Agumon

Agumon was created by Kenji Watanabe for the Digital Monster Virtual Pet in 1997 and was created to be a dinosaur that would be able to be taken on a stroll.[2] While creating the Digimon Adventure short, director Mamoru Hosoda wanted to focus on Tai and Kari's relationship with Koromon, the Digimon that appeared in their house. The main theme of the movie was how Tai and Kari had problems interacting with the Digimon as across its multiple forms, he is either silent or talkative. Due to time constraints, Hosoda claimed that the friendship presented was one-dimensional.[3]

Hosoda further elaborated on the bond between Agumon and Tai as they are allies despite being from different ways and expressed a challenge about how it was possible that Tai could help his partner during the battles. As a result, he felt the friendship between Agumon and Tai be deeper based on the latter's dilemma. He wants to make Digimon give complete confidence to the humans and thus wanted to give an scenario in for the second OVA to how Tai could help Agumon become stronger and defeat the villain, Diaboromon. That's the part I want to let “miracles” take care of. Not to resolve the plot conveniently, but to overcome real issues like this. Taichi and their friends don’t need to help their partner in the Digital World, but just be by their side. Hosoda wanted people to understand that is the important thing. "On the first glance, it looks like they triggered a “miracle” at that moment, but what they really overcame was that psychological limit". Through this film, Hosoda wanted to make sure Agumon was not a pet and instead a friend to Tai.[3]

In regards to the series' reboot, director Masato Mitsuka claimed that their "important task is to make sure things come across to the viewer as cool". He says he found it difficult to think about how to show "cool" action sequences using the physics of the Digimon and especially Greymon, compared to Son Goku from Dragon Ball Super and his panoply of attacks. "The Digimon will reach Ultimate-level very quickly, so in the long run, the time Agumon will actively spend as an Adult-level Greymon will be gone... [...] Still, we were very enthusiastic about wanting to show off the pride of an Adult-level."; "Ultimate-level Omegamon is one of the most impressive "symbols" of Digimon, still to this day, with many derivatives [...] its appearance and the when and how were determined even before I was brought into the project. [...] Special circumstances have made it so that there aren't many occasions with a proper action-like depiction of Omegamon, he's always been protected for very particular moments. But I wanted to depict him as the miracle that appears after overcoming great difficulties. May each of his appearances in this new TV series be a chance to make him fight powerful enemies, while displaying his strength and a status of crisis saviour." explains Masato Mitsuka.[4]

In Japanese, Agumon is voiced by Chika Sakamoto.[5] In English the role is taken by and Tom Fahn (Agumon)[6] MJ Lallo/Philece Sampler/Brianne Siddall did Koromon while Doug Erholtz voiced SkullGreymon. Michael Lindsay/Kyle Hebert voiced Greymon, and Joseph Pilato/Kyle Hebert voiced MetalGreymon, and Lex Lang/Kyle Hebert voiced WarGreymon. In the Adventure movie, Peggy O'Neal voiced Botamon, Michael Sorich Agumon - Adventure Movie, and Bob Papenbrook Greymon.

Taiki Matsuno and Brian Beacock voice the 2006 version of Agumon in Digimon Data Squad.

UK Anime Network felt that Agumon was the franchise' mascot as an answer to Pikachu from Pokémon and felt the former was more appealing due to his continuous evolutions fight scenes in the 1990s.[12] IGN Agumon's relationship with Tai which made one of the most popular characters from the '90s.[13] In a poll he was voted as the 5th "Which catcher/trainer would take home the gold?"[14] IGN listed how Tai forces Agumon to evolve into SkullGreymon as one of the best moments from the first Digimon anime. Additionally, Tai and Koromon's brief return to the real world as listed as another moment due to Tai's brief interactions with his younger sister, Kari.[15] DVD Talk saw Agumon as a fanfavorite character, being the cause to why Toei reused another incarnation of the character as a protagonist in Digimon Data Squad.[16] The evolution of Omegamon in Tri was noted to be an entertaining idea Toei used in the first film of the series but felt the execution was poorly handled.[17] The Fandom Post felt that Agumon's inability to console Tai in Tri when wondering about the dangers the fights can cause is well written with visuals helping to create a good scene. However, the writer felt that Omegamon's fight against Alphamon was anticlimactic as the writing was instead more focused on Tai's concerns.[18]

Critics also commented on Agumon's role in Last Evolution Kizuna. IGN praised how Augmon visited Tai's home in the film, giving it a more mature feeling as appealing as fight sequences.[19] HobbyConsolas praised the dilemma presented in the movie as the more Agumon and Gabumon fight, the less time they have to interact with their friends, giving a major emotional impact in the narrative.[20] Anime News Network criticized how the film primarily focused on Agumon and Gabumon's relationships with their partners as the rest of the cast do not carry such importance.[21] Inside Pulse felt the emotional value was presented in the film not only due to the fact Agumon will never be with Tai again but also because it has been nearly twenty years since the first series' premiere and the story concludes the events of the original series' canon. Joshua Seth and Tom Fahn reflect on what might be their final vocal sessions as Tai and Agumon. Little did either of them know that a job two decades ago would last so long.[22]

For the original series' reboot, Polygon criticized the heavy focus on Agumon and Gabumon's evolutions and fights as, sometimes, the rest of the cast members feel too minor.[23] Anime News Network's writers were divided about the handling of Agumon in the premiere as while his design remains appealing, his early evolution into Greymon lacks a reason to explain how he has such powers.[24] Christopher Farris from the same site praised how Agumon was supported by Tai to become Greymon and how it later merges with Garurumon to create an enjoyable fight sequence as the warrior Omegamon.[25] Chruncyroll described the reboot's Agumon as more likable than the original due to his constant fights he is involved rather than the original childish Agumon.[26] Comic Book Resources claimed fans were divided in regards to the handling of the main cast in the premiere as Greymon and Garurumon combine into Omegamon despite lacking the strength the original canon needed in order to reach this form.[27] When the reboot introduced DoneDevimon as a villain, Anime News Network praised MetalGreymon's "Dark Evolution" into Mugendramon due to the chaotic scenario presented as the character became enraged when Tai was eaten by the villain. When Mugendramon's evolution is reversed as Agumon regains his senses and instead becomes the original Final Form WarGreymon was praised for the visuals and other elements that helped to make the episode one of the best in the series.[28] The Fandom Post compared this episode to the original canon to when Agumon became the berserker SkullGreymon but believed the reboot was done in a better fashion. However, he still felt that the evolution as lackluster.[29] Once Agumon becomes WarGreymon again, the same site called it "was the saving grace of this episode" based on how the evolution was handled and claimed that it was important as he considered Agumon the franchise's mascot, thus needing an appealing evolution sequence.[30]

Agumon's meeting with BlackWarGreymon was praised for starting one of the deepest interactions-related existential crises: while Agumon was born from an egg, BlackWarGreymon is an artificial Digimon, giving rise to the latter's inferiority complex and depressive search for meaning in his life. Agumon's mental is tested when he is forced to evolve into SkullGreymon as a combination of stress and coward.[31] Crunchyroll agreed, finding this episode showed Tai's flaws for the first time in the anime and how it resulted in SkullGreymon's evolution and how Agumon's evolution into a berserker creature distanced him from the more friendly Pokemon.[32]