Time Stranger's Merukimon is wrong

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is out now, serving up yet another engaging, story-driven adventure through the digital world. Like its predecessors, Digimon Story: Time Stranger combines turn-based combat with a long, epic sci-fi RPG story, though it's defined by its wide selection of collectible creatures, which in this latest entry number over 450.

This astonishing armada of Pokemon-esque creatures are as adorable as ever, featuring many classics that carry a lot of franchise history. one Digimon Story: Time Stranger Cast member Merukimon in particular has attracted a lot of attention throughout the years, causing a great deal of confusion about his name: he is actually called Merukimon, a moniker that places great importance on his personality, backstory, and abilities. So, it's worth asking why this incredibly powerful and iconic Digimon is called Merukimon, which seems like a random assortment of random letters rather than a tribute to a major Roman deity.

Digimon Story: Time Unknown: Why isn't Merukimon called Merukemon?

Mercurymon is named after the Roman god of communication, wisdom and commerce

Digimon The series is full of references to various real-world mythological patterns, but the franchise's most obvious parallel to ancient spiritual lore is the group Olympus XII, or one of the 12 gods of Olympus. These dozen Shaman Digimon are incredibly powerful, so it's only fitting that they are associated with the great, revered gods of ancient Rome. Some examples of these parallels include:

Apollomon: inspired by Apollo, the god of music
Dynamon: Inspired by Diana, goddess of the hunt
Marsman: Inspired by Mars, God of War

These motivations often go deeper than the etymological level. In the case of Mercurymon, this manifests in a penchant for speed, travel, and communication. Mercurymon is known as the fastest Digimon in the Digital World, and his weapon of choice, the Aztec, can cut holes in spacetime. He's notoriously difficult to pin down, as he doesn't stay in one place for long. He has also demonstrated strong leadership traits, making smart decisions for the sake of long-term peace between Digimon and humanity, such as when he saves the heroes. Digimon Data Squad.

These traits are obvious extrapolations of Mercury, especially speed, communication, travel, and cunning. Mercury is often considered one of the calmer and level-headed Roman gods, although he has a penchant for trickery and mischief. Merukimon is a very intelligent member of Olympus XII, and his leadership and locomotion abilities are evident. So, why isn't his name in games like Mercarimon Digimon Story: Time Stranger?

Mercury is generally accepted as a Romanization of the Greek god Hermes, so the above description may sound familiar. Hades and god of war fans.

Merukimon wasn't mistranslated — Mercuremon was

It is generally believed that “merukimon” is the result of a translation error, and this is true, but in a roundabout way. Before Merukimon was introduced in 2007 Digimon Data SquadA Digimon named Mercuremon debuted on the show in 2002 Digimon Frontier. This Digimon, which is characterized by its strength in steel, was translated to “Mercurymon” by the English localization team, either by mistake or because it just sounded like Mercuremon. So, when it came time to localize Mercurymon for the English versions Digimon Data Squad (his first), the name was already taken.

It's not clear why exactly Merukemon was chosen over something else (Merkuremon would have been better, though that might be a bit too confusing). This is a shame, as this discrepancy sets Merukimon apart from the other members of Olympos XII, and leads to less poetic harmony between his character and name. But after so many years, this naming fiasco is unlikely to be reversed.