Which character improved the most as the show went on?

[CastletonSnob 2,865]

Which character showed the most improvement in the later seasons, either in terms of character growth or episode quality?

Edited May 7, 2021 by CastletonSnob

[JMTV99 1,335]

I'll probably go with the CMCs.

[Megas 26,009]

The CMC, they started out as the boring, child characters but as time went on their episodes were usually among the strongest of the season

[CloudMistDragon 6,134]

Starlight Glimmer. She went from being "*Yawn* Another reformed villain..." to me to being a character I personally couldn't imagine the show without. 

[Tom Gallagher 33,408]

The CMC came a very long way throughout the series. 

[ExplosionMare 17,866]

I feel like Trixie improved a lot because she learned to start caring for other ponies rather than just herself

[Astral Soul 19,102]

I guess I'm also going with Trixie here. She grew a lot in the later seasons.

[Paleopony 685]

Twilight. Look at how she changed from an asocial shut-in who never cared about friends to the ruler of Equestria!

[Sasoriman 92]

On 2021-05-06 at 8:38 PM, Soundwave said:

The CMC, they started out as the boring, child characters but as time went on their episodes were usually among the strongest of the season

Oh, to me, their episodes were adorable from start to finish, even "One Bad Apple". 

Speaking of Apples, I'm going to say Applejack. Ignoring "Non-Compete Clause", she's another strong development, with the CMCs and Big Mac close behind, going from uber-competitive cowgirl to Team Mom while everyone made her the butt of "background pony" jokes.