Rival

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For the Elite Four Champion in Pokémon Stadium, see Blue (game). For the Japanese opening theme, see The Rivals.

Rival
ライバル Rival
Masters Rival Challenge.png
Core series rivals that could be battled in the Rival Challenge event in Pokémon Masters EX
Other names
Introduced in Generation I
Appears in As "Rival"

Red, Blue, and Yellow
Gold, Silver, and Crystal
FireRed and LeafGreen
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Stadium, Stadium 2
Masters EX
As "Pokémon Trainer"
Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Black, White, Black 2, and White 2
X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire
Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Let's Go, Eevee!
Sword, Shield, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl
Scarlet and Violet

Gender Both
Counterpart {{{counterpart}}}
Notable members See list
Animated debut Pokémon - I Choose You! (Series)
Nemona and Brassius and... (Horizons)
File 1: Red (Origins)
The Challenger (Generations)
The Champion (Evolutions)
Breathe Out (Paldean Winds)
TCG debut [[(TCG)|]]
TCG card {{{card}}}
Manga debut A Glimpse of the Glow (Adventures)
PZ01 (Zensho)
Hareta's Very First Pokémon Battle!! (Diamond and Pearl Adventure!)
JBA1 (HGSS Jō's Big Adventure)
PW10 (How I Became a Pokémon Card)

A rival (Japanese: ライバル rival) is one of the main characters in the Pokémon games that is well known to the protagonist, sharing similar skills, goals, and achievements.

Rival characters appear frequently during the protagonist's quest, having a role in several of the games' events and often challenging them in battles. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of said character. The rival may also be a childhood friend of the protagonist, or will become friends with them as the story progresses.

Other notable instances of characters considering each other rivals also occur in some Pokémon media.

Terminology

Multiple characters are either called rivals in promotional material, or are self-proclaimed within character dialogue. Gladion's internal name for Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon call him RIVAL. Notably, rival characters that can be named by the player, will have either their encounter or rival battle themes refer to them simply as "rival," while Wally's theme in the Pokémon Omega Ruby & Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: Super Music Collection is also titled Rival's Theme similarly to Hugh's. Blue and Silver are the only characters to have ever had the "Rival" Trainer class.

Friendly rival[1][2] is a common term used to refer to certain rival characters who are non-antagonistic towards the player.

In the games

Core series

Red battling his rival Blue in Carddass art drawn by Ken Sugimori

In the core series, a rival is a recurring opponent to the player throughout the game. This character archetype has appeared in every core series game since its debut in Generation I. Typically, rivals will be met by the player early in the game, usually around the time the player receives their first partner Pokémon. In most games, the rival will also obtain a first partner Pokémon and will usually participate in the player's first Pokémon battle against a Trainer. From then on, rivals will appear frequently throughout the player's journey, often being one step ahead of the player as they move through the region, meeting and battling the player at various points in the game with a progressively stronger and diversified party. Usually, they must be defeated in order to continue the game; the most important of these battles happening either right before or during the player's challenge to the Elite Four.

After the defeat of the Elite Four and the Pokémon Champion, the rival can usually be battled at the player's leisure, but only at certain times with increasingly powerful Pokémon. More often than not, they will have the first partner Pokémon of their home region that is strong against the one the player chose at the beginning of the game.

Players are able to choose a different name for Blue, Silver, Barry, Hugh, and Trace. In the Hoenn- and Kalos-based games, the player character not chosen will serve as a rival.

Most rivals use the Trainer class "Pokémon Trainer", with only Blue and Silver identified as "Rival" as their Trainer class. Rivals may also take on other classes as they assume other roles in the story, such as Blue, Trace, and Nemona's status as Champions, as well as N and Gladion's membership in Team Plasma and Team Skull, respectively.

The following are the characters in the games that have been officially referred to as rivals of a player character.

RGBYFRLG PE GSCHGSS RSEORAS DPPtBDSP BW B2W2
FireRed LeafGreen Blue.png Lets Go Pikachu Eevee Trace.png HeartGold SoulSilver Silver.png Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire Brendan.png Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire May.png Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire Wally.png Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Barry.png Black White Cheren.png Black White Bianca.png Black White N.png Black 2 White 2 Hugh.png
Blue[3] Trace[1] Silver[3] Brendan[4] May[5] Wally[6] Barry[7] Cheren[8] Bianca[8] N[8] Hugh[9]
XY SMUSUM SwSh SwIA ShIA SV SVTMID
XY Calem.png XY Serena.png XY Shauna.png XY Tierno.png XY Trevor.png USUM Hau.png Sun Moon Gladion.png Sword Shield Hop.png Sword Shield Bede.png Sword Shield Marnie.png Sword Shield Klara.png Sword Shield Avery.png Scarlet Violet Nemona.png Violet Arven.png Scarlet Violet Kieran.png
Calem[10] Serena[11] Shauna[8] Tierno[8] Trevor[8] Hau[2] Gladion[12] Hop[13] Bede[14] Marnie[15] Klara[16] Avery[16] Nemona[17] Arven[8] Kieran[18]

Spin-off games

Pokémon Card GB series

In the Card GB series, Ronald uses Pokémon cards instead of actual Pokémon.

TCGTCG2
Ronald.png
Ronald

Pokémon Ranger

Ranger: Shadows of Almia
Keith.png
Keith

Pokémon Duel

The rivals in Pokémon Duel use Pokémon figures instead of actual Pokémon.

Duel
Duel Luca.png Duel Sharon.png
Luca Sharon

Pokémon Masters EX

Masters EX
Spr Masters Paulo.png Spr Masters Lear.png
Paulo Lear

In animation

Pokémon the Series

In Pokémon the Series, several rivals from the games have appeared at some point in the story, with many of them crossing paths with Ash's group.

Additionally, other characters have served as rivals to Ash or other main characters, having similar goals and helping the heroes at some points against villainous teams.

Ash's rivals

  • Gary was Ash's main rival in Pokémon the Series: The Beginning and Gold and Silver. They were close when they were younger, but their friendship ended when they argued over an old Poké Ball and broke it. Eventually, Gary gained some respect for Ash, and after losing to him in the Silver Conference, they became friends again altogether.
  • Paul was Ash's main rival in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. When they met, Paul despised Ash due to his approach to Pokémon training and friendship, constantly insulting him every time they crossed paths. However, like Gary, he eventually grew to respect Ash after losing to him in the Lily of the Valley Conference.
    • Barry was Ash's secondary Sinnoh rival. Unlike Ash's other major rivals, the two have a friendly rivalry, though Barry would frequently comment that he believed he was much stronger than Ash would ever be.
    • Ash's minor rivals include Nando and Conway who, while they battled Ash more than once across an entire saga, have a smaller role than the other rivals.
  • Trip was Ash's main rival in Pokémon the Series: Black & White. The rivalry formed when Trip found out that Ash was from Kanto, a region of which Trip thinks very little. Trip believed Ash to be a redneck from the boonies who needed to go back to the basics of Pokémon, causing a heated rivalry. However, they were shown to respect each other to some extent in various episodes. Like with Gary and Paul, the two settled their differences when Ash beat Trip at the Vertress Conference.
  • Tierno was Ash's primary rival for the first part of Pokémon the Series: XY, with Trevor serving as a minor secondary rival. During the second part of his Kalos journey, however, Ash struck up more serious rivalries with Alain and Sawyer. Alain wished to test the unique power of Ash and his Greninja, while Sawyer looked up to Ash and made it his goal to surpass him.
  • Gladion was Ash's main rival in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon. Ash and Gladion's rivalry was mutually respectful from the start, with Gladion recognizing Ash's strength almost immediately. Gladion eventually became more dedicated to surpassing Ash after witnessing his and his Pikachu's aptitude for Z-Moves, leading him to undertake the island challenge. Though Gladion is much calmer than Ash, he and Ash both share a deep, internal passion for intense battling.
  • Leon was Ash's main rival in Pokémon Journeys: The Series. Defeating Leon in the World Coronation Series served as Ash's primary goal throughout the series, with Leon in turn anticipating Ash's challenge and paying attention to his growth as a Trainer.
    • During his journey throughout the World Coronation Series, Ash had rivalries with several other characters, such as Bea and Raihan. Bea is the only Trainer that Ash had multiple official battles with during the series.
  • Ash also has friendly rivalries with Ritchie, Harrison, Morrison, Tyson, Stephan, Bianca, Cameron, Kiawe, and Hau. Most of these Trainers have served as opponents for Ash during various Pokémon League Conferences.
  • In Destiny Deoxys, Ash had a rivalry with Rafe. The two settled their differences when LaRousse City was being attacked by Deoxys.

Other characters' rivals

  • Jessie and James had unfriendly rivalries with Cassidy and Butch, respectively, until the latter two eventually left Team Rocket.
  • May has friendly rivalries with Drew and Solidad, and an unfriendly rivalry with Harley.
  • Dawn has friendly rivalries with Zoey and Kenny, and unfriendly rivalries with Ursula and Jessilina. She also has Nando as a minor rival.
  • Johanna had a friendly rivalry with Lila when they were younger. Lila was the first person to defeat Johanna in a Contest Battle, but she eventually gave up coordinating and became a Stylist.
  • Cilan has an unfriendly (though one-sided) rivalry with Burgundy, which comes from when he defeated her at the Striaton Gym, and also from Cilan's better reputation as a Connoisseur, although Cilan frequently comments on how he looks forward to seeing Burgundy's growth the next time they meet.
  • Iris has an unfriendly rivalry with Georgia, which comes from the fact that Iris wants to become a Dragon Master while Georgia focuses on defeating Dragon-type Pokémon.
  • Stephan engaged in an unfriendly rivalry with Montgomery during the Clubsplosion.
  • Serena has friendly rivalries with Shauna, Miette, Nini, Aria, and Lisia.
  • Alain has a rivalry with Remo.
  • Sophocles has a rivalry with Horacio. While they were initially unfriendly, they became more respectful towards each other after an encounter in the Vast Poni Canyon.
  • The rivalry between Leon and Raihan is introduced from the battle of the two Trainers in Toughing It Out!.
  • Goh has a rivalry with Gary, with both of them competing to become Chasers in Project Mew during Pokémon Journeys: The Series. Gary treats Goh the same way he treated Ash in the original series as a way to push him to become a better Trainer; this treatment is what motivated Goh to join Project Mew. Goh also has a friendly rivalry with his childhood friend Horace, who also competed to become a Chaser.

Rivalries between Pokémon

Ash's Pokémon
Ash's Pikachu and his evolved form, Raichu
Other


I Choose You!

Cross could be said to be Ash's rival in the alternate storyline depicted in I Choose You!. In a similar manner to Paul, Cross abandoned his Charmander, deeming it to be too weak, and allowing Ash to catch it. Their relationship could even be said to be antagonistic, with Cross being even more aggressive than Paul. Cross's aggressiveness and thirst for power is derived from an inferiority complex, from being able to see Ho-Oh, but not being chosen as the Rainbow Hero. In the end, despite losing to Ash and his former Charmander, who by that point had evolved into Charizard, he still attempted to steal the Rainbow Wing in order to battle Ho-Oh and prove himself as the strongest Trainer.

Pokémon Horizons: The Series

In Pokémon Horizons: The Series, a few rivals from Generation IX games appeared during the course of the series:

Main characters


Other characters' rivals

  • During the course of the series, it was shown several times that the members of the Explorers have a rivalry among themselves, forming small alliances with other members of the team. The most notable example of this is the relationship between Amethio and Spinel.
  • In The Bittersweet Truth, Murdock had a rivalry with his old friend Mitchell, which became heated after several disagreements, thanks to Liko's efforts, Murdock and Mitchell reconciled.
  • In HZ069, Friede began a rivalry with Carmine, with the latter challenging him to several challenges and finally ending with a Pokémon battle, which Friede easily won.


Pokémon Origins

Red and his rival Blue in Pokémon Origins

Blue appears as Red's rival in Pokémon Origins, fulfilling his traditional role in the games.

Pokémon Generations

Pokémon: Twilight Wings

All Pokémon Sword and Shield rivals appeared in Pokémon: Twilight Wings.


Pokémon Evolutions

Several rivals appeared during Pokémon Evolutions:

Pokémon: Paldean Winds

Nemona and Aliquis's rivalry

In Pokémon: Paldean Winds, Aliquis has a rivalry with Nemona, as the two are considered the best Trainers at Naranja Academy. In Breathe In, Aliquis began to feel frustrated for not being able to beat her. Kieran appeared in Breathe Together.

In the manga

Red and his rival, Blue

Pokémon Adventures

Several characters in Pokémon Adventures have been rivals to each other.

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

Magical Pokémon Journey

Pokémon Zensho

Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!

Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!

Hareta and his rival, Koya

Several characters have rivals in this series.

Phantom Thief Pokémon 7

Pokémon RéBURST

Pokémon Journeys

Several characters have rivals in this series.

In the TCG

Trivia

  • Ash has at least one species of Pokémon from the same evolutionary line as each of his major rivals. Gary caught a Krabby and uses a Blastoise, Paul uses a Torterra and Gliscor, Trip uses a Serperior and Tranquill, Alain uses a Charizard and an Unfezant, Gladion uses a Lycanroc, and Leon uses a Charizard. At various times in the series, this is used as part of the plot, such as the comparison between Ash's Krabby and Gary's Krabby in Mystery at the Lighthouse and Showdown at the Po-ké Corral, and Paul's Torterra serving as mentor to Ash's Grotle in Aiding the Enemy!.
  • Powerful enemies in the Battle Royales of Pokémon Rumble and Pokémon Rumble Blast—chosen from Miis—are called rivals as well.
  • In every core series game with a Pokémon League prior to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, at least one of the player's rivals can be battled at the Pokémon League and/or Victory Road.
    • The Sinnoh Victory Road is the only Victory Road where the player can never have a rival battle.
  • According to an interview with Junichi Masuda, the rivals have become less antagonistic due to the following reason: "I think the biggest reason that rivals were more of a jerk in the early days is that we were just limited in what we could express with the pixel graphics. There's not much that you can do with that kind of little sprite on the screen, so we worked harder to characterize them through dialogue and give them certain personalities. Also, because it's just dialogue and there's not a whole lot going on on the screen, it doesn't give as harsh of an impression even if they're jerks, I think. Now we have HD graphics and the visuals are much more impressive. If you also made him a jerk, the impression would be a lot stronger on players. Another thing, just my own personal take, is that it feels that people with those kinds of personalities these days are just not as accepted by players as they were back then."[19]

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 勁敵 Gihngdihk
Mandarin 勁敵 / 劲敌 Jìngdí
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Rivaal
Finland Flag.png Finnish Kilpailija
France Flag.png French Rival
Germany Flag.png German Rivale
India Flag.png Hindi दुश्मन Dushman *
Italy Flag.png Italian Rivale
South Korea Flag.png Korean 라이벌 Rival
Poland Flag.png Polish Rywal
Portugal Flag.png Portuguese Rival
Russia Flag.png Russian Соперник Sopernik
Spain Flag.png Spanish Rival
Thailand Flag.png Thai คู่แข่ง
Turkey Flag.png Turkish Rakip

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Welcome to the Kanto Region | Pokémon Let's Go Official Website: You'll begin your journey in Pallet Town, a humble place that's also home to your friendly rival, who just so happens to be your next-door neighbor.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Hau's Trainer Spotlight in Pokémon Masters, the Pokémon TCG, Manga, and More | Pokemon.com: Hau is more of a friendly rival [...]
  3. 3.0 3.1 Has the "Rival" Trainer class
  4. May: "My rival, Brendan, is the best rival ever!" (Pokémon Masters EX)
  5. Brendan: "You know, I have a friend named May. She's my best rival!" (Pokémon Masters EX)
  6. Battle theme is titled "Rival's Theme" on the official soundtrack
  7. Appears on a card called Rival
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Has the "Rival" theme skill in Pokémon Masters EX
  9. Encounter theme is titled "Rival's Theme" and battle theme is titled "Battle! (Rival)" on the official soundtrack
  10. Calem: "I respect you as a friend. That's why I want to beat you in battle as your rival!" (Pokémon X and Y)
  11. Serena: "It's because I respect you that I want to beat you in battle as your rival! I really mean it!" (Pokémon X and Y)
  12. Gladion:"But at least for me... I want the strongest rival for myself." (Pokémon Sun and Moon)
  13. Hop | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Hop is Leon's younger brother and will become one of your rivals.
  14. Bede | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Bede is one of your rivals [...]
  15. Marnie | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Marnie is one of your rivals who has a competitive side.
  16. 16.0 16.1 The cast of characters | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: There are two new rivals that can appear in The Isle of Armor. [...] You'll face a different rival depending on which game you're playing.
  17. Nemona: "Let's you and me be best rivals for life!" (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet)
  18. Amarys: "What is [Kieran] to you, <player>?"
    Player: "He's my rival" (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet - The Indigo Disk)
  19. GameSpot interview about rivals

See also

Rival and friend characters
Core series BlueSilverBrendan/MayWallyBarryLucas/DawnEthan/LyraCherenBianca
NHughCalem/SerenaShaunaTiernoTrevorLillieHauGladionTrace
HopMarnieBedeKlaraAveryNemonaArvenPennyCarmineKieran
Spin-off games RonaldKeithLucaSharonPauloLearTina
Trainer classes in the Pokémon core series
Kanto Ace Trainer*BeautyBikerBird KeeperBlack Belt*Bug CatcherBurglarCamper*ChampionGSCFRLGHGSSPE
ChannelerElite FourGSCFRLGHGSSPEEngineerFishermanGamer*GentlemanGym Leader*GSCFRLGHGSSPE
HikerJugglerLassPicnicker*Poké Maniac*Pokémon Trainer*GSCPEPsychicRivalFRLGRockerRoughneck*
SailorScientistSuper NerdSwimmerTamerTeam Rocket Boss*FRLGHGSSPETeam Rocket Grunt*Youngster
BoarderHGSSDouble TeamHGSSFirebreatherGSCHGSSGuitaristGSCHGSSMediumGSCHGSS
PokéfanGSCHGSSSchool Kid*GSCHGSSSkierHGSSTeacherGSCHGSSTwinsGSCFRLGHGSS
Cool CoupleFRLGCrush KinFRLGSis and BroFRLGYoung CoupleFRLGHGSS
Coach TrainerPEKarate MasterPEPunk GuyPETeam RocketPETeam Rocket AdminPE
Master TrainersPE
Unused Trainer class:
ChiefRGBY
Johto Ace Trainer*BeautyBikerBird KeeperBlack Belt*BoarderBug CatcherBurglarCamper
ChampionExecutive*FirebreatherFisherman*GentlemanGuitaristHikerJugglerKimono GirlLass
LeaderMediumPicnickerPokéfanPoké Maniac*PKMN TrainerPoliceman*PsychicRivalHGSSSage
SailorSchool Kid*ScientistSkierSuper NerdSwimmerTeacherTeam Rocket Grunt*TwinsYoungster
Mystery Man*CHGSSDouble TeamHGSSElderHGSSPasserbyHGSSYoung CoupleHGSS
Battle Frontier only:HGSS

Aroma LadyArtistBattle GirlCameramanClownCollectorCowgirlCyclistDragon TamerIdol
JoggerLadyNinja BoyParasol LadyPIPoké KidPKMN BreederPKMN RangerRancherReporter
Rich BoyRoughneckRuin ManiacSocialiteTuberVeteranWaiterWaitressWorker
Arcade StarCastle ValetFactory HeadHall MatronTower Tycoon


Project CharacterDex logo.png This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.