Is Rainbow Dash a hated character?

[King 5,625]

RD Is misunderstood alot since people judge her by the fact that she is boastful...

Thats just how she is, everyone has their flaws but we need the ability to look past them to see someponies true self.

 

Rainbow Dash defended Fluttershy whenever she was picked on and pretty much became her best friend and sister..we're talking about a fast,awesome,tomboy pony..helping out a shy pony who people pick on...that doesnt happen often, so it goes to show how much Rainbow cares for her friend.

 

When Gilda began insulting everypony, Rainbow stood up for her friends and told Gilda to back off...

 

Rainbow almost gave up her position at the Wonderbolts academy when she realised her partner wasn't doing what a good leader should do...

 

Rainbow helped scootaloo and pretty much became a big sister to her...

 

Its moments like those that need to be looked at...

 

Im similar to RD in many ways, and its why I love her...

 

She is easily in tie for my #1 pony, next to Fluttershy

[Apocalyptic_Unicorn 240]

I don't think many people actually hate her as a whole. Sure, some people may dislike her, but I really think that it comes down to some of her traits. Her arrogance for one turns a bunch of people off.
I've never hated or disliked her, in fact, just recently she became my second favourite of the Mane 6. 
But, one thing that did put me off for a little bit was in 'Dragonshy', where she was constantly whining about Fluttershy. 

[Cocodrillo 1,565]

Well, she is. But she's loved even more - just implying the fact that the whole world can't hate her enough to destroy all the love she's getting from me.

And she's not worst pony at all.

Rainbow Dash is best pony.

[APonyToRemember 31]

Well, like any other pony she has her flaws and strengths. There's really no middle ground with such a fierce-competitive pony such as Rainbow Dash. With such an assertive personality comes the fast assumption that she is a lesbian but as Lauren Faust has stated: "Nowhere in the show is her sexual identity ever referenced or shown." Sure, the unexpected nip at the end of S2:E26 struck some controversy but that's honestly for you to judge. She actually is a tomboy; source, Wikipedia and MLP Wiki sorry to say she dislikes a lot of girly things and that's just who she is, no two-ways about it. As far as the Cutie Mark Chronicles go, not to throw gasoline on the fire but I believe that the reason why that particular episode is used as 'fuel' as you put it is because she played such a significant role in helping to bring all of the mane 6 together by performing her signature move, the Sonic Rainboom. With such a strong personality comes pride and boastful bragging which is what seems to turn some ponies away from her. In the end, I think everypony just has a different opinion about every character. There is no 'RIGHT' or 'WRONG' involved when expressing who you like and don't like as long as you do so respectfully. Personally, Rainbow Dash is my favorite character for various reasons with Twilight Sparkle trailing right behind her and Rarity is my least favorite of the mane 6 but she does play some important roles and can rise to the occasion when needed so she can be a great friend. She's just not my cup of tea but that doesn't mean I'm going to belittle or show arrogance to somepony just because she is their personal favorite. As for Cupcakes and My Little Dashie well... I'm on an iPod so *HUGE SPOILER FANFICTION ALERT!!* Cupcakes is a very morbid story which features a distasteful psychotic Pinkie Pie literally butchering Rainbow Dash slowly to her eventual death so of course that's going to garner some dislikes to the more sensitive Dashie fans. My Little Dashie has mixed reviews because of it's positive message of living every minute of your life to the fullest and cherishing what you have but the downside is that anything can be taken away from you at any given moment because life is unpredictable, even your very own daughter. There, I hope this helped you and I want all of you to remember why we all came here in the first place: Love and tolerance everypony! Nothing less, all to gain. Much to love <3

Edited March 24, 2013 by APonyToRemember

[Jessper 735]

I never quite got why you have to either unquestionably love or deeply hate everyone in Mane 6.

 

I definitely wouldn't say she's a hated character, but there sure is a whole lot of the "Hey, let's make a thread to smear RD for no reason!" / "Hey, look, another RD hating thread, let's defend!" stuff around. I guess distinct personality attracts that.

[DoctorWhovian1902 596]

I don't hate her, personally. She's not my favorite pony, but she's not my least favorite either (on my 1-6 scale of the Mane 6, she's a 4).

 

Also, I don't think people hate MLD because it includes Rainbow Dash, after reading through a review and some comments people have given, none of them ever said the story was bad because RD is in it.

 

I will give you that a lot of people point out her arrogant nature, however.

[Pokota 28]

I'm in an interesting position with regards to Rainbow Dash. On the one hand, her characterization is such that she's tough, fiercely loyal, and is confident enough in herself to boast her way through her own fears... most of the time. In short, if she were a person I would totally have a crush on her.

 

On the other hand, the main thing I dislike about her is that she's conceited and prone to big-headedness - I cite Mare Do Well, Hearth's Warming and Spike At Your Service as examples of this (though the last one is less her being big-headed and more the writers of the show taking digs at writers of any payscale who don't understand how effective storytelling really works). 

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

You know, Rainbow Dash is by far my favorite pony, and I do notice a bit of hatred toward her, but, then again, I notice a bit of hatred toward all of the Mane Six from time to time.

 

What I do find interesting about the reasons people cite for hating Dash, however, is that they usually say that she is boastful, big-headed, and egotistical, and can be a bit jerky toward her friends.

 

The reason I find this interesting is that that's one of the reasons why she ended up becoming my favorite pony; I like characters with a rough personality who are hard to impress, love to boast, but are also very loyal toward their friends. I dunno why, but that's one of the reasons why I loved (most of) The Mysterious Mare Do Well so much is that Rainbow Dash got her own fan club, loyal fans who cheered her every move, and she just was going around boasting, boasting, boasting and I just ate it up.

 

I guess some of the reasons people cite for not liking Dash are the reasons I like her. Or at least some of the reasons I like her.

[Ghost 173]

 I actually thought Rainbow Dash was one of the more loved characters.  Although she is boastful and has a big ego, she is also loyal to her friends and caring.  She can be a sweetheart too, as seen in Sleepless In Ponyville.  I can see where her personality gets her some hate though, and people seem to either like or dislike her.  I haven't seen many comments about her taking a neutral stance.

 

 I also don't think My Little Dashie is hated, but quite the opposite.  The people who don't like it from what I've read say they they don't understand what all the hype it about, but again, I don't think many hate it.  They just don't see why it gets so much attention when fanfics that may be better written get little exposure.

 

  I haven't read Cupcakes and don't plan to.  I've read comments briefly describing the basic idea of the story, and that was good enough.  Thinking about Dash getting cut up is depressing  .  From what I understand, people don't like it because it takes an innocent show and corrupts it.  Plus, I hear it isn't well written.    

Edited March 25, 2013 by Ghost

[Concord 1,980]

Hello!

 

Okay, Twilicorn gave us some really neat statistics and numbers that preety much awnser the question... Props for that!

 

Dash is nto a hated character. Most of the critical look on her comes from how much the Fans actually care for her. Personally, i believe that more people would recognise MLP if they were shown Rainbow Dash, rather than Twilight Sparkle. She is a loved character, and there's no other way to put it...

[Wingnut 6,733]

Rainbow Dash is my second favorite pony.  With that said, I am not blind to her faults.  What annoys me the most about her is her belief that she has to maintain this tough girl facade at all times.  This attitude causes her to be very abrasive.  It also almost prevented Scootaloo from asking her to be a sisterly friend in Sleepless in Ponyville.  "If I can't be as brave and tough as Rainbow Dash, she'll never want anything to do with me!"  This fear caused Scootaloo to experience nightmares and insomnia.  I just wanted to reach through the screen and hug her so bad.  Striking up a friendship with someone much older than you is tricky enough.  It's also sad that young boys often feel they have to be strong to catch the eye of an older guy they admire.  But women are supposed to be the kinder, gentler gender.  No girl should ever feel forced to act artificially strong to gain the attention of a female role model.

 

We know Rainbow Dash has a loving heart but I wish we got to see it a little more often.  The cartoon doesn't say exactly when or why Dash started to act strong and brash all the time.  It seems to be related to her superiority-inferiority complex in which someone uses excess bravado to hide their insecurities.  Sonic Rainboom gives the best example of this.  Rainbow Dash was deathly afraid of losing that competition.  We never saw the other pegasi flying, but someone must have been AWESOME to strike the fear of God into RD like that.  And, ironically, if it weren't for Rarity and three Wonderbolts falling, she would have lost. 

 

For all the character development Rainbow Dash has gotten, her need to look strong is one thing that has changed little.  And it's unfortunate because Applejack is a perfect example of how a young mare can be strong and nice at the same time.  You'd think this would start rubbing off on RD by now. 

 

And thanks to Twilicorn for posting those very useful popularity poll figures. 

Edited March 25, 2013 by Wingnut

[Dr. Frasier Crane 319]

I don't know, most people seem to love Dash, this is actually the first time I've seen hate on her.

I...Don't mind her. She does get on my nerves at times with her big-headedness, but she does have flaws.

[MK15 68]

Well guys, if I can say what I really think, I think that all the hate she has got after the third season is verun unjustified and stupid. Why? Because she acted like a jerk only once in the whole season (when she has powned Fluttershy in The Crystal Empire), in the rest of her moments she was ONLY appreciable as character: she made me laugh in Spike at your service, she was cute with Tank and Scootaloo and most of all in Wonderbolt Academy and Games Pony Play she has proved to be the element of loyalty better than before. So Rainbow Dash is a character with good and bad traits, like all the characters in this (or every) show. There are not excuses. 

[Clover Heart 978]

I think the term "tomboy" suits her quite well, and I don't think it's an unflattering term at all. It's just a term to define a certain type of girl who doesn't go by conventional female gender roles. Maybe some people take issue with that, but that's really their problem. I very proudly call myself a tomboy, and can't think of myself any other way.

 

Can you give a more in-depth example of your first and third points? I can't really understand what you're getting at.

In my personal experience, I don't think RD gets a lot of hate. Maybe that's just me, and I don't notice because she's not my favorite pony. Not that I don't like her or anything, she's just not #1 on my list. Mostly, I see people talking about how awesome Rainbow Dash is. In my opinion, I think she's one of the most well-liked ponies. In fact, she's currently number one of the mane 6 in our very own poll, having nearly a quarter of the votes.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Clover Heart

[Feather Gem 965]

1. What?  But everyone loves Rainbow Dash.  Shes one of the most loved ponies in the whole show!
2. Actually...she is a tomboy.  But that's not a bad thing.

3. I suppose if everyone had to pick a pony to be like that, they'd pick RD because of how she acts.  -shrug-

4. You serious?  But what in that episode could make anyone hate her xD

5. No.  No, no, no.  Everyone loves My Little Dashie.  Everyone.  And its a pretty silly thing to think that some of the fanfictions with her in it are hated xD

[Mightymags 1,053]

I think you're reading a little too much into some of those points. I think Rainbow Dash has a lot of fans, and think there are just fewer now than there was before. It seems as though many "bronies", in the beginning, were either Dash fans or Pinkie Pie fans but the fandom as well as the characters' personalities has developed since then. Once the "20% cooler" catch phrase lost its appeal and the other Mane 6 and background ponies characters developed I think the fans just moved away from Rainbow Dash. But even so there are still plenty of her fans still out there.

[Shanks 10,811]

We know Rainbow Dash has a loving heart but I wish we got to see it a little more often.  The cartoon doesn't say exactly when or why Dash started to act strong and brash all the time.  It seems to be related to her superiority-inferiority complex in which someone uses excess bravado to hide their insecurities.

That is exactly why I think that Scootalove becoming canon is one of the best things to happen in this show in quite a while. We got to see Rainbow Dash's softer side which we only got to see hints of before, it presents great opportunities for character development for both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo which could possibly lead to an episode or two going a bit further into her past. Maybe there was somepony Rainbow Dash had admired when she was a filly much like how Scootaloo admires her, it sure wouldn't surprise me.

[The_One_And_Only_Punk_Pony 25]

I don't know about you guys but Rainbow Dash is my favorite character next to Vinyl Scratch. People hate her arrogance but I adore it. It really fits her since she's an extremely fast flyer. Her competitiveness really gets me too. But I wouldn't doubt that she probably is the most hated. But she probably also has the most fans too

[Dr. Eggnog 203]

Rainbow Dash may well have more bronies calling her their favorite than any other character.  But ON AVERAGE, she might not be the most beloved, cause some people really don't like her.  She can be sortof a love it or hate it character.  She's the total opposite of me and not my style, but I think she often makes for great episodes.

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

Rainbow Dash is my favorite pony and I've seen many anti-Rainbow Dash threads around the internet, it disgusts me. It's bad enough people talk smack about Rarity (my second favorite) but Rainbow Dash too? I don't like Twilight that much, but I don't go on ranting about how she's such a nerd, egghead, etc.

[MSCC93 8]

Rainbow Dash is a disliked character, but she isn't the most hated.

 

I love Rainbow Dash, actually.To be honest, I do find her annoying when she does become too full of herself with her accomplishments..it was stated perfectly in the Mare Do Well episode "You can be proud of your accomplishments, but don't be too overconfident."

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

I don't know about you guys but Rainbow Dash is my favorite character next to Vinyl Scratch. People hate her arrogance but I adore it. It really fits her since she's an extremely fast flyer. Her competitiveness really gets me too. But I wouldn't doubt that she probably is the most hated. But she probably also has the most fans too

 

Yes. Just yes. Who wouldn't love an arrogant, cool, awesome pony who goes around bragging to everypony?!

 

*Takes a look around*

 

Uh... well...

 

I love that too. That's all that matters.

 

*Takes a puff on pipe*

 

Yes. Dashie is best egotistical braggart.

[Rari-Dash 5]

I love Rainbow Dash, and definitely don't understand the hate shown towards her (however, I don't think it's as extreme as you're making it out to be). She is a slight tomboy though, (which definitely isn't bad!) in my opinion.

[Silverstream 51]

Dash in a rank of of all the mane six in number

five in my book but its due to she is EVERY PLACE!

 

She is one of most used ponies when it comes

to image in any thing but when it comes

to the cannon,  no i  do not hate her but

she does show bout a lot but its one

of her  flaws also she does pay for

in some of the eps and learns a little

from it.  I just wish they would try

to use her in a new way in the

show.

[Twilight Yagami 16]

I don't know about that.  I have always thought that most of the hatred had been centered around Rarity.  Perhaps it depends on where you live or what forums you hang out on because as far a I have seen: Raibow Dash is generally favored among all else. My friends love her personallity and she is not the only pony whome I have seen shipped.  From my end RD isn't hated at all.