Digimon has been around for over 25 years and it’s unfairly spent much of this time in Pokémon’s shadow, even though Digimon is a distinct property that’s taken big and bold risks over the years. Digimon first had its start in 1997 as a virtual pet that’s evolved in groundbreaking ways as it’s made waves as a manga, video game, and anime series. Digimon has celebrated nine separate anime that have accumulated more than 500 episodes since the series’ debut.

Digimon’s popularity has helped it do well on television, but it’s also been able to extend this fandom to movie theaters with grandiose cinematic experiences. There are some excellent Digimon feature films that both expand upon their anime counterparts and tell completely original stories. These cinematic adventures can seem a little overwhelming to curious newcomers. However, there are certain Digimon movies that stand out more than others and should be mandatory viewing for any franchise fans.

10 Digimon Savers The Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!! Lacks Proper Development

The Digimon Data Squad — known in Japan as Digimon Savers — isn’t the most popular of the franchise’s anime, but it still has its share of passionate fans. Unfortunately, the Digimon Savers movie, Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!!, is largely considered to be the nadir of the franchise’s films. Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!! has a decent foundation and it could have worked under different circumstances, but the movie just bites off more than it can chew by trying to cram a full-length feature film’s worth of content into a 21-minute story. Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!! creates conflict out of a dangerous thorn that spreads through the city and puts humanity — including the Digimon‘s partners — into an eternal sleep.

Agumon, Gaomon, and Lalamon must handle this situation themselves. This is a strong source of tension, but the movie feels like it’s a story’s second act that’s missing its beginning and ending. Argomon, the villain, is underdeveloped and Rhythm, a Digimon who takes the form of a young human girl, suffers from the same problem. Rhythm could be an interesting expansion to Digimon lore, but there’s no real explanation for who she is or what she’s about, which makes her entire presence all the more perplexing. Digimon Savers The Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!! is an unsuccessful misfire on nearly every front.

9 Digimon Adventure Tri. Is A Massive Six-Film Event That Says Shockingly Little

The original 1999 Digimon Adventure anime remains most fans’ entry point into the franchise and there’s an incredible amount of nostalgia that surrounds the series, its characters, and their Digimon. There was even a 2020 reboot, Digimon Adventure:, that attempted to celebrate and cash in on the first series’ success. Digimon Adventure tri. is a unique endeavor in the sense that it tells a new story that’s set six years after the events of the original Digimon Adventure. A strange phenomenon plagues the real world, infects Digimon, and causes them to become hostile. In an attempt to solve this problem, the eight original DigiDestined reunite with their Digimon to save both the Real World and the Digital World.

This seems like a sure-fire structure for success that’s both nostalgic and satisfying through the movie’s ability to explore these beloved characters as teenagers and see how much they’ve grown. This only makes Digimon Adventure tri.‘s fumble all the more disappointing. Digimon Adventure tri. was released as six feature-length movies — Reunion, Determination, Confession, Loss, Coexistence, and Future — which largely circle the same ideas and feel largely redundant. Part 3: Confession is the best of the bunch, but it’s still a very average movie. An epic story is justified for such a reunion, but the Digimon Adventure tri. films lack the original anime’s energy and, worst of all, they feel like a chore. These six movies were also divided into a 26-episode anime series and this feels like the approach that should have been taken from the start.

8 Digimon Frontier: Island Of Lost Digimon Centers Around A Digimon Civil War

Digimon Frontier: Island of Lost Digimon actually feels like the type of story that Pokémon would indulge in with its feature films. At 40 minutes, Island of Lost Digimon feels like it’s stuck between a standard episode of the series and a proper full-length movie. That being said, Island of Lost Digimon accomplishes plenty in its concise runtime and this is ultimately better than if it were to unnecessarily bad out its story. Digimon Frontier‘s Takuya and friends wind up on a floating island where a war breaks out between humanoid and bestial Digimon.

This plot scratches the surface of some compelling ideas and it’s a Digimon movie that actually has something to say when it comes to the hypocrisy of war and that it’s a fruitless endeavor that boils down to power and greed over any desire for peace. Island of Lost Digimon is a fun expansion to the Digimon Frontier series that’s fast-paced, visually impressive, and it goes all out with its epic battle scenes. Takanori Arisawa’s engaging score might subtly be the movie’s secret weapon, and it helps add an extra heroic quality to the conflict at hand, even if the story’s execution is a slight disappointment.

7 Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning Carefully Closes The Book On The Original Digimon Universe

Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna was heralded as a successful goodbye to the original Digimon Adventure DigiDestined crew. However, there was some disappointment over how the Digimon Adventure 02 cast was neglected. 2023’s Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning — the newest Digimon movie — gives Adventure 02 the Last Evolution Kizuna treatment and effectively ends the original Digimon continuity that courses through the first two anime series. The Beginning is set two years after Eosmon’s defeat in Last Evolution Kizuna and focuses on Digimon Adventure 02‘s six DigiDestined. The Beginning presents an interesting story that reveals the world’s first DigiDestined — Lui Owada — and triggers a situation where every human in the world receives a Digimon partner.

As the DigiDestined attempt to rectify this issue, they’re forced to reckon with their connection with their own partner Digimon and if they’ll lose them if they’re successful in their crusade. It’s an effective story that feels properly cinematic, but it loses some steam with the plot holes that it creates with Digimon Adventure‘s pre-established canon. It’s always risky when a new movie-original character dominates the narrative and The Beginning‘s Lui Owada could be more distinct. It’s not a poor finish for the Digimon Adventure 02 team, but it’s also not on the same level as Last Evolution Kizuna.

6 Digimon X-Evolution Gives The Franchise A Slick CG Makeover With An Apocalyptic Adventure

Digimon X-Evolution is an odd anomaly in the sense that it’s the only Digimon movie that’s not based upon a related Digimon anime and it instead pulls from Digimon Chronicle merchandise and iconography. This rubbed some audiences the wrong way, but it’s honestly freeing for a Digimon film to rid itself of the anime franchises’ baggage and attempt to do its own thing. Digimon X-Evolution also stands out for being the only Digimon film that’s entirely in CG animation rather than a more traditional style. One of X-Evolution‘s biggest hurdles is that its 2005-era CG looks somewhat dated by modern standards, but those who can get past this are likely to enjoy the exciting adventure that boldly remixes many of the franchise’s ideas and characters. Overpopulation in the Digital World pushes Yggdrasil, the realm’s creator, to institute the X-Program, which will exterminate 98% of all Digimon so that he can start anew.

Some Digimon acquire an X-Antibody vaccine that makes them immune to the X-Program, which pushes Yggdrasil to set loose the Royal Knights — Omnimon, Gallantmon, and Magnamon — to handle these rogue Digimon. This results in some bewildering battles, yet Digimon X-Evolution still showcases deeper substance as Yggdrasil’s Royal Knights begin to question their master’s orders and wonder where their allegiances should lie. There are excellent Digimon on display in this movie, many of whom receive upgraded appearances and abilities. It’s unfortunate that more X-Evolution movies weren’t developed as their own separate and ongoing Digimon continuity.

5 Digimon Tamers: Battle Of Adventurers Pits The Tamers Against A Vicious Virus

Digimon Tamers has been gradually praised as the Digimon franchise’s dark horse best series. This makes it rather unfortunate that the anime’s movies are fairly forgettable. Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers is set during the Tamers’ summer vacation and chronicles Mephistomon’s plans to attack the Real World with Digimon through the “V-Pet”virus.

Battle of Adventurers doesn’t really give the V-Pet virus a substantial explanation and the whole film feels like it was initially devised to be a crossover between the Digimon Adventure series and Digimon Tamers, only for it to change its mind at the last minute. Omnimon appears, which is exciting, but the presence of Matt and Tai would go a long way here. The film’s concessions aside, the final battle in the Digital World against Mephistomon and his evolved state, Gulfmon is extremely exciting and a satisfying climax for the film.

4 Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon Is A Psychologically Rich Rumination On Ruki

The second of the Digimon Tamers movies, Runaway Locomon, engages in some creative ideas, all of which don’t properly come together. There are some messy continuity issues that are best to just overlook in favor of a captivating story that seeks to add greater context to Ruki’s troubled home life, which is never properly explored in Digimon Tamers. Runaway Locomon visits some dark places and effectively captures Ruki’s frayed psychological state.

This helps the movie make a greater impression than Battle of Adventurers. Locomon, a train-Digimon, and the evil invader who uses him to enter the Real World are effective villains, even if they don’t reach the same heights as other classic Digimon antagonists. Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon also gets a lot of mileage through separating Takato and Guilmon for the bulk of the film as it examines its human characters, independently of their Digimon.

3 Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge Of Diaboromon Resurrects An Intimidating Evil

Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon is a mixed bag that attempts to recreate greatness in a fairly hollow manner. One’s enjoyment of this film really comes down to what they’re looking for in a Digimon story. There are plenty of Digimon fans who don’t require rich themes or deeper storytelling and are just interested in epic action, making Revenge of Diaboromon the perfect Digimon film for them.

Revenge of Diaboromon is a pretty blatant retread of Our War Game! Set three months after MaloMyotismon’s defeat, Diaboromon somehow returns and Omnimon’s superior strength is once again required to eliminate this evil. The younger DigiDestined crew is tasked with a Kuramon swarm that threatens the world. Revenge of Diaboromon feels like Digimon‘s equivalent to Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns. It’s empty action that’s fun to get lost in, but it never matches the heights of Our War Game!

2 Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna Concludes The Original Anime With Catharsis & Class

Digimon Adventure tri. proved to be such a lackluster finish to the original Digimon Adventure saga that a new series finale was put together with Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. Last Evolution Kizuna is the satisfying legacy sequel that fans were looking for with Digimon Adventure tri. Last Evolution Kizuna is set five years after Digimon Adventure tri., which makes it just over a decade after Digimon Adventure‘s events. There’s a stronger narrative in place as Tai, Matt, and the rest of the original DigiDestined get ready for adulthood as they say goodbye to their childhood, and eventually, their Digimon.

Menoa Bellucci and the Digimon that she creates, Eosmon, serve as Last Evolution Kizuna‘s central antagonists, but the biggest hurdle that the characters have to face and accept is that an ongoing relationship with combat will weaken their bond with their Digimon. The loss of innocence and childhood is a crucial tenet of the movie and one big final spectacle with Omnimon makes sure that Last Evolution Kizuna‘s action is as powerful as its emotion. It’s a movie that leaves its characters — and its audience — in a healthy place where they can finally move past Digimon.

1 Digimon: The Movie Is The Franchise’s First Cinematic Hurrah

The overwhelming success of Pokémon: The First Movie gave the Digimon franchise hope that it could cause just as big of a stir in North American movie theaters. Digimon: The Movie puts the Digimon Adventure 01 and 02 DigiDestined in a massive quest to end the communication-corrupting efforts of the deadly Diaboromon. Diaboromon is such a colossal threat that it triggers the inaugural appearance of Omnimon, who continues to be regarded as one of the best and most powerful Digimon.

Digimon: The Movie connects with its action, characters, storytelling, and nostalgia. It also just has a truly gorgeous animated aesthetic that’s a testament to the work of director Mamoru Hosoda, who would go on to helm iconic anime feature films like Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and Belle. The curious thing about Digimon: The Movie is that it’s an American creation by Saban that combines and edits together Japan’s first three Digimon movies—Digimon Adventure (1999), Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!, and Digimon Adventure 02: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals—Into a singular 82-minute feature film. Our War Game! is the true standout and the real centerpiece to Digimon: The Movie.