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Rival Discussion & Speculation
What are your hopes in regards to how rivals are handled in Sun & Moon? Are you hoping for a return to the classic bratty rival, a typical friendly rival or multiple rivals?
[Staff Edit May 15 2016] Rival was revealed! Click here for info. |
I'd love for a real rivalry to return. I loved the group of friends in XY but they felt like that....friends and not a competitive rival. I'd love to see a rival like Blue or even Barry in this game. It's fun feeling like someone is competing against you!
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I think 3 rivals should be the max. One smart, one fun, and one brat.
I think that would be the perfect combination. 1 girl and 1 boy and then the other is the opposite of the gender of the player. I love having more than one rival, but XY was a little too much. I really want the rivals to have more dev time though. |
Just one or two rivals a most. I didn't like how many rivals you had in X & Y, it just felt like there were too many to keep up with. Having just one or two to take the remaining starter Pokemon is enough.
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I want a single female rival.
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Id like to have 2 rivals again not more than that though just one girl and one guy there was a couple too many in XY but i loved what they did in BW they should do something like that except have them both be trainers ^-^
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I miss Cheren, Barry, Blue/Green, and Silver, and Hugh (somewhat).
They need to come back with a rival rival and not ragtag-group-of-friends rival. |
Two rivals. One cute, the other cool. One smart, the other hot-headed.
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Seeing as one of games is named after the moon, we better have an immoral/evil rival. After all, there's supposedly more crime on the day of a full moon, so why not make the rival evil as a reference to that?
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I at least want there to be one rival in the same vein is how Silver's character was. (I'd even be fine with another Blue-style rival)
I don't care for the others. They seem to like sticking with the circle of friends thing though. |
I hope for another group rivals like in X and Y. I want to be someone's Gary Oak again.
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I don't care who they are, how friendly or sinister they are...I don't even care how many of them there may be. Just let them be a good, well-written character who grows and develops and is substantial in some way.
I obviously can't speak on behalf of others, but I feel that the unconscious reason why lots of people tend to react negatively to the idea of a larger group of "rivals" is because the in only game we've gotten that (X & Y) they were implemented awfully. I'll admit that, in a sense, the more characters there are, the harder it becomes to make them all meaningful. So in terms of that, I do think it may be better to have one or two rivals at most. But again, I have no preference. Well, I do have a preference, but it's just that the rival(s) is a proper, intriguing character. |
I'd really like a scenario like gen 3, where you have the typical rival, and then a character like Wally, who progresses to be more powerful from almost over the game's course. That would be absolutely ideal for me.
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A frail rival would be interesting. Maybe one that starts off with a Magikarp and Feebas team, but by the end they are using Milotic and Mega Gyarados on you...
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Wally progressed but overall his team was really easy before E4, even his Mega Gallade didn't felt like a threat.
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A real-rival is a must. One who actually competes with you every step of the way instead of friends who thinks they are on an adventure with you. I want someone who actually challenges he players by using various tricks and methods, a rival who grows with you. He may use simple tactics in the beginning of the game but I expect an explosive battle in the end where he/she uses the accumulation of all his knowledge gained throughout his adventure. Mega-evolutions, held items, heck, even EV-trained Pokemon. Switching when things get sketchy. Revives. I want a real rival battle.
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I really like the jerk rival and how they actually posed a threat to you and your team. 2 or 3 rivals would be cool. Have them be essential to the plot. It would also be cool if they were the children of the evil team or teams leaders. Like how silvers dad was giovoni. But most importantly I want good character development.
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We fr need a rival that's actually challenging. I remember the days of good ol' Blue wiping my whole team with his starter. Sure it's hard, but it's gives us another goal to train for and also wiping you rival with one Pokemon (and heals if needed, probably not) is kind of lame. Rivals have gotten to a point where they just feel like filler.
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I'd like more than one rival again, but I'd like there to be more than one character archetype amongst them, and I'd like them to be properly developed. If they're not going to give multiple rivals the attention they deserve, then they need to go back to doing just one and having him or her be a complete prick that you genuinely want to pound into the ground multiple times. I liked the group dynamic Kalos' rivals had, but I didn't like the characters themselves - I never got to know them because I hardly ever saw them, and none of them were particularly...well, rival-esque. I'd like to see that change in Sun and Moon, to evoke the feelings the rivals from the first two generations prompted.
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I'd like too see something like Barry. Eccentric, and friendly, but with a competitive streak too.
The most important thing though is the ability to NAME YOUR RIVAL! |
How about 2 childhood friends. 2 rivals. 1 good 1 bad, we battle throughout the game, and the bad one turns out to be part of the evil orginization? He was brainwashed and drafted by the Org Boss and raised through the ranks fast. Then we team up with the good one in order to change his mind and get our friend back. Maybe in the end we and his mega pokemon change his mind and all team up to save the world!
I would really like a rivalry that would be a little darker :D |
Tougher rivals! I was about to save the world in X/Y when I heard "Hey, lets walk together!"
I just thought "WHAT THE HECK GET OUT SHUT UP YOU STUPID...." |
So I'm the minority here on wanting a single female rival? We've had rival groups for quite a while now...
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I like the old one rival battle-out thing, but I wouldn't really mind multiple rivals, if it isn't off the limits of course. Overall, I'd pick one rival.
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I like the return of the classic rival like how it was in the first gen. The rival that you truly wanted to defeat because he/she's the kind of person who was always the step ahead, while making fun of your lack of progress. Also, I'd like to have a rival for this gen to have a much bigger impact on the story like having an involvement in dealing with the baddies, kind of like how the rival was portrayed in Pokemon Origins.
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I kinda want a scenario where we have the opposite gender protagonist as one rival (Brendan/May type role) and then a Green-type rival to go along with them. That's one thing we really haven't seen. They've done the friendly neighbor rival. They've done the bratty spoiled rival. They've done the criminal rival. They've done a friendship harem. They haven't really done a combo of Gen III and Gen I rivals though. I think that'd be perfect. I guess you could kind of consider Cheren and Bianca to be the type of rivals I want, but Cheren was always boring to me and Bianca just kinda gave up because she realized she sucked. I want cool rivals that fill those roles.
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It would be an interesting dynamic if your rival was a part of the villainous team, if they choose to include one this time. So a non-boss character who specifically goes after you, but only when the evil team is around. It could open up the possibility for some intriguing backstory, too.
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Arrogant and friendly rivals have been overdone, try something new. Maybe the rival secretly being the son/daughter of the "villainous" team leader. They could be seeking asylum, secretly against you, allied with you, or neutral.
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I would definitely like the return of a rival that poses a threat.
I'd like them to include like smart AI, which would make the rivals team the same level as our highest level for example. |
I'll be nice if the rival got the opposite version's mascot like N did in BW. Then post game we can have a battle between legends, especially if they do the same level as our strongest member thing.
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Perhaps a rival who actually beats you most of the time. So that when you finally do beat him, it'll really feel like an accomplishment. Something to struggle for! It wouldn't have to be a proper whiteout when you're beaten, it could just hop to a cutscene and your pokémon could be healthy again. That'd sure be different c:
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There's nothing much to speculate at this level, due to the lack of official materials.
But I'd like our rival(s) to receive character developments! They can even go as far as making our rival joining the villain team during some point of the plot. (: |
The rivals shouldn't be like X&Y because too many rivals made lack of character development. I would like a mix between Blue and Barry and possibly another Dawn.
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Now this would be an interesting twist. They could either make the rival like a Silver-type of character, or they could portray the evil team as legitimate "good guys" in the eyes of your rival. Would definitely be a Tear Jerker if they gave the rival enough character development. I also agree that X/Y had too many.... I'm hoping they dwindle it down a little, I liked how we had Cheren and Bianca in Gen 5. |
I agree with Sun, the lack of information at this point is why the speculation is a bit slow. But I am hoping for significant development, it was why I loved Cheren and Bianca, and also a honourable mention to Silver.
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I want: Either a rival similar to how they handled Blue and Silver, or a rival with the same level of complexity as N.
I expect: another circle of friends wooooooooooooo I really hope they don't go that route though. I wouldn't've minded the approach to how they handled it in x/y, but out of the 4 "rivals" you have, literally not a single one is memorable. Except maybe Shauna. Shauna doesn't even feel like a rival either ugh. As someone mentioned earlier, I'd love for a villain-esque rival who ends up joining the evil team at a point. Something like a mix of Silver + N could be pretty cool imo. |
I can understand the appeal behind Blue and Silver, since they felt like rivals you actually wanted to beat, but I think Game Freak are trying to focus more on the "Pokemon are your friends and partners" aspect and I guess that was what likely contributed to rivals being more of a friend figure as of late.
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i don't care about any of that, as long as the rival doesn't look hotter than my character ;) |
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The post Generation III rivals did not seem like rivals, they felt like friends you occasionally had battles with and their reactions to losses resembled poor sportsmanship rather than anything else. May even felt closer to being a rival, and even then there was still a blatant friendship. As of the present, the only place friendly rivalries should remain in Pokemon games is in the remakes. Outside of that, modern Pokemon games should definitely ditch the concept of friendly rivals and stick to the adversarial rivalries. |
I don't even count anybody besides Serena/Calem as a rival for XY.
On top of a hostile rival, I'd like to see repeat trainers. A small handful of normal trainers that you battle early on, but you get to battle them a few more times with stronger teams. It always feels like the player and the rival are the only trainers actually advancing through a Pokemon League journey or going for an adventure. |
I think it'd be a lot of fun to have a rival that betrays you.
Who says we can't have a little of the new mixed with a little of the old? Have the rival be a fairly amicable trainer that you clearly seem to be friends with but is ultimately trying to undercut you so they have a better shot at becoming the next champion. Make them seem flighty and inexperienced, giving you ineffective strategies or making suggestions that detract from progressing efficiently. Like taking a longer route or a route that has weaker Pokemon so your team is under leveled. And they could give you items that, on the surface, seem helpful but have negative side effects as well. Like Energy Powder which heals 50hp but lowers friendship. That'd be a fun way to shake things up. It could even lead to a redemption arc post game and really develop the character. Maybe go into why they're so cutthroat in the first place? Umbreon would be a smart Pokemon to have as their signature 'mon. Since it's a dark type and requires friendship it would parallel their trainer's underhandedness and show that they are more competent than they let on. |
I think that it would be cool if we had a rival who started off nice and optimistic like the others, but slowly turned evil as we kept beating him, which eventually leads him to do something bad at the story's climax and make him the final story boss
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What I want to see, at minimum, is a female version of Blue or Silver. I've never liked the friendly rivals of the later games, and the series still has yet to have a good female rival, especially one that isn't just an opposite gender PC.
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What I want in the rival for Sun and Moon is some one like Blue/Green who is always ahead of you and rubbing it in that he is better than you sorta thing but also has the complexity of N and a similar backstory to Silver. It would also be great if the rival was female because the female "rivals" we've don' feel like rivals more like friends. Also the gender of the rival shouldn't the opposite gender to your character. For me I feel we haven't had a proper rival since Silver
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Bianca didn't felt like a Rival since she was so weak, Shauna felt about the same way with her cute theme.
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I would like another female rival, but I still feel like males tend to get more important roles so I probably see it being unlikely. |
I don't care if the rival(s) is/are friendly or antagonistic. I'm fine with both personalities, as long as the rival is interesting.
However, if they do go with an antagonistic one, I don't want one that brushes off defeats with stereotypical lines like "You got lucky" and "I was going easy on you" like Blue did. People praise Blue as one of the best rivals because he was a jerk and apparently people feel motivated to beat him because of that, but I just thought he was a boring egotistical kid and his above mentioned lines are so cliche. I don't think Silver used either of those excuses, but at the end of the Burned Tower battle he said he wouldn't battle weaklings anymore because it was a waste of time. Weaklings? I won the battle and we're 3-0 at this point. And the Azalea Town battle: You only won because my Pokemon were weak. Like, that's literally basic Pokemon battle logic??? You win by being stronger than your opponent or outsmarting them (or I guess having more healing items). That's like saying "You only got the valedictorian spot because your grades were higher than mine." THAT'S. THE. ENTIRE. POINT. CAPTAIN. OBVIOUS. Both of the jerk rivals just make excuses when they lose (Blue until you dethrone him, Silver until the Radio Tower takeover), and so do the jerk rivals in all the fangames I've played. That's not interesting at all. That's just "I'm trying to sound tough but it doesn't work because I just got my ass kicked". No, I want an antagonist rival that dislikes the player but acknowledges our skill and doesn't attribute defeats to luck or them holding back (why would a jerk character hold back anyway?). I know that Silver came around eventually, but I mean someone who does it from the start. |
At the rate GF is going at, the whole region is going to be your rival soon enough.
Frankly I don't care if we have 1, 2, 3, ..., 100 rivals, so long as they aren't just crammed in there, and actually have some level of development. Like even in XY the group could've been made so much more interesting if they actually challenged you, ever. But they don't, even Serena/Calum's Team were somewhat easy, and they were always training. If it's too much to ask for to have multiple challenging battle rivals, then make them rival you in other aspects. Like Contests(If they should return), Pokedex filling, Gym-Challenging, etc. Just please let them be challenging. |
The rivals now days don't feel like rivals I just view them as another trainer to battle for xp I liked blue and silver also barry you really felt like you were competing against them
I sometimes feel that they are trying for a younger and younger audience with each passing game like X and Y was really easy with not much of a challenge what would be great is if they had a difficult setting you can choose at the start |
I was just playing X and noticed something that became really annoying.
Every time Your rival wants a fight they call you and arrange it. While I'm sure they meant well, I want it where they shring up on you out of nowhere. I want it where you've beaten the gym, your pokémon are battered and weak. You get out and SUPRISE Rival battle! |
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I want a combination of the pompous stuck up attitude of Ronald from Pokemon Trading Card Game, and the level of power Barry had in Platinum specifically. It'd be nice to bring back the arrogant rival who could actually talk the talk rather than just walk the walk....as they say.
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how about taking things a little higher this time like your rival having a speculative crush on you and always tags along you and making their you inspiration whatever? and a little hint of romance at the end where the evil organization was about to destroy the region and he/she saved you then they'll tell you that ever since they liked you and that shit.
~~but the bratty rival is something to look forward also~~~~ |
OrAs was pretty close to a romance with the unchosen character rival.
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OR/AS did go down a romantic route, which the anime also did, kind of, but they were re-making a game rather than trying to make up a new 'rival.' Obviously, though, a more romantic rival eventually just ceases to be a rival. In addition, making a new character whose design is to get attracted to anyone might slightly negate their own modus operandi, unless it was merely a re-make of an old character. They'd also be unlikely to want to have to do this with two characters, something which even Stephanie Mayer balks at. Other, more specific, places could probably do romance better, if that was the point.
Anyway, though, a character who was more contrarian, like G/S/C's 'rival,' might be decent, while the more arbitrary claims in R/B might come across as slightly out-of-place, but obviously significant refinement might be needed if that character was to return. Anyway, though, some amount of similarity to previous 'rivals' is likely, as in recent gens they've been increasingly similar, but it might be unfortunate and just seems to indicate a certain degree of lack of interest from them. Quote:
What all of this has to do with Louis Napoleon might be unclear. |
I'd rather not have romance as a silent protagonist. I mean I'd be ok with an optional relationship system but I don't want to be force-shipped by the game, especially if they're just going to assume I'm/everyone is straight.
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I think the rivals I enjoy the most are the ones that aren't just rehashes of other rivals. This is something that gens 4, 5 and 6 did much better than the previous ones (excluding remakes of course). The rivals were interesting unique characters instead of stuff like Silver being a rehash of Blue and Brendan/May being a rehash of Leaf (or whatever her name is). Even Lyra was just a rehash and wasn't she an entirely new character added to HGSS?
I also like to have multiple rivals which is cool too. But it's not a big deal so long as they're interesting. |
I'd like to have 2 rivals with cool characters:) one friendly fellow and an arrogant idiot. The brats we had so far were boys and now I'd really love a bitchy, annoying as hell girl:D. When silver said stuff like 'I let you win' it sounds like a lame excuse but it would somehow fit a vain maybe rich chick that always got everything she ever wanted and thinks she's the best. Maybe even give her a character twist that she finally understands she was wrong and let her change to a friend^^.
And please make them challenging and surprising! In retrospect I loved all the times a rival battled me out of the blue and posed a serious threat to me and my team. The newer rivals always ask and it's sooo damn boring imo... |
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Silver.
That's all I'm saying. A trainer who's too serious about grinding their pokemon, to realise that love and trust goes a long way too. A trainer who doesn't actually deserve the Pokémon they have. Or, got said Pokémon via un-conventional means. We need a new Silver. |
Would like a rival who's a bit of a jerk but if we're getting another "friend" rival, at least make them challenging and have a distinct personality like Barry was. No disrespect to Brendan/May, Bianca and Cheren whose characters were good but battles weren't that memorable.
As long as we don't have many rivals crammed in like X and Y, I am happy. |
I want the jerk rivals again. Really can't stand these new friendly rivals. I want the whole rival that doesn't help you out when you fight the villains teams, the one that thinks they're better than you. I want the rival that makes me want to take them down.
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2 or maybe 3 rivals is the max. I mean in X/Y there were just too many. And they did have their own challenges but still, two many. I want 1 boy rival and 1girl rival! Here is what I think:
Boy: bit of a flirt, major ego, good challenges, childhood friend but still is a tease. Girl: shy, good challenges, defiant still, childhood friend. What I mean by 2 rivals, is that if you are a boy, you get the girl rival. Bose versa for girls get the boy rival. AND BEFORE YOU ASK!!!! By 'a bit of a flirt' I mean exactly as it means. I want a bit of romance between them (it's my opinion!) because in X/Y at the end you get friend zoned and that made me detriments to have some romance in this. No hate peeps. |
i have nothing against friendly rivals, but we just get those type in the last games.
I'd like another characters like Silver, and with a great story arc. A female badass (and hot) rival too. |
I know a lot of us are hoping for an antagonistic rival like Blue or Silver, but I'm likely expecting another friendly rival and that's because I heard that the reason Game Freak seems to be straying away from "evil" rivals is because they might be a bad influence on children, which is Pokemon's target audience.
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I'd like two rivals, one asshole who is very mean and one who is sweet... I would like it if they had more of a story to them too... HG/SS, B/W/B2/W2 and X/Y gave us that, but I would like more of a story to the rival.
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I wouldn't mind two rivals again, like in Black & White. Although I felt Cheren was a little brattier than Bianca, they still had the "friend" aspect that seems predictable by this stage. X/Y did go overboard with the rivals, which is where that game fell flat, on top of absolutely no character development for most of the major NPCs.
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I want another rival like Barry, but with more challenging battles.
I'd want the rival to be several levels ahead of you on a 'Hard' difficulty, and about even with you on a 'Normal' or 'Easy' difficulty. |
The rivals actually wont be able to be classified as either good or evil, because they're the literal sun and moon, duh xD
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He looks like the good guy best friend always cheering you on when you're down. Definitely not close to a rival at all. Maybe starting same time as you though, doesn't look like a childhood best friend tbh, more a future best friend.
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That was my initial thought when seeing him, maybe not a rival as such but someone who helps you along the way and battles you at different stages. Perhaps he chooses the remaining starter Pokemon.
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I really miss the single rival. I very much disliked the "group of friends" the protagonist had in X/Y. Not my cup of tea. I miss Gary and the "Guy that steals a starter" in G/S. XD
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What I do love is that we're getting more people of colour in Pokemon games than ever before, and I guess that was likely due to breaking off from Japan-based regions which now allows Game Freak to do more and I love that.
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Well we don't know for sure what's gonna happen there. He might just be a friend who you occasionally see but you might have a real rival (like the past). Although I kinda doubt that we'll have an aggressive rival because... the region is so relaxed and I can't imagine ANYONE there being bad but it's gotta happen. There's gotta be a drama.
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I like this guy's design. It's interesting how he's shown with the starter at a disadvantage. Perhaps this is hinting at another rival character--perhaps one who is more serious?
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He seems like another 'nice' rival. To be honest I'd like to have a jerk again for a change - not someone that holds your hand. Or the group thingie like in X&Y. Didn't much care for that.
Although, all that being said it's hard to guess what he'll be like just from this. Just have to wait and see I suppose. |
So... about to blow minds again. Ahem. You see, the Rival has a darker skin tone, correct? Alola is also based off of Hawaii, correct? By doing the calculations, it means that the Rival is from Hawaii. Let's see... carry the five... add nine.... subtract the seven... square root the X variable.
Our Rival is obviously the one and only Barack Obama. I didn't know Game Freak wanted to put him in the game. That's so cool. sarcasm |
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Okay this may be a bit of a stretch but... http://i.imgur.com/myGTAOB.png This scene here, from the Japanese trailer, with the 8 silhouettes on the upper wall which could very well be silhouettes of the Gym Leaders... I don't think those names underneath are names of (some of) the Gym Leaders. GameXplain pointed out in their analysis video that the orange-shirt boy who is friendly towards the new kid picks the starter that is weak to his, which lines up with this new character. In the video, he says his name is Hoku. Hoku is one of the names on the wall. I think those other names may be more similar characters. I think we have a group of friends again. |
Max three, with one boy, one girl, and one opposite-sex counterpart, and I would say min one but I like two to take all the starters.
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I don't think it is a stretch. Game Freak is known to throw things like this in their live action trailers all the time. Like on the boxes in the trailer, the Manchoke Moving Service on them. They don't put stuff in the background by accident. Honestly, I think these are the gym leaders. I am also hoping for 2 rivals. It would be nice to have the one tall guy who looks like Grant and the opposite gender from our character as a rival. I think that would be enough, unless they throw in another person similar to N, which I wouldn't mind. |
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Honestly, the 'rival' should be someone who's so Hawaiian thematically that the player might have difficulty keeping up with how Hawaiian they are. Because the player is expecting to enjoy the Hawaiian theme, as such this would make them a total jerk in turning this against them. In that sense, Wakka from FF would be optimal, especially if like FF they insist on making the games consistently more shiny with little advantage.
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I was concerned about this as well, but I don't think it would be a bad thing to reuse a name. Green was a champion, but became a gym leader. I would think that the spelling would be different if they were a different person though. But if you look at the figures, they look like they are in a trainer pose. And why would there only be 8 if there was more than 8 students in the class room? |
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Btw, did u notice the upper left silhouette ? I wonder who that might be.. |
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Similar to how our Lance is named "Wataru" in Japanese, whereas the character we know as Proton is named "Lance" in Japanese. |
if i wasn't 13/14 in-game, i would ask him on a date
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