Ranking the Rainbow Dash Episodes (From Worst to Best) · 4:37pm Feb 23rd, 2019
If Pinkie Pie is the show's mascot for the target audience then Rainbow Dash is the show's mascot for bronies. After Pinkie Pie she was the second mane six member to get an infamous grimdark fic starring her, as well as a much more upbeat fic that the fandom went nuts for. And of course, I'm sure a good number of people originally mistook her for a boy considering how tomboyish she was (and still kind of is). But Rainbow can still be a polarizing character, there's a good deal of people who tend to find her annoying even though Lauren Faust has admitted she based Rainbow Dash after her favorite G1 pony, Firefly.
Today we're going to look at the 31 episodes that feature Rainbow Dash. Like with my previous lists this one is all about how well the episodes in question handle Rainbow Dash as a character, so some episodes may end up higher or lower than they might otherwise appear. Not to mention the fact that we're only including episodes where she had a major role to play in the story and conflict, so episodes where she showed up but didn't contribute won't appear (so no "Cutie Mark Chronicles" or "Sleepless in Ponyville). And like all my lists this one is purely the result of my personal opinion so please respect it. Now let's begin.
31. Secrets and Pies (Season 7, Episode 23)
Why it's on the bottom: No surprises this time, my absolute least favorite episode of the entire show is also the one I consider the worst ever outing for Rainbow Dash. There is really no way you can justify the absurd lengths she goes to just to keep up her lies, when in fact it would've been easier to just say it outright that she doesn't like pies. What's even worse is that the episode tries to justify it, and shows how Rainbow is causing Pinkie to question her sanity. It's all topped off with a very disgusting resolution, and then the episode tries to imply that if Rainbow had told the truth Pinkie wouldn't have believed her. Once again, intentionally keeping up a lie for Pinkie is far worse than if you just tell her the truth from the beginning. Sure, she might get a little upset, but she'll understand it's what makes you happy.
30. Non-Compete Clause (Season 8, Episode 9)
Why it's not on the bottom: I really struggled to decide whether this or "Secrets and Pies" should take the bottom spot, because oh boy is Rainbow Dash unlikeable here. And this time she's not the only one who suffers from her arrogance, we actually see the student six get dragged along for the ride and Yona almost drowns! This probably wouldn't be nearly as bad if not for the fact that the episode points out Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt and should be above this kind of behavior by now. Between her and Applejack I can buy her still having a bit of a competitive streak and getting jealous when Fluttershy always gets the Teacher of the Month award, but that's all I can buy.
29. Newbie Dash (Season 7, Episode 7)
Why it's in the bottom three: By far the biggest disappointment of the entire show, especially considering Rainbow being a Wonderbolt has subsequently amounted to very little (and there are so many stories you could tell with her now that she's part of the team). Rainbow Dash makes a rookie mistake and starts getting teased for it, so what does she do? Does she talk to Spitfire or the other bolts and tell them why "Rainbow Crash" carries so much emotional luggage for her? No, that's what a sane pony would do. Instead, Rainbow takes the bad advice of her friends and tries to stand out, to the point where she tries to hijack a routine so she can show off. And the only reason she's not drummed out of the Wonderbolts for her reckless behavior is because she gets special treatment for being a main character.
28. 28 Pranks Later (Season 6, Episode 16 in production order/15 in airdate)
Why it's so low: Considering the episode this one appears to be a redo/revisitation of, I bet you're surprised it ends up being lower than that one. Well considering what this episode tries to "fix" it ends up creating a gigantic new problem. Rainbow Dash is insanely cruel here, pranking innocent ponies for no rhyme or reason when they've done nothing to her. And it's not harmless pranks like whoopie cushions or dumping a bucket of water on someone's head, oh no. She gets really sadistic here, doing things like putting a brick in Mr. Cake's sandwich or replacing Cranky's toupee with a skunk. And she ignores and all pleas to stop, even from Pinkie Pie who's been on her side. To top it all off she decides to joke about not having learned her lesson at the very end (though I will say the town's prank was uncalled for and went too far, it wasn't funny at all).
27. May the Best Pet Win (Season 2, Episode 7)
Why it's in the bottom five: Season 2 was definitely one of the worst outings for Rainbow Dash, they dialed up her flaws a lot and made her the center point of episodes or conflicts that would've been better off leaving her out of it. Yes, some of the blame must go to the rest of the mane six for not pulling Rainbow aside and talking to her when they're concerned she doesn't know what a pet truly needs. But even though the pets can (and some do) back out, Rainbow Dash is still making it all about herself and it makes it hard to root for her. However, their attempt at hitting her with huberus ends up going too far and raises way too many questions.
26. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well (Season 2, Episode 8)
Why it's not in the bottom five: Even though some fandom members have started to defend this episode a little and try to explain what it was doing, the stain left by this episode is still there for all to see. I think this was the episode that started the idea of fix fics and "How it should have ended" type of rewrites. Again, the blame doesn't entirely rest on Rainbow Dash's shoulders and compared to the two entries immediately below this one she is kind of sympathetic. But the fact that it takes her forever to clue into why everypony stopped liking her and the fact that the ending implies she hasn't learned her lesson ends up hurting the episode a great deal. Plus, when Rainbow starts looking for problems to solve she at one point almost endangers the entire town.
25. Top Bolt (Season 6, Episode 24)
Why it's in the bottom ten: For me this episode is all about one thing and one thing only, making Rainbow Dash the butt monkey. Every single joke in the episode is at her expense, and it doesn't feel like she contributes the same way Twilight does (which any good team up needs to have both parties equally contributing, it's easy to make one side useless or weak to make the other side look good). Plus, I don't get her logic at all since Sky Stinger obviously isn't aware of how much he sucks (or more likely he's in very deep denial about it considering it's happening in broad daylight) and thus he's not going to see a need for more training. If his confidence is based on false assumptions then it's just going to be that much harder when he fails because you let him get his hopes up. Even Spitfire's getting in on picking on Rainbow Dash, and the episode ends with one final joke at her expense that we never got a follow-up to (maybe if they'd started doing these shorts back in Season 6 we would've? We got a follow-up to "Non-Compete Clause" of all things a short while ago).
24. The Cart Before the Ponies (Season 6, Episode 15 in production order/14 in airdate)
Why it's so low: Of the three adults focused on in this episode, Rainbow Dash is the only one with anywhere close to an excuse since Scootaloo never stated her intention to win "Most Creative" instead of "Fastest Cart". But even so, Rainbow Dash never once asks Scootaloo what she wants or asks any questions about why Scootaloo is trying to make adjustments to the cart before the race. And like the rest of the CMC's big sister she isn't the least bit concerned that Scootaloo might have been injured in the crash. But what might be most odd and questionable is that Rainbow Dash is the only one who tries to cheer the CMC on at the end and she gets discouraged from doing so for some odd reason.
23. Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 (Season 4, Episode 22 in production order/21 in airdate)
Why it's low: This episode tries to suggest that Rainbow Dash has some kind of learning disability that prevents her from studying the way a normal pony does. But we never truly get to see it and they sort of backpedal from it at the very end when we learn she multitasks while flying. In the mean time we only ever see her goofing off and not really making an effort to learn, and the moment the method she tries doesn't work once she gives up on it (even though you seldom learn everything you need to know the first time around, repetition is what is often needed to commit something to memory). She also lashes out at everyone, most noticeably Twilight, who's just trying to help.
22. Grannies Gone Wild (Season 8, Episode 5)
Why it's so low: At first you might think it's about Rainbow Dash neglecting her responsibilities and the Golden Horseshoe Gals getting into trouble. But nope, she cares so much that she ends up taking Applejack's advice and every potential plot point gets shut down before it can even start. And then we get the resolution which is just a "Why didn't you say so?" type of ending. All in all, a Rainbow Dash episode where nothing actually happens.
21. Tanks for the Memories (Season 5, Episode 5)
Why it's higher than it should be: At the least we get to see that Rainbow Dash does care about Tank since she can't bare the thought of having to spend the winter without him (yes, I know the context is supposed to about death and the five stages of grief but when hibernation is temporary and Tank comes back later without fanfare that context is destroyed completely), to the point where she tries to stop winter from coming all together. But not only does she get off scott free for essentially committing eco-terrorism but her crying also becomes over the top and childish. And there's an indication that she might have been doing Tank more harm than good by preventing him from hibernating (though apparently domesticated tortoises aren't supposed to hibernate).
20. Rainbow Falls (Season 4, Episode 10)
Why it's not higher: We get no explanation as to why Rainbow Dash saddles herself with teammates who are clearly not cut out for the job. In fact we get no explanation at all for most of the events of the episode, which serves as Rainbow Dash's key episode. What should be very obvious is to her is instead treated as a huge moral dilemma, and what causes her to come to her senses is realizing the Wonderbolts don't care about their teammates and were trying to replace Soarin. It even borrows a page from fanfiction with the whole "Rainbow will never fly again" shtick.
19. Games Ponies Play (Season 3, Episode 12)
Why it's in the top twenty: At least we have some sort of explanation about why Rainbow Dash is doing all the things she's doing. Heck, when this episode first appeared everyone assumed Rainbow Blaze (the stallion who appears in the flashback) was either Rainbow's father or her older brother (though now we know that it's neither, the trading card game suggests that he's Rainbow Dash's coach). The only problem is, Rainbow contributes a great deal to the flaws of this episode because she's the one who keeps the rest of the mane six from doing anything. Sure, she apologizes for the resulting problem towards the end of the episode. But even then it's clear that allowing the Crystal Empire to host the Equestria Games only goes so far for her to make up for Cloudsdale not hosting the games.
18. Griffon the Brush Off (Season 1, Episode 5)
Why it's in the bottom half: While Rainbow Dash does an impressive job showcasing her loyalty here, most of the episode is spent on both Pinkie Pie and Gilda's perspectives and Rainbow Dash is mostly just a bystander. Plus there's the fact that the episode takes a while to actually get to the conflict of focus. I guess an episode spent on Pinkie Pie stalking Rainbow Dash or Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie pranking ponies wasn't good enough. But then, why did they keep those plots there when they were only loosely connected to what came next?
17. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone (Season 5, Episode 8)
Why it's not in the top half: Although Rainbow Dash is focused on far more in this episode compared to the one directly below it, she doesn't exactly put her best hoof forward. Yeah, she's clearly still bitter about what happened to Gilda and that's causing her to project a lot. But at times it can be hard to root for her (same goes for Gilda, though we spend more time seeing her actually start to lower her guard). She did have the right idea in mind, it seemed like the idol was indeed what Griffonstone needed. It's a case of going for the obvious solution, when the obvious isn't always the best.
16. Read It and Weep (Season 2, Episode 16)
Why it's in the middle: It's incredible to think of a time when Daring Do was just a fictional character and not a real life one. It is nice to see Rainbow Dash not be so much of a jerk this time (and we see why she does what she does), but for the most part we're just along for the ride with Rainbow as she slowly discovers the Daring Do series. The only real action occurs when she sneaks into the hospital to get her book back and goes on a chase similar to the Daring Do books. Aside from that and her crash landing at the very beginning of the episode, not a lot really happens.
15. Rarity Investigates! (Season 5, Episode 16 in production order/15 in airdate)
Why it's in the top half: For all intense and purposes Rainbow Dash is kind of mean to Rarity, not that she doesn't have reason to question her friend's methods. Really, the problem lies more in the episode telling a good story and forgetting to put a moral in, so it has to hastily throw one in at the very end. Rainbow clearly tries to act modest, and compared to "Newbie Dash" this feels like a more appropriate and fitting way for her to achieve her dream.
14. The End in Friend (Season 8, Episode 17 in production order/18 in airdate)
Why it's high: Maybe it's just me but I ended up sympathizing with Rainbow Dash on every single one of the arguments, which is not a good thing to do when the arguments are centered around two of our main characters. Rainbow Dash actually agrees to go shopping with Rarity even though she doesn't like it, she tries and tries to be accomadating for Rarity and Rarity keeps making that impossible. Heck, Rarity doesn't even care when Rainbow injures herself, or when Rainbow points out how impractical a Cloudsdale boutique would be without a pegasus partner.
13. Parental Glideance (Season 7, Episode 7)
Why it's higher than it deserves to be: Once again the writers end up making Rainbow Dash too sympathetic when she's supposed to be the one in the wrong. This time though, I don't see how she should be. She doesn't hate her parents at all, the worst she does is not tell them she's a Wonderbolt now. And considering the way they react and behave when they learn the news I don't blame them. They proceed to not only ruin the fun for everyone else but also repeatedly get on Rainbow's nerves despite all her efforts to tell them to stop. So when she blows up on them and tells them off, we the audience sympathize with her completely and yet Rainbow is the one who ends up needing to apologize. And no, having overly supportive parents is not better than having unsupportive parents or no parents at all, not when they're on the level of Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles.
12. Fall Weather Friends (Season 1, Episode 13)
Why it's in the top fifteen: Who doesn't love a good grudge match? Apparently this episode is good that Hasbro seems intent on rehashing it multiple times (we've gotten at least two shorts now that try to bring back this rivalry). What makes it work here is that Applejack and Rainbow Dash are the only ones who are hurting themselves with this kind of direct competition, no one else has to suffer. The big problem from Rainbow Dash's perspective is that she cheats in the Iron Pony Competition and yet no one bats an eye, and she somehow refuses to accept that she tripped over a rock even when the evidence is plainly there.
11. Buckball Season (Season 6, Episode 19 in production order/18 in airdate)
Why it's in the top twelve: This is both an AppleDash and a PinkieShy episode, with AppleDash taking priority. It's understandable that Rainbow Dash would assume the drive to compete and be the best would motivate anyone. But even so she has to at least know that Fluttershy tends not to do well under pressure or when the spotlight is focused on her. Compared to examples way down on the list though, she learns her lesson and strives to make amends, so at least she's advanced in that regard.
10. Daring Done? (Season 7, Episode 17 in production order/18 in airdate)
Why it's in the top ten: It takes a while for Rainbow's better nature to shine through in this one. At first it's clear that she's really more interested in trying to get Daring to reconsider her retirement so she'll write more books. It isn't until Pinkie Pie suggests they just leave Daring alone that Rainbow reveals her real motivations, she doesn't want Daring to give up on herself. Even then, Rainbow Dash largely starts taking a back seat to an obvious set up by Dr. Caballeron and the Legend of Somnambula, to the point where she gets kidnapped without putting up any kind of a fight. And neither do we learn that she intentionally let it happen to snap Daring out of her funk.
9. The Hearth's Warming Club (Season 8, Episode 15 in production order/16 in airdate)
Why it's above the top ten: It's great to see TwiDash finally be used somewhat properly, with Rainbow Dash playing the bad cop to Twilight's good cop. But much like Twilight for this episode, the real focus is on the student six and their various stories, so Rainbow Dash ends up taking a back seat. I like the revelation that she and Twilight suspected it was Gallus all along, but even Rainbow was willing to wait and give him a chance to confess.
8. Daring Don't (Season 4, Episode 4)
Why it's so high: Apparently, one fan actually thought this should've been Rainbow's key episode instead of "Rainbow Falls" (and maybe with some reworking it could've been). Yes, the rest of the mane six tag along but they all get quickly left behind once Daring Do is revealed to be real. Rainbow Dash clearly struggles to keep her idol worship in check while being an assistant to Daring Do. In fact, Rainbow is in top form throughout. It's Daring Do who kind of looks like a jerk when she admits later on that she let herself get captured and shouted at Rainbow not to help her. It's a case of getting a little too into the act.
7. Flutter Brutter (Season 6, Episode 12 in production order/11 in airdate)
Why it's high: Rainbow Dash spends most of this episode in the receiving end of Zephyr Breeze's unwanted advances and it's really saying something when she's able to keep pushing him aside without ever really getting upset with him (though I bet she got a lot of satisfaction zapping him with a storm cloud). She does still have a presence in the episode and a clear contribution since she encourages Fluttershy to stand up for herself and tell Zephyr off, plus she helps keep Zephyr from quitting.
6. Flight to the Finish (Season 4, Episode 5)
Why it's not in the top five: The focus is more on Scootaloo than Rainbow Dash, not that Rainbow doesn't still have a role to play in this episode. The biggest thing holding this episode back is that another episode a couple of seasons down the road would tackle the issues raised here in a more meaningful fashion. Here, they sort of tip toe their way around the subject (including having Rainbow Dash needlessly fly during what should be a heartfelt discussion about whether Scootaloo will ever fly). The biggest accomplishment she provides here is convincing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle not to give up on Scootaloo, and convince Scootaloo that she doesn't need to be exactly like her or do what Rainbow did.
5. Stranger Than Fanfiction (Season 6, Episode 14 in production order/13 in airdate)
Why it's in the top five: Easily the best Rainbow Dash/Daring Do episode of the bunch, not that there was much competition to begin with. It could've easily been an episode all about criticizing fans for not liking every single change of the show, and making Rainbow Dash a mouth piece. But they took the high road, focusing on how fans can agree to disagree and still be friends. And even despite her quarrel with Quibble, Rainbow still made efforts to save him (and Quibble seemed to enjoy Rainbow tugging on his tail a little too much).
4. The Washouts (Season 8, Episode 20)
Why it's not in the top three: Like with "Flight to the Finish" this episode is focused more on Scootaloo than Rainbow Dash, especially in regards to the conflict and moral. Admittedly, early on the focus is solely on Rainbow complaining and being envious of the Washouts, and even later on she's still acting arrogant and self centered. What makes it work is that this time her behavior actually hurts her, because it drives Scootaloo away from her and into the arms of the Washouts. Some complain that Lightning Dust is made the antagonist towards the end so Rainbow is put in the right, but I think there were plenty of signs before that Lightning Dust still harbored a grudge. And it all ends with everything coming full circle, as Rainbow Dash founds the Scootaloo fan club.
3. Wonderbolts Academy (Season 3, Episode 7)
Why it's in the top three: The original planned conclusion to Rainbow's character arc (before the show was renewed for a fourth season) this one also had her look in the mirror and take her first steps back towards becoming a better pony after much of Season 2 had been spent dialing up her flaws beyond what seemed necessary. Lightning Dust created an interesting moral dilemma for Rainbow Dash, her desire to be a Wonderbolt conflicted with her feelings that they were encouraging reckless and dangerous behavior. And we saw that she was willing to give up her dream if it meant becoming something she wasn't, even though it pained her personally to do so. Ultimately, the fact that we go back and forth between Rainbow's dilemma and the Pinkie Pie subplot sort of hurts the episode, especially considering how abruptly it ends.
2. Hurricane Fluttershy (Season 2, Episode 22)
Why it's not number one: The definitive FlutterDash episode that cemented their friendship and was probably the first time Rainbow ever stopped being so hard on Fluttershy. In fact, compared to how she'd been treating Fluttershy in episodes prior, the treatment Rainbow started using her was a welcome change. Rainbow had a clear goal in mind but she also wanted to try and help Fluttershy, even though it was a problem that she couldn't address. Compared to other episodes where she set a personal goal, it was surprising and refreshing to see Rainbow agree to settle just for completing the objective without breaking the record. By process of elimination you can probably tell what the number one episode is.
1. Sonic Rainboom (Season 1, Episode 16)
Why it's on the top: Was there ever any doubt? One of the all time greatest episodes of the show is the definitive Rainbow Dash episode. It wasn't even a contest, I knew from the beginning that this episode was going to be on the top. This one delved into Rainbow's psychological profile and showed us what lies behind that mask of bravado. Deep down Rainbow has a very real fear of failure, an inferiority complex. So she masks it behind a persona of bravado, confidence, and even arrogance. This was also when that mask first started to crumble as Rainbow slowly came to realize that it's okay to show your vulnerable side sometimes. And this episode served as a reminder of why she's the Element of Loyalty, when she abandoned her own pursuits to save Rarity and the Wonderbolts. The titular Sonic Rainboom introduced here would go on to be not just a popular thing within the fandom but also an event of great significance in future episodes. So for all those reasons I'm putting this episode at number one.
And there you have it. Come back tomorrow, when we'll rank the Rarity episodes.
Here are my personal picks:
The Washouts
Parental Glideance
Newbie Dash
Tanks for the Memories
Stranger than Fanfiction
The End in Friend
28 Pranks Later
Rainbow Falls
Daring Don't
Sonic Rainboom
Wonderbolts Academy
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
Mysterious Mare Do Well
Read it and Weep
Daring Done
Grannies Gone Wild
May the Best Pet Win
Just putting it out there: If the dam was going to collapse from someone leaning on it too hard, chances are it would have collapsed even if she didn't touch it.
The Washouts is definitely the best episode for TwiDash as a duo imo