A Rivalry to Remember

[Socratic]

Every Pokemon game has its Rivals; the people who seem to follow you around the whole region, waiting for the worst times to battle you. Whether they help you or actively hinder your progress, they sure can be odd or annoying sometimes.

I ask you now, what do you think about the Rivals from the Pokemon games? Who did it best, and who did it worst? What would you like to see from your Rival in future generations?

 

[Juno]

I think I preferred the rivals that I love to hate - ones I felt good beating and really made me feel motivated to kick their ass.

Thinking back on all the rivals, I'm actually kind of surprised how few 'real' rivals we had - most of them were too friendly, and the "Wow! Good job beating me, you're so strong!" thing just isn't as fun as crushing a pompous jerk who thinks he's better than you. :P

So yeah, I'd say Blue and Silver were my favorites. They were tough, and for most of the game they were better than you (not just in battles, but the way the story was laid out - they were always a step ahead of you) and it just made beating them feel more like an accomplishment.

 

[Lunar]

I definitely say Blue is my favourite, he (along with Silver) was the only rival that actually wanted to be ahead of you and see you fail. Not to mention he becomes the champion of Kanto and is ultimately the final boss. Like Juno said he was meant to be better than the player and had a pretty tough team, and his sister gave us the town map xD

 

[thedestinedblade]

With the exception of X/Y's group of "rivals", I really like all of them for different reasons. Hugh is probably my favorite though. I loved how his character arc revolved about him protecting his little sister as well as learning to forgive Team Plasma. I also love his design and battle theme too. The Quilfish hair is awesome.

 

[Mab]

Blue and Wally, probably. Not sure if Wally is really considered a "rival", but it seems like he meets the criteria. I didn't actually like Silver that much, probably just because he actually seemed too obnoxious. A healthy amount of obnoxiousness made Blue funny, but Silver went overboard. As for Wally, he was just adorable.

The X&Y "rival" squad... hate 'em. And not in a good way like the way I hate Blue.

 

[Lunar]

I didn't actually like Silver that much, probably just because he actually seemed too obnoxious. A healthy amount of obnoxiousness made Blue funny, but Silver went overboard. As for Wally, he was just adorable.

The X&Y "rival" squad... hate 'em. And not in a good way like the way I hate Blue.

I guess the explanation for Silver being the way he is, is that he's ultimately a criminal and just a bad person. Whilst Gary wasn't a good guy his obnoxiousness was almost playful and was purposefully meant to get the player wound up, whereas with Silver imo he was just a stereotypical antagonist who was disillusioned.

But that Rival squad from X&Y was just almost embarrassing...

 

[Socratic]

Looking back, I do notice how only one third of the rivals were obnoxious-ish, and this surprises me. I'm really used to thinking of rivals as almost bad guys. I mean, Barry and Hugh are passionate and all, but they don't actively hinder you. I'd like to see a jerkish rival again :P

 

[Socratic]

Now an honorable mention goes to Brendan/May. Why? Because they suck! Not only do they get NOWHERE in the story, THEY DON'T EVEN SHOW YOU THE FINAL EVOLUTION OF THE STARTER POKEMON. What a disastrous way to crash hard; showcasing these fancy new Pokemon and sprites and you managed to blunder that hard? Come on......

Sounds like your giving them a dishonorable mention :P I really liked Brendan/May for being the opposite gender of you, and for being the first nice rivals. I perfectly agree with you, though.

 

[Drayton]

Blue and Silver seems the best rivals in-game since Blue always cocky and act cool, always one step ahead. Silver started out cold soon more opening. XY just just..... way ridiculous with so many generically boring rivals.