Rival Showdown! Who's your favorite rival?

[Cilan]

I didn't include Wally, Shauna, Tierno, or Trevor in the poll only because I consider Brendan/May as your primary rival in the Hoenn games and Calem/Serena your primary rival in XY (and I didn't want the poll to be too long) but they still count so if one of them is your favorite then say so

Honestly I gotta say that Barry is my favorite rival out of all of the games. To me he's a good mix of being a good friend while also super determined to be stronger than you. He doesn't feel too friendly or too cocky to me. I love the moments where he battles alongside you, but I love battling him more since I think his team is a great balance and can be challenging if you're not prepared (that effin Heracross got me a few times due to bad type coverage at the time.)

Silver is probably my favorite in terms of character development. He goes from being a cruel trainer who only cares about using pokemon for power to learning to care for and love his pokemon, especially in HGSS after he apologized to Prof. Elm for stealing his starter.

And in terms of wanting to totally destroy them for being such a cocky ass, Blue wins that one without a doubt. I hated his cocky attitude, but that's what made me want to beat him more than the others.

 

[kaiomann]

Blue. Rivals should actually feel like a rival, not just some friend of yours. I remember back in Red, seeing his name on all the gym statues, then running into him where he gives another arrogant remark. I always had the biggest pleasure stomping him

Also, smell ya later.

 

[Soki]

Honestly I gotta say that Barry is my favorite rival out of all of the games. To me he's a good mix of being a good friend while also super determined to be stronger than you. He doesn't feel too friendly or too cocky to me.

This is exactly why Barry's my fav too. I dislike every other friendly rival, because they are too friendly or I just don't like them as a character. But I love Barry, because he's a friend and an ass at the same time and he's a very fun character imo.

 

[Muur]

I went Barry because he's super competitive with you. Blue has been a little over used, so that lowers him down a bit.

 

[GaryOak123]

i went for blue because he's an actual rival, and i liked his competitve attiude and he made me want to do better to beat him, however i also liked barry because he was friendly but also a good rival

 

[godiego]

Blue because he was actually decent as a rival.

 

[Lysson]

I went for Hugh. He's not the strongest but he's the first rival that I actually cared for. Barry and Blue are joint second for me as they're strong and have good personalities.

 

[Tyrfing]

If Wally was in the poll, it would easily be Wally. However, he wasn't.

My favorite, then, has to be Silver. I also like Cheren, but that is primarily Unova bias and nostalgia getting in the way, I think; his only good personality trait is his occasional snide moments. I much prefer fan interpretations of him.

 

[Boshi234]

My favorite ''rival'' in Pokémon.

Gary Oak Blue.
Why? Because the first time I saw him in the anime (yes I know that the games and the Pokémon anime are separate from each other) in that Diglett episode I always wanted Ash to defeat him. When my turn came in Red/FireRed I defeated him almost easily every I fought against him, almost because that one time where he became the Champion for reasons was challenging but the Elite Four where more of a threat to my team. But I didn't consider Gary Blue to be my rival but a kid who was annoying.

 

[BlackButterfree]

Every rival has their strong points... I think my favorite so far is... N.

 

[Charbok]

Barry, Silver, and Hugh in that order.

Barry because honestly when I first saw him I didn't think he'd be as competitive as he was or have a team as well balanced and strong as he did. His Heracross almost took out most of my team when I battled him at the Resort. Not to mention that he's a good mix of comic relief while also having some serious moments. Plus I absolutely love his battle theme, and his sprite in Platinum

Silver is next because SS was the first time I played a Gen 2 game, and towards the end when he thanks Prof. Elm for letting him keep his starter I just fell in love with him. He came off as an abusive person when I first met him. He constantly shoved you out of the way and he only cares about having powerful pokemon and will insult the ones he finds are weak. Seeing him change towards the end of the game made me go from hating him to loving him.

Finally, Hugh is my last choice because he honestly surprised me. By his appearance I thought that he would be another Blue/Silver type rival, but I was complately wrong. Even though he didn't really feel much like a rival, I loved how determined he was to defeat Team Plasma and I honestly got some feels from his dialogue about his sister's Purrloin.

Honorable mention goes to Blue for being the poster child of the cocky, jerkass rival that you just want to destroy, and Wally for his growth and character development as well.

 

[firepanda]

Wally. He's the primary rival in RSE, since you battle him in victory road. Everything about him is amazing. His music, his hair, his ace, even his mega pendant.

From your list, Bianca and Cheren, just because Gamefreak did some great stuff thematically with them.

 

[godiego]

Wally. He's the primary rival in RSE, since you battle him in victory road. Everything about him is amazing. His music, his hair, his ace, even his mega pendant.

From your list, Bianca and Cheren, just because Gamefreak did some great stuff thematically with them.

Wally's probably the shittiest "rival" GameFreak has ever come out with.

 

[firepanda]

Wally's probably the shittiest "rival" GameFreak has ever come out with.

You MONSTER. :'O How could you hate something so adorable and green?

 

[godiego]

You MONSTER. :'O How could you hate something so adorable and green?

Because he's boring? He's such a flat character. ORAS was such a good opportunity to actually make him a real rival and they clearly missed that opportunity. Yet everyone continues to be on the Wally (and ORAS in general) dickriding train.

 

[firepanda]

Because he's boring? He's such a flat character. ORAS was such a good opportunity to actually make him a real rival and they clearly missed that opportunity. Yet everyone continues to be on the Wally (and ORAS in general) dickriding train.

I'd say he had more character arc than many other rivals. Barry is the flattest of the flat: if you graphed his personality, it would be a flat line. Brendan and May are even worse, with generic writing. Likewise for Blue, who had zero character development in the Kanto games and is only notable because he becomes champion. Cheren and Bianca each only have token character development in BW, as much as I love how thematic they are. Hugh was stayed much the same throughout as well, although his personality was relatively complex.

That's not why I like Wally though. I like him precisely because he doesn't feel like my rival. He's his own trainer who wants to have his own story. Unlike any other rival, his narrative doesn't feel auxiliary to mine: his personality and story isn't defined by his being my rival. Sure, I help him at the start and battle him at the end, but that's me playing a part in his story, not the other way round.

He's the only rival (I can't comment on XY, not having played them) to feel quite so individual. Blue starts out well, but ends up becoming just another obstacle in Red's path. Bianca and Cheren are the opposite: they start out as your close friends, but you see less of them as the story goes on. That's pretty cool, but still not as individual as Wally. All the other rivals (Silver, Brendan/May, Barry, Hugh) pop up abnormally frequently, do and say rival stuff, and lose to you in a battle.


Also, holy shit have you seen how adorable is?!

 

[Almonds]

I can't believe Wally is not in the poll, but if I were to choose from the ones in the poll, I'd pick Hugh as my favorite, with Cheren in close second.


First of all, they are not jerks. They have the common sense to respect you as a fellow trainer, and is willing to help you during your journeys. Also, they're not afraid to ask you for help.

Second, they have a lot of interaction with you as a rival. They play relatively large roles during the course of the game, assisting you during your fight against Team Plasma (or in Hugh's case, you assist him). They are implemented heavily in the storyline.


Hugh: he fits the senpai-rival role very well - he's officially stated to be older than you, has experience with raising pokemon before the start of the game, and battles you to see how you've become stronger, to test you, not to see how powerful he got. He is isn't interested in how powerful he gets, but he wants to be the boy who can set a good example to you (being the older brother type, I can see why). That last battle at Victory Road - he's literally saying he's battling you to give you more experience, not to see who's better. He cares about you and is extremely thankful that you helped him on his quest to defeat Team Plasma. He's proud that you grew stronger than him, and he cheers you on with earnest. He became a rival for us so we could grow. Best of all, he asked for our help fighting the evil team.

 

[Seppe]

Definitely Barry, although Wally and Silver are very high up there as well.

I like the blend of friendliness and competitiveness we get from him, and he wasn't a complete pushover.

He also seems like the kind of guy who would be cool to hang with - the goofy, energetic dude who can find fun in anything.

Poor dude could never make into the Battleground though lol

 

[HyruleAlpha]

I'd have to say Blue, because he was always one step ahead of you, and you always had to deal with him in annoying situations. When he appeared, he'd taunt you and be as cocky as only he can be. He's the only rival to become a League Champion, so that always loomed over your head.

 

[Alpha Sapphire May]

My choice came down to May/Brendan and Wally, but since Wally isn't on the list I voted for Brendan/May. Probably due to my RSE bias, but there are definitely some legitimate reasons in there too. There may be ORAS spoilers below so I hid my thoughts for convenience. A bit of what has been said is already in my first blog so you can read that instead if you want.

Spoiler

I personally like more of the nicer rivals of the games more since I feel that they have a personality I can relate to; I like characters that I would enjoy meeting in real life. I think May and Brendan did this quite nicely for the first time in a Pokemon game, and I loved every time they showed up to cheer me on. They were characters I could really connect to, unlike the previous rivals in the earlier generations.

ORAS really gave these characters the life they needed as they now have a way to express themselves using the improved graphics. They could smile or act surprised, and thus these characters felt more human than most of the other characters. It also helps that they feel more important to the story, with more meetings and the end of the Delta Episode, as well as the end of the game, allowing for a nice conclusion in the relationship. It really shows how far the characters have come in these years and within the game.

One of my favorite scenes back in RSE was the one at the end where Brendan/May would come in and try to give the player advice before battling the champion. That little scene made me smile every time I went through it, even if I saw it a hundred times already. It also helped that I absolutely loved when their theme song played, making them a welcome addition to the final chapter. I loved how caring, yet clumsy, these characters were; it took me deeper into the character, and at times, I feel like I do some similar things as well. I cried out of joy when I saw the scene again as it helped me remember all of the good times I had with the characters in RSE and in ORAS.

They are also the only characters to give me trouble in-game. I would always be defeated many times during the first battle, would for some reason always lose the second battle in Emerald in Rustboro, and ORAS gave me a surprise as once the end credits were over, May's Mega Blaziken swept me and my team. No other rival has ever given me such a challenge.

I think I'll save my comments about Wally, and some of the other rivals, for a later date; maybe I'll put my feelings in a blog. There are certainly other rivals I like--Barry, Bianca, Cheren, Hugh--and I want to show how much I love them as well eventually.