Yuma Tsukumo is the main character of Zexal. Yuma lives with his older sister and grandmother, because he lost his parents, who were archaeologists. A necklace that his parents gave him seems to hold many secrets. His dad also left him with his deck. Despite the lack of parents, Yuma is usually a happy and energetic child, who hates unfairness and cares about his friends. He never gives up and always shoots for the top. Unfortunately, he doesn't always make it. His goal is to become the world champion of dueling and has some of the cards he needs to do so, but, unfortunately, he is not a very good card player. Because of this drawback, he will often put himself in a tough position, such as facing against his tough future rival, Shark Ryouga. Yuma teams up with the mysterious Astral, who is conveniently a dueling genius. Even though Astral tries to help Yuma, he often does not listen because of his extreme stubbornness and wrongful pride. Although they have conflicting personalities, Yuma needs to learn to work with Astral, and put aside his pride or he will never be a dueling champion.