Digimon Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Special Event in Tokyo

While Pokémon may be the more well-known animal-companion-battling franchise, it is certainly not the only one. People who grew up in the 1990s likely remember another contender for their attention alongside Pokémon, a series called Digimon. While Digimon certainly never replaced Pokémon, it did develop its own following of people who praised its differences from the other series, and still has fans around the world today.

Digimon was a successful anime series that began in the late 1990s as well, and that series is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. While Digimon content has slowed down in the last decade, it has never gone away completely, with pop-up events and shops showing up now and again in Japan. Fans are still interested in Digimon, that much is clear, and now they can celebrate this major anniversary with a special event launching in Tokyo.

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25 Years of Digimon

Celebrating an Epic Legacy

This special event will bring together the 9 series of Digimon, which first aired in March 1999 with the original series Digimon Adventures. The following series were Digimon Adventure 02 (2000), Digimon Tamers (2001), Digimon Frontier (2002), Digimon Data Squad (2006), Digimon Fusion (2012), Digimon Universe: App Monsters (2016), another Digimon Adventure (2020), and most recently Digimon Ghost Game (2021) for a total of 519 episodes. Only the first six of these series were released in the Western market, with the first four series simply titled Digimon: Digital Monsters.

In addition to over 500 episodes of anime, there have been 20 movies in the Digimon franchise, 1 OVA, several manga series, video games, a web comic, and a card game. The franchise is huge and has found success in many different avenues. Sadly for international fans, a lot of Digimon was not localized outside of Japan. However, that has not stopped the series from gathering and retaining fans around the world.

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DIGIMON ANIMATION 25th Anniversary in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza

Bring in the New Year with Digimon

The Digimon 25th anniversary event’s full title is “DIGIMON ANIMATION 25th Anniversary in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.” It will be held in DiverCity in Tokyo starting from January 4th, 2025 and running through February 11th. Otaku may already recognize the name DiverCity and have it on their to-visit list, because that area of Tokyo is very famous for its full-size, moving Unicorn Gundam statue. If you are planning to visit in January, this Digimon event gives you even more reason to go.

All 9 series will be featured at the anniversary event, though, as they were all released in Japan. One of the highlights of the event will be a stamp rally, with nine special locations that fans have to find and collect a stamp from. If they can find all nine and show the stamp card, along with a receipt for purchasing something worth at least 1,000 yen from a participating store, they can earn a special clear file.

The event is also advertising a lot of photo spots for fans to take pictures of, or even with, their favorite characters and digimon as they explore the series’ massive world. In total, there will be 91 characters featured at the event, so the chances of finding your favorite are in your favor. There will also be special food menus with foods inspired by Digimon characters. These will include both food and drinks, with more information regarding the details to come. Any purchase of more than 1,000 yen will also earn you two random free coasters, and anything under 1,000 yen will earn you one.

Digimon is a special series for a lot of people. It is very easy to find Pokémon merchandise and special events around the world, but Digimon is much rarer. That is what makes this anniversary event so special, and why people are excited to see the series celebrate a significant milestone in a very real and tangible way. With things to collect, photos to take, and food to eat, the Digimon anniversary event is gearing up to be a great celebration.

DIGIMON ANIMATION 25th Anniversary will be in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza from January 4th, 2025 to February 11th, 2025.

Source: Comic Natalie

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