Take a friend with you! (Rivals)

[Forever]

Rivals/friends. Unova strayed from the common "mean"/competitive rival, and instead went with childhood friends. Would you like to see something like in B/W with two childhood friends, something like the rivals of earlier generations, or a rival like the one in B2/W2, or something new completely? Discuss!

[Zupplu]

I personally like the childhoods friends idea more, and it would be so awesome if you could name them and change there outfit/characteristics! That would be awesome!

[Magmaruby and Aquasapphire]

Hey May/Brandon and weren't mean rivals at all... just strangers who became rivals with you. And Barry wasn't either towards you and he was a childhood friend (Unova isn't too special you know)

Anyways on topic: I don't think they will. Likely they'll be childhood friend once more like with Sinnoh and Unova.

[11wildy]

I hope they will be friends who travel together.

[giradialkia]

I'm fairly sure there's one point in the video where the male protagonist is running in a forest, and there's a girl following behind him. (I'm pretty sure). That's what I thought this thread was going to be about (maybe she was the rival?)

I really don't know. I think all the rivals have been fairly different right up to now:
We had Blue, who was immature and bratty but a good trainer.
We had Silver/whatever, who was nearly evil but eventually saw what he was becoming.
We had Wally, who is only battled twice in the story but still grows a lot. We also had Brendan and May but they barely count, to be fair.
We then had Pearl/Barry/whatever. He was hyperactive and simply grew- a lot- as a Trainer.

I think N counted as your true Rival in BW, and Cheren/Bianca were.. different Rivals. :P But they all had REALLY interesting stories, which was refreshing and simply great.
Just like Hugh in B2W2, who wanted to be a great trainer and also had.. well, anger issues with Team Plasma.

I just hope they manage to make the new rival(s) as interesting as all of them so far!

[Yoshikkko]

A rival like in gen I and II. As much as I hated just finishing the gym and coming out and having to fight Gary straight after, it makes it much more exciting and challenging.

[Eleventyseventy]

Badass rivals all the way. Bring on another Blue or Silver!

N was pretty cool too, I guess.

[Hiroshi Sotomura]

If your childhood friend isn't some generic soulless… Lyra, then I'm content with that sort of character.

Otherwise, I'd prefer a combination like Cheren and Bianca. They could do a whole lot more with a duo of important characters like those two. One could be semi-aggressive (hence filling the trope) and the other can be the friendly ditz/moody/brave character.

[Drakow]

I'd like a rival to be honest. Gives you that sense of competition, that desire to beat his ass - the same feeling you get when you're pounding down on the team whoever members. I just didn't get that rush of adrenalin when facing off against Bianca / Cheren or even Hugh who was supposed to be true mixture of rival and ally. It could be interesting if you and the rival do team up stuff as well - though begrudgingly working together. Would be good I think.

[shengar]

Me too, feels like having a rival than childhood friend.Sorta like Green/Blue with jerk personality but also having soft side as a friend. Also, female rival. Like the one I mention. Please Game Freak, A female rival with high competitive spirits, jerk personality like Green but also have friendly side.

[Curious.]

The 'Childhood Friends' motif was pretty boring imo. I've always considered a rival to be someone like Gary, Red and Paul, who are particularly cold yet cool and are individuals who just make you ooze with determination to stomp them in the face one day.

[glitchguy]

I actually missed "mean" rivals and hopefully there will be one in the new games or GF could put a "mean' as well as a friendly rival in the game.That would be interesting.

[Ultimate PKMN Trainer Red]

Awww, Giradialkia said what I was going to say! In the forest, there were the hero of the game running and a girl following him. And I'm hoping there will be, like, four rivals. It makes the storyline so much better! But the main rival, I'm hoping for childhood friend.

[Suicune™]

I prefer Rivals, I don't know why I just find it more competitive when in battles and stuff.

[Twilight Sky]

....Hmm....

I actually have no preference. At all. I suppose you could say I prefer the character Blue/Gary a lot, but eh, I really didn't mind Barry and even Hugh as rivals. Ultimately, I don't really mind~!

[Manipulation]

I'd prefer if the game went back to the more traditional one dark rival. Nothing felt better than beating Silver or Green back in the day.

[Red's Hawt Chibi Pelippers]

Originally Posted by Yoshikkko

A rival like in gen I and II. As much as I hated just finishing the gym and coming out and having to fight Gary straight after, it makes it much more exciting and challenging.

Originally Posted by Drakow

I'd like a rival to be honest. Gives you that sense of competition, that desire to beat his ass - the same feeling you get when you're pounding down on the team whoever members. I just didn't get that rush of adrenalin when facing off against Bianca / Cheren or even Hugh who was supposed to be true mixture of rival and ally. It could be interesting if you and the rival do team up stuff as well - though begrudgingly working together. Would be good I think.

What they said.

Originally Posted by glitchguy

I actually missed "mean" rivals and hopefully there will be one in the new games or GF could put a "mean' as well as a friendly rival in the game.That would be interesting.

Kind of like with Silver and Lyra in HG/SS?


I definitely want a meaner rival. Hoenn was wonderful in many ways, but I was really disappointed that you had no Silver- or Green-like person who came around to annoy you at times. Meeting Green in Kanto was the most thrilling times, especially since he was the boss at the very end. Silver's story was interesting with his grudge against Team Rocket and need to be strong.

I'm going to wish for a rival with a darker history, hopefully more along the lines of Silver than Green. The Unova approach was interesting, especially since you met them and interacted more often. But Brendan/May and Lucas/Dawn were just... just there to make the game seem nicer for kids, I feel.

[Daydream]

I'd like to see a Blue/Silver-esque rival most of all. It would be especially cool if we had a female rival like one of those two. But I think overall, I don't mind too much if the rival is interesting or has some sort of story/motivations - a la our Gen 5 rivals.

[Miss Doronjo]

I'm on board with with a rival being like Gen I and Gen II as well. Maybe make it so like you have one rival like Blue / Silver, but at the same time, you'd have another rival like N / Cheren / Hugh? Eh, I'ts just, I'm sorta bored with the childhood rivals too. xD They are too friendly tbh!

[☆aqua☆]

Originally Posted by Zupplu

if you could name them and change there outfit/characteristics! That would be awesome!

Squirtle agrees about changing the clothes!! Especially with your character! Squirtle doesn't understand how you humans wear the same clothes everyday!! >.<

Squirtle liked Hugh because he cared about his family, but Silver was cool too (but Squirtle doesn't think he knows what "weak" and "strong" means...)
But since we don't get to choose the rival's personality (unless what Zupplu said is what they do!) Squirtle guesses we just wait and see! :D

[Patchisou Yutohru]

I prefer another rival like Gary/Blue, where there is a very fient "Hey, we could actually become really good friends." feeling you get when the characters interact with each other, and there's a really competitive "I'm better than you and there's nothing you can do about it." condescending attitude from the rival.

[Scarf]

I also thought this was about characters following you. I thought there might have been some kind of multiplayer mode that let you and a friend travel around together like that.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I liked that your rivals were childhood friends in BW and I'd like something similar, perhaps even more characters. I'd just like a lot more characters.

[Sydian]

I wouldn't mind the idea of removing rivals entirely...

But if we must have the rival system still in play, I'd rather have a rival like Brendan/May again. It's a good combination of friend, but "I wanna kick your ass" feeling is in there haha. Just more battles than you had with Brendan/May as well. But yeah, these rivals weren't obnoxious like Barry, rude like Blue (my favorite rival tho), and didn't treat you like a dumbie like Bianca and Cheren. So yeah. Someone like them would do well I think.

[Kura]

I liked rivals for the competition. Maybe more of an evil sort of rival like in Gold/Silver where that dude was trying to steal pokemon.. or someone ditsy like team rocket in the show. That'd be amusing. The childhood friend just seemed whishy-washy to me and felt like they were there just to give you a tutorial or pat the player's butt than for story or motivation.

[vaporeon7]

I'd rather a rival than a friend, but if it is possible, it would be great to have both. I would also like the opportunity to battle them more. I would also like them to be more of a challenge. Just as long as they're not like Barry, man he was annoying.