Which main DP rivalry was more engaging/enjoyable?

Which DP rivalry was more engaging?

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Cybersai

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This started off from a discussion in another thread, but which main DP rivalry, Ash/Paul or Dawn/Zoey, did you find more engaging or enjoyable?

This is not about the secondary rivalries like Barry, Ursula, etc., just comparing the main two.

It seems to me the Ash/Paul rivalry overshadowed Dawn's rivals the entire arc, do you agree?
 
Yeah the Dawn/Zoey rivalry is a bit meh and it doesnt appeal to me. The Ash/Paul rivalry has more friction and more aggression. I would even say it owns the Ash/Gary rivalry.
 
Do I even have to say it?

Paul/Ash: On the edge of my seat.

Dawn/Zoey: Eh...

Don't get me wrong, I sort of like Zoey as a character, but rivalries need to be entertaining, main rivals especially. And once Dawn's confidence went back up, it wasn't interesting to see Zoey (not talking about Dawn's contest arc, Ursula saves that). I don't care if I see Zoey or not, I didn't care what she's doing because it's not entertaining me. Friendship is nice, but if it's not entertaining, I don't care.

Paul entertains me, he is entertaining, he was interesting all throughout DP. Zoey was none of the above, Zoey's interaction with Dawn was nice but SOOOOOO boring to me. And boring=isn't entertaining, which is what I watch this show for, entertainment.
 
I always enjoyed the Ash and Paul rivalry over Dawn and Zoey one. Since whenever Paul and Ash would meet, Ash would clash heads with Paul over anything that didn't go with his training style. While Dawn and Zoey rivalry, while a nice change of pace, wasn't really as enforced as much in the plot as Paul vs Ash. But then again, Dawn vs Zoey rivalry is more like the one between two BFFs, they don't hate each others guts, while I think Ash and Paul do for different reasons.
 
Ash/Paul for sure. I like Zoey and it's cool she's friends with Dawn and all, but to me a better rival is one who really pisses you off every time you see them.
 
Dawn's rivalry with Zoey was a very friendly rivalry. Not a bad thing, but Ash has already had lots of those.

Ash's rivalry with Paul, though, is completely different: it's a clash of training philosophies.
 
I can do little more than echo Duckgon Z's sentiment. Entertainment is where it's at. Though it's not so much Paul himself that I find entertaining so much as it is the result of his presence. It certainly has it's flaws since it can get dangerously one-note at times, but, y'know. It's intense and gives me a reason to root for Ash and his team mates. I WANT him to prove Paul wrong, and I WANT to see Infernape, Torterra and co show him what-for.
 
Ash and Paul had a genuine rivalry; ever since the beginning of the series, they competed on many levels. One trained any pokemon in his possession, keeping the stronger ones while weeding out the weaklings (although this subsidized later in the series). The other believes that love and mutual trust are essential to growth and strength. Paul would also consistently mock Ash in every turn. Only until Paul finds out that Ash has defeated Brandon, whereas Paul loses in the end, does Paul actually begin to respect Ash as a trainer.
Dawn's rivalry with Zoey was more supportive/friendly than competitive. It is true that there has been some tension at the start of the series, but it didn't take long for the two characters to hit it off. Zoey actually helped Dawn perfect her combinations in many episodes. Also, unlike the majority of the rival characters, she was actually friendly towards the main characters and treated them as equals. Their rivalry stems from the mutual desire to enter the Grand Festival final rounds together, as they had promised back at the Jubilife Contest.
You can say that Dawn's "rivalry" with Zoey isn't as engaging, simply because it wasn't. There was hardly any conflict between the two characters. Whereas the relationship between Ash and Paul remained ever changing, Zoey continued her role as a mentor/friendly rival to Dawn throughout the entire series.
 
Without a doubt, Dawn and Zoey!

Ash and Paul got annoying at times and were greatly overrated at times.

I love Appealshipping, and I love Dawn and Zoey so much, as well as their Pokemon.

Personally Zoey owns Paul in the rival department for me. I like Paul's character, as far as what it added to the storyline.
 
After much deliberation, it's really a question of whether you like things to be more subtle, or whether you're more direct. Me, being a rather straightforward person, preferred the more obvious friction between Ash and Paul. I will not deny that Dawn and Zoey have a good dynamic, but it's far more subtle. The only threat she possesses is that she has continually presented herself as being more wise and knowledgeable than Dawn. Either present the sense of "How in the world are they ever going to defeat them?" Which is more effective in their presentation? Maybe Ash and Paul is, since anyone could understand it. You have to read inbetween the lines for Dawn and Zoey. I would certainly give an A for effort in regards to our Contest rivals, since I didn't know Pokemon was capable of being subtle. I may be reading too much into that, though.
 
Hmmm.... it was actually hard for me to choose! Overall, I have to go with Paul/Ash. They just had a more interesting dynamic. And they had a more intense rivalry too.
 
Ash/Paul was enjoyable because they are so different and dislike eachother.

The whole "Let's help each other!!!" thing between Dawn and Zoey was boring to me.
 
Gliscor'd said:
This started off from a discussion in another thread, but which main DP rivalry, Ash/Paul or Dawn/Zoey, did you find more engaging or enjoyable?

This is not about the secondary rivalries like Barry, Ursula, etc., just comparing the main two.

It seems to me the Ash/Paul rivalry overshadowed Dawn's rivals the entire arc, do you agree?
Click to expand...

not really surprising, seeing as he and pikachu the stars of the whole show.
 
Gliscor'd said:
Not really. May's rivals overshadowed Ash's in AG.
Click to expand...

What rivals, the -sons? Even Kenny overshadows the -sons that aren't Morrison, and Kenny is terrible.

If Paul was Ash's rival in AG, it'd probably be closer over who has the more interesting rivalry, May/Drew and Ash/Paul, though Ash/Paul would probably edge out a bit though. It'd at least be a contest since May/Drew is interesting and entertaining, where Dawn/Zoey isn't....at all.
 
Well this poll is pretty much one-sided, which confirmed my suspicions.

Dawn's contest arc played second fiddle to Ash's rivalry with Paul. Too bad Ursula wasn't Dawn's *main* rival.
 
I'm going with the majority: Ash vs. Paul. Ash is always pushing himself so that he can beat Paul.
 
I don't like either of these rivlaries but if I have to go with one, it's Ash & Paul.
 
These results really shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. The rivalry with Paul actually had tension, something one should have with a rival. Zoey acted more like Dawn's mom than anything else. If the question was about Ash's rivalry with Paul and Dawn's rivalry with Ursula we all know the results would be drastically different and probably more even. For that I'd still say Ash and Paul simply because I'm more partial to gyms and battles, but Ursula was a genuinely interesting rival unlike Zoey. DP made up for what AG lacked when it came to rivals for Ash, but it was the complete reverse for contests. In AG both Drew and Harley had actual conflict with May. Here, the only conflict was Ursula and kinda Jessie, but those came later, whereas we just got lame rivals in the beginning. I'm looking at you Kenny.
 
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