This small analysis was also in my post about Taishiro moments in the Sub that I recently posted. You can find it here.
While in the original Tai was just ‘Tai’, this time his full name is Taichi, and Tai is just a nickname. His last name though has still been changed to Kamiya instead of Yagami.
Koushiro actually does keep his Japanese name in the English dub! But this time ‘Izzy’ is also just a nickname. Of course, he retains his last name ‘Izumi’ like he did in the original English dub.
ANYWAY ANYWAY
one of my favourite bits from episode 1, is when Koushiro is showing Taichi his timeline, and Taichi goes something like:
(I have actually posted the clip)
“Well..I’m really bad at that stuff. You’re awesome, Koushiro!”
And Kou seems surprised and caught off guard by the complement, before quickly turning his attention back to his tablet in embarrassment and saying:
“Y-You can just call me Izzy—!”
And we know later in the dub, that Koushiro prefers being alone, which also suggests he doesn’t have many friends, or doesn’t go out of his way to make any. He doesn’t really like being around people. So we can guess that before Taichi, the only people that call him Izzy are his parents.
So Koushiro giving Taichi express permission to call him Izzy, especially for Koushiro, is something special and significant, even if Taichi doesn’t know this.
Digimon Adventures + Digimon Adventure tri. ~
(AUTISTIC HEADCANON!)
KOUSHIRO IZUMI Character Analysis (Japanese version)
{see Part 2 of Autistic!/Neurodivergent!Koushiro canonical traits here}
+ INFODUMPING in various ways
- about Interests, be they possible Special Interests
and things he HIGHLY ENJOYS &
infodumps about in an extremely INTENSE way
{such as the Oolong Tea, and even Science & Knowledge in general}
- about information / Team Analyzing & Strategy /
Special Interest in KNOWLEDGE in general
-- + Infodumping in both GOOD WAYS and BAD WAYS ...
(also depending on the certain framings of both these scenes)
{ the following post will have tri references from Soushitsu [Movie 4] }
{ and also Kokuhaku [Movie 3] }
READ FURTHER:
What is a Special Interest?
Special interests are (not named) literally a part of the diagnostic criteria for Autism. From the DSM-V directly:
Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus
Note: abnormal in intensity or focus
that means that if “everyone” has special interests, they aren’t ‘abnormal’ in intensity or focus, because that’s everyone.
In the examples, directly from the DSM-V, specifically referring to interests:
excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests
(circumscribed=restricted
perseverative=repeat insistently/redundantly)
also from that post:
INFO DUMPING
Yes, people like to know things about interests. But autistics often can’t stop. We repeat ourselves about them, and because of the social aspects mentioned above,
we know people think we’re annoying.
But we can’t stop.
We store the information and when it comes up its like they’re kicking over the file cabinet.
DOES KOUSHIRO GENUINELY ENJOY HIS {SPECIAL?} INTERESTS?:
“WHEN YOU’RE DOING RESEARCH,
OR LEARNING SOMETHING NEW,
YOU TRULY LOOK HAPPY
LIKE YOU’RE ENJOYING IT.”
- Tentomon in Kokuhaku {Confession}, Movie 3
with FULL memories of Koushiro
“I UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THIS.”
- Motimon in Soushitsu {Loss}, Movie 4
post-Reboot, at the time, SEEMINGLY NOT remembering Koushiro
And yet, the above scenes all together provide a DIFFERENT picture.
[And maybe a slightly smaller Relevant comparison moment BUT.....]
{“HOW WAS I?”}
- Adventure episode 28, the episode with the Gate to the Real World
Motimon asking about his overall performance.
{“I’M SORRY, AM I HEAVY?”}
... Motimon asking about his overall performance.
+ “am I inconveniencing you?” {basically}
“...” Koushiro has a significant pause as he’s realizing.
“Koushiro-han?”
“...so WE STILL had A {BOND}...”
- the point of this comparison being
EVEN WHEN MOTIMON SEEMINGLY DOESN’T HAVE ALL MEMORIES, MOTIMON REMEMBERS THINGS ABOUT KOUSHIRO IZUMI, INCLUDING
IMPORTANT, CONSTANTLY CEMENTED-IN-CANON TRAITS OF KOUSHIRO’S WIDER PERSONALITY
such as that
“WHEN YOU’RE DOING RESEARCH,
OR LEARNING SOMETHING NEW,
YOU TRULY LOOK HAPPY
LIKE YOU’RE ENJOYING IT.”
and by the way,
regardless of some small differences between versions so far,
this same side of his personality is KEPT so far in Adventure 2020:
“YOUR BRAIN!
YOUR {KNOWLEDGE}!!”
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BAD SIDE YOU SHOWED EARLIER??
when they TALKED OVER HIM
THEY’RE BEING SO OOC AREN’T THEY???
Um... not wholly / it’s COMPLICATED.
[ note everyone’s expressions in the moment above.
most {all} are looking at him rather dismayed.
he’s clearly been at this for a while
to the point even Tailmon was snoozing
and had to ASK HIM DIRECTLY
“KOUSHIRO. What are you doing”
she even asks this in a straight deadpan ]
{Taichi didn’t exactly have the best patience here either.}
Reading the emails, missing the atmosphere / not reading the room
{essentially, missing Taichi’s social cues}
{this scene was also related in the previous posts
regarding Koushiro constantly missing social cues
[EVEN/SOMETIMES WITH TAICHI]
and yet the others {INCLUDING/ESPECIALLY TAICHI}
... eventually recognize
Koushiro DOES NOT MEAN THIS. GENUINELY
Tri!Taichi even defends Koushiro in the later scene in the 3rd movie:}
please relate back to the above contexts:
... and because of the social aspects mentioned above, we know people think we’re annoying. But we can’t stop. We store the information and when it comes up its like they’re kicking over the file cabinet.
WE CAN’T STOP
and neither can Koushiro when he’s infodumping
or specifically infodumping on his Interests POORLY.
The Chosen Children know this. {Eventually}
[because out of all of them, Taichi knows Koushiro best]
TAICHI YAGAMI KNOWS this. {a bit earlier on compared to the rest}
BUT IT TAKES TAICHI A ... Bit TO Learn
about Koushiro Izumi, TOO.
{ Koushiro is *sighing* here }
“AT TIMES LIKE THIS, YOU JUST HAVE TO HIT IT!”
{ a part of Taichi and Koushiro’s relationship is
learning patience with each others’ issues, if slowly at times/briefly }
{notice how here...}
this scene with the Oolong happens much later on in tri, and everyone just...
casually doesn’t mind that he’s obviously infodumping
with everyone in a much more pleasant mood & SITUATION {kind of}
than they were in the Movie 1 scene.
the contexts of the scenes are different
they have their Digimon back regardless and
are attempting to RELAX and re-bond with them.
{ including Koushiro + Motimon }
They are all {including Koushiro} clearly very COMFORTABLE here.
And, would I, as an Autistic fan who has info dumped often about my Special Interests myself, have preferred they handled the scene from Saikai better? MAYBE.
Do I also think they improved with later scenes by highlighting that infodumping comes naturally to Koushiro, to the point TENTOMON even points it out?
showing the Chosen sitting all together happily despite his infodumping?
considering literally all the contexts I’ve mentioned above about why Tri!Koushiro’s scenes in general are STILL important to his OVERALL personality,
AND this wider headcanon,
YES.
And here’s another thing...
When people LET US ramble on about our Special Interests without interrupting us, even if we’re being slightly
(or VERY) missing-reading-the-room about it,
IT CAN ACTUALLY EVEN BE A SIGN OF RESPECT
especially if it’s to a point you’re COMFORTABLE AROUND US
Autistic people love it when we’re allowed to ramble on without interruption.
We don’t necessarily EXPECT people to absorb or even understand EVERY single word we say. We’re just happy and pleased they’re letting us ramble, without making it out {directly to us, as in DELIBERATELY interrupting us or directly insulting us & our interests, is the literal WORST way} to seem like it’s a huge problem in the moment.
for example, if Tri!Taichi or co had deliberately interrupted Koushiro’s rambling in the 1st movie scene, i.e. if to YELL at him to “stop and pay attention, you’re being so ANNOYING!” for example, that would have been SO MUCH WORSE.
Koushiro’s friends are, in the wider plot of the series,
GOOD friends to him.
A bit later on in Movie 4:
{TAICHI NOTICING
KOUSHIRO’S EYES ARE CLEARLY GLASSY / FIRM / WATERY
/ MAYBE A BIT TEARY FROM ALL THE FRUSTRATION & STRESS.
And that Koushiro is clearly holding it all in for Taichi & the team’s comfort.}
Despite some bumps along the way they really do care.
{‘SEE HOW MUCH WE CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER AS A TEAM?’}
{‘SEE HOW MUCH YOU AND TAICHI CARED ABOUT EACH OTHER,
AGUMON?’ - Koushiro Izumi, probably, as he shows them to Agumon
- Koushiro even takes the ‘stealth’ photos HIMSELF as a hobby!!!}
...And in the 2nd scene from tri with Motimon (Movie 4), Mimi does GENTLY interrupt at the end... but note the reasoning: Koushiro has rambled on too long to the point he hasn’t eaten his food.
If he doesn’t eat his food, Koushiro isn’t practicing proper SELF CARE, and the Chosen {and later on, even Tri!Mimi!} know this.
They’re also looking out for him at various such times, in such moments.
Because they CARE.
I’d just, UM, also like to point something out here...
I’M. literally infodumping to you all by making this post & analysis. I understand and expect not every single word will be completely understood, either by more casual fans of the series or by people who aren’t Autistic / Neuro-divergent.
I’m fine with that. Mostly, I’ll be happy if you can at the very least please try to seriously consider what I’m saying about everything here, and how I personally analyze canon!Koushiro’s infodumping and the Chosens’ various responses.
[ NOTES:
THIS IS A FAN META POST.
This is also my particular headcanon / analysis of Koushiro
Please keep this in mind before you comment
This post was made with the intention of pointing out
CANONICAL character traits of Koushiro in the various media,
regardless of wider headcanons.
There is a bit further commentary in the tags
of the original post in regards to headcanons.
If you choose to read this post / commentary,
please be respectful.
Please be aware I am making this post and speaking
as someone who is Neuro divergent MYSELF. ]
{While I am grateful this series is now gaining some positive reception, I respectfully ask that you do not comment on the post or tags with canon hate or use these headcanons as reasons for further bashing canon.}
{PLEASE read everything carefully before commenting. Thank you}
( FINAL NOTE: This and this are also very good posts. }
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I’ve been receiving a lot of kind words from Taishiro fans recently so this post is a quick THANK YOU.
For any of you who may be feeling discouraged since the latest Tri movie, remember what we have always known, for years: Taichi is super compatible with introverts. His canonical closest friends are Sora, Koushiro, and Yamato, and his beloved sister is Hikari. Taichi gets along best with people who are thoughtful and introspective, because Taichi is one of the most thoughtful and introspective characters. Taichi’s arc in season 1 is all about learning to listen to other points of view and to be more sensitive to other people’s feelings.
Tri intuitively understands that Taichi is pensive and kind in addition to having a goofball side, which is great! Unfortunately, Tri has also neglected to emphasize Taichi’s relationship with Koushiro, and it has shown a complete misunderstanding of why Koushiro is such a beloved character.
Koushiro was originally a wonderful character because he was a quiet oddball who was celebrated for being a quiet oddball. He wasn’t chastised for being shy and insecure. Instead, the other characters literally applaud him for his accomplishments. His parents strongly affirm to him that his personal interests aren’t “weird” and that they love him exactly the way he is.
In contrast, Tri mocks Koushiro constantly. He is portrayed as the stereotypical computer geek with no fashion sense and a borderline-creepy interest in pretty girls. Although the writing for him has improved in later movies, he is not celebrated.
This matters for Taishiro because, of course, Taichi is Koushiro’s best friend and Taichi always affirms to Koushiro that he matters. We’ve seen minimal examples of this in Tri because Tri is not that interested in Koushiro’s insecurities. But Meiko’s insecurities are essential to Tri’s plot, so Taichi is finally getting to help her overcome them in significant ways.
The heart of Taishiro—and the reason I live for them—is that they are the Ultimate Wish-Fulfillment Romance. And I know that all shipping is wish-fulfillment, but Taishiro is special. Taishiro feels like, “Oh wow, this amazing handsome athlete is paying attention to me? He’s interested in what I have to say? He cares about my nerdy opinions? He cares about me??”
The irony here is that Taichi x Meiko is being written in the way I’ve always imagined Taishiro happening. They’re written as a wish-fulfillment romance. This is why we see so many sexist criticisms along the lines of, “New Girl doesn’t deserve the Protagonist!” Those critics are missing the whole point of wish-fulfillment. New Girl is supposed to feel insecure and unworthy of the Protagonist, but Protagonist loves her exactly the way she is.
I wish that Tri wasn’t so heteronormative, but that’s old news by now. For my fellow Taishiro fans, take comfort in the knowledge that a Taichi x Koushiro romance still makes lots of sense and lots of fun with Taichi’s Tri characterization. They still have all the potential to be compatible, with a relationship built on the best-written friendship in the original show.
