T. K. Takaishi
Encyclopedia
Takeru "T.K." Takaishi, known simply as in Japan
, is a fictional character in the anime
and manga
series Digimon Adventure
and Digimon Adventure 02
. Although his first name is "Takeru", in the English version, he primarily goes by his dub-given nickname, T.K. First appearing in the film Digimon Adventure (1999), T.K. has made regular appearances in the television series as a main character and also in other supplementary medias.
T.K. is the younger brother of Matt Ishida
and, as a DigiDestined, is partnered with Patamon
. He is also the rightful holder of the and the .
T.K. is the only DigiDestined to not attend the same school as the rest of the DigiDestined initially due to living in Sangenjaya instead of Odaiba
. He is younger brother of Matt, but lives with his mother, journalist Nancy Takaishi ( in the original version), instead due to a divorce between their parents. Although T.K. was too young to remember the events of the divorce clearly, he is still affected by it and does not like to openly talk about it. Despite the distance between T.K. and Matt, he admires Matt greatly and tries to be brave to "impress" him, although he begins to open up to the other DigiDestined as well, particularly Tai. In the English version, there was a dub error where Matt indicates that they are half-brothers when in fact they were full brothers.
In the sequel, Digimon Adventure 02
, T.K. and his mother relocate to a new apartment building in Odaiba
, where he becomes neighbors with Cody Hida
and Yolei Inoue
. Although he has gotten remarkably taller, his gentle personality has not changed and it makes him popular with the girls at school. He is also said to have "inherited reliability from [Matt]." In addition to this, T.K. becomes the star player on his school's basketball team.
(2001) was localized. The film depicts his first encounter with a Digimon as a toddler.
(1999), where he is depicted as a bright, eager boy willing to help out in battles despite his fear of the Digital World. In this series, T.K. is in second grade and is eight years old.
T.K. becomes one of the main characters in Digimon Adventure 02
(2000) along with Kari. Taking place roughly three and a half years after Digimon Adventure (two and a half years in the original version), T.K. is now in seventh grade and twelve years old (fifth grade and eleven years old in the original version). He is in class A with Kari and Davis and regularly leads a helping hand in taking care of the Digital World. At the end of the series, he has become a best-selling novelist after publishing his autobiography about his adventures in the Digital World and has a son, who is partnered with Tokomon.
game Digimon Adventure: Anode/Cathode Tamer
, where he is captured by Milleniummon and jailed with Sora
until Ryo Akiyama comes to their rescue.
In the game Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer, T.K. and Patamon are attacked by Devimon, and Ryo has the option to save him over Kari and Mimi Tachikawa
. Following the end of the battle, he allows Patamon to join his party.
When the film featurette release of Digimon Hurricane Landing! and its second part, Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals, which also made the third part of Digimon: The Movie, T.K. makes his first film appearance in the Digimon Adventure 02 timeline as he races across the United States to help stop Wendigomon, succeeding in releasing the Digi-egg of Miracles for Davis.
The sequel of Our War Game!, Revenge of Diaboromon (2001), takes place on the spring break after Digimon Adventure 02. With the help of Kari, T.K. is actively involved in stopping Diaboromon's second attempt at destroying the world before the final battle.
. In an audio drama released years after the end of Digimon Adventure 02, T.K. is heard compiling a novel about his adventures in the Digital World.
that related to "luck."
In Japan, T.K. was voiced by Hiroko Konishi
in Digimon Adventure, with the exception of the pilot film Digimon Adventure. Due to her retiring from voice acting in 2000 and her refusal to reprise the role in Digimon Adventure 02, she was succeeded by Taisuke Yamamoto. Yamamoto's portrayal of T.K. is described as more "adult-like [in comparison to his voice in Digimon Adventure]" and that "his gentle voice suits [T.K.] perfectly."
In the English dub, Wendee Lee
provides his voice in the Digimon Adventure continuity while Doug Erholtz
provides his voice in Digimon Adventure 02. Lee indicated that T.K. was her favorite character to voice during her work in the Digimon Adventure
series.
) solo and their duet "Steppin' Out", was released on August 23, 2000. It debuted at #86 on the Oricon Weekly Charts
and stayed there for one week.
Digimon website, T.K. was ranked 7th by Japanese voters as Favorite DigiDestined. When the same question was asked two more times, his rank rose to 2nd, but fell to 3rd. T.K. is also ranked 1st as whom the voters would want as a younger brother and as the DigiDestined whom the voters thought was the strongest,. He placed 2nd as the DigiDestined voters would want to switch places with and as the best-looking DigiDestined in the winter. When voters were asked which DigiDestined they would want as their boyfriend, T.K. placed in 3rd.
Jeff Nimoy
, co-screenwriter of the English version of Digimon Adventure
and Digimon Adventure 02
, however, found T.K. "[uninteresting]" for both series and that there was "not much there for T.K.'s personality, unless Davis was pushing his buttons."
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, is a fictional character in the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series Digimon Adventure
Digimon Adventure
is a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
and Digimon Adventure 02
Digimon Adventure 02
, also commonly referred as Digimon Zero Two, is the direct sequel to the previous series and takes place three years after the original series. With most of the original characters now in junior high school, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in...
. Although his first name is "Takeru", in the English version, he primarily goes by his dub-given nickname, T.K. First appearing in the film Digimon Adventure (1999), T.K. has made regular appearances in the television series as a main character and also in other supplementary medias.
T.K. is the younger brother of Matt Ishida
Yamato "Matt" Ishida
Yamato "Matt" Ishida, known as simply in Japan, is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02. Although his first name is "Yamato", in the English version, he primarily goes by his dub-given nickname, Matt...
and, as a DigiDestined, is partnered with Patamon
Patamon
is a Digimon creature from the Japanese Digimon media franchise."Patamon" is the name that all members of this particular Digimon species share. There are several different Patamon that appear in various Digimon anime and manga series....
. He is also the rightful holder of the and the .
Description
T.K. is the youngest DigiDestined out of the core seven. He is gentle, sweet-natured, and generous. He is also obedient and follows the DigiDestined's lead without complaints. He is also described as Kari Kamiya's "equal."T.K. is the only DigiDestined to not attend the same school as the rest of the DigiDestined initially due to living in Sangenjaya instead of Odaiba
Odaiba
is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential...
. He is younger brother of Matt, but lives with his mother, journalist Nancy Takaishi ( in the original version), instead due to a divorce between their parents. Although T.K. was too young to remember the events of the divorce clearly, he is still affected by it and does not like to openly talk about it. Despite the distance between T.K. and Matt, he admires Matt greatly and tries to be brave to "impress" him, although he begins to open up to the other DigiDestined as well, particularly Tai. In the English version, there was a dub error where Matt indicates that they are half-brothers when in fact they were full brothers.
In the sequel, Digimon Adventure 02
Digimon Adventure 02
, also commonly referred as Digimon Zero Two, is the direct sequel to the previous series and takes place three years after the original series. With most of the original characters now in junior high school, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in...
, T.K. and his mother relocate to a new apartment building in Odaiba
Odaiba
is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential...
, where he becomes neighbors with Cody Hida
Cody Hida
Cody Hida, known as in Japan, is a character in the anime and manga Digimon Adventure 02.He is partnered with Armadillomon. Although he is the youngest of the DigiDestined, Cody is also the most serious. Much of his maturity and wisdom comes from his grandfather, Chikara Hida, who is also Cody's...
and Yolei Inoue
Yolei Inoue
Yolei Inoue, known in Japan as , is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Digimon Adventure 02. Yolei made a brief cameo in the film Our War Game! before debuting as one of the regular characters in Digimon Adventure 02....
. Although he has gotten remarkably taller, his gentle personality has not changed and it makes him popular with the girls at school. He is also said to have "inherited reliability from [Matt]." In addition to this, T.K. becomes the star player on his school's basketball team.
Pilot film
T.K. made his first appearance in the short pilot film Digimon Adventure (1999), which was combined as the first part of Digimon: The MovieDigimon: The Movie
Digimon: The Movie is a 2000 American film adaptation of the first three Japanese Digimon films distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film used footage from the films Digimon Adventure , Our War Game!! , and Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals .In comparison to...
(2001) was localized. The film depicts his first encounter with a Digimon as a toddler.
In the television series
Succeeding the film, T.K. is a main character in the television series Digimon AdventureDigimon Adventure
is a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
(1999), where he is depicted as a bright, eager boy willing to help out in battles despite his fear of the Digital World. In this series, T.K. is in second grade and is eight years old.
Digimon Adventure 02
, also commonly referred as Digimon Zero Two, is the direct sequel to the previous series and takes place three years after the original series. With most of the original characters now in junior high school, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in...
(2000) along with Kari. Taking place roughly three and a half years after Digimon Adventure (two and a half years in the original version), T.K. is now in seventh grade and twelve years old (fifth grade and eleven years old in the original version). He is in class A with Kari and Davis and regularly leads a helping hand in taking care of the Digital World. At the end of the series, he has become a best-selling novelist after publishing his autobiography about his adventures in the Digital World and has a son, who is partnered with Tokomon.
In the video games
T.K. makes a cameo as a non-playable character in the WonderSwanWonderSwan
was a line of handheld game consoles produced in Japan by Bandai between 1999 and 2003. It was developed by the late Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto and Bandai...
game Digimon Adventure: Anode/Cathode Tamer
Digimon Adventure: Anode/Cathode Tamer
Digimon: Anode/Cathode Tamer is one of two Digimon WonderSwan games that are available in English. It combines two separate Japanese games, Digimon Adventure: Anode Tamer, and Digimon Adventure: Cathode Tamer, into one...
, where he is captured by Milleniummon and jailed with Sora
Sora Takenouchi
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02. First appearing in the film Digimon Adventure , Sora has made regular appearances in the television series as a main character and also in other supplementary medias.As one of the DigiDestined, Sora...
until Ryo Akiyama comes to their rescue.
In the game Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer, T.K. and Patamon are attacked by Devimon, and Ryo has the option to save him over Kari and Mimi Tachikawa
Mimi Tachikawa
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02. First appearing in the film Digimon Adventure , Mimi has made regular appearances in the television series as a main character and also in other supplementary medias.As one of the DigiDestined, Mimi...
. Following the end of the battle, he allows Patamon to join his party.
In other films
T.K. makes an appearance in the film Our War Game! (2000), the second part of the localized Digimon: The Movie, which takes place on the spring break after Digimon Adventure. In the film, he and Matt are visiting their grandmother, Kinu, in the countryside and are enlisted by Tai to help fight Diaboromon. Early on, T.K. is forced to withdraw from the battle when Patamon is injured horribly.When the film featurette release of Digimon Hurricane Landing! and its second part, Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals, which also made the third part of Digimon: The Movie, T.K. makes his first film appearance in the Digimon Adventure 02 timeline as he races across the United States to help stop Wendigomon, succeeding in releasing the Digi-egg of Miracles for Davis.
The sequel of Our War Game!, Revenge of Diaboromon (2001), takes place on the spring break after Digimon Adventure 02. With the help of Kari, T.K. is actively involved in stopping Diaboromon's second attempt at destroying the world before the final battle.
In the manga
T.K. makes an appearance in the manga Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01, where he and the other Adventure 02 DigiDestined encountered Parallelmon, who absorbed him, Kari, Yolei, and Cody, and inadvertently sent Davis into the "V-Tamer 01" world, where he met the Tai of that series. T.K. and the others helped Davis from inside the monster by recreating the Digi-Egg of Miracles. With the monster destroyed, Davis and his friends returned to their continuity.In the CD dramas
T.K. is featured in supplementary audio dramas released on CD during the television series' run, most of which consist miscellaneous adventures with the other DigiDestined that do not relate to the overall plot of the show. These include a battle T.K. has in his dream during New Years and tap dancing to distract Boltmon on Valentine's DayValentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
. In an audio drama released years after the end of Digimon Adventure 02, T.K. is heard compiling a novel about his adventures in the Digital World.
Development
T.K.'s character was designed for the pilot movie storyboard by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru. In an exclusive interview released with the Digimon Adventure DVD box on December 21, 2007, producer Satoru Nishizono revealed that as the staff had agreed on deciding Tai's name, he had tried to name the other characters similarly with kanjiKanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
that related to "luck."
In Japan, T.K. was voiced by Hiroko Konishi
Hiroko Konishi
is a Japanese voice actress. She is currently not affiliated with any production, and has largely retired from voice acting.- Notable voice roles :* Aida Rion in Agent Aika* Nene Romanova in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040...
in Digimon Adventure, with the exception of the pilot film Digimon Adventure. Due to her retiring from voice acting in 2000 and her refusal to reprise the role in Digimon Adventure 02, she was succeeded by Taisuke Yamamoto. Yamamoto's portrayal of T.K. is described as more "adult-like [in comparison to his voice in Digimon Adventure]" and that "his gentle voice suits [T.K.] perfectly."
In the English dub, Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
provides his voice in the Digimon Adventure continuity while Doug Erholtz
Doug Erholtz
Douglas J. Erholtz is an American voice actor. He is well known for voicing Asuma Sarutobi from Naruto and Ichimaru from Bleach.- Anime roles :* Battle B-Daman - Joe, Biarce* Bounty Dog - Additional Voices...
provides his voice in Digimon Adventure 02. Lee indicated that T.K. was her favorite character to voice during her work in the Digimon Adventure
Digimon Adventure
is a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
series.
Merchandise
During the run of the television series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, T.K. was included in merchandise such as trading cards. In Japan, his character was also given two theme songs: "Be All Right" and "Focus." "Be All Right" was performed by his Japanese voice actress in Digimon Adventure, Hiroko Konishi, while "Focus" was performed by his voice actor in Digimon Adventure 02, Taisuke Yamamoto. His only character CD single, , which also included Patamon's (Miwa MatsumotoMiwa Matsumoto
' is a seiyū.-Notable voice roles:*Patamon in Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02*Mako in Digimon Tamers*Kokuwamon child in Digimon Frontier*Chiharu Mihara in Cardcaptor Sakura*Jama-P in Wedding Peach*Scylle in Beast Wars Second...
) solo and their duet "Steppin' Out", was released on August 23, 2000. It debuted at #86 on the Oricon Weekly Charts
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
and stayed there for one week.
Reception
Initially, T.K. was unpopular with the viewers, but Digimon Adventure 02 saw a rise in his popularity. In a series of online polls conducted on Toei Animation'sToei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
Digimon website, T.K. was ranked 7th by Japanese voters as Favorite DigiDestined. When the same question was asked two more times, his rank rose to 2nd, but fell to 3rd. T.K. is also ranked 1st as whom the voters would want as a younger brother and as the DigiDestined whom the voters thought was the strongest,. He placed 2nd as the DigiDestined voters would want to switch places with and as the best-looking DigiDestined in the winter. When voters were asked which DigiDestined they would want as their boyfriend, T.K. placed in 3rd.
Jeff Nimoy
Jeff Nimoy
-Biography:Jeff Nimoy wrote, directed, and served as story editor for the English translation of the anime Digimon: Digital Monsters . He also served as an Executive Producer and writer on numerous other Fox Kids shows...
, co-screenwriter of the English version of Digimon Adventure
Digimon Adventure
is a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
and Digimon Adventure 02
Digimon Adventure 02
, also commonly referred as Digimon Zero Two, is the direct sequel to the previous series and takes place three years after the original series. With most of the original characters now in junior high school, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in...
, however, found T.K. "[uninteresting]" for both series and that there was "not much there for T.K.'s personality, unless Davis was pushing his buttons."