We recently had the unique opportunity to sit down with both champions from the Yu-Gi-Oh! DUEL LINKS World Championship 2025. In exclusive interviews, we spoke with, we spoke with Kenya Nagatani also known as Yumehara-Sensei, who claimed victory in the Rush Duel format, and Snyffus, who dominated the Speed Duel competition. These conversations gave us insight into their journeys to the top and what it means to be world champions in the competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! scene.

Rush Duel Champion: From Reluctant Player to World Champion

Yumehara-Sensei’s path to becoming the Rush Duel World Champion wasn’t what you might expect from a world-class competitor. His relationship with the format started in an unusual way.

“At first, I actually didn’t have the passion to play rush duel. But if I actually did it, I could get Gems or something,” Yumehara-Sensei revealed during our interview. What began as a casual attempt to earn in-game rewards quickly transformed into something much more meaningful. “So I thought I’d give it a try, and it was a lot of fun. It was really fun to play Rush Duel with someone who had played the Speed Duel in the game. So I just got hooked on it.”

The Rush Duel format is relatively new in DUEL LINKS compared to other Yu-Gi-Oh! games, which required players to adapt their gameplay approach. Yumehara-Sensei’s journey shows how even champions can discover their passion in unexpected ways.

When asked about his feelings on winning the championship, Yumehara-Sensei’s response showed genuine emotion: “I’m really happy. I’m glad I was able to win the championship. The world champion is something like a dream come true, quite unreal.”

Speed Duel Champion: Keeping Cool Under Pressure

Snyffus faced an intense finals match that tested not just his deck-building skills but his mental strength. The Speed Duel champion described the pressure of the final moments and how his preparation paid off.

“The entire finals was extremely intense, because the first game, there was a match up that me and my test partners we prepared a lot for exactly the situation so I was very prepared for it but I still lost it,” Snyffus explained. Despite the early setback, he maintained his focus. “But I was like that’s fine I played really well so I know I can do it and I think I played the entire finals extremely well and I’m glad that I was able to keep my cool.”

This ability to stay calm under pressure proved to be the key to his victory. His preparation with test partners and mental strength allowed him to bounce back from an early loss and claim the championship.

The Reality of Becoming World Champion

Both champions expressed amazement at reaching the top of competitive Yu-Gi-Oh!. For Snyffus, the achievement still felt surreal: “I don’t even know what to say because it’s so crazy, I think the dream of everyone who plays Yu-Gi-Oh is like to get to the world Championship but you know it’s like the single elimination it’s top four you don’t know what’s gonna happen so it’s not really like a goal that many people have to actually become the world champion because you think ah it’s maybe too hard and I cannot believe that actually did it.”

This captures the challenge that competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! presents. The single elimination format at the highest levels means that even skilled players face uncertainty, making these victories all the more impressive.

Looking Ahead: Future Goals and Plans

When it comes to future plans, both champions have different approaches. Yumehara-sensei plans to continue enjoying the format that brought him success: “I don’t have a clear goal yet, but I’d like to keep playing Rush Duel as long as I can.”

Snyffus, meanwhile, has his sights set on continued competitive success: “My goal even before this world championship was actually to win one of the Casey Cup events next season and even though I’m already qualified because I’m defending champion I’m still gonna try.”

Snyffus took time to acknowledge the support system that helped him reach the championship: “Thank you to my family and thank you to all my friends who supported me on this amazing journey, I’ve been playing Yu-Gi-Oh for I don’t know how many years since I was 6 years old and it’s been a great part of my life and I’m very thankful for it.”

The Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2025 showcased different formats within DUEL LINKS and proved that champions can emerge from various backgrounds and motivations. Whether driven by initial curiosity like Yumehara-sensei or lifelong passion like Snyffus, both players showed that success in competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! comes from dedication, preparation, and the ability to perform under pressure.