>>52993941I've been thinking about this recently actually and she definitely is. I think what separates the "good" rivals from the bad ones is that they interact with the player in way that's more than just being a boss fight in the story; that the way they're written actually spurs the player to want to beat them and be better as a trainer. In that sense I'd say Blue, Silver, Barry and Nemona succeed. There are some like Hugh or Wally who are interesting or have other redeeming qualities (for me personally) but lack this back and forth with the player. Anyways for the four I listed.
>BlueIs a great rival because he's always one step ahead of you. He evolves his shitmons, he brags about his dex numbers and even comes off as condescending when he's giving you advice on where to go next. You always want to kick his shit in and the feeling of being able to do it as the final boss fight is immensely satisfying.
>SilverSilver is good because he challenges your training philosophy. The idea of bonding with your Pokemon and winning with the power of friendship was previously taken for granted as something almost everyone (with the exception of Team Rocket) does, until you encounter Silver, who rejects all of that in favor of pure strength. It helps that he talks shit like Blue, but it's more the heart of the matter of what he's saying that really gets you rather than him berating the player. Silver motivates you to beat him and prove that your way of training mons is right, which proves satisfying when it actually does happen and he grows as both a person and trainer.
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