Tribute Kazuo Takahashi Creator Yu-Gi-Oh! Huy Dinh Purple Foil Variant #97/100

Tribute Variant — Kazuo Takahashi · Huy Dinh Purple Foil #97/100

A commemorative tribute variant honouring Kazuo Takahashi, the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!. Takahashi launched Yu-Gi-Oh! in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1996 and grew it into one of the most recognisable manga, anime and trading-card properties in the world — a cultural footprint comparable to a small handful of all-time franchises.

Cover by Huy Dinh on a deep purple foil finish. Print is capped at 100 copies worldwide, each individually hand-numbered on the cover. This is copy #97 of 100 — one of a few dozen in private circulation, and the specific physical copy you receive.

Brand-new, raw Near Mint, bagged and boarded. Shipped with slab-grade packaging — bag, board and rigid mailer.

Key Details

• Tribute To: Kazuo Takahashi
• Property: Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Cover Artist: Huy Dinh
• Foil Colour: Deep Purple
• Print Run: 100 worldwide
• This Copy: #97 of 100 (hand-numbered)
• Condition: Raw Near Mint
• Format: Commemorative tribute

Why It Matters

• 100 copies worldwide. Hard cap. Each copy is individually hand-numbered 1–100, and no additional prints will be produced. This is one of the smallest print-run variants in our exclusives lane.
• Hand-numbered #97/100. Each copy is individually identifiable. The book you order is the book you receive — copy #97 specifically.
• Creator tribute weight. Commemorative variants honouring deceased creators of culturally significant properties historically retain — and often grow — long-term collector value as the property's footprint cements.
• Yu-Gi-Oh! cultural footprint. The original 1996 manga, the long-running anime series, multiple film and OVA productions, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game — collectively one of the most-played and best-selling card games in history. The property sits in a top-tier cultural cluster.
• Purple foil treatment. A distinctive coloured-foil finish that displays strongly behind glass and gives the variant a clear visual identity within Huy Dinh's catalogue.
• Crossover collecting lane. Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG collectors and modern variant-comic collectors converge on tribute pieces like this — broader buyer pool than typical comic-only exclusives.

Creators

• Tribute To: Kazuo Takahashi
• Cover Artist: Huy Dinh

Kazuo Takahashi (1961–2022) created Yu-Gi-Oh!, debuting the manga in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1996. The property grew into the long-running anime franchise, multiple feature films and the globally significant Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game — the second-best-selling TCG in the world by lifetime sales. Takahashi's passing in July 2022 prompted tribute responses across the comic, manga and trading-card collecting communities.

Huy Dinh is a sought-after modern variant cover illustrator with a defined catalogue across multiple publishers and exclusive partners. His coloured-foil and virgin treatments — including this purple-foil tribute — sit in the upper tier of his exclusive output.

Collector Notes

Two collector lanes converge on this variant. First, Yu-Gi-Oh! collecting — TCG, manga, anime and merchandise — sits in a global, multi-decade fanbase that responds particularly strongly to creator-tribute and commemorative releases. Second, modern variant comic collecting — where Huy Dinh's coloured-foil exclusives consistently track upward, particularly on hand-numbered low-print issues.

A 100-print, hand-numbered, coloured-foil tribute variant by a recognised modern artist on a property of Yu-Gi-Oh's cultural scale is the kind of release that quietly cements its position over years rather than weeks. Comparable creator-tribute commemoratives across other manga properties have followed a similar pattern.

Note: this variant honours Takahashi's legacy as Yu-Gi-Oh's creator. The book is a commemorative tribute, not an official Konami / Shueisha publication of the manga itself. We list it clearly under our exclusives lane.

Shipping

UK insured tracked dispatch from Canterbury, Kent. Bagged, boarded and rigid-mailer protected. Same packaging standard we use on slabs — your hand-numbered tribute arrives display-ready.

• UK Dispatch: Within 24 hours
• International: Tracked + signed
• Protection: Bag + Board + Mailer