May (Haruka)

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^{Click here to see May's DP outfit}

Voiced in Japanese by: Kaori Suzuki

Voiced in English by: Veronica Taylor (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Ana Lobo (Season 6 and first episodes of season 7), Liliana Barba (temporary replacement in Season 6), Mariana Ortiz (rest of the series), Agustina Priscila (Movies 6 and 7)

Voiced in European French by: Maia Baran, Isabelle Volpé (Movie Jirachi Wish Maker), Laurence Sacquet (Movie Destiny Deoxys)

Starting the Advanced series as a newbie trainer, May, the daughter of Petalberg City's renowned Gym Leader Norman, only wanted to travel the world at first, until a chance encounter (and one fried bicycle) with Ash Ketchum lead her on a journey she never forgot. She initially disliked Pokémon before experience around them changed her mind. She aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator, leading towards a quest similar to Ash's.

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Tropes A-C

The Ace: Subverted during the Wallace Cup, when she returned in Diamond and Pearl. By then, she was pretty experienced and was known even in Sinnoh, where she had never been to until then, as "The Princess of Hoenn" and was implied to be the favorite of it (that is, most people predicted her to win), even being acknowledged by fellow Ace Zoey, and later defeating her, something Dawn never did. However, she did end up losing to Dawn at the Wallace Cup final round, and she admits when she first reunites with the gang that she was having some bumps in the road in the Johto contest circuit, showing that while she's pretty good, she has a long way to go to winning a grand festival and becoming a top coordinator, even if her fame is a bit elevated. Journeys suggests that she did eventually grow into this, as Serena makes mention of May's title and implies it carries a lot of respect on the Contest Circuit.
Acquired Situational Narcissism: After going on a hot-streak with contest victories and garnering a fan club, May briefly lets her success go to her head. Naturally this immediately leads to a Break the Haughty moment when she's disqualified for pushing her newly-caught Bulbasaur too hard during a match.
Adaptational Backstory Change: Zig-Zagged. In the games, if she was selected as the main player, her family is indicated to have only recently moved to Hoenn, whereas picking Brendan makes her Birch's daughter, and therefore a native of the region off the bat. She mixes the two stories by being Norman's daughter, but having lived in Hoenn for a while.
Adaptational Nationality: Zig-Zagged. In the games, picking her as the main player makes her a recent arrival to the Hoenn Region, while picking Brendan makes her a Hoenn native. The anime chooses the latter option.
Adaptational Sympathy: Her game counterpart was either Norman or Birch's daughter, depending on the player's choice of gender, allowing her to serve as the protagonist or rival. She's given the former option here, showcasing her as struggling to break out of her father's shadow, as well as being forced down the Pokémon path when she had no interest in them to begin with. It takes traveling with Ash to help her better appreciate these creatures, as well as developing a love for contests.
Adaptational Wimp: Like with Misty, she's not nearly as skilled as her game counterpart (whom, if selected as the rival, is shown to have some experience with Pokémon on account of being Birch's daughter) or her Pokémon Adventures iteration (who is a Wild Child who literally fights Pokémon barehanded). She does get better over time.
Aesop Amnesia: It takes her a few times before she realizes that Harley is not to be trusted, and is faking any apparent remorse he has for his past actions.
Always Someone Better:
- To Jessie. May was part of the main cast during Team Rocket's arguably most ineffectual tenure, and Jessie was an Unknown Rival to her in Pokémon contests, failing every time to outdo her. Even during the Sinnoh contests, where Jessie proved far more competent, she failed to challenge May in any capacity during her brief return (though that could be blamed on Jessie getting too overconfident in herself).
- And to Harley. He managed to defeat her only once. The Japanese version also implies he's insecure about her being cuter (and thus more popular) competition than him. These are among the more unecessary reasons he has for hating her.
- She was on the other side of the equation in regards to Drew, whom she only managed to beat once. While she grew into a skilled Coordinator in her own right, Drew proved to be a far superior trainer—even after she beat him in the Kanto Grand Festival, he managed to one-up her in a practice rematch (though it didn't help she was in a bad funk at the time). During her journey through Johto, she mentions that he was proving difficult to compete against.
- Zig-Zagged with Dawn. She did lose to her successor in the Wallace Cup, and Dawn actually managed to get to the finals in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, but May notably was the only one to actually beat Zoey, whereas Dawn was never shown doing so.
Always Second Best: Like Ash (initially), she never won a major Coordinating Competition, only placing eight in the Hoenn Grand Festival and fourth in the Kanto Grand Festival. She did remarkably well, but was soundly beaten by Drew and Solidad respectively.
Amusing Injuries: She gets subject to a fair amount of slapstick, notably getting soundly smacked by the entire Azurill line in her second episode. However most of her Damsel in Distress moments seem to lampshade her lack of Toon Physics. Her almost falling down the exact same cliff Team Rocket passively shot down Wile E Coyote-style was completely Played for Drama.
Art Evolution: For her cameo in Journeys, she's redesigned to match the new series' art style, with more rounded eyes, a smaller nose, and a more streamlined look to her hair.
Aside Glance: Sometimes during her "expedition team" routine, she would act like she's reporting "progress" to the audience.
Authority in Name Only: While she's called "The Princess of Hoenn", it's more of a formality to her fame than an actual indicator of royalty.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: With Max. No matter how many times they argue, they still really care for each other; after all, they're still brother and sister.
Back from the Dead: She's eaten alive in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew by The Tree of Beginning's protectorate cells, but is brought back when the Mew living there is able to convince the Tree that she and her friends aren't a threat to it.
Badass Adorable: She isn't called "The Princess of Hoenn" for no reason; she's a well-regarded Coordinator who's got a gaggle of powerful Pokémon at her disposal.
Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Like Misty before her, she's the only girl in the group. While she doesn't show it off in her normal outfit, she gets a few bikini scenes (notably in the eight and ninth movies), she wears a Belly Dancer outfit for the Wallace Cup during Diamond and Pearl, and her contest outfit from JN132 (lifted from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire) shows off her stomach.
Bedlah Babe: May wears an outfit that wouldn't look out of place on a real Belly Dancer for her return for the Wallace Cup.
Berserk Button: She gets very mad when food is stolen from her, sometimes to the point of violence. As shown when she returns for the Wallace Cup and finds out Team Rocket stole all of the food:
May: (as a fiery background appears behind her and she has glowing red eyes) I'll tell you NOBODY STEALS MY FOOD AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!!!^note
Dawn: ''What happened to our princess?!''
Between My Legs: In "Ruin With a View", when she spots an Azurill (the shot framed by May's legs, not the Azurill's).
Beware the Nice Ones: She's The Cutie most of the time, and is even more easily duped or kidnapped by Team Rocket than Ash. Some of their most vicious comeuppances throughout the entire series have been inflicted by her however, and usually more a result of pressing her buttons than actual self defence.
Big Eater: Worse than Ash in this regard. In fact, in one episode, Ash was actually astounded by how much she could eat. Taking her food in any way is a good way to get her mad (see above).
Big Sister Instinct:
- Shows at times with Max. She and Liza once inflicted an Extreme Męlée Revenge onto Team Rocket for kidnapping him. Deconstructed in one episode where a promise May made to her mother about keeping an eye out for Max nearly cost her a chance for getting into her first Grand Festival.
- Also helps pivot Ash's Big Brother Instinct characterization, being the first main character trainer more novice than him and being protected by him several times over. Possibly inverted since both characters are ten.
Birds of a Feather:
- When she arrives in Sinnoh, she and fellow Coordinator Dawn hit it off almost instantly. It helps that both trainers have a "bird" for their starter.
- Later implied with Serena, a fellow Coordinator, Eeveelution owner, and former traveling companion of Ash, whom she's seen with watching Ash's battle again Leon. The two even hold hands when it seems like Ash is on the verge of losing.
Bound and Gagged: She arguably holds the unflattering record of getting tied up, string shotted or otherwise restrained by Team Rocket or another antagonist most out of any of Ash's companions.
Both Sides Have a Point:
- May let her two contests victory's go to her head during her fourth contest in Rubello Town, and she gets upset with Ash for trying to offer advice to one of her competitors/friends, noting that what they do as Trainers is entirely different. However, May ended up losing when she pushed her freshly caught Bulbasaur too hard and she gets scolded by the judges when she tries to contest it, then is flat out told she's showing no care for the well being of the poor grass type, leaving her to run off in embarrassment. Seeing this, Ash, who was more than likely reminded of his younger days when he could have just as been haughty as she was, talks to May as he told that she was right that what they do as Trainers is different because he focuses on collecting Gym Badges while she focuses on getting contests ribbons. However, Ash also had a point as he told May that they may have different roles as Trainers, but what they do with Pokémon and bonding with them will always be the same.
- In the Hoenn Grand Festival, May bought Harley's feigned reformation in order to get her to mess up during the contest out of petty revenge for beating him in their last encounter. When Drew tells May of Harley's deceit, she rightfully chews him out for tricking her like that. He doesn't deny it, and in fact brags about it in front of everyone, but he retorts that she fell for it nonetheless, which she somberly realizes that it was true.
Bratty Half-Pint: Downplayed case. While usually sweet-natured, May can sometimes have a very huffy temperament, especially when she starts to get too confident in her abilities. Notably, the one time she acts like a brat towards Ash when he's just trying to offer genuine advice, her swelled head pops when she gets disqualified and chewed out by the judges for pushing her Bulbasaur too hard.
Breaking Old Trends:
- May is the first main character besides Ash to obtain a starter, marking the first generation he didn't get all three of them (a trend of which would repeat throughout every generation except Unova).
- She's the first companion to obtain a Pokémon that Ash himself caught, starting with Bulbasaur and Squirtle. To this date, only Kiawe (who inherited a Charizard from his late grandfather) and Goh (who caught several Pokémon Ash owned, most notably a Froakie in Kalos) would obtain similar feats.
- She's also the first main character who has both parents still around, something of which wouldn't be seen until Lana, Sophocles, and Kiawe in Sun and Moon, followed by Goh and Chloe in Journeys.
Break the Cutie:
- When May loses her first and second contests, and later the Hoenn Grand Festival, she's utterly crushed and breaks down in tears.
- The Battle Frontier Arc eventually took its toll on May. After losing the Kanto Grand Festival (and having to say goodbye to Manaphy in Temple of the Sea), she's become a Stepford Smiler by the time Ash defeats Brandon. She's able to bounce back somewhat by going on her own journey through Johto, but she's still struggling to keep up against Drew, Harley, and Solidad, and loses the Wallace Cup to Dawn during her guest appearance.
Break the Haughty: One contest arc has her get a swelled head, causing her to dismiss Ash's advice. She winds up pushing her freshly-caught Bulbasaur too hard and is disqualified, causing her to get upset when she's scolded for it.
Butt-Monkey: Like Misty before her, May was prone to getting subject to a fair amount of slapstick, starting off with ramming her bike into a tree, getting soaked by a Mudkip when she neglects to tell it where to aim its Water Gun, having said bike fried by Pikachu, and getting decimated by the entire Azurill family on her first outing.
But Now I Must Go: After winning the Terracotta Ribbon with Ash, May decides she needs to leave the group permanently and travel to the Johto Region by herself, wanting to find her own way of performing in contests without being stuck in Ash's shadow. While it does leave Max briefly distraught at not being able to go with her, a quick conversation helps him understand, and the two leave for Hoenn so they can get Max home before she sets off.
The Cameo: While May hasn't physically appeared since Diamond and Pearl, she does make flashback cameos during "The Dream Continues!" and JN105. She would make a cameo in the flesh for JN132 where she and Max join Serena and Lisia in watching Ash's match against Leon.
Catchphrase: When calling her Pokémon for a Contest, "Stage On!"/"Take The Stage!"
Character Development: At first, May didn't like Pokémon, only becoming a trainer since she wanted to travel, but Ash's Pikachu and her first two Pokémon (Torchic and Wurmple) change her opinion, and she has come to really love Pokémon. In "Cruisin' for a Losin", after pushing her newly caught Bulbasaur too hard and listening to a fellow competitor tell her that the ribbon she already has is a reminder of how hard her Pokémon worked for her, May realizes that the same is true for her Pokémon and the two ribbons they won, and vows to never take them for granted again.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Whenever she starts her "expedition team" narration and Finger Framing, it's a sure-sign that she's..."lost".
Conflicting Loyalty: In the episodes leading up to the Petalburg gym battle, Max gets on her case several times about who May wants to win: their father Norman, or Ash. In the gym match itself, she clearly chose Ash's side.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Misty as the show's female lead. While Misty was Ash's coach, mainly followed him to support his goal, and was a Type A Tsundere toward him, May is Ash's mentee, has her own independent goal that rotates with his, and a Type B Tsundere toward Drew. Moreover, while Ash and Misty got into a lot of arguments due to the latter finding Ash to be a haughty and lazy trainer way in over his head, May and Ash very rarely got into a fight, and she looked up to him for guidance (albeit that Ash had mellowed out of his arrogant phase for the most part).
Contrived Coincidence: How she happens to meet Ash. The day she was going to get her starter was the day he came to Hoenn, rushing to save his wounded and exhausted Pikachu after Team Rocket ambushed him on the way over. With the TRio still in hot pursuit, things go south very quickly, Pikachu recovers and fries both his foes and May's bike, and she finds herself wanting to travel with him.
Costume Evolution: She goes from her Ruby and Sapphire outfit to her Emerald outfit by the time she rejoins the main group.
Curbstomp Battle: On her first contest battle, Drew smashed her into the ground hard. And in her last battle in the Kanto Grand Festival, Solidad wiped the floor with her using her Slowbro and Pidgeot.
Cuteness Proximity: If a Pokémon looks cute, she's going to gush over it. Although there was one time she squeed over Gulpin, a.k.a. the living stomach.
The Cutie: Probably the dorkiest and childish of Ash's female companions. In keeping with the trope, she gets a lot of Big Brother Instinct moments out of Ash and Brock.

Tropes D-J

Daddy's Girl: Although her father doesn't appear as much in the series, she's still driven a lot by the fact he's a gym leader. In fact, the only reason she became a trainer was because of how famous her father was, and feeling she needed to follow in his footsteps. Nevertheless, he supports her decision to become a Coordinator, and when Ash finally challenges him, she's conflicted about whether or not to root for him or Ash.
Damsel in Distress: Ash has saved her life several times on the show, notably in Temple of the Sea when he put her and Pikachu in a torpedo tube to help them escape the sinking Sea Temple while he tried to undo the damage wrought by The Phantom.
A Day in the Limelight: Apart from the Contest arc, the ninth movie comes to mind.
Deadpan Snarker: She can provide snark especially where her brother is concerned, but Ash and Brock tend to take the heat as well.
Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: She starts off the series not wanting to be a Pokémon trainer at all, but feeling like she only had to because her father is the famous Norman of Petalberg City, only using it as an excuse to travel. Once she learns about contests, she quickly finds that purpose.
Determinator: Like Ash, she isn't one to quit easily. She suffers from the occasional blow to her confidence, but she always manages to bounce back and find a way to compete in contests again.
Deuteragonist: To Ash during "Advanced Generation" - even the final major battle (an unofficial contest they both enter) reflects this mindset. Like Ash, she (eventually) wants to be the very best at a major Pokémon competition (in her case, contests), but she winds up getting put through the wringer more than once, including when she got as swelled a head as Ash did during his early days. Nevertheless, she persists hard until she achieves her dreams. For added bonus points, she even obtains two of the starters (Bulbasaur and Squirtle) that Ash himself got during his travels (albeit they didn't evolve like hers did).
Didn't Think This Through: Part of her loss during her second contest loss (besides a swelled head) was that she decided to press her Bulbasaur into the competition despite the fact she only caught it a few days before, giving her little time to be properly trained in what to do. When May pushed her too hard, she was disqualified.
Disproportionate Retribution: On the receiving end by Harley, who's done everything he can in his power to destroy her. Why? When they met, she called his cookies "not bad" and found his Cacturne to be scary.
Distress Ball: Even after becoming one of the most active and capable female companions, she often couldn't catch a break with this. Usually inflicted Big Brother Instinct moments from Ash.
"Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: KAORI, May's Japanese VA, sings AG's final ending theme, which is also May's Image Song, herself.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: May was slightly taller than Ash in her debut, whereas later episodes make her more diminutive in both height (and personality), likely so Ash can better take on a Big Brother Mentor role towards her.
Easily Forgiven: Deconstructed. She gives Harley god-knows how many chances to redeem himself before she finally gets the hint and that he's only interested in destroying her.
Establishing Character Moment: When she's first introduced, May is shown riding her bike to get her starter, only to get frightened by a Duskull and slamming into a tree while her self-narration indicates she's not a big fan of Pokémon.
Famed in Story: Because she's Norman's daughter, the entirety of Petalberg City worships the very ground she walks on, which didn't help the one time that Team Rocket rather unconvincingly disguised themselves as Norman's family and sicced the whole town on the Twerps. By the time of Diamond and Pearl, her reputation had grown in the Coordinator circuit enough to where she was called "The Princess of Hoenn", which Journeys indicated held some serious respect amongst her competitors.
Fatal Flaw: Her lack of confidence. She's never able to beat Drew aside from one time because she has little faith in herself. Even though she gets better, she's still very prone to self-doubt, causing her and her Pokémon to falter at inopportune moments. Notably, the one time she did beat Drew was because she cast her doubts aside and pushed to the end, but lost to him once more when losing to Solidad at the Kanto Grand Festival crushed her confidence hard. Part of the reason she decides to journey out on her own is because she thinks it will help her find herself without being stuck in Ash's shadow.
Figure It Out Yourself: After brutally losing to Solidad at the Kanto Grand Festival, May spends a lot of time down in the dumps, but realizes that she's borrowed far too much of Ash's own battling style for herself—something that isn't helping her improve in contests. Once she and Ash have their last battle, she decides to strike out on her own, hoping that she'll be able to find her own style. While Diamond and Pearl indicated she's still struggling in that aspect, mentions of her in Journeys indicates that she eventually grew to find it.
Foil: To several of the previous characters in the series.
- First, to Ash himself. Ash was an overeager, immature, and sometimes Jerk with a Heart of Gold who wanted to be a Pokémon trainer right off the bat, while she was a shy, somewhat mature, and more reserved Nice Girl who only became a trainer because of her father, only picking up on a career choice when she got the hang of traveling around. Ash overslept and missed getting his pick of a starter, leaving him with a disobedient Pikachu that only started listening to him when he saved his life, and the two remained inseparable since, while May arrived early and got her choice of a fully obedient Torchic that she often overlooked until it evolved. Both trainers got enough qualifying badges/ribbons to make it into their prospective competitions, but got eliminated by their rivals in the Top 8, the difference being that Tyson had only become Ash's brief rival recently, while Drew was May's rival since the beginning. Both trainers also got a Bulbasaur and a Squirtle, but Ash never evolved his, while May did. Meanwhile, Ash would achieve his goal after he bested Leon 25 years in real-time after his journey begin, while May managed to become world-famous far earlier in the Pokémon universe (though it's not clear how much she's accomplished her goal). Both also met Serena, the former as a child before traveling through Kalos with her, the latter when Serena went to Hoenn and became a Coordinator.
- Likewise, with Misty as Ash's female traveling companion. Misty was a gym leader and the youngest of four siblings, May was the daughter of a gym leader and the eldest of two. Misty often butted heads with Ash and held the fact that he destroyed her bike over his head, but she did care for him deep down, and even developed feelings for him later on. May, on the other hand, rarely got into a spat with Ash, never made an issue with him destroying her bike, and any sense of a crush was far more subtle. Misty couldn't stand her sisters, May loved Max in spite of the fact they bickered often. Misty chose to specialize in water types only, while May acquired several different types of Pokémon.
- On her Diamond and Pearl guest appearance, she's presented as one to Dawn. Unlike May, Dawn wanted to be a Coordinator the moment she could, but struggled far worse than May due to getting too focused on the performance itself and not having fun, while May's problem largely stemmed from a lack of confidence in herself. Both also picked the bird-themed starter of their respective regions, but Piplup is a feisty water type who doesn't want to evolve, while Blaziken is a mighty Fire/Fighting type who did evolve all the way.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: She can serve in either role with Max depending on the situation. While she's the more experienced Pokémon Trainer on account of her reaching the age requirement to begin, he's far smarter than her on most things Pokémon in spite of not being able to become a trainer yet.
Forgotten First Meeting: Harley claims that May stole his lunch as a child, long before the two met on the Contest Circuit. Given he's a known liar, it's very hard to say if he's telling the truth.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic. She's a very sweet and caring girl who's an elegant performer and plenty easygoing, but she can get very distraught in troubling situations, and her confidence can shatter very easily when she's handed a lopsided defeat.
Freudian Excuse: It's implied she doesn't like Pokémon that much because her mother mistook her for a Tentacool and tried to catch her while one was getting too close for comfort. She gets over it.
Friendly Rivalry: Her relationship with Drew eventually grows into this, once she started heeding his advice and became a far more serious coordinator. Though the series does imply something more on their part.
Good Is Not Soft: Despite her Nice Girl status, pissing her off is not a good idea, especially if you threaten to hurt her brother or you trick her.
Good Luck Charm: Describes her half of the Terracotta Ribbon, which she tied with Ash, as her lucky charm during her travels in Johto.
Guest-Star Party Member: She briefly returns for the Wallace Cup arc in "Diamond and Pearl" for four episodes.
The Heart: She occupied this role in the Advanced Generation party, thanks to her Nice Girl status, though a lot of the focus on the series was on her finding her footing in the Pokémon world.
Heroic BSoD: Losing lopsidedly to Solidad at the Kanto Grand Festival shook her confidence so badly, she could barely function. Seeing Ash overcome Pyramid King Brandon does help her recover, leading her to decide to strike out on her own.
Hero of Another Story: She and Serena evidently crossed paths with one another during their travels, and perform contests together in Hoenn, as the two are seen watching Ash's final match against Leon.
Hidden Depths: Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea puts her in the position of the surrogate mother to Manaphy, which she manages to catch on quickly with. She even demonstrates that she's a pretty good singer while giving it a lullaby.
Iconic Outfit: Her red bandanna, red shirt, white skirt, and black boots, which even her later outfits have drawn some inspiration from.
Identical Stranger: She (apparently) looks just like a girl that stole the last bit of Harley's lunch when he was in preschool. Given that Harley is an Unreliable Narrator, we can't tell if he's being serious.
Idiot Hero: At times, she demonstrated she could be just as bad as Ash in that regard. Not only did she keep falling for Team Rocket's disguises, but it took her a long time to stop falling for Harley's bad bits of advice.
Image Song: "Watashi, Makenai!", AG's final ending theme.
Innocent Blue Eyes: She's got big, bright blues, and has a far more innocent outlook on the world.
In-Series Nickname: Diamond and Pearl establishes her as "The Princess of Hoenn".
Ironic Echo: Ash teaches May the basics of catching Pokémon, and May later returns it to him word-for-word when he forgets those basics.
Irony:
- She starts out the series not liking Pokémon, but is the daughter of one of Hoenn's premier Gym Leaders.
- When she first begins, she refuses to take Mudkip due to a bad experience with one. Later, Brock gets a Mudkip, which she has no problem with hanging around.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She really doesn't want to let Manaphy go, having grown very fond of it, but she accepts that it needs to fulfill its destiny, no matter how much it hurts to let her "child" go.
Jerkass Ball: As sweet as she is, she can get pretty angry with Ash or Max for no good reason. One time, she and the former got into such a huge argument, it devolved into a Girls vs. Boys Plot where even Team Rocket got involved to settle the score. All Brock, Max, and Pikachu could do was watch—and referee in the former's case.
Jerkass Realization: When she's disqualified from a contest for pushing her Bulbasaur too hard, she runs off in tears. She soon realizes how unfair she was to her Pokémon, and how much she let the fame go to her head.

Tropes K-Z

Karmic Jackpot: May is nearly unable to compete in the Kanto Contest Circuit because Harley tricked her as to how registration actually worked. However, she's still able to get in anyway when a Nurse Joy witnesses her help to rescue a group of stolen Pokémon from Team Rocket, allowing her to compete (much to Harley's chagrin).
Lethal Chef: Pokéblocks are edible for humans and Pokémon (to be fair, they are made of berries, after all). May's Pokéblocks? Not so much.
- The first time she made a batch, only Beautifly liked them.
- On another, more infamous occasion. They were so bad that it knocked out almost everyone who ate them, with James noting that they tasted of jet fuel and burning tires. The only two who liked them were Munchlax, which will eat almost anything, and Jessie, who was able to stomach another female's nasty concoction.
Like Parent, Unlike Child: She starts off the series not really liking Pokémon, while her father is a dedicated Gym Leader specializing in Normal Types. She grows out of the disliking Pokémon part, but she notably declines to partake in Gym Battles and chooses to go into Contests instead.
Living Legend: By Diamond and Pearl and Journeys, May is revered as "The Princess of Hoenn" for her various contest exploits.
Long Bus Trip: Between Misty, Dawn, Iris, Serena, Lana, Mallow, and Lillie, May has been absent from the series longest, having last shown up in "Strategy With A Smile!" back during the Diamond and Pearl era.^note It wouldn't be until JN132 that she would show up in the flesh alongside Max, and even then it's a silent cameo, marking her as the only one of Ash's companions he wouldn't reunite with in Journeys prior to the character being retired as the lead.
Lost Food Grievance: May does NOT take it lightly when someone steals her food. See Berserk Button above.
Lovable Coward: A bit of a scaredy-cat at the beginning of the series. Whenever faced with threatening Pokémon, she would be seen cowering behind a male companion's (usually Ash) back. She eventually grows out of it, but an early Battle Frontier episode sees her as the only one of the twerps who cannot sleep peacefully inside a ghost town.
Mama Bear: She tends to be very protective of her Pokémon, and develops a mother-child bond with Manaphy in Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.
My God, What Have I Done?:
- In "Cruisin For A Losin", after pushing her Bulbasaur too hard and getting scolded for her bad behavior, May realizes her actions were inappropriate and tearfully apologizes to her Bulbasaur, before running off the stage in shame.
- In "Take This House And Shuppet", May shows regret when she realizes that she's really hurt Max's feelings during her argument with him and said some things that she shouldn't have.
Mythology Gag: Both of her outfits in Diamond and Pearl and JN132 are taken from Emerald and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire respectively.
Nice Girl: May is extremely sweet and friendly to almost everyone.
Nice Mean And In Between: Between the three rivals, she's the Nice to Harley's Mean and Drew's In Between.
Noodle Incident: According to Max, she once had a bad encounter with a Tentacool, which explains her slight fear of Pokémon at the start of her journey.
- It's revealed (by Max accidentally giving information to Harley and broadcasted through the speakers) that when she was little she had a blue swim cap and was swimming in the water...and Tentacool were there. She called for help but instead her mom mistook her for one of the Tentacool and tried to capture her instead!
One Degree of Separation: Journeys revealed she eventually met Serena, another former traveling companion of Ash's and a fellow trainer with an Eeveelution, as the two joined Max and Lisa in watching Ash's battle against Leon.
Pals with Jesus: She becomes a surrogate mother to a baby Manaphy in Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea. She bonded very closely with it, but was heartbroken when it came time to say goodbye.
Parental Neglect: Related to the above - her parents couldn't be bothered to watch their toddler at the beach, and do nothing after hearing her cries for help. Norman goes back to sunbathing, and Caroline decides to try and catch some Pokémon!
Parental Substitute: In Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, she winds up in the care of a Manaphy that was being targeted by The Phantom so he could use its power to steal the titular Sea Temple's treasure. The young Manaphy sees May as its "mama", and she happily takes the title after a while. Unfortunately, she's forced to let her child go so it could fulfill its destiny.
Plucky Girl: Brave, optimistic, kind, and at times, awkward, she definitely fits.
Princesses Prefer Pink: Although her title of "Princess" is more an indicator of her fame, her Wallace Cup outfit and her contest outfit in JN132both have prominent pink elements.
Put on a Bus: She leaves for her own journey at the end of Advanced Generation, and, aside from a four-part guest appearance in Diamond and Pearl, she hasn't been seen outside of flashbacks or Ash reminiscing about his companions until JN132. This is even more glaring compared to Misty, Dawn, and Iris, as they've all come back, but May still has yet to reappear.^Explanation
Red Baron: "The Princess of Hoenn" when she appears for the Wallace Cup.
- In Journeys, Serena tells Chloe the outfit she's suggesting Chloe wear during her performance was formerly used by "The Princess of Hoenn" indicating May is still called that, and that the name still seems to carry some serious respect, though it isn't expanded upon.
Red Is Heroic: She's clad primarily in red, and she's one of the series main protagonists.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to her rival Drew's blue. She's far more passionate in her everyday life compared to the more stoic and reserved Drew.
Remember the New Guy?: Dub-only, where it's implied that May and Max had already met Ash's Charizard prior to the latter's actual debut in AG.
May: Oh no, not again. (referring to Charizard's way of saying hello to Ash.)
Max: Of course, that's the only way Charizard knows how to say hello.
Replacement Flat Character: Replacing Ash as the show's clueless newbie.
Riddle for the Ages:
- How exactly she wound up time-traveling into the past (or got back to the present for that matter) is never given any explanation, as there's no hint of Celebi being involved, and Dialga had yet to be introduced at the time.
- How and when she was deemed "The Princess of Hoenn" was never established in the series.
Rotating Arcs: The focus of her seeking out Pokémon Contests alternates with Ash's own quest for the Hoenn League and later the Battle Frontier. Notably, in the latter she's the one who had to contend with a Tournament Arc, since Ash's own quest at that time is more along the lines of a Run the Gauntlet.
Running Gag: Early on, the group would frequently be slow to get going because May was adjusting her appearance in a mirror.
"Shaggy Dog" Story: May decides to travel to another region to register in the Wallace Cup and end her losing streak, but winds up losing in the finals to Dawn.
Ship Tease:
- She receives some with Ash, sprinkled liberally throughout Advanced Generation and especially in Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of The Sea.
- Also gets quite a bit of this with Drew, especially once their rivalry starts to become more friendly; the most cited hint is Drew frequently giving her roses, although he insists it's for her Pokémon.
Sibling Yin-Yang: With Max. She's more of a Nice Girl with a naive streak, while he's a Bratty Half-Pint Deadpan Snarker who veers into Know-Nothing Know-It-All territory.
Signature Headgear: Her bandanna, which she always wears a variation of. In Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, Manaphy actually goes out its way to get it back for its "mama" when she drops it in the ocean.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: Her entire outfit changes from her more familiar red, white, and black clothes to the outfit she wears in Pokémon Emerald to signify she's out on her own.
Small Name, Big Ego: In one episode she develops a group of admirers and an over-inflated ego. Then she enters a contest. You can imagine what happens next.
Socially Awkward Hero: As skilled of a coordinator she grows to become, she still gets a few moments of fluster and shyness, even around her rival Drew.
Super Gullible: One of May's flaws. She gets tricked by Team Rocket a lot and she even trusted Harley when the latter manipulated her with misleading advice in the Advanced Generation season. Harley was quick to point out that she was the one dumb enough to keep falling for it.
Surpassed the Teacher: A Downplayed example. Near the end of the Advanced Generation saga, May decides to follow her rivals to compete in the contests in Johto due to wanting to come up with her own unique style in contests after realizing that emulating Ash's more offensive-battling style isn't good for contests. As a result, she decides to stop traveling with Ash, realizing such a step is necessary for her to step out of his shadow, but she still expresses her gratitude to him for everything he has taught her.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Averted. While she takes Misty's place as Ash’s female companion, her personality is rather different. May's competing in Contests also mean she has a much more active role in the narrative than Misty did.
Sweet Tooth: Prominent for her Big Eater tendencies, she's shown numerous time munching down on various sweets.
Tender Tears: After her various contests losses, she breaks down crying. Luckily, Ash and co. are there to help comfort her.
Time Travel: Encountered a rather random case in "Time Warp Heals All Wounds", where she teams up with Meowth of all people to undo a stranger's death in the past. Said stranger being spared from his death results in her egg finally hatching into an Eevee.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: She fulfills both roles.
- Tomboy: To her successor Dawn's Girly Girl. May is much into the travel aspect of her Pokémon journey while also borrowing a lot of Ash's battling techniques, while Dawn places a lot more emphasis on her performance.
- Girly Girl: To her predecessor Misty's Tomboy. Misty is a Gym Leader who can wallop foes through sheer force, while May is a Coordinator much more interested in performances.
Took a Level in Badass: May took a noticeable level in badass somewhere around the time of Combusken's evolution. The first half of the season had her freezing up a lot and relying on blind luck — shortly post-Combusken she was holding her own against villains of the day. By Battle Frontier, she entered every contest with confidence. Journeys indicates that she's managed to become a world-respected coordinator, famous enough to be a part of an Idol Unit with the likes of Lisia and Serena.
- Not only that, but most of her Pokémon also got this change.
Trademark Favorite Food: Noodles; specifically, Tonkotsu Ramen. It gets to the point in "Pasta la Vista" that she'd fight off against Ash in order to make sure she can enjoy those noodles, combined with a fiery aura to show how determined she was.
Trauma Conga Line: A more benign example than most, but the Battle Frontier era really put May through the wringer. She nearly misses registration because Harley once again tricked her by feigning reformation. While she's able to breeze through most of her contests, and even gets two new Pokémon, she's subject to numerous attempts of humiliation (and one defeat) by Harley, sometimes with Team Rocket's help, and she actually dies in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (albeit temporarily). Things finally take their toll when loses lopsidedly to Solidad in the Kanto Grand Festival only after she manages to finally beat her rival Drew, leaving her a sobbing mess. And though she's able to find solace again when she becomes a surrogate mother to a baby Manaphy, she winds up having to bid farewell to it after nearly dying a few times trying to protect it. By the time she and Ash part ways, she's barely holding together, and even when she reunites with him, she admits she's still struggling to find herself in Johto. Even the Wallace Cup proves unfruitful, as she narrowly loses to Dawn. Poor girl doesn't catch a break until Journeys, and even then it's all offscreen.
Tsundere: A Type B, meaning she's mostly sweet and gentle...unless Drew is around, or Ash and/or her brother Max pisses her off.
The Unfavorite: Downplayed. Her parents are generally a lot more interested in Max, though that's probably just because he's younger and needs more attention. They do a good job of cheering her on in Contests, though — her mother traveled all the way from Petalburg to Slateport City to support her when the Hoenn Grand Festival came!
The Unreveal: Exactly when she and Serena crossed paths, how they learned about their connection to Ash, and when they decided to start competing together has yet to be revealed.
Verbal Tic: "-kamo", which even squeezed its way into her Image Song!
- Stealth Pun: Her starter was Achamo, which could easily mimic this sound. The Verbal Tic isn't present in the dub, and would have to be changed anyway as Achamo's English name is Torchic. However, "kamo" is used to suggest uncertainty and can be translated to "may," which makes her English name quite appropriate.
Watch Out for That Tree!: She slams her bike into one after getting scared by a Duskull—in her debut episode no less!
What the Hell, Hero?: Received an earful from Nurse Joy and the other judges for pressuring her Bulbasaur too hard in its first Contest.
Yank the Dog's Chain: Her arc in the Wallace Cup amounts to her managing to make it to the finals, only for Dawn to narrowly edge her out.
Your Size May Vary: Was roughly Misty's height in her first episode. In all later episodes she's slightly shorter than Ash, though some Off-Model moments occur, most commonly the actual difference in height between her and Ash.

May's Pokémon

In General

Not Allowed to Grow Up: In Advanced Generation, most of her team consisted of cute, unevolved Pokémon, though this is largely subverted for her return in Diamond and Pearl. By the time of the Wallace Cup, only Skitty and Munchlax have not evolved, while the rest of her team have evolved at least once.
Put on a Bus: Beautifly and Skitty were left behind at the Petalburg Gym, while May chose to leave Bulbasaur at Oak's so she could learn from Ash's own Bulbasaur. She later reclaimed the former two before heading to Johto, and now rotates all of them in and out of her roster.
Signature Mon: Thanks to the anime's influence, Torchic (in its first stage, if not fully evolved) is usually depicted as May's partner in most promotional material, including the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire commercials, various statues, and even as her Pokémon Adventures counterpart Sapphire's first 'mon. Glaceon also qualifies, given how she used it in the Wallace Cup and how it was her only Pokémon present in JN132 for her cameo.
Similar Squad: May's Pokémon in Advanced Generation tend to draw parallels to Pokémon Ash caught during his early journey: her strongest Pokémon is a fully evolved Fire-type starter, mirroring Ash's Charizard; her first capture/evolution is Beautifly, mirroring Ash's Butterfree; her Bulbasaur and Squirtle mirror Ash's own Bulbasaur and Squirtle; and her Munchlax mirrors Ash's Snorlax.
Took a Level in Badass: May obtained each of these Pokémon in their first stages, and they all grew from oddballs into fully-capable fighters and performers.

Hoenn

Torchic-Combusken-Blaziken (Achamo-Wakasyamo-Bursyamo)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_torchic.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_may_combusken.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_blaziken.png

Voiced in Japanese by: Chinami Nishimura (Achama and Wakasyamo), Katsuyuki Konishi (Bursyamo)

Voiced in English by: Rachael Lillis (Torchic), Darren Dunstan (Combusken, 4Kids), Bill Rogers (Combusken second voice and Blaziken)

11th-Hour Superpower: Evolved into Blaziken right as Advanced Generation was hitting its finale (handily beating Team Rocket in the process), and also just in time for use against Ash and Sceptile in the unofficial Contest at Terracotta Town.
The Ace: It's not only May's first Pokémon, it's also her strongest, as demonstrated in her final battle against Ash.
Badass Adorable/Killer Rabbit: As cute as it was, Torchic could prove itself to be a capable fighter...at least while it wasn't getting its butt handed to it.
Bare-Fisted Monk: Combusken and Blaziken's secondary type is fighting, and it gains access to fighting moves upon evolving.
Berserk Button: After May got Torchic and returned home to Petalberg City, Max made the mistake of insulting it. Torchic promptly pecked him.
The Big Guy: Once May left the main group, Blaziken was the strongest and biggest of her Pokémon she had (though her Venasaur took that slot when she rejoined the group in Diamond and Pearl). At the very least, Blaziken is the tallest of her team.
Big Guy, Little Guy: When May went to Sinnoh for the Wallace Cup, she teamed up with Dawn for a tag battle. Blaziken and Piplup fit together quite well with this trope.
Butt-Monkey: Prior to evolution, Torchic got walloped pretty much every time it came out of the Poké Ball. After evolution though...
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Ash's Charizard and Quilava. Torchic winds up fully evolving into a powerhouse like the former, but like the latter, was a shy and timid Mon who couldn't quite get the hang of things at first. Where this chicken differs is that it's a Lightning Bruiser who relies on speed and power all at once, compared to Charizard being The Big Guy and Quilava having a standard fighting prowess. Also he's a Fire-Fighting type, whereas Charizard is a Fire-Flying type, and Quilava is just a Fire type.
The Dog Bites Back: Corphish goes right back to being a Jerkass to Torchic once the events of "A Shroomish Skirmish" are all over. Problem is, Torchic is now Combusken and isn't having it, type disadvantage be damned.
Out of Focus: An In-Universe case. When May started competing in contests and started using Beautifly and Skitty more often, Max pointed out that she barely paid any attention to Torchic. He wound up exploiting this when he and Ash were asked by the local Nurse Joy to watch over some starters she was preparing to give out for a new trainer, only for that Torchic to break loose, get into fights with wild Pokémon, and evolve. Thinking May wouldn't notice her Torchic was missing, Max took it and tried to substitute it for the freshly evolved one while he and Ash tried guiding the new trainer into picking Treecko or Mudkip. Unfortunately for them, May did notice.
Playing with Fire: It knows Ember starting as a Torchic, but gains access to more powerful moves like Fire Spin as it evolves, Overheat and later Blaze Kick as well. Its ability is Blaze, which activates during May's final battle with Ash.
Plot Parallel: Its evolutions mirror May's own growth as a Trainer. It starts as a clueless and overly naive starter as a Torchic, develops into a more focused and competent partner as a Combusken, and then finally a confident and independent powerhouse as a Blaziken.
Shoryuken: It knows Sky Uppercut, allowing it perform a shoryuken on its foes.
Signature Mon: Being one of the Hoenn Starter and May's first Pokémon, it naturally is her Signature Mon. However, Torchic had to fight for this status, since Beautifly, Skitty and Bulbasaur got more attention from their trainer than it did. After evolving into Combusken, it rose to the rank of May's Ace Pokémon, to the point that most other versions of May have Torchic as her starter.
Signature Move: During its time as Torchic, it was Ember, but after evolving into Combusken, its Signature Moves became Fire Spin and Sky Uppercut.
Took a Level in Badass: Torchic's evolution into Combusken...and to up the ante, it evolves into Blaziken at the end of AG.
Well Done Chicken Mon: Torchic went through a personality change when evolving into Combusken. It went from timid and cutesy to a Proud Warrior Race Mon. What triggered this personality change? May paying more attention and spending more time with her other Pokémon (who, it must be said, were getting more attention to prepare for Contests while Torchic was left behind).
Who's Laughing Now?: Literally happens in "A Shroomish Skirmish". Torchic settles its differences with Corphish after Corphish protected Torchic from a herd of angry Breloom, and Torchic returned the favor by evolving into Combusken to save him. At the end of the episode, Corphish attempts to steal Combusken's food again (which started their squabble in the first place) but was now intimidated by the more powerful Combusken, and Combusken simply laughs it off.
Wind from Beneath My Wings: It knows Peck, a Flying Type move, in spite of not being a flying type.

Wurmple-Silcoon-Beautifly (Kemusso-Karasalis-Agehunt)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_wurmple.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_silcoon.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_beautifly.png

Voiced in Japanese by: Ryōko Shiraishi

Voiced in English by: Tara Jayne (Wurmple), Rachael Lillis (Silcoon and Beautifly 4Kids), Michele Knotz (Beautifly, current)

Always Someone Better: To Jessie's Dustox, with Beautifly almost always besting Dustox in battles and contests, and being considered the prettier more impressive Pokémon by everyone but Team Rocket. Odd since this was subverted when they were both Wurmples, with Jessie's being the far more obedient and competent Pokémon.
Big Eater: Wurmple. When he had his first lunch with the other Pokémon, he ate not only all the Pokémon food...but also the lunch Brock made for everyone else!
Brick Joke: During the gang's return to Petalburg for Ash's fifth gym battle, it's revealed that a Beautifly was something of a soft spot for Caroline because it symbolizes her marriage with Norman. At the beginning of the Battle Frontier saga, May cites that very reason as to why her Beautifly stayed in the Petalburg gym.
The Bus Came Back: Returned with May during the Wallace Cup arc; in fact, it was the first to greet Ash & Brock, while May's ship was entering the docks.
Flight: It's a Bug-Flying type, and has wings, giving it this ability.
Hard Work Hardly Works: As a Wurmple, it was poorly trained and lazy, while Jessie's was diligent and loyal. May's still evolved into a competent Beautifly as she desired, and always outshone Jessie's Dustox.
Head Pet: Beautifly's favorite roost. On one occasion, Ash as well.
Only One Who Likes Spam: When May first tries making Pokéblocks, only Beautifly likes them.
Pretty Butterfly: It's the very reason May wanted to catch a Wurmple, thinking that Beautifly's looks would make it a shoe-in for winning Contests.
Psychic Powers: Knows Psychic.
Signature Move: After evolving into Beautifly, Silver Wind immediately became its Signature Move.
Wind from Beneath My Wings: Beautifly's secondary type is flying, and it also knows Gust when it evolves.

Skitty (Eneco)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_skitty.png

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Often has trouble keeping her head in the game, and gets easily distracted by several things, including moving curtains, toys, other Pokémon, and her own twitchy tail.
Confusion Fu: Her Assist allows her to draw a random attack from any one of her teammates' arsenal.
Cute Kitten: Way too cute for her own good.
Cuteness Proximity: In I Feel Skitty, everyone, including Team Rocket, thinks that Skitty is adorable.
Divided We Fall: Skitty is terrible at teamwork, and this costs May in Battles and Contests more than once.
Fatal Flaw: As mentioned above, her inability to work as a team with May's other Pokémon.
Non-Elemental: Skitty is a Normal Type, and thus lacks access to most of the fancier moves that her other party members have besides Ice Beam. At least when it doesn't use Assist.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: One of the smallest members of the Hoenn ensemble, but she packs a mean punch when she can summon a Blizzard.
Pokémon Speak: Averted — her cry consists of "nya!" instead of her own name, which is the Japanese equivalent to "meow" in English.
Put on a Bus: Left at May's house following the Ever Grande Conference.
Random Effect Spell: Her Signature Move Assist allows her to use a randomly selected move from one of May's other Pokémon.
Running Gag: Chasing her own tail, then getting dizzy and falling over.
Signature Move: Two. Assist, with its random nature being Skitty's trademark, and Skitty's Blizzard.

Bulbasaur-Ivysaur-Venusaur (Fushigidane-Fushigisou-Fushigibana)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_bulbasaur.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_venusaur.png

Voiced in Japanese by: Miyako Ito (Fushigidane)

Voiced in English by: Tara Jayne (Bulbasaur)

Because You Were Nice to Me: When May was about to be attacked by the other Grass Pokémon in the reserve, Bulbasaur defended her since she saved the Pokémon from falling off a cliff.
Birds of a Feather: After May catches her Bulbasaur, Ash decides to call his over to help show it the ropes. Naturally, the two hit it off pretty well. She later leaves her Bulbasaur at Oak's so Ash's could teach her.
The Bus Came Back: May adds her back to the party during her own journey through Johto, at which point it evolves into Venasaur.
Foil: Straightest parallel between May and Ash: she was basically the innocent, gentler version to Ash's Troubled, but Cute Bulbasaur.
Green Thumb: Granted given it's a Grass Type.
Innocent Flower Girl: Started out as one, first seen trying to pick a flower at the side of a cliff, and the only non-hostile inhabitant of the grass preserve (this was probably due to May saving her from a nasty fall).
Naďve Everygirl: During her first time outside the preserve, she would get distracted over several things, almost unknowingly endangering herself even, because of her innocence. Ash had to temporarily call in his own Bulbasaur to set her straight and teach her the ropes.
Petal Power: Knows Petal Dance.
Poisonous Pokémon: It's secondary type is poison, although it's not shown with any poison moves.
Put on a Bus: May leaves her at Oak's lab under the mentorship of Ash's own Bulbsasaur.
Signature Move: Petal Blizzard, which serves as yet another contrast between May's Bulbasaur and Ash's Bulbasaur who knows Solarbeam.
Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Has a pair of heart-shaped spots on its forehead to indicate that it's female. As a Venusaur, it follows the games by having a seed in her flower/tree.
Took a Level in Badass: She evolves into Venasaur by the time of Diamond and Pearl.
Whip It Good: Knows Vine Whip.

Munchlax (Gonbe)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_munchlax.png

Voiced in Japanese by: Chie Sato

Voiced in English by: Darren Dunstan (4Kids), Billy Beach (current)

Acrofatic: Can move really, really fast if he's motivated enough.
Bare-Fisted Monk: Knows Fighting-type Focus Punch. Unlike the games, Munchlax never needs to charge for the attack and can use it immediately. Other Pokémon would later follow his example.
Big Eater: Of course, even more so than May.
Breath Weapon: Fires his Solarbeam out of his mouth.
Clear My Name: Taking a liking to Munchlax after it devoured all her Pokéblocks, May set out to prove its innocence when Team Rocket framed it for stealing other trainers' Pokéblocks.
Confusion Fu: It kicked Combusken's ass by not paying attention. Later played straight for having access to the Metronome attack.
Early-Bird Cameo: As Gen IV species began making their way to the anime, Munchlax was the first one to be owned by a main character.
Extreme Omnivore: Only Munchlax was able to eat May's first original Pokéblock recipe. He has limits, however, as he didn't take with her second original Pokéblock.
- And of course, it swallowed a Pokéball and it still got captured.
Green Thumb: Knows the Grass-type move Solarbeam.
Non-Action Guy: May only captured him to save his skin. For the rest of Hoenn, he never competed in a single Contest, only getting a chance in the spotlight during Battle Frontier.

Random Effect Spell: Knows Metronome, which allows it to use pretty much any move a Pokémon can learn, but it's all at random. Some examples:
- It once joined a herd of Cleffa-line Pokémon in a mass use of Metronome that ultimately led to Team Rocket blasting off.
- Once, it used Metronome while confused, and did Splash.
- In a contest, May desperately called Munchlax to do Metronome. It picked up Rest, and got a ton of Cute points.
- When May used it to try to catch an Arcanine, it really hit the Lottery, picking up EXTREME SPEED! Just one problem: it abused the power to snatch and gorge on Pecha Berries instead.
Signature Move: Solarbeam.

Kanto Battle Frontier

Squirtle-Wartortle (Zenigame-Kameil)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_squirtle.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wartortle.png

Voiced in Japanese by: Tomoe Hanba (Zenigame), Katsuyuki Konishi (Kameil)

Voiced in English by: Eric Stuart (Squirtle, 4Kids), Michele Knotz (Squirtle, second voice), Craig Blair (Wartortle)

Bubble Gun: Knows Bubble.
Foil: To Ash's Squirtle: while Ash's Squirtle was a leader-type and had a frosty side due to being abandoned by trainers, this one is prepared to be given to trainers and is known to be a cry-baby when first introduced.
Goo-Goo-Godlike: Did unbelievably well in most of the fights it was in.
An Ice Person: May's Squirtle knows Ice Beam, which serves as its Signature Move and sets it further apart from Ash's Squirtle who doesn't know Ice-type moves.
Making a Splash: May's first Water-type Pokémon. It knows Bubble, Water Gun, Withdraw and later Aqua Tail.
Signature Move: Ice Beam, which also serves as another contrast to Ash's Squirtle who knows Hydro Pump.
Spectacular Spinning: Knows Rapid Spin.
Took a Level in Badass: A normal beginner Pokémon who was shown to cry when Max tried to say hello to it...soon learned Ice Beam to beat Harley's Ariados. In Diamond & Pearl, it's shown to have evolved into Wartortle, and pulls off a flawless Contest appeal with confidence and elegance, showing how much it's grown since its last appearance.
Unskilled, but Strong: When it first learns Ice Beam, it doesn't have much control over it, but the raw power of the move is enough to break it free from a Spider Web produced by Harley's Ariados.

Eevee-Glaceon (Eievui-Glacia)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_eevee.png

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mays_glaceon.jpg

Voiced in Japanese by: Megumi Hayashibara

Voiced in English by: Kayzie Rogers (Eevee), Megumi Hayashibara (Glaceon)

Clingy MacGuffin: One Battle Frontier episode had the egg's incubator briefly stuck to a rampaging Elekid's plug head. Even though Elekid removed it relatively early, it became the reason why Ash and company went after the Elekid, since they think the mon still has it.
Dishing Out Dirt: Knows Dig.
Extra-ore-dinary: Knows Iron Tail.
Fast Tunnelling: Again, knows Dig.
An Ice Pokémon: After evolving into Glaceon, it changes its type from Normal to Ice. It knows Ice Beam and Ice Shard.
Non-Elemental: It used to be a Normal-type when it was still an Eevee.
Psychic Powers: It knows the Psychic-type move Mirror Coat.
Soul Power: Knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, which is its Signature Move.
Signature Mon: Since evolving into Glaceon, it has been May's signature cute companion. In the Wallace Cup finals, May uses Glaceon to compete against Dawn's Piplup and only lost by 0.5 point despite being its first contest. When May reappears in a cameo in JN132 alongside Serena watching Ash vs Leon, Glaceon is her only Pokémon seen alongside her, paralleling with Serena's Sylveon.
Signature Move: For both, Eevee and Glaceon, it's Shadow Ball.
Time Travel: It winds up hatching thanks to May, Squirtle, and Team Rocket's Meowth going through one of this adventures, saving the life of the man who helps bring it into this world.
Took a Level in Badass: Before reuniting with Ash, May took Eevee to Snowpoint City and evolved it to Glaceon with the Ice Rock.

Characters / Pokémon: The Series — May

May (Haruka)

May's Pokémon

Hoenn

Kanto Battle Frontier

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Characters / Pokémon: The Series — May

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May (Haruka)

May's Pokémon

Hoenn

Kanto Battle Frontier

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