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Main series, not the browser games

Every rival by game

Last updated: 2026-11-04 · Character index checked 2026-11-04

This page is about rival characters in the main series. It is not a guide to pokerivals.xyz, poke-rivals.com, or the Minecraft server. If the search box rewrote your words, the comparison page explains why.

How the rows were chosen

The public index groups rivals by game: Blue in Kanto; Silver in Johto; Brendan, May, and Wally in Hoenn; Barry in Sinnoh; Cheren, Bianca, N, and Hugh in Unova; Calem, Serena, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor in Kalos; Hau, Gladion, and Trace in Alola and Let’s Go; Hop, Bede, Marnie, Klara, and Avery in Galar; Nemona, Arven, Carmine, and Kieran in Paldea; Urbain and Taunie in Lumiose. Blue and Silver are the ones whose trainer class is Rival. The others are usually listed as a Pokémon Trainer who happens to be your rival in the story. Some of those names are picked by the player. The rival in Hoenn or Kalos is the hero you left unchosen.

Filter by game, generation, editorial role group, or type a name; sort any column. Without scripts, every row stays visible. A guide link appears only for Sword and Shield, X and Y, Platinum, and Legends Z-A. A phrase like “SS rivals” is ambiguous between SoulSilver and Sword and Shield, so I do not dump it onto either row. PokeRogue’s rivals belong to another game and are absent on purpose.

Rivals from the public Bulbapedia index, checked 2026-11-04. Team cells stay blank when that index did not list a team.
RivalGenerationGameRival typeStarter ruleStoryGuideStatusChecked
HopVIIIPokémon Sword and Shield Main rivalTakes the starter weak to yours: Grookey → Sobble, Scorbunny → Grookey, Sobble → ScorbunnyPlayer's neighbour and rival, younger brother of Champion Leon; his confidence collapses after losses, then he rebuilds his team and ends the story as Sonia's assistant, aiming to become a Pokémon Professor. Open1 source2026-11-04
BedeVIIIPokémon Sword and Shield Main rivalDoes not share the starter triangle; uses Psychic then Fairy typesEndorsed by Chairman Rose; after his disqualification Opal scouts him to succeed her, and he becomes the Fairy-type Gym Leader of Ballonlea Stadium. Open1 source2026-11-04
MarnieVIIIPokémon Sword and Shield Main rivalDoes not share the starter triangle; Dark types, signature MorpekoSpikemuth native followed by Team Yell; wants to become Champion for her hometown and eventually replaces her brother Piers as the Spikemuth Gym Leader. Open1 source2026-11-04
KlaraVIIIPokémon Sword and Shield — The Isle of Armor Expansion rivalPoison-type Dojo rival (Sword exclusive)Dojo rival in The Isle of Armor (Sword); cheats in the trial and is caught, then returns for a final Battle Court duel. Open1 source2026-11-04
AveryVIIIPokémon Sword and Shield — The Isle of Armor Expansion rivalPsychic-type Dojo rival (Shield exclusive)Dojo rival in The Isle of Armor (Shield); psychic and arrogant, humbled through the Dojo trials before the final Battle Court duel. Open1 source2026-11-04
CalemVIPokémon X and Y Main rivalTakes the starter strong against the player's (Chespin → Fennekin, Fennekin → Froakie, Froakie → Chespin); available when the player picks the female avatarThe player character not chosen; main X and Y rival and recurring battle partner, with a daily post-game Kiloude City rematch. Open1 source2026-11-04
SerenaVIPokémon X and Y Main rivalSame strong-against-you starter rule; available when the player picks the male avatarThe player character not chosen; main X and Y rival and recurring battle partner, with a daily post-game Kiloude City rematch. Open1 source2026-11-04
ShaunaVIPokémon X and Y Traveling friendTakes the starter weak to the player's: Chespin → Froakie, Fennekin → Chespin, Froakie → FennekinFriendly rival and travelling companion; chooses the third starter and pushes the group toward fun rather than competition. Open1 source2026-11-04
TiernoVIPokémon X and Y Traveling friendDoes not take a starter; uses water and dancing-themed teamsTravelling friend who wants to create a dance team; battles on Route 5 and Route 19 during the main story. Open1 source2026-11-04
TrevorVIPokémon X and Y Traveling friendDoes not take a starter; photographer/scholar, uses a mixed teamFriendly rival whose goal is to complete the Pokédex; the quiet photographer of the Kalos group. Open1 source2026-11-04
BarryIVPokémon Platinum Main rivalTakes the starter strong against the player's: Turtwig → Chimchar, Chimchar → Piplup, Piplup → TurtwigChildhood friend from Twinleaf Town, son of Frontier Brain Palmer; permanently impatient running into people, and the main rival of Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. Open2 sources2026-11-04
UrbainIX (Z-A)Pokémon Legends: Z-A Story rivalStarter-dependent team branches are Totodile / Chikorita / Tepig; the appearance selected at the start determines which companion appears.Lives and works at Hotel Z, helps AZ, and is a Team MZ companion; the appearance selected at the start determines which counterpart appears. Open2 sources2026-11-04
TaunieIX (Z-A)Pokémon Legends: Z-A Story rivalStarter-dependent team branches are Totodile / Chikorita / Tepig; the appearance selected at the start determines which companion appears.Lives and works at Hotel Z, helps AZ, and is a Team MZ companion; the appearance selected at the start determines which counterpart appears. Open2 sources2026-11-04
BlueIRed, Blue, Yellow / FireRed, LeafGreen Main rivalChampion and rival; the original same-name rival 1 source2026-11-04
SilverIIGold, Silver, Crystal / HeartGold, SoulSilver Main rivalGiovanni’s son; steals a starter and returns as the Johto rival 1 source2026-11-04
BrendanIIIRuby, Sapphire, Emerald / ORAS Traveling friendPlayer character not chosen (male) 1 source2026-11-04
MayIIIRuby, Sapphire, Emerald / ORAS Traveling friendPlayer character not chosen (female) 1 source2026-11-04
WallyIIIRuby, Sapphire, Emerald / ORAS Traveling friendSickly rival from Petalburg 1 source2026-11-04
CherenVBlack, White / Black 2, White 2 Traveling friendFriendly rival, later Aspertia Gym Leader 1 source2026-11-04
BiancaVBlack, White / Black 2, White 2 Traveling friendFriendly rival, later Professor's assistant 1 source2026-11-04
NVBlack, White / Black 2, White 2 Story rivalTeam Plasma king 1 source2026-11-04
HughVBlack 2, White 2 Traveling friendRival searching for his sister's Purrloin 1 source2026-11-04
HauVIISun, Moon / Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon Traveling friendFriendly rival from Melemele 1 source2026-11-04
GladionVIISun, Moon / Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon Story rivalTeam Skull enforcer, Silvally user 1 source2026-11-04
TraceVIILet's Go, Pikachu! / Let's Go, Eevee! Traveling friendFriendly rival, later Champion 1 source2026-11-04
NemonaIXScarlet, Violet Traveling friendChampion-ranked rival and student council president 1 source2026-11-04
ArvenIXScarlet, Violet Story rivalPath of Legends rival; Mabosstiff's owner 1 source2026-11-04
CarmineIXScarlet, Violet — The Teal Mask Expansion rivalKitakami rival 1 source2026-11-04
KieranIXScarlet, Violet — The Teal Mask / The Indigo Disk Expansion rivalKitakami rival, later Blueberry Academy Champion 1 source2026-11-04

What a blank team means

Thirteen rivals have a starter rule, battle places, and a final team in the sources above. Sixteen have a story sentence and an empty team, because the index page I used did not spell out every squad. I would rather show the gap than borrow a team from memory. Platinum’s card set Rising Rivals is a different product and is mentioned only so you do not land on Barry’s page by mistake.

Original arena art used as a break on the rival index
Original art. Main-series character drawings are not reused on this index.
A browser game homepage, shown so this character index is not confused with it
This screenshot is a browser game, not a main-series rival battle. It marks the boundary.
Sword and ShieldHop, Bede, Marnie, Klara, Avery.X and YCalem, Serena, Shauna, Tierno, Trevor.PlatinumBarry’s places and three final squads.Legends Z-AUrbain and Taunie.Name splitBack to the browser projects if that was the intent.

Questions

Is this the browser game called Poke Rivals?

No. This index lists rival characters from the main series. The three projects you can open today are on the home page.

Why do only four games have guides?

Sword and Shield, X and Y, Platinum, and Legends Z-A have published battle places and teams. The other rows have a name and a role, which is not enough for a separate page.

Can I sort this like a tier list?

Filter by game, generation, name, or the editorial role group, and sort the table columns. The role groups organize the guide; they are not official trainer classes or power rankings.

Sources