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Watch there be plenty of discourse in the comments over this- but yes. I don't consider it to be a rip-off. Why? Because the similarities between the shows stops at the 'Mon' in the title and the 'kids with monster partners' bit. And Digimon even handles the monsters differently. Also...I might be a bit biased here because I did enjoy Digimon more as a kid but...I think I still make a good point here. I liked the Pokemon games, sure...but the anime definitely doesn't do the games justice.

First off - they were meant to sell different things. The Pokemon anime was intended to sell a game, while the Digimon anime was intended to sell a toy. The most minor difference.

The more significant differences?

The Digimon Anime Actually Evolves
- We don't see this with Pokemon. Like...at all. The only thing that changes...is Pokemon you can catch and the region. The characters...more or less stay the same. The protagonist never changes in Pokemon (neither his age nor his personality really). Digimon characters actually grow up with the audience, and each new series introduces new characters and new protagonists. They never really stick to the same group of people. It's kinda sad really- Pokemon seems to focused on evolution, but it never changes. Each season follows the same exact formula....whereas Digimon games (good or bad) almost always change things a bit...some things stay consistent sure, but they're different enough to stand out from each other.

- Nintendo's logic is - keep the characters young cause that'll appeal to the demographic that the show is targeted at. By dudes, you don't have to lock your characters at 10 years old to make them appealing to a young audience. In fact, most seem to like it when the show grows the characters up - both physically and mentally. Tai and company don't just age up, but they mature a fair bit as well. They go through every day struggles that kids these days can relate to. It's....not really something you see Ash going through...his whole world seems to revolve around Pokemon. I mean sure...friendship seems to be a theme in there somewhere...but considering he replaces travelling partners like pencil lead, I don't really know how well it's handled here. His friendship with his Pokemon is great sure (though...Pikachu seems to be the only constant)...but his friendship with his human partners...not so much.

The friendship theme is definitely more prevalent in the Digimon series. It doesn't just revolve around characters befriending their Digimon, it revolves around their friendships with each other. Friendships that get tested on a regular basis, but come out all the stronger as a result. You don't really see this in Pokemon that much...Ash never truly changes...I mean, come on. It's like he forgets everything he learned at the beginning of every season, and aside from the occasional guest appearance or cameo, you hardly ever hear from the friends he had in previous seasons.

- And don't forget - changing protagonists. Every Digimon series has a new set of protagonists to play around with...sure, characters from previous series might make an appearance (or even play an important role like the original Digidestined did in Adventures 2), but for the most part...the characters are always different. Pokemon's teased different protagonists with Origins, but the main series protagonist never changes. It's the same boy all the way through

- Digimon's story tends to cover a lot of darker topics as well...just saying. Digimon is definitely more grown up than Pokemon is...by a long shot. The story-telling is more riveting, the characters are more memorable. And like I said, they grow up with the audience, and they deal with the same struggles that the audience might have to deal with. 'Growing up' is a very common theme in this series. Ash never has to worry about that because he's forever 21 10. He...loses a lot of his relatability as a result.

Yeah....there's definitely a big difference between these two series...and trying to call Digimon the same as Pokemon is just doing both series a disservice

Description
Watch there be plenty of discourse in the comments over this- but yes. I don't consider it to be a rip-off. Why? Because the similarities between the shows stops at the 'Mon' in the title and the 'kids with monster partners' bit. And Digimon even handles the monsters differently. Also...I might be a bit biased here because I did enjoy Digimon more as a kid but...I think I still make a good point here. I liked the Pokemon games, sure...but the anime definitely doesn't do the games justice.

First off - they were meant to sell different things. The Pokemon anime was intended to sell a game, while the Digimon anime was intended to sell a toy. The most minor difference.

The more significant differences?

The Digimon Anime Actually Evolves
- We don't see this with Pokemon. Like...at all. The only thing that changes...is Pokemon you can catch and the region. The characters...more or less stay the same. The protagonist never changes in Pokemon (neither his age nor his personality really). Digimon characters actually grow up with the audience, and each new series introduces new characters and new protagonists. They never really stick to the same group of people. It's kinda sad really- Pokemon seems to focused on evolution, but it never changes. Each season follows the same exact formula....whereas Digimon games (good or bad) almost always change things a bit...some things stay consistent sure, but they're different enough to stand out from each other.

- Nintendo's logic is - keep the characters young cause that'll appeal to the demographic that the show is targeted at. By dudes, you don't have to lock your characters at 10 years old to make them appealing to a young audience. In fact, most seem to like it when the show grows the characters up - both physically and mentally. Tai and company don't just age up, but they mature a fair bit as well. They go through every day struggles that kids these days can relate to. It's....not really something you see Ash going through...his whole world seems to revolve around Pokemon. I mean sure...friendship seems to be a theme in there somewhere...but considering he replaces travelling partners like pencil lead, I don't really know how well it's handled here. His friendship with his Pokemon is great sure (though...Pikachu seems to be the only constant)...but his friendship with his human partners...not so much.

The friendship theme is definitely more prevalent in the Digimon series. It doesn't just revolve around characters befriending their Digimon, it revolves around their friendships with each other. Friendships that get tested on a regular basis, but come out all the stronger as a result. You don't really see this in Pokemon that much...Ash never truly changes...I mean, come on. It's like he forgets everything he learned at the beginning of every season, and aside from the occasional guest appearance or cameo, you hardly ever hear from the friends he had in previous seasons.

- And don't forget - changing protagonists. Every Digimon series has a new set of protagonists to play around with...sure, characters from previous series might make an appearance (or even play an important role like the original Digidestined did in Adventures 2), but for the most part...the characters are always different. Pokemon's teased different protagonists with Origins, but the main series protagonist never changes. It's the same boy all the way through

- Digimon's story tends to cover a lot of darker topics as well...just saying. Digimon is definitely more grown up than Pokemon is...by a long shot. The story-telling is more riveting, the characters are more memorable. And like I said, they grow up with the audience, and they deal with the same struggles that the audience might have to deal with. 'Growing up' is a very common theme in this series. Ash never has to worry about that because he's forever 21 10. He...loses a lot of his relatability as a result.

Yeah....there's definitely a big difference between these two series...and trying to call Digimon the same as Pokemon is just doing both series a disservice