Kenny's lack of screentime

[Cybersai]

Hey, didn't Dawn also have a rival NOT named Zoey?

We're 109 episodes into Sinnoh, and Kenny has had a grand total of 2 appearances in back to back episodes.

If it wasn't for his inclusion in the openings and endings, most people would forget Kenny even exists. Why is it the writers barely have Kenny appear?

Does anyone find it odd we see Zoey so much yet Kenny is hardly even in the show?

 

[PDL]

My guess is that they're following the formula of the female coordinator has two main rivals in the contest arc:

1. The "helpful" rival

and...

2. The "vengful" rival

It's similar to how May had Drew (The helpful rivial) and Harley (the vengful rivial). With Dawn, Zoey's the helpful rivial while Jessie has been promoted from "Joke" to an actual rivial.

However, they haven't been focusing on contests lately, (At least, not Dawn's) what with all the hubbub of Ash's recent gym battle and finding a new rival in Jun. And since he managed to appear in an ending, I'm guessing that the writers will make him appear once more.

 

[empoleon dynamite]

Well I don't watch the anime a lot, so I guessed he has a lot of screen time because I always see the Unown episode.

Speaking of Jessie, did she win a contest in the Ash Vs Fantina Gym Battle? I saw some screenshots of her getting a ribbon and using her Yanmega :S

 

[Cybersai]

Jessie has 2 ribbons now, yes.

She's finally become a good coordinator and stopped cheating in Contests like she did in AG.

 

[Ino-Chan]

Speaking of Jessie, did she win a contest in the Ash Vs Fantina Gym Battle? I saw some screenshots of her getting a ribbon and using her Yanmega :S

She did.

Back on topic, I thought that Kenny wasn't a real rival, just a person who was an old part of Dawn's life.

 

[Nando]

Kenny: Getting the Pre-Contest Titters!, Settling A Not-So-Old Score!, Journey to the Unown!, Team Shocker!, Wallace Cup cameos.

You mixed up your names, Scott.

 

[Cybersai]

Kenny: Getting the Pre-Contest Titters!, Settling A Not-So-Old Score!, Journey to the Unown!, Team Shocker!, Wallace Cup cameos.

I said 2 back-to-back appearances, those eps were 2-parters so of course he's in both.

The Wallace Cup was just a cameo, I don't really count that.

And what names would I be mixing up? We see Zoey and Jessie all the time, so other than them Kenny is Dawn's only other rival.

Yuri was a one-shot, so she probably won't be appearing again.

 

[anonymous920314]

I think it's safe to say that Dawn's rivals are not May's. It's a shame to see the writers able to introduce new rivals that actually are interesting (I'm talking about Jun here. Yay Jun!!) after the debuting of Dawn's rivals.

 

[Cybersai]

I think it's safe to say that Dawn's rivals are not May's. It's a shame to see the writers able to introduce new rivals that actually are interesting (I'm talking about Jun here. Yay Jun!!) after the debuting of Dawn's rivals.

I really liked the Yuri girl with the Delcatty. I thought she was a great character and had an interesting backstory with Dawn's mother.

I would like to see her again, but I think she was only a one-shot.

 

[Nando]

I think it's safe to say that Dawn's rivals are not May's. It's a shame to see the writers able to introduce new rivals that actually are interesting (I'm talking about Jun here. Yay Jun!!) after the debuting of Dawn's rivals.

They still aren't as bad as a cookie cutter bishounen as a main rival.

 

[Cybersai]

They still aren't as bad as a cookie cutter bishounen as a main rival.

Now now, Zoey and Kenny may not be the best but they are still more interesting than Nando in almost every way.

I figure that when it came down to choosing Dawn's second rival, they chose Kenny over Nando since people seemed to like him more.

However since then Kenny has barely appeared, so who knows.

 

[anonymous920314]

Perhaps they are planning on introducing Lucas?

hahahaha, I laugh at my own joke!

 

[Nando]

Now now, Zoey and Kenny may not be the best but they are still more interesting than Nando in almost every way.

I figure that when it came down to choosing Dawn's second rival, they chose Kenny over Nando since people seemed to like him more.

However since then Kenny has barely appeared, so who knows.

And what was so great about Drew, since we're on the subject (and you chose to totally misinterpret my point)?

Nando ended up wasted because, for all the good they've done in the DPt series, these are still the same writers who gave us goose eggs like the Groudon/Kyogre mini-arc, Wallace's ridiculously late appearance, and the dropping of Casey and Sakura.

 

[Cybersai]

And what was so great about Drew, since we're on the subject (and you chose to totally misinterpret my point)?

My topic is not about Drew, its about Kenny's lack of screentime. And I know what you meant, which is why I didn't respond to it the way you wanted.

Can you stop trying to turn this into a topic its not? Maybe, possibly? I want people to discuss Kenny in this thread.

Nando ended up wasted because, for all the good they've done in the DPt series, these are still the same writers who gave us goose eggs like the Groudon/Kyogre mini-arc, Wallace's ridiculously late appearance, and the dropping of Casey and Sakura.

Or maybe, the character just wasn't intended to be important in the first place. They didn't even bother to show us the battle between Zoey and Nando, its obvious they only used him as a plot device, nothing more.

 

[Nando]

Or maybe, the character just wasn't intended to be important in the first place. They didn't even bother to show us the battle between Zoey and Nando, its obvious they only used him as a plot device, nothing more.

Then they would have never given him a backstory, and they would have never used him in the Eterna Museum episode. That role could have gone to any character of the day, but instead they used him.

And I still say you misinterpreted my point, which was that Dawn's rivals with all their faults are still better than what we had before.

 

[Cybersai]

Then they would have never given him a backstory, and they would have never used him in the Eterna Museum episode. That role could have gone to any character of the day, but instead they used him.

He was a plot device in that episode too, only used to explain more of Sinnoh's history.

And I still say you misinterpreted my point, which was that Dawn's rivals with all their faults are still better than what we had before.

If you say so. Can we get back to Kenny now?

 

[pikachu200]

Kengo is probaly a least favorite character in the anime

 

[Cybersai]

Kengo is probaly a least favorite character in the anime

He doesn't seem to be that popular, but if the writers included him in the openings and endings, its obvious they intend to use him long term.

I think if they had him appear more than once every 50 episodes, people would be more interested. Its hard to get excited over a character who never shows up.

 

[Shinneth]

The problem I've had with Kenny is because in the few appearances he's had, he really hasn't shaken much of anything up. The "childhood friend" aspect of his character is pretty much the most significant thing about him, and that's... really stretching it, honestly, because we already have a (former) rival who fills in that archetype and his name is Gary Oak. And frankly, Gary does a much better job in that area. It's hard to take him seriously since he lost to Dawn and Jessie (not to mention his appearance in Journey to the Unown! really just made him out to be a punching bag; only useful thing he did was inspire Ash to teach Turtwig Energy Ball, unless I'm mistaken)... and unlike Harley, he really lacks an off-the-wall personality to make up for it. And it makes it hard for me to even care that Kenny's getting totally owned by everyone he faces.

It's hard not to compare Kenny with other rivals (or recurring characters) because we know firsthand that the anime can do better than this. Conway is an amazing recurring character who's officially appeared in more episodes than Kenny now, and he isn't even anyone's rival (though he really ought to be). Aoi was also an amusing character, though she's more connected with Ash than she is with Dawn. Jun's been entertaining right out of the gate, and even Yuri, the one-shot rival coordinator, had an interesting career and backstory going for her that made her stand out more than Kenny in one single appearance.

This wouldn't be so annoying if the anime didn't keep insisting that Kenny is a major rival like Zoey is (if the OPs and EDs are anything to go by), because at this point, I'd say it would've been best to just leave Kenny as a one-shot rival and retcon him the way they seem to have retconned Nando. Neither one of them are very interesting to me at all. True, Zoey hasn't exactly set the world on fire herself, but at least she's got an established personality and character development. At this point I'd want to see more of people like Conway, or more one-shot Coordinators from this point on until the GF. Because right now, Kenny just isn't delivering, and I don't think it's just because he hasn't appeared enough. Characters with just as many appearances as him or fewer have been much more interesting than him in my opinion.

So really, the less screentime for him, the better. For me, at least.

 

[Cybersai]

It would be interesting if Conway became a rival coordinator, and it is quite possible given he seems to only interact with Dawn.

Kenny is only kinda dull because the writers haven't done much with him yet. After a few more appearances they can flesh him out more.