Digimon

An acronym for Digital Monsters, Digimon are the creatures that populate the DigiWorld. While the DigiWorld is a physical manifestation of the interlinked communications network of Earth, Digimon themselves are more than that - created out of a combination of data from that network, and given shape, form and life by the thoughts, dreams, stories, spiritual beliefs and more of huamnkind. This merging is made possible through the power of a dimension that borders the DigiWorld, possessing the ability to transform thought into reality - a power that the DigiWorld holds a small fraction of. It would be Professor Haruhiko Takenouchi who would form the first theories that connected Digimon's origins to human belief and myth. Digimon can be classified into three types - Data, Virus or Vaccine - and fit into certain categories based on their traits, such as Vegetation, Reptile, Sea Animal, etc. Digimon hatch from Digi-Eggs, and as they age, will grow and change, or Digivolve, through several stages of strength - from Baby, through In-Training, Rookie,Champion, Ultimate to Mega. Only those Digimon owned by the DigiDestined can change from level to level when required, facilitated by Digivices, and Tags andCrests, and they revert to earlier levels when their energy expires. Other Digimon grow through the stages naturally, and do not revert. Each Digimon has special powers and attributes which change and grow as they move through the Digivolutionary levels. Digimon cannot be destroyed as such - when their physical form is terminated, their bodies dissolve into data particles, which are dispersed to the Data World, digital limbo, to be reconstructed as a Digi-Egg and deposited in Primary Village. Some evidence exists to suggest that inherently evil Digimon may be reborn into another neighbouring dimension, the World of Darkness.