Monster Makers

The Monster Makers (ワイルド・バンチ), in the Digimon Tamers story universe, is an informal international group of programmers who had attended college together in the mid 1980s, and were responsible for the creation of the original Digimon program.

People
It included the following individuals:


 * Gorou "Shibumi" Mizuno (水野 悟郎 Mizuno Gorō): Continued on with the Digimon project after it was shut down in 1986. He is later able to help the kids while they are in the Digital World, as well as rejoining the Monster Makers in Shinjuku to help fight the D-Reaper.
 * Janyu "Tao" Wong (李 鎮宇 Rī Janyū): Henry's father, who specialized in communications language.
 * Rob "Dolphin" McCoy: Alice's Grandfather, professor at Palo Alto University. Studied under John C. Lilly, whose studies with dolphins was referenced to his nickname.
 * Aishwarya "Curly" Rai: From India, she is a professor at Miscatonic University. Her area of focus was quantum theory.
 * Babel: Real name unknown, he is an African-American whose specialty was in theoretical physics.
 * Daisy: Real or full name unknown. Her nickname was a reference to the film "2001: A Space Odyssey". Her specialty was robotics and software.
 * Johnny Beckenstein: An American ally of the Monster Makers who informed them that a handful of the probes were still functional, and relaying information that allowed them to deduce that the D-Reaper was a quantum bubble.

1980s
The group attended college (exactly which is unavailable) together in 1984. They were involved in the creation of artificial lifeforms known as Digimon, as well as the creation of the Digital World. However, before they had any further ideas for development of the project, it was shut down by the university in 1986. Shibumi, the reclusive one in the group, took it upon himself to continue the development of the Digital World. It eventually evolves on its own, and Shibumi immerses himself into this work for the next twenty-plus years, developing new bridges between the worlds, including the Digivice and blue cards.

2000s
In 200X, they were reunited by Hypnos (in Episode 23) to first help protect Earth against Digimon and using their knowledge to destroy the Digimon using their own data against them. Then they were used to help create the Ark to bring the children back from the Digital World and finally to help combat the D-Reaper. One of their greatest creations proved to be the entity known as Grani that was created from the Ark.

Creations (as a group)

 * Digital World
 * Digimon
 * Grani
 * Operation: Doodlebug

Other media
Chiaki J. Konaka also wrote a short story for SF Japan, Digimon Tamers 1984, to expound upon the role of the Monster Makers in the creation of the original Digimon.

Allusions

 * 1984 is the year that Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh, of which Konaka is an avid fan.
 * Curly's name, Aishwarya Rai, is an allusion to major Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai.
 * The name of Curly's university, Miscatonic University, is an allusion to Miskatonic University, a fictional school that figures in the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraftian works also influence some of the major figures (such as the D-Reaper) in the Tamers saga, and Konaka is also a major fan of the author.