While Pokemon might evolve, Digimon get to Digivolve. In Digimon Adventures 01 Digivolving was a simple upgrade as the Digital Monsters enhanced their form from Rookie to Champion to Ultimate and finally Mega. But within the next five seasons, Digimon took Digivolution to a whole other level. They could fuse with weapons, other Digimon, and even humans. Some DigiDestined could even become Digimon themselves. There was no limit to where this franchise would go.
This constant change in the franchise kept fans on their toes, never really knowing what amazing forms the Digimon could take on next. Unlike other kid-centric anime's, Digimon broke away from a formulaic and mostly episodic structure to create a franchise as complex as the Digivolutions themselves. With six seasons and many forms, here are the 10 Digivolutions ranked from worst to number one.
10 Burst Evolution
At the bottom of the list is “Burst Evolution” used in the fifth series in the franchise, Digimon Data Squad. While mega level is usually the highest form of evolution starting in the second season Digimon started to introduce levels beyond mega. In this season, this mode change causes ShineGreymon, MirageGaogamon, Rosemon, and more to achieve Burst Mode.
This digivolution is only possible with the Burst Digivice (an upgraded version of season five’s Digivice IC) and when the user shouts “Charge! D.N.A. Burst Mode”. Though these modes are cool they only slightly redesign the Digimon’s mega forms usually with a color change. With a whole franchise worth of cool evolutions, this mode just didn’t make the cut.
9 Mode Change
Similar to Burst Mode, other seasons used Mode Changes to slightly enhance mega level Digimon. It’s most popularly used in the franchise’s third season, Digimon Tamers. In the season’s final arc, the D-Reaper (an antivirus program) threatens both the real and digital worlds. After reuniting with his partners Ai and Mako, Impon heads towards the battle to help the Tamers.
With his determination, he warp-digivolves to Beelzemon and digitizes a toy gun given to him from Mako into an arm cannon and evolving into his Blast Mode. Another cool mode change in the season is Gallantmon who fuses with the dying Grani to become Gallanton Crimson Mode, sporting an all-new red and gold armor and white angel wings. While these mode changes helped the Tamers win this final battle they did seem like a small upgrade to other more exciting ones.
8 Fusion Evolution (DigiFuse)
Before Digimon Tri and the new 2020 reboot, Digimon’s sixth series was titled Digimon Fusion. Instead of the usual digivolving, this season focused on one Digimon, Shoutmon, who is able to DigiFuse with other Digimon to create evolved versions of himself.
In order to achieve DigiFuse, a General must use a Fusion Loader. Each iteration of Shoutmon either increases his power or changes his abilities to better suit the given situation. For example, Shoutmon X2 fuses Shoutmon with Ballistamon, while Shoutmon X3 fuses Shoutmon, Ballistamon, and Dorulumon. While creative, this focus on one character’s evolutions quickly became boring and just wasn’t as fun or as impactful as previous forms of digivolutions.
7 Armor Digivolution
Digimon Adventure 02 built upon the world of the first season introducing three new DigiDestined and their partner Digimon. Unlike their predecessors, these Digimon started out in the rookie form and quickly found Digi-Eggs which allowed these new Digimon to Armor Digivolve, a kind of middle form between Rookie and Champion.
It isn’t until the second half of the season that traditional digivolving is even introduced. These forms were cool as the eggs mirrored the crests introduced in season one like Courage and Love.
6 Dark Digivolution
The key to digivolving throughout the Digimon franchise is usually friendship and love. When a partner cares for their Digimon it allows them to become more powerful. But what happens when a partner forces their Digimon to digivolve out of anger?
Instead of their usual transformation, the Digimon instead take on a dark form. In Digimon Adventure 01, Tai forces Agumon to digivolve, but instead of Greymon he takes the form of Skull-Greymon. Skull-Greymon’s a terrifying monster made of just bone and glowing eyes and a nasty orange hump shooting from his shoulder blades. These forms always taught the DigiDestined a lesson in caring for their Digimon and treating them like friends and not weapons.
5 Digivolution
Just making the top five is regular old digivolution. Without this original form there would be no special evolutions to even have a top ten. Digivolving was introduced in the very first episode of Digimon when the seven training level Digimon evolved into their rookie levels to take on Kuwagamon. Digimon can digivolve into rookie, champion, ultimate, and mega levels with other digivolutions becoming popular in other seasons.
Unlike Pokemon, Digimon has the power to de-digivolve to a lower form after a battle if they are tired or hungry. Higher forms allow for Digimon to become more powerful and able to better fight stronger opponents. This makes each episode have a fun digivolving sequence while keeping the cuter and friendlier rookie Digimon the main focus.
4 Warp Digivolution
Beating out Digivolution is Warp Digivolution which was introduced in season one as a way to evolve Agumon and Gabumon to their mega evolutions without having to take on each form in between. Warp Digivolution not only sped up the somewhat repetitive digivolving sequence but also had a cool design with the Digimon quickly transforming into their mega form in a chromatic sequence. Any chance to get more War-Greymon and Metal-Garurumon was a plus and makes Warp Digivolution the best option and number four on this list.
3 Spirit Evolution
Coming in third place is season four’s Spirit Evolution. Though Digimon Frontier isn’t the most popular of the Digimon seasons, it was the boldest. Instead of Digimon partners, the DigiDestined this time got to Spirit Evolve into Digimon themselves.
As a kid, the only thing better than having a Digimon was becoming one. Getting to shoot fire, fly, use ice blasts and thunderbolts were just too cool. This time, instead of Digimon doing all the fighting the humans had to battle themselves. This might be number one if the final two weren’t so damn cool.
2 DNA Digivolution
Dragon Ball Z may have Fusion but Digimon has DNA Digivolutions. In Digimon Adventure 02, the six main Digimon partners paired up and DNA Digivolved to create the awesome Paildramon, Shakkoumon, and Silphymon. It took the very best features of both Digimon and turned them into an awesome amalgam. It is later revealed that Omnimon, who first appeared in Digimon the Movie is a product of DNA Digivolution as well.
1 Biomerge Digivolutions
The number one spot has to go to Biomerge Evolution, which originated in the final arc of Digimon Tamers. Biomerge takes the best of DNA Digivolutions and Spirit Evolution, allowing humans to have partner Digimon and later combine with them to form an incredible mega form. Tamers, Takato, Rika, and Henry got to fuse with their Digimon and fight with them against the world ending D-Reaper.
This season was the first to deviate from the original two and portrayed Digimon as a card game that the Tamers used to enhance their Digimon through scanning into their D-Powers. When they hold these D-Powers to their hearts they are able to Biomerge with their Digimon partners putting their lives on the line alongside their Digimon. There is no Digimon fan out there who didn't want to be a Tamer and use their own Digimon cards to enhance and fuse with their Digimon partners.