Yugi is the acclaimed champion of a fantasy card game where contestants choose playing cards that create imaginary characters or monsters that do battle with the same sort of creations chosen by their competitors. Yugi's ace in the hole are three "god" playing cards that allow him to defeat any challenger.
Accordingly, Seto Kaiba pays a visit to Pegasus, the creator of the game, in hopes of obtaining similar cards that he could use to beat Yugi. Little does he know, however, the ramifications of getting his hands on the Pyramid of Light card.
It seems that 5,000 years ago, Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, tried to use that card to conquer the world. He was defeated and entombed by the Pharaoh, but when Yugi cracks the Millennium Puzzle, he resurrects both of the ancient archenemies.
Possessed by the Pharaoh, Yugi senses that something bad is going to happen, but must contend with Kaiba and his new and quite powerful set of cards. As Yugi's grandfather Muto, and friends Joey, Tristan and Tea try to help, the card champion must not only contend with Kaiba's challenge to defeat him, but also the return of Anubis who wishes to finish his destruction of the world.