Hakuou is a character in the Duel Masters anime and manga series. His name roughly translates to "White Phoenix," which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about his deck—he's all about the Light Civilization.
Most people see Hakuou as the intelligent, nearly unstoppable duelist he appears to be. He's famous for playing it cool against opponents, deliberately holding back until things get desperate (usually when he's down to one or two shields), then flipping the entire match on its head in a single turn. It's a frustrating strategy to face, and it works.
What's interesting is how different he actually is from his reputation. Yeah, he's the leader of White Soldiers and comes from money, so everyone treats him with tons of respect. But he's genuinely cheerful and friendly—seriously, he loves dueling more than almost anything else. He'll compliment an opponent's strategy or deck after beating them, even if he just crushed them. That natural charisma made him wildly popular, especially among girls, and he's often held up as the ideal "perfect Duelist."
But that image cracked. Hakuou has a serious weak spot tied to his mother's death and his guilt over failing to protect her. There were times when he'd do whatever it took to get stronger and escape that regret—even if it meant sacrificing his emotions and friendships in the process. He became ruthless and genuinely antagonistic, especially when Master had him under control during the first season. Eventually though, Shoubu helped pull him back from that darkness and brought him back to himself.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
