#(Compare to like Guil -> Grow where Growmon has like. A pair of horns and a mane. And extra toes.)

[analyzingadventure]

[Ni/digitalgate02 here] See, this is what i've been thinking for ages and i don't like to limit myself into what is stated on wikimon and other fansites' databases to make lines... They're not a mandatory rule, and with things like the new TCG DigiCa they just embraced the wild combos you can make and evolution rules are by card color and not by specific lines (tho they do have some... suggestions now on the cards, i think?)

i also like the wild combos like Tailmon's OG Adv/02 line?? Which is slime → cat blob → puppy → cat → angel woman → PINK FLUFFY DRAGON

I wish we had more things like these... At least consistent theme, but not like Agu → Grey → MetalGrey → WarGrey sort of line... (and look, i love this line, it just... I love the design + shapes to change a little... ya got me?)

i love most of the main kid/protag mons and their forms, tho...

Like to be fair to Toei/Bandai, there is partially a reason to why the main partners especially tend to have such linear, specific evolution trees; not only because it makes the Digimon easier to sell, but also because the characters need to be easily recognizable to small children. Like the main character(s) having really bizarre evolutions could make it hard for a child to keep up with who's who (especially if they missed an episode), while having very consistent and strong thematic and color coding (etc) will make it always super easy for kids to keep up with. So I understand WHY the main partners tend to be the way they are, it just is the way it is. (It's also why I really loved the evolutions in Survive because aside from Agumon's Vaccine-line, that shit was WILD and I was LIVING for it, Dracumon alone had me losing my fucking shit, Floramon too)

Also I do feel like the emphasis on evolution lines is something the fandom tends to enforce more than Bandai/Toei. And, much to my shock and horror, a lot of people do kind of dislike wild evolutions, some people prefer the Pokémon-esque strict evolution lines. (See: every person who has ever made fun of Tailmon's evolution line for "not making sense") So often I see people share their Tamer OCs and their partner Digimon with full evolution lines and more often than not it's just a known partner Digimon with their default evolution line. Everybody has their own comfort food, and strict evolution lines are just that for some people. Which is fine, I'm just a little 🔪 if anybody tries to enforce strict evolution lines in places they don't belong (aka any space for creativity)

But indeed, I wish we could see more Wild Evolutions in canon more often, or at least have the main partner's evolutions change things up a little more than they tend to (honestly probably the best protag evolution is Gumdramon -> Arresterdramon, like despite the mostly identical color palette and many key visual elements, they really do look nothing alike and yet the evolution feels like a natural progression and is still easily recognizable, really love that.)