Tajiri said in an interview that, between Japanese and American reactions to the series, Japanese customers focused on Pikachu, while Americans bought more items featuring Ash and Pikachu together. He said that he felt the character represented (showed) what the franchise meant, the human nature, was necessary. Ash was given a rival, Shigeru. In an interview, Tajiri said the difference between the character's relationship in the games and anime; while in the games, trainers Red and Blue were enemies, in the anime, Shigeru represented Satoshi's mentor. When asked if in either case Satoshi would beat his rival, Tajiri replied "No! Never!" However, Ash has outdone Gary as a trainer in the anime, and Gary has since become a Pokémon researcher like his grandfather, Professor Oak.