>>58196740
Ruby
>moral subjectivity/relativism (first MC to purposely be controversial AFAIK Yellow/Gold weren't controversial before 2010)
>new game mechanic (contests were introduced in gen 3)
>foreign (story's set in Hoenn but he's from Johto technically Silver's from Kanto, but this isn't explored anywhere as much)
>his "fancy boy" gimmick left even the editorial board not wanting him to exist at first, he barely escaped abortion
>novelty = instability (he is literally mentally ill and undergoes a lot of change)

This could be a stretch but returning to the Emerald arc, later when Ruby and Sapphire meet all the previous MCs, it's Sapphire who's excited about being part of this larger Pokedex Holder group. She freaks Gold and Crystal out when she first meets them because she's so into their shared heritage. Her excitement could come from how she's not that different from the previous MCs at her core, being "old Pokespe". Meanwhile Ruby doesn't seem to care as much (he just reads out the posters in the Dex holder museum because his gf is illiterate and needs help). Which could either just be him acting aloof again, or because he actually just doesn't relate to the others as much, him being "new Pokespe".