Digital Monster Ver. 1

Description

Digital Monster Ver. 1, originally released in Japan in June 1997, is the device that launched the global franchise. It features a roster of 14 trainable Digimon, centered on the most recognisable “Classic” monsters of the series. This version introduces Botamon and Koromon as its base forms, which can evolve into the legendary Agumon or the fan-favorite Betamon. The device established the fundamental five-stage evolution cycle: hatching from a Digitama (Egg) and progressing through Baby I, Baby II, Child (Rookie), Adult (Champion), and the elite Perfect (Ultimate) stage.

Version 1 is defined by the “Shadow Boxing” training minigame, a luck-based mechanic where the player must guess whether to attack high or low to defeat a digital silhouette. Successfully training and battling is essential for reaching the highest evolutionary forms, such as MetalGreymon, Mamemon, or the “hidden” character Teddymon (Monzaemon). To achieve these forms, the pet requires diligent care and a minimum of 15 battles during its earlier stages with a high win percentage. As the pioneer of the series, it introduced the “Battle Connect” metal contacts, allowing users to physically link two devices for real-time competitive combat.

This Digital Monster Ver. 1 unit has grey accents over a clear shell. It is one of the official Asian-English export variants localised by Bandai Hong Kong and are distinct from the Western releases. While they share the 1997 programming of the Japanese originals, these units were distributed in the Australian and East Asian markets with bilingual English and Traditional Chinese documentation. Four colours variants were released in these markets.