Digimon Fusion

Digimon Fusion,^[5] known in Japan as Digimon Xros Wars (デジモンクロスウォーズ, Dejimon Kurosu Wōzu, pronounced "Cross Wars"), is the sixth anime children television series in the Digimon franchise by Akiyoshi Hongō. It is produced by Toei Animation. It follows a boy named Taiki Kudō (Mikey Kudo in the English dub) who utilizes the power of joining together Digimon in order to save the Digital World. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation between July 6, 2010 and March 21, 2012. Because of that, this is the first season not to be broadcast on Fuji TV like the previous Digimon series. It is divided into three arcs with the latter two given the subtitles of The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms (悪のデスジェネラルと七つの王国, Aku no Desu Jeneraru to Nanatsu no Ōkoku) and The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time (時を駆ける少年ハンターたち, Toki o Kakeru Shōnen Hantā-tachi) respectively. The series was licensed outside of Asia by Saban Brands for an English-language dub produced by Studiopolis. The first arc was dubbed as the first season of Digimon Fusion. The second arc premiered on March 8, 2015.^[6]

Plot

Part I (episodes 1-30)

Mikey Kudo is a 7th grade boy with a need to help others. Mikey hears a mysterious voice and finds a dying Digimon named Shoutmon in a nearby alley. Mikey's desire to save Shoutmon causes a mysterious legendary Digivice called the Fusion Loader to appear in front of him and drags him and his friends Angie Hinomoto and Jeremy Tsurgi into the Digital World. Mikey, Angie, and Jeremy find there is a growing evil empire ruled by Bagramon. Bagramon is systematically taking over the 108 Zones of the Digital World by collecting the Code Crown fragments, which are parts of a special artifact that, when completely collected, allow the holder to rule the Digital World. Mikey decides to save the Digital World. Mikey forms his own team known as the Fusion Fighters. The Fusion Fighters befriend various Digimon. Mikey uses his Fusion Loader to DigiFuse the Digimon from the Fusion Fighter team to battle Bagramon's Bagra Army legions and collect all the Code Crown fragments. On his journey, the Fusion Fighter team encounters two other generals. The two other generals are Christopher Aonuma and his Blue Flare team and Nene Amano with her Midnight team. However, Nene is later revealed as a figurehead for Midnight's true leader: a Digifusion named AxeKnightmon who blackmailed her in aiding him in creating the Darkness Loader. After AxeKnightmon attempts to dispose of her once she outlived her usefulness, Nene joins the Fusion Fighters.

The Fusion Fighters continued to collect the Code Crown fragments, slowly restoring peace and order to the Digital World. But when a final confrontation for a fully formed Code Crown begins, Bagramon takes it while sending Mikey, Angie, and Jeremy back to the human world along with Shoutmon and Bagra Army general Tactimon. With the Fusion Fighters' core members out of the way, Bagramon begins his reign alongside AxeKnightmon who is revealed as his younger brother. Ending up in their hometown of Koto, the Fusion Fighters meet Omnimon who is an ancient warrior sealed in a DigiCard. Omnimon is the one who gave Mikey his Fusion Loader. An enlarged Tactimon fully bioemerges and causes havoc until the feelings of Angie and Jeremy enable Shoutmon to Digivolve into OmniShoutmon to destroy Tactimon for good. Omnimon used his remaining energy to send Mikey and Shoutmon back to the Digital World, while Angie and Jeremy remain in the human world.

Part II: The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms (episodes 31-54)

Upon returning to the Digital World, Mikey and Shoutmon find that Bagramon has reconstructed the Digital World into an empire divided into seven kingdoms. Each kingdom is ruled by a denominated Dark General with their own Darkness Loaders that have the ability to forcibly DigiFuse Digimon gained from the Bagra Army's new second in command AxeKnightmon. Reunited with their allies, Mikey and Nene convince Christopher to join forces with them. Mikey, Christopher, and Nene travel together through the seven kingdoms to defeat the seven Dark Generals, learning that Nene's kid brother Ewan Amano is helping the Bagra Army after AxeKnightmon had tricked the boy into thinking the Digital World is a game for his pleasure. In time, the Fusion Fighters learn that Bagramon uses the seven Dark Generals to gather negative energy from the suffering they caused to transform the Code Crown into the "Dark Stone" for his upcoming day for ultimate destruction, which he calls "D5." During the journey, Christopher, Nene and Ewan's pasts and motivations are revealed. Some Digimon are killed in battle, allies are made, and stronger DigiFusions are created to better combat the seven Dark Generals. After defeating the seven Dark Generals while opening Ewan's eyes to the truth, the Fusion Fighters finally confront Bagramon. Bagramon reveals his intentions to combine the human and digital worlds with himself as the supreme ruler.

Bagramon's plans are temporarily disrupted when AxeKnightmon forcibly absorbs him to gain more power in the form of Darkest AxeKnightmon. But Bagramon overpowers his brother while converting the DigiFusion into DarknessBagramon. In the process, Shoutmon dies while DarknessBagramon sends Mikey, Christopher, and Nene to a void. But Mikey, Christopher, and Nene are saved by Angie and Jeremy using the last two DigiMemory Cards. In the final battle, Ewan's Darkness Loader turned into a yellow Fusion Loader for his use. Mikey, Angie, and Cutemon decide to go inside the Dark Stone to find Shoutmon. Mikey, Angie, and Cutemon are attacked by the metaphysical incarnation of Bagramon. When the completed Code Crown chose Mikey as its true owner, Shoutmon is revived alongside all the dead Digimon: Including fallen allies (Beelzemon & Deckerdramon) and former enemies (Grademon, Apollomon and Olegmon). The Digimon trapped in the DigiMemory Cards also regain their original forms. The Digimon are all DigiFused into Shoutmon X7 Superior Mode, who destroys MegaDarknessBagramon (a gigantic version of DarknessBagramon after he absorbed parts of his surroundings to increase his size). The Fusion Fighters and Shoutmon X7 Superior Mode save both the human and digital worlds, the human members remaining in the human world as they say farewell to all their Digimon friends as they return to their world to rebuild it under their new Digimon King Shoutmon.

Part III: The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time (episodes 55-79)

A year has passed since the battle against MegaDarknessBagramon. Mikey established the Fusion Fighters basketball team consisting of himself, Ewan, and his classmate named Tagiru Akashi. One day, Tagiru discovers a strange and unstable realm in-between the human and digital worlds called the DigiQuartz. The DigiQuartz is where Fusion Loader wielding children known as Digimon Hunters hunt down and capture Digimon that escape from the Digital World to feed off the negative emotions of humans. Given a Fusion Loader by a strange old man and accompanied by a Digimon named Gumdramon, Tagiru, along with Mikey, Ewan and their Digimon, join the Digimon Hunt to investigate and protect their world from rampant Digimon while clashing against rival hunters. In the end, the Clock Store Owner reveals to everyone the truth that the Digimon Hunt was to select one among the Digimon Hunters to battle Quartzmon. Quartzmon is a deadly Digimon born from the residual power that lingered after MegaDarknessBagramon's defeat with the combined Digital Power in the human world that intends to change the entire human world into the DigiQuartz while absorbing all converted data.

To fight the threat, the Clock Store Owner traveled through time and space to summon the eight original Digidestined, the four new Digidestined, the Digimon Tamers, the Legendary Digimon Warriors, and the operatives of DATS from their different universes to fend off Quartzmon alongside the reunited Fusion Fighter Army. Taigiru and the other Digimon Hunters battle each other to unlock the "Brave Snatcher," which is a weapon created from Bagramon's right arm that can defeat Quartzmon. Though a Hunter named Ryouma wins the Brave Snatcher, he is revealed as a tool by Quartzmon in the form of his partner Astamon. With the blessing of Mikey and the other group leaders, Tagiru is chosen as Ryouma's replacement. In a decisive battle, Tagiru uses the power of the Brave Snatcher to defeat Quartzmon and capture his DigiEgg. With Quartzmon defeated, the balance between the Human and Digital Worlds is restored, with the Digimon returning to the Digital World while the heroes are sent back to their universes. A month after Quartzmon's defeat, Tagiru and Gumdramon are reunited. The Clock Store Owner reappears, who reveals that there are still some Digimon running astray in the Human World. In the occasion, Mikey confirms his suspicion that the Clock Store Owner is actually the reincarnation of Bagramon, who has now dedicated himself to protect the human and Digital Worlds.

Media

Anime

Digimon Xros Wars was first publicly revealed in the June 2010 issue of Shueisha's V Jump magazine, including the name of the series and brief descriptions of the series and several main characters.^[7] The series was the first to be broadcast in widescreen 16:9 and in HD 1080i and aired on TV Asahi between July 6, 2010, and March 25, 2012. Crunchyroll began streaming the series outside Japan for the original Japanese version with English subtitles in November 2011.^[8] Disney XD in Malaysia aired a William Winckler-produced English version along with original Chinese and Malay dubs based on the original Japanese version from December 8, 2012, titled Digimon Fusion Battles.^[9]

The series has been licensed by Saban Brands for an English language release began airing in North America, contracting Studiopolis to dub the series into English and hiring Noam Kaniel to compose the music for the series. The series began airing on Nickelodeon from September 7, 2013 and later began airing on The CW's Vortexx programming block from January 25, 2014 - September 27, 2014^{[3][4][10][11]} and the entire first arc became available on Netflix on September 13, 2014. The entire second arc became available on Netflix on March 8, 2016.

In Latin America, the series began being broadcast on Cartoon Network in May 1, 2014.^[12] Beginning on February 24, 2014, Fusion began airing in the United Kingdom on CITV, the same channel that aired the first three seasons.^[13][14] In Canada, YTV, which aired previous installments of the franchise (barring Data Squad), began airing the series on February 28, 2014.

The show is currently aired on the Philippines on Hero TV dubbed in Filipino

Theme songs

Opening theme songs (Japan)

• "Never Give Up!" (ネバギバ!, Neba Giba!) by Sonar Pocket (1-30)
• "New World" by Twill (31-54)
• "STAND UP" by Twill (55-79)

Insert songs (Japan)

• "WE ARE Xros Heart!" (WE ARE クロスハート!, WE ARE Kurosu Hāto!) by Kōji Wada
• "Blazing Blue Flare" by Hideaki Takatori
• "X4B The Guardian!" by Kōji Wada
• "Sora Mau Yūsha! X5" (空舞う勇者!×5, Sora Mau Yūsha! Kurosu Faibu, "Whirl Through the Sky! X5") by Kōji Wada
• "Dark Knight ~Fujimi no Ōja~" (DARK KNIGHT～不死身の王者～, "Dark Knight (The Immortal Ruler)") by Takayoshi Tanimoto
• "Evolution &Digixros ver.TAIKI" by Kōji Wada & Takayoshi Tanimoto
• "Evolution &Digixros ver.KIRIHA" by Takayoshi Tanimoto & Kōji Wada
• "WE ARE Xros Heart! ver. X7" (WE ARE クロスハート! ver. X7, WE ARE Kurosu Hāto! ver. X7) by Kōji Wada, Takayoshi Tanimoto & Ayumi Miyazaki
• "Tagiru Chikara!" (タギルチカラ!, "Overflowing Power!") by Psychic Lover
• "Shining Dreamers" by Takafumi Iwasaki
• "Legend Xros Wars" (レジェンド・クロスウォーズ, Rejendo Kurosu Wōzu) by YOFFY and Takafumi Iwasaki

Theme song (US / International - Outside Asia)

• "Act as One (Digimon Fusion Theme)" by Noam Kaniel and Frederic Jaffre (1-79)

There are no ending themes for the anime since all the credits are incorporated into the opening themes like in most of the anime that are broadcast on TV Asahi in Japan.

Manga

A manga adaptation of the series by Yuki Nakashima began serialisation in V-Jump magazine from June 21, 2010, featuring several major plot differences from the anime. The manga consists of twenty-one chapters included in four volumes. The last chapter was released on March 21, 2012.

Home Release

Part I was released in the US on February 10, 2015 via Cinedigm,^[15] in Germany on June 15, 2015,^[16] and in the UK in via ITV Studios Home Entertainment. In Australia, Part I was released in several volumes from June 11, 2014.^[17]

Part II was released in the US on March 1, 2016 via Cinedigm.^[18]

Video games

Two arcade machines, Digimon X Arena (デジモンクロスアリーナ, Dejimon Kurosu Arīna) and Super Digicard Battle (超デジカ大戦, Sūpā Dejika Taisen), have been released, which utilise special cards. A videogame based on the series, Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars (デジモンストーリー超クロスウォーズ, Dejimon Sutōrī Sūpā Kurosu Wōzu), was released in Red and Blue versions for the Nintendo DS on March 3, 2011. Together, Super Xros Wars serves as the fourth game in the Digimon Story series.

Reception

Digimon Xros Wars: The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time was nominated for the 2012 International Emmy Kids Awards for "Best Animation"

References

External links

Official English Websites

• Digimon Fusion Nicktoons website
• Digimon Fusion at SabanBrands.com

Official Japanese Websites

• TV Asahi's official Digimon Xros Wars website
  • The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms
  • The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time
• Toei Animation's official Digimon Xros Wars website
  • The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time
• Digimon website
• Data Carddass: Super Digica Taisen
• Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars, Blue and Red

Others

• Digimon Fusion (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Digimon Xros Wars at the Internet Movie Database