Me prior to getting Digimon Story Cyber
Sleuth...
Alright, let's get the elephant out of the room. Digimon is not a Pokemon rip-off. Got it? Good!
I've been having a lot of fun with Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth recently and I WANT to review that game so badly. However! As a self-imposed rule on my blog, I'm only allowed to review video games once I have completed the main story (if there is one. If not, then I wait until a major milestone in the game before reviewing it). But to satisfy my thirst for Digimon-ness I'll talk about my top 10 favorite Digimon.
"But wait a minute" You ask. "What exactly IS Digimon!?". Basically it's a franchise of TV shows and video games about, well, Digimon. Digimon themselves are living computer programs (think Tron) and can only exist in cyberspace unless very specific criteria have been met. This series has been shamelessly compared to Pokemon pretty much since the two first came out (while Digimon came out before Pokemon in Japan, to the rest of the world they were released at roughly the same time). But to keep people from whining about Digimon being a rip-off out of here I would like to point out a few key differences...
- Pokemon themselves are basically glorified pets. However, the Digimon themselves can talk and have unique personalities.
- The end-game goal of Pokemon is to be a Pokemon Master, but aside from having bragging rights, that's pretty much it. In Digimon, the main kids and their Digimon counterparts have to save the world from the forces of evil.
- Pokemon is quite obviously targeted at children. Digimon however, is targeted at teenagers and young adults, as evidenced by the fact that Digimon often uses dark and somewhat mature themes with it's story (i. e. major characters can actually die on screen. We're looking at you Leomon).
- All of the Digimon's names end in "mon". Why? I dunno... :T
- In order for Pokemon to fight, they have to have a Trainer issue commands throughout the entire fight. In Digimon, all the human characters have to do is cheer their Digimon on, and heal them if necessary (Although in some eras the human characters turned INTO the Digimon Power Rangers style).
- While a Pokemon can evolve twice at most, a Digimon can digivolve (the term used to describe a Digimon transforming into a stronger Digimon) a maximum of FIVE TIMES. And unlike Pokemon, when A Digimon digivolves the transformation is temporary, since the Digimon will revert to his/her Rookie form after a couple hours (or, in Impmon and Gatomon's case, a few months). Even then, some Digimon, such as ShineGreymon, can transform into various "modes" to get stronger once they hit the 5-digivolution cap.
Oh, and this list is in no order at all since I love every one of these guys with all my digi-heart. Without further adieu, let's get started.
#10!
Warning, Unpopular Opinion Alert! I like ShineGreymon MORE than WarGreymon. *readies flame shield* Anyway, ShineGreymon is a Mega-Level Digimon that first debuted in Digimon Data Squad, ShineGreymon is the digivolved form of RizeGreymon (put their names together and you get "rise and shine"!) as well as the final form of GeoGreymon (can't remember what GeoGreymon digivolves from unfortunately). I like ShineGreymon for a number of reasons. First, it looks like a dragon version of Iron Man! And Iron Man is my second favorite super hero of all time, the first being Spider Man. And secondly, in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, I actually have a ShineGreymon on my team. So I got a personal connection to it. And finally, it can ascend to a higher plane of existence. And by that I mean...
It has a Burst mode where it gets wings MADE OF FIRE!!!! Oh, and a flaming sword (and shield), but seriously! WINGS!!! MADE OF!!! FIRE!!!! If that is not the embodiment of "epic" I don't know what is! Oh, and for whatever reason they thought to it was perfectly balanced to give ShineGreymon Burst Mode (warning, video game mumbo jumbo) an attack that deals 200 fire damage to ALL enemies in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth when he already has 200+ Attack (video game mumbo jumbo end). It. Is. Madness.
#9!
A little note from me to you. My favorite part of the whole series was Digimon Tamers, so be prepared to see a lot of Tamers-era Digimon on this list. Anyway, next up is none other than the king of *Moumantai himself, Terriermon. Can someone explain to me why Terriermon is a bunny but is named after a breed of dog? Because I would like to know! On the plus side, Terriermon is adorable (just look at him!). And I literally squeed (is squeed a word?) when I learned that Terriermon was one of the three Starters in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth. Obviously picked Terriermon because that nostalgia though! Although I was slightly saddened to learn that Terriermon's Special Attack was changed. It used to be Bunny Blast, where he shot a little ball of energy out his mouth. Now it's Terrier Tornado, where he spins around like a Beyblade. Either way he is still adorable, and he will always be there to tell you to Moumantai.
#8!
If I DIDN'T put one of the original seven Digimon on this list I probably would face the wrath of a thousand angry Digimon fans. So here's my favorite of the original seven! Gabumon, the... Uh... I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what Gabumon even is. He's got a easter egg on his belly, he's got a fur coat, he's got a unicorn horn... I don't know what the creators of Digimon were thinking when they made Gabumon's design, but the sheer weirdness is one of the many reasons why I like Gabumon. Oh, and his voice in the English version of the show is adorable. Also, Gabumon's later forms are pretty cool!
Garurumon!
WereGarurumon!
MetalGarurumon!
Oh, and here is a little secret for you all. MetalGarurumon is living proof that if you watched the original show as a kid, your childhood automatically becomes awesome.
#7!
Gatomon? Gatomon. Gatomon! What can I say about Gatomon? Well, for starters she's adorable (I'm a sucker for cute things lol). And secondly, despite the fact that Gatomon is shorter than most Rookie-level Digimon, she's somehow at Champion-level. Oh, and for people that are new to Digimon, the Digimon are divided into various levels based on overall power. The levels go (in order of weakest to strongest): Newborn, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, Mega, and Ultra. But because Gatomon is a Champion, she can (probably) wreck Renamon, who is the single most popular Digimon of all time. Why can Gatomon wreck Renamon?
What. Oh, and Gatomon is the only Digimon that's adorable even when she's angry. Sort of.
Hand over the catnip and nobody gets hurt!
#6!
The only In-Training Digimon on this list. Why? Because Tokomon, that's why! Tokomon is the In-Training form of Patamon, which can digivolve into Angemon, which is basically required if you want to beat Jimiken on Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth. And from Angemon you get MagnaAngemon which is literally just Angemon with extra wings and a sword. And from MagnaAngemon you get Seraphimon, which is the closest thing the Digimon universe has to GOD!!!! Yes. This little pillow thing can basically become a deity! Which is fitting since it's the only creature in the multiverse that can be cute AND terrifying as all get-out. AT THE SAME TIME!!! "But Wait a minute! This thing doesn't look so sc-"
"OMG WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!?!?!?!". That is probably the reaction everyone has when they see Tokomon open his mouth for the first time.
#5!
I'm going to be honest. I've actually never heard of Dorumon prior to playing Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. But then again, Dorumon's from X-Evolution, which is just like Data Squad in the sense I've never watched it. But I love this guy because he looks like what would happen if Spyro the Dragon had a baby with a kitsune (Cynder would probably tear him apart if that actually happened lol). Which is a good thing since the Spyro games are what got me into video gaming in the first place. That's right! If I had never played Spyro the Dragon, I wouldn't be a gamer, and therefore this blog wouldn't exist. Oh, and kitsune are cool. Anyway, I also like his later forms quite a bit as well
This is Dorugamon. Unlike Dorumon, Dorugamon likes what would happen if Toothless from How to to Train Your Dragon had a baby with a kitsune. Which is ALSO a good thing.
And this is DoruGreymon. He's what happens when Little Foot has a baby with a kitsune, and then THAT baby has a baby with Blue Eyes White Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh!. What is with me and saying "X had a baby with a kitsune"!? I did not plan that. But still. I love the entire Doru-family. If I could have a Digimon counterpart, kind of like in the show, I would love to have this guy as my counterpart.
#4!
Truth be told, most of the Digimon here are Rookie-Level. Not this one!
Dear readers, meet Alphamon. Now Alphamon. S/he (I do not know Alphamon's gender at the time of this post) is one of the most powerful Digimon ever. Alphamon is also the leader of the Royal Knights, crazy powerful Digimon tasked with protecting the Digital World (the home world of the Digimon, as the name implies) from anything that threatens to destroy it. But the weird thing is Alphamon's morales are questionable at best, since sometimes s/he's fighting against the main heroes, and other times s/he's helping them. Make up your mind, Alphamon! Oh, and here's a little fun fact about Alphamon. Alphamon's white-orange-and-blue counterpart is Omnimon. What's Omnimon's name in the Japanese version of the show? Omegamon. Alphamon and Omegamon. Alpha and Omega. I thought that was some pretty neat symbolism. And you would have no idea unless you watched the Japanese version.
#3!
Yep. Perhaps the biggest Ensemble Dark horse of the Digimon universe. Meet Impmon. Impmon is arguably the most tragic Digimon ever. Why? Well, for a good chunk of Digimon Tamers, Impmon was basically the Team Rocket of Digimon. He was a REALLY minor antagonist. Basically a comic relief character. But later on- MASSIVE PANGAEA SIZED SPOILERS HERE- we learn that Impmon was abused by his human counterparts. So he ran away from home. He eventually became obsessed with proving he can be just as strong as say, WarGreymon or even the three main Digimon of Tamers. So one of the villains of Tamers gives Impmon exactly what he wanted...
Impmon was warp-digivolved into the Great Demon Lord, Beelzemon. Random fun fact! Just like the other six Great Demon Lords, Beelzemon is based off one of the Seven Deadly Sins (well, I did say Digimon was unafraid of using dark themes...). With Beelzemon being... Gluttony. No, Beelzemon doesn't have a voracious appetite. His gluttony is a symbolic one. Once transformed into Beelzemon, what used to be Impmon then goes on a killing spree in order to become even stronger. He is gluttonous... For power. But in a twist of fate, Beelzemon realizes what he's been doing is disgustingly wrong and in the end he was the only one who could defeat the final villain of Tamers. So he makes like Darth Vader and does a heroic sacrifice. And then everyone cried. Because Beelzemon is arguably the coolest villain ever. And then he came back in Digimon Fusion as, ironically enough, a Holy Knight. If I ever make a Top 10 Villains list, Beelzemon is DEFINITELY going on that list. Oh, and before you ask, you would have no idea Beelzemon is based off of one of the Seven Deadly Sins unless you go on the official wiki. Why is it like that? Because I DEFINITELY didn't know Beelzemon is based off of one of the Seven Deadly Sins until looking him up on the wiki.
EDIT: I made a whoopsies here. Earlier I said that Beelzemon defeated the main villain of Tamers. This actually isn't true. It's my bad memory making remember the D-reaper arc in the wrong order. All Beelzemon did was weaken the villain enough to give the heroes of Tamers a fighting chance, and also tried to rescue Jeri (and failed miserably). The reason I thought Beelzemon defeated the villain was because of how epic Beelzemon looked when he used the Fist of the Beast King, but I realized my mistake when I re-watched Tamers to get hyped up for Digimon World Next Order.So yeah. Sorry about that.
EDIT: I made a whoopsies here. Earlier I said that Beelzemon defeated the main villain of Tamers. This actually isn't true. It's my bad memory making remember the D-reaper arc in the wrong order. All Beelzemon did was weaken the villain enough to give the heroes of Tamers a fighting chance, and also tried to rescue Jeri (and failed miserably). The reason I thought Beelzemon defeated the villain was because of how epic Beelzemon looked when he used the Fist of the Beast King, but I realized my mistake when I re-watched Tamers to get hyped up for Digimon World Next Order.So yeah. Sorry about that.
#2!
The only Digimon on this list that debuted Digimon: Fusion/Xross Wars (this show's title changes based on region), Shoutmon is a proper rock star. His weapon of choice? A flipping microphone. Dude loves his music! Also, I like how his name sums up his entire personality. Shoutmon, the Digimon that is always yelling at the top of his lungs. Seriously he has no indoor voice whatsoever. He's also arguably the most powerful Digimon on this list. Why?
This is why.
Shoutmon possesses the ability to combine with any other Digimon, so of course if he combines with EVERY Digimon ever he is by default, the most powerful Digimon ever. Oh, and I fondly remember one episode where he and another Digimon (can't remember who right now) were in a cooking show (it makes sense in context, I swear!) and the rival chef told him that only the peels of a banana are used for cooking banana cream pie and that you eat the inside part of get rid of them. And Shoutmon doesn't know better since he's never seen bananas before prior to that episode! Two minutes later, Shoutmon ate ALL the bananas. So no banana cream pie for you. And I'm sitting over here laughing so hard I choked on my laughter.
NUMBER ONE!!!
Guilmon. First Appearing in Digimon Tamers, Guilmon is actually what would probably be my favorite Digimon had this list been in a specific order. Like, if you forced me to pick a favorite and only one, I'd pick Guilmon. Random fun fact! The other day I took a "Which Digimon Are You" personality quiz and I got Guilmon. YAY!!!!
But why do I like Guilmon? Well, he's adorable. In my opinion. Some people think he looks ugly, which is really harsh. Guilmon's got feelings too, guys. Also, the voice they gave him in the English version makes him even cuter. Again, in my opinion. And then Guilmon does this...
Yep, he digivolves into a knight.
Introducing Gallantmon! Gallantmon is a Royal Knight just like Alphamon, and he's also a complete boss when he curb-stomps Beelzemon into oblivion. Something that makes me a little bit sad is that Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth doesn't have Gallantmon's Crimson Mode.
This is Gallantmon Crimson Mode, in case
you were wondering.
Only Gallantmon Crimson Mode can dual-wield a sword AND a staff and look cool doing it! The only downside is that rather than changing his voice to sound more awe-inspiring and intimidating like a lot of other Digimon, Gallantmon keeps the voice he had when he was Guilmon. So you see this awesome looking knight kicking tail and taking names and he sounds just like the cute little Guilmon. So some people can't take him seriously because of the lack of voice change.
So those are my Top 10 Favorite Digimon. If you haven't watched the show, go watch it please. It's really good. And if you had no idea what Digimon is prior to reading this blog post, then I hope you have been converted! ;) But if you do know what Digimon is, and like it, then who is YOUR favorite Digimon? I like knowing other peoples opinion. Even if you're one those guys who thinks that Guilmon is ugly, that's perfectly alright. I ain't that guy that be like "OMG you traitor! DIE IN A FIRE!!!" Nope! I am not that guy. Heck! If you like Pokemon more than Digimon, then that's alright. Trust me. The LAST thing I want on this blog is an all out civil war.
*Moumantai/Momentai. It means "take it easy" in Cantonese. It's also Terriermon's catchphrase in Digimon Tamers. It can be spelled in two different ways, but the pronunciation and meaning stays the same.
P.S. Just now realized that Dorumon eventually digivolves into Alphamon. Doesn't change the list at all. Just a small tidbit that I almost overlooked.
"I like ShineGreymon MORE than WarGreymon. *readies flame shield*" You know I am so good at making puns when I don't even realize I made a pun until the day after publishing the post lol. Also just now realized that Impmon has an emoji on his belly. XD
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