No, I agree. I just said to our anime club that the duel in Season 4 where Syrus inherits the Cyber Style is one of my favorite passing the torch moments in any anime I’ve seen.

He’s a great character, and people sell him short.

*screaming out loud*

YES OH MY GOD

Shou’s development is just so great to see. How he started out as scared, uncertain, and constantly felt inferior to others around him, especially his older brother. Heck, he tries to leave the Academy, and hides out in a trash can for fear of anyone challenging him. But he really does become more than that. He faces his fears, learns to be independent, and goes on to pursue his own dreams. He steps up to challenges more as the series progresses - he challenges his brother after his descent into darkness, and later takes his place when dueling the Psycho-Style duelist. That’s definitely a sign of him changing.

He may have started out as a Red, but he had potential from the start, and interestingly, remains the only known GX character to have been in all three of the dorms. Even in his play style, he’s clearly a strategist. I mean, the loop he pulled against Kenzan for one, his merging of the decks, well, he’s clearly picked things up - or maybe, his natural knack just came through when he became more sure of himself. He understands people, and cards, and probably quite a lot of other valuable things, which he isn’t always given the credit for.

Yes, he’s a little clingy to Judai, but at the same time, it’s an important part of his own self. At the beginning, he needs someone to follow, to be supported by, so that he can get by, just at the bare minimum level. But then, he goes on, and really learns to stand on his own two feet. He’s pretty inspiring like that - you know, try hard and believe in yourself, and you’ll find yourself. Cliche, but who cares?

TL;DR - Shou is important in terms of development. Oh yeah, and he’s adorable…