Royal Knights

Royal Knights (ロイヤルナイツ) is the title given to an alliance of thirteen powerful Holy Knight digimon that are the Digital World's sacred guardians, and are famed among Digimon as "Guardian Deities" of the Computer Network. They were gathered by Yggdrasill in order to manage the world, and boast absolute power within the Digital World. Because the Royal Knights are assigned the highest rank of Network Security, it is absolutely impossible to violate Security in their presence.

Their existence was revealed when Omegamon was born, and with Alphamon they became a group that would have thirteen members. The final member acquired its title through frequent, rigorous training at the direction of Gankoomon, its sponsor. It was originally a Huckmon in which Gankoomon saw promise, and as he traveled the Digital World alongside the Sistermon sisters, intervening in the world's incessant conflicts, he was tempered well by frequent, rigorous trials, eventually evolving through Child to Ultimate as the thirteenth Royal Knight, JESmon.

Although all thirteen Royal Knights are currently assembled, there are members like Alphamon who rarely make an appearance, and usually they never gather in their entirety at one time. Each of the Royal Knights possesses a personal dogma that they believe in, and some of them follow Yggdrasill with absolute loyalty, others show gratitude to those they have chosen as their masters, others have engaged in a teacher-disciple relationship, and others only seek unparalleled power. Among the Royal Knights, Dynasmon is a unique being, as he serves the lord who embodied his own sense of justice with deep, unquestioning loyalty.

And so, each one carry on their own missions following their own sense of "Justice" that they have decided upon, with Craniummon competing with the other Royal Knights for the top two mission completion rates for Yggdrasill's orders.

Based on their own ways of thinking, they can work together to protect the Digital World and solve problems from various places. Sometimes they cooperate, sometimes they conflict. Even so, Duftmon is acknowledged even by the other Royal Knights as their foremost strategist. With the notable exceptions of Gankoomon and JESmon, the Royal Knights rarely intervene with the Digital World, and tend to work alone when they do show their face; usually, JESmon being the first that appears to face any threat to the world. However, based on a certain "Prophecy" handed down from the Ancient Digital World, it is said that the Royal Knights will assemble at the time of the Digital World's greatest crisis.

While most of the Royal Knights are Human digimon, there are a few members with bestial forms. Also, some of the Royal Knights are the rulers of other digimon species, or associate with a team of subordinates. The Royal Knights are also allies of the Three Great Angels.

Among the Royal Knights, Ulforce V-dramon is the fastest, while Dynasmon X is considered the most skilled when it comes to aerial combat. Alphamon is the Royal Knight assigned to the place called the "", and his role is to serve as a  for the other Royal Knights.

The Royal Knights are famous among the digimon, with digimon such as Omekamon assuming the identity of one of them, and Dracumon wanting to play some kind of trick on them. King Etemon even incited Prince Mamemon to believe the Royal Knights are their subordinates.

At the start of the plan "Project Ark" in the Digital World, in 2003, under the direction of Yggdrasill, they were given the mission to delete the unwanted digimon. It seems that because of Yggdrasill's will, the Royal Knights will eventually cross Servers to the Digital World: Iliad Server and meet the Olympos XII, who possess abilities that rival those of the Royal Knights, and usually the knights have not felt the need to personally interfere in Iliad's affairs. Whether the Royal Knights and the Olympos XII end up engaging in war or forming an alliance remains to be seen.

The Ancient Holy Knight Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode is considered to be the founder of the Royal Knights by its members because of his role of protecting the Ancient Digital World from an unprecedented crisis in the ancient past.

=Founder= Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode is not a member of the Royal Knights even when they consider it their founder.

=Members= These are the known members of the Royal Knights, which are 13 members in total. They are all Holy Knight Type Digimon (Rapidmon Armor is also a Holy Knight Digimon, but there is no mention of it being a member of the Royal Knights). (Note: The X-Antibody Digimon still count as the same Royal Knights).

=Appearances=

Though this group does not make an appearance in Digimon Tamers proper, the [www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/digimon_t/chara/dukemon.html official Toei profile] for Dukemon indicates it is a member of the Royal Knights.

Dynasmon and Lord Knightmon serve the Fallen Angel Digimon Lucemon in destroying and recreating the Digital World. After several skirmishes with the Frontier Chosen the two Royal Knights finally destroy the Digital World and revive their Master, only to be betrayed when Lucemon kills them and absorbs all the data they have collected.

The Royal Knights as a whole were originally viewed upon as being antagonists, due to being ordered to destroy the Human World under the command of Yggdrasill when the Digital World is set to collide with the Real World. However, it is more likely that Yggdrasill ordered the attack because he viewed the humans as threats after the action of Kurata Akihiro, especially after his massacre of Digimon years before using his own created Digimon, Gizmon, as well as using the collected life energy to revive Belphemon to rule both humans and Digimon.

They appear once again as the servants of Yggdrasill enforcing Project Ark. The Knights of note are Alphamon, Omegamon, Dukemon and Magnamon. However Dukemon questions Yggdrasill's motives causing him to aid DORUmon and his allies. This results in him being killed by Omegamon in a duel. This however fosters major doubt in Omegamon. Eventually Dukemon is reborn as Dukemon X. He then tells DORUmon (now DoruGreymon) to go to Yggdrasill. However DoruGreymon is barred by Omegamon (who challenges him personally to battle, agreeing to let him pass if he (DoruGreymon) defeats him (Omegamon)) and Magnamon. DoruGreymon is badly beaten but in a moment of desperation, evolves to Alphamon. He then informs the other two knights of his decesion to confront Yggdrasill. Omegamon acknowleges him as leader of the order and joins him, however Magnamon insists on following the will of Yggdrasill. The other two leave without a scuffle but Magnamon sends a warning to Yggdrasill. This causes Yggdrasill to order the Death-X-DORUguremon swarm to delete the Digital World and dispatch Death-X-DORUgoramon to take care of Omegamon and Alphamon. Despite his best efforts, Omegamon is unable to cause major injury to Death-X-DORUgoramon and it is Alphamon who defeats the Undead Menace. They enter Yggdrasill's inner sanctum and confront him but when they move to attack, Death-X-mon, who had evolved from Death-X Dorugoramaon, attacks. Alphamon Ouryuken after realising in battle that he is his evil clone, sacrifices himself to defeat Death-X Mon and both merge together and revert to DORUmon. Omegamon, now Omegamon X destroys Yggdrasill, restoring the Digital World. Later the two X-Antibody Knights speculate on Yggdrasill's motives, concluding he was likely working towards preventing his own destruction. They watch happily as DORUmon and his allies celebrate their victory.

Omegamon, Medieval Dukemon/Dukemon and Magnamon appear as the remainder of the Royal Knights who fought Death-X-mon 10,000 years ago. They make appearances as the allies of the story's chosen children. At the end DORUmon is revealed to be their lost leader Alphamon. He merges with Ouryumon to form Alphamon Ouryuken who destroys Death-X-mon.

They appear as the servants of Yggdrasill helping to enforce Project Ark. However, Alphamon and Ouryumon are fighting against Yggdrasill but make a compromise with him after they merge together to defeat Death-X-mon.

The Royal Knights opposed the Bagra Army, but were scattered when the Digital World broke into pieces, and couldn't regroup until Kudou Taiki and Aonuma Kiriha helped them to pass between Zones with the use of the Digimon Xros Loader. Out of the Royal Knights, Ulforce V-dramon is first to be seen and the most prominent. He gives exposition about the history of the Digital World and tells that he once had a partner with whom he saved the Digital World a few times, and as a result, was made a Royal Knight. Other Royal Knights that appear are Duftmon, Craniummon, Lord Knightmon and Dynasmon, who all the part in the final battle at Jupiter Zone. Dukemon and Sleipmon are mentioned but not seen, said to be suppressing resistance in other Zones during the final battle, and Examon and Magnamon appear briefly in a flashback. In addition to them, Omegamon appears in a flashback, having battled against Tactimon and Bagramon at the stem of Yggdrasill. At the time of the manga's events, Omegamon's fate is unknown; he is thought to be deceased, but Shoutmon has the same aura as him.

Sleipmon and Craniummon are sent to the old Digital World that had been decimated by the X-Program by Yggdrasill ten years earlier to preform a survey there to find out its current state, and are given the X-Antibody to help do this, turning them into Sleipmon X-Antibody and Craniummon X-Antibody. The duo discover that the old Digital World had turned into a world of chaos, with Digimon fighting over who would get to rule different parts of the Digital World. When wanting to resolve the problem, the duo request another Royal Knight join them to make it easier, as they did not think they have enough power on their own, so JESmon agrees to help them, and is given the X-Antibody as well, becoming JESmon X-Antibody.

Lord Knightmon is part of the Royal Knights.

The Royal Knights appear as a collectable card set.

The Royal Knights appear as a collectable card set.

Duftmon is a member of the Royal Knights.

Yagami Taichi and Omegamon lead the guardian knights, the Royal Knights, during the fight against the Dragon Digimon commanded by Aonuma Kiriha and Decker Greymon.

=Additional Information=