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No. 25474
LET ME TELL YOU MY RIVAL OPINIONS
Gary/Blue/Green was a flawless rival. He did everything he needed to do, which was piss off the player and prove to be an ever-present obstacle, without interfering in the player's sense of accomplishment. He could've beaten Team Rocket himself, but he didn't. Instead he focused on becoming the Champion, becoming that obstacle he needed to be one more time.
Silver was an absolutely shitty rival, because he didn't serve a true purpose. He wasn't a childhood friend like the other rivals, and he really didn't care about the player at all beyond seeing you as a nuisance in his way. His ideology made no sense; he constantly blamed failure on his own Pokemon, but never changed his team out except in a few small occasions. And despite losing to you again and again, a trainer on the same level as him, it took an utter thrashing from Lance -- a trainer way above his level -- to start to think that his ideas might be the wrong ones. And even after that, nothing actually changed. He kept using the same Pokemon and the same techniques in battle. It got even worse in HG/SS when he also became a colossal moron, immediately ripping the Rocket uniform off of you after spotting you in it, not thinking for a second that you might be trying to go undercover, or that you might have even just joined Team Rocket. And then he just leaves, not helping you fight Team Rocket at all, despite hating them so much. And even after his change of heart, he doesn't return the Sneasel he stole from the trainer in Cianwood. He's whiny, stupid, and doesn't serve any role in the plot except to be the token rival.
There were two rivals in Generation 3, but they behaved so differently from their predecessors that it becomes easy to forget. Their objective wasn't to be a challenge, it was to teach you more about the world you're in. Birch's kid isn't actually all that crazy about battling, doing it mostly as a hobby while helping out their father. Wally is sickly and still learning what it means to be a trainer -- when you battle, it's because he thinks he's ready to face you. Wally recognized the entire time that you were stronger than him. That doesn't make him an inferior rival, it just makes him different. He looked up to you, and wanted to be as strong as you and Norman were.
In Diamond and Pearl we got Barry, who has the same friendly nature as the Gen 3 rivals, with the competitive edge that Gary had. He was a good rival, ultimately wanting to prove himself against you, but more than happy to help out when the situation was obviously bigger than your competitive rivalry.
Bianca and Cheren were SUPPOSED to be your rivals in Black and White, but I honestly consider N closer to the role of a true rival. He's an obstacle in your way, out to prove his ideals are right, but was willing to admit when he was wrong and lend a helping hand. He didn't want to defeat you, he wanted to show you the way he saw things. In a way, he had a mixture of all the other rivals inside him, and was hidden under the guise of an antagonist. He even beat the Champion before you could, in true rival style. Bianca and Cheren don't even compare.
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