Mon (monster)

A Mon is a rough term for various sorts of fictional creatures in anime and manga modeled after real or imaginary beings, usually variations of beasts. Although the term is short for monster (monstā in Japanese, they usually have a unique set of characteristics setting them apart from typical fantasy creatures or mythological spirits. Mon designs range from strictly animal-type creatures who are not verbose to funny animal type characters to articulate humanoids. Mon at their highest stage of growth - usually requiring special circumstances - are sometimes designed after famous mythical beings or even gods.

Mon are considered different than average mascot/pet characters because they usually posesses their own fighting capabilities rather than being a coach or guardian of a superpowered human.

Having the benefit of being cute, fearsome, and numerous - sometimes almost simultaneously -- they are very marketable, particularly being popular with children. Most stories featuring them connect them with young children friends or trainers, and thus are popular within the shounen (and sometimes shoujo) demographic.

Although they are featured in a variety of series some basic design similarities persist, most famously the ones in Digimon, Dragon Quest Monsters, Pokémon, and Monster Rancher.

Characteristics

Typical characterisitics of a mon include at least a rudimentary intelligence, empathy and protective feelings with their human associates, and sometimes the ability to metamorphose into another form (either permanently or temporarily under certain circumstances). Out of respect they are usually called friends rather than pets.

Many mon are born rather simple looking creatures, either amorphous blobs or slimes and later metamorphose several times during their growth. These changes can look very different from the previous incarnation of the creature, such as several kinds of digimon. Very young mon are usually inarticulate and only babble their own name, which is often an onomatopoeia anyway. A famous exception is Pokémon the majority of creatures say their names or make nondescript noises.

If a mon can metamorphose (often called an evolution) repeatedly they often spend most of their time in a stand-by (usually cute) form in an effort to conserve energy. This is generally considered the default form. However, on the whole evolutions are often impermanent and depends largely on the need of the monster to become much larger and powerful for a short time, such as when a companion of the monster is threatened or in danger. For other mon it seems to be largely a product of normal aging. Creatures like Pokémon go through irreversible transformations, becoming more powerful but losing some degree of versatility.

See also: Digivolution, Pokémon evolution

Controversy

Mons popularized in monster-raising video games such as Pokémon are sometimes able to fight against each other in stat-based RPG like settings. Some can even be bred from existing monsters. Some Western critics equate this with an allusion to inhumane sports like cockfighting, although most fans agree it is actually derived from the non-violent Asian art of beetle fighting (most famously, the creator of Pokemon cites the idea of collecting bugs to have been his inspiration). Supporting this idea, such fights -- often euphesmistically dubbed into English as 'battles' or 'duels' -- are sanctioned and regulated like any sport, and mon seem to take some enjoyment from the competition. In more serious storylines, some intelligent mon consider battling as a martial arts. The participants are also rarely critically injured.

Perhaps in response to this objection, a common storyline featured in many stories are mon who dislike fighting or the idea of having 'masters,' usually as a result of a cruel trainer who has abandoned them. Indeed, some mon would be violently intolerant of such behavior. The storyline may also conform to the "good versus evil" convention, portraying the battles as leading ultimately to an good goal (such as saving the world).