Digimon was created in 1997 as a series of virtual pet-raising toys similar to Tamagotchi. The toys became a smash hit in Japan and across Asia, eventually leading to an entire Digimon universe. In 1999 the franchise got its first animated series with Digimon Adventure – or Digimon: Digital Monsters for English-speaking countries. Use our guide below to find out where you can watch every Digimon series in order and where they are streaming online!
Digimon: Digital Monsters was the first in the franchise and followed a group of kids who are transported into the digital world. Once there, they meet a group of small Digimon in their infant (or “fresh”) form. Together, the group must fight to save the digital world. Luckily, the Digimon can digivolve into bigger, stronger, and cooler monsters to help the kids defeat even the strongest enemies.
The show was widely popular thanks to the success of Pokémon which set the stage for similar franchises to boom. However, within a year or two, most audiences lost interest in Digimon. But for the fans that did stick around, they discovered Digimon was no Pokémon clone and instead was a much deeper and ultimately more mature story that felt more like a proper anime than a kid’s cartoon.
After the Adventure series, fans got Digimon Tamers. The show depicts Digimon being transported into the real world, but luckily a young Digimon fan playing the Digimon card game picks up a mysterious card that turns his card reader into a Digivice. Together with his friends he defends the city. The second incarnation received mixed reviews because of its obvious product-pushing plotline that felt more like an infomercial than a good story.
More Digimon series were released throughout the 2000s like Frontier and Data Squad, but unless you were a massive fan of the franchise, they pretty much flew under the radar outside of Japan. Then, in 2020 the franchise rebooted the original Digimon Adventure series. It was met with mixed reviews with many complaining that the elements of friendship and teamwork had been left out in favor of more battle scenes and a generic hero story. But fans who want a more action-packed series should check it out.
The most recent entry is Digimon Ghost Game, which aired from 2021-2023. The series took Digimon to its darkest (and arguably coolest) realm yet. The new series involves a type of ghost Digimon that can only be seen when using a special device. The show, along with the 2022 video game Digimon Survive, was both praised and criticized. Those looking for the nostalgic vibe of the original show felt no connection to the new series, but fans who were open to the new darker, creeper, and more edgy take found the show to be unique and fresh.
Here’s the full list of the Digimon series in order:
- Digimon: Digital Monsters Parts 1 & 2 (1999-2001)
- Digimon Tamers (2001-2002)
- Digimon Frontier (2002-2003)
- Digimon Data Squad (2006-2007)
- Digimon Fusion (2010-2012)
- Digimon Universe: App Monsters (2016-2017)
- Digimon Adventure (2020-2021)
- Digimon Ghost Game (2021-2023)
Where Can I Watch Every Digimon Series Online?
Check out our guide below to find out where you can watch every Digimon series streaming online!