Preview JN085: Rival Showdown! Satoshi VS Saitou!!

[Unireon]

They are just dragging it, forcing a 'rivalry' that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

Saito doesn't have any essence or depth as a character.
She's almost as lifeless and insipid as the props that are Gou's captures.

I will skip this episode due to two characters that I don't care about, her and Lucario, are the focus.
Then just rely on someone else's resume or commentary.

 

[Jewel the Quaxly]

Ash has battled Bea multiple times. That's the distinction.

He's battled her literally only twice. And even then, she hasn't even made a single appearance since. I honestly can't blame anyone who doesn't consider Bea to be Ash's rival for this very reason.

 

[DankOverlord]

He's battled her literally only twice. And even then, she hasn't even made a single appearance since. I honestly can't blame anyone who doesn't consider Bea to be Ash's rival for this very reason.

This. We're getting to their climatic fight but it's just... Undewhelming, he lost to her with newborn Pokemon, tied with semi experienced Pokemon and is winning with somewhat developed team that is basically made out to be stronger than anything he's had before with about 1/8th of screentime. Easy to see why no one is that hyped for this match.

Like compare that to his fights with Paul or Sawyer where there was a sense of consistency and frequency of battles that made the last one very hype-inducing, Bea/Ash rivalry is not that at all.

 

[Sai]

Bea is not a rival in the traditional sense, they’re rivals in that everyone in the PWC are competing to reach the Masters 8. They’ll likely call Raihan Ash’s rival too when we get to the point where Raihan acknowledges him.

I also don’t see how this is underwhelming, Bea has gotten consistently stronger with each return and this set-up looks very good. She probably won’t appear anymore after Ash beats her, but they did a very good job showing how a Gym leader can continuously grow. Every character in the PWC is technically a rival for Ash. And there are plenty of people hyped for this match, take a look around social media and other forums for a change. As long as the animation and battle itself turn out well, this looks very promising.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Bea has gotten consistently stronger with each return and this set-up looks very good. She probably won’t appear anymore after Ash beats her, but they did a very good job showing how a Gym leader can continuously grow.

I’m sorry... has she? We saw her literally twice, with her second appearence showing us Hitmontop, a pokemon we had no template to compare to, and Grapploct, who didn’t show any major change in strength or tactics-on the contrary, Riolu caught up to it very fast and Chuck’s Poliwrath was giving it a run for its money.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the match and I like Bea, but that comes mostly from personal bias and the battle starvation I’ve been feeling throughout Journeys. From a narrative standpoint, there really isn’t much to be invested on.

 

[PikachuSmasher]

Bea is not a rival in the traditional sense, they’re rivals in that everyone in the PWC are competing to reach the Masters 8. They’ll likely call Raihan Ash’s rival too when we get to the point where Raihan acknowledges him.

I also don’t see how this is underwhelming, Bea has gotten consistently stronger with each return and this set-up looks very good. She probably won’t appear anymore after Ash beats her, but they did a very good job showing how a Gym leader can continuously grow. Every character in the PWC is technically a rival for Ash. And there are plenty of people hyped for this match, take a look around social media and other forums for a change. As long as the animation and battle itself turn out well, this looks very promising.

Bea is considered a rival by the anime, but to me, she's a recurring person who'll battle Ash. A rivalry will be like Ash and Trip or even Ash and Alain, multiple battles and good setup for their rivalry too. Bea just came out of the blue, beat Ash, came back again, tied with Ash and a year later will lose against Ash. After this, there's no point. If they wanted a clear rivalry, they should have had multiple battles in the Great Class. Something I consider a rivalry is Ash and Leon. Leon has acknowledged Ash a few times and is keeping up with his progress. A champion wouldn't do that, he clearly sees something in Ash. At least Ash and Bea's rivalry is more developed than Ash and Raihan's.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Bea has gotten consistently stronger with each return

Do you mean literally one return?

 

[Sai]

And this is her second return; where she’s shown getting consistently stronger. Bea is actually what people wanted to in the PWC, have Ash and another trainer battle each other through the ranks and gradually grow stronger. Since every other opponent seems one and done, I’m glad they chose a Galar Gym leader whose fairly popular like Bea to use for this.

Also in today’s Alcremie episode Raihan acknowledged Ash for the first time and will most likely consider Ash his rival too. Like I said, virtually everyone in the PWC will be called Ash’s rival because they’re all competing to reach Leon.

 

[Handy Man]

Ash has battled Rinto twice as well. Should that make Rinto a rival? Journeys is so exhausting.

 

[Sai]

Ash has battled Rinto twice as well. Should that make Rinto a rival? Journeys is so exhausting.

How is it exhausting? Those characters are rivals for Ash’s spot. They don’t have to appear again but that’s what they’re there for. I don’t see what the issue is. They aren’t traditional rivals since they won’t appear all series (at least as far as we know right now) but so were Korrina, Iris, Volkner, etc.

 

[Unireon]

Ash has battled Rinto twice as well. Should that make Rinto a rival? Journeys is so exhausting.

Rinto didn't take such a long break.
And still he was a bit more fleshed out.

I wouldn't mind having him as a rival if we were in past/another series, but since this is Journeys I doubt that they'd develop it adequately.

 

[isrrael120]

I never really felt like a rivalry, it seems more like a kind of competition to me! .3.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I never really felt like a rivalry, it seems more like a kind of competition to me! .3.

There are different kinds of rivals. Some appear and compete with a main character more often than others.

 

[Reborn Talonflame]

You know those enemies at the start of Shounen Animes, who are reduced to being the protagonist’s first quest’s challenge, and it introduces the gimmick of the world they’re in, whilst they show no emotion? Once defeated, you never see them again for the rest of the show? That’s literally Bea, only she’s somehow went a year without a meaningful appearance.

I cannot see this rivalry ever being more than average. Bea’s only personality trait is the good-old “Must be the strongest”, and it’s so bland. What separates her from anyone? Drawing from today’s episode, she is just a selfie away from being like Raihan. Everyone wants to get stronger, so how does her personality reflect the way she becomes stronger? I don’t know, the show never bothered to tell us. What draws Bea from Ash, in a way that’s engaging?
It’s all well saying there’s different type of rivals, so okay, why doesn’t the anime show her off to allow parallels or similarities that can connect us to a character we love, to a character we know nothing about?

 

[Twilight-Kun]

One of these days I hope they remember that one Trainer Tips sign from Route 10 and actually do something with it

The Dynamax phenomenon is caused by a special power that originates from within Pokémon, warping the space around them and making them appear far larger than they truly are.

Imagine if Lucario punched a hole through Gigantamax Machamp to hit regular Machamp in order to defeat it, rather than just punching a jpg that can't move

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

They aren’t traditional rivals since they won’t appear all series (at least as far as we know right now) but so were Korrina, Iris, Volkner, etc.

Bea is literally being marketed as a traditional rival though? The term "rival" has a very, very specific meaning in the context of the Pokémon franchise.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Bea is literally being marketed as a traditional rival though? The term "rival" has a very, very specific meaning in the context of the Pokémon franchise.

I respectfully disagree. We've had many different kinds of rivals over the course of the franchise's history. Friendly rivals, competitive rivals, League rivals, and so forth.

 

[Unireon]

The anime could drop Saito, via hand-waving, and nothing would be lost.
Actually, the PWC may improve due to not having the burden that it is this forced 'rivalry'.

At this point, I am starting to think that both Shuuti and Kotetsu were better rivals to Satoshi than her.

 

[Sai]

We’re getting to see Ash and a trainer battle each other regularly through the ranks and people wanted her dropped; when this is exactly what they should be doing (and honestly they should do this with Iris too but I don’t think we’ll see her again).

Bea was also one of the most popular Galar Gym leaders besides Raihan and Nessa so I’m glad they’re doing it with her too. Gigantamax Machamp is icing on the cake as well as a full 3 on 3 match.

 

[Jewel the Quaxly]

I respectfully disagree. We've had many different kinds of rivals over the course of the franchise's history. Friendly rivals, competitive rivals, League rivals, and so forth.

...so she is a rival, right? Rivalries are usually defined by lasting relationships, so when analyzing rivalries in media, obviously people are going to assess a rivalry by how prominent it is to the story, whether someone likes it or not.

And if we are talking strictly textbook definitions here, than by that logic, Samson Oak should be considered one of Ash's rivals because he fell under the category of "league rival" and falls under the definition of having "competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field" with Ash. Hell, why isn't Faba considered a rival? The only difference Bea has is that she is officially stated to be a rival, but again, people don't have to consider her to be one if they don't want to. I don't consider the likes of Cameron to be Ash's rival, but that ain't going to stop a pokemon magazine from saying otherwise.