Pokémon: 20 Reasons Misty Is The Worst Trainer (And 10 Ways She’s The Best)
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Lover her or not, Misty is an iconic part of the Pokémon series! Here are 20 reasons she’s the worst and 10 ways that she’s pretty great!
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One of the most memorable characters in the Pokémon franchise, Misty was one of the first gym leaders in the original game and was Ash’s first human companion. Misty is known all over the world for her bold hair, water type Pokémon and short temper. Although she described herself as a tomboy, she did appreciate being treated like a lady and believed in true love. Misty cares deeply for most of her Pokémon and is one of Ash’s longest-running companions in the anime series. However, it has not always been Solrocks and Alolan Muks for our girl.
Her parents abandoned her and her sisters when they were really young due to harsh gym regulations, so the girls had to run things alone. Growing up, Misty’s sisters were pressuring her to ‘fit in’ with their brand and become a girly girl. After years and years of pressure to be something she was not, Misty went for a relaxing fishing session only for Ash to crash into her life and destroy her bike. Seizing the chance to escape and be petty for many years, Misty decided to stalk (ahem), I mean accompany, Ash on his journey. Along the way, Misty decided to try to become the very best Pokémon trainer, like no-one ever was.
However, Misty quickly proved that she was perhaps not the best Pokémon trainer in the world. I have compiled a list of reasons why Misty is both the best and worst Pokémon trainer. Let’s check it out!
30 Worst: She Abandoned Her Gym
Misty is the leader of the Cerulean Gym and one of the first leaders Ash faces in both the Pokémon anime and the first generation of games. Like her parents before her, Misty abandoned her gym at the first chance she got.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?
She saw Ash and realized that this was her golden opportunity to get away from her past. She let go of her responsibilities to become the very best Pokémon trainer ever.
29 Worst: She Also Picked Worst Team She Could
You would think that specializing in a certain type of Pokémon and wanting to be the best Pokémon trainer would mean you would catch every water type you could. Misty, however, decided to take a different approach. Misty did catch some water Pokémon and has access to all the Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym. However, a Gyarados, Seaking, and Seel resided in Cerulean Gym and she just didn’t take them on her journey.
28 Best: At Least Misty Helped Save Her Gym
In the episode ‘The Misty Mermaid’, Misty headed home to train her Pokémon, but got more than she bargained for. Misty’s sisters, Daisy, Violet, and Lily, tell her that the Gym is not getting many visitors and is in trouble.
Misty comes in clutch, for once!
The Sensational Sisters want to put on an underwater ballet to raise money to keep the gym but need Misty’s help. Misty has her reservations, but ultimately save the gym from financial ruin and Team Rocket.
27 Worst: But Like… Misty Only Loves Cute Pokémon
Humans are not the only ones who have to deal with ridiculous beauty standards. In the anime, Misty was shown to be a loving trainer – mostly to the ones who were the cutest. She doted on Starmie and Horsea and never puts Togepi down after she stole it, but Psyduck was left out in the cold even when he saved her behind. Misty went out of her way to befriend others’ Pokémon like Pikachu and Vulpix because they were adorable but hated Caterpie.
26 Worst: And Misty Treats ‘Bad’ Pokémon Terribly
Continuing from above, Psyduck received the brunt of the bad treatment in the first season of the anime. Misty hit him, yelled names at him and even tried to palm him off on another trainer when he disappointed her. Pokémon trainers are supposed to bond with their team and love each member unconditionally; Misty is setting a really bad example to anyone she meets. This attitude should not be passed on to future Pokémon trainers.
25 Best: She Does Love Her “Good” Pokémon
Good news, if you did indeed make the cut and tart yourself up enough to win Misty’s affection, she will love you with all of her cold heart. We have seen the way she showers her love on Pokémon like Togepi – she holds it constantly and screams at anyone who so much as implies it is bad in any way. Maybe that is why she did not bring Seaking or Seel with her – they were not cute enough for her to love them.
24 Worst: Seriously, Why Does She Only Use Water Types When She’s Not At The Gym
Hear me out, I know how that sounds. If Misty just wanted to chill with her Cerulean Gym leader position then this would be absolutely fine. But considering that in the anime she wants to be the very best trainer then this is a massive problem. Sure, she has borrowed Pokémon in the past, but, as every 90’s kid knows, she needs to catch ’em all in order to be the best.
23 Worst: Knows Next To Nothing About Pokémon
Being a gym leader, Misty should know key tactics and facts to teach the young newbies who come to her gym. Therefore she should be a great choice for Ash in terms of developing his knowledge along his journey. However, besides the odd this-type-is-weak-to-this and this-Pokémon-is-this-type, Misty does not teach Ash much in the anime. I know that she may know more than she lets on, but then why would they use the Pokédex if Misty or Brock could name the Pokémon they come across?
22 Best: She Does Cheer On Others…
Now although she has a hot temper that she regularly takes out on Ash, Brock, and her Pokémon, Misty is capable of being a supportive friend. In various battles, Misty will often cheer on her friends and their Pokémon and give them encouragement from the sidelines. Being stuck in a hard battle against a formidable opponent may be tough, but it sure is easier when you have your friends by your side.
21 Worst: She’s Afraid Of Bug Type Pokémon… Rude.
Having an irrational fear or a phobia is something that many people have gone through and Misty is no exception. It is revealed in the anime that she has a massive fear/disgust of bug type Pokémon. She fears and yells at Caterpie (until it becomes Butterfree and turned cute) and is paralyzed by bug types in general. As bug types are neutral towards water types, this would not be a problem in her gym but this fear would be a problem when traveling the world and becoming the very best.
20 Worst: She Is Afraid Of Gyarados — WHO IS A WATER POKÉMON
According to the anime, baby Misty decided to just casually crawl into a Gyarados’ mouth for no dang reason. The Gyarados, seeing a puny shrimp crawl into its mouth tried to eat Misty.
Kids will be kids, right?
This event has since traumatized Misty and given her a phobia of Gyarados. Misty is the water type leader of Cerulean Gym, this phobia is actively holding her back from doing her job correctly.
19 Best: Misty Does Face Her Fears
We now know that Misty is afraid of both bug type Pokémon and Gyarados, but she soon did something incredibly brave; she faced her fears. In episode 97 of the anime, the gang goes to Murcott Island in the Orange Archipelago, an island that is home to rare bug type Pokémon. The fact Misty even stepped foot on the island is a big deal for her. Towards the end of her run in the anime, she also tamed a Gyarados. Well done, Misty.
18 Worst: She Has Anger Management Issues
We have briefly mentioned that Misty is hot-headed and tends to yell at and hit her teammates. She has flown off the handle and gotten more than a little violent on multiple occasions throughout the show. Call me crazy, but if someone yells at me or hits me every time I do something wrong then I would not call that person my friend. I would not even associate myself with them. Misty needs to cool it if she wants to become a good gym leader.
17 Worst: She Got Taken… By A Bunch Of Squirtle
This entry is just embarrassing. In the episode ‘Here Comes The Squirtle Squad’, Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock are captured by the Squirtle Squad, a gang of cool Squirtles. Pikachu is sick so Ash convinces the Squirtle Squad to let him go get medicine for Pikachu. Squirtle is the most famous water type Pokémon and Misty should have been able to handle them or at least put up a good fight; it is a starter Pokémon after all.
16 Best: She Does Succeed In Spite Of Her Past
As we mentioned earlier, Misty’s parents abandoned both their gym and their four daughters when Misty was a baby. Then Misty’s sisters constantly peer pressured her into being someone that she was not.
Way to go, Misty!
Despite her dark past, Misty was able to keep moving forward and follow her dream. She competed in tournaments, won battles and even took over the gym her parents abandoned. That’s what I call personal growth.
15 Worst: She Went Fishing… The Water Gym Leader Went Fishing
Again, hear me out on this one. Back in the early days of Pokémon, it was canon that there were no ‘normal’ animals – just Pokémon. This means that when we first see Misty during her relaxing fishing session she was hunting down some fresh Magikarps to eat. The water type gym leader is eating the very Pokémon she loves and cares for at home – that’s just savage, man.
14 Worst: Took Over The Gym After Abandoning It
Not only did Misty abandon her gym in the anime, but after spending months away from her gym, she returned to take it back over again. Not only is doing this presumptuous, but this is also an issue on so many levels. How are staff and young trainers supposed to trust that she won’t just leave for a long time again? Would she even remember how to run the gym?
13 Best: Matures Across Her Journey
Misty starts out as a bratty hot-tempered kid when we first meet her. I mean she chases down a guy who stole her bike and then never let him forget about it even after it broke. However, by the time she leaves the show, she has become softer and more mature. She has more experience as a trainer and as a friend; it is a shame we cannot see her use these skills at her gym.
12 Worst: Getting Togepi Broke Misty’s Character
During the anime, Ash found a Togepi egg before it hatched. When the time came for the egg to finally hatch into a baby Togepi Misty pushed Ash out of the way and Togepi decided that Misty was its mother. From that moment on, Misty was rarely seen without her Togepi in her arms. Misty went from angry tomboy with personality to bland and angry mother bear, which was a regression in character development.
11 Worst: She Barely Ever Trained Her Pokémon
We all know that a healthy body and a healthy mind are good for all animals on this planet; that is why they are so keen on activities and exercise in zoos. The same goes for Pokémon; they need to battle and play in order to level up. Just walking around regions and only battling every now and again is a terrible plan – and the one Misty follows.
Optimistic freelance writer, film and series enthusiast, budding gamer. Grew up in Germany for seventeen years before moving to the U.K. A University of Winchester alumni with a Creative Writing bachelor’s degree and a whole lot of passion. Has worked in retail and customer service but has finally settled into full-time freelancing. Primarily writes articles on food, video games, and music with the odd professional bio or website content job. Would love to write more fiction and has a mile long TBR pile. A Hufflepuff often found looking at cute stationary and food videos on YouTube. Loves eating desserts.
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