The character is Hudiemon, who was created when Erika and Wormmon fused together with some additional personality-shaping data. At that point, the two characters were distinct characters with their own backstories, personalities, etc.
The fusion that initially created Hudiemon ended their existence as individuals. Hudiemon is capable of physically splitting themself back up into Erika and Wormmon.
But, the Erika and Wormmon that come out of that split are not the same Erika and Wormmon that went in. Their personalities have been unified and altered by the additional data, and they consider Hudiemon to be their real, primary self. They think, feel, and make decisions independently, though in a very synchronized way because they have the same personality and can predict what the other will do. Differences between the two are very slight and are the result of the different bodies evoking different memories and drawing out different behaviors (like how a person will act differently in different social situations).
Erika and Wormmon were at once partners like any kid and their Digimon, but after their fusion, mechanically designating Wormmon to be a separate "sidekick" character would feel very eennnhhh. A lot of the canon's plot revolves around weird existential/transhumanist shit and the climax goes to lengths to establish that they really are the same person now.
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The character is Hudiemon, who was created when Erika and Wormmon fused together with some additional personality-shaping data. At that point, the two characters were distinct characters with their own backstories, personalities, etc.
The fusion that initially created Hudiemon ended their existence as individuals. Hudiemon is capable of physically splitting themself back up into Erika and Wormmon.
But, the Erika and Wormmon that come out of that split are not the same Erika and Wormmon that went in. Their personalities have been unified and altered by the additional data, and they consider Hudiemon to be their real, primary self. They think, feel, and make decisions independently, though in a very synchronized way because they have the same personality and can predict what the other will do. Differences between the two are very slight and are the result of the different bodies evoking different memories and drawing out different behaviors (like how a person will act differently in different social situations).
Erika and Wormmon were at once partners like any kid and their Digimon, but after their fusion, mechanically designating Wormmon to be a separate "sidekick" character would feel very eennnhhh. A lot of the canon's plot revolves around weird existential/transhumanist shit and the climax goes to lengths to establish that they really are the same person now.