Mane Eight Ranking, Version 5 · 3:26am Nov 2nd, 2017
Now that we've gotten the second half of Season 7, it's time to re-evaluate where some of the characters stand. Here's the fourth version, from mid Season 7. You know the drill, this list is purely the result of my opinion so please respect it but feel free to disagree. And as always, it's not easy to place certain characters in certain spots.
8. Applejack
Why she stayed on the bottom: While she may have lacked an incredibly OOC performance like she had in "Honest Apple", what little there was of Applejack didn't really impress. Seven seasons in and she's still more or less the straight mare of the group, good at playing off of others but not capable of holding the spotlight or commanding attention on her own. I really don't know if there's anything that can be done to make her stand out, because at this point it's just going to feel forced, especially since just about all the old writers who knew Applejack and seemed to have some idea of how to work with her, have left and aren't coming back. It was nice to see her super strength make an overdue return in "Shadow Play, Part 1" though.
7. Rainbow Dash
Why she stayed the same: It seems like the show is intent on trying to make Rainbow Dash into another Spike, because apparently one butt monkey isn't enough. I do appreciate "Daring Done?" for playing more to her strengths, particularly her ability to influence and encourage others, but as if to make up for that we had "Secrets and Pies" which put Rainbow Dash in even more of a bad light than say "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well", "Newbie Dash", or "28 Pranks Later". Any sympathy we might have for her, is destroyed when we see that she's willing to poison her pet just to keep up a lie. Between that and all the stuff she did in "Tanks for the Memories", I'm really starting to wonder if Rainbow Dash is actually a good pet owner. Even "Campfire Tales" seemed intent on ruining her good sibling dynamic with Scootaloo by making her into an idiot that needs Scootaloo to keep her from doing stupid stuff. It shouldn't be too much to ask for Rainbow Dash to not be a complete idiot all the time and to actually be likeable more often, right? Isn't that part of what tripped her up in Season 2?
6. Spike
Why he moved down: Ouch! "Triple Threat" was a very harsh fall from grace for Spike. After Season 6 made Spike into something other than the butt monkey and seemed to hint that they were FINALLY turning things, they went right back to the cliche "Spike screws up" plot that I think everyone is tired of at this point. And it didn't help that he was completely absent from a ton of episodes after that, "Campfire Tales", "Daring Done?", "To Change a Changeling", "Marks and Recreation", "Secrets and Pies", and "Uncommon Bond". Add in his non-speaking cameo in "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You" and he was not a factor in seven episodes out of thirteen in the second half, eight when you add his absence from "Fame and Misfortune" even though he wrote some entries! There's a faint ray of hope though, considering Stygian and the fate that befell him in "Shadow Play", maybe they'll address the possibility that Spike could fall into the same trap?
5. Starlight Glimmer
Why she moved up: You know, it's almost like all that screen-time that Spike was supposed to have ended up getting shifted to Starlight instead, at least in "Fame and Misfortune" and "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You". Still, I can't deny that her non-focus episode appearances slowly got better and better in the second half. Aside from "Fame and Misfortune" she didn't make any episode she appeared in worse when she wasn't the focus. And after "To Change a Changeling" had Starlight crossing a moral and ethical boundry and only getting called out for it, "Uncommon Bond" managed to clear up the pitfall that always plagued other Starlight focus episodes and indicates a step in the right direction for her character. She was also good in "Shadow Play", but it feels like the writers unintentionally overplayed her role, Starlight was the last pony to question Starswirl's judgement when she herself was guilty of far worse crimes than attacking the pillars, and many still argue that she got a second chance she didn't deserve. I just hope that they can redeem her friendship with Trixie next season, either by having Starlight tell Trixie off for being an abusive jerk, or by actually making Trixie care about Starlight again and not just be using her to one up Twilight because of some ridiculous rivalry Starlight probably doesn't even care about.
4. Twilight Sparkle
Why she moved up: "Once Upon a Zepplin" did wonders for Twilight after much of Season 7 either ignored her or didn't really utilize her all that well. Sure, she was great as a character in "A Health of Information" but they ended up stretching the suspension of disbelief too far with three days. Even if Twilight herself couldn't get the flash bee honey, I'd imagine that by the end of the first day she would be sending for help. "Once Upon a Zepplin" alone would've justified moving Twilight back up here, especially since it came out just after the movie and showed what a difference three years (and seasons) have made. But there's also her performance in "Uncommon Bond" and "Shadow Play" which played to her strengths and even allowed her to be the big driving force to save the day without nerfing the others or neglecting her in favor of Starlight. Still, it'd be nice if they could focus on the "Twilight the teacher" aspect that they dropped earlier this season. Bring back Twilight tutoring the CMC, because I feel like it had a lot of potential and could open up new possibilities for stories for Twilight and the CMC.
3. Rarity
Why she stayed the same: It was tough to say whether Rarity and Fluttershy should swap places, particularly since "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You" was a reminder of what made Rarity such a great character to begin with (and managed to avoid being what I thought it would be initially, a Rarity torture porn). But I feel like although Rarity returned to form even more so in this second half, Fluttershy just remained that much better of a character. Maybe if we'd gotten to see more of Punk Mane Rarity, she would move up, and perhaps she will next season even if Fluttershy doesn't slide backwards as a character, simply because there's still a lot of stories you can tell with Rarity individually or with others.
2. Fluttershy
Why she stayed the same: Now that Fluttershy has become so assertive and willing to speak up for herself, one could very well argue that it would be hard to have stories where she runs into trouble and has to learn a lesson. But thankfully, "A Health of Information" showed that Fluttershy's own growth can work against her. That her assertiveness can lead to what can seem like reckless determination. I also appreciated seeing more of her book reading skills, after "The Hooffields and McColts" established that she had a book club. About the only thing I really find fault with, is her attempt at a make-shift mane for Rarity in "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You", I would think that she'd have a better idea than just using a bunch of leaves and twigs.
1. Pinkie Pie
Why she stayed on top: Although she's not entirely blameless for "Secrets and Pies", which didn't do her character justice (part of the reason why it ultimately failed so horribly), Pinkie Pie was pretty much on fire for the rest of the season. Even "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You", which could've easily had Pinkie ruin Rarity's mane out of insensitivity and be totally oblivious to the situation and make it worse, instead took the high route and showed that Pinkie meant no harm and the mix-up wasn't a direct result of her doing (Zecora really should've labeled the vials). Besides, we got to see Pinkie interacting with the Cake Twins again, even if it was just for a little bit, and that was super adorable. "Daring Done?" showed off some new depths to Pinkie's character, including her optimism and even her realization now that ponies like their privacy and may not always want to talk about everything. Really, Pinkie continues to shine and I really don't forsee that changing in Season 8 or beyond. It would be nice to focus more on her other family (The Cakes) though, there's a good deal of sweet stories just waiting to be explored there. And they could also possibly utilize her role as a friendship ambassador for stories outside Equestria if they wanted to.
And there you have it. Now, I'm debating whether or not I want to do a Top 25 Best Songs of FiM list at the moment, since that will include songs from the movie and not everyone has seen it yet (and I don't want to spoil the songs for those who haven't seen or heard them). But what do you guys think? Do you think I should go and do it anyway? If not, tomorrow I'll unveil my wishlist for Seasons 8+.
Here's how I rank them:
1. Starlight Glimmer
2. Rainbow Dash
3. Twilight Sparkle
4. Pinkie Pie
5. Fluttershy
6. Spike
7. Rarity
8. Applejack
This is my ranking:
8. Applejack
7. Spike
6. Rarity
5. Fluttershy
4. Pinkie
3. Rainbow
2. Starlight
1. Twilight
I think she was trying to remind Twilight there is a chance you can save him, especially since the flipping map is telling you this is a friendship problem when you know exactly what the map does.
I'm sorry, but every time you do one of these rankings Pinkie Pie always ends up at the top. Considering your bio pretty much outright says Pinkie Pie is your favorite pony, I'm detecting a little bit of bias, so I'm throwing these rankings of yours out the window. This isn't the first time you've had bias in your reviews either, remember Pharnyx from "To Change a Changeling" and how you drew on your own experiences with his character? Completely different situation, I know, but I think there's a bit of bias in this listing which means I can't take it seriously. Again, I'm sorry but I have a feeling if you were unbiased here this rankings list would turn out completely different.
4714981 Bias may play a little bit of a factor in the rankings, but it hasn't always been easy to put Pinkie Pie at number one. If she'd gotten more stuff like "Secrets and Pies" or had "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You" turned out differently, she probably would've dropped. And even though she's number one, I still suggested some things they could do with her character next season, because there's still a lot of untapped potential for her.
I wouldn't called Starlight as one of the main characters because Jim Miller has said she's a recurring character.
4717247 Kind of hard to say she's not a main character after Season 7, especially after the Season 7 finale.
I like all of them equally and would never do something as discriminatory as ranking them.
4717442 That's true, but she only consider a main character by the fans of the show, not officially by the writers.
In my honest opinion, the writers might as well to classified Starlight as a main character if she take much of the spotlight.