Hero (Next Order)

Takuto (タクト) and Shiki (シキ) are the male and female protagonists of Digimon World: Next Order. Their names are selectable by the player, and their gender has no effect on gameplay; the opposite gender counterpart does not appear once one character is selected. For organizational purposes, they are referred to as their shared role of Hero (主人公) in this wiki.

Appearance
Takuto is a teenage boy with fair skin, gray eyes, and blueish black hair with a light-emitting light blue streak on it. He wears a shirt that is red in the front and black in the back, has white hemlines, and has a many black and red cubes design in the left side of its front. He also wears a gray jacket that is white in the thorax, and black in the neck and the thorax's borders. His jacket emits blue square-shaped light objects when he moves. He also wears black pants with a large pocket on each side, and gray sneakers with blue soles. Takuto carries his in an orange wristband on his left wrist. He also wears goggles around his neck. His goggles are white with pentagonal lens, an orange nose pad, and light blue straps with a single white stripe on each, and the size adjusting part of the strap is black.

Shiki is a teenage girl with fair skin, gray eyes, and black hair, which is short in the sides and long in the back, has chest-length sidelocks, a fringe that covers the forehead, and is worn in a waist-length ponytail. The hair also has a red on the ponytail and another light-emitting pink streak near the end on the ponytail. She wears short hooded with elbow-long sleeves, a zipper in the front, and a pocket on each side of the waist. The culottes are white in the hood, chest, and sleeves, purple in the rest of the thorax, and the hemline, red in the sleeves' ends, and black in the rest of it, and are also cut to expose part of her back. Her hood emits pink square-shaped light objects when she moves. Shiki carries a white and pink Digivice in a pink wristband on her left wrist, and a white pouch on her left tight. She also wears white boots with red soles and black inner side, and goggles around her neck. Her goggles have a single pink lens, and white temples.

Description
A high school-senior ramping down the extracurricular activities and preparing for college exams. Addicted to Digimon games as a kid, even earning a second-place finish in the national championships as a fifth-grader.

Etymologies
Default male name in Digimon World: Next Order.
 * Takuto (タクト)
 * Ja: A Japanese masculine name. Starts with "Ta" (タ) like the names of most goggleheads. Likely from "takuto" (指揮棒), similarly to Shiki's name. This may be a reference to Tamers commanding their Digimon.

Default female name in Digimon World: Next Order.
 * Shiki (シキ)
 * Ja: A Japanese gender-neutral name. Possibly from "shiki" (指揮) or "shikibō" (指揮棒), similarly to 's name. This may be a reference to Tamers commanding their Digimon.

Development
In promotional materials, Takuto is often depicted with and, while Shiki is often shown with  and.

Fiction
When they were in the 5th grade, the Hero participated in a national Digital Monster tournament, where they came in second place. Because they made it to the top four, they were given a special. Seven years later, they once again take the Digivice, which suddenly shines with light and thrusts them into the. Landing in a sealed space, they meet their partners, and, only to be suddenly attacked by a. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon protect their partner, and when things grow dire, the bond between the three of them allows them to perform Extra Cross Evolution, also known as ExE, and form. It is not enough, however, and the two defuse. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon then give their lives to defeat Machinedramon. Machinedramon returns to being a, while WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon collapse.

The Hero, with fallen partners and Tokomon in tow, ends up in Floatia. , the city's chief, reveals that Machinedramon was sealed in an interdimensional trap that was released with Machinedramon's defeat, while the Hero's partners' status as Partner Digimon allows them to revived as s, which Jijimon aids with. Sensing the Hero's confusion, Jijimon invites them to his house in order to get on the same page. Once caught up on events, Jijimon tells the Hero that the world is in crisis due to rampaging Machinedramon. Though the current situation has passed, the root cause to the phenomenon has not been found. The Hero reveals that the Tokomon was Machinedramon, to Jijimon's surprise. Jijimon then says he can sense a strange data wave from Tokomon. With more information than before, Jijimon implores the Hero to aid in Floatia's restoration by returning its residents to the city while he investigates the Machinedramon phenomenon. Jijimon then sets to work on a Machinedramon Detector.

Jijimon eventually informs the Hero that other humans are also now in the Digital World, and that joining forces with them could shed new light. The Hero meets Himari Oofuchi and her partner Rikka, as well as Kouta Hirose and his partner Yukimura at Power Plant in the Nigh Plains. Though they are no closer to returning home, they decide to head to Floatia along with the Digimon they were harboring. Back at Floatia, Himari remembers the Digital Monsters tournament, where both she and Kouta made it to the semifinals but lost. The memory lets both of them realize that they do know the Hero. They explain the situation to Jijimon, who acknowledges their suspicions about the Digivices. He reiterates to them the same promise he made to the Hero: help with Floatia and Jijimon will pour his resources into finding them a way home. Himari and Kouta accept, acting as bodyguards for Floatia. Jijimon then tasks the Hero with heading to Logic Volcano to recruit, who should be able to speed up development of the Machinedramon Detector.

The Hero fights their way past, , and , who all guard Taomon's Meditation Place on his orders. Taomon rejects the Hero's overture for help, declaring himself as a mere observer. Himari calls him out on his aloofness, telling him that they're merely helping in order to go home. Taomon scoffs that the Enforcer would soon cleanse them, but Himari wonders why the Machinedramon threat goes unchecked if the Digital World has a self-cleaning function. Taomon acknowledges this logic and tells them to plant an Illegal Seed. Planting it at Power Plant #2 yields a weird flower, and when the Hero reports that fact to Taomon, he is resigned. Taomon forms a portal and heads to Floatia. Discussing the situation with Jijimon, the two Digimon come to the conclusion that the Enforcer is malfunctioning, as the Illegal Seed would have not been able to take root otherwise. Taomon decides to take over the development of the Machinedramon Detector. The Hero is once again tasked with helping Floatia while the detector is being worked on.

Eventually, the Machinedramon Detector is completed. They do not detect a Machinedramon, but they do find a strange data wave in Server Desert. Kouta and Yukimura want to head out at once, but they don't want to sacrifice the Floatia's defense in the meantime. Himari and Rikka, who has newly digivolved into, volunteer to act as guards, freeing Kouta and Yukimura to head out. The Hero follows them to the desert, where they find an unconscious Luche. Luche tells them that a Machinedramon has attacked the village she was in. A man with a knitted hat did something to, and then the Machinedramon appeared. Luche guesses she was out for less than an hour, so Kouta decides to head straight to the village. His and Yukimura's resolve triggers Yukimura's digivolution into. All of them head to Dead End Town, where the Machinedramon continues to rampage. Kouta attempts to take the lead, but Machinedramon defeats them with one blow. Luche tries to protect the fallen pair, but the Hero rushes in and defeats Machinedramon in their place. Kouta and Yukimura rue their weakness before they all return to Floatia, taking Luche and Shoutmon with them.

Luche explains to them about the man she saw, dubbing him Mameo for the Mamemon-shaped design on his hat. The humans believe him to be Shoma Tsuzuki, the last semifinalist and ultimate victor of the Digital Monster tournament. Luche also reveals that she has no memory, from even before the Machinedramon attack. Jijimon wants to make Floatia a refuge for all victims of Machinedramon attacks, but Kouta and Himari both decline for their own reasons. The Hero is the only one who steps up to the task. Eventually, another Machinedramon is detected in the Server Desert, and Himari reveals that Rikka has now digivolved into. The Hero heads to the signal's location, where they and Himari witness Mameo injecting with something before it turns into Machinedramon. Mameo flees while Himari gives chase. The Hero defeats the new Machinedramon, and Himari drags Mameo back. Mameo reveals that the network connections between the Digital World and the real world have been cut, preventing their return. Mameo explains his situation, how now sleeps as a DigiEgg due to a program it was infected with, the curse from a man who wanted to rule the Digital World that forces Digimon to turn into Machinedramon and Mameo's own attempts to stop it, as well as his own ability to perform the Digital Dive, which he describes as his reward for saving the Digital World once. In turn, the Hero tells Mameo what they know.

Kouta and Luche then arrive, telling them that the detector has found new signals. The group soon finds themselves faced with a horde of Machinedramon, at which time a mysterious Digimon appears and systematically wipes out the Machinedramon. It sets its sights on Luche, but the Hero protects her. They try to flee, but it is too fast. A gate opens to save them, and all present run through it before the Digimon can take them out. Within the gate, Mirei Mikagura greets them and informs them that what attacked them was the Enforcer, under the influence of the Brain Hack Program, also known as the BH Program. When questioned on the BH Program's source, Mirei tells them that the Hero is the only one who can determine that, and to tell this world's Digimon what she has said. Afterward, they all end up in Nigh Plains before returning to Floatia. Jijimon and Taomon muse on what they've been told and decide to accelerate their development of an antivirus. The group splits up to do their own things, but Mameo takes the Hero aside and entrusts them with his prototype Antivirus Program. It can only delay the onset of the alteration, and as copying it would cause it to disappear, Mameo gives it to them as the one most likely to come across another Machinedramon. Mameo then heads off on his own.