History Characters / PokemonTheSeriesDawn

[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesAshKetchum Ash Ketchum]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPikachu Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTrio Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTriosPokemon Team Rocket Trio's Pokemon]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketOrganization Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Major Characters:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesMisty Misty]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBrock Brock]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesMay May]] | '''Dawn''' | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesPaul Paul]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesIris Iris]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSerena Serena]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesLillie Lillie]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesGoh Goh]] \\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireGymLeadersAndFrontierBrains Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphireVillains Villains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhiteVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYMegaEvolutionSpecials Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesXYVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoonVillains Villains]]\\
'''Journeys:''' [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesAshsPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Journeys)]] | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesGalar Galar]] | [[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Horizons:''' [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesLeadCharacters Lead Characters]] | [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesPokemon Pokémon]] | [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesAntagonists Antagonists]] | [[Characters/PokemonHorizonsTheSeriesSupportingCast Supporting Cast]]\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]] | [[Characters/PokemonSecretsOfTheJungle Secrets of the Jungle]]-]]]]]

!Dawn (Hikari)
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/316px_dawn_dp_4.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/EmilyJenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/GabyUgarte (''Diamond and Pearl'' Seasons 10, 11, and 13, ''Journeys''), Leyla Rangel (''Diamond and Pearl'' season 12, ''Black and White'' season 15)\\
'''Voiced in European Spanish by:''' Mar Bordallo\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa\\
'''Voiced in Polish by:''' Creator/BeataWyrabkiewicz\\
'''Voiced in Italian by:''' Creator/TosawiPiovani (Season 10 - 11), Ludovica De Caro (Season 12 - 13)

Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who'd been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:

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[[folder:Tropes related to Dawn]]
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** While she mostly participates in contests, she is definitely no slouch in actual Pokemon battles either, especially when she uses her Mamoswine. She particularly excels in Double Battles, because then it's way easier for her to use her extremely powerful and stunning combination attacks to easily overwhelm her opponents.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AdaptationalSympathy: The games depicted her as the protagonist or Rowan's assistant, depending on the player's choice. The former option is showcased here, but it adds in the detail of her struggling to become a world-class coordinator like her mother, with plenty of missteps along the way.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: An alternate universe of herself has her partaking the Pokémon Gym Battles rather than Pokémon Contests. And she's so skilled as a battler that she managed to become the runner up of the Sinnoh League, placing her higher than Ash did when competed.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula, and narrowly managed to beat the far more experienced May in their only on-screen Contest together.
* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: Dawn's father is never seen or mentioned. While Dawn extensively talks about her mother and her goals to be as legendary of a coordinator as her, and plenty of people other than her talk about and interact with Johanna, no mention ever goes to a husband, boyfriend, or anything. Despite quite a lot of time shown focusing on Johanna's home, we never see anyone there but Johanna and her two partners Glameow and Umbreon.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: When she is taking Chloe to the contest hall in ''[=JN074=]'', she gets distracted by everything that she sees, followed by her "No need to worry" catchphrase until Chloe has enough and tells her to stop.
* ArtEvolution: In ''Journeys'', in addition to the universal art style changes applying to all characters that happened since she last appeared in ''DP'' and ''BW'' such as less edges in her design and different eyes, her overall color scheme is brighter, with her skin being paler, hat managing to be even whiter, and the pink half-pokeball sign on it becoming a brighter pink. This makes her closer to her game counterpart in appearance.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BadassAdorable: A cute ten-year-old girl who also happens to become quite the tough coordinator.
* BackForTheFinale: She ascends back to recurring character status in ''Master Journeys'' [[spoiler:and comes back to root for Ash in person in his FinalBattle with Leon]].
* BerserkButton: Don't use her embarrassing childhood nickname, Dee-Dee. It brings up bad memories of getting zapped by Plusle and Minum (though she gets over that part at least).
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a FakeDefector scheme on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BirdsOfAFeather: Dawn in many ways is the closest a DistaffCounterpart to Ash can be, sharing more in common with him than just about any of his companions.
** She exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, much like May before and Serena after, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}}. Dawn received more focus than any main character prior to [[Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Goh]], roughly on par with Ash himself.
** Dawn's journey mirrors Ash's in many ways. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon.
** Like Ash during his initial journey in the Kanto saga, Dawn has a degree of rotten luck when she starts her journey in Sinnoh. They both have a hard time getting any respect as rookies, even from their own Pokémon, along with taking some very heart-breaking losses in the process. It takes a lot of trial and error experience from then on, but eventually they both make their respective comebacks in anime-exclusive competitions (Orange League for Ash, Wallace Cup Contest for Dawn). They're also able to get one of their powerhouse Pokémon, a three-stage evolution who started out nice before [[TookALevelInJerkass getting nastier and disobedient]] when they evolved twice in a row very quickly, to start being loyal again when they save them from a nasty injury.
** She has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two. Counter Shield, for instance, Ash's SignatureMove in Sinnoh, was directly inspired by one of Dawn's Contests.
** Both her reappearances in ''Journeys'' further support this. Her interactions with Chloe in [=JN074=] closely resemble Ash's relationship with Goh, being a lighthearted, exuberant {{Foil}} to her reserved, antisocial partner. When she's paired up with Goh in [=JN089=], he remarks that she's very similar to Ash.
* BorrowedCatchphrase: She copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* BreakingOldTrends: She's the first of Ash's companions to obtain a "Pika-Clone" (in her case, Pachirisu) after Misty, Brock, and May didn't obtain any of them. She's also the first character besides Ash to own an Electric Type.
* BreakoutCharacter: She not only became one of the most well-known protagonists in the anime, receiving more focus than any companion prior to Goh, she also elevated her game counterpart into an iconic trainer who gets top-billing over her male counterpart, Lucas. Additionally, she has the most guest-starred episodes out of all the supporting cast in the entire anime (excluding cameo appearances), with a total of 16 episodes (plus an additional 4-part special in the form of ''The Arceus Chronicles''.) Misty, by contrast, comes in second with a total of 9 [[note]]not including the ''Aim to Be a Pokémon Master'' miniseries, where Misty returns to main character status[[/note]].
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. She gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards, which is especially noteworthy after her first losing streak sees her not even advanced to the next round ''twice in a row'', causing her to doubt that she can cut it as a Coordinator. Fortunately, she bounces back.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it. Dawn was notably nicer about it, taking it in stride and not holding it against Ash, whereas Misty would make a fuss about her bike to Ash and used it as an excuse to keep following Ash until he repayed her, and May briefly used Ash burning her bike as a means to guilt trip him into agreeing with Professor Birch's suggestion that she should travel with him to learn from him.
* BrokenWinLossStreak: After losing her first contest, Dawn manages to turn things around briefly, but loses the appeal stage ''twice in a row''! Left broken by the loss, she only stages a comeback after narrowly beating May in the Wallace Cup, and wins most of her contests barring one or two. She does wind up making it to the finals of the Grand Festival, but Zoey edges her out.
* TheBusCameBack:
** She returned in ''Best Wishes'' from [=BW085=] to [=BW093=] to compete in the Junior Cup.
** She becomes a recurring character in ''Journeys'', appearing in several multi-part episodes revolving around Sinnoh's legendaries.
*** She first returns in [=JN074=] and [=JN075=], where she introduces Chloe to Pokémon Contests and helps defend Darkrai and an injured Cresselia from Team Rocket.
*** She makes another appearance for the 2-part Sinnoh winter special centered around the Time[=/=]Space legendaries.
*** She appears again in the special 4-parter ''The Arceus Chronicles'', where she reunites with Ash and Brock and reencounters Team Galactic.
*** [[spoiler:She returns yet again in [=JN129=] to cheer for Ash in his battle against Leon in the finals of the Masters Eight Tournament alongside Chloe (in place of Goh).]]
* ButtMonkey: Out of the cast, she's the biggest one of the "butt of every joke" type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup. She also gets involved in a fair amount of slapstick, more so than Misty and May, especially where Piplup is concerned.
* CharacterCatchphrase:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
* CharacterDevelopment: She starts as a coordinator passionate and overconfident outside but deeply insecure inside in comparison with her mother's own success and her rival Zoey's experience to a more resilient and humble one who improvises more and is less afraid to fail and even learn from her mistakes.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Flip-flops between this and SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute. Like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon Coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent, but the direction of her character arc is nearly the opposite of May's. While May was underconfident and not very passionate about Pokemon before discovering Contests (only using it as an excuse to travel at first), Dawn had settled on her goal from the start and was ''over''confident in her skills, struggling far more than May did in her early Contests as she was taught several lessons in humility.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DetrimentalDetermination: Upon starting out on her journey, she was determined to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a world-famous Top Coordinator. Unfortunately, she was just as equally determined to perfect her performances instead of having fun with her Pokémon, resulting in her failing to clear the first stage ''twice in a row'' and shattering her confidence in the process. Only when she loosens up and starts having fun does she get her groove back.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee". [[spoiler:She had a bad incident with a Plusle and Minun when she was younger, which she explains in episode 161 to Ash and Brock. Unbeknownst to them, Ursula (whose Plusle and Minun triggered the present-day incident leading to the explanation in the first place) was also in hearing range...]]
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* EmbarrassingNickname: Her childhood friend Kenny loves to tease her by calling her "Dee Dee"[[note]]in the original, it's "Pikari," a combination of her name and ''pika'', electric sparkle[[/note]] (short for "Diamond Dandruff"), after an incident in kindergarten where she hugged a Plusle and Minun too hard and they shocked her, making her hair spiky and sparkly.
* TheEmpath: Dawn has shown to have the ability to understand the feelings of Pokémon, and she connects with Mesprit because of this ability.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Sure, Brock's CasanovaWannabe tendencies are a bit annoying for her, but even she can't help but look on with concern when Croagunk demonstrates his [[AssShove usual method]] of stopping Brock dead in his tracks.
* FaceYourFears: Through her Mamoswine and Cyndaquil's encouragement, Dawn decided that it was time to let go of her fear of Plusle and Minun as she pulled herself together then managed to win her last ribbon to compete in the Grand Festival.
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHeroine: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
* {{Flanderization}}: While Dawn's [[CharacterCatchphrase catchphrase]] was always a major trait of hers, in her first ''Journeys'' appearance, it's her response to nearly everything that happens. Her upbeat personality is also exaggerated to where she gets [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny distracted]] by almost everything in sight. These aspects are downplayed when she returns again in [=JN089=] and [=JN090=].
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction, at least compared to their interactions with Ash, though she did learn some valuable medical skills across the series from him. She was shown to remember these skills all the way up to ''Journeys''.
* {{Foil}}:
** Dawn is presented as one to May during her guest appearance. While May started off not knowing what she wanted to do before deciding on Coordinating, Dawn immediately sought to become a Coordinator. Both ran into Ash in a moment of crisis involving Team Rocket, resulting in Pikachu frying their bikes and them wanting to travel with Ash, who in turn acted as a BigBrotherMentor to them, and both struggled pretty badly in the early stages of their careers. Unlike May, who suffered from a lack of confidence, Dawn was too focused on perfecting her performances, with both having to suffer pretty hard losses to get them to realize it. When they both left the party, May eventually grew into a very busy and respectable Coordinator on par Lisa and Serena, while Dawn largely travels around Coordinating when she pleases.
** Dawn's rival Zoey, by contrast, is shown to be a more skilled Coordinator who acts as a mentor to her friend. Dawn hails from Twinleaf Town and was following in her mother's footsteps, while Zoey comes from Snowpoint City and is given the full support of Candice, the local gym leader. Zoey did struggle, but it was against coordinators of equivalent or better skill level, while Dawn struggled mostly because she was trying too hard to be perfect. In the end, Zoey proved to be the better of the two by edging her out at the Sinnoh Grand Festival, but while she hasn't been heard from since, Dawn has managed to forge her own path as a Coordinator in her own right, albeit more carefree than May or Serena.
** During ''Journeys'', she's presented as one to Chloe. Dawn originated from the games, Chloe is a CanonForeigner. Both have a RidiculouslyCuteCritter as their partner, but Dawn picked Piplup, while Eevee chose Chloe. Dawn is far more carefree in her journeys and knows what she wants out of life, while Chloe is a lot more cautious and isn't sure what she wants to do yet. When the two meet, the pair hit it off pretty quickly, but their brief argument over Dawn's constantly getting distracted shows that Chloe is the more focused of the two.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: Dawn is about as girly as Misty is tomboyish. She competes in the style-focused Contests, wears a lot of pink, has dressed as a cheerleader multiple times and loves fashionable clothes. But unlike Serena, she doesn't mind getting down and dirty with anything masculine. She enjoys battle nearly just as much as Ash does, and has no issue with participating in numerous sporty activities throughout the series.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GoodLuckGesture: One of her trademark qualities is to exchange a high five with Ash either before or after a big accomplishment. Examples include (among many others): her first Contest, the Wallace Cup, saying goodbye, reuniting with him in Unova, and after successfully saving Heatran.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite'', joining the group for eight episodes mid-series prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* HeroicBSOD: Dawn's self-confidence was shattered when she lost in the appeals round twice in ''Dawns Early Night!'' and ''Team Shocker!''. Although Zoey was able to help her into what she did wrong and inspired her to take some time from Contests, Dawn never fully recovered until the Wallace Cup, which she ended up winning (over a returning May, who had beaten Zoey en route to the final), fully restoring her confidence.
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IconicOutfit: Her white beanie, black with pink accent sweater mini-dress, golden hair clips, pink boots, and red scarf are easily recognizable among the fans.
* IconicSequelCharacter: Dawn is the third female companion in the show and the sixth introduced overall, debuting in its tenth season. Despite this she's easily one of Ash's most popular companions and her name is usually brought up in best female main character discussions.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* ItsTheJourneyThatCounts: Her experiences in traveling with Ash taught her that she just needs to live life in the moment, and doesn't spend all her time worrying about where to go next. Naturally, Chloe gets more than annoyed when Dawn stops to take in every sight she sees, even though there's a Pokémon Contest they both are attending.
* JerkassBall: While generally one of Ash's nicer traveling companions, she still has moments like this.
** She is uncharacteristically harsh toward Ash in ''Giratina and the Sky Warrior''. She appears to disregard Shaymin's actions towards him (and them) and even resorts to kicking him in the shin when he disrespectfully remarks about bidding farewell to Shaymin.
** In the BW episode "Expedition to Onix Island", she joins Iris in mocking Ash over his (as it turns out, entirely correct) suggestion that the caves on the eponymous island were created by Onix, acting like the very idea is utterly ridiculous.
* JustFriends: Like May, she has a LikeBrotherAndSister relationship with Ash. Dawn also has feelings for him.
* LegFocus: From her standard MagicSkirt attire to the occasional cheerleader, swimsuit, or FrenchMaid outfit, the show doesn't let up in displaying Dawn's legginess. One episode had a scene that completely focused on her legs as she paced before Ash and Brock in anger after Landis insults her friendship with her Piplup.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* TheLoad: Dawn has a heartfelt conversation with Maylene, expressing her concerns that she might be wasting Ash's valuable time by participating in Contests while traveling with him. She is feeling stagnant and unsure if it is worth it for Ash. Dawn suggests a battle to help Maylene escape her funk. However, it is hinted that her primary motivation was to ensure that Ash could have his gym battle and maybe even restore her confidence in the process by demonstrating to herself that she could make a difference in Ash's dreams.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* MessyHair: Is often subject to incredibly messy bedhead when she wakes up, and is incredibly fussy about it, refusing to leave her tent until her hair is straightened out. Also happens whenever Pachirisu zaps her hair, making her subject to ridicule from Ash and Brock for it. As it turns out, her self-consciousness about her hair is due to an incident when she was in kindergarten where a Plusle and Minun zapped her hair, earning her the humiliating nickname "Dee-Dee" (Pikari in Japanese) from Kenny and Leona, who then used it to make the whole class ridicule her. Over the course of the series, and especially after overcoming her fear of Plusle and Minun, she mellows out about this, though she still shows signs of caring about her hairdo in ''Best Wishes'' when she spends a long time using the hairdryer to straighten her hair. In ''Journeys'', when both she and Chloe wake up with bedhead, Dawn is much more nonchalant about it and immediately subjects both of them to Piplup's Bubble Beam to straighten their hair, having become used to having her hair messy and not caring as much about others seeing it as she used to.
* ModestyShorts: In the one singular shot where the MagicSkirt fails, it appears that she is wearing black bike shorts underneath.
* MsFanservice: Nowhere near to the extent of previous Pokegirls Misty and May, but still present. She gets a lot of LegFocus from her regular extremely short skirt, not to mention the occasional revealing cheerleader outfit, swimsuit (though unlike Misty's or May's swimsuits, most of Dawn's swimsuits didn't show quite as much of her stomach) and even some of her contest dresses. There's also an episode where she's put in a pretty FrenchMaid outfit.
* MundaneUtility: It turns out having a Water Type as your partner can come in handy to handle that morning bedhead. She demonstrates Piplup's convenient hair-care solution to Chloe.
* MythologyGag:
** Her winter outfit is based on her appearance from ''Pokémon Platinum''.
** Her Sinnoh Fest attire in the Amazon exclusive special ''The Arceus Chronicles'' loosely based on Akari, specifically her hairstyle and bandana. The rest of her outfit is the Garchomp Fancy Kimono... that is only exclusive pre-order bonus from the Amazon website.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NervesOfSteel: As part of her CharacterDevelopment, she's able to calm down when she feels pressure during contests as the story progresses in contrast of her debuts.
* NiceGirl: Before Serena's introduction in the XY series, Dawn was easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females and is very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to Team Rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her. And while it's true that Ash and Dawn sometimes fight, it's not on a regular basis when compared to how Ash deals with Misty, May and Iris.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* NoSenseOfDirection: In her debut episode, Dawn can't find Professor Rowan's lab anywhere. When he does find her, he lampshades that she's obviously lost.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyra acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: One particular irony about the end of Ash's tenure was that Dawn never crossed paths with Serena (who's quite similar to Dawn in a lot of respects), but fellow Coordinator May (whom Dawn did meet) befriended the Kalos native when she came to Hoenn.
* ThePerfectionist: Dawn's FatalFlaw was that she was trying to make her performances as perfect as possible, but both Zoey and Wallace pointed out that this was hurting her more than it helped her. For example, in the second contest she failed to clear the qualifying round, her Ambipom delivered a very spectacular and flashy performance--but nobody could see the Pokémon performing it! After the Wallace Cup, she's able to find a way to have fun with her Pokémon and not be worried about performing perfectly all the time.
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own [[CharacterCatchphrase catchphrase]] is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
** Tends to receive "I'm really getting worried!" from Chloe every time she says her titular catchphrase.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink, as is her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climates (both travel outfits also include pink boots).
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner, along with his battles in the Masters Eight tournament.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Borders on this with Ash. It's pointed out several times in ''Journeys'' how similar the two are and Dawn has at this point returned more than any of Ash's other companions after leaving the main cast.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** Her hair being messed up, which is usually either the cause or sign of extreme stress from her. In early episodes, she refused to let Ash or Brock even ''see'' her if her hair was messy. It also tends to mess itself up whenever she's about to perform for a major Contest, causing her to freak out until someone (usually Zoey) calms her down.
** Adding onto this, she's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled (and on occasion, with the sparkly effect behind her embarrassing nickname). Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her hair puffed up with an AshFace.
** And of course, there's her habit of TemptingFate with her [[CharacterCatchphrase catchphrase]]. Whenever she says "No need to worry!", there's a good chance something bad is about to happen.
* SeenItAll: By the events of ''Journeys'' Dawn, even as she enjoys the small things in adventures like Ash, takes things like being contacted by Arceus as a lot less crazy than she would have as a rookie, much to Goh's concernation.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: She wears a scarf around her neck and is a prominent ActionGirl who has no problem taking on Pokémon battles.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease:
** Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles. The most notable examples are the episodes where Kenny appears, as the boy is a childhood friend of Dawn and has had a crush on her since they were younger; he shows extreme jealousy of Ash and Dawn's close relationship, glaring angrily when the two so much as talk with each other. When Kenny requests Dawn to go with him on a journey if he beats Ash, Dawn opts to instead keep going with Ash and gently turning down Kenny's offer. [[spoiler:She's also notably Ash's only official companion to watch his final match of the Masters Eight Tournament in person.]] There's also the fact that her Buneary has a massive crush on Ash's Pikachu, which Dawn has personally voiced her support for several times.
** She fangirls Gary's (as well as Prof. Oak's) poetry a number of times during his visits.
* SignatureHeadgear: A white and pink beanie that covers her hair to avoid it getting frizzy.
* SimpleYetAwesome: Dawn develops the skill of presenting her Contest performances straightforwardly and authentically, with an unwavering focus on highlighting the unique talents of her beloved Pokemon companions.
* StepfordSmiler:
** Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
** When her alternate counterpart takes Piplup, Dawn tries putting on a brave face when Ash arrives. It's not holding up nearly as well she thinks, and almost breaks down crying before catching herself.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Girly Girl to three other Tomboys: Zoey (a Bifauxnen coordinator who wears suits, compared to Dawn's fluffy dresses), May (a Coordinator with a huge appetite and a team of intimidating powerhouses), and Iris (a rambunctious Dragon-type trainer who competed in the Masters Eight tournament).
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laughing at her. However, Dawn got over her fear with help from her Pokémon.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even-handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Dawn has been on a losing streak during the early part of her journey as a Coordinator in Sinnoh and struggles with fine-tuning her contest style. Both Zoey and Wallace help her realize that she is focusing too much on fine-tuning her Pokemon's moves and has not spent enough time simply having fun with them. Dawn takes this advice to heart and from then on makes a spectacular comeback.
[[/folder]]

----

!Dawn's Pokémon

[[folder:In General]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* CanonImmigrant: Her team from the anime (sans Pachirisu and with everyone fully evolved) in ''Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl'' are what the main player fights against if they select the male player character and pick Turtwig as their starter.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: While this is intentional with Piplup himself, as well as Pachirisu (who can't evolve), the other unevolved Pokémon have been plagued by this "curse" after Dawn left the series (Quilava has been the latest evolution, which happened during the ''Diamond & Pearl'' special). Due to Dawn's infamous StaticCharacter status, she has neither caught new Pokémon nor have unevolved Pokémon evolved since 2011. This is especially jarring in ''Journeys'', since many Pokémon of other returning companions got at least one new evolution or capture.
* OutOfFocus: Everyone who isn't Piplup suffers this during Dawn's appearances in ''Journeys'', only making a brief appearance in the ColdOpen of "The Gates of Warp!".
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
* TrueCompanions: Dawn's team of Pokémon may bicker, clash or butt head sometimes but in the end they'll always be there to help one another out and support each other till the end.
[[/folder]]

!!Currently Owned
[[folder:Piplup (Pochama)]]
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz

Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* ArtEvolution: In ''Journeys'', Piplup (and ''[[UniformityException only]]'' this Piplup) has a new eye design, with distinctive blue irises.
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BeyondTheImpossible: Somehow, Gible's Draco Meteor ''always'' hit him, even if he was miles away. Much to his dismay, Ash would use this to find Piplup whenever he got lost.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed an attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is genderless, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
* {{Determinator}}: Piplup outright refuses to give up for various reasons and wouldn't go down without a fight.
* TheDogBitesBack: After being the target of Gible's Draco Meteor one too many times, Piplup goes into a tirade at it. When its "apology" is in the form of dimly gnawing on Piplup's head, he reaches his RageBreakingPoint, and starts a comical NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Gible.
* DramaQueen: Piplup will readily throw a tantrum if something annoys or upsets him.
* ExpyCoexistence: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
* GreenEyedMonster: Piplup can't stand sharing Dawn's attention, so her fawning over [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]] does not sit well with him.
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series. The two spend a lot of time together due to mostly being outside of their Pokeballs, and are shown to be extremely close. When it's time for Pikachu and Ash to move on, Piplup is ''devastated''.
* AnIcePerson: While Piplup is hotblooded and haughty, he knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Piplup loves to be the center of attention, and can get very huffy when he's not. When Dawn got Cyndaquil, Piplup got very jealous that his trainer was tending to her new obtainment rather than him.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
* NoSenseOfDirection: One episode dealt with him deciding to quit the group after he gets one too many of Gible's Draco Meteors to the head and Dawn and company aren't showing him any concern. Striking out on his own, he decides to go back to Rowan's, but has no idea how to get there.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* {{Pride}}: A trait of his species. No matter what humiliations he suffers, Piplup will always stand up proud again sooner or later.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMon: Piplup is Dawn's starter and by far her most iconic Pokemon, to the point where he splits the spotlight with Pikachu as the SeriesMascot of ''Diamond and Pearl''. He starts regularly appearing outside his Ball due to sheer popularity, and is present in all of Dawn's most important Contest battles: her first win, the finals of the Wallace Cup, and the finals of the Grand Festival.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* SitcomArchnemesis:
** He got jealous over the attention Dawn gave to her Cyndaquil, which led to plenty of petty bickering between the two. Fortunately, it (mostly) faded out by the end of the series, and completely so after Cyndaquil evolved.
** He gains another one in Ash's Oshawott during ''Black & White'', who feuds with him over their shared love of Meloetta and similarly stubborn personalities. Though they butted heads constantly, they actually share a tearful farewell when it's time for Dawn to leave.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Being a cute Pokémon that resembles a penguin, every time Piplup is wearing girls' outfits, e.g. the cheerleader outfit or maid outfit, count as this. He's confirmed male.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Buneary (Mimirol)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny

From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* ShipTease: She makes very little secret of her crush on Pikachu, which naturally leads to quite a few hints between the two (it's worth noting that Pikachu very rarely outright refuses her affections). It also helps that many characters, including her trainer, have noted and [[ShipperOnDeck voiced their support for the pairing]].
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pachirisu]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in [=DP138=][[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* {{Keet}}: Extremely energetic and fun-loving.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. As of Generation Nine, Pachirisu has no evolutions, so it couldn't evolve even if it wanted to.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Creator/EmilyJenness (Ambipom)

Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
* BackForTheFinale: During [=JN132=], Ambipom appears in Pikachu's ImagineSpot alongside all of Ash's other Pokémon to cheer him up. She's notably grouped with Ash's Pokémon from ''Advanced Generation'', despite having spent more time with his Sinnoh Pokémon.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much. [[spoiler:That said, however, in [=JN132=], Ambipom shows up in Pikachu's vision alongside all of Ash's Pokémon from the various regions during his HeroicSecondWind against Leon's Charizard]].
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NonElemental: As a normal type. Most of its moves do normal type damage as well.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom, it's ankle-high to Ash and still capable of fighting much tougher apponents.
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Literally in this case, as she was last seen going away from the gang on a bus. She was written off the series after gaining a sudden interest in ping-pong, leaving with O to practice in Vermilion City.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
* TrueCompanions: Funnily enough, with Ash and Pikachu, even after she got traded to Dawn's party. In [=DP186=], Ash still remembers Aipom as one of the Pokémon that helped him collect all eight Sinnoh Gym Badges. In [=JN132=], she appears in Pikachu's ImagineSpot where all of Ash's Pokémon (as well Larvitar and Solgaleo) appear to cheer for him; notably, Ambipom is grouped with the Pokémon captured in ''Advanced Generation'', which is where she got caught. In [=JN135=], Ash remembers her as one of his Pokémon that are no longer with him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Inuko Inuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo, [=DP106=] - [=BW091=]), Creator/YuichiNakamura (Mammoo, [=JN089=] - present)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
* ApatheticPet: After Swinub becomes Piloswine (and later a Mamoswine), he [[TookALevelInJerkass becomes more of a jerk]]. He ignores Dawn's commands and [[HeroismIncentive only obeys her when he's bribed in some way]]. He even attacks her a few times. He [[TookALevelInKindness overcomes this]] in "Trials and Adulations!" when Dawn helps heal his injuries, though he still retains a small rebellious streak.
* TheBerserker: As a Mamoswine it has a violent temper and tends to go berserk when angry. This costs Dawn a contest when it loses control and goes on a rampage.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* TheBigGuy: Mamoswine is one of the two largest Pokémon of DP's main cast, it is Dawn's largest Pokémon and also her strongest. When it comes to real battling, Mamoswine is her Ace Pokémon.
* BrilliantButLazy: By far the most powerful of Dawn's Pokemon, but also completely uninterested in anything besides eating and sleeping. Dawn eventually trains it out of this.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Mamoswine initially doesn't respect Dawn at all and refuses to follow her commands.
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* EyesOutOfSight: Piloswine has bangs that always cover his eyes.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MenAreTough: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: In many ways, he's similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KiyotakaFurushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: To Ash's Cyndaquil. Both of them were owned by the series' leads that started out as TheBabyOfTheBunch before they TookALevelInBadass, but Ash's Cyndaquil was a bit shy and timid at first, whereas Dawn's was much more excitable and happy. Moreover, Ash left his Cyndaquil [[PutOnABus at Oak's lab]] before bringing it back temporarily, only to evolve in a moment of crisis, whereas Dawn's evolved under similar circumstances[[note]]In Japan, as the episode wasn't broadcast in the US[[/note]], but has stayed with her consistently.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as Cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Togekiss]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]]. For bonus points, she's voiced by ''Creator/KikukoInoue'', who's famous for voicing this kind of character.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Thanks to Togekiss, Piplup stops getting flattened by Gible's Draco Meteor (though this eventually stops when Gible finally gets it under control).
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: She's a flying type and naturally knows Air Slash.
[[/folder]]

!!Formerly Owned
[[folder:Buizel (Buoysel)]]
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlAshsPokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Oshawott (Mijumaru)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_oshawott.png]]

----
* BitCharacter: Was only caught by Dawn to demonstrate the Hisuian Pokéball. Afterwards Oshawott is released.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To Ash's own Oshawott, given how in its short screentime, it starts squabbling with Piplup in the same way Ash's did.
[[/folder]]

!!Summer Academy Pokémon

[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_grimer.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_dodrio.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_floatzel_dawn_sharpedo.png]]

Ash, Brock and Dawn attended Prof. Rowan's Summer Academy in Episodes 88-91, during which they were assigned different Pokémon to partner up. In Dawn's case they're Grimer, Dodrio and Sharpedo.
----
* GuestStarPartyMember: They were only assigned to Dawn and she never officially owned them.
* SchoolForcedUsTogether: While the students are allowed to pick the Pokéball, they are not told of what Poké is inside it and whomever they picked is their designated Pokémon until the specific task involving it is finished.
* UtilityPartyMember: Dodrio and Sharpedo are mainly used for the camp's final triathlon activity.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: They get returned once Dawn's respective task with them are finished.
[[/folder]]

----

!Alternate Versions of Dawn
[[folder:Alternate Dawn]]
A version of Dawn from an alternate dimension where she chose to become a trainer rather than a coordinator, she winds up helping to expose a plot by her universe's Team Rocket to weaponize Dialga and Palkia.
----
* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: By choosing to be a trainer instead of a coordinator, it works out for her splendidly. For comparison, Ash lost the Sinnoh League to [[DiabolusExMachina Tobias and his Darkrai]] in the Top 4. She was the ''runner up''--something of which Ash wouldn't achieve until Kalos.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: She has more of a purple ensemble compared to the mainstream Dawn, who prefers pink.
* EasilyForgiven: The main Dawn lets her off the hook for stealing her Piplup, especially upon learning that Alt!Dawn's Piplup was turned into an egg.
* FountainOfYouth: She and the rest of the gang, plus their main counterparts, are deaged into toddlers as a result of Dialga and Palkia's fighting. Arceus gets them to stop and fix that issue.
* InSpiteOfANail: Despite her career change, she still chose Piplup as her starter, and obtained a Quilava, Mamoswine, and Buneary at the very least.
[[/folder]]
----

'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] ([[Characters/PokemonIChooseYouAshKetchum Ash Ketchum]]) | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]] | [[Characters/PokemonSecretsOfTheJungle Secrets of the Jungle]]-]]]]]

* {{Flanderization}}: While Dawn's {{catchphrase}} was always a major trait of hers, in her first ''Journeys'' appearance, it's her response to nearly everything that happens. Her upbeat personality is also exaggerated to where she gets [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny distracted]] by almost everything in sight. These aspects are downplayed when she returns again in [=JN089=] and [=JN090=].

** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."

** And of course, there's her habit of TemptingFate with her {{Catchphrase}}. Whenever she says "No need to worry!", there's a good chance something bad is about to happen.

* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.

* ApatheticPet: After Swinub becomes Piloswine (and later a Mamoswine), he [[TookALevelInJerkass becomes more of a jerk]]. He ignores Dawn's commands and [[HeroismIncentive only obeys her when he's bribed in some way]]. He even [[WouldHitAGirl attacks her a few times]]. He [[TookALevelInKindness overcomes this]] in "Trials and Adulations!" when Dawn helps heal his injuries, though he still retains a small rebellious streak.

** Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles. The most notable examples are the episodes where Kenny appears, as the boy is a childhood friend of Dawn and has had a crush on her since they were younger; he shows extreme jealousy of Ash and Dawn's close relationship, glaring angrily when the two so much as talk with each other. When Kenny requests Dawn to go with him on a journey if he beats Ash, Dawn opts to instead keep going with Ash and gently turning down Kenny's offer. [[spoiler:She's also notably Ash's only official companion to watch his final match of the Masters Eight Tournament in person.]] There's also the fact that her Buneary has a massive crush on Ash's Pikachu, which Dawn has personally voiced her support for several times.

* LegFocus: From her standard MagicSkirt attire to the occasional cheerleader, swimsuit, or FrenchMaid outfit, the show doesn't let up in displaying Dawn's legginess. One episode completely focused on her legs as she paced before Ash and Brock in anger after Landis insults her friendship with her Piplup.

* FaceYourFears: Through her Mamoswine and Cyndaquil encouragement, Dawn decided that it was time to let go of her fear of Plusle and Minun as she pulled herself together then managed to win her last ribbon to compete in the Grand Festival.

* BerserkButton: Don't call her Di-Di. It brings up bad memories of getting zapped by Plusle and Minum (though she gets over that part at least).

* OneDegreeOfSeparation: One particular irony about the end of Ash's tenure was that Dawn never crossed paths with was Serena (who's quite similar to Dawn in a lot of respects), but fellow Coordinator May (whom Dawn did meet) befriended the Kalos native when she came to Hoenn.

* MsFanservice: Nowhere near to the extent of previous Pokegirls Misty and May, but still present. She gets a lot of LegFocus from her regular extremely short skirt, not to mention the occasional revealing cheerleader outfit, swimsuit (though unlike Misty's or May's swimsuits, none of the swimsuits Dawn wears are the midriff-exposing kind) and even some of her contest dresses. There's also an episode where she's put in a pretty FrenchMaid outfit.

* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes (both travel outfits also include pink boots).

* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Girly Girl to three other Tomboys: Zoey (a Bifauxnen coordinator who wears suits, compared to Dawn's fluffy dresses), May (a Coordinator with a huge appetite), and Iris (a rambunctious Dragon-type trainer who competed in the Masters Eight tournament).