So I'm reluctant to play the Gen IV games because I just finished my first main-storyline playthrough of Pokemon Black and I fear that the excellence of Gen V could put a damper on my Diamond/Pearl/Platinum experience. However, I keep on seeing hate against Barry. It's probably less bad these days, but I gotta say, he seems like an awesome rival. An extremely klutzy, hyperactive kid who had the strongest rival team until the rebooted Red came along? Man, I don't see how you could hate him! He sounds like one of the most fun rivals in the franchise. I also love his theme. I listen to it a lot.