Appleshipping

This article is about the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V ship. You may be looking for the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's ship of the same name.

Appleshipping
GENERAL
Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Character	Rin
Character	Yugo
Canonical?	Semi-Canon
Status of Relationship	Childhood Friends, Feelings on Yugo's side; Both reincarnated
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Het
Also Known As	Ringo, YugoRin
Tropes	• Always Save the Girl - Yugo puts saving Rin over all else • Childhood Friend Romance MOMENTS• Say My Name - When Yugo mistakes Serena and Yuzu for Rin • She Is Not My Girlfriend - Yugo denies having feelings for Rin when Yuzu brings it up • The Glomp - Rin upon Yugo "saving" her • Yank the Dog's Chain - When Yugo finally reunites with Rin...

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Appleshipping is the het ship between Rin and Yugo from the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V fandom.

Canon

Past

Rin and Yugo were childhood friends that grew up in the Synchro Dimension as orphans living as low-class Commons. They would often duel each other and vowed that, one day, they would help each other reach the Tops. Their dream would only be enforced after learning a former Common, Jack Atlas, had become the Duel King. Inspired by Jack's rise, Yugo and Rin now also wanted to duel him in the Tops' annual duel festival - the Friendship Cup. To help achieve that dream, Yugo and Rin honed their dueling and worked together to build a Duel Runner so they could face Jack in a Turbo Duel.

Rin soon felt like she was being followed and Yugo decided to tail her to make sure she was fine. After briefly losing track of her, Yugo would catch up to Rin - only to find her unconscious and being carried by a cloaked individual. He attempted to confront the individual - Yuri, Yugo's counterpart from the Fusion Dimension - but is too slow as Yuri teleports away with his captive. Yugo was enraged that Rin was captured - enough so that it unlocked "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's" ability to jump between dimensions. Using this new power, Yugo began searching to save Rin and make her captor pay for what he did.

Search for Rin

Yugo began his search in the ruined Xyz Dimension, finding no trace of Rin but seeing and confronting who he thought was her kidnapper. This wasn't the case, however, as it was Yugo's and Yuri's Xyz counterpart Yuto he tried to face. Yugo eventually makes it to the Standard Dimension just in time for the Fusion Dimension's invasion during the ARC League Championship. Searching the battlefield, Yugo eventually finds a girl she thinks is Rin. Yugo hugs "Rin", glad to see she was safe, but the girl - Rin's Standard counterpart Yuzu Hiiragi - insists she's not Rin although she might know who he's talking about. Before they can discuss any further, the imminent arrival of Yugo's Standard self Yuya Sakaki causes Yuzu's bracelet to teleport herself and Yugo out of the Standard Dimension.

Having returned to the Synchro Dimension, Yugo comes to the conclusion Yuzu isn't Rin after Yuzu mistakes his name as being related to "Fusion", something Rin wouldn't do. At Rin's mention, Yuzu reveals to Yugo that she had faced Yuri - who offhandedly revealed to her that he kidnapped Rin. Yugo demands to know where Rin was taken but Yuzu points out Yuri didn't say where as her bracelet teleported her away when Yugo arrived. Yugo reveals to Yuzu the events of Rin's capture and his confrontation with Yuto. At the latter story, Yuzu tells Yugo that Yuto was also looking for someone - a girl named Ruri that Yuri also kidnapped - and he wouldn't kidnap someone that one would care for. The wording causes Yugo lovestruck confusion, prompting Yuzu to ask if he and Rin were dating - which Yugo denies, saying their only childhood friends and they haven't even done anything. Getting back on track, Yuzu tells Yugo about what she knows about the dimensional conflict - including how Academia appears to be targeting those with Rin's face. Hearing this, Yugo believes getting to Academia might be the key to saving Rin. While heading into the City, Yugo tells Yuzu about how he and Rin grew up.

After a couple of days, Yugo brings Yuzu to where he and Rin lived - letting her use Rin's room and wear her clothes. Seeing Yuzu in Rin's clothes makes Yugo briefly mistake her for Rin only to remind him that she isn't. The two soon enter the Friendship Cup - with Yugo having accidentally entered Yuzu as Rin - and manage to make it into the finals although Yuzu lost her match. Yugo vows to win the Friendship Cup for Rin's sake - only to be gleefully shocked his opponent looked like Rin. Much like with Yuzu, Yugo tries to hug "Rin" only to be knocked away as the girl tells him that she's Serena - the Fusion counterpart of Rin and Yuzu. Despite getting distracted by how much Serena resembles Rin in looks and personality, Yugo manages to defeat her only to see Yuri afterwards and pursued him, which eventually caused them both to be transported out of the Synchro Dimension and into the Fusion Dimension.

Reunion

While pursuing Yuri, Yugo finds out where Academia's main complex is - which meant learning where Rin was being kept. He manages to reach the island and and find Rin's cell at the top of one of the island's towers. Defeating the tower's guardian Apollo, Yugo manages to enter and finally lays his eyes on his actual Rin. Yugo over-enthusiastically tries to embrace Rin but takes a knee in the gut as she complains about how late he was in saving her. With tears falling, Rin impresses how scared and lonely she was without him before hugging him - which Yugo, in a calmer mood, reciprocates as he tells her everything is fine. Unknown to Yugo, however, Rin had been implanted with a mind-control parasite by a doctor working for Academia. As a result, while Yugo is telling Rin about winning the Friendship Cup for them both, the mind-controlled Rin suddenly demands a duel before shoving Yugo out a nearby window.

Yugo ends up landing on his Duel Runner and begins fretting about it being damaged. Rin tells him to ignore it, prompting Yugo to remind her of the effort they both put into building the Duel Runner together. Rin is unmoved as she again demands a duel, which Yugo finally accepts as they always solve their disagreements with duels. As the duel begins, Rin quickly gets out her ace "Winter Bell" before using it to flee the tower. Pursuing on his Duel Runner, Yugo finds how Rin's been acting odd before noticing she's using one of Academia's duel disks, making him realize they must've done something during her captivity. With new resolve to save Rin, Yugo manages to summon his "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon", hoping seeing her favorite card will snap Rin out of it. It doesn't work as Rin weakens "Clear Wing" and, on her next turn, use "Fusion Parasite" to upgrade her "Winter Bell" into "Crystal Bell". Yugo's shocked that Rin would have a monster like "Parasite" and be able to Fusion Summon, but it doesn't save him from "Crystal Bell" destroying "Clear Wing" - causing him to careen off the tower and onto the ground.

Waking up, Yugo finds his Duel Runner is wrecked and Rin is still insistent on finishing their duel. In tears, Yugo pleads with Rin to remember the effort they put into making the Runner and how it represented their dream. Once again, Rin is unmoved as she ends her turn before demanding Yugo's surrender considering she's unharmed but his life points are at critical levels. However, Yugo reminds her that he's stubborn - the very reason he searched the other dimensions for her - and he's going to bring her back to normal. With that, Yugo revives his "Clear Wing" and upgrades it into "Crystal Wing" before attacking Rin's "Crystal Bell". Despite Rin's best efforts, "Crystal Bell" is destroyed and she takes significant damage.

Seeing Rin knocked out, Yugo rushes to her to see if she's okay - and is happy to see she seemed to have broke out of Academia's mind control. This hope proved fleeting, however, as Rin reveals she's still under their control before using "Crystal Bell's" effect to bring back "Winter Bell" and "Fusion Parasite" - which, in turn, Fusion Summons another "Crystal Bell". Yugo comes to realize that "Fusion Parasite" might be what's controlling Rin, but he can do nothing as Rin uses "Crystal Bell's" effect to finish him off and knock him unconscious before being ordered back to the doctor controlling her. Waking up, Yugo is met by ex-Academia commander Edo Phoenix, who was sent to find him. Yugo explains what happened to Rin, prompting Edo to explain that defeating the one controlling her will break her free. Yugo doesn't make it that far as, on the way, he's defeated and absorbed by Yuri - which ultimately leads to the revival of his original self Z-ARC. Meanwhile, Rin is sacrificed along with her counterparts to bring back the spirit of their original self Ray Akaba. By the end of the conflict, Yugo and Rin are both reborn within their respective Standard counterparts.

Fanon

Appleshipping is a popular ship in the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandoms, especially within ARC-V's subsect. Given how the episode immediately before Yugo's formal debut largely confirmed there was a pairing of counterparts much like Yuya and Yuzu, it didn't take long for fans to guess Yugo had a girl of his own. This proved not only correct, but also that Yugo was the most overt in his feelings for Rin despite trying to say otherwise. Yugo's confusion of Yuzu and Serena for Rin is one particular standout given how similar they are to certain moments relating to Sonic's Sonamy. Many fans also find it refreshing that Rin, from what we see in their past, served as the more calm of the two . With that said, Rin being mind-controlled to fight Yugo was one thing fans of the ship didn't like and the fact it's their last interaction in the series sours it further.

On AO3, this ship has tagged works in the 200+ range. This makes it the second-most popular ship for Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V after Fruitshipping. It's also the most popular ship for both Yugo and Rin.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Rin/Yugo tag on AO3

Appleshipping stories on Wattpad

Yugo/Rin tag on FanFiction.net

TUMBLR

Appleshipping tag on Tumblr

Trivia

• The name of this ship comes from the fact that one portmanteau of their names (Ringo) makes the Japanese word for apple.

Variations

Poisonappleshipping refers to the ship between Yugo, Rin, and Yuri

Tideshipping refers to the ship between Yugo, Rin, and Serena