Pokemon Or Digimon? Name The Character!
- by Jacob Ormrod
- – on
- in The Geek Corner
We're not parents, but we imagine one of the most infuriating things about being a parent would be having to watch your child make the same mistakes you did, ranging all the way from not brushing their teeth enough to a tattoo that everyone but them knows they'll one day regret. Seriously, how do you sit back and let that human being learn about the world for themselves? We don't understand it at all.
That infuriating feeling would almost certainly be turned up to eleven every time you had to spend your hard-earned cash on yet another new craze that was sweeping the playground. Sure, we were all children once so we know what it's like to be excluded, and if you've got the money, it's definitely worth investing in a craze for your kid. But that doesn't mean you'd enjoy doing it!
One of the crazes that swept over our generation was Pokemon, a game that continues to be popular to this day. However, it had a brief amount of competition from Digimon, a series that just didn't catch on with Western audiences in the same way. So, do you think you know your Digimon from your Pokemon? Reckon you can name them all? It's time to find out!
Who Is That Monster?!
This yellow guy is probably one of the most famous animated characters of all time, so if you cannot answer this question, you've clearly not been paying too much attention to popular culture over the past decade or so. Seriously, it's pretty much impossible to be under the age of sixty and not know the name of this little guy. We can hear it in our heads as we type this because just looking at the guy is enough to know it.
Who Is That Monster?!
We always thought it was interesting how both Pokemon and Digimon would start out looking quite cute or fluffy, before turning into what is essentially a monstrosity. Sure, some of them would stay ever so slightly adorable, but they were definitely in the minority. We reckon they realized that kids would only latch onto them if they started out cute, meaning they'd have a bond with them by the time they evolved into what is essentially an accident on legs.
Who Is That Monster?!
One of the problems we think both Digimon and Pokemon had was that some of the monsters just didn't look like they'd had a lot of effort put into them. It'd be wrong to say that none of them looked creative or impressive, but when you look at this guy, does it really seem like somebody spent a lot of time with the concept? We all know that this is just a generic looking dinosaur walking on two legs and with extended claws. That's it!
Who Is That Monster?!
In our opinion, having some of the monster's personalities be based on concepts that children can easily understand was a stroke of genius. This way, the kids would have something to latch onto when it came to picking their favorites, which means it's easier for the companies to sell them toys of that monster. If you think that's too cynical, then you clearly have no idea what these companies are actually like. Time to wake up and smell the coffee!
Who Is That Monster?!
So, this guy is a monster that comes in the middle of a full transformation, which makes sense, but surely that means the rest of the monsters should have a mid-level gestation period as well? Why does this guy need to cocoon himself up like a caterpillar but none of the other monsters do? Also, if he's in some form of progressive hibernation, how is he going to be any help in a fight? This monster makes no sense at all, and you all know it.
Who Is That Monster?!
Without giving it away, this cute ball of fluff can actually be turned into various different monsters at the trainer's will, which is yet another stroke of genius on the part of the game developers. This way, they only have to come up with a single foundation to work from when shaping various other monsters. This saves them from having to pump out more low-level fluffy animals that kids will want to latch onto. Smart work, if you ask us.
Who Is That Monster?!
Quite possibly the easiest monsters to come up with are like the image you see before you, which just takes an existing animal and adds somewhat of a twist to it. All you have to do then is come up with a vaguely clever name, and you've got yourself a monster! To be fair, both of these series have been running for so long now that it seems crazy that they're even able to come up with anything new at this point.
Who Is That Monster?!
We actually really dig the design on this one. Sure, the shape and face are pretty generic, but the actual markings, along with the plume of red hair, really make this little guy stand out. We've never properly thought about this before, but if we were alive in this universe and got to choose the monster we went with, it'd probably be this one. We can see ourselves getting along with this little one while also being protected by him.
Who Is That Monster?!
Even though we're pretty cynical of any franchise that markets itself exclusively at children, we have to admit that some of the higher level monsters really do look pretty cool. Look at that thing! How is the average little boy supposed to look at that and not be immediately interested in purchasing every product associated with it? By which we obviously mean nagging his parents into buying every product associated with it. They could sell toothbrushes with this guy on and be successful.
Who Is That Monster?!
Like pretty much everything directed at children, both of these shows spent a lot of time on the concept of good vs. evil, with the good almost universally taking the win. Wouldn't it be interesting to have a show aimed at children that were a little more realistic? Something that showed even though you may be good, which you should endeavor to be, the world is still filled with bad people who will try and do you and other people harm.
Who Is That Monster?!
You know before when we said that the easiest monsters for these guys to come up with were just taking an existing animal and then messing with it a little bit? Well, sometimes they didn't even bother messing with it a little. Sure, they've got things like ostriches with numerous heads or dogs with weird markings, but as you can see, they also threw in monsters that were essentially snakes. We won't even go into the naming process for these guys either...
Who Is That Monster?!
We're scared enough as it is about things like bees and wasps, but can you imagine what life would be like if we had to contend with them being this giant? We don't think we'd ever leave the house again if this sort of thing was waiting for us outside! It would be interesting to see how many fluffy monsters there are compared to how many terrifying monsters there are like this. Hopefully, no kid with a wasp phobia ran into this monster.
Who Is That Monster?!
This image looks like one of those animals you see on a nature documentary, having been completely unaware that something this insane ever existed in the natural world. Then, if there is a creator, you start to wonder how it is that they sat down to mold another being into existence and decided that this was the best that they could do! In the same way, we're looking at this monster and wondering if this was the best the developer could do...
Who Is That Monster?!
We always thought that these universes had a sort of monster hierarchy as if some monsters were just inherently born more special. If you had something like that in the real world, people would be understandably upset about the concept. But, for some reason, it works just fine in these fictional worlds. Seriously, if you tried to convince us that one species of dog was objectively better than the other and that you'd sorted out a table to prove it, we would be very quickly leaving your vicinity.
Who Is That Monster?!
Let's just get this out of the way. Why would a monster need boxing gloves? We get that it's an aesthetic thing and that it goes with the whole image that they're trying to convey, but surely there was a better way? It just doesn't make any sense! We're assuming that this wouldn't bother a child, but as an adult, this is absolutely infuriating. Either they have the strength to punch someone, or they don't. It's not as if we care about these monsters' welfare either.
Who Is That Monster?!
With some of these, you can see how the creators clearly just went straight for the cute dollar. We're not saying they aren't cute, but there's something about marketing a cute animal directly at children that makes us feel pretty dirty. Seriously, who sits down and decides that they want to draw things that appeal to children just to make a group of adults some money? There are definitely some dreams that aren't being realized in the mind of that artist.
Who Is That Monster?!
This guy looks like he would give an absolutely great hug, which is exactly what we want from our cartoon monster companions. He isn't cute, but he's cuddly, and he looks like he could take on anyone who thought they'd try and mess with you. Is there anything else you can ask for from this sort of companion? The one thing we will say is we don't trust that horn. That is just an accident waiting to happen all over some poor kid.
Who Is That Monster?!
We're not sure why, but we always found ourselves drawn to the aquatic or amphibious monsters whenever we played these games. They always seemed like they'd had more work put into them and that their moves were the most interesting. Without even knowing how strong or impressive this guy is, we already think he looks cooler than pretty much everything else in this quiz. Whether it's the webbed claws or the strange jewel implanted into his forehead, this guy has our vote.
Who Is That Monster?!
While this one is clearly going for the cute look, at least they've added a little bit of anger with the fangs, as well. This way, we know that it'll turn into something interesting at some point in the future. In a way, you've got the best of both worlds! We also want to bring pink back as a fantastic color. It's sort of been taken over by the babies of this world, but used right, it can really pop.
Who Is That Monster?!
Anybody else reckon that this little guy was based on a guinea pig? In fact, we quite like the idea of a guinea pig with wings. It would actually make them a little bit more interesting.to have around the house, rather than now, where it's like willingly allowing a rodent to live in your home. Could anybody say no to those big beautiful eyes and tiny little mouth? This is the closest we've ever come to wanting one of these monsters as a pet.
Who Is That Monster?!
When we were children, we definitely found ourselves identifying with this sort of character when we played these games or watched the cartoons. Was that just us? We never went for the characters that had such clearly delineated personalities - we just knew that we were scruffy and cheeky, which drew us to monsters like this. Honestly, we caught one of these every time we went through the game, and we also considered not letting the little guy evolve. This was our Pikachu.
Who Is That Monster?!
For whatever reason, it seems like the designers of these monsters put a lot of work into the ones based on plant life than they did others. We don't know whether this is because the very ground below us has a lot to inspire, or the designers had a keen interest in plant life, but we reckon it really shows when you look at monsters like this one. What do you guys think? We still figure we're into the water monsters more anyway...
Who Is That Monster?!
For whatever reason, there's something about the combination of machine and animal or plant life that seems pretty easy to us. We're honestly not sure why, but when we see monsters like this, we can't help but think of the designer taking an early finish from work that day. Is that unfair? Maybe it's because you can take anything mundane, throw some technology onto it, and you've instantly got something interesting to look at, no matter what you're trying to create.
Who Is That Monster?!
Look, we know we're supposed to suspend our disbelief here because children are stupid and will ingest anything, but why is this anthropomorphic cactus wearing boxing gloves? Surely it would make more sense for them to be off so that when the cactus hit someone, they were also hit by the tiny needles on its fist? Double damage! Plus, how could you have this guy as a companion? Every time they tried to hug you you'd end up with a face full of needles.
Who Is That Monster?!
We don't really know where to start with this guy... Remember when we were talking about the weird hierarchy of monsters that these universes seem to have? This guy is clearly right at the bottom of it... It's a shame to think that this monster's main attack appears to be throwing its own pink excrement at people. That being said, if our excrement was pink, we'd probably spend a lot of time showing it to people as well. It's impressive!