Misty (Pokémon)

Misty, known as Kasumi (カスミ) in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri. She has appeared as a Gym Leader in the Pokémon video games Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Gold and Silver, and their respective remakes. She was a protagonist in the ongoing anime for the first five seasons, travelling alongside Ash Ketchum and Brock to become the world's best trainer of Water-type Pokémon before departing home to Cerulean City to run the family gym, but made recurring appearances after. The character has also appeared in manga like Pokémon Adventures. Her Japanese voice actress is Mayumi Iizuka, while her English voice was supplied by Rachael Lillis and Michele Knotz, while her Korean voice was supplied by Ji Mi-Ae, Lee Chi-Hyeon, Kim Hyeon-Ji and Yeo Minjeong.

Misty
Pokémon character
Misty, as seen in the Pokémon TV series
First appearancePokémon Red and Blue
Created bySatoshi Tajiri
Designed byKen Sugimori and Atsuko Nishida (video games), Sayuri Ichishi (anime)
Voiced by

Design

Misty's character design was overseen by Ken Sugimori and Atsuko Nishida, and for the anime the design was overseen by Sayuri Ichishi.[5] Her Japanese voice actress, Mayumi Iizuka, stated that during her audition the director asked her to act like herself, and in doing so she landed the role. As a result, she considers Misty to be the one character she has voiced who most represents herself.[6] Mayumi keeps track of her character's promotional appearances in merchandise and other material, additionally providing fans with insights on possible future cameos in the anime series.

Appearances

In the video games

In the video games Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed & LeafGreen, Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Misty is the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. She specializes in Water-type Pokémon. Misty, in her anime form, also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and as a gym leader in Pokémon Puzzle League. Additionally, she appears on Pokémon Channel on a full Japanese Pichu Bros. Disc. The disc differs from the other Japanese disc, as Misty's (Kasumi) voice actor is the narrator. Misty, as well as most of the gym leaders in Pokémon history, reappear in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 as part of the Pokémon World Tournament.[7]

In the anime

The anime follows the quest of one of the main characters, Ash Ketchum, as he and his friends travel around the fictitious world of Pokémon along with their Pokémon partners. Misty is a stubborn tomboy who trains Water Pokémon and has three siblings, Daisy, Lily and Violet, she left the Gym to her three older sisters prior to traveling with Ash in the anime, although she still retained the title of Gym Leader despite this.[8] She first comes across Ash when she accidentally fishes him and his Pikachu out of a river while fishing for water Pokémon. Soon after this incident, Ash "borrows" her bike in an attempt to flee from a flock of wild Spearow. The bike is later charred by an attack from Pikachu.[9] Misty tells Ash she will not leave him alone until he replaces the bike and commits to follow him on his journey, and the two soon become best friends. After retrieving her repaired bike at the end of the Johto League Silver Conference, she returns to the Cerulean Gym and resumes her duties as the Gym Leader.

Misty becomes a central character in Pokémon Chronicles, a spin-off to the Pokémon anime, and appears in several specials and episodes. She maintains her friendship with Ash and eventually goes to Hoenn to meet up with him, meeting May and Max, and sees him again when he returns to Pallet following a long stint in Hoenn. She also appeared in an arc composed of at least two episodes of the Sun & Moon series,[10] where she and Brock meet Ash and his friends in Kanto, and later appears in two more episodes of the Sun & Moon series when she reunites with Ash in Alola.[11]

In the early episodes, Misty is depicted as having a short temper, stubborn temperament, and little patience. As the series progresses, however, she gradually shows herself to be kind and sensible. Misty becomes the parental guardian of Togepi, caring for it throughout the series.[12] Misty constantly reins in Brock when he becomes enamored with pretty girls, often pulling him away by the ear. She is also terrified of most Bug-type Pokémon. Misty aims to be a world-class Water-type Pokémon trainer despite her sisters' ridicule.

Printed adaptations

The Misty character that appears in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga series, which is loosely based on the anime, is similar to the Misty in the anime, while the Misty in Pokémon Adventures is similar to the Misty in the video games. She appears throughout Electric Tale of Pikachu, traveling on occasion with Ash. In Pokémon Adventures, When Red, the protagonist of the manga, first meets her, she is trying to recapture her Gyarados with help of her Staryu, which has been brainwashed by Team Rocket. They decide to team up and confront Team Rocket. The next morning, after spending the night resting in Misty's mansion, Misty leads Red to her Gym and reveals herself to be the Gym Leader. They have a battle, and though Misty quickly gained the upper hand and easily defeated Red with her fast and strong Starmie, she is worried that if they do not prepare themselves, Team Rocket will defeat them easily. Red decides that he might actually need training, and agrees to train. At that point, they become close friends.

In Pocket Monsters, Red, the protagonist of the series, is seeking a Moon Stone along with his Pikachu and his Clefairy (one that speaks human language). When they meet Misty, Clefairy notices that she is wearing a Moon Stone as a necklace. Misty declares that they battle her if they wish to have it. While the Clefairy is initially pumped up to battle, he quickly changes his mind when he sees that his opponent is a massive Blastoise. After a while, the battle is won when Clefairy sucks up all the water in a nearby river and releases the water onto Misty's Pokémon, sending it flying into the sky. Just when Misty is about to reward Red's group with the prize they sought, the stone is stolen.

Voice Actors
Misty voice actors
Language Actor Notes Ref.
Japanese Mayumi Īzuka All other media [13]
Ayane Sakura Pokémon Masters
English Reba Buhr Pokémon Masters
Rachel Lillis Anime, seasons 1-8
Michele Knotz Anime, seasons 9-22
Korean Ji Mi-Ae Anime
Lee Chi-Hyeon The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon
Kim Hyeon-Ji BW116
Yeo Minjeong redubbed M02, M03
French Anouck Hautbois Pokémon 4ever
Fanny Roy All other media
Hebrew Talya Barkay
Italian Alessandra Karpoff
Spanish Pilar Aguado
Xóchitl Ugarte
Miriam Valencia

Critical reception

The book The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture described Misty's portrayal in the anime as a mother figure, calling her a "nurturing component" for the original trio of herself, Ash and Brock.[14] It further described her as an "unusually 'complete' girl of the cartoon world", noting both her feminine sentimentality and her "explosive rage".[15] Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces praised the character as being "particularly nuanced" and described her as contributing heavily to the series' appeal.[16] Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon stated that though the anime focused on Ash, Misty was a distinctly significant character especially to young female consumers, neither "butch" nor "dizzily feminine", seemingly "carefully constructed to appeal to preadolescent girls".[17] It added that, unlike other aggressive female characters in the series, Misty did not sacrifice her femininity to succeed, making the character further popular with young American women, a contrast to Japanese children who focused more on the individual Pokémon species to identify with.[18]

In studies on the reactions boys and girls had to the concept of Misty as a heroine in the series, girls accepted it and were eager to associate themselves with the character,[19][20] while boys attempted to belittle her efforts. On the other hand, children of both genders felt the character alongside Brock gave Ash a sense of identity and moral support, which researchers attributed to the concept of group identity.[21] In another study, children were shown to associate the attributes of attractiveness and aggressiveness, while college students described the character as romantic.[22] Pikachu's Global Adventure additionally stated Misty also served as a source of non-threatening sexuality for both older and younger male viewers, though the context of such was presented in a more subtle way for North American localizations of the series.[23]

In 2013, nearing Halloween, Archie Comics illustrator Ryan Jampole utilized Misty as one of the 31 costumes for the character Roll from the Archie Comics adaptation of the Mega Man franchise.[24]

Notes and references
  1. "ポケモン新作ゲームのキャストはアニメ版から変更 鳥海浩輔&茅野愛衣&豊崎愛生&佐倉綾音ら出演". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). 28 June 2019.
  2. "Rachael Lillis Animation VO demo". YouTube. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  3. "Michele Knotz - Voice Actress - Resume". Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  4. Buhr, Reba [@rebabuhr] (29 August 2019). "@PokemonMasters is finally out! I am the English voice of #Misty!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 August 2019 – via Twitter.
  5. Staff. "Credits". Pokeani. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  6. Staff (6 April 1999). "Press Session: Mayumi Iizuka". Ex. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  7. "Pokémon Blowout!". Official Nintendo Magazine. Nintendo Viacom Nickelodeon (45): 33. 2012.
  8. Kunihiko Yuyama (Director). "The Waterflowers of Cerulean City". Pokémon. Episode 7. Cartoon Network. Ash: What are you doing here?! // Misty: I'm a gym leader, too! The Fourth Sensational Sister!.
  9. Kunihiko Yuyama (Director). "Pokémon, I Choose You!". Pokémon. Episode 1. Cartoon Network.
  10. Brock and Misty Return to the Pokemon Anime Comicbook.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017
  11. 'Pokemon' Anime Teases Brock, Misty Return In New Promo Comicbook.com, Retrieved 16 December 2018
  12. Hiroshi Sakai (Director). "Who Gets To Keep Togepi?". Pokémon. Episode 50. Cartoon Network.
  13. "Misty Voice - Pokemon franchise". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  14. West, Mark I. (2008). The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 58. ISBN 0-8108-5121-0.
  15. West, Mark I. (2008). The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 78. ISBN 0-8108-5121-0.
  16. Camp, Brian; Julie Davis (May 2007). Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces. Stone Bridge Press. p. 283. ISBN 978-1-933330-22-8.
  17. Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6.
  18. Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. pp. 231–232, 282. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6.
  19. Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6.
  20. Katch, Jane (2004). They Don't Like Me: Lessons on Bullying and Teasing from a Preschool Classroom. Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-2321-3.
  21. Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. pp. 169–170, 177. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6.
  22. Ogletree, Shirley M. (28 October 2004). "Pokémon: Exploring the Role of Gender". Sex Roles. Springer Netherlands. 50 (11–12 / June, 2004): 851–859. doi:10.1023/B:SERS.0000029102.66384.a2. ISSN 0360-0025.
  23. Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press. p. 284. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6.
  24. "31 Days of Halloween Costumed Roll by Ryan Jampole - TheMMNetwork". themmnetwork.com. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
gollark: Some of them are quite long!
gollark: It will take SO MUCH TIME to read them!
gollark: 81 *unread* RSS feed entries!
gollark: I have 81 RSS feed entries. I cannot possibly read Homestuck too.
gollark: They arrive 3 times a week, actually.
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