May had the best character arc in Pokémon

POV: It’s the summer of 2009, and like any kid, I’m at the library looking for CDs instead of books. As I scanned the shelves, I stumbled across a DVD for Pokémon: Advanced Challenge. Until then, the Pokémon world I had known had Ash, Misty, and Brock. So when I flipped over the case and saw a girl in a red bandana standing beside Ash and Brock, with a younger boy I would later learn was the girl’s brother Max, I was completely confused.

Who was she?

I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know her story. All I knew was that the first episode I watched featured her battling with her beloved Beautifly against a Roselia. One new character with a story behind these cool, new Pokémon, I was hooked.

As I watched the rest of the Hoenn series, I realized I wasn’t just watching another companion travel alongside Ash. May, the girl in the red bandana, felt like she was on her own journey. Unlike other protagonists, she wasn’t chasing a dream she’d had since childhood. In fact, she didn’t have one at all. She had to discover it herself while balancing expectations as Norman (the Hoenn’s 6th gym leader) daughter, growing into the role of an older sister for Max, and slowly learning what kind of trainer she wanted to become.

Everyone remembers Ash’s dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. But May began her journey without any dream at all.

And I think that’s exactly what makes her one of Pokémon’s greatest character arcs.

In this post, I want to explore why.

A Reluctant Protagonist

When we enter the first episode of the Advanced series aka the Ruby and Sapphire series, we are not showcasing our usual main character, Ash, but rather a new trainer’s journey: May, a girl who just turned 10 and is on her way to receiving her first Pokémon. We learn that she was using the idea of becoming a Pokémon trainer as an excuse to travel the world, as she doesn’t particularly like Pokémon, nor does she know what she wants to do. 

In comparison to the games and the anime protagonist, Ash, the main character is usually known for, or expected to, wanting to become the Champion of the current region aka the strongest trainer. But what if there was more to being the best trainer? The anime does a good job of showcasing the different occupations Pokémon trainers can pursue in the Pokémon world. Maybe there was one waiting for May that we have not yet heard about.

We also learn throughout the season that May is the eldest child and only daughter of Norman, the sixth Gym Leader of the Hoenn region. With such a prestigious figure as her father, it’s no doubt there was pressure on May to follow the same path and hopefully take over the Gym one day. We see that throughout the beginning of May’s journey where Max, Ash, and Brock continually ask her what she’s doing in preparation for her “first gym battle.” Her younger brother, Max, is shown to love Pokémon and is obsessed with learning about the different creatures, looking up to established Pokemon figures such as Professor Oak. In contrast, May was never interested. In fact, she is immediately thrown off guard when a Duskull interrupts her bike ride in the very first episode (Pokémon Advanced: “Get the Show on the Road”).

My theory behind her disinterest is her traumatic childhood memory at the beach involving a group of Tentacool. Wearing the same swim cap as the Tentacool, her mother mistakenly thought May was one of them and tried to catch her (as shown in Pokémon Advanced Battle: “A Cacturne for the Worse”). From May’s personality, where she is easily embarrassed, that definitely wouldn’t have helped. I also theorize if, because her dad never let her or Max watch him battle while they were growing up, she never felt there was much reason to develop a love for Pokémon in the first place.

Regardless, this sets up an interesting story for May. She begins her journey as a complete blank slate, knowing almost nothing about Pokémon. When she encounters Ash and Pikachu, she sees firsthand how a Pokémon can become someone’s best friend. It takes time for her to understand that bond as when she chooses Torchic as her first partner, she doesn’t really know what she’s doing or even much about Torchic. But as she continues traveling with Ash, she slowly learns more about Pokémon and how to care for them.

I think May’s character also works incredibly well alongside Ash’s journey. Instead of simply being another travel companion, she becomes almost like his mentee. It feels like the writers are using Ash’s experiences from the previous three series to help guide a newcomer who has never truly connected with Pokémon before. I also love how hesitant she is whenever someone asks about challenging gyms. She isn’t sure if that’s the path she wants to take. It’s almost as if she’s waiting for something that will truly spark her passion.

And eventually, she finds it.

Learning Instead of Inheriting

Now we are introduced to Pokémon Contests! This is the first time the Pokémon anime showcased something outside of traditional battling that was equally important and respected. We first learned about Pokémon Contests in the Pokémon Advanced Challenge Episode “All Things Bright and Beautifly!” May encounters Janice, a Pokémon Coordinator, with her partner Beautifly, who helps introduce her to the world of Contests.

Pokémon Contests are competitions where trainers, known as Coordinators, showcase their Pokémon’s beauty and style. It was as if the writers were quietly planting the seed for her future and sent this opportunity to May because she instantly fell in love with it. What’s even more unique is that she doesn’t immediately decide to become a Coordinator in that episode. Instead, she keeps the idea to herself, almost as if she wants to learn more before making a decision.

I also love how she practically “manifested” wanting a contest partner like Janice’s Beautifly. In the very next episode, she catches a Wurmple. It almost feels like fate that Wurmple evolved into Silcoon and eventually Beautifly to help May feel closer to her goal.

Even when the group visits Roxanne’s Trainer School, May sneaks away to learn more about Contest battling (Pokémon Advanced: “Gonna Rule the School”). It was the writers’ subtle way of showing that this would ultimately become her path. Right before Ash’s Gym Battle against the first gym leader, May finally tells the group that Pokémon Contests are what she wants to pursue. She mentions how the journey leading to that moment was necessary because, by then, she had learned to appreciate Pokémon and had begun to love the partners she was traveling with (Pokémon Advanced: “The Winner by a Nosepass”). It was a thought out decision, and ultimately the best as we see her grow into one of the most respected coordinators in the future.

It takes sixteen episodes for May to finally gain clarity about what she wants to do. That makes the moment even more exciting because, for the first time, we’re watching a protagonist discover their dream instead of beginning the story with one already in mind. May embraces the challenge and eventually becomes the “Princess of Hoenn” way later.

I love watching her grow throughout her Contest journey. She learns to work as one with her Pokémon, overcomes rival Coordinators (which we’ll talk about soon), and ultimately proves to herself (and to the audience) that she is just as compelling a protagonist as anyone else.

I also have to mention the episode where she wins her very first Contest with her Beautifly. She finally says the words, “I love you.” (Pokémon: Advanced Challenge “Come What May”).That moment shows just how far she’s come, from not liking Pokémon to finally becoming one with one. She doesn’t say it simply because Beautifly won, but because of the trust they’ve built together and everything they’ve experienced throughout their journey.

It’s such a beautiful moment that brings an emotional appeal to May’s growth as a trainer.

Role of Older Sister

Something I must highlight when looking at May’s character arc is her role as an older sister. Usually, older siblings are expected to be the leaders their younger siblings look up to (as being one myself). Except in the scenario with May and Max, that role didn’t apply.

Throughout the journey, Max often seemed to be the one helping May as she learned about Pokémon. Sometimes he even made snarky comments because he knew more about what was going on than she did. In a way, it almost felt like there was pressure on May to become knowledgeable herself and not have to depend on her little brother.

There were also times when May put being Max’s older sister before her own journey, such as missing the ferry to her final Contest because the two had gotten separated (Pokémon Advanced Battle: “Date Expectations”). Her priority was making sure Max was safe. She understood that protecting him came before everything else, and I think that says a lot about her character.

But I want to get one thing straight: Max never inhibited May’s growth. Instead, I think he made her journey even more meaningful. She learned how to balance chasing her own dream while still being someone her younger brother could rely on. Max also became a point of realization for May, at the end of the Advanced series, when she decided to travel on her own without the rest of the group (Pokemon Battle Frontier: “Home is Where the Start Is”). She wanted to use everything she had learned from her journey to continue growing independently. She knew she could always rely on Max, but she also realized she couldn’t lean on him forever. One day, he would begin his own journey as a Pokémon Trainer, too.

One subtle thing I always appreciated is that the writers never made Max “better” than May just to embarrass her. He had more book knowledge, but May developed the practical experience and partnership with Pokémon that Max couldn’t because he wasn’t old enough to be a trainer. I almost feel like Max represents the audience aka the viewers who think they know exactly what the trainer should do in every battle. May represents the reality that experience is different from theory, and that not everything is as simple as it looks.

At the end of the second Grand Festival, after her loss, Max tells her, “You’re the best sister ever” (Pokémon Battle Frontier: “Channeling the Battle Zone”). To me, that moment felt like closure because May had become not only a great coordinator but also become the person her little brother looked up to, and I think that’s one of the most overlooked parts of her character arc.

Pokémon Mirroring Trainer

We have to talk about how May’s Pokémon reflect her growth as a trainer. While this can be said for many trainers, with May it feels especially intentional. Each of her Pokémon represents a different stage of her personality and growth throughout her journey. I’ll be highlighting the Pokémon that I believe best represent her development.

Torchic->Combusken-> Blaziken: May’s very first starter. Torchic is hyper, curious, and naturally imprints on the first person it trusts, like a baby chick. May’s Torchic looked up to her and followed her everywhere, much like how May imprinted on Ash, the very first Trainer she met on her journey, often imitating his style and learning from him.

Of course, May was inexperienced in the beginning. Half the time, she didn’t know which moves to call out for Torchic. Like trainer, like Pokémon, they were both experiencing this journey for the very first time, each relying on a mentor (May looked up to Ash, while Torchic looked up to May).

But, it’s obvious that May loved Torchic because it was her very first Pokémon. I like the episode where Max becomes concerned that May is giving more attention to her newly evolved Beautifly than Torchic (Pokémon Advanced: “Having a Wailord of a Time”). However, it almost felt as if May understood that Beautifly had reached its final stage of evolution and it was ready to take on the challenge of Pokémon Contests. Torchic still needed time to grow.

Forty-two episodes later, during the Pokémon: Advanced Challenge series, Torchic is separated from May temporarily. In order to find and save its friends, Torchic evolves into Combusken, which quickly becomes one of May’s greatest assets in Contests. This evolution mirrors May’s own gradual but powerful growth. By this point, she had already earned two Contest Ribbons. She was building her team while also building confidence in herself. It was almost as if Torchic had grown alongside her and recognized that growth too.

We also see the trust between them during Combusken’s Contest debut in the Appeal Round, when Combusken protects May from its own uncontrolled Fire Spin (Pokemon Advanced Challenge: “Lessons in Lilycove”). Even in the middle of chaos, they learn to trust one another and think under pressure.

It isn’t until the final few episodes of the Advanced series that Combusken evolves into Blaziken, right before the iconic Terracotta Town Contest, where Ash and May finally compete against one another (Pokémon Battle Frontier: “Once More with Reeling”). The final stage of Torchic’s evolution symbolizes the final stage of May’s journey alongside Ash and shows that she is finally ready to begin her own path. The battle reinforces this perfectly with May’s Blaziken facing Ash’s strongest Pokémon, Sceptile. The match ends in a draw, showcasing that they had become equals as Trainers.

Just peak.

Wurmple -> Beautifly:
May’s very first capture. As mentioned earlier, May was inspired to get a Beautifly after meeting Janice, so she caught a Wurmple in its very first stage. May’s Wurmple was a classic: it loved to eat and sleep, just like May at the beginning of her journey. Like a caterpillar, Wurmple was still in its growing stage but was able to adapt quickly.

It’s almost as if Wurmple knew May’s dream and chose to evolve into Silcoon, eventually becoming a Beautifly. There’s no denying that Beautifly became May’s number one partner in Pokémon Contests. With its beautiful wings, stunning Contest debuts, and practice sessions using Gust and Silver Wind, it perfectly embodied May blossoming into both a stronger Trainer and someone who had finally found her dream.

May’s Beautifly delivered some of the most iconic Appeal Rounds in the series and proved to be one of her strongest Contest partners. Even after taking a break from battling and not being in May’s team during her Kanto journey, the Pokémon later returning with the new move Psychic showed that despite already reaching its final evolution, it never stopped growing. Just like May, growth didn’t end once it reached its final stage.

Skitty: Now, don’t get it twisted, Skitty is one of the silliest and cutest Pokémon May had. At the beginning of her journey, May said she wanted to raise cute Pokémon, and Skitty was exactly that.

Skitty embodied May’s playful personality, but it also became a lesson in patience. Skitty was always popping out of its Poké Ball at the worst possible times and causing trouble. However, May eventually learned to turn that unpredictability into a strength during her Pokémon Contests.

Just like Skitty’s move, Assist, was completely unexpected, so was May’s Contest strategy. She was always doing something creative and unpredictable, much like Ash did in battles, and Skitty was the perfect partner to showcase that side of her.

Although we don’t see Skitty again after the Advanced Battle series, I think it perfectly represents May’s playful nature and the beginning of her creative Contest style. It was a strategy that worked well early on, but as May grew as a Coordinator, she eventually had to develop new techniques and continue evolving.

Munchlax: Munchlax is the opposite of what May originally believed made the perfect Pokémon for Contests. It wasn’t the typical cute or elegant Pokémon she imagined performing on stage. However, it had one thing in common with its Coordinator: a love for food. The fact that Munchlax enjoyed May’s infamous Purple Surprise was what made May fall in love with it.

To me, Munchlax became May’s test of learning to love Pokémon for who they are rather than how they look. It also challenged her to train an unconventional Contest Pokémon and turn it into a powerful performer, quite literally by teaching it Focus Punch.

I think Munchlax showcases May’s growth as a Coordinator. She was no longer choosing Pokémon based on appearance but on the bond she shared with them. By turning an unexpected Pokémon into a beautiful Contest performer, May proved that beauty wasn’t about looks alone but it was about bringing out the best in every Pokémon.

Squirtle -> Wartortle: From a crying baby Squirtle to a confident Wartortle, this was the perfect partner for May when she first traveled to Kanto. She had already experienced one Grand Festival, so it almost felt like a restart as she was once again raising a starter Pokémon while beginning a new journey in a new region.

Compared to when she first received Torchic, May now had much more clarity about who she was as a Trainer and was able to pass that confidence on to an anxious Squirtle. In many ways, Squirtle represented the May we met at the beginning of the Hoenn series, while the present-day May became the mentor she once needed. She nurtured Squirtle, helped it build confidence, and encouraged it to stand up to bullies like Harley’s Ariados in Squirtle’s contest debut.

Through that guidance, we watched Squirtle grow into a confident and sassy Wartortle. It was so rewarding to see its confidence shine during May’s return appearance in the Diamond & Pearl series. To me, Squirtle represents just how much May had grown as someone capable of inspiring the next generation of Pokémon she trained.

May’s Rivals

Let’s talk about May’s rivals. Her character arc was definitely influenced by external pressure, mainly through Drew and Harley. They served as her primary rivals throughout the series, each representing different weaknesses that May had to overcome.

Drew was May’s first rival, introduced before her very first Contest. As an experienced Coordinator, Drew immediately got under May’s skin by criticizing her “lack of finesse” and pointing out her inexperience (Pokémon Advanced: “Now That’s Flower Power”). He constantly reminded May that she was still a novice, forcing her to develop her own self-belief as she continued her journey. Drew represented the idea that there would always be someone better than her, but that didn’t mean she should stop growing.

Drew was the perfect rival for May. He was cocky, but he was never outright rude. As the series progressed, he began recognizing May’s strengths as a Coordinator and acknowledged how much she had improved, often complimenting her with a rose. Drew became a goal for May to surpass. When she finally defeated him during the second Grand Festival, it felt like she had finally “caught up.”

Their battle during the first Grand Festival was equally important. Although May wasn’t quite on Drew’s level yet, she fought in complete sync with her Pokémon. The applause she received from the audience showed that even in defeat, everyone could see how much she had grown. Their rivalry kept her motivated and always striving to improve. In many ways, the writers handled Drew and May’s rivalry just as well as they did Ash and Gary, and later Ash and Paul.

Harley, on the other hand, represented May’s innocence and naivety. Throughout the Hoenn region, May repeatedly trusted Harley, only for him to trick her, cost her valuable Contest points, or embarrass her by revealing stories like the Tentacool incident. However, Harley also taught May an important lesson: to trust herself and her Pokémon instead of blindly following other people’s advice.

In many ways, Harley foreshadowed another challenge May would eventually face: realizing that she couldn’t simply copy Ash’s battling style forever. She needed to develop her own identity as a Coordinator and discover what made May unique.

My drop of ink

Overall, May was such a unique character to introduce into the Pokémon anime. I feel like, in a way, she expanded the audience for the Pokémon fandom. She showed that it’s okay if you don’t love battling because there was a place for everyone. More importantly, she brought a level of comfort by showing that female characters could have stories that were just as important as anyone else’s.

May represented the idea that girls could have their own Pokémon adventures too. She also showed that it’s okay not to have your dream figured out from the very beginning. With time, experience, you can discover your own path.

In many ways, May also set the foundation for future female protagonists like Dawn in the season after. The difference is that Dawn began her journey already knowing she wanted to become a Pokémon Coordinator like her mother, while May had to discover that dream for herself.

I’m not here to say that May is objectively the best Pokégirl, but I do think it’s undeniable that she captured the hearts of so many fans. More importantly, she allowed us to grow alongside her. As she discovered who she wanted to become, many of us were growing up and trying to figure that out too.

Anyways, thank you for reading! Let me know your guy’s thoughts down below!