In some happy Sunday news, Digimon is here to remind you that the ravages of time come for us all. The series is on its 20th anniversary and will celebrate with a new movie that shows Tai, Sora, and all the others as adults. Of course, with that adulthood comes adult responsibilities. Our DigiDestined friends have jobs now, because nothing says exciting digital adventures like the soul-sucking grind of a 9-to-5 life.
These grown-up looks were previewed in a Japanese magazine, but Crunchyroll thankfully provided us with a higher-quality version. The updated character designs serve as a preview for the upcoming movie, which is still untitled but scheduled to come out this year.
As you can see, the movie seems to be going for a more grounded look. Izzy is rocking a suit now, and Mimi has traded in her iconic pink cowboy hat. Sora went from tomboy to proper Japanese lady. The only one who still seems to be in touch with their inner child is Tai, stalwartly clinging to his goggles despite being no closer to driving a plane or motorcycle.
Brief character descriptions accompany the previewed designs to explain why our friends look the way they do. Joe is a college student taking exams, Mimi is “fashionable”, Izzy has a mystery office job (clearly the most suspenseful part of this movie), Matt’s just a chill dude, Tai is as “carefree” as ever, Sora dedicated herself to the art of flower arranging, T.K. is super tall now, and Kairi is apparently more mature than her brother Tai now.
The producer asked for “realistic proportions, as opposed to the designs from Adventure and 02…we wanted these designs to amplify the image of each of the children that we want to project to the audience, which would showcase what each of the children are doing now at their age and what their future goals are.”
For reference, here’s how the anime’s second season showed the DigiDestined as adults.
They all look a bit plainer, but at least Mimi still has her pink hat. Maybe we’re in the wrong timeline?
