Pokemon changes things up sometimes. One thing that never changes, however, is the inclusion of one or more rivals. These characters are pitted against the player over and over again, serving as checks to ensure your team of pocket monsters is appropriately leveled for the challenges ahead. Some rivals feature in the main plot significantly. Others just sort of show up and leave as they please.
With so many Pokemon games, not to mention multiple scriptwriters through the years, it was inevitable that the quality of our chief challengers would vary. But that variance is tremendous, ranging from several of the franchise's most forgettable NPCs to some of the most memorable characters in JRPG history. Let's take a look at the best and worst of the bunch.
Updated by Gabrielle Huston on October 1, 2022: We've refreshed this list to include the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet & Violet rivals, plus add more details about the existing ones!
21 Brendan
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Players who select a female avatar in the Generation III games will face off against Brendan. He shares a lot of lines with May, but at one point implores the player to “fight with knowledge.” Unfortunately, he never takes his own advice to heart.
In Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, as well as their improved third version Emerald, he never even fully evolves his starter. He gives up fighting you long before that happens. This is remedied to a point in remakes OmegaRuby & AlphaSapphire, but only as a post-credits endeavor.
20 May
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Those who opt for a male avatar instead in Generation III will go up against May. At one point, May begins a bout against the player with the following brilliant line: “I’m not so good at battles.” Maybe it shouldn't surprise us, then, that - just like Brendan - she gives up fighting you in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Hoenn is a fun place, but the two rivals do not contribute to its quality at all. Thankfully, she's much more fleshed out when she appears in the anime and the manga.
19 Trace
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
|
Manga |
N/A |
Trace serves as the player’s rival in Let’s Go Pikachu & Let’s Go Eevee. The poor kid is saddled with a bizarre setup; in the Let’s Go universe, original rivals Red and Blue have already completed their journey, which makes it seem as though Let’s Go is a direct sequel to Generation I (when in fact it’s a messy alternate scenario).
In this timeline, Red never dealt with the sad Lavender Town events involving Marowak’s ghost. He never had to save Saffron City from a Team Rocket takeover, nor did he push their nefarious leader Giovanni to ditch Kanto for a happier life. Frankly, Red is kind of a loser here, presumably just marching from gym to gym on his merry way to the win. What does any of this have to do with Trace? It shackles him with a forced story that echoes Red’s (and importantly, does not feel like Blue’s whatsoever) but always feels off and unearned.
18 Bianca
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Bianca isn’t a bad character. Her bumbling nature is cute and quirky, and in the tradition of Generation V’s somewhat darker tone, her father practically disowns her for a while because she wants to be a Pokemon Trainer. Bianca has a clearly defined arc and a satisfying conclusion that’s furthered by her role in Black & White’s direct sequels.
This doesn’t make her a good rival. She chooses the starter with a type disadvantage to your own, she never fights particularly well, she’s constantly questioning why she’s even battling you, and there’s just no sense of satisfaction involved in defeating her. It’s all rather fitting, but frankly, knocking out her beloved Pokemon doesn’t feel like a victory; it feels like slapping a friend.
17 Hau
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Hau is happy. He likes malasadas and he’s happy. He really, really likes malasadas, and he’s really, really happy when he eats them. He wants to find lots of malasada shops as you traverse the islands of Alola together, and when other characters are unhappy he smiles at them with a goofy stare and invites them to be happy instead.
Whenever you defeat Hau in Pokemon battles, he looks disappointed for approximately half a second and then he’s happy again. Have we mentioned that Hau is happy? Also, he likes malasadas a lot. He plays a nice little role in Sun & Moon’s bleaker story bits, but he does so by, again, wanting sad people to be happy.
Hau is not a rival. But Game Freak claims otherwise, so here you go.
16 Klara
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Pokemon: Sword and Shield is bursting with rivals, which is one of its finest aspects. Some are going to be better than others, of course. If they were all in the same tier, well, they’d probably be named Brendan and May, and that would be a bad thing.
Introduced in the Isle of Armor expansion and serving as a Sword-only adversary, but she’s nowhere near as nifty as Shield’s stand-in. Klara does something bad at some point but apologizes afterward and that’s pretty much that. Isle of Armor’s short plot isn’t designed for a more complete scenario, which is fine, but the fact that she then settles back into nothingness doesn’t do Klara any favors.
15 Barry
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Barry keeps bumping into the player character, as in literally, and then he blames them for being slow on the uptake. He used to do this thing where he would fine you absurd amounts of money for your alleged tardiness, but this was scaled back in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl — presumably because it was never funny in the original Generation IV titles, and it wouldn’t have been any funnier today.
On the flip side, Barry packs some pretty impressive Pokemon against you on numerous occasions. And in the aforementioned remakes, he goes hard in the post-game with one of the toughest challenges in the series. It’s unfortunate that his personality never reflects this. Barry’s ambitions are cut short throughout your quest, and by the time you reach the climax against evil Cyrus of Team Galactic, he straight-up admits he’s got no chance and bolts. Poor kid.
14 Hop
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
A lot of players lament that Hop is basically just Hau 2.0, robbing Sword & Shield of a more interesting character. This isn’t necessarily true. Hop exhibits a greater degree of growth, and while he’s usually smiling and typically does want everybody to be happy, there are honest-to-Arceus moments when he’s depressed. Imagine that happening to Hau.
Hop’s starry-eyed worship for Galar League Champion Leon is his best and worst trait. On the one hand, it gives him a solid motivation to get stronger and there’s kind of a morbid sense that he views the protagonist as a stepstool to eventually dethrone his brother Leon. On the other hand, the way he drones on about how incredible Leon is, how perfect and mighty and unstoppable, not only undermines the apparent purpose of his quest but becomes increasingly irritating as the game goes on.
13 Calem
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
In Pokemon X & Y, Calem and Serena are like the spiritual successors to Brendan and May. Very little distinguishes them from each other, their scripts are eerily similar, and there's much less to say about Calem than Serena
What separates them from Generation III’s yawn-inducing duo is that Calem and Serena factor into Kalos’ main plot to a far more appreciable extent. Female-designated players will fight alongside Calem when the proverbial Cyndaquils hit the fan and Team Flare’s world-ending plan begins.
12 Serena
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Serena is Calem's counterpart in Pokemon X and Y. She fights alongside male players in the game, but, as with Calem, there's not much to say about her in that instance. The pair of them share a lot of dialogue and story beats.
In the anime, though, Serena really shines. She joins Ash on his journey and goes through a wonderful character arc alongside him - even cutting her iconic long hair!
11 Cheren
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Cheren’s the fiercest of Professor Juniper’s proteges, leaving Bianca in the dust when it comes to battling. He’s whip-smart and brutally honest, causing him to chafe with his peers on a recurring basis. He’s constantly searching for ways to grow stronger in Black & White, but chills out believably after becoming the Normal-type Gym Leader in Black 2 & White 2.
In his pursuit of absolute truth — one of the Unovan games’ core themes — Cheren can get carried away at times to the brink of feeling one-note, but as with several of Black & White’s cast, he has a real arc and resolution.
10 Wally
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Wally’s a weird one. He starts out as a sickly kid who requires assistance in catching his Pokemon and has to move to a cleaner city just to survive. None of this is bad, of course; it’s a welcome thing seeing Pokemon tackle serious illness in earnest fashion. And frankly, he’s so much more compelling than Brendan and May that he was always destined to rank higher regardless.
The eyebrow-raising occurs when a fully-healed and suddenly ferocious Wally shows up at Victory Road with a shocking determination to blast the player, his helpful friend, into oblivion in a no-holds-barred duel for the ages. As soon as he loses, he wallows a bit and runs off. In the originals, that’s pretty much that.
Thankfully, Wally’s arc continues in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. Delta Episode sort of reverts him back to softer personality status, which is odd in its own right, but at least he sticks around for longer.
9 Hugh
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
In Black 2 & White 2, Hugh is one of a mere handful of characters who weren’t present in the first Generation V outing. He doesn’t feel like much of a rival, but he’s angered quickly enough on multiple occasions that there’s still some semblance of abrasiveness to root against.
But what makes Hugh work is his sympathetic story. This might sound weird for a rival, and perhaps it is, but it doesn’t matter when his path is such a tear-jerker. Team Plasma stole his late grandfather’s Purrloin, an action he’ll never forgive, and honestly, nor should he. Hugh is eventually reunited with his friend, but after being abused by Team Plasma for so long, it’s clear that Purrloin has changed. Hugh realizes it will be some time before Purrloin can fully trust him again and see the world in a brighter light.
8 Avery
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
|
Manga |
|
Avery is Klara’s counterpart in Sword & Shield’s Isle of Armor. He’s loads more fun and far easier to detest. There’s a smugness with the lad that makes you want to wipe that smirk off his face and teach him to play nice or exit Mustard’s Dojo stage left.
Rematching him in the Galarian Star Tournament, he always strives to finally defeat you once and for all, but the respect you’ve earned from him comes across not only as sincere but as a catalyst for real change in the guy.
7 Marnie
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
With her rebellious garb and stoic but snarky dialogue, Marnie’s one of Pokemon’s fan favorites. Her relationship with older brother Pierre is pretty good as well, though the premise of a “villain” team in Sword & Shield who’s simply obsessed with Marnie’s rising stardom can get in the way of fully enjoying the girl’s arc.
Even so, it’s always a treat when Marnie shows up, and while some take issue with the relative brevity of Generation VIII’s campaign, she still manages to go through a good bit with the player, making their clash in the Wyndon Cup semifinals feel great. Pokemon doesn’t have a ton of female rivals, but Marnie’s probably the best of the batch by far.
6 Gladion
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
If Hau feels like something of a tired joke, at least Gladion enters the picture in a more nuanced and competitive manner. His affiliation with Team Skull and resentment toward him and Lillie’s unhinged mother affords him far more depth, and that slow but steady realization that life can be worth living if he dares to take a stand is pleasurable to behold.
Gladion excels in Sun & Moon, but the additional story events in their upgraded versions, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, gives him even more to chew on. There’s a spark of defiance against the protagonist that compels us to battle with all our strength. Plus, the way he grabs his hair in frustration after every loss never loses its awkward charm.
5 Bede
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Bede is Pokemon Sword & Shield’s best rival. His seething animosity toward the player is one crescendo after another as the plot goes on and he grows increasingly incredulous that you can somehow, inconceivably, keep kicking him to the curb. He even manages to make Chairman Rose pretty interesting at one point as the disappointed millionaire ousts Bede from his service after a particularly grim action of the boy’s.
If venomous barbs were all Bede had going for him, he’d still be a worthy foe, but an astounding (and hilarious) twist further into the game turns the curly-haired punk into a more three-dimensional figure. Retiring Gym Leader Opal tricks Bede into taking over for her, and the writing does a fine job showcasing Bede’s character development going forward.
4 Blue
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
Powerful and bold, self-centered, and as close to crass as Pokemon will ever allow, Blue is the franchise’s first rival and its foremost love-to-hate competitor. He thinks you’re beneath him no matter how many times you beat him until finally, he acquiesces after becoming the Kanto League Champion but reveling in that crown for all of, like, two hours tops.
Blue’s arrogance and pride, like Bede’s, is already enough to think of him as one of Pokemon’s best opponents. His fall from grace and appointment as Viridian City’s Gym Leader brings him back for more in Gold & Silver as well as their fourth-generation remakes, which is a lovely continuation.
Better still, he shows up alongside Red in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon’s postgame, even cracking a joke about Red’s quiet nature; it’s proof that they’ve reconciled over the years, and when he congratulates the player for becoming the first Alolan League Champion, you can tell he’s come a long, long way.
3 N
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
It’s hard to talk about N without diving headlong into the biggest spoilers that Black & White have to offer (so beware). A wandering youth without a home of his own, he’s taken in by Ghetsis and cruelly raised to embody the archetypal “hero.” But that heroic imagery is totally tainted by the fact that Ghetsis, the most vicious and power-hungry villain in the series, is simply using N for his own ends.
Hence, why N is so aloof throughout Black & White, and why his connection with Pokemon is so vital. Growing up with zero friends and a surrogate father who views him as nothing more than a tool, N survives by forging bonds with the series’ titular creatures. Yet there’s something about Black & White’s protagonist that shifts him over time; realizing he’s found a human friend hurts N at first, throwing his worldview for a loop, but ultimately aids him in escaping Ghetsis’ grasp.
2 Silver
|
Appearances |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Game |
|
Anime |
Cameos in...
|
Manga |
|
In some respects, Silver is basically Blue amped up to 11. He’s hateful, abusive toward his Pokemon, and downright disgusted with you for the majority of Gold & Silver’s runtime. He’s the worst of Blue and precious little else. Beating him always feels so sublime.
Silver shines whenever Team Rocket is heard, seen, or even mentioned. He despises the organization as weak, foolish, and egotistical. What makes this tick is the reveal that Silver is, in fact, Giovanni’s son. Now, it would be remiss of us not to add that this is a rare enough revelation that some longtime fans are unaware of it even to this day. It’s alluded to in FireRed & LeafGreen, and only confirmed in HeartGold & SoulSilver — which wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t happen in a limited-time event that most players will never see. Yeesh, Game Freak.
But for those of us who have been fortunate enough to see it play out, it’s that much more fulfilling to watch as the son of a failed father is gradually taught how to be a compassionate and caring trainer who comes to appreciate his team and vows to change. He remains a stern young man, true to his former self, but the cheerfulness Silver displays when Professor Elm lets him keep the Pokemon N had stolen from him at the beginning of the game is one of the franchise’s most sobering and fist-pumping moments.