Azp2k32 posted...
It's about popularity. Pokémon's gotten more popular over the years, FF7 hasn't.
Additionally, if we were to be speaking in terms of the quality of the actual rivalry, Cloud and Sephiroth are merely protagonist-antagonist in their relationship. Red/Blue are literally introduced to you as rivals and their rivalry is constantly present throughout the game as one of the driving points of the player's motivation to keep training.
You could make a mild argument that Cloud has some sort of rivalry of ambition with Sephiroth during the backstory, but not really. Cloud/Zack would be more of a rivalry, and even then, meh.
What's an actual rivalry in FFVII? I can really think of a good one.Tifa and Aeris... (for Cloud's affection), maybe.