My 10 Favourite Pokémon Rivals

Happy Pokémon Day everybody! :D

Yep, it's that time of year again, another anniversary for the world's most popular franchise of all time. Ever since it graced us with its presence on February the 27th 1996, Pokémon has become a franchise juggernaut that is as much a part of our lives as Disney, Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, The Avengers, Star Wars and many more. You can't walk ANYWHERE in the world without seeing at least ONE piece of Pokémon merchandise somewhere and the games are ALWAYS ranking among the highest selling games of the year. This is a franchise that sells like hot-cakes, hence why it ranks as the highest grossing media franchise of all time with most of its revenue coming from game sales and the card game. Seriously, the card game attracts a ridiculous amount of buyers to the point people are willing to spend thousands of dollars just to buy a single rare card, it's nuts!

This is a franchise that's been with me all my life and I couldn't be happier to be a part of it. And so I want to celebrate Pokémon Day by doing a new Pokémon related post. And what better way to do so than with a new list of my 10 favourite things? This list will be a countdown in which I'll be listing my 10 favourite Pokémon rivals. Rivals are among the most beloved and memorable characters in the entire franchise. Whether we love them so much we want to be their friend instead of their rival or we love to hate them to the point it's immensely satisfying grinding their faces into the dirt, Pokémon has given us some very memorable rival characters throughout its 28 year lifespan and I'm sure there'll be more rival characters to come in future generations. I'm even willing to bet we might see Liko and Roy get their own rivals in a future season of Pokémon Horizons depending on what happens next...

For this list, I'll be including rivals from the games AND the anime, not just one or the other. This is a list of my favourite rival characters in general from the franchise, not just one aspect. So for anime fans and game fans, everyone gets a piece of the pie here today. Also this list isn't in any particular order. It's not a Top 10 list, just a list of my 10 favourite rivals.

So let's begin out Pokémon Day celebrations with my 10 Favourite Pokémon Rivals...

1: Shauna

This girl is precious beyond gold and silver and I love her. Such a sweetheart of a human being if ever there was one.

Debuting in the X & Y games from Pokémon's sixth generation, Shauna was part of a group of friends alongside Tierno, Trevor and either Calem or Serena depending on who the player picks to play as and it's very clear from the moment we meet her that she's the heart of the team. And needless to say, she more than lives up to her role for Shauna really does feel like the one that keeps the team together and brings a lot of positive energy to the group. She's all about having fun on her journey and making memories with her friends and Pokémon, and she REALLY seems to cherish those memories too. Given what a cynical and unforgiving world we live in, Shauna really does come off as a breath of fresh air as a result and I wish more people could be like her. We'd be living in a much happier world as a result!

As is, despite being labelled as a "rival", Shauna really doesn't feel much like a rival at all. Of the X and Y circle of friends, she feels the least like a rival as she's more about pushing people towards enjoying things aside from just getting stronger and she's not even that super into battling either. Even in the anime she's more a performer than a battler with her finishing in the Top 4 of the final showcase. And just like in the games, she's more of a friend than a rival to Serena. As is, I still enjoy Shauna for how she is, especially as I'd rather make friends than enemies, and even if she's not much of a rival she is still endearing as a result. And like everyone else, I picked up on the not-so-subtle hints she might be into the player character with her comments about it being the first time she's watched the fireworks alone with someone and how she'll "remember this forever". Oh Shauna, we will remember this forever too, especially guys like me who ship you and Serena together because we can. XD

#serenaxshaunaOTP

Oh and in the games, she owns a Goodra so I'd watch out if I were you. She may be a sunny person but I'd still make sure never to get on the bad side of anyone who owns a Dragon-type!

Cute as a button, sunny as hell and bringing that air of positivity to the group she's a part of, Shauna may not be much of a rival, but she's VERY much a friend to us and I'd happily welcome her to my circle of friends any day.

2: Zoey

The only good rival Dawn ever had if you ask me. Nando was underdeveloped and barely ever appeared, Kenny was just an obnoxious creep who gave Dawn her embarrassing nickname whilst acting entitled to her in his last appearance and Ursula was a literal waste of space. Zoey stood out as the only rival Dawn had who was both well-used AND likeable at the same time.

Appearing only in the Diamond and Pearl season of the anime, Zoey was Dawn's biggest rival in contests and unlike her other rivals, Dawn never once scored a victory over her, which I always found to be rather annoying as it just made the power scale of the show really inconsistent as a result. So you mean to tell me Dawn can beat May, a way-more experienced coordinator, but she can't beat Zoey, whom May was able to defeat on her first try? That's dumb! It makes no sense! I may sound incredibly salty, and I acknowledge that, but Dawn should've beat Zoey at the Sinnoh Grand Festival and the fact she didn't was just bad writing plain and simple. In a rivalry story, the main character must ALWAYS defeat and one-up their rivals in the end otherwise the story feels like a waste of time! But I digress. Zoey was a great character and certainly a sharp contrast compared to Paul in where Zoey is considerably friendlier to Dawn than Paul was to Ash. Heck, when they actually met Zoey is probably more antagonistic towards Paul than Ash ever was!

What made her such a great character and her dynamic with Dawn so enjoyable to me was how despite being a rival, Zoey simultaneously acted as a mentor to her. Throughout the series, Zoey is giving advice to Dawn that ends up paying off in later episodes, most notably Ambipom's redemption after costing Dawn the appeals round in a previous contest. It's really endearing to see how despite being rivals, they can still be friends to one another and Zoey's willing to give Dawn some advice to get better. She doesn't see herself as superior to anyone or above anyone and will help those in need regardless of if they're friends or rivals. She's also a graceful loser too, being humbled by her loss to Nando and accepting that people can be battlers and performers at the same time and even taking her loss to May in stride. I also like how unique she is compared to other female rivals and characters in the Pokémon anime with a more tomboyish personality and appearance and a propensity for wearing flashy suits instead of dresses, which only made her more memorable. My personal favourite outfit she wore was this one during the Wallace Cup:

She looks so dapper and I love it!

Zoey was a great rival and friend to Dawn throughout the Diamond and Pearl era. She was cool, friendly and supportive but not afraid to go the tough love approach if she feels its necessary and her advice to Dawn only helped the young coordinator from Twinleaf Town get better and better over the course of the series. It's a pity we never saw her again after the DP season ended as I'd have loved to have seen a potential rematch between Dawn and Zoey. Maybe Dawn would've FINALLY defeated her at long last...

3: N

Poor, innocent, naive, misguided N. Misled by Ghetsis into believing humans are bad and as a result he ends up at odds with us.

Debuting in Pokémon Black and White, N was systematic of the game's overall theme of the moral question that's always hung over the franchise: is the way Pokémon are treated abuse or not? N was raised by Ghetsis as a surrogate son to believe that humans were evil and Pokémon were poor innocent creatures that are constantly abused and exploited by humanity. As a result, N believes very strongly that humans and Pokémon shouldn't be together and while yes he has Pokémon too, he only uses them to battle to try and get his point across. He does still care very much for his Pokémon and just wants a unified world without humans abusing Pokémon. It takes meeting the player character and spending time with us to really challenge his worldview while also wondering if maybe humans and Pokémon CAN live in harmony after all.

Pokémon Black and White unquestionably has the best story of ANY Pokémon game and N's story is a large part of the reason why. He was one of the most unique rivals in a Pokémon game we had at that point. In Gens 1-4, the rivals were either jerks or nice guys who wanted to prove their superiority to you and their battles were to determine who had it in them to become Champion. N on the other hand engages in a battle of ideals and his goal isn't to win tournaments or be a master or anything, but to carry out Team Plasma's plans of separating people and Pokémon so only they can be in charge. N is a rival who is part of an evil organization, which puts him at heavier odds than previous rivals did and the stakes feel much bigger than before whenever we face him. This isn't just someone who thinks they're better than us and can beat us in a tournament, this is someone who's fighting to change the world and the way people and Pokémon live together and it only makes every conflict we have with him all the greater. It's so easy to see why this guy is a fan-favourite and why he's one of Black and White's most popular characters.

N was a compelling rival throughout the Black and White games and one of the most unique rivals out there. His battle with us is one of ideology and we don't get that very often with Pokémon rivals. He was interesting, sympathetic and engaging and if we get those inevitable remakes if the Black and White games, I look forward to challenging him again to prove how people and Pokémon are stronger together than separate...

4: Sawyer

This kid always stood out to me as one of the more unique rivals of the anime. Like Zoey, he's an anime exclusive character, first appearing in the X & Y seasons, debuting in the second season of that era in particular.

Sawyer is a standout amongst anime rivals for Ash for you see, he isn't some punk who wants to utterly destroy Ash and prove his superiority to him like Paul or some snob who thinks he's the greatest guy ever like Gary Oak. No, Sawyer is actually a FAN of Ash Ketchum. This isn't the first time we've had a rival who more looked up to Ash than looked down on him, I believe Morrison from the Advanced era was the first in that regard. But Sawyer I feel was more interesting than Morrison and a fun rival character throughout the X and Y series. He was studious and observant, always jotting down notes in a notebook when battling with his Pokémon or watching others and whenever he lost, he saw it as a learning curve and a means to get better. Sawyer is unquestionably a smart kid and he proves as such when he starts taking onboard everything he's learned over his adventures with Ash and while he never actually gets to defeat Ash at any point in the series, he notably puts up a better fight against him each time, even able to finally win a battle at one point because of how much he was improving.

Sawyer was a kid who looked up to Ash and used him as a motivator to get stronger himself and I really liked that dynamic. It was refreshing to see someone look up to Ash for a change and use the time he spent with him to get stronger and improve his skills. And BOY did he improve! Not only does he effortlessly take down Tierno without really losing control of the match with his strategic battle style, but he keeps Ash on his toes and VERY nearly beats him in the semi-final round of the Kalos League! It was only Ash's unorthodox battle style that helped the Kanto trainer win in the end but it was otherwise an epic match-up with Mega Sceptile vs. Ash Greninja as the finisher, a fitting conclusion since their rivalry started with Treecko vs. Frogadier. You also have to admit that Sawyer's team is pretty stacked. Slaking, Ageislash, Clawitzer, Salamence, Slurpuff and a Mega Evolving Sceptile? That's a pretty awesome team of Pokémon! It's no wonder he reached the semi-finals with that roster! Oh and I'm sure this is a hot-take, but Ash vs. Sawyer was a better battle than Ash vs. Alain. Don't try to change my mind on that. =P

Sawyer was a great rival and one of Ash's best rivals in my eyes. He was a different kind of rival for Ash and his strategic battle-style, studious nature and desire to surpass his idol really paid off in making him a worthy competitor who really gave Ash one of the battles of his life. A fine example on how inspiration and determination can carry you a long way in life...

5: Gladion

Make fun of his edginess all you like, Gladion is one of the most interesting rivals that ever came out of the games.

I haven't seen the Sun and Moon anime so everything I say will be STRICTLY referring to his portrayal in the games, though I do know a few bits here and there about his anime self so I may occasionally reference his anime self from time-to-time. Gladion is the older brother of Lillie and the eldest child of Lusamine and while Lillie remains a kind-hearted and sweet person in spite of her mother's abuse, Gladion acted out as a result and became a delinquent who was part of Team Skull and like Lillie, he also took a Pokémon from the Aether Foundation under his wing, that being the artificially created Type: Null. I believe this made Gladion the first rival who was part of a team who aren't actually the villains in a Pokémon game since Team Skull weren't actually evil, just delinquents who had a bone to pick with Professor Kukui. Much like Lillie, when I was playing the Sun and Moon games, Gladion was a character whom I got more invested in as the game went on and I really found myself sympathizing for him and understanding where he was coming from. It's also sad to see how unlike Lillie, he went on a more destructive path after running away from his mother and yet just like his sister, he still has a good side to him, which we see in how he disapproved of how Type: Null was treated and he took it for himself to protect it. Gladion is by no means a bad guy at all, he's just troubled and that only made him more interesting as a result.

Pokémon rivals don't tend to have much more to their characters aside from "the one you have to beat" with only Bianca, Cheren, Hugh, Hop, Marnie and Kieran being the exceptions and Gladion is certainly one of THE biggest exceptions to that rule. He was as much a part of the story as Lillie was and his story was certainly not what you expected from a typical Pokémon rival. I really enjoyed Gladion for that reason alone and he really is an example of how despite the Pokémon games having pretty simple stories, when they put effort into developing the characters, they REALLY hit a home run with them. He was an interesting character and a great foil to his sister, as well as an all-too-relatable example of how one deals with abuse with how he became more rebellious as a result. As is, he still had his likeable traits and was clearly a good guy at heart, which only made him more appealing. Oh and I'd be amiss if I didn't mention it was this guy whom Ash beat in the Alola League to finally win a league for once. You've gotta love him for that, am I right? XD

Gladion may find it annoying when he loses to us all the time, but I doubt he'll be annoyed that he got a spot on this list.

6: Nemona

I'd be mad not to include Nemona on this list. I mean...it's Nemona, do I need to explain why I love her so much? Any Pokémon fan can just say "It's Nemona" and have that as their definitive reason they love her. XD

But for those who may not be familiar with her, I'll explain anyway. Nemona is one of three new friends we meet in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and it didn't take long for the fandom to fall in love with her. Her battle-crazy personality, eccentric nature and funny quirks made her a fast favourite and it's easy to see why. Nemona's just so damn funny and endearing that a good reason to ever play the games again is just so we can be entertained by her all over again! I'd even argue that of all the Pokémon rivals in the franchise, Nemona might be the funniest. No rival character has ever made me laugh as much as this girl has and that just makes me love her all the more. While I understand that some might find her overly battle hungry personality annoying, I don't think it got that excessive and it started being annoying. I feel they did it just enough so it was still funny without overstaying its welcome. I know The Indigo Disk had me laughing out loud when it was revealed she challenged Clay of the Unova Region to a Pokémon battle whilst wearing a fancy dress. Can we PLEASE see that one day, maybe in a short or an anime episode or even in the Adventures manga? It'd be so funny! XD

But what most fans overlook is that Nemona isn't just the Pokémon equivalent of Goku as she's often referred to as and nothing else. No, we later learn that Nemona had a hard time making friends with others because she's so damn good at battling that people feel intimidated by her. The fact she befriends us, the player, and we become the first real friend that she's made in a while is really uplifting for her and the fact we're also someone whom can truly rival her seems to give her a new drive in life. It's honestly endearing that we were able to have such a positive impact on her like that, much like how we have a positive impact on nearly everybody else in the game. It's also implied that her parents dote too much on her older sister and leave her to herself which may also add to her loneliness before she met us, though the game doesn't really go anywhere with it, it's just extra information for Bulbapedia to put on Nemona's page at most. Still, I really enjoy the developing relationship with the player and Nemona and her quirky personality makes her an absolute hoot to enjoy throughout the game. I also like the selection of Pokémon she has to offer too with Pawmot, Goodra, Kommo-o, Lycanroc and the starter you didn't pick all being solid mons in their own right and post-Mochi Mayhem, she even has one of the starter Pokémon available in The Indigo Disk such as Infernape, Greninja and Decidueye. She knows how to pick her mons, doesn't she?

Nemona gives us a fruitful battle every time we face her and her fun personality, battle hungry attitude and friendly nature make her a character we won't soon forget...

7: Kieran

Ah Kieran, the poor guy whose villain arc we started.

Never before has a Pokémon game made me feel like the bad-guy as much as when playing through Kieran's story in the Scarlet and Violet DLC pack. Kieran is unique as a Pokémon rival since unlike past rivals where they're the ones who start the rivalry and antagonize us, we essentially end up creating him and end up provoking HIM into antagonising us. I can't think of any other time in the franchise where this has happened. After a fateful trip to Kitakami, we end up befriending Kieran but that friendship is tested when the legendary ogre turns out to be real and yet we're supposed to keep it a secret, we lie to him about it, constantly beat him in battle and thus prove we're much stronger than he is, end up on his sister's good side despite how she treats him like trash and then the object of his obsession, Ogerpon, decides she wants to go with us instead of him. I think I understand why the poor boy snapped harder than an angry crocodile! This in turn made our rivalry with Kieran feel the most personal out of all the rivals in the Pokémon games since we played a part in his fall to villainy and essentially created our own enemy with him. It's almost like WE'RE the bad guys for once and this is the result of our actions!

Kieran was a fascinating rival to fight against as a result of this and the stakes really felt personal and huge anytime we faced him. It also added a sympathetic edge to his character that made us want him to see the light again and get better so we can make up for what we did to him but you're left wondering will he ever get his redemption moment. Thankfully he does and I couldn't be happier about it as I'd much rather be friends than enemies with this kid. Kieran was a good guy and he didn't deserve all the crap we put him through. He's a damning example of how in life, our actions have consequences, so we must be careful with how we treat others. It was such a fascinating direction the DLC's story went in and I never in a million years would've anticipated that that's what we were in for! As a rival, Kieran became much colder and more aloof in his behaviour while also treating others like crap, valuing strength above all else, and it's to the point it's clearly effecting his health as he barely even sleeps anymore, seems to live on a diet of chocolate-based products and devotes so much of his time training. You can't deny it yielded some impressive results with a strong, competitively viable team with some clever strategies such as his Dragonite's move set making use of Politoed's rain, a Fake Out Incineroar, a Prankster Grimmsnarl and a Porygon-Z carrying a Life Orb to hit like a truck and even his ace holds an Assault Vest to sponge Special Attacks while Terastilizing into a Fighting-type to shoo off its crippling Ice weakness. The kid did his homework is what I'm saying.

Kieran is among the most unique rivals in the Pokémon games and also a cautionary tale of how actions have consequences, and the consequence of our actions gave us one of the franchise's greatest rivals ever. I'm just glad we were able to make up with him and be friends again for I like nice Kieran more than jerk Kieran!

8: Hop

Controversial opinion time! I unironically think Hop's a great rival and one of the best characters in Sword and Shield! And no, I don't mean it as a joke, I'm 100% serious when I say this! =P The fact that I think Hop is great might be a controversial opinion is honestly pretty sad if you ask me, because I really don't think this guy deserves to be looked down on as much as he is by the fandom.

As mentioned, Hop debuts in the Sword and Shield games and is one of three new rivals introduced in the games alongside Marnie and Bede. Hop is the younger brother of Leon, which is fascinating for a Pokemon game as I don't believe we've ever had a rival character who's related to a Champion before or since. This was an interesting new direction for the games to go in since we haven't had that before and it only made our dynamic with Hop more compelling as the games went on. Sure we're his best friend and neighbour and all, but we're both fighting for the same thing, to surpass his big bro. I honestly felt bad for ever kicking this guy's ass for not only is he a charming and friendly guy whom I just want to be friends with, but it felt like I was stealing his dream from right under his nose. Dammit GameFreak, I want to feel good about kicking my rival's ass, not like I'm the bad guy in their story! Still, because Hop's such an awesome guy, he takes it in his stride and never once holds it against us, which only makes him more likeable. Why can't more guys be like him in this world?

Hop's story was also an interesting one too for he takes a loss to Bede really hard and as a result, he begins switching his team up constantly and trying new things to see what works and he desires to get much stronger and prove that he's not a disgrace to his brother's name. It was compelling drama that only made him more sympathetic and interesting a character in my eyes and I was rooting for him to get stronger as much as he was working towards it. And while he doesn't achieve his goal, he serves as an optimistic reminder that failure is not the end of the journey, which is Pokémon's go-to- moral that it's always adhered to since Gen 1. Not only is he happy for us for achieving our goal when he couldn't, but he even finds a new calling in life when he decides to become a Pokémon Professor and gets hired to be Sonia's assistant by the end. It was really sweet that a nice guy like him got his happy ending after everything he went through in the game. Well done Hop my mate, you earned it. ^^

I don't care if people hate this guy, I personally love Hop and he's one of my favourite rivals thanks to his charming personality, friendly nature, compelling story and overall being such a fun guy in general. I'd love to see him become a Champion of his own some day...

9: Marnie

The one character who's always getting screwed over by GameFreak's story-telling, Marnie is a rival who really deserves better than what she's owed. I even included her on a list of characters whom I felt deserved better, as I'm sure you'll remember.

I also included her on my list of favourite Pokémon girls so I won't dwell too much on her as I've exhausted all I can say about why I like her so much. The most I'll repeat here is that Marnie by far has the most interesting and compelling story of the three rivals in Sword and Shield as a girl from a derelict town called Spikemuth who wants to become Champion in order to save her town from ruination. I'd argue she's one of the most sympathetic rivals in the series alongside Wally with how she's not in it for herself, she's in it for her hometown and her people too and the fact we're the ones standing in her way yet again makes me feel like the bad guy for kicking her ass in a battle. Seriously GameFreak, I think you need to make your rivals LESS sympathetic or else we won't want to beat them! =P Still, her story is interesting and I only wish it was focused on more instead of wasting time on that waste-of-space Bede. Seriously, I'd happily sacrifice every second of screentime he had if it meant giving Marnie more focus!

As a rival, I like how she was part of Sword and Shield's attempt to please everybody with the rivals. Bede was the jerk rival, Hop was the nice rival and Marnie was somewhere in-between where she's aloof and stoic by nature but is ultimately a nice girl with noble intentions. It was interesting to see GameFreak do that and I think they should do it again in future games. Marnie's personality made her even more enjoyable and endearing, especially when she has the odd quirky moment like her practicing smiling or trying to act cooler than she actually is. Add in a cute Goth girl appearance and it's easy to see why Marnie's so beloved amongst fans. She also commands some strong Dark-types like her signature Gigantamaxing Grimmsnarl and even has some coverage for Fairy-types like her Toxicroak with its Poison Jabs. She may not be Champion, but she's certainly going to make one fine Gym Leader if you ask me. She's easily more than worthy of succeeding her brother in the role.

Marnie was a great rival who was sadly undermined by not so great writing for her. She deserved better than what she got but that doesn't make me like her any less or anything. I still love her and I appreciate the fact we got her at all in this franchise...

10: Paul

I've made it no secret that I've always enjoyed Paul as a rival given my previous essay on him so of course he was going to claim a spot for this one.

While I certainly don't like Paul as a person, I DO like him as a rival and he was easily the best rival to ever come out of the anime, as well as Ash's best rival ever. Paul was the quintessential jerk rival, Ash's antithesis as a Pokémon trainer and the perfect foil to him in every way. He was cruel, calculating, strategic and overly focused on raw power, something that made him a force to be reckoned with whenever he was onscreen. He was such a powerful trainer that throughout Ash's time in the anime, he only ever scored three actual wins against him (one in a Pokéringer tournament and twice in a battle). And every battle he had with Ash felt like a more crushing defeat for him than the last with the Lake Acuity battle especially rocking his confidence something fierce despite Ash's best efforts. Paul challenged Ash on his skills as a trainer and his ideology as one. Ash believed kindness and support to his Pokémon was what made them strong while Paul believed in raw strength and that the results you achieved mattered more than actually bonding with your Pokémon. Considering how often he kicked Ash's ass with his powerhouse of a team, it's hard to disagree with him. Even when it came to Gym Battles, he beat Roark on his first try while Ash had to have a rematch in order to beat him!

One thing I also enjoy about Paul is his development over the course of the series. He starts off as a jerk but as time goes on, he slowly but surely starts to become more noble and nicer to others and even his own Pokémon with him complimenting Barry on the battle and also thanking his Electivire for a well-fought battle. He and Ash even depart on good terms to the point that when they see each other again in Journeys, he greets him like an old friend rather than an old enemy! And his character development stuck too for he still compliments his Gyarados and Metagross despite losing and he lets his Electivire play with Pikachu and Grookey, something the old Paul wouldn't even TEASE the thought of doing. Talk about coming a long way, am I right? His loss to Brandon was clearly the wake-up call he needed for THAT critical moment was when he started to change and I love how it was all done subtly without the writing feeling the need to spell out his development for us. The writers clearly knew we were smart enough to figure it out and it made Paul feel more nuanced in execution as a result. I love how he was handled as a rival and how he became a better person over time instead of just remaining a jerk and never changing and he gave us some of the anime's best battles of all time with the Lake Acuity and Sinnoh League battles with Ash being among my Top 10 Favourite Anime Battles.

And can we talk about how insanely stacked his team is? I don't think any rival in the series has a team of Pokémon as stacked as he does unless they have any Legendries. Torterra, Electivire, Magmortar, Honchkrow, Weavile, Drapion, Ursaring, Ninjask, Froslass, Gastrodon, Aggron, Nidoking, Hariyama, Gliscor, Gyarados, Garchomp and Metagross are all solid additions to any team and they all pull their weight quite well in battle. It's no wonder he was as strong as he was with so many powerful mons to call upon.

Strong, compelling, a great foil to Ash, packing a solid team of Pokémon, intimidating and a proper force of nature whenever he was onscreen, Paul was a fantastic rival character and no rival in the anime or games will ever come close to topping him. If this had been a Top 10 list, he'd have been Number 1 without question. As is, all this and more makes him among my 10 Favourite Pokémon Rivals for a reason and all future rivals should look up to him as an example of how to be a strong, memorable and compelling rival to the protagonist...

And that's it for this post. I hope you enjoyed it and I invite you all to share your thoughts down below. Who are YOUR favourite Pokémon rivals? Do you like my choices? Are there any you prefer? Do tell me.

I'm back again on Friday with a Vs. essay about Miraculous Ladybug, namely the show vs. the movie. Yes it'll be as hilariously one-sided as you expect it will be. ;) See you then media fans!