Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
Today, we’re celebrating Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire‘s emerald anniversary by chronicling Wally. Every mainline Pokémon game gives the player at least one rival to compete against, a tradition this Hoenn homebody dutifully—albeit unorthodoxly—upholds. So… in the adventurous spirit Pokémon’s known for, let’s jump into it.
Wally, seen in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
It’s always exciting when a new generation of Pokémon begins. There’s a new region to explore, one populated with a bevy of people and Pokémon! The buildup to Ruby & Sapphire was especially exciting after the sterling Gold & Silver, and… for better and worse, the Hoenn games weren’t exactly what I was expecting.
Wally’s History
Hailing from Petalburg City, the timid Wally meets the player when he asks the local Gym Leader, Norman, to help him catch a Pokémon. Norman recruits us to help, and the mission’s a success: Wally catches a Ralts! Together, they move to Verdanturf Town, a quiet place known for clean air. Later, the green-haired greenhorn and his uncle appear outside the Mauville City Gym, where the kid challenges us to a battle, loses, and vows to become stronger. Finally, a considerably stronger Wally duels us just as we’re about to clear the grueling Victory Road. After conquering the Pokémon League, Wally can readily be found near Victory Road’s exit, eager for a rematch.
Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire’s “third version,” Emerald, preserves Wally’s presence. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
A decade after his debut games hit, they were remade as Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, which alter his team—where his Ralts formerly evolved into a Gardevoir, now it becomes a Mega Evolution-capable Gallade—and fleshes out his character. Now, he actually has a bedroom in his house, one full of Pokémon literature and memorabilia. Astute travelers will also notice Wally’s name listed among each Gym’s registry, confirming early on that he’s collecting Badges—he even gets most of them before you. During the post-game “Delta Episode,” Wally’s valuable Key Stone is stolen, though we ultimately reclaim it for him. Afterwards, an excited Wally can potentially battle against or alongside us at the Battle Maison facility.
Wally occasionally scores encores. In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, & Ultra Moon, Wally is among the veteran Trainers populating the Battle Tree facility. The Adventures manga gives him an instrumental role in awakening Rayquaza. Wally is the franchise’s first rival to be featured in the Trading Card Game. Unsurprisingly, the globetrotter joined the mobile spin-off Masters twice over; its announcement trailer even highlights his inclusion. Finally, some speculate that Legends: Arceus’ Beni is Wally’s ancestor, speaking to their similar designs and taste in Pokémon.
So, what’re my thoughts on Wally?
Although Wally’s exact illness isn’t named, it’s definitely a respiratory disease. It’s noted that his health improves after moving to a town with purer air. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
I have asthma. Some of my earliest memories are of me in hospitals, unable to breathe. Gasping for air, requiring medication or even a machine to breathe is a scary experience, especially when you’re two or three years old. Thankfully, my condition has improved substantially since then, but my asthma still flairs up now and then (a rough patch back in February inspired this piece, actually). Even seemingly simple tasks, like using the Nintendo DS or 3DS’s microphones, can aggravate it.
And I always felt self-conscious about my condition growing up. None of my classmates could relate. Some of my friends and family didn’t even believe it was real, telling me my asthma was “just in your head.” Plus, not one character in all the media I consumed shared my struggle, making me feel… strange. Seeing a character from a game or television show overcome this hurdle and enjoy a normal, healthy life would have meant a lot.
Pokémon rivals often have a secondary goal, one independent of the protagonist. Wally’s whole focus, however, is to get stronger and surpass us. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
Now, Wally didn’t quite satisfy that desire. When Ruby & Sapphire hit, I had entered middle school and began expanding my pool of interests—a newer monster-centric franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!, even eclipsed Pokémon in my heart (though Wally’s palette is likely meant to mirror his starter’s, I amusingly took notice of how it matches Toei’s bizarre take on Seto Kaiba). Also, while my opinion of them is significantly higher today, I didn’t like the Hoenn games back then, considering them a harsh downgrade from their Johto predecessors (“I can’t transfer my old Pokémon? Gold let me do that—and there were sixteen badges and two regions there!”).
Ruby & Sapphire also introduced the concept of battling a friendly rival. In retrospect, this change wasn’t inherently bad and, frankly, was inevitable and necessary; always going up against arrogant jerks would get tiring. But it made the Game Boy Advance titles feel less satisfying at the time. I just wanted to mercilessly crush some smug scamp, y’know?
Wally’s father is effectively a different character between the original games and their remakes. In the former, he’s completely out of the loop regarding Wally’s journey, while he actively supports it in the latter. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
The Hoenn games handle their rival characters differently in other areas, too. The “Rival” class Blue and Silver fell under was dropped; Wally’s just a “Pokémon Trainer.” You also don’t meet him immediately after starting your game. In fact, Wally suffers from a dearth of screen time; I actually forgot about him halfway through my first Ruby run. That’s problematic, and something the remakes rectify somewhat, thankfully.
However, that does elevate the elusive kid’s intrusion at Victory Road; it’s practically a plot twist. Up until that point, the protagonist you aren’t playing as acts as your recurring opponent. They even claim the starter Pokémon who has an advantage over yours, following Blue and Silver’s example. But their presence is never threatening. No, not because they’re nice, but because they aren’t very invested in battling; it’s May or Brendan’s hobby. Wally, though? He may venerate us, and we may have helped kickstart his career, but he’s the Trainer whose goal is the same as ours—he’s been our de facto rival all along. That his aces fall outside the series’ typical Grass-Fire-Water trifecta is irrelevant (though his Psychic-types still have an advantage over my part-Fighting-type Blaziken).
One impressive detail of Wally’s RSE incarnation is that he snuck away from his family to travel. Overall, the underdog benefits from the remakes, but this display of raw determination is missed. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
While Wally isn’t my favorite rival, he’s up there—and, if nothing else, this initially shy guy is probably the one I most relate to. Besides, I’ve come to like good mentor-student dynamics (and detest poor ones), something I partially accredit to Wally. I was a Pokémon veteran by Ruby & Sapphire; helping a newbie catch his first Pokémon felt… right, like I was finally getting to inspire and teach others.
One disappointment with the Pokémon anime during Advanced Generation was that it omitted Wally. Watching Ash push himself and his partners past their limits is entertaining, something a heated rivalry helps facilitate (the next series, Diamond & Pearl, stars Ash’s most intense foil to date, and every post-AG series gives him at least one rival). Advanced Generation is also the series where his experience began getting leveraged, with him mentoring newcomers May and Max. Seeing Ash tutor and learn from someone he’d directly compete against would’ve been novel (Sawyer in XY later answered this dynamic). Wally’s regrettable absence from the anime also likely informs his smaller notoriety; he isn’t one of the franchise’s most celebrated Trainers, almost coming across as an afterthought during this era.
Wally grows much more confident by the time he hits Victory Road. Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire further this, showing him sport better posture and a new, unique motif. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
Nevertheless, Wally’s place in Pokémon history is secure. Ruby & Sapphire matured the franchise, and shades of their flagship rival can be seen in a number of his successors. He’s still my favorite Hoenn native; Wally’s just a good, hard-working kid. He’s continuing to grow stronger, cementing himself as one of the region’s heroes. And considering how large Pokémon’s audience is, I’m sure Wally’s inspirational story meant a lot to plenty of kids, those living with and learning to overcome their own health problems—and that’s valuable.
Congratulations, Wally! You and I have grown stronger together!
Also, Wally’s taste in Pokémon isn’t dissimilar to mine. In the remakes, he even uses a Roserade, one of my favorites. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
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