Cerulean Sister: 24 Secrets About Misty From Pokémon
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Dedicated Misty fans unite! We’ve compiled a list of 25 stellar secrets about everyone’s favorite Pokémon companion and Gym Leader.
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Be honest with yourself: isn’t Misty one of your favorite characters ever? Whether it’s the tough Gym Leader who kicked your behind in the games or the bossy brat with a heart of gold who appeared in the anime, Misty has always been a fully fleshed out, non-stereotypical character, and super fun to watch, as well.
But that’s not to say that Misty’s characterization has always been perfect. Between the character’s creator admitting that she was only on the show for weak reasons, to the weird ways she’s been represented in the manga, the Pokémon Company has definitely made more than a few missteps when it comes to her portrayal.
Those issues aside, there’s a lot to love about Misty, and by the time you’ve finished this article, you’ll love her even more. There’s a lot of Misty’s backstory that went unexamined in the anime. Learning all these secrets only makes you understand and empathize with her more than ever.
This article manages to cover all of those things – the good, the bad and the ugly – in exactly 24 points. Whether you want to know more about her creation, her controversies, her past, present, and future, or whether you just want to know what vegetables she hates eating, you’ve come to the right place.
24 She Will Never Return To The Anime
Misty was the first female companion that Ash ever had, and as such, she holds a huge place in many fans hearts. Despite how many companions she’s been replaced by – Iris, May, and Serena, just to name a few – Misty has never quite been replaced, and it’s doubtful she ever will.
Sadly, that doesn’t mean she’ll ever come back to the anime. Although she’s returned for several guest appearances and for an episode here and there, the former director of the anime Masamitsu Hidaka has stated that Misty will never return as a main character in future seasons. Instead, she will continue to return once in a while for battles with Ash and others. This is even more disappointing given that she’s Ash’s only real love interest in the entire series.
23 A Rose By Any Other Name
It’s always interesting to see how anime characters get their names, and Misty is no different. In Japanese, her name is Kasumi which translates to the word mist, while referencing the word “umi,” which means sea. This trend follows in most other languages too, where her name is either Misty, Ondine (a French reference to a water nymph) or Choi (the Korean word for “dew”).
Interestingly, while all of Misty’s sisters share names related to flowers – Daisy, Lily, and Violet – Misty didn’t get the memo. However, her name in Japanese does double as a reference to baby’s breath. It does make some sense given how different Misty is from her sisters, and how much of a black sheep she is in her family, although I’d like to think that Rose could be a good name for her.
22 Her Purpose Was To Be …
Longtime viewers of the Pokémon anime will probably realize that, while the female companions are swapped out almost every season, Brock is on the show almost constantly. This is something that’s confused the audience for a while, who wonder why the female companion is so disposable while the male is omnipresent. But according to director Masamitsu Hidaka, there’s a very simple (and very upsetting) reason for this.
Apparently, they like to switch up the girls because it gives the predominantly male audience some new candy to look at every once in a while.
He went on to say that girls are more “customizable” and you can change their outfits, like when they are in their bathing suits. Essentially, girls are swapped around so guys have more girls to creep over. Gross.
21 She’s Younger Than You Might Think
Maybe it’s the fact that their voice actors are always older, or maybe it’s just their mature personalities, but characters in anime have a tendency to be a lot younger than you expect. That makes sense in Japan where anime is watched by people of all ages, but it’s a little stranger in America where it’s mostly aimed towards kids anyway.
That’s why it’s always a surprise when you realize the age of the main trio in Pokémon.
Brock is only fifteen, despite caring for a whole family of kids on his own; and Ash is only ten, even though he’s been sent off by his mom to travel the entire world alone. Then you have Misty, who’s also ten even though she’s a full Gym Leader in her own right. How unaccomplished do you feel with your life?
20 She Was Left Behind
Parents are a touchy subject in the Pokémon series. Ash’s parents are notoriously neglectful, with his mother Delia sending him off to travel the world at age ten and his father never even mentioned in the entire series. Brock’s parents are also pretty dodgy, as they popped out nine kids and then left him alone to look after them all, and the Gym.
But Misty’s parents may be giving even Ash’s and Brock’s a run for their money. According to Pocket Monsters: The Animation, a novelization of the anime series by its writer, Misty’s parents abandoned her and her sisters due to the harsh regulations for Gym duties, thus forcing their daughters to take over Gym duties until Misty eventually escaped at ten-years-old.
19 “Grandpa” May Have Overstepped
Pokémon is famous for its banned episodes, especially those made during the first few seasons when the show was still finding its feet among international audiences. ‘Beauty and the Beach’ was one of the most infamous banned episodes, and it followed a beauty competition that took place on a beach which Misty, Jessie, and James (yes, in an inflatable bikini), all entered.
When the show finally came to America, it was censored pretty heavily; but one scene which remained involved a creepy old man telling Misty he wishes she was his granddaughter. In the original Japanese version of the episode, however, he tells her something way intense and it’s too darn much.
18 She Was Almost A Bride
Most people may have forgotten about the Orange Islands season, which took place right after Kanto and before Johto and featured Ash, Misty, and Tracey, traveling around the Orange Archipelago to pick up the mysterious GS Ball. One particular episode in this series, ‘Misty Meets Her Match,’ finds Ash challenging Gym Leader Rudy, who just so happens to have a huge crush on Misty.
Naturally, this starts a love triangle with Misty stuck in the middle of the two bachelors. When the trio departs, Rudy asks Misty to stay on the island with him, but she refuses. At least, that’s what happened in the English dub. In the original version of the episode, Rudy asks Misty to marry him. That’s pretty weird for Misty, even in Japan.
17 Her Tastes Are…Unique
If you remember the episode of the anime in which Ash catches Caterpie, you’ll probably remember that Misty is rather afraid of Bug Pokémon, and bugs in general. When Ash states that he’s in heaven after catching his first Pokémon, Misty states that his heaven is her nightmare, and hides away in fear.
But there are two other things which Misty says are on her list of the “three most disgusting things.”
When Ash asks her what they are, Misty states that they are “carrots, peppers, and bugs.” Bugs are fair enough, but the vegetables are more surprising. Given the bright reddy orange of her hair, we wonder if Misty was ever teased with the hue of the vegetables and if that’s why she has such a distaste for them.
16 She Lost Her Voice
If you’re a dedicated Pokémon fan like me, you’re probably still upset over the fact that the entire series had its voice actors changed way back in 2006. This was a choice made by Pokémon USA when the license for dubbing the anime came up for renewal, and it was based purely on the fact that the show was losing popularity and they wanted to save money. When rumors came out that the voice cast would be changed, fans petitioned against it; but eventually, the rights went to TAJ Productions and the entire cast was replaced with sound-a-likes.
For the first eight years of the show, Rachel Lillis was the voice actor for both Misty and Jessie. Sadly, after the change in actors, Lillis was replaced, although she did return to voice Gym Leader Maylene. Somehow Misty just isn’t the same without her there.
15 She’s The Only Girl Who’s Been Able To Handle Ash
Misty is one of many traveling companions that Ash has had throughout the series (the current count is at sixteen), but she’s also one of the few that’s been able to stick around and put up with him for any extended period of time. Misty is the longest running female companion Ash has had, joining him throughout the entirety of Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, for a total of 282 episodes all up.
When you look at the companions overall, however, the longest running one is Brock, who has a step up on the competition after joining Ash in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Funnily enough, the characters other than Ash and Pikachu who have appeared in the most episodes are actually Team Rocket, who have been in most episodes since the second.
14 She Was Almost Eliminated By Squirtle
Squirtle is one of the most well-known and well-loved Pokémon in the west, but in Japan, his reputation is a little more tarnished. A lot of that has to do with the Squirtle that appears in the anime, which first met Ash as part of the so-called “Squirtle Squad.” In this episode, the Squad is manipulated by Meowth into thinking that Ash is a bad guy, and they take him and his friends and hold them against their will. When Ash requests to leave to get medicine for a weak Pikachu, they let him but warn him that if he doesn’t come back by noon the next day they’ll dye Misty’s hair purple.
At least, that’s what they said in the west. In Japan, Squirtle actually threatens to destroy Misty if Ash doesn’t come back in time. What happened to the cute Squirtle we thought we knew?
13 She’s Quite Devoted To Her Fishing
Misty may be gone from the anime forever, but it’s nice to know that Ash will always have something to remember her by. ‘Misty’s special’ is a lure that Misty herself created as the perfect lure to help with fishing for Water Pokémon. Even better, it looks like a cute little chibi version of Misty herself. I guess she’s attractive to not just people, but Pokémon too.
Although Misty made it for herself, she later asked Professor Oak to deliver it to Ash during the Advanced Generation series. Ash used it to fish for Buizel later in that season, and when Dawn asked to borrow it he even argued with her and refused to lend it out. It’s a small memento, but it shows that Ash really does care.
12 She Wants To Be A Lady
Misty is well-known in the anime series for her tomboyish qualities, which is probably why Ash continuously overlooks her and why the audience is so surprised when she actually shows some feminine qualities. While in the anime she seems happy to be treated as one of the boys, it appears as though there’s a part of her which resents it.
In the Ash and Pikachu manga, which is an official comic based on the anime, Misty states that she’s secretly upset about being taken for granted and wants to be treated more like a lady by her friends. It does make sense: Misty has a vulnerable side which is shown any time she’s around cute Pokémon or bugs, so it’s natural she’d want to be seen as a girl.
11 She Wasn’t Always Nice
Even though Pokémon is basically a franchise centered entirely around celebrating dogfighting, that doesn’t mean that it will encourage violence against humans – at least outside of Japan. In the original version of the series, Misty is seen beating up on Ash several times in the first season, including in the first ever episode where she backhands him, and the third where she smacks him right in the face.
Naturally, in the dubbed version of the show, all of these scenes were cut so we never knew how aggressive Misty really was.
The weird thing is that they left in the scenes before and after the slaps, so Ash is left rubbing his face with Misty’s hand in the air for no apparent reason. What a tyrant!
10 She Started The Trend For Female Companions
It might be hard to remember given how long ago the episode was first released, but the reason why Misty originally claimed to be following Ash around in the first place all went back to her bike. In the first ever episode of the anime, Ash “borrowed” Misty’s bike so that he can escape from the Spearow that are chasing him; but as he does so, Pikachu shocks the Spearow and fries her bike in the process.
Misty uses the bike as an excuse to chase Ash around for three whole seasons. But in the episode “Gotta Catch Ya Later!,” Ash returns to the Nurse Joy at Viridian City and collects his bike which is good as new. It’s a sad moment for the audience and undoubtedly for Ash and Misty as well. It’s also a trend that’s been followed by every female companion in the anime since.
9 She And Ash Are Definitely A Thing
The romance between Ash and Misty is one that’s not often explored officially, but which has been popularised by fans quite a bit ever since the show debuted. For her part, Misty is pretty much confirmed to be crushing on Ash, especially in the second movie when she gets crazy jealous over his possible relationship with Melody.
On the other hand, Ash has barely ever reciprocated the feelings in any official way, with one notable exception. In 2001, a Christmas themed album was released in America called Pokémon Christmas Bash, which featured almost all of the anime cast singing (pretty poorly) a collection of nine Pokémon Christmas carols. One song, ‘Under the Mistletoe,’ is a duet between Ash and Misty, and finds each hoping to catch each other under the mistletoe for a kiss. When they do, Ash freaks out and runs off. I know they’re only ten, but I really really want these two to get together.
8 She And Ash Almost Got Together
We’re slipping into the realms of conspiracy here, but this plotline is super interesting and has never been discussed by any Pokémon staff. When Pokémon Gold and Silver were first released, they were intended to be the final games in the series, which explains why they took so long to develop and why they were jammed full of so much content. Luckily for us, the amount of money the games made changed a few minds, and the series has continued ever since.
Originally the anime was meant to finish along with the games, with the first movie being the end of the whole series.
A teaser trailer that was shown in Japan showed an older Misty hanging around with a young girl, who is eventually gifted with a Pikachu. Fans speculate that this girl is Ash and Misty’s daughter, being bequeathed Pikachu by her loving father. Of course, all of this footage was scrapped but it does beg the question: were Ash and Misty really meant to get together?
7 She Wasn’t Treated Well In the Manga
As if being subjected to a creepy old man wasn’t enough, Misty has also had to face objectification in the manga series. In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Misty appears in various states of from a swimsuit which is super revealing to a bare Misty taking a bath in a hot spring alongside Pikachu and commenting on her. Worst of all, Misty is unknowingly being ogled by Ash, Brock, and Mikey, and if that’s not creepy I dunno what is.
In the English version of the manga, this scene was the only one which was totally cut. While Japan will tolerate a lot of weird stuff, when it comes to kids in America, censors are nowhere near as forgiving.
6 She Isn’t A Real Gym Leader
Misty and Brock travel with Ash for the first five seasons of the anime, before she decides to go solo and return to the Kanto region where she was born to take back control of the Cerulean City gym. Misty says that while she wants to stay with Ash, she has a responsibility to return to the gym, which would be shut down if she did not return.
In reality, that seems untrue because Misty’s sisters are all looking after the gym in her absence. Even when she does return, she still isn’t an official Gym Leader, despite being in control of a lot of aspects of the gym – maybe because of her young age. In the English version, however, fate is rewritten and Misty is officially given the role of Gym Leader as soon as she returns.
5 She’s Special To Her Voice Actor
While western Pokémon fans will associate Misty with Rachel Lillis (and, after she was replaced by the crazy people over at Pokémon USA, Michele Knotz), Japanese viewers will be much more familiar with the voice of Mayumi Iizuka. And it seems that not only are Japanese fans fond of Misty, but Iizuka is too.
When she first auditioned for the role, “the director asked her to act like herself, and in doing so she landed the role.” For that reason, Iizuka believes that Misty is the character she has voiced that most represent herself. Because of this, Iizuka keeps tabs on all of Misty’s anime, video game and merchandising appearances, and is a self-confessed fan of her favorite character to play.
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