DarkraiKnight
Master of the Shadows
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2018
- Messages
- 492
- Reaction score
- 1,488
I personally have nothing against friendly rivals. Sure, Blue was an iconic rival, but that doesn't mean that rivals unlike him are automatically bad. Let's have a rundown on all the rivals introduced after Generation II:
Also, I'll share with you all the thing that I randomly found and inspired me to make this post in the first place.
- Brendan/May: I admit, these are probably the blandest rivals to date, but thanks to OR/AS, they're perfectly respectable in my books. They're not competitive against you, but still want to battle against you just for the fun of it, helping you advance in your journey.
- Wally: Like Brendan/May, Wally got a much-needed facelift in OR/AS, pulling him out of obscurity and giving him a ton of more character. Also, need I mention that he's one of the strongest Trainers in terms of level outside of battle facilities? That alone is a big plus for me.
- Barry: This guy is loved despite him not being an a-hole, and I think it's because he's still competitive towards you, not to mention of his hilarious personality and behavior.
- Cheren and Bianca: These rivals represent the game's theme of truth and ideals, and they truly develop as characters throughout the game. Plus, when we revisit Unova two years later, it's nice to see how they've advanced in their respective lives and attained professions they're perfectly happy with. Also, given Unova's heavy emphasis on story, these two naturally contribute a lot to it.
- Hugh: Probably the best blend of competitive and friendly rival, combined with a great story and motivation. This guy deserves more recognition.
- The Kalos rivals: Sigh... These guys. They seem to get all the hate in the world when it comes to friendly rivals in Pokémon. But the thing is: they have a reason for being like they are. Each of them enjoys a different aspect of Pokémon: Shauna enjoys the journey she gets to make when she has a Pokémon on her side; Tierno enjoys just being with Pokémon, regardless of where he's going; Trevor enjoys filling up the Pokédex; and Calem/Serena enjoys the classic training and competitive parr of Pokémon. I think these four deserve way more respect.
- Hau: This malasada boy is a nice guy. Especially in US/UM, in my opinion. He starts his journey by with the intention of nothing but enjoy it, but as the story advances, he understands that he needs to train much harder to become a stronger Trainer and be able to protect those he cares about, like Lillie. And in US/UM, this results in him facing you in a battle for the literal Champion throne, effectively making him the second-strongest Trainer in Alola. I also like the relationship between him and his grandfather. He's probably my favorite "friendly" rival.
- Gladion: This guy honestly already gets a lot of respect. I really don't know what to say about him that hasn't already been said. He's already beloved enough by the fandom to not need any defense.
- Trace: Despite Trace effectively being a replacement for Blue, I still don't hate him for being that. He's a respectable rival and overall a nice character. One of his defining traits must be him adopting the orphaned Cube, using it to fight Team Rocket at Silph Co., and eventually evolving it into a Marowak. I also don't mind him becoming the Champion like Blue did, even if they did miss the most opportune chance to make Professor Oak the Champion.
The title alone ticked me off, to be honest...
Yes! Thank you for saying this, especially the part about Hau. I've noticed so many people not noticing or outright ignoring key stuff about Hau and his development, and then calling him a terrible rival even though they don't have all the facts.