Pokemon and Digimon have always been compared to one another, and that's partially due to the fact that historically both began in 1997. While Digimon wouldn't grow into other medias until 1999, it was easy for kids in the 90s to draw comparisons as the two franchises saw players collecting and battling monsters. However, in some ways, that's where the similarities stop as numerous factors separate them in different ways. Digimon was made from a different gaming medium, the digital monsters can talk while the pocket monsters usually can't, and Pokemon has consistently made itself into a collectathon while Digimon hasn't.
While there's nothing wrong with how Pokemon gave players a goal of catching every creature found in the game's world, it can be easily said that as each generation brought in new critters to get, problems from this dynamic could be seen years beforehand. Now, as Pokemon is scrambling to limit its scope while also keeping its classic "gotta catch 'em all" image, it's clear that Game Freak's hit series could have looked to Digimon for ideas on how to avoid the situations it's in now.
The History of Pokemon
From the very beginning of the series, Pokemon has always given a challenge to its young audience that they could easily catch every pocket monster found in the world it presents if they tried. Due to this being a core part of the series' identity, it was almost a given that sequels would introduce new critters for players to find regardless if they caught the original 151 or if they still had work to do on completing the Pokedex. For the first few generations, it came off as a humble and fun challenge that grew harder and harder with every new release. Eventually, it became an extremely tall task where completing it was seen as a statement of complete devotion to the series.
Pokemon's stubbornness in continuing to give players the challenge of catching every creature would only grow worse as the series evolved. As the sheer number of critters that needed to be programmed for each game grew hard on the development teams, it seems it was decided that the National Pokedex would have to be cut to make sure that the quality of future releases wouldn't suffer. This has now led to a situation where fans need to watch each game closely to find out if the creatures they need to catch are missing, or even if their favorite Pokemon is available in general, before buying the latest game. Pokemon availability has become a sensitive topic to many fans, especially as Game Freak continues to play favorites towards profitable creatures.
Digimon's Approach to Its Many Monsters
While Digimon has also introduced new creatures consistently, the way the series handles its number of digital monsters is completely different from Pokemon's. Despite how Digimon began as a way to sell Tamagotchi-like toys to boys, the series has practically strayed away from encouraging players to collect every single one. Instead, players were encouraged to raise one Digimon pet just like the Digi-Destined in the anime as their partner. Most Digimon media also teaches its audience that sometimes they need to say goodbye to their digital monster friends as several anime adaptations of the series make it a point to have the characters part ways with their own Digimon.
The way the series has treated its audience's bonds with the critters has almost made its fans understand that their digital monster friends won't follow them throughout the series, and that's okay as new partners will be found in the next installment. Even if players won't get to meet with their favorite Digimon in an upcoming title, there will be another chance later. Digimon has managed to teach its fan base that not traveling with the same creatures that they once went on journeys with as a child is fine, and it's something that the Pokemon series could benefit to learn from.
Why Big Changes With Pokemon Collecting is Hard
Due to the fact that Game Freak's franchise has almost made a name for itself by allowing players to keep their Pokemon with them from title to title, it may be too late to try and pull itself out of the hole it has made. The way the series has innovated itself to allow the creatures fans have raised to be brought into games that is incredibly impressive, and losing that may be terrible for the series' innovation. The fact that Pokemon Home works with smartphones and the Switch, so players can even store their Pokemon GO catches with ease is a testament to how much being able to keep the critters means a lot to the franchise and its fans.
Yet, as important as this part of Pokemon is, it's debatable if it's truly worth this sort of fuss. In the face of Digimon's considerable success, albeit smaller than Pokemon's, it's a question worth asking. If Game Freak at the very least pulled back and stopped allowing creatures to continue onwards to the next game, as wonderful as that feature is, there may be less disappointment with fans when one critter has to sit an adventure out. Pokemon Legends: Arceus also serves as an example of how great a limited and restricted Pokedex can be, as many fans considered that game to be the most enjoyable Pokemon title in years.
There are some ways for Pokemon to change its course and learn from other similar franchises like Digimon, but it may take an entire reboot of the franchise itself thanks to how embedded in its history the collectathon mantra is. As it stands right now, there's no in-game reason behind why certain creatures can't be found in any games at all, and the biggest Pokemon adaptation, the anime, has never shown Ash have an issue with being unable to take Pokemon on adventures. These things may only add to the frustration, as it makes the fact that the number of monsters available comes down to the developers' limits even more transparent and obvious.
It's a bit awkward having some games play by unspoken rules as every other part of the series tries to encourage people to collect them all and keep them close. However, the controversy that the National Dex brought out of Pokemon fans is evident enough that a change as big as a series-wide reboot would possibly be too difficult for many fans to swallow.