Digimon is better than Pokemon

Allow me to respond to my opponent. On the first issue, I maintain that Pokemon lacks a true plot line. Sure, maybe it had one in the beginning, when Ash was first setting out to become a "Pokemon Master", but now, after 16 seasons, it's getting a little old. The formula has become one of "Ash goes to region x and travels with male and female companions a and b. He works his way through, defeating minor gym leaders. He makes it to the finals. He loses if they're really important, or wins if they're not that important. Ash moves on to next region, and repeats the process." The point is, the plot is never going to end the way things are now. It has degraded to the point where there is not true plot at all. My opponent's second point is both superficial and lacking in knowledge of Digimon. While it's true that Pokemon are know worldwide, it's only because the franchise gained the edge in marketing. His comment on lack of deep character development in the Digimon franchise is truly astonishing: characterization is one of the highlights of the show. In fact, all of the main protagonists get significant development, and are nearly always multidimensional characters. While it's true that not much emphasis is put on the characters' livelihoods, this is due to the fact that the characters are usually children, and/or spend most of the season in a world that doesn't revolve around the same things as Earth does. However, in season 3, the protagonists' parents are explored deeply, and quite a bit of focus is devoted to their occupations. For example, Henry Wong's father is a computer programmer, and throughout the course of the season we learn more and more about him, until it's finally revealed that in his college years, he and some friends actually worked on an artificial intelligence project that would serve as the catalyst for the evolution of Digimon. On the point about villains, I have to say that Team Rocket just doesn't make the cut for "effective". They are, in fact, on of the most incompetent groups in all of fiction. Their plots never work, and they're constantly beaten on and humiliated. I have never seen them actually pull off a scheme that works for any longer than the course of a single episode. Plus, their motives are both irrational and one dimensional. If they are in the business to steal Pokemon, then why not go after ones that are easier to get? And, they're almost always used as comic relief as opposed to genuinely frightening villains. For example, here are some quotes from villains of Digimon, revealing their true maliciousness and ruthlessness: "And when you find the 8th child, then he must die!" (Myotismon) "Just so you know, once I take care of you, I'm going to finish your friends off one by one!" (Beelzemon) "Such a shame that your playmate had to go away, but I'm still here." (Lucemon) "Digimon are nothing but vermin. They don't need friends, they need exterminators. And I should know, since I've exterminated so many digimon." (Akiro Kurata) However, the show has its definite light moments as well. In the first season especially, there were a lot of corny jokes that helped lighten the general mood. It was kind of funny when the characters point out the various oddities of the world, like road signs pointing to nowhere and stuff like that. Just look up some of the stuff and you can find some of them. As for their origins, while it is true that the origins of the two franchises began at the times you stated, it is both absurd and untrue to say that Digimon is a knockoff of Pokemon. The only similarities between them involve monsters, the names, and the fact that they are both children's animes. Saying that one is a knockoff of the other is like saying that football is a knockoff of baseball. They are similar in several respects, but they are so fundamentally different that there's no way to validly claim that they ripped off each other. Pokemon is essentially a story of random people who engage in an activity reminiscent of cockfighting. It sounds bad, but that's basically what it is. All of the overall motives are selfish, and revolve around "being the best". Digimon is more reminiscent of Narnia, and traditional tales of good versus evil, and reluctant heroes. For the most part, the protagonists don't choose to be heroes, but are instead called to the task, and their experiences cause them to grow and change for the better throughout the season. Ash might learn a lesson in one episode, but he'll completely forget about it before the next episode rolls around. Finally, don't take any of this as a dislike for Pokemon. I love the games, and I have yet to watch a Pokemon movie that I've truly disliked. However, the anime is obviously inferior and over hyped when compared to that of Digimon, in my humble opinion.