Really, I'm not surprised Pokemon is winning...
I mean, both of the antagonists have persistence on their side. Main difference is over the span of one game, or the span of the whole franchise. I'm guessing there is a fair share of people who are younger, or people who haven't played too many Metroid games, to get Samus and Ridley's rivalry as well as the mass of people who have probably played some version of the original Pokemon games, be it the old school Gameboy games or their GBA remakes. Plus, the Pokemon series has the anime backing it and I bet some, a very small some at that, voted for it based on Gary and Ash...
Despite me voting for Red and Blue to win the entire rumble in my bracket, which is pretty doubtful, I honestly think Samus & Ridley should win this specific battle...
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The orange-ness of Neku's hair is nothing compared to the mighty orange-y power of the Orange Crayon Warrior!