Digimon Data Squad, known in Japan as Digimon Savers (デジモンセイバーズ, Dejimon Seibāzu), is the fifth anime television series in the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series aired in Japan on Fuji TV from April 2006 to March 2007.[2] A standalone film based on the series was released on December 9, 2006.[3]
An English-language version was produced by Studiopolis, in conjunction with Toei Animation USA and Disney Enterprises, Inc., and aired in North America on Toon Disney's Jetix block from October 2007 to November 2008.
Plot
The Digital Accident Tactics Squad (DATS) is a government organization established to maintain the peace between the Real World and the Digital World, transporting any Digimon back to the Digital World. Marcus, a junior high school student, becomes one of the members for the organization. He learns that the Digimon Merukimon is opposing mankind. However, the past is revealed that the scientist Akihiro Kurata was responsible for invading the Digital World. He gained the support of the government to oppose all Digimon species, claiming they were a threat to mankind. When Kurata uses Belphemon, Marcus defeats them. Before dying, Kurata uses a bomb to make the Digital World merge with the human world. While the Digimon BanchoLeomon prevents the collision, Marcus meets King Drasil (Yggdrasil), the supreme ruler who attempts to protect the Digital World by destroying mankind, since they cannot exist in both dimensions. Marcus learns that his father, Spencer, was trapped in the Digital World for ten years, because Drasil possessed Spencer's body and BanchoLeomon kept the latter's soul. After Marcus defeats Drasil, Spencer's soul returns to his body. With both worlds restored, all Digimon partners return to their own world. Five years later, Marcus and his friends embrace their future.
Characters
Main characters
Marcus Damon (大門 大, Daimon Masaru, Masaru Daimon in the Japanese version)
Marcus is a 14-year-old, 8th grader junior high school student. He does not wear any goggles unlike any main leader characters in any other Japanese Digimon anime. As a delinquent, he challenges himself to become the strongest street fighter. He is partnered with Agumon.[4] Marcus also appeared in the third and final season of Digimon Fusion.
Thomas is a 14-year-old teen genius of Japanese and Austrian descent.[4] He comes from a privileged background and his tendency to rely on carefully planned strategies causes him to clash with Marcus at times. He is partnered with Gaomon.
Keenan is a young boy who goes missing in the Digital World when a lab experiment had gone awry. He grew up with prejudice against humans. He is partnered with Falcomon.
Younger sister of Marcus Damon. She is partnered with Biyomon.
Antagonists
Merukimon (メルクリモン, Merukurimon, Mercurymon in the Japanese version)
Voiced by: Kosei Hirota (Japanese); Richard Epcar (English)
A mega-level Shaman Digimon who raised Keenan and met Spencer Damon a decade before the events of the series, believing there can be co-existence until Kurata's actions convinced Merukimon that humans are attacking the Digimon. But learning the truth from Kurata himself, Merukimon decided to try believing in Spencer's words again and sacrificed his life to save Keenan, Marcus, and the others from Kurata's Gizumon.
Voiced by: Hitoshi Bifu (Japanese); Paul St. Peter (English)
A mega-level Beast Digimon who hates all humans because of their actions against Digimon. He comes to the real world to fight the Data Squad, only to be stunned by Gizumon’s laser, and was destroyed by RizeGreymon.
The evil, hateful, and fierce mad scientist who is the antagonist of the first half of the series, Kurata was originally Spencer Damon's assistant during their exploration of the Digital World who believed Digimon are a threat to humans as he seeks to completely destroy most of them with his artificial Gizumon while subjugating the rest for world dominion. When the Tactics Squad learned his true plans, he turns the Confidentiality Ministry on them while awakening Belphemon. Later, he takes control of Belphemon himself. After Belphemon's defeat, he ends up becoming a victim of his space-oscillation bomb.
King Drasil is a host computer being in the form of a tree, serving as the main antagonist of the final half of the series when he took Kurata's actions as threat to the Digital World and sends the Royal Knights to attack humanity in retaliation. Drasil initially used the body of Marcus's father Spencer Damon before transferring into his King Drasil 7D6 avatar body, ultimately deciding to destroy both worlds to start anew. But upon being defeated by Marcus and Agumon, Drasil accepts his defeat and enters a deep sleep after reviving Spencer.
Leopardmon (ドゥフトモン, Dufutomon, Duftmon in the Japanese version)
The series was announced during the December 2005 Jump Festa convention in Japan[17] with advertisements showing a remolded Agumon as the lead Digimon. The name of the series was later revealed in January 2006 with the character designs coming a month later. The characters were designed by Sayo Aoi. It is the final Digimon series to be produced in 4:3.
The series aired 48 episodes on Fuji TV in Japan from April 2, 2006, to March 25, 2007. On April 25, 2007, Disney's ABC Network announced that it had signed an agreement with Toei Animation to license the show.[18] Much of the staff that worked on Digimon: Digital Monsters, including director Jeff Nimoy, returned to work on Data Squad. The series finished airing in the US on Jetix on November 1, 2008, thirteen months after it premiered on October 1, 2007.[19]
It was announced on February 12, 2009 that Toei Animation has signed Well Go USA with the DVD rights to Digimon Data Squad, and the first thirteen US edited English dub episodes were made available on May 26, 2009.[citation needed] The release of the third DVD set was canceled.[20]
Madman Entertainment have released all episodes across four sets on Region 4 DVD in Australia and New Zealand with only the US English Edited TV dub by Studiopolis.[21] Brazil had released several DVDs of the show. In 2014, Cinedigm Entertainment obtained the rights to the release of the season. A Complete Collection was released on March 11, 2014, in the US.[22]
Theme songs
Opening themes
"Gōing! Going! My soul!!" (強ing! Going! My soul!!) by Dynamite SHU
Digimon World DS features several Digimon Data Squad characters, but does not focus on them. As the game was released internationally before Data Squad was dubbed into different languages, it uses the original Japanese names of the DATS team, who appear in certain quests.
Digimon World Data Squad focuses on the primary characters of the anime, but tells a different story from it. It involves the members of DATS coming into conflict with the Seven Great Demon Lords.
Digimon World: Dawn and Dusk are sequels to Digimon World DS with slightly different stories from each other. At the end of the game, the four main characters from Data Squad appear to battle the main character.
Digimon Masters is an MMORPG where players assume the roles of the DATS team members.
