Any one annoyed that they had Gary become Goh’s rival?

[AJ97]

The point is that they could have just given Gou new Rivals from the get-go.
Those two kids could have easily filled the role that Gary did while simultaneously being original.

It was never about how go would be treated by someone like Gary but rather that the latter should have been there to begin with

Personally, I would've liked it better if Gary was a contestant in the PWC and played the role of Ash's main Rival in this series (Going back to the OG Roots). Maybe uses his research experience to be a better technical battler.

Should've also made him the new Kanto Champion given that he's the counterpart of Blue in Games and replaced Alain with him in the Master Class.

 

[Locormus]

The point is that they could have just given Gou new Rivals from the get-go.
Those two kids could have easily filled the role that Gary did while simultaneously being original.

It was never about how go would be treated by someone like Gary but rather that the latter should have been there to begin with

Maybe, but Project Mew is all about research. It's a field we know Gary has been into since OS. Not having him here would be like not having champions in the Master8 in the PWC.

Yeah, maybe these two new 'rivals' should've been introduced sooner, but they're more akin to Harley while Gary is kinda like Tyson if we need to compare him to Ash's past rivals.

Couldn't have said it better!
The Rival classification is almost spot on.
I guess Horace in a way is meant to be Goh's main rival, but I would argue he isn't that much better than Goh as Drew Initially was versus May.

Actually, the May and Drew rivalry was a lot more like Ash and Gary's.

Yeah, Drew/Horace isn't exactly a fit, but the point was regarding Gary being equivalent to being the 'dreamcrusher'..

Personally, I would've liked it better if Gary was a contestant in the PWC and played the role of Ash's main Rival in this series (Going back to the OG Roots). Maybe uses his research experience to be a better technical battler.

Should've also made him the new Kanto Champion given that he's the counterpart of Blue in Games and replaced Alain with him in the Master Class.

But Gary hasn't been into trainer battles since OS. Making him the Kanto Champion would be a retcon of epic proportions.

If Ash had to have any returning rival in the PWC, then it should've been Paul.

 

[Blood Red]

He's not even really a 'rival' anymore, when you think about it; Gary's leaving him and everyone else in the dust.

 

[Broseph08]

I really like it. My ideal scenario for Gary would have been similar to what they did with Iris where they aligned him with his game counterpart and made him the Kanto Champion (Lance could have been Johto's). But the way they used him was actually very good. Probably my favorite return of all characters

But Gary hasn't been into trainer battles since OS. Making him the Kanto Champion would be a retcon of epic proportions.

If Ash had to have any returning rival in the PWC, then it should've been Paul.

Eh I don't know about that. Lots of trainers have other hobbies while being amazing battlers. Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha are just a few who basically have jobs in addition to being champion. Also, we know that even after the OS when Ash went through Hoenn and beat the Battle Frontier, Gary was as good as Ash as he beat him. I don't think it'd be a stretch at all if he was still a great battler.

 

[BlueDragonfangirl]

He's not even really a 'rival' anymore, when you think about it; Gary's leaving him and everyone else in the dust.

Just like happened with Ash and Gary in Kanto.

Seriously, is it that hard for the anime to make a new rival now?

 

[desdar300]

Maybe, but Project Mew is all about research. It's a field we know Gary has been into since OS. Not having him here would be like not having champions in the Master8 in the PWC.

Yeah, maybe these two new 'rivals' should've been introduced sooner, but they're more akin to Harley while Gary is kinda like Tyson if we need to compare him to Ash's past rivals.



Yeah, Drew/Horace isn't exactly a fit, but the point was regarding Gary being equivalent to being the 'dreamcrusher'..



But Gary hasn't been into trainer battles since OS. Making him the Kanto Champion would be a retcon of epic proportions.

If Ash had to have any returning rival in the PWC, then it should've been Paul.

Gary could have still been around as a researcher or something ( possibly even studying to succeed his grandfather as the next Regional professor).

However, I just think that Horace and those other kids would have been great day and they make foils for go without them having to rely on a pre-established character.

I just find that idea more interesting personally

 

[Zweilous]

I wouldn’t say that I’m annoyed by it, but it is definitely disappointing that the way they handle it is so similar to Ash and Gary’s old rivalry. They could’ve done something different with it, but instead it’s just the exact same rivalry again, just under different circumstances..

I wouldn't say it's the same. With Ash, Gary just saw him as a loser and mocked him. With Goh, Gary's willing to drop advice to his rival, he wants to see him improve, and his teasing is more playful. While the dynamics are similar, Gary feels a lot more mature here than he used to be, and it I feel like Goh benefits from the rivalry more than Ash did with with his.

 

[Locormus]

I really like it. My ideal scenario for Gary would have been similar to what they did with Iris where they aligned him with his game counterpart and made him the Kanto Champion.

Eh I don't know about that. Lots of trainers have other hobbies while being amazing battlers. Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha are just a few who basically have jobs in addition to being champion. Also, we know that even after the OS when Ash went through Hoenn and beat the Battle Frontier, Gary was as good as Ash as he beat him. I don't think it'd be a stretch at all if he was still a great battler.

Gary literally said he was done with trainer battles, was going to focus on becoming a researcher and that the Silver Conference was his last championship.

In my eyes this isn't really debatable. It would be an enormous retcon to suddenly have him be the Kanto Champion all things considered.

A great battler? Yes, sure. Worked towards becoming the regional champion while expressing he wouldn't compete in championships? No.

Gary could have still been around as a researcher or something ( possibly even studying to succeed his grandfather as the next Regional professor).

However, I just think that Horace and those other kids would have been great day and they make foils for go without them having to rely on a pre-established character.

I just find that idea more interesting personally

I don't see the problem at all when just about more then half of Ash's opponents are pre-established characters we were expecting to see even before the Master8 were confirmed. We all expected Cynthia and I think most of us expected at least Steven as well to be brought back into the series to be in a competition based on battling. Why would it be that offputting to see them do the same with Gary?!?

Let me put it this way:
1. Bringing back established battle-proven characters from previous series (Cynthia, Steven, Diantha, Alain, Lance, heck.. Iris.) for a battle related goal? Good.
2. Bringing back an established research-proven character from previous series for a research related goal? BAD.

That's the double standard. If you're this upset about them using Gary, then the same should apply for Cynthia, Alain, etc.

Cutting the BS: This thread lives because people are 'upset' that the writers have given Goh a rival that has a history with Ash. And Goh isn't worthy enough to have anything (previously!) associated with Ash's development because Goh 'sucks'. It's a hate-thread in disguise.

Heck, it's not even a rivalry. Gary is in first place while Goh is in 7th. They're working on the same project - but that's it. It's Gary/Harrison or Morrison/Tyson all over again. Gary/Morrison were the true rival and Harrison/Tyson a strong trainer Ash just happened to meet shortly before the Silver Conference that were not really rivals to Ash at all.

 

[BlueDragonfangirl]

Gary literally said he was done with trainer battles, was going to focus on becoming a researcher and that the Silver Conference was his last championship.

In my eyes this isn't really debatable. It would be an enormous retcon to suddenly have him be the Kanto Champion all things considered.

A great battler? Yes, sure. Worked towards becoming the regional champion while expressing he wouldn't compete in championships? No.



I don't see the problem at all when just about more then half of Ash's opponents are pre-established characters we were expecting to see even before the Master8 were confirmed. We all expected Cynthia and I think most of us expected at least Steven as well to be brought back into the series to be in a competition based on battling. Why would it be that offputting to see them do the same with Gary?!?

Let me put it this way:
1. Bringing back established battle-proven characters from previous series (Cynthia, Steven, Diantha, Alain, Lance, heck.. Iris.) for a battle related goal? Good.
2. Bringing back an established research-proven character from previous series for a research related goal? BAD.

That's the double standard. If you're this upset about them using Gary, then the same should apply for Cynthia, Alain, etc.

Cutting the BS: This thread lives because people are 'upset' that the writers have given Goh a rival that has a history with Ash. And Goh isn't worthy enough to have anything (previously!) associated with Ash's development because Goh 'sucks'. It's a hate-thread in disguise.

Heck, it's not even a rivalry. Gary is in first place while Goh is in 7th. They're working on the same project - but that's it. It's Gary/Harrison or Morrison/Tyson all over again. Gary/Morrison were the true rival and Harrison/Tyson a strong trainer Ash just happened to meet shortly before the Silver Conference that were not really rivals to Ash at all.

Eh I’d just prefer someone new for Goh as Ash/Gary as you said have History so it’s weird to see him doing do this stuff with someone else.

If he isn’t an actual rival to Goh why is in the up coming episodes summaries they specifically say Goh’s rival?

A friend coming and making new friends is completely different than stealing a rival from Ash.

Ash has or was competing with Gary since the beginning of Kanto, they’ve been like that since little kids, so it’s like what happened here?

 

[Broseph08]

Gary literally said he was done with trainer battles, was going to focus on becoming a researcher and that the Silver Conference was his last championship.

In my eyes this isn't really debatable. It would be an enormous retcon to suddenly have him be the Kanto Champion all things considered.

A great battler? Yes, sure. Worked towards becoming the regional champion while expressing he wouldn't compete in championships? No.

I mean I'm not broke up about it but it is what I would have preferred. I still like how they used him in Journeys but my personal preference would be lining him up with Blue. Would not have been upset if they retconned that at all but I also like the current use

 

[desdar300]

Gary literally said he was done with trainer battles, was going to focus on becoming a researcher and that the Silver Conference was his last championship.

In my eyes this isn't really debatable. It would be an enormous retcon to suddenly have him be the Kanto Champion all things considered.

A great battler? Yes, sure. Worked towards becoming the regional champion while expressing he wouldn't compete in championships? No.



I don't see the problem at all when just about more then half of Ash's opponents are pre-established characters we were expecting to see even before the Master8 were confirmed. We all expected Cynthia and I think most of us expected at least Steven as well to be brought back into the series to be in a competition based on battling. Why would it be that offputting to see them do the same with Gary?!?

Let me put it this way:
1. Bringing back established battle-proven characters from previous series (Cynthia, Steven, Diantha, Alain, Lance, heck.. Iris.) for a battle related goal? Good.
2. Bringing back an established research-proven character from previous series for a research related goal? BAD.

That's the double standard. If you're this upset about them using Gary, then the same should apply for Cynthia, Alain, etc.

Cutting the BS: This thread lives because people are 'upset' that the writers have given Goh a rival that has a history with Ash. And Goh isn't worthy enough to have anything (previously!) associated with Ash's development because Goh 'sucks'. It's a hate-thread in disguise.

Heck, it's not even a rivalry. Gary is in first place while Goh is in 7th. They're working on the same project - but that's it. It's Gary/Harrison or Morrison/Tyson all over again. Gary/Morrison were the true rival and Harrison/Tyson a strong trainer Ash just happened to meet shortly before the Silver Conference that were not really rivals to Ash at all.

That's apples and oranges IMO.
The PWC is just the World Tournament from Black and White 2 in anime form, so one would expect characters from the games to pop up especially if their Champions like Cynthia, Lance, or Steven.
How else would they sell that this is a tournament where the best-of-the-best is competing?

Project Mew on the other hand, is at best comparable to the Crown Tundra missions which lacks the same grandiose.

Don't go putting words in my mouth about how I feel about go, because it has nothing to do with me disliking him and everything to do with me just wanting him to have original rivals the way Ash had back when he first started.

Horace and those two no names would have been great Rivals for him on their own and they could have cooked up even more original characters for him to deal with if they really wanted to.

 

[U.N. Owen]

We know Gary stopped doing leagues ages ago. I really don’t care. It does no harm to his character really.

 

[KukuiFanatic501]

As others have said, not at all. Gary being his rival makes perfect sense.

 

[ShinyCharyZard]

You know who I think would’ve made a great Project Mew rival, based on design alone? Hugh.. they should’ve finally used his design.. and yes, I know his in-game counterpart wasn’t really a “Project Mew” kinda guy, but then neither is Gary/Blue really..


To be fair, they could’ve even done something with the BDSP promotion and used a character from gen 4, like Buck, or one of the other characters that latches onto you throughout your journey.

 

[Ryker101]

Nahh it’s great, it comes full circle with Gary being both Ash’s and Goh’s first one. And he gets to be snarky again without regressing as a character, cause he doesn’t actually hate Goh he’s just trying to push him to be better

 

[Shadao]

Gary, even back then, has been defined as the rival who is not only ahead of Ash, but also caught more Pokémon than Ash. I mean sure, he's also a great battler, but his first actual battle on-screen was against Giovanni... and he lost.

Frequently in OS, Gary has always been compared to Ash in terms of catching Pokémon and collection. Ash catches a Krabby? Gary catches a bigger Krabby. Ash catches 40 Pokémon? Gary caught 100 Pokémon. Ash has 8 badges? Gary has 10.

Ash and Gary only battled twice in entire OS before Gary decides to become a Pokémon Researcher. Which goes to show you that Ash's rivalry with Gary is rather shallow when compared to his future rivals. Paul, Trip, Alain, and even Gladion? They all are rivals that fit better with Ash, and they all battle him several times just to serve as a marker of how much Ash needs to do to reach their level in terms of battling and training. Ash is all about building a team rather than "Gotta Catch 'Em All" these days.

Ironically, Goh being more into the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" makes him a perfect replacement rival for Gary. You want Gary to be smug and cocky again without undermining his path to become a Pokémon Researcher? You want him to show how awesome he is by collecting the macguffins of the series? You want to show him being several steps ahead that he doesn't even bother fighting you? Then Goh is the perfect character to bring these classic traits back to Gary.

 

[Kazuniya]

Nope. It's nice to see Gary again and he makes more sense as Goh's rival than Ash's.

 

[ImBeVillain]

I see more Gary is Goh's mentor than rival. Horace is his main rival.

 

[DragonKahuna]

I really like this. I hope they continue to bring old rivals/companions as rivals for the new companions. Like how they could have made Dawn and Serena the main rivals for Chloe.

 

[Kazuniya]

I really like this. I hope they continue to bring old rivals/companions as rivals for the new companions. Like how they could have made Dawn and Serena the main rivals for Chloe.

I hope not. One of my biggest fears is that they'll turn Chloe into another performer character. It would be such a horrendous conclusion to her journey.