#virus attribute

DigiMonday - GOKUMON (aka Reapermon)

(Ultimate Level/Virus Attribute/Cyborg Type)

Not to be mistaken for the internationally renowned alien monkey himbo of the same name (who's vibe, it must be said, is orders of magnitude more agreeable,) Gokumon debuted as the final boss of the arcade mode of 2001's Digimon Rumble Arena (a Super Smash Bros style platform fighter staring 'Mons featured in the Digimon anime of the time.) A looming, mechanised take on a classic Grim Reaper (complete with a sickle hand and not one but four ominous metal skulls,) it certainly looks the part of both a final boss (complete with all the asymmetry and gaudy over-the-top blades-upon-blades you'd expect of a Digimon filling the "big bad" role.)

(Given that one of the Rumble Arena's playable Digis that Gokumon could be pitted against is Wormmon this definitely feels like overkill. Image source here.)

That being said, while Gokumon wears the role of final boss and English localised name of Reapermon nicely the Digimon Encyclopaedia's description of it as an overly-violent outlaw-chasing bounty hunter born from databases of wanted criminals seems to make less sense (being indiscriminate is kind of as much the Grim Reaper's thing as a love of cool gothic robes and repurposed farm equipment, after all.) This makes a lot more sense, however, when considering the origin of its original Japanese name; the "Goku" in Gokumon seems to be taken not from the aforementioned Mimbo (monkey himbo) but from Jigoku, one of several possible impermanent afterlives described in Buddhist texts of Japanese origin. Jigoku is often described as essentially "Buddhist hell", and while that's not inaccurate per say (with both being places where the souls of the wicked are punished after death) Jigoku differs from typical Christian imaginings of hell in being both temporary (with souls essentially serving sentences, typically of multiple thousands of years long, before being allowed to return to the cycle of reincarnation) and bespoke (with different souls being sent to different Jigokus of varying hellish-ness depending on the severity of their crimes, culminating in Mugen Jigoku which is said to be literally too horrific to describe.) With Jigoku essentially being a sort of brutal correctional facility for the dead, Gokumon being imagined as a justice-obsessed psychopomp that drags souls there is a very fun take on the grim reaper premise!

Favourite Gokumon Art: This card from the Digimon TCG. The shading gives it a particularly fun "old comic book" feel, which goes quite a way to sell the equal-parts imposing and goofy premise of an enormous demonic robot skeleton man...

A new custom line of Digimon I commissioned from Weirdomon!

Moppetmon, Zonbimon, Bansheemon and Hecatemon!

A line based around undeath! information and lore below!

Raremon!!!!

In the original Digimon virtual pets, you would traditionally begin with a small “Baby I” digimon, which would soon after evolve into a “Baby II” digimon. From there, it would typically branch into one of two Child-level digimon, which is the usual default stage of most partner digimon and the most recognizable mascots of the franchise. The way virtual pets work is that, depending on the way you care for your digimon, you could influence the outcome of its evolution. The next stage, the Adult-level, is where the original line of virtual pets had the widest span of possibilities. You could influence the resulting evolution depending on factors such as how much training you do with your digimon, how much food you give it, and how often you disturb its sleep. If you fail to meet the requirements for any other evolution, typically through too many care mistakes due to overfeeding, underfeeding, or not letting your digimon get sufficient sleep, your digimon will commonly evolve into what’s known as a “failure evolution” for its Adult stage.

Failure evolutions, as the term implies, tend to be relatively weak and unsightly. They’re typically associated with sludge or garbage, and were a recurring trend of all of the virtual pets in the early years of Digimon. Raremon is one such example. Most failure evolutions tend to be rather small and goofy, but Raremon notably averts this trend, appearing as a massive rotting monstrosity. Raremon essentially represents the attempt of a dying, poorly-treated digimon to extend its own life through mechanization, but in the process it destabilized its form and corrupted its data. Its mental faculties have been rendered nonexistent and it continues to decay indefinitely, but thanks to the machines incorporated into its body, it is unable to actually die.

Needless to say, this is an absolutely marvelous concept for a Digimon. Raremon is simultaneously horrifying and pathetic; a perfect balance of repulsive and pitiable. Its design reflects this superb balance quite well, with a ghastly visage of viscous, rotten slime permeated by wires and metal cords. Its asymmetrical eyes bulge out of metal-plated orifices, and its gaping maw is lined with horrible talon-like teeth. What appears to be a ribcage can be seen peeking from its side, and its back is lined with markings reminiscent of a circuitboard. All of these elements would be quite good individually, but together they make for a truly stunning entity. Appropriate for such a wretched being, its primary method of attack is the expulsion of rancid breath and acid from its mouth, though few beings can tolerate the foul stench it emanates long enough to fight it in the first place.

Raremon is almost entirely antithetical to what is traditionally considered marketable. It’s not cute, badass, or even silly. It’s just a putrid affront to nature that absolutely should not exist. This is the beauty of Raremon: it commits to its concept perfectly and whole-heartedly, making no sacrifice for the sake of toning itself down in the name of commercial appeal. And for a long time – more than 20 years – it would remain the only digimon to really capture such a excellent aesthetic. As of 2021 though, we’ve finally been blessed with a direct evolution that directly carries on Raremon’s theme: Rare Raremon. And with that, it feels like this fetid fiend is finally getting some of the respect it rightfully deserves.

tamers impmon is nice and all, but nobody ever draws old impmon nowadays

DigiMonday - BASTEMON (aka Beastmon/Persiamon)

(Perfect Level/Virus Attribute/Beast Man Type)

You may already know that cats were historically held in high regard in Egypt, but do you know why this was the case (gremlin charm and loveable toe beans notwithstanding)? In addition to (and likely at as a result of) the role that Domestic Cats served in protecting crops and stored grains from rodents when they were first domesticated in northern Africa cats were associated with several gods and other mythological figures, and were particularly associated with the goddess that lends Bastemon her name, 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 (Bastet!)

(Gunawan Kartapranata's depiction of Bastet, image source here.)

Also known as Bast, Bastet is believed to have originated as a local deity worshipped in the ancient city of Bubastis (located in northeastern Egypt, near where modern Zagazig stands today) over 4,000 years ago, but her influence slowly spread and by around 3,500 years ago she was widely worshiped. A daughter of the sun god Ra and the goddess Isis, she was described as providing protection to both her father and those who worshipped her, although exactly how she was imagined to do this (as well as how she was depicted overall) interestingly changed over time; earlier depictions showed her as a fearsome lioness-headed warrior, but over time she was gradually transformed into a more of a gentle, comforting guardian figure and came to more often be shown with the head of a Domestic Cat to reflect her more approachable theological rebranding. With its apparent ferocity in battle Bastemon seems to draw more from the original formidable, leonine early depictions of Bastet, and while the prominent rosettes on its arms and lower body are clearly more leopardy than lionish, it could be worth noting that Leopards and Lions are relatives (both belonging to the genus Panthera), and that one of the many dubious claims of the ancient scholar Pliny the Elder was that Leopards were the hybrid offspring of a Lioness and a "Pard" (a cat-like critter of unknown identity, possibly a Serval or Cheetah.)

Bastemon debuted in 2002 (being a rare example of a Digi debuting in the original Digimon Card Game,) but is better known among Digi-enjoyers for its role in 2010's Digimon Xros Wars, where a Bastemon makes repeated appearances as a member of the main characters' extended Digimon army.

Favourite Bastemon Art: This card from the Digimon TCG. I'm not a huge fan of Bastemon's design overall (its feels just a little too stereotype-adjacent) but the colours on display here are very pretty, and the inclusion of what appear to be mallows, hibiscuses, laburnums and Papyrus Sedge (all of which are native to, or at least cultivated in, Egypt) is a nice touch!

DigiMonday - BETAMON

(Child Level/Virus Attribute/Amphibian Type)

Betamon is a franchise veteran first appearing in the original Digital Monster Vpet way back in 1997, and in doing so it holds the distinction of being one of two possible outcomes of the franchise's very first branching evolution; depending on how attentively the player cared for their Koromon it would develop either into an Agumon or to this little little froggish friend. With their shared history in mind, it becomes pretty clear that Betamon was designed to contrast with Agumon; where Agumon is a vivid yellow biped with relatively sharp, boxy features Betamon is a squat, smooth-bodied quadruped (giant fin/hair...thing nonewithstanding) with an overall calmer colour scheme of greens, blues and whites. This contrast is even carried over into their Digimon Encyclopedia entries, with Betamon being described as calm and docile if left unprovoked while Agumon, in contrast to its later "loveable goofball" characterisation, was originally described as far more fierce-and-feisty. One of these is sounding a good deal more huggable than the other, I'm just saying...

(The possible evolution lines in the original Digital Monster VPet, image source here.)

Beyond contrasting with its more famous reptilian cousin Betamon is a pretty charmingly designed critter in its own right; its colour scheme, amphibian typing and the tendency of official art to depict it as inhabiting forests and wetlands all invoke real-world frogs (with its red eyes, blue stripes and white belly particularly bringing the arboreal amphibian icon that is the Red-Eyed Tree Frog to mind,) while its lizard-like tail, toothy maw and single-toed spiky lil' feets all help to sell it as being a frog-like monster as opposed to just a weird frog. Those monster-ish elements would be played with further with the introduction of...

BETAMON (X Antibody)

(Child Level/Virus Attribute/Aquatic Type)

Like most of the original 14 Digimon the early 2000's provided Betamon with a more elaborate-and-edgy alternative design as Betamon X, debuting in a 2003 booster set for the original Digimon Card Game. At a glance this take on Betamon doesn't seem all that different (more-or-less resembling a normal Betamon with some extra spikes attached,) but its the change in the patterns on its skin that make it interesting; the fairly straightforward blue streaks have been replaced with a series of squiggles and spots that are identical to those seen on the reimagining of a reimagining of a fellow original Digi, Seadramon X. Their similar markings combined with Betamon X's typing being changed from "amphibian" to "aquatic" (which also happens to be Seadramon's typing,) makes it clear that Betamon X's design is intended to reframe it from the somewhat miscellaneous froggy lil' freak it debuted as to a sort of baby Seadramon, much like how Agumon (and especially Agumon X) can easily be read as a baby Greymon - given that it was always possible for Betamon to evolve into Seadramon where Agumon originally couldn't this is a very fun way of more definitively solidifying the two's connection to one another!

Comparing the prominence with which Agumon and Betamon have appeared in Digimon media since their joint debut leaves no doubt that the folks at Bandai-Namco don't exactly love all their children equally, but Betamon has still gotten a fair bit of attention throughout the years; its made at least a cameo in most instalments in the series (in particular the games, with a particularly notable appearance as one of 3 possible starter Digis in 2015's Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hackers Memory,) and to this day when a VPet featuring Agumon needs an "other" child-level option there's a good chance that Betamon will hop/slither up to fill the role.

Favourite Betamon Artwork: This adorable card from the Digimon TCG's "Versus Monsters" booster set, which is made up largely of cards celebrating the original Digital Monster VPets and the 'Mons that appeared in them (with this one even showing Betamon off as an evolution of the now strongly Agumon-associated Botamon and Koromon.) There's no shame in being second best, little guy...

DigiMonday - DAGOMON (aka Dragomon)

(Perfect Level/Virus Attribute/Aquatic beast Man Type)

As anyone with even the slightest familiarity with the work of famed American horror writer and noted air conditioner fearer H.P Lovecraft will no doubt notice, Dagomon's design is based heavily on that of easily Lovecraft's most famous creation, Cthulhu. First described in 1928 in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu" (although interestingly the big man himself never actually makes an in-person appearance in his debut story) and apparently intended to be pronounced "koh-luhh-looh", Cthulhu is an enormous, unfathomably old being described as being vaguely humanoid in shape but with scaly green skin and features of both an octopus and a dragon. Like the other "Great Old Ones" who appeared both in Lovecraft's other works and in many later works by other authors inspired by Lovecraft in the form of "The Cthulhu Mythos", Cthulhu was said to have originated in distant space but have been lying in a deep sleep on earth (in his case on an undocumented island surrounded by a twisted, geometrically impossible city called R'lyeh,) with the story ending with the revelation that everyone's favourite mollusc-headed monster man had been awoken and was now lurking somewhere in the eastern pacific ocean while his legions of worshipers prepare to hunt the story's point-of-view character down.

(A statue of Cthulhu as drawn by Lovecraft, image source here. What a specimen...)

While Dagomon's design is clearly heavily Cthulhu-inspired, it also features a few interesting little pieces of religious imagery; the golden bands around its right leg (or, like, right leg-shaped mass of tentacles) appear to be holy rings (little trinkets that appear on a variety of Digis associated with goodness and holiness, and which in the lore(tm) are apparently indicative that a Digimon carries "holy data",) while the necklace of beads around its neck (described as a rosary in its official description) appears to be based on a mala, a type of prayer beads used as tools of worship in certain Hindu Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Muslim and Christian rituals. Dagomon's official description calls it an "undersea priest", and its title combined with the religious imagery in its design may link to consistent idea in the Cthulhu Mythos that many of the Great Old Ones are worship for their terrible power. The generous sprinkling of worship-related imagery in Dagomon's design may also be an allusion to the origin of its name; first alluded to in a 1919 short story of the same name (pre-dating Call of Cthulhu) and later being fleshed out in 1936's The Shadow over Innsmouth, (Lovecraft's first published book,) Dagon (or Father Dagon, if you're one of his many fishy followers) is another ancient aquatic being and debatably another Great Old One worshipped by a species of fish-like humanoids called The Deep Ones, alongside Cthulhu and a third ancient being, Mother Hydra.

(A doodle from the Digital Monster Artbook Ver. Pendulum of a Dagomon attending to its undersea religious duties (possibly referencing the real-world Abhayamuda pose) while also threatening to clobber a disrespectful Octomon.)

Dagomon debuted in 1998 in the second version of the Digimon Pendulum VPet, "Deep Savers" (which featured various marine-themed Digimon.) Since then its appeared in several pieces of Digimon media (usually depicted as an extremely powerful antagonist,) but in my mind the most interesting Dagomon appearance to date is in the episodic horror-themed anime series Digimon Ghost Game (think Scooby Doo but with Digimon,) where the episode "The Call" takes heavy inspiration from both The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow over Innsmouth (featuring a Dagomon luring humans towards the ocean and turning them into Deep One-style fish people to worship it.) Perhaps the strangest Dagomon appearance was a total nonsequiter of an appearence in the very much non-episodic Digimon Adventure 02's "The Call of Dagomon", which also referenced The Shadows over Innsmouth and spent the entire episode building up to shot of a Dagomon rising from the ocean in the last few minutes of the episode...only to never address the events of the episode again, apparently as the result of an arc that would have heavily featured Dagomon being cancelled. Oops.

Favourite Dagomon Art: This image from the Digital Monster Artbook Ver. Pendulum, showing a Dagomon and a MarineDevimon feuding over who gets to be the definitive horror of the deep while an Octomon and a Gesomon goad them on.

DigiMonday - SOUNDBIRDMON

(Child Level/Virus Attribute/Bird Type)

At several times in the Digimon franchise's history the team at Bandai-Namco have run contests that let fans from across Japan submit their own Digimon designs, with the winners getting an official design and often appearing in whatever Anime series was running at the time. Soundbirdmon is one such Digimon; the brainchild of one Satoshi Yamaguchi, it was one of 5 winners of the 2011's Digimon Xros Wars Original Digimon Contest and would officially debut later that year in a brief cameo in the anime Digimon Xros Wars.

The image above is the original doodle from which Soundbirdmon's design was adapted, helpfully archived by Wikimon. As the image shows, young Satoshi's original design had a somewhat move conventionally bird-like look to it with clawed feet and what looks to be a distinct head (looking a little bit like a particularly menacing Black Swan.) Its final design does away with its feet entirely, converts its head into a flag-like crest and makes its body smaller and rounder, giving its silhouette the overall shape of a single quaver or eight-note to play up its "sound" theming. The red spots on Soundbirdmon's wings are also explained to be speakers, which it uses to emit loud shrieks to attack or defend itself. This might be inspired by the high volume many songbirds can achieve in spite of their small size (with perhaps the loudest bird species, the White Bellbird, being capable of producing calls of over 120 decibels!)

Though Soundbirdmon's initial 2011 debut was modest, it would land a more substantial role in the 2020 remake of Digimon Adventure through somewhat unusual means; since Soundbirdmon, either by coincidence or as a deliberate design choice, bares a resemblance to Deathmon the decision was made to make them part of the same evolutionary line, with a flock of Soundbirdmon fusing into a single Deathmon which then served as a major antagonist. Making the connection all the more fitting, Deathmon is a fan-designed Digimon too (being one of the winners of an official pixel art contest that took place in 2000!)