Stock Shonen Rival / Anime & Manga

There are many examples of the Stock Shōnen Rival in Anime and Manga.

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• Ayakashi Triangle: Soga Ninokuru is a subversion. He's aloof, abrasive, ruthless, and all-around a visually and behaviorally more hard-edged counterpart to the protagonist Matsuri. He's also introduced as an antagonist furious that Matsuri would spare Shirogane. However, before and after that, their relationship is only even a Friendly Rivalry on Soga's side, while Matsuri openly admires his older colleague. Not only that, but the Foe Romance Subtext common in these sorts of relationships is neither for a 'foe' nor is it 'subtext' - now that his old rival has been transformed into a beautiful young woman, he's wrestling with a gigantic crush on him/her.
• Bakugan:
  • Shun Kazami from Battle Brawlers is one of the calmest and quietest characters in the franchise. He is also a loner who wishes to become a ninja and trains with his grandfather. Along with Dan, Shun created the rules of Bakugan and is thus one of the best players in the game. Unlike most, he uses wind-attributed Bakugan. Shun has long black hair and dresses in purple or green, depending on the season. He also has a troubled past due to having a Delicate and Sickly mother, who dies in the original Japanese version; however, the English dub censored her death and had her fall into a coma instead.
  • From the same franchise, there's also Spectra Phantom. Spectra is cruel and uncaring, serving as an enigma for a majority of Bakugan: New Vestroia. This causes those affiliated with him to constantly contemplate the villain's wants, desires, and intentions, and even his true self, as seen when Mira starts to believe he is her long-lost brother and when Shun questions Spectra's true purposes during the New Vestroia evacuation. He is willing to do whatever it takes in order to attain victory, as seen by his shameless activation of Forbidden Ability Cards. He also is power-hungry, first seeking to rule all of Vestal and later seeking and try to harvest the power of the Perfect Core Energy from Drago and desiring his Helios to become the Ultimate Bakugan. He is confident, and sometimes even overconfident, in his abilities, not even the least bit intimidated by any opponent. Spectra is lastly shown to get carried away during battle, beginning to scream and laugh evilly, or even insult his opponents. Despite his great cruelty, however, and no matter how much of a greedy traitor he may be, Spectra is not without his more "human" emotions, either, as he still feels connected to Mira and even begins to miss Gus when he is believed to be dead. He also does the right thing from time to time, aiding Dan in evacuating New Vestroia when the threat of the newly activated BT System arises along with previously helping Mira free Ace, Shun and Marucho in Beta City. All in all, however, Spectra is only loyal to himself, as he betrays the Vexos to pursue his own goals and refuses Dan's several offers to team up. Spectra uses fire attributes at first, the same as Dan, but later switches to dark attributes, though he was no longer the rival during then.
  • Magnus from Bakugan: Battle Planet is a Composite Character of various characters from the original continuity, including Shun and Masquerade. He acts as Dan's aggressive main rival. Magnus is a deep-voiced boy with a mainly black color palette (in contrast with Dan's bright red one). He's associated with black-colored snake and spider Bakugan.
• Beyblade:
  • Tall, Dark, and Snarky Kai from Bakuten Shoot Beyblade is this to Tyson. He's considered one of the best bladers in the world but never gets to beat Tyson after their very first encounter. He also has a Heel–Face Revolving Door and is very asocial. Kai is stoic but has a soft spot for his team. His main Beyblade is a fire type and he sports a Scarf Of Ass Kicking.
  • Kyoya from Metal Fight Beyblade is Gingka's main rival. He is a very cocky and arrogant boy. He was originally the leader of a gang called the "Face Hunters" who would bully others and steal their Beypoints. Similar to Kai, Kyoya never beats Gingka. While Kyoya's colour palette isn't exactly dark, he favors darker tones like brown and black in contrast to the brighter primary colours of the others.
• Black Clover:
  • Subverted with Yuno, Asta's first rival. He's introduced as this type of character (tall, handsome, cool-headed, aloof, smart, very talented), but it quickly turns out that he just became very reserved and stoic in an attempt to leave behind his weak crybaby past; and not only does he care deeply (and, by genre standards, pretty openly) about his rival and childhood friend Asta, he's also one of the few people who actually believe in his ability to make it big and views him as his main motivation.
  • Also subverted with Leopold Vermillion, Asta's second rival. While he does come from a prilveged background, personality-wise and power-wise he's basically a Stock Shōnen Hero who just so happens to be the rival to another Stock Shōnen Hero.
• Bleach:
  • Grimmjow, despite his limited appearances. He always had a desire to defeat Ichigo at his strongest after getting scarred by his Getsuga Tenshou and briefly fought for the good guys in order to fight him one more time. He is a Foil of Ichigo, as Grimmjow is a Blood Knight who only cares about getting stronger and reigning Hueco Mundo as King, while Ichigo is a Blood Knight in denial over how much he enjoys fights and seeks to protect his friends. Grimmjow is also the only member of Aizen's army who points out that it would be more practical to just kill Ichigo now before he can become strong enough to pose a threat, but Aizen (who has bigger plans for Ichigo), shoots this idea down; and when Grimmjow decides to do so anyway, he is punished by Tousen for disobeying orders by hacking off Grimmjow's arm.
  • Renji was introduced as this, as he was the first antagonistic Shinigami Ichigo met and one who had a personal investment in taking Rukia back to Soul Society, but Ichigo outclasses Renji fairly early on; and Renji becomes something close to Ichigo's best friend as the series went on, outpacing Chad and Ishida in that department as he had more screen time.
  • Ishida was the de-facto first example of this during the beginning of the series, being the typical cool, analytical loner that opposed Ichigo only to befriend him later on. This role was eventually taken over by Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's incredibly strict older brother, who looked down on Ichigo's defiant attitude towards Shinigami law.
• Syaoran Li of Cardcaptor Sakura starts off as this to Sakura, though as time passes, more dents in his stoic antisocial attitude start to appear. Midway through the series, he actually starts to gain a schoolboy crush on Sakura, with his rivalry towards her slowly fading in favor of him becoming a Dogged Nice Guy.
• Aki Hayakawa from Chainsaw Man is a deconstruction of this kind of character. He has the majority of the traits of the archetype, being a secondary lead with a much more serious disposition, having a tragic backstory and desiring revenge. However, he and Denji's different views of working as Public Safety Devil Hunters doesn't cause any real conflict past their initial meeting, nor does their mutual affection for Makima. There's also an age gap and seniority that makes Aki more of a surrogate aloof big brother than a traditional stock rival. In fact, Aki is one of the closest things Denji has to a friend, and they don't get into a physical fight until Aki is turned into the Gun Fiend against his will, and the ensuing fight is completely unwanted on both sides with Aki unaware that he's even fighting Denji even as Denji is forced to kill him.

• Yu Kanda from D.Gray-Man has many of the traits: aloof, arrogant, handsome, experienced, and often butts heads with Allen over their different personalities and opposing views on the worth of others' lives. However, Kanda begins to have a better relationship with Allen after returning to the Order, regretting his past behavior and feeling the need to repay Allen for his kindness.

• Digimon:
  • Matt from Digimon Adventure is a deconstruction of this trope. He at first appears to be a cool aloof loner that constantly argues with Stock Shōnen Hero Tai, but later it's revealed that he's actually overly caring and too concerned with the safety of the other teammates, particularly his younger brother TK. This is what allows him to awaken the Crest of Friendship to unlock more power down the road. However, even afterwards he suffers Aesop Amnesia and challenges Tai to a duel in front of the others, mostly out of his own insecurity and because he's jealous that Tai sometimes seems to have a healthier relationship with TK than he does. His Digimon are icy wolf types that materialize into a cannon, in contrast to Tai's fiery dinosaurs that materialize into a sword.
  • TK himself was a downplayed example to the new goggle head Stock Shōnen Hero Davis, acknowledged In-Universe to be a sort of reprise of Matt and Tai's relationship, but the true rival figure was Ken. Ken was a genius compared to Book Dumb Davis, and had respect, stardom, and fans, but lacked any true friends. He saw Digimon as pawns for his amusement, rather than the Bond Creatures they are. After he reformed from being the evil Digimon Emperor, he still preferred to work alone until Davis finally got through to him and they did a Fusion Dance. Afterwhich, Davis and the team went to great lengths to visit him in the real world, as well as on missions in the digital world to let him know they all saw him as a teammate and true friend.
  • Rika from Digimon Tamers is a Rare Female Example of this to Takato, starting off as a stoic loner who only sees her partner Renamon as a tool to level up akin to a video game, while Takato literally created his partner Guilmon to be a cool pet and friend. She does get better eventually, though she still remains a snarky tomboy. Like Seto Kaiba below, she also happens to be a card game champion.
  • Koji in Digimon Frontier is a sort of direct reprise of  Matt from Adventure, but played straight without the deconstruction. He was the second to awaken his spirit, and spent most of the first arc travelling alone, only sometimes crossing paths with the main group. When he finally does join full-time, he constantly butts heads with Takuya, the new goggleheaded protagonist. They are also able to do a Fusion Dance and have wolves/guns vs. dinosaurs/swords dynamic in their evolutions. Koji's elemental power is Light instead of Ice, however.
  • Touma is yet another straight iteration of this in Digimon Data Squad. He's a child prodigy, technical genius, and high ranking member of DATS; while the hotblooded Masaru is a streetwise punk who likes to punch things. They get placed on the same team. Like previous examples, he has a dog based partner to the hero's dinosaur/dragon. Even the way their partners address them highlight their differences in work styles and friendship: Gaomon addresses Touma with a firm "Yes, Master" or "Sir, yes Sir", while Agumon addresses Masaru with the colloquial "Aniki" or "Bro."
  • Digimon Fusion has Christopher (Kiriha) Aonuma, the cold-hearted and calculating leader of the intimidating Blue Flare, constantly competing with the much more caring protagonist Mikey (Taiki) Kudo and his more approachable Fusion Fighters. Of course, Aonuma ends up changing for the better thanks to Kudo's influence and the two unlock a new Fusion Dance together.
• Doctor Slump: Subverted with Obotchaman. He was presented as a rival for the heroine Arale because Dr. Mashirito built him to destroy her and was intended to be an Evil Counterpart to her. However, he turns out to be an extremely kind and polite boy that even ends up falling in love with the protagonist, but in later episodes Dr. Mashirito brainwashes hom to turn it into a purely evil version, so he played this role briefly.
• Tsukasa from Dr. STONE. He's tall, strong, brooding, dark-haired (in contrast with Senku's light-hair), charismatic and an intellectual match for Senku when it comes to strategy and leadership. He's superior to Senku in sheer physical prowess, and he manages to amass a small army of similarly fit, skilled and talented people his age by stealing and hoarding the substance needed to depetrify people. He has a utilitarian view on life and his peers as a result of his Dark and Troubled Past, believing that Might Makes Right and only the young should restart civilization because adults are weak and authoritarian. He only experiences a Heel–Face Turn after one of his comrades turns out to be even worse than him, allying with Senku and realizing the error of his ways.
• Dragon Ball:
  • Vegeta is one of the Trope Codifiers.
    • He started as an Arc Villain in Dragon Ball Z, and after he was defeated by Goku and co., he would then make it his life purpose to surpass Goku; and in a later gives into evil in an attempt to defeat Goku, but he would later regret his actions and pull a true Heel–Face Turn. He's a privileged rival -both as the Prince of all Saiyans on their homeworld-, and later marries Bulma Briefs and becomes one of the richest men on Earth. For a long time, he played the arrogant bully archetype, constantly deriding Goku for being a lowclass soldier. Prominently during the Android Arc, he was determined to work alone and not rely on help from the other Z Fighters, but started to mellow out after spending more time with his own son Trunks, and having his rival's son Gohan surpass him as well. Several years later, he and Goku finally settle into being Friendly Rivals as they train under Beerus and Whis. As the only other Saiyan as dedicated to training as Goku, he's the only one who can still match him Super Mode for new Super Mode. Mostly.
    • Despite being the Trope Codifier, Vegeta is something of an Unbuilt Trope. Unlike most anime rivals, it's repeatedly made a point how Goku is always one step ahead of him, and his aloof behavior isn't because he had some traumatic upbringing, but simply because he was (initially) a horrible person who had no qualms with killing innocent people who got in his way. The rivalry between him and Goku and his inability to match him was what ultimately led him into performing a Face–Heel Turn to finally get one over on Goku... which turned out to be pointless, as Goku had already achieved a new tier of power that made the power boost he got from turning evil again useless from the start. If taken today, Vegeta would sound like a cautionary tale against forming a rival-type dynamic with another person, as it can be quite self-destructive in the long run, if it weren't for the fact that he's largely responsible for The Rival archetype in anime/manga.
  • Piccolo could qualify as well. At one point in Dragon Ball, he is Goku's Arch-Nemesis where he treated Goku as a Worthy Rival. However, he comes to pull a Heel–Face Turn where he remains very stoic, serious and calculating to contrast Goku's Book Dumb and impulsiveness. While Piccolo quickly fell behind in power, he got used to working as a team much faster than Vegeta ever did. In Goku's abscence, he's usually Number Two leading the squad or raising their children, and is still Goku's confidant when he needs advice or a new strategy to win the day.
  • Meanwhile, Tenshinhan was arguably the Ur-Example in Dragon Ball, created to be Goku's foil during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. The star pupil of the rival martial arts dojo, the Crane School, a prodigy similar to Goku who could learn techniques through observation and had multiple techniques at his disposal, and was introduced as being rather ruthless with an obsession with becoming a deadly assassin. Unlike Piccolo and Vegeta, Tenshinhan more or less experiences his full character arc, including his Heel–Face Turn in his introductory arc, which is likely the reason he ultimately got phased out of being the rival in favor of Piccolo and later Vegeta.
  • Dragon Ball Super
    • Hit to a lesser degree, being Goku's primary rival who did not join his team. Hit contrasts Goku by being stoic, serious, and calculating (not unlike Piccolo), but nonetheless treats Goku as a Worthy Opponent who he respects for his strength and his drive. Goku extends the same courtesy to Hit and is eager for further battles with him to better himself.
    • Even Jiren shows shades of this trope, being Goku's newest rival and represents a solid power benchmark that Goku and co. struggle to reach. Jiren also has many personality traits of a rival, being stoic and serious, while being dismissive towards Goku's carefree nature. He has a stern Might Makes Right mindset, desiring to become the strongest, and eventually come to respect Goku for his strength and his resolve.
• Fairy Tail has some of these:
  • The first is Gray Fullbuster, who is introduced as Natsu's first rival. They would constantly bicker and fight before being broken up Erza. However, Gray subverts many of the conventions in that he's actually weaker raw power-wise than Natsu but makes up for it in his creativity with his magic at least until he gets a Slayer-type magic of his own, he believes in The Power of Friendship just as strongly as Natsu does and in fact is Natsu's best male friend, and while more brooding and angsty has quite a bit of fire in him too.
  • The second is Gajeel Redfox, who is introduced as a villain. He's also a straighter example as his origins are very similar to Natsu, as both were raised and taught by dragons, but Gajeel was a selfish jerk who thought himself as the talk of the town. Even after he mellowed out with Character Development and fell in love, he never loses his edge or his rivalry with Natsu.
  • Sting Eucliffe (arrogant bully) and Rogue Cheney (cool loner) are built as this for Natsu and Gajeel respectively, being two new Dragon Slayers introduced shortly after the timeskip, but then this whole dynamic gets subverted as it turns out that they're nowhere close to the levels of either Natsu or Gajeel, the people they're supposed to rival. Natsu alone is able to beat them one-on-two during the Grand Magic Games and Gajeel manages to overcome a powered-up, possessed Rogue later. From that point on, they act more like admirers/disciples for Natsu/Gajeel than actual rivals proper.
• Played With for Arthur Boyle in Fire Force. Arthur and Shinra are always bickering and treat each other like enemies, but Arthur's typical rival stoicism is just the result of him being simple-minded.
• Food Wars! has several characters who play with the archetype, but none of them actually play this straight.
  • Erina Nakiri combines this trope with elements of a classic Defrosting Ice Queen Love Interest to Soma. Being the granddaughter of Tootsuki's Headmaster and hailed as one of the most prodigious students that has ever enterred the academy, Erina looks down on Soma for his humble background and refuses to admit that his "lowbrow" cooking can be any good. Soma makes it his primary goal to make her acknowledge his cooking, but Erina remains mostly Out of Focus during the first half of Soma's first year in Tootsuki. By the time the story decides to put her into the limelight, she is in no position to fight Soma as a rival, as her Abusive Dad took over the school, and she needs to enlist Soma and his friends to help her depose him and break free from the trauma of his abuse.
  • Takumi Aldini, despite being on the page image, is a subversion. He is the first among Soma's year-mates to be shown as being on equal grounds with Soma, being equally experienced in the kitchen from helping out in their families' respective diners since childhood, but possessing more technical knowledge due to being in Tootsuki longer than Soma. But despite declaring himself as Soma's rival, Takumi proves to neither be as priviledged or skilled as he was built up as, and his personality is far less dignified than the typical examples of this trope.
  • Akira Hayama is probably the straightest example of this trope. He is a well-known ace whose excellent sense of smell is said to be on par with Erina's "God Tongue", and thus an "elite". He's also the first person to defeat Soma in a cooking competition, when his dish is scored higher than Soma's in the Fall Classic's preliminaries, and proved himself to be the superior chef when he actually won the competition. He gets Out of Focus after the Fall Classic Arc, however; and while he did oppose Soma once again when Azami coerces him to cook for his regime, their match is never framed as a battle between classic rivals.
• Getter Robo: Hayato Jin has all the traits of both the Stock Shōnen Rival and Hero. He's both the bash brother and rival with Ryoma Nagare due to them having their fight quite early on and joining him not long after. While his cynical aspects at times contrast with Ryoma, they both get along due to their enjoyment of combat and violence and their sarcastic, sardonic, and dark sense of humor. At no point in the later story does he ever feel the need to prove himself or feel any sense of hidden inferiority complex masked by a superiority complex. In terms of physical strength, he and Ryoma are on par, rather than it being a case where Ryoma has to catch up via training. While most Shonen Rivals act cool and superior in the beginning, only for this belief to be shattered later on due to being unable to catch up with the Shonen Hero surpassing them eventually, Hayato has his smug, overconfident facade shattered when it's revealed that he's Dirty Coward who loses his cool when fighting something he can't understand or easily overpower, even when discounting Ryoma about the matter. Once he gets accustomed to new threats, he quickly reverts to his calm, logical persona. He can be hotblooded and passionate in the heat of battle, rather than just cold and calculating. Also, while most Shonen Rivals prefer to work alone and rely on their own strength, Hayato realizes quickly that going alone will not help him save Earth and instead chooses to rely on teamwork and The Powerof Friendship since the Getter needs three pilots working in tandem to form and control it; a lone wolf attitude will get them all killed. Finally, as the Shonen Rival needs the Shonen Hero to drive them to be better, Hayato actually outlives Ryoma in the 5th and final part of the manga Getter Arc and is left to be the sole remaining member of the original Getter cast who is left with the task of saving the Earth and humanity.
• Haikyuu!!: Subverted with Kageyama. Compared to the friendly, energetic, and inexperienced Hinata, Kageyama is an acknowledged prodigy who thought himself better than his teammates, has an antisocial personality, and a terrible temper. He decimates Hinata's team in the prologue and Hinata swears revenge upon him. However, when they end up on the same team (rendering their rivalry pretty much moot), he defrosts and learns The Power of Friendship alongside Hinata, eventually becoming less of rivals and more of close friends with him. Their hair colors and names even contrast.
• Subverted with Killua Zoldyck from Hunter × Hunter. Killua has elements of an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy and is very much a Blood Knight who enjoys fighting. He was raised to be a Professional Killer but wants to quit and have a more normal life. Killua used to be a Sociopathic Hero and was a Tyke-Bomb, but since meeting Gon he has learned to be less violent. He fits most of the criteria, but is actually Gon's best friend rather than a rival.
• Sesshomaru from Inuyasha is the protagonist's older half-brother who maintains a frosty and contemptuous attitude towards him when he doesn't act as an outright Big Brother Bully. He takes pride in his noble heritage as a full-blooded demon and he's much stronger than Inuyasha by default (making him a Privileged Rival), but the more Inuyasha uses the Tessaiga to tilt the odds in his favor, the more jealous he becomes. In the end, he and Inuyasha have to learn to put their sibling rivalry aside for the greater good.
• Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen is a downplayed one. He has many of the traits, being the black-haired secondary lead with a cold demeanor, desire to not be outdone by Yuji, and an ideology that clashes with Yuji's, making him not see himself as a hero. Despite this, Megumi wants to help people who are good, becomes one of Yuji's closest companions, and his rivalry isn't as intense as many other shōnen rivalries.
• While he's older than the usual example of this trope, Superintendent Akechi from The Kindaichi Case Files certainly qualifies. Handsome, classy and a genius in multiple fields, he is everything the Book Dumb Idiot Hero Kindaichi is not. He's first introduced as a high-ranking member of the police force with supreme confidence of his own intellect, and initially dismisses Kindachi as a Snooping Little Kid play-acting as a detective, despite having heard of Kindaichi's exemplerary deductive capabilities from Kenmochi (whom he outranks). He mellows down a lot after Kindaichi manages to solve the case they were working on before he does, even acting as Kindaichi's Friend on the Force in place of Kenmochi to grant him access to the crime scenes in other prefectures where the latter has no authority over, but continues to act condescending towards Kindaichi when they meet in person, even if he's far less malicious about it now.
• Teruki Hanazawa from Mob Psycho 100 is a deliberate subversion, as he shares a lot of traits with the Stock Shōnen Hero: he's bombastic, charismatic, surrounds himself with friends (or rather, delinquent lackies), and works hard to be the strongest psychic around. The reason why he's a Rival and not The Hero is that the actual protagonist of the series is Mob, a shy, stoic kid with plain looks but amazing levels of psychic power who's intuitively great at using it, but doesn't like showing off and is in fact scared of his powers. Teruki, who considered himself the main character of the story and believed that Might Makes Right, is not too fond of Mob at first, first calling him weak for not wanting to use his powers, then accusing him of thinking he's too good to fight with Teruki with his powers rather than his fists. He's knocked down a few pegs after he suffers a humiliating (yet unintentional) defeat at Mob's hands, and they become friends, but he still considers him his rival and vows to keep training so they may one day be equals.
• My Hero Academia: Izuku "Deku" Midoriya is a subdued Stock Shōnen Hero with some stock rivals:
  • Katsuki Bakugo plays with this trope by having many traits of the Stock Shōnen Hero (being a spiky-haired, arrogant, Hot-Blooded, red-wearing young man), but also having many story beats of the Rival at the same time:
    • He is introduced as Midoriya's childhood friend turned bully. He initially looked down on the Quirkless Midoriya, then when Midoriya gained a Quirk (thanks to All Might Passing the Torch onto him), Bakugo was understandably bewildered and outraged that Midoriya suddenly had a great power he never knew about and had become the protégé to their childhood hero, to boot.
    • He seems to be blatantly set to follow the "Rival Turned Evil" path a la Sasuke Uchiha below from the get-go (to the point even the people In-Universe point this out and treat him like a ticking time bomb). In a surprising twist, he completely defies it when the League of Villains offers him membership early on.
    • The "big fight" between him and Deku is also a showcase. Although it follows all Shonen rules for this kind of confrontation, even having Deku telling Bakugo that he's not afraid of him anymore, it is happening because Bakugo blames himself for his role in the Disaster Dominoes that ended with All Might retiring (which wasn't actually his fault). Due to the lack of any kind of emotional support from anyone and being incapable of expressing himself properly, Bakugo instead attacks Midoriya out of self-hatred and rage, while Deku — also emotionally devastated by the loss of his idol's career — fights back because it's the only way they understand how to communicate.
    • The second "big fight" between them (and admittedly it is used loosely, especially because everybody else in Class 1-A is teaming up with him against Deku all by his lonesome) during the Dark Hero Arc is less a meeting between rivals and more a very destructive "Get A Hold Of Yourself Man" to end Deku's runaway (in more ways than one) Martyr Without a Cause spell and beating the everliving crap out of Deku does not works — asking for forgiveness for the decade of being his bully does.
    • Notably during the Final Battle of the manga, All For One singles him out as a priority target to be killed strictly because killing him will cause Deku a lot of grief.
  • Shoto Todoroki is a straighter example than Bakugo, but he plays with the trope as well. He's the son of one of the second-best hero in Japan and is pressured to follow in his father's footsteps, has a Dark and Troubled Past, possesses tremendous power that Midoriya can barely match, and has a broody, loner personality to contrast Midoriya's friendlier one. Midoriya acts as his Warrior Therapist during their fight, and Todoroki starts to work towards amending his familial issues and becoming more social. However, he eventually becomes much friendlier towards Midoriya than Bakugo ever does, having more of a Friendly Rivalry than a typical example of this trope.
  • Todoroki's father, Endeavor is an example himself, to the Big Good, All Might. He is the #2 hero of the previous generation. His rivalry with All Might parallels that of Bakugo and Deku. He's a pessimistic Foil to the All-Loving Hero who constantly pushes himself to be better and stronger, but to no avail.
• Naruto:
  • Sasuke is one of the codifiers of this trope in modern manga, much like Naruto is for the Stock Shōnen Hero. As a Privileged Rival, he unconsciously feels superior to Naruto until he slowly closes the gap. His true target being more interested in his rival, while dismissing him as nothing, leads to Sasuke's Face–Heel Turn. After his journey as a villain and a final fight with Naruto, he goes back to being a good guy. Sasuke has black hair in contrast to Naruto's blond, his clothes are usually black or blue, and he's known for using fire and lightning.
  • Along with Sasuke, Neji shared many of these traits in the first part, being a "lesser" family member from one of Konoha's most prominent clans. In order to Screw Destiny and rise above his birthright, he trains religiously and snubs everyone else in his life, which has made him jaded and condescending. Unlike with Sasuke, Naruto manages to break through to him and bring him down a few pegs, making him more sociable and less cold by the time they're in their mid-teens.
• Negima! Magister Negi Magi has two:
  • Kotarō Inugami fulfills the role of the The Hero's rival/best friend who acts his Foil. The twist is Kotarō's personality is very much the standard of a Stock Shōnen Hero while Negi breaks the protagonist stereotype by being a Child Prodigy who wants to solve everything alone and worries too much. Therefore, Kotarō tells Negi he should be more of an Idiot Hero.
  • Fate Averruncus, Negi's archrival in the second half of the series is a more classical example. He's a stoic Jerkass with nihilistic beliefs and fights Negi for his Well-Intentioned Extremist goals. Towards the end of the series, he pulls a Heel–Face Turn after Negi befriends him by convincing him there's a better and less destructive way to save the world.
• Neon Genesis Evangelion: Asuka Langley Soryu is both a rare female example and a deconstruction of the trope. She is introduced as an abrasive presence for series protagonist Shinji Ikari (who is about as far from a Stock Shōnen Hero as one can get), and her main goal in life is to prove herself the best through her EVA piloting skills. She prides herself on being The Ace, and thinks of herself as the hero, with her color scheme driving the point home. However, as Shinji begins to surpass her abilities, Asuka does not become that much friendlier towards those surrounding him, but instead loses her self-esteem, shuts herself out, and crosses the Despair Event Horizon.
• One Piece subverts this despite having a quintessential example of a Stock Shōnen Hero in Luffy, as there isn't any one character that acts as a proper rival to him. The pirates and Marines he goes up against are either genuine enemies or friendly ones; the very light and friendly rivalries he may have with his strongest crewmates, Zoro and Sanji, are heavily downplayed compared to their rivalry with each other; and anyone who could count as a rival ultimately ends up working together with him in an Enemy Mine soon enough. The Eleven Supernovas (Luffy and Zoro being two) are considered by the world to be this to each other, and while it's the closest the series comes to a rival for Luffy, none of them are a perfect fit:
  • The character who has the most "rival-esque" dynamic with Luffy is Eustass Kid, as just being in each other's presence seems to immediately make both of them hypercompetitive. However, Kid actually encompasses far more traits of the Stock Shonen Hero rather than the rival, being just as Hot-Blooded as Luffy, only marginally less impulsive, even more of a Blood Knight, also deeply values his crew, and even has red spiky hair (whereas Luffy's is black) and clothing. He's basically what an Evil Jerkass version of Luffy would look like, and the two of them have never properly battled each other, instead teaming up for Enemy Mines several times.
  • Meanwhile, many of the personality traits associated with the stock Shonen rival are seen in Luffy's other main "rival" Supernova, Trafalgar Law: he's Luffy's Shadow Archetype, the blue oni to his red oni, a far more cynical Byronic Anti-Hero compared to Luffy's optimism, and a Perpetual Frowner Jerk with a Heart of Gold, as well as a Tall, Dark, and Snarky Mr. Fanservice. However, their "rivalry" doesn't go further than being two pirates both searching for the One Piece (like nearly every pirate in the series is doing), and is very heavily downplayed compared to the mutual respect and friendship (even if Law refuses to admit it) that forms between them during their long-standing official alliance.
  • Despite some of the other Supernovas occasionally referencing how they're considered to be rivals to each other, they don't really fit the bill; Luffy starts as enemies before forming Enemy Mines with Capone Bege and X. Drake at different times, becomes genuine friends with Jewelry Bonney, and is full-on enemies with Scratchmen Apoo and Basil Hawkins.
• One-Punch Man: Speed-o'-Sound Sonic is probably the closest Saitama got to one, though he also has deconstructed traits due to the parodic nature of the series. Like most rivals, Sonic views Saitama as a Worthy Opponent and is obsessed with defeating him, while also being a Smug Super in his own right. Unlike most rivals, he's at best an Unknown Rival to Saitama who doesn't even consider him worth his time. In addition, the power gap between him and Saitama (like most characters) is phenomenal and Sonic never comes remotely close to closing the gap, though Saitama does keep letting him go in the hopes that Sonic can grow stronger and one day finally pose a challenge to him.
• Pokémon: The Series:
  • Gary Oak, Ash's first rival, was introduced as this. Gary was arrogant and loved to rub it in Ash's face, however, eventually that was toned down. He has his own fan club (of fully grown women at that) that followed him around. Gary has since become a budding Pokémon Professor, much like his grandfather, and has lost his attitude. A good portion of his behavior was actually dub-exclusive. In Japan, he was more friendly and respectable for the most part (much like his current personality), while 4Kids made him more similar to his game counterpart, Blue Oak, and thus closer to the Archetype.
  • Paul is an expy of the below-mentioned Silver of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and it shows. He is an overconfident trainer who openly boasts about how superior a trainer he is compared to others. He doesn't care for socializing or making friends, just training. Paul has very harsh training methods, but most of his Pokémon are loyal to him and he treats them well enough. Chimchar was the exception to this, though, as he verbally abused it and forced it past its limits in order to harness the Blaze ability. This spurred Chimchar to defect to Ash after Paul released it for disappointing him.
  • Mewtwo in Pokémon: The First Movie is this character in Pokémon form (with its design even resembling Frieza from Dragon Ball Z), and his motivation is to prove his superiority despite his origin as a clone. This is most apparent when he's facing Mew, and smugly taunts "Why do you flee from me? Are you afraid to find out which of us is greater?"
• Pokémon Adventures:
  • Blue was originally more like his game counterpart, but after a few chapters changed into a more serious and stoic character. He and Red originally didn't get along well, but later became friends. Blue's clothes have changed from mainly purple to mainly black and then to mainly brown, but they're always darker than Red's bright red attire. Blue's starter is a Charmander, which is a fire type.
  • Silver has shades of this but in a different way from his game counterpart due to Adaptational Heroism. Silver is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold instead of just a Jerkass like in the games. Similarly to Blue, he's rather stoic and can play The Comically Serious. He has a Dark and Troubled Past of being kidnapped as a very young child. Silver has a darker color palette than Gold's, but downplays Red and Black and Evil All Over thanks to his softened up personality compared to the games. Silver's first Pokémon was an ice-type Sneasel, but his Signature Mon starter is actually a water-type Totodile which he stole from Professor Elm's lab.
• Black from Pokémon Golden Boys is a counterpart to Silver from Pokémon Gold and Silver. He shares all the qualities of his game counterpart. He's a jerk who only cares about strong Pokemon and goes as far as to abandon his Chikorita for being too weak.
• While the show is for an adult demographic and is a deconstruction of Shōjo series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica has two characters with shades of this trope.
  • Homura Akemi is a Dark Magical Girl depicted as the taller, prettier and more aloof foil to Stock Shoujo Heroine Madoka Kaname. Initially depicted with shady motives, her primary goal is to prevent Madoka from being a magical girl. In the end, it is revealed that Homura was Good All Along and is Madoka's best friend, as she herself is essentially revealed as the Deuteragonist of the series. However, she performs a Face–Heel Turn in Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion and becomes a direct dark counterpart to Madoka's goddess form.
  • Kyoko Sakura plays the trope a bit straighter. Kyoko is The Rival to Sayaka, a typical "love and justice" magical girl, and is depicted as highly competitive and Hot-Blooded. Throughout the series as she continues to antagonize Sayaka, Kyoko gradually softens up and performs a Heel–Face Turn, and becomes a friend to Sayaka; the two are depicted as Smash Sisters in Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion, much like the dynamic between other hero-rival pairs in anime.
• Ryōga Hibiki from Ranma ½. To contrast his rival, Ranma Saotome, who is happy-go-lucky, larger than life, and carefree, Ryōga is very melancholic, stoic, and brooding. For a long time there was nothing Ryōga was concerned with more than getting even with his rival and dedicated his life to training rigorously, but eventually he comes to see there is more to life than this, once he experiences love. Over time the two of them become more akin to friends and even Bash Brothers, although they still retain the rivalry and treat one another as Worthy Opponents.
• Shaman King: Ren is a haughty, aloof aristocrat to contrast the cheerful, laid-back hero Yoh. He's the first real threat Yoh faces, and initially outclasses him in raw power. While Yoh believes in treating his spirit partner as a friend and equal, Ren views his spirit as no more than a tool before inevitably being pulled into Yoh's group of friends.
• Slam Dunk: Kaede Rukawa is the biggest rival to Stock Shōnen Hero Hanamichi Sakuragi, even though they are teammates on the Shohoku High basketball team. Rukawa is The Ace of the team, being well-established as a very talented ball player since at least middle school. He is very aloof and disinterested in things outside of basketball.
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: An abrasive Ace Pilot, Viral starts the series as a recurring antagonist with a personal grudge against Kamina and later Simon, becoming The Rival to both. Throughout the series, he undergoes Villain Decay, but performs a Heel–Face Turn when an even greater threat shows up. To drive the point home, his name is an anagram of "rival".
• Teppu: Natsuo is a deconstruction of the trope. Natsuo's life doesn't revolves around trying to crush Yuzuko to the degree, say, Vegeta does and in the end she doesn't wants to be friends with Yuzuko and finds her defeat humiliating. The manga even portrays her roaring her derision of Yuzuko to her face before walking off as a moral victory.
• UQ Holder!: Nikitis Laps is more of an allusion to this trope considering he's deliberately modeled after Fate, the main rival of the original series' protagonist. Unlike the stoic Fate, though, Nikitis is extremely haughty and mocks the idealism and naivety of his manga's Stock Shōnen Hero Touta. However, his role is more of a Cynical Mentor/Stealth Mentor than a rival as his fights against Touta are for the sake of making Touta power up and reach the level of God-Tier immortals quickly so he can challenge an evil High Daylight Walker and the Lifemaker. Nikitis' Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy traits are mainly Played for Laughs and once Touta easily sees past his high-and-mighty front, Nikitis joins Touta's group of immortal friends.
• Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun:
  • Sabnock Sabro is a subversion: he openly declares himself protagonist Iruma's rival, yet he has a lot more traits in common with a Stock Shōnen Hero than Iruma does. Sabnock is hot-blooded and reckless, and he has made it his life's goal to become Demon King because of how cool it would be. He's entirely focused on achieving that and goes to extreme lengths to climb the ranks, such as beating up a teacher on the first day of school or taking a shortcut through a dangerous valley his class was explicitly told not to go through during a race. Both situations have realistic outcomes: picking a fight with a teacher landed him in the Misfit Class for the school troublemakers, and taking the shortcut almost got him killed. But in the end, his mistakes gave him the chance to meet and bond with Iruma, leading Sabnock to see him as a Worthy Opponent and declare himself his rival in the quest to become Demon King. However, he is more of a Friendly Rival towards Iruma; the student he actually has a bitter rivalry with is Alice Asmodeus, Iruma's best friend, with whom Sabnock is constantly competing to see who's stronger and who has the most powerful magic.
  • Outside of his relationship with Iruma, Asmodeus is very much a Stock Shōnen Rival: tall, very powerful and aware of it, smug, and unfriendly towards anyone who isn't Iruma or Clara. He clashes with hot-headed Sabnock Sabro all the time, contesting his decisions, arguing with him over every little thing and constantly trying to prove he is better than Sabnock in every way. This has led both of them to act reckless and put themselves in danger, or at least waste time for whoever is unlucky enough to be on the same team as them.
• Yu-Gi-Oh!: Seto Kaiba likely shares Trope Codifier status with Vegeta. Conditioned by his Dark and Troubled Past to consider victory as the measure of one's worth, he became an arrogant, asocial, and utterly ruthless Duel Monsters tycoon. He was Yugi's main rival throughout the series ever since he gave him his first loss, acting as the "Cliché emotionally void antagonist" most of the time, yet often working with him to oppose a greater threat.
  • Every new Yu-Gi-Oh! series has a Kaiba counterpart as a tradition, such as Jack Atlas from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX has a subversion in Chazz Princeton, who initially comes off as an arrogant, Draco Malfoy like bully to the Stock Shōnen Hero Jaden Yuki. However, he loses so often that his bragging comes off as mostly bluster, and he ends up having character arcs dedicated to overcoming adversity to become a better Duelist while spending most of the series being Plucky Comic Relief. Jaden doesn't even treat him as a serious rival, but a friend (however, Zane Truesdale plays this trope straighter, as does Chazz's manga counterpart).
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS has three characters designated as rivals who, as a collective, possess the traits associated with this trope. Roa Kirishima possesses the arrogance and less-than-stellar morals, though in-line with more modern incarnations of this trope he's a good person deep down, Nail Saionji possesses the privileged background, reserved temperament, and monstrous skill, easily being the second best duelist we've seen in the show thus far the only character who is even debatably better than him being Luke, and Asana Mutsuba possesses the stubborn pride and desire to defeat the main character at their absolute best.
• Karin from Yuki Yuna is a Hero contrasts with the Stock Shonen Heroine Yuna by being this way (with a pinch of tsundere added in). She's introduced as a well-experienced and powerful Hero who rejects the friendship of the other girls. Karin hates how carefree the rest of the Heroes are because she worked hard for years to be chosen and get out of her older brother's shadow. She acts as a standoffish and sarcastic Smug Super for a while, but all that was moot as Yuna shrugs off Karin's animosity and befriends her.
• Before Killua, there was Hiei from YuYu Hakusho, a cold, cruel, arrogant, and pragmatic little guy who started out as an antagonist, eventually evolving into a begrudgingly respectful rival figure to Yusuke.