Those who know me well know of my fervent and undying love for Pokémon. It’s a franchise I fell hard for at the age of eight and, to this day, is the anime world I fantasize about being a part of. Soaring through the skies on the back of a Pidgeot, playing drums and making music with my Rillaboom, and even wandering around the world and taking on life with my partner Riolu would make real life that much sweeter to me.
One fateful day, however, scrolling through Netflix at the age of 10 or 11, I stumbled upon a franchise that would expand my world even further: “Digimon: Digital Monsters.”
An argument I often hear thrown whenever I mention my liking for Digimon is that it’s a rip-off of Pokémon. Much like its predecessor, Digimon was a kids’ show in which monsters would befriend children and battle other monsters in their stead using magical, often elemental abilities. The power of friendship is a prominent theme, even a mechanic and catalyst for the monster to grow stronger and even achieve higher forms through evolution. This, however, is where the similarities largely end. While born from the same foundations, the two were built differently and branched off in very different directions.
While the anime for Pokémon is more light-hearted and focuses on the adventures of a boy and his partner aiming to become a Pokémon Master, Digimon handles much heavier and even darker themes at times, giving way to much more compelling stories. The very first installment of the franchise, “Digimon Adventure”, was an isekai following seven children who were suddenly transported to the Digital World, an unfamiliar universe that existed in parallel with the real world.
Together with their Digimon partners, who can speak English to communicate, unlike Pokémon, the kids would have to survive in this new world and find their way home while undergoing loads of character development and acting as the protectors of both worlds. Each new series would often change the setting and origins of Digimon as well, keeping each installment feeling new and fresh and interesting.
Evolution is a shared concept between both Pokémon and Digimon. Pokémon has progressive, two to three-stage evolutions that naturally progress a Pokémon from one stage to the next and expand on a certain powerset. This is bolstered further through the power of Mega Evolution, where some Pokémon undergo a Super Saiyan-esque transformation that acts as a temporary fourth stage in evolution.
Evolution for Digimon, known as “digivolution,” is much different. Digimon typically undergo seven stages of evolution: Egg, Fresh, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega-level. What’s more is that Digimon have branching evolutionary trees rather than simple lines. They can digivolve into practically anything, depending on how they are raised. This paves the way for several different methods of Digivolution, giving way to all sorts of new forms.
Armor Digivolution encases a Digimon in a suit of armor, granting it elemental powers and the strength of an Adult or Champion-level Digimon. Jogress or DNA Digivolution fuses two Digimon into one; the resulting monster is much stronger than the sum of its parts. Dark Digivolution is a corrupt form of Digivolution fueled by anger, rage, and negative emotion, turning the Digimon into a more ferocious, often malicious form. There are even some methods in which humans and their Digimon partners can merge into one hybrid being.
The sheer variability of Digimon and their evolutionary capabilities makes each one feel unique to its human partner. When two people have the same Pokémon, the evolutions and powersets will inevitably be the same or somewhat similar. Two people could have the same Rookie Digimon; however, their Champion and Ultimate levels could vastly differ. Different monsters, different powersets, different personalities.
The argument that Digimon is merely an imitation of Pokémon leaves out many details, details which can be observed simply by watching the anime or playing the games. The evolution mechanics alone widen the gap between it and its predecessor, as do its soundtrack, story, themes, and characters. Cut from the same cloth, both have branched off and evolved into their own successes, and both remain two of my favorite franchises to this day. I can picture myself having a Pokémon partner fairly easily, although I do wonder what my Digimon partner would or could be.
