Ash has had many opponents along the way Pokémon anime, and it all starts with Gary Oak being rude, but he’s a gentleman compared to Paul. Many fans remember Gary’s arrogant and sly behavior from the early days of the series, but Gary has grown up as a character and not at all in his modern appearances. However, there is an opponent for Ash, the worst of which is much darker than Gary ever dreamed of.
Whenever Ash enters a new area, it’s not uncommon for him to pick a new opponent or two. Often they are based on rival characters from the game, (Gary is based on the first Pokémon game Champion Blue), but others are made just for the anime, especially to contrast Ash. One such rival character in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl anime is Paul, a trainer who has a harsh training regimen for his Pokémon and has a cold heart for those he considers not strong enough. He removes Ash’s ability, even though their first battle ends in a draw, and immediately releases one of the Pokémon he feels isn’t performing well enough.
Paul is Ash’s cruelest Pokémon opponent
Of course, simply releasing a Pokémon isn’t inherently malicious, but Paul dismissed his Starly as “weak” and it wasn’t a one-off incident either. When he fights alongside Ash in a team tournament, he appears in possession of a Chimchar. Paul screams and berates his Chimchar, attacking it repeatedly with his own Pokémon, seemingly trying to activate its Blaze ability but to no avail. After the tournament, Paul released Chimchar and told him he was lost. However, Ash immediately recruits this Chimchar to his team, and after evolving into Infernape, the little flaming monkey will become one of Ash’s strongest Pokémon to date.
Paul’s original characterization was almost a satire for players who maxed out the Pokémon game, not caring about individual Pokémon, and only concerned with raw power. It certainly makes a good contrast to Ash’s friendship-based training methods, and it certainly makes him an opponent fans can’t wait to lose. Interestingly, Paul has some character development compared to Diamond and Pearl, see how Ash can elevate this Chimchar to Infernape and get it to activate its Blaze ability. Ash eventually defeated Paul in the Sinnoh League, earning his respect. Paul even managed to grumble “thank you” to his Pokémon after losing to Ash, which Ash and the others usually do when their Pokémon faints. He reappears in Journeys, where he tries to help Ash prepare for the Masters Eight tournament using the same Pokémon as his future opponents.
Paul is cruel but he also has a lot of personality growth
Paul not only stands out as one of Ash’s most ruthless opponents ever, but also the one with the most personality growth, learning from his mistakes, and ultimately change together to become more like Ash. It’s also a great message for Pokémon anime must have, that even someone who behaves badly doesn’t need to do so forever and can learn from people like Ash and become a better person.