>>24598438I don't care if I get called out for it, but Cynthia is my favorite. In my opinion, she does everything a good champion should. You might call her a Mary Sue, but she actually shows up throughout the game and has a pretty cool team to back her up. She's like Zinnia in that she's involved with the region's mythology and has a mysterious background without coming off as an annoying asshole.
In terms of general championness:
Cynthia ≥ Blue = Steven > Diantha = Lance > Alder > Wallace > Iris
I like Diantha a lot but it's probably just because I have a boner for her and she reminds me of Cynthia. Steven and Lance would be better if they weren't written so heavy-handedly since they come off as being autistic. Blue does his job perfectly, but he falls short to Cynthia because she does a better job at being the unattainable "perfect trainer" image.