The BEST episodes directed by Ryosuke Izumi
#1 - Who's the Vice-Captain!?
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 9
Now that the Cardfight Club has become official, the new faculty advisor Nakamurabashi makes the club decide on a captain and vice-captain for the club by order of the student council president. Since Aichi was the person who started the club, he reluctantly accepts the position of captain. As for who should be the vice-captain, Shingo is the only person who honestly wants the job while the others are apathetic on the matter. Not wanting to make a hasty decision, Nakamurabashi recommends to hold off until tomorrow on who to elect for vice-captain. After school, Misaki is convinced by her friend Akari to try out for vice-captain. The same happens with Kourin being persuaded by Takuto. The club meets the next day, and when Nakamurabashi asks again for who wants to be the vice-captain, Shingo, Naoki, Misaki, and Kourin all raise their hands. To finally settle things, the four cardfight each other with the overall winner becoming the vice-captain. Misaki defeats Shingo, but Naoki suffers a terrible loss against Kourin. Before the final faceoff between the two girls, Naoki expresses his frustration by saying how bad he feels after finding a passion in Vanguard and yet not initially caring for becoming vice-captain of the Cardfight Club. However, he soon gets over his mortification with a smile. Noticing Naoki's enthusiasm, Misaki, Kourin, and Shingo (much to his chagrin) agree to have Naoki be the vice-captain. As the club walks home from school, Naoki impulsively runs towards a riverside, followed by Aichi and Shingo, where Naoki and Shingo scuffle a bit in the river before all the boys let out one big yell at the sunset.
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#2 - Mikuru Shindou
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 6 - Episode 15
After the tournament, Shin talks with Chrono and reveals that he and Chrono's father Rive were friends and teammates. Knowing that Chrono wants to face Ryuzu Myoujin and despite warning him that he may die, Shin decides to have a cardfight with Chrono to test his resolve. During the battle, Shin reveals Ryuzu was involved in Rive's death, which causes Chrono to worry that Mikuru will be put in danger as well. But with some encouraging words from Mikuru, Chrono makes up his mind; he will protect both her and Vanguard from Ryuzu.
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#3 - Trinity Dragon's Fierce Battle
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 7 - Episode 14
Team Trinity Dragon stumbles upon a secret facility run by Wakamizu, and they challenge him. If any members of Trinity Dragon beat Wakamizu, then he will tell them his scheme. However, if Wakamizu defeats all of Trinity Dragon, then they will become guinea pigs for his experiments. Both Karl and Tsuneto lose, but Kei gathers information from their fights to finally defeat Wakamizu. As promised, he tells them that he has been using this facility to gather Stride Force to summon the last Zodiac Time Beast and open the Stride Gate. Wakamizu escapes by activating the facility's self-destruct mechanism. Team Trinity Dragon also escapes before the facility is destroyed, and the group tells Kamui what they have learned. After praising them, Kamui informs them about everything that has happened.
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#4 - Under the Starry Sky...
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 36
Something seems to be wrong with Kourin during the school camping trip. And why did she just invite Aichi to the legendary romantic tree?! Meanwhile, after pulling an all-nighter of intensive Vanguard training, the president and vice-president of Student Council lurk around, waiting for the perfect chance to use their newfound Cardfighting prowess to take down Aichi's club!
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#5 - Chrono vs. Jaime
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 5 - Episode 12
Chrono and Jaime have their cardfight as their friends (including Kouji, secretly) watch the match unfold. Jaime does the same Aqua Force combo he used to defeat Mamoru, but Chrono retaliates by striding Chronoscommand Dragon and then sending Jaime's rear-guards back into his deck. However, Jaime calls more rear-guards and continues his unrelenting assault on Chrono. In a last-ditch effort, Chrono strides Mystery-flare Dragon and activates its risky skill; by revealing the top four cards of his deck after a successful attack, if all those cards are of different grades, then Chrono gets another turn. He manages to get the right cards and ultimately wins the fight with his additional turn. This victory means that Chrono has fulfilled Jaime's quest and thus is awarded enough points to increase his grade. Finally, Jaime takes a flight back home and bids "adios" to Chrono.
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#6 - The Power of Bonds! X-tiger
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 5 - Episode 19
Kamui gives Chrono and Tokoha each a DVD movie starring Team Caesar for them to watch. In the film, Kenji, Yuri, and Gai are members of Earth Defense Squad Caesar; they pilot their own giant robots and protect the world from alien monsters. They seemingly destroy one named Zeal, but when they return to the scene, Gai sees that Zeal has shrunk itself and tries to shoot it but catches Yuri in the crossfire. Zeal takes slight control over Yuri's mech and attacks Gai, causing further mistrust. It is then that Zeal appears as an evolved form, attacks the team, and changes into its final form. To retaliate, Team Caesar combines each of their robots into Great Daikaiser. Gai wants to go for the finishing blow quickly, but Yuri tries to stop him for fear of collateral damage to the city. Their infighting causes a misfire that grazes Zeal which escapes. Frustrated, Gai leaves the team. Later, after discovering that Zeal was what caused Yuri's robot to attack Gai earlier, Zeal appears once more. With Gai gone, Kenji and Yuri attempt to stop it by themselves. They are almost defeated until the timely arrival of Gai. After the team reconciles, they combine into Great Daikaiser again and chase Zeal into outer space, where the team is surrounded and assaulted by a Legion of Zeals. Although heavily damaged, Caesar remains undaunted. Suddenly, the legendary robot Super Cosmic Hero, X-tiger appears before them. With its aid, Team Caesar wipes out the Legion of Zeals, thus saving the Earth. Although Tokoha did not like the movie, Chrono however loved it and becomes ecstatic when he meets the actual Team Caesar at the card shop.
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#7 - Yuichirou Kanzaki
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 5 - Episode 27
After much preparation by Team TRY3, the regional tournament finally begins. It opens with an exhibition match between last year's national champion Toyoyama and Yuichirou Kanzaki, the director of the United Sanctuary region and the man in charge of this tournament. Toyoyama seemingly has the upper hand until Kanzaki brutally retaliates and finishes the match. After Kanzaki gives a speech of elitism, the regional tournament starts as Team TRY3 makes it past the first round.
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#8 - Magallanica's Mermaid Princess
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 5 - Episode 34
TRY3 attends a special concert featuring Saya Yatomi, a popular idol from the Magallanica region and daughter of a former idol, Hitomi Kouzouji. They reluctantly become part of the event staff, and Tokoha finds herself fulfilling Saya's diva-like demands. Nonetheless, Tokoha realizes that she and Saya are alike in that they both want to be recognized as individuals and stop living in their idolized relatives' shadows. After a last-minute stage show in which Tokoha and Saya get in a pie fight, the two have a cardfight to settle the score. Then, when Chrono arrives home, he is told by his aunt Mikuru Shindou to stop playing Vanguard...
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#9 - The G Quest Begins!
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 6 - Episode 1
Chrono, Shion, and Tokoha teach a girl named Luna Yumizuki how to play Vanguard. After the teaching fight, Luna departs but accidentally leaves behind one of her cards. Later, TRY3 watches the announcement of the special Generation Quest. This quest will involve all 6 branches while reuniting fighters from the past and present, and the winners will become clan leaders. As TRY3 gets excited to take on the G Quest, they also learn that Luna is actually part of an idol group, Rummy Labyrinth, and has a partner named Am Chouno. Elsewhere, Kouji initiates Plan-G...
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#10 - Shion's Awakening
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 6 - Episode 7
While Shion fights as many chasers as possible, Chrono and Tokoha end up imprisoned after they each fall for some of the G Quest's traps. To rescue them, Shion must defeat the "prison guard" Miwa. Shion has a tough time due to Miwa's Seal Dragon deck benefiting from his normal tactics. Nevertheless, with new-found resolve to change himself, Shion sticks to his strategy and ultimately wins the fight. Soon afterwards, the quest ends with Shion having gained the majority of the points and thus making Team TRY3 the winner.
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#11 - An Ill-Tempered Visitor
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 7 - Episode 7
The attack on the Dragon Empire Branch left many people hospitalized, including Mamoru and Kouji. Tokoha blames herself by thinking if she had stopped Am and Luna, then this incident would not have happened. Tokoha is then approached by Rin Hashima, who challenges her to a cardfight. Tokoha is too sad to fully focus on the battle, but when Rin defeats her, she snaps out of her depression and is glad to see that all of the patients are recovering. Later, Chrono confronts Ryuzu again and challenges him...
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#12 - Blazing Sword
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 7 - Episode 20
After retrieving the Kiba family sword, Shion cardfights Shouma. He boasts how he has foreseen everything that has happened and enjoys when both his own predictions come true and unforeseen events occur. On the other hand, Shion retorts how Shouma is just a manipulative observer while he gain what he wants through his own efforts. At that moment, the Kiba sword transforms into a new G-unit for Shion: Blazing Sword, Fides. He uses its power to defeat Shouma, who predicted that this would happen. Just then, a large piece of debris is about to fall on Shouma, but Shion pushes him out of the way and is crushed. Shouma thinks that Shion is pretending to be unconscious but slowly realizes that he may be dead. He cries for Shion to wake up just as more debris falls on both of them.
#13 - The Traitor General
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 29
As Ren fights his Reversed best friend, Tetsu, we go back several years to see how they first met, when Ren was a wide-eyed freshman and Tetsu was a juvenile delinquent brawler who wanted to have nothing to do with him.
#14 - Lock
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 23
Kai meets with Takuto and tells him about the incident with Naoki. Takuto explains that it is the work of Reverse, a phenomenon created by the evil Void in its quest to envelop everything in darkness. He further elucidates that those who are Reversed will lose their souls and become engulfed with Void's energy if they lose to a Reversed fighter. It is then revealed that Takuto has been Reversed and is now an agent for Void. The two engage in a cardfight, and Kai is surprised to see Takuto's deck representing Link Joker, a never-before-seen clan that acts as the harbinger of Void. As the fight progresses, Kai is shocked by the terrifying Lock effect of Link Joker; his units are sealed away from being used until the end of his turn. Kai refuses to surrender, but when Takuto does a Break Ride and Locks two more of Kai's units, will Kai be able to still win?
#15 - Chaotic Destroyer
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 43
Continuing his broadcast which is only visible to cardfighters, Takuto reveals everything about Reverse and the black rings in the sky scattered around the world. He explains that those are gates which grow with each fighter becoming Reversed, eventually enveloping the entire world in darkness. At the end of the broadcast, as Aichi and his friends come to grips with this revelation, Kamui finally succumbs to Reverse and challenges Aichi. Soon becoming overwhelmed by an increased number of Reversed fighters, Aichi and his friends escape along with Gouki, Nagisa, Emi, Mai, and Rekka thanks to the timely arrival of Shin. Elsewhere, Miwa fights Kai using the latter's Kagero deck in an attempt to open his eyes. However, his efforts end in vain as Kai defeats him with Star-vader, Chaos Breaker Dragon while also telling Miwa that he became Reversed of his own volition to become as strong as Aichi and Ren. At Card Capital, Aichi and his friends decide to confront Takuto for information. Suddenly, Miwa, now Reversed, appears and tells them that they will have to fight Kai before getting to Takuto. He also tells Aichi that he and Ren are what drove Kai to becoming Reversed in the first place. After Miwa takes his leave, everyone resolves themselves to press onward, but Aichi is showing signs of hesitation after what Miwa said...
#16 - A Season of Journeys
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 4 - Episode 32
A year has passed since Kai freed Aichi. During that time, the Miyaji Cardfight Club won the High School Cardfight Vanguard championship. The club has also grown in terms of members and support from the student body, and they are holding exhibition fights almost every day. However, Kourin is not a member of the club as her memories regarding Aichi have disappeared. All the while, Aichi has been asked to speak at the upcoming graduation, but he is having a difficult time coming up with words for a speech. Meanwhile, Card Capital is holding a cardfight tournament the same day as graduation, but very few people have signed up. While the Cardfight Club has intramural matches with other schools, Aichi catches up with his friends while Naoki invites all their friends and rivals to the shop tournament. When Aichi talks with Ren, Ren reveals that he has not decided what to do yet in the future because he wants to always remain free. He mentions that Kai is the same way. As Aichi and Naoki head back to school, Kai finally appears. Kai reveals he has been fighting with some old rivals as a way to help him decide what to do in the future. Before Kai can reveal what that will be, Naoki invites him to the Card Capital shop tournament.
#17 - Hidden Fighting Spirit
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 16
The Vanguard Fight High School Championship finally begins with the Miyaji Cardfight Club having to attend the Kanto regional qualifiers. In the waiting room, the club sees Fukuhara's and Hitsue's Vanguard teams. In particular, Hitsue's team has a surprisingly strong look of determination to win the entire tournament. The first round pits Miyaji Academy against Hitsue High in a best-of-3 match. In the first game, Kai defeats Shingo, which puts Hitsue up 1-0. The second game features Miwa vs. Misaki. For the sake of his teammates, the typically-carefree Miwa goes all out with the Limit Break of Hellfire Seal Dragon, Blockade Inferno to retire all of Misaki's grade 2 rear-guards and gain a significant amount of power. Misaki completely defends herself, but she is left with a weakened battle formation. Nonetheless, on her next turn, Misaki rides Goddess of Good Luck, Fortuna and reassembles her forces. She also activates Fortuna's Limit Break to perform three drive checks and manages to get two drive triggers to increase her overall power, ultimately winning the game and tying the score 1-1. For the third and final game that will decide which team will advance through the tournament, Aichi and Izaki must fight each other.
#18 - The Two Leons
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 51
Leon and Takuto enter Tatsunagi HQ and confront Reversed Takuto, who sends Leon away and traps Takuto in black rings. Leon is transported to another room where he encounters his Reversed future self. The two Leons then fight each other, and the Reversed Leon eventually uses Blue Storm Karma Dragon, Maelstrom "Яeverse". Along with its powerful Limit Break, Reversed Leon puts an enormous amount of pressure on Leon while also retiring his rear-guards, leaving him with almost nothing. Against all odds, Leon uses Tetra-drive Dragon to defeat his Reversed self, who disappears after the long battle. Leon is left fatigued and is transported back to the original room where Takuto, freed from his bindings, challenges his Reversed self to a cardfight.
#19 - The Intersecting Path
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 58
The gate above Tatsunagi HQ slowly crumbles, which prompts everyone to evacuate the building while Aichi and Kai are still on the rooftop. Much to Aichi's shock, Kai reveals that he never was completely Reversed and was consciously Reversing others despite knowing the consequences of his actions, all for the sake of becoming the strongest. He also wants to fight Aichi again before he returns to normal in order to see who is the strongest between the two of them and whose path was right all along: his or Aichi's. And so, Aichi and Kai cardfight each other while everyone else watches from below. Thinking that he will only hurt Aichi and his friends again, Kai intends for this to be the last fight he will have against him and will be gone once it is over. However, Aichi tries to convince Kai that he is not alone and further exclaims it was because of him that Aichi is the person he is now. Despite Aichi's cries to bring him to his senses, Kai continues the fight by riding Dragonic Overlord "The Яe-birth"...
#20 - The Place Where Aichi Will Return
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 4 - Episode 13
Naoki makes a sign for the Miyaji Academy Cardfight Club and posts it on the door of the room where the club used to meet, thus creating a place where he feels confident that Aichi will return to. After telling Shingo to take care of the room, Naoki and Misaki leave the school and meet up with Kai, Kamui, and Miwa. Together, they travel to the site depicted in the photograph that Ren gave to Kai. Once there, they are surprised when Gaillard suddenly appears through a portal. Naoki tries to fight and defeat him, but ultimately, Gaillard is victorious. After Naoki suffers damage from his loss, Kai attempts to cardfight Gaillard. In a shocking turn of events, Kourin appears by Gaillard's side...
#21 - Steel Will
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 4 - Episode 19
While traversing the sanctuary, Kai and Naoki get separated from Misaki, Kamui, and Miwa, who are transported away to different rooms. In one room, Miwa is confronted by Neve, and the two engage in a cardfight. It is during the fight in which Neve talks about his past. His home country used to have civil war, and it was not until Neve decided to enter and ultimately win the European Vanguard Circuit that the country was brought back together. However, the country fell into war again during the Link Joker invasion, which forced Neve to fight his own friends. It was due to Aichi's efforts to stop Link Joker that made Neve decide to ally with him as a Quatre Knight. In the end, Miwa loses to Neve, who tells him the real reason as to why Aichi is currently sealed in the sanctuary, which is to stop another war similar to the Link Joker invasion from happening. Because of Miwa's defeat, Neve erases his memories regarding Aichi, and Miwa is teleported back to Earth in front of Card Capital.
#22 - Cold Ambition
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 4 - Episode 25
While Ren and Leon explain their reasons as to why they wanted to remain neutral in the whole situation, Rati cardfights Serra, who is now using a Link Joker deck. Rati tries her best to defeat Serra after finally realizing the value of friendship from Aichi and Misaki. Nonetheless, Serra, who wants to use the power of Link Joker for himself, beats Rati and thus breaks the last seal...
#23 - Mamoru Anjou
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 5 - Episode 6
Kamui invites Chrono to a special FIVA event where one lucky person can get a chance to fight against Mamoru, who is the Kagero clan leader of the region. After Chrono registers himself for the event, he is approached by a man in a costume of FIVA's mascot character, Vangaro, who is interested in fighting against Chrono's Gear Chronicle deck. Then, Mamoru appears, trying to find the branch manager. He quickly deduces that "Vangaro" is the manager, who escapes with Chrono in hand. To track the manager down, Mamoru creates a quest for all fighters to "catch Vangaro", thus leading the manager and a reluctant Chrono to be chased by several people. They find shelter in a secret room where the manager discards his Vangaro costume and reveals his true appearance. Chrono and the manager have their cardfight in another room equipped with GIRS. Before the battle could conclude, Mamoru shows up, after finishing the event in which he fought a randomly-selected attendee (Tsuneto), and chastises the manager. Chrono and Mamoru finally meet and get acquainted with each other; Mamoru requests to fight Chrono, but he declines because he wishes to get stronger first.
#24 - Catching a Break
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Season 3 - Episode 2
The news of Kourin transferring into Aichi's class becomes a hot topic, especially when the male classmates start talking to Aichi to get closer to her once they learn that the two know each other. Then, Aichi gets an idea on how to promote Vanguard at his school. Because there is no Cardfight Club, Aichi decides to make one himself. The next day, he tries to recruit enough members to officially start the club (needing a minimum of five people, including himself) by handing out leaflets in front of the school. His pleas fall on deaf ears until Kourin agrees to be a member. Her enlistment is followed by several other boys who want to join (only to be with Kourin), but she proposes that anybody who wants to become club members will have to defeat either her and Aichi in cardfights before they can enter. The two easily beat all of the challengers, but then Naoki steps up to play against Kourin with honest feelings of wanting to join the club. With a new Jewel Knight Royal Paladin deck, Kourin battles Naoki, who uses the Eradicator Narukami trial deck he bought a while ago. In the middle of the fight, Naoki reveals that he knew Aichi from when he was in the elementary school division of Miyaji Academy and how he felt guilty for not doing anything to help Aichi who was being bullied at the time. Naoki further explains that seeing how much Aichi has changed because of Vanguard motivated him to find something to be passionate about and ultimately change himself. In the end, Naoki defeats Kourin with the Break Ride ability of Eradicator, Vowing Sword Dragon. With that, Naoki is initiated into the newly-formed Cardfight Club, and Aichi's life in high school truly begins.