Now that Ash has actually become the world champion, many people's interest in the Pokemon anime has been revitalized. It's as good a time as any to look back and appreciate the original Pokegirl, Misty. This tomboyish original companion has always been a fan favorite, and for good reason.

Related: Pokemon: Amazing Pieces Of Misty Fan Art

She's not just a female companion for Ash, though. Misty has been respected as a three-dimensional and realized character over the years. She's also a strong trainer in her own right, as the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym. As iconic and beloved as Misty is, there are bound to be some things about her that you didn't know. Here are some of the most interesting things about Misty.

Updated January 29, 2023 by Doruk Kaptan: Misty is by far the most iconic companion on Ash's journey. She's been with him since the beginning and has pushed our protagonist to great heights with her friendly rivalry with Ash.

With the Aim To Be A Pokemon Master series of episodes, which aims to give closure to Ash's Journey, we see Misty once again traveling with Ash. Thus, it's a great time to learn more about the beloved Gym Leader and maybe reveal some interesting factoids about her.

12 She's Terrified Of Bug-Type Pokemon

Misty afraid of Caterpie, making a terrified face in a forest

One long-running gag and characteristic about Misty is her fear of Bug-type Pokemon. This is revealed early on with her being absolutely terrified of Ash's Caterpie and has stayed consistent since even coming up in her recent reunion episodes with Ash. However, not all Bug-type Pokemon are created equally in Misty's eyes.

She is portrayed as being terrified of more generically bug-like Pokemon and not necessarily Bug-types. For example, she's not shown fear around Leavanny or Butterfree, but the smaller, icky-looking Pokemon give her a hard time. It's also funny how Cilan has mentioned her contradiction by asking what she would think of a Water/Bug-type like Dewpider.

11 She's Got Something In Common With Jessie Of Team Rocket

Rachael Lillis, Misty and Jessie from team rocket, side by side

While the two characters have not shared much in the way of screen time or dialogue, the two iconic women are more similar than you might think. Rachael Lillis, the amazing voice actor, actually voices both of the characters, despite how different they may have sounded. She has also voiced Jigglypuff, so that's a fun nugget of trivia.

This is a testament to how talented the actor is, giving us two incredibly distinct characters seamlessly. It also makes watching the earlier seasons and listening to Rachael talk to herself whenever the two characters had a conversation. She voiced Jessie until long after Misty left the show and also had her work as Jigglypuff used in tons of other media, solidifying her as an icon.

10 She's Been The Female Companion For The Longest

Misty from the Pokemon anime, holding a Lure Ball after capture

Misty has been a trusty companion to Ash for a very long time. They first met in episode one and have traveled through numerous regions since then. This leads to Misty holding the record for the longest time spent with Ash as a companion.

Related: The Strongest Trainers In The Pokemon Anime

In the following seasons, new iconic female companions were introduced, such as May, Dawn, and Iris. However, they were all with Ash for only a region, whereas Misty was with him throughout Kanto, Orange Isles, and Johto all the way. Other than being the first one, she's also the one that stayed the longest, another reason for people to love her.

9 Abandoned By Her Parents

Toddler Misty from the Pokemon anime, sitting on a flower field, playing a tambourine

It has been stated in the anime that Misty is also ten years old, just like our boy Ash. Therefore, it might raise some questions about why she's a gym leader. This has been revealed to be a rather sad story because Misty and her three sisters were abandoned by their parents.

Their parents, whose names aren't known, quit their Gym Leader position due to strict regulations and rules. They grew tired of this and left the gym to their four daughters. While not thoroughly explored, it adds dimension to Misty, giving her drive to prove herself more meaning.

8 Outlier Of The Sisters

Misty and her sisters, Lily Violet and Daisy looking surprised from the Pokemon anime

Misty was contrasted to great effect with her sisters in the anime. Her sisters Daisy, Lily, and Violet were more than happy to give Ash a Gym Badge for little to no work. This obviously doesn't sit right with Misty, who's all about pride and the willingness to fight.

In the English dub, Misty is the only one without a floral name, emphasizing how different she is compared to her sisters. When we look at the Japanese names, though, Misty is called Kasuni, referencing a baby's breath, giving her the floral connection. Even in the Japanese version, though, she's still the outlier, being called "baby" as the youngest sister.

7 Troubled Past With Gyarados

Misty with her Psyduck and Gyarados from the Pokemon anime, in a pool in Cerulean Gym

Misty used a slew of small Water types in the anime, mainly focusing on her Staryu, who became Starmie later, Horsea, and the all-time iconic Psyduck. It wasn't until her cameos in later seasons that we've seen her utilize stronger Pokemon such as Gyarados. That's got a bit of story to it, as Misty was originally terrified of Gyarados.

After a traumatic experience in her childhood, almost falling into the mouth of a Gyarados, Misty was afraid of the Pokemon for a long time. While we never saw the resolution of that trauma in the early seasons of the anime, the showrunners showed her with a Mega Gyarados in a later cameo. This was a great way to show Misty's growth and how she overcame that fear.

6 Unfortunately, She's Not Returning

Misty from the Pokemon anime, looking calm and holding a Poke ball

Many fans have been asking for the return of the original companions, Brock and Misty, for years now. While they make some cameos and appear from time to time, we're never getting another season with Misty again. This has, unfortunately, been confirmed by the showrunners.

Related: Pokemon: Notable Characters From The Original Anime Series Who Never Returned

According to the showrunners, Misty was supposed to serve as a sort of "eye candy" (eww) to grab younger boys' attention, and rotating new female characters each generation tends to work better in that regard. The origins of why Misty was included in the anime are not great, and it sucks that they feel the need to introduce new attention-grabbers each season.

5 First To Accomplish Many Things

Misty from the Pokemon anime with Starmie looking confident

Regardless of how problematic her reasons for being on the show were, Misty has outgrown them and become a fan favorite. Since she is the first Pokegirl, she's also had the chance to accomplish many things in the anime before newer companions had a chance to. Misty really holds a lot of records.

She was the first main character to own a Generation Two Pokemon (Togepi), the first Ash companion to have a full team of six, the first of Ash's friends to challenge a Gym, and so much more. She's iconic for a reason.

4 Not Canonically In Love With Ash

Misty saving Ash, from the Pokemon anime, holding him afloat as he's knocked out with Pikachu

While fan theories and ships about Ash and Misty's relationship have been running rampant ever since the first episode of the anime, there hasn't been concrete proof of a romance. There is an official-adjacent song called Misty's Song, where Misty sings about her love for Ash, but that's not really canon.

The song comes from a play called Pokemon Live! The play became somewhat popular after it was uploaded online, and fans have decided this to be proof of their theories. Unfortunately for the shippers, the play isn't canon and hasn't been referenced in any other media.

3 She's Used Several Non-Water-Types Before

Misty with several Pokeballs from the Pokemon Anime, ready to fight

Misty is a Water-type specialist through and through. She's constantly seen using Water types, with the outlier being her cute Togepi. However, when you dig deep enough, Misty has used several other types of Pokemon in some of her teams.

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These unique teams come from Pokemon Stadium and Stadium 2. In her second round team of Pokemon Stadium, she uses an Exeggutor and Dugtrio to cover for her Electric-type weakness, which makes tons of sense. In Stadium 2, she has an even bigger roster, with the likes of Ampharos, Wigglytuff, Dragonair, and Nidoqueen. While Misty prefers Water types, she's not above covering their weaknesses.

2 She's A Companion Of Red Too

Misty from the Pokemon Adventures Manga, in two panels, posing with Starmie

Misty is also a prevalent character in the iconic Pokemon Adventures manga. She's still the Cerulean Gym Leader but has several adventures and interactions with the protagonist, Red. Gym Leaders are more interesting and involved in the manga than in the games, giving Misty many opportunities to show her badassery.

She's saved Red several times, traded with him, and trains with him constantly. The two are great friends and push each other to greatness, even more so than her relationship with Ash in the anime.

1 The Tomboyish Mermaid

Misty and Togetic, from the Pokemon anime, looking happily at each other

In Pokemon, many Gym Leaders have a sort of title associated with them. Some iconic examples are Lightning Lieutenant Surge, The Masked Master Crasher Wake, and many more. Misty is granted the title Tomboyish Mermaid in the Japanese versions, and it just fits perfectly.

Misty always had a bit of a scrappy attitude. She met with Ash and stuck with him for a long time, demanding he pays for the bike he destroyed. Misty has also shown a ton of compassion and love, though, acting as the moral compass of the squad in many situations. Thus, The Tomboyish Mermaid title fits Misty beautifully.

Next: Pokemon: Every Water-Type Starter, Ranked