Mikey Kudo

Mikey Kudo (工藤タイキ) is a main character in Digimon Fusion, and serves as its protagonist through its first two seasons. Mikey is described in V-Jump magazine as "a hot-blooded 7th grader who saves the weak." He leads the red "Fusion Fighters" army, and is partnered with. Among others,, , and  also accompany him. Mikey's childhood friend Angie Hinomoto and classmate (and self-proclaimed "eternal rival") Jeremy Tsurgi complete the posse. He is athletic and cannot turn down a challenge. He has genius capabilities but is naive about such abilities. His father is a sports trainer who travels throughout Japan. As the General of Fusion Fighters, Mikey possesses a red Fusion Loader, which allows his soldiers to "digifuse", allowing them to fuse together. Mikey is also able to hear the DigiMelodies of dying Digimon.

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

Appearance
Mikey is a young teenage 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 "" 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 Squawker on his left wrist. Interestingly, his design resembles a "fusion" of traits of previous male leads. He seems to have a mix of Tai's and Takuya's hairstyles, with Tai's white gloves, 's hair color, Takato's blue shirt, shorts and tennis shoes, and the reddish vest colors from both Takuya and Marcus. In the manga, after the battle against 's forces at Corridor Zone, Angie notices the damage on his jacket. In the Digimon Data Collection skits, the oval with a "t" is replaced by a white circle with black borders and a black "" (た).

After returning to the Human World, Mikey changes into 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 Fusion Fighters emblem by. In the manga he starts wearing those after fighting 's forces at Corridor Zone.

A year later, Mikey grows a bit taller and has a slightly 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-zagged wristband on his hands, gray shorts, a brown belt, white socks, and dark red shoes.

Description
Mikey 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." Mikey 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 collapse and even endangering himself, which often gets him yelled at by Angie. Mikey is however, shown to be a natural leader, looking out for his army, friends, as well as complete strangers.

Mikey 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 abilities, 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 goggles whenever he gets a good idea.

Mikey lives with his mother. His father is a sports coach who travels across Japan, so he is often not home.

Etymologies
Taiki Kudō (工藤タイキ)

Name used in Digimon Xros Wars and Japanese materials. Mikey Kudo
 * Ja: Kudō (工藤). A Japanese surname meaning "artisan wisteria".
 * Ja: Taiki (タイキ). A masculine Japanese name. Means "great talent" (大器), though the Cantonese dub uses characters meaning.

Name used in the English dub of Digimon Xros Wars, Digimon Fusion.
 * Mikey. Homophone to Taiki. It is likely a pun on "", in reference to 's weapon.
 * Kudo. Anglicized romanization of Kudō.

Anime
Some time before the story begins, he defeated Jeremy Tsurgi in a match.

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

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

After all 108 Code Crowns were claimed, Tactimon manages to steal Mikey and Christopher's Code Crowns. Though Tactimon is defeated by teamwork by the rival groups, Bagramon arrives and takes the Code Crowns for himself before sending Mikey, Angie, Jeremy, Shoutmon to the human world to ensure the Fusion Fighters' core members would not interfere. Learning that time in the Digital World runs faster than in the Real World, Mikey attempts to fulfill Angie and Jeremy'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 Real World as a DigiMemory while finding a child who can hear DigiMelodies: Mikey. Despite Tactimon's appearance in the real world before OmniShoutmon destroys him, Mikey gives a heartfelt goodbye to both Angie and Jeremy before he and Shoutmon leave for the Digital World as they must be left behind because Omnimon only has enough power to send Mikey back.

Upon returning to the Digital World, Mikey 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 Angie sit outside the sports center when Jeremy shows up and challenges Mikey to another Kendo match (having lost to Mikey before) when he hears a voice saying that he is going to die. Mikey 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 Fusion Loader appears, a mysterious light asks him if he wants to save the dying melody (Shoutmon) Mikey answers yes and the X-loader turn Red and he, Angie and Jeremy 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, Mikey decides to help Shoutmon and their friends and together, they form their own faction, "Team Fusion Fighters", 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, Laylamon and Blastmon. They also encounter rival armies Blue Flare, led by Christopher, and Twilight, secretly led by AxeKnightmon with Nene as a tool in his schemes. After Nene is rescued from AxeKnightmon, who created the Darkness Loader to execute Digi Xros without her help, she and her Digimon companions also join the Fusion Fighters.

After all 108 Code Crowns were claimed, Tactimon manages to steal Mikey and Christopher's Code Crowns. Though Tactimon is defeated by teamwork by the rival groups, Bagramon arrives and takes the Code Crowns for himself before sending Mikey, Angie, Jaremy, Shoutmon and Tactimon to the human world. With the Fusion Fighters' core members disposed of, Bagramon is reunited with his brother AxeKnightmon as he begins his reign over the Digital World.

In the real world, Mikey tries to tell his mother of his adventures however his mother disregards his stories. Also Mikey attempts to fulfill Angie and Jeremy'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 Christopher 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 Mikey.

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

Upon returning to the Digital World, Mikey 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 Fusion Fighters allies, Mikey and Nene convince Christopher 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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Digimon Adventure (PSP game)
Mikey shows up with in the Digital Dungeon.

Notes and references
Taiki