Matt Ishida

Matt Ishida is the main protagonist of Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure tri. and supporting in Digimon Adventure 02.

He is a member of the DigiDestined, the second in command to Tai, the leader. He is partnered to Gabumon.

Appearance
Matt is a young man of French and Japanese descent, making him something of a rarity among his peers due to his blond hair, peach complexion, and cold blue eyes.

Personality
Complicated, quiet, and inexpressive, Matt is the stereotypical stoic "cool guy" of his team. He was known to be cautious in his youth, often advocating for a less confrontational approach to obstacles. This cautious attitude stems from his protectiveness over his younger brother, as they were almost constantly separated due to their parents' divorce when they were young boys.

However, when faced with the prospect of his brother being in danger, Matt could become hostile, stubborn, and downright violent, as he tended to get into fist fights with Tai when they first began their adventure. Despite his cold demeanor, Matt was never someone to trifle with. He had a tendency to cast blame in sheer frustration at times, and struggled to work as part of a group due to his repressed emotions. This is chiefly responsible for his indecisiveness.

He had a penchant for strong self-criticism in his younger years, fearing not measuring up due to his parents' divorce having a profound effect on him. He was slow to forgive himself for making mistakes, and was often hard on himself.

As he matured, he was better able to open up to others, reigning in control over himself substantially, and becoming more of a team player.

Later on in Tri, Matt showed a remarkable turn around, becoming far more driven and decisive as Tai lost much of his resolve. In many ways, Matt's envy of Tai caused him to emulate his best friend and rival.

Much like the other Digidestined, Matt enjoys indulging in teasing his friends on occasion. On the other hand, he has a fear of ghost stories, and reverts back to his old defensive self when anyone calls him out on it.

Digimon Adventure
In And So it Begins...,

In The Birth of Greymon,

In Garurumon,

In Biyomon Gets Firepower,

In Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker,

In Togemon in Toy Town,

In Ikkakumon's Harpoon Torpedo,

In Evil Shows His Face,

In Subzero Ice Punch!,

In DigiBaby Boom,

In The Legend of the DigiDestined,

In Departure for a New Continent,

In The Dark Network of Etemon,

In The Arrival of SkullGreymon,

In The Crest of Sincerity,

In The Piximon Cometh,

In The Prisoner of the Pyramid,

In The Earthquake of MetalGreymon,

In Forget About It!,

In WereGarurumon's Diner

In No Questions, Please,

In Sora's Crest of Love,

In The Gateway To Home,

In It's All In The Cards,

In Return to Highton View Terrace,

In Almost Home Free,

In The Eighth Digivice,

In Gatomon Comes Calling,

In Out on the Town,

In Flower Power,

In City Under Siege,

In Wizardmon's Gift,

In Prophecy,

In The Battle for Earth,

In Enter The Dark Masters,

In Sea-Sick and Tired,

In Under Pressure,

In Playing Games,

In Trash Day,

In The Ultimate Clash,

In Ogremon's Honor,

In The Crest of Friendship,

In Piedmon's Last Jest,

In Now Apocalymon,

In The Fate of Two Worlds,

Digimon Adventure 02
In The Digiteam Complete,

In Iron Vegiemon,

In Guardian Angel,

In The Captive Digimon,

In Storm Of Friendship,

In Ghost of a Chance,

In Ghost of a Chance,

In An Old Enemy Returns,

In The Darkness Before Dawn,

In The Crest of Kindness,

In Fusion Confusion,

In Cody Takes A Stand,

In A Very Digi-Christmas,

In Dramon Power,

In Digimon World Tour, Part 1,

In Digimon World Tour, Part 3,

In Invasion of the Daemon Corps,

In Duel of the WarGreymon,

In BlackWarGreymon's Destiny,

In Oikawa's Shame,

In The Last Temptation of the DigiDestined,

In A Million Points of Light,

Trivia

 * He has the Crest of Friendship.
 * He is a second-year student at Tsukishima General High School.
 * Matt's been in a band since junior high, but due to musical differences, Teenage Wolves has temporarily broken up.
 * In Digimon Adventure tri., he plays new band, Knife of Day.
 * Jeff Nimoy, co-screenwriter of the English version for both series, noted that if there were anything he could change about Matt, it would be making him "less indecisive," citing his complication of adapting the script of the scene where Matt confronts his feelings in a cave with Gabumon.
 * In Digimon Adventure tri., Vic Mignogna replaced Michael Reisz, with the voice director mentioning that his voice resembled Reisz's. Mignogna described Matt as a "loner" trying to find out where he "fits in", attributing his insecurities to his parents' divorce.
 * Matt and TK are the only Digidestined of the Odaiba Eight to be of partial-European descent, their maternal grandfather being French.