>>45912940IMO the clearest scale of difficulty would be:
>Hardest Main CampaignUSUM or Challenge Mode
>Hardest Final BossBW
>Hardest Climax BossUSUM
>Most Challenging RivalFR/LG
>Easiest Main CampaignSWSH
>Easiest Final BossX/Y or SWSH
>Easiest Climax BossSWSH by a fucking mile it's not even close
>Easiest RivalX/Y, RSE/ORAS, or SWSH
For clarity's sake, the Final Boss isn't necessarily the Climax Boss. The Climax Boss is the main event of the story, what the game's plot built up too or presents as the biggest threat in the game, while the Final Boss is the last challenge you face (for example, N is the Climax Boss of BW, but Ghetsis is the Final Boss). Most Champions fall into Final Boss status.
I'd therefore say that USUM is the hardest game for the vast majority of the experience unless you managed to get the Challenge Key at the start of the game somehow for BW2, but even then it's surprisingly close. However, USUM also has a much harder Climax Boss than BW2 even with the Key factored in (Ultra Necrozma is far and away more difficult than Ghetisis's rematch). BW has the most difficult final boss meanwhile with Ghetsis's original fight. The most dangerous rival in the series remains Blue/Gary however, since he's actually competent, has a strong team, is tailor built to counter any options you could muster up to defeat him, ambushes you whenever you're weakened and you have extremely limited options to face him with.
I think USUM was so difficult, in fact, that it might even explain why SWSH is such a fucking joke of a game. It's no wonder it's so fucking easy, GF were probably afraid making it challenging would scare the little timmy's away after they whined about Ultra Necrozma railing them so hard.
