| Misty | |
|---|---|
| Pokémon character | |
 Misty, as seen in thePokémon TV series | |
| First game | Pokémon Red andBlue (1996) |
| Created by | Ken Sugimori |
| Designed by | Ken Sugimori Atsuko Nishida (anime) |
| Voiced by |
|
Misty, known asKasumi (Japanese:カスミ) inJapan, is a fictional character in thePokémon franchise owned byNintendo and created bySatoshi Tajiri. She has appeared as aGym Leader in thePokémon video gamesPokémon Red andBlue,Pokémon Gold andSilver and theirrespectiveremakes. She was a main character in theongoing anime for the first five seasons, travelling alongsideAsh Ketchum andBrock / Tracey to become the best Water-type Pokémon Trainer in the world before departing home to Cerulean City to run the family gym. The character has also appeared in manga likePokémon Adventures. She specialises inWater-type Pokémon. Her Japanesevoice actress isMayumi Iizuka, while her English voice was supplied byRachael Lillis andMichele Knotz.
Developed byGame Freak and published byNintendo, thePokémon series began in Japan in 1996 with the release ofPokémon Red andBlue for theGame Boy.[5] In these games, the player assumes the role of aPokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon and some can transform into stronger species, orevolve.[6] The ultimate goal is to complete thePokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving and trading to obtain creatures from allPokémon species.[7][8]
Designed byKen Sugimori as a "gym leader", a Pokémon trainer that acts as an areaboss, Misty was introduced inRed andBlue. Due to the nature of the game's development, only one set of concept sketches were done before implementing the character assprite art within the game.[9] Originally intended to be the game's third gym leader battle, she was changed to be the second instead for the game's final release.[10] Designed as a young woman with red hair tied into a side ponytail, Sugimori often depicted her in a two-piece swimsuit to fit thematically with her gym and its swimming pools.[11]
For her anime appearance, she was designed byAtsuko Nishida.[12] Her outfit was changed significantly for this appearance, giving her sneakers, a yellow shirt that reached above her midriff and blue shorts held up by red suspenders around her torso. Emphasis was placed on the shape of her eyes in the animation guides and how to draw them.[citation needed] 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.[13] Iizuka 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.
In January 1999, Game Freak explained the origin of the English name of Misty: "The English word for 'Kasumi' is 'Mist,' so the name was changed to-ty to make it sound more feminine."[14]
In thevideo gamesPokémon Red,Blue,Yellow,FireRed &LeafGreen,Pokémon Gold,Silver,Crystal,Pokémon HeartGold andSoulSilver andPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! andLet's Go, Eevee!, Misty is the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. She specializes inWater-type Pokémon. Misty, in her anime form, also appears as a trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Melee and as a gym leader inPokémon Puzzle League. Additionally, she appears onPokémon Channel on a full JapanesePichu Bros. Disc. The disc differs from the other Japanese disc, as Misty's (Kasumi) voice actor is thenarrator. Misty, as well as most of the gym leaders in Pokémon history, reappear inPokémon Black 2 andWhite 2 as part of the Pokémon World Tournament.[15]
In the anime, Misty travels withAsh Ketchum on his journey through the Pokémon world. She is a stubborntomboy who trains Water Pokémon and has three sisters, Daisy, Violet and Lily. 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.[16] She first comes across Ash when she accidentally fishes him and hisPikachu out of a river while fishing for water Pokémon. Soon after this incident, Ash "borrows" herbike in an attempt to flee from a flock of wildSpearow. The bike is later charred by an attack from Pikachu.[17] 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 theJohto League Silver Conference, she returns to the Cerulean Gym and resumes her duties as the Gym Leader.
Misty becomes a central character inPokémon Chronicles, a spin-off to thePokémon 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 a few episodes ofSun & Moon seires alongside Brock where she met Ash and his Alolan friends.[18][19] Misty made more appearances inPokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series as Ash's journey with the show came to end.[20]
In the early episodes, Misty is depicted as having a short temper, stubborn temperament and little patience. As the series progresses, however, she mellows out and gradually shows herself to be kind and sensible. Misty becomes the parental guardian ofTogepi, caring for it throughout the series.[21] Misty constantly reins inBrock when he becomes enamored with pretty girls, often pulling him away by the ear. She also has theinsectophobia of mostBug-type Pokémon. Misty aims to be a world-classWater-typePokémon trainer despite her older sisters' ridicule.
The Misty character that appears in theElectric Tale of Pikachumanga series, which is loosely based on the anime, is similar to the Misty in the anime, while the Misty inPokémon Adventures is similar to the Misty in the video games. She appears throughoutElectric Tale of Pikachu, traveling on occasion with Ash. InPokémon Adventures, WhenRed, the protagonist of the manga, first meets her, she is trying to recapture herGyarados with help of her Staryu, which has been brainwashed byTeam 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 strongStarmie, 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.
InPokémon 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 massiveBlastoise. 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.
The bookThe 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.[22] It further described her as an "unusually 'complete' girl of the anime world", noting both her feminine sentimentality and her "explosive rage".[23]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.[24]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".[25] 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.[26]
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,[27][28] 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.[29] In another study, children were shown to associate the attributes of attractiveness and aggressiveness, while college students described the character as romantic.[30]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.[31]
In 2013, nearing Halloween,Archie Comics illustrator Ryan Jampole utilized Misty as one of the 31 costumes for the characterRoll from theArchie Comics adaptation of theMega Man franchise.[32]
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