Has anyone ever wondered why mane 6 and not 7?

[ManaMinori 4,144]

Rainbows have 7 colors, and that's the show's stchich with the purifying rainbows, Rainbow Dash being the one who gave them all their cutie marks, rainbows darling, rainbows!

While I personally consider Spike to be part of the mane 7th (being a pony at heart for him totally counts), most don't.

 

So if rainbows are supposed to have 7 colors (EQG did this right), why are there only 6 manes in FiM? Should there be a 7th? (Not Starlight Gutter)

[Fl1cker 107]

There are 6 elements of Harmony, each of them contributes to the magic of friendship. There is one character per element. So we got the mane 6. You're overthinking it imo.

[Classic Play 232]

Well, as things are going with Starlight Glimmer, she may just become the mane 7th, whether anybody likes it or not. It's just how they are continually building her character in each episode that revolves around her. I questioned her status immediately once season 6 started up and it seems others agree that Starlight may indeed become the mane 7th.

[Marimo 555]

Rainbows are sometimes considered by others to have six colors, not seven. While some people count indigo, others just see it as where blue and violet meet. It's not like there's a stripe for between green and blue or yellow and green. Plus that way the rainbow is made up of the three primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and three secondary colors (orange, violet, green).

 

Not to mention, Rainbow Dash only has six colors in her mane and tail.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Marimo

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Rainbows are sometimes considered by others to have six colors, not seven. While some people count indigo, others just see it as where blue and violet meet. It's not like there's a stripe for between green and blue or yellow and green. Plus that way the rainbow is made up of the three primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and three secondary colors (orange, violet, green).

 

Not to mention, Rainbow Dash only has six colors in her mane and tail.

Yes, but her body is a different shade of blue from the blue in her tail, so she's still 7 colors

 

 

Rainbows have 7 colors, and that's the show's stchich with the purifying rainbows, Rainbow Dash being the one who gave them all their cutie marks, rainbows darling, rainbows!

While I personally consider Spike to be part of the mane 7th (being a pony at heart for him totally counts), most don't.

 

So if rainbows are supposed to have 7 colors (EQG did this right), why are there only 6 manes in FiM? Should there be a 7th? (Not Starlight Gutter)

Because they only had 6 characters for the group dynamic when the show was made.

 

Faust had 6 characters in mind, and that was the important part; not symbolism, but who the characters WERE. They didn't start out and go "We need to make seven characters to symbolically symbolize a rainbow" because the EOH honestly were completely ancilliary to the show at first.

 

Look at season 1: After the pilot the EOH were basically forgotten about; the rainbow things wasn't important, it was about who they were and the slice of life aspect. Hell, remember all the "applejack and Dash's elements should be swapped" arguments from 2011? XD

[Justin_Case001 4,858]

I have to agree with Unlikeable Pony.  It's not about the symbolism.  The group dynamic worked perfectly with six.  I think seven would have been too many to start with as well.  Too many to balance screen time with, especially when they wanted to add more side characters later on.

[Concerned Bystander 2,901]

Twilight's cutie mark wouldn't look right with six little stars around the big one, too symmetrical.

[Jeric 46,836]

It's how Lauren Faust wrote it down in her bible that she submitted to Hasbro. She answers questions on Twitter, and this may be a good one. If you seek to refine the question by determining why they kept it, just ask Big Jim or MM.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

And here I thought it was just so they could have two of each species of ponies.

[Classic Play 232]

And here I thought it was just so they could have two of each species of ponies.

Not anymore, with Twilight being an alicorn and all, lol. That theme got thrown out the window right quick. But, perhaps that's why Starlight is there, to balance things out, lol.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,368]

I think starting out with 6 made the dynamic easier, early on. An even number probably just worked a lot better with the overall theme, and writing. now though, it seems them branching out it a definite possibility with Starlight, provided her character actually gets enough love for this.

[Thrond 3,257]

Less unruly and more even, probably. And maybe Faust didn't think of the connection to rainbows. Besides, the mane six aren't rainbow colours, so the link ain't quite there. Still, you have an interesting point there - it'd be neat if the main characters fit that motif.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Twilight's cutie mark wouldn't look right with six little stars around the big one, too symmetrical.

That's what her Equestria girls cutie mark symbol is though, and it doesn't look weird

[Prospekt 10,984]

I think six is a perfect number. Not too much where the number of central characters starts to get overwhelming, but not so little that you can't explore the dynamics of different central pairs in different episodes. Of course that doesn't count Spike, Starlight, and the CMC, but they just don't get quite the same attention. Also, we don't need any more than six elements of harmony. I think if there were seven, kids would start to lose track.

 

It's just what Lauren Faust thought was best all those years ago when she first created the characters.

 

 

While I personally consider Spike to be part of the mane 7th (being a pony at heart for him totally counts), most don't.

 

Well Twilight did pick Spike as the interim bearer of the element of loyalty when Rainbow Dash was corrupted by Discord, so your idea is almost canon. In all seriousness though, Spike is indeed a pony with the body of a dragon. I just don't consider him part of the "Mane 7" because he has never quite gotten the same attention and recognition as the others.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

 

  In all seriousness though, Spike is indeed a pony with the body of a dragon. I just don't consider him part of the "Mane 7" because he has never quite gotten the same attention and recognition as the others.

Or an element of harmony

[cmarston1 5,952]

Because 7 main characters for a show is a bit too crowded and would be hard for all of them to get focus and development.

[Foxy Socks 2,596]

Six is an even number, which is easier for pairing. It is also a decent number, without being crowded like having a mane 8, mane 10, mane 16, mane 24, mane 64 or mane 128.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Namae

[Victoria Sponge 1,014]

Newton invented indigo for occult reasons, believing 7 colours needed to come together to form white light. In reality there are only 6 colours in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

[Choros Isorropai 409]

i wonder(bolt)... what if, because of twilights "crowning" and now being the "princess of frendship" could she hand off the mantle of "element of magic" to starlight? not saying they add to the "mane 6", but as princess twilights status has changed (alicorn) could that imply that she can pass on the element?...

[Sunny Fox 5,935]

Newton invented indigo for occult reasons, believing 7 colours needed to come together to form white light. In reality there are only 6 colours in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

This. Indigo is just another shade of blue.

 

Another reason is that Faust apparently (I don't have a source) based the Mane Six on different ways of being feminine, not on the colours of the rainbow.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

Six is a better number than seven.  Also, seven is a sick, cannibalistic bastard.

 

 

 

rainbows darling, rainbows!

Edited August 17, 2016 by Ziggy and Angelbaby

[Choros Isorropai 409]

Six is a better number than seven.  Also, seven is a sick, cannibalistic bastard.

 

 

 

 

I just have to say... that sounded like rarity, in speech... even though it was just "darling(s)"

I'm not sure if I will ever get into the other gens... FIM is good enough for me... for now...

[Tarnation 142]

There are only six elements of harmony, so mane six