The End of Anubis

The End of Anubis was first released as part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game expansion The Lost Millennium, which debuted in North America in 2005. It was included as a promotional card in the Special Edition blister packs of this set. The card represents a culmination of the Egyptian mythology themes that heavily influenced the early visual identity and lore of the game, drawing directly from the iconography of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife.

The card was illustrated by the artists at Studio Dice, the production company founded by series creator Kazuki Takahashi. The design aesthetic sought to capture a sense of intimidating, supernatural power through its dark color palette and skeletal, armored motifs typical of high-level Fiend-type monsters of the era. Upon its release, it became a staple in competitive play for its ability to negate effects that activate in the graveyard, effectively countering the popular strategies of the time that relied on recursion and graveyard manipulation.