The Digimon series is a beloved anime franchise, and part of that appeal has always been its many heroes. With 8 unique anime series (not counting 2020’s Digimon Adventure reboot), Digimon has managed to make its protagonists memorable characters with distinct arcs. This is no easy achievement given the fact that so many of the franchise’s heroes share a great deal in common.
Starting with Digimon Adventure, Digimon stood out from its competition in Pokémon by offering a far more serialized adventure. One episode led into the next, leaving a great deal of room for the series’ characters to grow and change over the course of their series. Though this is true of all main characters across the franchise, this focus on character development is often best shown with the main heroes and their partner Digimon. The best Digimon protagonists are interesting characters that made fans want to tune in week to week.
The protagonist of Digimon Fusion’s third season is one of the franchise’s few heroes to actively be a detriment to their series. Loud, brash, and impulsive, Tagiru takes many traits found in other series’ leaders and amplifies them. Far from possessing the good nature of similar series protagonists such as Takuya and Davis though, Tagiru’s recklessness comes across as thoughtless more than anything else.
What makes Tagiru worse is that he takes over lead duties from the far more likable Mikey. Mikey is similarly rambunctious and outgoing, but that’s about where the similarities end. Not helping matters is Tagiru’s fairly generic design. Tagiru and Gumdramon are far from awful, but unfortunately, they just can’t live up to the high caliber of heroism set by any of their predecessors.
Another Digimon hero who is a hothead, Marcus at least sets himself apart slightly from the franchise’s similar heroes due to his age. Unlike the tween heroes of past Digimon series, Marcus is a full teenager at 14 when Digimon Data Squad starts. There may have been a conscious effort to age up the series with Data Squad as Marcus looks much different from any of his predecessors.
Unfortunately, age didn’t grant Marcus much wisdom, as his defining character trait is his desire to solve things with his fists. This can be a mixed character trait when it comes to him dealing with other humans but it takes on a hilarious new element when his response to massive Digimon is to punch them in the face. This character trait could be endearing, but Marcus mostly comes across as bland. Not helping matters is that his partner is another Agumon whose main visual difference from past versions of the iconic creature is that he has bands on his arm.
Though they all share similarities, Digimon’s first three heroes are all distinct characters. Unfortunately for Takuya, he breaks the trend by being just a little too similar to those that came before him. Much like Tai he has strong morals, and much like Davis he’s a soccer player who doesn’t think through all of his actions. All of these alone aren’t bad characteristics, but they just make Takuya come across as a bit bland compared to some of the series’ stronger heroes.
What truly sets Takuya back though is Frontiers’ most controversial element. Instead of having a digital companion to complement his character, Takuya himself transforms into the powerful Agunimon (and later stronger forms like BurningGreymon). While Tamers’ hero Takato did merge with Guilmon to become Galantmon, that was a culmination of two characters’ relationship. Without a Digimon partner, Takuya just feels incomplete compared to other Digimon heroes. Still, Takuya is a fun character and a worthy addition to the franchise.
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Mikey and Shoutmon are the lead characters for much of the longest Digimon series, Digimon Fusion (known as Xros Wars in Japan). Mikey is naturally gifted in almost everything he does, including sports, strategy, and leadership. Beyond his skills though, what truly defines Mikey is his kindness. Few other Digimon heroes display as much empathy for their foes as Mikey does, giving him a unique personality. Contrasting Mikey’s kindness is Shoutmon, who more than lives up to his name.
Mikey is an incredibly likable hero, but is ultimately held back by being just a little too good at everything. Unlike many of Digimon’s best heroes, Mikey isn’t a dynamic hero and doesn’t have many notable flaws he needs to work on. The result is fun on an episodic basis, but lacks the emotional gut punch that the Digimon franchise is so skilled at delivering in its best moments.
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Digimon has been about many things across its many different iterations, but one thing that’s been consistent about it is fighting. In a first for the franchise, Ghost Game’s protagonist is something of a pacifist, not wanting to hurt any Digimon. This sensitivity manifests as Hiro attempting to talk down many of the Digimon he faces rather than wanting to fight him. Fans of shonen anime might see shades of Naruto’s infamous ‘talk jutsu’ in Hiro, but it only works to Hiro’s benefit.
Hiro is almost the complete opposite of past protagonists like Marcus or Davis who are infamous for rushing into fights without thinking. The intelligence that Hiro often displays truly sets him apart from many of the franchise’s other protagonists. Ghost Game is the most recent Digimon series, and Hiro is definitely worthy of the series’ pedigree for interesting heroes.
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Davis (or Daisuke in the original Japanese) and Veemon are both bright and energetic characters that are always fun to watch. Far from the nuance and complexity of Tai in Digimon Adventure, 02’s lead character is something of an airhead who often acts without thinking. Though his heart is generally in the right place, this more rash attitude is frequently enough to get him and his team into trouble.
Though Davis and Veemon are far from deep characters, they don’t really need to be. As opposed to loud and obnoxious, Davis’ airheaded nature comes across as incredibly endearing. This is a tough tightrope to walk, but the key to their appeal is that Davis and Veemon always mean well, ensuring that no matter their actions, audiences can be confident that Davis and Veemon are always trying their best no matter the circumstances.
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In a strangely meta twist on the franchise’s formula, Digimon Universe: App Monsters’ main character Haru sees himself as a secondary character who desperately wants to be a main character. Far from the series’ many boisterous protagonists like Davis and Mikey, Haru is a quiet and studious boy who likes to read but aspires for more in his life. Still, his inherent meekness doesn’t get in the way of a strong will. All of this is what makes his partner Gatchmon such a perfect match.
Haru and Gatchmon’s dynamic completely flips the script on past heroes and their Digimon. While Agumon served as Tai’s voice of reason, Gatchmon’s cool nature pushed Haru to be more assertive. All of this adds up to giving Haru and Gatchmon one of Digimon’s most satisfying character arcs. Though Digimon Universe: App Monsters often doesn’t get as much attention due to its differences from other entries in the franchise, Haru and Gatchmon are a definite highlight.