Something I Just Realised...

[ChaosMage]

Ash of course has one or more rivals in every league he competes in, and these leagues have hundreds of competitors each time, and Ash spends a fair amount of time traveling from gym to gym in order to qualify to even enter these leagues...

This raises the question of how come Ash runs into so few trainers with badges! For instance, in the current saga Ash has Paul, Barry, Nando and Alan, and has met Reggie who collected badges years ago... but that's about it. In Kanto every other trainer he met was planning to reach the league just has he was, but now he very seldom meets even a character of the day who has obtained a single badge. There's never even anybody else arriving at the gyms when he does, except for Paul or Barry. This is something of a logical flaw if you ask me- shouldn't there be hundreds of trainers dotted around all the time? Considering there are bound to be loads who don't even get eight badges (otherwise what would be the point of them?), I wonder why Ash just never bumps into any.

 

[Squaaah]

Yeah I've wondered that in the past. I suppose it doesn't make for good storylines anymore, but I do miss the days when half the episodes would open with Ash battling a random trainer. It feels like Ash doesn't randomly battle anymore, he just seems to battle gym leaders, his rivals, TR and a bad guy every now and then.

 

[dman_dustin]

Ash of course has one or more rivals in every league he competes in, and these leagues have hundreds of competitors each time, and Ash spends a fair amount of time traveling from gym to gym in order to qualify to even enter these leagues...

This raises the question of how come Ash runs into so few trainers with badges! For instance, in the current saga Ash has Paul, Barry, Nando and Alan, and has met Reggie who collected badges years ago... but that's about it. In Kanto every other trainer he met was planning to reach the league just has he was, but now he very seldom meets even a character of the day who has obtained a single badge. There's never even anybody else arriving at the gyms when he does, except for Paul or Barry. This is something of a logical flaw if you ask me- shouldn't there be hundreds of trainers dotted around all the time? Considering there are bound to be loads who don't even get eight badges (otherwise what would be the point of them?), I wonder why Ash just never bumps into any.

I think it's because there are more than eight gyms in the anime, or Ash is really lucky. Or the writes don't want to develop all these characters and have them interact with Ash and they don't match them up at the Pokemon League. I think they would only show trainers Ash would go up against. There are a few exceptions but it would be hard if Ash met 200+ people that would enter the Pokemon League. Too many interactions, they probably simplify it.

 

[water trainer]

Could be cause not all trainers are doing gyms...And how come Ash hasn't had any female rivals in the leagues???

 

[milenadrg]

Could be cause not all trainers are doing gyms...And how come Ash hasn't had any female rivals in the leagues???

If he has a female rival, they will be possibly friendly rival and she will have crush on him. No thanks. All theese years it was fine having male rivals, we don't need female one, too...

 

[dman_dustin]

If he has a female rival, they will be possibly friendly rival and she will have crush on him. No thanks. All theese years it was fine having male rivals, we don't need female one, too...

Actually I think we do and why would it come to the girl having a crush on Ash?

 

[Bell56]

^ there was Macy in the Johto league, and she did have a crush on Ash.

 

[Squaaah]

^ there was Macy in the Johto league, and she did have a crush on Ash.

That wasn't really a reacurring rivalry though. It would be cool for Ash to have a female rival like Barry, who is a friendly rival, but at the same time is a serious rival who could give Ash a run for his money in the league.

 

[kemal07]

the playable girl in firered/leafgreen ?

 

[red2000]

^ That's about the only one they have left the other 3 are Coordinators, It would be a nice change of pace to See another Pallet trainer who beats Ash

 

[Juputoru]

If he has a female rival, they will be possibly friendly rival and she will have crush on him. No thanks. All theese years it was fine having male rivals, we don't need female one, too...

I'd rather see someone like Kate(I think that was her name?) from the Houen league - a serious rival. Of course, the writers are from Japan and are therefore too locked into gender stereotypes to make a female rival that's neither "friendly and romancy" nor "totally serious and not friendly at all", but a strong female rival(who's not a total jerkwad) would be a nice change of pace. :/

At least we'll never get a league rival as lame as Richie ever again. (right? right?)

 

[Valorous]

the playable girl in firered/leafgreen ?

you mean Blue? the manga / female game character?.... possibly...

I seem to recall in the viridian forest episode with samurai that when samurai told ash three other people originated from Pallet had defeated him, ash said: "you fought against gary and the others" and samurai said "compared to the other three novice here is a joke...

so... if besides ash; gary is one, then who are the other two pallet trainers? because seemingly pallet has / has had four trainers with these starters when ash left for his journey ...
Gary (probably trainer 1) >> Squirtle
Ash (trainer 4 no doubt) >> Pikachu
trainer 2 >> charmander
trainer 3 >> bulbasaur
I'd like to see a battle with ash vs one of these two mysterious ones...

 

[Bell56]

Did Ritchie ever say where he was from maybe he could have gotten the Chamander, and then Leaf (the girl) could have got Bulbasaur

 

[milenadrg]

Actually I think we do and why would it come to the girl having a crush on Ash?

They are often making that old thing. At first they are in fight, then girl realisies she has a crush on him...

 

[kemal07]

it may actually be Ritchie but. i dont think the charmander at the lab would have that funny hair or whatever it was
Maybe it was that stupid Damien guy.
If they do bring in the palet rivals it should most definatly be blue and yellow from the manga

 

[TicoPokemonMaster]

you mean Blue? the manga / female game character?.... possibly...
I seem to recall in the viridian forest episode with samurai that when samurai told ash three other people originated from Pallet had defeated him, ash said: "you fought against gary and the others" and samurai said "compared to the other three novice here is a joke...
so... if besides ash; gary is one, then who are the other two pallet trainers? because seemingly pallet has / has had four trainers with these starters when ash left for his journey ...
Gary (probably trainer 1) >> Squirtle
Ash (trainer 4 no doubt) >> Pikachu
trainer 2 >> charmander
trainer 3 >> bulbasaur
I'd like to see a battle with ash vs one of these two mysterious ones...

I think if I remember that Prof. Oak said in the episode before the Indigo League that the other two trainers gave up.

 

[Isis-sama]

For that matter, they always make it seem like Gym Leaders have very few losing battles as well. Gym Leaders are always made out to be next to impossible to beat, but with 150+ entrants in every League they should be losing left and right, unless there are like 80 Gym Leaders in every region.

There are probably a whole lot of reasons to explain this (most of the trainers gained entry some other way, such as a Trainer's School, most of the trainers earned their badges some time ago and haven't entered/are rechallenging, there are more Trainers doing Gyms out there and we just don't see their Badges) but the whole thing is just basically poor plotting on the part of the writers.

 

[Cobalt_Latios]

you mean Blue? the manga / female game character?.... possibly...

I seem to recall in the viridian forest episode with samurai that when samurai told ash three other people originated from Pallet had defeated him, ash said: "you fought against gary and the others" and samurai said "compared to the other three novice here is a joke...

so... if besides ash; gary is one, then who are the other two pallet trainers? because seemingly pallet has / has had four trainers with these starters when ash left for his journey ...
Gary (probably trainer 1) >> Squirtle
Ash (trainer 4 no doubt) >> Pikachu
trainer 2 >> charmander
trainer 3 >> bulbasaur
I'd like to see a battle with ash vs one of these two mysterious ones...

I'd be trying something in saying this but, oh well. I think Damien might have been the trainer with the Charmander. But, we didn't really get any insight as to how he got it. Though, it would answer that question.

*C_L*

 

[hmmm]

the writers do that purposely

like....why make ash have 657 879 656 772 rivals, like he could have? in the game you only ever have your one rival collecting badges. thats like saying why isnt Dawn a rival with every other person in the contests she enters/

 

[Bisasam]

For that matter, they always make it seem like Gym Leaders have very few losing battles as well. Gym Leaders are always made out to be next to impossible to beat, but with 150+ entrants in every League they should be losing left and right, unless there are like 80 Gym Leaders in every region.

Regarding contests it's even worse than that. In the Grand Festivals of Hoenn and Kanto there were 200 or even more coordinators and everyone must have 5 ribbons, so there must have been over 1000 contests in a not too long period of time, and that's just impossible, because in every contest, there is the announcer, Mr. Sukizo and Mr. Contesta, so they can't be simultaneous, so if they make a contest every day (which is already unlikely), it would take them 3 years to make all these contests.
And I think there are also coordinators with only one, two, three or four ribbons, so there must be even more contests.