Dawn (anime)

Dawn (Japanese: ヒカリ Hikari) is a ten-year-old Pokémon Coordinator and a former of  and. Her goal is to become a great Top Coordinator like her mother, Johanna. Her first Pokémon was a that she received from Professor Rowan in the first Diamond & Pearl series episode.

Dawn began her Pokémon journey with an overconfident. She wasn't able to gain his trust at first, but after rescuing him from a swarm of, the two became friends. Unlike, she knew from the beginning that she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps and be a. After meeting and, she decided to travel with them, as their experience would likely be helpful to her. Like Ash, she saw a Legendary Pokémon at the start of her journey, the projected soul of in Following A Maiden's Voyage!.

When Dawn began her journey she took a bicycle, but like 's and 's bikes, Ash's Pikachu destroyed it with his. However, she did not mention this to Ash until more than thirty episodes after it happened, yet only to acknowledge it as an honest accident due to a desperate situation, and didn't hold it against either Ash or Pikachu for it. Dawn also had planned to take a large suitcase full of clothing with her, but her mother made her leave it at home due to its impracticality. Instead, Dawn took a backpack her mother had prepared for her. Johanna also gave Dawn the first Ribbon she earned as a Coordinator as a good luck charm, an item that would recur throughout the series as a symbol of Dawn's determination.

Upon arriving in Jubilife City, she registered for a Contest Pass for the Sinnoh region. She also obtained a Ball Capsule and some Seals and introduced her Contest cry, which is "Spotlight!" in the English dub and "Charm up!" in the original Japanese version. Dawn lost her first in Arrival of a Rival! to Zoey, who became one of her closest friends and greatest rivals after the Contest. After her loss, an upset Dawn called her mother, but Johanna told Dawn not to rely on her and instead rely on friends and Pokémon. Eventually, in Dawn's second official Contest, she was able to narrowly beat her childhood friend to win her first Ribbon.

Dawn regularly her Pokémon for Contests and took the opportunity to practice her skills with Zoey whenever the two met, such as in A Stand-Up Sit-Down!. Zoey was always helpful to Dawn during their meetings and helped inspire her to come up with new combinations. However, even with Zoey's help Dawn was not able to perfect 's Ice Aqua Jet despite coming up with the idea. Ash later accomplished Ice Aqua Jet in the Wallace Cup, after Buizel had been traded to him.

Despite her confidence and Contest training, in Dawn's Early Night! when she competed in the Hearthome City Contest she lost in the Appeals Round, making her the first main character to be eliminated from a Contest after the first round. In Team Shocker!, she did not pass the Appeals Round for the second time in a row, due to being overzealous with Ambipom's Swift appeal out of desperation to make up for the previous loss. This marked a notable change in Dawn's character. After the second blow to her self-esteem, she didn't know what to do and was still very upset throughout Tanks for the Memories!. After this, she became more focused and regained her confidence after Maylene in Crossing the Battle Line!. She also began to practice in earnest for all her Contest's performances and battles. Following Zoey's advice to show off the Pokémon and not its moves, Dawn was able to pass through the first round in the Wallace Cup and eventually break her losing streak by narrowly defeating in the final round of the competition in Strategy With a Smile!. Since this turning point, Dawn has maintained her focus and humility.

After learning of the upcoming Contest in Celestic Town, Dawn became very dedicated in her training to the point of overworking her Pokémon in A Lean Mean Team Rocket Machine!. Due to her intense efforts, she managed to win the Contest in Battling The Generation Gap!. One of Dawn's combinations in that Contest gave the inspiration for one of his notable tactics which he uses later on, the Counter Shield. In A Breed Stampede!, her began to disobey her after evolving. Despite this, she was still eager to train it well and finally gained its trust after healing it in Trials and Adulations!. However, Mamoswine still rebelled and disobeyed Dawn after it was hit by an attack and lost its temper in the semifinals of the  in Dressed for Jess Success!. Even though this caused Dawn to lose the Contest, she remained calm and optimistic that her and Mamoswine would be victorious the next time.

Her encounter with Mesprit, like Ash and Brock's encounters with and, respectively, proved to be fate as Team Galactic intended to capture the lake guardians to awaken  and  in the Spear Pillar. The lake guardians communicated telepathically with Ash, Dawn and Brock and ed them to the Team Galactic Headquarters. With the help of Cynthia, the three Trainers foiled Team Galactic's plans and freed the lake guardians in The Battle Finale of Legend!

In Double-Time Battle Training!, Dawn, Ash, and Brock watched Zoey compete in the Brussel Town Pokémon Contest. Zoey was victorious, and to celebrate Candice treated the group to an array of desserts. During their meal, Candice introduced the Tamato Berry Ice Cream Sandwich, describing it as "hot and spicy on the inside and cold on the outside", and saying that oftentimes things that don't seem to go well together are actually the most compatible. The dessert and Candice's words inspired Dawn to create a new combination using Ice- and moves. After many failed attempts, she perfected her technique called Flame Ice, which involved Cyndaquil using while being encased in Mamoswine's  attack. She used this move later in the.

She has two childhood friends that appeared in the, and Leona, both of whom call her Dee Dee (Japanese: ピカリ Pikari). Dawn has prevented them from telling Ash and Brock about the reason why she has this nickname, but in Yes in Dee Dee, It's Dawn!, it was revealed that the reason for the name was due to her hair glittering (ピカピカ pikapika) after being shocked by the class pets in her kindergarten, and, making it appear that she had Diamond Dandruff. Due to the trauma from being teased by her entire class with the nickname, she has a certain fear of Plusle and Minun.

In the final round of the Daybreak Town Pokémon Contest, Ursula battled Dawn using her Plusle and Minun and deliberately had her Pokémon shock Dawn's hair to recreate "Diamond Dandruff". Even though Dawn temporarily succumbed to her trauma, she was able to overcome her inhibition with Mamoswine's and Cyndaquil's encouragement. Ultimately, she defeated Ursula, winning her final fifth Ribbon as well as the opportunity to participate in the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

She later trained in Teaching the Student Teacher! where she came up with a new tactic for the Grand Festival, the Ice Chandelier, which she managed to perfect by trial and error. Though she originally wanted to see Pachirisu use its Discharge attack while surrounded by Mamoswine's Ice Shard, she eventually decided to cover Pachirisu in a larger bubble of ice from Buneary's. This gave Pachirisu enough room to run, making Ice Chandelier look its best. Besides coming up with combination moves, she also acquired a new Pokémon,. Dawn trained with Togekiss in With the Easiest of Grace! to find a way to battle with it while not ignoring its need to move gracefully, and she was eventually able to adjust her own battling style to accommodate her new Pokémon.

Dawn entered the Sinnoh Grand Festival in Last Call — First Round!, using her Buneary and Cyndaquil in the Appeals Round. She progressed through the round and battled Ursula first in the next episode. With Mamoswine and Pachirisu she was able to successfully use her combination Ice Chandelier to defeat Ursula's Gabite and. In the following episode, she defeated Jessilina and progressed to the finals. Dawn would face Zoey in the final round, which fulfilled the promise the two had made with each other after their first Contest to some day meet in the last round of the Grand Festival.

It was a very evenly matched and close fight between her Piplup and Togekiss and Zoey's Glameow and, but in the end Dawn lost. After the finals, she met with her mother and returned the Ribbon Johanna had given her as a good luck charm at the very start of her journey. Dawn said that she no longer needed to walk in her mother's shadow, and only needed her Pokémon's care and support to become a Top Coordinator, proving to her mother and to herself how much she had grown as a Trainer.

After the competition, Zoey told Dawn that Candice was throwing a victory party for her in Snowpoint City and that Dawn was also welcome; however, Dawn declined the invitation, stating that she still wanted to support Ash in his upcoming battle at Sunyshore Gym and in the Lily of the Valley Conference. She then thanked all the Pokémon that had traveled with her through Sinnoh for their hard work and pledged to not give up her dream of being a Top Coordinator.

After Ash competed in the Sinnoh League, she contemplated whether or not to go with Ash and Brock to Kanto. However, she received invitation by Paris for her to work with her for a short while as a Pokémon fashion model and decided to stay in Sinnoh. Dawn and Ash later shared a final high-five, their trademark exchange throughout the, before Ash and Brock left for Kanto.

After Buneary's modeling work with Paris was completed, Dawn decided to spend some time at home before considering her next move on her journey to become Top Coordinator. In SS024, Dawn decided to go to the Hoenn region, since Hoenn is the region Contests originated from. However, though she was certain she would take Piplup, she did not know if she should take all of her other Pokémon with her to Hoenn or not. She sought advice from Professor Rowan, who instead sent her to help a new Trainer who was having trouble deciding what her first Pokémon would be. Dawn and Shinko ran into an 's web, reminiscent of the first challenge Dawn faced with Piplup. Dawn's Cyndaquil evolved into Quilava in order to protect the two Trainers, and it was then that Dawn realized all of her Pokémon still had potential to grow with her. She decided to take all her Pokémon to Hoenn with her and soon left on her new adventure with her dream of becoming a Top Coordinator burning as bright as ever.

Dawn briefly appeared in a picture on 's memory wall in the side story episode SS025.

In All for the Love of Meloetta!, it was revealed that Dawn had traveled to the Unova region and was staying in Cynthia's villa in Undella Town while the was visiting Virbank City. She would return with Ash, with whom Dawn got to reunite, and Ash's new friends, and, whom Dawn met for the first time. She also battled Cilan, using her Piplup against his, but because the battle was interrupted, no winner was identified. She became a good friend of Iris when they traveled to the Onix Island in Expedition to Onix Island! and was surprised by the unfamiliar Pokémon native to the Unova region, such as.

Before coming to Undella Town, Dawn had visited Nimbasa City where she watched a Pokémon Musical and one of Elesa's fashion shows. She also revealed that she would enter the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup. She would later make it to the second round before her Mamoswine was defeated by Iris's Dragonite, despite the fact that Dragonite still wasn't listening to Iris's orders.

Later, in Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure!, she met 🇺🇳, along with Ash, Iris and Cilan. When they arrived at Cynthia's villa in Undella Town, she announced her intention to head to Johto to compete in the Wallace Cup being held there. After battling Ash, using her Quilava against Ash's Pikachu, and saying their farewells, she and Piplup boarded the flight to Blackthorn City.

Dawn later appeared during a fantasy in The Dream Continues!.

I Choose You!
Dawn made a cameo appearance in the ending credits of I Choose You!.

Character
Dawn is notable for her confidence, since she almost always tries to look towards the future rather than dwell on her mistakes. In stark contrast to 's inexperience and self-doubt at the start of the, Dawn was overly confident and assured in her own strength at the beginning of her journey. Because of this, she became emotional after she was eliminated from Pokémon Contests, and often cried after losing. After failing to pass the Performance Stage two times in a row, Dawn became depressed. In Tanks for the Memories!, Dawn remembered these failures and had to excuse herself so she could cry. These behaviors were completely opposite those she had exhibited at the beginning of her journey, something Ash and Brock took notice of. Their encouragement was not enough to renew her psyche though, and it was not until she defeated to win the Wallace Cup that she truly regained her confidence and focus. After this point, Dawn took on a more positive and determined personality. In addition, she became more mature. Instead of reverting to her old headstrong and confident attitude, she became more aware of her faults and how she could work to overcome them.

In the Japanese version, Dawn's catchphrase is, "" Although not consistently translated in the English dub at first, she began to regularly use "No need to worry!". Dawn has a best friend-like relationship with Ash, and they often shared a high five when one of them accomplished something.

A key example of Dawn's growth and maturity occurred in Trials and Adulations!, in which she was separated from Ash and Brock and her Mamoswine's leg was badly injured. Instead of panicking or trying to force Mamoswine to continue walking, Dawn thought back to lessons Brock had given her about Pokémon care. She recalled that the sap of a plant could help soothe pain and called upon her Pokémon to search for it. Dawn applied the sap, wrapped the wound, formed a bed of leaves for Mamoswine, and gathered food and for it to eat. Dawn was ultimately rewarded, and this episode gained her Mamoswine's respect and loyalty. Dawn's actions go deeper than that though, they are evidence of her growth as a and person.

Over the course of her journey in Sinnoh, Dawn was able to come up with various combinations to show up her Pokémon's looks and strength. This began with something as simple as making her Piplup's beak grow longer when using, a technique she used even until the end of the Grand Festival. She later followed with simple spinning, which her Piplup and Buneary first practiced for a while in Oreburgh City. The spinning move was adapted by Ash in his first Gym battle in Sinnoh.

Later on, Dawn began experimenting with more complex combinations, such as Flame Ice and Ice Chandelier. After a lot of practice, Dawn's Pokémon were able to master these combinations in battle. Coincidentally, both of these moves were used to defeat Ursula.

Originally, Dawn had great concern about her appearance and would not show herself to Ash or Brock until she felt that her appearance was acceptable. In fact, Dawn often slept in a tent while Ash and Brock slept outside. However, after Tears for Fears!, Dawn began to sleep outside as well and was less concerned with her appearance in front of Ash and Brock. This may have been an indicator that she had become more focused as a Trainer and Coordinator, paying more attention to her Pokémon and less attention to her looks. Even so, whenever Dawn knew she was going to be on camera, she would pause to brush her hair, such as in Last Call - First Round! when wanted to interview her for her broadcast of the Grand Festival.

Dawn also has an interest in fashion and often reads the magazine. In The Bells Are Singing!, Dawn revealed that she was the one to design 's vest, but also admitted that her mother was the one to sew it. In Arriving in Style!, she demonstrated her talent for designing again, sketching many different outfits for the Hearthome Collection. Though she was initially unsure about her creations, she set her mind on designing simple dresses and accessories after realizing the actual role of a Pokémon Stylist. For that, she was praised by Hermione, who said Dawn has the true spirit of a Stylist.

Pokémon
Most of the Pokémon that Dawn captured were cute and small like her starter,.

Initially, due to her lack of experience, Dawn had difficulties dealing with her Pokémon properly. For instance, she would often bicker with Piplup and her Pachirisu would hit unwanted targets with its. Even later on in the Diamond & Pearl series, after most of her Pokémon had become obedient, her Mamoswine had a tendency to get angry and disobey her. It was not until Trials and Adulations! that Dawn was fully able to manage all of her Pokémon. Despite the many issues she had at first, Dawn always deeply cared for her Pokémon, especially for Piplup.

As a Pokémon Coordinator, Dawn trained her Pokémon for both appeals and battles. Because of this, she learned to utilize her Pokémon's capabilities creatively. For example, she trained Buneary to use various ways, which proved helpful in the many Contests Dawn participated in. She was also able to pull off successful combinations with her Togekiss in the finals of the Grand Festival, despite not having trained it for very long compared to her other Pokémon.

Sinnoh Ribbons
This listing is of the Ribbons Dawn has obtained in the Sinnoh region:
 * Ribbon (Settling a Not-So-Old Score!)
 * (for winning the Wallace Cup; Strategy with a Smile!)
 * Ribbon (Battling The Generation Gap!)
 * Ribbon (Another One Gabites the Dust!)
 * Ribbon (Playing the Performance Encore!)

Grand Festival ranking
Dawn has competed in the following Grand Festivals:
 * Sinnoh Grand Festival - Runner-up (A Grand Fight for Winning!)

Other achievements
Dawn has competed in the following Pokémon Contests:
 * Contest - Top 4 (Arrival of a Rival!)
 * Unofficial Contest - Runner-up (Borrowing on Bad Faith!)
 * Contest - Unknown (The Rise of Darkrai)
 * Contest - Appeal Round (Dawn's Early Night!)
 * Contest - Appeal Round (Team Shocker!)
 * Contest - Runner-up (Old Rivals, New Tricks!)
 * Contest - Top 4 (Dressed for Jess Success!)

Outfits

 * Dawn's different outfits seen in the anime

Pokémon competitions
Dawn has competed in the following :
 * Pokémon Dress-Up Contest - N/A (All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!)
 * Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition - Runner-up (with Conway; Smells Like Team Spirit!)
 * Wallace Cup - Winner (Strategy with a Smile!)
 * Hearthome Collection - Winner (Arriving in Style!)
 * Pokémon Summer Academy - Winner (One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!)
 * Pokémon Triathlon - N/A (One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!)
 * Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament - Top 4 (To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!)
 * Festival Battle Challenge - N/A (Challenging a Towering Figure!)
 * Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup - Top 8 (Battling Authority Once Again!)

In the Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl manga
Dawn and her appear as main characters alongside  and  in the  series, an adaptation of the anime set in the timeline of the.

In movie manga adaptations


Dawn appears in the manga adaptations of ', ', ', and '. Her team is the same in these manga adaptations.

In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Dawn or her Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Trivia

 * Dawn is the first of Ash's female traveling companions to not be related to a Gym Leader.
 * Dawn is the first traveling companion to have the new Sugimori style eyes.
 * On the Pokémon Learning League website, her clothing has been altered so that her white undershirt has sleeves and she is wearing black stockings or tights.
 * Dawn's Japanese name is Hikari, and her main rival's is Nozomi. The ' and the ' are two "bullet train" lines in Japan. The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari, possibly symbolizing that Zoey is farther along in her coordinating skills than Dawn.
 * When Dawn temporarily returned to the show in the, she returned for nine episodes. This is the same as , but longer than , who returned to the show for nine and five episodes, respectively; Misty's return was on four different occasions for a total of nine.
 * Dawn is also the only one between them not to use a new outfit during her return.
 * She is also the only one to not have a change in her party.
 * She is also the only one to not encounter during her return.
 * Out of Ash's female traveling companions, Dawn has met the most of Ash's main rivals, having met and Paul during her original run and having met Trip during her return.
 * Dawn is the only Pokémon Coordinator in the anime to compete for the same Ribbon twice.
 * Dawn is the first of Ash's friends to battle against an Elite Four member; she battled against Lucian.
 * Dawn is the only main character to be mentioned in the summary of the Japanese opening themes along with Ash.
 * Dawn is the first female traveling companion not to have Generation I and Generation III Pokémon officially under their ownership.

Related articles

 * Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
 * Dawn (game)
 * Dawn (game)

On Bulbagarden forums


Lucia (Animecharakter) Dawn/Maya Aurore (dessin animé) Lucinda (anime) ヒカリ 小光（动画）