When the official Digimon Web account greeted the 20th anniversary of Digimon Savers this spring with anniversary art and a cheerful "Digisoul Charge! Overdrive!!", the post worked on two levels. Happy birthday — and also: oh right, Savers exists.
That about sums up the fifth Digimon TV series. After Adventure, 02, Tamers and Frontier, Savers is the one fans mention last. Pity, because no other Digimon series ends the way it does: with a 14-year-old leaping off his partner's back and punching god in the face.
The comeback series
Digimon's TV run went quiet after Frontier — the 2002 show where the kids didn't partner with Digimon, they became Digimon — ended on March 30, 2003. Then nothing, for three years. Savers, announced in January 2006, premiered on Fuji TV on April 2, 2006, and ran 48 episodes, until March 25, 2007.
Back to basics, with a twist. No Chosen Children: the heroes work for DATS, the Digital Accident Tactics Squad, a government agency tasked with keeping Digimon out of the real world. Partners are back, but the operation is run by adults with clipboards.
A hero who talks with his fists
Masaru Daimon is 14, loud, and calls himself "the number one ultimate street fighter in Japan." He's the first Digimon lead in franchise history without goggles, and the first who can hurt Digimon barehanded. Episode one sets the tone: he meets Agumon by fighting him to a draw, and Agumon spends the whole series calling him "aniki" — boss.
Everything in Savers runs on Digisoul, raw emotional energy, and Masaru charges his by landing a punch on an enemy. The writers never pretended otherwise: the finale's Japanese title ends with "Saraba Kenka Banchou" — roughly, "Farewell, Street Fighter."
The punch heard around the digital world
In episode 48, Yggdrasill — the god at the center of the Digital World — decides humanity is a failure and sets about rebooting both worlds. Masaru and Agumon, blazing in Burst Mode — Savers' signature evolution beyond Mega — climb the god's body, and Masaru leaps off Agumon's back to punch its crystalline face to pieces.
It works. Yggdrasill concedes that humans and Digimon, standing together, have no limits. "There's no limit to how far we can evolve!" is literally their battle cry — the franchise's friendliest premise, defended with a fist.
Then Savers refuses to end. The two worlds must separate, the partners say goodbye, and Masaru, who can't do farewell, sprints after Agumon and jumps into the Digital World. The last shot is the pair leaping into a fight. The story continues; you just aren't watching anymore.
Overlooked abroad, too
The English dub, Digimon Data Squad, was directed by Jeff Nimoy, who helmed the original Adventure dub — but it took eighteen months to reach the West, long enough that fans wondered whether it would be dubbed at all. It landed on Toon Disney's Jetix block on October 1, 2007, ran to November 1, 2008, and then the franchise went quiet in English: no new Digimon dub until Digimon Fusion in September 2013. Savers was also the last Digimon TV series produced in 4:3. An era ended, quietly.
Even its opening made history backwards: "Gōing! Going! My Soul!!" was the first Digimon opening theme not sung by Kouji Wada, and fans complained loudly enough that he returned for the second opener, "Hirari."
Underdog at twenty
The anniversary won't make Savers famous. But its ideas stuck: Burst Mode forms are Level 7 cards in the Digimon Card Game, and this spring brought official anniversary art and fan celebration weeks. If you skipped Savers in 2006 — most people did — twenty years is a fine excuse to fix that. Start with the finale: the series that ended with a teenager punching god, and the one Digimon ending that leaves you wanting the story to keep going. When the official Digimon Web account marked Digimon Savers' 20th anniversary this spring with art and a cheerful "Digisoul Charge! Overdrive!!", the post worked on two levels. Happy birthday — and also: oh right, Savers exists. Masaru Daimon is 14, loud, and calls himself "the number one ultimate street fighter in Japan." He's the franchise's first goggle-free lead, and the first who can hurt Digimon barehanded. Episode one sets the tone: he meets Agumon by fighting him to a draw, and Agumon spends the whole series calling him "aniki" — boss. The English dub, Digimon Data Squad, was directed by Jeff Nimoy, who helmed the original Adventure dub — but it took eighteen months to reach the West, long enough that fans wondered whether it would be dubbed at all. It landed on Toon Disney's Jetix block on October 1, 2007, ran to November 1, 2008, and then the franchise went quiet in English: no new Digimon dub until Digimon Fusion in September 2013. Savers was also the last Digimon TV series produced in 4:3. The anniversary won't make Savers famous. But its ideas stuck: Burst Mode forms are Level 7 cards in the Digimon Card Game, and this spring brought official anniversary art and fan celebration weeks. If you skipped Savers in 2006 — most people did — twenty years is a fine excuse to fix that. Start with the finale: a teenager punching god, and an ending that leaves you wanting the story to keep going.