Of course, all of the card choices save one are apparently superficial. (Téa's could be argued as symbolic, until you remember that the MOF was called "Saint Magician", and Téa was a bit less of the quintessential "good girl" in the original) That one is Bakura's, "Change of Heart". I base his "identification" with the card on its title, meaning that Bakura indetifies Yami Bakura with himself, not as a parasite using his body. As such, Bakura may consider himself responsible for Yami Bakura's actions, shouldering the blame for his "worse half". It's an idea with a lot of potential, but is only speculation. Of course, Bakura's choice could also refer to Change of Heart's magic effect, and that simply means that Bakura sees himself as controlled by Yami Bakura, just as CoH allows one to control an opponent's monster...but I like my original idea better. :)

I must admit, the duel between the Yamis, while interesting, is rather pointless. We discover later that Yami Bakura enjoys terrorizing people, as he sics the Man-Eater Bug on some of Pegasus's goons in "The Rally Begins: Mind Shuffle", but YB seems more like the type who'd enjoy swift, brutal "sport", rather than a comparatively tedious card game. Again in "The Rally Begins: Mind Shuffle", he's perfectly willing to discard his "fun" to get to his goal. I know with this series, card battles are almost obligatory, which is probably explanation enough, but still...

According to some websites, the Millenium Items that create Yami personalities do so because the spirit of another person is sealed in them. Yuugi's is the pharaoh that stopped the original Shadow Games. Yami Bakura is said to originally have been a tomb robber. YB does refer to himself as, "a thief and a stealer of souls", and the description suits his aravicioius personality quite well. Yami Bakura's constant playing of cards face-down also fits the image of a shady personage, and many of the cards are Effect creatures, letting Yami Bakura gain the advantage without using direct methods.

I characterize the real Bakura as basically good, but in a normal, human fashion. I also don't consider him meek or cutesy. Rather, I think there's something strong about him, willing to sacrifice himself, if it means Yami Bakura is destroyed. This also fits with my image of Bakura as altruistic. His proposed altruism might be the reason he is not a "full" member of the team like Tristan, Joey, and Téa are: he doesn't want Yami Bakura to hurt others, so he avoids them. Indeed, I've toyed with the idea that YB may have been manipulating Bakura subconsciously, making him seek out and follow Yuugi's group. They know Bakura, and judging from Yuugi's surprise when Yami Bakura appears, also trust him; Yuugi and Joey have the skills to get to the castle, providing an opportunity for Yami Bakura to steal the Eye and the Puzzle.

While I usually think the dialogue of Yuugiou is mediocre or just plain bad, I liked how sadistic Yami Bakura was, constantly pointing out Yami Yuugi's flaws in play and making sarcastic or ominous comments. For instance, when Just Desserts attacks Yami Yuugi, Yami Bakura says, "And you'll feel like each and every point has been ripped from your beating heart". When Tristan is sent to the Graveyard, he tells Yami Yuugi, "Now, which one of your friends will you sacrifice next?" or when he plays Change of Heart and shouts to Yami Yuugi: "You're here to guide and protect him? Then protect him from this!", attacking YY's failure to aid his alter ego.

Interestingly, this episode mirrors one from the first Yuugiou series. Bakura plays a D&D-type game, involving dice and small figures. Yami Bakura turns Bakura, Yuugi, Jounouchi (Joey), Anzu (Téa), Honda (Tristan), and Miho (female charcter exclusive to the first series) into minatures. I don't know any other detials about this episode, but apparently both Yamis face off in this one as well.

Admittedly, few episodes of Yuugiou really stand out to me, but "The Evil Spirit of the Ring" is one of those. It both reminds me, and confuses me as to, why I find Bakura so intriguing, and want to give him such depth.