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A good rival can sometimes be exactly what a season of Pokemon anime needs to spice things up.
Of course, the franchise as a whole and the show have had different representations of rivals over the years. They used to be the “bad guys,” but now they are more like “competitive friends.”
The anime still has lots of rival appearances, though, making the task of finding the best one pretty tough.
Which of Ash's rivals were the toughest to beat in the Pokemon anime?
When it comes down to great rivals, two names really come to mind: The original Gary and the terror from Snowpoint City, Paul. They are both great for different reasons.
Other than simply being the first to be shown on the screen, Gary definitely fits the archetype of the rivals of old. He was overconfident and narcissistic (he seriously had a cheerleader squad solely for him), and belittled Ash at every opportunity.
Gary also had a team that really tested Ash’s strength as a trainer. Just like in the games, the former's team usually had a variety of Pokemon with different type matchups. Ash also insisted that he battle Gary’s Blastoise with Charizard, despite the obvious type disadvantage.
Although Gary could certainly be cruel at times, he looks like a choir boy next to Paul. This rival from the Sinnoh region went out of his way to make sure Ash felt bad about himself at almost every meeting.
Not every trainer will release a Chimchar because they “were weak,” but that’s exactly what Paul did. Of course, it ended up being Ash’s greatest weapon when it evolved into Infernape, but in Paul’s eyes it was still “pathetic.”
While they never became bffs, Ash and Paul did develop a mutual respect after their many battles. Surprisingly, one of the more emotional goodbyes in the series was Ash parting ways with Paul, who returned to Snowpoint City after losing. The former recognized that, despite being a fool most of the time, Paul drove him to be a better trainer.
Considering all that, Paul wins the best rival award. He was the biggest threat to Ash and, in the process, made him stronger than he ever was.
