Digimon Story

On March 6, 1999, the franchise was given an anime as the first of the Digimon movies aired in theaters in Japan. On March 7th, ...

On March 6, 1999, the franchise was given an anime as the first of the Digimon movies aired in theaters in Japan. On March 7th, 1999 they began airing a television counterpart titled Digimon Adventure. 6 further series would follow, but so far not all of them have their own tie-in movies, and the series was dubbed for release in western markets in the fall of the same year. The show spawned card games, with Hyper Colosseum in Japan and later Digi-Battle in America, and more video games. The animated series is easily the best-known segment of the Digimon universe and responsible for the majority of its popularity.
"Digimon" are "Digital Monsters". According to the stories, they are inhabitants of the "Digital World", a manifestation of Earth's communication network. The stories tell of a group of mostly pre-teens, the "Chosen Children" (DigiDestined in the English version), who accompany special Digimon born to defend their world (and ours) from various evil forces. To help them surmount the most difficult obstacles found within both realms, the Digimon have the ability to evolve (Digivolve). In this process, the Digimon change appearance and become much stronger, often changing in personality as well. The group of children who come in contact with the Digital World changes from season to season.
As of 2012, there have been six series — Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, Digimon Savers, and Digimon Xros Wars. As is obvious from their titles, the first two seasons take place in the same fictional universe, but the third, fourth, and fifth each occupy their own unique world (in the case of Digimon Tamers, the Adventure universe is referred to as a television and commercial enterprise). In addition, each series has spawned assorted feature films. Digimon still shows popularity, as new card series, video games, and movies are still being produced and released: new card series include Eternal Courage, Hybrid Warriors, Generations, and Operation X; the video game, Digimon Rumble Arena 2; and the previously unreleased movies Revenge of Diaboromon, Runaway Locomon, Battle of Adventurers, and Island of Lost Digimon. In Japan, Digital Monster X-Evolution, the eighth TV movie, was released, and on December 23, 2005 at Jump Festa 2006, the fifth series, Digimon Savers was announced for Japan to begin airing after a three year hiatus of the show.
Digimon is produced by Toei Animation and Bandai of Japan. The first five series were broadcast in Japan by Fuji Television, and Xros Wars by TV Asahi.

Digimon Adventure (Season One)

Main article: Digimon Adventure

The first Digimon television series, which began airing on March 7, 1999. Its premise is a group of young humans who, while at summer camp, travel to the Digital World, inhabited by creatures known as Digimon, where they become the "DigiDestined" and are forced to save both the Digital and Real World from evil. Each child was given a "Digivice" which selected them to be "transported" to the Digital World and was destined to be paired up with a Digimon Partner, for example, Taichi "Tai" Kamiya was paired up with Agumon and Yamato "Matt" Ishida was paired up with Gabumon. The children are helped by a mysterious man/Digimon named Gennai, who helps them by hologram. The Digivices help their Digimon allies to "digivolve" into stronger creatures in times of peril. The Digimon usually reached higher forms when their human partners are placed in dangerous situations, such as fighting the evil forces of Devimon, Etemon and Myotismon. The group consisted of seven original characters: Tai Kamiya, Matt Ishida, Sora Takenouchi, Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi, Mimi Tachikawa, Joe Kido, and Takeru "T.K." Takaishi. Later on in the season, Tai's younger sister Kari Kamiya was introduced as an eighth character.

Digimon Adventure 02 (Season Two)

Main article: Digimon Adventure 02

The second Digimon series is direct continuation of the first one, and began airing on April 2, 2000. Three years later, with most of the original DigiDestined now in high school at age fourteen, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in the form of the Digimon Emperor (Digimon Kaiser) who as opposed to previous enemies is a human just like the DigiDestined. The Digimon Emperor has been enslaving Digimon with Black Rings and Control Spires and has somehow made regular Digivolution impossible. However, five set Digi-Eggs with engraved emblems had been appointed to three new DigiDestined along with T.K and Kari, two of the DigiDestined from the previous season. This new evolutionary process, dubbed Armor Digivolution, helps the new DigiDestined to defeat evil lurking in the Digital World. Eventually, the DigiDestined defeat the Digimon Emperor, otherwise known as Ken Ichijouji, only with the great sacrifice of Ken's own Digimon, Wormmon. Just when things were thought to be settled, new Digimon enemies made from the deactivated Control Spires start to appear and cause trouble in the Digital World. To atone for his past mistakes, Ken joins the DigiDestined, being a DigiDestined himself, with his Partner Wormmon revived to fight against them. They soon save countries including France and Australia from control spires and defeat Malomyotismon, the evolved form of Myotismon from the previous season

Digimon Tamers (Season Three)

Main article: Digimon Tamers

The third Digimon series, which began airing on April 1, 2001, is set largely in a "real world" where the Adventure and Adventure 02 series are television shows, and where Digimon game merchandise (based on actual items) become key to provide power boosts to real Digimon which appeared in that world. The plot revolves around three Tamers, Takato Matsuki, Rika Nonaka, and Henry Wong. It began with Takato making his very own Digimon by sliding a mysterious blue card on his D-Arc. Guilmon took form from Takato’s sketchings of a new Digimon. (Tamers’ only human connection to the Adventure series is Ryo Akiyama, a character featured in some of the Digimon video games and who made an appearance in some occasions of the Adventure story-line.) Some of the changes in this season include the way the Digimon digivolve, and the way their "Digivices" work. In this season, the Tamers can slide cards through their "Digivices", which give their digimon certain advantages, such as in a card game. The same process is also used to Digivolve the Digimon. Unlike most Digimon series where the tone is set mostly in a way to appeal to young children, Tamers took a darker tone in nature.

Digimon Frontier (Season Four)

Main article: Digimon Frontier

The fourth Digimon series began airing in Japan on April 7, 2002, though it rarely aired in the UK. After prompted to do so by unusual phone messages, the five main characters go to a subway station and take a train to the Digital World, to fight the antagonist, Cherubimon and his Legendary Warrior servants before they succeed in dominating the world. Later facing a greater ordeal and threat from Lucemon and his two Royal Knights: Crusadermon and Dynasmon. Contrary to the other Digimon series, the characters do not have Digimon Partners. Instead, they use their D-tectors to transform themselves into powerful Digimon to fight their enemies, another new feature in the series.

Digimon Data Squad (Season Five)

Main article: Digimon Data Squad

After a three year hiatus, a fifth Digimon series began airing on April 2, 2006. Like Frontier, Savers has no connection with the previous installments, and also marks a new start for the Digimon franchise, with a drastic change in character designs and story-line, in order to reach a broader audience. The story focus on the challenges faced by the members of DATS ("Digital Accident Tactics Squad"), an organization created to conceal the existence of the Digital World and Digimon from the rest of mankind, and solve any Digimon related incidents occurred on Earth in secret. Later, the DATS team is dragged between a massive conflict between Earth and the Digital World triggered by an ambitious human scientist determined to make use of the Digimon to his own personal gains. The English dub premiered on the Jetix block of Toon Disney on October 1, 2007.

Digimon Fusion (Season Six)

Main article: Digimon Fusion

After another three year hiatus, a sixth Digimon series was produced. Digimon Xros Wars (デジモンクロスウォーズ Dejimon Kurosu Wōzu^?)^[2] was released in July,^[3] and stars Mikey Kudo and Shoutmon as leaders of the Fusion Fighters fighting the imperialistic Bagra Army. It has two sub seasons: Digimon Xros Wars: The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms (デジモンクロスウォーズ～悪のデスジェネラルと七人の王国～ Dejimon Kurosu Wōzu: Aku no Desu Jeneraru to Nanajin no Oukoku^?) and Digimon Xros Wars: The Young Hunters Who Leapt Through Time (デジモンクロスウォーズ～時を駆ける少年ハンターたち～ Dejimon Kurosu Wōzu: Toki wo Kakeru Shounen Hantā-tachi^?). Only the first two seasons were dubbed.

Digimon Adventure tri. (Season Seven)

Main article: Digimon Adventure tri.

A celebration of Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure tri. is a six-part movie series following the original eight DigiDestined as they navigate the trials and tribulations of growing older. Originally slated for a spring 2016 release, the first one was released in theaters on March 12, 2016, with subsequent releases around six months afterwards. Crunchyroll provided English subtitles near the Japanese release, while Eleven Arts handled the distribution of a dubbed version that saw Digimon in Western theaters for the first time since Digimon: The Movie.

Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters (Season Eight)

Main article: Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters

A cross media project taking the franchise in a new direction, Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters is a television animated series featuring Appmon. Focusing on Haru Shinkai and Gatchmon, it began airing on October 1, 2016.

Movies

There have been multiple Digimon movies released; Digimon Fusion is the first television anime that lacked one. All of them but X-Evolution are directly based on their respective anime series, though several of them were outside of canon; Digital Monster X-Evolution originated from the Digimon Chronicle merchandise line. Furthermore, seven of them have been released and distributed internationally; those that were released only in Japan are Digital Monster X-Evolution, Digimon Savers the Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!!, Digimon Savers 3D: The Digital World in Imminent Danger! and Digimon Adventure 3D: Digimon Grandprix!. Digimon: The Movie is an American English dubbed movie that complies and connects the first three movies into one storyline and release.

Foreign Versions

In the United States, the series premiered in August 1999 on the Fox Television Network. It was dubbed by Saban (later Sensation Animation), and was initially broadcasted through Fox Network's Fox Kids and Fox Family. The first four series were collectively retitled Digimon: Digital Monsters.
After Disney acquired Saban during the third series, the first three series moved to the cable network ABC Family, while the fourth (Frontier) premiered on UPN and PAX Network in other areas. This was due to a deal between Disney and UPN which concluded with Digimon Frontier. Frontier was syndicated on ABC Family shortly after that. Digimon was syndicated on the U.S. JETIX block daily on Toon Disney. Digimon Data Squad premiered and aired on Jetix and after Jetix's closure had a brief run on Disney XD. Following Saban's repurchase of their properties from Disney, Digimon Fusion premiered on Nickelodeon and then aired the rest of the series on Nicktoons with reruns airing on Nicktoons and Vortexx. Adventure and Adventure 02 were also briefly syndicated on Nicktoons.
The show also premiered in other parts of North America. In Canada, the Saban version was broadcast on YTV. In the U.S. insular area of Puerto Rico, the show was redubbed in Spanish, and in Quebec (where Digimon Adventure aired on TQS, and Digimon Adventure 02 on TÉLÉTOON), the show was redubbed in French. A French version of Digimon Tamers was aired in France, but not in North America.
The series aired internationally as well; In the United Kingdom, Digimon aired on the UK Fox Kids (rebranded after 2005 as JETIX, now Disney XD) cable/satellite channel and also on CiTV. It also aired in various countries, including Ireland, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and others. However, due to poor ratings and licensing mistakes in the change from Fox Kids to Jetix, Digimon Frontier (the fourth season) has not been shown in any shape or form in the UK, and has been absent from the schedules of Jetix's UK incarnation since the beginning of 2005.
The Latin American, Castilian Spanish, European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, German and Italian versions of Digimon are completely uncensored and uncut from the original Japanese edition.
Arabic dubs of the first four Digimon shows were released in Arabic speaking countries under the name أبطال الديجيتال (Abtal El Digital; "Digital Heroes") in the Middle Eastern countries, while its title was kept as "Digimon" in Lebanese TV stations, and the series kept most of its Japanese characteristcs such as the theme song tune and story-line as well as there were no cuts or censoring. ^{[citation needed]}
Digimon Adventure also aired in the Iran under the name دیجیمون on IRIB Koodak & Nojavan. The dub changes most of the show's music and censors with paint edits. The show does not have a logo in Persian and the intro is left in instrumental.^[4]
Hebrew dubs of the first four Digimon shows aired in Israel on Fox Kids and later Jetix. These were dubbed from the English dub and use the English logos and theme songs. The dub for Tamers uses the logo and theme song used in the first two series, whereas Frontier used the logo and theme song from its English dub. Digimon: The Movie was also known to have had a home video release in Israel. More recently, they have aired on ZOOM in Israel along with dubs for Data Squad and Fusion.

This show also aired in the Philippines in early 2000 on ABS-CBN. It would air Friday nights at 7:30PM. ABS-CBN hired Filipino voice actors to dub the show in English. This dubbing is mostly true to the original. Though they used the original Japanese show as the medium for the dub, some of the voices seem to sound like the U.S. version (e.g., Taichi having an adolescent's voice instead of a kid's) or completely original to the dubbing crew (e.g., Gabumon's deep, grumbly voice). The entire first season of Digimon Adventure was dubbed in English (in order to compete with the 4Kids version of Pokémon which aired on the rival network GMA 7 on the same day and time), along with Digimon Adventure 02. The second season aired on a new Saturday morning block at 10 A.M. two weeks after the first season finale. This season was dubbed in both English and Tagalog, so that it would be compatible with the other shows in the block. In 2003, Cartoon Network Philippines began airing Digimon Tamers around 2003, then Digimon Frontier late 2004. This time they, along with some of the other anime that aired with it, were dubbed by Singaporean voice actors. Tamers and Frontier were dubbed in Filipino when both series aired on ABS-CBN this year on its weekday morning line-up of animated shows (Tamers first followed by Frontier after a few months). The whole Digimon series was repeated last January 2008, from Adventure to Savers on Hero TV. Actually, they did not change the original voice. Digimon Savers is currently aired at ABS-CBN this September 2008.