>>56084474I guess everybody is different but for me it was the sheer depth that he has over any other rival before. The developers did such a good job of establishing him as your meek and kindhearted friend before he became your rival. It was clear that he had trouble connecting with people until you came along and watching him slowly come out of his shell was pretty uplifting.
His issues with feeling betrayed and inadequate, as well as his tough home life made me sympathetic towards him even when became an ambitious jerk.
It was also heavily implied he (and his sister) had a crush on the player which was kinda sweet, I don't remember any other character in the series showing feels like that.
