>>31755561The most important thing, before everything else, is if that character is likeable. Not necessarily likeable in the sense that you would be friends with him, but likeable in way that you want to see more of them. Hugh, for all his "depth", was boring. He failed at the first step. This was also my main problem with N from the first game. Blue, the first rival, was a better character than these because I liked him. His arrogance was fun to watch and I looked forward to the encounters with him, even if it was just to crush him. Cheren and Bianca were great rivals, because they weren't boring to just listen to. Both started out fairly simple, as your friends, and let you warm up to them. Cheren's encounter with Alder, and to some extant Bianca's encounter with Elesa, were both interesting enough that I cared to see what happens next.
None of that applies to Hugh. He had good motivation, but it was ultimately something I didn't care about. They didn't even let you warm up to the character and get used to him first. They bring up his hate for Team Plasma around first Gym. If it was his Purrlion, it might've been better. But I didn't give any shits about his sister and seeing him go on about that was just boring.
