The $30 million toe in the water

The latest Digimon anime, Digimon Beatbreak, continues the long-standing tradition of killing off Leomon by featuring the death of Panjyamon, a Leomon variant, in episode 32. This article explores the history of this meta joke, its tragic undertones, and why it remains effective after nearly 30 years.

Long-running franchises often revisit recurring themes and story beats across different seasons and installments,and Digimon is a prime example of this trend. Not only do new shows frequently reuse Digimon characters across various anime series, even when their roles and personalities shift to suit the needs of the new story, but the underlying themes of characters learning about family and friendship through their adventures remain a constant.

Naturally, another recurring element across the Digimon franchise is its humor, and despite the tonal differences between each anime, certain types of jokes are easily recognizable across the franchise. This is especially true for jokes that carry a hint of meta humor, and as of the latest Digimon anime, Digimon Beatbreak, one particularly dark piece of meta humor continues to be employed, even with the anime side of the franchise approaching its 30th anniversary.

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Among all the running jokes in the Digimon franchise, the oldest and most enduring is the franchise's tendency to kill off Leomon. Digimon Tamers infamously brought back the iconic Leomon from Digimon Adventure only to kill him at the halfway point, and since then, nearly every Digimon anime has featured the death of Leomon or a derivative character.

Digimon Adventure tri. even resurrected the original Leomon just to kill him again. Chiaki J. Konaka,the writer of Digimon Tamers, expressed regret for starting the tradition of killing Leomon in every Digimon anime when he did so in Tamers.

Leomon's repeated deaths have been a source of humor for over two decades, and this tradition has returned with a vengeance in the latest Digimon anime, Digimon Beatbreak.

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In episode #32 of Digimon Beatbreak, the story explores Maki's past with her deceased partner Panjyamon, a variant of Leomon sometimes referred to as IceLeomon in English translations.. True to form, the narrative concludes with Panjyamon sacrificing himself to protect Maki from an evil Digimon named Fumamon, a common explanation for Leomon's deaths across decades of Digimon shows and movies.

The most recent Digimon anime had previously avoided this recurring fate for Leomon, and the 2020 Digimon Adventure reboot went out of its way to keep Leomon alive, leading many to believe that the franchise might finally abandon this trope.

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However, with Panjyamon's death in Digimon Beatbreak episode #32, it is clear that the joke remains as alive as ever and shows no signs of disappearing. The humor in Leomon's fated deaths has been undeniable since Digimon Tamers premiered in 2001.

The comedy stems from the apparent inevitability that Leomon will die whenever he appears in a Digimon anime, a fact highlighted by promotional material and even acknowledged by the staff behind the series.

For instance, Digimon Fusion portrayed Leomon as a zombie-like Digimon, further emphasizing that the creators are in on the joke.

A familiar pattern from the 2019 crash

It is almost as if Leomon serves as Digimon's counterpart to Kenny from South Park, always meeting a fatal end in a manner that amuses audiences. Yet what makes this recurring gag particularly noteworthy is that Leomon's deaths almost always occur through self-sacrifice-he gives his life to protect someone or something he holds dear.

This pattern dates back to Digimon Adventure and continues in Digimon Beatbreak, adding a layer of tragedy to the character that makes his demise impactful, arguably more so than the meta humor itslef.

Nearly 30 years after the franchise began, Digimon still upholds its oldest and darkest tradition of killing off Leomon and his derivatives.