Some wanted to rid the earth of the black wheels. Others, to become the best (the best there will ever be) . The important thing is that both options involved strange worlds, endless adventures and the company of some peculiar creatures that would become our best allies. Few children in the 90s and early 2000s did not enjoy Digimon and Pokémon in one way or another.
Both franchises emerged almost simultaneously and with many elements in common that caused, for some reason, comparison and competition among their followers to see which was better. Although they were born into the world of video games, both Pokémon and Digimon became a mass phenomenon first in Japan and later globally . Sleeves, animation series, movies, toys, T-shirts and merchandising of all kinds and to which crazier they filled the stores and homes of the world. For this reason, we are going to do a little review of the areas in which they stood out the most to put an end, once and for all, to a confrontation comparable to Marvel VS DC .
Source
Pokémon hit the market on April 27, 1996 created by Game Freak , Nintendo and the mind of Satoshi Taijiri . Its name means “pocket monster” and, contrary to what most people believe, it does not come from the English ‘ pocket monster ‘ but from the Japanese ‘Poketto Monsutā’ . Its first editions (Red, Green and Blue) placed us in a world full of creatures that we would have to capture and train to win a championship and get a copy of each pokemon. The turn-based combat mechanics, RPG elements and the great variety of Pokemon that we could capture, 150 in the first generation, brought an inordinate success that continued to grow during the following years .
For its part, the origin of Digimon is something more curious. At the end of 1996, the Tamagotchi, a Bandai device that offered the experience of a virtual pet to care for and watch grow, arrived in Japan. The toy was a real triumph among girls and that is why, the following year, a new version was released designed for the male audience that included monstrous dinosaur-like creatures, evolutions and combats that they called V-pet (virtual pet). Because they were much simpler games, Bandai began expanding the world of Digimon and entering other markets before Nintendo.
Video game
The Pokémon franchise has more than 50 video game titles and continues to release new installments on a regular basis , having even conquered the smartphone world with Pokemon Go. Its main branch of video games maintained the mechanics of the original and added new functions, better graphics and new generations of Pokémon that kept the interest of the players even when the titles were quite similar to each other. The pixelated world and 2D animations of Pokémon FireRed , one of the highest-rated installments in the franchise, has given way to a three-dimensional reality, more animated battles and customization options that have made a comeback in recent titles.
But Nintendo also wanted to risk and released numerous video games that focused on other aspects of the RPG such as dungeon exploration or directly abandoned it and entered genres such as fighting or simulation. Except for some exceptional cases, these secondary titles used to end up forgotten in a drawer while those that respected the classic formula were the ones that stood out and continued to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. If something works, why change it?
Image: Nintendo.
As the format that had made Digimon famous was more limited, the franchise had to explore different options long before its competition and that made it somewhat more unstable . Without abandoning the production of updated V-pet devices, video games emerged that are worth noting such as Digital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamers (1998), which transferred the V-pet experience to a desktop console with few additions. The other great success appeared in 1999 and was called Digimon World , a title for PlayStation that combined the open world style and combat of Pokemon with an interesting element of breeding your digimons that conquered the public and made a difference.
After that, they were swinging uncontrollably between the genres of platforms, Super Smash Bros type combat and RPG. Despite not having been so successful, Digimon has more than twenty video games . The last big surprise was Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (2016), which received rave reviews.
Manga, anime and movies
This is probably the real reason for the popularity and success of both headers . The first season of Pokémon was released in 1997 and Digimon in 1998 and they became a must-have on televisions around the world . Digimon had the advantage that it had already developed its history and universe through the Japanese manga or comic and that made its story have a bit more maturity in its beginnings, deepening the link between human and digimon that Pokémon had not dealt with in their video games.
Something similar to that seen in video games happened with the series. Pokémon has lasted longer and has maintained a standard model throughout all its seasons, but it has presented a repetitive scheme and few profound changes throughout history. Digimon , on the other hand, has changed its world and protagonists with each season (much less than those of Pokémon ) and that has caused the quality to have peaks and falls. Digimon season 1, a direct continuation of the manga, was enormously successful and continues to be fondly remembered by its fans .
The films, with a loose script overall and a clear goal of capitalizing on top product fame , deserve little mention.
Image: Toei Animation.
Merchandising
This is where the creativity of the Nintendo and Bandai marketing departments shines. The enormous success of the video games and the series made both companies see a real gold mine. Fans of Pokémon and Digimon wanted almost any product to hit the market and toys, clothing items or collections of cards and cups filled the stores. Both franchises had gone far beyond the world of video games in which they were born and created a snowball effect greater than could have been anticipated . The two brands did it and both took advantage of it, so at this point we find a technical draw.
And the winner is…
It is difficult to decide on one or the other and probably that is because there is no reason to do it . Digimon and Pokémon are part of recent culture and have immense value to those who enjoyed them at some point in their lives. The competition between the two can only be understood from the cold perspective of two companies that want to get time and money from the same public bias. But the fans, those of us who came to the digital world or left our house in Pueblo Paleta to go on an adventure, we are able to see further.
Of some, of others, of both or neither. Let the only fights be those of the Jotto League or those that decide the fate of the digital world.
