Who Is Ryo Akiyama & Why Does He Appear in Multiple Digimon Series?

Ryo Akiyama is one of the more complex and confusing characters within the larger Digimon universe. He did not exclusively appear as a protagonist in the earlier seasons but seemingly made brief cameos until his elaborate role in Digimon Tamers. It’s safe to say that while Digimon’s chronological storytelling is only limited to the Digimon Adventure timeline, Ryo’s inclusion in multiple universes has often perplexed fans.

It’s challenging to pinpoint where exactly Ryo’s character originated and how he jumped from one universe to the other. To understand Ryo’s role as a DigiDestined or to argue whether he was actually the original Chosen Child, one must sort out the details from both the anime and the Digimon games. The ambiguity around his many appearances in Digimon multimedia makes him one of the most interesting characters in the franchise.

What Is Akiyama Ryo’s Backstory?

Ryo's Chronological Appearances in the Digimon Universe Are Crucial to the Lore

Contrary to popular belief, Ryo Akiyama’s appearance in Digimon Tamers was not his first. He initially briefly spawned on the Digimon Adventure timeline, specifically in Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! He was one of the many spectators who witnessed WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon’s climatic battle with Diaboromon on his computer. Fans speculated from the background and the contextual details that Ryo might have seen the battle in Turkey at that time, though it is difficult to say whether he lived there or was traveling. That’s the last fans saw of Ryo until he popped up yet again in the Adventure timeline, but this time, he appears in a flashback scene with Ken in Digimon Adventure 02.

Roughly three years after the events of the main series, Ryo is seen in what the viewers think is Ken’s dream in which he is in the Digital World. He briefly talks to the strange boy until flying black gears appear out of nowhere and attack them. One of the gears aimed for Ryo’s neck, but Ken saved him, ending up being consumed by these mysterious beings and starting his reign of terror in the Digital World. Unfortunately, the Adventure timeline never comes back to Ryo to officially acknowledge him as a DigiDestined, which brings us back to how Ryo got involved in the Digital World business in the first place.

Who Is Ryo Akiyama in the Digimon Games?

Ryo Has a Complicated Chronological Timeline Within Digimon's Extended Universe

To understand Ryo Akiyama’s origins, the fans must not overlook the extended universe’s lore, especially the earlier games. In its entirety, Ryo is best known as the protagonist of the Digimon game series exclusively made for Japan’s WonderSwan handheld console. Toei released Digimon Adventure: Anode Tamer and Digimon Adventure: Cathode Tamer in 1999 and 2000 respectively. It features Ryo on his father’s computer when a blackout happens suddenly, and a Digivice resembling that of Tai appears on the computer screen.

A voice tells Ryo to grab the Digivice and that his assistance is required for an important mission. Ryo does as the voice says, and the next thing he knows, he’s in the Digital World with Tai’s partner Digimon, Agumon. He tells Ryo how Millenniummon has reverted time, causing the Digital World and the Real World’s timeline to fall out of sync, and that the DigiDestined needs his help. The duo later even visits Gennai’s house, who tells them about the resurrection of Dark Digimons such as Devimon, Etemon, and more.

Ryo Akiyama is considered a time traveler of sorts within the extensive Digimon multiverse which has been confirmed to exist on several occasions.

From there on, Ryo embarks on an adventure with Agumon, fighting Digimon to get stronger and freeing the DigiDestined after defeating every Dark Digimon and sending them home. These are depicted as quests and missions within the game until Ryo defeats Milleniummon as the final boss, returning Tai to his world and correcting the timeline. When Ryo bids farewell to Agumon and returns to his home, his parents even point out that he seems older.

The Tag Tamer Game Explained Ryo’s Appearance in the Digimon Adventure Timeline

The Digimon Games Give Critical Background Details to Ryo's Involvement in Multiple Seasons

Unfortunately, even after putting together the games’ timeline with the anime, Ryo’s chronological existence within the Digimon universe still remains complicated, especially with the arrival of Digimon Adventure 02: Tag Tamers game. Ryo’s timeline tends to correct itself in the game by giving viewers the background of how Ken was able to see Ryo in his memories. It turns out that Ryo and Ken are watching the Diaboromon fight on the computer screen in Ken’s bedroom, which is a long haul from what fans initially thought was Ryo watching the battle from Turkey.

As the battle reaches its climax, a D-3 Digivice alongside Veemon appears on Ken’s computer, which Ryo takes, and both he and Ken are transported to the Digital World. The two end up on opposite ends of the Digital World, where they must fight Ryo’s arch nemesis, Millenniummon, who has frozen Tai and Agumon. After progressing through different missions, Ryo and Ken ultimately find a way to defeat Millenniummon, but the dark entity claims that he’s eternal and will find a way to survive.

That’s why when the Digimon was at the brink of death, his body disintegrated into Dark Spores, the same spores that infected Ken, which caused him to take up the Digimon Emperor persona. The game directly referenced the event that happened in Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 43, released after the game, solidifying Ryo’s existence within the connected universe. However, the continual timeline completely changed when Ryo made his most authentic and prolonged appearance in the anime universe.

Does Ryo Appear in Multiple Digimon Series?

Digimon fans who are unaware of the expansive storylines within the games must best know Ryo Akiyama from Digimon Tamers. The third season within the franchise marked the end of the Adventure timeline in which the events of the original series are actually a television show. This little detail led the fans to believe in the long-standing theory of the franchise existing within a multiverse. The theory gained even more traction when Ryo appeared as a character hailing from the Digimon Tamers’ universe despite already being featured in the Digimon Adventure timeline. At this point, it’s hard to say whether Ryo’s inclusion was impulsive because his appearance in multiple timelines tends to say otherwise.

In the Digimon Tamers universe, Ryo is a talented Digimon card game player who mysteriously disappeared after stepping into a portal that took him to the Digital World. It was only when Rika, Kazu, and Kenta were separated from the others in the Digital World that Ryo reappeared as he saved the Tamers and returned with them to the Real World. There, he helped Takato, Rika, and Henry defeat the D-Reaper while attaining the Biomerge form with Cyberdramon. Surprisingly, Ryo’s pivotal role in the Tamers’ universe leads the fans to question the nature of Ryo’s character. How did he end up in two different universes, and why is he the only one? While one can’t speak for the other DigiDestined, the chronological storylines of both Digimon Adventure 02: D-1 Tamers and Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer explicitly explain how Ryo ended up in Digimon Tamers.

After he defeats Millenniummon, it’s revealed that both Ryo and the Digimon are eternally connected and that neither can truly be destroyed as long as the other exists. Therefore, at the end of D-1 Tamers, Ryo decides to take a trip through time with Moon Millenniummon (the final boss), and he ends up being stranded in the past. Continuing into Brave Tamers, Ryo is finally able to put an end to Millenniummon’s atrocities and is given a choice at the end to either return to the Adventure timeline or choose a new one (Tamers timeline). He eventually chose the latter, ending up in the events of the anime, smoothing the creases in his tumultuous timeframe.

How Did Ryo Meet His Digimon Partner?

Ryo Had Multiple Digimon Partners With Monodramon Being the One Fatefully Tied to Him

Ironically, the tale of Ryo’s Digimon partner is as complex as his place in the Digimon universe. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Ryo Akiyama transcends factuality and character-building of an average DigiDestined within the franchise. He is, in fact, a time traveler or an entity who has long forsaken his human roots and merged with the elemental energies of the cosmos, especially the Digital World. He exists in multiple timelines not as his alternate self but as a single character who was somehow appointed as the true savior of both the Digital World and the Real World.

​​​​​​As for how Ryo met his Digimon partner, fans would naturally assume that Cyberdramon from the Tamers universe is Ryo’s true Digimon partner, but it isn’t as straightforward. In the WonderSwan games, Ryo teamed up with multiple partners, including Agumon, Veemon, and Monodramon. However, toward the end of Brave Tamer, it is revealed that Millenniumon was supposed to be his original partner.

The mechanics of why Millenniumon exists as a separate entity while Ryo had Monodramon as a partner have been influenced by the complexity of time warping and multiple timelines. However, the final game neatly ties this convoluted aspect of Ryo’s character through the DNA evolution of the remnants of ZeedMillenniummon and Monodramon that resulted in the formation of a DigiEgg. This DigiEgg would later hatch into the singular data of one Cyberdramon, who retained some of Millenniummon’s chaotic energy, explaining the former’s erratic behavior in the Digimon Tamers timeline. All in all, Ryo Akiyama can be considered one of the most impressively developed characters within the Digimon franchise, a legendary figure in the lore who has the most extensive character arc of the entire DigiDestineds combined.