Serena (anime)
- If you were looking for the charcter from Hoenn, see Serena (Hoenn).
| Serena セレナ Serena | |
 Artwork from XY series | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Blue |
| Hair color | Honey |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Kalos |
| Relatives | Grace (mother) |
| Game counterpart | Serena |
| Anime debut | Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin! |
| English voice actor | Haven Paschall |
| Japanese voice actor | Mayuki Makiguchi |
Serena (Japanese: セレナ Serena) is a traveling companion of Ash who debuted in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!.
History
Serena first appeared in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, where she was forcibly woken up by her mother's Fletchling. In Lumiose City Pursuit!, she attempted to practice Rhyhorn racing after being encouraged by her mother, a famous Rhyhorn racer herself. However, Serena's attempts at controlling her mother's Rhyhorn ended with her being sent crashing into the ground.
Later that evening, Serena complained about her earlier practice leaving several scratches on her face. She sat down to watch a news report on an incident that was occurring in Lumiose City. On screen she saw Ash Ketchum trying to calm down a rampaging Garchomp at Prism Tower and recognized Ash as a boy she had known in her childhood. The next day, while feeding Rhyhorn, Serena thought aloud that something interesting was going to happen and that it involved Ash.
She began her Pokémon journey in XY003 when she set off to Professor Sycamore's lab in Lumiose City. Immediately upon arriving, Serena questioned the Professor about the boy on television and he confirmed that it was indeed Ash Ketchum. However, to Serena's disappointment, Ash had already left Lumiose City the previous day. Serena was then offered to choose her starter Pokémon.
In XY004, Serena chose Fennekin, received a Pokédex, and started her journey. Later that day, she continued to travel with Fennekin, but didn't want to camp out for the night after seeing some wild Venipede. She was attacked by a wild Vespiquen that she mistook for a person, only for Fennekin to scare Vespiquen away. Afterward, Serena met a Nurse Joy who told her where to find the nearest Pokémon Center.
In XY005, she finally reached Santalune City and found Ash during his gym battle with Viola. She introduced herself to him, Clemont, and Bonnie, after returning his backpack when it was left behind at the Gym. At the end of the episode, she asks Ash if he remembers her, to which the episode abruptly ends.
In XY006 she revealed that the two of them met at Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp when they were younger. Although Ash remembered the camp, he didn't specifically remember meeting Serena, much to her disappointment. Serena quickly regained her composure and reminded him that he once told her to never give up. Hearing these words helped Ash continue his training in order to win the rematch against Viola. During the rematch, Ash was visibly becoming overwhelmed by Viola's battling strategy, but Serena yelled at him to never give up. The inspiration that he had once given Serena was now being given to him, and these words pushed him continue the battle. At the end of the episode, after winning the Bug Badge, Ash asked Serena what her plans for the future were. Serena officially began traveling with Ash and his friends in XY007.
XY007 was when Serena revealed why she began her journey in the first place. After seeing Ash on TV, she decided that she would begin a Pokémon journey in order to return the handkerchief he had lent her when she was a child. After she returned the handkerchief, Ash remembered their encounter and called her the "Straw Hat Girl." In this episode, Serena helped teach Ash how to ride and race on a Rhyhorn.
Character
Serena has a love for fashion and clothing. An early example of this is in XY003, when she spent a lot of time carefully selecting an outfit, but was troubled over which of two hats looked best. Serena then asked her mother, who selected a beret, but she promptly tossed the beret aside and picked up the other hat, saying that whatever her mother chose was certain to be the unfashionable one. Her interest in being stylish could also be a reference to the option of customizing the player character in the games. Later, in XY007, Serena expressed excitement about visiting the clothing boutiques in Lumiose City.
Since the start of the series Serena has proven to be a kind and polite girl. However, in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin! she was openly rebellious towards her mother. She refused to wake up when her mother ordered and gave a sassy response to her mother's call to watch the news. This tumultuous relationship was best demonstrated when Serena's mother made her practice Rhyhorn riding, which she originally hated doing. Serena's opinion on Rhyhorn and Rhyhorn riding quickly changed after she taught Ash to ride a Rhyhorn in XY007. The Rhyhorn in this episode were very friendly towards her, which changed her opinion on the species entirely. Later, while she was helping Ash learn to ride, she called out similar words Serena's mother had yelled to her during her Rhyhorn riding lessons at home. At that moment, Serena realized that she had misjudged the sport of Rhyhorn racing and that perhaps she did not hate it as much as she thought.
In addition, Serena met Ash personally before he started his journey, revealed in XY006 to have been during her time attending Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp when the two of them were younger. At that time, Serena had fallen in the forest and injured her knee to the point she could no longer walk. Ash stumbled upon her and tied a handkerchief around her wound. He then helped her stand up and took her back to the campsite, telling her to never give up. Their encounter left a strong impression on Serena, to the point where she was able to remember Ash when she saw him on the television.
Pokémon
On hand
 Fennekin |
Voice actors
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Trivia
- Serena is the female companion who took the longest time to join the main cast since her series started: seven episodes.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | セレナ Serena | From serene. |
| English, French, German, Italian, Spanish |
Serena | Same as Japanese name. |
Related articles
| Serena's Pokémon | ||||||
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| On hand: | ||||||
| Temporary: | ||||||
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
