The Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise began with a 1996 manga which detailed the stories of a young man named Yugi Muto who had a dark alter-ego that would help him win games and solves puzzles. From this humble beginning, the game quickly branched out into anime and video games, as well as the popular trading card game we will be discussing today.

Gameplay in the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game revolves around three card types: Monsters, Spells, and Traps. As is typical in such games, monsters serve as the primary combatants, attacking and defending against one another, with some having special abilities. As with most TCGs, there is an element of humor involved in the design phase for these cards. Among monsters in the game, here are 15 which stand out among the pack.

Update by Chris Littlechild, May 29 2020: With a game as prolific as Yu-Gi-Oh!, there’s an absurd range of cards to fit every possible kind of playstyle. A card that seems utterly useless may be the perfect pick for a specific deck. It’s all about the way a Duelist builds their deck, which is an ever-changing art. With that in mind, we’ve revisited this list and added a variety of different cards to the mix.

As numerous as strategic options are in the game, some cards are designed to be terrible. Joke cards are beloved by the community for the meme potential, and there are lots to pick from there too. Some of the Monsters we’re about to take a look at aren’t joke cards (some are quite good, in fact), but their silliness is undeniable. Enjoy!

15 Boycotton

The first thing you’ll notice about Boycotton is… well, its hilarious card art. Just after this, its 2500 defense will catch your eye, as this is very high for a level 4 Monster. After reading its effect, however, you’ll see that it’s totally niche at best and downright awful at worst.

If the opponent would take any battle damage from battles involving Boycotton, its controller takes that damage instead. If this happens and Boycotton isn’t destroyed, it’s sent back to the owner’s hand. In short, if you’re not awkwardly forcing this little sheep on your opponent, you absolutely don’t want it on the field. A joke card on all sorts of levels.

14 Bikuribox

Sadly, the joke’s always on the user of this malevolent jack-in-the-box. Sometimes, apparently, you just have to give up two slightly useful Monsters to Fusion Summon a much less useful one.

Bikuribox is a Fiend Fusion Monster with 2300 attack and 2000 defense. At level 7, its stats aren’t exactly stellar, and it doesn’t bring much to the table at all besides its goofy looks. Even funnier, Crass Clown and Dream Clown actually have niche uses in certain decks, with their abilities to send monsters back to the hand or destroy them respectively when switching battle position. There’s really no reason for this absurd creature to exist at all.

13 Humpty Grumpty

In the World Superstars set of Yu-Gi-Oh!, we saw the reimagining of popular nursery rhyme character Humpty Dumpty, seemingly in the aftermath of having fallen off a great wall and not being put together again. This Zombie creature sports ear-wings, a demon tail, and a rather large septum piercing.

Despite the humor, Humpty Grumpty is actually a decent card. Being three stars, it requires no tributes to summon, and has a pretty enticing ability if you can keep it alive when it goes face down. Solid attack stats will mean that opponents are less likely to find it as humorous as we do, but its defensive stat (zero) is more in line with the inspiration.

12 The Judgement Hand

In competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! Duels, the action tends to revolve around powerful card effects. Of course, Monsters with high attack stats can also win matches, but often, strategies revolve around the strongest Monster Effects. Numbers aren’t everything.

As a result, Normal Monsters (which have no effects) are often forgotten about. Tragically, The Judgment Hand doesn’t have any effect or any stats worth caring about. All it has to fall back on is hilarious novelty value. This Warrior card’s description reads, “an all-powerful hand that delivers ruthless attacks.” We’re not sure we’re buying that, but still: it looks like one heck of a hand. Just look at that bracelet. We wouldn’t want to mess with it.

11 People Running About

This Monster is actually just several humans running around. Based on the image, they are fleeing an attack by a militia which has swords at the ready. Aside from the inclusion of these soldiers, there is also quite clearly what appears to be a puppy fleeing in the top left corner of the card art. Perhaps, upon reflection, this card should just be named about an attack.

Inclusions aside, this is a silly card which is almost unusable. The attack and defense are laughable in comparison to others available. Nevertheless, the typing of this card as Fire and Pyro makes one wonder whether these people returned to burn down the estate of a tyrant later.

10 Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon

Now, Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon isn’t the worst card around. It’s fairly solid by all accounts, with its intimidating porcupine/dragon design, decent stats, and potentially powerful effect (when a Monster the player controls is destroyed by a card effect or by battle, Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon can be Special Summoned from the hand).

The issue here is that… well, it’s named Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon. Only in Yu-Gi-Oh! could “Interplanetarypurplythorny” become a quasi-archetype (Interplanetarypurplythorny Beast is also a thing). Quite possibly the silliest name in the game, which is really saying something.

9 Snowman Eater

What exactly are we looking at here? Does this creature eat snowmen, or is it a snowman that eats? Where does the snowman end and the horrible green toothy thing begin? There are so many ridiculous questions that the world may never get answers to here.

Again, Snowman Eater isn’t a particularly bad card (a Flip Effect to destroy a face-up Monster is always nice in a pinch), it’s just one of the creepiest/funniest cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! history.

8 Bacon Saver

Since we’ve spent a deal of time thus far reviewing the actual stats of the Monster, this might be a good time to discuss one which is only at its most useful in your Graveyard. Bacon Saver is able to be banished from your Graveyard in order to negate the effect of an attack. If that attack was aimed at another Monster, you can save the bacon, or use it to maintain some of your precious life points – but only once per duel.

The art here actually reflects this idea, as the skeleton pig is jumping in front of its living counterpart. Kudos to the design team.

7 Putrid Pudding Body Buddies

If the name doesn’t earn this card a spot on the list, its art will. Seriously, is that flan? While the name implies pudding, we have reservations. Losing points for accurate naming conventions, the design team definitely got a chuckle when we opened a pack which contained these guys.

The card is useful in the sense that it cannot be forced to go away unless it is killed in combat. If you’re going for a defensive lineup which whittles away an opponents’ life points, this might be under consideration for use, as they cannot tribute it or include it in any other summoning mechanism which would remove it from their Monster zone.

6 Garbage Lord

There are a lot of lords of things in all fantasy worlds, and Yu-Gi-Oh! is no exception. Joining the ranks of lords in the game are Lord of the Red, Lord of D., Lightning Rod Lord, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, and Garbage Lord. That last one is a winner.

Seriously, there’s nothing bad about this card. For one tribute, you get a solid 2400 defense. In a bind? Pay 2000 life points and you can special summon him without the tribute. While his name would make one imagine that Garbage Lord looks something like the man who passes your home each Tuesday to take dirty diapers away to bye-bye land, he actually looks more akin to a villain from the Marvel Universe. Good stuff.

5 The Calculator

If a space invader who steals your trash isn’t enough to leave you shaking, The Calculator surely will be. With no defense points and an attack of “?”, this mechanical menace sounds more like a cheesy party invitation than a card you would want in your competitive deck.

While the Monster depicted looks nothing like a typical calculator, the attack number actually works well in the user’s favor. With The Calculator in play, its attack is 600. If you’ve played Garbage Lord as well, The calculator boasts 2100 attack. Much further and you might actually need a calculator.

4 BOXer

This one is just great. He’s a boxer and he’s made of boxes. Get it? BOXer? Get it?

All jest aside, 1800 attack on a level four monster is pretty solid in itself. Add to that a sweet ability which can prevent death or special summon something stronger from your deck, and you have a solid option which surprisingly doesn’t see a whole lot of use.

Since this Monster has an effect, it doesn’t have any flavor text. We would like to speculate though on what that text might say if it did. Probably something cheesy about packing the heat.

3 D-Boyz

D-Boyz is simply the boys from your local block. They resemble zombified Homies figures, and seem like they might be leaving some graffiti in your local alleyway. At level one, their 100 attack points and 1000 defense is as lackluster as would be expected, but D-Boyz does (do?) come with a flip ability if you’re willing to risk it.

The flip effect basically calls the crew to action. Once D-Boyz comes face up, you can special summon any number of the card to the battlefield for the low, low price of 1000 life points each. They come in positioned in the face up attack position, so expect to lose a bit more from there.

2 Doom Donuts

Want another dark Fiend Monster at level one, sporting a lackluster flip ability? We’ve got your back. Enter Doom Donuts.

Doom Donuts has zero attack and defense, and a flip ability which only destroys all monsters on the field with an original attack or defense of zero. We’re sure you’ve already looked up some price listings, because this one is a must in any competitive scene.

That last bit was a joke. We don’t jump that far for a laugh. The most infuriating thing about this card is that the name refers to multiple donuts, yet we clearly only see one. And we definitely wouldn’t pick it up for a bite.

1 Hungry Burger

If you thought you’d make it through this list without seeing the Hungry Burger, you were badly mistaken. The idea of a hamburger (no cheese) with teeth and a flag on its head demolishing opposing Monsters is just too juicy to pass up.

Here’s the thing. This thing, like Bikuribox, is a Ritual Monster. You summon it with the ritual spell Hamburger Recipe. At only level six, it doesn’t require THAT much to get him out, so why wouldn’t you use this card? Its stats are relatively solid, and being able to announce that you are attacking your opponent’s Doom Donuts with the Hungry Burger is priceless.

NEXT: Yu-Gi-Oh: 10 Most Powerful Evil Hero Cards, Ranked