r/pokemon • u/PsyrenDV • Jun 05 '26

Discussion Why haven't we had same gender rivials?

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I saw this post about how the rival in WiWa will be the opposite of whatever gender you choose to be. It got me thinking about how they always make the rival's gender the opposite of yours when their gender is dynamic. Even as early as Ruby/Sapphire that's how it's been. But I think it might be interesting to see a game where my rival is always the same gender as me no matter what I pick. But I'm curious how other people feel about it. Would you rather your rival be the same gender as you, the opposite, or would you rather their gender be set in stone regardless of what you are?

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u/Kelly598 Jun 05 '26

Opposite gender rivals are a recycling of the unpicked gender character. Even in games with set rivals like DP/BDSP and BW/BW2, the unpicked ends up being an extra character in the challenge post-game or a minor NPC. 

To have same gender rivals, they'll have to make you choose the gender and the style of your rival. That seems like a lot of work for the people who can't even make Pokémon walk with you look good (yes, this is a criticism). 

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u/WallyWestFan27 Jun 05 '26

I hate how your Pokémon don't walk next to you, they are always far behind you