Was Misty poorly handled or developed in the anime compared to later female leads?

Mar 4, 11:37 AM

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Mar 2014

141

I've been rewatching the original seasons and notice how Misty gets sidelined most of the time. Any time she tries to battle or do something epic, Psyduck would come out interrupting her for the usual gag.

Outside of that most eps focus on Ash and the random filler characters they meet in every ep, so Misty and Brock are largely just treated as exposition characters commenting on whatever is happening. Most of her pokemon are underused too, and it feels like if you don't care about shipping half the appeal to her character is lost. You'd think 275 episodes would be enough to develop her but eh

Misty wasn't a beginning trainer like most of the other female companions, when she's introduced she already co-owns a Gym with her sisters and had 3 pokemon (Staryu, Starmie and Goldeen). But you wouldn't know that from the way she was portrayed.

Early rookie Kanto Ash nearly beats her as early as the 7th episode (he was on the verge of winning had TR not bust through the wall), and he only used Butterfree/Pidgeotto and didn't even have the Kanto starters yet. If he had Bulbasaur or Pikachu wanted to battle, he probably would have won easier.

And then after that, Misty loses in the Giselle episode to a Graveler, and doesn't really battle much for rest of the season without Psyduck popping out of its ball to get a headache. In Orange Islands I think her only major trainer battle is the Golduck episode against Marina. Then after that there's not much in Johto till she gets Poliwhirl/Corsola.

Anyone find it weird Misty was treated as inexperienced? Half her team couldn't even battle properly unless under special conditions (Togepi, Psyduck, Goldeen, Horsea), or were underused (Starmie), etc. I know the writers didn't want her to upstage Ash, but they gave her one of the worst battle track records imagineable till the tail-end of her run.

I think the writers just didn't care.

Mar 4, 11:58 AM

ajw215799

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May 2022

477

I think the whole point of anime Misty was that she was pretty similar to Ash so there was a sense of rivalry between them outside of her feelings for him. Later heroines like May, Dawn and Serena helped to fill out the episode count between games by giving them their own journey and development whilst traveling with Ash.

Mar 4, 11:59 AM

Nobef

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Oct 2023

188

ajw215799 said:
I think the whole point of anime Misty was that she was pretty similar to Ash so there was a sense of rivalry between them outside of her feelings for him. Later heroines like May, Dawn and Serena helped to fill out the episode count between games by giving them their own journey and development whilst traveling with Ash.

yeah i agree with your statement👍

Mar 4, 12:55 PM

Star_Platinum696

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Jul 2021

151

I love misty. I hate how may, dawn and serna were just kind of female friends who did contests which got so repetitive and boring .
Misty was different as she was like a rival to ash.

Mar 4, 1:49 PM

precita

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Mar 2014

141

Reply to Star_Platinum696

I love misty. I hate how may, dawn and serna were just kind of female friends who did contests which got so repetitive and boring .
Misty was different as she was like a rival to ash.

@Star_Platinum696

At the time contests were unique, and they all did different things. Misty was never really a rival to Ash (and even then Ash surpassed her very quickly), and didn't do much battling through the series sadly.

Mar 5, 12:28 PM

highseasmarauder

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Aug 2024

they didnt make her erotic enough which was the biggest issue i think

Mar 7, 3:52 PM

animedude1287

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Jul 2011

965

Not really. Keep in mind that Pokemon was still a franchise that was aimed at boys. Many other franchises are like that where the male characters will receive more attention than the female characters. Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Beyblade, and many other animes did this where guy characters revised more power-ups and other buffs, but the girls usually never got anything.

The problem with Misty lies with her limited dream of being a Pokemon Water Master. What is a Pokemon Water Master, and how does she complete her dream? Misty doesn't compete in gym matches, or battle many trainers with the same dream, and Misty doesn't even catch that many water Pokemon. Her main goal for Ash is just to get a new bike. When Pokemon was aiming towards girls they started to put more thought into female characters. Not every show has done this yet, but it has been happening.

Yesterday, 12:00 AM

Shindaa

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Oct 2023

1. Misty’s Role Wasn’t Just About Battles

Misty wasn’t meant to be Ash’s rival but rather a mentor, friend, and comic relief character. Her role was different from later companions like May or Dawn, who had structured goals like Contests. Misty’s journey was about emotional growth rather than just battles.

2. Battles Were Not Her Focus, But She Had Great Moments

While she didn’t battle as much as Ash, she had strong moments, especially in the Whirl Cup, where she defeated Ash and progressed further than him. She also won against several trainers in Johto, such as the battle against Sakura and her Espeon, and her Corsola battle against Trinity. The fact that she managed to defeat trainers with more structured training shows her skill.

3. Psyduck Wasn’t Just a Gag—It Showed Her Growth

Psyduck initially frustrated Misty, but over time, she started to accept and care for it, which reflected her emotional development. By Johto, she wasn’t just yelling at it but also trying to understand and strategize with it, like in her battle against Marina.

4. She Wasn’t Inexperienced, But She Was Still Growing

Yes, she co-owned the Cerulean Gym, but that doesn’t mean she was a fully polished trainer yet. Unlike her sisters, who relied on beauty contests, Misty actually wanted to train and improve. Her journey was about gaining confidence and finding her own path, which she later fulfilled by becoming a competent Gym Leader.

5. The Writers Didn’t “Not Care,” They Just Had a Different Direction

Pokémon’s original series was heavily Ash-centric, so Misty (and even Brock) got sidelined at times. However, that doesn’t mean the writers didn’t care—they gave her emotional depth, key episodes, and an important conclusion to her arc by making her the rightful Gym Leader of Cerulean.

Misty’s character was about more than just battling. She had depth, growth, and an arc that concluded with her stepping up as a strong, independent trainer. While she may not have had as many battles as later companions, her presence was a major part of what made the original series great.

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