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Matt Ishida



"I swore I would never let anyone see me cry..."

Matt Age: 11
Crest: Friendship
Digimon: Tsunomon, Gabumon, Garurumon, Weregarurumon, Metalgarurumon
Japanese name: Ishida Yamato
Images

Matt has an interesting personality; it is perhaps not quite so easy to put a label on it as some of the others. He is probably the most developed character on the show. In some cases he seems like the typical lone wolf - cool, aloof and a little cold - and in others he's very passionate.

TK is Matt's younger brother, and from the beginning Matt has felt an obligation to look out for him. In fact, for many episodes it seems that Matt's personality is tied up in TK - many of the decisions he makes are based on wanting to protect his brother.

It is difficult for Matt to accept that TK is growing up; he feels that he is not needed (perhaps the idea that Matt's personality is tied up in TK is not far wrong - when TK proved he didn't need him much, it caused him to really consider and agonise over his role in the team).

If Tai were not leader of the group, Matt would probably fill his shoes naturally enough; he has good ideas of his own, and is a leader in his own way. However, if Matt were leader, the group would probably take fewer risks, and cover less ground, because he would be more concerned with the wellbeing of the group than in getting the job done - although he considers this very important too.

Matt was a 'cool guy' in his own world, but quickly had to learn how to work in a team and show his real self more often. He has a mixture of many good qualities - courage, strength, loyalty, sensitivity (by that I mean he often knows the best way to deal with people in certain situations) and is pretty good at most things. He's a great cook and also plays the harmonica, which he usually brings out when he's depressed or feeling lonely.

Matt's crest is often given opportunity to react - Matt is a good friend, who has good friends. When Matt is particularly touched by an expression of friendship from someone else, that is what most dramatically causes his crest to react. However, Matt himself feels as if he doesn't deserve his crest, and that he doesn't know the meaning of the word friendship.

Later in the series, Matt goes off on his own with Gabumon. Perhaps the general attitude of the group is getting him down, but the driving force behind this decision is his feeling that he is "the same jerk he always was". He feels that all the other kids have changed and grown for the better since coming to the digital world, except him (of course he has changed a lot already - become softer and usually easier to get along with, but he doesn't realise it), and Matt is big on becoming a better person. That's why he was keen to find his crest in the first place. I get the feeling Matt doesn't like himself very much.

Matt finds it difficult to accept compliments and is one of those people who feels uncomfortable when alone with a little kid; he's not good with kids and doesn't know how to deal with them. Once, Tai asked him to keep an eye on Kari, and she ended up in tears over something insensitive he said. ^_^;

The friendship between Matt and Gabumon is extremely strong. Metalgarurumon even resisted Puppetmon's strings in the name of friendship. Gabumon said he would stand by Matt whatever decision he made and let him follow his own path, even if he didn't agree with it.

A strange mixture of a softie and a cold, aggressive person, Matt's cool facade nonetheless hides a very passionate person who would do anything he thought was right, no matter what the personal cost.

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