Which is better between Pokémon and Digimon? After all, there is so much to compare that, on any given day, on any given subject, the “win” could go to either side. Does that mean we're giving this list 𝓡a tie? Well, you can either read on naturally and find out, or you can skip to the end where we'll either confirm it or deny it. Look, we know some of you will!

What's the point in comparing these? It's fun to draw contrasts t🌱o t💟wo big franchises filled with monster-raising, heroic adventures, broad-ranging multimedia, and more. Plus, people have been arguing over this for over two decades. We wanted to argue with ourselves for a change.

Updated July 14, 2024 by Quinton O'Connor: We've rewritten quite a bit of this list to better-reflect the time at which it's being updated. Many portions needed to be altered, as the original Pokemon anime has come to a close, another couple of Pokemon generations and Digimon games alike have arrived on the scene, and more.

The Games: Pokemon

Digimon has had a few gaming victories, with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth arguably chief among them. A sequel has long been anticipated, but as of this writing, has yet to come t♛o pass. The Digimon Worl♌d games are a mixed bag (with some good ones, to be sure) and Digimon Survive is a bit lacking though it tells a decent tale.

Pokemon is... well, it's Pokemon. Few longtime fans love every game with the name on it, but there have been so many hits - and w🧔e're not just passing judgment per fin꧟ancial success. Acclaim is grand for several generations of the games, and you'll be hard-pressed to find any mainline or console-based spinoff that doesn't have its merits.

In this c🔥ategory, we don'🌃t think it's particularly close.

The Stories: Digimon

In stark contrast to the overall optimistic feeling in the Pokémon series, Digimon has often dealt with more serious stakes. In fact, as many fans of the original Digimon show will remember, Leomon actually dies.

Beyond teaching kids about mortality, Digimon also features characters whose parents are divorced or may struggle with issues like anxiety. For many kids growing up, that kind o❀f representation helps them feel a little less lonely or like a "weird kid."

There's a lot to love with Pokemon's stories, especially♓ in the anime (which is more or less the point of direct comparison in this category). The first Pokemon movie has made many a child cry, and the anime has achieved it a few times. Indeed, some darker subjects abound in the games as well; a certain villain💮 in Pokemon Sun & Moon isn't exactly kind to her kids.

Just ﷽the same, we're giving the edge to Digimon here.

The Heroes: Digimon

It's easy to root for Ash Ketchum, and several of his sidekicks through the seasons were pretty great, too. (We're big fans of Serena from the XY anime, but she's got close contenders elsewhere.) Ash's pure heart and grit, and the eclectic band of Pokemon whom he befriends, is pleasant stuff. But Ash and Pikachu don't evolve (heh) often. It's not that the show is static wi♕th them, but for as many episodes as it had, it's not far off.

The games, with their blank-sla𝓡te silent protagonists, can't compete here. The newer Pokemon series, Horizons, has some g𓂃ood protagonists, but at least at this point in the show's life, they can't stack up to Digimon's often-excellent lead characters.

From Tai and Matt to Marcus Damon, and so many between and since, these are people who grow,ღ who demonstrate courage and conviction, and whose relatively limited screentime (next to Ash, who can rival it?) means they must be written more dynamically... well, it adds up.

The Villains: Pokémon

Pokemon's got Jesse and James. Their wacky antics give the show a Saturday morning cartoon vibe. We saw Team Rocket (Jesse, James, and Meowth specifically) come in and blast off for hundreds of episodes, and while there's zero points for originality here w📖hen it's repeated so frequently, oddly? Their personalities overcame this🥃 more than enough.

Lysandre from Pokemon XY isn't handled all that well in the games, but in the anime, he's a force to be reckoned with. On the other hand, N could have been handled better in the Best Wishes (Black & White) anime... but his gravitas in the games and their direct sequels is superb. And rivals like Blue, Silver, Gladion, and Bede pepper the games with further texture. It's seldom villainous, but they're good foils!

Many of the villains in Digimon are fellow Digimon themselves. Their goals are often fairly straightforward - not that there's anything wrong with that - destroy or take over the🉐 Digital World and/or the real realm. The leading human villain in Digimon Savers is written well - a real love-to-hate scenario - and there's a grandeur to the battles with the anime's (and sometimes the games') "final bosses" thaℱt evokes a JRPG joy we can't ignore.

This one's close, but whew, Jesse and James push i🥃t over the edge.

The Monsters: Pokémon

The variety across Pokémon species is astounding. On top of that, their names are unique and often cleverly turned into puns. Digimon names are almost ⛦always straight on the nose descriptions with a “mon” thrown at the end. This linear naming schema can see🍬m to lack originality at times.

What this boils down to, though, is the sheer diversity that Pokemon provides. Many Digimon are rad, but with over a thousand Pokemon and counting, it's a numbers game. Not a case of "quantity over quality", as both franchises have plenty of quality. It's just... Pokemon is so big, that it's got so many of these critters, and more are on the way al🌄l the time. And when there are this many winners, the winner is Pokemon.

The Transformations: Digimon

Let’s talk about the two ways both properties use change. When Pokémon evolve, they litܫerally turn into something else forev♎er. As one example, trainers can use a Thunder Stone to evolve a Pikachu into a Raichu. But then you're stuck with Raichu forever.

🃏In Digimon, the case is (usually) a controllable, malleable, transformation. It preserves the aesthetic and personality of the previo𝕴us creature, and while there's something to be said for Pokemon's choice to commit to the bit - we wouldn't want that changed within its own franchise confines - Digivolution is just too cool.

Plus, the music is so glorious when Digivolutions happen in the anime, especially in the native Japanese versions. So many different seasons, often set in their own univers𓆏es, and this rarely fails to impress.

The Winner: The Fans

When there's so much to love in Pokemon and Digimon alike, we can't bring ourselves to choose. But as fans of both IPs ourselves, we've got to say, we're eating good. There's plenty of reason for♛ someone to love one of these long-lasting franchises and not so much the other, but they each bring forward so many unique elements that can appeal to a large number of people in their own specialized ways.

What more can we ask for?