>>32741165I would meet you half way and say that Plasma, especially Neo Plasma was half baked, just like most of the gangs you face in the series, but N, as a character, had something going for him that most do not, and that was the fact that he fell into the organization due to his birth right, yet only saw the good of the cult purpose and lived by it for he truly believed it was the right thing to do.
Team Rocket had Giovanni, who was just a straight up mob boss who, in the end, after feeling the shame of being beaten time and again by a mere 10 year old, not only gave up his gym, but left his entire gang up in arms.
Silver started out as a edgy good for nothing, but later on, especially in the post game and special event scenes, he seemed for fleshed out, and after finding out that he was indeed the only son of Giovanni, and was there when Giovanni left the team, as well as his own family, Silver seemed like a decent prototype for both a rival, as well as a character that could show another side of a criminal organization.
N seemed like a love letter to those who wanted more out of that Team Rocket / Silver dynamic, and though N's story was no fleshed out until the end of Black and White 2, I still argue that he is one of the best rivals of the series and actually made the criminal organization of the game stand out when compared to others.
Also, the whole "Pokemon are my friends!" idea falls flat for those who actually played Gen I, II, and IV, as Pokemon were used, abused, or even implied to have died in those games, if you ask certain NPCs, or pay attention to certain story details.
Every game is toned down, and the only real edge you will find of the series would be from the manga, but all in all, despite Team Plasma being a mixed bag, I will always stand by the fact that N is one of the best rivals to date and seemed to have stood for something, unlike the other rivals.
