Japanese Title: Uncontrollable Beast Spirit!? Garmmon's Evolution
The kids wake up the next morning to find Kouji gone, along with Bokomon and Neemon. They find a note from Kouji that says “I’m going ahead”, with Bokomon and Neemon having drawn pictures of themselves under it. Junpei rips up the note in anger, saying that Kouji doesn’t know how to work with a team; Takuya responds that he isn’t that good with teamwork himself, his soccer coach always having told him that he wasn’t good with teamwork, and decides to go and search for Kouji.
A Gotsumon scales some ruins, trying to follow a prophecy that says that “when the three eyes shine, the soul of the legendary warrior will be reborn”. The ruins, which are made up of three giant stone heads bearing one eye each, have two jewels placed in the spots for the eyes, and the Gotsumon knows that he only needs one more jewel.
Bokomon and Neemon follow Kouji, feeling that since Kouji had received a message in his Digivice, something might happen to him. After wondering who the voice in his Digivice is, Kouji catches Bokomon and Neemon follow him and tells them to stop before running off. The two of them insist on falling suit, and Kouji, Bokomon, and Neemon end up falling off a short cliff into some grass. They run into the Gotsumon, whom Bokomon recognizes as “the leader of the kids in the Digital World” and asks where they can find Forest Terminal, but Gotsumon refuses to tell them where it is.
Gotsumon suddenly feels that his other Gotsumon comrades are in danger, and Grottomon arrives on the scene, scanning part of a nearby mountain’s DigiCode and demanding the Spirit. Gotsumon goes up to fight Grottomon for having destroyed all of his friends’ homes, and Kouji, wanting to stop him, spirit evolves to Wolfmon. As Wolfmon goes to fight Grottomon, Gotsumon recognizes him as a Legendary Warrior.
Grottomon is eager to fight Wolfmon, wanting to offer Kouji’s Spirit to Cherubimon, and slide evolves to Gigasmon. The scuffle causes a jewel to drop out of the mountain, and Gotsumon realizes that it’s the jewel he needs to place in the third eye. With Wolfmon about to suffer defeat at the hands of Grottomon, Gotsumon manages to get him to safety and treat his wounds.
Kouji asks Gotsumon why he’s saved him, to which Gotsumon claims that he couldn’t stand seeing “someone that pathetic”. Despite the protests of his Gotsumon comrades, he goes out with the intent of finding the jewel, inserting it in the third eye, getting a Spirit, and becoming a Legendary Warrior, and the other Gotsumon remark that he’s not good at working with a team.
Kouji, Bokomon, and Neemon go to check out the ruins, and Bokomon recognizes Wolfmon’s symbol and wonders if Kouji’s Beast Spirit is there. However, Kouji’s Digivice has no reaction to it, while meanwhile the Gotsumon has difficulty finding the third jewel. Grottomon finds the other four kids searching for Kouji and, tempted by the possibility of getting four Spirits at once, slide evolves to Gigasmon and attacks them. The ruckus catches Kouji’s attention, who goes off to help them.
The other four kids spirit evolve, and in the process of saving Chakmon from an attack Fairymon loses her Spirit to Gigasmon and reverts to Izumi. Gigasmon slide evolves back to Grottomon and is about to claim Agnimon’s and Blitzmon’s as well before Wolfmon intervenes, and meanwhile Gotsumon, having found the spirit, rushes to the ruins in order to find the Spirit and defeat Grottomon. Wolfmon lures Grottomon, who slide evolves back to Gigasmon, away from the others, and Bokomon and Neemon look on as Gotsumon scales the ruined statue in order to insert the jewel into the eye. Wolfmon and Gigasmon’s battle ends up at the very same ruins; Wolfmon is smashed into the wall of the statue and reverts to Kouji, but Gotsumon intervenes before Gigasmon can take Wolfmon’s spirit.
As he holds off Gigasmon, Gotsumon tosses Kouji the jewel and tells him to insert it into the statue’s eye. With Gotsumon in danger of being defeated by Gigasmon, Kouji climbs up the statue and places the jewel inside, and the statues expose a Spirit from the ground that Kouji’s Digivice reacts to. The other kids arrive just in time for Kouji to call the Beast Spirit into his Digivice and use it to spirit evolvenote to Garmmonnote .
Unfortunately, this causes a problem: Kouji isn’t quite able to control the Beast Spirit yet, and ends up moving around in random directions. Still, Garmmon is able to pull himself together enough to take Gigasmon on in direct combat, causing a large explosion that sends Gigasmon off a cliff, swearing revenge. Garmmon reverts to a very exhausted and injured Kouji, who is about to fall off the cliff himself before Gotsumon saves him, claiming that he’ll “let” Kouji have the Beast Spirit and telling him to take good care of it as the kids look on.
Tropes
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects:
- When Kouji inserts the third jewel in the statue and the statues begin to revolve around in order to expose the Beast Spirit of Light, the statues suddenly switch from 2D-drawn to very jarring 3D models.
- The Beast Spirit of Light itself is rendered in CGI as well.
- Brought Down to Normal: Izumi loses her spirit in this episode.
- Chameleon Camouflage: Gotsumon blends in with a rock when Kouji first meets him. He's fairly visible from the side, though.
- Dual Wielding: Grottomon pulls out two hammers to attack Wolfmon at one point. Wolfmon evades the attack and hits back.
- Eye Beams: The statues fire these at Gigasmon once the third crystal is placed.
- Eye Catch: As this is an evolution introduction episode for Kouji, his variant is shown twice.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gotsumon.
- Non-Indicative Name: Garmmon's dub name, KendoGarurumon, doesn't have anything to do with kendo.
- Power Crystal: The three statues have them where the eyes should be.
- Power Incontinence: Koji initially can't control his Beast Spirit.
- Taking the Bullet: Tomoki's spirit would have been stolen instead if Izumi hadn't blocked Gigasmon's attack.
