The Rivals

----
The Rivals (Japanese: ライバル！ Rival!) is the second Japanese opening theme of the original series.
It debuted in EP081, replacing Aim to Be a Pokémon Master.
==Opening animation==
===Synopsis===
The opening starts with a brief view of a battlefield which quickly changes into a . The ball opens and the Pokémon logo comes out, appearing over water. jumps out from the left, makes a splashing entrance, and flies up. The title then disappears with making its appearance, followed by and then making a roar. The next scene features , , and . The background changes as appears singing. then comes up, then only to be attacked by . scares Squirtle away with an Electric attack. makes his entrance and uses . The earth is shown next as Thunderbolt comes out. and Pikachu appears in battle against Sparky and Ritchie. The screen split into four and shows various Pokémon doing attacks. This changes to a dark stadium where Ash is seen standing with his head low. and , as well as and Delia Ketchum are watching him from the sidelines. The two girls seem concerned. Ash's fist trembles, then opens. Light is cast on him as he raises his head with a confident smile. Afterward, Ash and Ritchie shake hands.
The scene changes to the sea where Pikachu and are seen riding on 's head. Ash, Misty and Tracey are riding on Lapras's back, while Goldeen and Staryu are swimming. , on the other hand, seems to be drowning. Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny pass by riding on a motorboat. appears on the screen with a menacing look. Jessie, James, and appear standing on their submarine. A then swats them away with its tail.
The next scene features Lapras and the gang again, shot from behind. Psyduck is hanging onto Lapras, while Goldeen and Staryu are in the water. Pikachu and Togepi are still on Lapras's head, while the Trainers are on its back, all are laughing. Closing up on Ash, Pikachu hops onto his back. Then Ash looks at the sky. Flashbacks of his rivals are seen. The next scene shows Lapras and the gang again, looking up at the sky, with the sun setting over the horizon.
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Ash Ketchum
* 
* Tracey Sketchit (debut)
* Jessie
* James
* Gary Oak
* 
* Delia Ketchum
* Nurse Joy
* Officer Jenny
* 
* Ritchie
* Duplica
* Samurai
* Mandi
* A.J.
* Giselle
* Jeanette Fisher
* from EP051
===Pokémon===
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (, new, debut)
* (, new, debut)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (, debut)
* (, debut)
* (, new, debut)
* ()
* (Sparky, Ritchie's)
* (Zippo, Ritchie's)
* (, Ritchie's)
* ()
* (Samurai's)
* (Mandi's)
* (A.J.'s)
* (Giselle's)
* (Jeanette Fisher's)
* ('s)
* (anime)
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
==Lyrics==
===TV size===
! Japanese
! English
|-
| lang="ja" | <ab>
</ab>
| <ab>Let's battle!
, , 
, !
, , 
, !
Win or lose, I'll celebrate
Let's battle, a Pokémon battle!
It's so disappointing to lose
I'm trembling, but,
My clenched fist loosens
I wipe the sweat on my jeans, so let's shake hands!
Isn't the flow of time mysterious?
"Do you remember who won?"
Now look!
I can laugh as I talk with you
"I forgot!" said while playing dumb
Those are my rivals</ab>
|}
|}
===Full version===
! Japanese
! English
|-
| lang="ja" | <ab>
</ab>
| <ab>Let's battle!
, , 
, !
, , 
, !
Win or lose, I'll celebrate
Let's battle, a Pokémon battle!
It's so disappointing to lose
I'm trembling, but,
My clenched fist loosens
I wipe the sweat on my jeans, so let's shake hands!
Isn't the flow of time mysterious?
"Do you remember who won?"
Now look!
I can laugh as I talk with you
"I forgot!" said while playing dumb
Those are my rivals
, 
, !
, 
, !
Win or lose, I'll celebrate
Let's battle, a Pokémon battle!
I'm so happy to win
I want to cry, but
There's something more important
Than winning and losing!
Rivals are something amusing
"You still have a ways to go before you're grown!"
You see, look!
Because the road we've chosen is the same
"I won't lose!" With these words
We can talk of our identical dreams
The bud that is our dreams
Hasn't changed, but
Little by little it'll bloom...
I can feel it</ab>
|}
|}
==Trivia==
* Unlike most openings, no Legendary Pokémon were featured in this opening.
* is shown with a in this opening, even though he has never been seen using one, nor has it ever been confirmed if he obtained his when it was still a Growlithe.
* This would be the only opening to not feature up until .
* This is the first time in the where digital coloring rather than hand coloring was used. In this case, it was during the power display of Growlithe, Misty's Goldeen, Misty's Staryu, Ash's Snorlax, and Ash's Charizard.
===Errors===
==In other languages==
==Related articles==
Category:Japanese opening themes
es:OPJ02
it:Rival!
ja:ライバル!
zh:勁敵！