What do you imagine a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament smells like? According to at least one girl, the answer is “unfathomably awful,” to the point that she had to flee despite competing in the tournament herself.




In a viral tweet, the poster described a girl who left midway through the tournament, which they were concerned was the result of sexism; they implored fans to “please be kind to women,” reminding them that encouraging female participants will ultimately also benefit men.



The participant in question quoted the tweet and dispelled OP’s assumptions entirely, writing, “I saw this because it was circulating, but considering the circumstances, it might have been me? But I left halfway through because I couldn't stand the smell It’s not like I lost or was sad .”


Oops.


When someone replied describing her story as funny, she responded, “It smelled so bad it was no laughing matter.”


Yikes, this tournament is starting to sound like a biohazard; it’s no wonder she left.


Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments smelling absolutely horrific isn’t unheard of either. Back in 2019, it was announced that Konami would begin penalizing players who smelled bad or had dirty clothes. This move was celebrated at the time, although some fans wondered how exactly it would be enforced.


Unfortunately, it appears that in the five years since the implementation of this rule, many players haven’t discovered the wonders of a hot shower and/or antiperspirant. If I ran a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament, I would reach out to deodorant companies about potential sponsorship opportunities in exchange for free product to hand out on the day.


Either that or they could install some of those decontamination showers used by first responders at the entrance to the event.