The rival character has been a staple of the mainline Pokemon games since their conception. Plenty of different characters have taken up the mantle over the years, but the most memorable of the bunch has always been the very first; Blue. Arrogant, curt and always looking to get one over on Red, Blue was as pesky as he was skilled in battle.
After his defeat and subsequent loss of Kanto’s Champion title, Blue stayed vigilant in improving as a trainer. As a result, he’s appeared in various other titles outside of the Gen I games. Despite no longer occupying the main rival role, Blue continues to push players to bring their A-game whenever he makes an appearance. He’s put together some impressive Pokemon teams throughout the various regions he’s visited and these represent the very best of them all.
10 Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee
Blue and Red might not be the focus of the Let’s Go games, but they still manage to make an appearance. Blue appears as the Viridian Gym leader, where the player can take him on twice. Once in the standard battle, and again during a rematch.
The first battle sees Blue use two Pokemon; Charizard and Exeggutor. It’s a straightforward fight that shouldn’t give players much of an issue. The rematch is where Blue all-out, bringing a complete team of Mega Charizard Y, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Alakazam and Tauros.
9 Pokemon Stadium
Blue appears in Pokemon Stadium, but is only referred to as “Rival” in the game. He is the final obstacle in the Gym Leader Castle challenge, making use of a team that mostly differs from what players are used to seeing him use in the mainline games of that era.
Rounds 1 & 2 have Blue bring out the same six Pokemon. An Exeggutor, Slowbro, Ninetails, Clefable, Electabuzz and Pinsir are his Pokemon or choice for the battle. There’s a lot of nice variety here, and players will need an equally versatile team comp in order to make it through.
8 Pokemon Stadium 2 – Rounds 1 & 2
In Pokemon Stadium 2, Blue returns as a member of the Kanto Gym Leader castle. This time, Blue utilizes two different sets of teams in each round. Blue doesn’t really stick to a specific type with either, continuing to prioritize versatility in his team building.
His Round 1 team seems to resemble the previous game’s the most, with Exeggutor returning and Arcanine and Gyarados replacing Ninetails and Slowbro as his Fire and Water-types. Pidgeot, Alakazam and Rhydon round out the rest of the party. Round 2 sees Blue go with some different faces, with an interesting mix of Scyther, Miltank, Gengar, Kingdra, Piloswine and Houndoom as his main party.
7 Pokemon Red & Blue
Blue served as a great way of challenging the player throughout the Gen I games, while also letting them know if they were on the right track. The various encounters were always stimulating enough that beating the Pallet Town rival felt like an achievement.
Blue’s Indigo Plateau team served as the final challenge players faced in Red & Blue, and they made you put in the work. The team consisted of Pidgeot, Alakazam, Rhydon and a combination of Gyarados, Exeggutor and Arcanine. Blue also had either Charizard, Blastoise or Venusaur depending on whichever starter the player chose, which would replace the Pokemon of the corresponding type.
6 Pokemon Yellow
Yellow takes a different approach to Blue’s team comp, as the player is allotted the three Kanto starters alongside Pikachu. With those four notables already accounted for, Blue is given an Eevee. The choice gives Blue the same amount of versatility he had in the original games, with the Gen I Eeveelutions covering at least part of the starter dynamic.
By the time players reach the championship battle at the end of the Indigo Plateau, Blue’s team comp will look pretty similar to that of the originals with a few exceptions. Sandslash, Alakazam and Exeggutor are mainstays, with Ninetails, Magneton and Cloyster being potential party members depending on which Eeveelution Blue went with.
5 Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal
The Gen II games sees many familiar faces make a return. Instead of plating the role of rival, Blue takes on the mantle as Viridian’s Gym leader following the departure of Giovanni. Serving as the last challenge in the Kanto Gym circuit, Blue is just as tough as ever and has a remodeled team by his side.
All of the Pokemon in Blue’s Gen II team have appeared beside him in one iteration or another. For the Viridian Gym battle, Blue goes with Exeggutor, Rhydon, Pidgeot, Gyarados, Arcanine and an incredibly tough Alakazam. Once again, it’s Blue’s variety that makes him such a fun trainer to take on.
4 Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen
The Gen I remakes don’t change all that much and prove to be incredibly faithful to the originals. Blue’s final team is composed exactly as it is in the Gen I titles, with the only deviation being a slight decrease in levels. But Game Freak changed some things around for Blue’s rematch team.
Blue keeps his starter, with some other familiar faces- Alakazam, Gyarados, Exeggutor and Arcanine – making a return as well. The Gen III remakes take the opportunity to modernize Blue’s party a little bit, giving him Heracross and Tyranitar to beef up an already stacked team.
3 Pokemon Black 2 & White 2
Black 2 and White 2’s Pokemon World Tournament gave players the opportunity to go against famous trainers from previous games. This was done in an eight-person single elimination tournament that could prove to be quite the challenge.
Blue obviously made an appearance, and put together one of his strongest teams for the occasion. Blue’s team consists of an Alakazam, Aerodactyl, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Arcanine and Machamp. Each Pokemon is given a held item that typically builds off of its strength, making this a fulfiling challenge.
2 Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Unlike his counterpart in the Gen III remakes, Blue’s party goes through a few more changes in Gen IV’s HeartGold & SoulSilver. Unlike in the originals, Blue replaces his Alakazam with a Machamp which is a bit of a surprise given how great the former can be in battle.
His rematch party sees a couple more changes. Rhydon manages to evolve into Rhyperior and Gyrados is subbed out for Tyranitar, taking out some of the variety that Blue is known for. Regardless, this is a solid team and can prove to be a bit of a challenge if you go in unprepared.
1 Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
The Gen VII games saw Blue return alongside Red as the leaders of the Battle Tree, a system similar to the Battle Mission and Battle Towers that had players take on legendary characters from the series. There are a few formats in which Blue can be challenged, but the Pokemon he uses are always the same.
Blue’s teams will consist of some combination of Pidgeot, Gyarados, Arcanine, Alakazam, Machamp, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Rhypherior and Tyranitar. Each Pokemon has variations of the ability and held item it loads in with, making these some of the hardest battles you’ll have against Blue.