility and put to work. Tsukikage and Chojiro also joined them, and when Gallager and his cronies tormented the most recent arrival, Duel Chaser 227, Gongenzaka ordered them to stop and demanded to know about Gallager's occupation, given that he had described himself as a promoter. Gallager explained that he searched for strong Duelists in the Underground Arena and Labor Facility and sent them to Jean-Michel Roget, including current Friendship Cup entrant Sergey Volkov. Gallager explained Sergey's history and rumors that Roget was from a different dimension.

While underground Gongenzaka told Yuzu, Tanner, Amanda, and Frank not to do anything on their own. Gongenzaka was doing cleanup work with Shingo until Crow came down and found out Academia invaded City. Gongenzaka, Shingo, and Shun then got their Duel Disks from Tsukikage, who also informed that Reira was Dueling alone to protect Serena. Shingo and Shun decide to go help while Gongenzaka stayed to protect Yuzu from Security. Gongenzaka looked for Yuzu but couldn't her, so he and Crow split up while Chojiro checked the control room. Gongenzaka finally found Yuzu, who asks Gongenzaka to take her out to the surface because her bracelet was shining, which means something must have happen to Yūya. He told her Academia finally invaded the Synchro Dimension and Yūya might be Dueling them. Before they could do anything they were separated from each other by the rioting inmates.

Jack vs. Sergey
When Gongenzaka, Shingo, and Chojiro reunited with Yūya, Tsukikage, Sora, and Reira, they found out Yuzu and Serena were captured by Sergey and Barrett, respectively. He also revealed that Roget was a defector of Academia who planned to use Yuzu as a bargaining chip to protect the City and his plans to turn the Synchro Dimension into his own kingdom. Gongenzaka also defended Sora when Shingo suspected him as a enemy when he was going to rescue Yuzu. Gongenzaka was surprised when Friendship Cup still continuing during the chaos. Gongenzaka and Tokumatsu ended up giving in to Yūya's request, and Gongenzaka supported Yūya's body as they began their journey to follow Sora and Tsukikage to save Yuzu. During Jack's and Sergey's Duel, the duo was surprised to see Sergey transform into a Dueling machine. While still on the move, Yūya and Gongenzaka notices how Sergey pushes Jack into a corner but continues to hold his own. After watching Jack saved Sergey from falling off the Duel lane, Gongenzaka became moved by Jack's action.

Commons Rebellion
After Sergey and Jack's Duel, the Commons continued to riot. During this time, Roget announced martial law throughout the City. In the middle of the speech, Yuzu knocked him to the ground and told Yūya how she truly felt about the situation at hand. After hearing Yuzu's words, Yūya intended to go save her, but Gongenzaka stopped him and told him to leave the job to Sora and Tsukikage. Sam appeared to tell Jack's message to Yūya and come to the Duel Palace but Gongenzaka tries to tell Yūya that's not important right now. But, Yūya remembered Yuzu's words and started to head towards the Duel Palace. Though the rioting Commons were in their way, they eventually reunited with Frank, Amanda, and Tanner and led then to the entry of the Duel Palace, where a group of Commons were rioting trying to get in, with Security holding them back. After hearing Yūya was trying to enter the Duel Palace, the Commons turned against Yūya under the belief he was with the Tops. At this time, Gongenzaka promised Yūya to put his life on the line in order to get Yūya to the palace. Just then Shun, Chojiro, Shingo, Reiji, and Reira appeared while riding Shun's "Raid Raptors". They jumped on and rode with them to the Duel Palace, where Yūya told the City that he would Duel Jack and make them smile with their Duel.

Friendship Cup Final Match
Gongenzaka helped the Lancers and Chojiro in fending off Security when they stormed the Duel Palace, defeating a "Jutte Lord" with "Susano-O". During the Duel after Yūya managed to withstand the attack of Jack's "Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight", Frank, Tanner, and Amanda were worried but Gongenzaka replies that Yūya hasn't lost yet. He later went out with the Lancers to quell the Commons' riots. He and Shingo block off a mob of Commons from Security with "Big Benkei", "Horagai", "Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian", "Abyss Actor - Pretty Heroine" and "Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie". They succeeded in stopping the riots as everyone was getting wrapped into the Duel. Watching Yūya slowly reducing "Tyrant's" ATK with "Nirvana High Paladin's" Pendulum effects, Gongenzaka named the move Straight Pendulum. Gongenzaka then was crying happily when Yūya won. The Council broadcasted via holograms their confession of the true purpose of tournament, resigned and disbanded, and dissolved the Tops and Commons system. Everyone widely clapped and agreed, and celebrations continued. Gongenzaka also watched Sora's broadcast and was surprised when Roget took Yuzu.

Reiji vs. Roget
Arriving at the building, Gongenzaka and Shingo headed to the broadcast where Sora was last seen, shocked to find it has been completely destroyed. For a moment, they thought Sora was caught up in the explosion as well, but Shun, who just arrived, disagreed as Sora won't be easily taken down. They regrouped with Yūya and the others in front of the room where Reiji was Dueling Roget. With Sora's hacking program, they able to get in while Gongenzaka carrying Sora. Reiji motioned them to stand back until he finally defeated Roget and exposed the one that he was Dueling with was nothing but a hologram while the real Roget watching from another room above. Roget tried to win over the Lancers' trust by revealing Reiji's connection with the Professor as well as the latter's identity, much to Gongenzaka, Yūya, and Shingo's shock. But seeing through Roget's intent, they decided to trust Reiji. Roget tried to escape with Yuzu, but was intercepted by Jack and Crow, allowing Yūya to rescue her. Gongnenzaka cried happily as he watched Yūya and Yuzu reunited. This moment didn't last long as Roget activated the dimension travel device with intention to send them along with the entire City to the void between dimensions, but it malfunctioned and created a wormhole instead that sucked him. The malfunction created another wormhole that sucked Yuzu, and later Yūya. Gongenzaka caught Yūya, preventing him from being sucked immediately, and later helped by Shun and Shingo. Unfortunately, they were not strong enough, leading them to be sucked as well.

Xyz Dimension Arc
When they came to, Gongenzaka and the others arrived at Heartland. They decided to split up: Shun looking for his Resistance comrades, while Gongnenzaka and the others looking for Yuzu. While on the look, they met refugees who thought they were Academia Duelists. To prove they didn't mean any harm, they gave them the foods they have gathered on their way. The refugee explained that there has been no sight of Resistance and assumed it was destroyed. The conversation was interrupted by Shingo's nagging for food. Gongnenzaka scolded him for unable to hold his hunger, but his stomach growled as well, revealing that he himself also hungry. The refugees offered to share the foods. Before they could accept, three Academia students arrived and challenged them to Duel. Gongenzaka, Yūya, and Shingo easily defeated them, prompting the Academis Duelists to run away. While running, they were attacked by someone and when Gongenzaka and the others rushed to them, they were already carded by a Resistance Duelist, Kaito Tenjō. Gongenzaka and Yūya tried to convince Kaito that they were not from Academia, but the distrustful Kaito challenged them to Duel to prove it. Offended, Shingo accepted the Duel, forcing Gongenzaka to join as well in hope able to pacify the two. Despite this, Gongenzaka was unable to persuade either Shingo or Kaito to stop due to their stubbornness. With Kaito viewing them as enemies, Gongenzaka has no choice but to Duel seriously. Gongenzaka assisted Shingo by trying to block Kaito's dragon from appearing on field, but he was eventually defeated by Kaito's overwhelming power.

Kaito vs. Yūya
Right after being defeated, Gongenzaka and Shingo watched Yūya Dueled Kaito, who was able to counter some of Yūya's tactics from learning through his first Duel. Even when Yūya Xyz Summoned "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon", Gongenzaka was surprised at Kaito being able to destroy it. When Yūya Xyz Summoned "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon", Shun, Allen, and Sayaka interrupted the Duel and cleared up the misunderstanding as Shun revealed that Yūya, Shingo and Gongenzaka were his comrades. While Kaito was still in doubt, Shun assured Kaito that Yūya wanted to stop Academia as much as they did, asking him to trust Yūya like he did. Upon hearing Yūya's last name and Sayaka's plea to return, Kaito refused before taking his leave of them.

The Resistance Hideout
Gongenzaka went to the Resistance's new hideout where he scolded Shingo for being rude to Allen. He was present when Allen began mistaking Yūya for Yūto, and explained to Shingo, who apparently forgot about Yūto, that he was someone Yuzu ran into a few times before and looks just like Yūya. He heard Shun explaining what happened at Standard to Allen and Sayaka, as well as his initial mistrust of Yūya before he eventually understood Yūto's decision to give Yūya "Dark Rebellion". Gongenzaka made a grave face once he found out how Academia launched a second massive attack that wiped out most of the civilians and the Resistance members. He, along with Yūya and Shingo, were surprised and shocked to hear of Yūshō's visit to the dimension as well as the fact that Yūshō was well-known in Heartland.

Shun vs. Kaito
When Shun and Kaito were about to Duel, Gongenzaka and Shingo arrived to stop them but to no futile. While they noted how "Rise Falcon" won't stand a chance against "Galaxy-Eyes" even if Raptor's Intercept Form. Gongenzaka and Shingo were surprised on how Kaito was able to counter Shun's "Blaze Falcon" Effect with Cipher Bit and turn it into a Overlay Unit. When Shun started using action cards to overcome "Galaxy-Eyes", Gongenzaka and Shingo started to chat the effects of each card he use. They started to get as Shun needed one more attack to defeat Kaito and were surprised when Yūya revealed that Yūto is residing inside of him. After Kaito defeated Shun and was about to seal him in a card, Sayaka begged not to before revealing that she was scene of Ruri's kidnapping by Yūri, shocking Gongenzaka. Kaito reluctantly complied before leaving again.

Duel Against Tyler Sisters
When Sayaka ran off to go find Kaito, Gongenzaka returned to the hideout and asked Shingo did he find her to no avail. Shun arrived and decided to split the Lancers into two groups to find Sayaka. While searching through Heartland, Gongenzaka and Shingo heard something and ran to it. They arrived to see Allen and Sayaka on the ground defeated. Gongenzaka checked on them while Shingo confronted the female Duelists. They then prepare to Duel against the female Duelists.

Yūya & Shun vs. Tyler Sisters
Unfortunately, the Tag Duel, which means sharing LP, field, and graveyard together, gave great disadvantage for both Gongenzaka and Shingo whose Deck consisted of monsters without any Spell nor Trap cards and Deck consisted only of high-level monsters, respectively. They were found by Yūya and Shun just as they were defeated. When Yūya asked him what happened, Gongenzaka said Amazoness, catching Shun's attention who have heard of the Deck. As Gongnenzaka lay injured with Shingo beside him, he could only watch as the Duel unfold. When the Tyler sisters LP were raised to 10,100, Gongenzaka noted how high it was and worried for Yūya and Shun, but this quickly turned to relief when Yūya and Shun were able to defeat the Tyler sisters.

Yūya & Shun vs. Obelisk Force
After Allen accepted Yūya as a comrade, the Obelisk Force arrived to challenge them. Gongenzaka and Shingo wanted to join but had to stay out cause of their injuries. During the Duel, Gongenzaka was worried when Shun was taken out of the Duel when falling debris hit him from "Antique Gear Chaos Giant" shockwave while protecting Sayaka. When Edo's squad started to surround them, Kaito defeated them allowing everyone to escape while Yūya Dueled Edo.

Departing to Fusion Dimension
Gongenzaka and others made it back to the hideout with Shun and watched over him while the Resistance went back for Yūya. They then learned that Academia in Heartland decided to abandon ARC Area Project and help rebuild the Xyz Dimension to atone for what they have done. Allen expressed his concern over their decision to let them help but Gongenzaka told him that Shun won't wake up without proper medical care. When Yūto started to talk through Yūya, Shingo wondered if was Yūya talking but Gongenzaka corrected him. He was surprised when Edo revealed that there's a way to change back the people who had been carded. However, they first must retrieve those who were carded from Academia in the Fusion Dimension since all the carded people were sent there.

Arrival in Fusion Dimension
Using the Interdimensional Travel Device in Academia's base in Heartland, Gongenzaka, Yūya, Shingo, and Kaito went to Fusion Dimension and found Yuzu cornered by Academia soldiers.

Yūya vs. Isao
He was surprised to Isao in the Fusion Dimension. When he spotted Dennis, Gongenzaka yelled at him for kidnapping Ruri and trying to do the same to Yuzu. They were surrounded by Academia soldiers and Gongenzaka Dueled them with Shingo to protect Yuzu. However, the Duel was left unfinished due to the soldiers being focused on Yūya and Isao's Duel. When Isao activated "Evil-Sealing Flash", Gongenzaka noted Yūya and Isao would take 2000 damage. He watched Yūya fall into the pit, but relieved when he escaped and applauded with everyone else for Yūya and Isao's Duel.

Yūya & Sora vs. Captain Solo
Gongenzaka went to the harbor with Yūya, Yuzu, and Shingo. However, the ship left and they tried to find a boat to catch up with it. But, when they couldn't find one, Serena appeared and told them to follow her. When they reached a ship, Captain Solo came out, surprising Gongenzaka after Shingo criticized Solo's pirate ship. As they set sail on Captain Solo's ship, more Academia soldiers arrived by helicopter and Yuzu is taken hostage by Serena. Gongenzaka and Shingo are tied up by Solo's crewmates. They watched Yūya Dueled against Solo and Gongenzaka wondered what Solo was planning when he Fusion Summoned "Captain Lock". When Solo revealed the effect of "Lock" that when a monster with 1000 or more ATK be on the field, "Lock" will destroy itself, Gongenzaka reminded Shingo that "Lock" is a monster on the field. When Yūya's started losing LP, Gongenzaka encouraged him to endure it. However, he and Shingo were worried when Solo knocked Yūya off the ship until Crow saved him. He and Shingo were then freed by Tsukikage and they jumped onto the speed boat, reuniting with the other Lancers. He was worried when Solo used "Grand Naval Battle" to shoot at their speed boat. When Sora told Shingo that can counter the effect of "Captain Lock" with his Extra Deck, Gongenzaka figured out that he summon monsters from it as opposed to his hand. He watched Yūya and Sora defeat Solo and heard the message Shinji and Chojiro sent them.

Heading towards Academia
Gongenzaka wondered why the Professor wanted Yuzu, Serena, Ruri, and Rin. Once he learned that they might be connected to the ARC Area Project, Gongenzaka deduced that if they rescued the girls first, the Project would be stopped. When Reiji revealed to everyone how he went to Academia three years ago and asked Yūya's father for help, Gongenzaka was surprised. He also learned that Reiji found out about Revival Zero and wondered what it meant. He found that it was another part of the Professor's plan involving Serena and Yūri, and may include Yūya as well. Reiji told Gongenzaka and the other Lancers to believe in their friends' strength and fight to the very end. After arriving on the island, Gongenzaka prepared to climb the mountain and charge into the Professor's lab.undefined

Survival Duel
After climbing up the mountain, they were surrounded by Academia students before utilizing their plan to spilt two groups with Yūya, Gongenzaka, Shingo, Crow, and Tsukikage Dueling the students while Reiji's group continue to the lab. When the students retreated, they chased after them but had fallen into a trap and were captured in energy nets. They were then forced into a Survival Duel with five Academia students that would only leave one man standing. Gongenzaka deduced that even if they don't card them, Academia will still card the losers. When Tsukikage went ahead to provide reconnaissance, they heard a scream and ran to the location only to find a Academia student sealed into a card. They then heard something in the bushes and another student came out scared. When Shingo and Crow ran after the student, Gongenzaka and Yūya followed them only to lose them. They heard Tsukikage's scream and ran to his location only to see a purple light. They then found him carded and Gongenzaka thought it was impossible for him to be defeated. Gongenzaka believed that Academia students would really card anyone without care, but Yūya told him there was another. They looked at Tsukikage's last message, revealing that there was an eleventh Duelist in the forest with them and decided to find Shingo and Crow fast.undefined Gongenzaka and Yūya found another student carded and Gongenzaka wondered who's doing it. They ran to find Shingo and Crow fast due to the danger of staying separated.undefined They were able to find Shingo and Crow after Crow activated "Black Feather - Last Will", but Crow was sealed into a card right after they arrived. After learning that Battle Beast was responsible for carding the Academia students and Tsukikage as well, Gongenzaka and Yūya challenged him to a Battle Royal Duel. Gongenzaka Pendulum-Synchro Summoned "Superheavy Ninja Shinobi-AC" and attempted to bypass Battle Beast's "Gladial Beasts" to avoid their battle-activated effects, but he was unable to do so and Battle Beast destroyed "Shinobi-AC" and Yūya's "Odd-Eyes", causing them to take damage whenever their cards were destroyed with his "Pollice Verso". Although Gongenzaka was able to revive "Shinobi-AC" in Defense Position, he lost more LP when "Shinobi-AC" was destroyed again by the effect of "Gladial Beast Gaizares". Yūya saved Gongenzaka by attracting the attention of Battle Beast, something that Gongenzaka knew was due to Gongenzaka's Steadfast style preventing him from using Action Cards. Gongenzaka then broke his own Steadfast style by activating the Action Card "Benkei Guard" in order to save Yūya, though at the cost of restricting his Deck. He was defeated by Battle Beast and badly wounded as a result. Battle Beast was about to seal him into a card, but Jack Atlas arrived in the arena, surprising everyone present.undefined He let Jack handle being helped by Shingo, who thought he held out because he knew Jack was coming. Gongenzaka didn't know he was coming, but believed something might happen under pressure. When Jack asked where Crow was, Gongenzaka could only close his eyes while Shingo revealed what happened. When Shingo wondered why Battle Beast's damage was so high, Gongenzaka reminded of the effect of "Pollice Verso". When Sanders brought "Gladial Beast Andabatae" back with "Gladial Beast Tamer Editor", Gongenzaka was surprised that he could freely summon other people's monsters. He and Shingo were surprised when Sanders revealed that the Professor ordered him to eliminate Yūya. When Yūya was in lost in thought, they called out to him because of Sanders' attack. Gongenzaka told Yūya not to let their comrades sacrifice go in vain. He was surprised when Battle Beast used the effect of "Tamer Editor" to destroy itself.undefined

Gongenzaka wondered why Battle Beast would attack his own allies. He was surprised when Yūya revealed that Battle Beast doesn't really want to fight. He wondered how Yūya and Battle Beast were similar and learned that Battle Beast's violent nature is similar to a threaten animal. When the students wanted their instructor sealed into a card, Gongenzaka was surprised by Academia's teachings. He was worried when Yūya was about to be defeated by the effect of "Gladial Beast Fort". He was surprised Jack protected Yūya from the second "Fort".

When Jack destroyed everything with the effect of "Red Daemon's Dragon Tyrant", Gongenzaka thought he was overdoing it even though Pendulum Monsters return to the Extra Deck. When Battle Beast brought out "Gladial Beast Great Fortress", Gongenzaka wondered was he inside it. Gongenzaka was surprised when "Andabatae" ATK reached 4000. Gongenzaka noted that Yūya is turning a wasteland after he Special Summoned Level 1 Pendulum Monsters. When Shingo was surprised when "Gaizares" came back weak, Gongenzaka told him because one monster already left the fortress. When Battle Beast Special Summoned "Gladial Beast Augustus", Gongenzaka was happy its the last monster and that Yūya still has "Pararhino" to win. But, he was surprised that Battle Beast still had a monster. He and Shingo wondered what Yūya did when he activated the effect of "Guard Dance". When Sanders thought Yūya will lose, Gongenzaka told him that "Great Fortress"' effect only affect monsters going to the graveyard except for Pendulum Monsters which go to the Extra Deck. When Yūya mentioned the people Battle Beast carded, Gongenzaka looked at him while holding the three cards. He told Yūya to go save Yuzu and Serena as Jack and Shingo helped him.undefined

Shun & Kaito vs. Zarc
Gongenzaka and Shingo arrived in the City and found a hurt Sora and Edo. They checked on them and learned that Yūya became the Supreme King Dragon Zarc, including how they were trying to regain Yūya's heart through Dueling. Gongenzaka left Shingo to watch over Sora and Edo to join the Duel until Jack arrived, telling him to wait. They then both joined the Duel, receiving intrusion penalties and watched Zarc defeat Shun and Kaito. Gongenzaka caught Shun and Kaito from crashing into the ground and received Yūya's pendant from Shun, promising to return Yūya to normal. He told Jack how everyone was trying to regain Yūya's heart and told Yūya they will rescue him. He and Jack then declared to Zarc that they were his opponents now.undefined

Duel Against Zarc
Thinking that Jack has a better chance in reaching Yūya, Gongenzaka decided to focus on protecting Jack from Zarc's attack at all cost and open the path for him. He started his turn by summoning "Superheavy Samurai Katanaka-G" in defense mode and summoned the rest of his monsters from his hands in the same defense position, a move that Zarc criticized as cowardly. Gongenzaka defended that it's his Steadfast Dueling, reminding Yūya of their days training together to refine their respective Dueling, telling Yūya to come at him with his Entertainment Dueling and he will accept all of his attack. The effect of Zarc's Equip Spell allowed his "Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing" to inflict its effect on all Gongenzaka and Jack's monsters on the Field. Gongenzaka released one of his monsters to special summon "Superheavy War God Fudomyo-O" to negate two destructions of their monsters and ended the battle phase. However, in the next turn, Gongenzaka used his monster to protect Jack's "Red Daemon's Dragons" again and this time was defenseless, receiving the damage that defeated him. Seeing Zarc responded to the word entertainment, Gongenzaka told Shingo that Yūya is still exist inside Zarc and asked him to bring Yūya back, lending Shingo his Duel Disk and entrusted him with Yūya's pendant.undefined

Shingo and Crow vs. Zarc
When Crow Synchro Summoned "[Assault Black Feather - Raikiri the Sudden Shower", Gongenzaka knew Zarc do the same during Crow's turn. He was surprised when Crow negated the effect of "Supreme King Gate Zero" and dealt damage to Zarc. Gongenzaka was surprised when Zarc Summoned "Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes". He was also surprised when he thought Shingo defeated Zarc with "Abyss Script - Abyss Entertainment". When Shingo used "Abyss Entertainment" again, Gongenzaka noted that Zarc already used the effect of "Odd-Eyes". Gongenzaka was surprised when Leo Akaba joined the Duel.undefined

Deck
Gongenzaka plays a "Superheavy Samurai" Deck. Unlike most Decks with a mixture of all three card Types (Monster, Magic, and Trap), Gongenzaka's Deck is composed only of Monster Cards. Furthermore, his style requires that he have no Magic or Trap Cards in his Graveyard and thus he cannot use Action Cards as they would remain in his Graveyard after each usage. Because of this, Gongenzaka utilizes several monsters that activate their effects from his hand or Graveyard. Also, he uses monsters that can be played as Magic as a substitute and bypass the five-zone limit for actual monsters on the field. For battling, Gongenzaka relies heavily on defensive tactics, allowing his opponent to strike first to counterattack or and using high DEF to protect himself.

For actual attacks, he relies mainly on his ace, "Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei", making him stock up on DEF-boosting cards to further strengthen this monster. By being able to attack using DEF instead of ATK for damage calculation, added with his monsters' huge DEF power, Gongenzaka can effectively take down strong monsters and/or deal massive damage while still defend himself with very difficult to defeat monsters. As per his "Steadfast" dueling style, he seems to only rely on one monster at a time while the rest power it up and/or ensure that it's never defeated.

After his draw against Yaiba Tōdō, he decides to incorporate Synchro Summoning into his Deck to further strengthen himself. Through this tactic, Gongenzaka can use his new ace monster, "Superheavy Koujin Susano-O", which lets him make use of Magic Card effects without disrupting his normal Duel style by instead accessing the Magic in his opponent's Graveyard. He also has the option of bringing "Superheavy God Oni Shutendo - G" to wipe out the opponent's Magic and Traps so he can safely attack. Gongenzaka later acquires his own Pendulum Monsters after becoming a Lancers, allowing him to Pendulum-Synchro Summon.