As far as the Zexal era goes, there’s no monster more iconic than Number 39: Utopia!  One of the most popular Rank 4 Xyz Monsters of all time, it’s a must-play for countless Duelists world-wide.  With 2500 ATK and a starring role in Yuma’s Extra Deck, it’s the spiritual successor to monsters like Yugi’s Dark Magician, and Yusei’s Stardust Dragon.

In real-world Dueling we’ve seen Utopia in many different forms.  It debuted as an Ultra Rare in Starter Deck: Dawn of the Xyz.  It was a white glossy Rare and a Starfoil Rare in Battle Pack: Epic Dawn, and reappeared as a Custom Rare promo in four different colors in Duelist League.  It popped up as a Common in Star Pack 2013, and it was a Gold Rare in Gold Series: Haunted Mine.  It’s been reprinted five times so far, in a total of nine different rarities.

So, think you’ve seen Utopia in every form imaginable?  Think again!  Attendees this weekend get to see the prestigious Xyz Monster in a whole new light, exploding off the card and into our reality as a life-sized eight foot tall replica.  Brandishing its twin swords, Number 39: Utopia looks out across the tournament floor here in San Diego as if it’s preparing to unleash a Rising Sun Slash attack!

Those velvet ropes?  They’re to protect us, not to protect Utopia.

Built in Japan, the Utopia statue made its first stateside appearance at New York Toyfair in February.  This is the second time it’s been displayed in North America, and after this weekend we won’t see it again until the World Championship Qualifier.  As huge as the statue may be, it’s actually not very heavy, cast in a foam material with a lightweight skeleton.  That construction actually allows Utopia to be broken down and set up again in two completely different poses!  The statue will be disassembled overnight on Saturday, so it’ll look totally different on Sunday.  Cool stuff.

While Utopia wasn’t accessible to Duelists pre-registering this afternoon, it’s sure to be a popular photo-op once competitors are given free reign of the tournament hall tomorrow morning.  It’s just one of the awesome attractions here at the YCS this weekend!