Serena (Pokémon)

Serena (セレナ) is a character in the 2013 video game Pokemon X and Y. Players can choose to play as either her or the male protagonist Calem. She also appears in the Pokémon anime, accompanying protagonist Ash Ketchum on his journey. She has romantic feelings for Ash, which ultimately culminates in her kissing him before she departs from his journey, which contributed to her being a popular character. The ship between her and Ash was also made more popular as a result.

Concept and creation
Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon franchise began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, both in the wild as well as those used by other Trainers. Serena was designed by Ken Sugimori for the Pokémon X and Y with input from Pokémon video game designer Junichi Masuda. Masuda chose France as the background for the Kalos region, which is the main setting in these games. During the Pokémon X and Y showcase at the Pokémon Game Show in August 2013, the character was named "Yvonne". This name was later used in the manga series.

She is voiced by Mayuki Makiguchi in Japanese. Makiguchi discussed her love of fashion helping make her empathize with Serena more, exclaiming that she's been learning to make sweets to get into character more. The kiss between Ash and Serena was intentionally censored, with the staff making it as obvious as possible while making it age-appropriate. Haven Paschall voices the character in the anime series in English. Jackie Lastra voices her in Pokémon Masters EX, while Akari Kitō voices her in Japanese.

Appearances
Serena first appears in Pokémon X and Y as one of the two protagonists that can be played as, alongside the male protagonist Calem. She begins her Pokémon journey, receiving either a Chespin, Fennekin, or Froakie as her Starter Pokémon, with the goal of collecting all eight badges in the Kalos region and defeating the Elite Four to become the Pokémon Champion of the region. She has various friends, including Calem, who also gets one of the Starter Pokémon, as well as Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna, who all serve as her rivals. Throughout her Gym Badge journey, she also deals with the villainous Team Flare, led by Lysandre, and must stop him from getting the power to destroy those who oppose his vision of the world. She also captures either of the legendary Pokémon Xerneas or Yveltal, depending on if they played the X or Y version of the game. She eventually fights the Elite Four, including the Champion Diantha, before finally defeating her. If the player chooses to play as Calem instead, Serena takes the role of a rival.

Serena also appears in the Pokémon anime series, where she acts as one of the series protagonist Ash Ketchum's travelling companions in Pokémon the Series: XY. Prior to the start of the series, she met Ash at a summer camp in her youth, where he helped her recover after she was startled by a wild Poliwag. Due to this, she developed a crush on him. She eventually recognizes him on a television broadcast during the series, and she meets up with him, though he doesn't initially remember her. Throughout the series, Serena has a goal of participating in Pokémon Showcases, female-only beauty-pageant-like competitions, to become the "Kalos Queen," a title for the top performer. At the end of the series, she leaves for Hoenn, kissing Ash before departing. She later reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where she aids the character Chloe. She briefly reunites with Ash at the end of the episode before the two part ways once again.

She appears alongside Calem as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and later has her hat be an alternate costume for the Pokémon Jigglypuff in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A counterpart to the character, named Yvonne with the nickname "Y," appeared in Pokémon Adventures.

Reception
Serena has received generally positive reception, identified as a popular character among fans of the Pokémon anime. Jose Otero from IGN talks about Serena representing females and Calem representing males, saying, "it actually looks more interesting when they become rival characters for the player." Victoria McNally from The Mary Sue appreciates the presence of Serena's character in X and Y, which is considered to represent female players by providing options to change hairstyles and clothing styles. Dexerto writer Laura Grey noted various qualities that made her so popular, including her challenging stereotypes and "genuine nature and determination." Inside Games writer Sawadee Otsuka felt that the customization of characters in X and Y influenced players' enjoyment of them, particularly Serena, noting that players seemed to become more interested in playing as her due to the fashion mechanic. Japanese celebrity Shoko Nakagawa cut her hair short, attributing it to Serena cutting her hair short in the anime. The ship between Serena and Ash has been the subject of discussion among fans and critics. The relationship between Serena and Ash has created a fan community of people who ship them together, with the ship name being called "AmourShipping," with speculation being made that Serena and Ash would end up together. Polygon writer Allegra Frank also discussed the shipping community behind the two, believing that the fact that Serena seemed to actually love him set her apart from other common ships with Ash, such as Misty and May. Screen Rant writer Samantha King felt that Serena was the true love for Ash, arguing that he has shown no real romantic interactions with anyone except Serena and that the more recent episodes with Misty dashed hopes for that ship due to it being presented platonically. Comic Book Resources writer Joe Ballard agreed with this sentiment, arguing that Misty being quick to anger and mock Ash did not work as well for Ash, where Serena's gentle personality balanced well with Ash's excitable personality.

Serena is the first and only female character implied to have kissed Ash on the lips. Hobby Consolas writer Jesús Vicario Rodríguez noting how some fans have disliked the way the scene was handled due to not being able to see the kiss. Inside Games writer Nennetaro noted how excited the kiss between them made a lot of fans, discussing how Serena is a rare character in the series due to her explicit affection for Ash. Following her departure in the Pokémon anime, some fans demanded that she return to accompany Ash in the next series. Allegra Frank suggested that the way that the kiss is obscured makes it more suggestive than kisses on the cheek Ash has received in past episodes, arguing that it was a scene special to both Ash and people who viewed the two as a prospective couple.

Her return to the series was in high demand compared to other characters, with a Change.org petition calling for her return receiving more than 26,000 signatures. According to an IT Media reader poll, Serena was the most popular female character in the series, receiving more than a quarter of the vote, with many commenters expressing disappointment that she was removed from the anime. While discussing the prospects of her returning, Comic Book Resources writer Ryan McCarthy argued that, despite the popularity of such a request, she likely wouldn't return in a major capacity. He argued that if she did, the kiss would have to be addressed, which would detract from the emphasis on adventure to focus on romance, which he believed wouldn't fit the tone of the show. Serena's eventual return to the anime was criticized by Game Rant writer Levana Jane Chester-Londt, arguing that the limited amount of interaction between Ash and Serena was disappointing.