Kari Kamiya

Hikari "Kari" Kamiya (八神 ヒカリ) is a character in the anime and manga series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02. She is the younger sister of Taichi "Tai" Kamiya. She is partnered with Gatomon, and embodies the trait of Light.

Prelude to Digimon Adventure
In 1995, Kari lived with her parents and brother at Highton View Terrace. One day that year, a Digi-Egg emerged from the family computer, and hatched into a Botamon. This Botamon soon grew into a large Agumon, which Kari rode around the city while her brother chased after them. A gigantic Digi-Egg then appeared above the city and hatched into a Parrotmon, and the Agumon digivolved into a humongous Greymon in order to protect Tai and Kari. The Greymon eventually defeated the Parrotmon, and both were sucked back into the Digital World. This event caused the two to be chosen to be among the new DigiDestined. The destruction created by the battle caused it to be labeled a terrorist attack, and the Kamiya's moved away from the area.

Some time after this, Kari was stricken with severe pneumonia. While their parents had left the two of them at home alone, Tai attempted to cheer her up by taking her to the park to play soccer, but she collapsed while playing. She was taken to the hospital for weeks and nearly died, and when Tai's mom got there, she slapped Tai for endangering Kari. When Kari finally came home, she actually apologized to Tai for not playing soccer correctly, only focusing on her own guilt; this caused Tai to feel outrageous guilt for endangering her life, and stuck with him for years.

Digimon Adventure
When the original seven DigiDestined entered the Digital World from summer camp, Kari was left behind, as she had been at home with the flu. She did not see any of the other DigiDestined. However, she was reunited with Tai when he was sucked into a dimensional warp following his successful victory over Etemon. He could only stay for a short while, and had to leave when he realized that the Digital World was in bad shape and needed his help.

Tai would later reunite with Kari again when he and the other DigiDestined entered the Real World to pursue Myotismon. Myotismon was seeking the eighth DigiDestined child. The other seven DigiDestined and Myotismon were specifically seeking the eighth Digivice. Gatomon, one of Myotismon's henchmen, was the first to realize that Kari was the eighth DigiDestined. Though, when she was about to kill her, Kari turned around and Gatomon lost her balance. She could never quite figure out why she couldn't kill Kari. Wizardmon was the first one to find the eighth Digivice. He also realized that Gatomon and Kari were partners, and Gatomon remembered that she was looking for someone- looking for Kari. Wizardmon gave Kari her Crest of Light. However, when Myotismon discovered that Gatomon was the eighth DigiDestined's partner, he held her captive to try to find the eighth DigiDestined. Kari turned herself in to stop the pain his minions were inflicting. In a final showdown, Tai tossed Kari her Digivice, but DemiDevimon swiped it from her hand. Myotismon attempted to end the battle by using Grisly Wing on Kari, but Wizardmon stepped in and took the blow for her. When he died, Kari's grief leads to the activation of the Crest of Light and the Digivice to glow, which DemiDevimon couldn't hold on. Tai caught the Digivice and threw it to Kari, and Gatomon Digivolved into Angewomon. All the other Digimon gave their power into one of Angewomon's attacks- Heaven's Charm. Then, she uses the power to send a celestial arrow through the heart of Myotismon. However, when the fog fails to disappear, Kari and T.K. guess that Myotismon isn't gone for good. When Myotismon returns, Kari and T.K. act on Gennai's prophecy by having Angemon and Angewomon shoot arrows of light through the hearts of their big brothers, Tai and Matt. This causes Agumon and Gabumon to warp digivolve to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.

Kari accompanies the seven other DigiDestined when they go back to the Digital World. During this time, an odd spirit speaks and acts through Kari's body at various times. Kari appears to be the only person who can communicate with this spirit. Even the digimon cannot hear this entity. When Tai and Matt get into a major fight, the spirit takes control of Kari's body and ends the fight. Kari is possessed once again when she is underneath Machinedramon's city and sees the enslaved Numemon. She leads a revolt, deposing WaruMonzaemon, and the Numemon call her Queen Kari.

In the final confrontation with Piedmon after everyone but T.K. and Kari have been turned into little dolls or keychains, Kari and T.K. are left in great peril, hanging but a lone rope stretching to the sky. Kari mentions her fright which gives T.K. the hope to summon Angemon as MagnaAngemon- Angemon's higher form.

Our War Game (Digimon: The Movie)
Kari is at a friend's birthday party during the whole event. Although Tai asks for her help, she cannot leave the party, as that would be rude to her friends. The English dub gives the excuse that a magician was coming to the party later. Kari was unable to leave because she had "already volunteered to be sawed in half". She also appears as an infant in the prologue, where she communicates with her whistle.

Between Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02
In May 2000, Kari arrived in the Digital World and gave up her Crest power, along with the other DigiDestined, to free the Sovereigns. As a result, Gatomon lost the power to become Angewomon.

Digimon Adventure 02


Kari grew a lot during the two 1/2 years between Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02; becoming more mature, perkier and braver. In place of her whistle, she now has a digital camera around her neck. She likes taking pictures, and in the dub, has quite a liking for teasing her friends. Because Davis has a crush on her, Kari often teases him by flirting with T.K., mainly in the dub only. In the dub, Davis has strong feelings for Kari, forcing Davis to act childish and confused, while Kari giggles at his mistakes. (In the original version, however, the crush was more toned down.)

While searching for Gatomon’s lost Tail Ring, Kari, Yolei, and Ken ended up in the Dark World. Upon finding the Dark Ocean, Kari began to lose her composure due to her last visit. She and Ken struggled under the hold of the Dark Ocean. This event was taken advantage of by a Blossomon. It took Yolei's slap and words to make the two see eye-to-eye. This gave Aquilamon and Gatomon the power to DNA Digivolve to Silphymon; it also gave Kari the heart to help Ken.

During Christmas, Kari, Izzy and their Digimon were sent to Hong Kong to help the Asian DigiDestined, where all three of the Hoi Brothers (Chinese Digi-Destined) developed a crush on her. After sending all of the Digimon back to their world and destroying all the Control Spires, she and the other DigiDestined faced the threat of Yukio Oikawa. He kidnapped Ken and planted Dark Spores into other children. Kari and the other DigiDestined didn't realize that he was being controlled by the disembodied spirit of Myotismon.

After harvesting the Dark Spores, Myotismon emerged from Oikawa, becoming MaloMyotismon. After some fighting, MaloMyotismon created a world of illusions; each DigiDestined was subjected to their true desires and wants. Kari's desire was for humans and Digimon to live side by side, making it a better world for everyone. Gatomon and Raidramon broke her free of the illusion. She then joined with the other kids, who were in the process of breaking free of their illusions. Kari used the power of the dream dimension and wished for Gatomon to become stronger; she split into Angewomon and Nefertimon and DNA Digivolved with Aquilamon to become Silphymon, all three forms appearing at the same time. After the fighting stopped, Kari saw one of her dreams come true. Both the Real World and Digital World lived in peace together.

Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!!/Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals
When Kari and T.K. visited Mimi--another old Digidestined in New York, they encountered Willis- another Digidestined--and his Digimon, Terriermon and Wendigomon. (Willis confused Wendigomon with his in-training form, Kokomon.) While on a train for Colorado, Kari sent an e-mail to the other DigiDestined, who made their way to America to help her and T.K. But on the way, their train was hindered by Wendigomon so they had to continue on foot. They managed to join up with the others during the fight with Cherubimon. Angewomon and Angemon had to digivolve to their mega-forms to release the powers of the golden digi-eggs so Veemon and Terriermon could golden armor digivolve.

The Road to Armor Evolution
Kari was kidnapped by Boltmon along with Mimi and Sora. When Pukumon entered the scene with a Control Spire, Joe was knocked into the Adventure 02 Digital World and Kari somehow ended up with Cody's D-Terminal, allowing Gatomon to Armor Digivolve to Butterflymon.

Revenge of Diaboromon
Three years after the events of 'Our War Game', the evil Digimon virus, Diaboromon, resumed his reign of terror on the Internet. The Kuramon were bio-emerging via e-mail, so while Tai, Matt, and their Digimon entered cyberspace to battle Diaboromon once more, the others had to track down the Kuramon. Yolei and Kari found the first one and caught it for Izzy to examine. While Omnimon was being overpowered by Diaboromon, Kari and T.K., with their Digimon, had gone to help their older brothers. But Kari was soon forced to watch the battle between Imperialdramon and Armageddemon.

Digimon Adventure 02 Series Finale Epilogue


In 2027 (25 years later) Kari became a kindergarten teacher that actually likes being in school and has a son, who has a Salamon as a digimon partner, and also seemingly inherited his mother's whistle. Kari’s husband is not mentioned.

Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01
During one of her battles as a child, she and the other Adventure 02 DigiDestined encountered Parallelmon, who absorbed her, T.K., Yolei, and Cody, and inadvertently sent Davis into the "V-Tamer 01" world, where he met the Tai of that series. Kari and the others helped Davis from inside the monster by recreating the Digi-Egg of Miracles. With the monster destroyed, Davis and his friends returned to their continuity.

Trivia

 * Kari and Tai's English dub surname is a mistranslation of the original name "Yagami".
 * Hikari has three Japanese image songs, Holy Light, Yasashii Ame (lit. "Gentle Rain") and "Reflection" as well as a fourth one sung with Tailmon (Yuka Tokumitsu) called Shining Star.
 * Kari's Japanese name "Hikari" means "light", an unique parallel with her crest's name. Also, her original full name "Hikari Yagami" translates to "light of the 8 gods", a possible reference to the number of the DigiDestined in the first season.
 * In the English dub, Lara Jill Miller goes on to voice Takato Matsuki's teacher, Ms Nami Asaji; this is a possible reference to Kari becoming a teacher.
 * Kari's Digimon is one of very few in the Digimon continuity to be able to digivolve into a female only Mega.
 * She and Tai are the only Digidestined to have a pet (a cat named Miko).
 * In the English dub of Digimon Tamers, episode 3, To Fight or not to Fight, a teenager quotes that Rika "looks like Kari with a punk edge."
 * Kari's parents, Susumu (father) and Yuuko (mother), have the same names as their Japanese voice actors: Susumu Chiba voices Susumu Kamiya; Yuuko Mizutani voices Yuuko Kamiya.