Despite the controversial nature of the season, Digimon Frontier does hold up well in regards to certain fights. The lack of partner Digimon, meandering plotlines, and underpowered heroes is a matter of contentious debate, yet the story does draw praise for its memorable soundtrack, heavy emphasis on lore, and interesting rogue gallery of villains. Some of the fight scenes also deserve more attention given the greater focus on it.

In comparison to previous seasons, Digimon Frontier is a genre shift towards henshin style heroes, where children become chosen ones and transform into powerful Digimon. Takuya Kanbara and his band of brave warriors are on the defensive most of the time, given the absurdly strong threats standing in their way. There’s a good amount of fight scenes that have emotional impact and satisfying conclusions.

10 Koji vs Karatenmon Was a Fight Against Inner Darkness

Koji Finds Himself Outmatched Against Karatenmon

Karatenmon is a relatively minor antagonist in the grand scheme of Digimon Frontier, but the mysterious tengu creature makes the most of his little screen time. With a stylish pair of golden swords, he can effortlessly deflect blows and remain cool doing so. Koji Minamoto ends up fighting Karatenmon in the Wind Area of Sakkakumon. He finds himself outmatched at first due to Karatenmon’s ability to read minds and predict movements.

However, the sadistic tengu swordsman makes a critical error when he engages in psychological warfare. After his stepmother is greatly insulted, Koji evolves into KendoGarurumon in a fit of controlled rage. Karatenmon is unable to defend himself against KendoGarurumon’s much faster attacks, then promptly loses the battle shortly afterward. Koji never gives in to the darkness within his own heart like his enemy expected.

9 Zephyrmon Lands a Hurriance of Blows on Calmaramon

Zoe Finally Ends Her Rivalry With Ranamon in Sakkakumon's Water Area

Digimon Frontier is rather infamous for the writing team’s handling of Zoe Orimoto, the lone female character in the main hero cast. She is often subject to poor showings with her spirit evolutions, particularly with Kazemon. Regardless, her final battle against arch nemesis Ranamon is a good source of character growth. Zoe looks into her own heart and finds inner strength when she recognizes her weaknesses.

With the assistance of a trio of Honeybeemon that she befriended, she gets the job done with her beast hybrid form Zephyrmon, whose Plasma Paws take out Ranamon in her Calmaramon evolutionary stage. Zoe is among only two heroes to capture both the Human and Beast spirit forms of the villainous Legendary Warriors. It’s not a showy fight by any means, but it does give Zoe and her fans their biggest victory in the series.

J.P. Only Needs One Shot To Finish The Job Once And For All

Thoroughly repugnant and easily prone to anger, Grumblemon is a bully that loves to deliver beatdowns with a hammer. It’s very satisfying to finally see him get caved in during his final battle against J.P. Shibayama. By this point in Digimon Frontier, Grumblemon is no longer the menacing threat he used to be, especially without his Beast spirit form, so he relies on his resilient army of Golemon to overwhelm the heroes in the underground cavern.

With the power of the B Spirit of Thunder, the normally playful J.P. becomes serious as he transforms into MetalKabuterimon, who launches a powerful Electron Cannon towards Grumblemon and the Golemon. After several episodes, the gnome creature is dealt with once and for all, with his fractal code ready to be scanned by the heroes. After he’s defeated, it’s a nice release of hatred that turns into happiness for the viewer.

Arbormon Has Always Been a Thorn on The Heroes' Side

There’s no turning back for the heroes once they pass through the Dark Gate in the Continent of Darkness. With the power of his Beast spirit, Arbormon turns into the massive Petaldramon, and proves to be a problem when he eats the trees around him for that extra power boost. His size and strength, along with his regenerative abilities, force the children to work together in defeating him through multiple combined attacks.

Digimon Frontier places a great deal of emphasis on teamwork and friendship. Takuya's Agunimon gets the usual amount of screentime, but Zoe's Zephyrmon also gets a chance to shine, as they both combine a fire cyclone to finish off Petaldramon and steal away the Beast spirit. There’s no room to breathe, however, as the series becomes much darker once Duskmon enters the scene and demolishes Arbormon for his failures.

6 Mercurymon Ultimately Meets His Match

Sakkakumon's Rumble Blend Has a Major Weakness to Exploit

With a love for dramatic villainy, Mercurymon proves to be a major obstacle for the heroes, especially when he evolves into his Beast spirit form Sakkakumon. Now a large mutant labyrinth with the ability to absorb elemental attacks, it takes several episodes to even deal with him. At one point, the heroes even run for their lives. It seems as if all hope is truly lost when they start arguing with each other, but Takuya proves his leadership skills.

After a motivational speech, he figures out a major weak point in Sakkakumon’s ten spheres. While it can reflect attacks individually, the same cannot be said for combined attacks, so the heroes give it everything they’ve got as Takuya’s Aldamon destroys the center sphere. It’s a creative fight with a somewhat clever finish, as it defies Mercurymon’s logical outcomes by thinking just outside the box.

5 Duskmon Versus BeoWolfmon, a Battle of Twin Brothers

These Warriors Face Off as Darkness Clashes With Light

Koichi and Koji share a tragic bond with each other in Digimon Frontier. Separated as twins, their paths eventually crossed as the reincarnated Warriors of Darkness and Light, respectively. The corrupted Duskmon is a dangerously strong foe, so much so that only BeoWolfmon could hope to evenly match his skill at swordplay.Koichi nearly kills his twin brother Koji after reverting him to human form, giving him an opening to evolve into Velgemon, by far his most powerful form.

Had it not been for a last minute save by Takuya, the monstrous bird would’ve obliterated Koji right then and there. However, with a newfound resolve to save Koichi, a determined Koji joins forces with Takuya to finally purify Velgemon. The emotional stakes are considerably high in this battle, which is why so many Digimon fans remember this encounter.

4 Royal Knights Are Held Off by The Legendary Warriors

They Finally Suffer a Setback After Several Episodes of Dominance

Crusadermon and Dynasmon are vicious holy knights in the second half of Digimon Frontier. Due to a deadly combination of strength and speed, they overwhelm the heroes in the course of several episodes, forcing them to run as far as their feet can take them. However, one particular encounter doesn’t go quite the way the Royal Knights would hope for.

In the appropriately named Village of Beginnings, after they evolve a few eggs, the heroes team up with the spirits of the starter villains. Grumblemon, Arbormon, Ranamon, and Mercurymon all lend a hand as the Legendary Warriors launch a combined attack. Crusadermon and Dynasmon have no choice but to retreat for the time being. The colorful visuals of this short fight are strikingly beautiful.

3 EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon Take Down The Royal Knights

Pride Always Goes Before a Great Fall

The Digital World has fallen into disarray as EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon continue to fight Dynasmon and Crusadermon. Rather infamously, the heroes spent many episodes unable to defeat the villains in Digimon Frontier. However, it’s a moment of catharsis for the viewers when EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon finally gain the upper hand, ultimately defeating Dynasmon and Crusadermon.

Although the victory is short-lived when Lucemon shows up to steal the knights’ fractal code, it’s always satisfying to see Dynasmon and Crusadermon put in their place for once, given they were invincible villains for so long. It took an entire arc to catch up, but Takuya and Koji deserve credit for pushing themselves past their limits to achieve this goal.

2 EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon Defeat Cherubimon

The Corrupted Demon Finally Sees The Holy Light

The main antagonist of the first half of Digimon Frontier, Cherubimon is a fallen angel and monstrous beast with plenty of power. Yet again, it’s up to EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon to deal with the devil itself. They coordinate attacks very well in a series of combos, but no matter what they do, Cherubimon always regenerates itself back together. However, the heroes do figure out its weakness eventually.

Koji focuses on his better defense while Takuya uses his greater offensive power to deal massive damage to Cheribumon’s head. Their strategic plan actually works in their favor, and they manage to purify Cheribumon back to its original light form. The series could’ve ended right here and it would still have a satisfying pay off.

1 Ten Warriors Put Away Lucemon For Good

Even a Powerful God Can Fall Straight From The Heavens

With 50 episodes of build up for the final battle, Digimon Frontier ends on a very epic note. Lucemon Shadowlord Mode is set to bring cataclysmic ruin to the human world, forcing the DigiDestined into a state of desperation. With the spiritual power of the Ten Legendary Warriors, they form the ultimate being Susanoomon. It’s truly the most hypeworthy moment for the entire season when Lucemon is cut in half cleanly.

Despite a second last wind, Lucremon falls once more when Susanoomon releases the warrior spirits to launch a devastating counterattack. Entire worlds are saved as the season draws to a close. Susanoomon isn’t seen very often, but when it makes a rare appearance, viewers know a major story moment is going to happen on the screen.