Attribute
Attribute (「属性」; Suffix: 「種」; Dub: Attribute[1]/Type[2])——also sometimes referred to as Type in the context of virtual pets[3]——is a system of categorizing Digimon by their fundamental nature. The majority of Digimon species are classified as one of three primary Attributes, which describe the relationship between the Digimon and the environment that they inhabit.
Overview[edit]
Definition[edit]
Attributes describe a Digimon's nature and disposition,[4] especially as it relates to ecology. A Digimon's Attribute is usually determined by a single question: "How does the Digimon survive?"[5] That is, it usually describes how the Digimon relates to, interacts with, and impacts the environment that it inhabits.[6] On this basis, the majority of Digimon are classified as Data, Vaccine or Virus Attribute.[7]
There are two further Attributes which are only found in certain, rare groups and species of Digimon: Free and Variable. These Attributes do not describe the relationship between Digimon and their environments at all, and are even thought to be vestiges of the early "Genesis" of Digimon, when the question of how Digimon survive had no clear answers.[7] There are also multiple Attribute categories that identify Digimon as lacking an Attribute entirely, or as being of an unknown Attribute.
It is possible for specimens of the same Digimon species to exist in different Attributes. Attribute variants of the same species may be visually distinct from each other, as in the case of Growmon, which exists in both red Virus and orange Data variants.[8] In some cases, these variants may even have unique or different abilities from each other; for example, the familiar, blue-colored Virus Otamamon has water-based abilities and attack techniques, but its red Data variant instead has a different set of flame-based abilities and techniques.[9]
The three primary Attributes are often portrayed with broad moral associations, especially when it comes to Digimon designs, concepts and roles: the Vaccine Attribute is often associated with benevolence, heroism, justice and moral virtue, whereas the Virus Attribute is often associated with villainy, malevolence, antagonism, corruption, and computer malware and hackers. However, these associations are not strict rules. There exist heroic Virus Digimon, as well as antagonistic Vaccine (and Data) Digimon.
Kemonogami[edit]
As Digimon Survive depicts Digimon as Kemonogami, non-digital folkloric creatures, the three primary Attributes have different names in that game that eschew the information technology trappings of their usual names: Harmonious, Moral, and Passionate. Their names are the only difference and they otherwise serve the exact same function as in other Digimon media.
Relationship[edit]
The Attribute system originated as a "rock-paper-scissors"-type matchup system in Digimon virtual pets. The matchup relationship between the three primary Attributes is as follows:[6]
- Vaccine is strong against Virus
- Virus is strong against Data
- Data is strong against Vaccine
The remaining Attributes are usually treated as neutral to/"tied" with all other Attributes in games. Certain media portrays some of these Attributes with different or unique matchup relationships with the three primary Attributes:
- Variable Digimon change Attributes in response to their situation.
- Unknown is dominant over all other Attributes.[citation needed]
List of Attributes[edit]
Primary Attributes[edit]
The three primary Attributes describe how a Digimon relates to its habitat.
| Initials | Name | Icons | Description | Example | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMW | DMSt | DSR | ||||
| Da | Data 「データ」 (Dub: Data) |
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Data Digimon simply co-exist with the enviroments that they inhabit.[5] They are not predisposed to exert any impactful influence over their environment, and will instead adapt themselves to suit their habitat.[7]
They are unaffiliated with Vaccine and Virus Digimon.[6]
|
 Tyranomon |
| Va | Vaccine 「ワクチン」 (Dub: Vaccine) |
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Vaccine Digimon strive to preserve[7] and protect their territory and the surrounding environment.[5] Their defensive nature puts them at odds with Virus Digimon, and they will also seek to restore environments that Virus Digimon have modified back into their original state.[4] The Attribute's name reflects this relationship with Virus Digimon,[7] identifying them as "anti-virus" entities.
|
 Hanumon |
| Vi | Virus 「ウィルス」 (Dub: Virus) |
|
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By nature, Virus Digimon actively seek to modify their habitat to suit their own needs,[7] reconfiguring them into environments that they find more hospitable.[4] However, their modifications may have negative impacts on computers and systems, and may cause them to experience errors.[7]
These destructive consequences are why this Attribute is named "Virus,"[6] by analogy with computer viruses. Virus Digimon—specifically, the consciousness of "evil" that resides most commonly within them—are actively opposed by Digimon of the Virus Busters Field,[11] and are hunted by "Virus Hunter" Digimon like Snimon and Dobermon.[12]
|
 Orgemon |
Other Attributes[edit]
These Attributes do not describe how a Digimon relates to its habitat. Instead, they either serve a special purpose, or indicate a lack of a known Attribute.
Note that some Digimon media (most commonly video games) may treat these Attributes as interchangeable or conflated with each other. This is most commonly done to reduce them down to one or two "neutral" or "null" Attributes for game mechanic purposes.
| Initials | Name | Icons | Description | Example | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMW | DMSt | DSR | ||||
| No | None 「なし」 (Dub: None) |
|
Digimon of this classification have no Attribute at all. This classification is often applied to Baby I and Baby II Digimon, which do not exhibit any Attribute because they are still in an early developmental phase of life.[6] |  Botamon | ||
| Fr | Free 「フリー」 (Dub: Free) |
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The Free Attribute predates the emergence of the Data, Vaccine and Virus Attributes,[4] and lacks any Attribute of its own. It is thought to be a vestige of the early "Genesis" of Digimon, when there was no clear answer to the question used to define Attributes: "how does the Digimon survive?"[6]
The majority of known Free Digimon are Ancient Species and/or Armor Digimon.[6]
|
 Digmon |
| Ba | Variable 「ヴァリアブル」[N 1] (Dub: Variable) |
|
|
The Variable Attribute classification is reserved for Hybrid Digimon, and is also thought to be a vestige of the early "Genesis" of Digimon.[6] A Variable Digimon's Attribute changes irregularly in response to their current situation[6] or environment.[13] |  Blitzmon | |
| Uk | Unknown 「不明」[N 2] (Dub: Unknown) |
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The Attributes of Digimon of this classification are unknown. |  Culumon |
| No Data 「ＮＯ ＤＡＴＡ」 (Dub: No Data) |
|
No information is available on the Attributes of Digimon of this classification.
Kemonogami equivalent: Still known as No Data[10] |
 Huanglongmon | |||
Appearances[edit]
Anime[edit]
Digimon Adventure[edit]
According to Gennai, he does not have an Attribute himself, and his lack of an Attribute is what distinguishes him from Digimon.[14]
Manga[edit]
Video Games[edit]
Digimon World 2[edit]
The Guard Teams featured in the game are each dedicated to one specific attribute, with Blue Falcon focused on Data, Silver Cross focused on Vaccine, and Black Sword focused on Virus. Non-standard attributes do not exist in the game, with such Digimon instead being given one of the three main attributes (ex. V-mon is Vaccine, Diablomon is Virus).
Mechanically, Digimon will be inflicted 120% damage by an attribute that is strong against it, while taking 80% damage from an attribute that is weak against it. When using Jogress to combine two Digimon, the resulting Digimon will usually be of a lower stage possessing the dominant attribute between the two. Some exceptions do apply, however.
Digital Monster: D-Project[edit]
In a feature unique to the game, almost every Digimon species in Digital Monster: D-Project can exist in any of the three primary Attributes. The Attribute of each Digimon raised by the player is determined when its Digitama is generated, by the fifth digit of the code that the player inputs into the Digitama Generator:[15]
- 0, 3, 6, or 9 result in a Data Digimon
- 1, 4 or 7 result in a Vaccine Digimon
- 2, 5 or 8 result in a Virus Digimon
An individual Digimon's Attribute is reflected by its coloration. Every eligible species comes in three different palettes, one for each Attribute. For the vast majority of Digimon, their colorations for Attributes other than their usual Attribute in other media are only slight variations on their standard color palette that have been tinted to be cooler or warmer colors. In the cases of some Digimon who had a pre-existing subspecies of a different Attribute at the time, such as Metal Greymon, those subspecies appear as their color palettes for the relevant Attributes.
_dproject.png) |
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| Example: Cherubimon (Vice), Virus |
Example: Cherubimon (Vice), Data |
Example: Cherubimon (Vice), Vaccine |
Virtual Pets[edit]
Digimon Pendulum[edit]
The Digimon Pendulum virtual pet series introduced the concept of Attributes to the Digimon franchise. A Digimon's Attribute is denoted on the sixth page of its stats screen, under the heading TYPE.
Attributes serve two functions:
- In battles, the rock-paper-scissors matchup of the two fighting Digimon's attributes is one of three factors that determine the outcome of the battle (i.e. Data → Vaccine → Virus → Data).[16]
- When Jogressing Digimon, the resulting Digimon is almost always determined by the Attributes of the two constituent Digimon. (The sole exception is the Pendulum ZERO Virus Busters, in which Omegamon can be created by specifically Jogressing a War Greymon and a Metal Garurumon if both participating devices are Pendulum ZERO.)
TCG[edit]
Digital Monster Card Game[edit]
Attributes are a standard property of Digimon cards. They do not inherently have any gameplay effects in and of themselves. Instead, they only come into play when an Option card's effect or a Digimon card's Special Ability cites an Attribute as an activation criterion or target.
The nature of these effects, and how they make use of Attributes, varies significantly. Some cards' effects do reference the traditional Attribute matchup relationships—e.g. [St-325 Megalo Growmon], [St-335 Taomon], and [St-348 Rapidmon], who gain Attack Power boosts against Digimon of the disadvantaged Attribute; or [Tv-4 Dukemon], a Virus Digimon card whose Special Ability inverts the matchup relationship by boosting Attack Power against Vaccine Digimon. Other effects can change a Digimon's Attribute entirely (e.g. [St-488 Holy Seventh]).
Early Digital Monster Card Game sets (up through Starter Ver. 2 and Booster 4) typically gave all Digimon of a given primary Attribute the same Battle Type:
- Vaccine Digimon were assigned Battle Type A
- Data Digimon were assigned Battle Type B
- Virus Digimon were assigned Battle Type C
This effectively replicated the traditional Attribute matchup system, as it would typically result in B Types using more powerful attacks against A Types, and C Types doing the same against B Types, while A Types would win against C Types by means of the "A→0" effect of Attack Type C. (The Unknown Attribute was never consistently associated with any Battle Types in this manner, so the Battle Types of Unknown Digimon cards from this era varied.) Later sets dropped this practice, permitting any Digimon card to have any Battle Type regardless of the Digimon's Attribute.
Five Attributes are present in the Digital Monster Card Game: Vaccine, Data, Virus, Unknown, and (as of Booster 14's introduction of Hybrid Digimon) Variable. A Variable Digimon's Attribute always changes to be the same Attribute as their opponent, including if the opponent's Attribute changes due to card effects. Ten cards (all of which are D-Reaper ADRs) have no Attribute.
Some Digimon cards' Attributes are not consistent with the species' standard Attribute in other media (e.g. [St-10 Togemon]), and it is possible for two cards of the same species, with no apparent visual or species distinctions, to feature different Attributes from each other. In some cases, the card's flavor text may refer this as being a variant (e.g. [St-359 Imperialdramon] as Data, [St-868 Wormmon] as Vaccine). Most notably, since the Free Attribute is completely absent from the Digital Monster Card Game, cards of Digimon who are typically depicted as Free are assigned one of the three primary Attributes (or, in the case of [Re-67 Bancho Stingmon] from one of the later commemorative "Returns" sets in the 2010s, Variable).
Digital Monster Card Game Alpha[edit]
Digimon Card Game[edit]
Attributes are given as Traits to Digimon cards. The Attribute is always the second Trait listed in a Digimon card, after its textual level, separated by a vertical bar (|). They do not inherently have any gameplay effects in and of themselves. Instead, they only come into play when an Option card's or Tamer card's effect or a Digimon card's effect cites an Attribute as an activation criterion or target.
The Attributes in the Digimon Card Game include Vaccine, Data, Virus, Free, Variable, and No Data. The None Attribute does not exist, and the Baby II Digimon that would normally have it instead have no Attribute listed.
Digimon cards depicting non-Digimon entities, such as the D-Reaper ones, have no Attribute listed. Appmon cards have their own Attributes rather than Digimon ones.
Unlike in the Digital Monster Card Game, Attributes are always consistent with other media and cards of the same Digimon. No Digimon is given different Attributes in separate cards or an Attribute that is inconsistent with its Digimon Reference Book profile. Also, no Digimon card is given more than one Attribute, even through ruling text. The only exceptions are Sistermon Noir and Sistermon Ciel which, due to their unique ruling that always treats them as each other, are considered to be simultaneously both Data and Virus.
Additional Information[edit]
| References | Notes |
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