View source for Rival

{{incomplete|article|needs TCG section}}
:''For the [[Elite Four]] {{pkmn|Champion}} in {{eng|Pokémon Stadium}}, see [[Blue (game)]]''.
:''For the Japanese opening theme, see [[The Rivals]].''
----
[[File:Bandai Jumbo2 Back.jpg|thumb|230px|{{ga|Red}} battling his rival {{ga|Blue}}]]
A '''rival''' (Japanese: '''ライバル''' ''rival'') is one of the main characters in the [[Pokémon games]] that is well known to the {{player|protagonist}} and has similar skills, goals, and achievements. Rival characters appear frequently during the protagonist's quest, having a role in several of the games' events and often challenges them in {{pkmn|battle}}s. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of said character.

==In the games==
===Core series===
[[File:Rivals Masters Trailer.png|thumb|250px|From left to right: Hugh, Silver, and Wally]]
In the [[core series]], a rival is a recurring opponent to the {{player}} throughout the game. This character class appeared beginning in [[Generation I]] and in every core series game since. Typically, rivals will be met by the player early in the game, usually around the time the player receives their [[starter Pokémon]]. In most games, the rival will also obtain a starter Pokémon and will usually participate in the player's first [[Pokémon battle]] against a Trainer. From then on, rivals will appear frequently throughout the player's journey, often being one step ahead of the player as the player moves through the region, meeting and battling the player at various points in the game with a progressively stronger and diversified [[party]]. Usually, they must be defeated in order to continue the game; the most important of these battles happening either right before or during the player's challenge to the [[Elite Four]].

After the defeat of the [[Elite Four]] and the [[Pokémon Champion]], the rival can usually be battled at the player's leisure, but only at certain times with increasingly powerful Pokémon. More often than not, they will have the starter Pokémon of their home region that is strong against the one the player chose at the beginning of the game.

Players are able to choose a different name for Blue, Silver, Barry, Hugh, and Trace. In [[Hoenn]]- and [[Kalos]]-based games, the player character not chosen will serve as a rival.

The following are the characters considered to be rivals in the games. It should be noted, though, that only {{ga|Blue}} and {{ga|Silver}} have ever received the ''Rival'' {{DL|Pokémon Trainer|Trainer class}}; all others have been referred to as ''[[Pokémon Trainer|{{PK}}{{MN}} Trainer]]s'' (Generations III-V) or ''Pokémon Trainers'' (Generation VI onward).

Additionally, in {{game|FireRed and LeafGreen|s}}, Blue is referred to as "Champion Blue" during the Champion battle and [[rematch]]. In [[Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!]], {{ga|Trace}} will also use the "Champion" Trainer class during the Champion battle, but, unlike Blue, does not use it in the rematch. In addition to the main characters, [[Raihan]] and [[Leon]] have a long-standing rivalry relationship, this rivalry is carried over to several other medias.

<!--Please do not add N, as he is not a rival-->
{| style="margin:auto; text-align:center; {{roundy|20px}} border: 4px solid #BABACC; background:#F3F3FF"
|- style="font-size:95%;"
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundytl|15px}}" | {{gameabbrev1|RGBY}}{{gameabbrev3|FRLG}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{gameabbrev7|PE}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{gameabbrev2|GSC}}{{gameabbrev4|HGSS}}
| colspan="3" style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{gameabbrev3|RSE}}{{gameabbrev6|ORAS}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{gameabbrev4|DPPt}}{{gameabbrev8|BDSP}}
| colspan="4" style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{gameabbrev5|BW}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundytr|15px}}" | {{gameabbrev5|B2W2}}
|-
| style="border: 0px solid #{{blue color dark}}; background: #{{blue color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:FireRed LeafGreen Blue.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{green color dark}}; background: #{{green color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Lets Go Pikachu Eevee Rival.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{silver color dark}}; background: #{{silver color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:HeartGold SoulSilver Silver.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{ruby color dark}}; background: #{{ruby color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire Brendan.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{sapphire color dark}}; background: #{{sapphire color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire May.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{tcg grass color dark}}; background: #{{tcg grass color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire Wally.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #629C20; background: #E08040; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:<!--Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl-->Diamond Pearl Barry.png|100x100px]]
| colspan="2" style="border: 0px solid #{{black color dark}}; background: #{{black color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Black White Cheren.png|100x100px]]
| colspan="2" style="border: 0px solid #{{white color dark}}; background: #{{white color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Black White Bianca.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{black 2 color dark}}; background: #{{black 2 color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Black 2 White 2 Hugh.png|100x100px]]
|-
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Blue (game)|Blue}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Trace (game)|Trace}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Silver (game)|Silver}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Brendan (game)|Brendan}}{{fn|1}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|May (game)|May}}{{fn|2}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Wally (game)|Wally}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Barry (game)|Barry}}
| colspan="2" style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Cheren}}
| colspan="2" style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Bianca (game)|Bianca}}
| colspan="2" style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Hugh}}
|- style="font-size:95%;"
| colspan="5" style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{gameabbrev6|XY}}
| colspan="2" style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{gameabbrev7|SMUSUM}}
| colspan="3" style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{gameabbrev8|SwSh}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{gameabbrev8|Sw}}'''{{color2|{{stamina color dark}}|The Isle of Armor|IoA}}'''
| style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{gameabbrev8|Sh}}'''{{color2|{{stamina color dark}}|The Isle of Armor|IoA}}'''
|-
| style="border: 0px solid #{{x color dark}}; background: #{{x color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:XY Calem.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{y color dark}}; background: #{{y color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:XY Serena.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{contest color dark}}; background: #{{contest color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:XY Shauna.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{orange color dark}}; background: #{{orange color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:XY Tierno.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{castle color dark}}; background: #{{castle color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:XY Trevor.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{sun color dark}}; background: #{{sun color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:USUM Hau.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{black color dark}}; background: #{{black color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Sun Moon Gladion.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{sword color dark}}; background: #{{sword color light}}; width:84px; height: 90px"|
[[File:Sword Shield Hop.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{psychic color dark}}; background: #{{fairy color light}}; width:84px; height: 90px"|
[[File:Sword Shield Bede.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{dark color dark}}; background: #{{dark color light}}; width:84px; height: 90px"|
[[File:Sword Shield Marnie.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{poison color dark}}; background: #{{poison color light}}; width:84px; height: 90px"|
[[File:Sword Shield Klara.png|100x100px]]
| style="border: 0px solid #{{psychic color dark}}; background: #{{psychic color light}}; width:84px; height: 90px"|
[[File:Sword Shield Avery.png|100x100px]]
|-
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundybl|15px}}" | {{color2|000|Calem (game)|Calem}}{{fn|1}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Serena (game)|Serena}}{{fn|2}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Shauna}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Tierno}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Trevor}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Hau}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Gladion}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Hop}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6;" | {{color2|000|Bede}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{color2|000|Marnie}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6" | {{color2|000|Klara}}
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundybr|15px}}" | {{color2|000|Avery}}
|}
* {{fnb|1}} Only if the female player character is picked.
* {{fnb|2}} Only if the male player character is picked.

===Spin-off games===
====Pokémon Card GB series====
In the Card GB series, {{TCG GB|Ronald}} does not use actual Pokémon themselves, but cards instead.

{| style="margin:auto; text-align:center; {{roundy|20px}} border: 4px solid #BABACC; background:#F3F3FF"
|- style="font-size: 95%; font-weight: bold"
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundytop|15px}}" | {{color2|{{blue color dark}}|Pokémon Trading Card Game (game)|TCG}}{{color2|{{black color dark}}|Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!|TCG2}}
|-
| style="border: 0px solid #{{Tcg Goods color dark}}; background: #{{Tcg Goods color light}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Ronald.png|100x100px]]
|-
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundybottom|15px}}" | {{color2|000|Ronald (TCG GB)|Ronald}}
|}

====Pokémon Masters EX====
In Pokémon Masters EX, [[Paulo]] serves as the player's rival.

{| style="margin:auto; text-align:center; {{roundy|20px}} border: 4px solid #BABACC; background:#F3F3FF"
|- style="font-size: 95%; font-weight: bold"
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundytop|15px}}" | {{color2|{{orange color dark}}|Pokémon Masters EX|Masters EX}}
|-
| style="border: 0px solid #{{steel color dark}}; background: #{{steel color}}; width:84px; height:90px"|
[[File:Masters Paulo.png|100x100px]]
|-
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundybottom|15px}}" | {{color2|000|Paulo}}
|}

====Pokémon Ranger====
{| style="margin:auto; text-align:center; {{roundy|20px}} border:4px solid #BABACC; background:#F3F3FF"
|- style="font-size:95%; font-weight:bold"
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundytl|15px}}" | {{color2|000|Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia|Ranger: Shadows of Almia}}
|-
| style="background:#{{SoA color}}" | [[File:Keith.png|90px]]
|-
| style="background:#D1D1E6; {{roundybottom|15px}}" | {{color2|000|Keith (Ranger)|Keith}}
|}

==In the anime==
===Main series===
[[File:Ash and Paul.png|thumb|250px|Ash and Paul, his main ''[[Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl]]'' rival]]
Various rivals for the main characters have also appeared in the {{pkmn|anime}}.

;Ash's rivals
* {{Ash}}'s main rival in the [[original series]] was {{Gary}}. They were close when they were younger, but their friendship ended when they argued over an old {{i|Poké Ball}} and broke it. Eventually, Gary gained some respect for Ash, and after losing to him in the [[Silver Conference]], they became friends again altogether.
[[File:Ash and Gladion.png|thumb|250px|Ash and Gladion, his main ''[[Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon]]'' rival]]
* [[Paul]] was Ash's main rival for the duration of ''[[Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl]]''. When they met, Paul despised Ash due to his approach to [[Pokémon training]] and [[friendship]], constantly insulting him every time they crossed paths. However, like Gary, he eventually grew to respect Ash after losing to him in the [[Lily of the Valley Conference]].
** {{an|Barry}} was Ash's secondary Sinnoh rival. Unlike Ash's other major rivals, the two have a friendly rivalry, though Barry would frequently comment that he believed he was much stronger than Ash would ever be.
** Ash's minor rivals include [[Nando]] and [[Conway]] who, while they battled Ash more than once across an entire saga, have a smaller role than the other rivals.
* [[Trip]] was Ash's only unfriendly rival in ''[[Pokémon the Series: Black & White]]''. The rivalry formed when Trip found out that Ash was from Kanto, a region Trip thinks very little of. Trip believed Ash to be a redneck from the boonies who needed to go back to the basics of Pokémon, causing a heated rivalry. However, they were shown to respect each other to some extent in various episodes. Like with Gary and Paul, the two became friends when Ash beat Trip at the [[Vertress Conference]].
* {{an|Tierno}} was Ash's primary rival for the first part of ''[[Pokémon the Series: XY]]'', with {{an|Trevor}} serving as a minor secondary rival. During the second part of his Kalos journey, however, Ash struck up serious rivalries with [[Alain]] and [[Sawyer]]. Alain wished to test the unique power of Ash and his {{AP|Greninja}}, while Sawyer looked up to Ash and made it his goal to surpass him.
* {{an|Gladion}} was Ash's main rival in ''[[Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon]]''. Ash and Gladion's rivalry was mutually respectful from the start, with Gladion recognizing Ash's strength almost immediately. Gladion eventually became more dedicated to surpassing Ash after witnessing his and his Pikachu's aptitude for [[Z-Move]]s, leading him to undertake the [[island challenge]]. Though Gladion is much calmer than Ash, he and Ash both share a deep, internal passion for intense battling.
* Ash also has friendly rivalries with [[Ritchie]], {{jo|Harrison}}, [[Morrison]], {{ho|Tyson}}, {{si|Tobias}}, [[Stephan]], {{an|Bianca}}, [[Virgil]], {{un|Cameron}}, {{an|Kiawe}}, [[Hau]], [[Bea]], and [[Rinto]].
* In the {{pkmn|movie}}s, Ash has had rivalries with [[Rafe]] and [[Cross]].

;Other characters' rivals
* [[Jessie]] and [[James]] have unfriendly rivalries with [[Cassidy]] and [[Butch]], respectively.
* {{an|May}} has friendly rivalries with [[Drew]] and [[Solidad]], and an unfriendly rivalry with [[Harley]].
[[File:Dawn rivals.png|thumb|370px|Dawn's recurring rivals]]
* {{an|Dawn}} has friendly rivalries with [[Zoey]] and {{si|Kenny}}, and unfriendly rivalries with [[Ursula]] and [[Jessie|Jessilina]]. She also has [[Nando]] as a minor rival.
* [[Johanna]] had a friendly rivalry with [[Lila]] when they were younger. Lila was the first person to defeat Johanna in a [[Contest Battle]], but she eventually gave up {{pkmn|Coordinator|coordinating}} and became a {{pkmn|Stylist}}.
* {{an|Iris}} has an unfriendly rivalry with [[Georgia]], which comes from the fact that Iris wants to become a [[Type expert|Dragon Master]] while Georgia focuses on defeating {{type|Dragon}} Pokémon.
* {{an|Cilan}} has an unfriendly rivalry with [[Burgundy]], which comes from when he defeated her at the [[Striaton Gym]], and also from Cilan's better reputation as a {{pkmn|Connoisseur}}, though Cilan frequently comments on how he looks forward to seeing Burgundy's growth the next time they meet.
* [[Stephan]] engaged in an unfriendly rivalry with [[Montgomery]] during the [[Clubsplosion]].
* {{an|Serena}} has friendly rivalries with {{an|Shauna}}, [[Miette]], [[Nini]], and {{an|Aria}}.
* {{an|Sophocles}} has a rivalry with [[Horacio]]. While they were initially unfriendly, they became more respectful towards each other after an encounter in the [[Vast Poni Canyon]].
* The rivalry between [[Leon]] and [[Raihan]] is introduced from the battle of the two Trainers in ''[[JN027|Toughing It Out!]]''.

===I Choose You!===
[[Cross]] could be said to be {{OBP|Ash Ketchum|M20|Ash}}'s rival in the alternate storyline depicted in ''[[M20|I Choose You!]]''. In a similar manner to Paul, Cross abandoned his {{AP|Charmander}}, deeming it to be too weak, and allowing Ash to catch it. Their relationship could even be said to be antagonistic, with Cross being even more aggressive than Paul. Cross's aggressiveness and thirst for power is derived from an inferiority complex, from being able to see {{p|Ho-Oh}}, but not being chosen as the Rainbow Hero. In the end, despite losing to Ash and his former Charmander, who by that point had evolved into Charizard, he still attempted to steal the [[Rainbow Wing]] in order to battle Ho-Oh and prove himself as the strongest Trainer.
[[File:Red-Blue rivalry PO.png|250px|thumb|Blue with his rival Red in [[Pokémon Origins]]]]

===Pokémon Origins===
{{OBP|Blue|Origins}} appears as {{OBP|Red|Origins}}'s rival in [[Pokémon Origins]], fulfilling his traditional role in the {{pkmn|games}}.

===Pokémon Generations===
* {{ga|Red}}'s rival {{ga|Blue}} appears in ''[[PG03|The Challenger]]'', becoming the {{pkmn|Champion|Pokémon League Champion}} shortly before Red challenges him to a battle over the title.
* {{ga|Ethan}}'s rival {{ga|Silver}} appears in ''[[PG05|The Legacy]]'', although the two are never shown encountering each other.

===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
[[File:Hop Twilight Wings.png|thumb|250px|Hop in [[Pokémon: Twilight Wings]]]]
All [[Pokémon Sword & Shield]] rivals appeared in [[Pokémon: Twilight Wings]]. 
* [[Hop]] is a major recurring character in the miniseries. He debuted in a cameo in ''[[TW01|Letter]]'', made another cameo in ''[[TW02|Training]]'', and then served as the main character of ''[[TW03|Buddy]]''.
* [[Marnie]] first appeared in ''[[TW04|Early-Evening Waves]]''.
* [[Bede]] first appeared in ''[[TW07|Sky]]'', where he watched the battle between [[Leon]] and [[Raihan]].
* [[Avery]] and [[Klara]] appears in ''[[TW08|The Gathering of Stars]]''.
{{-}}

==In the manga==
[[File:Rivals Adventures.png|thumb|200px|Red and his rival, Blue]]
===Phantom Thief Pokémon 7===
* [[Hiori]] has [[Rocco]].

===Pokémon Zensho===
* {{Zensho|Satoshi}} has {{Zensho|Shigeru}}.

===Pokémon Adventures===
Several of the characters in [[Pokémon Adventures]] have been rivals to each other.
* {{adv|Red}} and {{adv|Blue}}.
* {{adv|Gold}} and {{adv|Silver}}.
* {{adv|Crystal}} and [[Eusine]].
* {{adv|Ruby}} and {{adv|Sapphire}}.
* [[Team Magma]] and [[Team Aqua]].
* {{adv|Black}} and {{adv|Cheren}}.

===Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!===
[[File:Rivals DPA.png|thumb|200px|Hareta and his rival, Koya]]
Several characters have rivals in this series.
* [[Hareta]] has {{OBP|Jun|DPA}} and [[Koya]].
* [[Mitsumi]] has [[Jupiter]].

===Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All===
* [[Shu]] has a number of one-off rivalries in early volumes, but starting with [[GDZ52|Enter the Rival!]] in {{Vol|Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All|4}}, his recurring rival becomes [[Nagi]].

===Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys===
* {{GnB|Gold}} has {{GnB|Black}}.

===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
* {{OBP|Red|Pocket Monsters}} has {{OBP|Green|Pocket Monsters}} and {{OBP|Blue|Pocket Monsters}}.

===Pokémon RéBURST===
* [[Ryouga]] has [[Hariru]].

===Magical Pokémon Journey===
* [[Hazel]] has [[Coconut]].

==Trivia==
* {{Ash}} has at least one species of Pokémon from the same [[List of Pokémon by evolution family|evolutionary family]] as each of his major rivals. {{Gary}} captured a {{p|Krabby}} and uses a {{p|Blastoise}}, [[Paul]] uses a {{p|Torterra}} and {{p|Gliscor}}, [[Trip]] uses a {{p|Serperior}} and {{p|Tranquill}}, [[Alain]] uses a {{p|Charizard}} and an {{p|Unfezant}}, and {{an|Gladion}} uses a {{p|Lycanroc}}. At various times in the anime, this is used as part of the plot, such as the comparison between Ash's Krabby and Gary's Krabby in ''[[EP013|Mystery at the Lighthouse]]'' and ''[[EP065|Showdown at the Po-ké Corral]]'' and Paul's Torterra serving as mentor to Ash's Grotle in ''[[DP100|Aiding the Enemy!]]''.
* Powerful enemies in the [[Battle Royale]]s of {{g|Rumble}} and {{g|Rumble Blast}}&mdash;chosen from Miis&mdash;are called rivals as well.
* In every [[generation]], at least one of the player's rivals can be battled at the [[Pokémon League]] and/or [[Victory Road]].
* According to an interview with [[Junichi Masuda]], the rivals have become less antagonistic due to the following reason: ''"I think the biggest reason that rivals were more of a jerk in the early days is that we were just limited in what we could express with the pixel graphics. There's not much that you can do with that kind of little sprite on the screen, so we worked harder to characterize them through dialogue and give them certain personalities. Also, because it's just dialogue and there's not a whole lot going on on the screen, it doesn't give as harsh of an impression even if they're jerks, I think. Now we have HD graphics and the visuals are much more impressive. If you also made him a jerk, the impression would be a lot stronger on players. Another thing, just my own personal take, is that it feels that people with those kinds of personalities these days are just not as accepted by players as they were back then."''<ref>[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-dev-explains-why-your-rivals-arent-jerks-a/1100-6462397/ GameSpot interview about rivals]</ref>

==In other languages==
{{langtable|color={{blue color light}}|bordercolor={{silver color}}
|zh_yue=勁敵 {{tt|Gihngdihk|Rival}}
|zh_cmn=勁敵 / 劲敌 {{tt|Jìngdí|Rival}}
|fi=Kilpailija
|nl=Rivaal
|fr=Rival
|de=Rivale
|hi=दुश्मन {{tt|Dushman|Rival}} {{tt|*|Hungama dub}}
|it=Rivale
|ko=라이벌 ''Rival''
|pl=Rywal
|pt=Rival
|ru=Соперник ''Sopernik''
|es=Rival
|th=คู่แข่ง
|tr=Rakip
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
* {{cat|Rivals' Pokémon}}
{{-}}
{{Rival characters}}
{{TrainerNav|battle items|kanto=yes|johto=yes}}<br>
{{Project CharacterDex notice|tc}}

[[Category:Trainer classes]]

[[de:Rivale]]
[[es:Rival]]
[[fr:Rival]]
[[it:Rivale]]
[[ja:ライバル]]
[[zh:劲敌]]