WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Digimon Ghost Game Episode 8, "Nightly Procession of Monsters," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
As the most famous shounen series in the history of anime, the Dragon Ball franchise has been referenced in countless other works. Toei Animation, which has spearheaded every major Dragon Ball project, has added to this list of homages through its latest series Digimon Ghost Game. In addition to drawing from one of the most beloved arcs of the original Dragon Ball, the latest developments in Ghost Game drop some potential clues about the nature of Digimon and the world they inhabit.
Digimon Ghost Game employs a mix of urban legend supernaturalism with themes of evolving technology to create an aesthetic that is decidedly spookier than previous iterations. Episode 8 drives home the inspiration from Japanese yokai with a story based on the concept of the Hyakki Yagyou, or "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." Rather than taking the form of an actual parade, this procession consists of a myriad of semi-holographic Digimon in a road race. Just as the historical idea of a Hyakki Yagyou was attached to disasters, the Digimon's race disrupts highway traffic and causes terrible accidents.
It is eventually revealed that the Digimon are not just running for the fun of it, but rather for their very lives. The leader of the race, nun-inspired Sistermon Ciel, made a pact with MetalPhantomon, who is basically the Digimon equivalent of the Grim Reaper. Per their contract, all Digimon incapable of keeping up in the race are deleted and absorbed by MetalPhantomon's scythe. By the time protagonist Hiro Amanokawa and friends learn of this clause, they have already been trapped in the race with their Digimon partners' continued existence on the line.
Luckily for the party, the race is cut short when a mysterious Digimon, identified in supplementary materials as BlackGatomon Uver (or BlackTailmon Uver in Japan), interrupts the competition by sucking the other Digimon into a swirling vortex. While the moment raises many questions for the characters and viewers alike, perhaps the scene's most curious aspect was the household item BlackGatomon Uver used to intervene -- an electric rice cooker. While this may seem perplexing to some, keen fans of anime will realize the direct connection to another of Toei Animation's most famous works: Dragon Ball.
In the original Dragon Ball's Demon King Piccolo Saga, Master Roshi recounts his own teacher's initial victory over the ancient evil. To defeat the menace, Master Mutaito used the technique known as the Evil Containment Wave, which creates a green whirlpool around the enemy before converting them into energy and trapping them in a sealable container prepared by the user.
Though this technique has been utilized several times throughout Dragon Ball history, Master Mutaito -- as well as Master Roshi and Tien Shinhan after him -- all used an electric rice cooker as their vessel of choice when attempting the technique. The scene has become so iconic that replica rice cookers with binding talismans affixed can still be found for sale online.
Aside from the interesting trivia behind the reference, the appliance's use may imply certain facts about Digimon this time around. After the race, Hiro and his companions theorize that rather than trap the Digimon, BlackGatomon Uver transported them back to the Digital World. While the concept of the Digital World exists in every version of Digimon, its precise nature changes depending on the setting. Since Episode 9 of Ghost Game confirms that Digimon do use digital devices and the internet to move about, it may be the case that any machine with internet capabilities has the potential to serve as a portal.
Smart rice cookers with wifi capabilities already exist in the real world, so they are certainly available in the more futuristic world of Digimon Ghost Game. Furthermore, previous Digimon stories have seen their casts use televisions, computers and other apparatuses to serve as their bridge between the realms. As Hiro's father is still currently missing in the Digital World, this information may prove a valuable asset in Hiro's quest to find him in coming episodes.
