npcs

Robopon 2 for the GBA doesn't really set a high bar for NPCs, but I do really like the recurring rival-type character Nick D. His thing is that he runs an orphanage that is steadily losing money. His plan is to hunt down valuable gems called the X-Stones. The problem is that the X-Stones are what you, as the player, have to collect to challenge the rank holders (think gym leaders in Pokemon). So every time you find one, Nick D. is hot on your tail. Every time you fight him, his team is embarrassingly weak, and it's never a challenge to beat him, but as the game goes on, he gets more and more despondent. Eventually, he comes to the conclusion that hunting down the stones is a dead-end, and that he's going to have to take on a second job alongside running the orphanage to keep it running.

Not enough monster-collecting games make you feel awful for beating your rival.