Games have evolved quite a bit since their inception, with the advancements in hardware and software allowing developers to create more complex titles that are a blast to engage with. There was a time when games were limited to only having a few character models — now, people expect the majority of major titles to be full of interactive NPCs and side characters who have a role to play in their respective titles.
As a result, it's fairly common to see games featuring characters with in-depth relationships that either blossom or crumble over the course of these experiences. Both friendships and rivalries are prevalent in the medium of video games, with the latter having unique and hilarious spins to it at times. Here are some funny one-sided rivalries in games that are pretty memorable.
7 Bartz & Gilgamesh (Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy)
Bartz and his party end up fighting Gilgamesh multiple times in Final Fantasy 5. However, when Bartz is teleported to the world of Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy, he also develops amnesia in the process.
So, when Gilgamesh meets him and talks at length about their rivalry, Bartz is left puzzled by this stranger who is antagonizing him for no reason. Given how funny Gilgamesh's character is in Final Fantasy 5, this leads to a bunch of memorable exchanges between both villains.
6 Link & Revali (The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild)
After facing the brunt of a Guardian's attack, Link is sent into a recovery coma for a century. This leads to him forgetting many things, including a rivalry between him and Revali that he didn't really pay any heed to in the first place.
Revali himself got worked up time and time again at Link's lack of speech, which led to him developing a sense of antagonism towards the protagonist. Of course, he ends up gracing Link with his powers after defeating Thunderblight Ganon, so perhaps even this Rito developed some common sense over time.
5 Kazuma Kiryu & Goro Majima (Yakuza)
Goro Majima is one of the most beloved characters in Yakuza, with his crazy and unpredictable personality being a source of great joy for many players. While Kiryu is adamant about paying his respects to Majima, the latter is a crazy wild card who only wants to fight Kiryu over and over again for his own amusement.
Majima's antics during his interactions with Kiryu are what makes their forced rivalry so much fun to watch. As the series progresses, their bond develops into a rather friendly one, with Majima's character also getting many layers of its own that soften the severity of his one-dimensional crazy persona.
4 Ai Ebihara & Chie Satonaka (Persona 4)
There are several great people that players can interact with over the course of Persona 4, with Ai Ebihara being one of the more unique characters the protagonist can form a Social Link with. She initially appears to be nothing more than a rich brat who uses the protagonist and hates everyone for no reason, but she shows a softer and more mature side over time.
A funny moment in this Social Link comes when it's revealed that Ai's crush, Kou, actually likes Chie Satonaka. This leads to her forming a one-sided rivalry with this party member, while Chie is simply surprised at a random person being so angry with her. To make matters even funnier, this one-sided rivalry culminates in a pretty hilarious fight in the anime!
3 Phoenix Wright & Winston Payne (Ace Attorney)
Phoenix Wright is one of the most iconic lawyers in video game history. His first case saw him go toe-to-toe with a man known as the Rookie Killer, Winston Payne. Of course, as players would know soon enough, it turns out that Winston Payne is nothing more than a goofball who ends up being a punching bag for the series in almost every first case.
The fact that Winston Payne decides to call Phoenix his rival after losing to him is pretty funny, especially since he loses multiple cases to the blue-suited lawyer over the course of the series. Even The Great Ace Attorney spinoff doesn't fail to embarrass this character's entire generation, with his ancestor losing to Ryunosuke Naruhodo, the progenitor of Phoenix Wright.
2 The Turks & Avalanche (Final Fantasy 7)
The Turks are one of the most interesting mercenary groups in Final Fantasy 7. Each member of this series hunts down Cloud and his friends after went against the mighty Shinra Inc. The Turks initially appear as serious rivals to the main party before turning into a source of humor over time.
It's even funnier that one of the members, Rude, ends up developing a crush on Tifa to the point where he doesn't even try to hurt her in later encounters! For what it's worth, the Turks get their moment of redemption when they help Cloud and his friends break into Midgar midway through the story.
1 Procedural Rivalries (Wildermyth)
Wildermyth is a unique inclusion on this list, especially since the rivalries here are formed organically between two random characters depending on the situation. Everything from a character's behavior in a battle to the random events that crop up in the overworld can lead to this relationship forming.
For the most part, these rivalries are pretty friendly, and the tone of said rivalry depends on the kind of events that crop up in the game. Whether this rivalry is one-sided or not depends on the strengths of the party members, while the humorous nature of Wildermyth's writing means that there are bound to be some really funny moments during an interaction between two rivals.