Digimon

Digimon, short for Digital Monsters, is a Japanese media franchise created by Akiyoshi Hongo and owned by Bandai. It began as virtual pet toys released in 1997 and expanded into anime, films, manga, video games, and a trading card game.

The core concept centers on creatures known as Digimon who inhabit the Digital World, a parallel dimension derived from Earth's communications networks. Digimon form bonds with human partners, often young protagonists, who call upon Digivices to help their Digimon evolve into more powerful forms to face threats.

Digimon evolve through a process called Digivolution, with forms typically categorized into Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega stages. Some Digimon can also fuse with others in certain continuities. The partnership between human and Digimon—often called a DigiDestined or Tamers relationship—drives the narrative across series, games, and other media.

The flagship anime series began with Digimon Adventure in 1999, followed by Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, and later entries such as Digimon Data Squad and Digimon Fusion. The franchise has produced numerous feature films and manga adaptations, as well as dozens of video games, including early Digimon World titles and the Digimon Story role-playing games.

A collectible and competitive card game, Digimon Card Game, was launched in 2020, with revisions and new sets released subsequently. Overall, Digimon blends themes of friendship, growth, and cooperation with science fiction and fantasy, maintaining a presence across multiple media formats since its inception.