Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is the fifth animated series in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise broadcast on TV Tokyo, following Duel Monsters, GX, 5D's, and ZEXAL, and it ties in with the Arc-V Official Card Game as previous entries did.

The series is built around a parallel-world premise using a 'star system' in which settings and characters from previous Yu-Gi-Oh! anime reappear in different roles, and from its midpoint onward it takes on a strong ensemble-cast storytelling style.

Unlike previous Yu-Gi-Oh! series, whose character designs were credited to original creator Kazuki Takahashi, Arc-V's character concepts were handled by Naohito Miyoshi, the artist of the ZEXAL manga.

Director Katsumi Ono had previously directed Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, series composer Tsutomu Kamishiro had written scripts for ZEXAL, and character designer Akemi Yokota had worked as guest character designer and animation director on ZEXAL, while chief animation director Ken'ichi Hara — a first for the TV series — had served as animation director on all four previous entries.

To commemorate the 777th combined episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, episodes 73 to 75 (aired September 13–27, 2015) featured a special opening sequence combining the cover illustration from the July 2015 issue of V Jump with footage of past protagonists from earlier TV series.

The October 2015 issue of Animedia magazine, released September 10, 2015, included congratulatory illustrated messages from the character designers of each Yu-Gi-Oh! series as well as messages from the voice actors who played the various protagonists.

On March 30, 2014, TV Tokyo aired a pre-series special program called 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Coming Soon Special!!' featuring cast information, voice actor introductions, and the theme song reveal, with guest appearances by Maggie Shinji and Hi-Hi.

From March 17 to April 21, 2014, a 'Monster Design Contest' was held for viewers, and the winning fan-designed card 'Trump Witch' was adapted into the card 'EM Trump Witch,' which appeared in episode 26 used by Yuya Sakaki and was later officially released in the 'The Secret of Evolution' card set.

Voice actor Manpei Takagi, who plays Yuto, actually wore two layered masks during recording sessions to physically replicate the character's black mask.

Voice actor Kenshō Ono, who voices Yuya, also plays the lookalike character Yuri and deliberately made Yuri's speech pattern more sly and his voice pitch higher than Yuya's to differentiate the two despite sharing the same actor.