Possibly one of the biggest arguments amongst anime fans is what’s better: Digimon or Pokémon. Most people will probably say it’s Pokémon, because it’s still on and has all of the merchandise; however, if you really compare the two, Digimon reigns supreme over Pokémon every time. If you’re like me, you just don’t get why Pokémon became the phenomenon that it has, while Digimon has been long forgotten.

1. Digimon’s Origin

Digimon, or Digital Monsters, which is what their name eludes to, began as a rival to the Tamagotchi. In early renditions of Digimon they were stylized to be cute, until being influenced by American comics’ hard-line style.

Digimon,

1. Digimon's Origin
via YouTube / FlyinggFoxie

2. Pokémon’s Origin

Pokémon, unlike Digimon, started as video games for the Game Boy (the classic red and blue versions). The company has since expanded, with thanks to Nintendo, and now spans TV shows, movies, more video games and trading cards to name a few.

Pokémon

2. Pokémon's Origin

3. But We’re Talking About The TV Shows

Now that a brief backstory has been established, what the real argument is about is that Digimon is ultimately a much better TV show than Pokémon in any of its versions ever was/will be. The first Pokémonepisode premiered in North America in 1998, while Digimon came the next year in 1999. So that’s where we’ll start dissecting the series, starting with Pokémon’s theme song. The original theme song for the show harnessed this very ’80s style, sounding a lot like a mix of Michael Jackson and a low-end metal band. Coming off extremely poppy, I don’t know why this got kids so hooked on the series.

4. Digimon’s Opening Theme

While the series came after Pokémon, the creators took a “digital” approach to the theme song. They played hard on the awesomeness of the digital world. It still gives me goosebumps hearing the beginning. You really get a full-circle experience to the show before it even begins.