Who was that masked man? That’s what a lot of players were wondering on Thursday (August 29) before the identity of the mysterious Shadow Duelist Nocturne was unveiled during the Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel livestream.
As it turns out, it was none other than Zayn Malik, 31, a lifelong fan of the free digital card game who didn’t play in the tournament, but whose reveal was teased earlier this month as a “celebrity in disguise,” along with previous hints that he mystery man was “cloaked in shadow and draped in melody” and was part of a “celebrated brotherhood of troubadours.” When the big moment came, Malik, wearing black leather gloves and a black suit, slowly pulled off the character’s gold and black voice changing helmet with glowing green eyes as the event’s hosts lost their minds.
Before the reveal, the hosts shared a the obvious penultimate clue, which read, “From dusk till dawn, Nocturne fills the air with Stardust and PILLOWTALK,” a triple-down on Zayn solo single hints.
The winner of Thursday’s tournament not only earned bragging rights, but also a signed copy of the mask as part of their prize package. After a player called Fictinium emerged victorious, Malik removed his mask and talked about his love of the franchise that includes games, anime and playing cards.
“Yeah, I’m a big, big Yu-Gi-Oh! fan. I’ve been into Yu-Gi-Oh! for a long time, since I was a small kid, so it’s an honor to be here, to do this, and it was very exciting,” said Malik, who offered up game-play commentary on the final four alongside the night’s hosts, Steven Kangas and Billy Brake. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a few weeks.”
Zayn said he was excited to wear the cool mask because he loves dressing in costume, but also was way into watching everyone compete as he signed the inside of the mask for Fictinium. The singer also ran down his favorite battles, shared his packed childhood Yu-Gi-Oh! binder and revealed his favorite card while talking about his Yu-Gi origin story, which involved first playing the game when he was “really young” on his Gameboy Advance SP.
“What is my favorite card? Obviously, I have the Shooting Star Dragon — and, obviously, it’s one of my most powerful cards, that’s why I like it so much,” Zayn said, displaying his leather binder — with the game’s name hand-scrawled across the front in Sharpie — and some of his most treasured cards. “I have the Shooting Quasar Dragon, too.” And, for the record, if he was to record a theme song for the series, it would be something “high energy” with an “early 2000s rock” vibe.
The singer, who joked about calling his next album, Yami Yugi, displayed a deep knowledge of the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, while also taking a moment to tease upcoming music. Saying he was “honored to be here,” Zayn also told viewers that he has “some interesting stuff coming out with my music pretty soon. Some pretty big announcements coming up, so if you’re interested in my music at all, I’ve got some cool news coming pretty soon.”
Zayn signed a new recording contract with Mercury Records last summer and released his fourth solo album, Room Under the Stairs, in May.
Watch Zayn’s reveal below.
