Misty is one of the most recognisable characters in the Pokémon franchise. She was Ash Ketchum's first companion in the anime, and one of the first Gym leaders you will battle in the video games. Misty wasn't some damsel in distress who needed saving every other episode, Misty could take care of herself, and she never took grief off of Ash or Team Rocket. Misty was also a skilled Pokémon trainer, and she never let her friends down.
Having a strong female protagonist is a testament to how the Pokémon franchise was made to appeal to both boys and girls. Before Pokémon, kids TV shows (and more importantly, the toys they were made to promote) were split down gender lines. With Pokémon, the series could be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Pikachu was a cute animal, who could also fight against other cool monsters in battle. You could root for Ash Ketchum in his quest to be the best... like no one ever was, and you could also be a fan of Misty, who could go toe to toe with the boys in battle if she wanted.
Misty has existed since the earliest days of the franchise, and she has one of the most interesting (and disturbing) histories of any Pokémon character. We are here today to look at one of Pokémon's most beloved characters. From the constant attention she received from older guys (both in fiction, and the real world), to the original intended outcome of her relationship with Ash. Here are the 15 Things You Didn't Know About Misty.
15. Her Wannabe Grandpa Is Actually A Pervert!
Many episodes of the Pokémon anime had to be censored in order to be shown on American television. The most notorious of these was "Electric Soldier Porygon", as it made international news (before Pokémon was even being considered for a Western release). This was due to a sequence of flashing lights during the episode, that caused children across Japan to suffer epileptic seizures.
Outside of "Electric Soldier Porygon", the most famous of the banned episodes was "Beauty and the Beach". When clips of this episode leaked online in the early days of the Internet, a lot of fans thought they were fake. During the episode, a beauty contest is held on the beach for girls. James of Team Rocket enters, and he wears a suit with a set of inflatable breasts. Of all of the banned episodes, "Beauty and the Beach" did eventually see an English release. The episode was heavily censored, and the run-time had to be cut down considerably.
During the English dub of the episode, Misty is accosted by a creepy old man, who claims that he wishes Misty was his granddaughter. In the original Japanese version of the episode, he tells her that he was thinking about "having fun" with her in eight years time. This old man is the first in a long line of creepy men who lust after the 10 year old Misty on this list.
14. Misty's Song
There once existed a musical stage show based on Pokémon. It was called Pokemon Live! and it featured actors for the human characters, and people in mascot costumes for the Pokémon. All of the cast were new, except for Maddie Blaustein, the voice of Meowth in the anime. She also provided the voice of Meowth for the live show.
Pokémon Live! only had a limited run, and no footage of the show was believed to exist. A copy of Pokémon Live! was ed online by its producer, Chris Mitchell, in 2012. This means that everyone can now enjoy the show.
Before the show was put on YouTube, the only way fans could experience Pokémon Live! was through a couple of its songs being released on other Pokémon music CD's. One of the tracks from Pokémon Live! was called "Misty's Song".
"Misty's Song" is a straight up ballad about how Misty is in love with Ash, but is too nervous to tell him. This song is considered prime material for Pokémon shippers all over the world. Sadly for them, it is not considered canon.
13. She Was Ash's Longest Running Female Companion
Misty became Ash's companion during the 2nd episode of the show. She stayed by his side during his journeys through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto. In the episode "Gotta Catch You Later!", Ash, Misty, and Brock go their separate ways. Ash would travel to Hoenn, Brock returned to Pewter City (though he would soon re Ash), and Misty became the leader of the Cerulean City Gym.
Ever since journeying through Hoenn, Ash has had a number of different female companions. May was with him through Hoenn (and the Battle Frontier in Kanto), Dawn was with him in Sinnoh, Iris was with him in Unova, and most recently, Serena was with him in Kalos.
Of all of Ash's companions in Pokémon, Misty was the longest running of the girls that ed him. She was with him for 280 episodes. Brock is the longest running companion overall (as he also journeyed with Ash through the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions).
The people who have stayed with Ash the longest are actually Team Rocket, as they have been in almost every single episode of the show since the 2nd one.
12. She's Never Coming Back
Pokémon is going through a huge revival at the moment. The unprecedented success of Pokémon GO has lead to a mainstream nostalgia wave for the original games, and early seasons of the anime. The rave reviews for Pokémon Sun & Moon have also led to a surge in popularity for the latest entries in the series.
With such a renewed interest in the early days of Pokémon, would it be possible for Misty and Brock to return to the anime, and Ash on his latest journey?
Sadly, this will not be the case. According to Masamitsu Hidaka, a former director and storyboard artist on the show - Misty will never return as a main cast member.
While he stated that cameo appearances were fine, Misty would not become a full-time companion to Ash ever again. Her story is complete as far as the anime staff are concerned, and Ash needs new companions in order to keep the show fresh.
11. Misty's Marriage Proposal
Due to the increasing delays with the release of Pokémon Gold & Silver in Japan, the Pokémon anime was forced to come up with a filler season to bridge the gap between the first two generations. The result of this was the Orange Islands season. After losing to Ritchie in the Indigo League, Ash Ketchum is tasked with picking up a mysterious item known as the GS Ball, from a place known as the Orange Archipelago. This led to a filler season, where Ash competed against four Gyms that focused more on completing tasks than battling (kind of like the Island Challenges in the recent Pokémon Sun & Moon).
In the episode "Misty Meets Her Match", Ash challenges the third of the Orange Islands Gyms. The leader of the Gym was named Rudy, and he had a serious crush on Misty. Throughout the episode, Misty has to choose between rooting for the oblivious Ash, or the charming Rudy. Ash defeats Rudy in battle, and before they all depart, Rudy asks Misty to stay on the Island with him. She refuses, and continues her journey with Ash.
That is what happened in the English dub. In the original Japanese version of the episode, Rudy asked the 1o year old Misty to marry him. It seems that the Pokémon anime wasn't finished with inciting controversy - they wanted to add "child brides" to the list of stuff that would get the show into trouble.
10. The Fate Of Misty's Bike
The reason Misty tags along with Ash in the first place is because he was responsible for destroying her bike. In the first episode of the anime, Ash "borrows" Misty's bike, so that he can escape from the Spearow that are chasing him. Pikachu defeats the Spearow horde with a Thunder Shock attack, but also destroys Misty's bike in the process. The bike is left with Nurse Joy at the Viridian City Pokémon Center, and Ash & Misty begin their journey across Kanto.
In the episode "Gotta Catch Ya Later!", Ash and his friends return to Viridian City. When visiting the Pokémon Center, the resident Nurse Joy reveals that Misty's bike had been fixed by the previous Nurse, and was good as new. Ash Ketchum's debt had finally been paid, and the two were free to part ways.
The Nurse Joy who fixed the bike is missing her calling in life. She took a bike that was essentially a piece of charred metal, and fixed it so that it looked brand new. If they ever create a Pimp My Ride show in the Pokémon anime world, then she should be the first in line to become a host.
9. Misty's Original Purpose
Here is your regular reminder that Misty is 10 years old. In fact, all of Ash's female companions that came after Misty are also 10 years old. We should also remind you that there are a lot of creepy people working in the Japanese entertainment industry.
Masamitsu Hidaka was one of the directors and storyboard artists on the Pokémon anime series. During an interview in 2008, he was asked about the possibility of Misty's return to the show. One of the reasons given for Misty not coming back (outside of a possible one-off appearance), is due to her original purpose on the show. According to Hidaka, Misty's original purpose on the show was as eye candy for the boys in the audience. This is why Ash has changed female companions so many times over the years. The creators of the show like to change up the eye candy, so that the boys can have something to enjoy. Hidaka stated that girls are more customisable than boys, and you can put them into bathing suits (those were his exact words).
So yeah... the reason Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, and Serena were included on the show, was so that the kids at home can ogle their 10 year old bodies. Sorry for ruining Pokémon for you.
8. Misty's Signature Pokémon
The one thing that most Pokémon fans can tell you about Misty is that she is a Water-type Pokémon trainer. With that in mind, what is her signature Pokémon? Ash has Pikachu and Brock has Onix, so what about Misty?
When it comes to the anime, most people associate Misty with Psyduck. While she used her Starmie, Staryu, and Goldeen a lot in battle, Misty's Psyduck was more memorable than the others. Psyduck always seemed surprised about being called into battle... because he never was, he just showed up announced. Despite being dim-witted, Psyduck was one of the most powerful Pokémon on Misty's team (when he wanted to be).
In the Pokémon video games, Misty's signature Pokémon is Starmie. A powerful Starmie has been on Misty's team in every one of her video game appearances. Depending on your choice of starter Pokémon, Misty's Starmie might be one of the first big hurdles you will have to overcome in Pokémon Red & Blue. Starmie is one of the most viable Pokémon in the first generation of games, due to having partial Psychic-typing, and having access to great moves like Recover, Double Team, and Psychic. When playing the older games, it might be worth making Starmie your own signature Pokémon.
7. Misty's Voice
In the 4Kids dub of the Pokémon anime, both Misty and Jessie were voiced by Rachel Lillis. She held these roles from the first episode in 1998, until "Pasta La Vista" in 2006. This was due to the original voice cast of the show losing their jobs.
In 2006, the licence for dubbing the Pokémon anime was coming up for renewal. The show was waning in popularity, so Pokémon USA began looking for a different production company, who could dub and edit the show for less money. 4Kids Entertainment had held the rights since the show was first brought to America, and the voice cast appealed to the fans for help. In the end, the rights went to TAJ Productions, and the original cast were replaced with cheaper sound-a-likes.
Rachel Lillis was the first of the original recurring voice cast to return to the show, but not as Misty or Jessie. She voiced Maylene, the leader of the Veilstone City Gym in Sinnoh. She would later voice several minor characters, and some of the one-off Pokémon that appeared in the show. Her final appearance to date was in a special episode of the anime that was meant to promote the 2008 release of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness. Rachel Lillis voiced Shinx and Sunflora in this episode.
6. Squirtle Almost Murdered Misty
Squirtle was the Water-type starter Pokémon for players in the Kanto region. Choosing Squirtle was a loose analogue to picking the "medium" difficulty in a regular video game. Bulbasaur will steamroll the first two Gyms, but his final evolution is not that strong (at least in the older games). Charmander will have a hard time with the first two Gyms, but his final evolution is very powerful. Squirtle is considered to be somewhere in the middle in of viability. The whole "Starter=difficulty" thing was dropped in later games, and players can now choose any starter they like, without having to worry about the long term ramifications.
Like all of the other Kanto starters, Squirtle found his way onto Ash's team. In the episode "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad", a group of sunglasses wearing Squirtle are manipulated by Meowth into believing that Ash & his friends are the bad guys. Ash is forced to battle one of the Squirtle squad. During the fight, a wild Goldeen injuries Pikachu. With Pikachu incapacitated, the Squirtle Squad kidnap Ash and his friends. Ash convinces the Squirtles to let him go and get medicine for Pikachu. Meowth translates the Squirtles threat to Ash - that if he doesn't come back by noon tomorrow, then the Squirtle Squad will dye Misty's hair purple.
That is what they said in the English dub. In the original Japanese version of the episode, the Squirtle Squad said they would murder Misty if Ash did not return. It seems that the Squirtle Squad are way more hardcore than anyone realised. They were willing to become killers based on Meowth's word alone.