‘Digimon’ is one of the most popular anime franchises in the world.’ Digimon,’ short for “Digital Monsters,” is a Japanese media franchise that includes virtual pet toys, anime series, video games, trading card games, and more. The concept revolves around creatures that inhabit a digital world, and they can evolve into more powerful forms. It’s like a digital adventure with monsters, and each Digimon has its unique characteristics and abilities.
‘The Digimon’ franchise released its first anime series back in 1999, and now, 24 years later, it has expanded to cover 519 episodes across nine seasons and 20 movies in total, with the latest movies being released in 2023. Considering that it can’t be easy navigating the ‘Digimon’ waters, we decided to bring you a comprehensive watch order of the entire franchise.
Editor’s Note: This watch order was updated in November 2023 with the ending of ‘Digimon Ghost Game.’
All nine seasons and 20 ‘Digimon’ movies in release date order
The original ‘Digimon’ anime series, titled ‘Digimon Adventure,’ premiered in 1999 and received generally positive reviews. Fans appreciated its storyline, character development, and the unique concept of Digimon evolving into more powerful forms. The series was praised for its action, emotional moments, and the exploration of friendship and teamwork. But, the franchise never amassed planetary success (or monetary) success of the ‘Pokemon’ franchise it was trying to copy. Still, nowadays it is massive and has enough lore to put far older franchises to shame. Let’s see the release date order of ‘Digimon’ franchise:
- ‘Digimon Adventure’ (1999 – 2000)
- ‘Digimon Adventure’ (1999) – Short Film
- ‘Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!’ (2000) – Short Film
- ‘Digimon Adventure 02’ (2000-2001)
- ‘Digimon Adventure 02: Part 1: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!!’ /
‘Part 2: Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals’ (2000) Short Film - ‘Digimon Adventure 3D: Digimon Grand Prix!’ (2000) Short Film
- ‘Digimon: The Movie’ (2000) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon’ Short Film
- ‘Digimon Tamers’ (2001-2002)
- ‘Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers’ (2001) Short Film
- ‘Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon’ (2002) Short Film
- ‘Digimon Frontier’ (2002-2003)
- ‘Digimon Frontier: Island of Lost Digimon’ (2002) Short Film
- ‘Digital Monster X-Evolution’ (2005) Movie
- ‘Digimon Data Squad’ (2006-2007)
- ‘Digimon Savers 3D: The Digital World in Imminent Danger!’ (2006) Short Film
- ‘Digimon Savers: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!!’ (2006) Short Film
- ‘Digimon Fusion’ (2010-2012)
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 1: Reunion’ (2015) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 2: Determination’ (2016) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 3: Confession’ (2016) Movie
- ‘Digimon Universe : App Monsters’ (2016-2017)
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 4: Loss’ (2017) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 5: Coexistence’ (2017) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 6: Future’ (2018) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure 20th Memorial Story’ OVA 5 Episodes (2019-2020)
- ‘Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna’ (2020) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure: 2020’ (2020-2021)
- ‘Digimon Ghost Game (2021-2023)
- ‘Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning’ Movie (2023)
Are all ‘Digimon’ series, movies & short films connected? What’s the best way to watch them?
The various Digimon series, movies, and short films are part of the larger Digimon franchise, but they don’t all share a continuous, linear storyline. Instead, they often exist within their own universes or timelines. The franchise has multiple seasons of the anime, each with its own set of characters, story arcs, and Digital Worlds.
While some series may have direct sequels or tie-ins, others are standalone and don’t necessarily follow the events of previous installments. However, there are common themes, concepts, and elements that connect them all as part of the Digimon universe. For example, the idea of kids partnering with Digimon, the Digital World, and the concept of Digivolution are recurring themes throughout the franchise.
If you’re interested in exploring the Digimon series, you can choose a particular season or storyline to start with, as they are often self-contained. When it comes to specific storylines, the release date order is your best bet.
All ‘Digimon’ series & films in chronological order
Now as we’ve mentioned before, ‘Digimon’ storylines are pretty much self-contained within separate “seasons.” And this is how we’re going to approach sorting this chronological order:
1. ‘Digimon Adventure’ (1999-2000)
- ‘Digimon Adventure’ film (1999)
- ‘Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!’ (2000)
- ‘Digimon Adventure 02’ (2000)
- Digimon Adventure 02: Part 1: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Part 2: Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (2000)
- Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon (2001)
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 1: Reunion’ (2015) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 5: Coexistence’ (2017) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 3: Confession’ (2016) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 4: Loss’ (2017) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 5: Coexistence’ (2017) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 6: Future’ (2018) Movie
- ‘Digimon Adventure 20th Memorial Story’ (2019 – 2020)
- ‘Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution – Kizuna’ (2020)
- ‘Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning’ (2023)
The earliest point in the ‘Digimon’ chronology is the ‘Digimon Adventure’ Short Film that was aired before the first episode of the anime. The short film detailed the first encounter of the DigiDestined with Digimon. The second movie in the franchise ‘Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! takes place after the events of episode 54 and leads into the events of ‘Adventure’ and ’02.’
‘Digimon Adventure 02’ takes place three years after the first season; during this period, the DigiDestined resume their initial life, thinking of the digital world, a world parallel to the real world in which they have managed to defeat Apocalymon, who has become calm and peaceful again.
The third ‘Digimon’ short film is set after episode 21, right after the DigiDestined defeated the Digimon Emperor, not knowing that an even greater threat is lurking in the Digital World. The fifth movie was, once again, a short, episode-long work (29 minutes) set after the conclusion of the ’02’ anime but before the epilogue presented at the end.
‘tri.’ Takes place three years following the conclusion of ’02.’ ‘tri.’ was initially announced as a new anime series, only for Toei Animation to reveal that it was going to be distributed as six feature-length anime movies that would present a new story focusing on the original DigiDestined.
‘Kizuna’ was a feature-length anime movie that delivered an emotional farewell to the series that inspired generations.
‘The Beginning’, released in 2023, is set in the same continuity as the first two ‘Digimon’ television anime series; it is the sequel to ‘Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna’ and serves as the series finale of the ‘Digimon Adventure 02’ story.
2. ‘Digimon Tamers’ (2001 – 2002)
- ‘Digimon Tamers’ (2001)
- ‘Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers’ (2001)
- ‘Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon’(2002)
After closing the initial ‘Adventure’ arc, Toei Animation and Akiyoshi Hongo moved on to a different concept, thus creating ‘Digimon Tamers.’ The general concept remained the same, but this anime was not part of the same narrative continuity as ‘Adventure’ and was different in tone, narration, and character development. ‘Tamers’ followed a group of children who, with their Digimon, had to fight the emerging threat of the D-Reaper, a digital entity that threatened to destroy both the Digital and the Real World, at the same time discovering important secrets about the history of the Digital World.
‘Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers’ (2001) takes place between episodes 23 and 25 of the original ‘Tamers’ anime, and the last movie is set several months after the DigiDestined parted ways with the partners and was created to confirm that the Tamers were reunited with their Digimon partners after the series ended.
3. ‘Digimon Frontier’ (2002 – 2003)
- ‘Digimon Frontier’ (2002)
- ‘Digimon Frontier: Island of Lost Digimon’(2002)
Instead of continuing Tamers, Hongo and Toei opted once more to change the concept and create a completely new anime that was titled ‘Digimon Frontier.’ This anime further changed the concept, the history, and the narrative of the franchise, introducing – for the first time – actual human Digivolution, as the protagonists used Spirits to become Digimon.
Due to its timeline, it was very difficult to position ‘Digimon Frontier: Island of Lost Digimon’ within the timeline of the ‘Frontier’ series. The situation was not completely clear, and there have been no references to the movie in the anime series, but we believe that it would be best if you saw this 40-minute movie between episodes 37 and 38 because it best fits the whole narrative context.
4. ‘Digimon Data Squad’ (2006 – 2009)
- ‘Digimon Data Squad,’ or ‘Digimon Savers’ (2006 – 2007)
- ‘Digimon Savers: Ultimate Power! Burst Mode Activated!!’ (2007)
- ‘Digimon Savers 3D: The Digital World in Imminent Danger!’ (2009)
A three-year pause was made between two consecutive seasons for the first time since the franchise’s debut. This was also the last series until ‘Adventure,’ which aired on Fuji TV since other stations broadcast the series that came out in between. ‘Data Squad’ returned to the original concept of the children having a partner, Digimon, but used an original approach and changed a lot of the details. Here, Digimon are a well-known phenomenon and there is a special organization (DATS) dealing with Digimon emerging in the Real World.
‘Ultimate Power! Burst Mode Activated’ movie has initially caused a lot of continuity and canon-related debates. Namely, the movie revolves around Agumon, Gaomon and Lalamon, whose partners are put into an eternal sleep, along with the rest of the humans, because of a mysterious thorn that spread throughout the city. This is why some fans don’t consider it to be canon in the first place.
The second movie ‘Digimon Savers 3D’ has no relation to the main timeline of ‘Data Squad’
5. ‘Digimon Xros Wars’ (2010 – 2012)
- ‘Digimon Xros Wars’ (2010 – 2011)
- ‘The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms’ (2011)
- ‘The Hunters Who Leapt Through Time’ (2011 – 2012)
‘Digimon Xros Wars’ was the sixth season of the ‘Digimon’ anime and the first to not be aired on Fuji TV; it was aired on TV Asahi but was still produced by Toei Animation. ‘Xros Wars,’ or ‘Digimon Fusion,’ as it is known in the United States, was divided into three seasons – ‘Digimon Xros Wars,’ ‘The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms,’ and ‘The Hunters Who Leapt Through Time’ – which aired from 2010 to 2012. In the U.S., the whole series was just called ‘Digimon Fusion,’ and the three seasons had no specific titles; we have to say that ‘Hunters’ never received a localized dub, which explains why there aren’t any official English episode titles.
6. ‘Digimon Adventure: 2020’ (2020 – 2021)
In 2020, Toei Animation finally decided to launch another anime series. After completing the original ‘Adventure’ arc with ‘Kizuna,’ the franchise could finally move forward, and it did by relaunching the original ‘Adventure’ anime, but in a new framework. The original characters were left intact, but the animation was improved, and the story, although it kept some elements from the original series, was completely new. Thus, ‘Digimon’ finally returned to Fuji TV after years of absence.
The story of the series begins in 2020. Humans can no longer do without the network in their daily lives. Taichi Yagami prepares to go to his summer camp while his mother and younger sister Hikari Yagami have gone to take a train to Shibuya. A major cyberattack hits Tokyo. Tai tries to save his mother and sister. Still, he is suddenly transported into the digital network, where he joins forces with Agumon to protect the population from a most terrible crisis. They meet Yamato Ishida and his partner Gabumon, and together, they defeat Argomon, as Omegamon. However, danger still lurks.
7. ‘Digimon Ghost Game’ (2021 – present)
In recent years, an innovative form of technology has emerged — holograms. On social networks, rumors circulate about strange phenomena whose authenticity is unknown, referred to as “hologram ghosts.” Hiro Amanokawa is, a middle schooler at Hazakura Private School, rather helpful and serious.
He is also very curious, which leads him to take an interest in a mysterious artifact inherited from his father called a “Digivice”, making visible to his eyes unknown creatures that cannot be seen by ordinary mortals, the Digimon. Since his encounter with Gammamon, a mischievous Digimon entrusted to him by his father, Hiro will regularly find himself confronted with various strange phenomena: facing a man with a sewn mouth stealing the life expectancy of human beings or even a mummy who wanders every night to sequester people, etc.
Where can you watch the Digimon franchise?
Finding all ‘Digimon’ specials, short films, etc., can be exhausting because not everything was released in the West. Some installments were only aired in Japan, and to watch them, you will have to get creative; however, when it comes to mainline series and most popular works, we’ve got you covered, as almost the entirety of ‘Digimon’ franchise can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Will there be more seasons of ‘Digimon’ anime?
‘Digimon Ghost Game’ just recently aired its first run in March 2023 with 60+ episodes. As for the future, it’s quite possible that the ‘Digimon’ franchise will be revamped one more time.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!
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