Digimon (Japanese: デジモン, Hepburn: Dejimon, branded as Digimon: Digital Monsters,

stylized as DIGIMON), short for "Digital Monsters" (デジタルモンスター Dejitaru Monsutā),

is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video
games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who
inhabit a "Digital World", a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various
communication networks.

The franchise was created in 1997 as a series of virtual pets, akin to—and influenced in style by
—the contemporary Tamagotchi or nano Giga Pet toys. The creatures were first designed to
look cute and iconic even on the devices' small screens; later developments had them created
with a harder-edged style influenced by American comics. The franchise gained momentum
with its first anime incarnation, Digimon Adventure, and an early video game, Digimon World,
both released in 1999. Several anime series and films based on them have been released,
and the video game series has expanded into genres such as role-playing, racing, fighting,
and MMORPGs.

Contents

 1Conception and creation

 2Eponymous creatures

 3Anime

o 3.1Television series

 3.1.1Overview

o 3.2Films

o 3.3Distribution and localization

o 3.4International

 4Manga

o 4.1Yuen Wong Yu manhua

o 4.2Dark Horse

o 4.3Panini

 5Video games

 6Card game

 7References

 8External links

Conception and creation

See also:  Digital Monster (virtual pet)

Virtual pet model distributed on the Japanese market by Bandai,[1] that allowed the
popularization of Digimon in Japan. It sold 13 million units in Japan and 1 million overseas, up
until March 2004.[2]

In 1996, the Tamagotchi was released, created by Akihiro Yokoi, Aki Maita and Takeichi Hongo.
The Tamagotchi was one of the inspirations for the first release of the Digimon franchise,[3][4] a
device marketed in June 1997[1][5] with the name Digimon,[6] short for Digital Monster.[7]
[8]
 Aiming at the male audience and created by Akiyoshi Hongo (a pseudonym that refers to the
creators of Tamagotchi),[3] this device shows to players a virtual pet composed entirely of data
and designed to play and fight.[1][6][9][10] In February 1998, the DigiMon fighting game,
compatible with Windows 95 and developed by Rapture Technologies, Inc., was announced.
[11]
 The one-shot manga C'mon Digimon, designed by Tenya Yabuno, was published in the
Japanese magazine V-Jump by Shueisha in 1997.[12][13]

A second generation of virtual pets was marketed six months after the launch of the first,
followed by a third in 1998.[14] Each player starts with a baby-level digital creature that has a
limited number of attacks and transformations[15] and to make the creature stronger by
training and nourishing the creature;[1][6] when the player is successful in a workout, the
Digimon becomes strong, when the player fails, the Digimon becomes weak.[1][6] Two devices
can be connected, allowing two players to battle with their respective creatures, an innovation
at the time,[1] however, the battle is only possible from the moment the creature is in the child
level or bigger.[1] Playgrounds and subways were where the majority of users of the apparatus
were concentrated; The virtual pet was banned in some Asian schools by being considered by
parents and teachers as very noisy and violent.[16] The first Digimon were created by Japanese
designer Kenji Watanabe, influenced by American comics, which were beginning to gain
popularity in Japan, and as such began to make his characters look stronger and "cool." Other
types of Digimon, which until the year 2000 totaled 279,[17][18] came from extensive discussions
and collaborations between the Bandai company members.[19]

Eponymous creatures

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Digimon hatch from types of eggs which are called Digi-Eggs (デジタマ, Dejitama). In the
English iterations of the franchise there is another type of Digi-Egg that can be used to
digivolve, or transform, Digimon. This second type of Digi-Egg is called a Digimental (デジメン
タル, Dejimentaru) in Japanese. They age via a process called "Digivolution" which changes
their appearance and increases their powers. The effect of Digivolution, however, is not
permanent in the partner Digimon of the main characters in the anime, and Digimon who have
digivolved will most of the time revert to their previous form after a battle or if they are too
weak to continue. Some Digimon act feral. Most, however, are capable of intelligence and
human speech. They are able to digivolve by the use of Digivices that their human partners
have. There are currently over 1400 Digimon.

Anime

See also:  List of Digimon episodes and films

Television series

The Digimon anime series was produced by Toei Animation and Bandai of Japan. Beginning in

1999, an anime series was green-lit as the first of the Digimon films aired in theaters.
Originally, Digimon Adventure was supposed to be a short film, but after the storyboard was
finished, a request for the film to become a children's television series was made.[citation
needed]
 Several anime series have since been produced, with the first six series localized into
English for release in Western markets.

Overview

Originally aired
No
Title Episodes Network
.
First aired Last aired

Digimon
1 54 March 7, 1999 March 26, 2000
Adventure

Digimon
2 50 April 2, 2000 March 25, 2001
Adventure 02

Digimon
3 51 April 1, 2001 March 31, 2002 Fuji TV
Tamers

Digimon
4 50 April 7, 2002 March 30, 2003
Frontier

Digimon Data
5 48 April 2, 2006 March 25, 2007
Squad

6 Digimon Fusion 79 July 6, 2010 March 25, 2012 TV Asahi

Digimon
September 30, 201
7 Universe: App 52 October 1, 2016 TV Tokyo
7
Monsters
 Originally aired
No
Title Episodes Network
.
First aired Last aired

Digimon
8 66 April 5, 2020 present Fuji TV
Adventure:

450
Total
episodes

Films

Main articles:  List of Digimon films  and  Digimon: The Movie

Several Digimon featurette films were released in Japan, with some of them seasonal tie-ins
for their respective television series.

1. Digimon Adventure / Digimon: The Movie (1999)

2. Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! / Digimon: The Movie (2000)

3. Digimon Adventure 02: Part 1: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Part 2: Supreme

Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals / Digimon: The Movie (2000)

4. Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon   (2001)

5. Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers (2001)

6. Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon (2002)

7. Digimon Frontier: Island of Lost Digimon  (2002)

8. Digital Monster X-Evolution (2004)

9. Digimon Savers: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!!  (2006)

10. Digimon Adventure 3D: Digimon Grand Prix!  (2009)

11. Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 1: Reunion  (2015)

12. Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 2: Determination  (2016)

13. Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 3: Confession  (2016)

14. Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 4: Loss (2017)

15. Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 5: Coexistence  (2017)

16. Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 6: Future  (2018)

17. Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna (2020)[20][21]

Distribution and localization

In the United States, Digimon Adventure premiered in August 1999 on the Fox Broadcasting

Company. An English-language adaptation of the series produced by Saban
Entertainment (later Sensation Animation), the series was broadcast on Fox Kids. Saban would
dub the first four anime series in the franchise, which were collectively retitled Digimon:
Digital Monsters.[22] Some scenes from the original version were modified or omitted in order
to comply with Fox's standards and practices. The show also featured more jokes and added
dialogue, along with a completely different musical score. As a cross-promotional stunt, 2001
and 2002 saw Digi-Bowl specials co-produced with Fox Sports; NFL on Fox commentator Terry
Bradshaw provided interstitial segments in-between episodes as if the episodes were actually
a football game.[23]

The Walt Disney Company would acquire Saban during the third series, Digimon Tamers.
Reruns of the first three series began airing on the cable network ABC Family, while the fourth
series, Digimon Frontier, premiered on UPN as part of a deal between Disney and UPN.[24] UPN
aired the series until late August 2003, when they severed their ties to Disney.[24] Frontier aired
on ABC Family concurrently, and also aired in reruns on Toon Disney under the Jetix branding.

An English version of Digimon Data Squad, produced by Studiopolis, would premiere October
1, 2007, on Toon Disney. In September 2012, Saban Brands, a successor to Saban
Entertainment, announced it had acquired the Digimon anime franchise.[25][26][27] Saban would
announce that they would be producing an English dub for Digimon Xros Wars,
retitled Digimon Fusion, for broadcast on Nickelodeon in the United States starting September
7, 2013.[28] After three episodes, the show was moved to Nicktoons starting October 13, 2013.

Previously, Funimation Entertainment had online streaming rights to subtitled versions

of Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon Tamers.[citation needed] Digimon Adventure, Adventure 02,
and Tamers, would later begin streaming on Netflix in 2013 and 2014 with Japanese audio and
English subtitles.[citation needed] Crunchyroll began streaming the English-subtitled version
of Digimon Fusion outside Japan in November 2011. The English-localized version of its first
season became available on Netflix starting September 13, 2014, with the second season
arriving on March 8, 2016.[29] After Crunchyroll acquired streaming rights to the dubbed
versions and Funimation acquired rights to the subtitled versions, the dubbed versions
of Adventure, Adventure 02, and Tamers were briefly removed from Netflix.[citation needed]

After the buyout of Saban Brands by Hasbro on 2018,[30][31] the rights of Digimon in the United
States are currently owned by Shout! Factory.[citation needed]

International

In Canada, the English versions of Digimon were broadcast on YTV, with the exception of Data
Squad, which aired in Family Channel's Jetix block. YTV would eventually acquire Digimon
Fusion, but only the first 26 episodes were shown.[citation needed]

In the United Kingdom, Digimon first aired on Fox Kids. ITV's children's slot CITV would

broadcast Adventure, Adventure 02 and several episodes of Tamers during after school hours
from 2001–2002. The rest of Tamers aired on Fox Kids from 2002–04.[citation needed] Digimon
Frontier was originally announced to be broadcast on Jetix, but the series was later dropped.
[citation needed]
 The series eventually saw a release on October 29, 2018.[32] From 2011, Digimon
Data Squad airs on Kix!. According to Fox Kids' (2000–03) and Kix's (2010–) BARB Television
ratings, Adventure, Adventure 02 & Tamers have been the most popular series'/seasons in the
United Kingdom and was consistently in the weekly top 10 broadcasts for both channels for
new episodes.[33] Broadcast rights and merchandising sub-licensing rights for Digimon Fusion in
the UK have been acquired by ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Digimon Fusion has aired
since Spring 2014 on digital terrestrial channel, CITV.[34][35]
Manga

Digimon first appeared in narrative form in the one-shot manga C'mon Digimon, released in

the summer of 1997. C'mon Digimon spawned the popular Digimon Adventure V-Tamer
01 manga, written by Hiroshi Izawa, which began serialization on November 21, 1998.

1. C'mon Digimon

2. Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01

3. Digimon Chronicle

4. Digimon Next

5. Digimon Xros Wars

6. Digimon World Re:Digitize

7. Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode

8. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

9. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker's Memory

10. Digimon Chronicle X

Yuen Wong Yu manhua

A Chinese manhua was written and drawn by Yuen Wong Yu (余 遠鍠 Yu Yuen-wong), who
based its storylin