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Hyozanryu, also known as Diamond Dragon, is a Duel Monsters card from the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.

One of the classic cards from the early days of the series, it was first released on July 13, 2000, in the Pharaoh’s Servant set, available as both Ultra Rare and Ultra Parallel Rare. Typical of its era, Hyozanryu is a Normal Monster rather than an Effect Monster.

Despite its impressive design, Hyozanryu never held a particularly prominent role in the franchise. In Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, it made a brief appearance during Yami Yugi and Seto Kaiba’s duel against Lumis and Umbra, where Kaiba summoned it, only to immediately sacrifice it to Obelisk the Tormentor. Not exactly the most glorious or memorable debut.

The dragon resurfaced later in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, this time as one of Bastion Misawa’s main cards. While Bastion himself is far from a major character like Kaiba and is often remembered for being underused in the anime, his few duels gave Hyozanryu slightly more screen time than it ever had in the previous anime. The dragon also appeared once more in GX, summoned by Slade Princeton, though in a much smaller duel.

Hyozanryu isn’t part of any major archetype. It was loosely grouped into the Chemical series due to its connection with Bastion, but that link is mostly superficial, tied to its easy summoning via Carboneddon. It also falls under the Gem Dragon series thanks to Slade Princeton’s deck, though again, its inclusion is more aesthetic, mainly inspired by its diamond motif.

The card has never received a retrain, nor has it reappeared in any form after GX.

Why make a model of it? For one, it’s always fun to make lesser-known or overlooked characters. If no one else will do it, you can be the first. And secondly, believe it or not, Hyozanryu is my favorite card. When I got my first deck, it was the coolest-looking card in it, and honestly, nothing beats that feeling of pure childhood nostalgia.