Akiyoshi Hongou is credited on all relevant media as the creator of the original concept and character designs for the Digimon franchise. However, nothing is known about Hongou as an individual. There are some possibilities that Akiyoshi Hongou could be a pseudonym for two people: Aki Maita, the creator of the original Tamagotchi, and Takeichi Hongou, the principal officer of Tamagotchi for Bandai.