Though it's not quite as consistently popular as a certain competitor, Digimon is still a well-known, iconic franchise from the 1990s. Like its notable rival Pokémon, it's usually associated with video games, but Digimon is much more defined by its anime and manga incarnations. This goes for both the original series and its most recent modern reboot.
Thankfully for those wanting to relive the old show or read the series' manga, there are tons of ways to get into Digimon from the comfort of home. That said, there are tons of different anime in the franchise, many of which spawned manga and light novels, as well. Here's a rundown of all the different Digivolutions of the franchise in its main two mediums and where to find them.
The Plot of Digimon
The story of the original anime involved a group of children who, after interacting with mysterious devices, are taken to the technological Digital World. There, they meet and partner with various Digimon or Digital Monsters. Dubbed the "DigiDestined," the group comes up against the evil Devimon, who uses his powers to corrupt other Digimon to do his bidding and attack the kids.
The main characters Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, Joe, TK, and Kairi travel with their partner Digimon who takes on different forms as the series progresses. Upon defeating Devimon, the DigiDestined learn that they are meant to save both the human and Digital worlds from impending peril. Further shows and movies would expand upon the original cast while also introducing a new team of DigiDestined. Likewise, other shows like Digimon Tamers would take place in separate continuities, pulling in elements from real-world versions of the franchise such as the card games.
Where to Read the Digimon Manga/Light Novels
The first and longest-lasting Digimon manga was the nine volume Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 by Hiroshi Izawa. The series featured an alternate version of Tai from the anime, though the stories featured more elements from the original Digimon V-Pets toy games. The next comic series was Digimon D-Cyber, which was actually a Chinese manhua series. It was followed by Digimon Next, Digimon Xros Wars and Digimon Universe: App Monsters. The original series also had some light novels produced, while Tamers had a prequel short story written called Digimon Tamers 1984 that was uploaded to one of the show's writer's websites.
Sadly, almost all of these books are now near impossible to come by. This can be attributed to the franchise has fallen by the wayside in terms of Western popularity since the '90s, and thus never being able to succeed in today's current manga and anime boom. Amazon, however, does have some slightly pricey copies of the original TokyoPop version of the Digimon manga.
Where to Watch the Digimon Anime
For as many Digimon manga as there are, there have been even more anime over the years. The original anime, Digimon Adventure, was followed by Digimon Adventure 02, which was released in America as the original show's second season. Next was Digimon Tamers, which was a brand new continuity, as was Digimon Frontier, in which the human characters actually transform into Digimon. The other shows include Data Squad, Fusion, App Monsters, and the newly begun Ghost Game. Recently ended was Digimon Adventure 2020, a modern reboot of the original series. Concluding the original version of the story was the Digimon Tri film series and Digital Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna.
The original series and its second season can be streamed on Hulu, while Digimon tri is on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV, Shout Factory TV, and the Itunes Store. Tamers, despite being a new continuity, was released as the original show's third season, and it and Digimon Frontier can also be watched on Hulu. A subtitled version of Fusion is on Crunchyroll, with App Monsters also being on Crunchyroll and VRV. Adventure 2020 is on Hulu, Crunchyroll, and VRV, and Data Squad is not currently available for streaming. Ghost Games, however, will be simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Amazon, Right Stuf Anime, and other retailers carry the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of these movies and shows, but simply streaming them, especially on free platforms such as Tubi, is probably the best option.
