Everyone has a favorite Pokémon character. Whether your favorite is somebody from the original, Kanto trio, everyone wants to say their favorite character has the best character development.

There has been an ongoing debate for years within the Pokémon fandom: which of Ash’s female traveling companions has the best character development? While all the Pokémon girls are great and have different personalities – Dawn has the best character development, and here’s why.

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The Way Dawn Approaches Contests Is New And Exciting

zoey and dawn pokemon

When people think about Dawn, it’d be discrediting to other characters to say she was the first coordinator. May was the first coordinator shown in the Pokemon anime series and contests weren’t introduced in the games until the Hoenn Region. Sinnoh and Dawn get a lot of credit, showing Pokemon fans contests are worth sticking around for.

May and Dawn each have a unique approach when it comes to contests, reflecting the region they come from. May approaches contests casually, competing while wearing her normal attire rather than dressing up. This is common among people from Hoenn. May only changes her outfit when she competes during the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh. Dawn treats contests like a big extravagant show, dressing up in fancy outfits when she performs.

Dawn Starts her Journey With A Goal In Mind

ash and dawn smiling from pokemon

When Dawn first enters the scene, all the way back in her introduction episode, she leaves to start her Pokémon journey like every other trainer her age. While getting ready, she daydreams about her goal -- competing in contests. Much like Ash, Dawn already has a defined goal at the very start of her journey. She knows she wants to become a top coordinator, just like her mother, Johanna.

This is another reason she stands out among the other girls who travel with Ash, namely May and Serena, who don't find their motivation until much later in the series. Before Dawn leaves for her journey, she’s also very ill-prepared; packing her suitcase full of clothes rather than handy items. Johanna scolds her and hands her a small backpack full of everything she’ll actually need.

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Dawn may start her Pokémon journey knowing she wants to become a top coordinator, but she's still very inexperienced when it comes to everything else. However, Dawn is extremely interested and shows eagerness for catching Pokémon, she even fights with Ash over who gets to catch a wild Buneary. At first, Dawn can’t even throw a pokeball correctly. After some practice, she gets the hang of it and catches her second Pokémon, Buneary. Dawn also doesn’t “have a way with Pokémon” like some other characters in the series. She struggles to catch Pachirisu as it dodges her pokeballs and taunts her. With the help of Ash, Brock, and many others, Dawn quickly comes into her own and catches a wide variety of Pokémon throughout the Diamond and Pearl series.

Dawn, and other characters in the Pokémon series, never stop learning from each other. Dawn quickly learns she can't do everything by herself and must ask her friends for help. In Pokémon DP, Episode 94, "Pachirisu Has A Fever", perfectly exemplifies Dawn’s inexperience as a trainer. Pachirisu suffers from a build-up of electricity in its body. With no way to release the excess power, Pachirisu falls ill. To make matters worse, Ash and Dawn are left alone while Brock restocks their medicinal supply. Neither of them understands what’s wrong with Pachirisu, and they start blaming each other for the Pokémon’s ailment. When Brock returns, he says they’ve misdiagnosed the problem; they were trying to treat a simple fever when Pachirisu has a build-up of electricity within it's body.

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Dawn’s Confidence Plummets When She Loses The Hearthome Contest

Dawn from the Pokemon anime sits, dejected after losing the Hearthome contest. Piplup and Pachirisu are beside her.

Dawn doesn’t start out as a confident Pokémon trainer or coordinator. She doesn’t get along with her partner Pokémon, Piplup, at all when they first meet. Even after rescuing it and bringing it back to Professor Rowan’s lab in Sandgem Town, Dawn must learn a great Pokémon and trainer relationship lies in the bonds they create together. Dawn and Piplup’s relationship slowly grows throughout the series, rivaling Ash and Pikachu’s.

At the series' start, Dawn doesn't have the strongest confidence in her skills as a coordinator. Despite this, she makes it into the second round of her first contest in Jubilife City. For Dawn, this feels like a major accomplishment, and she rightfully prides herself on her and Piplup's success. Even after her loss against Zoey and her powerful Glameow, Dawn’s confidence isn’t shaken. After she wins during the Floraroma Contest, she’s practically on Cloud 9. With Dawn's confidence at full peak, things start to take a turn for the worst.

After Zoey teaches her how to use combination moves with her Pokémon, Dawn can’t seem to get it right. She works to perfect Buizel’s Ice Aqua Jet attack, but the move often breaks before Buizel can do anything. Realizing Buizel has minimal interest in contests, she and Ash make a trade - Buizel for Ambipom. Even with her team's new addition, Dawn's overconfidence clouds her vision, leaving her absolutely devastated when doesn't make it into the second round of the Hearthome City contest.

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This is where Dawn’s character really begins to shine. Dawn's losing streak begins after Hearthome, taking a toll on her confidence as a coordinator and as a Pokémon trainer. During the Solaceon Contest, she doesn’t make it to the second round. Zoey tells Dawn she likely didn’t make it to the second round because, although the display of Ambipom’s Swift attack was pretty to look at, it completely overshadowed Ambipom, literally hiding it from the audience’s view. Dawn is more than heartbroken over her second loss. Unsure of what to do next, she decides to take a break from contests and focuses on supporting Ash during his gym battles, loudly cheering him on during matches.

Dawn starts to regain her confidence after battling with the Veilstone Gym Leader, Maylene. Though she loses, Dawn starts training earnestly, working with her Pokémon to perfect combinations for the contest appeal and battle rounds. Finally, Dawn defeats May in the Wallace Cup and her confidence is fully restored.