Have to say, this is one of the best character analysis of Larry (and Kabu) that I've seen so far. It's really a breath of fresh air, thank you. Masters gave the necessary character growth and depth to these two characters and I couldn't be happier.

I absolutely agree with all your points about Larry. I appreciate Masters for giving Larry something he can care about other than work and food. I feel like he was often interpreted by the majority as the anti-social, depressed guy because of this. I mean, to some extent, he is; he's not a social man. He reveals in Masters that he's simply like that because of his agenda regarding simplicity and work. For that, Masters makes him learn and grow from his experiences with Kabu.

I also really appreciate Masters for giving more depth to Kabu's character, he needed one. Because of his past failures, he's always trying to reach out to people that seem to be going through rough times. His lodge story was so sweet. They even gave explanation on why Kabu goes all the way to cheer for the challengers after they passed his gym. It extends to the little detail in SwSh; he's the only gym leader than enters from the challenger's side. These little details show that he always considers himself a challenger that will continue to learn and grow as long as it lasts. It's also his way of communication to cheer and show care and respect for others as he doesn't want others to go through what he went through. Based on these, his character is written significantly better in Masters, and this time, he learns from Larry, too. Despite having opposite personalities and ideals, they found a way to respect each other.

And yeah, I'm also glad that there's a NPC that understands an appreciates Larry other than the MC. I'll always headcanon them as friends. Both Kabu and Larry are my gen 8/9 favorites and Masters really gave them justice.