Fanfic / Frontiers Unexplored

Frontiers Unexplored is a Digimon Frontier rewrite and retelling written by digitaldreams.

After receiving a strange phone call, Takuya Kanbara finds himself in an alternate realm known as the Digital World. There, he learns he is a general of the elements known as a Legendary Warrior, and he is tasked with finding the Spirits of the elements to control his ancient powers. Alongside the other Legendary Warriors, Takuya sets out to save both Earth and the Digital World from the grasp of the fallen ruler, Cherubimon. However, this quickly proves itself to be far easier than done between fighting enemy Legendary Warriors, mastering the power of the Spirits, and ending wars from centuries prior.

The story has a sequel known as Fates Unbound, and the third book in the trilogy is set to release in summer of 2024. The full series is known as Horizon Wars.

The story can be read here on Archive of Our Own.

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This fanfic contains examples of the following tropes:

• Adaptational Abomination:
  • Duskmon transforms into a horrifying amalgamation as his corruption grows too much for him to handle.
  • Following Koichi's death, Koji evolves to the corrupt Erociamon, an atrocity that does little more than scream and rage after Lucemon with the combined Spirits of Light and Darkness.
  • One could make a strong argument for Lucemon, especially given his history as having once been a human.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Every major character has undergone a backstory change here.
  • Takuya is transmasculine.
  • Koji's strained relationship with his father was caused by Kousei refusing to let Koji grieve the loss of his mother. The two have argued countless times as a result.
  • Tomoki was physically and emotionally abused at his brother Yutaka's hands. He was left incredibly jumpy and paranoid of being stalked even after Yutaka left his life.
  • Izumi's mother passed away years before the story, and she was left to pick up the pieces of their family after they moved to Italy. She essentially raised her younger sister, Masae, while struggling with an eating disorder.
  • Junpei was severely bullied to the point of suicidal ideation in his early teenage years.
  • Koichi lived with his impoverished mother after the divorce, and he grew to detest Kousei for never doing anything to help them. This rage would later be used against him when Cherubimon possessed him.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: All of the Fallen Warriors make earlier appearances than their canon counterparts with Duskmon being alluded to far sooner than in canon.
• Adaptational Explanation: Beast Spirits are stated to be harder to control because they feed off the emotional insecurities of their hosts, making them unstable until the Legendary Warrior in question can soothe their traumas.
• Adaptational Gender Identity:
  • Takuya is a transgender boy.
  • Many of the Fallen Warriors have different genders from Cherubimon’s Warriors in canon with the only exceptions being Koichi and the Warrior of Water.
    • Chihiro and Saki are nonbinary and replace the male Warriors of Earth and Steel.
    • Yumiko is female and replaces the male Warrior of Wood.
• Adaptational Modesty: Izumi and Kazemon’s designs have changed to cover more skin.
• Adaptational Sexuality: Every member of the Legendary Warriors team is queer. According to the series itself and the character information pages:
  • Takuya is transgender and bisexual.
  • Koji, Tomoki, Izumi, and Mayumi are pansexual.
  • Junpei is bisexual.
  • Koichi, Yumiko, and Haroi are demiromantic.
  • Chihiro and Saki are nonbinary and pansexual.
  • Hinoka is a lesbian.
• Adaptational Skill:
  • Izumi is a gymnast and is incredibly flexible and athletic.
  • Junpei has talents for hacking and programming.
• Adaptation Deviation: A strong majority of the story is canon divergence in some way.
• Adaptation Personality Change: The characters have all undergone personality changes to fit their increased ages and the darker tone.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: The tone is far darker in general, and all of the characters have added angst to go along with it.
  • The Beast Spirits target emotional fragilities and insecurities, so the process of mastering their power involves each character facing their darkest demons.
    • After suffering flashbacks from receiving his Beast Spirit, Tomoki has a complete breakdown after reverting back to his regular form.
    • Cybelemon's Beast Spirit makes them a shadow of their former self unable to do anything but wander the land in search of revenge and an outlet from their rage.
    • When first using his Beast Spirit, Takuya shares violent flashbacks with Cybelemon that cause him to spiral and start tearing himself apart.
  • During the group's brief stay on the beach, Izumi is thrown into the sea and is thought to have drowned. Takuya sees all of this and has a breakdown about it from the nearby shore.
• Adaptational Badass:
  • Tomoki, Izumi, Junpei, and Koichi are all far more capable here than in canon.
    • Izumi especially gets an upgrade here. She doesn’t lose the fights she loses in canon, and she wins her first battle handily. Her Beast Spirit is stated to be the strongest of the bunch too.
• Adaptational Heroism: Darcmon and Hippogriffomon are not villains as they are in the movie.
• Adaptational Intelligence: Junpei and Neemon in particular had their intelligence increased for this retelling.
• Adaptational Jerkass:
  • Lyramon is far less communicative with their comrades than Mercurymon ever was, leading to massive tension between them and Aeoelmon.
  • Aeoelmon is cruel and crass in a way Grumblemon never was, and they despise Lyramon to the point of violence.
  • Junpei is much snappier and suffers from anger issues, something that becomes especially prominent after Izumi nearly drowns.
  • Yutaka was physically and emotionally abusive to Tomoki when they were growing up.
  • Kousei is far more stubborn and prone to arguing with his son, and his stubborn apathy is the main source of conflict between them.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Katsuharu, Teruo, Teppei, and Chiaki aren't bullies as they were in canon. Instead, they're classmates of Takuya, Koji, Izumi, and Chihiro with Katsuharu and Teruo even being on the soccer team with Takuya, Tomoki, and Chihiro.
• Adaptational Seriousness: The Fallen Warriors are no longer made out to be comedic relief and are instead treated as the serious threats they are.
• Adaptational Sympathy:
  • Cherubimon is made out to be far more sympathetic with his possession at Lucemon’s hands being made clear and emphasized more.
  • Retroactively, Lucemon is made more sympathetic given he sunk so low after years of being neglected and abused by the authority figures who should have protected him.
• Adaptational Villainy: The Candlemon village is outright evil rather than simply testing the group.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: All of the Legendary Warriors' relationships with each other are different to fit the new tone.
• Adaptational Romance Downgrade: Junpei does not openly flirt with Izumi in this retelling.
• Adaptation Species Change: All of the Legendary Warriors are explicitly half-human and half-Digimon, complete with a series of nonhuman side effects.
• Adapted Out:
  • Grumblemon, Arbormon, Ranamon, and Mercurymon have been replaced with new iterations of the Warriors of Earth, Wood, Water, and Steel.
  • EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon have been cut and replaced with higher evolutions for every member of the cast.
  • Many other minor Digimon were also cut from the story.
• Age Lift: The cast has been aged up to be 15-17 years old.
• Alas, Poor Villain:
  • All of the Fallen Warriors are just as human as the Risen Warriors, and they actively struggle with themselves and one another over the course of the story. All of them have some piece of tragedy to make them sympathetic even before their defeats.
  • Cherubimon is revealed to have been possessed after his death.
• Alien Sky: The Digital World has three moons: Flavo, the yellow moon; Caeruleum, the blue moon; and Rubrum, the red moon.
• All Your Powers Combined:
  • Susanoomon is created through fusing all of the Spirits using the vessel of the Grand Spirit.
  • In the sequel, The Resplendent One is formed from a fusion of all of the Legendary Warriors using Kana as a conduit.
• Ascended Extra: Salamon and Lopmon play a much larger role after their rebirths from Ophanimon and Cherubimon.
• Big Bad Ensemble: So far, there have been three major groups of villains:
  • Cherubimon operates with his five generals, the Fallen Warriors.
  • Lucemon's army is led by the five Royal Knights.
  • Alastomon has four generals in the sequel.
• Bloodier and Gorier: The adaptation is much more violent and bloody than canon.
• Book Ends:
  • The first chapter of the first book is "All Aboard" while the final chapter is "End of the Line."
  • In the second book, the first chapter is called "Almost Human" while the final chapter is titled "Barely Human."
• Brainwashed and Crazy:
  • Many of Cherubimon's soldiers have been possessed to some degree.
  • The Fallen Warriors have also been taken over by small pieces of Cherubimon's power, and he can possess them at will.
    • Duskmon has it the worst of the group though; Cherubimon's corruption against him was so severe that it warped his Spirits to create the Warrior of Void.
  • In the sequel, many attacking Digimon have been possessed by dark data known as Void Fragments.
• Call to Adventure: The cast literally receives phone calls summoning them to the Digital World.
• Cavalry Betrayal: When Fioremon ends up fighting the Legendary Warriors alone and ends up in danger as a result, Lyramon thinks about reinforcing her and is even in the area before leaving instead, leading to her purification at the hands of the Risen Warriors.
• Combination Attack: As the Legendary Warriors learn to fight better, they rely on more combination attacks, shown especially through their first major battle of the second book.
• Cool Train: The Trailmon are all talking trains that move the group from place to place in the Digital World.
  • The Dark Trailmon is yet another example, albeit in a different way, considering he is the master of his own twisted nightmare realm.
• The Corruption:
  • Cherubimon possesses or otherwise infects his soldiers with dark energy, including but not limited to the Fallen Warriors.
  • Later on, Lucemon is revealed to be corrupting Cherubimon and using his rage to take over the Digital World.
  • Alastomon does the same with the Void Fragments in the second book.
• The Corrupter:
  • In the first book, Cherubimon is the one responsible for corrupting others with Lucemon sitting at a slightly higher tier and corrupting him.
  • In the second book, Alsatomon is the master of the Void Fragments.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • At Evergreen Dawn, the Fallen Warriors defeat the Risen Warriors without even breaking a sweat.
    • In fact, many early battles against Lyramon and Duskmon end this way on account of their excellent tactics and raw power respectively.
  • The first few battles against the Royal Knights are quick losses for the Legendary Warriors, as is the first phase of the final battle against Lucemon.
• Cyberspace: The Digital World itself fits this.
• Dark Is Not Evil:
  • Koichi is not evil despite having the element of Darkness. The same also applies to the Warriors of Dusk in the second book, something not even Koichi knew until he reached out to them.
  • Biastamon's color scheme is on the darker side as well, but his light-themed rival is the villain among them.
• Darker and Edgier: The tone of the rewrite is far darker than its source material.
• Dead to Begin With: Koichi was in a coma when he was dragged into the Digital World by force, on the brink of death after receiving a major head injury from falling down the stairs.
• Decomposite Character: Darcmon and Hippogriffomon are separate people.
• Designated Girl Fight: Averted. Izumi and Oceaniamon fight each other many times, but the dynamic is very different from Izumi and Ranamon's relationship in canon.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • Cherubimon is not killed by EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon and instead falls to the common might of the Legendary Warriors in their Hybrid or Beast Spirit forms.
  • The Royal Knights are killed by the Legendary Warriors individually after splitting up to collect the data of the Digital World instead of being killed by Lucemon.
• Door Stopper: The series is at over one million words collectively.
• Early-Bird Cameo:
  • Aeoelmon makes a brief appearance before their first battle, and Lyramon hangs over their shoulder wordlessly in the same scene.
  • Chihiro appears in the first chapter before anyone knows they will turn out to be the Warrior of Earth.
• Earth-Shattering Kaboom: After first Beast Spirit Evolving, Cybelemon causes a mountain to be split in half, destroying it in the process.
• Elemental Embodiment: The Legendary Warriors all act as manifestations of their specific elements.
• Elemental Powers: The Legendary Warriors preside over twelve elements: Fire, Light, Ice, Wind, Thunder, Darkness, Earth, Wood, Water, Steel, Energy, and Cosmos.
• Facial Markings: Junpei and Saki have symbols on their cheeks to represent their elements in their Resplendent Evolution forms. As such, these symbols also carry over to the Resplendent One.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Lucemon is stated to be imprisoned inside the Digital World rather than dead, a hint that he will try to escape soon.
  • When she first appears, Miriamon spends much of her time staring at or outright avoiding Saki due to their connection.
• Gender Flip: The Warriors of Earth and Steel have changed from male to nonbinary. The Warrior of Wood changed from male to female.
• Heel–Face Turn: After being defeated, all of the Fallen Warriors join the Risen Warriors' team to stop Cherubimon.
  • Cherubimon also applies once he is purified.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Koichi sacrifices himself to save the rest of the Legendary Warriors during their battle against Lucemon.
• I Know What You Fear:
  • Beast Spirits play on a person's deepest traumas, fears, and insecurities.
  • In the realm of the Dark Trailmon, Takuya sees his fears come to life in the form of Duskmon hunting him down since the world preys off fear and anxiety.
• I'm Not Afraid of You:
  • Eventually, all of the Legendary Warriors overcome the challenges their Beast Spirits pose.
  • Takuya escapes the realm of the Dark Trailmon after confronting his fears.
• Invincible Villain:
  • Lyramon and Duskmon apply here until the group is able to reach their Hybrid Evolutions.
  • The Royal Knights are also invincible when working as a full team.
  • Lucemon was impervious to attack until Koji forcefully fused the Spirits of Light and Darkness.
• Killed Off for Real: Most Digimon revert back to eggs after being defeated with the one exception being Lucemon, who is transformed into a mass of dark matter hidden in the Digital World.
• Light Is Not Good:
  • Lucemon has an angelic aesthetic despite being the final villain.
    • Additionally, the Royal Knights claim to fight in the name of Lucemon's light.
  • Alastomon's color scheme is largely white and silver to contrast Biastamon's black and gold. Alastomon is the villain of the two.
• Magical Sensory Effect: Transforming into a Digimon leaves a mark on all of the Legendary Warriors, though some of the effects are stronger than others. For example, Izumi has increased hearing thanks to her wind affinity, Chihiro can sense disturbances in the earth, and Koichi grows stronger at nighttime. All of them have increased instincts and senses.
• Mistaken for Spies: The Karatsuki Numemon believe the Risen Warriors are collaborating with Aeoelmon and imprison the group until they can figure out what to do with them.
• Monstrosity Equals Weakness: Cybelemon, Ceruleamon, and Malkakomon are all defeated when they lose control of their emotions, and as a result, their Beast Spirits.
• Original Character: All of the new Legendary Warriors are original characters made for the story.
  • Grumblemon was replaced with Aeoelmon, a hot-headed and short-tempered general stated many times to be easily manipulated because of their anger issues and insecurities. Their Beast Spirit, Cybelemon, replaces Gigasmon. In truth, Aeoelmon is Chihiro Ayumu, Takuya's childhood friend.
    • Their Hybrid Spirit form is Yaiamon.
  • Arbormon was replaced with Fioremon, a soft-spoken and shy Warrior with a surprisingly strong sense of justice for someone on the enemy team. Her Beast Spirit is Calanthemon who replaces Petaldramon. Her true identity is Yumiko Mihara.
    • Her Hybrid Spirit form is Lyseirmon.
  • Ranamon's catty jealousy was replaced with Oceaniamon, a reclusive Warrior of Water with significant issues controlling her abilities. She especially struggles to control her Beast Spirit, Aquariamon, who replaces Calmaramon. Oceaniamon is truly Hinoka Sakatami.
    • Her Hybrid Spirit form is Ceruleamon.
  • Mercurymon is replaced with Lyramon, the leader of the Fallen Warriors and Cherubimon's leading general. They have a strong moral code but are not above manipulating others in order to maintain their control. Their Beast Spirit, Onyxmon, replaces Sakkakumon. Lyramon's true identity is Saki Fushida.
    • Their Hybrid Spirit form is Aerismon.
  • Additionally, there are two extra Legendary Warriors and correlated elements stated to have been lost to history after their betrayal against their comrades in the original war against Lucemon.
    • Mayumi Reiku, the Warrior of Energy, is a high-spirited and almost frighteningly chipper girl who joins the rest of the group at the end of the second act. Her Spirits are Kirismon for Human, Sheyumon for Beast, and Aethermon for Hybrid.
    • Haroi Tsurumaki, the Warrior of Cosmos, is calm and composed. Surprisingly, he and Mayumi are incredibly close on account of being step-siblings, and the two have an almost codependent friendship with each other. Haroi's Spirits are Orionmon for Human, Cygnusmon for Beast, and Siriusmon for Hybrid.
  • The sequel introduces the mysterious Miriamon, an isolated Digimon known only as the Arbiter of Souls. In truth, she is Kana Shiraki, the twin sister of Lucemon's true identity and Saki's adoptive sister who went missing prior to their birth.
  • Izumi has a younger sister named Masae in this retelling, though she doesn't play a notable role until the sequel.
• Ruder and Cruder: Many of the characters curse throughout the story, though the ones the most prone to this are Junpei and Chihiro.
• Spared by the Adaptation: On account of not being evil in this version, Darcmon and Hippogriffomon survive.
• Team Member in the Adaptation: Cherubimon’s Legendary Warriors are recruited by the main cast following their defeat.