Markup View

Author: Synchronicity

Sep 21st 2017 at 7:56:45 AM

Went through the description to fix some grammatical errors (and potholed a common rival plot point to RivalTurnedEvil).

Should Kaiba and Vegeta get a shout-out in the description as codifiers, similar to Goku on the StockShonenHero page?

I also feel like the description should be expanded a bit, since the one on the Hero page describes not only the character archetype, but its history and point in the narrative (to be a relatable character in a coming-of-age story) Here's an attempt to display the point of the stock rival -- to prove the strength of the hero and his convictions.

"This character is usually the PrivilegedRival or a former enemy. '''Unlike the optimistic StockShonenHero, who believes in ThePowerOfFriendship and easily amasses TrueCompanions, the pessimistic Rival will [[IWorkAlone believe in the power of his own strength]]. In terms of power levels, the Rival''' usually starts off stronger than the hero. As the hero gets stronger and slowly closes the gap, the rival may often pull a FaceHeelTurn as he recognize this. Alternatively, he feels [[RivalTurnedEvil the dark side will increase his power]] which often leads to an one-on-one fight between the two." '''Often, the Hero's optimism and strong sense of justice will make the Rival question their own reasons for fighting, which may trigger their own development arc.'''

'''There's a great chance that the Stock Shonen Hero will triumph over the Stock Shonen Rival in ideals if not in power. In keeping with the {{shonen}} [[ComingOfAgeStory coming-of-age story]] about making friends and [[TheDeterminator determination overcoming obstacles]], the Rival represents something contrary to these messages that the Hero must overcome for the story to hit home.'''

Also adding to the hero Academia example:
** Todoroki is the son of one of the second-best hero in Japan and is pressured to follow in his father's footsteps, has a DarkAndTroubledPast, possesses tremendous power that Izuku can barely match, and has a broody, loner personality to contrast Izuku's friendlier one. Izuku acts as his WarriorTherapist during their fight, and Todoroki starts to work towards amending his familial issues and becoming more social. He becomes one of Midoriya's closer friends and [[FriendlyRivalry friendly rivals]] in the process.

Yeah, I also doubt Gary Oak's inclusion on this list. He's a rival in a shonen but not a StockShonenRival, ya feel? There's a lot of other entries that I doubt, but not as familiar with them to know.