Does anyone else dislike Rainbow Dash? If so, why?

[The Wife of Law 18,772]

This thread is not meant to furiously rip on the character.
I am just curious if anyone else dislikes her and what the reason(s) are.

I have disliked Rainbow Dash since the first episode of the series. In short, her arrogance is just too much for me to handle. Extremely stuck up characters leave such a bad taste in my mouth. I know that she got a bit better with her attitude throughout the series but she still acted quite conceited. Yes, she has the actions to back up her pompous claims but, in my opinion, that doesn’t give you the right to throw your ego around. This is why I am such a fan of the episode Newbie Dash. To see her get her knocked down a notch was so satisfying to me. She needed that.

[AppleButt 8,663]

I love Rainbow Dash. 
 

However, when I started the show I didn’t just dislike her, I hated her.  
 

I discovered the show right after having a fallout with a toxic friend who treated me like absolute garbage, and pushed me over the edge.    Among many awful things this friend was arrogant, and intentionally put others down including me. 
 

Rainbow Dash reminded me of her, so I hated her cause of that. 

I started to loosen up about her after the episode where she took Scootaloo under her wing.  It was then I decided that RD was nothing like that friend I had at all.  She may be arrogant, and it can be annoying,   but she’s still a very good pony despite it, to me. 
 

 

[ISpyOwnage 14]

HOW DARE YOU!!!!!??????

[JH24 377]

2 hours ago, AppleButt said:

I love Rainbow Dash. 
 

However, when I started the show I didn’t just dislike her, I hated her.  
 

I discovered the show right after having a fallout with a toxic friend who treated me like absolute garbage, and pushed me over the edge.    Among many awful things this friend was arrogant, and intentionally put others down including me. 
 

Rainbow Dash reminded me of her, so I hated her cause of that. 

I started to loosen up about her after the episode where she took Scootaloo under her wing.  It was then I decided that RD was nothing like that friend I had at all.  She may be arrogant, and it can be annoying,   but she’s still a very good pony despite it, to me. 
 

 

Your post hit me on so many levels. I'm so sorry you had to go through that with your toxic friend. I had something similar happen to me as well. I had a period where I desperately wanted to be friends with him, despite the way he treated me and others. Letting go hurt a lot and left a mark on me. It also impacted my view of Rainbow Dash (and similar characters in other shows) 

I really didn't like Rainbow Dash in the earlier seasons either, but just like with you my opinion started to change when the Scootaloo episode came around. 

With the series being over RD feels like one of the most developed characters in this show IMHO.

 

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by JH24

[Sepul-Coloratura 748]

For me, her first impression was kind of the opposite. She was my favorite pony when I first saw her in the show, then she became least favorite of the Mane Six.

I liked her because even for her flaws, she chose her friends over herself, she was far from those stereotypical lame 'girly' stuff that I was expecting which was a huge relief, she was adventurous and wanted to have fun, she cared about being awesome. She was cute.

But as time goes by, her strengths didn't get any stronger but vaguely diminished. Instead, her faults became more and more clear and we got more cases of her crossing the line, we got more episodes about her faults, and that was way more noticable.

Most importantly, what justified all her hotheaded, egocentric, blunt character was her loyalty to her friends. Her loyalty felt kinda vague as time went by.

And her charm went away when she said "awesome!" just for the sake of showing she's the awesome pony more often than actually being one.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Sepul-Coloratura

[TotallyNotNyx 15,549]

Her ego is very annoying at times lmao. She really needs to be told that no one cares if you think you are awesome. The awesome people are the ones who get told that they are awesome, not the people who call themselves awesome. 

 

Makes me so annoyed at her that it's like the only reason that I hate the AppleDash ship. Applejack would pair much better with someone who is not so full of themselves. 

[JH24 377]

40 minutes ago, Princess of Luck 🍀⚡🔥 said:

Her ego is very annoying at times lmao. She really needs to be told that no one cares if you think you are awesome. The awesome people are the ones who get told that they are awesome, not the people who call themselves awesome. 

 

Makes me so annoyed at her that it's like the only reason that I hate the AppleDash ship. Applejack would pair much better with someone who is not so full of themselves. 

Her parents are partly to blame for that though with her cheering her on since she was a filly. To RD's credit, she felt very uneasy about her parents doing that for every little thing and at least wanted to make sure she was deserving of their support by trying to be the best, which explains her competitive nature. 

For me personally Rainbow Dash and Applejack do work well together. Applejack is very down to earth and has shown she has no problems taking RD's ego down when needed.

Rainbow Dash can be full of herself, but she has also shown humility by admitting and apologizing for her mistakes, and that she has no problem acknowledging and supporting other ponies' skills and talents.

For example, RD did seem to get quite a bit of satisfaction from Scootaloo's fanclub, and acted selfishly when she was trying to pull Scootaloo away from the Washouts, but when she realized the internal struggle Scootaloo was going through she felt terrible and immedately changed her ways. 

Edited June 9, 2020 by JH24

[Lucky Bells 34,677]

Heh, I can't think of one thing about Rainbow Dash I don't like. She's been my favorite since day one, back then I looked up to her and wanted to be her more than anything. Now, she's just a really cute character I can relate to in a lot of ways. I will say though, if there was one thing about RD I dislike, it would be... *warning! Season 9 spoilers*......

Spoiler

....her new look in the season 9 finale.The typical swept back mane of any other Wonderbolt. I really wish they had done something cuter or more unique with her mane in the end. I just prefer her cute messy bangs style we had for over 8 seasons. 

 

 

[Sparkleberry 102]

She is high energy. Why would i dislike Rainbow Dash

 

[Stardust 639]

I love rainbow dash fav pony. But I admit personality wise she can be a little overly boasty which I do wish she was a little less off. I prefer the version of rainbow dash in the rainbow dash presents because she is super funny there or even pony.mov ahhahha. Ofc they are all just parody. Also I think she was more appealing in the beginning and later she kinda takes a back seat. Whereas for example fluttershy has a lot of character development that makes sense. And ofc twilight.

Edited June 9, 2020 by flurry

[Cl0udChaser 3,005]

I like Rainbow Dash but the problem was she was being cocky in early season until later it kind of worn off.

[Splashee 28,471]

7 hours ago, Bakugou is my Man said:

Yes, she has the actions to back up her pompous claims but, in my opinion, that doesn’t give you the right to throw your ego around. This is why I am such a fan of the episode Newbie Dash. To see her get her knocked down a notch was so satisfying to me. She needed that.

I share your opinion.

But to state it in my own way, Rainbow Dash personality of being arrogant and loud, is even worse than the 80s and 90s cartoons of characters being cool just because they are cool. Put those sunglasses on and be cool, is stupid by itself, but also screaming out loudly and being obnoxious won't make things better. And I really hope people don't turn into Rainbow Dash after growing up with the series, to think it is a cool way of being. That's maybe why I chose not to like her from the beginning. And also her voice is too obnoxious.

[Prince Doopliss 2,347]

*takes a deep breath* While I have hated on Rainbow Dash (and sometime after the series ended) in the past. I admit that she isn't as bad as I made her out to be. Granted she still my least favorite of the mane 6, but she isn't worth hating on to me anymore. Yeah she had her bad days, but nothing is perfect. I mean hen she has her moments like "Sleepless in Ponyvile" that make it hard to dislike her. Then again there is "The Crystal Empire" which came before "Sleepless in Ponyville" that shows how rude she can be. Sure Pinkie can be annoying, RD had no way to act like the way she did. Again I can understand why she as like that. Heck I didn't mind her too much in Season 1, okay she has her bad moments in Season 1, but I let those slide as Season 1 as an introduction to help establish Rainbow on who she was. It would be the seasons to follow to try and use her flaws less or at least write them well. But Season 2 did kind of gave a strong dislike for her at the time. But now it is just how Rainbow Dash and the writers just couldn't handled her properly. Honestly there was a time I thought Rainbow Dash  would have actually been better off as a minor antagonist rather than a main character. Now don't get me wrong, she still had times where she worked as a main character. It just it just hard for me to fully enjoy her as one.

[Cagey 4,124]

I like her, but she is very, very flawed, and the writers oftentimes took her flaws to an extreme. I’m not going to discuss them in detail, but I did once spend an entire lunch with some friends analyzing the negative aspects of her character arc. 

[Sparklefan1234 152,495]

I don't like Rainbow Dash because I am not a fan of  her "I'm awesome!" showoff attitude. 

[EpicEnergy 21,451]

Rainbow Dash is actually my favorite character in the entire show! I don't dislike her at all, I love her! 

[Dark Qiviut 21,613]

Not me. I enjoy ALL of the Mane Six, including Rainbow Dash. She has that balance of caring for others without talking down and supporting them, while also balanced by her ego and desire for company. There are times where I really dislike her episodes, but that fault belongs to WildBrain’s writers, not the character herself. When they get her right, it’s beautiful. HF, Sleepless, WA, TT123, Grannies Gone Wild, Washouts, Rainboom, and Common Ground all handle her really well.

2 hours ago, Prince Doopliss said:

Then again there is "The Crystal Empire" which came before "Sleepless in Ponyville" that shows how rude she can be.

If you’re referring to her jousting with Fluttershy, she’s completely justified to be that involved. With Sombra nearby, it’s up to her friends to distract them and not know he’s waiting to attack. FS needs to buck herself up and try to act tough enough herself so the audience doesn’t get bored.

2 hours ago, Splashee said:

Put those sunglasses on and be cool, is stupid by itself, but also screaming out loudly and being obnoxious won't make things better. 

Dash has every reason to be like this. When you got it, flaunt it. She knows she’s the best flyer in Equestria, fastest flyer in Equestria, and best asskicker in Equestria. She’s “awesome” in pure pony form. Why hide that fact when show it.  

9 hours ago, Bakugou is my Man said:

This is why I am such a fan of the episode Newbie Dash. To see her get her knocked down a notch was so satisfying to me. She needed that.

If I wanted to see an episode where the script checked Dash‘s ego checked while not trying to bully her, the last episode I would recommend is this atrocious torture porn. Washouts handled this cliché much, much better. Yes, her ego got in the way of making Scootaloo believe her, but Rainbow Dash also was rightfully worried when Scootaloo wanted to join the much more dangerous Washout club without truly grasping Dust’s manipulation; viewing it from her perspective and watching Confalone break it all down bit by bit really makes her sympathetic to the audience.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Dark Qiviut

[Prince Doopliss 2,347]

11 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

If you’re referring to her jousting with Fluttershy, she’s completely justified to be that involved. With Sombra nearby, it’s up to her friends to distract them and not know he’s waiting to attack. FS needs to buck herself up and try to act tough enough herself so the audience doesn’t get bored.

True, but RD has had a time trying to get Fluttershy out her shell without being too aggressive  or competitive towards her with "Hurricane Fluttershy". I mean if RD wanted to entertainwith jousting, then why not AJ? Oh wait, AJ had great interactions with Rarity, while RD got Pinkie and Fluttershy. I mean I have for the most part like RD's interactions with Fluttershy.

[Splashee 28,471]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Dash has every reason to be like this. When you got it, flaunt it. She knows she’s the best flyer in Equestria, fastest flyer in Equestria, and best asskicker in Equestria. She’s “awesome” in pure pony form. Why hide that fact when show it.  

The personal trait of having to brag about being the best because you are the best, makes you not as attractive in my opinion. Bragging is only required when you must show people you can do something because it is hard, or difficult, and you need to show you made it, possibly by learning the hard way. It is not hard for Rainbow Dash to do what she does (because she was born with the skills), and she doesn't need to put it in everyone's face.

[Dark Qiviut 21,613]

3 hours ago, Prince Doopliss said:

True, but RD has had a time trying to get Fluttershy out her shell without being too aggressive  or competitive towards her with "Hurricane Fluttershy".

Different scenarios. Hurricane Fluttershy was about being able to confront her phobia. Here, Dash’s job is to distract the Crystal Ponies long enough for Twilight to retrieve the real Heart. Secondly, when you put on that armor, grab a lance, and step into the field, you’re expected to take part in the jousting. Dash was completely in the right.

3 hours ago, Prince Doopliss said:

I mean if RD wanted to entertainwith jousting, then why not AJ?

AJ’s guarding the fake Heart and keeping folks away from the altar. FS was the only one available.

2 hours ago, Splashee said:

Bragging is only required when you must show people you can do something because it is hard, or difficult, and you need to show you made it, possibly by learning the hard way.

Honestly, I have to disagree. Dash has every right to brag, because she proved she can do things very well. Fly, clear skies, manage the weather. She’s proven to be the flyer and, thus, has the right to show it off. She’s rightfully proud of what she can do.

I believe it’s more about balancing when to brag and how not to have that hurt anyone. For example, in MDW, she had reason to brag, because her quick action saved lives. At the time, her friends’ response to her bragging was no different than a pitcher getting pissed off at the batter after he flipped his bat once he crushed a terrible pitch. Once she focused more on herself over saving others, her bragging became detrimental. However, the moral doesn’t work for three reasons: the RM5’s hypocrisy, the RM5 using possible tragedies to intentionally one-up their friend, and how it blankety states that bragging, period, is bad.

[Will Guide 21,234]

3 hours ago, Prince Doopliss said:

competitive towards her with "Hurricane Fluttershy". 

Rainbow Dash wasn't being competitive with Fluttershy in that episode; she actually was trying to be helpful to her.  She even restrained herself from being too harsh with Fluttershy and used calmer pleas. Even after being told that even without Fluttershy, the Pegasi would be able to lift tons of water up to Cloudsale and possibly beat a record, Rainbow Dash empathically said before commercial, "if only there was a way to live Fluttershy out of her funk."

Wouldn't you agree, @Dark Qiviut?

[JH24 377]

3 hours ago, Splashee said:

The personal trait of having to brag about being the best because you are the best, makes you not as attractive in my opinion. Bragging is only required when you must show people you can do something because it is hard, or difficult, and you need to show you made it, possibly by learning the hard way. It is not hard for Rainbow Dash to do what she does (because she was born with the skills), and she doesn't need to put it in everyone's face.

Rainbow Dash bragging and how she keeps saying she's awesome is a flaw, but it's also an extension of her parent's upbringing. They always kept saying how she was the best at everything and it became a part of her.

Personally I don't agree RD doesn't have to work hard for the things she does. Yes, she may be a talented flyer but she still had to work hard to get to the point she's today. She still needs to work hard to keep her body and wings in shape so she can continue to perform at peak levels. You don't become a great flyer without any training. 

Edited June 9, 2020 by JH24

[They call me Loyalty 1,846]

The constant bragging reminds me of my social anxiety. I hate her, but that is because I secretly admire her courage. And wish I could be at least a little bit like her, but alas, that is beyond the capabilities of a beta male, a dweeb, a low t. In other words, the average brony.

[Dark Qiviut 21,613]

36 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

Rainbow Dash wasn't being competitive with Fluttershy in that episode; she actually was trying to be helpful to her.  She even restrained herself from being too harsh with Fluttershy and used calmer pleas. Even after being told that even without Fluttershy, the Pegasi would be able to lift tons of water up to Cloudsale and possibly beat a record, Rainbow Dash empathically said before commercial, "if only there was a way to live Fluttershy out of her funk."

Wouldn't you agree, @Dark Qiviut?

P.S.: A teensy inaccuracy in your quote. It’s “out of the dumps,” not “out of her funk.”  

[Prince Doopliss 2,347]

1 hour ago, Will Guide said:

Rainbow Dash wasn't being competitive with Fluttershy in that episode;

You're right! I stupidly didn't check my post before or after I made it. So I did word it wrong and I hate making typos or not checking my wording . That I was doing other things and didn't think to edit it.

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Different scenarios.

Different scenerios, yes, but different still basically the same concept of RD making Fluttershy little less of doormat in some way. Also another scenario but somewhat the same concept. "Sonic Rainboom", RD at the time thinking Fluttershy would be the only one to join her in Cloudsdale, she wanted Fluttershy be loud and not the quiet nature that she is. Her wanting the motivation of Fluttershy making her do something she hadn't really done in years.

2 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Dash was completely in the right.

Nope, because again she was taking Fluttershy out of her comfort zone in a bit of rage without thinking. If AJ was out of the question she could have had have tried Pinkie considering she was annoyed Pinkie and the Fluglehorn situation. Or better yet tried to she if a crystal wanted to joust. Not only was she trying to bring Fluttershy to less of doormat, she was taking out frustration on her. Not just Pinkie, because she was struggling to find ways entertain the crystal ponies. while thinking out frustration is relatable, but I don't find it in the right.  Especially if it comes to hurting a soft spoken friend like Fluttershy.

It matter it just my opinion and yours. Let's not argue over it. I mean I may disagree and you may disagree. But if you like it fine. If you like RD, fine, but its just not going to change my opinion.