Digimon: Copyright Infringement, or Spiritual Successor?

Ahh...Digimon.  All the memories come flooding back to me.  The adventures, the battles...ah, those were good times.

Excuse me?  You say you've never heard of Digimon?  Well to be honest, I'm not surprised.  The first thing you probably thought upon looking at this was "What's this?  Another Pokemon knockoff?"   Yes, what I'm about to tell you about is very similar to Pokemon, and was created after...however, I'm not here to nail the whole thing down.  In fact, I'm here today to prove to you that Digimon should in fact have been Pokemon's successor, and not just copyright infringement waiting to happen.



First, let's look at the physical differences between Pokemon and Digimon, and how what they are relates to their world.

Pokemon are basically overdone versions of ordinary creatures. Pikachu, for example, is an electric mouse.  It has many normal traits and features similar to a mouse, and yet is superior to a mouse.  It can produce electricity, is much larger, and is the color yellow.  Despite being superior animals, however, Pokemon are still the creatures of their world.  In other words, humans are still their superiors.  While Pokemon seem to have a greater intelligence than the creatures in our world (especially some), they still mostly run off of instinct, and lack a soul.  Humans use them to make work easier, to do things humans couldn't do, and simply as pets.  Most commonly, however, humans known as "Trainers" will use their Pokemon in battles, in order to bring the Pokemon to it's maximum potential, and for the glory of the trainer.

This is the first, and probably biggest problem with the Pokemon series.  Throughout the series to keep it more for children and to keep animal rights groups off their back, it is quite often referenced that it's a partnership between Pokemon and humans, and that it is throughout love alone that trainers become great.  This, unfortunately, as most Pokemon fans know, isn't that true.  Yes, trainers do have relationships with their Pokemon, but you have to remember that Pokemon are still inferior to humans.  Yes, they're strong, but they're just like normal creatures in their reliance on instinct.  Unfortunate as it may be, humans have the intelligence to bend Pokemon to their will, and they really do. Humans have created small balls that have the capability of not just capturing these creatures, but in some ways brainwashing them, making them obey their trainer's orders.  In short, Pokemon really are slaves to humans, no matter how you look at it.  Granted, I still love the series anyways, but I can't deny the fact that it is a flaw.



Digimon, however are different.  Digimon are beings completely composed of data, and yet have a physical form.  They exist not in the human world, but rather, in a different dimension, known as the Digital World, where there is only Digimon.

Unlike Pokemon, Digimon have the intelligence of humans.  They can talk, think, create, and do basically anything a human could (bar some creatures without arms).  Some are less intelligent than others, but the majority have almost all the capabilities of humans, including a soul.  Instead of being superior creatures, it's really a different race of beings, living in their own universe.

When Digimon and humans team up, it IS true partnership.  They're smart enough to become their full potential without the help of humans, and humans have no way of forcing Digimon to join them.  When a Digimon and a human work together, it is through legitimate friendship.  In battles, Digimon are the fighters, while humans become somewhat of support units, healing their friends, and using technology to help the fighters become even more powerful.   It's really a big difference between Pokemon and Digimon, even though it doesn't look like it from a glance.



Next up is their stories.  Pokemon isn't exactly the kind of game that is played for the story.  While is has gotten better over the years, it's still quite childish and not really that intense.  The show is quite the same way, and while the first couple seasons can be appealing to adults, even some children despise where the show is today/

Digimon on the other hand, is a bit more story focused.  Unlike Pokemon, the world of Digimon is a bit of chaotic place.  It's survival of the fittest in the Digital universe, meaning that there is lots of fighting, blood, and death.  Let's go to season one as our example.  Season one begins with a group of kids somehow ending up in the Digital world.  Fortunately for them, they meet a group of Digimon who are willing to help them get back to their home...and I mean fortunately.   It becomes quite apparent for the kids that this is a battle for survival.  There are countless times throughout the first season where one of the kids could have died, many Digimon are wounded, and some do actually die.  I think there's even a part where some of the kids almost die, and I don't mean through some silly, 4kidsish death, I mean from physical wounds.  Yeah, much more violent than Pokemon.

When the humans finally return to their world, a powerful Digimon comes as well, and things become dangerous again.  This single Digimon threatens the universe, and the kids once again come together with their Digimon and challenge it.  This is one again proof of Digimon intelligence, as the evil Digimon isn't trying to kill humans because he is being controlled by a human, or even suggested by a human.  He's just a powerful Digimon come to do as he pleases in this new world.

I could go on and on about the series, but I'm not going to.  The point is that the series is more serious, more violent, and more intensive than Pokemon is...in other words, better.  There's nothing wrong with Pokemon's intended audience, but as you get older, you get farther away from that intention.  Digimon is, in my opinion, Pokemon for the adult.  It has the same concept as Pokemon, teaming up with powerful creatures and beating down all opposition, but in a less childlike fashion.



That's all I got for now about why Digimon is better.  There are more things I could point out, but I think I pointed out the main two differences.  So next I want to cover just why Digimon never hit it in America.  It actually was quite popular in Japan, and it might still be, I don't know.  However, in America, the audience is different.  Here, teenagers and adults are generally more interested in things like Call of Duty, Skyrim, and such.  Pokemon is generally more for the younger kids in America, and while there are quite a few older kids (me included) who enjoy the series, it's mostly younger children.

Fact is, this is one of those series that isn't shot down because it's bad, it's shot down because it looks like Pokemon.  Those who hate Pokemon take one look at the art, and deny it because it looks like Pokemon, and Pokemon fans deny it because they think it's just another copy.  Just like many good games, they're unpopular simply because people didn't dive in and look at it for what it was.  If Pokemon didn't exist, this series may have taken off in America.  It's not that Pokemon intended to ruin it in America, it was just something that just happened.



Now those of who have stuck with me this far and are interested in looking deeper into this series, here's a couple options.  If you want to learn about the story, there's both anime and manga for it.  You probably won't find them in regular stores, but hey, that's what the internet is for, right?


As for video games, my general recommendation is Digimon Dusk or Dawn.  I own Dusk, and I love it to death.  It's fairly cheap, and certainly worth the money.  It's a great game to get you started into the Digimon universe.



Digimon World 4 is also a great option, especially if you enjoyed Pokemon Rescue Team.  In this game, you are in the Digimon World as Digimon, and you're part of an organization sort of like the our police department.  Mysterious and dark things are happening in the digital world, and it's your job to fix it.  Unlike most, if not all other Digimon games, this one is an action rpg, where you actually move around as the digimon and fight with weapons in action based combat.  It's even 4-player co-op, which I have found to be very fun.  It's for both the Playstation 2 and Gamecube, so if you see it while browsing a game store, I certainly recommend it to you.