Max with his signature card, the Spirit Reaper
Martin Allen Xavier III (goes by Max) is a character from Legendhiro's Yu-Gi-Oh! DF, and a member of the Duel Force. He gets his nickname from his initials (Martin Allen Xavier). Max is the most mysterious member of the main cast. He shrouds himself in shadows and he considers himself the living embodiment of death. He has had a hard life. His parents both died when he was young, and so he learned of the finality of death early in life. He became almost obsessed with death. His first foster parents were abusive, and by the time he was placed in a second foster home, he was damaged. His second foster parents gave him up. He ended up in an orphanage where he met his first ever friend, Randy. Randy was later killed in front of Max by the leader of the Duelists of the Order, Yami Marik. Max, fearing for his life, followed Marik's instructions, becoming one of Marik's minions.
Max's favorite/Spirit monster is the Spirit Reaper, including any form it may take.
Personality/Mannerisms[]
Max often wears cloths, such as hoods and hats, etc. that cast shadows on his face. He seems to prefer darkness, and tends to wear thicker, heavier clothing, even on hot days, as he prefers not to be looked at or touched. He keeps his hands in his pockets, hidden like his face, unless he needs them. He is ruthless, attacking anyone who stands against him equally, whether friend or foe, regardless of the situation. He seems to take pleasure in violence, though his more evil tendencies are kept in check.
Max has trouble expressing serious emotions, and he takes little interest in the affairs of others.
Unwritten History[]
Max's family was wealthy. His parents were owners of a multi-national corporation. When Max's parents were killed, their money should have gone to him. It was the conspiring of the company vice presidents and Max's father's lawyer that kept his fortune from him. Max knew that their actions were wrong, and he was hurt when they weren't punished. This is one of the reasons that Max grows up believing in justice, despite his past.
Story[]
Max starts out as an enemy of the Duel Force who is being manipulated by Yami Marik, who is using his fears against him. Max eventually changes after realizing that he must face his fears. Even after he switches sides, Max continues to act like an uncaring person, though there is evidence that he actually does care about his friends.
Reign of the Reaper[]
Max appears and challenges Jen and Tucker for their strongest cards. He defeats them with his deadly Spirit Reaper deck, taking their cards and challenging John to get them back. He aims to force John into a Shadow Game, defeat him, and win his Soul of Darkness. Max believes that anyone who holds the Soul of Darkness can draw the other Souls to him and, if he so wishes, take them for himself. John, who has recently changed his deck, and Sarah duel Max, barely defeating him. He retreats.
Later on, Max captures John's Mom, using her to lure John in for a final battle. Max has been given one more chance to capture John's Soul of Darkness. If he fails, Yami Marik (known only as Yami at the time) will kill Max and take his soul. John defeats Max with his newly reformulated deck. When Yami Marik comes for Max, in the form of a Shadow Apparition, John stands up for Max, but it isn't until Max stands up for himself that his Soul, the Soul of Life, appears and pushes Yami Marik away.
Max tells the Duel Force his story, and then leaves, unsure of whether he wants to join them. He returns several weeks later and joins the Duel Force in order to protect John, who he believes is the only Duelist who can defeat Yami Marik and avenge Max's friend Randy.
The Dark Duel Force[]
Max duels against Archfiend Ruler alongside Karen, in an attempt to protect John. He also fights to protect Karen, proving that he does care for his team-mates in the Duel Force. Max fails to either defeat Archfiend Ruler or protect Karen, and his spirit and Soul are taken by Yami Marik.
Terror of Blackheart[]
When Max sets out to defeat Blackheart, he seems unusually motivated, probably because freeing John from Blackheart will remove Max's self-imposed debt to John. Max duels Blackheart alongside Kris, attempting to defeat Blackheart, banish him to the Shadow Realm, and free John from possesion by the dark being. He fights well, but ultimately he and Kris are defeated by Blackheart's Sky Dragon of Osiris card.
Kaiba Corp Invitational Tournament[]
Max defeats Karen in the first round of the Second Kaiba Corporation Grand Championship. He is ruthless, treating Karen as just another opponent, defeating her quickly. From there Max moves on to face the Masked Duelist. The masked duelist defeats Max and eliminates him from the tournament, but before the duel is over, the Masked Duelist is revealed to be Randy, his spirit having returned temporarily from the next life. Randy tells Max to keep doing good, and Max finally starts to let go of his past.
The Great Duel Force Tournament[]
Max competes in the Great Duel Force Tournament, where he is defeated by Tucker. Max reveals that he only agreed to participate in the tournament because he was searching for one last great duel. Now that Tucker has given him that, he leaves, moving on to continue doing good, just like Randy said.
The Soul of Life[]
Soul Quality: Confidence
Soul Monster: Berserk Dragon
Max's Soul, the Soul of Life, gives him power primarily over fear. He can glean the fears of average, weak-willed people just by looking into their eyes, and anyone he locks eyes with must tell him their fears if he asks, and they must answer honestly. When Max feels the most confident, when he has the most hope in his own heart, he can do the same with the hopes of others. He can show people their hopes and fears as illusions in the clouds of magic smoke he conjures. He can also manipulate objects with the smoke, or even become it to travel long distances along line of sight. Max can suppress his own fears, but this masks his hopes as well. Because people can be overcome by their fears, showing people their fears gives Max the power to kill weak-willed people with little more than a thought, and when Max really cares about someone, he can find hope in his heart and use it to extend their life.
Deck[]
Max's deck's always rely heavily on the powers of the Spirit Reaper card. His later decks also use heavy amounts or hand destruction. Even when they are not shown, it can be inferred that Max always has Berserk Dragon and Spirit Reaper in his deck, since they are his Soul Monster and favorite monster.
Reign of the Reaper[]
This version of Max's deck has less synergy than his later decks, but it has an added Removed from Play strategy that can be useful.
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The Dark Duel Force[]
Max's deck remains mostly the same here.
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Effect Monsters Fusion Monsters |
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Terror of Blackheart[]
Very little of Max's deck is shown during this arch.
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Effect Monsters |
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Kaiba Corp Invitational Tournament[]
This is the first instance of Max's more focused deck build. Here he begins to use a much more targeted strategy dealing with hand destruction.
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Normal Monsters Effect Monsters
Fusion Monsters |
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The Great Duel Force Tournament[]
More of Max's hand destruction deck is seen here.
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Normal Monsters Effect Monsters
Fusion Monsters |
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Trivia[]
- Out of all of the characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! DF, the author seems to have put the most thought into Max, especially his name and history. Next would be Tucker, followed by Karen and Rocky.