favorite characters then and now

[Unlikeable Pony 2,700]

So, here's the question. When you first started out watching this show, who was your favorite mane six, and then who is it NOW?

What caused you to change your mind, and what caused you initially to pick who you did but not the other? Was it a certain episode or characteristic?
Alternatively if everything has stayed the same, why did you stick with who you did?


Additionally, of the mane six who was your least favorite to start? And who is your least favorite now? have these characters rubbed you the wrong way or changed in any way?

[Mothra 776]

Fave was Rainbow dash, now is Fluttershy. She reminds me alot of myself, in being shy and anxious and such. She's also cute AF. Not a quality I have myself, sadly, but it makes me love her even more. Rainbow I just thought was really cool, now I see her as kinda arrogant. ok, REALLY arrogant.

 

Least fave was Twilight, never really liked the overly-smart character. Just leads to too many of these:

 

Twilight - "longscientificwordthatnobodywillunderstandbutsheexpextsthemto"

 

Everyone else - "Huh?"

 

Twilight - *Angry sigh* "Simple explanation"

 

Its a trope I hate, please dont kill me for it. My least fave now is AJ. There's nothing to her character than just "From the south" and "Apples"

Edited September 22, 2015 by Mothra

[Unlikeable Pony 2,700]

When I started out, I really disliked Rarity; the first time I saw her, I was like "This is it. This is the character I will hate". She came off, at first glance, to be that vapid fashion "Friend" who everyone hates and is a bitch but everyone still hangs out with, like how cordelia was in buffy. Basically, I was expecting Diamond tiara.

But DANG was I wrong. rarity has a real strength of conviction, is intelligent and friendly, and overall the opposite of her stereotype, and she's actually my second favorite pony now. Really love her.

 

 

My least favorite pony is now twilight; I really enjoyed her in Season 1 and Season 2, but since faust left, twilight's really gone downhill to the point that I actually despise her, not even just "disliking" but finding her toxic. Alot of her flaws were shaved off to make her grow to be worthy of being Celestia's equal, but in the process her likeable traits have generally dissapeared, and she has a tendency to ruin scenes by coming out of nowhere to give a preachy speech (why I loved Starlight's yell at her to STFU so much XD).
That being said, she's gotten better this season; Amending fences is the first episode in a LONG time that I've 100% loved with twilight, mostly due to her finally learning a lesson again instead of making others learn theirs.

For my first favorite pony, it was dash and it STILL is dash. She really jumped out to me, and she's grown on me due to episodes like wonderbolt academy and Hurricane fluttershy. I really think her leadership traits are a good addition to her that really round her out, and I'd like to see her focus on working on that more. Plus, her geeking out in the last episode was so adorable XD

 

 

Fave was Rainbow dash, now is Fluttershy. She reminds me alot of myself, in being shy and anxious and such. She's also cute AF. Not a quality I have myself, sadly, but it makes me love her even more. Rainbow I just thought was really cool, now I see her as kinda arrogant. ok, REALLY arrogant.

 

Least fave was Twilight, never really liked the overly-smart character. Just leads to too many of these:

 

Twilight - "longscientificwordthatnobodywillunderstandbutsheexpextsthemto"

 

Everyone else - "Huh?"

 

Twilight - *Angry sigh* "Simple explanation"

 

Its a trope I hate, please dont kill me for it. My least fave now is AJ. There's nothing to her character than just "From the south" and "Apples"

 

 

hah, no worries there, that's a common complaint XD

for what its worth, I find AJ better in the comics than the show.

[ThatOneComrade 1,092]

at first I was a big Pinkie fan. I still consider myself one, though she's no longer my #1. Twilight is. I don't know how it happened, but it did. I really like her. I disliked Fluttershy since day 1. I've warmed up to her a bit more since then, but I still consider her my least favorite.

[Odyssey 5,719]

My first favourite starting out is Fluttershy. I liked her cute design, I liked how she takes care of animals and most of all, I like her personality. While I still like Flutters, she is no longer my favourite. Rainbow Dash is now my favourite of the Mane 6.

 

Least favourite starting out is Applejack. While I do like how balanced she is, I just don't like characters with an exaggerated Western theme to them. In my eyes, that sort of stuff gets old really fast. She is still my least favourite of the Mane 6.

[Megas 28,092]

Rainbow was my favorite and still is my favorite. 

 

 

Loyal Rainbow Dash fan till the end 

 

 

 

On the other hand, Rarity used to be my least favorite. Of course it was mostly because I thought she would be another fashion girly girl stereotype and little did I know she'd end up being my second favorite in the future. Likewise, Fluttershy used to be my second favorite because she was so gosh-darn adorable, however as the show progressed that's all she has going for her nowadays. Don't hate her or anything, credit given where credit is due, she still has moments of greatness, but sometimes it's just kind of a pain in the ass seeing her being so crippling shy and scared all the time

Edited September 22, 2015 by Kamina

[Buck Testa 5,505]

If I had to pick a favorite it has always been and will always be Pinkie Pie, she's just far to interesting and layered not to be my favorite.

 

The others I've had ups and downs with, I absolutely abhor the idea of hating any of the mane six, but I've always had a hard time understanding Twilight on some things, and Flutters while I love the girl needs to Mare up more often. 

[PROJECT: Simon 3,955]

At first, it was Fluttershy~!       She was too Teemoing adorable~!! 

 

But as I saw Twilight's EQG form~ I fell in love with her~! <3 <3       I don't care about Flash Sentry -_- xDD   

[Unlikeable Pony 2,700]

Seems like it was a very common trait for people to dislike rarity on first glance. I wonder if this is why she tends to get so little promotion compared to the other mane six by comparison? her and AJ get little push from hasbro.

[Kivil 1,721]

My first favorite was Rainbow, but now I like Fancy Pants because he is so fancy~

[Melon Blitz 423]

At the start it was pretty clear which mane 6 I liked the most and in what order.

 

Favorite Mane 6 at the start

1] Applejack

2] Rainbow Dash

3] Twilight Sparkle

4] Fluttershy

5] Pinky Pie

6] Rarity

 

Favorite Mane 6 now

1] Fluttershy +3

2] Rainbow Dash +0

3] Rarity +3

3] Twilight Sparkle +0

3] Pinkie Pie +2

6] Applejack -5

 

Now, I like most of them pretty evenly, with Fluttershy slightly at the top and Applejack slightly at the bottom. Rarity is a lot more mature and less vain imo, especially with the newest episodes. Pinkie and Fluttershy's character have gotten a lot more depth, which is really nice as well. I'm 50-50 on Rainbow, she's getting more arrogant it seems, but I still like her. I don't hate Applejack, she just hasn't had a ton of screen time or development.

[Once In A Blue Moon 896]

At first, Twilight was definitely my favourite - I identified with her studious and slightly obsessive nature. I still do like her now (currently I am mid-season-4) but Wondebolt Academy (along with other developments, but mainly WA) pushed Rainbow Dash from 5th to 1st and Twilight down to 2nd (that and I don't really, and probably never will, identify with a princess.)

 

As for my least favourite, Applejack's accent has always annoyed me but her personality redeems her. Not so Rarity. I started out thinking that she was 

 

that vapid fashion "Friend"

. Now I think that she simply has utterly skew-whiff priorities and grating mannerisms despite being clever enough to know better (or at least, I think so.)

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Rainbow Dash was my first favorite right along side Twilight Sparkle when I first started. Now my favorite pony is Fluttershy.  

 

I really didn't have a least favorite to start out with but I guess Rarity intrigued me the least at the start but I mean even then I was perfectly fine with her.  Right now my least favorite of the Mane 6 is Twilight Sparkle. 

[Unlikeable Pony 2,700]

I'm actually surprised there's not more "currently dislike" votes for rainbow dash. I see alot of hate for her whenever I make my rounds around the internet.

[Captain Trek 32]

It might be, Unlikeable Pony, that those who hate Rainbow Dash are just particularly loud and thus seem more numerous than they actually are. But that's just a speculation.

As for me, there's no member of the Mane Six I dislike, but with a gun to my head I'd have to say it is and always was Pinkie Pie, just because I relate to her the least.

My favourite has always been a bit of a toss-up between Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but whilst RD had the edge for a while, AJ clinched it with her "being sisters is like apple pie" speech from Sisterhooves Social. Gotta love that homespun wisdom. Not that RD didn't make a serious attempt at a comeback with her action at the end of Wonderbolts Academy, but by then I was becoming heavily biased by a Skype friend of mine whose performances as Applejack stand out as some of the finest roleplaying I have ever seen.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Captain Trek

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

I'm actually surprised there's not more "currently dislike" votes for rainbow dash. I see alot of hate for her whenever I make my rounds around the internet.

Well it depends on what site you ask, the last big poll of a specific site I saw was /mlp/ a couple of months back almost a thousand votes for both "Least favorite" and "Favorite" Least Favorite was a very close race between Rarity and Rainbow Dash with Rarity getting like 2 more votes in the end, Favorite was Twilight by a significant margin and I believe Rarity made second with Rainbow ether third or fourth and Applejack last. If you did the same two polls on Ponychan I imagine you'd get a different result, just as I imagine would be the same case here.

 

As for myself, my initial favorite was Rainbow Dash, didn't have a least cause I wanted to give all the characters a real chance. Unfortunately for Dash season 2 happened and in almost every episode there she was ether unlikable or boring aside from like Hurricane Fluttershy which is one of her best appearances ever, I outright disliked her by the end of Season 2, Sleepless in Ponyville and Wonderbolts Academy pretty much saved the character for me but still the inconsistentcy of her focus episodes (generally I ether find Dash episodes ether really great or flat out horrible) So she's 5th now. Generally I think one thing they really should do with Dash is give her some episodes where she figures out she messed up herself, Rarity is another character who's flaws are focused on a lot but she usually doesn't need near as much help figuring out when she's messed up and it makes her come off better.

 

My Current favorite is far and away Rarity, Rarity is the show's most unique character and it's best executed, she subverts so many of the common negative fashionista tropes. Also easily the best track record with focus episodes and I know plenty of people who don't count her as their favorite agree with this, Simple Ways is pretty much the only kinda meh Rarity episode and even that one gets freaking hilarious in the last third. Rarity also has ambitions and logically progresses in achieving those as the series progresses. Also she's freaking hilarious.

 

unfortunately merely by virtue of being a fashionista I think a lot of fans judge her more harshly than any other character and she isn't quite as popular in the fandom at large as a character with so many things going for her probably should be.

 

Iv always been very fond of Applejack and she's pretty much perpetually my number 2 or 3 right now she's probably my second favorite even if her actual focus episodes tend to be consistently just average. She's great when interacting with just about anyone and is pretty much the perfect straight mare and I probably admire her the most out of the 6.

 

Twilight and Pinkie are basically interchangable for 3rd and Fourth, Twilight's gone downhill ever since they decided to almost stop giving her focus outside of Adventure episodes, where there's less room for characterization usually, which basically means she's kinda boring a lot of the time, she's never really been a character who could just get a few lines in but deliver them with such gusto that it's super memorable anyway, unlike Rarity or Pinkie. But when she does get focus like in Testing Testing or Amending Fences she's as great as she's ever been.

 

Pinkie in S4 was the opposite, she was freaking amazing whenever the spotlight was on her, and very annoying when it wasn't. This season that's not so true anymore I guess though so she might move up if that continues, but then if Twilight has more appearances like Amending Fences she might be the one to move up instead! 

 

Fluttershy is my current least favorite, I just kinda feel she's somewhat spent as a character at this point. Season 4 basically tried to patch over this with gimmicks and transformations but that just made me notice it more. The Shy archetype is just kind of a limited one. Still she knocks out great episodes on occasion regardless. 

Edited September 23, 2015 by M'gann M'orzz