I recently contacted (and posted about) Digimon co-creator and series director of the first two Digimon series: Hiroyuki Kakudou.

Well, because some people seemed genuinely interested, I asked Kakudou some more questions regarding Sorato and Taiora via his Twitter. Yes, it really is him. His Twitter account links to his YouTube account, as well as his official website - where his Twitter feed is also embedded on his homepage. He also follows Yuuto Kazama, Yamato’s Japanese voice actor, who follows him back. Point is: it’s undeniably him. You can’t refute it.

This post contains facts, as well as logical deductions derived from said facts. All deductive reasoning is objective. I also refer to Sorato and Taiora as such in this post, but I used the terms “Yamato x Sora” and “Taichi x Sora” when talking to Kakudou.

Kakudou first confirmed that the Sorato marriage was planned from the beginning of the first series.

Me: “In Digimon Adventure what was the reason Yamato Ishida and Sora Takenouchi got married?” Kakudou: “Why is that on your mind?” Me: “Was it planned, or was it random?” Kakudou: “It was planned. From the time the series began.” Me: “It was planned from the start of 1999’s Digimon Adventure?” Kakudou: “That’s right.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

But when Digimon Adventure first began, it was unknown whether or not it would have a continuation. In other words, the story of 01 was supposed to be self-contained to one season. So how can the Sorato marriage have been planned from the series’ conception?

Midway through production of making 01, it was decided that there would be a second season - and that the second season would be a continuation of the first. Digimon Adventure head writer, Satoru Nishizono, had this to say in the 2007 DVD box set:

DVD: Were the moving events of the last episode [of 01] decided very early on? Nishizono: It’s the same for both short and long series: without a clear vision of what the last episode would be like, your story won’t have much focus. That’s why, even if we didn’t know what sort of developments would occur in the middle, it was decided early on that at the last scene, the children and their Digimon would separate. It was in the middle of the series that the decision for it to have a continuation came, so the mystery of the narrator* was carried over to the ending of “02”. Other than that, there were no huge changes. There was a lot of discussion about it, but just like we had decided in the beginning, the series would show the growth of 7 children + 1 extra, and end with their goodbyes. *DVD Footnote: The mystery behind the narrator — In the closing of the last episode, it was supposed to be revealed that the story was actually the reflections of an adult Takeru. This was also the reason why Hirata-san, who voiced the narrator, also performs the role of Yamato and Takeru’s father. This ending version was taken out to be used for the last episode of “02”. Source: Digital Scratch

Even though I think it’s pretty clear that the “ending version” means the entire 02 epilogue (with everyone married with kids and jobs), and not just the revelation of Takeru being the narrator, I had Kakudou confirm it as well.

Me: “Was Digimon Adventure 02’s epilogue originally planned for Digimon Adventure?” Kakudou: “That’s right.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

So there you have it. 01 was supposed to end with the “02” epilogue with a Sorato marriage (and without the 02 Chosen, as they didn’t yet exist). Sorato was planned from the series’ conception. (Kakudou also confirmed that the 02 epilogue was originally the 01 epilogue in his afterword of the Digimon Adventure novels’ third volume.) This meant that throughout 01, the Digimon writers would have to make the Sorato marriage make sense by the originally planned 01 epilogue.

Me: “In 1999’s Digimon Adventure, did you want to portray Taiora? Or did you just want to portray a close friendship?” Kakudou: “Just friendship.” Me: “But you wanted to portray Sorato?” Kakudou: “It’s just a little, but there is foreshadowing.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Kakudou just confirmed that the Taiora in 01 was intended as friendship only (and he never intended for them to be a couple), and the subtle hints between Yamato and Sora in 01 were intentional foreshadowing for their relationship in the 01 epilogue. Please take note that Kakudou said that there is foreshadowing - which means it had to be written into the show by a writer to actually have been portrayed in the show (and Sorato therefore is not just Kakudou’s vision alone as a director).

Me: “Did the Digimon Adventure screenwriters know about the plan for Sorato from the beginning? Did they know about the foreshadowing?” Kakudou: “There were people who knew and people who didn’t.” Me: “Which of the screenwriters knew? Was it Atsushi Maekawa, Genki Yoshimura and Hiro Masaki?” Kakudou: “It’s a secret.” Me: “Why were there both people who knew and people who didn’t? So that the writers focussed on friendship? Or was it another reason?” Kakudou: “It’s a secret.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Interesting. So Kakudou only told some writers the plan for Sorato and, for whatever reason - whether it be because it’s too revealing of the production or some other reason - he didn’t want to tell me which writers knew, or even why he chose to operate in the way that he did. So we can only draw assumptions.

The three writers I named all wrote 01 episodes that contain Sorato hints. These three were also three of the five main writers of 01 (there were seven writers in total, but two of them were minor writers who only wrote three episodes each). The three I named also collectively wrote the majority of episodes in the first season (and also the majority of episodes in the second season).

Point is: Maekawa, Yoshimura and Masaki were the core writers behind both seasons, and I strongly believe that Kakudou told at least these three (possibly four with Nishizono) the plan for a Sorato marriage in the 01 epilogue, so that they could foreshadow it in their writing. In addition to their 01 episodes containing Sorato hints, Maekawa and Yoshimura were also both promoted to head writers in 02, where they wrote episodes that contained Sorato in 02 as well. And Masaki wrote more episodes than any other writer, and also co-wrote the novelisation of Digimon Adventure with Kakudou, which also contains Sorato hints (obviously).

As for why Kakudou only chose to tell some of the writers and not all of them? Well, my biggest guess is what I asked him in my question: that he wanted the writers focussed on telling a story about friendship (and partnership with their digimon), and not romance. The definition of foreshadowing is to be subtle, and the less people know, the more subtle it is.

Between them, Maekawa, Yoshimura and Masaki were also in charge of the characters of Yamato, Sora and Takeru – it makes a lot of sense, then, for Kakudou to think only those three had to know about the Sorato marriage, because it’s the characters of Yamato, Sora and Takeru who were utilised in the first season to foreshadow Sorato. I recommend reading this staff analysis to know who was in charge of which characters, who wrote Sorato and Taiora, and how Sorato was being foreshadowed - if you want to know the facts.

I also recommend looking up the definition of “foreshadowing” and perhaps searching for “examples of foreshadowing in TV shows and movies”. You’ll find that the best foreshadowing is subtle and woven into the story so well that it’s not glaringly obvious, and probably something you wouldn’t pick up on upon first viewing, but would pick up on upon another viewing after you’ve seen and digested the entire season. Also keep in mind that, like Takeru being the mystery narrator of the series (and this being foreshadowed with the voice actor for his father also voicing the narration of every episode), Sorato was also foreshadowed to be a surprise revelation in the originally planned epilogue.

To drive this point home: Takeru being the mystery narrator of the series - and the Sorato marriage - were both foreshadowed in the first season to be surprise revelations in the originally planned epilogue. Foreshadowing itself should be subtle enough already - but to foreshadow surprises? Of course the foreshadowing for Sorato was always going to be even more subtle and, arguably, didn’t need all the writers to know about it. There’s also the fact that foreshadowing should be kept to a minimum - because otherwise it would be heavy-handed (and hardly “foreshadowing” but instead blatant storytelling) and we’d feel like we were constantly being hit over the head with it. And I find that insulting.

So, Kakudou only had some of the writers knowingly foreshadow Sorato in 01. But then I had to wonder why there was Taiora in the second Digimon movie (Our War Game a.k.a. middle part of Digimon: The Movie) when Sorato was intended to be endgame for 01 - especially since the movie takes place while they’re 01-aged.

Me: “If Sorato was planned from the start of Digimon Adventure, why was there Taiora in Our War Game?” Kakudou: “I had nothing to do with that movie.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Well, I erroneously assumed that since he’s the co-creator of the first two series, he would’ve had a say in Our War Game and been involved in its creation in some capacity - but apparently, he wasn’t. It’s also clear that he doesn’t want to take “credit” for Taiora.

Our War Game was directed by Mamoru Hosoda (who also directed the first movie, Digimon Adventure, as well as the Taichi-centric 01 episode 21 - and these were his only involvement in the Digimon franchise). The writer of Our War Game, Reiko Yoshida, was a minor writer of the series who only wrote three episodes in the first season (and six in the second) - but wrote all four 01/02 movies. Digimon co-creator and Toei Animation producer, Hiromi Seki, was also in charge of the movie project - and she was also the person who confirmed the Sorato marriage in the 02 epilogue in anime/manga magazine V-Jump over a decade ago, as well as disproving notions of a Takari marriage.

Either Hosoda and/or Yoshida decided to introduce Taiora themselves, or Seki decided to introduce Taiora in the movie (the latter is very unlikely). Kakudou then had to revert it back to Sorato in 02.

It’s also worth noting that Our War Game was planned and made after they knew there would be a continuation of the series, so the plot of the movie would’ve been made with the knowledge that 01 wasn’t just it after all - but that they could continue the story into 02. How do we know this?

The movie was released to theatres just one month before 02 began airing. That’s well past the midway mark of Digimon Adventure .

before began airing. That’s well past the midway mark of . Miyako actually appears in Our War Game and the director’s storyboard of the movie called her: “the girl in glasses that will appear in series 2.” Source: Digital Scratch

Since Kakudou had nothing to do with the movie, I asked:

Me: “Would you have planned Taiora for Digimon Adventure 02 if Our War Game didn’t exist?” Kakudou: “No.” Me: “Was there Taiora in Digimon Adventure 02 only because of Our War Game?” Kakudou: “It doesn’t exist.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Well, his first answer: he never would have introduced or ended the series Taiora, even if Our War Game (with Taiora) didn’t exist.

For his second answer: he took Taiora on a very technical basis - that since Taichi and Sora never did date, he’s blatantly saying it didn’t exist in 02. So to Kakudou, Taiora was only in Our War Game - the 40 minute movie he had nothing to do with. And because I was really getting the impression from all of his collective answers that he did not care at all for Taiora (as a romantic relationship):

Me: “Did you originally plan a love triangle between Taichi, Sora and Yamato?” Kakudou: “No.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Kakudou just confirmed (again) that he never would have introduced Taiora to make a “triangle”, and would’ve made it Sorato from 01 to 02 (if Our War Game didn’t exist). Whether Seki wanted Taiora introduced in the movie to form a love triangle (and, ultimately, to add growth to Taichi’s character, in addition to Yamato and Sora’s), or whether Hosoda and/or Yoshida just introduced Taiora simply because they didn’t know about the Sorato marriage - we don’t know.

But it’s clear the writers had to go along with how the story evolved and write to the developing scenarios. And even Kakudou had to acknowledge Taiora in the movie to be able to revert it back to his original plan of Sorato (refer to 02 ep 38). As for the lack of any Sorato developments in 02 before that infamous Christmas episode …

Me: “Why didn’t you show that Yamato and Sora liked each other before the Christmas episode? Like with Daisuke liking Hikari, Miyako liking Ken, Jun liking Yamato etc.?” Kakudou: “Yamato and Sora are different to Daisuke etc., because they aren’t the main characters of 02.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Apparently it was just because Yamato and Sora were regulated to background characters, so Kakudou simply had Sora confess her feelings to Yamato in the Christmas episode to start their relationship. (And for those who didn’t know: Sora’s gift to Yamato was an “I like you” confession in Japanese tradition.) It is what it is. As to why Sorato is canon over Taiora:

Me: “Why did you choose Sorato over Taiora? What did you want to portray?” Kakudou: “Viewers please imagine for yourselves what we wanted to portray.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

He leaves the story as it unfolded up to you.

And just a little something extra:

Me: “Why Sorato? Because of their crests, or because of their personalities?” Kakudou: “Because of their personalities.” Source: Kakudou’s Twitter

Co-creators Kakudou and Seki also came up with the settings and framework of 01 and 02 together, so it’s not as though the two of them were fighting over canon couples. Remember, Seki confirmed the Sorato marriage in the 02 epilogue with no fuss in V-Jump years ago. So either Seki just wanted to introduce another angle (for whatever reasons) to their planned Sorato ending, or Hosoda and/or Yoshida introduced Taiora in the movie because they had no idea about the Sorato marriage and thought it was innocent enough to imply romance between the main male and female characters who happened to be childhood best friends. I think it’s the latter. And I really think Yoshida is the one responsible for Taiora.

In conclusion …

Sorato: Imagine just the 01 series + 02’s epilogue. That was the initial plan (with no 02 and no Our War Game). You wouldn’t have seen Yamato and Sora start dating (no 02 ep 38+ or Diablomon Strikes Back). Just 01 and a time-jump to the future at the end of 01, where they’re married.

Taiora: If there was no 02, there would’ve been no Our War Game as we know it, and thus no Taiora. (You can interpret their friendship in 01 as romantic hints if you want, but Kakudou definitely didn’t intend for them to be.)

Please keep in mind that these are facts from Hiroyuki Kakudou himself. I did not change his answers. I found it interesting and I hope other people did, too. And remember: Our War Game and 02 do exist, and everything happened exactly the way they happened. Ship your ship. Nobody’s going to stop you.

Some people have always wondered why Sorato became canon over Taiora, so I thought I’d find out and set the record straight. There have been way too many rumours and speculations, so knowing the actual plans and intentions of the Digimon Adventure/02 staff direct from Kakudou was interesting and insightful.

I personally picked up on most of the Sorato foreshadowing as I watched and rewatched the first season of Digimon as a kid. I was then later surprised by Digimon: The Movie with the Taiora crush. But now that we know what went on behind the scenes, I genuinely believe that most people would have picked up on the foreshadowing for Sorato if Digimon had followed its original plan and had been self-contained to just one season with an epilogue, where Sorato were married. There would be no Our War Game (as we know it with Taiora) or 02, and viewers would only have had the first season to watch again and again to see all the Sorato foreshadowing.

But because a second season was later green-lit, the epilogue had to be removed for that ending - effectively removing the literary device from the first season that would’ve given viewers notice that there was foreshadowing for Sorato - since the two ended up married in the epilogue. The original epilogue was an important device to Sorato in the first season, because upon seeing it at the end, viewers would’ve actively looked for the foreshadowing upon a rewatch of the first season, without any “distraction” of Taiora in Our War Game (that wouldn’t have existed in its current form - if not for the existence of 02).

Relevant to Kakudou’s answers about Sorato:

- Evidence of Kakudou foreshadowing Sorato in Digimon Adventure episode 26 *A.K.A. the episode Sorato fans have been saying is Sorato ever since it aired over a decade ago.*

- An analysis on Sorato and Taiora: the creators and writers behind the production of Digimon Adventure and 02 *Staff writing credits and Sorato foreshadowing, plus Taiora writers.*

- Understanding Sorato: what the Digimon creators and writers were doing *Think Sorato came out of nowhere or want an actual answer to what Kakudou was portraying with Sorato? Read this.*

- Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida: Character Parallels *Sorato foreshadowing via literary devices.*

- Sorato Set-Up 101 *Takeru being the mystery narrator and the Sorato marriage being foreshadowed as surprise revelations in the originally planned epilogue.*

- Sorato and Taiora: original Japanese versus English dub *A.K.A Sorato was diminished and Taiora was exaggerated in the English dub - especially in the movie and 02.*

- Digimon Adventure 02 Drama CD: Armour Evolution to the Unknown *Official canon audio drama CD where Sorato’s romantic relationship is depicted more than Taiora was in Our War Game.*

- Analysis of the original Japanese Christmas confession scene and the 02 epilogue, plus adult Yamato ad-libs from space *Are Sorato married in the 02 epilogue? Yes.*

- Refuting the “Crest memes” and their character bashing *How Yamato never “stole” Sora from Taichi in the original Japanese version.*

- Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida: Sorato Timeline *A dot point overview of their lives and relationship.*

Important:

The writers responsible for foreshadowing Sorato also wrote Taiora friendship (which was interpreted as “romantic hints” by some fans) in the first season. So were the Sorato foreshadowing/Taiora friendship writers having shipping wars within themselves? Of course not. And remember the infamous “Taiora” pyramid episodes? Well, Kakudou directed the first pyramid episode - and, as he said, he wasn’t implying Taiora “romance” but Taiora friendship.

What’s important to keep in mind is that all the friendships and relationships between the Chosen Children shouldn’t be approached with a “shipping mentality”. Because if you really looked at them, you will see that the writers were conveying character development and growth of the characters, by utilising different friendships and relationships.

For example, most of the “Taiora moments” in the first season are utilised to show Taichi’s character development and growth. Sora is used as a barometer to gauge what you, the viewer, should think about Taichi’s growth in the series. At the beginning, Sora is often exasperated with Taichi, viewing him as immature - but by the end of the adventure, Sora is shown to be really proud of how much Taichi has grown and matured. This is exactly how you’re supposed to view Taichi’s growth and development as a viewer of the anime. (Here is a really good analysis on Taiora as a friendship and romantic relationship.)

Likewise, for example, with Taichi and Yamato’s friendship - the Taito friendship was utilised mostly to show the character development and growth of Yamato’s character. The difference between the use of the Taiora and Taito friendships from the Sorato relationship, is that Sorato wasn’t used throughout the season to show growth - it was used at the very end in the epilogue to cement the individual character development and growth of both Yamato and Sora to viewers.

The writers weren’t writing “romantic ships” (except for Sorato much later in 02, the fourth movie, and a drama CD where Yamato actually tells Sora he loves her), but actually just writing character development and growth of the Chosen Children via their friendships. This is harder to understand if you approach the friendships with only a “shipping mentality” - because if you don’t, you’ll see that in the first season, all the “Taiora moments”, “Taito moments”, and even the Sorato marriage in the epilogue - all were used to advance the plot for the sake of a specific character’s development and growth. Really. That’s it.

That’s what Kakudou and his writers hoped viewers would see, understand, and come away with about the growth and development of the Chosen Children throughout season one.

Interested in more Sorato analysis posts? Read them here.

Or Taiora, Takari, Kenyako? The master list is here.

I’ve since asked Kakudou some more questions:

- Chosen Children’s birthdays

- Yamato and Sora’s future occupations

- Kakudou’s favourite character

- Whether or not Digimon Adventure was originally planned for 13 episodes

Kakudou doesn’t shy away from telling me when he doesn’t want to answer a question or when the answer is “too long” that he just can’t be bothered to tell me all of it. He’s answered “It’s a secret” to three of my questions so far, all of which were when the question encompassed people other than Kakudou himself. He obviously doesn’t want to divulge information about his staff members, especially if it’s too involved in the production process, in his opinion.

Kakudou also had no obligation at all to answer the very first question I asked him - why Yamato and Sora got married. He could’ve just ignored my question entirely, which would’ve resulted in me moving on and not asking the rest of the questions about Sorato and Taiora. But Kakudou answered all of my questions, which gave me the opportunity to keep asking questions - since he kept answering them.

It’s been announced that Digimon Adventure is going to have a high school sequel in spring 2015. Here’s to seeing more of Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, Joe, T.K., Kari and the others! And, of course, more Sorato! :)

(Posted: 2 June 2013. Updated: 3 August 2014.)

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