Digimon Adventure 2020 gives Sora and Biyomon a mega level boost with the introduction of Hououmon.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 52 of Digimon Adventure 2020, “Dance of the Skies, Hououmon” now airing on Crunchyroll.
Although loved, the original Digimon Adventure The series was a bit lopsided on its power scale. Tai and Matt’s partners, Agumon and Garurumon, were the only DigiDestined members to receive Mega Forms, for example. In the linked movie, creatively named Digimon: The Movie, the duo were even able to combine their mega-level Digimon to form the virus-destroying warrior, Omnimon. While subsequent franchise entries have addressed this imbalance, the Adventure reboot provides ample opportunity to do so at source. And while it may have taken over 50 episodes, “Dance of the Heavens, Hououmon” just does it with the introduction of the titular Mega form of Biyomon, a Digimon that is much more than a really large bird (… but it’s what’s more a really big bird).
Also known as Phoenixmon, Hououmon’s appearance is tied to the Chosen’s current quest to better understand his crests, which have thus far been sparsely discussed in the series. Older fans will already know that these unique symbols that appear on each child’s Digivice represent various aspirational qualities, such as courage, friendship, and knowledge, and are key to propelling the Digimon of the gang to ever-higher levels of evolution and strength. As Sora’s crest is ‘love’, it takes an inciting incident to break the couple’s affection so that it can grow stronger in Episode 52, pushing them to the new evolutionary level.
Traveling with Tai and Agumon, the four come across some busy Digimon workers at the foot of a volcano. After helping, Biyomon is injured and Sora’s maternal and overprotective mode kicks in. She refuses to let her Digimon continue to work, driving a wedge of bitter mistrust between the usually inseparable pair. It is not until the volcano erupts that Biyomon regains consciousness, as well as Sora’s help. Evolving into Birdramon and then Garudamon, the two help Tai and MetalGreymon evacuate the area, but the flowing lava threatens to trap the fleeing Digimon faster than they can escape. The rebuilt trust between Sora and Garudamon, as well as the pressure cooker situation they find themselves in, unlocks Hououmon, who solves the natural disaster for good.
Besides the importance of Sora obtaining a mega-level Digimon for the first time in Adventure, viewers should take note of the bird’s ankles, around which are the sacred rings, such as the ones that adorn Gatomon and other sacred Digimon. This extra touch of sparkle enhances Hououmon’s status as the “ultimate” Digimon bird, in addition to confirming that it has divine power in each beat of its (no less than) four wings. Hououmon is undoubtedly the first of three other hitherto unseen Mega Evolutions that the remaining DigiDestined members (Izzy, Mimi, and Joe) will unlock in upcoming episodes, evolutions that will ultimately put the kids on a more equal footing.
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Reference-www.cbr.com
