You think Rainbow Dash is underpowered in her universe

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I know characters need limits. But what really bothers me is that Rainbow aside from Twilight is a warrior if you think hard about it. In canon she never uses her speed to save her ass. It seems she spends most of her time showing off. In comparison to Sonic the Hedgehog, he is very cocky and is a show off. But sonic can take on Eggman's fleet of robots by himself, has beat Metal Sonic. Sonic was only powerless and weakened in Sonic Unleashed where Eggman get's the better of him in the beginning. I mean if Rainbow was actually trying she could take on the changeling army by herself without help. Might be able to defeat Discord on her own. Rainbow has never had a legit hero moment in the series aside from saving Rarity. The only hero role was given to Spike when he pretty much stopped Sombra. I hope in season 4 we see Rainbow hone her skills and use them for more heroic feats 

 

Also....NO ONE PUTS RAINBOW IN A CGAE 

 

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

Rainbow Dash is not underpowered at all. She's been shown to be able to break the sound barrier with the Sonic Rainboom, make miniature rainbows, destroy an entire barn with a rainbow explosion, kick the wood clean out of trees, clear the sky in ten seconds flat, control weather like an expert, make miniature tornadoes, become a hero and save people, and be awesome as she can be, which is very awesome. Heck, I'm probably leaving some stuff off of that list, that's just off the top of my head. She's even a freaking black belt in karate!

 

It's just that when it comes to the villains, they don't want any one Mane Six outshine the others, so they may downplay her powers to an extent. During the Changeling fight, she was shown to be a competent warrior, so I think it's just that they don't want her jumping in kicking too much butt.

 

Ain't that right, Dashie?

 

 

 

I rest my case.

[~Sole~ 852]

I agree with you completely. There is even a moment in the great dragon migration when she tackles a dragon one minute, then runs scare the next. I think hasbro is trying to hide this fact by having her speed and athletic abilities disappear in the stupidest situations. Added by the fact it would take a huge chunk out of the actual threat an enemy is, they'd have to be resorting to actual fightng to beat her. I think in the next season she should pull a sonic and save everypony with her epic speed.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

Actually, let me make my original post a little clearer by simplifying it to this: Rainbow Dash is not underpowered, it's just that when her powers could be used to destroy a villain or fight off some minions, she doesn't seem to make use of them. I understand why they do that to an extent, as Rainbow suddenly busting out all of her powers would put her above the abilities of the other Mane Six when comes to fighting villains, and the writers don't want her to hog the spotlight when it's a team effort...

 

But we all know the real reason, once again, is that, she doesn't want to make everypony else feel bad because she's so awesome.

[~Sole~ 852]

I know what you meant, but I think its less her not wanting to be a glory hog, and more a simple case of plot device. Her speed and fighting skill should have put her on par with most sonic characters, but like you said, she never seems to actually use them in a fight, instead she wastes her talent trying to join a group of fliers she is already faster then. It actually sort of ticks me off, she deserves more attention to detail on her abilities when it comes to fighting, but I digress. It is meant for young children so I guess that could be a reason.

[Nohbdy 4,108]

I know characters need limits. But what really bothers me is that Rainbow aside from Twilight is a warrior if you think hard about it. In canon she never uses her speed to save her ass. It seems she spends most of her time showing off. In comparison to Sonic the Hedgehog, he is very cocky and is a show off. But sonic can take on Eggman's fleet of robots by himself, has beat Metal Sonic. Sonic was only powerless and weakened in Sonic Unleashed where Eggman get's the better of him in the beginning. I mean if Rainbow was actually trying she could take on the changeling army by herself without help. Might be able to defeat Discord on her own. Rainbow has never had a legit hero moment in the series aside from saving Rarity. The only hero role was given to Spike when he pretty much stopped Sombra. I hope in season 4 we see Rainbow hone her skills and use them for more heroic feats 

 

Also....NO ONE PUTS RAINBOW IN A CGAE 

 

 

Actually, Rainbow Dash has had some pretty heroic moments. Her sonic rainboom gave the Mane Six their cutie marks. She kicked a dragon in the face. She showed up Gilda. She nuked a barn. She rescued a kid from a well, stopped a baby from falling off a cliff, and saved a bunch of old people. She, along with Fluttershy, saved Spike and Rarity. Helped fight a Changeling invasion. Etcetera, etcetera.

 

As awesome as it sounds, however, letting Rainbow Dash do everything by herself is contrary to the theme of the show. If she did defeat Discord or the Changelings alone (and it's doubtful that she can, considering that it literally took the powers of friendship and love, respectively to defeat each of them), the message would be cheapened considerably. The show is not one that focuses on individual feats. It has plenty of emphasis on personal talents and characteristics, but it has always been about the group overcoming adversity together. 

 

Also, I don't see how Sonic being able to do certain things means that Rainbow Dash also has to do the same. 

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I know what you meant, but I think its less her not wanting to be a glory hog, and more a simple case of plot device. Her speed and fighting skill should have put her on par with most sonic characters, but like you said, she never seems to actually use them in a fight, instead she wastes her talent trying to join a group of fliers she is already faster then. It actually sort of ticks me off, she deserves more attention to detail on her abilities when it comes to fighting, but I digress. It is meant for young children so I guess that could be a reason.

I agree. However Sonic was for little kids too. My first game growing up was Sonic 2 and I felt like a hero for playing it. I kinda want RD to be like Sonic. Not all the way. But it's obvious Rainbow is capable. Hell even the Flash from DCAU has his moments and he is the comic relief character. Flash is the fastest fictional character ever created. He is so fast he's omnipresent(can be anywhere anytime)

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I kinda agree. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just view the MLP characters like saturday morning cartoon heroines. So I take their abilities into account with how it affects the story

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

Guys, come on, please get along. Let's not have a fight on a topic that doesn't need one at all.

 

Regardless, yes, the subject of the show isn't necessarily about fighting, but there is a lot of episodes in the show that shows that fighting using the power of Rainbow Dash's awesomeness friendship is necessary to vanquish some foes, so I wouldn't say fighting isn't the focus of the show either.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

Well first thing's first, Rainbow Dash is not Sonic the Hedgehog. The thing about Sonic, and I know he is a well-loved game character and I like him myself, but he is literally an infallible hero. He is almost always right in any given situation and he very rarely makes any mistakes that he actually has to learn from. Rainbow Dash is actually a character with flaws, who makes mistakes, isn't perfect, and while she is heroic, she's not always going to be reliable when it comes to saving the day. When Sonic decides to get reckless, he saves the day with a sarcastic smirk and everyone loves him. When Rainbow gets reckless, it's usually her downfall, which is far more believable. To put it bluntly, Sonic is a Gary Stu compared to Rainbow Dash, so they're not a fair comparison. They're two different series' which have very different approaches with their characters. *Cue hatred from Sonic fans*

 

That said, Rainbow has never been underpowered. I think this is a case of the fans thinking she's this macho superhero who will always pull through for her friends, when in reality, she's not perfect, and probably isn't any more powerful than her friends, all factors considered. She just possesses a stronger and more heroic disposition. She could probably use her speed in dire situations more than she does, but she has to stick with her friends at all times. I don't know if she could really dominate all of those changelings anyway. She is awesome, but she's just one pony.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Sugar Cube

[Circadian 1,273]

She's not exactly a superhero; she's a pony. Just because she can fly super fast doesnt mean she won't crumple like a toothpick if she tries to hit something.

 

The barn nuke was gag anyway.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

She's not exactly a superhero; she's a pony. Just because she can fly super fast doesnt mean she won't crumple like a toothpick if she tries to hit something.

 

The barn nuke was gag anyway.

 

Eh, I don't like that argument, because by that logic, we can just say that all of Pinkie's random moments that people count as part of her reality breaking abilities are just gags too. I think the Rainbow Nuke is something she can legitly do, mostly because it was shown on the show and was freaking awesome.

 

Besides, we're talking about a pony who can literally break the sound barrier with her speed, I wouldn't put nuking barns out of the question for her, just as I wouldn't put Twilight literally lifting a bear one hundred times her size with just her magic past Twilight either.

[Jammo 986]

She is a living nuke as seen in Lesson Zero.

She's not underpowered if she can easily make explosions like that.

Heck if the changelings didn't fill the airspace in Canterlot and she had free reign to fly she could have blown most of the swarm to kingdom come.

[RWB 229]

That said, Rainbow has never been underpowered. I think this is a case of the fans thinking she's this macho superhero who will always pull through for her friends, when in reality, she's not perfect, and probably isn't any more powerful than her friends, all factors considered. She just possesses a stronger and more heroic disposition. She could probably use her speed in dire situations more than she does, but she has to stick with her friends at all times. I don't know if she could really dominate all of those changelings anyway. She is awesome, but she's just one pony.

 

RD is way above FS, Rarity and AJ. Her wings have already been proven to give her superior physical strength to AJ(which is her only "power"). She's far faster than any of the others(except Pinkie), and consistently the most durable. She's also a trained fighter(a blackbelt), if we are to believe Call of the Cutie.

 

She's not beating out Pinkie, because lol toonforce. Neither is she beating Twilight, who started the series at borderline god level.

 

But to argue that all the members are equal in combat capacity? No. When not hampered by stupid plot devices, PP, RD and TS make the other three seem nearly unnecessary for anything that isn't the Friendship Rainbow Laser of Doom.

 

FS? Let's hope there is some monster she can help, because she's laughable when she has no Stare.

AJ? She's toned down RD: If in a fight, she can handle about the same as RD would given the same speed... except, you know, the fact that RD can handle about a Dozen in that time due to her speed.

Rarity: She's the weaker version of Twilight. If Twilight is likened to a battleship, Rarity is a small sailboat with the sailor holding a cork pistol.

Edited May 11, 2013 by RWB

[~Sole~ 852]

Sorry for the argument everyone, i kinda got a little carried away. But I guess I learned my lesson... back on topic! If we compare her racing and freestyle skill at flying to her actual fighting ability, its sorely lacking in my opinion. I know she isn't sonic, but she does have her moments when she is a hero. I just wish she could actually use her skills to fight, it would be pretty cool.

[cadillacxrinzler 5]

Actually, let me make my original post a little clearer by simplifying it to this: Rainbow Dash is not underpowered, it's just that when her powers could be used to destroy a villain or fight off some minions, she doesn't seem to make use of them. I understand why they do that to an extent, as Rainbow suddenly busting out all of her powers would put her above the abilities of the other Mane Six when comes to fighting villains, and the writers don't want her to hog the spotlight when it's a team effort...

 

But we all know the real reason, once again, is that, she doesn't want to make everypony else feel bad because she's so awesome.

 

Yet I'm sure they wouldn't mind if Twilight hogged the spotlight for a while, as she does in some cases. 

 

I personally think that Rainbow Dash has the power to defeat villians and such, but something in her snaps and she becomes underconfident, instead of underpowered.

[Silver fox 117 49]

Rainbow dash can also move at mach 10 speeds which is no where near under powered at all. In fact that is like 3 miles per second, also I have to agree with what is said earlier that this show isn't about fighting, or how strong the ponies are. No its about friendship and working together as a team.

[Bhending the Rules 697]

Underpowered? Not at all. They've given Dashie enough power to take down a Decepticon and create a nuclear explosion. 'Nuff said.

 

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

Why is this even a topic? Of course she isn't "underpowered". Mach 11 speeds, one of the best flyers in Equestria, if not the best, and a black belt in karate.

 

There's a difference between "underpowered" and "we're not just gonna have her zip everywhere and defeat adversaries or whatever because that would be boring".

 

Also, "only one legit hero moment"? What about saving those ponies in the first act of Mysterious Mare Do Well, or rescuing Scootaloo, or defending Fluttershy during the changeling battle, or the Mane Six in Wonderbolt Academy, which she followed with the heroic act of giving up her dreams to maintain her integrity?

 

And good luck to anyone who thinks they can take on a reality bending god of chaos by themselves.

Edited May 11, 2013 by CITRUS KING46

[Dashabel 381]

Ugh, I don't like comparing Rainbow Dash to Sonic the Hedgehog. I mean, really? He's a flippin'.... Hedgehog!

Dashie has done plenty of things.... I'm not going to list them, because enough people have already beat me to that, but you get my point. I also agree with Rainblow Hash that in an all-mane-six showdown, the writers aren't going to outshine a certain character unless the episode is based on them, obviously. Speaking of episodes, in all the episodes where Dashie has a min role, they're always pretty epic and heroic. I guess that's the point. Her lesson learnt about friendship is usually something like that. For example, in Wonderbolts' Acadamy, she pretty much saves her friends lives from falling to their doom because of Lightning Dust.... That was one you hadn't mentioned, hehe.

Anyhow, I don't see why you should ever think that Dashie is underpowered. She's awesome. She's no doubt the best at being powered out of all of them, if you ask me! So, yeah, I reckon topic over; but I bet this topic still gonna burn for a few days over this lame discussion.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Dashabel

[Zygen 6,066]

Well she seems quite capable of doing what she needs to in situations, Although she has never really been taking on armies or anything alone, mostly due to the nature of the show really.

 

She has done heroic things in like Mare-do-Well and stuff before, Although I know thats not what you exactly are wanting, but yeah.

 

I think that most of the time they don't do episodes where just 1 character does everything, because it is a show about friendship at its core.

 

Also I'm not a terribly big fan of comparing Sonic and rainbow, but whatever thats kinda a unrelated side note for no real constructive reason honestly...

[Circadian 1,273]

 

 

Eh, I don't like that argument, because by that logic, we can just say that all of Pinkie's random moments that people count as part of her reality breaking abilities are just gags too. I think the Rainbow Nuke is something she can legitly do, mostly because it was shown on the show and was freaking awesome.

 

What about the time she clipped her wing flying with Lightning Dust? Why did that even phase her?

 

Because cartoon, that's why. Character physics change according to what the plot demands. 

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

RD is way above FS, Rarity and AJ. Her wings have already been proven to give her superior physical strength to AJ(which is her only "power"). She's far faster than any of the others(except Pinkie), and consistently the most durable. She's also a trained fighter(a blackbelt), if we are to believe Call of the Cutie.

 

She's not beating out Pinkie, because lol toonforce. Neither is she beating Twilight, who started the series at borderline god level.

 

But to argue that all the members are equal in combat capacity? No. When not hampered by stupid plot devices, PP, RD and TS make the other three seem nearly unnecessary for anything that isn't the Friendship Rainbow Laser of Doom.

 

FS? Let's hope there is some monster she can help, because she's laughable when she has no Stare.

AJ? She's toned down RD: If in a fight, she can handle about the same as RD would given the same speed... except, you know, the fact that RD can handle about a Dozen in that time due to her speed.

Rarity: She's the weaker version of Twilight. If Twilight is likened to a battleship, Rarity is a small sailboat with the sailor holding a cork pistol.

 

When has Dash ever been proven to be stronger than Applejack? Even with wings, Rainbow Dash is not stronger. That's why Dash couldn't even come close to stopping the carriage bus in Mysterious Mare Do Well when Applejack did. Not to mention the countless times AJ has pulled Dash back by the tail. If Dash was stronger, surely she would have been able to break free? The only time Dash has been shown to be stronger was the one time she beat AJ in a hoof wrassle, and in that same episode, AJ dominated Dash in other feats of strength. Having wings does give her an advantage in most situations, and she can do insane feats like rainbooms and rainbow nukes, so if that's what you meant, then I guess you're right that she could use those more in combat situations. However, I think it's fairly safe to say that pulling those moves off is not easy to do and probably drains a lot of energy.

 

The other three are far from useless though. Did you see how easily Fluttershy stomped all over Rainbow Dash in Dragon Quest? Or the time she wrestled a bear? Or the times where she showed great speed and flying prowess? She's not as weak as she seems, and she's handily dealt with more beastly creatures than any of the other Mane Six ponies. She has great power, she just doesn't show it unless she absolutely has to.

 

Rarity doesn't have Twilight's magic, but she's probably a better fighter overall. In A Canterlot Wedding for example, while Twilight was defeating changelings with her magic, Rarity was simply using her hooves to punch them out. There are other episodes where she's shown she can fight in a sort of close combat style, so Dash isn't the only one who is a trained fighter. This also applies for Applejack, who also showed a fighting stance while discorded in Return of Harmony part 2. Also, Apple Bloom knows Kung Fu, (she says so in The Show Stoppers) so we can infer that Applejack also knows some form of martial arts.

 

I just don't think it's fair to say that Rainbow Dash can deal with villains any better than the others just because she's a fast flier. Her wings can easily be a nemesis to her because she's pretty dependent on them. She's used to being in the air, not the ground. So if she injures her wings, she'll have a much harder time than Applejack, who is stronger, or Rarity who has magic to assist her combat.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Sugar Cube

[Scootalove 10,689]

Rainbow Dash isn't underpowered at all, we have seen her take on a lot of odds and even break the sound barrier with the Sonic Rainboom she really can handle herself and maintain her strength in her abilities.

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

I would say she's "held back". She has the power to control the weather in addition to super speed but doesn't seem to make as much use of her abilities as Twilight does. She seems to make more use of her speed than her weather control abilities. She could create a giant tornado and level a whole city if she wanted to.