Zayn Malik has been full of surprises lately!
The former One Direction sensation was unmasked as the mysterious Shadow Duelist named Nocturne during the Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel livestream tournament on Thursday, August 29, leaving fans stunned.
The Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker took his mask off shortly after a player named Fictinium was crowned the winner.
“Yeah, I’m a big, big Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan,” Malik, 31, expressed his love for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. “I’ve been into Yu-Gi-Oh! for a long time, since I was a small kid, it’s an honour to be here, to do this, and it was very exciting.”
“I’ve been looking forward to it for a few weeks,” he revealed. In addition, the multi-platinum-selling record artist took to his Instagram to announce the news officially.
“Surprise, I was the Shadow Duelist! Thanks @ygomasterduel, for having me and giving me the opportunity to showcase my Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom to the world and congrats to the winner on claiming the Nocturne mask!” he wrote in the caption.
“I never thought I would see myself screaming crying watching Zayn live stream on Twitch [crying emoji],” one fan wrote in the comments section.
“This is the coolest thing you’ve ever done,” a second Zquad member dubbed his surprise move.
“This is actually wild,” added a third fan.
This surprise revelation comes a week after the Pillowtalk chart topper unveiled his new look, ditching his shorter-cropped hair and subtle stubble for a freshly grown-out beard, sideburns, and longer hair.