Okay Let's Talk About Hau And Hop. They're Both Nice. They Both Ditch The Protagonist To Have A Rivalry

Okay let's talk about Hau and Hop. They're both nice. They both ditch the protagonist to have a rivalry with some jackass instead. A prominent male familial figure in their life left them to pursue a career in battling.

Hau's dad couldn't handle the pressure of being the son of a kahuna, so he abandoned his family to become an elite four in another region. His existence is very easy to miss. He's rarely brought up, and Hau doesn't seem particularly torn up by his absence. Hau is very close with his family that is present, Hala easily filling in for the role Hau's father left vacant. Still, Hau is a lot like his father. Hau refuses to battle at his best so it hurts less when he loses. Despite his closeness with his family and living in the Alola region, whose denizens are so friendly that even wild pokemon will lend each other a hand in a pinch, Hau frequently masks his real feelings. His arc involves realizing serious battling could be in his future, if he really wants it and is willing to work for it, but that means that sometimes he is going to try his hardest and still lose. Hau could outgrow his father and become the next kahuna.

Leon undertook one of the most stressful and high-pressure jobs in Galar as the undefeatable champion, and his prescence there is inescapable. The only people Leon's life isn't completely open to is his own family, who still neglect Hop in favor of him. Hop's entire world revolves around his brother, but Hop is nothing like Leon. He's fought his hardest since day one but still isn't half the battler Leon was at his worst. The Galar League is an incredibly toxic environment and it punishes a kid like Hop for wearing his heart on his sleeve. Hop's arc is about how he can't keep trying to become his brother and needs to find his own path. He will never become champion.

They're just so completely and fundamentally different characters. Obviously there's some similarities in there, but their arcs are taken in two entirely different directions. I love them both dearly.