>>45371178friendly rivals are so boring
people want to feel some kind of challenge or race with someone so their win feel more earned and achieved
nobody likes NPCs who keep saying "haha you are awesome and amazing please kick my ass again and oh take these 50 revives to make the 2nd battle easier lol"
these are just 1-note characters with no proper writing or development. they just there to cheer you up
that's why Blue still popular because his personality is unique and interesting