Other Characters

Info below is from To Bring Back Yesterday

Name: Akiyama Ryo
Meaning of name: distant (Ryo) autumn mountain (Akiyama)
Age: unknown, possibly 11 or 12 by Season 1

Appearances: Brief cameos in episodes 23 and 43, co-starred in the Wonderswan game 'Tag Tamers' with Ichijouji Ken (his partner in this is V-mon), the sequel game 'D-1 Tamers', and starred before that in another Wonderswan game with Taichi called 'Anode Tamer' (Which has a similar companion game titled Cathode Tamer). He also makes a cameo in the movie 'Bokura no Wargame' and will star in an upcoming game with Takato called 'Network Tamers'.

What's known:
Anode/Cathode Tamer (1999): Ryo lives with a mother and father in a two-story house, and has no siblings or pets. His parents are apparently really well off, because they gave him a laptop for Christmas '99. While he's typing away in a chatroom on this laptop, he's sent a digivice, which then transports him to the Digital World. It's there that he meets up with Agumon and, eventually, saves Taichi & co. from Millenniumon. It's here that the fans find out that Ryo has a penchant for chatting online regularly and playing videogames. The difference between Anode and Cathode Tamer is that Cathode Tamer has a different set of digimon to train, mostly aquatic.

Tag Tamers (2000): Ryo and Ken have apparently been friends for a while, since the game opens up with Ken ushering Ryo to his room, wherein they witness the whole battle with Diablomon on the internet from the second Digimon movie "Bokura no Wargame". The next day, Ryo gets the first D-3 and is summoned with Ken to the Digital World. They learn that Diablomon hadn't been completely defeated, then Ryo and V-mon are sent out to defeat him. It's soon learned that Millenniumon is still around, and then he taunts Ryo for a bit before blowing up the mountain. Throughout the game the scene switches between Ryo and Ken, so you do play both. The game ends with the thorough defeat of Millenniumon. In the anime, Millenniumon disperses the Dark Seeds soon afterwards. One of these aims for Ryo, but Ken pushes him out of the way and gets nailed with one in Ryo's stead. D-1 Tamers: Shortly after Tag Tamers, Ryo and Ken are summoned back to the Digital World by the Four Holy Beasts to participate in something called the D-1 Tournament. They eventually win this tournament, and as the story progresses, take on Moon=Millenniumon.

Facts and Rumors:
1) Ryo is not Ken's second older brother. He does however consider Ken his best friend.
2) Ryo does not show up in Digimon Tamers (a.k.a. "Season 3"), although he might make a cameo. It's too early to tell.
3) Ryo is not Cuban, this was started up by Puppetmistress of the Practically Evil Shrine to Dark Koushiro fame. This wouldn't worry me so much if people didn't actually believe it.
4) Ryo is NOT a Daisuke clone. Anode Tamer, the first game Ryo starred in, came out on December 16, 1999. The first episode of Digimon 02 came out May 2, 2000 in Japan. How can he be a clone of someone who didn't even exist when Anode Tamer was in production?

Timeline discrepancies and so on:
1) Ryo has gotten his Digivice sometime before or during Season 1 of the anime, at least it looks that way from the first Wonderswan game package where he shows up with Taichi. However, he's also shown to have gotten another in Tag Tamers, which takes place immediately after the Omegamon vs. Diablomon battle in one of the movies. Also, in "Bokura no Wargame" he's shown in the same outfit he wore while adventuring with Taichi, but in Tag Tamers he wears the blue pseudo-military shirt and green cargo pants he keeps during Tag and D-1 Tamers. Yes, it's nitpicking, but what the hey.
2) For the extent of the games, Ryo's digimon partners tend to vary, so he never sticks to one for long. In Tag Tamers, his partner of the moment was a V-mon who later Jogress evolved with Ken's Wormmon into Paildramon..No one knows whether this is the same V-mon that Daisuke has other than the creators.
3) Where does Ryo end up disappearing to after D-1 Tamers, anyway? Some fans think that he's either a military brat in the real world or a lone traveller in the Digital World. Again, who knows but the creators. It does offer some interesting fanfic possibilities, however.

Name: Ichijouji Osamu
Meaning of name: reign (Osamu) first temple (Ichijouji)
Age: unknown, possibly 11 by the time he died
Appearances: Brief cameo in episode 21, more exposure in episodes 23 and 49

What's known: Osamu is said to be the true genius in the family and was fawned upon by his parents to such an extent that Ken was completely neglected. Often stressed from the pressure that comes with being a child genius, he would occassionally and completely unintentionally lash out at his younger brother. This however does not indicate that he was abusive, for Ken's fondest memories were of them blowing bubbles out on the balcony and of Osamu explaining that Ken was far more gentle and kind than he was. Unfortunately after one argument, Ken wished that Osamu would die. Not long afterwards, Osamu was hit by a car and killed.

The history of the Ichijouji brothers is relatively complex. When the digivice was sent to Ken, Osamu confiscated it and put it away with the warning that Ken was not to touch it. However, curiosity plagued the younger boy, and Ken sneaked it out and was transported to the Digital World. Once he returned, his brother discovered his betrayal of trust and snatched the device away. Ken did not enter that world again until after Osamu's death. Now, enter Oikawa Yukio, stage left. Oikawa had been evidently stalking the Ichijouji family for some time, his eyes on Ken in particular. Because Osamu was the reason for Ken's withdrawal from the Digital World, he presented a threat to Oikawa's plans, and was therefore removed from the scene. With Osamu out of the way, Ken in perfect condition to be twisted to Oikawa's will. (Note: this particular thing concerning Oikawa is a theory of mine and should be taken with a grain of salt) Ken constantly blamed himself for Osamu's death to the point where he attempted to make up for the loss and attempt to appease his parents by taking Osamu's place, and continued to do so until his vision during episode 49.