The Digimon Xros Wars manga is the third major serialized Digimon manga, running in V-Jump from June 2010 to March 2012, concurrently with the anime series of the same name (known as Digimon Fusion in the U.S.). It's a relatively loose, Darker and Edgier adaptation of the anime, so while the basic plot remains the same - Taiki Kudo is drawn into the Digital World and leads the Xros Heart army to liberate it from Bagramon's empire - there are numerous significant deviations in the plotline setting it up as a standalone work separate from Xros Wars itself.
Tropes present in the Digimon Xros Wars manga:
- Adaptational Badass: Many characters are much more powerful then they ever were in the anime:
- In the anime, while Lilithmon was one of Bagura Army's Three Head Officers, by the second arc she was demoted and became the series Butt-Monkey alongside Blastmon. In the manga, she remains a constant threat and was one of the Seven Great Demon Lords.
- In the anime, Tactimon was ultimately killed by OmniShoutmon and never unsheathed his Jatetsufuujin-maru even after it was unsealed. In the manga, it's fully unsheathed
◊ and Tactimon becomes powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Shoutmon EX6. It's also revealed that the Jatetsufuujin-maru was built from the data contained in Susanoomon's ZERO-ARMS: Orochi.
- Adaptational Wimp: Neptunemon was a powerful general in the anime. In the manga, however, he's defeated offscreen by Sparrowmon alone.
- Adaptation Distillation: Because the manga was serialized in a monthly magazine it does away with many characters and plot points, such as the Death Generals and the D5 event.
- Alternate Timeline: We are shown that quite a few exist in the bonus chapter.
- Alternate Continuity: To the anime.
- Ascended Extra: The manga specifically develops the roles of the characters Demoted to Extra in the anime series. For example Zenjirou and Akari (alongside Kotone) get their own Xros Loaders and use them to great effect, Lilithmon is always a credible threat, Blastmon took several levels in Badass, etc.
- Ax-Crazy: DarkKnightmon becomes more unhinged with each Digimon he fuses with, to the point of completely forgetting his own name.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: In order to rescue Nene, Xros Heart goes inside the mind of ZeedMilleniummon .
- BFS: Tactimon's Jatetsufuujinmaru (Sealed Iron Serpent God) is unsealed, and he uses it to great effect.
- Big Damn Heroes: Zenjiro, Akari and Kotone gaining Xros Loaders, super-evolving Ballistamon, Dorulumon and Sparrowmon, and saving Taiki and Shoutmon from imminent defeat.
- Blood Knight: Greymon and Sparrowmon.
- Tactimon as well.
- Continuity Snarl: The manga makes repeated references to past series and manga, hinting that they all share the same reality. For example, it's shown that in this 'verse, Bagramon bore witness to the final battle of Digimon Data Squad.
- A Cosmic Retcon is used to try and explain things away but it only manages to manages to cover a few of the issues with the Digital World, leaving some gaping plot holes unfilled.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Oddly for a manga, this trope is present throughout the manga during climactic showdowns. In the finale, Shoutmon's has a concert where he gives the story closure by singing Xros Wars's opening Never Give Up and Adventure's opening Butterfly.
- Demoted to Extra: Beelzebumon is still a member of Xros Heart, but his role in the story gets reduced to a few cameo appearances.
- Eyes Do Not Belong There: Every single time Shademon appears Most impressive example so far is they way it gave several eyes...to DarkKnightmon's eyeballs, beating out having Nene scantily clad in eyes and a shadow.
- Fallen Angel: Bagramon. He is restored to Homeostasis's side in the epilogue, complete with his Bishōnen appearance.
- Fanservice: In comparison to the anime, Nene gets a lot here including taking a bath and her Shademon Darkness Mode form
- Taiki on the other hand never gets a proper Shirtless Scene like his anime counterpart, but his shirt flies up rather frequently due to various circumstances, giving a glimpse of his toned body.
- The Fighting Narcissist: Lilithmon is a very competent fighter, but goes berserk over a small cut on her face.
- Flying Seafood Special: MetalSeadramon, the Whamon motherships
- Girlish Pigtails: Akari, Nene and Kotone.
- God Is Flawed: Which is why "God" is sometimes talked about with quotation marks, God is good though.
- Go Out with a Smile: After being mortally wounded by Shoutmon X7, Tactimon dies happy that he was able to fight a worthy opponent.
- In the Blood: Only those with the Xros-Gene can use the Xros loaders as intended. However, the Xros loaders do have some unintended features others can make use of.
- Life-or-Limb Decision: Lilithmon managed to strike DarkKnightmon's left arm during their first battle and he is forced to discard it to prevent the deadly poison to spread to the rest of his body.
- Light Is Good: Luminamon is the evolved form of Shademon, purified by Nene's emotions.
- The Load: Kotone.
- Thanks to a certain wizard, not anymore since chapter 17.
- Loss of Identity: The eventual result of DarkKnightmon forcibly DigiXrosing more and more Digimon. Their minds blur together with his until he's reduced to a mindless, power-hungry berserker who can't even remember his own name. The sight drives Bagramon to Manly Tears.
- Love Confession: Kiriha reveals to Nene when trying to motivate her to leave Milleniummon that he's "fallen in love with [her] graceful ways".
- Magic Mushroom: MachLeomon ends up using a literal example of this trope.
- Hilariously enough, an old Alpha Evolve card renders a similar thing to Leomon.
- Hilariously enough, an old Alpha Evolve card renders a similar thing to Leomon
- Male Gaze: The cover image to the eighteenth chapter shows off Nene's prominent backside.◊
- Manly Tears: Bagramon.
- Mercy Kill: Bagramon wants to pull one on the entire Digital World as the only alternative he can see is numerous Eldritch Abomination Digimon getting free and causing Hell on Earth.
- Mistaken for Spies: Xros Heart and Blue Flare are mistaken for Bagra Army scouts by Spadamon.
- Mythology Gag: Many of the miscellaneous Digimon in Taiki and Kiriha's armies are from previous series. The finale has practically all of them evolve to fight of an Eldritch Abomination horde.
- Nobody Poops: Averted.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Quite a few battles were deemed to have been so easy it was not worth showing.
- In this version Nene and Sparrowmon were the ones who took down Neptunemon in the Island Zone, the only thing shown is the aftermatch with he and his troops all laying on the floor beaten up and badly wounded. Also works as a Establishing Character Moment for Sparrowmon.
- A few zone conquests also happened offscreen. After acquiring the Snow Zone's Code Crown it is said Xros Heart managed to conquer a total of three more zones offscreen and it is mentioned the last one, the manga exclusive River Zone, was a cake walk.
- The Paladin: The Royal Knights, obviously. SkullKnightmon, DeadlyAxemon and Luminamon become this in the epilogue.
- Palette Swap: In the story itself this trope actually manages to throw off the Royal Knights.
- Sanity Slippage: DarkKnightmon suffers from this gradually but completely. It's also part of the reason for Bagramon's tears.
- Self-Defeating Prophecy: A major part of the plot, though in this plot the trope is a lot more literal than most.
- Shapeshifting: In chapter twelve, the main Digimon of Xros Heart are forced to take on human forms after being sent into the human world. While Shoutmon, Dorulumon, Cutemon, Ballistamon, Tailmon, and Wizardmon take on human forms, Starmon, the Pickmons, and Monimon take the form of a duck, some ducklings, and a capybara, respectively.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Many of the enemy Digimon that die in the anime get to live in the manga. Of note are Bagramon, who returns to Homeostasis' side, SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon, who are Walking the Earth with Luminamon as Holy Knights, and Blastmon and Lilithmon.
- Stable Time Loop: The Bonus Track chapter shows that after seemingly being killed, Wizarmon was sent back in time, and he gave his remaining Xros Loader to Taiki back in first chapter, which, of course, led to Wizarmon creating Xros Loaders after using Taiki's as a base.
- Stripperiffic: Shademon Darkness Mode AKA NeneShademon, which amounts to a few wisps of darkness surrounding Nene and covering what needs to be covered, barely. Luminamon is the same, but with angelic wings.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Although Kotone, Nene's little sister, takes the place of Yuu from the anime, other than her role as an important person to Nene she bears little resemblance to him in design and personality. The actual Suspiciously Similar Substitute is Tatsuya, the character from Taiki's backstory who happens to look exactly like Yuu.
- MachLeomon is literally identical to MadLeomon, differing only in lighter colouring and being a Knife user.
- Those Two Guys: Lillymon and Sunflowmon. The two Mushmon are also this at the beginning.
- Time Travel: Chapter 13 reveals that Taiki and his friends arrived in the Digital World two months earlier, as the strange events in the first chapter were actually the result of Bagramon enacting his plan.
- Trapped in Another World: Same premise as the anime. This time, though, there are Digimon trapped in the human world as well. The get back to the Digital World with Taiki's help.
- Villain Respect: After being defeated by Shoutmon EX6, Tactimon graciously thanks him for the great battle before he dies.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The last half of the final chapter is this for everyone except for Bagramon and Wizarmon, who get a bonus chapter showing what happens to them.
- The Worf Barrage: Dynasmon's Dragon Collider attack (think several Breath of Wyvern attacks combined into a huge explosion) doesn't even bother ZeedMillenniummon.
- Would Hurt a Child: Before Nene intervened, DarkKnightmon was perfectly fine with having Shademon possess Kotone, who is 7 years old.
- Year X: The first chapter explicitly states that the series takes place in the year 20XX. Which may be a nod to the original ''Mega Man'' games.
