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Do you think Satoshi and Dent would be better suited as rivals?

Iteru

Iteru

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Similar to this thread, do you think that Satoshi and Dent would work better if they were rivals as opossed to travelling companions?
 
I can see some merit in the concept, as Cilan's been much more involved in Ash's regrowth as a trainer in terms than anyone else in the show. Though I can't mentally get over the hump that is the fact that he started out as a Gym Leader, and the only reason he abandoned/quit that position was so he could follow Ash and learn from him, rather than actively challenge him by stalking him. So finding a new justification for Cilan to leave his brothers would be needed, unless you like, altered the story so that Cress and Chili were total dicks to him and booted him out of the gym until he sucked less, prompting Cilan to see Ash as that glimmer of hope in him getting better enough to become accepted by his bros again.

It would be weird. Interesting, but weird. Plus there's the matter of whether or not Cilan would keep his connossieur gig, since that's a large part of his charm and would have limited use in the rivalry. Unless that's part of the reason his brothers booted him out; not being connossieurs themselves (which was always kind of vague to me in the series whether they were or not).

Then there's the matter of who the hell would be in Cilan's place as Ash's male traveling buddy, as I doubt Iris would suddenly start pulling her weight and be useful to Ash's goal just because there's no Cilan around full-time to do that. So the replacement would have to fill in. Logically my mind goes to Cheren, who I kind of doubt is the sort of inspiration Ash needs. And no way in hell can I see N in any iteration of Ash's group. Who replaces Cilan would be an important part of this hypothetical change in Cilan's role because he played such a big part in Ash's learning experience.

So while this would definitely liven up Ash's rival scenario, I'm not sure it's worth the expense of losing a very valuable traveling buddy. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's not.
 
If that means that I can't see Dento in every episode, then no way in hell.

If that means that Dento is both a traveling companion and a rival, then...still no. Sorry, I'm still stuck on the belief that rivalry works best with the element of surprise; not knowing what your opponent has in store for you or how much they've progressed since the last meeting. Traveling together kinda eliminates that element and quite honestly, I'm not sure if Dento and Ash are best suited for rivalry since Ash seems to respond better to his words of advice and cooking than his battles with him...

Though, admittedly, a sommelier-type rival for Ash may not be a bad idea...
 
I definitely couldn't see Ash and Cilan as rivals. They just work together so well as friends and traveling partners and that's really the chemistry they have; they don't have that tension that the main characters often have with their rivals. So yeah, I think they're good the way they are right now.
 
rivals in bed? but i'm sure they already are.

No. I like my episodely dose of Dent, thanks. I would only accept them to be rivals if Dent was even more over-the-top at following a ten-year-old around everywhere.
 
No, I can't really see it working, they wouldn't be "rivals" unless they has the same goal, and I can't see why an ex-gym leader would want to collect badges.

However Dento would make a fantastic main villain.
 
Not at all. Cilan in the anime has already been established as Ash's friend. He is someone who is able to support Ash on his journey and finds it beneficial to travel alongside a trainer who has surprised him in so many ways in their match. I can never see Ash and Cilan being hostile towards one another, unless of course... Ash does something that causes Cilan to drop their lunch again.
 
The dynamic between the two works so well now I don't think Dent being a rival would improve the show. There's no conflict between the two; it could be a fun rivalry like with Jun or Bel, but I'd rather he not be a punching bag. Plus, since he's a main character, we get to see him in every episode. :)
 
No, not at all. They're great friends and they bring this incredible chemistry to the main trio, chemistry that's just not a "could be rivals" vibe. Dent also brings much more to the show as a main character than he could as a rival.
 
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