Hey anyone remember Sora from Digimon? What was her deal with the helmet?

[neoontime]

All anime characters have strange looking hair/hats/helmets/hairpieces that no one could possible take seriously.
Note: Bolded statement is an exaggeration. If you plan on quoting counter examples I will laugh at you for taking this so seriously.

 

[Seanfall]

Why was Mimi A Valley Girl in the american version yet completely different in the Japanese?
Why did they cut up 3 separate movies to make the American Digimon movie?
Why did only Tai's and Matt's Digimon make it to Mega Level? (seriously COMEON!)

 

[phantasmalWordsmith]

...I never really thought about it until now...But I'm gonna go out on a limb and just say that it makes her easier to draw for the artists. They don't have to draw out the hair as much and it's easy and rounded to draw. I suppose it was meant to be a hat then when that drum thing happened, they were just retconning it because they ran out of ideas of how to progress the episode plot

 

[Clinky]

Why was Mimi A Valley Girl in the american version yet completely different in the Japanese?
Why did they cut up 3 separate movies to make the American Digimon movie?
Why did only Tai's and Matt's Digimon make it to Mega Level? (seriously COMEON!)

You have my sympathies on that last one. Even when I was little and had no idea that Digimon was originally japanese I hated that only the 'Leading Duo' got all the most power evolutions and everyone else got the shaft more or less. I really wanted to see what the megas were for all of them(They officially do have them actually... A fact which miffs me a little more.)

 

[Andrew Drake]

I must warn you, there is a TV Tropes link here.

Rule of Cool
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool

Explains everything, It looks cool, or at least the individual wearing the hat/helm in question.

Also potentially a sign of being a Wonka. It may not make sense to us, but there is probably a reason that only the character in question could think of. Like why I am wearing a jacket in the middle of a heatwave, the answer, "I live in Oklahoma, and it will probably start raining any moment." Perhaps as stated earlier, when in the digital world WEAR HEAD PROTECTION. There are so many reasons to wear a helmet though... perhaps she has a irrational fear of having stuff fall on her head. Perhaps a rational fear of it. Maybe she just dosn't like her hair and the helmet is a conversation starter.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheWonka

I am done here.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

Every leader in the series wears goggles.

For no reason.

I think we can let the girl with the concern for safety have a pass.

 

[Smithburg]

It's actually inconsistent on whether is it a rigid helmet or a hat. They use it as a drum in one episode, but it others when she takes it off it becomes flat like a hat, and she wrings it with her hands.

If you want an explanation as to why she wears it, I have no idea. It probably has something to do with her tomboy attitude.

Is that a fact? Shit! It must of been one of those "blink if you missed it" moments.... I seriously just finished Adventure and never saw that >.<

I am NOT re-watching 50 episodes just to find it though, the animation and music in this show really haven't aged well. I swear to God if I hear "Hey Digimon! Hey Digimon! Digital friends to the boys and girls" one more time I'm going to stab someone in the eye.

Yeah it was probably a blink and you miss it scene. A quick Google search says that it happens in episode 35 if you want to see it for yourself.

EDIT: Found this picture

Like I said, they were inconsistent with what type of hat it is.

Its made of Batmans Cape! Run a current through it and it gets hard.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Its called character design, there's not much logic to it.

 

[Gatx]

What's with the 'leader' character always wearing goggles even though he never uses them. I know the goggles do nothing but come on, why have them if you don't put them all and be all flashy?

The short answer is probably trying to make each character model distinct. Or maybe an animator just had a problem drawing distinct hair styles.

Season 3 changed that with the main dude actually putting his to use. He needed them to shield his eyes whenever he traversed from our world to the Digiworld.

Actually isn't the real reason that Takato wears goggles BECAUSE Tai and Davis wore them, seeing as how the previous Digimon series' existed as a franchise that he was a fan of.

 

[game-lover]

What's with the 'leader' character always wearing goggles even though he never uses them. I know the goggles do nothing but come on, why have them if you don't put them all and be all flashy?

The short answer is probably trying to make each character model distinct. Or maybe an animator just had a problem drawing distinct hair styles.

Season 3 changed that with the main dude actually putting his to use. He needed them to shield his eyes whenever he traversed from our world to the Digiworld.

Actually isn't the real reason that Takato wears goggles BECAUSE Tai and Davis wore them, seeing as how the previous Digimon series' existed as a franchise that he was a fan of.

Oh I know that. I wasn't explaining why Takato wore the goggles. Twilight_guy was commenting on why they never use the goggles they have.

And even though Takato was wearing them just because of him being a fan, he did end up actually putting them over his eyes during those times he traversed the digi world areas. Just like the other kids put on sunglasses whenever they had to go in. Hence, not just for decoration anymore. Hell, it's even in the theme where he's lifting them up over his eyes. He actually wears them not just on his head.

 

[Snowbell]

Is there a point where she specifically states it's for fashion purposes? After all, there aren't many bikes/skateboards in the Digiworld which is where most of the series takes place, perhaps she bought it to do such activities then kept it on because it was warm/comfortable in the real world, and keeps you safe from head trauma in the Digiworld?

Although if that was the case it would have made more sense for her to tie the straps before engaging in a fight or something, otherwise it would just fall off...

 

[CrazyGirl17]

I dunno, to show her tomboyish nature? (At least until season 2... stupid writers...)

 

[DudeistBelieve]

What's with the 'leader' character always wearing goggles even though he never uses them. I know the goggles do nothing but come on, why have them if you don't put them all and be all flashy?

The short answer is probably trying to make each character model distinct. Or maybe an animator just had a problem drawing distinct hair styles.

Season 3 changed that with the main dude actually putting his to use. He needed them to shield his eyes whenever he traversed from our world to the Digiworld.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mention of the Japanese version of Digimon reminds me to two things that I discovered that had been edited out of/changed for the dubbed version. It's sort of a credit that it didn't really leave things too confusing.

Both are from the same scene on season 1. Where the kids are trying to hitchhike after they return to the real world and miss their subway stop.

First, that scene where Matt seems to be embarrassed and blushing just because he had no real suggestions on what they should do? The original apparently had it that when Matt went out to hitch a ride, he ended up attracting a woman who was pretty much propositioning him as the price. He was supposed to decline and make up something so the gang didn't know but Mimi and Tai figured it out anyway and that's why he blushed.

Same scene is basically, the "cousin" Sora just happens to discover on the road is naturally a total stranger. Which actually makes a bit more sense what with the whole Girl Power thing she and Mimi shouted. And him treating all the boys like crap.

All loads of creepy since that means he was totally hitting on two per-pubescent girls.

However stupid that hat was I guarantee season 2's Yolei's Hat-Helmet was even stupider looking.

Now ...why this discussion? Everyone in digimon had weirdness about them weather it was what they wore or their own mentality.

That's why I enjoyed it.

Quirkyness. Quirkyness everywhere.

I was under the assumption it was a hat, the first 13 episodes were made under the pretense that there would be no more after that and they didn't make a very solid reference guide to keep everything in line. So I think later they decided 'y'know that looks like it should be a cap'.
And so it was.

The first time she wears that stupid outfit she proclaims "WOW! I LOOK LIKE ONE OF THE COOL KIDS!"

*facepalm* NO YOU DON'T YOLEI!

Why was Mimi A Valley Girl in the american version yet completely different in the Japanese?
Why did they cut up 3 separate movies to make the American Digimon movie?
Why did only Tai's and Matt's Digimon make it to Mega Level? (seriously COMEON!)

You have my sympathies on that last one. Even when I was little and had no idea that Digimon was originally japanese I hated that only the 'Leading Duo' got all the most power evolutions and everyone else got the shaft more or less. I really wanted to see what the megas were for all of them(They officially do have them actually... A fact which miffs me a little more.)

would of stretched out the series to long.... fucking aye, by the end of it they were facing a Digimon that was so powerful self-destructing would destroy TWO DIMENSIONS! Seriously, were do you go after that?

Is there a point where she specifically states it's for fashion purposes? After all, there aren't many bikes/skateboards in the Digiworld which is where most of the series takes place, perhaps she bought it to do such activities then kept it on because it was warm/comfortable in the real world, and keeps you safe from head trauma in the Digiworld?

Although if that was the case it would have made more sense for her to tie the straps before engaging in a fight or something, otherwise it would just fall off...

No.... there really isn't it.

What I find even more humorous is you have Mimi there who is a total valley-girl fashionesta letting Sora get away with it without questioning it. Mimi can criticize Palmon's leaves but lets the kid-in-the-helmet go?

 

[cmhosin]

Your question, emanating from your understanding that the helmet/hat is otherwise useless, gets pretty directly at why she's wearing it. A couple of the replies have gotten at it (someone called it a "trope," but that's not quite it.) I think the easiest answer is that anime/manga/game writers and producers typically give their characters items, traits, and behaviors that can be described as "moe" or having "moe" characteristics. Sora doesn't need a helmet, but she wears it all of the time. This makes her unique and memorable within the fans' minds--after all, it was strange enough for you and others to feel the need to post on it and discuss it nearly a decade after the anime was initially released.

Characters will often be given a seemingly superfluous piece of clothing (like a helmet, see also Bossun in Sket Dance), given an exaggerated verbal tic (like adding "desu" onto the end of every sentence when it isn't otherwise warranted or using a specific regional dialect exclusively while all of the other characters stick to Kanto-ben), or a childish/animal-like behavior. Within the context of modern Japanese visual culture, these sorts of additions are intentionally crafted by the producers to invest their characters with something that catches and keeps fan attention and can also be incorporated into merchandising.

That's obviously a very simple and glossed over answer, but you can check out a lengthier analysis in Azuma Hiroki's "Otaku: Japan's Database Animals." Hope that helps!

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

*ga-snip*


That's a very good point, because the orignal text of anything is important... still I stand to ask, would you not rather enjoy it accurately in it's native language? As it is, when given the choice I prefer dubbed anime depending on the voice actors involved.

I think there was some miscommunication. I said I WOULD enjoy it in it's native language! I think I was pretty clear in that I only watched it in Japanese. (which is the native language of anime)

 

[FamoFunk]

I always thought it was a hat, too. I think it looks cool. So do the Googles and hair on Tai.

I like things only Anime could get away with and look completely stupid in real life.

 

[JokerCrowe]

oh god all the old digmon hentai memories are coming back...............

...
Anyway I think it's just one of those things that is supposed to make a character unique. Like Tai's goggles or Mimi's Hat...
The thing that bothered me the most is that Pretty much all of them wear Gloves!
It's like... it's never winter in "digiworld and... Digimon Hentai!? REALLY?! >.<''

 

[Z of the Na'vi]

oh god all the old digmon hentai memories are coming back...............

No. Just no. Get out of here with that shit.

OT: It looks more like a wool-knit cap than a helmet to me...

 

[Scarim Coral]

Couldn't it be both? I mean there are those frabic material that are soft but become solid when push toward it, kind of like a sprung up tent per say.
Honestly I despite the look of the hat I do remember it more as a helmet than a soft frabic hat due to me remembering that drum scene more than that other image of Sora taking it off and grab it like that.