is a series of

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

s (RPGs) developed by

Natsume Co., Ltd. , formerly from 1987 to 2013, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. Natsume Atari is based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan and is known for developing licensed titles and mobile games. The company was founded as Natsume Co., Ltd. in 19 ...

and published by

Smilesoft was a Japanese company that published video games. Its headquarters were in the in Shibuya, Tokyo.

. In the games, the

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

contacts various creatures using a

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

-like device in order to get them to battle the foes they will encounter. Released exclusively in Japan on November 3, 2000, the first game in the series was released for the

Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

in two versions: and . Each version features several exclusive creatures. The name of the series derives from , the Japanese term for mobile phone, as making

phone calls A telephone call, phone call, voice call, or simply a call, is the effective use of a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party. Telephone calls are the form of human communication that was first enabl ...

to the creatures is an integral part of the games, and ''fang'', to symbolize the various beasts involved. On April 26, 2002, a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

called was released exclusively in Japan. Likewise, two versions were released, also called and , featuring similar differences between them.

Gameplay

''Keitai Denjū Telefang'' and ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2'' revolve around collecting the phone numbers of various creatures, referred to as , on a device called , that the

, classified as a , encounters and must defeat. These are used to be able to request aid from them at a later time, should they require it. The games are played from a third-person,

top-down perspective A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...

, with the player taking the role of the games' young protagonist and main T-Fanger: Shigeki in ''Keitai Denjū Telefang'' and Kyō in ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''. One ''Denjū'' stays by the player's side at a time and follows them around but in battle he can call up to two other ''Denjū'' to help them. ''Denjū'' will sometimes give the player their phone numbers after they beat them in a random battle but take longer to arrive in battle if they're originally from a distant area, due to getting lost. Sometimes, they may not even show up at all if called, so care must be taken to make sure that the player is not calling a ''Denjū'' which is too far away.

Mechanics

All ''Denjū'' have a range of

statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...

(colloquially called "stats"):

Hit Points Health is a video game or tabletop game quality that determines the maximum amount of damage or fatigue something takes before leaving the main game. In role-playing games, this typically takes the form of hit points (HP), a numerical attribute ...

(HP), Speed, Attack, Defense, Denma Attack and Denma Defense. These statistics determine how powerful, fast or robust any given ''Denjū'' is. The type of habitat a ''Denjū'' lives in determines how weak it is to attacks from ''Denjū'' from other habitats; there is a vulnerability chain that goes from Mountain to Sky, from Sky to Forest, from Forest to Aquatic, from Aquatic to Desert, from Desert to Grassland and, finally, from Grassland to Mountain. This also applies in reverse in the sense that a ''Denjū'' of certain types inflicts less damage upon one it is weak to. However, this was slightly changed in ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2'', where ''Denjūs habitat types are defensive, and attacks are of separate offensive types: Normal, Flame, Thunder, Water, Wind, Rock and Machine. This arrangement makes ''Denjū'' a bit more versatile, as they may carry moves that would be effective against opponents they would normally have trouble against. In battle, the ''Denjū'' have an array of two to four attacks specific to their species. The battles are not strictly

turn-based Timekeeping is relevant to many types of games, including video games, tabletop role-playing games, board games, and sports. The passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. In many games, this is don ...

; the Speed stat of a ''Denjū'' determines how many turns it can take and when. Thus, for example, a ''Denjū'' with a higher Speed stat could attack twice for every time a ''Denjū'' with a lower Speed stat goes once, also attacking before the slower ''Denjū'' can get a hit in. Battles are performed in matches where each team may have anywhere from one to three ''Denjū'' participating. Losing causes a

game over "Game over" is a message in video games which informs the player that their play session has ended, usually because the player has reached a loss condition. It also sometimes appears at the successful completion of a session, especially in ga ...

and the player is then returned to the

title screen A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an opening theme song with visua ...

of the games. A ''Denjūs attacks cannot be altered unless a ''Denjū'' evolves. Evolution is achieved by three different methods: "Natural evolution" (achieved by training ''Denjū''), "Modified evolution" (by giving ''Denjū'' certain items in a "modified evolution" area) or "Experimental evolution" (achieved by taking the DNA of one Denjū with an item called Phone Card and giving it to the ''Denjū'' to be "experimentally evolved"). Some ''Denjū'' do not evolve. In ''Keitai Denjū Telefang'', evolution is permanent but in ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2'', evolution can be reversed if it was not achieved through "Natural evolution". Many ''Denjū'' have a special attack called Denma attack that needs to be charged up and takes multiple turns to execute. This special attack does damage based on the ''Denjūs Denma Attack stat and is often considered not to be worth the wait. Due to the time that it takes for the special attack to charge, it is easy for the opponent to attack during multiple turns or to avoid the move entirely. In ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2'', instead of having to wait for a Denma attack to charge, its use is limited by a DP meter. There are other attacks that can raise the Attack or Defense stat of a ''Denjū'' or heal the user or its allies. These vary from ''Denjū'' to ''Denjū''. The use of items varies greatly between ''Keitai Denjū Telefang'' and ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''. In ''Keitai Denjū Telefang'', items are only used for evolving ''Denjū'' or gifts, excluding some items that are important to the storyline such as keys to unlock doors or a plush ''Denjū'' toy that has been stolen. Evolution items are generally objects that come from the human world. These items are capable of affecting ''Denjū'' in certain ways when they are forcibly combined. Such items range from simple objects like

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail of ...

s and batteries to

flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World W ...

computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...

, cranes and

shuriken A is a Japanese concealed weapon used by samurai or ninja or in martial arts as a hidden dagger or '' metsubushi'' to distract or misdirect. History The origins of the ''bo-shuriken'' in Japan are still unclear, despite continuing researc ...

. ''Denjū'' which evolve via "Modified evolution" will only do so if they receive a specific item. Certain items also give large amounts of experience points to ''Denjū'' without evolving them. In ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2'', evolution items are of the same type as ''Denjū'' (Mountain, Sky, Forest, Aquatic, Desert or Grassland) and any such item can be used to evolve a ''Denjū'' of the same type. However, different items may have certain effects on stat growth. Evolution items can also be thrown at enemy ''Denjū'' to attempt to befriend them more easily and the probability of this occurring is increased if the item thrown matches their type. In addition to evolution items, there are also special items which can be held by ''Denjū'' to boost one of their stats. ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2'' also introduced items which can heal a ''Denjūs HP and/or DP as well as cure status effects such as paralysis. Items can be purchased at shops or found in treasure chests but may also be picked up after battles or found by running through grass.

Plot

''Keitai Denjū Telefang''

The games take place in the year 2020 and there are special

s equipped with a unique antenna called D-Shot which allows teleportation through "antenna trees". A 10-year-old boy named Shigeki finds one of these phones and is accidentally transported with another boy, Matsukiyo, to another world when he loses a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

near an "antenna tree". This world is full of fantasy creatures called ''Denjū'', who all own a D-Shot and use them to call their friends to help them compete in battles. These phone battles are also known as Telefang. Shigeki becomes a T-Fanger and travels the ''Denjū'' world, trying to learn more about it. At the same time, he gets wrapped up in several plots involving evil ''Denjū'' as well as other humans, who may or may not be T-Fangers.

''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''

The games follow the story of Kyō, a blue-haired 10-year-old T-Fanger who travels to the ''Denjū'' world to look for his missing father. His friend Midori accompanies him on the journey. During his adventure, he encounters a ''Denjū'' named Diablos, who is killing off the "antenna trees" as he is not happy with the fact that humans are entering the ''Denjū'' world. After Diablos kills all but one "antenna tree", that tree becomes the only

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

between the two worlds. Kyō has to prevent Diablos from killing that last "antenna tree", or Kyō will be stuck in the ''Denjū'' world forever.

Characters

In ''Keitai Denjū Telefang''

Humans

* - The

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

and main T-Fanger of ''Keitai Denjū Telefang''. He is an average 10-year-old boy who loves

. He is transported to the ''Denjū'' world when he loses a

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

near a strange tree. * - A

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

who wants to learn more about the ''Denjū'' world. He accidentally gets transported there along with Shigeki. He reappears in ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''. * - She is a strong-willed girl who is described as a

childhood A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

friend Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Although there are many forms of f ...

of Shigeki but teases him about never having been to the ''Denjū'' world. * - A mysterious boy encountered during Shigeki's travels and whose purpose in the ''Denjū'' world is unclear, though he serves as Shigeki's rival. * - The owner of the Sanaeba

pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry is a Medicine, medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or Self-medicate, self-administered b ...

, whose staff were the first to discover the ''Denjū'' world. After the discovery, they began to branch their business into other areas. They also control the

s that connect the ''Denjū'' and human worlds. While they allow children to come and go freely, adults must pay a fee. Sanaeba seems to have his name attached to many of the problems which have cropped up in the ''Denjū'' world and is apparently manipulating ''Denjū'' for unknown reasons. ** - A member of Sanaeba who tries to become

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the ''Denjū'' world. He tries to get people to vote for him by setting up a curry store. ** - An enemy of Shigeki in the ''Denjū'' world.

''Denjū''

* - A strong hot-tempered ''Denjū''; it is assigned by Musa as Shigeki's first partner in ''Power Version''. * - A swift faithful ''Denjū''; it is assigned by Musa as Shigeki's first partner in ''Speed Version''. * - An old, turtle-like ''Denjū'' who is the first to greet Shigeki and Matsukiyo after they're dropped into the ''Denjū'' world. It asks for their help with various problems that its world is facing and introduces Shigeki to his first partner. Musa's

phone number A telephone number is the address of a telecommunication endpoint, such as a telephone, in a telephone network, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A telephone number typically consists of a sequence of digits, but histor ...

is one of the secret phone numbers which must be manually input and it cannot be obtained as a partner otherwise during normal gameplay. * and - The ''Denjū'' that is the partner of Kai, Shigeki's rival, being Angios in ''Power Version'' and Gymnos in ''Speed Version'', respectively. * - A

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slend ...

-like ''Denjū'' who is the partner of Miyo. * - A ''Denjū'' that resembles a

Waratah Australia’s famous waratah (genus ''Telopea'') is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia (New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, and Tasmania). The be ...

and who is the partner of Matsukiyo.

In ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''

Humans

* - The

and main T-Fanger of ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''. He is a blue-haired 10-year-old boy who goes to the ''Denjū'' world to look for his missing father. * - She is a friend of Kyō who travels the ''Denjū'' world with him. * and - Two characters that appear in ''Power Version'' and ''Speed Version'', respectively. They serve as Kyō's rival in the corresponding versions. * - The

who entered the ''Denjū'' world along with Shigeki in ''Keitai Denjū Telefang'' is now a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

living in the human world, where he runs a laboratory and pays Kyō for collecting information on certain ''Denjū''.

''Denjū''

* - The first partner ''Denjū'' of Kyō. * - The first partner ''Denjū'' of Midori. It appears to be based on the

chukar partridge The chukar partridge (''Alectoris chukar''), or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland Upland game, gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partrid ...

. * - The partner ''Denjū'' of Yū, the rival in ''Power Version''. * - The partner ''Denjū'' of Otome, the rival in ''Speed Version''. * - A ''Denjū'' who is unhappy with the presence and influence of humans in the ''Denjū'' world. He is killing off the "antenna trees" to prevent contact between the ''Denjū'' world and the human world.

Manga adaptation

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series based on the ''Power Version'' was serialized by

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

. First released as a monthly feature in the ''

Comic BonBon was a monthly Japanese children's manga magazine published by Kodansha and aimed at elementary school boys. It was first published on October 15, 1981, and ceased publication in 2007. A web version of the magazine has been published on Pixiv Com ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

, the manga's issues were later

reprint A reprint is a re-publication of material that has already been previously published. The term ''reprint'' is used with slightly different meanings in several fields. Academic publishing In academic publishing, offprints, sometimes also known ...

ed as a set of three

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

, or

volumes Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The ...

. A manga was also serialized by Kodansha for ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''; however, it was featured only in the ''Comic BonBon'' magazine and was never reprinted.

Piracy

The first two ''Keitai Denjū Telefang'' games received an unofficial English translation. The original games were not related to

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

's ''Pokémon '' series, but the translations were marketed as ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pokémon Jade''. The creatures used for the cover arts are neither Denjuu nor Pokémon; the box for ''Pokémon Jade'' depicts a modified design of the forest spirit from ''

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated historical drama, historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, the film follows Ashitaka, a young Emishi prince who journeys west to cure his curs ...

'', while the box for ''Pokémon Diamond'' depicts a blue snake-like creature of unknown origin. The translations are notorious for their poorly translated English text as well as serious programming errors not present in the original games that can cause the game to crash.

References

External links

Official Japanese website for ''Keitai Denjū Telefang''Official Japanese website for ''Keitai Denjū Telefang 2''Wikifang, a fan community wiki dedicated to Telefang
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keitai Denju Telefang 2000 video games Game Boy Advance games Game Boy Color games Japan-exclusive video games Japanese role-playing video games Monster-taming games Multiplayer and single-player video games Natsume Atari games Video game franchises Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Kinuyo Yamashita Works about mobile phones