>>52151112Hugh is pretty fucking bad, and honestly a waste of a potentially interesting concept, but I wouldn't call him worse than any of the Gen 6 rivals. I'd also say Cheren is painfully average at best, which should put him above some of the other absolute garbage rivals the franchise has had lately, but on the other hand him being kinda boring and lacking enough direction are probably worse enough crimes that I understand why you feel that way. The fact that both of them have to share screen time with Bianca, one of the only written characters in the entire franchise, doesn't do either of them any favors.
>>52150458Hau is only innovative in USUM, where his arc actually finishes in the main story instead of off-screen and then expecting you to believe he's always the first title defense match you have. No Hau, you didn't fucking earn shit, you quit trying and exited the story so Lillie could have more screen time. USUM actually has setup and payoff for that shit though, and combined with a few extra details makes him the Red to your Blue, which is a neat inversion even if I think it could have been handled a lot better and his shtick gets boring really fast.