Yu-Gi-Oh! - Original Uncut Edition (Volume 4) - Black Flame: Red Eyes Black Dragon (Unreleased/canceled DVD for the uncut dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! by 4Kids and Funimation, 2005)
Box Art of the Volume 4 Uncut Release
Status: Lost
Tags: yu-gi-oh dub uncut anime 4kids funimation
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a long running multi-media franchise created in 1996 by Kazuki Takahashi. An anime adaptation titled "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters" originally aired from 2000-2004 in Japan and 2001-2006 in the United States under an English dub produced by 4Kids Entertainment. The 4Kids adaptation was often criticized for their use of censorship and localization choices. In 2004 they began releasing volumes of the anime redubbed to be closer to the original Japanese script and used the original unaltered footage and music. These were titled the "Original Uncut Editions". Yu-Gi-Oh![Original Uncut Edition] (Volume 4) - Black Flame: Red Eyes Black Dragon was set to be released in 2005 but was canceled despite being close to release as an advertisement stating it was "Coming Soon" had existed.
History
In 2004 4Kids Entertainment and Funimation released the "Original Uncut Edition" of the first 6 episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh across 2 DVD releases. This "Unedited, Unchanged, and Uncut!" dub of Yu-Gi-Oh using the Original Japanese music, animation, and with reduced localization. These original releases were Volume 1: "The Shadow Games" (containing Episodes 1-3) and Volume 2: "The Insector Combo" (Containing Episodes 4-6) were both released on 10/19/2004. The final official release would be with Volume 3: "Stolen: Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (containing Episodes 7-9) which later released on 02/22/2005. The "Added Attractions" menu from the Volume 3 release is the source of the advertisement announcing that Volume 4 was "Coming Soon".
The uncut releases of Yu-Gi-Oh, along with the uncut releases of Shaman King, were described as "extraordinarily successful" in an interview with Anime News Network Publish in April, 2025 with Alfred R. Khan, then 4Kids Entertainment Chairman and CEO. With Khan emphasizing "Obviously Yu-Gi-Oh! has been extraordinarily successful here". [1] Despite the seeming success of these uncut editions Volume 4: "Black Frame: Red Eyes Black Dragon" would never be released. This release is assumed to have contained the next 3 episodes of the "Original Uncut Edition" and is rumored to have had an initial release date of 05/31/2005.