Digimon Adventure is a series that highlights the power of friendship, loyalty, and hope. Throughout their adventure, the DigiDestined learned to bond with their partners to achieve new levels of power. The evolution of the companion creatures would never have been possible without the deep love and care that both parties felt, wanting to keep the other safe from all danger.

Yet, there is an iconic scene in this beloved series that highlights how dangerous forcing a Digimon to evolve can be, and it features one of the most tragic monsters in the series. SkullGreymon, the dark evolution of Tai’s Agumon, hides a lore that can only be described as dark and cruel, revealing how much suffering the lizard-like Digimon went through during this event.

SkullGreymon's Lore Is Disturbing and Sad

The Official Description Reveals The Tragic Origin of This Digimon

In episode #16 of the Digimon Adventure anime, the heroes are seen walking through a desert, searching for the legendary and confusing crests. These treasures would allow their partners to Digievolve into their Ultimate forms, granting them the power needed to beat the evil forces of MetalEtemon. By this point in the series, Tai was one of the only characters to hold one of these items, prompting him to try and evolve his Agumon by any means necessary. To make him transform, he fed him most of the group’s food, making the creature feel sluggish and weak.

This ended up becoming a curse on the team when MetalEtemon trapped them in a cage, with only the slower Agumon to protect them. The villain let a wild Greymon loose in the arena where the trap was located, forcing Tai’s partner to evolve to try and defeat it. Due to his weakened condition, he was unable to win, angering his companion, who began berating him. These negative feelings awakened a dark and tragic transformation in Agumon, the terrifying SkullGreymon. This monstrous creature was unable to differentiate between foe and friend, attacking anyone nearby without a second thought.

While surprising and horrific, the anger exhibited by SkullGreymon was not without reason, as the official description of this beast reveals how it was created. The only way for this Digimon to be born is by forcing a Greymon to battle until its demise, engraving the need for violence into its very bones. Once dead, the skeleton of the dinosaur will continue fighting, no matter who or what gets in his way. This means that, at least momentarily, Tai’s Agumon died and was transformed into a being of pure hatred, all because of the DigiDestined’s uncontrolled emotions.

Tai Could Have Lost His Friend Forever Due to His Anger

A Full Powered SkullGreymon Would Not Have Stopped Until His Demise

One of the most horrifying aspects of Digimon Adventure episode #16 is the fact that none of the other partners was powerful enough to stop his rampage. The only reason why the DigiDestined survived without having to kill their friend is because his weakened state made SkullGreymon revert into his baby form almost instantly. If not for this, there is little doubt that he would have fought against any opponent until he perished. This behavior seems to be typical in of the species, according to the official Digimon data book.

The entry about SkullGreymon informs readers that these monsters do not rest, as the only emotion keeping their corpses alive is the need for violence. While none of his former friends would have defeated him, his unprovoked attack would have continued until he encountered an enemy with enough power to destroy him. Seeing as this event occurred during the MetalEtemon arc of the series, the villain would likely have used his underhanded tactics to win their encounter.

Although tragic, as his partner would have died twice in the span of a few hours, Tai would have recovered his partner’s DigiEgg soon after the combat. Something similar occurs with Patamon, who dies shortly after awakening his amazing Angemon transformation to defeat Devimon. Nonetheless, unlike T.K. and his loyal friend, the bond between Tai and Agumon would never have been the same. This brief but haunting moment served as a lesson for the leader of the group to trust and respect his partner more, to prevent another similar tragedy from occurring.

Digimon Adventure is a series with wonderful creatures, hilarious jokes, and beautiful sceneries, rarely ever delving into the horror side, unlike the horror-filled third season. SkullGreymon’s first appearance is undoubtedly one of its most horrifying and tragic events. Even then, there is no denying that it is one of the show’s most iconic moments, which fans of this great franchise will fondly.