Digimon Fusion, known in Japan as , is the sixth anime television series in the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation between July 2010 and March 2012.

Its storyline follows the adventures of Mikey Kudo, who utilizes the power to fuse any of his Digimon partners. The series is divided into three arcs, with the latter two given the subtitles of , and  respectively.

The series was licensed outside of Asia by Saban Brands for an English-language adaptation, which was produced by Studiopolis; the third and final arc did not receive an English localization. The series was also adapted into a manga series and multiple video games.

Plot

Season 1

Mikey Kudo receives the Fusion Loader, creates his own team (Fusion Fighters) and recruits some Digimon partners in the Digital World. There, he learns that Lord Bagramon is attempting to conquer the world by collecting 108 Code Crown fragments and wields the Darkness Loader. Mikey collects some fragments from each zones, but Bagramon steals them and recruits AxeKnightmon. Mikey, Angie Hinomoto and Jeremy Tsurugi are sent back to the human world, but Mikey returns to the Digital World, leaving his friends behind.

Season 2

When Bagramon creates an empire divided into seven kingdoms, Mikey, Christopher Aonuma and Nene Amano defeat each generals. They learn that Bagramon is using Ewan to oppose them, while they gathered negative energy from those which transformed fragments into a Dark Stone (D5). After Mikey saves Ewan and retrieves all fragments, Shoutmon defeats Bagramon and plans to bring peace to both worlds.

Season 3

One year later, Mikey discovers an unstable realm between both worlds and learns that Quartzmon is absorbing data. The DigiQuartz is where Digimon Hunters capture Digimon for leaving any world and feeding negative emotions on anyone. The Clock Store Owner unites all heroic characters from different parallel universes. Tagiru and Gumdramon wield Bagramon's lost arm "Brave Snatcher", in order to defeat Quartzmon. With both worlds restored, all humans and their partners are separately return to their own universe. The series ends with Mikey, Tagiru and their friends planning their future.

Production
Digimon Xros Wars was first publicly revealed in the June 2010 issue of Shueisha's V Jump magazine, including the name of the series and brief descriptions of the series and several main characters. It was directed by Tetsuya Endo and written by Riku Sanjo.  A number of staffs and voice actors for the anime were selected from those from Gegege no Kitarō (2007) and Hakaba Kitarō (2008) including Riku Sanjo and Minami Takayama. A third season was decided suddenly, with Yukio Kaizawa as the main writer for the first episode. In order to retain the series' popularity, Mikey Kudo remained as a returning character, while Christopher and Nene were removed from the main cast. Instead, Ewan remained as a protagonist due to his character still needing growth. The series was the first to be broadcast in widescreen 16:9 and in HD 1080i and aired on TV Asahi between July 6, 2010, and March 25, 2012. Crunchyroll  began streaming the original Japanese version of the series outside of Japan, with English subtitles, in November 2011. Disney XD in Malaysia aired a William Winckler-produced English version along with original Chinese and Malay dubs based on the original Japanese version from December 8, 2012, titled Digimon Fusion Battles.

The series was licensed by Saban Brands for an English language release to air in North America, contracting Studiopolis to dub the series into English and hiring Noam Kaniel (Noam) (who worked on X-Men, Code Lyoko, and Power Rangers) to compose the music for the series. The series began airing on Nickelodeon on September 7, 2013, was moved to Nicktoons after three episodes, and later began airing on The CW's Vortexx programming block from January 25, 2014, to September 27, 2014. The first season became available for streaming on Netflix starting September 13, 2014, while the second season became available on March 8, 2016. Beginning on February 24, 2014, Fusion began airing in the United Kingdom on CITV, the same channel that aired the first three seasons. In Canada, YTV, which aired previous installments of the franchise (barring Digimon Data Squad), began airing the series on February 28, 2014, with thirty episodes. In the Philippines, it began airing on Yey! after the end of Digimon Frontier, but it ended on July 1, 2020 (due to ABS-CBN's franchise renewal controversy).

Home media
The series was released on DVD with nineteen volumes by Bandai Visual in Japan from April 22, 2011, to August 24, 2012. A DVD box was released on November 22, 2016.  Part I was released in the US on February 10, 2015, via Cinedigm; Part II was released on March 1, 2016. In Australia, the first season was released by Roadshow Entertainment on June 11, 2014.

Theme songs
Kousuke Yamashita composed the music for the series. A total of three CD soundtracks under the label of Music Code were released in Japan on September 29, 2010, March 23, 2011, and January 18, 2012.

Opening theme songs (Japan)
 by Sonar Pocket (1-30)
"New World" by Twill (31-54)
"STAND UP" by Twill (55-79)

Insert songs (Japan)
 by Kōji Wada
"Blazing Blue Flare" by Hideaki Takatori
"X4B The Guardian!" by Kōji Wada
 by Kōji Wada
 by Takayoshi Tanimoto
"Evolution &Digixros ver.TAIKI" by Kōji Wada and Takayoshi Tanimoto
"Evolution &Digixros ver.KIRIHA" by Kōji Wada and Takayoshi Tanimoto
 by Kōji Wada, Takayoshi Tanimoto and Ayumi Miyazaki
 by Psychic Lover
"Shining Dreamers" by Takafumi Iwasaki
 by YOFFY and Takafumi Iwasaki

Theme song (US / International - Outside Asia)

"Act as One (Digimon Fusion Theme)" by Noam Kaniel (Noam) and Frederic Jaffre (1-54)

Related media
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Yuki Nakashima, was serialized in Shueisha's V Jump magazine from June 21, 2010, to March 21, 2012. Its twenty-one chapters were collected in four tankōbon volumes, released from December 29, 2010, to May 2, 2012.

Two arcade machines,  and  , have been released, which utilise special cards. A video game based on the series, , was released in Red and Blue versions for the Nintendo DS on March 3, 2011. Together, Super Xros Wars serves as the fourth game in the Digimon Story series.  Bandai released a series of card games in North America.

Reception
On its Japanese premiere, Digimon Fusion had a rating of 4.1 viewers. Digimon Xros Wars: The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time was nominated for the 2012 International Emmy Kids Awards for Kids: Animation. Famicom Tsūshin scored Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars 32 out of 40. Early responses by Anime News Network praised the pilot, stating nostalgic Digimon fans would enjoy it based on its new approach to power-ups within the main cast and compared it to the highly acclaimed mecha series Gurren Lagann despite suffering from cliches often seen in other anime. Voice actor Kyle Hebert said he enjoyed working in the English dub of the series as his two characters, Dorulumon and Balistamon, offered diverse characterization. Fellow actor Ben Diskin shared similar feelings, commenting he had been a fan of Fusion ever since its Japanese premiere and thus was glad to be voicing both Shoutmon and Cutemon, another pair of characters whose personalities differ greatly.

General critical reception has also been positive. Mediaverum enjoyed the early episodes from Fusion and recommended it to fans of both the first two Digimon Adventure series. While noting the series was aimed at a young audience, DVDCorner wrote that the series still had deep themes which might attract older viewers despite its flaws. ICv2 recommended the series for a young audience when checking the English DVDs. CulturedVultures left it up to the viewers to watch it or not, also recommending it to an audience that has knowledge of the franchise, while Metro stated it retained the appeal of its predecessors which overshadowed the famous Pokémon back in the 1990s. DVDTalk found mixed feelings when reviewing Fusion. While he lamented the series' focus on Digimons rather than humans, he still praised the show for its animation and recommended it to fans of the series. Capsule Monster commented that despite the apparent attempts of the series to expand marketing, Fusion offers an appealing story, as rather than focusing on friendship, it also contains dark themes rarely seen in children's shows which might attract other audiences.

References

External links

Official Japanese websites
TV Asahi's official Digimon Xros Wars website
The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms
The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time
Toei Animation's official Digimon Xros Wars website
The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time
Digimon website
Data Carddass: Super Digica Taisen
Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars, Blue and Red

Official English websites
Digimon Fusion Nicktoons website
Digimon Fusion at SabanBrands.com

Others

2006 video games
Adventure anime and manga
Anime and manga about parallel universes
Crossover anime and manga
Digimon anime and manga
Fantasy anime and manga
Animated television series about children
Television series about parallel universes
Shōnen manga
Toei Animation television
TV Asahi original programming
Video games with alternative versions
《디지몬 크로스워즈(, )》는 구 디지몬 시리즈의 TV 애니메이션 5번째이자 마지막 작품으로 1부는 2010년 7월 6일부터 TV 아사히에서 2011년 3월 8일까지는 화요일 19시 27분 ~ 19시 57분에 걸쳐 방영되었으며 2/3부는 일요일 오전 6:30~ 7:00분으로 시간대를 옮겼으며 2011년 4월 3일부터 2012년 3월 25일까지 방영되었다.

개요 
디지몬 어드벤처에서부터 이어져오던 구 디지몬 애니메이션 시리즈의 5번째이자 마지막 작품으로 역대 시리즈 사상 도입부가 많은 작품이자, 시리즈 최초의 하이비전 작품이며, 이전의 작품들을 방영하던 후지 TV에서 TV 아사히로 방송사를 옮기게 되었다. 또 디지몬 시리즈 최초로 일본 전국에 동시 방영되며, 이전 시리즈가 일요일 오전에 방영되던 것에 비해 크로스워즈는 1부는 오후 7시에 방송되었고 2/3부는 이전 시리즈처럼 일요일 오전으로 변경되었다.

진화의 형태는 디지크로스라는 새로운 형태인 조그레스와 비슷한 개념이다. 이전 시리즈들과는 달리 크로스워즈 시리즈는 선혈 묘사가 있고 필살기 등의 캐릭터의 동작들에 대한 이름이 자막으로 설명된다.

2012년 3월 25일에 종영되었다. 최종화 캐릭터 목록에 역대 디지몬 시리즈 주인공들이 추가되었다.

줄거리 
중학생 1학년인 쿠도 타이키(강태성)는(은) 어느날 샤우트몬의 목소리와 함께 신비의 아이템 "크로스로더"를 얻게 된다. 즉, 강태성은 크로스로더를 사용할 수 있는 "제네럴"(지휘관)으로 선택받은 것이다. 강태성과 친구들은 디지털 월드로 향하지만, 디지털 월드는 크로스워즈 상태가 되어있었다. 강태성은 샤우트몬, 그리고 친구들과 함께 크로스워즈에 임한다!

등장인물

방영 리스트

스탭 
 기획 - 스기야마 노보루(TV 아사히), 세키 히로미(도에이 애니메이션)
 원작 - 혼고 아키요시
 연재 - 『V점프』(슈에이샤)
 감독 - 엔도 테츠야
 구성작가 - 산죠 리쿠
 캐릭터 디자인・작화감독 - 아사누마 아키히로
 미술디자인 - 유키 신조
 음악 - 야마시타 코스케
 프로듀서 - 마츠히사 토모하루(TV아사히), 사쿠라다 히로유키(도에이 애니메이션)
 제작담당 - 마츠자카 카즈미치
 제작협력 - 도에이
 제작 - TV 아사히, 도에이 애니메이션

주제가

오프닝 테마 
《Never Give Up!》(1기)
 작사 - Sonar Pocket / 작곡 - Sonar Pocket・키노시타 요시유키 / 편곡 - 키노시타 요시유키
 노래 - Sonar Pocket (유니버설 뮤직→토쿠마 재팬 커뮤니케이션즈)
 ※2기부터는 이 노래를 어레인지한 BGM이 매화 서두에 흘러나온다.
《New World》(2기)
 작사・작곡・편곡 - kz(livetune)
 노래 - TWILL (나유타웨이브 레코드)
《STAND UP》(3기)
 작사・작곡・편곡 - kz(livetune)
 노래 - TWILL (나유타웨이브 레코드)

삽입곡 
 1기
《WE ARE 크로스하트!》
 노래 - 와다 코지, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 야마시타 코스케
《BLAZING BLUE FLARE》
 노래 - 다카토리 히데아키, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 야마시타 코스케
《×4B THE GUARDIAN》
 노래 - 와다 코지, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 야마시타 코스케
《하늘을 나는 용자! x5》
 노래 - 와다 코지, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 야마시타 코스케
 2기
《Evolution & Digixros ver.TAIKI 》
 노래 - 와다 코지&타니모토 타카요시, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 야마시타 코스케
《Evolution & Digixros ver.KIRIHA 》
 노래 - 와다 코지&타니모토 타카요시, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡 - 야마시타 코스케, 편곡 - 후쿠히로 슈이치로
《WE ARE 크로스하트! ver.X7》
 노래 - 와다 코지&타니모토 타카요시&미야자키 아유미, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 야마시타 코스케
《돈도코몬으로 분위기를 드높여라!》
 노래 - 오노다 코지＆돈도코몬(사쿠라이 타카히로), 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡・편곡 - 다카토리 히데아키
《DARK KNIGHT ~불사신의 왕자~》
 노래 - 타니모토 타카요시, 작사 - 산죠 리쿠, 작곡 - 야마시타 코스케
 3기
《끓어오르는 힘!》
 노래・연주 - 사이킥 러버. 작사・작곡 - YOFFY. 편곡 - 오오이시 켄이치로
《Shining Dreamers》
 노래 - 이와사키 타카후미. 작사 - 산죠 리쿠. 작곡 - 이와사키 타카후미. 편곡 - 오오이시 켄이치로
《레전드 크로스워즈》
 노래 - YOFFY&이와사키 타카후미. 작사 - 산죠 리쿠. 작곡 - 야마시타 코우스케

보충자료 
 이전에 방영되던 프로그램 "스티치!"와 마찬가지로 엔딩 테마곡이 없으며 모든 스탭롤은 오프닝에 등장한다.
 8화부터 디지몬이 기술을 사용할 때마다 일부 기술명이 화면에 표시되게 되었다. 기술명이 표시된 것은 시리즈 사상 처음이다.
 시리즈를 통해 좀처럼 등장하지 않던 유혈 장면(단 붉은색이 아닌 흰색으로 나오며 딱 한 컷만 등장한다)이 나온다.
 이번 작품을 통해 발매된 완구나 게임에서는 이전의 디지몬에 '그레이몬L', '스타몬L'과 같은 표기를 하고 있다. 여기서 'L'은 레전드의 약자이다.

각주

외부 링크 
  디지몬 크로스워즈 공식 홈페이지
  TV 아사히｜디지몬 크로스워즈

TV 아사히 계열 애니메이션
2010년 애니메이션
2011년 애니메이션
2012년 애니메이션
디지털 몬스터
도에이 애니메이션
2011년 비디오 게임
대원방송의 텔레비전 프로그램