Sketchit - Rivals

Rivals

Gary Oak (オーキド・シゲル, Ōkido Shigeru) Shigeru Ōkido

Voiced by: Yuko Kobayashi (Japanese), Jimmy Zoppi (English)

Gary Oak is Ash's very first rival. He is based on the character Green from the Pokémon video game series. Like his counterpart Blue, Gary hails from Pallet Town and is the grandson of renowned Pokémon researcher Professor Oak. Like Ash, Gary collected Gym badges and competed in Pokémon League tournaments; Kanto and Johto. At first, Gary was arrogant, always traveling with cheerleaders who called out his name and constantly teased Ash's group whenever they met. After losing to a more powerful opponent in the Indigo League, Gary dispenses with the cheerleaders and then becomes more open-minded. At the end of season 2 (Orange Islands), Ash and Gary have their first Pokémon battle in which Gary's Eevee beats Ash's Pikachu. When the battle is over, Gary starts on a new journey to Johto and this subsequently influences Ash to follow him there. After losing to Ash in the Johto League, Gary decides to pursue a career in Pokémon research, impeding his rivalry with Ash. Until his loss to Ash, Gary had always thought of Ash as a poor trainer but he eventually comes to accept him as his equal. After Ash defeats the Battle Frontier and comes back to Pallet Town, Gary and Ash have a battle with Gary's Sinnoh Pokémon, Electivire and Ash's Pikachu. Electivire easily beats Pikachu, which inspires Ash to travel to Sinnoh. While in Sinnoh, Gary becomes a Pokémon researcher working with Professor Rowan. By this time, Ash and Gary have become more of friends than rivals and they even team up to protect Pokémon from Pokémon Hunter J. After working together to protect a group of Shieldon from Pokémon Hunter J, they both agree to remain 'friends until the end.' Gary appears in seasons 1-5 and 9-12. Gary's Japanese name, Shigeru Okido (オーキド シゲル, Ōkido Shigeru?), is a reference to Shigeru Miyamoto, who mentored Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri.

Ritchie (ヒロシ, Hiroshi?)

Voiced by: Minami Takayama (Japanese), Tara Jayne (English)

Ritchie is a traveling Pokémon trainer from Frodomar City. Ritchie first appears during the Indigo League Saga, where he meets and forms a friendship with Ash Ketchum. As rivals, Ritchie and Ash are much alike. For example, both trainers own a Pikachu and have caught many of the same Pokémon. After the Indigo League tournament, Ritchie is ranked top eight of the competition after defeating Ash (due to a technicallity) then losing after his latter victory. Afterward, Ash and Ritchie part ways but pledge an oath to become Pokémon Masters. Ritchie re-appears in the Whirl Islands near the beginning of the fifth season, Pokémon: Master Quest, and is one of the protagonists of Pokémon Chronicles.

Harrison (ハヅキ, Hazuki?)

Voiced by: Katsumi Toriumi (Japanese), Wayne Grayson (English)

Harrison is a traveling Pokémon trainer from Hoenn who competes in the Silver Conference. Ash and the gang first met him in "Pop Goes the Sneasel" when he tried to ward off a wild Sneasel that was guarding the sacred Ho-Oh flame. During the Silver Conference, Ash battles him with a six-on-six full battle. He defeats Ash and later loses to his next opponent, finishing at the top four of the Johto League competition. After the Johto League Silver Conference, Harrison convinces Ash to go to the Hoenn region. Afterwards, Harrison goes to Kanto to participate in the Indigo League.

Drew (シュウ, Shū?)

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese), Pete Zarustica (as Oliver Wyman; 4Kids, English), Bill Rogers (TPCI, English)

Drew is an experienced Pokémon Coordinator, a confident, critical, but popular boy. He is May's first rival. Because he sees similarities between new Coordinator May and himself when he first started out, he taunts her for her inexperience. Though his comments and attitude may have angered May, he still provides a helping hand whenever she needs it. Drew's skills have been a continuing inspiration for May to better herself as a Coordinator.

Harley (ハーリー, Hārī?)

Voiced by: Jun'ichi Kanemaru (Japanese), Andrew Rannells (4Kids, English), Billy Regan (as Bill Timoney; TPCI, English)

Arrogant, flamboyant, and proud, Harley is a Pokémon Coordinator and likely May's toughest rival. During their first meeting, Harley takes May's unwitting comments as insults to his abilities and he takes an instant dislike to her. Since then, Harley takes every opportunity to sabotage May before her contests and frequently takes advantage of her forgiving nature in order to trick her into believing he has reformed.

Morrison (マサムネ, Masamune?)

Voiced by: Masako Nozawa (Japanese), Sean Schemmel (English)

Morrison is Ash's rival in the Ever Grande Conference, a spirited person who likes to challenge other people to almost everything and never gives up in battle. Due to this, he always challenges Ash to various events such as Pokémon battles or even a food eating contest. Ash and the gang first met him in "Less is Morrison", where he soon becomes a friend and rival to Ash. When he appears again, he is a Ash's first opponent in the Ever Grande Conference; because of his conflicting feelings, he refuses to battle his friend until Ash encourages him to try his best. Morrison is able to battle with all his spirit, losing to Ash only when both of them are down to one Pokémon.

Paul (シンジ, Shinji?)

Voiced by: Kiyotaka Furushima (Japanese), Julián Rebolledo (English)

Paul is a roaming Pokémon trainer from Veilstone City, Sinnoh. As a Pokémon trainer, Paul is experienced and has traveled across the regional areas of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, much like Ash. During Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, he begins to travel through Sinnoh, where he meets and develops a rivalry with Ash Ketchum. Unlike Ash's previous rivals, Paul is a serious and taciturn trainer whose only concern towards Pokémon is their ability to act in battle and forming bonds with Pokémon dilute their potential, making them slackers. As such, he regards Ash's compassion towards his Pokémon as a sign of weakness, which frequently provokes Ash's anger. His severe and competitive behavior to become strong derives from resent over his older brother, Reggie, who had been an accomplished trainer until losing to Pyramid King Brandon and then quit Pokémon training to become a breeder. Paul is determined to make sure he doesn't meet that same fate, so he plans to surpass not just any trainer, but his own brother as well. In Japan, he is named after Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series. He has a Torterra (evolved from a Turtwig), an Electivire which is revealed to have evolved in Pokémon DP 184, a Honchkrow, a Weavile, a Magmortar and an Ursaring. His brother currently looks after his Gliscor, Hariyama, Nidoking and Lairon which is seen to have evolved into Aggron when Ash battles Paul in the Sinnoh League in Pokémon DP 186, 187 and DP 188 (this is the longest battle in the series yet). He also is revealed to use a Froslass, a Gastrodon, a Drapion and his Ninjask in the Sinnoh League against Ash, but ultimately loses the battle. Afterwards, he finds a bit of respect for Ash, and heads out to battle with Brandon, The Pyramid King, as Brandon told Paul he would battle him again once he managed to control his emotions. Ash and Paul depart on a good note. Ash wishes him luck, which Paul returns. Just as Paul is about to leave Ash calls out that they should battle again, real soon. Paul comes to a sudden halt, looking stunned. Then he smiles, finally accepting him. As he waves good-bye, he walks away, into the sunset. Cynthia stated that she would like to see the day Paul and Ash compete in the Champion League. Paul is also seen again in the next episode, watching Ash's battle with Tobias on television. When Ash is defeated, Paul looks disappointed, and walks away.

Barry (ジュン, Jun?)

Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese), Jamie McGonnigal (English)

Barry is Ash's newest rival in Sinnoh, an impatient and overconfidant boy who, while competent and skilled, tends to lose most of his battles against Ash. He is an admirer of Paul, and uses the same technique though he cares for his Pokémon. He dreams of being the strongest Pokémon trainer in the world. Barry is best friends with Kenny and the son of Palmer, the Tower Tycoon of Sinnoh's Frontier Brains. He is based on the rival in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. He originally owns an Empoleon, a Staraptor, a Roserade and a Heracross and later gains a Hitmonlee and a Skarmory.

Nando (ナオシ, Naoshi?)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Billy Regan (English)

A talented Pokémon trainer and wandering minstrel, Nando is a calm young man deeply conflicted as to whether he should challenge gyms or become a Pokémon Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he chooses to pursue both paths, regardless of the difficulty. By the time of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, he has acquired seven Gym Badges and five Contest Ribbons. In the Grand Festival, he is able to reach the Top 4, losing to Zoey. After the Grand Festival, he obtains the necessary badges to compete in the Sinnoh League; he is Ash's first opponent but is eliminated after putting up a good battle. Nando make his debut appearance in Dawn of a New Era!. He owns a Roserade (evolved from his Budew), a Sunflora, a Kricketune, an Altaria, a Kricketot, an Armaldo, and a Lopunny. He is usually seen playing his golden Mew harp. The harp has often been shown to attract large groups of wild Pokémon, although its unknown if Nando is aware of this.

Zoey (ノゾミ, Nozomi?)

Voiced by: Risa Hayamizu (Japanese), Elisabeth Morinelli (a/k/a Emily Williams; English)

An experienced Pokémon coordinator from Snowpoint City and Dawn's main rival. Unlike most rivals, she often gives out helpful advice, and helps out in certain situations instead of fighting and taunting Dawn all the time. Zoey is initially disdainful of those who participate in both Gym battles and contests because she believes that trainers who divide their efforts will do not full-heartedly compete both disciplines. However, she changes her outlook as she meets trainers who are able to successfully manage both while respecting the hard work required. Zoey first appears in the episode of "Mounting a Coordinator Assault". The Pokémon she has with her are Glameow, Mismagius, Gastrodon, Lumineon, Gallade, and Leafeon. In "A Grand Fight for Winning", she defeats Dawn in the final stage of the Grand Festival and wins the Ribbon Cup.

Kenny (ケンゴ, Kengo?)

Voiced by: Yūko Mita (Japanese), Rhonda Krempa (English)

Kenny is one of Dawn's childhood friends and a rival coordinator. He is frequently calls her by her nickname, 'Dee Dee' and is best friends with Barry. Kenny makes his debut in Getting the Pre-Contest Titters and Settling a Not-So-Old Score, where he and Dawn enter the Floaroma Pokémon Contest. Eventually, he is able to qualify for the Sinnoh Grand Festival, but misses the cut of 32 in the Grand Festival, causing him to leave Lake Valor to improve his training. Kenny is revealed to have romantic feelings towards Dawn and eventually challenges Ash to a battle with the outcome determining who Dawn would travel with. Though he wins the battle, Dawn leaves him a note stating that she wishes to remain with Ash.

Ursula (ウララ, Urara?)

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Melisa Schroenburg (English)

One of Dawn's rivals, Ursula is a Coordinator from the Sinnoh region who enters the Chocovine Contest at the same time as Dawn. They meet just outside the Contest Hall when her Gabite gets into a confrontation with Dawn's Pachirisu. Her attitude toward Dawn is similar to Harley's attitude toward May. During the Sinnoh Grand Festival, she loses to Dawn and is eliminated from the contest, unable to make it into the Top 16. She currently owns a Gabite, a Wormadam, a Plusle and a Minun, a Jigglypuff, a Flareon and a Vaporeon (evolved from her 2 Eevee during the appeals round of Sinnoh grand Festival).

Trip (シューティー, Shūtī?, Shooty)

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese), Jamie McGonnigal (English)

Trip is a male trainer taking the Unova League challenge who appears in the Black and White series and his ultimate ambition is to compete in the Champion League and defeat Alder, the Unova champion. In addition to being a Pokémon Trainer, he is also an amateur Pokémon photographer. Upon his first meeting and battle with Ash, he tends to somewhat display a discriminatory attitude toward him as being part of the "boonies" (being the fact Ash is from the Kanto region, along with his Pikachu, which happens to be extremely rare in the Unova region). He takes a Snivy from Professor Juniper, which later evolves into a Servine, and later, a Serperior. He also has a Tranquill, a Frillish, a Lampent, a Vanillite, and a Timburr, that soon evolved into a Gurdurr, then to a Conkeldurr. Trip participates in the Club Battle, Clubsplosion, Junior Cup, and Unova League Tournaments, and with the exception of the Junior Cup, which he wins, he loses in the first round of each. After his battle with Ash in the Unova League, Trip appears to have ended his rivalry with Ash.

Bianca (ベル, Beru?, Bel)

Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese), Bella Hudson (English)

Bianca is a female trainer who appears in the Black and White series. She encounters Ash and his companions several times throughout the series which usually ends with a battle between herself and Ash. She is also shown to be very excitable and clumsy. Bianca joins Ash and co. to participate in the Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Unova League tournaments. Her main Pokémon are Emboar, Minccino, and Escavalier.

Burgundy (カベルネ, Kaberune?, Cabernet)

Voiced by: Ikumi Hayama (Japanese), Suzy Myers (English)

Burgundy is a female Pokémon Connoisseur who at one point challenged Cilan and lost, and Cilan said that her Oshawott was not compatible with her. When Ash, Iris, and Cilan meet up with her once more, after she says that none of Ash's Pokémon are good for him, she reveals she challenged the Striaton Gym and got the Trio Badge, but still feels she needs to fight Cilan. Cilan defeats her again, even with her Dewott and Sawsbuck, but she exclaims she will fight him again someday and win. She later participates in the Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Junior Cup tournaments with the group, held in Nimbasa Town, Ambiga Town, and Lacunosa Town respectively. Her Pokemon consist of Dewott, Sawsbuck, Stoutland, and Darmanitan.

Georgia (ラングレー, Rangurē?, Langley)

Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese), Brittney Lee Hamilton (English)

Georgia is a female trainer who calls herself a Dragon Buster, someone who specializes in defeating Dragon-Type Pokémon. Incensed, Iris challenges her, and the fight between Georgia's Beartic and Iris's Excadrill where Excadrill loses allows Iris to make Excadrill feel better about their loss to Drayden several years earlier. Georgia ties with Iris in a second battle, as Excadrill learned Focus Blast and gained trust in Iris. Georgia participates in the Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Junior Cup tournaments with Ash and co. Her Pokemon are Beartic, a Pawniard that evolved into a Bisharp, and Vanilluxe.

Stephan (ケニヤン, Keniyan?, Kenyan)

Voiced by: Tomohiro Waki (Japanese), Darren Dunstan (English)

Stephan is a male trainer that Ash meets on the way to Nimbasa City. He is known to at this point have a Blitzle (which later evolves into Zebstrika), and is later shown to have a Sawk and a Liepard. He and Ash have a battle, but it gets postponed when Oshawott loses his Scalchop. Once Oshawott trains with a fake shell made of rock, he defeats Stephan's Blitzle. Stephan participates in the Club Battle and Clubsplosion tournaments with the gang, the latter in which he and his Sawk win. He also participates in the Unova League, where he makes it to the Top 16 - here, he and Ash have an intense 3-on-3 battle, in which Ash defeats him. There is a running gag in the anime that people always mispronounce his name, but everyone begins pronouncing his name right by the time the Unova League begins.

Cameron (コテツ, Kotetsu?)

Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama (Japanese), Rory Max Kaplan (English)

Cameron is a new trainer and rival for Ash. He debuts after the Junior Cup, as he meant to compete, but didn't arrive in time. Cameron temporarily joins the group when he goes to earn his 8th Gym Badge from Marlon in Humilau City, and upon obtaining it, he leaves. Cameron returns to compete in the Unova League tournament alongside Ash, Trip, Stephan, Bianca, and Virgil. His Pokemon are Samurott, Ferrothorn, Hydreigon, Swanna, and his main Pokemon is Riolu (who evolves into Lucario during his battle with Ash); he also has a Watchog, seen only as a blackened silhoette. In the Vertress Conference, he defeats Bianca (leaving her in the Top 64), and during the Top 8 manages to defeat Ash despite being one Pokemon short, but is subsequently defeated by Virgil in the Top 4.

Virgil (バージル, Virgil?)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Japanese), Tom Wayland (English)

Virgil is a rescue worker with his father, Jeff and his brother, Davey. He saved Ash and his group when they fell of bunch of rock while they we're try to climb up to get Vertress City where Ash had participating in Vertress Conference. After solving things at Dam, Virgil reveals he also entering the Unova Leage, making Ash's one of rivals. He eventually won the Unova League. He owns an Eevee and 7 of its "Eeveelutions". It was revealed that as a young boy, he once got lost in the forest with his first Eevee, when it suddenly evolved into an Umbreon and was thus able to lead him out - an event which made him fascinated by the Eevee species and led to his becoming an Eevee trainer. Virgil is the only Ash's rvial in which Ash did not battled him.