Joey gets a harem? Good for him!

So Hajime took it down from the inside, with some minor guidance from Izuru that was helpful, and with surprising help from Junko they was eventually able to defeat the Leviathan's power source to make the souls off limits. While on the outside, MAJOR HYPE! They summoned Satanel! Even using lines from The Phantom Thieves final fight against the false god/Distorted Holy Grail!

Hell fucking yes.

I also loved Iona's little Kingdom Hearts nod as she told Yukizome you make a good other, Roxas is my second favorite KH character ever! First is Aqua!

At least let Kotomi and her crush get together at little before her inevitable end if you are following canon in that regards of what happened to her, but in fairness compared to what happened to the rest of the student council her demise was more merciful.

Anyway the duel between Mai and Kotomi was quite something and she did prove she was more than a pretty and energetic face.

So next Gundham vs an old friend, or so it seems.

Well that was quite the chapter and I am surprised Kaiba didn't flinch at the Kuribohs lol. But it just proves you shouldn't push some of Yuikzome's buttons or else she will hurt you a LOT.

So the next duel might be interesting, but I have a feeling who will win.

Well I am not shocked Bandit Keith cheated during the duel, and Espa has become a true psychic. However despite it being a hard fought duel just the same Espa came out on top and I hope he and Gundham will meet for a rematch.

And for foresee that London Kuriboh is about to get steamrolled by the so-called "Maid." I just know he'll piss her off and pay dearly.

Well I half expected Sonia's brother to win, but I am quite surprised and I like it. Leon's Fairy Tail theme deck is interesting, and the RWBY influences were strong in it XD.

Well that duel had a lot of "plot twists" and some near misses for Sonia, but some luck and the right card combinations carried her through.

So next is Rafael facing new meat, uh I mean a new arrival...even through I have a feeling he's on the chopping block.

Despite a bad hand Hajime still came out on top against who I can only call what the daughter between Sonia and Gundham might look like XD.

Some close ones, but Hajime still wins and I am looking forward to the next one.

Well that is quite the line up of contenders and I do foresee some intense fights ahead and long awaited rematches. I am interested to see what kind of monsters Monaca will have, and I look forward to the fight between Sonia and her brother.

No doubt the poor man has been broken by Junko completely.

And I love the Mikan and Kaiba moments.

I would be lying if I didn't say I loved how Junko got under Kaiba's skin, so much he went to Pegasus soon afterwards to get some info from a man he wanted to steer clear of.

Well that was some impressive dueling by Mukuro this chapter and some potential growth until Junko stepped in, and speaking of Junko she got a new partner for his goals which is really not good.

This was a good chapter with some good development and backstory for the sisters.

huh, Yukizome really gave it one hell of a fight against Dartz in the duel, but what amazed me and made me happy was seeing the summoning of Izanagi that made me think of the Izanagi from the Persona series, especially with that weapon of choice. truly a fitting monster to change fate and help Yukizome defeat the mad man.

Sadly, the guy just doesn't quit and now gave up his own soul to revive the beast, now they got kick his and Leviathan's ass AGAIN. I swear if Chiaki was here she would be commenting how this is like end game bosses that get a second bar of HP after you kill them the first time.

I've blitzed through this fic over the course of a few days, so I hope that's a sign that I liked it. ... And then waited a few days to write the review, so I basically had to skim and reread most of it to make sure I got details right. Which took longer. It was well worth it. XD Apologies if this review is disorganized as a result.

I really liked the Battle City (especially its second half), Virtual World and Canadian Finals for emphasizing the cast interactions so much. Hoping to see more casual interaction, especially with Yugi in Hopes Peak to facilitate characters hanging out.

The Orichalcos arc was the weakest overall, at least for me. It was one of the longer arcs so far and didn't shake things up the way that the previous Yugioh-based arcs did. Everyone had their designated antagonists, which made most of the matchups predictable, with exception of Junko vs. Rafael and Yukizome vs. Dartz. And the protagonist vs. antagonist pairings didn't draw me in all that much for the most part. There was so little cross-series interaction, other than Danganronpa characters being transplanted into Yugioh.
Throwing in Pythagoras and Iona didn't help. It felt like very little was done with them, despite being significant changes in theory. Iona especially, given that Yukizome is her reincarnation and Dartz her husband before the Orichalcos influenced him. It removes her being stuffed into the fridge, sure, but Yukizome and Dartz had very little dynamic beyond protagonist vs. antagonist. The conflict felt alluded to, with their relationships to Hiyoko and discussing it, but between them there was nothing because there didn’t seem to really be any emotional connection. A lot depends on whether or not there's going to be more Atlantis stuff down the line, but right now creating the link felt kind of pointless, especially since Yukizome ultimately doesn't care about it.
Dartz and Rafael failing to really oppose Junko was kind of disappointing as well. Rafael's failure (and subsequent indoctrination), I didn't have much issue with, it highlighted Junko's own manipulation and growing skills as a duelist. But Dartz just kind of ignoring her? It made sense with her initial gambit, since it didn't threaten his plans at all. But once she started interfering, only to receive no retaliation? That felt more like ignoring her so that she could keep on building towards her own plans.
I guess to sum up, the arc felt like it was set up for Junko's plot more than it was for its own merits, because it felt lackluster.
That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the arc or that there weren't parts that stood out in a good way.
Delving into Nagito's character and self-esteem issues, Sonia overcoming her trauma when she initially seemed unaffected in Battle City's wrap up, and Gundham's own lingering trauma and guilt fueling his actions all made for great character arcs. The tag duel between Valon, Natsumi, Mai and Joey. Yami encountering all the spirits he's vanquished. Mukuro being a badass. The concept of the RPG battle. The battle against the Great Leviathan.

The pregnancy arc was a bit of a surprise and I think fairly well done. Not nearly as exciting as the other arcs, given that it was slice of life, but combined with the Canadian Nationals, made for a nice breather. Especially since, while not a 'high-stakes' bit, the Canadian Nationals still had plenty of dramatic duels, between how close the duels could be and the heightened character motivations. Plus, we were between several action packed arcs and the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix arc. And a break from Junko's manipulations. Did a bit to build up the Class 77-B camaraderie as well. Definitely not my favorite arc, but appreciated for doing its own thing and giving the action a break benefited the story I feel.

Overall, I have a lot of respect for how you've integrated the two worlds, as someone who only really knows the Yugioh side of the story. Seeing the decks of the Danganronpa characters and how they've developed has been a lot of fun, especially with Byakura and Celeste. It feels like they've been the most consistently integrated with the Yugioh cast other than maybe Junko.

You've really done a lot with Celeste in particular, I feel. She's had a huge character arc due to her wild-card nature during Battle City's first half, her gratitude towards Mahiru, guilt about aiding Marik, and growing feelings of friendship with Yugi's group, as well as romantic feelings towards Joey. And then there's her just flat out saying that if, during the Orichalcos arc, the Yugioh side had been able to contact her, she would have helped. Despite basically being a small line, I think that was a big moment that does a lot to show how far she's come.
One of the most interesting things that you've done with her, independent of the Yugioh side of things, is that she's actually a foil to Junko with the backstory you set up. They're both highly intelligent people whose worlds were boring and under stimulating until they found what made them passionate. Gambling and despair. Moreover, it's not just about winning for them. For it to feel like a real gamble to Celeste, she wants her back against the wall, a challenge. For Junko, the possibility of despair being turned on her. Throw in their propensity for deception, taking on roles, and that Yami even compared their forms of 'support' (with Junko's being anything but) during the Orichalcos arc and there you go. Plus there's also their respective feelings towards Joey and Yami. I'm not sure I want them to clash or not given this. On the one hand, it'd be pretty great. On the other... the results for Celeste? Probably much less great.
I also really like her relationship with Joey, whether she wins his affections or not. Her development has been fun, slowly realizing that she cares. But also their dynamic of her leading him in some respects, leading to challenging him but also trying to support him at the same time. I also really like his pushback, especially his "I get how you're trying to help me and I DO appreciate it, but it's also just not me" moment in Battle City. That was just good interplay. I also feel like they can continue to learn from one another. From Celeste, Joey can learn to not give up on himself. His goal is, ultimately, to support his sister, which is a GREAT goal! But it's in part because he has little faith in his own potential in the long term. Yet he's becoming a great duelist with a solid longer term career, with which he has the potential to support himself AND his sister. From Joey, Celeste can learn to appreciate the ordinary more, because it can surprise her.
Also, Red-Eyed Gambler with the Red-Eyes duelist seems like a fun match. There's even Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, which could match with her vampire deck if she mixes in some generic zombie support, no? Also, I think I remember Joey using a Vampire Hunter at one point on the Battle City duels, which is amusing in its own right.
Anyways, you've managed to pretty solidly make it my ship for this fic, when I'm more often ambivalent to that type of thing. Well done! Though, I suppose there is the question of how the relationship will develop should they develop more of an equilibrium and challenge and push one another less.
What happened to her and Joey's agreement to talk after the Canadian tournament? Did it just slip their minds with all the excitement? Or is that going to be a flashback?

Byakuya hasn't had quite as much presence, I feel. At the same time, his potential growing 'friendship' with Joey has been fun and I really like his desire to really learn about the Heart of the Cards. It's a unique character goal and will make his growth satisfying on a couple different levels. That ambition, combined with his ego, but slowly softening up all make for a really fun combination.

Hajime had been a treat during Battle City, but after that... I found myself less interested in his side of the story. I think that a large part of it was his transition to being Class 77's Ultimate Duelist.
He started the story as an underdog and that was interesting to read. He had to try and struggle and grow. He had his insecurities about his worth and he had his ambition. Then the plot with Izuru happened and he was handed his talent. The situation is more complicated than that, he almost lost his very being and was in a lot of danger. But he did not need to hone his talent, to struggle, etc. to achieve this.
His drive to defeat Marik and Yugi was still great, to defy 'destiny.' But then he succeeded and it doesn't feel like he has much left to prove. He's his class's Ultimate Duelist, he got the girl, he got the job, he has his son, etc. I'm just waiting for some aspiration from him again. The most this has been threatened was with the 'Ultimate Exam,' which I found more exciting than his character than his role in the Orichalcos arc, even though I enjoyed his contributions to the Leviathan and RPG battles. That exam and his duel against Chiaki were just a lot of fun to read.
I don't think that he needs his position or family threatened, as much as he could use something to strive for again.
His resolve to help lift others up, from after his loss to Nagito in the Orichalcos arc, hasn't really been followed up on either. He's mostly concerned with his family and career, which are valid priorities, but he just seems content with it. (Also, upon rereading the Orichalcos arc, he doesn't even mention Joey dueling against Junko if Yami loses, which... oof. No faith. XD Leads into this next point though)
His duel with Joey was somewhat disappointing as a consequence to this. Joey was in his corner during Battle City as a fellow underdog, but he beat Joey without much trouble and critiqued him for his tactics (... which is fair. XD) and not doing enough to bolster his deck. I think this was well intentioned, but also kind of condescending (possibly linked to his desire I talked about in the last paragraph? If so, great follow up). They both came from the point of putting together the best deck they could with limited means. I get the sense that Hajime has gotten caught up in where he is now whereas Joey was left behind, which is kind of sad after that initial camaraderie. Not that I think Joey would be resentful. While I would be surprised if they get a rematch this arc, given that Leon and Siegfried, the apparent threats of the arc barring a major twist, are each in their brackets, I would definitely like to see one at some point.

I also think that there is a disparity between Hajime saving Chiaki and Chiaki saving Hajime, despite your intent. The number of rescues between them might be equal, but the narratives around each one differs. They both save one another from what's basically an ambush, with the Rare Hunters and Yami Bakura, and face great peril to do so, a two on one duel and a Shadow Game. Those are about equal, but the second saving... not so much.
Hajime with the Steering Committee and becoming Izuru (almost had a typo, Izuku, which would be a very different turn of events...) was ultimately a result of his own choices. He wanted to be special, to be closer to Chiaki, and was willing to put himself at risk to do it. Then there's his getting greedy during his duel with Tengan and overloading his deck with rare monsters. What happened to him and his barely avoided fate is due to the consequences of his mistakes. Part of the arc is about Chiaki saying, definitively, that Hajime has worth. Pushing that his 'need' to be special or worthy is something that he imposed upon himself, but that she doesn't need him to do that. HE doesn't need that.
Chiaki didn't really make a mistake, by contrast. She didn't hold back against Nagito or make misplays or anything like that. She just... lost, setting up Hajime's motivation to save his girlfriend. At most, this is about Nagito's weakness than hers, his lack of self-worth. Which does make him a good rival for Hajime at this point in time narratively, given that this is what Hajime overcame. But it still comes at Chiaki's expense, because she, for all intents and purposes, doesn't play into it. Not as Chiaki.
In any case, what's done is done.
Also, there is mention of a Falsebound Kingdom arc in that same author's note, which I had to look that up and it seems fun. Looking forward to that. XD

Junko has been a solid antagonist thus far. Her general depravity and the set up for her plans have been solid enough, but I've very much enjoyed how she can pick some characters apart. That said, I think that the two most annoying things about Junko would probably be that we, the audience, know she's two-faced combined with how blatant or overdramatic she is about it but nobody knows and that she doesn't really get any setbacks. As an addition to the first part, Yami and Yugi 'know' about her sadistic tendencies, but aren't really DOING anything to challenge this aside from ineffectually chiding her about it. This, no doubt, will make it more satisfying when she does start to suffer actual setbacks. XD Don't really care so much for her advances on Yami so far, but I do think her feelings towards him have some great potential down the road, as she gets closer to breaking him.
Speaking of, with her efforts to corrupt Yami, part of me wants to see her pull it off, although hopefully temporarily. It would be a great narrative arc. Dueling against him would be a great obstacle for Joey (battle of friends and a reversal of when Marik controlled him), Kaiba (the antagonist rival being on the good side), Makoto (dueling his idol), or even Yugi, if corrupting one doesn't corrupt the other. Of the four, Yugi or Makoto might be the one I'm least interested in though. Yugi and Yami already had that duel in canon and Makoto's gravitated more towards Kaiba, albeit this might change given that they have become classmates. Someone else could be fun, but of current dynamics they'd be the best ones.
Also, it is just terrifying that she has Frightfurs. An Arc-V era deck. This is Yugioh Duel Monsters era. There's so much power creep there... XD Although Kaiba pulled out Blue-Eyes Twin Burst, so maybe characters are going to be caught up.
What I do want to critique about her villainy was just... handing her the Millennium Key. Its abilities definitely are a great boon for her, especially how she likes to break people, but it was basically just dropped in her hand. Still, she doesn't have the Scale and Shadi's gone, so seeing who picks that up may be interesting. Or if this makes Diva active early.

Mukuro, I find less interesting, since she's mostly been portrayed with two modes. Junko's lackey and fawning over Makoto. That said, her most recent developments, with her Wolf Deck, skilled dueling, and breaking away from Junko's ideology give me hope for her character. I also like that, while Makoto was the one to get her to start believing, he wasn't the only one. It keeps her character from solely revolving around her sister and crush. So, it feels like we’ve really just reached her starting point in regards to development.

Ibuki has been integrated on a level I would consider similar to Celeste and Byakuya, becoming one of Joey's best friends in Battle City and a great consistent source of comic relief, as well as one of Joey's main motivations for dueling Natsumi. Her going down and Joey's reaction to it was really great.
I do kind of wish that she was more involved in the dueling overall, but it seems she's been relegated to a second stringer at this point. Of course, character bloat is a thing, she doesn't need to duel when her personality is the main entertainment factor, and you need to keep the plot moving. That said, her contributions to the duel against Nezbitt were still pretty great.

Mikan is probably the reincarnation of Kisara, given her apparent connection to the Blue-Eyes and that Yukizome was Iona's reincarnation, which means that Danganronpa-Yugioh reincarnations aren't yet off the table. If not for that, if she ever duels, I'd almost expect her to be running an Aromage deck. She was mentioned using Injection Fairy Lily, which would still pair well, since Aromages would let her build up her Life Points to fuel Lily.

I'm wondering if we'll see Akane duel. She expressed interest back in chapter 26, with the promise of learning from Yugi and co, as well as after Fuyuhiko lost his soul, getting a similar promise from Hajime. So, being the possible student of TWO Ultimate Duelists is pretty impressive... or a massive headache for them, given how she is. Either way works. XD

Of the major Yugioh characters, I think you've done the most interesting things with Joey. He had a huge narrative arc in Battle City focused around his growth and had the most dynamics with the Danganronpa side of things, plus significant changes to his deck. With the exception of missing out on Jinzo, it's a lot stronger than in canon. He even got an arc to himself (and Celeste) in the Canadian Nationals arc! As a result of his growth, he's definitely one of the characters I'm constantly rooting for the most. Definitely hoping he’ll be able to go far in the current tournament.

Yugi and Yami, by contrast, haven't had nearly as much, I think. They, if anything, have had less than in canon really, given that they have yet to actually be the one to defeat any major enemies (other than Orichalcos Junko). Makoto took Noah, Hajime took Noah, and Yukizome took Dartz. Danganronpa characters have been the ones to defeat the Yugioh Big Bads. That said, there's clearly been a lot of buildup, given Junko's efforts to corrupt Yami and their belief in Fate being broken. I'd even call the latter a potentially positive trait, since it can make Yami as close-minded Kaiba can be when encountering something new. Well, positive, if not for Junko's influence. XD Plus, with more original arcs being on the way, I hope we get to see them save the day a bit more.
I did find Yugi's duel with Celeste great though, for giving YUGI rather than Yami a new major duel and victory.

Kaiba is in a weird place, narratively. You've done a lot to soften him up, with how he treats the Danganronpa cast. He's very open with his fondness of several of them. It’s frankly a bit bizarre to see him so warm in regards to Mikan, Makoto and Chiaki. I’m not against this mind you, a lot of it is coming from respect for their abilities and not feeling threatened by them. On rare occasions they even bond! Plus the relationships not being tainted by his obsessive rivalry with Yugi.
All of this makes his treatment of Joey stand out a lot more by contrast, because he mostly treats the latter the same despite softening in several respects. Junko's analysis of this was great. If this gets explored further, that could be pretty interesting. Presumably Hajime didn't get the same contempt due to his association with Chiaki and defeat of Marik.
Kaiba's decision to lock away the God Cards is interesting, and likely necessary. Not just for the potential danger, but also just for the sake of maintaining story balance, given how overpowered they are. And of course, pulling them out again might serve as the Godzilla Threshold.
That said, since he has the Wicked Dreadroot, which is treated as approximately on par, and kept it given the RPG battle with Dartz, he's also being hypocritical. Plus Yukizome having the Wicked Eraser. Still, we have two out of three 'in-play' currently, with the Wicked Avatar's whereabouts still unrevealed.
There was also mention of the Sacred Beasts. That might just be alluding to GX, but I also hope that there might be an arc about acquiring and/or sealing them away, that could be a lot of fun. I also predict that given Kaiba Corp's control over Hope's Peak, that might be amalgamated with Duel Academy for GX as well.

Mai, I think I like her more or less where she's at. You've put a lot of emphasis on her just being appreciative of how much she

Well, that was a crazy battle royale, I don't even know how to explain that sheer craziness that is that entire seven on one battle of boss battle grinding until only Chisa was the last one standing. Hajime and Yami both held on the longest out of sheer willpower, but to even they could only take so much.

For Chisa to summon the devious serpent from the garden of Eden though...DAMN. Interesting choice for being the biggest monster she choose to use in that situation to destroy Dartz's last minion and his Orichalcos seal to keep him from summoning ANY MORE bullshit monsters.

Now, the patient mother has been angered and with the cards from her allies decks into her unique one...shit is about to get really epic. HERE COMES THE MOTHER OF ALL ASSWHOOPINGS!

Damn, Nagito really was suffering from trying to find his own worth life in life all this time and wanting to help others, but tends to keep taking it to extremes because he couldn't see you don't need to take extreme means to be helpful toward others or to encourage hope in their hearts.

I don't think I completely get it even after reading this chapter, but I feel I understand him a bit better than I previously did. He finally helped Hajime have the strength and resolve needed to face Dartz in his crazy plan, despite his soul aching at the hope he destroyed in Chiaki and Rebecca from his duels with them.

Now, it's time for Dartz to pay and I look forward to seeing this play out. Though I did enjoy seeing Hajime's futuristic Black Skull Dragon changed to a great beast when combined with his Pythagoras and Future Vision...