2020 is starting out to be a big year for Digimon fans - or, fans of the original series Digimon Adventure. The franchise has been celebrating its 20 year anniversary, bringing back the original Digivice virtual, a fourth film in the Adventure series coming out this March, followed by a modern reboot of the series.

What little news we have so far has been found in various issues of the Japanese anime/manga magazine V Jump, and we can expect more news after Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna hits cinemas in March. Until then, here is everything we know - so far - about the upcoming reboot.

Title - Digimon Adventure Ψ

There is still an element of mystery surrounding the new title for the series reboot: Digimon Adventure Ψ. The Greek symbol Ψ translates to Psi, and for simplicity’s sake, most people have been opting to refer to the series as Digimon Adventure Psi.

Ψ is the second-last letter in the Greek alphabet and is the start for the word Psuche (root for Psyche), which means Mind or Soul. However, it also matches the pronunciation of the Chinese character 再, which means “Again” or “Re-” as in “Repeat.”

Plot Synopsis

The official synopsis, translated from V Jump, states:

“The story begins in Tokyo when a large-scale network malfunction occurs. Taichi is preparing for his weekend summer camping trip when the incident happens. Taichi’s mother and his younger sister Hikari get stuck on a train that won’t stop moving, and Taichi heads to Shibuya in order to help them. However, on his way there, he encounters a strange phenomenon and sweeps him up into the Digital World along with the other DigiDestined.”

From this alone, we can already see some key differences between the reboot and the original series: the original seven DigiDestined aren’t going to be swept away while at summer camp, nor will they be stuck in the Digital World the entire time.

Both Worlds - Human and Digital

The sequel series Digimon Adventure 02 separated itself from its predecessor by having the new group of DigiDestined able to freely travel between the human world and the Digital World. Furthermore, the first series established a difference in elapsed time between the worlds (months of being lost in the Digital World only equaled a few minutes passing in the human world). Once the two worlds found balance, the difference in time was restored, and it seems that it will remain that way for the reboot.

The reboot is most likely going to be more like 02 than the original series, with the DigiDestined traveling between the two worlds on their own accord, juggling their duties as Digidestined as well as everyday life as kids during summer vacation.

Character Designs

The poster announcing the series has a few clues for what’s in store. They may not be full character profiles, but we can see that a few of the characters have been given new outfits. Some of the character’s designs have simply been given a slight overhaul, like Taichi whose outfit is very similar to the original series - there are some slight changes to the design of his shirt, plus his shorts have been made orange. Mimi’s cowgirl dress is making a return but seems to have been hemmed shorter.

On the other hand, a few characters have had a bit more of a drastic change to their designs. We can only see a fraction of Yamato (Matt in the dub)  in the new poster, but we can tell he is now wearing purple instead of green. Sora’s yellow shirt has been changed to pink with an added butterfly emblem, which is a recurring motif in the franchise. Hikari (or Kari in the dub) has been given denim pinafore/overalls, which are definitely on trend for 2020.

Digivice

With every new season of Digimon, we get a new design for the Digivice. In 02 we upgraded to the D-3, and since then we’ve had Digivices that look more and more like an iPod or Smartphone. Given the new series is set in 2020, it could be easy to assume they would follow this trend. Thankfully, they seem to be leaning more towards nostalgia and remaining faithful to the original design.

As seen in the recent brand promo, celebrating 20+ years of the franchise, the new Digivices seem to be an almost exact replica of the original, with minor differences. The shape now has rounded edges, the buttons have been removed, and it seems the iconic flashing bars (that were shown before every evolution sequence) will now light up around the side of the screen.

Patamon and Tailmon?

The promo poster features the Chosen Children (Digidestined) with their Digimon partners. Everyone except Takeru and Hikari’s (TK and Kari) partners, Patamon and Tailmon (Gatomon). Their absence could be implying some type of mystery in the series - perhaps the two youngest characters will have to wait for a few episodes before meeting their partners?

Something else that is worth noting - Hikari is shown reaching out for some type of glowing, rainbow feather on the poster. Fans will remember that Patamon and Tailmon’s evolution lines led to Angemon and Angewomon, so this feather could be another hint to the mystery.

Trading Card Game

Game fans, get ready to geek out because Bandai is bringing out a new trading card game which will be released sometime in April to tie-in with the show. The new TCG was announced during a recent live stream for DigiNavi, and showcased a few images for the promo-pack.

There will also be Starter decks, as well as Booster Packs which is a good sign Bandai has some faith this TCG will be a success. Furthermore, while the Pokemon TCG tends to have five cards per pack, the Digimon TCG will have six cards per pack, at an estimated ¥500 - which is a very reasonably cheap price.

Writing Staff

The original series director Hiroyuki Kakudou (director of Adventure, 02, X-Evolution) removed himself from the previous project Digimon Adventure tri., due to creative differences between his original vision and the plan from the new staff. As it remains, he does not appear to have any involvement in this reboot of the series.

Furthermore, neither of the writing teams behind tri. or Kizuna will be returning. Instead, the reboot will be directed by Masato Mitsuka (Dragon Ball Super, Sailor Moon Crystal) and written by Atsuhiro Tomioka (Dragon Ball Super, Fairy Tale).

Hopefully, any potential dub of the series will have a more serious, faithful tone compared to the cheesy dub of the original series.

English Dub

Speaking of potential English dubs, no news has come out yet, but it is still early days. Digimon Adventure tri. received an English dub, with most of the original cast reprising their roles.

Outside of the Adventure brand, the last Digimon series to receive an English dub was Digimon Fusion (2012). Digimon Universe: App Monsters was released in 2016, and is yet to receive a dub. Having said that, Adventure is easily the most viably marketable part of the Digimon brand, and it’s safe to assume The Powers That Be will be banking on that.

Whether a potential dub will bring back the original cast or a complete overhaul like the re-dub for Sailor Moon is another question entirely.

Release Date - April 2020

In a nice bid for ending one cycle and beginning anew, the new series is set to be released in April, after Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna. We do not have an exact release date, but we do know the series will be airing weekly on Saturday mornings in Japan - something that will surely give fans a nice kick of nostalgia, reminisce of childhood, waking up early on the weekend to watch their favorite show.

Next: Digimon: Sorting the Digi-Destined into the Hogwarts Houses