Information AboutDigimon |
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is a popular Japan ese series of media and merchandise, including Anime , Manga , Toy s, Video Game s, Trading Card Games and other media. Digimon are monsters of various forms living in a " Digital World ," a Parallel Universe that originated from Earth's various Communication Networks . DIGIMON See Also: Digimon (creature) Digimon hatch from eggs called Digi-Eggs/Digitamas. (In the English Language Iteration s of the franchise there is another type of Digi-Egg that can be used to Digivolve, or transform, Digimon. This second type of Digi-Egg is called a "Digimental" in Japanese. ) They age via a process called "Digivolution" which changes their appearance and increases their powers. Some Digimon act feral-like. Most, however, possess large amounts of Intelligence and human speech. They are able to digivolve by the use of digivices that their human partners have. In some cases, as in the first season, the tamers had to find some special items so the Digimon could digivolve in another stage called ultimate then mega. The first Digimon anime introduces the Digimon bits of data. The data then recomposes itself as a Digi-Egg, which will hatch when rubbed gently, and the Digimon goes through its life cycle again. Digimon who are Reincarnated in this way will sometimes retain some or all their memories of their previous life. However, if a Digimon's data is completely destroyed, they will die. VIRTUAL PET TOY See Also: Digimon virtual pet Digimon started out as a Digital Pet called " Digital Monster ," similar in style and concept to the Tamagotchi . It was planned by Wiz and released by Bandai on June 26 , 1997 . The toy began as the simple concept of a Tamagotchi for boys (as Bandai was also the creator of the Tamagotchi). The v-pet is similar to its predecessors, with the exceptions of being much harder and being able to connect to fight other Digimon v-pets. Every owner would start with a Baby Digimon, train it, evolve it, take care of it, and then have battles with other Digimon owners to see who was stronger. The Digimon pet had several evolution capabilities and abilities too, so many owners had many different Digimon. In December, the second generation of Digital Monster was released, followed by a third edition in 1998. Now the new Tamagotchi Digimon is Pendulum that has a total of 9 in the series. Bandai also has released a Non Related Digimon Tamagotchi. 1 TV SERIES On March 6 , 1999 , the franchise was given an anime as the first of the ''Digimon'' Movies aired in Theaters in Japan. On March seventh, they began airing a television counterpart titled '' Digimon Adventure ''. Four further series would follow, each with their own tie-in movies, and the series was dubbed for release in western markets in the fall of the same year. The show spawned card games, with ''Hyper Colosseum'' in Japan and later ''Digi-Battle'' in America, and more video games. The animated series is easily the best-known segment of the Digimon universe and responsible for the majority of its popularity. "Digimon" are " Digital Monster s". According to the stories, they are inhabitants of the " Digital World ", a manifestation of Earth's communication network. The stories tell of a group of mostly pre- Teen s, the "Chosen Children" ''( DigiDestined in the English version)'', who accompany special Digimon born to defend their world (and ours) from various evil forces. To help them surmount the most difficult obstacles found within both realms, the Digimon have the ability to evolve ''( Digivolve )''. In this process, the Digimon change appearance and become much stronger, often changing in personality as well. The group of Children who come in contact with the Digital World changes from season to season. As of 2006, there have been five series — ''Digimon Adventure'', ''Digimon Adventure 02'', ''Digimon Tamers'', ''Digimon Frontier'', and ''Digimon Savers''. As is obvious from their titles, the first two seasons take place in the same fictional universe, but the third, fourth, and fifth each occupy their own unique world (in the case of ''Digimon Tamers'', the ''Adventure'' universe is referred to as a television and commercial enterprise). In addition, each series has spawned assorted feature films. Digimon still shows popularity, as new card series, video games, and movies are still being produced and released: new card series include Eternal Courage, Hybrid Warriors, Generations, and Operation X; the video game, ''. In Japan, '' Digital Monster X-Evolution '', the eighth TV movie, was recently released, and on December 23 , 2005 at Jump Festa 2006, the fifth series, '' Digimon Savers '' was announced for Japan to begin airing after a three year hiatus of the show. ''Digimon'' is produced by Toei Animation and Bandai of Japan. The series are broadcast in Japan by Fuji Television . It is still unknown if a 6th season will be made. ''Digimon Adventure'' (season one) See Also: Digimon Adventure The first Digimon television series, which began airing on (who is Tai's younger sister). ''Digimon Adventure 02'' (season two) See Also: Digimon Adventure 02 The second Digimon series is direct continuation of the first one, and began airing on April 2 , 2000 . Three years later, with most of the original DigiDestined now in high school at age fourteen, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in the form of the Digimon Emperor (Digimon Kaiser) who as opposed to previous enemies is a human just like the DigiDestined. The Digimon Emperor has been enslaving Digimon with Black Rings and Control Spires and has somehow made regular Digivolution impossible. However, five set Digi-Eggs with engraved emblems had been appointed to three new DigiDestined along with T.K and Kari, two of the DigiDestined from the previous season. This new evolutionary process, dubbed Armor Digivolution, helps the new DigiDestined to defeat evil lurking in the Digital World. Eventually, the DigiDestined defeat the Digimon Emperor, more commonly known as Ken Ichijouji on Earth, only with the great sacrifice of Ken's own Digimon, Wormmon. Just when things were thought to be settled, new Digimon enemies made from the deactivated Control Spires start to appear and cause trouble in the Digital World. To atone for his past mistakes, Ken joins the DigiDestined, being a DigiDestined himself, with his Partner Wormmon revived to fight against them. ''Digimon Tamers'' (season three) See Also: Digimon Tamers The third Digimon series, which began airing on April 1 , 2001 , is set largely in a "real world" where the ''Adventure'' and ''Adventure 02'' series are television shows, and where Digimon game merchandise (based on actual items) become key to provide power boosts to real Digimon which appeared in that world. The plot revolves around three Tamers, Takato Matsuki , Rika Nonaka , and Henry Wong . It began with Takato making his very own Digimon by sliding a mysterious blue card on his D-Arc . Guilmon took form from Takato’s sketchings of a new Digimon. (''Tamers''’ only human connection to the ''Adventure'' series is Ryo Akiyama , a character featured in some of the Digimon video games and who made an appearance in some occasions of the ''Adventure'' story-line.) Unlike most Digimon series where the tone is set mostly in a way to appeal to young children, Tamers took a more darker tone in nature. ''Digimon Frontier'' (season four) See Also: Digimon Frontier The fourth Digimon series, which began airing on and Dynasmon . Contrary to the other Digimon series, the characters do not have Digimon Partners and use their Digivice s to transform themselves into powerful Digimon to fight their enemies. This season was never aired in the UK. ''Digimon Savers'' (Data Squad) See Also: Digimon Data Squad After a three year hiatus, a fifth Digimon series began airing on April 2 , 2006 . Like ''Frontier'', ''Savers'' has no connection with the previous installments, and also marks a new start for the Digimon franchise, with a drastic change in character designs and story-line, in order to reach a broader audience. The story focus on the challenges faced by the members of D.A.T.S. ("Digital Accident Tactics Squad"), an organization created to conceal the existence of the Digital World and Digimon from the rest of mankind, and solve any Digimon related incidents occurred on Earth in secret. Later the D.A.T.S. team is dragged between a massive conflict between Earth and the Digital World triggered by an ambitious human scientist determined to make use of the Digimon to his own personal gains. The English dub is scheduled to premiere in the Jetix block of Toon Disney on October 1 , 2007 at 8:30 PM. Movies There have been eight Digimon movies released in Japan. The first seven were directly connected to their respective anime series; '''' have been released and distributed internationally. Foreign Versions In the United States, the series premiered in August 1999 on the Fox Television Network . It was dubbed by Saban (later Sensation Animation ), and was initially broadcasted through Fox Network's Fox Kids and Fox Family . The first four series were collectively retitled ''Digimon: Digital Monsters''. After Disney acquired Saban during the third series, the first three series moved to the Cable Network ABC Family , while the fourth (''Frontier'') premiered on UPN and PAX Network in other areas. This was due to a deal between Disney and UPN which concluded with ''Digimon Frontier''. ''Frontier'' was syndicated on ABC Family shortly after that. ''Digimon'' continues to run in syndication on the U.S. JETIX block daily on Toon Disney . In the fall of 2007, Digimon Data Squad will air on Jetix. The show also premiered in other parts of North America. In Canada, the Saban version was broadcast on YTV . In the U.S. Insular Area of Puerto Rico , the show was redubbed in Spanish , and in Quebec (where '' Digimon Adventure '' aired on TQS , and '' Digimon Adventure 02 '' on TÉLÉTOON ), the show was redubbed in French . A French version of '' Digimon Tamers '' was aired in France , but not in North America. It aired internationally as well. In the United Kingdom , ''Digimon'' aired on the UK Fox Kids (now JETIX ) cable/satellite channel and also on CiTV . It also aired in countries such as Ireland , South Africa , Malaysia , Australia , Mexico , Argentina , Chile and others. However, due to poor ratings and licensing mistakes in the change from Fox Kids to Jetix, '' Digimon Frontier '' (the fourth season) has not been shown in any shape or form in the UK, and has been absent from the schedules of Jetix's UK incarnation since the beginning of 2005. The Latin American and German versions of Digimon are completely uncensored and uncut from the original Japanese edition. Arabic dubs of all four Digimon shows were released in Arabic speaking countries under the name (''''; "''Digital Heroes''") in the Middle Eastern countries, while its title was kept as "Digimon" in Lebanese TV stations. This show also aired in the voice actors to dub the show in English. This dubbing is mostly true to the original. Though they used the original Japanese show as the medium for the dub, some of the voices seem to sound like the U.S. version (e.g., Taichi having an adolescent's voice instead of a kid's) or completely original to the dubbing crew (e.g., Gabumon's deep, grumbly voice). The entire first season of '' Digimon Adventure '' was dubbed in English, along with '' Digimon Adventure 02 ''. The second season aired on a new Saturday morning block at 10 A.M. two weeks after the first season finale. This season was dubbed in both English and Tagalog , so that it would be compatible with the other shows in the block. Later, Cartoon Network Philippines began airing '' Digimon Tamers '' around 2003, then '' Digimon Frontier '' late 2004. This time they, along with some of the other Anime that aired with it, were dubbed by Singapore an voice actors. '' Digimon Savers '' has yet to be shown. Cast See Also: List of Digimon cast members MANGA Digimon first appeared in Narrative form in the One-shot manga “ C'mon Digimon ”, released in the summer of 1997. C'mon Digimon spawned the popular '' Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 '' manga, written by Hiroshi Izawa,which began serialization on November 21 , 1998 . C'mon Digimon See Also: Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01#C'mon Digimon Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 See Also: Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 Digimon Chronicle See Also: Digimon Chronicle Digimon Next See Also: Digimon Next Yuen Wong Yu (Chuang Yi/TOKYOPOP) manhua A Chinese Manhua was released by Chuang Yi in Singapore and by TOKYOPOP in North America . It was written and drawn by Yuen Wong Yu, who based its storyline on the television series. Covering ''Digimon Adventure'' in five volumes, ''Digimon Adventure 02'' in two and ''Digimon Tamers'' in four, the original stories are heavily abridged, though on rare occasions events play out differently than the anime. Three volumes for ''Digimon Frontier'' exist and have been released by Chuang Yi in English. These have not been released by TOKYOPOP in North America or Europe , but were released in Australia . D-Cyber See Also: D-Cyber Dark Horse Dark Horse Comics published American -style Digimon Comic Book s, adapting the first thirteen episodes of the English Dub of ''Digimon Adventure'' in 2001. The story was written by Daniel Horn and Ryan Hill, and illustrated by Daniel Horn and Cara L. Niece.2 Panini The European publishing company, Panini , approached Digimon in different ways in different countries. While Germany created their own adaptations of episodes, the United Kingdom (UK) reprinted the Dark Horse titles, then translated some of the German adaptations of ''Adventure 02'' episodes. Eventually the UK comics were given their own original stories, which appeared in both the UK's official ''Digimon Magazine'' and the official UK Fox Kids companion magazine, ''Wickid''. These original stories only roughly followed the Continuity of ''Adventure 02''. When the comic switched to the ''Tamers'' series the storylines adhered to continuity more strictly; sometimes it would expand on subject matter not covered by the original Japanese anime (such as Mitsuo Yamaki 's past) or the English adaptations of the television shows and movies (such as Ryo's story or the movies that remained undubbed until 2005 ). In a money saving venture, the original stories were later removed from ''Digimon Magazine'', which returned to printing translated German adaptations of ''Tamers'' episodes. Eventually, both magazines were cancelled. VIDEO GAMES (UNITED STATES) In the United States, there are eleven digimon games. The earliest ones are for the Sony PlayStation console. (See '' Digimon World '', '' Digimon World 2 '', '' Digimon World 3 '', '' Digimon World 4 '', '' Digimon Digital Card Battle '', '' Digimon Rumble Arena '', '' Digimon Rumble Arena 2 '', '' Digimon Battle Spirit '', '' Digimon Battle Spirit 2 '', '' Digimon Racing '' and '' Digimon World DS ''.) CARD GAME See Also: Digimon card game The Digimon Collectible Card Game is a collectible card game based on Digimon, first introduced in Japan in 1997 and published by Bandai. The card game is also put into games. Digital Card Battle is one of them and it's also featured in Digimon World 3. POKéMON AND DIGIMON The Digimon franchise has been criticized as being a clone of the more popular Pokémon title, as both properties are aimed at children and feature interaction between humans and fictional monsters. Thematically, though, they bear little in common. Some Digimon video games also center on Sportsmanship , but in the anime, Digimon fight to survive or to destroy enemies, as opposed to Pokémon battles where the Pokémon faints instead of dying. In addition, once a Pokémon evolves it has no way to go back to its original state, while a Digimon can. While both Pokémon and Digimon are wild creatures and display a degree of instinctual behavior, Digimon are Anthropomorphized , possessing human speech and individuality. For example, in the Pokémon franchise, a Pokémon only does evil things if their trainer commands them to, while in the Digimon franchise, there are many Digimon that have decided to become evil of their own accord ( Devimon , for example). While some Pokémon may show some individuality, it is nothing compared to the range that Digimon exhibit. With exceptions not limited to Team Rocket's Meowth and certain Legendary Pokémon (including Mewtwo ), all Pokémon can only speak their name (or syllables thereof) and are incapable of normal speech. Trainers are able to understand their Pokémon to some extent; the Pokémon can understand human speech, most notably orders from their trainers. NOTABLE CONTRIBUTORS
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