Summary
The rivalry between Red and Blue in the Pokémon manga is more compelling than Ash and Gary’s rivalry in the anime from the beginning. Red and Blue’s relationship is revealed and developed more quickly in the manga, while Ash and Gary’s dynamic is more detailed later in the series. Red and Blue focus on their individual goals while still supporting and competing with each other, creating a stronger and more balanced rivalry than Ash and Gary’s original rivalry.
Ash and Gary are inside Pokémon has one of the most famous rivalries in anime. Pokémon Adventures, the franchise’s manga, is also absent and instead focuses on its video game counterparts: Red and Blue. While Ash and Gary are great rivals, the manga rivalry is very different – and has improved somewhat.
The first Pokémon game was released in Japan in 1996, a year before the manga and anime that inspired it. This game launched the successful franchise and established these iconic rivalries. Both are attractive, but Red and Blue’s rivalry in the manga is purely based on skill and improvement over their childhood rivalry. This is especially noticeable in Pokémon Adventures Vol. 1, whose creative team includes Hidenori Kusaka and Mato.
Red & Blue Grow faster than Ash & Gary
In the anime, Ash and Gary both grew up in Pallet Town. They are always competitive with each other, although their relationship is only detailed later in the series. Their initial beginnings and mutual respect for each other are gradually revealed. Instead, the show relies on a simple approach to show their dynamic. Gary is arrogant and mocks Ash, while Ash is constantly told or compared to Gary and his achievements. The two often spar with each other without actually confronting each other many times, leaving fans wondering who is stronger based solely on the lack of an obvious power struggle between them. Some of their motivations aren’t even revealed until Master Quest, the fifth season of the series.
In contrast, Red and Blue did not grow up together. Blue is still Professor Oak’s nephew, but he went to boarding school for a while. Upon returning to the area in the first chapter, he and Red ran into each other in the forest when they both heard about a ghost Pokémon, revealed to be Mew. Neither knew the other and Red immediately recognized Blue as the Pokémon trainer. Their encounter with Mew is brief but clearly reveals that neither of them has enough strength to take it down. Blue appears wiser in the situation, but the tables turn for another encounter soon after in chapter 3. Watching his opponent fight Kangaskhan, Red notes that there is more in The war is more than imagined – something Blue doesn’t realize.
As their journey continues in the first episode, both coaches are searching for the same goals. However, they don’t mock each other or base their rivalry on childlike impulse. Instead, they save each other and care for each other while maintaining their rivalry, especially in chapter 13, which takes place in Lavender Town. Red saves Blue, while Blue does not hesitate to let Red know the danger of not paying attention. These two are definitely trying their best for each other, but they don’t target each other the way Ash and Gary usually do. They focus on their independent tasks and work together or around each other when situations force them to cooperate with each other. Their clear story and mutual development from the beginning of the manga Pokémon Red and Blue are stronger competition when compared to Ash and Gary.
Pokemon
Summary: Spanning over 25 years, Pokemon, also known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is a multimedia franchise co-created by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Conceptualized by Satoshi Tajiri in conjunction with Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda, Pokemon is set in a fictional world where humans live alongside tameable creatures called Pokemon. People who catch, raise, and battle these creatures are called Pokemon Trainers. They embark on cross-continental journeys to raise their Pokemon with the ultimate goal of competing in tournaments to become champions. Pokemon spans a massive range of properties, from a long-running animated series to a successful card game to the medium that started it all, the video game. Additionally, Pokemon started the “two games” trend, where two versions of a game would release and include different Pokemon/features between versions, encouraging players to meet others and trade so they can “catch them all.”
Created by: Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda
First movie: Pokemon: The First Movie
Latest movie: Movie Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle
First TV show: Pokemon
Date of first episode airing: 1997-04-01
Current line: Pokemon
TV program): Pokemon
Video games): Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Snap, Pokemon GO