08.09
Digimon Frontier (デジモンフロンティア Dejimon Furontia?), known as "Digimon 4" in South America, is the 4th Digimon TV series, first broadcast in 2002. After prompted to do so by unusual phone messages, five children go to a subway station and take a train to the Digital World. There, they meet Bokomon and Neemon, who act as their guides and tell the children that the Digital World is being destroyed, and the children must fight the evil Cherubimon and his Legendary Warrior servants in order to save the world.
The biggest feature introduced in the season is "Spirit Evolution",
where the DigiDestined themselves evolve into Digimon to become
Legendary Warriors, rather than having partners. For this special kind
of evolution, they use Spirits, artifacts created by the Ten Legendary Warriors that were hidden in certain areas of the Digital World. When the characters first arrive in the Digital World their cell phones turn into digivices called D-Tectors.
Each character actually acquires two spirits each, the "human spirits"
and the stronger "beast spirits," and some transform into even stronger
forms by being able to use their two spirits at once and ultimately by
combining all the team's spirits together. Another detail different from
the previous seasons lies in the way the characters travel within the
regions of the Digital World: most areas are connected by railroads,
where train Digimon called "Trailmon" act as a means of transport.
When the five DigiDestined arrive in the Digital World, they find
themselves hunted by five other Legendary Warriors who serve the evil Cherubimon. After they defeat four of the enemy, Koji discovers that Duskmon, the fifth evil Legendary Warrior, is really his estranged brother Koichi.
With Takuya's help, Koji is able to free his brother, and Koichi
restores the Spirits of Darkness to their true forms and joins the team
as the true Warrior of Darkness, Löwemon.
After they defeat Cherubimon, the DigiDestined learn that the true mastermind is Lucemon,
an ancient, corrupted, angel Digimon whom the Ten Legendary Warriors
sealed away. So now the six DigiDestined must defeat his two Royal Knights
before they scan away all of the Digital World, which would allow
Lucemon to be free. Despite their efforts, Lucemon is freed and after
absorbing the knights, digivolves into a stronger, more powerful form.
The DigiDestined combine their power into a new ultimate warrior called Susanoomon and after a tough fight they finally defeat Lucemon and save both the Digital World and the Real World.
Episodes
08.07
Digimon Tamers (デジモンテイマーズ Dejimon Teimāzu?), known as "Digimon 3" in South America, is the third animated series based on the Digimon franchise, first broadcast in 2001. The story takes place initially in the "real world", a world much like ours where Digimon is just a franchise, composed of video games, a collectible card game, and a cartoon
series. A group of 12-year-olds (10-year olds in the Japanese version),
Takato, Henry and Rika (fans of the Digimon card game) meet their own
Digimon friends and start to duel "bio-emerging" Digimon who cross the
barrier between the information network and their world, synthesizing
proteins and becoming real. Most of it set in the modern Tokyo ward of Shinjuku and only changes scenario to the Digital World for a short time.
The tone of this season has many elements from head writer Chiaki J. Konaka's other works, especially Serial Experiments Lain, including a few aspects from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Thus, the series had a very dark tone in nature, much more so than its
predecessors. The show's English dub had little editing compared to
previous seasons.
Takato creates his Digimon partner Guilmon when he slips a mysterious blue card he found in his deck through his hand-held card reading device, changing it into a D-Arc, the Tamers version of a Digivice.
The appearance and powers of this Digimon come from Takato's sketches
that were scanned into the device. Guilmon bio-emerges from the Digital
World and is found later by Takato. Henry met his Digimon Terriermon when he rised from the screen of a computer game, while Rika's Digimon Renamon approached her to ask to be made stronger, since Rika was famous for her skills on the Digimon card game. Other characters, Kazu, Kenta and Jeri (Takato's friends from school) and Suzie (Henry's little sister) become Tamers later on in the series, and Ryo
(Rika's rival and fellow Digimon Tamer) is introduced later on. They
also encounter two more Digimon that they frequently run into: Calumon,
a mysterious Digimon that has the power to make other Digimon digivolve
but dislikes fighting and only wants to play and eat junk food, and Impmon, a Digimon that left his Tamers because he was sick of their bickering and selfishness and thinks that all Digimon with Tamers are a disgrace.
Along the way, the kids learn to be responsible for those creatures as a mysterious man known as Yamaki tries to stop Digimon (who he calls "Wild Ones") from coming to the real world. From the secret government agency called Hypnos,
Yamaki was in charge of monitoring all Digimon activity around the
globe. Later, the new Tamers are forced to fight a group of evil Digimon
calling themselves the Deva, who serve the Digimon Sovereigns
and believe that Digimon shouldn't partner with humans. Their true
purpose to come into the human world was to capture Calumon and take him
back to the Digital World so they could use his power of Digivolution.
The Tamers and friends then decide to leave for the Digital World to
rescue Calumon. They destroy all but one of the Devas (Antylamon turned to the side of good and became Suzie's Digimon partner) and confront and defeat Impmon, who is now Beelzemon after making a deal with Zhuquiaomon
for more power in exchange for eliminating the Tamers. After traveling
to the Digital World to rescue Calumon the Tamers meet (and fight with)
the digital god, but finally agree to work together in order to destroy
the D-Reaper, a computer program initially designed to keep digital life in check, but it itself went out of control.
Several new elements are introduced in this season, including the use of game cards to Digi-Modify and give different powers to the Digimon, the presence of Calumon,
a lone Digimon responsible for the Digimon evolutions, and the use of
"biomerging" to bring the Digimon to their final Mega levels by merging
their bodies with their human partners. The season also continued the
progression from Digimon Adventure, which was set in the Digital World with only a temporary return to the real world, through Digimon Adventure 02, where the characters returned from the Digital World to rest after most episodes: in Digimon Tamers the action is entirely within the real world, with a journey to the Digital World in midseason.
Episodes
Digimon Tamers aired 51 episodes on Fuji TV in Japan from April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002, and on Fox Kids in the United States from September 1, 2001 to June 8, 2002. It was aired in Fox Kids in the United Kingdom, as well as on CITV,
but on CITV, they only aired the first four episodes, just like Vol 1
of a VHS copy that were sold there. A Vol 2 was also made, but they
missed nine episodes off and went straight from fourteen to seventeen.
Digimon Tamers marks the very last Digimon series to be aired on CITV.
08.03
Digimon Adventure 02 (デジモンアドベンチャー ０２ Dejimon Adobenchā Zero Tsū?, also commonly written as Digimon Zero Two), known as "Digimon 2" in South America, is a direct sequel to the previous season;
taking place three years later. With most of the original characters
now in high school, the Digital World was supposedly secure and
peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in the form of the Digimon
Emperor (Digimon Kaiser). This new villain is different—he’s a human
just like the DigiDestined. The Digimon Emperor has been enslaving all
Digimon in sight with Dark Rings and Control Spires
and, to make things worse, has somehow made regular Digivolution
impossible. Three new children are chosen to save DigiWorld and, along
with T.K and Kari, make up the new generation of DigiDestined.
A new generation of DigiDestined, composed of three new children, as
well as Kari and T.K. from the original Adventure series, are given a
new kind of Digivice known as D3,
which allows them to open a gate to be transported to the Digital World
through any computer. Another advantage was Armor Digivolution, using a
device called a Digi-Egg, (unrelated to the Digi-Egg
that defines the earliest life stage of a Digimon) so their Digimon can
evolve in the presence of Control Spires. They eventually stop the
Digimon Emperor, Ken Ichijouji, thanks to the sacrifice of Wormmon, Ken's partner.
After his defeat, Ken repents for his evil deeds and joins the Digi-Destined as they fight two evil Digimon named Arukenimon and Mummymon.
Arukenimon has a unique power to turn the Control Spires into
super-strong, artificial Digimon under her control. To fight this new
threat, the gang learns of DNA Digivolution, enabling their Digimon to
fuse with each other in pairs for more power. Eventually, when the
battle was brought to the Real World, the true mastermind, Yukio Oikawa,
makes himself known. This man extracts the Dark Spore
from inside Ken and implants it into other children who wish for the
greatness that the old, evil Ken had. Those spores develop into flowers
that harvest the infected children's energy. Eventually, the
Digi-Destined confront Oikawa, only to learn he's an extreme loner whose
only friend in the world was Hiroki Hida, Cody's father. Hiroki and
Oikawa used to play old video games when they were young, eventually
becoming obsessed with the Digital World and dreaming of going there one
day, but Hiroki dies before they could go together, causing Oikawa
great sadness. In the end, an entity springs from this man's body, none
other than the real mastermind, Myotismon from the first Adventure season, now reborn as MaloMyotismon.
Unlike Adventure, which was set in the Digital World except for a
temporary return to the Real World, Adventure 02 characters shuttle
back and forth between the two worlds almost every episode.
This season ended with the help of DigiDestined from all over the
world, using the light that existed inside each one of them and their
wishes to return the Digital World to a peaceful world again. Oikawa,
who is too weak to enter the Digital World, becomes its guardian as he
passes away. After peace is restored, the boundary between the Digital
and the Real World is broken down, giving every human their very own
Digimon companion.
08.01
Digimon Adventure (デジモンアドベンチャー Dejimon Adobenchā?) (1999) is the first season of the anime saga Digimon: Digital Monsters. Its premise involves a group of boys and girls being whisked to a parallel reality called the Digital World (sometimes called "DigiWorld" for short) while at summer camp. They were taken there because they were chosen to become DigiDestined, the children that would save the Digital World (along with Earth near the end of the series) from the evil forces that threatened to destroy it. Each of the children received a Digimon partner who was preprogrammed to be bonded to them, as well as miniature devices called Digivices. With the power of the Digivices, their Digimon partners could become stronger forms to battle enemies or save their partners from danger.
raveling to the Digital World was an experience that leaves the children bewildered. Their Digimon partners are suddenly thrust upon them, as well as the concept of having the Digimon digivolve into stronger creatures, and so the children have to find out how to be DigiDestined as they go along. They quickly learn of the Digital World's plight, and how evil Digimon are intent on ruling it for themselves. Although they originally fight just to return home, they eventually vow to save the Digital World for the sake of their Digimon friends. As the plot evolves, the children deal with various aspects of maturity: making friends, being courageous, standing for one's morals, etc. Each child receives an object called a "Crest" that embodies a particular trait that defines them, whose power could be used to digivolve their partners to the next level. Taichi "Tai" Kamiya has Courage, Yamato "Matt" Ishida has Friendship, Sora Takenouchi has Love, Mimi Tachikawa has Sincerity, Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi has Knowledge, Joe Kido has Reliability ("Honesty" in the original Japanese version), and Takeru "T.K." Takaishi has Hope.
It is later revealed that at the time they were chosen to become the DigiDestined (during the Greymon versus Parrotmon fight when they were only at least 6-8 (except T.K and Kari who were at least 4)) that these traits were the strongest good trait within their personality. Tai was always courageous when he had to be. Matt was always a good friend. Izzy was even then very knowledgeable. Joe was highly reliable. Sora was genuinely loving and caring towards everyone (to say that her crest of love is love at the level of compassion (the ability to care for others)). Mimi was sincere about what she thought (positive and/or negative). T.K was one who always was hopeful and never willing to give up and Kari was just genuinely good and always wanted to do what was right (standing for the light which represents all that is good and right).
Eventually, evil Digimon began crossing a dimensional gate from the Digital World to enter Earth. The DigiDestined and their partners followed. Specifically, they landed in Odaiba, Japan, the children's home town. As the DigiDestined battled on Earth, they were joined by an eighth member, Kari Kamiya, Tai's sister and carrier of the trait of Light. While this was happening, a group of four Mega level Digimon called the Dark Masters besieged the Digital World. Once things were taken care of on Earth, the eight DigiDestined returned to the Digital World once again in order to defeat the Dark Masters one by one, and eventually their real enemy, Apocalymon, the Digimon who made of all the evil Digimon the DigiDestined had previously destroyed. When Apocalymon was defeated, the children went back to the Real World, leaving their Digimon partners behind. (They were reunited with their Digimon in the movie
