Joe Kido

Joe Kido (城戸 丈) is a character in the and  series Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon Adventure tri.. He is a DigiDestined, partnered to, and bearer of the Crest of Reliability (Honesty in Japan).

Appearance
Joe has short blue (black in tri.) hair and black eyes. He stands out from the other Digidestined with large glasses and tall height. His hair was initially spiky with his bangs swept to the right but is chin-length and parts in the middle as a 15 year old. In tri. and as an adult, Joe's hair is back to being short.

In 1995, he wears light blue pajamas.

In 1999, Joe wears a green watch on his left wrist in addition to a yellow wristband on the right. In addition, Joe also has a white-purple short-sleeved button-up shirt under a cream vest with blue trimmings, dark grey trousers, with cobalt blue socks that reaches up to his knees with red and white boots. His underwear are light blue boxers with a white band. After taking a bath in 's illusory mansion, Joe wears a blue bathrobe that is an illusion.

On March 4, 2000, Joe wears a white button-up shirt with long sleeves under a cream vest with red trimmings in addition to grey pants and brown shoes. He wears a blue jacket under his shirt and vest.

In May 2000, when Gennai summons him back to the, Joe wore a light blue short-sleeved button-up shirt with light grey shorts.

In 2002, Joe now wears small, oval-shaped glasses with silver frames. His school uniform consists of a long-sleeved white buttoned shirt that is worn under a blue blazer jacket. His pants are white with a brown belt and has blue slip-on shoes with yellow soles.

During the summer, Joe wears a dark blue short-sleeved button-up shirt with black pocket linings, cream pants and brown sneakers with cream laces. In the winter, he wears a cream vest with a maroon collar over a long-sleeved green shirt with grey pants with a brown belt and shoes with cream soles. Outside, Joe wears a long light brown coat with a hood and dark brown fastenings. While in Australia, Joe's sleeves are rolled back and doesn't wear his coat.

In 2005, Joe now wears black rectangular eyeglasses with silver frame. Because he studies in a senior private school and focusing on his studies because of his lackluster grades from his college exams, Joe's school uniform is a dark blue formal suit jacket under a long-sleeved white button shirt with a green neck tie in addition to grey school pants and black loafers. In the summer, Joe's shirt is short-sleeved instead of long.

In 2027, Joe wears a white buttoned shirt under a green sweater with grey pants and brown shoes. While at work, he wears a white doctor's coat over his regular outfit.

Description
At a glance, Joe appears to be a nervous wreck, panicking over little things (in the dub, he has a tendency to feel "allergic" to everything around him). This stems from Joe's strong sense of responsibility, in addition to being the oldest of the group. He acts as the voice of reason and tries, often without success, to steer the other DigiDestined away from danger and tries to find a safer way. His "safety first" attitude is often the source of teasing from others specially, who teases him the most but all the DigiDestined respect and trust Joe for being reliable. His reliability is shown whenever Joe will not hesitate to put his life over the others (for example, he saves T.K. from drowning). Teasing aside, the DigiDestined respect and trust Joe because they know he can be relied on to be selfless and brave when problems arise. During the time the Infected Digimon start showing up, Joe is struggling in school, leading him to focus on studying more than on assisting the team. This anxiety builds until Joe is confronted by Gomamon, who, feeling unable to help, leaves Joe, causing Joe to reevaluate his priorities and make up with Gomamon.

Joe is very intelligent and has practical knowledge of first aid and astronomy. He is also extremely clumsy, and often finds himself falling on his face or dropping things. He eventually becomes much more mellow and level-headed, though the clumsiness remains. Joe is the youngest brother of his family, who follow a strong tradition of being doctors. His eldest brother, Shin, studies medicine, while his second older brother Shuu, studies anthropology under Sora's father's tutelage. In the dub, his brothers were merged into a single character named Jim Kido.

Etymologies
Name used in Japanese materials. Officially romanized in Digimon Adventure: Official Encyclopdia II.
 * Jo Kido (城戸 丈)
 * Ja: Kido (城戸). Japanese surname that means "castle door".
 * Ja: Jo (丈). Japanese masculine name that means "stature", possibly referring to him being the tallest of the.

Name used in the English dub of Digimon Adventure and related materials. Also used in Digimon Adventure tri. and the Partner Buttons Set.
 * Joe Kido
 * Joe. Homophone to Japanese name.

Digimon Adventure
Much like the other Digidestined, the Kidos lived in Highton View Terrace. One night, while speaking to Izzy on the phone, he witnessed the battle between Red Greymon and. This event caused him to be chosen as a new. The destruction created by the battle caused it to be labeled a terrorist attack, and had to move away from the area.

Joe spends much of his first week in the Digital World looking for humans who could help them in this strange world, and trying to steer the younger DigiDestined from the path of recklessness. When he cannot settle an argument between Tai and Matt about climbing Infinity Mountain, he decides to go in the middle of the night and climb it himself before the others to check if it's safe or not. When he and are attacked by, who has affected by Devimon's black gear, Tai and Sora arrive to help them, but their Digimon are defeated. To save his friends, Joe tries to remove the gear controlling Unimon himself, but when he fails, Gomamon Digivolves to and defeats Unimon, saving everyone.

When Devimon separates the DigiDestined, Joe and Gomamon land in the middle of the sea, and end up being fished out by Sora and  after a close encounter with. They eventually stumble upon the Overdell Cemetery, Joe is delighted to find more humans, but he quickly discovers that they are in disguise and want to eat them. When they fused into one giant Bakemon and threaten to defeat Ikkakumon and, Joe remembers a chant he learned to give himself luck during exams, and uses it to depower the Bakemon.

After Tai and disappear following the battle against, Joe leaves the other DigiDestined in search of Tai. Joe and Gomamon stop to eat at a diner, but when the cashier doesn't accept the currency Joe has, the two are forced to work to pay for their meal. Matt and Gabumon arrive later and come to their aid, trying to help them at work. However, Joe's clumsiness and 's trickery cause them to gain more debt and work more. Matt eventually grows tired of this and lashes out at Joe, but when Matt's brother T.K. is attacked by Vegiemon, Joe puts himself in danger to save him because Matt and T.K. are his friends. This causes Matt's Crest of Friendship to activate and allows him to save Joe.

When they are in the Real World, Joe goes back to his routine of attending cram school. When he gets a bad grade, he is held back, causing him to be away from Odaiba when spreads his digital fog and cuts the island off from the rest of Tokyo. After trying all night to get back home, he and T.K. decide to depart on Ikkakumon's back. En route to Odaiba, they encounter MegaSeadramon, who knocks them off Ikkakumon's back. Joe is able to save T.K. from drowning at his own expense, but because he was able to put T.K.’s safety before his own, his Crest of Reliability activated, allowing Ikkakumon to Digivolve into his Ultimate form,.

After the DigiDestined returned to the Digital World and Mimi loses the will to fight due to the untimely death of a few close Digimon allies, Joe decides to be the one to stay with her to try to lift her spirits and make sure she won't be alone. Once they are alone, they encounter the wounded Ogremon, and Joe gives him medical aid at Mimi's request. When the newly evolved attacks them, their old friend  comes to their aid as. However, in a later battle against MetalEtemon, SaberLeomon is gravely injured, though he helps Zudomon defeat MetalEtemon before he perishes. Saddened but inspired by Leomon's sacrifice, Joe follows Mimi as she decides to gather all their Digimon friends to help them in the final battle again.

Later, having gathered reinforcements, Joe and Mimi encounter at the ruined Primary Village, possessing Matt's harmonica. This inspires Joe to leave Mimi with the other Digimon while he searches for Matt. After finding Matt and returning his harmonica to him, they find T.K. and Sora, and help her escape from a pit of darkness she had fallen into. After this, they reunite with the other DigiDestined in time for the final battle.

Digimon Fusion
At some point, the Old Clock Shop Man summoned the heroes of the past to the Fusion universe to help take down. Joe destroys a Quartzmon agent in Chichen Itza, but realizes that his allies have already left. Gomamon informs him that the other heroes already headed for Tokyo.

Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!
On March 4, 2000, Joe is on his way to an important exam when Diaboromon attacks, which causes him to be late. Despite Tai and Izzy's best efforts, they cannot reach him while he's taking his exam.

Digimon Adventure 02
In May 2000, Joe arrives in the Digital World and gives up his Crest power to free the Digimon Sovereigns. As a result, Gomamon lost the power to become Zudomon. After coming back to the Real World, he discusses his experiences with Digimon with his older brother on the phone, and professes his desire to become a Digimon doctor.

By 2002, Joe's studying has paid off, as he now a private school student. He is busy studying for the high school entrance exams (college entrance exams in dub), so he doesn't have a lot of spare time, but he helps the new DigiDestined whenever he can. He attends Wada Cram School (和田進学塾) every day after school to prepare for exams.

When the new DigiDestined become trapped in an underwater oil platform, the DigiDestined send Cody in an emergency pod, telling him to call Joe. While Joe is in cram school, Cody lies about Joe's father being ill to get Joe out of an important exam. Cody is crushed that he had to go against his ideals, and thinks he is not worthy of the newly-uncovered Digi-Egg of Reliability. However, Joe assures him that one white lie to save his friends doesn't mean he isn't honest or reliable, allowing Cody to activate the Digi-Egg.

On Christmas Day, the DigiDestined are empowered by the Harmonious One so that their Digimon can once again reach their highest forms. Joe, Cody and their Digimon go to Australia to help the DigiDestined of the Pacific round up the wild Digimon who had appeared on Earth as a result of opening all the Digi-Ports.

Joe later aids the others in fighting the Daemon Corps and tracking down the children seeded with Dark Spores by Yukio Oikawa. He is present at Highton View Terrace when Oikawa gathers the Dark Spore children and is confronted by the DigiDestined. However, he remains behind when Oikawa, the children and the new DigiDestined enter the world of dreams. When the world is engulfed by MaloMyotismon's darkness, he goes with older DigiDestined and their families to the site of the summer camp from which they were transported to the Digital World years ago. He and the older DigiDestined manage to reach the Digital World from there, and help defeat MaloMyotismon once and for all with the light of their Digivices.

On Valentine's Day, 2003, Joe's father tells him that he accepts his son's choice whether to carry on the family tradition of being doctor or not. It is because of Joe that the D-Terminals are all mixed up & new Armor forms are introduced to fight Pukumon. Interestingly, Joe is seen dating Yolei's sister Chizuru.

Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon
On March 2003, Joe is at first busy trying to register himself in the school of his choice. Later on, he helps secure a bike for Davis and Ken so they could get to the harbor, which was where their partners were. However, when the boys point out they are two and Joe only brought one bike, he chases after a girl who rides by on her on bike. Later, Joe and the girl on the bike arrive in Tokyo Harbor, just in time to see the end of the battle against.

After Digimon Fusion


By the year 2027, Joe has become the first Doctor for Digimon, and taking along with the job, all the complications that occur because of it. In a way his family's tradition continues and his son (who very closely resembles him, and has a Bukamon) may carry it out as well.

PSP game
Joe has a choice to agree with Matt or Tai whether to climb Infinity Mountain. When is revived by, Joe refuses to give up as he told Tai that he and Gomamon will fight him, which causes Gomamon to warp digivolve to.

Digimon Fusion
A young man that looks like Joe is at the arcade.

Music
Joe has two Japanese image songs: "Chigau Boku ga Iru" ("There Is Another Me") and "Kaze ni Mukatte" ("Facing Towards the Wind"), sung by Masami Kikuchi. He has an additional image song, a duet sung by Kikuchi with Junko Takeuchi as, called "Sora wo Crawl" ("Crawl the Sky"). Kikuchi also participates in "Bokura no Digital World" ("Our Digital World") and in the male Digimon Adventure characters' rendition of "Butter-Fly" in the Digimon Music 100 Title Memorial Box.

Notes and references
Joe Kido Kido Jou