I definitely loved Barry in the anime as well, and really felt like they nailed it at keeping the character as close to the original character as possible. Actually, he's the first character whom I felt like they actually replicated the personality of from the games, and the fact that he was a side character only added to that. All of the gym leaders, May, Dawn, etc., they've always felt like their own characters, rather than someone take from their games, but of course it's also limited what they can do with characters you only ever meet once. But yeah, I really like Barry in the anime :p
I also kinda liked him as a rival, because, unlike rivals like Blue and Silver, he wasn't ever a jerk about losing, despite being just as set on beating you as both of those. However, I still kinda feel like he falls under the category as "friend whom you occasionally battle", just like Cheren and Bianca, as his personality in my mind just doesn't really fit that of a rival. I mean, putting it in perspective, while playing PokeMMO, I battled Alex about as many times as I battled my rival, always set on winning, but I never really considered him a rival. The only reason I'd feel differently about it with Barry is because he wasn't ever actually my friend. I didn't know him before playing the game, and thus it feels like his only purpose in the game is to battle me. But if I was actually the main character, I'd most likely have felt different about it :p But then again, I guess the definition of a rival can vary between people, so that's just how I feel about it all ;)
Guess it's time for a new topic, since we've had the same one for months now? :p
Which rival do you dislike the most? Any specific reasons?
