TLDR History (because wikia sucks)
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's is set in the same Universe as, though several decades after, Yu-Gi-Oh! DM and GX. Domino City, the battleground of the original series, has evolved and changed into Neo-Domino City, which is praised sas an utopia. Responsible for the safety within the city is the Public Security Maintenance Bureau and its executive arm "Security". The Public Security Maintenance Bureau appears to have almost limitless resources as well as a strong connection to the Kaiba Corporation, which has evolved from being a simple gaming company under Seto Kaiba and seems to be accountable for all technological matters within Neo Domino City. Further, there is a special department within the Kaiba Corporation, the Momentum Investigation and Development Section (MIDS). This section researches a phenomenon named Momentum. The Momentum is a generator that can generate enough energy to supply all of the city through its rotation.
Another major factor is "Duel Monsters". The card game that had been just created in Yu-Gi-Oh! DM has become a great part of everyone’s life. Pro-duelists have become idols; sometimes the game is the last straw to solve conflict and some would equal their deck with their life. The idea that somebody might not know how to duel seems foreign. Since the era of GX, a new form of Duel Disc, the D-Wheel (a motorcycle with a built-in duel disc) has been developed and that form of dueling, the "Riding Duel" has become quite popular.
Important to the plot of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's are the People of the Stars, a pre-incan tribe - and their god, the Dragon Star. When threatened by wicked gods, the tribe prays to the star and it answers by sending the Crimson Dragon, the embodiment of god, to the earth. The Crimson Dragon manages to seal the Evil into the earth, creating the Nasca Lines. A seal that over the course of five thousand years has started to weaken. To prevent the reawakening of the wicked gods, the Crimson Dragon gave five human the power to call it out, marked them with its birthmark and gave them control of one of its servants. Those people are called Signer. Oppose to them are the ones chosen to serve the wicked gods, the Dark Signer.
Seventeen years before the main story, one of the Momentums researchers, Rudger Godwin, believing that to be his destiny, overloads the Momentum prototype, and causes a massive explosion that would from that day on be known as "Zero Reverse". Zero Reverse splits the city into two parts - the larger part that continues to be called Neo Domino and one small island where the old/original Momentum as well as the original Domino are located, the "Satellite". After that incident the city denies to take any responsibility and instead of rebuilding the island they create a pipeline to transport the city's trash there and let the Satellite's population sort it for recycling. To keep the population of the island from rebelling against the city, Security is stationed on the island and they gain control over all of the island aside of one district: the "Bad Area after Damage" (B.A.D.), the area around the old Momentum, where the criminals start to gather.
Sometimes after Zero Reverse Rex Godwin, brother and co-worker of Rudger, decides to leave the Satellite for Now Domino in order to fulfil his brother’s wishes and gather the Signer. He starts to build a bridge and slowly inspires the rest of Satellite’s population to help him. However before the bridge could be finished, the City inferred by sending Security, who prevents any attempts to continue the bridge. Eventually they manage to corner Rex and left without any other option aside of giving up, he races up the bridge on his D-Wheel, using it’s wings in a try to fly to the city. That story would be known as the “Legend of Daedalus Bridge” and Rex as its “legendary D-Wheeler”.
Not much is known of Crow’s earlier history, aside of that he lost his parents through the Zero Reverse incident as well as that he spent his earlier years alone around the shore of Satellite. Living miserable and lonely, without any friends, he starts fishing out Duel Monster Cards from the junkyard. On his way further into the Satellite, he encounters a group of older children, who teach him to read and count over the card game. It can be assumed that Crow was unnamed until that moment and named himself after one of his first cards “D.D. Crow”.
Staying with the group, who become his very first friends, he eventually encounters Fudo Yusei and Jack Atlas - whom he would become best friends with. Sometimes after meeting them, he starts to live with them at Martha’s orphanage where he spent the rest of his childhood. It is most likely that it was there that he first heard the Legend of Daedalus Bridge.
Crow leaves the orphanage together with Yusei and Jack around the age of fifteen. Sometimes after that they encounter another Satellite-youth, Kiryu Kyosuke. Canon keeps their story rather vague - however it is implied that Kiryu saves them from eventually falling into despair and keeps them from eventually become true “trash” by forming the Duel Gang “Team Satisfaction” and setting the goal of defeating all other Duel Gangs and taking over their territory (“Zone”), so that they could declare their dominance over the Satellite, giving them direction and hope.
Eventually Team Satisfaction manages to take over all Zones but one, Zone M. There the team encounters trouble in form of twenty enemy duelists, instead of the usual four. However, Kiryu accepts that challenge and after an incident that nearly kills Yusei, Team Satisfaction defeats that adversary as well and is now able to claim all of the Satellite as theirs.
But that short moment of victory doesn’t last long. Soon enough Kiryu grows restless again, calls onto the team and searchs out other Duel Gangs to defeat, something the rest of the team slowly grows tired off. Kiryu doesn’t seem to notice that and starts to succumb to violence, going so far that he even assaults an opponent kid. At this point, Crow has enough and tackles him down, only to be punched into the stomach in return. But Yusei and Jack infer with the fight before it grows too much out of hand. After that Crow, disappointed and almost bitter, leaves the team.
He returns to the docks, where he has set up a private hideout and spends his time taking care of children, thinking that he needed to teach them what he was taught by the cards: that they could hope and could have friends. That they would never be alone as long as they had that.
A few days after leaving the team the father of one of the kids Crow is looking after is brought to his hideout by a couple of thugs. Crow attacks them and is beaten down swiftly, but before the thugs can leave two men, Pearson and Bolger, appear and beat them in duel. It turns out that Pearson takes care of children like Crow and shows them how to work Duel Discs and D-Wheels to bring out their potential. Further are he and Bolger working on building a D-Wheel that is better than anything comparable in Neo Domino City.
Crow, amazed by Pearson and slowly beginning to find his path again after being disappointed by Kiryu, starts to help him out with taking care of the children and working on the ultimate engine. However after an unknown passage of time Crow once returns to Pearson’s garage only to find it ablaze. Inside he sees Pearson trapped beneath a roof beam, but is unable to help him due the advancement of the fire.
Pearson, knowing that there is no way our for himself, passes his D-Wheel “Black Bird” and his deck down to Crow and asks him to keep taking care of the children. Crow manages to escape the flames with both and the garages burns down, taking Pearson with it.
Crow, Bolger and the children mourn his death and after that Crow continues to take care of them at the docks and starts stealing cards from Security in order to keep them happy. Meanwhile Bolger goes to Neo Domino City and founds a very profitable company.
Sometimes after Pearson’s death Crow gets the message that Kiryu, his old team’s leader, is in trouble with Security. Worried, he seeks him out together with Jack and Yusei, only to find that Kiryu has attacked Security on his own. Cornered, but happy to see his former teammates, Kiryu declares “Team Satisfaction’s Last Duel” against Security. However the three of them refuse and urge Kiryu to flee with them.
The team manages escape for a while, but soon Security catches up with them. Kiryu snaps and almost kills an officer when backed into a corner and is arrested, despite all tries of the other three to protect him. They try to visit him in prison, but are never allowed to see him and after a while Kiryu is declared dead. Three years pass in which the other three fall somewhat apart and each go their own way: Yusei builts two D-Wheels, Jack leaves for Neo Domino City and Crow continues to take care of his children.
Crow appears the first time in the main storyline shortly after the Fortune Cup, while he steals cards from a Security warehouse. After being pursued and forced to duel by Security, he manages to lose them in the end and returns to his hide out at the docks. After giving the stolen cards to the kids, he finds out about Yusei winning the Fortune Cup, commenting that apparently the Duelists of Neo Domino City weren’t all that strong.
On the next morning, he intercepts Yusei as he arrives at the Satellite and they spend some time on catching up and exchanging information. Finding out that Yusei was forced into the Fortune Cup with his other friends lifes on line, he agrees to accompany the other to his hideout and check on them.
However the reunion with Rally, and the others is once again disturbed by Security, who try to arrest Crow for the events of the previous day. Crow asks the others to meet up with him at his place at the docks. Yusei catches up to him and together they manage to defeat Security once again and follow the others to Crow’s hideout.
In the evening, Yusei retells what he was told by Rex Godwin about the Signer and the Dark Signer as well as the war that is coming. Crow, feeling that he needs to protect the children and that he is the only one who can protect them, offers Yusei his help. Before Yusei can reply, one of the children interrupts them and asks Cow to tell them the Legend of Daedalus Bridge, a wish that Crow is happy to fulfil. The group turns in after that.
Later that night, Yusei decides to leave as he doesn’t want anyone be drawn into the war. However Crow intercepts him once again and talks him into letting him come. On the way, Yusei shares the final piece of information, that the Dark Signer are most likely to be found at the Old Momentum. But before they can reach that place a retrieved Kiryu, who has sworn to get revenge against his old team, stops them.
Crow watches as Kiryu and Yusei duel and after Yusei is almost defeated and killed, he brings his friend to Martha’s house. There he waits together with Yusei’s friends until the local doctor, Dr. Schmitt, declares Yusei as out of the woods. After that Crow returns to his hideout to check on the kids.
A few days later he sets out into the B.A.D. in order to challenge the Dark Signer on his own. When he reaches the entrance to the Old Momentum he encounters Jeager, the right hand man of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau’s Director Rex Godwin. Thinking him to be a Dark Signer, Crow chases him into an abandoned ware house and, after the misunderstanding is solved, he challenges him to a duel. However an earthquake interrupts their duel before it can conclude. Jeager flees, though not before warning Crow to do the same and Crow quickly notices why: an abnormal, black fog has risen from the Old Momentum and starts to absorb every person with its reach. Crow flees on Black Bird and manages to hide within a refrigerator before the fog can reach him.
He breaks out of his refuge on the next day and immediately returns to his hide out in order to search for the children, only to find that apparently there is nobody left in the Satellite but him. Angry he swears revenge against the Dark Signers and once again sets out to the B.A.D. Soon he encounters Bommer, a participant of the Fortune Cup who wishes for vengeance against Rex Godwin and was turned into a Dark Signer by Rudger to defeat Godwin’s "pawn" Fudo Yusei.
When Crow hears his motive, he declares that Bommer would have to defeat him before he could challenge Yusei. They venture further into the Satellite for their duel and after a long desperate fight, which is almost interrupted by the arrival of Yusei, Crow manages to win and free the souls of Bommer’s people that way. Bommer disappears into dust, but not before making Crow promise that he would find and take care of his children and telling Yusei to defeat the Dark Signer at all costs.
After that Crow tags along with Yusei and his group, consisting of Rua, Ruka and Ushio, to the place where Kiryu is waiting. Again he watches over their match and shouts at Kiryu when he accuses them of abandoning him. In the end Yusei wins the match and after their old friend disappears, Rudger challenges the group and says that he would await them at the Old Momentum.
When they arrive at the crate Crow notices a few abandoned Security-copters and a second entrance and decides to separate from the rest of the group and investigate. In the building he meets Rex Godwin and they have a short discussion about Rex’ and Rudger’s past and the Legend of Daedalus bridge and Crow reveals that he wishes to live the legendary D-Wheeler’s dream and connect the city with the Satellite. Rex remarks that Crow is the same as Yusei in that aspect and disappears after asking Crow to tell Yusei to seek him out should he defeat Rudger.
Crow then goes to meet with the rest of the group and arrives just in time to answer to Yusei’s “darkness in his heart”, his doubts whether he isn’t carrying part of the fault for Zero Reverse and if he deserved to be friends with Crow and Jack. Crow dismisses those concerns by saying that he is grateful to have met the other two and wouldn’t want it any other way. Yusei, once again determined to win, calls for the final attack and defeats Rudger, but Rudger manages to destroy the bridge they are standing on and pulls Yusei into the depth of the Momentum. The group waits shocked at the edge to the Old Momentum and after a while Yusei is released from there.
After that Crow splits from them in order to seek out Jack. He finds the other and they return just in time to see how the mark of the condor rise over Neo Domino City and how the King of the Underworld is reborn. The group, now finally reunited, wonders about both events and about what they are supposed to do now until the Crimson Dragon appears. It brings them to Rex Godwin’s mansion, where Rex awaits them and reveals himself as Dark Signer as well as that the arm with the fifth Dragon Birthmark is in his possession.
He shifts to his Dark Signer appearance, destroys his artificial left arm and attaches that with the birth mark instead - declaring that he would master both the Crimson Dragon and the King of the Underworld in order to become a god. Yusei, Jack oppose him and Crow joins them despite his status as Not-Signer. So the Riding Duel with the fate of the world on line begins.
In that duel it’s uncovered that Rex is the legendary D-Wheeler, a piece of information that Crow regards with disbelieve at first. However through the course of the duel he comes to acknowledge Rex as the legendary D-Wheeler and keeps declaring his believe into the legend. Rex, who by then has claimed the absolute power of the Crimson Dragon as his own by taking the Marks of the other Signers, disregards his words and tries to reduce Yusei’s life points to one instead. However Crow changes the target of that attack in last minute to himself and promises to take over the legend now. Due a combination of card effects, Black Bird's engine strength and anime physics he manages to smash through one of Rex’ monsters and activates one last card before collapsing from his bike onto the track.
The duel continues without him and after a few more turns in which Jack is knocked out as well, Yusei is able to summon Stardust Dragon and destroy Rex’ monster by combining all of their cards. After that he barely manages to avoid being defeated by the Earthbound God and calls Rex on his true feelings. When Rex shows weakness at that, the completed mark of the Crimson Dragon abandons him and returns to the other Signer instead - blessing Yusei with the head mark and giving his old one, the mark of the Crimson Dragon's Tail, to Crow instead. Then Yusei manages once again to summon Saviour Star Dragon and uses it to defeat Rex and the King of the Underworld.
When the fight against Rex resolves, he and Rudger decide to leave for the afterlife in exchange of retrieving the other Dark Signer. After that Crow, Yusei and Jack concentrate their efforts to fulfil their childhood dream and complete Daedalus Bridge, those finally connect Neo Domino City and the Satellite.
Six months pass and since much has changed within Neo Domino City since the battle against the Dark Signer. Crow has moved in with Jack and Yusei and together they work on an engine in order to enter the World Riding Grand Prix ("WRGP") together. Crow has started up a delivery service, Black Bird Delivery, to help cover the costs of their "experiments".
Around that time, an unknown D-Wheeler named Ghost appears and starts to challenge Neo Domino's citizens and destroy their D-Wheels. When Ushio first approaches the three of them, asking them for assistance against Ghost, Crow declines for all of them, saying that they have more than enough to do as it is. He soon regrets those words when he sees Ushio being transported to the hospital after having had an unfortunate encounter with Ghost himself. Crow, feeling guilty about his harsh words from before, blames himself for the assault on Ushio, but is cheers up when he goes out hunting for Ghost with the other two. Yusei is the one to find and duel Ghost and in the aftermath they discover him to be a prototype robot that was stolen from Security. The Signer conclude that a new enemy is on the move.
Life goes on as they are unable to do much about that, though Yusei, who finds out about the involvement of an organisation named Illiaster with the WRGP from a woman named Sherry, starts to get nervous about Ghost and the Synchro-seal-ability of his ace-monster. Jack and Crow both take note of this, though it takes a while until they confront him. When asked, Yusei reveals what Sherry has told him about Illiaster as well as about “the new possibility” called “Accel Synchro”. The three of them resolve to stick together and get behind the mystery.
Sometimes later they are approached by Ushio and Mikage, who ask them to look after an amnesiac boy named Bruno. Bruno turns out to be a very skillful mechanic and he and Yusei create an “ultimate program”, which is stolen by Jeager. The boys manage to follow his tracks, but even so Jeager escapes and the program is lost.
Soon after that a D-Wheeler with much resemblance to Jack starts to terrorize the streets, which eventually leads to Jack’s arrest. As it turns out that someone created a robot who looked like Jack and shared his mannerism and deck. It takes Jack a while to defeat his robo-double - he is even thought dead for a periode of time - but in the end he manages and now the boys are even more aware of the invisible enemy that is trying to harm them.
A while later a distress letter that addresses Yusei arrives, asking him to come to a town called Crash Town and help Kiryu. Crow and Jack arrive there later on and just in time to help the other two to defeat Lotten, the tyrant that has taken over the town. After this short reunion of Team Satisfaction, Kiryu decides to stay behind and protect the two orphans in his care as well as the newly christened “Satisfaction Town”.
Back in Neo Domino City, Crow goes to visit Pearson’s grave. On his way home he notices that something is up with Black Bird, though he thinks that it might have been just due Bruno messing with the bike. When Bruno and Yusei examine it, they note that they are denied access to certain parts of the D-Wheel. Meanwhile Crow is approached by Ushio and Mikage, who ask him about Pearson’s death and reveal that it actually was a murder, connected to a card named “Blood Mephist”.
Crow, wanting to find that person, goes to see Bolger, who by then had become a successful D-Wheel-Designer. Even though they manage to catch up a bit, when Crow mentions the suspected murder on Pearson Bolger grows stiff and asks Crow to forget about the affair and get on with his life. When Crow grows angry and tries to leave, Bolger decides share his knowledge on that matter under on condition: A duel between the two of them with Pearson’s old ace, Black Feather Dragon, on line.
Bolger reveals that his company is in need of sponsors and that he needs Black Feather Dragon as collateral to get them. He says that regardless of what Crow may think, Pearson surely would have shared his opinion. Crow, who thinks Black Feather Dragon lost in the fire, is confused by Bolger’s conditions. Just before that duel the boys go to visit Crow’s orphan’s, who have been living with Martha. Unsure about whether to accept the duel or not, Crow tells Yusei about the history between him and Pearson and about his insecurity regarding his ability to live up to Pearson. Yusei contradicts him and points out that Crow is doing as Pearson would have wanted him to by having taken care of the kids. As result of that conversation Crow decides to accept Bolger’s challenge, even though he has no idea about the whereabouts of Black Feather Dragon.
Through the course of the duel, Bolger reveals himself as the owner of Blood Mephist and thus murderer of Pearson. He admits having dueled Pearson for the result of their research on D-Wheel engines after later turned down an offer from the city to buy said research. Bolger wouldn’t stand for that and as result of the fight Pearson was killed.
Crow, pissed of by Bolger’s selfishness, declares that he won’t forgive him for what he has done and so their duel resumes. Bolger manages to back Crow into a corner through the use of Blood Mephist. Crow is close to giving up, but regains his courage when his children appear at the premise cheering for him. When he swears once again to protect the children and follow Pearson’s will, the dragon’s birthmark on his arm starts to response and Black Feather Dragon’s car, which was hidden within Black Bird, is unsealed. Crow manages to win the duel against Bolger by using Black Feather Dragon and its effect and Bolger starts to regret what he has done in the name of business and turns himself in.
However before that Bolger left his company with the order to help Crow and his team with their D-Wheels. Now the newly christened Team 5D’s is ready to compete in the WRGP. When they test out their new D-Wheels on the WRGP’s lanes, Crow becomes overexcited due the speed and performance and nearly runs over one of their opponents; Breo from Team Unicorn. Team Unicorn suggests a duel as compensation which pits Yusei vs. Andre. Although Yusei almost wins the duel, practice time runs out before he can deplete Anrdre’s lifepoints.
In the evening Crow and Jack go to visit Martha and the children and his former wards reveal a poster they made to cheer for Crow. More motivated than ever, Crow swears to do his very best to win. On the next morning he leaves to practice with the new D-Wheel a bit more on the highway, but crashes and breaks his left shoulder. When Aki offers to substitute for him, he first sneers at her in his frustration however apologizes later and promises to help her train as much as possible.
Team 5D’s first opponent in the WRGP preliminary turns out to be Team Unicorn. Although Jack and Aki are both beaten by their opponent's First Wheeler Andre, Yusei manages to turn tables and ends up defeating the whole team before his deck runs out. In the evening Team 5D’s celebrate their victory and get visited by another participant Sherry and her butler/bodyguard Mizuguchi, who warns them that they shouldn’t become too comfortable as Illiaster has yet to show their hand.
A few days later Crow, Yusei and Jack decide to look up Team Unicorn’s next match, since they hope to encounter their former rivals again in the main tournament. However they arrive just in time to watch Andre crash, making their opponent’s - Team Catastrophe - victory a default win. When the team discusses the accidents with Breo and Carly, they compare the data of the crashes of Team Unicorn with Crow’s, revealing that Team Catastrophe was most likely responsible for Crow’s crash.
However before they are able to warn their last team member; Aki crashes as well and is brought unconscious to the hospital. Enraged about their opponent’s crooked methods, Crow swears revenge and goes into Team 5D’s next duel as First Wheeler, even though his shoulder isn’t completely healed yet.
When playing against Team Catastophe’s Hermann, Crow manages to evade his attempts to make him crash through his main monster’s Hidden Knight Hook’s supernatural abilities and eventually wins the duel with Black Feather Dragon and sacrifices the card in order to keep Hidden Knight Hook off the field. He then is forced to return into the pit due his still injured shoulder. Team Catastrophe attempts to win the second duel by once again depending on a ’card of darkness’, but Jack is able to counter well; completing the victory of Team 5D’s over Team Catastrophe.
In that moment, Illiaster’s Placido makes his move by sending out his Duel-roid army, Diabolo. Crow is forced to watch from the sidelines while Jack, Yusei and Sherry help out Security taking on the Duel-roids. While Yusei duels Placido, Crow is left wondering what is going on since the duel had summoned a massive lightening storm that threatens to destroy Neo Domino City.
He eventually leaves the stadium and meets up with Yusei and Jack to finally confront Illiaster. Jose of Illiaster reveals their hand in the events of the last few months, telling Team 5D’s to prepare to face Illiaster in the main tournament of the WRGP.
Another major factor is "Duel Monsters". The card game that had been just created in Yu-Gi-Oh! DM has become a great part of everyone’s life. Pro-duelists have become idols; sometimes the game is the last straw to solve conflict and some would equal their deck with their life. The idea that somebody might not know how to duel seems foreign. Since the era of GX, a new form of Duel Disc, the D-Wheel (a motorcycle with a built-in duel disc) has been developed and that form of dueling, the "Riding Duel" has become quite popular.
Important to the plot of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's are the People of the Stars, a pre-incan tribe - and their god, the Dragon Star. When threatened by wicked gods, the tribe prays to the star and it answers by sending the Crimson Dragon, the embodiment of god, to the earth. The Crimson Dragon manages to seal the Evil into the earth, creating the Nasca Lines. A seal that over the course of five thousand years has started to weaken. To prevent the reawakening of the wicked gods, the Crimson Dragon gave five human the power to call it out, marked them with its birthmark and gave them control of one of its servants. Those people are called Signer. Oppose to them are the ones chosen to serve the wicked gods, the Dark Signer.
Seventeen years before the main story, one of the Momentums researchers, Rudger Godwin, believing that to be his destiny, overloads the Momentum prototype, and causes a massive explosion that would from that day on be known as "Zero Reverse". Zero Reverse splits the city into two parts - the larger part that continues to be called Neo Domino and one small island where the old/original Momentum as well as the original Domino are located, the "Satellite". After that incident the city denies to take any responsibility and instead of rebuilding the island they create a pipeline to transport the city's trash there and let the Satellite's population sort it for recycling. To keep the population of the island from rebelling against the city, Security is stationed on the island and they gain control over all of the island aside of one district: the "Bad Area after Damage" (B.A.D.), the area around the old Momentum, where the criminals start to gather.
Sometimes after Zero Reverse Rex Godwin, brother and co-worker of Rudger, decides to leave the Satellite for Now Domino in order to fulfil his brother’s wishes and gather the Signer. He starts to build a bridge and slowly inspires the rest of Satellite’s population to help him. However before the bridge could be finished, the City inferred by sending Security, who prevents any attempts to continue the bridge. Eventually they manage to corner Rex and left without any other option aside of giving up, he races up the bridge on his D-Wheel, using it’s wings in a try to fly to the city. That story would be known as the “Legend of Daedalus Bridge” and Rex as its “legendary D-Wheeler”.
Not much is known of Crow’s earlier history, aside of that he lost his parents through the Zero Reverse incident as well as that he spent his earlier years alone around the shore of Satellite. Living miserable and lonely, without any friends, he starts fishing out Duel Monster Cards from the junkyard. On his way further into the Satellite, he encounters a group of older children, who teach him to read and count over the card game. It can be assumed that Crow was unnamed until that moment and named himself after one of his first cards “D.D. Crow”.
Staying with the group, who become his very first friends, he eventually encounters Fudo Yusei and Jack Atlas - whom he would become best friends with. Sometimes after meeting them, he starts to live with them at Martha’s orphanage where he spent the rest of his childhood. It is most likely that it was there that he first heard the Legend of Daedalus Bridge.
Crow leaves the orphanage together with Yusei and Jack around the age of fifteen. Sometimes after that they encounter another Satellite-youth, Kiryu Kyosuke. Canon keeps their story rather vague - however it is implied that Kiryu saves them from eventually falling into despair and keeps them from eventually become true “trash” by forming the Duel Gang “Team Satisfaction” and setting the goal of defeating all other Duel Gangs and taking over their territory (“Zone”), so that they could declare their dominance over the Satellite, giving them direction and hope.
Eventually Team Satisfaction manages to take over all Zones but one, Zone M. There the team encounters trouble in form of twenty enemy duelists, instead of the usual four. However, Kiryu accepts that challenge and after an incident that nearly kills Yusei, Team Satisfaction defeats that adversary as well and is now able to claim all of the Satellite as theirs.
But that short moment of victory doesn’t last long. Soon enough Kiryu grows restless again, calls onto the team and searchs out other Duel Gangs to defeat, something the rest of the team slowly grows tired off. Kiryu doesn’t seem to notice that and starts to succumb to violence, going so far that he even assaults an opponent kid. At this point, Crow has enough and tackles him down, only to be punched into the stomach in return. But Yusei and Jack infer with the fight before it grows too much out of hand. After that Crow, disappointed and almost bitter, leaves the team.
He returns to the docks, where he has set up a private hideout and spends his time taking care of children, thinking that he needed to teach them what he was taught by the cards: that they could hope and could have friends. That they would never be alone as long as they had that.
A few days after leaving the team the father of one of the kids Crow is looking after is brought to his hideout by a couple of thugs. Crow attacks them and is beaten down swiftly, but before the thugs can leave two men, Pearson and Bolger, appear and beat them in duel. It turns out that Pearson takes care of children like Crow and shows them how to work Duel Discs and D-Wheels to bring out their potential. Further are he and Bolger working on building a D-Wheel that is better than anything comparable in Neo Domino City.
Crow, amazed by Pearson and slowly beginning to find his path again after being disappointed by Kiryu, starts to help him out with taking care of the children and working on the ultimate engine. However after an unknown passage of time Crow once returns to Pearson’s garage only to find it ablaze. Inside he sees Pearson trapped beneath a roof beam, but is unable to help him due the advancement of the fire.
Pearson, knowing that there is no way our for himself, passes his D-Wheel “Black Bird” and his deck down to Crow and asks him to keep taking care of the children. Crow manages to escape the flames with both and the garages burns down, taking Pearson with it.
Crow, Bolger and the children mourn his death and after that Crow continues to take care of them at the docks and starts stealing cards from Security in order to keep them happy. Meanwhile Bolger goes to Neo Domino City and founds a very profitable company.
Sometimes after Pearson’s death Crow gets the message that Kiryu, his old team’s leader, is in trouble with Security. Worried, he seeks him out together with Jack and Yusei, only to find that Kiryu has attacked Security on his own. Cornered, but happy to see his former teammates, Kiryu declares “Team Satisfaction’s Last Duel” against Security. However the three of them refuse and urge Kiryu to flee with them.
The team manages escape for a while, but soon Security catches up with them. Kiryu snaps and almost kills an officer when backed into a corner and is arrested, despite all tries of the other three to protect him. They try to visit him in prison, but are never allowed to see him and after a while Kiryu is declared dead. Three years pass in which the other three fall somewhat apart and each go their own way: Yusei builts two D-Wheels, Jack leaves for Neo Domino City and Crow continues to take care of his children.
Crow appears the first time in the main storyline shortly after the Fortune Cup, while he steals cards from a Security warehouse. After being pursued and forced to duel by Security, he manages to lose them in the end and returns to his hide out at the docks. After giving the stolen cards to the kids, he finds out about Yusei winning the Fortune Cup, commenting that apparently the Duelists of Neo Domino City weren’t all that strong.
On the next morning, he intercepts Yusei as he arrives at the Satellite and they spend some time on catching up and exchanging information. Finding out that Yusei was forced into the Fortune Cup with his other friends lifes on line, he agrees to accompany the other to his hideout and check on them.
However the reunion with Rally, and the others is once again disturbed by Security, who try to arrest Crow for the events of the previous day. Crow asks the others to meet up with him at his place at the docks. Yusei catches up to him and together they manage to defeat Security once again and follow the others to Crow’s hideout.
In the evening, Yusei retells what he was told by Rex Godwin about the Signer and the Dark Signer as well as the war that is coming. Crow, feeling that he needs to protect the children and that he is the only one who can protect them, offers Yusei his help. Before Yusei can reply, one of the children interrupts them and asks Cow to tell them the Legend of Daedalus Bridge, a wish that Crow is happy to fulfil. The group turns in after that.
Later that night, Yusei decides to leave as he doesn’t want anyone be drawn into the war. However Crow intercepts him once again and talks him into letting him come. On the way, Yusei shares the final piece of information, that the Dark Signer are most likely to be found at the Old Momentum. But before they can reach that place a retrieved Kiryu, who has sworn to get revenge against his old team, stops them.
Crow watches as Kiryu and Yusei duel and after Yusei is almost defeated and killed, he brings his friend to Martha’s house. There he waits together with Yusei’s friends until the local doctor, Dr. Schmitt, declares Yusei as out of the woods. After that Crow returns to his hideout to check on the kids.
A few days later he sets out into the B.A.D. in order to challenge the Dark Signer on his own. When he reaches the entrance to the Old Momentum he encounters Jeager, the right hand man of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau’s Director Rex Godwin. Thinking him to be a Dark Signer, Crow chases him into an abandoned ware house and, after the misunderstanding is solved, he challenges him to a duel. However an earthquake interrupts their duel before it can conclude. Jeager flees, though not before warning Crow to do the same and Crow quickly notices why: an abnormal, black fog has risen from the Old Momentum and starts to absorb every person with its reach. Crow flees on Black Bird and manages to hide within a refrigerator before the fog can reach him.
He breaks out of his refuge on the next day and immediately returns to his hide out in order to search for the children, only to find that apparently there is nobody left in the Satellite but him. Angry he swears revenge against the Dark Signers and once again sets out to the B.A.D. Soon he encounters Bommer, a participant of the Fortune Cup who wishes for vengeance against Rex Godwin and was turned into a Dark Signer by Rudger to defeat Godwin’s "pawn" Fudo Yusei.
When Crow hears his motive, he declares that Bommer would have to defeat him before he could challenge Yusei. They venture further into the Satellite for their duel and after a long desperate fight, which is almost interrupted by the arrival of Yusei, Crow manages to win and free the souls of Bommer’s people that way. Bommer disappears into dust, but not before making Crow promise that he would find and take care of his children and telling Yusei to defeat the Dark Signer at all costs.
After that Crow tags along with Yusei and his group, consisting of Rua, Ruka and Ushio, to the place where Kiryu is waiting. Again he watches over their match and shouts at Kiryu when he accuses them of abandoning him. In the end Yusei wins the match and after their old friend disappears, Rudger challenges the group and says that he would await them at the Old Momentum.
When they arrive at the crate Crow notices a few abandoned Security-copters and a second entrance and decides to separate from the rest of the group and investigate. In the building he meets Rex Godwin and they have a short discussion about Rex’ and Rudger’s past and the Legend of Daedalus bridge and Crow reveals that he wishes to live the legendary D-Wheeler’s dream and connect the city with the Satellite. Rex remarks that Crow is the same as Yusei in that aspect and disappears after asking Crow to tell Yusei to seek him out should he defeat Rudger.
Crow then goes to meet with the rest of the group and arrives just in time to answer to Yusei’s “darkness in his heart”, his doubts whether he isn’t carrying part of the fault for Zero Reverse and if he deserved to be friends with Crow and Jack. Crow dismisses those concerns by saying that he is grateful to have met the other two and wouldn’t want it any other way. Yusei, once again determined to win, calls for the final attack and defeats Rudger, but Rudger manages to destroy the bridge they are standing on and pulls Yusei into the depth of the Momentum. The group waits shocked at the edge to the Old Momentum and after a while Yusei is released from there.
After that Crow splits from them in order to seek out Jack. He finds the other and they return just in time to see how the mark of the condor rise over Neo Domino City and how the King of the Underworld is reborn. The group, now finally reunited, wonders about both events and about what they are supposed to do now until the Crimson Dragon appears. It brings them to Rex Godwin’s mansion, where Rex awaits them and reveals himself as Dark Signer as well as that the arm with the fifth Dragon Birthmark is in his possession.
He shifts to his Dark Signer appearance, destroys his artificial left arm and attaches that with the birth mark instead - declaring that he would master both the Crimson Dragon and the King of the Underworld in order to become a god. Yusei, Jack oppose him and Crow joins them despite his status as Not-Signer. So the Riding Duel with the fate of the world on line begins.
In that duel it’s uncovered that Rex is the legendary D-Wheeler, a piece of information that Crow regards with disbelieve at first. However through the course of the duel he comes to acknowledge Rex as the legendary D-Wheeler and keeps declaring his believe into the legend. Rex, who by then has claimed the absolute power of the Crimson Dragon as his own by taking the Marks of the other Signers, disregards his words and tries to reduce Yusei’s life points to one instead. However Crow changes the target of that attack in last minute to himself and promises to take over the legend now. Due a combination of card effects, Black Bird's engine strength and anime physics he manages to smash through one of Rex’ monsters and activates one last card before collapsing from his bike onto the track.
The duel continues without him and after a few more turns in which Jack is knocked out as well, Yusei is able to summon Stardust Dragon and destroy Rex’ monster by combining all of their cards. After that he barely manages to avoid being defeated by the Earthbound God and calls Rex on his true feelings. When Rex shows weakness at that, the completed mark of the Crimson Dragon abandons him and returns to the other Signer instead - blessing Yusei with the head mark and giving his old one, the mark of the Crimson Dragon's Tail, to Crow instead. Then Yusei manages once again to summon Saviour Star Dragon and uses it to defeat Rex and the King of the Underworld.
When the fight against Rex resolves, he and Rudger decide to leave for the afterlife in exchange of retrieving the other Dark Signer. After that Crow, Yusei and Jack concentrate their efforts to fulfil their childhood dream and complete Daedalus Bridge, those finally connect Neo Domino City and the Satellite.
Six months pass and since much has changed within Neo Domino City since the battle against the Dark Signer. Crow has moved in with Jack and Yusei and together they work on an engine in order to enter the World Riding Grand Prix ("WRGP") together. Crow has started up a delivery service, Black Bird Delivery, to help cover the costs of their "experiments".
Around that time, an unknown D-Wheeler named Ghost appears and starts to challenge Neo Domino's citizens and destroy their D-Wheels. When Ushio first approaches the three of them, asking them for assistance against Ghost, Crow declines for all of them, saying that they have more than enough to do as it is. He soon regrets those words when he sees Ushio being transported to the hospital after having had an unfortunate encounter with Ghost himself. Crow, feeling guilty about his harsh words from before, blames himself for the assault on Ushio, but is cheers up when he goes out hunting for Ghost with the other two. Yusei is the one to find and duel Ghost and in the aftermath they discover him to be a prototype robot that was stolen from Security. The Signer conclude that a new enemy is on the move.
Life goes on as they are unable to do much about that, though Yusei, who finds out about the involvement of an organisation named Illiaster with the WRGP from a woman named Sherry, starts to get nervous about Ghost and the Synchro-seal-ability of his ace-monster. Jack and Crow both take note of this, though it takes a while until they confront him. When asked, Yusei reveals what Sherry has told him about Illiaster as well as about “the new possibility” called “Accel Synchro”. The three of them resolve to stick together and get behind the mystery.
Sometimes later they are approached by Ushio and Mikage, who ask them to look after an amnesiac boy named Bruno. Bruno turns out to be a very skillful mechanic and he and Yusei create an “ultimate program”, which is stolen by Jeager. The boys manage to follow his tracks, but even so Jeager escapes and the program is lost.
Soon after that a D-Wheeler with much resemblance to Jack starts to terrorize the streets, which eventually leads to Jack’s arrest. As it turns out that someone created a robot who looked like Jack and shared his mannerism and deck. It takes Jack a while to defeat his robo-double - he is even thought dead for a periode of time - but in the end he manages and now the boys are even more aware of the invisible enemy that is trying to harm them.
A while later a distress letter that addresses Yusei arrives, asking him to come to a town called Crash Town and help Kiryu. Crow and Jack arrive there later on and just in time to help the other two to defeat Lotten, the tyrant that has taken over the town. After this short reunion of Team Satisfaction, Kiryu decides to stay behind and protect the two orphans in his care as well as the newly christened “Satisfaction Town”.
Back in Neo Domino City, Crow goes to visit Pearson’s grave. On his way home he notices that something is up with Black Bird, though he thinks that it might have been just due Bruno messing with the bike. When Bruno and Yusei examine it, they note that they are denied access to certain parts of the D-Wheel. Meanwhile Crow is approached by Ushio and Mikage, who ask him about Pearson’s death and reveal that it actually was a murder, connected to a card named “Blood Mephist”.
Crow, wanting to find that person, goes to see Bolger, who by then had become a successful D-Wheel-Designer. Even though they manage to catch up a bit, when Crow mentions the suspected murder on Pearson Bolger grows stiff and asks Crow to forget about the affair and get on with his life. When Crow grows angry and tries to leave, Bolger decides share his knowledge on that matter under on condition: A duel between the two of them with Pearson’s old ace, Black Feather Dragon, on line.
Bolger reveals that his company is in need of sponsors and that he needs Black Feather Dragon as collateral to get them. He says that regardless of what Crow may think, Pearson surely would have shared his opinion. Crow, who thinks Black Feather Dragon lost in the fire, is confused by Bolger’s conditions. Just before that duel the boys go to visit Crow’s orphan’s, who have been living with Martha. Unsure about whether to accept the duel or not, Crow tells Yusei about the history between him and Pearson and about his insecurity regarding his ability to live up to Pearson. Yusei contradicts him and points out that Crow is doing as Pearson would have wanted him to by having taken care of the kids. As result of that conversation Crow decides to accept Bolger’s challenge, even though he has no idea about the whereabouts of Black Feather Dragon.
Through the course of the duel, Bolger reveals himself as the owner of Blood Mephist and thus murderer of Pearson. He admits having dueled Pearson for the result of their research on D-Wheel engines after later turned down an offer from the city to buy said research. Bolger wouldn’t stand for that and as result of the fight Pearson was killed.
Crow, pissed of by Bolger’s selfishness, declares that he won’t forgive him for what he has done and so their duel resumes. Bolger manages to back Crow into a corner through the use of Blood Mephist. Crow is close to giving up, but regains his courage when his children appear at the premise cheering for him. When he swears once again to protect the children and follow Pearson’s will, the dragon’s birthmark on his arm starts to response and Black Feather Dragon’s car, which was hidden within Black Bird, is unsealed. Crow manages to win the duel against Bolger by using Black Feather Dragon and its effect and Bolger starts to regret what he has done in the name of business and turns himself in.
However before that Bolger left his company with the order to help Crow and his team with their D-Wheels. Now the newly christened Team 5D’s is ready to compete in the WRGP. When they test out their new D-Wheels on the WRGP’s lanes, Crow becomes overexcited due the speed and performance and nearly runs over one of their opponents; Breo from Team Unicorn. Team Unicorn suggests a duel as compensation which pits Yusei vs. Andre. Although Yusei almost wins the duel, practice time runs out before he can deplete Anrdre’s lifepoints.
In the evening Crow and Jack go to visit Martha and the children and his former wards reveal a poster they made to cheer for Crow. More motivated than ever, Crow swears to do his very best to win. On the next morning he leaves to practice with the new D-Wheel a bit more on the highway, but crashes and breaks his left shoulder. When Aki offers to substitute for him, he first sneers at her in his frustration however apologizes later and promises to help her train as much as possible.
Team 5D’s first opponent in the WRGP preliminary turns out to be Team Unicorn. Although Jack and Aki are both beaten by their opponent's First Wheeler Andre, Yusei manages to turn tables and ends up defeating the whole team before his deck runs out. In the evening Team 5D’s celebrate their victory and get visited by another participant Sherry and her butler/bodyguard Mizuguchi, who warns them that they shouldn’t become too comfortable as Illiaster has yet to show their hand.
A few days later Crow, Yusei and Jack decide to look up Team Unicorn’s next match, since they hope to encounter their former rivals again in the main tournament. However they arrive just in time to watch Andre crash, making their opponent’s - Team Catastrophe - victory a default win. When the team discusses the accidents with Breo and Carly, they compare the data of the crashes of Team Unicorn with Crow’s, revealing that Team Catastrophe was most likely responsible for Crow’s crash.
However before they are able to warn their last team member; Aki crashes as well and is brought unconscious to the hospital. Enraged about their opponent’s crooked methods, Crow swears revenge and goes into Team 5D’s next duel as First Wheeler, even though his shoulder isn’t completely healed yet.
When playing against Team Catastophe’s Hermann, Crow manages to evade his attempts to make him crash through his main monster’s Hidden Knight Hook’s supernatural abilities and eventually wins the duel with Black Feather Dragon and sacrifices the card in order to keep Hidden Knight Hook off the field. He then is forced to return into the pit due his still injured shoulder. Team Catastrophe attempts to win the second duel by once again depending on a ’card of darkness’, but Jack is able to counter well; completing the victory of Team 5D’s over Team Catastrophe.
In that moment, Illiaster’s Placido makes his move by sending out his Duel-roid army, Diabolo. Crow is forced to watch from the sidelines while Jack, Yusei and Sherry help out Security taking on the Duel-roids. While Yusei duels Placido, Crow is left wondering what is going on since the duel had summoned a massive lightening storm that threatens to destroy Neo Domino City.
He eventually leaves the stadium and meets up with Yusei and Jack to finally confront Illiaster. Jose of Illiaster reveals their hand in the events of the last few months, telling Team 5D’s to prepare to face Illiaster in the main tournament of the WRGP.