Rival

:For the Elite Four in Pokémon Stadium, see Blue (game). For the Japanese opening theme, see The Rivals.
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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 s. 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 and 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. and are the only characters to have ever had the "Rival" Trainer class.
Friendly rival is a common term used to refer to certain rival characters who are non-antagonistic towards the player.
==In the games==
===Core series===
In the core series, a rival is a recurring opponent to the 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 "Pokémon Trainer", with only and 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, , 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.
 	 		 	 	 	 	 			
 	 		 	 	 	 	 			
Has the "Rival" Trainer class	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.		: "My rival, , is the best rival ever!" ()	: "You know, I have a friend named . She's my best rival!" ()	Battle theme is titled "Rival's Theme" on the official soundtrack	Appears on a card called	Has the "Rival" theme skill in			Encounter theme is titled "Rival's Theme" and battle theme is titled "Battle! (Rival)" on the official soundtrack
 	 				 	 	 	 	 	 		 		
 	 				 	 	 	 	 	 		 		
: "I respect you as a friend. That's why I want to beat you in battle as your rival!" ()	: "It's because I respect you that I want to beat you in battle as your rival! I really mean it!" ()				Hau's Trainer Spotlight in Pokémon Masters, the Pokémon TCG, Manga, and More | Pokemon.com: Hau is more of a friendly rival [...]	Gladion:"But at least for me... I want the strongest rival for myself." ()	Hop | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Hop is Leon's younger brother and will become one of your rivals.	Bede | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Bede is one of your rivals [...]	Marnie | Official Website | Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield: Marnie is one of your rivals who has a competitive side.	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.		Nemona: "Let's you and me be best rivals for life!" ()		Amarys: "What is [Kieran] to you, <player>?"Player: "He's my rival" ( - The Indigo Disk)
===Spin-off games===
====Pokémon Card GB series ====
In the Card GB series, uses Pokémon cards instead of actual Pokémon.
====Pokémon Ranger====
====Pokémon Duel====
The rivals in Pokémon Duel use Pokémon figures instead of actual Pokémon.
	
	
	
====Pokémon Masters EX====
	
	
	
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
In , several rivals from the games have appeared at some point in the story, with many of them crossing paths with '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.
* was given a cross-canon counterpart with Gary Oak, who debuted in Pokémon - I Choose You!.
* appeared briefly in the opening of The Legend of Thunder!, which showed some events of 's journey.
* debuted in Barry's Busting Out All Over! and became one of Ash's rivals, as well as an occasional .
* debuted in Minccino—Neat and Tidy!, where she is a friendly rival of Ash and an occasional .
* debuted in New Places...Familiar Faces!.
*Cheren's only appearance was in There's a New Gym Leader in Town! as the Gym Leader of Aspertia City.
*, , and debuted in Summer of Discovery!.
*'s first proper appearance was in A Glaring Rivalry!.
*Hau debuted in No Stone Unturned! and would go on to serve as a minor rival for Ash.
*Marnie debuted in Battling Turned Up to Eleven! as a participant in the World Coronation Series.
*Hop debuted in Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!, when he challenged Ash to a battle before the start of the Masters Eight Tournament.
====Ash's rivals ====
* was 's main rival in and . They were close when they were younger, but their friendship ended when they argued over an old 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 . 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.
** 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 . 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.
* was Ash's primary rival for the first part of , with 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 , while Sawyer looked up to Ash and made it his goal to surpass him.
* 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.
* 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, , Morrison, , Stephan, , , , 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 .
====Other characters' rivals====
* Jessie and James had unfriendly rivalries with Cassidy and Butch, respectively, until the latter two eventually left Team Rocket.
* has friendly rivalries with Drew and Solidad, and an unfriendly rivalry with Harley.
* has friendly rivalries with Zoey and , 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 and became a .
* 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 , although Cilan frequently comments on how he looks forward to seeing Burgundy's growth the next time they meet.
* has an unfriendly rivalry with Georgia, which comes from the fact that Iris wants to become a Dragon Master while Georgia focuses on defeating Pokémon.
*Stephan engaged in an unfriendly rivalry with Montgomery during the Clubsplosion.
* has friendly rivalries with , Miette, Nini, , and Lisia.
*Alain has a rivalry with Remo.
* 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 is occasionally shown to have a rivalry with his evolved form, . This was first displayed in Electric Shock Showdown with Lt. Surge's Raichu and would be seen with several other Raichu throughout the series.
* Ash's Infernape had a brutal rivalry with Paul's Electivire, which began while both were still owned by Paul.
*Ash's Incineroar had a rivalry with Professor Kukui's Incineroar that started when the former was still a .
*Ash's Rowlet had a rivalry with Hau's , which was resolved in their battle during the Manalo Conference's quarterfinals.
*Ash's Lucario had a brief rivalry with Bea's , which ended after the third battle between the two in A Battle of Mega Versus Max!.
=====Other=====
* has a one-sided rivalry with Giovanni's Persian, either seeking approval or wanting to replace his leader's Pokémon.
*Brock's Croagunk has a violent rivalry with Saturn's Toxicroak, which continued in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
===I Choose You!===
Cross could be said to be 's rival in the alternate storyline depicted in I Choose You!. In a similar manner to Paul, Cross abandoned his , 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 , 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 , a few rivals from Generation IX games appeared during the course of the series:
* debuted in Nemona and Brassius and…, and quickly befriended Liko and Roy in spite of her competitive nature.
* Arven first appeared in Shine on, Terastallization! Liko vs. Roy!, watching Liko's battle against Roy.
====Main characters====
*In The Pendant That Starts It All (Part One), the Rising Volt Tacklers and the Explorers began a serious rivalry with each other. During their clashes, the leaders of both groups, Friede and Amethio, started an unfriendly rivalry with each other.
** Starting in A Challenge from the Explorers, Coral started a certain rivalry with Liko the moment the two started doing Tera Training at Naranja Academy.
* Liko has a friendly rivalry with Ann, as Ann has faced Liko several times and has as one of her goals to become as strong as Liko.
* Roy has a friendly rivalry with , with her often challenging him to battle and sometimes advising him on his journey.
====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 HZ083, it was revealed that this led to a split in the Explorers, with one group led by Amethio and another led by Spinel, each with their own goals in the organization.
* In The Bittersweet Truth, Murdock had a rivalry with his old friend , 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===
 appears as 's rival in Pokémon Origins, fulfilling his traditional role in the .
===Pokémon Generations===
* 's rival appears in The Challenger, becoming the shortly before Red challenges him to a battle over the title.
*'s rival appears in The Legacy, although the two are never shown encountering each other.
===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
All Pokémon Sword and Shield rivals appeared in Pokémon: Twilight Wings. 
*Hop is a major recurring character in the miniseries. He debuted in a cameo in Letter, made another cameo in Training, and then served as the main character of Buddy.
*Marnie first appeared in Early-Evening Waves.
*Bede first appeared in Sky, where he watched the battle between Leon and Raihan.
*Avery and Klara appeared in The Gathering of Stars.
===Pokémon Evolutions ===
Several rivals appeared during Pokémon Evolutions:
*In The Champion, Hop helped put an end to Darkest Day. At the end of the episode, Marnie and Bede appeared in a cameo.
* In The Eclipse, Gladion appeared in a flashback, in which he, Lillie, , Hau, and Guzma witnessed Lusamine use Nebby's power to open an Ultra Wormhole in Aether Paradise.
*In The Visionary, was seen helping and put an end to Team Flare's plans.
*In The Plan, Cheren appeared in a flashback.
*In The Rival, several parts of 's story were shown in a series of flashbacks from 's point of view. Simultaneously, he battled against his father at the and won.
*In The Discovery, entered Cerulean Cave to find and competed with about who would catch it first. This marked Trace's first appearance outside of games.
===Pokémon: Paldean Winds===
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==
=== Pokémon Adventures ===
Several characters in Pokémon Adventures have been rivals to each other.
* and .
* and .
* and Eusine.
* and .
* and .
===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
* has and .
===The Electric Tale of Pikachu===
* has and Ritchie.
===Magical Pokémon Journey===
* Hazel has Coconut.
===Pokémon Zensho===
* has .
===Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!===
* Shu has a number of one-off rivalries in early volumes, but starting with Enter the Rival! in , Nagi becomes his recurring rival.
===Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys===
* has .
===Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!===
Several characters have rivals in this series.
* Hareta has and Koya.
* Mitsumi has Jupiter.
===Phantom Thief Pokémon 7===
* Hiori has Rocco.
===Pokémon RéBURST===
* Ryouga has Hariru.
===Pokémon Journeys===
Several characters have rivals in this series. 
* has Bea.
* Goh has .
==In the TCG==
== Trivia == 
* has at least one species of Pokémon from the same evolutionary line as each of his major rivals. caught a and uses a , Paul uses a and , Trip uses a and , Alain uses a and an , uses a , and uses a . 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 and —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 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."GameSpot interview about rivals
==In other languages==
==References==
==Related articles==
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