| “ | Roman: It all began when you were just a baby. My brother Rex and I worked for your father at the original Ener-D reactor site. There were fears that should it spin in reverse, a huge blast of negative energy would be released, which is just what we--heh, I mean *I* wanted. Your father was too obsessed with success to see it, allowing me to sabotage the whole project. And then, boom. There went your father's life's work. Yusei: That means... it was you! You caused all this! Roman: Who else? |
„ |
| ~ Roman confessing to the Signers for being responsible for causing Zero Reverse, while twisting certain details. |
| “ | Sorry to interrupt your dinner. My name is Roman, and I bear the mark of the spider. | „ |
| ~ Roman's introduction. |
Roman Goodwin (Rudger Goodwin, or Rudger Godwin in the Japanese version), is the secondary antagonist of the Dark Signers arc in the 2008 anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
He was a scientist who worked for Dr. Fudo alongside his younger brother Rex and one of the five Signers bearing a mark of the Crimson Dragon. After becoming infected with a dark mark, he became the leader of the Dark Signers after causing the Zero Reverse incident. Now wielding a Spider-based deck and the Mark of the Spider, he aids the Earthbound Immortals with recruiting the other Dark Signers and bringing about the end of the world by defeating the Crimson Dragon and the other Signers. He is also the archenemy of Yusei Fudo, being the one who killed his parents and making him an orphan, creating the Satellite, and unleashing the Immortals.
He was voiced by Taketora in the original Japanese version of the anime and by Marc Thompson in the English dubbed version.
History[]
R.R.D.[]
Roman and his younger brother Rex Goodwin were scientists working for the R.R.D. division of Kaiba Corporation. The two siblings were inspired by Professor Fudo's project, the Ener-D (Momentum in the Japanese version), which was intended to be a self-sustaining power plant that would produce unlimited clean energy for the world. The Goodwin brothers joined Dr. Fudo's research as his lead assistants, initially, the project progressed smoothly, however whenever they did a test run on the device strange weather phenomena and tremors occurred in the city. Dr. Fudo came to the conclusion that the Ener-D was responsible for the strange occurrences and that the project was too dangerous to continue. Roman, refusing to give up on the project, searched occurrences similar to what was happening in Domino City, taking him to the Nazca Lines. Once he traveled there a man from an organization known as Yliaster convinced Roman that the Ener-D must be completed and that the birthmark on his arm sealed his destiny as a bearer of the Crimson Dragon. After returning to the facility and Roman looked into the light of the Energy Reactor and then saw the battle between the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Immortals. The sponsors funding the Ener-D then fired Dr. Fudo for attempting to shut down the research and appointed Roman as the head researcher of the project. Roman slowly became insane and decided to become a Dark Signer knowing that the conflict between the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Immortals would repeat itself soon.
Dr. Fudo insisted on shutting down the Ener-D before a disaster would occur but Roman revealed the cards "Stardust Dragon", "Red Dragon Archfiend", "Black Rose Dragon" and the "Ancient Fairy Dragon" cards, which were the keys to activate the Energy Reactor's control units. Dr. Fudo managed to take three of the cards and flee, leaving behind "Ancient Fairy Dragon" when he was wounded by Roman's henchmen. Roman then severed his arm with the Crimson Dragon birthmark and handed it to Rex, he used the last of his sanity to make his brother promise to find the Signers so that they could stop him. Roman forcefully activated the malfunctioning Ener-D, which spun counter-clockwise, producing a massive amount of negative energy that overloaded the reaction. The reactor exploded causing a catastrophic earthquake that severed a chunk of Domino City from the rest of the continent turning it into the "Satellite Island", the immense negative energy and tremendous earthquake awakened the Earthbound Immortals.
Roman was then reborn as a Dark Signer with the Spider birthmark, he turned the ruins of the R.R.D. division into his base of operations as he prepared for the revival of the Earthbound Immortals while also knowing that Rex would eventually gather the Signers. The earthquake caused by the explosion of the Ener-D came to be known as "The Zero Reverse" and the media covered up the incident as a natural tragedy so that one would know the truth.
Signers and Dark Signers battle[]
After the Fortune Cup ended, Roman possessed Grady and Trudge, in order to test the Signers, Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlas.
Roman appears when the Signers along with Mina, Leo and Trudge venture to Satellite and meet-up with Martha, imposing a Duel. Jack wants to but is stopped by Yusei as he tells him that it's too dangerous to duel here, especially if a geoglyph appears. Jack is instructed to take Martha and the kids somewhere safe, while Yusei, accompanied by Akiza, faces Roman in a Shadow Duel in another location.
However, three of the children decide to watch the Duel. As the Duel unfolds, Yusei and Akiza notice two kids near the flames caused by the geoglyph and wonder how they got in when they are not signers. As Roman prepares to Summon his "Earthbound Immortal", "Uru", Yusei and Akiza fear that once it's Summoned it could use the kids' souls as sacrifices. Luckily, Jack appears and uses his birthmark to stop the kids from being sacrificed. Yusei eventually manages to gain the upper hand in the Duel. As a final insult to Yusei, Roman uses evil magic to flee and force Rally to take his place. Rally manages to destroy Uru, but doing so apparently costs him his life.
Roman, along with the other Dark Signers later appear before their rivals, the Signers to begin their final battle. For the meanwhile, each of his comrades waits at each of the control units of the Original Energy Reactor with the purpose of dueling against their correspondent Signer rival. As for Roman, he awaits within the place where the system itself resides. After Devack's defeat at the hands of Luna and Leo, he kills Greiger in order to make him into a Dark Signer by pushing him over the Original Energy Reactor. Roman's mark seems to be causing him anguish as it escalates up his arm. But he is confronted by Rex Goodwin, who Duels him. Rex loses on purpose in order to be reborn as a Dark Signer like his brother.
Yusei and his friends enter the crater in the B.A.D., where they confront Roman. Although Yusei wins, Roman proceeds to tell Yusei that things have not finished yet, as an the King of the Underworld will soon be born. Before Roman dissolves, he detonates a bomb in his left arm, blowing up the bridge and sending Yusei falling into the depths of the Ener-D Reactor.
Roman is the fourth Dark Signer to be defeated. When Rex is finally defeated and the King of the Underworld is destroyed, Roman and Rex are the only Dark Signers to not return to life.
In season 4 it is revealed by the Three Emperors of Yliaster that the organization manipulated Roman into blowing up the Ener-D in an attempt to erase Ener-D from existence, as in the future the reactor would cause the destruction of mankind. Their plan however failed when a second Ener-D was built and the awakening of the Earthbound Immortals was an unintentional side effect of their failed scheme to destroy the Ener-D.
Deck[]
Roman's "Spider" Deck is an Insect-type deck with his strategy focused on changing the Battle Position of monsters on the field and taking control of them with Earthbound God Uru. His Deck also contained support cards specific to Earthbound Gods (Earthbound Immortals in the localization hence the names) such as "Earthbound Whirlwind and "Roar of the Earthbound". The video games expand on his deck to include more than what was seen in his duel with Yusei.
Geoglyth and Patron God[]
Roman is the Dark Signer who represents the Earthbound God (Jibakushin) Uru. A spider-like deity of the netherworld that like regular spiders possess eight legs.
Quotes[]
| “ | Happy hunting, Kalin. | „ |
| ~ Roman wishes Kalin Kessler luck with tracking Yusei |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Roman's Geoglyph is widely believed to be a spider, but is also believed by some to actually mean to resemble an Ant as the most most common argument to see the geoglyph in question as a spider is because it has eight legs while Ants only have six, however the geoglyph in question's thin middle, and ant-like mouth.
- Like the rest of the Jibakushin, Uru possesses a secondary color alongside its mostly black body, the color in question being Red could be a nod, and/or foreshadowing to Roman's original status as a Signer.
- Roman's age being around his late twenties to early thirties at the time of his death makes him the eldest Signer by a significant age margin as Yusei (the next oldest by confirmation with Jack and Akiza seeming to have been born shortly after Zero Reverse) being a mere infant at the time of Roman's death. It is possible that the Crimson Dragon had originally intended such a vast age range to be so that Roman could act as a mentor towards the far younger signers when the time came but because of Roman's corruption and death, this did not happen.
- Uru (or Uro) are people who live in man-made totora islets in Lake Titicaca, where is it said is the origin of the Inca Empire.
- As well Uru is also a Quechuan word, meaning "spider."
- Uru could represent Roman as being the "boss" of the Dark Signers and his mark as being the Old Ener-D reactor itself while the other Dark Signer marks (except the whale and condor) are the control units that the Ener-D reactor relies on.
See Also[]
- Roman Goodwin on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Wiki.
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 Villains
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