Digimon continues to be a beloved and popular franchise even some 20 years since the original Digimon Adventure anime released. As the series returns to its roots with the original cast of trainers and companions in the Digimon Adventure reboot, one of the most recognizable creatures within the entire franchise it getting a new look.
As far as Ultimate Digimon go, which is the second to last stage of a Digimon's evolution, none hold quite as much weight as MetalGreymon. The missile-launcher armed robotic dinosaur debuted as one of the toughest monsters within the entire series. While its debut is largely unchanged within the Adventure reboot, the anime has recently introduced a striking new weapon for the dino's right arm.
In the most recent episode of the series, through the aid of tamer Taichi's words of support along with his shining retro-designed Digivice, MetalGreymon summoned a new weapon never before seen within the franchise. In the battle against Splashmon, the aquatic "beast man" Digimon, MetalGreymon unveiled its "Alteros/Alterous" mode. The new version of the Digimon now features a giant railgun in pace of its previously useless arm, which spans almost the same size at MetalGreymon itself. For its big move of the battle, the railgun charges for a devastating attack hitting with a new kind of wallop for the fan favorite.
Fans are very excited for the new and unexpected change coming from the "Alteros" form. Reading some of the comments, fans are eager to see how the new Digimon style will be utilized by other tamers. It is still early with the transformation only just being revealed during the most recent episode, but fans are questioning if this new form is a MetalGreymon exclusive. Should the new mode expand to all major Digimon, most fans are already looking to popular tamer Joe Kido and his partner Gomamon to bring something different.
Beyond just the implications for the anime going forward, there is more to speculate about how the Digimon video games will handle these modes. While the upcoming Digimon Survive recently received an indefinite delay, it may lead to the new style of Digimon transformation being introduced in the survival strategy RPG.
The Digimon Adventure reboot has been a big hit with fans due to the changes like Alteros mode being introduced to shakeup the formula. After the more negatively received Digimon Adventure Tri, fans are happy to see the franchise return to its roots both figuratively and literally. With Alteros mode still very new, there is an excited element to come in the shows current story arc.
Digimon Adventure is now airing on Crunchyroll and Fuji TV.