Now, originally this piece was me ranking ALL female characters from the Pokémon world. However, I spent an evening going through a list of every female Pokémon character there has been, and my tune quickly changed. There are endless amounts of iconic female characters in the Pokémon universe. I decided to lower the list of who I feel are the best down to a top five.
I will be ranking them based on a variety of elements. These elements will be the likes of their characterisation and the situations around them. I suppose there is no better way to begin than to just jump right in. Here is my ranking for the top five Pokégirls.
5 — Serena (Kalos)
Yes, Serena is on this list for all the reasons you’d expect. Serena was a side-character in Pokémon X, Y, and Z. She followed Ash and his gang as they adventured throughout the Kalos region. However, the reason Serena is low on this list is mainly because as her own character, she doesn’t offer much. Serena’s main lasting impression came in the form of the impact she had on the other characters. Serena was the only female character written to have a romantic arc in the Pokémon series. The fact that her romance was pointed towards the series protagonist definitely helped in terms of her popularity.
(Image Source: Anthony Guardia)
4 — Jessie
Ask any seasoned connoisseur of Pokémon would tell you Jessie is top five when it comes to female characters, easily. Jessie was one of the first female characters in the Pokémon anime, and she is still, to this day, the only female character to appear multiple times in every series of the anime too. As well as this, she has appeared in almost every Pokémon movie and being animated in 3D CGI over the recent Summer in the remake of Mewtwo Strikes Back.
(Image Source: @GameCorp_Meyk)
Jessie is nothing short of what Twitter would label a “slaying queen.” She has had countless iconic looks, character redesigns, scenes, and memorable lines. Jessie may be bad, but she is bad in both senses of the word. The woman is a complete icon.
3 — Dawn
This is wholeheartedly a biased admission on my part. There is probably nothing that highlights Dawn for people that do not have their nostalgia goggles on, but mine cannot be removed. I think Dawn’s design if brilliant, and her inclusion in the Diamond & Pearl anime (The best series of the anime, please watch it). She is also in the best Pokémon games, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. So, Dawn has a lot of favourable and reputable games and series that have been beneficial to her praise as a character just purely as a byproduct of being included in these series.
Dawn herself has some pretty neat character features in terms of the unique ability to communicate with certain Pokémon. This is shown through her communication with one of the Lake Guardians, Mesprit. In terms of Pokemon Dawn has a relationship with, her Piplup is an icon. Piplup is just amazing in the Diamond and Pearl anime, and dare I say, cute.
Dawn is also one of the only female characters to actually come up against another main female character in a contest and win. This was shown when Dawn faced May in the Wallace Cup and won, further solidifying her place in the line of female Pokemon gods in my eyes. In terms of female rivalries, Dawn uniquely has one with a previous addition to this list, too, with her also challenging Jessie in terms of fashion and style on multiple occasions. Dawn clearly has a competitive streak, although I mainly adore her due to my nostalgia for Diamond and Pearl.
(Image Source: Bulbapedia)
2 — Cynthia
I realize I am stepping in murky water by not ranking Cynthia at number one. I mean, all I’m about to mention will make you question why she isn’t at number one.
Cynthia comes in at number two. Cynthia has a consistent appearance in the games, which is uncommon for female characters in Pokémon. She appears in Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, Black & White and Black 2 & White 2. Cynthia was the first female Champion in the Pokémon games. On top of that, she is frequently regarded as the hardest Champion faced in a Pokémon game. Her battle is thought of so highly in terms of difficulty, mainly due to her ace Pokémon, Garchomp. Garchomp’s Dragon Rush has left children over the last 15 years in tears as they get swept in the final battle by it. The most iconic feature for me when it comes to Cynthia is her Battle Theme.
I have faced Cynthia hundreds of times over the years. Still, to this day, that piano fading in screams that the player is about to be swept. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Adrenaline begins to pulse through you. It truly is the greatest battle theme to ever grace the Pokémon series. Cynthia’s design is also top tier, with her mysterious but classy look that makes her seem like the boss of whatever scenario she finds herself in. However, she falls just short of first place in my eyes.
(Image Source: BroGamerChannel)
1 — Lillie
Before I explain my reasoning, I should clarify. I am not exactly sure what the public consensus on Lillie is. So, if she is loved, then brilliant. If she is hated, then just understand that this is my own opinion. I think Lillie has more to her, so I’ll be segmenting my opinions regarding her.
Lillie’s Back-story
(Image source: https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/847380486110429254/)
Lillie has a genuinely touching back-story and arc that she takes through when her family falls apart. Her love and closeness she had with her mother before her mother’s obsession with the Aether Foundation is saddening to witness. Watching Lillie’s mother, who had so much adoration for her daughter only to have so much misguided disdain for her down the line, is a genuinely troubling arch for a Pokemon character. You rarely see a Pokémon character with this level of trouble within their personal life. Thus, Lillie’s back-story and present situation she finds herself in was the most unique of all the female Pokemon characters.
Her Affect On the Player In Sun & Moon
In the games, she does something that no Pokémon character has done to players before. She creates a genuine connection with the player rather than being just some robot who spews a never ending train of positivity. At the end of the story in Sun & Moon, Lillie leaves. A genuine sadness can be felt amongst players and characters, knowing she is gone from the game from that point on. No other character, let alone female characters have ever had this forever lasting impact on the player.
Her Character Design
On top of all of this, her character design is stellar. She just looks and dresses very unique. Regardless of what official sources say, her massive hat to this day is STILL a representation of Nihilego in my eyes goddammit, regardless of what official sources say. Furthermore, with Lillie’s unique design in Sun and Moon, Lillie is one of the characters whose style and animation gets played with by the animators in the most distinctive ways possible.
(Image Source: AnimeClick)
In Conclusion
There you have it folks, the top five PokeGirls, in my opinion. Remember, this is a list of the top five characters. This means that even the bottom of the list is still a good character. Where would you rank these five? Feel free to let us know why. If you want to read more Pokemon related pieces from us at Culture of Gaming, check out our review of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX or our piece on the debut of the Twilight Wings anime series
