Yes, I’m the person who made that long research post the other day about Bakura’s name. I decided to make an entirely separate post talking about it. Most of this information will be the same but with some added details. Feel free to reblog this post instead of the other one.



To start this off, I will present the Kanji we are given in the manga:



This picture is from the manga where Ryou introduces himself.

Ryou: Bakura Ryou desu. Yoroshiku.



Translation: I’m Bakura Ryou. Pleased to meet you.



Bakura’s full name is: 獏良 (Baku - ra) 了(Ryou) – 獏良 了

Now I will break down what each individual Kanji character means. First up is, ‘獏‘ and its reading of “baku.”

There are people who misconstrue this Kanji character to mean a “dreamcatcher” which is an inaccurate definition as you can see in the above picture. Just because a word is similar to a western counterpart does not make it its western counterpart. Assuming that is disingenuous to the culture a ‘baku’ originates from and is quite frankly, localization. Localization is a problem because it can be fed into systemic racism whether or not the people behind it intend it to be taken in such a way. It is erasing an entire culture’s origins to a certain object, person, or place and claiming it as someone else’s culture. You can say that an object is similar to a western counterpart, but be careful not to say that an object is directly that western counterpart when defining an unfamiliar term.



While I will concur that the design of the Millennium Ring could be based off of a Native American dreamcatcher, I will argue that the Kanji (獏) from the name was entirely based off of the supernatural creature from Chinese and Japanese folklore. So the design of the Ring is entirely separate from the origin of Ryou Bakura’s actual name.

This is a baku. Similar to how dreamcatchers are said to capture nightmares, baku are supernatural creatures that eat nightmares.

Baku are classic chimera; the body of a bear, the nose of an elephant, the feet of a tiger, the tail of an ox, and the eyes of a rhinoceros. - Mizuki Shigeru



In addition to this, the baku name is also given to Asian animals called tapir which have elongated snouts similar to the creature in legend.

However, Kazuki Takahashi wasn’t just picking the character ‘獏‘ just because Yami no Bakura is a supernatural entity. There’s something much more meaningful behind his choice of Kanji.

When a child in Japan wakes shaking from a nightmare, she knows what to do. Hugging her face in her pillow, she whispers three times “Baku-san, come eat my dream. Baku-san, come eat my dream. Baku-san, come eat my dream.” If her request is granted, the monstrous baku will come into her room and suck the bad dream away. But the baku cannot be summoned without caution. A too-hungry baku might not be satiated with a single dream, and might suck away her hopes and ambitions along with it, leaving her hollow.

This quote is from the same article about baku. While most baku are good and can ward off evil spirits, a baku that is too hungry can feed on more than just nightmares; they can also take away a child’s hopes, ambitions, and dreams of the future.

Ryou is a character who had to deal with the loss of his mother and sister at a young age. In addition to this, he began having trouble with making friends because of his strange interests (games and the occult) and feminine appearance.

Yuugi made a wish on the Millennium Puzzle for friends. Every other wielder of a Millennium Item has their own ambitions (Malik - revenge, Pegasus - to see his wife again, Isis - to save her brother, Shaadi - to find all of the items and protect them, etc.). So it’s not a stretch to say that Ryou’s made his own wish on the Millennium Ring.



Translation:



Yami no Bakura: Instead of paying rent, I grant your wishes! Why, I’ve granted them almost every day!

Ryou: Wha…?!

((Note: This is playing on Yami no Bakura’s mocking title given to Ryou. It is “yadonushi” (宿主) and can mean a host to a parasite and an innkeeper/landlord. Whenever he calls Ryou “yadonushi,” he’s basically mocking his host and calling him his landlord. He’s paying “rent” to the landlord of this particular body he chose to nest inside.))

Translation:



Yami no Bakura: Didn’t you think this when you were playing those games…? “How fun this is!” “I wish I could play games with my friends forever…!” I granted that wish for you!

These panels explain Ryou’s wish, or better yet, his dream. It was to have friends that he could play games with which is similar to Yuugi’s own dream.



Translation:

Ryou: T-This is…!

Yami no Bakura: Ha ha ha! Now you can’t take the pendant off! Because of you, I’ve finally found the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle! I’ve decided to keep you as my permanent host!



When Ryou made this wish on the Millennium Ring, what he ended up getting was a baku that was “too hungry.” Yami no Bakura helped him gain friends, but only after twisting Ryou’s words to mean “keeping friends as permanent possessions.” When Yami no Bakura began possessing Ryou’s body, the spirit further isolated Ryou by scaring potential friends away or capturing their souls into figurines. By the time Ryou moved to Domino City, he had separated himself from the rest of his family to keep them out of harm’s way.

Translation:

Ryou: Friends who would play games with me would lose consciousness. They’re still in the hospital…You may not believe me, but it’s true…



Translation:



Ryou: That sort of thing kept happening, so people began avoiding me… That’s why I kept changing schools… Now I’m living in an apartment by myself, away from my family…



Yami no Bakura has the potential to fully suck away all of Ryou’s hopes, ambitions, and dreams of the future by keeping control of his body. Ryou most likely wants to attend college or even has aspirations for a career. With Yami no Bakura in control, that lowers the likelihood of him keeping up with schoolwork. With Ryou constantly changing schools, that in and of itself very much effects his ability to keep up with schoolwork. In Japan, you do not automatically get placed inside of a high school within a school district. You choose a high school for yourself based on how high you score on your entrance exam much like SATs and ACTs determine what colleges you can get into in the United States. If Ryou is transferring so often, he’s only going to be able to get into high schools that accept students with his entrance exam score or below that.



Ryou is made to go along with the Spirit’s schemes with his life only being a secondary priority. Yami no Bakura’s plans of retribution come first and Ryou comes second.

Now we get to the second Kanji character which is ‘良‘ being read as “ra.”



This is what this version of “ra” is typically means in normal Japanese. Though, you will notice that is it more often pronounced as “ryou” rather than as “ra” in the Japanese language. The “ra” reading of this character usually comes in when it is placed within a proper name of a person or place. The “ra” reading is the original Chinese Han pronunciation. The actual meaning of ‘良’ is largely the same regardless of how it’s read.



This particular Kanji character can mean “good,” “respectable,“ or “virtuous.”



The character ‘良‘ can apply to both Ryou and Yami no Bakura. Good can refer to Ryou’s good nature, intelligence, and artistic skill. He is also a very virtuous individual who is so willing to protect his friends that he’d willingly sacrifice his own life for theirs. On the other side of this, Yami no Bakura is good at stealing souls and is also intelligent in his own right.

Finally, we move onto the final Kanji character which is ‘了.’



This character has one reading which is “ryou.”



I would argue that the meanings behind this Kanji character reflects Ryou’s personality and purpose.



In terms of the meaning of “understanding,” Ryou is someone who perseveres despite having to deal with Yami no Bakura. Even while living on his own, Ryou manages to stay upbeat and helps out his friends to the best of his ability. While he’s not necessarily approving of the situation he’s in, he is at least aware of it and continues to fight for his friends.

With the meanings of “finish” and “completion,” Ryou also represents the “destined host,” or the one host that the Millennium Ring had decided to choose after all of those millennia. Up until Ryou was claimed, any person who came in contact with the Ring immediately burned to death.



Translation:

Pegasus: The moment he put on the necklace, fire burst out of his eyes and mouth… He died instantly, vomiting flames!

Translation:

Shaadi: The Millennium Items test the souls of those who possess them. Those souls who are not worthy will die…

The above panels show what happens to any person who wore the Millennium Ring before Ryou came into contact with it. As you can see, it’s quite a gruesome way to go.



Ryou is Yami no Bakura’s final stretch to the finish line for his goals. He is essential for the Spirit’s plans to succeed but is also arguably Yami no Bakura’s greatest threat as seen during the first RPG against Atem.

Translation:

Yami no Bakura: Y-you’re…! Bakura Ryou!

Ryou: I don’t want to lose anymore friends! Even if it means my soul should shatter!

Translation:

Yami no Bakura: But… if he put his entire soul into the dice, he can’t go back into his body! That’s suicide! He’s giving his life to destroy the dice…!

As seen in these panels, Yami no Bakura is genuinely terrified because Ryou is prepared to die in order to drag the Spirit down with him. If Yami no Bakura’s host is dead, that means he can’t destroy the Pharaoh. Ryou is the only person solely capable of destroying his entire plan and is seen as a threat from this point onwards. This is why up until the Memory World arc, Yami no Bakura doesn’t directly target Ryou’s friends. He only targets Yami no Yuugi/Atem and leaves the other enemies (Malik/Yami no Malik no Jinkaku, Pegasus, etc.) to do that in his place. Yami no Bakura knows that the moment he tries harming Ryou’s friends with his host still in their body, Ryou will destroy them both without a second thought.

Ryou is both what makes Yami no Bakura “complete” (in terms of giving him a physical body) and also is capable of “finishing” him (in terms of killing).



With all of this in mind, what does ‘獏良 了‘ mean altogether?



Let’s look at ‘獏良‘ (Bakura) as one name.



“Baku” is referring to the supernatural creature that has the potential to eat up everything relating to a child’s dreams. “Ra” is referring to being good or virtuous.



Together, the name could mean a “good entity” or refer to good being able to derive itself from a baku creature. It could also imply the dichotomy of having an evil spirit inside of a good-natured character. This dichotomy is a constant struggle for Yuugi and his friends throughout the entire series. One of their closest friends also harbors one of their greatest enemies.



Honestly, you can take many things out of Bakura Ryou’s name. That’s the genius behind the Kanji that Takahashi used for both characters in the manga. Ryou’s name tells a great story with just the Kanji alone.



獏良 了 – Bakura Ryou – A strong character who is destined to finish what Yami no Bakura started all those thousands of years ago against the Pharaoh. This is if Ryou can survive the Spirit eating his dreams.

