Digimon Day 2018 & Faction Focus: The Shadows

We come to the beginning of yet another month, though the beginning of this month notes the celebration of Digimon Day! With announcements of a new multi-platform Digimon game, Digimon Survive, and a new Digimon Move set in the Adventure 01 universe, Things are really picking up for digi-news! In this month's article, we explore digital death in the Encounters universe, the icy netherworld plane of Handra, and the mysterious Order of the Guardians.

A shrine built to honor the Shadows

The Shadows: Mythology of the Digital World

It is the belief among Digimon that physical death, the de-resolution of a Digimon’s data into its component parts, is not the end of their lives. Instead, a Digimon’s soul continues on as a Shadow, an incorporeal spirit. The Shadows, as a whole, sit in judgment over a Digimon’s spirit, deciding whether he is worthy to continue on as a Shadow, or whether he will face eternal damnation and solitude. If a spirit is judged worthy, he has two choices. He can either continue living as a Shadow, helping to watch over and protect the Digital World, or to reincarnate into the next generation of Digimon. Digimon that choose to reincarnate seldom retain memories of their past lives. However, if they do, they are regarded almost as living saints because they have had communion with the Shadows.

If he is judged unworthy, he is dragged into the Ice Plane, Handra, to spend eternity in coldness and dark, utterly alone. Handra is not originally a place of punishment, but has become known as one since it was lost to the Digital World millennia ago. A disaster of unconceivable proportions turned the plane into a freezing wasteland, blotting out the sun and destroying all life thereupon. Some say it was caused by a powerful Digimon that lost control of his abilities. But since then, the lost plane of Handra has become the symbol of death and destruction.

The threat of this punishment is so real to the Digimon, that even the Enemy respected the domain of the Shadows. Known for ruthlessness and cruelty, nevertheless, the Black Diamond did not touch these sacred places, and left them to their keepers, Order of the Guardians. Only during his resurgence did he attack the Temples indiscriminately.

This religion is more than just ancestral worship, though. While individual Shrines and small temples may be dedicated to individuals, or even entire Clans, the main Temples are dedicated primarily to a specific group called the Shadow Guardians. These Digimon spirits are believed to be the oldest of the Shadows, and are said to have been endowed with the spirits of the elements themselves. Digimon believe that these Shadows protect the Digital World from calamities and disasters which otherwise might leave entire cities in ruins.

As for the Order of the Guardians, for the most part, they did not interfere with the politics or wars of the Digital World. Even during the Liberation War, they had only minimal involvement with the Rebellion, providing safe havens for hospitals and refugees. During the Clan Wars, they were neutral in all conflicts, and were often used as mediators between warring factions. Likewise, they had no preference for who they allowed to join their ranks. Any Digimon of any level and any Clan was acceptable.