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You know, for a game that was originally about channeling the arcane powers of Ancient Egyptian deities, there sure are a lot of adorable cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!
So let’s take a second and appreciate the cutest of the cutest right here.
Yes my friends, we’re ranking the cuddliest of all monster cards in the game.
A lot of the penguin monsters are flip effect monsters that return another monster on the field to the hand.
However, these effects tend to be mandatory (i.e. you have to return a monster, even if that means returning one of your own!) making Nopenguin the perfect way to prevent your penguins from backfiring on you.
18. Outstanding Dog Marron
This is one of the few Yu-Gi-Oh cards that actually has a really deep lore, explained in the artworks of multiple cards.
This adorable dog sadly meets a terrible fate later down the line, becoming either a skeleton dog or a cyborg or both.
I’ll admit, the lore is a little patchy.
But for now, this guy is adorable.
I didn’t know it was possible for one dog to look so… polite? He looks like the kind of dog who’s a good boy and he knows it!
17. Dupe Frog
Some people would argue that frogs are gross.
I mean, a slimy creature that lives in a pond, how could that be cute?
However, I thoroughly believe that this guy is cute.
Just look at his little graduation hat!
This is a frog who’s worked hard to get where he is today. And I for one am very proud of him.
Frogs are actually one of the best water decks out there, and always have been. So not only is this guy one of the cutest cards I’ve ever seen, it’s also competitively viable, meaning it could actually work its way into a spot in my deck.
16. Majespecter Raccoon – Bunbuku
I’ve got a soft spot for pendulum monsters in my heart.
I rejoined the game at the very start of the pendulum era, so it’s grown to be one of my favorite summoning mechanics.
In particular, I absolutely adore the Majespecter archetype.
They’re an archetype of wind-spellcasters who are all pendulum monsters, with the odd thing being that none of them actually use their pendulum effects!
All that aside, they’re an archetype of magical little forest creatures dressed up in tiny magical outfits… what’s not to love about that?!
Raccoon is personally my favorite.
But honestly, any of the Majespecter monsters deserve a spot on this list.
15. Sylvan Marshalleaf
Sylvans aren’t an archetype normally considered to be cute…
But damn does this one card certainly nail it!
Aside from being one of the best normal summons this deck has in its arsenal, this guy is the cutest leaf I’ve ever seen.
He’s doing this tiny little run like Gandalf just told him he’s going on an adventure. And with those little flower-shaped maracas in his hand, and the adorably huge eyes, this thing just makes my heart melt.
Sadly it was printed one time only, in an anniversary pack in 2008.
Meaning this guy comes with a pretty hefty price tag if you’re looking to pick one up.
Regardless, this card is adorable.
He has a little sword with a hilt made out of a bone, and a bandana that looks ready for adventuring. You can really see the love that Takahashi had for his dog.
And it must be nice knowing that his best friend was forever immortalized in the form of a card. That’s gotta be adorable on its own, right?
13. Cheepcheepcheep
What’s cuter than a baby bird who’s just hatching from an egg?
Well, how about a baby bird who just hatched, who’s also covered in tiny little hamsters?
Seriously, this card has the exact recipe for an adorable card. 4 baby animals just chilling out, I’m assuming being the best of friends, all drawn in the cutest chibi art style I’ve ever seen.
On top of that, this card is actually pretty great for flip-effect decks too.
Cheepcheepcheep lets you special summon a level 5 or higher tuner straight from the deck, setting you up perfectly for a level 6 or higher synchro summon!
12. Rescue Rabbit
Rescue Rabbit was a meta defining card in its day.
But that doesn’t make it any less adorable.
By banishing this card face-up from your side of the field, you can special summon 2 level 4 or lower normal monsters with the same name from your deck to your side of the field.
This card made rank 4 or lower XYZ summons ludicrously easy, and actually made running normal monsters worthwhile!
All that aside, you also can’t deny how cute this card is.
The little rescue helmet and walkie talkie makes this guy seem so serious and dedicated, while also being a tiny little bunny.
11. Baby Raccoon Ponpoko
Speaking of cards that were amazing in the XYZ era, Raccoons were an archetype that really didn’t take off as much as they should have.
And this one’s pretty handy, here’s what it does:
When this card gets normal summoned, you can special summon a level 2 beast-type monster from your deck in face-down defense position, meaning next turn you’ll have two level 2 monsters to XYZ summon with.
I could actually see this card being used in Melffy decks, which is a recently released deck that’s all about level 2 beast monsters.
The Raccoon archetype is simply adorable as a whole – and this card is no exception.
Just look at this guy and his little bongo drum!
If they get any new cards released soon, you bet I’ll be building that deck for the cuteness factor alone.
10. Winged Kuriboh
Sometimes the cutest cards in Yu-Gi-Oh are the classics.
And Winged Kuriboh is one of them.
This card is famous for being the duel-spirit companion to Jaden Yuki, the protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh GX.
While this guy provided help in the toughest of duels that Jaden faced (albeit in the form of squeaks of support), I’m more concerned with how dang adorable he is.
The little playful wink is as close as Kuribohs can get to a smile (made a lot harder by their lack of a mouth). But that wink radiates such a positive energy.
10/10, would definitely have as my duel companion any day.
9. Danger!? Tsuchinoko?
This is another adorable card that is seriously powerful – in fact, this card is so good it had to be limited to one copy per deck!
Basically this guy generates crazy amounts of card advantage, putting monsters on your side of the field while also potentially giving you extra cards in your hand.
What I love most about this artwork, though, is his derpy expression.
He looks like those seals when they get their noses booped, squishing their necks down until it’s practically non-existent.
I don’t know who’s booping the snoot of this little guy, but I wish I was!
8. Naturia Beetle
You know an archetype is good at making cute cards when insects start looking adorable.
I mean, how could you not fall in love with this little guy?!
Normally I’m the first to shy away from insects (both the deck and the real-life ones).
But I think I could make an exception for this.
I love the wooden aesthetic he’s got going on, with the horn made out of twigs and the leaves made out of wings – then combine that with the huge blue eyes and you’ve got an adorable little forest critter.
7. Fluffal Cat
If there’s any archetype in Yu-Gi-Oh that nails “cute”, it’s Fluffals.
If you just ignore the horrible razorblade infused monsters they fusion into, these guys are top-tier adorable.
Fluffal Cat in particular is one of my personal favorites – the little bow tie and wings just make this card perfect.
Then combine this with Fluffal Cat’s amazing way of searching Polymerization, and you’ve got a card I’ll run in my Fluffal deck any day of the week.
6. Poki Draco
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit it:
In terms of effects, this guy kind of sucks.
When it’s summoned you can add a copy of it from your deck to your hand – definitely not anything to write home about.
Regardless, this card art shows one of the cutest dragons I’ve ever seen.
His little chubby body gives this dragon the least threatening aura I’ve ever seen – I think I was more intimidated by Fluffal Cat!
Poki Draco even has a little plaster on his head, implying he’s susceptible to little bumps and bruises.
In a battle between this guy and a Blue Eyes White Dragon, I think I know which dragon is coming out on top…
5. Fluffal Dog
Fluffal Dog is one of the best cards in the entire Fluffal arsenal.
It allows you to search out your Fluffal monsters or your Edge-Imp Sabres, setting you up perfectly to fusion summon into something much less adorable.
Now, there’s one key reason that I had to put this guy above Fluffal Cat in this ranking – toe beans.
That’s right, you can see this dog’s adorable little toe beans on the back paw, which is a sure-fire way to score those cute points in my eyes.
4. Melffy of the Forest
Many people have called Melffys the cutest archetype in Yu-Gi-Oh!
And I’m inclined to agree with them.
Every single card in the deck has this adorable pastel art style, and they’re all based off of forest creatures living together in harmony.
This card is the boss monster of the deck, and the artwork shows just that!
Here we’ve got one of the cutest of the cutest monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh.
If there’s a forest animal that you find cute, it’s probably somewhere in the artwork, in an adorable pastel art style.
3. Kuribandit
While Kuribandit may not be the typical definition of adorable, hear me out on this one.
What I love about this card art is how this Kuriboh is definitely trying to be intimidating. The sharp fangs, the eye patch, the bandana…
But it’s like a puppy trying to be intimidating – he’s just too cute for it to work!
The fact that this little guy put so much effort into his costume just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And I think this is undeniably adorable.
2. Imairuka
Often in Yu-Gi-Oh, the strongest cards also look the fiercest.
So some of the cutest cards are completely forgotten gems.
And Imairuka is exactly that.
It may not have the best effect, but it’s definitely adorable!
When it’s sent to the graveyard, you can mill a card from your deck, and if it’s a water monster you can draw an extra card. Not terrible, but not exactly worth running in a water deck either.
However, this guy doesn’t seem fazed by it!
The adorable chibi style, combined with this guy’s hide-behind-the-fins pose, all makes for the cutest shark I’ve ever seen.
I almost want to run this card just to get a smile when I end up drawing it.
1. Fluffal Mouse
Considering that Fluffals have appeared 3 times alone on this list so far, it’s not surprising that they have a representative right here on top as the cutest monster artwork ever made.
Where do you even start with this little guy?
He’s got a donut that’s way too big for him, plus the cutest smile I’ve ever seen on a mouse, and an adorable little bandana round his neck?
This is almost too cute to be real!
There seriously isn’t a single flaw with this card art.
It has the cutest style in all of Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as being the single most powerful card in a Fluffal deck.
Basically, it allows you to special summon up to 2 other Fluffal Mouse cards from your deck, making your field 3 times as adorable in an instant.
This also sets you up perfectly for fusion summoning an ungodly number of monsters in a single turn.
And before you know it, this little donut-wielding mouse could pave the way to victory.
Rob Myers is a physics student from England, who spends his time looking at space and turning it into numbers. In his free time he enjoys playing card games, reading the Discworld series, and working his way through his never ending video game library.
