Digimon Data Squad

Digimon Data Squad, known in Japan as Digimon Savers (デジモンセイバーズ), is the fifth anime television series of the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series aired in Japan on Fuji TV from April 2, 2006 to March 25, 2007. An English-language version was produced by Studiopolis in conjunction with Toei Animation USA and Disney Enterprises and aired in North America on Jetix (and subsequently Disney XD) from October 1, 2007 to November 1, 2008. It aired in the United Kingdom on Kix!. A film based on the series was released on December 9, 2006.

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 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 merging 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.

Main characters

 * Marcus Damon (大門 大)
 * Marcus is a 14-year old junior high school student. As a delinquent, he challenges himself to become the strongest street fighter. He is partnered with Agumon. Marcus also appeared in the third and final season of Digimon Fusion.
 * Marcus is a 14-year old junior high school student. As a delinquent, he challenges himself to become the strongest street fighter. He is partnered with Agumon. Marcus also appeared in the third and final season of Digimon Fusion.


 * Agumon (アグモン)
 * Partner of Marcus Damon
 * Partner of Marcus Damon


 * Thomas H. Norstein (トーマ・H・ノルシュタイン)
 * Thomas is a 14-year-old teen genius of Japanese and Austrian descent. 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.
 * Thomas is a 14-year-old teen genius of Japanese and Austrian descent. 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.


 * Gaomon (ガオモン)
 * Partner of Thomas H. Norstein
 * Partner of Thomas H. Norstein


 * Yoshino "Yoshi" Fujieda (藤枝 淑乃)
 * Yoshino is an 18-year-old field agent at DATS. She is partnered with Lalamon.
 * Yoshino is an 18-year-old field agent at DATS. She is partnered with Lalamon.


 * Lalamon (ララモン)
 * Partner of Yoshino "Yoshi" Fujieda
 * Partner of Yoshino "Yoshi" Fujieda


 * Keenan Crier (野口 郁人)
 * Keenan is a young boy who goes missing in the Digital World from a lab experiment gone awry. He grew up with prejudice against humans. He is partnered with Falcomon.
 * Keenan is a young boy who goes missing in the Digital World from a lab experiment gone awry. He grew up with prejudice against humans. He is partnered with Falcomon.


 * Falcomon (ファルコモン)
 * Partner of Keenan Crier.
 * Partner of Keenan Crier.

Recurring characters

 * Richard Sampson (薩摩 廉太郎)


 * Kudamon (クダモン)
 * Partner of Richard Sampson, later revealed to be Kentaurosmon of the Royal Knights.
 * Partner of Richard Sampson, later revealed to be Kentaurosmon of the Royal Knights.


 * Miki Kurosaki (黒崎 美樹)


 * Megumi Shirakawa (白川 惠)


 * Homer Yushima (湯島 浩)
 * He is partnered with Kamemon.
 * He is partnered with Kamemon.


 * Sarah Damon (大門 小百合)
 * Mother of Marcus and Kristy Damon.
 * Mother of Marcus and Kristy Damon.


 * Kristy Damon (大門 知香)
 * Younger sister of Marcus Damon. She is partnered with Biymon.
 * Younger sister of Marcus Damon. She is partnered with Biymon.

Antagonists

 * Merukimon (メルクリモン)
 * 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.
 * 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.


 * Gotsumon (ゴツモン)
 * A champion-level Rock Digimon.
 * A champion-level Rock Digimon.


 * Akihiro Kurata (倉田 明宏)
 * 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 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. After Belphemon's defeat, he ends up a victim of his space-oscillation bomb.
 * 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 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. After Belphemon's defeat, he ends up a victim of his space-oscillation bomb.


 * Belphemon (ベルフェモン)
 * A Demon Lord Digimon who is sealed for years before Kurata freed him and later awakened.
 * A Demon Lord Digimon who is sealed for years before Kurata freed him and later awakened.


 * King Drasil (イグドラシル)
 * King Drasil is a host computer being in the form of a tree, serving as the 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.
 * King Drasil is a host computer being in the form of a tree, serving as the 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)
 * Member of Royal Knights.
 * Member of Royal Knights.

Production
The series was announced during the December 2005 Jump Festa convention in Japan with advertisements showing a remolded Agumon as the lead Digimon. The name of the series was later revealed in January 2005 with the character designs coming a month later. Savers was the first Digimon series to be produced in nearly four years, but the second Digimon production since 2005, coming off the heels of Digital Monster X-Evolution, where staff had mentioned early on that a new series might be possible depending on its performance. Unlike previous series which all featured human character designs by Akihiro Asanuma, Savers went with designs by Sayo Aoi that featured designs more typical of anime than the staple style of shows past. The series was aired as a family program rather than a children's program in an attempt to capture a wider audience, including those who might have watched the earlier shows but grown older. Because of the new market, the series contained the oldest cast of main characters, ranging from adolescents to adults. Rather than the typical eight-month wait between the Japanese airing and the English dub, there was a full eighteen months between the dub and the Japanese airing. Not long after the discovery of an entry for the show on Toei's website, which featured anglicized names for some of the characters and the show's new English title, chosen by Toei, on April 25, 2007, Disney's ABC Network announced that it had signed an agreement with Toei Animation to license the show. Much of the staff that worked on Digimon Adventure, including director Jeff Nimoy, returned to work on Data Squad. Because Disney had the rights to the show outside of Asia, it was aired in different channels throughout the world than past incarnations. Bandai chose Agumon for the series and showed it to other fans.

Anime
The series aired 48 episodes on Fuji TV in Japan from April 2, 2006 to March 25, 2007. In Germany, the series first aired on RTL 2 from November 30, 2007 to February 14, 2008. The series finished airing in the US on Jetix on November 1, 2008, thirteen months after it premiered on October 1, 2007. In Brazil, twenty episodes have aired on Rede Globo, since August 10, 2009. After that, the series was no longer broadcast. In Latin America, the series premiered on Disney XD on February 22, 2010. Since Monday March 15, the series began airing in the United Kingdom on Kix! (Only on Sky and FreeSat). Since then, it continually airs every day at 7am, 1pm and 4pm throughout the day, however since Pinky and the Brain premiered it is only shown at 7am, 09:30am, 11:30am and 3:30pm. It was announced on February 12, 2009 that Toei Animation has signed Well Go USA instead of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment with the DVD rights to Digimon Data Squad, and the first thirteen US sub and dub episodes has been made available on May 26, 2009.

The first DVD showed the North American edited TV version as seen on Disney XD. The second DVD set was available on May 25, 2010, this set will feature promo videos for the series. There are no uncut DVDs (outside Japan and Brazil). The release of the third DVD set is canceled. 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. Brazil had released several DVDS of the show. In 2014, Cinedigm Entertainment obtained the rights to the release of the season. A Complete collection released on March 11, 2014 in the US.

Theme songs

 * Opening themes
 * "Gōing! Going! My soul!!" (強ing! Going! My soul!!) by Dynamite SHU
 * Episodes: 1-29
 * "Hirari" (ヒラリ) by Kōji Wada
 * Episodes 30-48
 * Ending themes
 * "One Star" by Yousuke Itou
 * Episodes: 1-24
 * "Ryūsei" (流星) by MiyuMiyu
 * Episodes: 25-47
 * Insert song:
 * "Believer" by Ikuo

Video games
The series contained a number of related video games associated with the franchise.


 * Digimon World DS: A game featuring several Digimon Savers characters, but does not focus on them. It can arguably be seen as a side-story to Digimon Savers. The game, released in America before the concept of Data Squad, uses the original Japanese names of the DATS team, who appear in certain quests.
 * Digimon World Data Squad: A game focusing on the primary characters of the series, and which presents an original story that apparently runs parallel to the anime. It involves the members of DATS coming into conflict with the Seven Great Demon Lords.
 * Digimon World: Dawn and Dusk: Sequel to Digimon World DS, a set of two games with slightly different stories. At the end of the game, the four main characters from Data Squad appear to battle the main character.
 * Digimon Masters: A Digimon MMORPG where players take control of the primary characters of the DATS team. This game follows the storyline of the anime, however it is still incomplete and there are several story segments still currently missing.