Digimon

[WarOmnimon]

Good point of discussion here! My predictions for Digimon Con are as follows, with the key points in bold font.

First, video games, beginning with a release date for Digimon Survive. The trailer for Digimon Con showed a quick snippet of new footage for Survive, so it's not cancelled. I also see a teaser for the next Digimon Story game happening. As for a tie-in video game for Digimon Ghost Game, that's the one thing that Ryo-Okay mentioned that I don't see happening, at least not yet. The main reason being the aforementioned closing of Digimon ReArise. They'll probably announce the next Digimon mobile game now, and if we get a video game for Ghost Game, they'll announce that later. I can also see at least one earlier Digimon game getting ported to current consoles, and if so it'd probably be Digimon World Next 0rder for the Switch and / or PC.

Ryo-Okay's predictions for the anime talk are exactly the same as mine, so I won't repeat what he said, LOL.

As for my other predictions. First and foremost, I'm expecting the first deets on Digimon's 25th anniversary.  Meaning, the reveal of the anniversary logo and the new anniversary posterboy (Following Dracomon for the 10th, Hackmon for the 15th, and Zubamon and Ludomon for the 20th, though Ludomon represented the 20th anniverasry of the Pendulums). Dracomon, Zubamon, and Ludomon were all revealed during the first quarter of their respective years (Dracomon in March 2007, Zubamon in January 2017, Ludomon in January 2018), so as far as the new anniversary posterboy, now seems to be the right time to reveal him. I also see at least the next several Dim Cards for the Vital Bracelet being announced, mostly because we don't know what's coming after Primeval Warriors (Wormmon) in March and we already know that Judgment of Heaven and Karma of the Gods are two Dim Cards that are coming from an earlier issue of V-Jump, but due to the Guilmon, Renamon, and Terriermon Dim Cards being delayed, those were likely held up as well. I'm also predicting Dim Cards for at least the anniversary Digimon to be announced (And if so, Zubamon and Ludomon would be day one preorders for me because Ragnalordmon's my favorite Digimon). I can also see a new v-pet with a smaller number of versions (Less waves than the Digimon X and Pendulum Z as Ryo-Okay said) being announced, but I'm not expecting that to happen as much as the other things I'm predicting. Mostly because the Digital Monster X is still in the midst of its international release and there's no word on if the rest of the world will get the Pendulum Zs or not yet.

The only think I am actively not expecting is anything related to Digimon Frontier's 20th anniversary. The merchandise that is being sold for Digimon Con is centric on Digimon Tamers, so they are still in the midst of its 20th anniversary celebration (Which is wrapping up at this point). It's likely that if we get anything for Frontier's 20th, it won't be announced until DigiFes (Or whatever they call it this year) in August.

[Ryo-Okay]

lol it was actually nothing. What was even the point?

[WarOmnimon]

lol it was actually nothing. What was even the point?

^ This. Save for the Agnimon and Wolfmon Dim Cards (Called new Dim Cards being announced!) and confirmation that the Olympos XII will be the central Digimon of the next Digimon Story (Which despite Survive still being worked on is also being worked on, which is good news; I was stoked to hear that detail to be honest)... it was indeed nothing. And that's not all; as if to rub salt in the wound, the Pokemon Presents the next day confirmed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for later this year. It's like Nintendo was hoping Bandai would screw up and when they did, they immediately cashed in their Money in the Bank briefcase. Just plain savage.

I'm not gonna lie, this is not a good spot for Digimon to be in going into its 25th anniversary this year... which Bandai hasn't even revealed the logo and initial details for yet. And it's double bad now that they've got Pokemon Gen 9 breathing down their necks. I'm saying this as a fan of both franchises... but it always seems like Pokemon always drops some kind of surprise nuke whenever Digimon messes up, doesn't it? This isn't the first time...

[Ryo-Okay]

Survive finally has a release date for Japan, July 28th. Hopefully, the western release won't be far behind.

Confirmed it is getting released worldwide the same day, and we got a look at the box art.


Also RIP Rearise.

[WarOmnimon]

Survive finally has a release date for Japan, July 28th. Hopefully, the western release won't be far behind.

Confirmed it is getting released worldwide the same day, and we got a look at the box art.

That's the good news. The bad news? Hours later, Nintendo announed that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is coming out on the same day. Houston, we have a problem.

Also, in Vital Bracelet related news, it was announced at the beginning of the month that we're getting Dim Cards for not only Agnimon and Wolfmon, but also Fairimon, Chackmon, Blitzmon, and Loweemon in September. Already preordered all six (They come in two packs of three), and yes, the Warrior Ten are raisable across all of them, not just the Frontier Digimon. The lineups are surprisingly good; first time we're getting two Rookies per Dim Card, and the Digimon available go well beyond just what's seen in the anime. Tinkermon and Kokabuterimon are on Fairimon and Blitzmon's Dims for example, and on Agnimon's Dim, 15 years since being introduced, DarkSuperstarmon is finally raisable in something. It just goes to show you how long some Digimon have to wait from being introduced to being on a v-pet, Digivice, or video game.

Also Vital Bracelet related, but also Digimon Ghost Game related. According to retail listings, Dim Card Set V3 (Gammamon being V1 and Angoramon & Jellymon being V2) will feature Espimon and Ryudamon. Espimon is obviously new; no pics yet because it's just a listing. On the other hand, Ryudamon's Dim Card coming out before Dorumon's is very curious, but it also means he might show up in Ghost Game as a "Sixth Ranger" Digimon. I'd be down with that!

Also, if you haven't done so, take a moment to look up Xiquemon and Huankunshou (Chinese name; his Japanese name hasn't been revealed yet) at Wikimon. They're new Digimon featured in Digimon New Century (The currently running Chinese mobile game), and they're pretty cool. Especially the latter.

[Ryo-Okay]

I watched the Survive trailer that released today, and I'm finally starting to get excited for it. All the delays had killed a lot of my interest, so when it got a release date I was just ready for it come out so we could move on. One thing in the trailer that rubbed me the wrong way, and this is just something I hate about Digimon games in general, is that it seems like we are getting more villains that aren't Digimon. I just want digimon to be the villains not other "digital monsters" that aren't digimon for some dumb reason.

Also the Vital Bracelet is getting an actual English release which is kind of cool. I'm still not too interested in it myself, but it's nice to see Bandai actually putting in some work to get Digimon products on shelves overseas. Now if only they would announce when the Digital Monster X 2s are getting released after they screwed them up.

[WarOmnimon]

Lots of recent announcements to take in and so forth in relates to Digimon. Espimon is coming to Digimon Ghost Game in this week's episode, we got our first peek at Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning, which looks interesting so far. Also, Ukkomon is adorable. (BEX Card when?) The Vital Bracelet BE Digimon 25th Anniversary Edition went up for preorder, and its included BEX Card finally gives Monzaemon a Mega form in ShinMonzaemon. I get Monokuma vibes from that guy, and can't wait to raise him.

In news that might have gone under some people's radars, the most recent booster for the Digimon Card Game, which will be titled Draconic Roar when it comes over here, revealed a redesign for BlackImperialdramon Fighter Mode (Who hasn't been seen officially in 20 years and is now beyond a mere recolor of Imperialdramon Fighter Mode) that the Digimon Reference Book profile has since confirmed is official. I'm really hoping he pops up on an upcoming BEX Card or the new Digimon Story, to be honest; the redesign is just plain awesome whatnot with the third eye and the Positron Laser Lance. *Points at his new profile photo*

Been loving Digimon Survive so far, of course. I started my Digimon Pendulum Ver.20th back up to raise Dorugoramon, and am currently running the Espimon Dim Card on my Vital Bracelet. Going after Bryweludramon, and then raising Durandamon on the Ryudamon Dim Card... anyone who knows their stuff knows where that's going. In the meantime, I'm waiting to hear more about the next Digimon Story game with bated breath.

[Ryo-Okay]

I'm way behind on Ghost Game, I think the last episode I watched was 20, but I saw Espimon in the Digimon Dreamers manga and he was fun there. ShinManzaemon's design is great, but so have most of the new Digimon introduced these past few years. The new spider Digimon on the Espimon or Ryudamon Dim is also really great.

Ryudamon's VA was announced and it is none other than Tenich himself, Masami Kikuchi. Ai Orikasa was also in Ghost Game earlier in the season as Tapirmon. I don't know what the current status of Tapirmon is in Ghost Game, but there is a chance that we could see Tenchi and Ryoko's VAs interact in a future episode.

As for Survive, I've already finished my first playthrough, and I'm currently on Part 6 of my second. I've really been enjoying it so far, and I'm surprised at how well a Digimon visual novel works. It feels like an interactive season of the anime, though a bit darker than the anime usually is. It's nice to have a Digimon game where the Digimon have actual personalities. For the first time in a Digimon game it feels like Agumon is my actual partner and not just a pet or an empty shell in my collection. I'm hoping it does well enough that we get a Survive 2 in the future.

[WarOmnimon]

Ryudamon's VA was announced and it is none other than Tenich himself, Masami Kikuchi. Ai Orikasa was also in Ghost Game earlier in the season as Tapirmon. I don't know what the current status of Tapirmon is in Ghost Game, but there is a chance that we could see Tenchi and Ryoko's VAs interact in a future episode.

Later episode? How about the most recent episode, which not only marked Ryudamon's first appearance but also marked Tapirmon's first appearance in a bit? How coincidental is that? (Ryo-Okay confirmed psychic, LOL.)

Anyway, just finished raising Ragnalordmon on my Vital Bracelet. Taking a break from actually raising Digimon on there and working on training the Digimon (And Medabots) I already have in the Vital Bracelet Lab app for online battles. Currently, I have HeavyLeomon, Volcanicdramon, OmegaKnight, GaruruMetal, Ragnalordmon, and Bryweludramon (When DNA Digivolving on the Vital Bracelet, only the active Digimon goes to their next form; the other Digimon stays put, which is basically how I got to keep GaruruMetal when I DNA Digivolved GreyWars into OmegaKnight). Ragnalordmon is currently the second most powerful Digimon in the app behind Gallantmon Crimson Mode, though I won't be surprised if Susanomon shakes up the tier list again when the Digimon Frontier Dim Cards come out in September.

[Ryo-Okay]

News of a Switch port of Digimon World Next Order may have leaked. I've never heard of this guy before, but supposedly he is reputable.
http://ryokutya2089.com/archives/58423

Bamco released an official trailer for it. It is releasing worldwide on February 22 on PC and Switch.

[WarOmnimon]

So, the Vital Bracelet BE is out and the Mega forms for Gammamon, Angoramon, and Jellymon have been revealed. Gammamon has a full dark line (Not just GulusGammamon), and Siriusmon and Arcturusmon, Gammamon's regular and dark Megas (Respectively), can DNA Digivolve into Proximamon, a third Mega whose profile confirms that he's pretty much a living reset button! O_O I wonder how the anime is going to handle Gammamon Digivolving into THAT form, but on the BE it's a DNA Digivolution. Angoramon and Jellymon's Mega forms Dilbitmon and Amphimon are also really cool... they made it hard for me to pick a favorite here.

As for what's going on with the BE beyond its initial drop. Angoramon's BE Memory Card is coming out in January (And it includes Plutomon; HYPED!), Jellymon's is coming out in March, and BE Memory Cards with Dragon (Savers / Data Squad Agumon, Dracomon, and Hackmon) and Beast (Gaomon, Coronamon, and Lunamon; and yes, GraceNovamon's on this one, HYPED AGAIN!) motifs are coming out in Spring 2023 with fan polls determining who the Adventure Mission unlocks are going to be. Beyond Digimon, the first of two confirmed My Hero Academia BE Memory Cards is out now, with the second one coming out right alongside Angoramon's and the first BE Memory Card for Tokyo Revengers in January. Still no word on when the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba BE Memory Cards are coming out or if any other franchises are gonna be added to the lineup later (And if so I'm really hoping for Dragon Ball, Super Sentai, and / or Symphogear, the possibility of Kamen Rider and Ultraman coming back into the lineup notwithstanding and I hope so in that case too).

Aside from the Digimon Ghost Game anime and Vital Bracelet BE continuing onward and Digimon World Next Order's Switch and PC versions dropping in February, the main things we should be keeping our eyes on in 2023 for Digimon right now are the 25th anniversary of Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 (Yabuno said that he's hoping for Digimon who were primarily featured in V-Tamer such as Arcadiamon and UlforceVeedramon Future Mode to start showing up in more stuff) and the 20th anniversary of the Digimon Pendulum X Series. Years ending in "3" and "8" are oddballs for Digimon anniversaries because they're the ones that don't have any seasons of the anime involved, so it's usually all about the X-Antibody Digimon on those years as we saw back in 2018. (And oh, we got the Virus / blue Greymon X and Reapmon X via the Digimon Card Game recently, so there's a head start already, LOL.)

P.S. Where's the Digimon 25th anniversary's posterboy, Bandai? You're late!

[Ryo-Okay]

Oh no, they are doing another Digimon Con next year.
https://twitter.com/DM_Partners/status/1603904388535586816

[WarOmnimon]

Oh no, they are doing another Digimon Con next year.
https://twitter.com/DM_Partners/status/1603904388535586816

To be fair, there are still some things that need to be discussed, namely the 25th anniversary posterboy (Whom we still haven't seen for King Drasil knows what reason; he's officially the latest introduced anniversary posterboy for Digimon in terms of timing as he has officially beat Hackmon's record of not being revealed until November of his corresponding anniversary year), not to mention that we know that the next Digimon Story is being worked on. We'll probably get information on that during Digimon Con given that Digimon Survive isn't getting any DLC and from what we've seen so far, the Switch and PC ports of Digimon World Next 0rder aren't getting any new content, just QoL improvements.

I'm not expecting anything about Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning here, as the anime talk is confirmed to feature the casts of Ghost Game and Frontier. The big news coming out of this will probably be related to the new Digimon Story and / or the 25th anniversary's posterboy. Maybe also some Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 25th anniversary and / or Digimon Pendulum X 20th anniversary related stuff.

[Ryo-Okay]

The big news coming out of this

After this year's Digimon Con I wouldn't expect any "big news." Did any news drop at this year's? I don't remember any.

[WarOmnimon]

The big news coming out of this

After this year's Digimon Con I wouldn't expect any "big news." Did any news drop at this year's? I don't remember any.

The biggest thing that this year's Digimon Con gave us was official word that the next Digimon Story would feature the Olympos XII. Now that Digimon Survive is out and confirmed done already (No DLC or content updates) and it's been a year since they first mentioned that detail, we should be getting information on the next Digimon Story soon. Surely they must have made at least enough progress on the game since then to at least give us a teaser trailer. I don't see any other logical timeframe for them to do so to be honest, because the only timeframe after that would be E3 which never gave us any new Digimon game announcements. Given how long we had to wait until Survive, I simply do not see Bandai Namco waiting all the way until Tokyo Game Show 2023 to formally announce the next Digimon Story. It just feels like a "now or never" type situation to me here, LOL.

There's also the fact that Digimon Ghost Game's director said recently that the show's endgame has already been written. Combine that with the fact that the Jellymon BE Memory Card will be out in February as confirmed last night, we're probably nearing the end of the show, which means they might be lining up to at least tease whatever anime is coming after Ghost Game (Provided we don't get a break in between seasons afterward). And as I mentioned, the Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 25th anniversary and Digimon Pendulum X 20th anniversary are next year and, as we saw back in 2018, Bandai tends to really lean into the Pendulum X anniversaries. The artist of V-Tamer also said recently that there's a chance of V-Tamer exclusive Digimon showing up elsewhere more often, so we might get some information on that too.

As someone who is absolutely loving the improvements they made to the Vital Bracelet BE compared to the original (The fact that stat training is possible now makes it so much more engaging), a set with a V-Tamer BE Memory Card and Digivice 01 wrist strap / cover for the Vital Bracelet BE (Similar to the ones that came with the Digimon 25th anniversary BE) would be pretty rad actually, especially given that there's no sign of Veedramon's line in any of the announced BE Memory Cards right now. It probably means they're saving him for something special.

TLDR I somehow feel that last year's Digimon Con walked so that 2023's could run, if you understand what I'm saying. I feel that at least one notable reveal will be made this time unlike the first one.