KONSHUU | Volume 58, Issue 5
ALL HAIL THE DIGIMON QUEEN DEVON NGUYEN
Writer
3rd Year, Anthropology
Momentai
SPOILERS FOR DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02 AND DIGIMON TAMERS! It wouldn’t at all be an unpopular opinion to say that Digimon Tamers is the best of the Digimon spinoffs, if not the best series of them all. With its darker themes, an in-depth exploration of human-digimon relationships, and a completely different atmosphere from the two previous installments, Tamers made it known that it would build upon their foundations and push past the limits of what everyone had thought to be possible in an otherwise relaxed and light franchise like Digimon. No other character exemplifies this transcendence of the franchise more than Rika Nonaka (i.e. Ruki Makino in the original version), who with her Digimon partner Renamon, is a triumph of everything that has come before them. There’s an extensive list of all the things that sets Rika apart from her early contemporaries, but what stands out to me the most is her initial perspective of what a digimon partnership was and how a good chunk of her character arc was learning to value said partnership. Her initial relationship with Renamon was very transactional–they both wanted to be the strongest and thus, partnered up with each other to accomplish that goal. It’s because of this that there was little to no room for any sort of positive connection to be formed, as opposed to the immediate warm and fuzzy bond that previous characters had established with their partners the moment they met them. This is why it’s so satisfying to see Rika’s relationship with Renamon develop over the course of the series. We watch her confide in Renamon, shed tears over her, and eventually merge with her to become a powerful Mega-Digivolution. In many ways, Rika and Renamon’s partnership is a variation of Ken and Wormmon from Adventure 02. Both Rika and Ken took their partnerships for granted and only came around to appreciating it when their partners were in dire trouble (or in Ken’s situation, dead). This aspect of their characters is more effective in Rika’s case, however, because there’s ample time for it to truly simmer before she and Renamon become Sakuyamon for the first time. It’s an emotional moment for both of them, and Rika’s comment about
feeling the warmth of it all sums the experience up clearly. One of my favorite things about Rika is her journey in rejecting the superficial and accepting the meaningful. For a long time, she viewed Digimon as tools for battle, mere scraps of data that didn’t have thoughts or feelings of their own; her violent introduction showcases this very clearly. She saw the traditional values of her family to be weak and rejected any and all attempts that her supermodel mom made to bond with her. To Rika, there was only value in being the best, everything else was underneath her. But it’s through her strengthening bond with Renamon and her subsequent friendships with Takato, Henry, and even Jeri that her icy exterior begins to melt and see the power of having strong bonds with others. With Jeri especially, who’s far weaker and more feminine than her, Rika realizes that strength isn’t just something that can be physically felt–it can be emotionally observed too. She’s able to reconcile with her mom through this realization and finally accept the strength that comes with friendship. Her bond with Renamon will always be infinitely more powerful than anything else she was capable of in the past. I think the reason why long-time fans adore Rika so much is because they can all see a part of themselves in her. She feels like a real person we know or have been. Whether it be a fractured relationship with their family or an inability to see the value of true friendship, Rika Nonaka has touched countless people throughout the years. I know she’s definitely touched me.
