Digimon Adventure: The Decision to Split the Main Cast
Ever since the split of the main cast in Digimon Adventure, the fans have always wondered whether they would be back together or not. It seemed that the decision to split them must have been a tough one, and it would have been taken with a clear plan. So, the possibility of them coming back together appeared to be slim. However, the return of Joe, Izzy, Sora, and Mimi has finally put the show’s cast at one location. The fans are confused now as they wonder what was the reason for the split if they were going to be back together? Today we look at some of the reasons to understand why the split was necessary.
The stakes for the Devimon fight were raised only because of the absence of the allies. Weregarurumon and Metalgreymon’s difficulty in defeating the Champion-level Devimon seemed much more convincing because of it. If the entire cast was there, they would have little difficulty in curb-stomping the big bad. One more reason is the decision to give Matt, Tai, and T.K.’s character arcs more time. It was essential to portray the challenges faced by Tai and Matt’s relationship with his younger brother more convincingly. It allowed T.K. to establish himself as an essential character and not just remain Matt’s kid brother. However, it would be wrong to presume that other characters will also get more screen-time like him. It did create a disparity between the characters, but it seems the fans just have to accept it.
Another reason is to ease the tension between Matt, Tai, and T.K. The constant tension between them is exhausting for the viewers, too, and not only Digidestined. The writers were very efficient in their use of low-stakes huddled-around-the-computer scenes to give viewers some breather moments. Using these scenes now and then helped the audience process all that is happening with Matt and Tai without ever having to take them away from the story.
The most important reason is that the Digidestined that went to the human world didn’t return alone. The eighth Digidestined, Kari joined them and might have been the instigator of the trip by answering a “call” of some type. The fans who have been watching Digimon for a long time can recall the Dark Ocean plotline of Digimon Adventure 02, in which Kari was called to another world. Since the plotline was soon abandoned, there is a possibility that the Adventure might be foreshadowing a return. It can also be an explanation of the events that might have happened there. Although it might have been tough to see some of your favorite characters pushed to a side-plot, it wasn’t done without a reason.
