Digimon Tamers

Digimon Tamers (Japanese: デジモンテイマーズ, Hepburn: Dejimon Teimāzu) is a Japanese anime television series and the third television series in the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series takes place in a new setting separate from the preceding series, Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, where the characters utilize cards from the collectible card games. The series aired in Japan from April 2001 to March 2002.

The series was originally licensed in North America by Saban Entertainment, aired in the US from September 2001 to June 2002 as the third season of Digimon: Digital Monsters. A Hong Kong manhua adaptation of the series, by Yu Yuen-wong, was serialized from April to October 2004.

Takato Matsuki, a fan of the Digimon card game, finds a Blue Card, which transforms his card reader into a D-Power Digivice. His original Digimon creation, Guilmon, materializes into real life when his D-Power scans his drawings. Takato meets Henry Wong and Rika Nonaka, two other children who are partnered with Terriermon and Renamon respectively, as well as Calumon and Impmon. As wild Digimon began roaming Shinjuku, the Tamers defeat them and defend the city. Using their D-Powers, the Tamers can Digi-modify through scanning cards or help them Digivolve. After each Digimon is defeated, their Digimon obtains their data. Meanwhile, Hypnos, an intelligence agency led by Mitsuo Yamaki, has been capturing the Digimon and sending them back to the Digital World.

The Tamers eventually began working with Hypnos when the wicked Devas invade the Real World. Calumon is captured by the Devas, and the Tamers follow him to the Digital World to save him. During their journey, they meet Ryo, and his Digimon Partner, Cyberdramon. Impmon turns his back on the Tamers when he encounters the dog Deva Caturamon, and wishes to become strong, thus becoming Beelzemon. Eventually, the Tamers confront Beelzemon, and Beelzemon kills Leomon, causing Jeri Kato to fall into depression. After resolving conflicts with the Digimon Sovereigns, the Tamers learn that the Digimon are protecting themselves from humans and the Real World after the Digital World is invaded by the evil D-Reaper, a rogue clean-up program. As the Tamers return to the Real World, the D-Reaper kidnaps Jeri, manipulating and trapping her inside the body. When the D-Reaper begins to materialize in the Real World, the Tamers defeat it, using the program and saving Jeri. With both worlds restored, the children say goodbye to their Digimon partners, when they end up returning to the Digital World by the effects of the program. The series ends with Takato discovering a portal in Guilmon's old tunnel.

After the success of Digimon Adventure 02, Hiroyuki Kakudo and staff did not know what to do now that the series was finished.^{[clarification needed]} The team was satisfied with the release of Digimon Tamers, as Kakudo believed the setting could have also been applied in the previous anime. Chiaki J. Konaka was concerned that the portrayal of the Digimon as "kind-hearted creatures" in Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02 might affect the "monster-like spirit of Digimon." As a result, Konaka wanted to explore the primitive nature of Digimon, where they instinctively harm other creatures to become stronger and would learn morals from their partners. This aspect would be primarily explored through Guilmon.

Konaka was also worried about Digivolutions losing impact due to their repetitiveness. In order to solve this, the D-Power was designed as the new Digivice so that it could be used alongside cards and give the characters another "ace up sleeve." The writers wanted to limit the use of cards to one at a time. The main characters being more responsible of the evolutions and their adventures was another of Konaka's priorities as a message to children from modern society. For the last episodes of the series, Konaka believed the final enemy is the D-Reaper. While making the series, Konaka had conceptualized the idea of the Tamers combining with their Digimon to reach the highest level of evolution, Mega. Shinji Aramaki joined the design team in the CGI animation, which including the Bio-merge scenes.

Unlike the previous series, Konaka did not introduce the idea of Digimon being reborn after death, as he believed death should be portrayed realistically in a show for children, especially since the main characters were risking their lives. As a result, the staff decided to portray death as a shocking event by using Leomon like in Digimon Adventure, even though Konaka had doubts about it. While the series was presented as dark, Terriermon and Calumon balanced out the tone of the series.

The early storyline of Digimon Tamers was significantly influenced by an unused script for Gamera: Guardian of the Universe written by brothers Chiaki and Kazuya Konaka [ja], alongside another draft by Yoshikazu Okada [ja], which preceded the final version by Kazunori Itō. Concepts from the Konakas' script were later adapted for Digimon Tamers, as well as for Gamera the Brave and Ultraman Tiga. Their draft also shared similarities with Tsuburaya Productions' Daigoro vs. Goliath. Konaka, who had been an admirer of Ultraman since childhood, additionally cited Tsuburaya's Kaiju Booska—itself influenced by Ultra Q—and Hayao Miyazaki's Future Boy Conan as reference points for Tamers. The kaiju Kanegon [ja] from the Ultra Q and Ultraman franchises is also referenced in the spin-off prequel novel Digimon Tamers 1984.