#to a certain extent the Amphibia's ending is more Tamer than Adventure

[strawberryicemoon]

Digimon Adventure has consistently occupied a space in my brain for over a decade now, so I think it was only natural that I loved Amphibia and The Owl House too.

So there's definitely a baseline similarity Digimon Adventure has with the modern Disney Isekai. The shows are portal fantasy/isekai about a kid (or several) who have varying issues in their lives, mostly on the precipice of some major life change and/or figuring out who they are. Classic coming of age stuff. They meet people from the other world who they form deep personal connections with who change the course of their lives for the better. They grow to love the world they find as it is and of their own volition decide to risk their own lives to protect it, despite having the option to go home and stay safe.

I realize that this sounds very broad, but it's really in the details and the character drama where the similarities show for me: interpersonal conflict between friends and loved ones, growing up, understanding family members, being forced to separate from loved ones, parental death, adults taking advantage of kids. I could (and will) go on.

Spoilers for all three series obviously.

I mean right from the get go, Adventure starts with a group of 7 kids at a school sponsored summer camp, that gets struck by a freak storm. The kids take shelter inside a shrine, and when the weather abates find an aurora outside, which shoots small devices like meteors at them and sucks them into another world. (Technically Adventure starts with a short film taking place 4 years earlier but that's besides the point). The Owl House, also starts with Luz about to go to Summer Camp, as recommended by her school (though something she is dreading) when she runs into an old shack while chasing after a bird and ends up in another realm. Amphibia doesn't take place at Summer Camp, but towards the end of the school year, on what should have been a fun day for Anne, as a result she spends her summer in Amphibia. This is admittedly a rather petty connection, summer is a special time of year for kids, summer camp is already a unique experience for kids, birthday's are also good times for life changing events but it is still a notable similarity.

In the Digital World the kids each meet a Digimon. Throughout the show the kids Digimon reach higher forms upon reaching certain requirements, often involving personal development for their partnered child. The Digimon are like a Palisman in many ways. In fact, the Owl House's Digimon reference makes this connection for us.

When kids get their Palisman in The Owl House, it requires the kid to know what they want. Digimon grow in response to their human's growth, particularly as it relates to their associated crest. Each child in Digimon has an associated Crest. A trait that they exemplify. If they exemplify it well, their partner's get stronger, if they repress the trait their partner's won't evolve or will even devolve. I feel the concept is similar. Luz's palisman hatches when she realizes she "wants to be understood". Taichi's partner reaches Perfect when he had to be courageous enough to walk through an invisible gap in an electrified wall in order to rescue his friend. "Being Understood" is at the Core of Luz's character, and is reflected throughout the show. True Courage is at the Heart of Taichi's. Willow is "Be strong and wise to protect her friends", which is reflected in her arc about always trying to be reliable and not asking for help until it breaks her. Likewise being a good friend is at the Heart of Yamato's arc. Gus is to "go to the human world"… which maybe could be more reflective of a desire to learn and connect with others. Hikari's is "light", which is metaphorically life and growth (evolution). Of course, the girls in Amphibia have core concepts too, in the stones, Anne and Heart, Sasha and Strength, and Marcy and Wit. All traits they exemplify, but have to learn how to exemplify that trait well in temperance with the other two. In Digimon Adventure, if a character exemplifies their trait poorly, ie in a toxic way, they'll trigger a dark evolution, rampaging out of control power. When Taichi recklessly (suicidally) risks his life in hopes his partner will evolve further, his partner successfully pushes back their enemy as he hoped, but also turns on them. Sasha had to learn to use her strength to protect and lead people. Marcy had to learn to be strong enough to accept change. Anne had to get strong enough to stand up against Sasha and smart enough to keep the Plantar's safe in the human world and get back. In short the series both center a kid around an idea that facilitates their growth and gives them associated power.

Luz and Camila's goodbye in Yesterday's Lie is deeply reminiscent of Hikari and Taichi's goodbye in episode 21 of Digimon Adventure. Both feature a character (Luz and Taichi) returning home after being in another world for a long time, expecting their family to be worried only to find that they didn't even notice they were gone. However, the truth is revealed to their family member at home (Camila and Hikari) because of the presence of creature from another world, (Vee and Koromon), who the family member welcomes into the family with open arms. However, in the end of the episode Taichi and Luz must return to the other world, while promising to return home, while the Camila and Hikari try to get them to stay. Attempting to hold hands while their loved one drifts up and away in a beam of light. (And bonus! Luz and Hikari's names both literally mean light and are deeply associated with light thematically!).

Amphibia features a blue eyed blond haired girl of European descent in a human cast made up primarily of Asians, with issues stemming from her parents divorce. Digimon Adventure has a set of blue eyed blond haired brothers with some European heritage in a show with a primarily Asian human cast with issues stemming from their parents divorce. Sasha Waybright's parents divorce is potentially the cause of her control issues, controlling people so they don't leave and seeing relationships as transactional. The divorce left Yamato, a boy defined by friendship, lonely, and hesitant to connect to others and quick to resort to physical violence. It left Takeru with abandonment issues and a deep dislike of fighting, yet a blow up, lash out and cut off style of conflict resolution. Anyway all three of them lash out violently when they get upset.

The Plantar's parents died when Sprig and Polly were really young, killed tragically by a giant heron. Neither of them remember their parents well, but they still feel that grief, partially second hand from their grandfather. King's dad was unable to raise him, and dies before he can properly talk to him so he's raised by Eda under a misconception that he was a king of demon's and has an identity crisis when he discovers that was a lie. Koushiro's original parents were killed in a car crash when he was a baby. His current parents had recently lost a baby. So when Koushiro's current dad heard that his distant cousin had died leaving his son an orphan, his current parents saw it as a sign and adopted him. They weren't sure about when to tell him, but Koushiro overheard them talking about it one night and had an identity crisis. Though, I feel it's important to also include Adventure 02 in discussions of Adventure. That season features a kid whose father was killed when he was 6 who is still processing that during the events of the series. Not unlike Luz who lost her father as a young kid.

Digimon Adventure 02 also features a kid who feels irrational guilt for the death of his older brother was hit by a truck and died right in front of him. Speaking of the sequel season and Ken Ichijouji, he's got a lot of similarities to Marcy. He is a "genius" boy with chin length black hair who runs away from home into another world due to high expectations. His mental state is influenced by others, including an adult man who hopes to be able to travel to another world, for their own purposes and so takes it out on the digital world that he refuses to regard as real and subjugates it violently (Until he's broken out of his mental breakdown that is). He wished for his brother to disappear only to feel guilt when he did die. He also kind of has a green color motif when it's not black. Marcy is a "genius" girl with short black hair, and a green color motif who due to a conflict with her parents escapes into another world, befriending colonizers, and then is taken advantage of them by them them influencing her mind and controlling her body to direct a violent subjection of the inhabitants of a world. She wanted to stay together with her friends instead of going home, but that only separated from her friends, and then broke their trust when they found out about it.

Also speaking of kids manipulated into helping villains, Hunter reminds me of Tailmon. Naturally kindhearted people manipulated into loyally serving the main villain via abuse, where they are cocky and dismissive to others, coming into conflict with those that are theoretically their coworkers, until they find out the truth of who they are and are able to show their more playful, and kind side. Hunter was created by Belos to serve him, as his "nephew". He claims to have rescued Hunter when he was small, to be his family. Tailmon was separated as an egg from those she was meant to grow up with, and when she went looking for the place she belonged, found Vamdemon, ironically living in the place that her egg originated from. Vamdemon earned Tailmon's loyalty by abuse, under his rule, Tailmon grew from a "child" to an "adult". In other words both are the second in command so to speak of the person who on some level raised them, in a place that is meant to be safe. (As his Uncle/creator, Belos should be protecting him, Tailmon should have been safe in that castle). Both characters have scars caused by their abusers that they keep hidden (at least when we first meet them).

While they are being abused, they meet someone who is on their side, who knows a bit of the truth of their identity. Tailmon rescues Wizarmon, and tells her a bit about what she remembers about herself before Vamdemon beats it out of her and loyally keeps the secrets she keeps even from herself. Flapjack recognizes Hunter as a clone of Caleb. Wizarmon sacrifices his life to protect Tailmon from Vamdemon. Wizarmon's death unlocks the crest of light, and thus awakens Tailmon's evolved form, Angewomon who is able to avenge. Flapjack sacrifices himself to save Hunter from his possession from Belos. This gives him a magic of his own to use. When both characters realize the truth about their identity, that Hunter is a Grimmwalker, and Tailmon is the 8th Digimon, they are supported by a character with a name meaning "Light". Luz's interactions with Hunter lead him to finding out the truth behind Belos, before fleeing from him. She keeps Hunter's secret, and welcomes into her family. When Tailmon meets Hikari she realizes she senses something about the girl. But she's unable to directly confront her, unable to kill her like she feels she should. She rationalizes it away as not being sure while Hikari actively tries to befriend her, assuming she's a friend of her brother. This kind of character also exists to a certain extent in King Andrias, manipulated into being an evil dictator by his father, though his arc is somewhat reversed.

Luz's dad died of an illness that he was hospitalized for. Taichi has trauma regarding Hikari's illness as a child that left her hospitalized. Amity has high parental expectations, and two semi-rebellious older siblings who are a lost cause for those expectations. Joe also has high parental expectations and two older siblings who eschew the family expectations in favor of their own interests. Willow and Sora both feel obligated to shove down their own issues to try and look after others. Gus is a gifted kid who skipped grades and has issues related to being younger than his peers. One of the Digimon creatives was so horrified by kids skipping grades in America that she wrote Ken about it and has continued influence her digimon stories literal decades later.

Overall, the biggest difference between the shows premise wise (aside from the obvious inhabitants of each world) is the presence of Adults in Amphibia and The Owl House. Digimon takes the kids to a world where adults don't really exist. Sure there are more mature, adult-like (and adult level) monsters. But they're still not human adults. Digimon don't age or reproduce like humans, so they don't have a concept of parenting beyond babies. Or y'know. Have general concern for child safety. Which means that the kids have to depend on themselves and their partners to survive with no adult supervision during most of the show. While each kid has a decently fleshed out family life, primarily the threats are handled by the children alone since they mostly take place in a world that only the kids can access. But that doesn't mean the adults aren't supportive. When things do take place in the human world, the adults help out with food, transportation, keeping the media off their backs and emotional support. I think this sort of comes from Amphibia and The Owl House's perspective on child heroes, played straight with a bit of self awareness. While Amphibia DOES play it straight, even making Sprig and Polly orphan's it takes the time to involve Anne's parents and get their blessings, and features Grime and Hop Pop as adult figures. The adults aren't dumb, but they aren't obstacles for the kids either. And of course, The Owl House bumps up adult involvement, making Camila go WITH Luz back to the Demon Realm. Either way in all shows the adults are fully fledged characters for the most part with flaws, both as people and as parents. And the kids are recognized to be just kids at the end of the day, no matter how much they accomplish.

We get to see the parents help, worry and grieve over their kids, and of course have reunions both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

All series end with the main characters dying, via breaking into pieces during their final fight, and then getting revived. In Amphibia and TOH of course, Anne and Luz meet "God". After Anne uses the stones for one last ultimate attack, Anne meets what is actually a deity who gave the stones to mortals as a test which Anne passed. Luz meets what everyone worships as a god, who gives her his last bit of power to use as a final attack because he approved of her and has been subtly supporting her. Though the sequence of events differ, Anne and Luz are both chosen for their actions, rather than by destiny. The kids in Digimon met their "god" stand in about 15 episodes before the final fight. Their "god" stepped in when given the opportunity to explain why they were chosen, after they had already chosen out of their own volition to return to the fight: the "god" was desperate to fix the instability and the mysterious trait that these children were observed to have that caused a Digimon to rapidly evolve seemed like their only hope. More of a desperate hope than anything, but from it the prophecy of the chosen was born.

Amphibia's also got a prophecy that is really more of a plea for help. It refers to the wielders of the stones, which in this case was the girls. They weren't really chosen, but happenstanced into it, and it was clear that not even the creator of the stones really knew what would transpire. Digimon Adventure, the kids are the "Chosen Children" (Digidestined in the dub). They were actively chosen, for their mysterious potential, and so preparations were made that would hopefully aid them in saving the worlds. Even the choosers are in the dark about the details. TOH of course has no chosen one, except that in the kindness Luz gave King, King's father the titan gave back, bringing her back from the dead for one final stand. The titan didn't prepare per se, but definitely was helping guide Luz towards the skills that would help her save the world. Choosing her. A reoccurring idea in later Digimon Adventure media is that the Chosen Children, choose themselves. They choose to fight, even before they knew who chose them. They chose to continue fighting. The main villain in The Owl House, parades himself as a fake chosen one, using that status to manipulate people. The final arc of Digimon Adventure 02, features many people jealous of our main characters for their specialness, before they get their own Digimon. A sort of "prophecies, destiny, chosen heroes are something you make yourself, even if circumstances help facilitate it. No matter how people are guided towards it, ultimately destiny is about choices.

The Guardian: Look, I created the stones to see how mortals would handle unlimited power. Turns out.... not that well. Would you believe that after over 10,000 years, you're the only individual who used that power for good? Anne: Uh... This is a lot to take in right now. I mean, do I have a choice? The Guardian: Well, of course you do! I'm not a jerk. Anne: Well then... I'm gonna have to pass.

The Guardian: Wha?! No! I haven't even told you about Bagel Fridays!

Amphibia ends, of course, with the stones destroyed, save for three shards that is just enough to let the girls go home. The girls tearfully depart, with their final goodbyes to. Sasha isn't able to say goodbye to Percy and Braddock and asks Grime to greet them on her behalf. Then a flash-forward shows us how Amphibia is doing after the girls left, and then all the way 10 years in the future to show who the girls became. Digimon Adventure proper ends with the gate between worlds closing, and the restructuring digital world at risk of damaging the kids foreign bodies. So the kids must go home, and each take the time to tearfully bid farewell. However, as definitive as Adventure's ending may seem, it was always meant to be temporary, 02 beginning the very next week. The true intended ending being pushed to 02. In the true ending, right after the final battle and sacrifice, there were no goodbyes so it cuts to 25 years in the future, and shows the worlds at peace, a future where a Digimon partner exists or every person and people can freely travel between worlds. The Owl House also skips directly from the end of the final fight, no tearful goodbyes, to a few years in the future to show how everyone is doing. The group all regularly traveling between the worlds.

Overall I just have a soft spot for stories about real world kids with real world issues getting dealt with in the context of world changing life or death fantasy scenarios. The ability to represent the issues in unique ways while still talking about real issues straightforwardly is fun. And I'm glad to see that other stories in the genre got their time in the limelight for a while. But I hadn't really seen anyone talk, in depth about the similarities of the two shows to Digimon. It's not like Digimon Adventure invented the Portal Fantasy with Kids genre, but the inspiration is clearly there. There isn't any direct reference to Digimon in Amphibia, but Matt Braly has stated in an interview that he was partially inspired by Digimon. Though it is apparent he hadn't seen it in a while, the Myotismon arc and the way the show handled its parents seems to have stuck with him. As far as I can tell, there is only the one reference to Digimon in Owl House (Unless that really is the crest of knowledge on Titan Luz's chest), and I don't think Dana Terrace has ever said anything about Digimon so it's possible she's never seen it. But someone on her team must have seen it in order to reference it. I'm not saying all of these similarities were definitely pulled from Digimon, because a lot of them are very broad tropes seen in a lot of things, or could have been thought up independently. And a lot of these similar characters and plot points are very different in the details and execution. Just because characters are similar doesn't mean the same obviously. But it's still the same genre, and they all handle a lot of the same beats in different ways and its fun to see what's different and the same between three shows I enjoyed a lot.