Why Puzzleshipping?

Why do I love puzzleshipping so much? Well, for a couple of reasons. Number one is the progression of the relationship between Yugi and Atem. In the beginning, Yugi isn't even aware that there's another mind inhabiting his body. As events unfold, he gradually becomes aware that there is an entity inside him and initially is rather frightened of it, as its actions up to that point have bordered on malevolent.

Slowly, Yugi begins to "tame" the entity, first by showing his courage to the spirit. The first time he does this is when he tells Dark Bakura to send his soul into the Monster World RPG, thus allowing his Other to take over. Yugi and his Other meet for the first time and his Other acknowledges his courage.

The next pivotal step is when Yugi forcibly removes his Other from controlling his body when his Other was about to kill Kaiba to win a Duel Monsters match at Pegasus' castle. This was the first time Yugi had asserted his will against his Other and I believe this gave the spirit pause to consider that Yugi was more than just his host body.

Finally, we get the first time Yugi and the spirit work together, during the duel with Pegasus. Other Yugi had been having a tough time in the duel, with Pegasus' Millennium Eye allowing him to read the Other's mind with ease, thus sealing his strategies. When Yugi suggested switching minds back and forth, the Other came to respect Yugi, not only as his host, but also as his partner in the duel, and thus began referring to Yugi as "aibou" or "partner."

From that point on, the two grew closer and closer, working in tandem, suggesting ideas to each other and taking turns dueling, until they ran like a well-oiled machine.

This culminated in the Millennium Arc, when the tables were turned and Yugi's Other now needed the help of Yugi and friends to fight his way through his memories and rediscover his lost name. Yugi's Other, AKA Atem, had come full circle in his relationship with Yugi, learning the value of friendship and teamwork and rediscovering something that he had lost when his memories had been sealed.

The other reason I love it so much is because it's a relationship that can't be so easily categorized. Sometimes they are father and son (like when Atem believes Yugi might surpass him one day. What loving parent doesn’t believe that of their child?), other times, they are like brothers (whenever they bicker over what cards to put in their deck, or when Atem teases Yugi about his feelings for Anzu), and other times, they are like lovers (such as when Atem tells Yugi that he doesn’t care about finding his memories and wants to remain with him).

Overall, this is a relationship that's more than family, more than friendship, more than sex/romance. It's a true, pure bond between two souls, darkness and light, effectively intertwined as one entity.