Profile

Voiced by: Toshiko Fujita (Japanese), Joshua Seth, Jason Spisak (Movie 4) (English)
Taichi "Tai" Kamiya, known as Taichi Yagami (八神　太一 Yagami Taichi) in Japan, is adventurous, athletic, and charismatic and the main protagonist of Digimon Adventure, which easily makes him the leader of the DigiDestined. However, his aggressive, impulsive personality often puts him in danger. He eventually learns empathy and compassion are key to success instead of reckless courage. Back at his home in Odaiba, Tai is the star player on his school's soccer team. He is best friends with Sora Takenouchi.
As revealed later in the series, Tai became a Digidestined as the result of him and his younger sister Kari caring for a hatched Botamon that eventually digivolved into a Greymon to protect them from a Parrotmon attacking Highton View Terrace. When he and the others first arrived in the Digital World, meeting their Digimon partners while fleeing from a Kuwagamon, Tai resolves to lead the group on their journey for civilization, generally blazing the trail. After the group gets separated by Devimon scattering File Island into fragments, Tai manages to befriend Frigimon, who takes them to another part of island where Matt and Gabumon are on before the two arrive to Primary Village to rejoin most of the others while protecting T.K. from Leomon before freeing him from the Black Gears' control. It was soon after that Tai and the others learn of their role as DigiDestined prior to their final battle with Devimon and before meeting Gennai who instructs them on the next phase of their adventure. Later making the journey from File Island to the Server Continent, Tai obtained the Crest of Courage during the group's initial confrontation with Etemon. The fact he was the first made Tai arrogant, his ambition to get Agumon to digivolve into ultimate form nearly getting everyone killed when Agumon became SkullGreymon. After Pixiemon restores his confidence by remembering while he learned to ride a bike, Tai manages to face his own fear to activate his Crest and digivolve Greymon to MetalGreymon before the two get sucked into a vortex that takes them to the boy's world.
Returning, Tai learns from Kari that he has been gone for minutes in the real world. Eventually, Tai decides to return to find his friends who by then split up to find him. Managing to gather the group back together, Tai and the others learn of Myotismon's scheme to enter their world to find the Eighth DigiDestined and kill the child. Following after him and his forces, Tai manages to hide Agumon from his parents until Kari and Gatomon are respectively revealed to be the Eighth DigiDestined and her Digimon partner. After Myotismon captures Gatomon and proceeds to isolate Odaiba from the rest of Japan, Tai entrusted Kari to Matt while he attempts to rescue the trapped citizens before joining the others in fighting Myotismon. After a lengthly battle, finding the Digital World beginning to manifest in the sky, Tai and the others decide to go back to restore the balance, battling the Dark Masters and then Apocalymon. However, with Apocalymon's defeat, Tai and others are forced to leave the Digital World as it begins its restoration.
In the sequel, Digimon Adventure 02, Tai matured became more patient, helping the new Digidestined whatever time allows him. He gives his trademark goggles to Davis Motomiya as a sign of leadership over the new generation of DigiDestined. During the events of Digimon Hurricane Landing!/Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals, edited out of Digimon: The Movie, Tai is among those captured by Wendigomon during his search for Willis and is de-aged until Davis and Willis defeat him. Tai is featured in supplementary audio dramas released on CD during the television series' run, most of which consist miscellaneous adventures with the other DigiDestined that do not relate to the overall plot of the show. These include a mystery adventure Tai and Sora go on and tap dancing to distract Boltmon on Valentine's Day. In an audio drama released years after the end of Digimon Adventure 02, which takes place between Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, Tai is heard talking to Agumon after a Digiport briefly opens.
Tai makes an appearance in Digimon Xros Wars' third season, in his first season version, alongside Davis, Takato, Takuya, and Marcus.
Tai's character was designed by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru. In an exclusive interview released with the Digimon Adventure DVD box on December 21, 2007, producer Satoru Nishizono revealed that as the staff decided on Tai's name using kanji that related to "luck." In Japan, all of Tai's appearances were voiced by Toshiko Fujita. In the English dub, Joshua Seth provides his voice. However, by the time the film Revenge of Diaboromon was dubbed in English, he had retired from the voice acting industry in 2005, causing casting director Jeff Nimoy to cast Jason Spisak as his replacement, remarking how similar he sounded to Seth.
During the run of the television series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, Tai was included in merchandise such as trading cards. In Japan, his character was also given three theme songs: "Yūki wo Tsubasa ni Shite" (勇気を翼にして), "Atarashī Taiyō" (新しい太陽), and "Towa ni Tsuzuke!" (永久に続け!!). All songs were performed by his voice actress, Toshiko Fujita. His character CD single, Atarashī Taiyō: Best Partner 1: Taichi Yagami & Agumon (新しい太陽 ベストパートナー① 八神太一&アグモン Atarashī Taiyō Besuto Pātonā 1 Yagami Taichi & Agumon), which also included Agumon's (Chika Sakamoto) solo "Agumon Ondo" (アグモンONDO) and their duet "Team", was released on June 21, 2000. It debuted at #77 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and stayed there for one week. In a series of online polls conducted on Toei Animation's Digimon website, Tai was ranked 3rd by Japanese voters as their favorite DigiDestined. When the same question was asked three more times, his rank fell to 6th, rose to 4th, and finally landed at 5th.