The Pokémon-Digimon War

Is there an allergy to intelligence within Anime communities?

by Darkangemon

I spend a lot of my time surfing the net and this issue is beginning to grow on me. It's that Pokémon and Digimon fans vehemently hate each other. Unlike most of you who came across Pokémon first and then the other I was exposed to them both at once and this shaped my outlook rather uniquely - I try and enjoy both. This might seem strange to those who were came ons but I pick up a good many separate differences than webmaster Amara. Here is a listing of differences and characteristics that are shown in both fan bases and ideas.

Plot issues

One of the main differences between Pokémon and Digimon which webmaster Amara did not cite was that Pokémon recycles the same plot over and over, merely placing a different skin (for example, I was mean to my Pokémon and he ran away, will you help me find it [in my opinion not worth the dishing I could give it]) while Digimon’s plot is a good deal darker in scripting and a fair side more original not to mention alarming in certain areas (eg in Digimon PEOPLE DIE and they all have families they care about). These sentiments are completely different from Pokémon’s very feudal ideas of family being in the background (passing example: Does anybody know anything about Ash’s father other than he was a trainer and it took him three days to get to Viridian City?) and that all that matters is the next badge.

Episodic structure

Pokémon episodes are usually short and self-contained, rarely straying out of the conveniently set boundaries of the Gameboy titles (when it does these episodes are hailed as original and well done). Meanwhile, Digimon tends to borrow ideas from Mythology and from certain of Toei's other anime stable offerings (not much from Dragon Ball Z though - thank God for that) (passing example Biomerging [DBZ unfortunately]) giving it a unique flavour along the way.

Fans

The Digimon fan base is exponentially smaller but a lot more vicious to defend their show than Pokémon fans. Digimon fans tend also to be older and more opinionated. I cite my friends Wayne and Katie who currently despise Pokémon with a passion usually only reserved for people like George W. Bush and Richard Hatch.

Pokémon fans are younger and tend to be cooperative with teens although they enjoy their show they most often feel bored with it and focus on the merchandising, another reason for the show i.e. toys games and cards (Hope R/S gets to South Africa soon)

Merchandise

Pokemon has a massive merchandising empire spanning 5 continents and even the most out-of-it people can tell what a Pokémon is. Digimon has its PlayStation games but not the same surge of popularity as Pokémon, having been late on the merchandising arena and not having a stable TV network. (Fox Kids has been bought out how many times in the US?)

Movies

This is the one section where Digimon loses major points, though I haven’t seen the Tamers movie. If it is anything like the first one it will die on the circuit as I for one still can't figure out what the tying plot was and how it fitted into to the series arc because other than a passing mention by Izzy to Omnimon, what was its contribution to the arc? Pokemon’s first 2 movies were reasonably good and they did very well even though the critics did pan them profusely and they fitted in perfectly with the series, giving them credibility for the “plot”.

In closing I say in general the Digimon beat the Pokémon hands down but since Digimon might only last one more season I say MAKE IT THE BEST EVER( aka Tamer style)

Yours infernally,

DarkAngemon

Responses

I don't agree with the statement that Pokémon and Digimon fans hate each other. I like both and I know lots of kids that do as well. I guess nothing concrete is known about Ash's father, but there is the well-supported rumour that he is Giovanni. People don't die in Digimon, it's just that Digimon get reconfigured or deleted sometimes. And I know there must be almost as many Digimon fans as Pokémon fans. Some Pokémon fans are pretty quick to defend it (example: me). Also, the age thing is completely out of it. I know lots of older teens and twenty-somethings who love Pokémon. Digimon did have a surge of popularity a couple of years ago, and there is more Digimon merchandise around than you'd think. (Even this morning they had ads for Digimon version 6 on TV.) And, though I don't see where DtM fits into the episode sequence, I still think it's a pretty good movie (and Terriermon is so cute).

from Jedi_Amara www.digivice.net

I totally agree with you. Where are these Pokémon people's parents, anyway? And what is the deal with Team Rocket? They are the worst villains ever! Digimon, however, focuses a lot on family ties, and the protagonists and antagonists alike are interesting and unique. Plus, as it has already been stated, DIGIMON HAS A PLOT!!! Pokémon doesn't, by the way.

from AnimeTrekkie

AT, their parents are RIGHT THERE! Except they're not important to the PLOT (which Pokémon HAS) so they aren't featured so much. TR are supposed to be bad at their job, it's what makes them funny.

from Jedi_Amara www.digivice.net

I started out as a Pokémon fan but now I am more interested in Digimon. Darkangemon is correct in saying that the episodes get repetitive ( one of the major reasons I lost interest in it)...The parent thing is kinda true too...(I'm sorry but 10 year old kids just don't go off into the world raising monsters) *Bye mom, I'm skipping school now to go raise some mons!* *Ok honey...* well, in Digi the age is about the same but they are transported to the digital world by accident...and besides they have to fight or else there would be nobody to stop the bad Digis.

from TermanianStar

I too, as TermanianStar did, started out as a Pokémon fan and a Pokémon fan alone. I even refused to read Harry Potter (now I'm hooked on that too), for the sake of my loyalty to Pokémon. My next door neighbor, who is 17 and hangs out with me, who is 11, was a loyal Digimon fan. I watched one episode at her house and deciphered it as a copycat. Then, I saw the episode one on TV. Eventually, as I scrambled to watch the rest of the series, I forgot about Pokémon entirely besides collecting the cards and playing a game or two, and I became a Digi fan! Now it has recently dawned on me how stupid the aspects of Pokémon are, and have left all traces of my Poké obsession behind me. Ta-da!

from The Last Digidestined

You know, I've always been a devoted Pokémon fan. It's what got me into Anime, it's what got me into Digimon (indirectly), I dunno...well, I started liking Pokémon just when Digimon got into action. For years I've liked Pokémon better, but that line is blurring. Sometimes, I really don't know which one I love the most. Don't get me wrong, I still love Pokémon and I will reopen my Pokémon site at some stage, hopefully this year. But I spend so much of my time working on PW, I'm starting to find that Pokémon is leaving me behind (especially as I don't have cable TV and they're not showing Pokémon on free-to-air at the moment). In fact, I'm beginning to suspect that I know more about Digimon than Pokémon - which isn't surprising, considering the time I spend pursuing Digimon-related activities. Now that I've read all your responses, I'm starting to see why I'm moving away from Pokémon - Digimon is so much more involved.

from Jedi_Amara www.digivice.net

I am agreeing with you DarkAngemon except for the statement that Richard Hatch is on the same level as George W. Bush, Bush is much worse. I agree with you so much that I am almost tempted to say Pokémon is aimed at a younger audience than Digimon although I also know of many people that are beyond the age of innocence that enjoy it. It's not my cup of tea dough and Team Rocket have proven to be extremely irritating. I do have doubts that the Digimon card game is at all better than Pokémon's but I will reserve judgement until I come across it. Maybe it's just us South Africans but I get the same impression abou t the war between the two kids' monsters anime.

from WK Graham

I agree, even though I like Pokémon. I think Digimon is better. They have more complex characters and leave you guessing. I don't watch much Pokémon, because it gets too repetitive (how many times will Team Rocket try to steal Pikachu). I'll probably watch Pokémon when the new season with the new Pokémon comes on.

from digidestined02

I started out as a Pokémon fan, but I like Digimon also! I watch Digimon all the time on TV and videos but I've never seen my old Digimon show that I watched when I was three years old.

from haley

I started out as a Pokémon fan, but it got repetitive and boring fast. The only thing I ever kept liking about it was the card game, which is the one thing I never liked about Digimon. Digimon's plot is much more involved and deep.

from E

Digimon or Pokemon? Well here's the plot of Digimon: A heck of a lot more serious. In Digimon people DO die. Ken's brother died. In Pokemon the plot that the characters are in is VERY seldom more serious then their own stupid rivalries. I agree with TermainianStar about the "Hey, mom I'm gonna go be a Pokemon trainer!" "Okay sweetie, just don't get a tiny scratch!" I mean Ash saved the world in Pokemon 2 and his Mom YELLED at him and was ANGRY at him for it? My God, in the Pokemon comic Ash says "Hey Mom, I'm going out to get a Pokemon license!" And his Mom's response is some thing like "Be back before dinner!" Dude, how the heck did he get permission to skip school anyway? Digimon actually has a plot, not just stupid weak attempts to be funny. I am kind of a Pokemon fan but here's how it is. Pokemon: .1% Digimon: 99.9% I mean Digimon people get hurt! BADLY hurt sometimes. Kari got really sick in 01. She almost DIED! The only time that happened in Pokemon to someone and that time it was a Pokemon was oh, *counts* one, two, three, four, about FIVE years ago. And Pokemon, er, the plot needs alot of work. Does ANYONE notice that most Pokemon fans are about 3, 4, 5, 6, or RARELY 7 or 8? Digimon came up with modify cards. Pokemon decided to copy them and make E-Cards that can be slashed into an E-Reader. Does anyone remember Takato's card reader? And when does Ash or any person in Pokemon EVER read a book?! That has heppened many times in Digimon. In Digimon they actually use words like quoting Izzy from the American version of Digimon: The Movie "I'm about..... to barf." When does anyone ever sing the theme song to Digimon other than in the opening and closing and digivoulution themes? For God'd sake, Ash is a rip off of TK! Take Ash's hat off, change his eyes to whatever TK's eye put him in TK's outfit, dye his hair blonde, take away the Z marks on his cheeks, take away the damn hat, and VOILA! You have a clone of TK. The Digimon Characters have GOOD [good what?]

from Digital Jedi Knight

I don't see why Digimon fans and Pokémon fans hate each other because I liked them both a while ago, I even made up a Digimon and its digivolution sequence based on Pokémon but now I only like Digimon. But don't hate Pokémon fans only 'cause it's their choice what they love.

from Aguy

I also started off liking Pokemon but being in England I found they stopped it on tv. It took a few years for me to get into Digimon. I started watching season 3 on Fox kids and got hooked. Now I am a bit older I am seeing the plot in Pokemon was rather boring in comparison to digimon. None of my friends like Digimon which I think is stupid. I think the thing about the parents in Pokemon is right, it is nice to get the worries and opinions of the parents which is one of the reasons why Digimon is soooo good, especially in Tamers.

from Unown Digidestined

Puh-lease... I watched Poke'mon and Digimon at the same time to. Yes, I admit at one point in my life I was a pathetic Poke'mon fan, but as I watched Digimon, I slowly got into it and converted myself from Poke'mon-freak, to Digimon-master. And I sincerely HATE Poke'mon!! I get upset with Poke'mon fans that whine over Digimon copy-cating them, and that Digimon is for losers. Digimon is the BEST show EVER!!! And I collect a lot of Digimon merchandise...

from the_cow_heard http://www.geocities.com/divasgalore

*aims phaser rifle at all Pokemon fans* *one by one fires with the setting of maximum* Digimon is better than Pokemon. All agreed say "TRUE THIS FACT IS!" All opposed say "Die." *fires phaser rifle again at all Pokemon fans* DEATH TO THE OPPOSITION! *drops phaser rifle get's Zero's Z-Saber from Megaman Zero and charges into mob of Pokemon fans slashing like mad and occasionally charging up the sword and letting loose an energy beam*

from Digital Jedi Knight

Editor's Comment: You have a right to your own opinion. However, if you got rid of all Pokémon fans, you wouldn't have Patamon's World! Remember, I'm a Pokémon fanatic!

Response submission will reopen soon.