Tai

Tai does not seem to think much of Joe. When it comes down to it, of course they're friends, and he even stuck up for Joe against Matt once, but usually Tai's the first to say something mean or dismissive.

"You're a bigger wimp than my dog."

"Couldn't you have chosen JOE instead?" (when some mysterious being takes control of his sister)

"Get a grip, Joe."

"Hey, check out the genius..."

"Strange as it sounds, I wish Joe were here!"

I know I often say that certain characters are exact opposites of each other but I'll say it again. Joe and Tai are total opposites in pretty well every way.

Tai is tough and athletic, Joe is a weakling and hypochondriac. Tai is always very enthusiastic and ready to take charge and get things done, while Joe holds back nervously and often proposes less courageous ways of doing things ("let's just stay where we are"/"we should just hide in a cave until someone comes to find us"/etc). Tai is a loudmouth, Joe is more soft-spoken, Tai is an optimist, Joe a pessimist, Tai is aggressive, Joe is cautious/gentler.

Tai does not complain. He's like an older version of TK; he does like to look on the bright side. He's also a very strong person and hates cowardice or weakness; this is probably why he doesn't respect Joe very much.

Joe doesn't really have as much of a problem with Tai (don't get me wrong; Tai isn't, like, constantly bullying Joe or anything, there are just occasional scornful comments directed at him etc) although he probably does think him a bit irresponsible and reckless. He once sighed that Tai had the attention span of a gnat. ^_^.

But Joe is the first to encourage Tai when they are choosing someone to solve the puzzle of the gateway to their world, and Tai is the first to think the best of Joe when Matt accuses him. He's also the first to congratulate Joe when he does something brave. Even if they can find it difficult to relate to each other, both really know that they can count on the other person.

I think the two are actually really good friends.

Sora

Sora and Joe have an interesting relationship; they're good friends, but Sora is often finding fault with him. Actually, she's the most likely to comment on something Joe says, which I find interesting, a lot of the kids just like to ignore Joe most of the time. She particularly gets annoyed at him if he's being a wimp or self-pitying. She's a strong, good-natured person herself so it bothers her when other people aren't.

They both seem to worry about each other, actually.

Jyora or Jyouora or whatever the stupid thing is called is the act of pairing these two up. Actually it's probably hypocritical for me to say this but I don't mind this fandom. I can see that the two are compatible and seem to care about each other. They do, at least, realise the other exists, which is more than you can say for a lot of Digimon couplings. ^_^;;;

Izzy

Izzy and Joe are the 'smart ones' of the group but in different ways. Both are well-read, studious and knowledgeable... Izzy is extremely gifted at logical thinking, mathematics and advanced science, as well as showing off his vocabulary and understanding things very quickly.

Joe is not so extremely intelligent; while he is probably smart/dedicated enough to become a doctor and get really good grades, he doesn't have the same natural brilliance and isn't the puzzle-solver of the group. He's more of a practical thinker, his 'intelligence' comes partly from learning.

Anyway... The two thinkers of the group don't interact a great deal. Izzy is an extremely calm person himself and regards Joe's hysteria with a combination of curiousity, mild concern and amusement. Joe often reacts badly to things Izzy says (often because Izzy is the bearer of bad news/discoveries ^_^;), other than that there's not much I can say although Izzy sometimes has a patronising voice when he talks to Joe. ^_^;

Joe is not someone a lot of people put in yaoi situations, maybe because both the older girls show interest in him (I don't mean romantically, but as people) and tease him a bit, so it's easier to pair him up with one of them. But there is a definite following of Jyoushirou, which is, yeah, Joe-Izzy. Ick. ^_^;

Rhetorical question: Why are almost all words for Digimon shipping composed of the characters' Japanese names when the bulk of shippers themselves probably haven't even SEEN the Japanese version?

TK

TK's the youngest digidestined and Joe is the oldest. I think Joe feels some responsibility for him; to look out for him or whatever. Joe has made two crests react by saving TK to place his own life in jeopardy. ^_^. The first time, Matt's crest reacted after he saw Joe air-tackle a monster to make him let go of TK and grab him instead.

The second time, Joe and TK were travelling on Ikkakumon across a harbour. When a baddie attacked, the two were thrown into the water. Neither of them could swim, and TK was floundering but Joe found something for him to hold onto, making sure he was safe, before drowning himself. ^_^;

He told TK that since he was young, he had to look out for his safety, also because his mother would be counting on Joe to look after him.

Joe and TK seem to get along pretty well. Heh, TK's the ultimate optimist and Joe's... not. But as such, I think it means TK is less annoyed by Joe than some of the others. One thing I did notice is that Joe, surprisingly, doesn't talk down to TK; although he sometimes makes mention of his being a 'little kid', he takes him seriously.

Joe shows a pretty good side of himself around TK. I think he might be good with kids.

Kari

I can't think of many occasions where the two actually talk/interact with each other. The only one I can think of is where Puppetmon is playing puppetmaster with the kids, teleporting them around etc. Joe and Kari are briefly teleported to the same place and then Puppetmon slingshots Joe in the stomach. She is concerned and asks him if he's okay, and he can, like, hardly breathe. ^_^;;

Gabumon

I'm not actually sure. The two worked in close proximity with each other for a few weeks in "WereGarurumon's Diner" but I don't remember them actually interacting a great deal. Gabumon trusts all of Matt's friends. I do remember he laughed when Matt said "Joe, is there anything you DON'T complain about", as though he agreed.

But Gabumon is fairly good-natured and doesn't complain or start arguments, although I think self-pity and complaints get on his nerves. He probably learns to like Joe because the boy is a good friend to Matt.

Other Digimon

Biyomon and Palmon both get along with Gomamon well. I guess Palmon and Joe got used to each other because they travelled around together for a while. Actually, I wasn't paying much attention throughout the series to how Digimon interact with each other and with the humans who aren't their partners. So I gotta say I don't really know what to say here! They don't pay a lot of notice to Joe, most are too busy worrying about their own partners.

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