Serena (anime)

Serena is a Pokémon trainer of the Kalos region and one of Ash's traveling companions. Her goal is to be a Rhyhorn racer, to follow in her mother's footsteps. Little is known about her relationship with Ash, although she was childhood friends with him before the start of the series.

Biography
Despite the fact that Serena is Ash's newest female companion and has just started her journey, she met him when they were younger back in Pallet Town years ago and have been together as childhood friends a long time before he started his journey. She will catch up to him in XY005.

Appearence
Serena marks a return to basing Ash's female companion off of that generation's female player character. However, Serena is also the first to have undergone minor cosmetic changes for the transition to the anime, whereas May and Dawn remained the same. Among the cosmetic changes are:
 * The hair is a much darker shade, and seems slightly shorter.
 * Shirt collar is white instead of black.
 * The sunglasses on the hat and the bracelet on her left wrist are absent (the bracelet depicted in her game artwork, though, is actually the Mega Ring).
 * Her eyes are blue despite the fact that her hair is not blonde like her game counterpart, where they should be grey, matching her current hair color.
 * The bow that's on her hat is not on her game counterpart.
 * She wears shoes unlike her game counterpart, which wears sneakers, however they are in the same design.
 * She also does not have the purse that her game counterpart does.

Trivia

 * Serena is Ash's first companion to have known him personally before the very start of the series.
 * She is the second main character to keep her Japanese name. The first is Iris.
 * Serena is the third of Ash's female companions to be based on the female player character in her debut generation, the first two being May and Dawn. However, Serena is the fourth female companion to have a character equivalent in the games at all, as Misty exists in the games and was the first traveling companion of Ash's.
 * Like Dawn, Serena is the second of the female traveling companions that isn't a Gym Leader, related to one, or to be one in the future. Misty is related to her three older sisters who were the former Gym Leaders of the Cerulean City Gym, until JE157: Gotta Catch Ya Later, when she had to become the Gym Leader when her sisters set out on a trip around the world. May is the daughter of Norman, who is the Gym Leader of the Petalburg City Gym. Iris was hinted, soon revealed to become the successor to Drayden of the Opelucid City Gym.
 * Serena is also the third female traveling companion after Iris and Bonnie who doesn't own a bike.
 * She is also the third of Ash's female traveling companions to wear head gear. May and Dawn were the first two.
 * She is also the third of Ash's female traveling companions that doesn't have any siblings. Dawn was the first one, and Iris was the second.
 * She is also the second trainer to choose a Fire-type, her Fennekin, as a starter Pokémon. The first was May when she chose Torchic.
 * Serena will also mark the longest time where one of the female traveling companions will meet Ash at the beginning of series (Even though she knew him previously in their childhood in Pallet Town).
 * Misty met Ash in IL001: Pokémon - I Choose You! and joined him in IL002: Pokémon Emergency!.
 * May met him in AG001: Get the Show on the Road! and joined him in the same episode.
 * Dawn was introduced in DP001: Following A Maiden's Voyage! but met Ash in DP003: When Pokémon Worlds Collide and joined him on his journey through Sinnoh.
 * Iris was introduced in BW001: In The Shadow of Zekrom! and met Ash in BW002: Enter Iris and Axew and joined him through the Unova region all the way back to Kanto.
 * Bonnie got introduced in XY001: Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin! and joined him in XY003
 * Serena got introduced in XY001: Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, and saw Ash on TV in XY002: Lumiose City Pursuit! and will catch up with him in XY005.