Shinji/Paul as a rival

[Neo Blaze]

Paul didn’t believe the way Reggie did things was right (again, paraphrasing, this time from the subbed version of DP100: “the way my brother did things was wrong!”), and the issue was clearly one that was personal to him. And since Paul drew a connection between Reggie and Ash, the very way Ash did things (which was what Reggie believed, if we go by Paul’s line in DP186) was going to put him off. Obviously if you don’t think the reasoning provided by the show is good enough to make Paul's position understandable (I don't want to say justified, because it wasn't), then that’s your opinion - and the last thing I really want to do on this board is to get into the habit of trying to get people to change their opinions. And if you hate Paul for his actions in the show, I’m certainly not going to argue that, either (I enjoy Paul as a character, and for what he brought to the show, but I was easily rooting for Ash in that rivalry - that Paul was an asshole can’t really be denied, I just don’t believe that was all there was to him). But the fact of the matter is that the reasoning is there, and it’s something specific to Ash that makes Paul not like him.

Same here on the habit of trying to change people's opinions. Not going to see me doing that either, just giving my own thoughts on things. I just can't fathom how such an unlikable character with such a harsh personality has gained such a fan following (I do think, like DP in general, he is severely overrated). But I suppose it's because of the rivalry of him and Ash, which lead to more character development for Ash, and in that light I liked Paul, like I also mentioned in the first post. I just have severe problems with the character of Paul himself. I like to identify myself with characters in this show, and I can, with most. Paul however, has not a single trait I can identify myself with. And I'm still doubting if there was really more to Paul. All we ever mainly saw was his harsh and cold attitude, and while I'm not going to deny there were moments were showed a bit of change in his personality, the writers didn't seem to do actual effort to develop that more. Overall Paul seemed more like an asshole.

No, the reasoning provided by the show is not good enough to me. I don't really buy this specific thing to Ash Paul dislikes. It's too vague. All Ash ever did was try to get along with Paul and be nice and friendly. And the whole "since Paul drew a connection between Reggie and Ash, the very way Ash did things was going to put him off" thing isn't very believable to me either. Why in the world would you be mean to someone you don't really know, only because he reminds you of someone you have a grudge against? I would certainly never act like that, I would give this person a chance, since it's a different person alltogether. I just didn't understand/could not identify with any of the (vague) reasons given for Paul's behaviour, and that's exactly why I disliked him.

 

[LilyNadesico]

It was like a real human in the anime. Let's think about him abandoning Chimchar. I would do the same thing. Chimchar was like a spoiled brat.

Paul was having his Pokemon gang up and beat on Chimchar before an important match just because he wanted Blaze to activate. That's not being "like a real human in the anime", that's being flat out abusive. Pokemon are sentient beings who have feelings and emotions in the anime, and that's why I find Paul's action to be unjustifiable.

I don't buy the "he just has a different but still valid training method" and the "he only did it to Chimchar" excuses. To me, they were nothing but sudden reveals to make Paul look better. That's why, try as I may, I cannot bring myself to like Paul as a characters

If Paul was a such an awful trainer, other than Chimchar, why he hadn't any problem with his Pokemon?

I'm not saying he was an awful trainer, I'm saying he was an awful person. There's a difference.

See, I think Paul would have been a great villain - if we were supposed to see him as that. Instead, the writers (and on that note, I heard Paul was Atsuhiro Tomioka's favourite character, which explains why he got away with so much BS) want us to think that he's just a guy with some issues whose methods must be respected. I don't buy that.

 

[Madame Pika]

I would just like to put myself forward as someone who can associate with Shinji. He makes mistakes. He isn't so keen on friendship: why should he be? Why should the default mode be 'friendship is wonderful?' It's not like this is a universe where friendship forms magic beams (other than the pikachu tears in the movie). The only reason we ever had to assume that friendship had any power was the power of cliche. I've explained here why I think that the whole Hikozaru thing was a mistake. It doesn't justify Shinji's actions of course, but I think it makes them understandable. It still was abuse but because Hikozaru saw it as abuse.

On top of that, he's intelligent. He constantly makes great points about the non power of friendship. I think that not giving him so much backstory worked great in terms of his character. As an introvert, I can feel how annoying Satoshi could be for Shinji with his insistence on making friends. I can see why he gets frustrated with his brother and know that I would have done at the same age. Shinji actually pretty immature. It's a really interesting contrast to have. I think that if you don't associate with Shinji than you won't really get him or understand how much characters like Shinji often become 'friendship is wonderful' because writers are too lazy to get the moral in any other way. I've been longing for a character like Shinji since I was five. I haven't got a dark past. I can be immature and make mistakes though, including big ones.

All this ironically actually makes the friendship message stronger: by being harder to pull off and giving arguments against it, the points that are put back work even better. Because of Satoshi's inability to argue, the arguments are never verbally shown but every time Satoshi successfully worked with his friends the viewer was shown how good friendship could be.

 

[Neo Blaze]

Why should the default mode be 'friendship is wonderful?'

Because friendship is pretty much what Pokémon is all about. You'll find it back in any of the associated media, from the games to the anime to the manga. This has always been a message that has been tried to put forward.

It's not like this is a universe where friendship forms magic beams (other than the pikachu tears in the movie).

The real life is certainly not, no. Maybe the Pokémon World is? Like I said, friendship is a very important thing in Pokémon.

As an introvert, I can feel how annoying Satoshi could be for Shinji with his insistence on making friends. I can see why he gets frustrated with his brother and know that I would have done at the same age.

I'm an introvert myself too, I have a hard time talking and getting along with people, but I do know I should treat others with respect, even if they have a trait that bothers me. Being at least a little bit nice and friendly to anyone (this is different than fully exposing yourself to anyone) even if you're not planning on or wanting to establish some sort of relationship with them is very normal. Because Paul didn't show anything of this, I found him to be over-the-top, a cold, unlikable robot.

Shinji actually pretty immature.

Agreed on this one. I don't find it really mature of anyone to constantly put someone down you're not really familiar with and (verbally and mentally) abuse your Pokémon. Yes, I know Chimchar was the only true Pokémon Paul abused but he wasn't exactly immensely friendly to most of his other Pokémon either.

All this ironically actually makes the friendship message stronger: by being harder to pull off and giving arguments against it, the points that are put back work even better. Because of Satoshi's inability to argue, the arguments are never verbally shown but every time Satoshi successfully worked with his friends the viewer was shown how good friendship could be.

Well sorry if I got your post wrong, but isn't it ironic then that you like Paul, yet he indirectly brings the message of "how good friendship is", which you seem to dislike? And I do agree on this point, but it's not really ironic to me. It's the only thing that I liked about Paul, he was good for Ash's development and to show how important friendship is in his particular way of Training of Pokémon. As a character however, I found him to be over-the-top unlikable and - yes I'm going to say it - lazy writing for some part, since they introduced a very troubled character yet they never explained why he was so troubled. Like a favourite movie reviewer of mine would say: "The best antagonists are the ones that you can understand why they do what they do.", referring to antagonistic characters that have a fleshed-out past. At least, that's how it works for me.

It's completely fine if you like Paul for the reasons given in the anime, just giving my own opinion and why I don't think Paul was all that great.

 

[Madame Pika]

All this ironically actually makes the friendship message stronger: by being harder to pull off and giving arguments against it, the points that are put back work even better. Because of Satoshi's inability to argue, the arguments are never verbally shown but every time Satoshi successfully worked with his friends the viewer was shown how good friendship could be.

Well sorry if I got your post wrong, but isn't it ironic then that you like Paul, yet he indirectly brings the message of "how good friendship is", which you seem to dislike? And I do agree on this point, but it's not really ironic to me. It's the only thing that I liked about Paul, he was good for Ash's development and to show how important friendship is in his particular way of Training of Pokémon. As a character however, I found him to be over-the-top unlikable and - yes I'm going to say it - lazy writing for some part, since they introduced a very troubled character yet they never explained why he was so troubled. Like a favourite movie reviewer of mine would say: "The best antagonists are the ones that you can understand why they do what they do.", referring to antagonistic characters that have a fleshed-out past. At least, that's how it works for me.

The message I dislike is 'you have to be friends or else', not 'friendship is good'.

 

[Covershot]

I just can't fathom how such an unlikable character with such a harsh personality has gained such a fan following (I do think, like DP in general, he is severely overrated). But I suppose it's because of the rivalry of him and Ash, which lead to more character development for Ash, and in that light I liked Paul, like I also mentioned in the first post.

The effect Paul had on Ash was indeed my favorite aspect to his character. In the end, Paul was a rival and his primary purpose was to be an obstacle in which we can cheer for Ash to overcome. The way that rivalry was written, you can get a sense that Ash really does have to beat this guy - not just because Paul’s a jerk, but because the two of them staked their pride and their beliefs in that rivalry. The idea of a trainer and Pokemon becoming strong together, the argument Ash represents, is an element to his character that’s been around from the very beginning of the series. Paul questioned that and it added a lot of interest in Ash’s story - something that was sorely missing for much of Advanced Generation, at least for me.

But I think it’s more than that. Paul catches a lot of attention because he’s so unlike most trainers in the show. In fact, he’s very reminiscent of Silver in the games (another character who’s pretty popular, despite being a jerk himself). He challenged the idea that a bond between a trainer and Pokemon could make them strong, something that’s a fundamental theme of the Pokemon franchise (anime, games, and manga) in general. I’m not going to pretend he’s an especially deep character, no one in the Pokemon anime really is, but he was interesting because of this. His interactions with Ash, all of which highlighted the differences between the two characters, were always gold and always fun to watch - at least, IMHO.

It’s precisely because the character is such a jerk that I think a lot of people like him (he certainly isn’t the first mean character in media to receive a large fandom because of it - hell, we have Hunter J in this same series to show that), and then he goes through visible character development throughout Diamond & Pearl. He was fun to watch, his rivalry with Ash was compelling, many of his episodes were among the best in DP, and his sendoff - in a series that usually doesn’t really do much in the way of satisfying sendoffs - was a excellently-written, three-episode battle and patching up scene with Ash.

And, finally, to be fair to Paul, if someone I didn’t like kept shoving themselves in my face and wouldn’t take the hint that I didn’t like them, I could understand some of the tension. Whatever his reasons are and if you accept them, Paul doesn’t have to be Ash’s friend. I was on Ash’s side in that rivalry overall, but it wouldn’t have killed him to just leave Paul alone already. Granted, Paul himself went out of his way to antagonize Ash as well (DP100 comes to mind), so it goes both ways. I guess it all ties in to what I think Reggie said (I think he said this, anyway), about how they can’t ignore each other.

I don't buy the "he just has a different but still valid training method" and the "he only did it to Chimchar" excuses. To me, they were nothing but sudden reveals to make Paul look better. That's why, try as I may, I cannot bring myself to like Paul as a characters

I don’t deny what happened with Chimchar was wrong, there’s no question about that and I think it’s very clear the show wants you to see it that way, too. That’s why Infernape is the Pokemon with which Ash defeats Paul in the end. But it’s also a fact (not excuse - “excuse” would imply I was trying to justify his behavior. I’m not) that Chimchar is the only Pokemon we’ve ever seen Paul push that way.

Ash himself points out in DP051 that Paul doesn’t treat his other Pokemon (Torterra, Electivire, etc.) like he did Chimchar, and given the way we’ve seen that his Pokemon still do care about him, I do believe his methods in general are a perfectly valid way of doing things. Not only do his Pokemon care about him, but it produces results, and the proof is right there in DP131-DP132 (and just about every other battle we see Paul participate in).

 

[Neo Blaze]

His interactions with Ash, all of which highlighted the differences between the two characters, were always gold and always fun to watch - at least, IMHO.

His interactions with Ash were IMHO, very annoying and repetitive to watch, since it was always the same each time they met and you basically knew what Paul was going to say.

It’s precisely because the character is such a jerk that I think a lot of people like him (he certainly isn’t the first mean character in media to receive a large fandom because of it - hell, we have Hunter J in this same series to show that), and then he goes through visible character development throughout Diamond & Pearl. He was fun to watch, his rivalry with Ash was compelling, many of his episodes were among the best in DP, and his sendoff - in a series that usually doesn’t really do much in the way of satisfying sendoffs - was a excellently-written, three-episode battle and patching up scene with Ash.

I guess I have a different taste than most people then :-/ Because I still really can't see what's so entertaining about a jerkish character without any clear dept. Disagreed with everything you said here, except the last three-part episode battle, I did like it, but more because of the development it brought for Ash, like I've already said before.

And, finally, to be fair to Paul, if someone I didn’t like kept shoving themselves in my face and wouldn’t take the hint that I didn’t like them, I could understand some of the tension. Whatever his reasons are and if you accept them, Paul doesn’t have to be Ash’s friend. I was on Ash’s side in that rivalry overall, but it wouldn’t have killed him to just leave Paul alone already. Granted, Paul himself went out of his way to antagonize Ash as well (DP100 comes to mind), so it goes both ways. I guess it all ties in to what I think Reggie said (I think he said this, anyway), about how they can’t ignore each other.

I never sought this out of their rivalry. I agree they should've moved along Ash somewhat more with the rivalry as well, as he kept trying to get along with Paul while it was clear Paul wasn't interested.

Most of the time people IRL get away with douchebag behaviour, LOL, I guess a fictional character like Paul with little dept is no exception.

 

[JacobYBM]

Covershot has covered it all really well. Shinji is Satoshi's best rival and perhaps the best character in the five Satoshi shows because his role in the story was actually thought out. He's a true mirror of Satoshi in everyway, providing an actual, genuine basis for a rivalry. The Satoshi and Shigeru rivalry lacked spark because the two almost never interacted. The interactions between Satoshi and Shinji were always much more intimate and based on a clash of philosophies. The late-great Michael Piller always asked "What makes it personal?" Satoshi was catharsis for Shinji, whose respect for Reiji was shattered and left as nothing by resentment. When Satoshi began proving Reiji right Shinji was able to let go of his embitterment and see Satoshi for Satoshi. Their final battle isn't even about a clash of philosophies anymore, it's a pure engagement between two trainers at their zenith. Goukazaru defeating Elekible is the crowning achievement to a conflict that had already resolved itself in many ways.

To be honest, when he abused and abandoned Chimchar, I have decided that I hate Paul and I will hate him forever for what he did.
So no, I won't hear any excuses. I still consider him the worst Pokemon character ever along with Cameron.

You're confusing 'bad person' with 'bad character'. Heck, what Shinji did isn't even that terrible. He was tough with all of his Pokemon, Hikozaru simply could not keep up. Shinji gave him multiple chances to earn his keep, but the fire-type just kept dropping the ball. Hikozaru had to have understood Shinji if we want to entertain the idea of him being sentient. Rather then continuing to shove a square peg into a round hole Shinji knew the right thing would be to release Hikozaru. He's a smart lad, there's no way he didn't foresee Satoshi taking on Hikozaru.

I'd sooner call Hikozaru a bad character. Under Shinji he lacks any spark of competitiveness and is reduced to nothing but a beaten dog. Had Hikozaru has a dangling thing about wanting to return to Shinji then I think his would have been a stronger character. Hikozaru was released with a whimper with no sign of feeling "No, I'm not ready to give up!" The character had no pride. The character had no drive until after joining Satoshi's team where he magically begins showing interest in battling again.

 

[Hidden Mew]

It was like a real human in the anime. Let's think about him abandoning Chimchar. I would do the same thing. Chimchar was like a spoiled brat.
Of course Ash's Pokemon has lost some serious amount of battles. But they are never treated like a loser and as the main protagonist he can make any Pokemon a winner.
I liked him because his attitude towards Ash. Ash kept jumping off the road and saying 'I have these badges, how many do you have'. Him being like me and kept saying 'mind your own business'.

How was Chimchar a spoiled brat? Paul treated it like dirt and certainly never spoiled it. Even when it lost, Chimchar didn't act like a brat. It often looked sad and disappointed after it lost, both before and after Paul released it, most likely due to how Paul always treated it after losing. It got excited when it won, but Paul never gave it any praise either, so I'm having a hard time seeing how Chimchar could be a spoiled brat.

I'd sooner call Hikozaru a bad character. Under Shinji he lacks any spark of competitiveness and is reduced to nothing but a beaten dog. Had Hikozaru has a dangling thing about wanting to return to Shinji then I think his would have been a stronger character. Hikozaru was released with a whimper with no sign of feeling "No, I'm not ready to give up!" The character had no pride. The character had no drive until after joining Satoshi's team where he magically begins showing interest in battling again.

To be fair, Paul had just put in through a battle where Chimchar was facing a Zangoose, ignoring both the physical damage that he caused himself the night before and the emotional trauma Chimchar has due to facing them before, turned his back on it in the middle of the battle, had been constantly saying that it was weak and just plain gave up on it by abandoning it. I wouldn't say that Chimchar had no pride, but it was rather dealing with all of those issues and being too emotionally crushed after being abandoned to really try to say he wanted to return to Paul. It wanted to learn how to control Blaze. It was just that Paul's teaching methods were far too harsh and abusive for that to work. It was only under a more caring and understanding trainer like Ash where Chimchar's drive to battle could flourish.

Anyway, I think that Paul was a terrific rival. He was easily Ash's best one and in my opinion, the best one the show ever had. He was just so drastically different from most other trainers. Aside from the trainers from the various evil team and cases like Charmander's original trainer, we didn't really see too many trainers who weren't all about being friends with Pokemon. He was cold and harsh towards his Pokemon. Releasing the ones he thought weren't strong enough really showed how he treated Pokemon more like tools. The way he treated Chimchar was especially cruel. He was both physically and emotionally abusive towards it. While he treated all of his Pokemon the same and they seemed to be fine with it, the fact that it did bother Chimchar and caused a lot of damage for it still makes him an abusive trainer to me. It was interesting that despite how he treated his Pokemon, he was still a strong trainer. Instead of being weak due to not treating his Pokemon like his friends, he had almost as many accomplishments under his belt as Ash did and was clearly stronger than him right from the start. Except for trainers for the evil teams, that didn't really happened much in other series.

This made him the polar opposite to Ash and I loved that. Their interactions were memorable, intense and their battles were terrific. The way their personalities clashed through their battles helped to make their rivalry much more engaging and I loved that Ash got Chimchar. Through Chimchar, he was able to show Paul that his training methods were effective and valid. Not only was Chimchar able to evolve under his care, but he was also able to get Infernape to control Blaze, neither of which Paul had been able to do. While his harsher training methods worked for his other Pokemon, or at least seemingly didn't bother them like it did with Chimchar, this did show that Chimchar couldn't become stronger with his methods and that Pokemon need to be under the right trainer in order to become stronger.

I absolutely loved their full battles. Their first full battle was terrific in showing that Ash still had a long way to go to defeat Paul and it was effective in that regard. Their battle in the Sinnoh League was the closest to a perfect battle that I think the anime could achieve. There was just so much buildup to this match and it paid off big time. It would have been nice for Torterra to get at least one win since it really got poor treatment after evolving. While Infernape did get more screentime as the series progressed and especially in that last match, I didn't mind it too much given how it was important to the rivalry with Paul and it certainly needed to show how much stronger it had become under Ash's care. I did like how they ended the rivalry not only with that match, but with Paul growing to respect Ash more. Paul would respect those that were older than him usually, but respecting Ash after all of their conflicts and battles was really satisfying. He was a terrific rival and definitely the best one Ash ever had.

 

[1rkhachatryan]

You know what, no matter your opinion on Paul, you can't argue the fact that he actually made Ash give a damn about training and getting stronger to actually be seen as a challenge for Paul. They could of done this earlier with Gary had they actually battled more often but it was worth the weight for me. Was Paul a jack ass?? Yes, but that's what Ash needed at the time. He needed someone to kick his ass so that he can finally get serious. Sure it didn't stick past DP, but for that saga, it was successful.

Paul would of probably gotten the best overall rival for me had it not been for his terrible ending. The battle was rushed and made to make Ash seem strong by dumbing down Paul. You can try to justify his Pokemon all you want but the fact remains that only two of them got wins. Up to that point, the rivalry was pretty good but the end killed it.

Overall, he was the second best rival in DP for me after Zoey.

 

[Master Cyrus]

He's a card carrying smogonite to Ash's casualness. We all know how that turns out.

 

[weeaboo_girl84]

I thought he was okay. Only because the battles against him were amazing to watch. Didn't care for the fact that his ridiculous and violent training methods were considered to be fine by other characters and only Ash called him on it. The worst part is that Paul didn't learn anything. I also have a hard time believing Ash surpassed Paul when he only defeated Paul once out of the several battles that Paul obliterated him in.

 

[youkomazuki]

Gary will always be on my list for Ash's best rival, but Paul is definitely the next in the line.

 

[pokemon fan 132]

I though Paul was great rival personally.

What i learned to appreciate and like about Paul existence in pokemon series is amount of impact and tension he gave to Ash story and pokemon journey as whole.

Paul was antithesis to main hero questioning everything Ash believed in and thought was right way to go about training. Pokemon strategies, way you establish relationship with them and moral values he sticked to from earliest age.

Reminding him of Reggie being deluded in thought how same techniques his older brother used in raising and training pokemon caused him to lose against Brandon.

Paul viewed Ash beliefs and way he treats pokemon as waste of time being convinced how only harsh training,. Lot of pressure and focus on developing strength from your pokemon. Through intimidation, manipulation and taking advantage of their loyalty. Would make you reach mareked destination and gain recognition.

Which angered and disappointed Ash wanting to prove him wrong and justify his own methodology behind training. Of creating friendship with pokemon being best way in extracting their full strength on surface. Something he was convinced in and sticked to for his whole life with main point of rivalry between main protagonist and antagonist like Paul.

Lying in proving whether its focus on pure strength and brutality, or establishing teamwork between trainer and pokemon through patience and motivation right way to raise your pokemon.

And that gave to Ash and Paul rivalry much needed substance and grace. In making you engaged in anime and want to see in what direction clash of personal ethics and ideologies would eventually go.

Now some may have hated Paul for his brutal habits and personal beliefs. Now Paul was cruel, harsh and disrespectful toward pokemon and many trainers which followed Ash methodology. No denying there.
Some of his actions performed on Chimchar were really bad as well to the point of leaving mental scars on this pokemon confidence and thrust for human..

But deep down Paul wasnt sadistic sociopath, none of that really. But greatly disappointed and embittered young person changing his perception on battling and competitive trainer scene after witnessing to his idealistic picture he formed of older brother(Reggie). Turning out to be person he didn't expected him to be after he gave up from pokemon trainer career when suffering heavy defeat from Bandon.

This made Paul starting to view pokemon in negatve light and all those talks about friendship, love and care in building mutual partnership. As sign of being "weak person". Waste of time and energy being destined to fail just like his brother did.

Wins against gym leaders completely mopping floor with them(like Maylene) or Ash only reinforced his belief thinking how sole rage and power are recipe for success, using pokemon as tools. Rather than creatures which have feelings, thoughts and motives as well.


Adding realistic dimension to Paul personality.

Drawing paralell with real life; of no one being born evil,corrupted, careless or insensitive. With way how each of us is going to develop and grow depending not just on choices we make, but environment we live in, various persons in our life which taught us all kind of things and either good or bad experiences making difference between becoming caring, compassionate and tolerant member of society.

Or complete opposite turning in cold, disappointed with others and life with lack of empathy for others individual. With negative side consuming persons which falled under bad influence. Suffered some sort of trauma or abuse. Or got brainwashed and twisted with false ideals.

And in pokemon unlike its case with standard villains which appear often as generic and one dimensioal. Almost never diving deeper into such subjects and explaining through backstory what happened to turn someone in bad person.
Becoming sociopath, ruthless, greedy and completely corrupted persons like Hunter J, Iron mask Marauder, Ghetsis are/were. uith no redeeming qualities, no respect for human or pokemon life. No mercy or ability to show compassion.

With Paul especially gratifying thing lied in fact of writers deciding to break mold and go into his thoughts. Memories and childhood making you engaged as viewer. Starting to better understand decisions and motives made from said character, regardless of condoning or not such moves.


True it was still pretty sparse and poorly explained compared to other shows. But it was step in right direction staff decided to do about Paul character recognizing positivity behind this personally.


For strength and significance of storyline i understand and appreciate that pokemon writers decided to portray Paul character in such light in order to decant on screen faithful portrayal of deluded with false motives and ideals person which Paul became and provide solid opposition for Ash to vercome.

Perhaps most enjoyable thing coming from his presence in Sinnoh series to me was learning experience both him and Ash gained from their confrontation. Drawing valuable lessons from their wins and defeats, arguing and constant clash. Starting to change as persons and trainers, thus cancelling out any risk of stagnation and rivalry leading nowhere.

Paul merit goes from serving as vector in main hero reconsidering his own thoughts about way he treats his pokemon, recollect his beliefs and desires (especially after that crushing defeat in their first 6 on 6 battle). Start searching for new innovations in his battle abilities mixing techniques characteristic for coordinators with his own signature battle style. And hold ground in deciding to prove and defeat person which represented threatening and massive roadblock on path of achieving his dreams of conquering Sinnoh league. Coming this way closer toward so long awaited pokemon master title.

While Ash endless amount of persistence and decisiveness to fight for his own thoughts. Loyalty and selfless, considerate nature showed toward his pokemon. Taking great deal of patience, understanding and love in raising them(especially in Chimchar case not giving up and stopping from believing in his pokemon regardless of how thorny path may be). Reaching that way just as equal and eventually better results than Paul strategies and training schedule did.

Left small, but highly meaningful influence on Paul ideology and character. Slowly but surely starting to view Ash in different light, accepting his battle strategies and style of treating pokemon as friends.

Or thanking for first time to his own pokemon for doing great job in battle(like his Electivire)when losing in narrow way to Infernape.
Paul from early Sinnoh would never thank his pokemon even when winning, let alone when losing.
So change happened, regardless of how subtle it may seem.

Showing how in his character there exists chance for redemption and way to become better in treastment of his pokemon.

Now, Gary will always have special place in my heart.
Being classic rival which represent obstacle on protagonist path to overcome. Some sort of impediment and challenge invoking reactions from main hero, review of its thoughts. Serve as source of inspiration and push to improve on its strong sides in aim of surpassing that character.

With childhood he spent with Ash, all kind of escapades they went through in outskirts of Pallet town delivering natural and enticing portrayal of how rivalry beteen him and Ash got born with split pokeball representing new chapter in their lives they started to pursue. Strengthening on respect and friendship gradually reaching culmination at end of Johto.

But Paul was something i would like to call rival of modern time for pokemon standards. Going beyond classic skirmish you would expect from two people chasing after same thing, And bringing in question if there really does exist right or wrong way in how you train pokemon. Or if some strategy and way you treat others will bring you higher results and more success in life than another.

Paul character brought controvery in anime in that sense through his consistent above average results, different methodology and at times too harsh tactics he utilized. Getting into Ash mind and shaking core of his character more effectively than any other rival until than did.

Giving him certain value and appeal i liked about his character.

Hence why i would had no problems in slightest to see him again in pokemon anime. Hear how rematch against Brandon went. If he changed way about training his pokemon potentially giving him character development, especially with mega evolution discovery taking place in current series.

And see him and Ash "crossing swords" for one more time. Having tools, knowledge and experience to deliver epic, unpredictable and full of complex strategies and smart planning match.

It would be especially good twist to story if Paul turned out to be in Kalos league as well.

Because formally Ash and Paul rivalry didn't end still viewing themselves in competitive light. Aiming to win league and make further steps in advancing their careers.:thumbup:

 

[Mareepy]

It would be especially good twist to story if Paul turned out to be in Kalos league as well.

Good one! I totally agree with your comment! And this particular line just nailed it. Although Paul returning is hardly possible, if he returns and tries Ash's method of training Pokemon (which I think he agrees on Ash's method in the end of the league), I wouldn't mind Ash losing to him even in a result as poor as Top 8!

I don't want them to pull of a surprise participation of him in the league though, instead I want them to let use know earlier, like about now at the 60th episode. Like using this particular way to mark his return.

At the end of an episode, have the narrator say things blah blah blah, then says "Meanwhile, at the other place..." Paul looks at an abandoned Pokemon bound to a tree, it looks afraid. Paul looks at it for a while then steps forward, offering the Pokemon a hand.

Then abruptly ends the episode. That would be.... I dunno, cool!

 

[Lluksonak]

There was a rumor of Shinji/Paul returning, it was some months ago...but they could make him return probably searching for an Aggronite, maybe?? Those rumors are a longshot...but it could happen

Edit: found the video about this rumor, this was back in Sept. 2014
[video=youtube;EtLlwZa7cPI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLlwZa7cPI[/video]

 

[Ryu Taylor]

Honestly, I think Paul is what would happen if the Digimon Emperor became a Pokemon Trainer. And also became a living stereotype of competitive battlers.

Remember when Ash went into depression after losing to Ritchie in Kanto? I would've liked to see Paul absolutely lose it when he lost to Ash in the Sinnoh League, just like the Digimon Emperor did when he lost.

 

[DarkLordKitten]

I personally think that Paul was Ash's best rival since he motivated Ash to get better, forcing Ash to think of ways how to defeat him without having Ash compromise who he is as a trainer, and he was able to generate conflict a interpersonal conflict between him and Ash that almost felt natural

 

[sc190191]

The battles with Paul were the most interesting in the anime in general. I really liked all the strategy that was used by Paul and eventually Ash, especially in their two biggest battles. I didn't really like his personality, but it worked really well because everyone got fired up when he was around. I thought it was really funny how he was a complete dick to Ash and Dawn but still super respectful to elders. Overall Paul was a really good rival, but I still think I like Gary better. Too bad Ash's XY rivals aren't any good

 

[Jersey Jimmy]

Paul was a great rival because he brought a much-needed seriousness into the anime. If you look back at Hoenn, great as it was, Ash didn't really have any real "rivals" to speak of. Just some trainers he bumped into a few times before getting to the League. Paul was a constant presence, and his demeanor was jarring - but in a good way. Honestly, the fact he apparently abused his Pokemon (like Chimchar) would've been better off if he had been in Best Wishes with the whole Plasma thing, but he was still a great rival - and seeing Ash overcome him at the League was one of the most satisfying moments in the anime to date.