Mikey Kudo

Taiki Kudou (工藤タイキ) is a character in the Digimon Xros Wars series, and serves as the protagonist. Taiki is described in V-Jump magazine as "a hot-blooded 7th grader who saves the weak." He leads the red "Xros Heart" army, and is partnered with. Among others,, , and  also accompany him. Taiki's childhood friend Akari Hinomoto and "eternal rival" and classmate Zenjirou Tsurugi complete the posse. He is athletic and cannot turn down a challenge. He has genius capabilities but is naive about his prodigy abilities. His father is a sports trainer who travels throughout Japan. As the General of Xros Heart, Taiki possesses a red X Loader, which allows his soldiers to "DigiXros", allowing them to fuse together. Taiki is also able to hear the DigiMelodies of dying Digimon.

After 's defeat, Taiki leads the "Xros Heart" basketball team, whose members end up participating in the Digimon Hunt.

Appearance
Taiki is a young boy with gray eyes and spiky brown hair. He wears a black shirt under another blue shirt with a white oval with yellow borders and a yellow "to" (と) in the chest and yellow line on the left arm. He also wears black leggings under brown shorts and belt, a red jacket, green goggles, red and white shoes, white gloves, and wears a Wrister on his left wrist. Interestingly, his design resembles a "fusion" of traits of previous male leads. He seems to have a mix of 's and 's hairstyles, with Tai's white gloves, 's hair color, 's blue shirt, shorts and tennis shoes, and the reddish vest colors from both Takuya and. In the manga, after the battle against 's forces at Corridor Zone, Akari notices the damage on his jacket.

After returning to the Human World, Taiki starts wearing a shirt that is red on the left side and blue on the right, with the two colors separated by a white soundwave-shaped line. He also wears darker shorts, a brown belt, black socks, and red shoes. His shirt is later emblazoned with the Xros Heart emblem by. In the manga he starts wearing those after fighting 's forces at Corridor Zone.

A year later, Taiki grew a bit taller and has a different hairstyle. He now wears a red shirt that is white on its right side, with a yellow stripe on the bottom, two yellow lines in the arms, and with a symbol that a mix of a crown and a reptile footprint. He also wears red and blue zig-zaged wristband on his hands, gray shorts, a brown belt, black socks, and dark red shoes.

Personality
Taiki has an overly outgoing personality. He is always happy, and often tries to see the good in his enemies, much to Shoutmon's chagrin. His motto is "I can't turn my back on anyone." Taiki cares for pretty much everyone, and wishes for an all good world where no one is evil. He has a tendency to never refuse a favor asked to him and often overexerts himself to the point of collaspe and even endangering himself, which often gets him yelled at by Akari. Taiki is however, shown to be a natural leader, looking out for his army, friends, as well as complete strangers.

Taiki is a child prodigy, being very athletic and a highly skilled strategist. He participates in many sports like basketball and kendo while showing immeadiate expertise despite just starting out. Using these abilties, he is able to adapt to any situation in order to turn the tide of battle. He has a habit of flicking his fingers on his googles whenever he gets a good idea.

Anime
Taiki defeated in a  match.

Later, after having a strange dream about monsters in another world, Taiki wakes up and runs to help out a friend with a basketball game, before suddenly collapsing from exhaustion. After the game he and sit outside the sports center when Zenjirou shows up and challenges Taiki to a Kendo rematch. But hearing a voice begging for his help, Taiki follows the voice and finds a small transparent version of a dying. All of a sudden a blinding light shows him a white X Loader, a asks him if he wants to save Shoutmon. Answering that he does, Taiki receives his X Loader before he, Akari and Zenjirou are transported to the. There, Taiki and his friends are formally introduced to Shoutmon as they help him deal with a Bagra Army platoon under MadLeomon. Moved by Shoutmon's sincere wish to become the King of the Digital World in order to bring peace to it, Taiki decides to help Shoutmon and the two form their own faction comprising them and their friends: "Xros Heart".

It was only after MadLeomon's defeat, crossing paths with the rival group Blue Flare under Kiriha, that Taiki learns more about the Code Crowns from another human with a Xros Loader,, as he and Xros Heart go on a quest to retrieve the Code Crowns from the Bagra Army. During their travels, obtaining along the way, Taiki meets many friendly Digimon and a few former Bagra Army members who join their cause. But other than the Bagra Army, Taiki contends with Twilight, a group secretly led by DarkKnightmon with Nene as pawn. After Nene is rescued from DarkKnightmon, who created the Darkness Loader to execute DigiXros without her help, she and her Digimon companions also join Xros Heart.

After all 108 Code Crowns were claimed, Tactimon manages to steal Taiki and Kiriha's Code Crowns. Though Tactimon is defeated by teamwork by the rival groups, Bagramon arrives and takes the Code Crowns for himself before sending Taiki, Akari, Zenjirou, Shoutmon to the human world to ensure Xros Heart's core members would not interfere. Learning that time in the Digital World runs faster than in the Real World, Taiki attempts to fulfill Akari and Zenjirou's requests to him before he tells them his decision to return to the Digital World to save their friends. This attracts Omnimon's attention as he reveals himself and explains the origin of the DigiMemories and the history of the Digital World and how he ended up in the human world as a DigiMemory while finding a child who can hear DigiMelodies: Taiki. Despite Tactimon's appearance in the real world before OmegaShoutmon destroys him, Taiki gives a heartfelt goodbye to both Akari and Zenjirou before he and Shoutmon leave for the digital world as they must be left behind because Omnimon only has enough power to send Taiki back.

Upon returning to the Digital World, Taiki and Shoutmon learn from Lillymon that Bagramon had it reconstructed into a realm surrounding by Seven Kingdoms, each ruled by a Death General with their own Darkness Loaders.

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In the first episode he is seen having a dream about him being a general, later on that morning he helps out a friend with a basketball game and afterwords he collapses. After the game he and Akari sit outside the sports center when Zenjiro shows up and challenges Taiki to another Kendo match (having lost to Taiki before) when he hears a voice saying that he is going to die. Taiki then follows the voice and finds a small transparent version of a dying Shoutmon. All of a sudden a blinding light shows him a white X Loader appears, a mysterious light asks him if he wants to save the dying melody (Shoutmon) Taiki answers yes and the X-loader turn Red and he, Akari and Zenjiro are transported to the digital world.

Moved by Shoutmon's sincere wish to become the King of the Digital World in order to bring peace to it, Taiki decides to help Shoutmon and their friends and together, they form their own faction, "Team Xros Heart", and depart to travel through the Digital World, collecting the Code Crowns by themselves. During their travels they meet many friendly Digimon who join their cause and they face the evil minions of the Bagra Army, including the three Head Officers, Tactimon, Lilithmon and Blastmon. They also encounter rival armies Blue Flare, led by Kiriha, and Twilight, secretly led by DarkKnightmon with Nene as a tool in his schemes. After Nene is rescued from DarkKnightmon, who created the Darkness Loader to execute Digi Xros without her help, she and her Digimon companions also join Xros Heart.

After all 108 Code Crowns were claimed, Tactimon manages to steal Taiki and Kiriha's Code Crowns. Though Tactimon is defeated by teamwork by the rival groups, Bagramon arrives and takes the Code Crowns for himself before sending Taiki, Akari, Zenjirouu, Shoutmon and Tactimon to the human world. With Xros Heart's core members disposed of, Bagramon is reunited with his brother DarkKnightmon as he begins his reign over the Digital World.

In the real world, Taiki tries to tell his mother of his adventures however his mother disregards his stories. Also Taiki attempts to fulfill Akari and Zenjirou's last wish before he tells them his decision to return to the digital world. He exclaims that he must save their friends and Nene and Kiriha in the digital world and how he can't just leave them. Also he exclaims that he has heard the voice he heard in the first episode who gave him his X-loader who turns out to be Omegamon.

Omegamon appears to the trio and explains the origin of the digimemories and the history of the digital world and tells them how he ended up in the human world as a digimemory and has been searching for the child who could hear the digital melody, which turned out to be Taiki.

In the real world, Tactimon returns and attempts to wreak havoc before his attempts are thwarted by Taiki and Shoutmon, who uses the power of Akari and Zenjirou's courage and friendship to digivolve into OmegaShoutmon, defeating Tactimon. Taiki gives a heartfelt goodbye to both Akari and Zenjirou before he leaves to the digital world as they must be left behind because Omegamon only has enough power to send Taiki back.

Upon returning to the Digital World, Taiki and Shoutmon learn that Bagramon had it reconstructed into a realm surrounding by Seven Kingdoms, each ruled by a Digimon general with their own Darkness Loaders. Reunited with their Xros Heart allies, Taiki and Nene convince Kiriha to join forces with them and they set to travel together through the Kingdoms to challenge the generals and liberate the Digital World from the Bagramon Army's oppression.

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Notes and References
Taiki