>>36221829HGSS shows his growth a bit better. But the appeal is that he starts out as a bully and a petty thief but over time he learns that what he's doing isn't going to get him what, or where, he wants. He starts questioning himself and treating his Pokemon nicer, eventually even managing to evolve his Golbat into a Crobat. In HGSS he also gets a scene where you see him confront Giovanni.
The appeal of Silver isn't that he's edgy, it's that he grows. Same thing with Barry. Both are competent trainers that have their own minor story playing second to the main character's.
