#digimon sovereigns

[bethanythebogwitch]

Digimon & Mythology: the Holy Beasts and the Deva

I really like mythology and I really like Digimon, so why not combine them? Talking about the real-world inspirations behind monsters is something I've been doing with Pokemon, so let's give Digimon the same treatment.

Digimon has a lot of special groups whose members share common goals and origins. Two of these groups that are inticately linked to each other are the Holy Beasts (translated to English as the Sovereigns or Harmonious Ones) and the Deva. The Holy beasts are Ultimate/Mega level Digimon who each guard one of the cardinal directions of the Digital World: north, south, east, and west, with a 5th member ruling over the other four and guarding the center. The Deva are a group of 12 Perfect/Ultimate level Digimon that serve the Holy Beasts, with each of the Beasts having 3 Deva that answer to it. The Beast of the center has no Deva.

The Holy Beasts are based on the Chinese legend of the Four Symbols or Sì Xiàng. Other names for them include the Four Guardians, Four Gods, and Four Auspicious Beasts. These are four constellations that are said to represent and guard the four cardinal directions. Some versions of the myth add a 5th member representing the center. While it originated in China, the legend of the Four Symbols spread across East Asia and can now be found in many cultures. The legend reached Japan where it inspired the designers of Digimon. They specifically made the Holy Beasts based on a Japanese variant of the legend where the Four Symbols are believed to guard Kyoto. The Beasts are also associated with seasons and were syncretized into the 5 elements of the Wuxing: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. I will discuss each Digimon and its mythological counterpart below.

The Deva have multiple origins. The name comes from the Devas of Hinduism, benevolent supernatural beings who fought against the evil Asuras. As Hinduism evolved and changed over time, the term took on varying meanings, but still retained the idea that Devas are good. Buddhism adopted the idea when it split off from Hinduism. Buddhist Devas are beings that are more powerful than humans, but are still mortal and trapped in the same cycle of death and reincarnation as humans are. While Devas may be venerated by humans, they are still below the Buddhas. This can be seen in the Digimon Deva who are powerful beings (though not all of them are as benevolent as their mythical counterparts) but still are subordinate to the Holy Beasts. The Deva take the shape of animals from the Chinese zodiac. The names of the Deva come from the Twelve Heavenly Generals. These are Buddhist figures that are the guardians of Bhaisajyaguru, the Buddha if healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. This story spread throughout Asia including to Japan, where Bhaisajyaguru is called Yakushi. The Heavenly Generals eventually came to be associated with the animals of the Chinese zodiac, though different traditions disagree on which animal is associated with which general. I think I have tracked down the version used by the Digimon creators, which uses the same animals for the Generals and the Deva. The Deva's names all come from Japanese transliterations of the Generals' original Sanskrit names. In this tradition, each General is associated with a particular weapon. The Deva share this trait, each having a weapon named in Chinese called the Bǎo [weapon name] with Bǎo meaning "treasure". Stragely, the Deva mix up which weapon is associated with which General. I don't know if this was intentional or not. Each Deva also has an attack named after one of the Narakas (hells) listed in the Hindu text Vishnu Purana. More detail on each Deva will be presented below.

The Holy Beast of the north is Xuanwumon (Ebonwumon in English). It is a gigantic tortoise with two snake-like heads and a tree for a shell. It is based on Xuánwǔ, the Black Tortoise of the Four Symbols. While nearly every depiction of Xuánwǔ depicts it as a tortoise, usually with a snake on its shell, the name actually translates to "black warrior". It is associated with the season of winter and element of water. The snake seen with it is because it was believed that turtles could only mate with snakes and not each other. Yeah, the Greeks weren't the only people who could be hilariously wrong about animals. The snake connection carries over to Xuanwumon, whose heads and necks are those of snakes. Xuanwumon is the eldest of the Holy Beasts and fights using water powers (fitting its mythical counterpart). It is also the least violent of the Holy Beasts and is a philosopher who comes up with zen koans.

The Deva who serve Xuanwumon are Kumbhiramon the mouse, Vajramon the bull, and Vikaralamon the boar. Kumbhiramon is usually depicted as the weakest of the Deva, but is very intelligent, capable of predictions the actions of others, and participates in Xuanwumon's philosophical musings. It is also rather rude and sarcastic while playing up its charming and cute aspects. It's weapon is the Bǎo Chǔ, a vajra (type of Indian club) that it controls with telekinesis. This is one case where its namesake does use the same weapon and it functions as a pun since "chu" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a mouse's squeak.

Vajramon is the most physically strong of the Deva and is a mighty warrior who seeks truth and honor and despises cowardice. It also aims to rid itself of material and emotional concerns, fitting the Buddhist origins of the Deva. It wields the Bǎo Jiàn, a pair of swords, which fits its legendary counterpart.

Vikaralamon is the largest of the Deva. It is detached, preferring to silently observe the world form a distance and only steps in when it needs to. It may also just be lazy as it sleeps a lot and can sleep with its eyes open. Its weapon is the Bǎo Lún, wheels that it spits out of its mouth and which have different effects depending on what color they are. None of the Heavenly Generals uses a wheel. Its namesake instead uses a sword or vajra. The wheel is a common symbol in Buddhism used to symbolize the cycle of death and rebirth.

The Holy Beast of the west is Qinglongmon (Azulongmon in English), a dragon made of storm clouds. It is based on Qīnlóng, the azure dragon of the east. It is associated with the season of spring and the element of `wood. Xuanwumon seems to have stolen the wood though, given it has a tree on its shell and Quinglongmon has nothing woody about it. Quinglongmon is described as a dispassionate deity who rarely concerns itself with humans or weak Digimon and will only step in when things get serious. This is in contrast to its anime appearances, where it was the most helpful and proactive of the four. Quinglongmon is also a member of the Four Great Dragons, possibly the least utilized group in the franchise. They exist as nothing but a reference to the Chinese Myth of the Four Dragon Kings.

The Deva that serve Quinglongmon are Andiramon the rabbit, Majiramon the dragon, and Mihiramon the tiger. Andiramon (Antylamon in English) is the first of the Deva to debut, predating the group as a whole, though in a different form. There are two forms of Andiramon, Andiramon (data) and Andiramon (virus) with the former being treated as the normal form and the latter being a corrupted version of the Deva as a result of a computer virus. Andiramon (virus) appeared before Andiramon (data). Andiramon is also the only Deva with a dedicated evolution line from Child/Rookie to Ultimate/Mega. Andiramon is a gentle Digimon that loves small and cute creatures and will defend them. Its weapon is the Bǎo Fǔ, which are its own hands transformed into axes. Its mythical counterpart instead uses a mallet or whisk.

Andiramon (data)

Andiramon (virus)

Majiramon is the most capitalist of the Deva. It is extremely greedy and will not lift a finger to do anything that doesn't benefit itself. It also puts a monetary value on everything and will intervene if anything upsets the flow of money. Its weapon is the Bǎo Shǐ, arrows formed from its hair, each of which is worth 5,000 yen. Its associated General is usually associated with bows or spears.

Mihiramon is a scoundrel and a ruffian that enjoys picking fights, but is also the Deva's best strategist and possesses a brilliant tactical mind. Combined with its ability to fly and incredible speed, Mihiramon is one of the best fighters amongst the Deva. Its weapon is the Bǎo Bàng, a three-sectioned staff connected by chains that it can turn its tail into. Think a souped-up nunchuck. Its mythical counterpart uses a vajra instead.

The Holy Beast of the South is Zhuqiaomon. It is based on Zhūquè, the Vermillion Bird of the south. The bird is described as a pheasant with five-colored feathers and that is perpetually covered in fire. Fittingly, its season is summer and its element is fire. Zhuqiaomon is also a flaming bird that attacks with fire. It is the least pleasant of the Holy Beasts, a violent and often cruel god who incinerates those who approach it and rarely helps out others. Fittingly, its sole major anime appearance was as a villain.

The Deva who serve Zhuqiaomon are just as assholeish as their master. They are Indaramon the horse, Pajiramon the sheep, and Sandiramon the snake. Indaramon is a vain asshole that spends its time bragging about talented it is. It even looks down on those who value hard work as it views them as inferior to its natural talent. Despite fussing over its appearance, it is completely unrefined in battle and fights like a berserker. Its weapon is the Bǎo Bèi, a giant gilded conch shell that it uses as a bludgeon and as a horn that can release ultrasonic blasts. Its mythical counterpart instead used a staff

Pajiramon is one of the coolest Deva and one of the evilest. It rules the world of dreams and knows many dark secrets that it divulges to no others. It even avoids the other Deva. While it is described as always calm and yet cruel to others it gives me the impression that the secrets it holds are so dangerous that it must stay away from others at all costs. Its weapon is the Bǎo Gōng, its crossbow that fires arrows which can put others to sleep and trap them in nightmares. It's mythical counterpart also uses a bow.

Sandiramon is the cruelest and most cunning of the Deva. It prefers to draw out fights and kill its enemies in slow and torturous ways. It also lives underground and excels in subterranean combat. Why do snakes always have to be evil? Let us have good snakes damnit. I really don't like it when a group of animals are always or almost always villains in fiction, like sharks, rats, vultures, and snakes. Its weapon is the Bǎo Kuí, spears made of light that it spits out of its mouth. Its mythical counterpart uses a sword or conch shell instead.

The Holy Beast of the west is Baihumon. It is based on Báihǔ, the White Tiger of the West. Báihǔ is associated with autumn and the element of metal. Metal is fitting for Baihumon as it wears metal armor and can unleash a roar that turns targets into metal statues. Baihumon is the youngest and strongest of the Holy Beasts. It is a neutral being that prefers not to get involved in most matters, but is the first Holy Beast to leap into the fight against a powerful enemy.

The Deva that serve Baihumon are Caturamon the dog, Makuramon the monkey, and Sinduramon the rooster. Caturamon has a strong sense of justice and will preside over judgement of others, proclaiming them as good or evil. It's view of justice is very black and white and it doesn't like dealing with situations without a clear good and bad side. It also acts like an older brother to its fellows, something they do not seem to reciprocate. Its weapon is the Bǎo Chuí, a giant hammer it can transform its whole body into. Its mythical counterpart uses swords instead.

Makuramon is interesting it that it almost never speaks and its face remains completely expressionless. This would make its emotions enigmatic, but its body language is extremely expressive, showing it to be hyperactive and extremely curious, though with a short attention span. It dislikes battles and prefers to trap enemies and settle fights nonviolently. This is opposed to its major anime appearance, where it was a total asshole. Its weapon is the Bǎo Yù, spheres that can be used to trap other Digimon. Its mythical counterpart prefers an axe.

The last Deva is Sinduramon, which also sounds like it would be unpleasant to be around. It's a gossip that loves to give insults and pick fights, then it hides inside its armored shell when this inevitably gets it into trouble. I know some people like that and they suck. Its weapon is shared with Kumbhiramon, a vajra called Bǎo Chǔ. Sandiramon's vajra can shoot lightning. Its mythical counterpart also uses a vajra, but a single-pronged one instead of a three-pronged one.

The leader of the Holy Beasts and one of the most powerful Digimon in existence is Huanglongmon (Fanglongmon in English). It is based on Huánglóng, the Yellow Dragon of the Center. It is considered the incarnation of the supreme deity that is the Yellow Emperor and its color represents the earth. It represents the changing of the seasons and the element of earth. Huanglongmon is associated with earth in that it is trapped in the center of the world, from which it observes the Digital World and oversees the other Holy Beasts. In the distant past it was free, but when Lucemon (Digimon's devil) rebelled against God, it trapped Huanglongmon as its first act since its rebellion would have been foiled were Huanglongmon around to oppose it. The imprisonment of Huanglongmon caused the other Holy Beasts to begin fighting for supremacy, but they eventually settled into an equilibrium. Huanglongmon's body is coated in the ultra-rare metal Huanglong ore, which is utterly indestructible. Assimilating Huanglong ore into one's body is a process that takes so long that only Huanglongmon is old enough to actually use it. Huanglongmon is both good and evil, having achieved true balance. If that balance is thrown off, bad things can happen. Specifically, if it leans too hard to evil it will become Huanglongmon Ruin Mode, an unstoppable god of ruin whose rampage was only stopped when the other Holy Beasts restored the balance. This would imply that it also has a mode where it leans too hard to good (Holy Mode? Creation Mode?) but this have never been made official.

Huanglongmon

Huanglongmon Ruin Mode

[chillohaus]

Anybody play the Digimon TCG?

(Artist: @RaikoDRivaille on Twitter)

[digi-lov]

Holy Beasts Great Cardinal Positions EX5-072 by banira from EX-05 Theme Booster Animal Colosseum

This option card is a reference to this program card from Hyper Coloseum with the same name! The Hyper Colosseum card lets you regain 40 points if you have a Fanglongmon on the field, and all four sovereigns in hand, while the DCG card lets you play a Fanglongmon and reduce its cost for every Digimon with "Deva" or "Four Sovereigns" in their traits, with different names.

Holy Beasts Great Cardinal Positions Bo-1019 from Booster 20 ~The Pedigree of X-Evolution~

[magnaangemon]

[atsoraasayoma]

Is Homeostasis the True Villain? Or is she a grand architect in the battle for balance versus chaos?

Don’t let adventure influenced/partially possessed Hikari’s kind demeanor fool you. She is a powerhouse giving Digimon the intense power to surpass limits and digivolve such as wargreymon slicing up Machinedramon like an onion.

She is strangely absent in Zero Two but Gennai and the Digimon Sovereign act as agents in her stead. It seems the goal is, at the time for evil to be eradicated by the wishes of children and their power/energy for their Digimon to digivolve.

Sounds innocent enough, right?

Fast forward to Digimon Tri where she body snatches Himekawa messing her up in the process as she gives the order to sacrifice her partner.

Then to Hikari being possessed and controlled as well. (This is why you don’t answer unknown calls people).

When this happens all kind benevolent pretext is over. If you fail your part she will intervene. Whether reboot of the Digital World or the real one. Any threats to the Digital World must be contained.

She even taunts the Digidestined telling them that their teamwork has failed them this time. Perhaps she treats them coldly because they are no longer little kids with infinite potential but teenagers whose powers are there but limited. How limited?

Fast Forward to Kizuna. We learn from Gennai a Digidestined has an expiration date as a chosen child unless they can unlock new potential. Menoa is the personification of that Despair but Homeostasis does NOT intervene.

Why? Strange as it is I think she was going to use the data of the brainwashed kids to recreate Digimon and human partners without an expiration date. She recognized Menoa’s despair and allowed her the light of Digivolution from this newly synthetic Digimon with data based off her partner to take authority and fulfill her desire. And IF she succeeded Homeistasis would reap the results.

But, this failed. She lost the Digidestined that had done the most for her and those Digidestined were no longer necessary having expired.

So now where does she go from here? How can SHE protect the Digital World when all of her efforts only are leading to more work?

It’s simple and brilliant if not disturbing. Like many have said she used the suffering of Rui as a blueprint for Digidestined partners. This relationship would be a litmus test on just how far the power of wishing could save the Digital World.

We’ve seen it in 02 the final battle with MaloMyotismon and the epilogue. Everyone gets a Digimon (or at least a Digidestined’s powers to have a partner are hereditary even going as far as the TYPE of partner a Digidestined will have).

But I believe much like the reboot option this Ukkomon partnership is a failsafe. She studies and manipulates Rui’s situation of utter despair and loneliness. And this is before she uses the Original Digidestined. It’s a nuclear option for her in case she needs to use it.

The friends Ukkomon creates as justification for the Digidestined line are self fulfilling prophecies, creating problems, fixing them, and then the influence of those involved directly or indirectly with the conflict of those problems spawning new Chosen Children but not Digidestined.

These new Chosen Children are basic as we have never seen them go beyond the champion level. They are not of the particular kind of what qualifies as a Digidestined for they were not guided to solve conflicts directly. Merely indirectly chosen children would be used for their power of wishing and sheer numbers to defend the Digital World against threats.

But, years went by with little to no conflict. Aside from Menoa in Kizuna there was no ‘new’ threat although Chosen Children were increasing every year. Through their efforts Homeostasis indirectly through Ukkomon’s power of granting Rui’s wish activated that fail safe.

Everyone was supposed to get a partner. If everyone has a partner this would ensure there would be no running out of tools/chosen children to defend the Digital World. When they would die of old age the next Chosen Child would replace them.

That was the plan. That was Homeostasis’s goal. It was the harmony and the balance needed to stave off the continual threats to the Digital World.

But, that plan, that fail safe did NOT go through. The 02 Digidestined stopped her machinations. They foiled her grand design for perpetual protection.

And so, between now and the epilogue I believe she is in desperation mode. Why? Lurking in the background between Digital World narratives and the Digidestined I believe there is a threat unlike any other that DEMANDS every single human being to have a partner to stave off the viral Digital Threat.

If it’s so powerful Homeostasis actively manipulates generations JUST to get to this point I believe it is so severe sheer numbers will be needed or the power of their wishes.

Much like we saw with the birth of Omegamon the combined power of not just humans, but Chosen Children is necessary to defeat a foe so mighty it is the most powerful viral Digimon to ever exist. I would go so far to say it may be the SOURCE of all the viral Digimon much like how Apocalymon was the source of the original adventure antagonists.

In other words, with the Digidestined having completely shut down her last effort to save the Digital World she is going to have to no choice but rely on the 02 Digidestined.

The OGs are out except in a support role. The 02 Digidestined, specifically Takeru and Hikari will be greatly needed in order to unlock a savior Digimon to stop the ultimate threat.

Remember. all of the Digidestined except for Takeru and Hikari don’t have the full power of a crest. ONLY they do. Ken is questionable ? He never used it to Digivolve. The others have/had Digi eggs that used the passed on influences of the crests but not the crests directly themselves. Homeostasis will convince them somehow to unlock an ultimate power to eliminate the viral threat once and for all so both worlds will be in peace so the utopia Hikari imagined and Homeostasis strives for will be achieved.

I don’t know what this threat is but it will be life threatening on a genocidal scale.

It will involve the whole world and there are only a few Digidestined left (and thousands of foot soldiers) that can stand up to it.

It will be a grand climax felt through generations. It will somehow restore the OG Digidestined partnerships and lead us to an epilogue that may take on a more defined conclusion.

All of these events in the anime and the movies are pivot points linking to this one final threat where the fate of humanity and Digimon will be decided.

Let’s hope the 02 Digidestined are up for the challenge.

Because, after all their teamwork has never failed them. Their bond with their Digimon is as strong as ever. They are the unwritten exception to the rule and have more to give, and bonds that regardless of life’s circumstances will NEVER expire.

They are the 02 Crew. THEY are the Digidestined Homeostasis will have to go all in on. And THEY and their Digimon will be the catalysts to decide the fate of both worlds.

[stuckinthewrongworld]

DigiMonth 2024 Day 3: Ariemon

Ariesmon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Data

Field: Nature Spirits

Ariesmon is the first born of the Asteras, or the Zodiac 12. This group of Digimon were granted exceptional powers by the Sovereign to help protect the Digital World, but something has happened to turn them into rampaging beasts. They are split up into the four basic elements: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, each protecting a certain area of the Digital World. Ariesmon is usually seen in more mountainous areas, but he has been seen coming out of his territory and attacking anything and everything.

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Volume 4

The beginning of this volume flat out spoils things by putting characters that haven't been introduced yet on the character page. (MarineAngemon, the Juri clone, the D-Reaper queen...) Maybe that's a common practice with shounen manga...but it shouldn't be. Like, what's the point?

Ch. 22

Lopmon and Terriermon interacting will never get old. Love how they lift their ears with curiosity when they first see each other.

I think I prefer experiencing the ~sad~ part of Tamers better in manga form. I remember it being quite drawn out in the anime and I rather just blitz through it at this point. I think the whole Leomon death storyline just annoys me because they barely developed his character and then the writing expects me to be devastated. Juri was more developed, sure, but we barely got any insight into her relationship with Leomon so her deep, dark depression doesn't feel super warranted either.

Ch. 23

I think this chapter was pretty well done. They're giving an epic battle it's time instead of zooming past it.

It bugs me that there isn't a specific name for digimon/human digivolutions. In this translation they called it a "true mega form." On the wiki it's called both an ultimate and a matrix digivolution. IDK why it doesn't count as a jogress. I guess there's like...two different things: the way you digivolve (matrix) and the digivolution level (ultimate)? If it's confusing for me, I can only imagine it'd be confusing for a kid.

It's a bit weird for an English translation, but I like that Guilmon says "MMA!" a lot. I can totally hear him making that noise with his OG voice. Creative onomatopoeia.

Ch. 24

Grrr Jian said "crumbcakes," so done with this stupid translation

This chapter was hella short, not much to say about it.

Ch. 25

Okay, now they're calling it a "biomerge digivolution." I guess the localizers also thought "this needs a cool name!"

Casual 90s/early 2000s sexism sprinkled throughout this translation. Takato says he "screams like a little girl" in a previous chapter and in this one he says "easy to forget Renamon and Rika are girls when they're always kicking butt!" Eye roll...

SaintGalgomon looked super badass but for some reason when Sakuyamon appeared they chose to dedicate two closeup panels to her chest and high heels? Sus...

Ch. 26

Juri's face didn't look as sinister here as it did in the anime (when it's revealed she's possessed). I guess that's probably a good thing. More subtle.

I don't remember the sovereign digimon giving Culumon a "you're a real boy now" speech in the anime. That was sweet.

They cut the part where Beelzebumon gets zapped by a bunch a digimon. In this he just collapses after the battle with Dukemon, which I think I prefer. (But why'd he say he'd be "bunny chow?" He wasn't even fighting Terriermon...)

Ch. 27

The grotesque, over-the-top facial expressions the artist keeps drawing for Hirokazu piss me off. They're just so ugly.

Ugh...they really had to ruin a serious moment (Guilmon getting the ark to stop) with a poop joke. This manhua does NOT treat its audience with respect.

Hmm they completely cut out Juri's family. So much for developing her character I guess.

They kind of forgot to imply that the ark is sentient. I mean they showed it stopping on its own, but in the anime they really hammered it home by having Guilmon have a conversation with it and showing it's HAL-like eye. That was one of my fave parts so I'm sad lol

Ch. 28

Okay, this is starting to feel totally different from the anime, they skipped like 5 episodes worth of content. Also, IDK if the scanlation I'm reading is missing some pages because the ending with Dukemon being beat up was completely nonsensical (it cut from Beelzebumon being hit to a panel with Dukemon outta nowhere?) I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that there are missing pages...

The scene where Beelzebumon uses Leomon's attack to save Juri played out differently here. She doesn't seem particularly perturbed by it and Beelzebumon can't save her because he gets attacked, not because Juri recoils for too long.

Ch. 29/30

Lol they completely cut out Justimon. Makes Ryo's role even more pointless! Ryo doesn't even reappear at all...

This manhua series was crap to begin with but they really screwed the pooch with this ending. SOOO rushed. Grani appeared outta nowhere with zero introduction. Like they just went immediately to Grani's sacrifice. I still don't know if I'm missing pages or if the writing is just that garbage. Oh well! I tried.

[rpking99]

Guest Of The Shrine

OPEN RP

"Welcome to my shrine, human." Sasha spoke gently as she stood before the shrine, the Sakuyamon in her full armoured form. The shrine looking like a fairly traditional Japanese shinto shrine with four stone pillars around it, each pillar having a powerful beast carved into it on top . Sasha was the sole guardian of the shrine of the four sovereign. Although she always extended a hand to needy travellers in need of help

"Please, come inside and stay safe." she urged, gently leading your muse inside. As you passed through the doorway, her body began to glow and change. The armour fading away, almost shattering apart

Now in her less armoured Miko Mode, Sasha led you inside into a humble living room "Can I get you a drink? And may I ask why you are travelling, passing by?" she requested, her plump chest almost bulging out of her kimono

(Info as Sasha as a Digimon & a character)

[delyth-thomas-art]

Hello which dragon do you think it's powerful? I love your dragon arts by the way they're beautiful 💖✨️💖🤗🥰🥰🥰🥰🫂🫂🫂

Thank you! That's very kind of you! Drawing dragons is one of my favourite things to do.

Powerful dragons....hmmm.

Huanglongmon, lord of the Digimon Sovereigns. Is a Powerful dragon that comes to mind. And just looks really cool.

[themattress]

Digimon Survive: All Endings Ranked

#5. Bad Ending - I’m sorry, but why exactly was this a thing? Why did the game’s developers feel the need to program this option into the game? It occurs if you choose to not return to the Digital World in Chapter 8, and as a result we see Takuma doom both worlds because he suddenly decides to pull a Ryou and become a cowardly Momma’s Boy. Look, what made sense for Ryou’s character makes no sense for Takuma’s character. Takuma was not set up to be the bad guy, at any point in the story, so for him to just do such a drastic 180 turn comes completely out of nowhere. This ending’s “bad”...but not in the way a Bad Ending should be.

#4. Wrathful Ending - So I didn’t actually unlock the Wrathful Route as a possibility when playing the game. Instead, I looked it up on Youtube...which guaranteed that I plan on continuing to not unlock it when playing the game! The main story trajectory isn’t done badly, not in the slightest, but I just can’t with it, it is way too viscerally upsetting for me. Aoi, fucking AOI, is where I draw the line at enduring a character’s mental and emotional suffering and ultimately death, especially when the game goes as hard as humanly possible with it as always. And the actual ending is kind of shit by tacking on a hopeful note in a dystopian scenario where it is so clearly useless and not going to amount to anything in the grand scheme of things. This route is depressing; the ending should have run all the way with that.

#3. Harmony Ending - Textbook bittersweet ending. Not everything works out perfectly with the fate of the two worlds and not everyone survives, but the total doom and gloom portrayed in the prior two endings is averted and the hopeful note actually feels earned this time. And as far as the route before the ending goes, as horrible as I feel about what befalls Miu I honestly like seeing Kaito become a straight-up villain, since it feels true to his character and how it would spiral out of control if he lost his little sister. And Piedmon / Boltboutmon...c’mon, how can you not love him getting to be the Final Boss? It’s the role he was born to play!

#2. Truthful Ending - The Digimon Sovereign enter the picture, everything that had been built to in the plot since the beginning receives proper pay-off, and everyone survives and is able to live happily ever after. Every game like this needs this kind of ending as an option.

#1. Moral Ending - But despite that, I feel like the Moral Route and its ending is the most natural and dramatically satisfying one. The journey of survival wasn’t without loss, there is no redemption for the Master who frankly works better as a pure villain, and there’s this line:

I rest my case.

[moth-thief]

Phoenixmon (X Antibody) BT16-015 R <03>

Mega | Vaccine | Holy Beast/X Antibody

[[Digivolve] [Phoenixmon]: Cost 2]

[When Digivolving] <Blitz>

[Your Turn] While [Phoenixmon] or [X Antibody] is in this Digimon's digivolution cards, add [End of Attack] to all this Digimon's [On Deletion] effects.

[On Deletion] You may play 1 Digimon card with [Avian], [Bird], [Beast], [Animal], or [Sovereign], other than [Sea Animal] in one of its traits and with 11000 DP or less from your hand without paying the cost. Delete 1 of your opponent's Digimon with DP less than or equal to the DP of the Digimon played by this effect.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Digimon & mythology: the Royal Knights

Of all the Digimon groups, none are as famous as the Royal Knights. These 13 holy knight Digimon are the guardians of the Digital World and act as the highest form of network security. The Royal Knights are appointed to the position by and answer to Yggdrasil, the computer who runs the Digital World. While part of a group, each member of the Royal Knights has their own goals, motivations, philosophies, and opinions on the nature of their duties and justice. As a result, they often don't get along with each other and work independently. They may even clash with each other should they have conflicting goals or ideals. When they do work together, however, nothing can stand against them. Most of them rarely show their faces to the common people of the Digital World, instead aloofly performing their duties. While there are 13 Royal Knights, it took time both in-universe and in real life for all 13 members to appear.

The Royal Knights are also heavily connected with the x-antibody, featuring both in the original x-antibody storyline and its follow-up Digimon Chronicle and Digimon Chronicle X. In the storyline, the Digital World is reaching its capacity due to Digimon reproducing out of control. To keep the Digital World from collapsing, Yggdrasil choses a select few Digimon to move to a new Digital World and uses a program called the x-program to kill the remainders. However, the x-antibody begins spreading through the surviving Digimon, mutating them into new x-antibody forms that can survive the x-program and trying to invade the new Digital World. Yggdrasil sends the Royal Knights to kill these x-antibody Digimon. Eventually, a schism forms in the Royal Knights between those who obey Yggdrasil and those who don't want to kill off the vast majority of all Digimon. In the end, Yggdrasil is forcibly reset and the original and new Digital Worlds exist side by side, occasionally interacting with each other. Both world would later come under threat by x-antibody versions of the Seven Great Demon Lords, which ended with the Royal Knights combining their powers to allow the newest member, JESmon, to save the day.

While the Royal Knights are supposed to be the defenders of the Digital World, they, or at least some of them, are often used as villains in various Digimon media. This is often because they serve Yggdrasil, who is a villain in almost every appearance. Sometimes they will start as villains but later change sides. This was the case in Digimon Savers/Data Squad where Yggdrasil viewed humanity has an existential threat and sent the Royal Knights to destroy the human world. The Knights later turned on Yggdrasil after the protagonists showed them that humans and Digimon can coexist in peace. In other cases the Knights will have a schism based on following Yggdrasil's orders. This is the case in the x-antibody storyline and in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, where the Knights become divided between those who wish to exterminate humanity to save the Digital World and those who wish to spare humanity and find a different solution to the problem.

There will be fewer mythological references in this entry than my posts on the Sovereigns and Deva, Seven Great Demon Lords, and Angel Digimon. This is because the Royal Knights have fewer mythological references in general than those groups. I will do what I can though. The Royal Knights are collectively based on the legends of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. The stories of King Arthur are varied and have been rewritten many times. The oldest version of the story we can track down comes from 5th-6th century Welsh sources where Arthur is the king of the Britons in the post-Roman period who defended Britain against Anglo-Saxon invaders. Later writers incorporated their own stories and themes into the mix, such as the addition of chivalric and Christian themes. Christian themes, such as the famous search for the holy grail, were added by later Christian authors while some famous characters like Lancelot were the result of French influence. There really isn't one story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, there are many. One common trait of the stories is that the round table is round to symbolize that everyone sitting at it is an equal, which is reflected in the the Royal Knights having no internal hierarchy. None of the knights is the master of any other, they are all independent and of equal rank. Kenji Watanabe, one of the main designers for Digimon, has commented that many of the stories have far more than 13 knights of the round table and he isn't opposed to adding more Royal Knights. He has also said he would like to tell a story of the Royal Knights passing the baton to a new generation. I think it would be cool to add more Arthurian references to the Digimon Mythos, making Digimon versions of characters like Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and Mordred. The King Arthur figure could either be Yggdrasil or Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, who founded the Royal Knights but is not a member. I also don't believe there is any official Digimon media telling the story of the founding of the Royal Knights, which I think would be a great story. They are said to be natural enemies of the Seven Great Demon Lords, so I think it makes sense for them to have been founded in response to Lucemon's rebellion and fall.

The first three Digimon specifically identified as Royal Knights were final forms of the main character's partner Digimon from the first 3 anime series: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, and Digimon Tamers. The first of them to debut and the most famous Royal Knight of all is Omegamon, named Omnimon in English. It was born out of a fusion of two powerful Digimon, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, triggered by the hopes and wills of people wishing for goodness and peace. Because it is a fusion of two Digimon, it can use both of their abilities. making it a master of close and long range combat. Each of its arms resembles the head of one of its components and weapons are stored in the mouths. Its right arm is the MetalGarurumon head, which contains the Garuru Cannon, which can fire energy blasts at absolute zero. Its left arm is the WarGreymon head and contains the Grey Sword and has a powerful shield on the shoulder. Omegamon's role in thr Royal Knights is to protect Yggdrasil's justice and elevate the name of the Royal Knights to greater heights. Omegamon is easily the most popular of the Royal Knights in real life and has showed up in a ton of different animes, mangas, games, etc. Honestly, he's overused in my opinion. Omegamon also has a ton of variants and homages, way too many for me to list here. As with all the Royal Knights, he has an x-antibody variant. Omegamon X possesses a power called Omega inForce, a form of precognition which allows it to foresee what its opponents will do, making it theoretically impossible for it to ever lose a fight. Omegamon X is one of the better x designs for the Royal Knights because it doesn't change much. It just gets spikier. There are much worse designs coming.

Omagemon (left) and Omegamon X (right)

Omegamon debuted in Digimon Adventure. Debuting in Digimon Adventure 02 is Magnamon. Magnamon is the only member of the Royal Knights who is not of the Ultimate/Mega level. Instead, he's an armor Digimon, the result of a Digimon using with the power of one of the relics called Digimentals. Magnamon uses the Digimental of miracles, which grants to power to overcome any predicament. While Magnamon is not a Ultimate/Mega level and is usually depicted as the smallest of the Royal Knights, it is just as powerful as the rest and is the best at defense. In fact, it forms the cornerstone of the Royal Knight's defensive efforts. Magnamon X gains the ability to cause its armor to change shape, further increasing its defensive efforts and giving it more utility.

Magnamon (left) and Magnamon X (right)

Debuting in Digimon Tamers is Dukemon, named Gallantmon in English. A few of the Royal Knights got name changes in English and for most of them I don't have a strong opinion on which is better. In this case though, I think Gallantmon is a way better name than Dukemon and I'm going to use it here. Gallantmon is a living contradiction. Its evolution line bears the Digital Hazard, a force of destruction that could destroy the Digital World. Gallantmon has chosen to restrain that power and protect the world it was born to destroy. Because it understands having to constantly resist the temptation of destruction, it holds itself and its fellows to a very high standard and works to defend the weak. In many different stories, it is depicted as the first one to defect from the Royal Knights should they begin to turn bad or stray from the cause of defending the Digital World. Gallantmon bears the lance Gram and shield Aegis and sometimes rides a mount named Grani. Gram and Grani both come from the Scandinavian legend of Sigurd, a great hero the slew the dragon Fafnir. Gram was the sword wielded by Sigurd which was then passed down to many other heroes. Grani was Sigurd's steed, granted to him by the god Odin and descended from Odin's own steed Sleipnir. Aegis comes from Greek mythology, where it was the shield used by Zeus and Athena. Another reference to the legend of Sigurd comes from the alternate Ultimate/Mega level form of Gallantmon's evolution line: Megidramon. While Gallantmon expresses the power of the Digital Hazards and chooses to be a hero, Megidramon gave into the Hazard and is a mindless, draconic force of destruction. Depending on the the circumstances, it can either be the hero Sigurd or the dragon Fafnir he was sent to slay. The mane of Megidramon comes from Megiddo, the location where the end times will begin according to the Bible's Book of Revelation. It is better known by its Greek name Armageddon. Gallantmon can temporarily mode change into Gallantmon Crimson Mode. In this form, it becomes much more powerful, but it can only stay in this form temporarily. In this from it weirds weapons made of light named Gungnir and Blutgang. Gungnir was the spear of the greek god Odin and Blutgang is the name of the sword of the hero Heime of Germanic legend. Gallantmon X increases its power and transforms Gram into a lance made of light.

Left to right: Gallantmon, Gallantmon Crimson Mode, and Gallantmon X

The most unconventional Royal Knight is Alphamon. Despite being a Royal Knight, it acts as a deterrent force intended to oppose the other Royal Knights and it only appears in exceptional circumstances. Because it so rarely appears, it is known as the empty seat. This is a reference to the siege perilous from Arthurian legend. The siege perilous was an empty seat at the round table set aside by merlin for the knight who completed the quest for the holy grail. In earlier versions of the story, the knight who eventually earned the seat was Percival, though his role was given to Galahad in 13th century French tellings. Alphamon's role as a deterrent force is often interpreted as him being given the job of insuring the other Royal Knights do not go too far or stray from their role as the Digital World's protectors. As such, Alphamon is heroic in most of its appearances. Alphamon is one of an evolution line of prototype Digimon and is often associated with fellow prototype Digimon Ouryumon. Oryumon has the power to transform itself into a mighty blade called the Ouryuken. Only Alphamon is able to wield the Ouryuken and when doing so, it becomes known as Alphamon Ouryuken. Many depictions of Alphamon instead treat the Ouryuken as something that Alphamon can summon whenever he wants and ignore Ourumon's role. Alphamon has a power called the Alpha inForce, which allows it to rewind time to the beginning of a battle and fight over and over again. From an external perspective, it will appear as though Alphamon cut down its enemy with a single blow but the battle may have actually been fought multiple times until Alphamon foound the best outcome. Alphamon naturally compliments Omegamon and their namec come from the phrase "I am the alpha and omega" from the Bible. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and the phrase is supposed to portray god as both the beginning and end of everything. Alphamon is the only Royal Knight that doesn't have an x-antibody form because it is a natural carrier, a Digimon with the x-antibody that doesn't have a non- x-antibody counterpart.

Alphamon (left) and Alphamon Ouryuken (right)

Like how Omegamon, Magnamon, and Gallantmon all debuted as partners of a main character from one anime season. Ulforce V-dramon (eng: UlforceVeedramon) was the partner of the main character of the manga Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01. Ulforce V-dramon is the fastest of the Royal Knights and there is no being that can track its movements. Its armor is immensely strong but also very lightweight, enabling its fast movement. It wears bracelets from which extend energy blades called Ulforce Sabers. It wields the power called Ulforce, which is born from joy and the desire to protect loved ones. The Ulforce is a code that can overwrite a Digimon's data. Most such codes will increase power but damage data, ultimately harming the Digimon using them. The Ulforce instead repairs data, allowing Ulforce V-dramon to heal even as it increases in power. Ulforce V-dramon X increases the power of the Ulforce even more, allowing Ulforce V-dramon to heal from wounds so fast that it appears that it appears it was never wounded in the first place. The v stands for victory, btw.

Ulforce V-dramon (left) and Ulforce V-dramon X (right)

Dynasmon is unusual among the fiercely independent Royal Knights because it will willingly submit to and serve other beings that chare its sense of justice. Once Dynasmon calls another lord, it will serve then with deep and unquestioning loyalty even if their actions could be considered evil. It follows the moral codes of chivalry and bushido, both of which encourage honor, loyalty, and combat prowess. Dynasmon values devotion, fidelity, and curtesy. Becuase it will follow its lord with unquestioning loyalty, Dynasmon is frequently a villain in stories it appears in due to it following an evil lord. Its power comes from wyverns, a type of dragons with two wings and two legs that were often found in medieval heraldry. Dynasmon X increases its wyvern influence, making it more draconic and granting it the best aerial combat prowess of all the Royal Knights. It is also probably the ugliest of the Royal Knight's x-antibody forms and there is fierce competition in that department. There are so many lines on that picture I can barely tell what's going on

Dynasmon (left) and Dynasmon X (right)

Craniummon is the Royal Knight that most understands decorum and follows a knightly code of honor. While very obsessed with decorum, it is also a perfectionist that competes with the other Royal Knights for the highest mission completion rates. It also loves combat and enjoys nothing more than a fight with a truly skilled opponent. Yggdrasil personally modified Craniummon's data, increasing the defensive properties of its armor and giving it the power to generate its weapon and shield from its armor. It carries the double-headed spear Claíomn Solais and shield Avalon. Claíomn Solais, which means "sword of light" appears as a motif in multiple Scottish and Gaelic folk tales, often as an object the hero obtains as part of a quest he must undertake to marry his desired bride. Avalon is the name of a mythical island in Arthurian lore, a magical land where Arthur was taken on his deathbed to one day rise again when Britain needs him most. Craniummon X has further increased the defenses of its armor and it now wears its shield on its back because it is certain it will not be needed. Its x-antibody art is also absolutely hideous, maybe worse than Dynasmon's.

Craniummon (left) and Craniummon X (left)

Duftmon (eng: Leopardmon) is the Royal Knight acknowledged by its fellows as the greatest strategist. This is both because it has an extremely cunning and strategic mind, and because its the only person who can get all the Royal Knights to work together despite their disagreements and opposing values. It believes that justice equals power, though it can be debated whether this means that the most powerful get to decide what justice is or that acting with justice will give one power. When Duftmon chooses to fight, it mode changed to Duftmon Leopard mode, a quadruped that can run and fly at high sppeds and cause rock pillars to erupt from the ground. And yes, its name in English is Leopardmon Leopard Mode. Interestingly, Duftmon has a very French motif, but its name and the name of its attacks are all in German. Specifically, it was based on the chanracter of Oscar François de Jarjayes from the manga The Rose of Versailles. She was a beautiful woman who was raised as and dresses as a man and is a skilled fighter. Despite being designed based on a woman, Duftmon is still generally depicted as masculine or genderless. Duftmon X gains powerful but flexible armor, allowing it to dodge incoming attacks from multiple directions and strike back with taijutsu (martial arts) and datotsu (kendo). It no longer relies on a mode change to fight.

Left to right: Duftmon, Duftmon Leopard Mode, and Duftmon X

Seipmon was the first Royal Knight introduced who is not humanoid and one of only two in total. Instead, it is shaped like a centaur, though with an additional pair of legs and a horse's head. Its six legs give it unsurpassed mobility and it can move far faster than its bulky frame would suggest. though it is still not as fast as Ulforce V-dramon. Its name was changed to Kentaurosmon in English, which is the only Royal Knight name change I really don't like. It resides at the Digital World's north pole, where it guards super-ancient ruins that lie beneath the ice. Within these ruins is said to lie programs that were used to create Digimon. If evildoers were to get ahold of such data, they would be able to create an unlimited army of Digimon to serve them. Sleipmon weilds the power of fire and ice. In its left hand is the crossbow Múspellsheimr which fires burning arrows in an attack called Bifröst. In its right hand is the shield Niflheimr, which can unleash a blizzard. In Norse mythology, Múspellsheimr and Niflheimr are primordial wrlds of fire and ice, the intermingling of which led to the creation of the rest of the universe. From the same mythology, the Bifröst is a rainbow bridge that links Midgard (Earth) and Asgard (realm of the gods). Sleipmon's name and appearance also gome from Norse mythology. Sleipnir was an eight-legged horse who was the god Odin's personal steed. Sleipmon X gains an additional two arms, letting it load and fire its bow at lightning speed.

Sleipmon (left) and Sleipmon X (right)

LordKnightmon (eng: Crusadermon) is the least pleasant of the Royal Knights. It cares nothing for morality, instead following its own brutal and utilitarian code of justice. It is incredibly ruthless and shows no compassion for the weak, instead ruling by force and even culling the weak to ensure only the strong survive. Naturally, LordKnightmon is a villain in nearly every appearance. It is also to monarch of the Knightmon species and presides over all knight Digimon, giving it a personal army to do its will. LordKnightmon is one of only two virus-attribute Royal Knights, the other being Gallantmon. While Gallantmon resists its destructive urges to protect the weak, LordKnightmon is just a total asshole. It carries no weeapon, but the ribbons coming from its body can be used as blades and its shield contains a pile bunker. Interestingly, LordKnightmon is the only Royal Knight to have been portrayed as female and different appearances treat it alternately as feminine, masculine, or genderless. Probably because it's pink and likes roses. LordKnightmon X gains a major rose motif and gets to have a sword. It battles in a manner like dancing that invokes fear in those who see it.

LordKnightmon (left) and LordKnightmon X (left)

Examon, along with Sleipmon, is one of the two non-humanoid Royal Knights, being a gigantic dragon. It is one of the more recent members, both in and out of universe, because it is so large that new technology had to be invented to render the sheer amount of data that makes up its body. While a member of the Royal Knights, Examon also holds the position as the greatest of all dragon Digimon, holding the title Dragon Emperor. Its wings are named Caledfwlch and have a mind of their own, being able to transform into an unbreakable shield to protect it. The lance it holds is named Ambrosius and is used in attacks called Avalon's Gate and Pendragon's Glory. Examon is based on the Y Ddraig Goch, the red dragon of Wales. The dragon is a symbol of Wales and the Welsh people. In the ancient Welsh book of stories Mabinogion, the Red Dragon is seen battling a white dragon. The white dragon represents the Anglo-Saxons who were colonizing Britain and the story says that the red dragon will soon win. Caledfwlch is the original Welsh name for King Arthur's sword Excalibur. Ambrosius comes from Ambrosius Aurelianus, a war leader in Roman Britain who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in a major battle and was later incorporated into Arthurian legend as Arthur's uncle. The attack names come from the same Avalon mentioned in Craniummon's entry and Pendragon, the surname of King Arthur. Examon X becomes humanoid and gains the power to make swords out of lightning. I actually kind of like Examon X's design, I just think it should be its own Digimon instead of a variant.

Examon (left) and Examon X (right)

Gankoomon one of the two final Royal Knights released for the franchise's 15th anniversary. Unlike the other Royal Knights, who are aloof and distant, Gankoomon spends a lot of time with common Digimon and helps out with smaller problems, making it very popular in the Digital World. Gankoomon also works well with other Digimon, in contrast to the other Royal Knights, who work alone. In particular, it allies with Sistermon Blanc and Sistermon Noir and is training Hackmon as a successor. Gankoomon acks like a stern father figure, treating Hackmon severely and arguably cruelly and rarely showing pride or affection, but it does genuinely want Hackmon to succeed and become a Royal Knight. The fiery, dragon-shaped aura above Gankoomon is actually another Digimon named Hinukamuy bonded to Gankoomon. Hinukamuy is an Adult/Champion level and when it evolves, there won't be any Digimon who can rival it. Unlike the other very regal and European Royal Knights, Gankoomon is unconcerned with decorum and prefers beating enemies with its fists instead of swords. Gankoomon is visually and behaviorally based on banchos, the leaders of Japanese delinquent groups. Hinukamuy's name is a combination of Hinukan, a fire god from the religion of Japan's Ryuku islands, and Kamuy, the Ainu (natives of the Japanese island of Hokkaido) word for a god. Gankoomon X merges with Hinukamuy and can release it as a surging aura that empowers it and destroys the landscape around it. It also takes off its shirt.

Gankoomon (left) and Gankoomon X (right)

The final and most recent member of the Royal Knights, debuting for the franchise's 15th anniversary, is JESmon. JES is an abbreviation of Justice Edge Swordsman. JESmon started out as Hackmon, a promising Child/Rookie level Digimon who aspired to be a Royal Knight. Gankoomon saw in it the potential to become the 13th Knight and put it through an intense training regiment. Eventually, Hackmon evolved to JESmon and was accepted by Yggdrasil as the 13th Royal Knight. Like its mentor, JESmon is a team player that works well with others, unlike the other Royal Knights. In working with others, JESmon lears to trust others and keep itself from becoming overconfident in its own abilities. Its usual allies are Sistermon Blanc and Sistermon Noir and it will also coordinate with the Digimon local to wherever it goes. JESmon has the ability to sense abnormalities and signs of chaos around the Digital World and will rush to stop them, making it the first of the Royal Knights to rush in to stop disasters. It has three familiars named Atho, René, and Por that fight along side it and can come together for an attack called Un Pour Tous. The familiars are named after Athos, Aramis, and Porthos, the Three Muskateers. Similarly, the attack is named after their catchphrase "Un pour tous, tous pour un" or "one for all, all for one", the motto of the Three Muskateers. JESmon X gains even more compat bower and turns Atho, René, and Por into two powerful arms. JESMon X and further evolve to JESmon GX, in which it has fully masters its power. In this form, it becomes the vessel for Knight's Intruder, a blade that contains the power of all the Royal Knights and will only be used in response to threats that would end the Digital World.

Left to right: JESmon, JESmon X, and JESmon GX

[blackdigitalrose]

Digimon Series Rankings!

Because I can and because I've really done nothing but comment about Ghost Game, it does give a slight misleading impression on where it stands. So in brief, I may go into more detail down the line, we'll see how I feel out the blue one day. Worst to Best of all 10 Digimon series.

(got to keep up that suspense XD)

And yes, Dubs are going to be a factor, I haven't watched both Sub/Dub of all shows.

10 - Xros Wars This is solely by default because it is the only series I haven't watched, I don't have much inclination to either. Digivolution method really can make or break a show and Digimon lego sets with no actual way to gauge power besides from more sets you stick together the stronger you apparently seem to be, does not hold much appeal. Plus what I've seen of X7/X8, it just looks so messy. Although, I'd like to be able to weigh in on the Taiki debate, some say he's one of the franchises best Goggle boys, others say he's too perfect he's not interesting.

9 -Digimon 2020 For a modern day reboot it had all the action, zero the charm or personality. Those snazzy, action filled fight scenes mean nothing, when there's no story, no characters and just flat out laziness all-round. The Diaboramon movie got rehashed 3 times. The significance of the crests forgotten until a rag tag added on arc at the end and even then they weren't really earned. Izzy just ruined everything, unless you were Matt and Tai, you were basically useless and Tai… I could rant about this series all day, it ticks me off so much!

8 - Frontier This is one of many examples of Digimon not being to do the long run story, a tolerable first half, an unbearable second half full of holes and flaws, it makes you wonder if multiple teams were writing eps apart from each other. This series wrote itself into a corner it could have wrote itself easily out of but chose not to and suffers greatly for it. There is so little to actually talk about in Frontier, none of the cast are actually likeable, not to the extent that you can really get behind them. The only one you feel for slightly is twin 2 but they don't do alot with him after. The only thing it has going for it is the Intro's both sub and dub are amazing!

7 -Tri Such a strong first half, first 3 vols, amazing! Stakes, emotion, understandable dilemma's occurring from being so much older and once more they fail the landing. Tai never got is pay off over his fears. Matt's future plans literally come out of nowhere. Mei and Meicoomon out stayed their welcome so quickly they got in the way in the second half. However, the biggest crim is Daigo and Maki and what we could have had as the first Digidestined team… their partners being the four sovereigns actually makes so much sense! They won but failed, there was an amazing story set up to be told there and they just went, nah, bin it -.-'' Abridged Daigo though is the most relatable character ever and hilarious to boot

6 -02 Let's be honest, this series, I couldn't care less for and some one punch Davis! (He's not so special anymore mind you.) However, despite the not so exciting team, it had it's moments, the Wizardmon ep was very touching, the idea of passing to the next gen, with the originals to help guide them, nicely done with the right mix of original and new but what really gives it, it's place and you all saw it coming. The Digimon Emperor arc! Such a good villain, the contrast against the team, against Wormon, the ongoing subplot over Chimeramon and then our Digimon Emperor gets turned back to normal and show becomes so boring and with more holes in it than swiss cheese.

5 - Appli Monsters I did put this off, I was one of those people… however, I was pleasantly surprised. This show is quite solid, all the characters get their own arcs, the story actually has progress from start to finish, the end boss narratively is good as an actual end boss, it couldn't have made a stupider play if it tried. With social commentary right on the nose, it was a show definitely released before it's time, if they tried it now, I think it would have done a lot better as it would be so much more relatable to people. Why only 5… well, there's nothing that overly stood out; like a moment or ep that is a must re-watch. I watched it the once and haven't gone back to it.

4 - Savers Savers has so many of my faves, my fave digivice in the IC, digivolve style with Digisoul, fave rivals with Masaru/Tohma (love me some two halves of the same coin), some of the best looking Megas you'll ever see, even my fave mon is from this series! Looking at you, you double agent, traitorous, snarky scarf! This series even has the best villain, well human anyway out of all series and the best part, he remains a prick and gets no cheap redemption! Just a guy you love to hate. The downside, like so many others, the doesn't stick the second half. I mean it's alright, no where near as good as the first half and becomes too much of the Masaru show for my liking. (And no, I don't dislike the Digimon punching gimmick per se but it is overused and gets ott in parts that kind of takes you away from it.)

3 - Ghost Game This actually took some serious debating and the bottom line, what do I just openly go and re-watch and despite it's many, many flaws; Ghost Game was just so much fun! It lived up to it's reputation, it gave you horror, surprise, creepiness, you did run through the emotions with it. The major selling point though, it has to be the cast. Tamer and Digimon alike, all 6 are just so likeable with great dynamics and you don't get to say that about many. I also like how Hiro, Ruli and Kiyo represent the three common reactions to the paranormal, the sceptic, the enthusiast and the fearful.

2 - 01 Surprise! Or not potentially and yes, this is heavily the dub, fight me, it's amazing! No bad will be said about dub Apocylamon. Nostalgia likely plays a part in it to but all our digidestined team a great, they all get little arcs and for the most part, all get to play a part, even at the end where only two get megas, however, narratively this works. The story has good progression, in character and difficulty, there's obstacles which don't seem to impossible for kids to tackle, stuff actually feels earned and the villains are just as memorable as the heroes. To top it all, it's such an easy series to just re-watch from any point.

1 - Tamers Ha, yes, I am one of those to. I stand by it, this is peak storytelling for Digimon. What starts off quite light, becomes mature, gritty and a real good coming of age story despite still being kids. Our main trio all get good character arcs, they bounce of each other well and a bonus point for at least trying with the card game. why yes, I do consider Rika as the rival in Tamers, it just makes more sense due to conflicting beliefs about digimon with Takato On the other hand, it's End boss is by far the worse on so many levels but also contains one of Digimon's best character arcs with Impmon. With Tamers, I could only plan to watch one or two eps but before I know it, I'm half way into the series again and still not bored of it.

And this really didn't stay as short as I initially intended ^^;

[digi-lov]

The Deva of EX5 have the respective colors of the Sovereign they are serving!

Zhuqioamon EX5-013 by toriyufu, Indramon EX5-009 by Tomotake Kinoshita, Sandiramon EX5-010 by Hisashi Fujiwara, and Pajiramon EX5-011 by koki from EX-05 Theme Booster Animal Colosseum

Azulongmon EX5-024 by toriyufu, Antylamon EX5-019 by SENNSU, Majriamon EX5-021 by koki, and Mihiramon EX5-022 by Hisashi Fujiwara from EX-05 Theme Booster Animal Colosseum

Ebonwumon EX5-041 by toriyufu, Vajiramon EX5-037 by Tomotake Kinoshita, Vikaralamon EX5-038 by koki, and Kumbhiramon EX5-040 by p!k@ru from EX-05 Theme Booster Animal Colosseum

Baihumon EX5-051 by toriyufu, Sinduramon EX5-050 by yuuki., Caturamon EX5-051 by Tomotake Kinoshita, and Makuramon EX5-052 by koki from EX-05 Theme Booster Animal Colosseum

[atlas-divide]

A while back before Namco revealed official art for Vemmon, Snatchmon, Destromon, and Galacticmon (20 years after their original appearance in Digimon World 3!) I had done my own art of them in the classic official style, scroll far enough back on my feed and you will find them!  But I wanted more, we needed a Gaiamon to go with the Vemmon line, we already had one for the Appmon series, and if Hackmon can be a Digimon and an Appmon then so can he! So here is my version of Gaiamon, complete with a little DOTGaiamon sprite! I really enjoy this one, I wanted him to look like he was on par with if not exceeding the Sovereign Digimon. Compact but imposing.

[not-too-many-eyes]

Digimon Survive, Mistakes and Moving On Part 5: Truthful

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Takuma Addition]

Day 7 of Survive Week: Farewell

This part will focus on the Truthful Route, and what it means for the story, exploring how this route connects to the larger themes of the game.

Were almost at the end! When I started this I didn't expect to make a series of meta posts but I'm honestly glad I did, there really fun to write and I like talking about this game so much.

Spoilers for: parts of Moral, parts of Wrathful, parts of Harmony and all of Truthful CWs: Death, abandonment

Children's Sacrifices

As I briefly touched on in Moral, the Kemonogami world is being sustained by children's sacrifices and Ryo and Shuuji's deaths are connected thematically. You are lead to believe that without Ryo and Shuuji, your journey would flow smoother, that without them your goal can be more easily achieved.

But that's not true, Shuuji and Ryo's deaths are what causes Truthful to be locked, you can't get the best ending without them.

But aside from Shuuji and Ryo, the cast of Survive is filled with children who are seen as disposable, and some of them have been taken advantage of for one reason or another. Kaito and Miu are the best example of this, both of them felt abandoned by there parents because of how they treated them after the stalking incident and were ostracized when they moved.

And the ones who aren't seen as disposable are usually trying to keep a "persona", one that's often likable and "not bothersome". Saki acts carefree and open because she's scared of people hating her, Aoi is responsible and patient even if it harms her and in Wrathful specifically she is very concerned about proving that she's "right" and Minoru forces himself to maintain a happy-go-lucky demeanor and jokes around to ignore his problems.

There's seemingly a divide here between "bad kids" and "good kids" but both camps suffer anyway. Because it doesn't matter if your the goodest kid to ever exist or someone that was kicked out of hell for being too bad. Because there's always the chance you'll be "sacrificed" for the greater good, used by others for there own gain, abandoned for no good reason.

Even before the events of this game, people that believed in the Kemonogami would sacrifice children to the for good harvest or prevent disasters, sacrificing them for "the greater good"

And one of these kids is the main villain of this story, Haruchika. Haruchika Truthful is called Truthful because the cast is finding out the "Truth" of this world, and the history behind the villain they've been facing this entire time.

You see, some time in the past, (Wikimon says the Kamakura period but I can't find the text in game that says that so-) there was a lot of war and strife so five children were sacrificed for "the greater good," those five children harnessed the power of the "God Beasts" also knows as the Four Sovereign Masters, and the one who orders them all, Fanglongmon.

Haruchika was one of these children, offered up by his sister, Yukiha Minase. The feelings of hatred and betrayal that he felt from this is what created The Master in the first place.

The four other children sealed him away, turning them into ghosts in the process. But that really didn't do anything to stop him, and he's been able to drag people into the Kenomogami world and use them to sustain it. Until now.

The main villain of Survive only exists because of a "sacrifice for the greater good" and his hatred of his is only able to continue because all the ghosts did was to seal him away.

Even the ghosts acknowledge their failure, and hope that the cast can do the thing they couldn't do. Save Haruchika.

Takuma and the rest, when asked, hesitates a bit, because Haruchika is trying to End The World, has been trying to kill them all, and has abducted Miyuki. Why should they help him? Because it's the right thing to do.

Seiryu Ghost: The boy is simply drowning in anger Seiryu Ghost: If you can bring him to his sense, this entire world will be saved! Seiryu Ghost: So please, help him-help Haruchika. Takuma: (The Master-Haruchika. The mastermind behind all of this. Is he also a casualty of power?) Takuma: (I can't forgive him for throwing the world into chaos, and abduting Miyuki...) Takuma: (I can't say I'll save him for sure. Who knows if our power will work on the Master.) Takuma: (Still...If someone's in trouble, and only we can handle it, there's only one answer.)

Sealing him away does nothing, killing him means that the worlds will take forever to connect again, leaving him alive and unchanged means he's able to hurt others again, but helping him, however means that the worlds can unite slowly and peaceful.

So they do, they help him, they bring him back to his senses, and Haruchika cries, the guilt of his actions weighing him down, but his sister is there to bring him to a place where this sad, angry, hurt, boy can finally rest.

Conclusion

Digimon Survive, like most Digimon properties, is a deeply empathetic work. It's about doing the right thing even if it's hard, it's about sacrifices and bad kids and kids who are trying there best to not mess up horribly. It's about how we fail the people around us and how we have to do better.

And it's one of my favorite works of fiction ever.

Ending Notes: The Takuma addition has also been posted so if you want you can go read that! I've wanted to get into the "bad kid/good kid" Survive subtext since Part 1, very happy I finally get to explore it. Writing this series of essays made me realize how many games I've been playing with similar themes, I seem to have a type when it comes to what themes I enjoy in a story-

While I think Truthful isn't as great as the rest of the game I do like how it connects with the games themes and what not. I really wish Haruchika was fleshed out a bit more, the villain of Survive being another sacrificed child, thus making the entire conflict of the game be caused by a sacrifice for "the greater good" just works so well thematically.

Honestly just generally while I don't think Truthful is as great as the rest of the game I really like what it does for it thematically. It kinda unites

I know Haruchika and his sister mainly parallels The Professor and Miyuki but I feel like Kaito, Miu and Dracmon and Aoi, Saki and Labramon are the stronger parallels. Feel like there's a stronger connection with the Harmony and Wrathful routes than the Minase siblings we know...

Survive week is created by: @surviveweek