Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar

Pairing
Pairing:	Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar
Alternative name(s):	Thiefshipping, BakuMali, バクマリ (BakuMari), Citronshipping (for Marik/Thief King Bakura), Feefshipping (for their Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series counterparts), BxM, YBxM, YBxMI
Gender category:	slash, m/m
Fandom:	Yu-Gi-Oh!
Canonical?:	No
Prevalence:	very popular
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Yami Bakura/Marik Ishtar, also known by the name Thiefshipping, is the pairing of the characters Yami Bakura and Marik Ishtar from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters.

Fanon

Ship Name

The nickname Thiefshipping, like most of the Pairing Names for Yu-Gi-Oh ships, comes from an element from the series: the fact that they are both theives in some way (Marik leads the Rare Hunters, stole the Millenium Rod and the God Cards; Bakura wants to get all the Millenium Itens and was a known thief in ancient Egypt).

Another alternative name for this ship is Citronshipping, which is used for the pairing of Marik with Thief King Bakura; accourding to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Master Shipping List, it is named so because "(according to the fans) these two characters would have a lot of sex (which the fandom term is lemon which is a type of citrus fruit like a citron)."

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series

Part of the reason Thiefshipping became such a popular ship was thanks to Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series, and the many references it makes to the pairing, even directly calling it the relationship between the two "Thiefshipping" in many occasions.

Fanfics and fanworks about this specific version of the ship often call it Feefshipping, supposedly after the sound that's often used for censorship on YGOTAS, which sounds a bit like "thief".

Common Tropes in Fanworks

• Yami Bakura coming back from the afterlife to see Marik again
• Alternate Universe fics where Thief King Bakura meets an ancient Egyptian version of Marik
• Having personalities clearly inspired by their Abridged series counterparts, with elements like Marik being more flamboyant and having the nickname "Fluffy" for Bakura.

Resources

• Thiefshipping on AO3
• Thiefshipping on the Shipping Wiki