Dawn is the third leading lady introduced to viewers in Diamond & Pearl, and her presence essentially revolutionized the Pokemon franchise into what it is today. Many of Ash's female companions have shunned traditionally 'feminine' characteristics typically attributed to women in anime, but Dawn distinctively breaks the mold set up by Misty and May to give the female roles a new lease on life.
The early female companions in Pokemon are generally depicted as boisterous and hardy, which is not an issue in itself, if there were other variations of female representation available, that is. The inclusion of May's strong storyline and the introduction of Pokemon Contests was a hit among fans, but when Dawn took over to glam things up further, she opened up a whole new world of opportunities. Pokemon Performances may not be what they are today if Dawn hadn't made such a considerable impression.
A Mist Opportunity
While Misty is the first girl to share the Pokemon spotlight with Ash and accompanies him from the very beginning of his adventures, her character was handled like more of a sidekick than a deuteragonist. She has a connection to the Cerulean Gym, a fondness for Water Pokemon (and possibly Ash too), and a rather boisterous approach to life, and that is about as deep as her character gets. Misty's dress sense is nothing to criticize, but her overall personality is generally quite harsh and abrasive, and she often resorts to physical "violence" (pulling the boys around by their ears) to resolve certain issues.
Misty does not get much attention once she parts ways with Ash after "Gotta Catch Ya Later", and went a full 12 years without reappearing on the show (excluding flashbacks.) She can therefore be categorized alongside he-who-shall-not-be-named...(Tracey), as it seems that the creative team may have seen the error of their ways, and wish for Misty to become a long-forgotten memory.
Come What May
May is the first of Ash's female companions to make it into the Pokemon Game Boy games, as the developers clearly realized that the girls wanted some representation too. She also introduces fans to the concept of Pokemon Contests and how to emphasize the beauty of these magnificent creatures, while also still proving to be a formidable force on the battlefield. The Ruby & Sapphire starlet has a firmer set of goals than Misty (becoming a reputable Pokemon Coordinator), but her overall style is still lacking in that certain femininity that some viewers desperately craved.
While May spent much of her energy emphasizing her Pokemon's aesthetic qualities, she makes a minimal effort in altering her own appearance to tie in better with the performance aspect of the Contest. While a Pokemon Coordinator typically works behind the scenes, a little wardrobe change to honor the occasion would have been nice. Much like with Misty, clothing choice is not the problem here, but the writers cannot simply deny the fact that "girly girl" admirers do exist, who like frills, glitter, and sparkles, and that they do indeed watch Pokemon.
Darkest Before Dawn
While Dawn's character essentially builds upon the shell that the magnificent May left behind, she does make some distinctive changes to the apparent aversion to femininity that was begging to take root. While her general appearance is far from elaborate, Dawn becomes the first of Ash's female companions to don a dress, finally. This development is emphasized in "Decisive Match! Dawn VS May!!" when May makes a grand entrance to face her friendly rival and is uncharacteristically all dolled up for the event too.
Dawn brings a signature flair to the table that exudes some transformative Magic Girl vibes (with outfits that are also way more fun to cosplay). This feisty new addition to the Pokemon crew gets a significant amount of screentime, arguably more than most of the other ladies, solidifying this feminine-friendly personality into viewers' minds.
Dawn is a well-rounded character with a large variety of adorable Pokemon and a substantial list of rivals who went through a respectable amount of character development in her journey to becoming a Pokemon Coordinator. Even though initially she is not the most confident person around, and has had troublesome relationships with her Pokemon team, Dawn continues to put herself out there and becomes a true role model, both on and off-screen.
The beloved Dawn was chosen to feature in a new addition to the Pokemon franchise, as a main character alongside Ash, Brock, and Goh in the Arceus Chronicles. While this mini-series does uproot an old Diamond & Pearl storyline, Dawn could have easily been added as a cameo while the boys stole the show (following the Pokemon Journey's trend with Chloe); and yet she is center stage. One could argue that the only other co-star who has received as much attention as Dawn in the 25 years that Pokemon has been on the air, is the recent addition, Goh. Ironically, Goh's fanbase is quite volatile for several reasons, essentially making Dawn the undefeated champion.
Pokemon Is Not Shonen
After mismanaging the female representatives in Pokemon for so many years, it is hard to deny that the intended target audience appears to be male (at least, initially speaking.) Ash's female companions regularly eschewed traditional feminine characteristics in the anime, not to mention the fact that the Game Boy narrative had no female option until Kris was introduced in 2000; that's four years after the first Pokemon game was released. Pokemon is one of those anime series that is intended to improve the sales of toys and games, and the creative team evidently did not consider the fact that girls may also want to get involved in this global phenomenon.
The fan-favorite Serena reaffirms the audience's desire for stylish young women to adorn their screens, as she is arguably one of the top candidates for Pokemon's Best Girl among the community. Not only is she considered by many to be Ash's ideal partner, but another adequately fleshed-out independent role model to boot. However, it's Pokemon Sun & Moon that finally tips the scales by adding three leading ladies to the cast with Lana, Lillie, and Mallow; a monumentus occasion for girl power indeed.
Pokemon: The Arceus Chronicles is due to air on Netflix on 23 September 2022