The only [one/Digimon Adventures character] with a set birthday is Miyako [Yolei, who is zodiac sign Gemini]. The other characters don’t have set birthdays.
Hiroyuki Kakudou, Director/Head Writer of Digimon Adventures + 02 on the Chosen Childrens’ lack of official birthdays.
(Old post, original commentary + theorizing under ‘read more’)
* Friendly reminder the Japanese school year
begins in April and ends in the following years’ March.
Do not calculate this timeline like you would a U.S. school year.
Japan =/= America, and this is a Japanese anime set in Japan where the characters all have clear Japanese names.
DO NOT CALCULATE THIS TIMELINE OR AGES LIKE YOU WOULD A SCHOOL YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES OR OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES.
* Friendly reminder 02 begins at THE BEGINNING OF APRIL when the school year has just started.
- Miyako is later seen talking about her Gemini birthday with her siblings in the original Japanese version of 02.
- Gemini occurs between about May 21 and June 21.
- Therefore, Miyako’s birthday would be around May 21 and June 21.
- Miyako is officially 12 in 02, but because of this, it’s much more likely she started her school year at age 11, due to aging right after the school year begins (April -> May).
* Friendly reminder that Iori Hida begins the series at 9 years old (officially, he is always listed as 9). However, he too has no set birthday.
- 02 ends in December, which is clearly stated and seen in-show in the original Japanese version, with exact dates listed.
(see: World Tour arc and after. It is already December by World Tour arc.)
- Iori is always two years apart from Daisuke, Ken, Hikari and Takeru exactly when going by official ages.
- Daisuke and Iori had 7 [Daisuke] and 5 [Iori] years in Vamdemon’s Arc. If putting together a timeline for them that actually makes a decent amount of sense, Their birthdays should be after August 3rd to December 31st. So, you should put away dates from January 1st to Agusust 3rd.
- We know this because of another official scan linked above, where Iori is clearly listed at 5 during Vamdemon arc, and Daisuke at 7. Around two years apart in all instances, and no more.
- This also matches their grades, as Iori is in 3rd grade while Daisuke is 5th, two grades apart.
- This means Iori would have likely aged to 10 by the time 02 has ended, putting him even closer in age to the 02 group
(with LESS THAN TWO YEARS between him, Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari, Ken, and even Miyako, who would be 12 by the end of 02).
* Friendly reminder that the characters were basically just starting school at the start of 02.
This includes all characters seen in 02, including Jun Motomiya, who also has no set birthday, and is seen very early on in Episode 04, when it would have still been APRIL.
* THIS MEANS Jun could very well chronologically be much closer to 16 than she is 17. Even if she had just turned 17 somehow, it would be newly turned 17. LIKE THE 1ST WEEK OF APRIL.
* It’s incredibly unlikely literally all of the characters have birthdays in the last week of March through to the 1st week of April alone.
* Friendly reminder that Ken literally has a scene where it’s discussed
you can’t skip grades in Japan (as of that point of the series, 2002).
- this means Jun obviously wouldn’t have as well.
- especially considering Jun’s intelligence in comparison to KEN’S.
- this would also be the case for literally all of the other characters, as even Koushiro mentions similar to Taichi in “Our War Game” about how someone in America had skipped grades, and expressed surprise at that.
* Friendly reminder that it’s possible that Jou could be considered on the younger end of his school year according to the Novels.
And even if the Novels are set in a different continuity -
Though he was given the age of 12 in Adventure (where the younger end of the school year, or January 1st - April 1st, would have placed him at 11) and 15 in 02 (where the younger end would place him at 14),
in Tri he is confirmed 18 at start
(when the younger end would have placed him AT 18 instead of 19).
* THE NOVELS DIRECTLY CONFIRM JOU AT 11 despite his official age in Adventure (12).
* If following the “younger end” pattern, this means Jou also would have been closer to 14 in 02, if not outright 14 when going by chronological timeline hintings.
from the novels:
“Anyway, Jou,” Yamato said. The reason he didn’t add honorifics to Jou’s name was because he thought they were in the same grade. “Has the snowstorm passed?”
- from here
In all ELEVEN years of his life, Jou could honestly swear that he had never dealt with anything as utterly and inexplicably bizarre as this.
A strange animal that looked like an experiment between a seal and a sea horse gone wrong was chasing after him. In a mischievous voice, they cried out, “Jooou!” as they floated in the air.
- also from the very first chapter. (note the directly stated “eleven”)
* Friendly reminder that Taichi, Yamato, and Sora are nearly always and particularly shown as the same ages. In this scan for example, they’re all listed as 7 years old when their younger forms are seen.
- This is very much despite “Our War Game” and Sora’s supposed “birthday” (refer to the quote by Kakudou re: birthdays).
- In the official Tri profiles, they’re all listed clearly as 17 as well, implied to be at the very start of the show.
- “ Taichi Yagami, 17, high school days ” is literally stated during the very 1st Tri announcements and also in official summaries.
- If Taichi, Yamato, and Sora all begin tri at 17, they’d likely be aging to 18 throughout the school year.
- If Taichi, Yamato, and Sora all begin 02 at 14, the same happens here; they’d be closer to 15 by end of 02, likely earlier on.
- This is especially the case re: Taichi (”17, high school days” in Tri - remember this is supposedly CLOSER TO THE START.)
- This is likely also the case re: Yamato, who at the very least is implied to be older than Sora if going by “Our War Game” despite its own issues when it comes to timeline inconsistencies and Sora’s “birthday”. Even if her birthday occured a bit later on in March, Yamato would likely still be older.
- Jun Motomiya also is only 2 grades higher than them (11th grade in 02, Taiorato are 9th), and only 1 grade higher than Jou. She is just starting 11th grade in 02.
- In the same scan, Jou is shown to be only one year older than Taichi, Yamato, and Sora, not two, which also matches up with his given Tri age.
- Koushiro and Mimi are usually seen around the same age, exactly one year less than Taichi, Yamato, and Sora always in all instances of their official ages and age ranges being shown. Neither have set birthdays.
- Maybe relevant to Koushiro’s possible age/birthday range, but in the Japanese version of Adventure, Mrs izumi states to Koushiro,
“ Twelve years ago, [your real father] married your real mother and they had you. ”
- Koushiro’s canonical age is 10, but he too has no set birthday.
* Friendly reminder that Meiko is canonically in the same school grade as Taichi, Yamato, and Sora, and likely around the same age:
Q: How long have Meiko and Meikoomon been partners?
A: Meiko’s digivice are the same model as Taichi and party’s, and she’s also the same age as them…
based on that, I’m sure we can theorize that they’ve been partners for about the same amount of time.
Though she hangs out around Mimi a lot during after-school activities,
She is seen in Taichi’s class in Saikai/Ketsui.
Taichi + Yamato + Sora are a grade higher than Mimi + Koushiro.
* Friendly reminder Takeru and Hikari are the same age.
- In Tri they’re both 14, but still have no set birthdays.
- Takeru particularly never had his age in Adventure confirmed despite the rest, so he could have easily started his grade a bit earlier
(i.e. 7 instead of 8 in Adventure’s start, 10 instead of 11 in 02.)
- Hikari’s age of 11 in 02 was confirmed in the 02 Memorial Book. However, only Takeru’s grade was mentioned in the same book.
- A Tri article/interview confirmed Hikari to be “older than Takeru” though they are still around the same age if going by Tri ages (~14).
* Friendly reminder that I really hate the Adventures timelines’ inconsistencies and total lack of official birthdays.
* Friendly reminder that if you’re trying to claim the characters have 100% “set” birthdays in regards to their ages, Kakudou himself literally confirmed you’re wrong.
THE ONLY ONE WITH A 100% “SET” BIRTHDAY IS MIYAKO.
THE ONLY ONE WITH A 100% “SET” BIRTHDAY IS MIYAKO.
Estimating the ages going by timeline hintings is fine though.
If you do this however, actually be aware of all the timeline statements and inconsistencies throughout.
* Friendly reminder that I seriously understand how important ages and the like can be to many fans, but if you’re trying to use the information given as 100% “proof” of anything, you’re very much doing it wrong.
* Friendly reminder that if going by all of the ages given, however,
Iori is 17~ in *KIZUNA, the exact same age Taichi was in Tri.
* Friendly reminder that we literally have a canon epilogue where everyone is seen as adults with adult designs and these have all been in use since 2002 by this fandom.
* Friendly reminder that despite this, your headcanons regarding them at those ages are fine. Because the epilogue ages are, you know, official.
* Friendly reminder that I still hate the timeline inconsistencies and I am listing these mainly for my own convenience because I hate them that much.
