Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Light in the Fall

When a duelist dies clutching his pride, a casual deck built around a forgotten card, death becomes a doorway. Killed while carrying his deck, he awakens in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX world, transported by the very card he dedicated himself to. No fanfare, no chosen one prophecy, just a tired divine ruler who didn't want the one person who valued her to die. Admitted to Duel Academy's Slifer Red after missing entrance exams due to the accident, he must navigate a world where card games matter more than anything, armed with a deck that shouldn't exist yet and guided by a duel spirit he doesn't realize he can see just yet. He's not Jaden Yuki. He's not the protagonist, the hero. He's realistic, measured, and still processing the fact that he should've died. But with the duel spirit watching over him, ancient, powerful, and exhausted from eons of rule, perhaps there's a reason he's here beyond mere chance. Or perhaps a forgotten goddess simply rewarded the only duelist who built a deck around her, despite knowing she'd never be competitive.