Many of Ash’sPokémoncompanions don’thave too many actual Pokémon to their name, but Misty is one of the few who has a decent stable of Pokémon, between those kept on her person and those kept at the Cerulean gym. She also has a surprising amount of power between all her Pokémon, with some contributing a fair bit more than others.
Misty’s strongest Pokémon are, of course, primarily Water-types, befitting an aspiring Water-type Pokémon master. Misty was somewhat more skilled than Ash when the series began, already owning several Pokémon when he had just started on his journey. She hasn’t slacked in her time out of focus, either, often obtaining powerful Pokémon and abilities toenhance their power further, like Mega Evolution. Misty even managed to defeat Ash in their last battle in the series together, proving she’s not to be trifled with.
Misty’s Azurill is More than a Baby
First Appearance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “The Scheme Team”
Misty’s Azurill hatched from an egg which she was given by Tracey, and was sired by his own Marill. It proved itself surprisingly competent right off the bat, working with its parent to fend off Team Rocket when they attempted to raid Professor Oak’s laboratory.Azurill hasn’t featured in that many episodes, so its battle experience is fairly limited, but it’s already proven itself more successful than some of Misty’s other Pokémon, like Goldeen and Horsea.
Misty’s Azurill is largely carried in her arms the way she used to carry Togepi, and doesn’t engage in battle all that often as a result. Azurill is also the only Pokémon Misty owns by the series’ end that isn’t a Water-type, although it will someday evolve into the Water-type Marill. Provided Azurill gets to grow, it could be a valuable teammate for Misty some day.
Misty’s Luvdisc Lives at Cerulean Gym
First Appearance: Pokémon Chronicles, “Luvdisc is a Many Splendored Thing!”
Caserin is a Luvdisc owned by Misty, which spends most of its time at Cerulean Gym, participating in the water ballet shows that her sisters regularly put on. Butch, Cassidy, and Dr. Namba tried to steal the Luvdiscon behalf of Team Rocket, but ultimately failed, withCaserin able to defend itself and its love, Luverin, using a variety of different moves like Ice Beam and Water Gun. Caserin defeated Team Rocket on its own, allowing it to truly win the love of Luverin.
Caserin is the only one of Misty’s Pokémon that has a nickname, and it’s only battled on the one occasion, so far as fans know. Luvdisc generally aren’t known for having particularly extraordinary power, but courage can take one a long way, and Caserin is certainly very courageous for a Luvdisc.
Clauncher Was Extraordinarily Clever
First Appearance: Pokémon Journeys, “A Fated Face-Off!”
Misty’s final catch in the entire series was Clauncher, which she and Ash both set their sights on at the same time. They had a competition to see who could catch it, andMisty managed to defeat the fresh world championin a one-on-one battle, earning the right to capture Clauncher. Clauncher was later used to help fight fires when a warehouse accidentally caught on fire, but didn’t see much actual battle. It’s a close friend of Ash’s Corphish, and its cleverness would surely aid it in battle.
Clauncher knows some good moves, like Crabhammer, and has a lot of potential, but due to being caught so late in the series, it never really gets to live up to that potential. One can imagine Misty evolving it some day, and it would no doubt grow to be one of her strongest Pokémon in time.
Corsola Was Misty’s Johto Go-To
First Appearance: Pokémon Gold and Silver, “A Corsola Caper!”
Corsola was a Pokémon Misty caught in the Johto region, using her special Lure Ball she obtained from Kurt. In terms of pure win rate, Corsola is one of Misty’s most successful Pokémon.She used it extensively in the Whirl Cup just after catching it, which led to a Top 8 finish for her.Her Corsola was also known for being very fast, winning a race inPokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias. Corsola is also infamous for its Tackle, which can be a lot rougher than most Pokémon expect.
Corsola was Misty’s most reliable Pokémon throughout the Johto region, and would continue to be seen inPokémon Chroniclesand other appearances by Misty. It also sometimes participated in water ballets at the Cerulean Gym. It’s a very friendly and likable Pokémon, and gets along easily with others.
Misty’s Starmie Deserved More Respect
First Appearance: Pokémon the Original Series, “The Water Flowers of Cerulean City”
Misty’s Starmie is one of her oldest Pokémon, one she had even before she met Ash. Despite being evolved, however, Starmie has a long history of doing rather poorly in battle. In its first appearance, battling Ash for the Cascade badge, it never got to finish its battle, and pretty much exclusively lost after that.Often times, when Misty would attempt to call out Starmie, Psyduck would come out instead, forcing her to commit to using Psyduck even when that wasn’t the plan.
Despite its poor track record and often being upstaged by Psyduck, Starmie did have some good potential. As a Water/Psychic-type, it should’ve had access to some powerful Psychic-type attacks, although Misty was never seen commanding it to use any such abilities. It could’ve been even stronger than Psyduck, but fans never got to see Starmie’s true potential.
Staryu Managed to Outpace Its Evolved Form
First Appearance: Pokémon the Original Series, “Clefairy and the Moon Stone”
Staryu was Misty’s go-to Pokémon throughout Kanto and the Orange Islands, even despite having Starmie. Staryu fared better than Starmie in most battles; it managed to defeat Ash’s Butterfree in their gym battle, for example. It was often used for its swimming ability as well, helping them to escape from dangerous underwater situations.Staryu had a variety of good moves, like Bubble Beam and Double-Edge, allowing it to deal heavy damage when needed. It had a unique trait of flashing the gem located at its core when it was feeling tired in battle.
Staryu began to fall out of favorafter Misty caught Poliwhirl and Corsola, but never went away entirely. It spent the most time in Misty’s party out of all her Pokémon, and remained a valuable workhorse both for its battle abilities and its swimming speed.
Psyduck is Misty’s Most Iconic Pokémon
First Appearance: Pokémon the Original Series, “Hypno’s Naptime”
Psyduck is without a doubt the Pokémon most associated with Misty. Misty caught Psyduck by accident, and it very much had a mind of it own, often calling itself out in place of her other Pokémon. Psyduck was frequently incapacitated by a terrible headache, but if the headache power grew even further, it would demonstrate incredible psychic powers, which would help it to win battles with relative ease.While Misty is often exasperated with Psyduck, she also understands that its hidden power can be a game-changer in battle.
Psyduck’s psychic attacks include Confusion and Psychic, and it still has access to other techniques like Water Gun and Disable. Misty and Psyduck had a difficult relationship for a while, but these days, they get along pretty well, andMisty can count on Psyduckeven in difficult battles.
Togetic’s Evolution Made It Powerful
First Appearance: Pokémon the Original Series, “Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon”
Misty’s Togepi was her first non-Water-type Pokémon, and her habit of carrying it in both arms instantly made it an iconic part of her look. Togepi wasn’t much of a fighter on its own, although it would occasionally use Metronome as a baby, triggering random effects that sometimes defeated Team Rocket.Togepi evolved into Togetic duringRuby and Sapphire, evolving to help protect a realm of Togepi from being exploited. While Misty released Togetic not long after it evolved, it remains one of her strongest.
Togetic knew attacks like Charm and Safeguard, weakening foes and protecting allies. Togetic was always a mysterious Pokémon, being one of the first Johto Pokémon to be revealed in the anime (after Ho-Oh, of course). Togetic takes its new responsibility of guarding the baby Togepi very seriously, and it uses the power it acquired to ensure no one can harm them.
Politoed Marked New Power for Misty
First Appearance: Pokémon the Original Series, “The Stun Spore Detour”
Misty’s Politoed is one of her few fully evolved Pokémon, and one that has really pulled its weight over the years. Misty encountered it as a Poliwag in the Orange Islands, and eventually evolved it all the way after obtaining a King’s Rock. It’s a very friendly and helpful Pokémon, and has been known for its ability to defeat stronger opponents, such as when it defeated a Poliwrath as a Poliwhirl.Politoed is also known for using a wide variety of attacks throughout the series, from Bubble to Mega Punch to Hydro Pump.
Misty’s Politoed proved it was still a force to be reckoned withinJourneys, when it defeated Ash’s Corphishnot long after he was declared World Champion. Politoed celebrated its victory and welcomed Clauncher to Misty’s team, although it soon was seen training with Corphish again.
Misty’s Gyarados is Her Toughest By Far
First Appearance: Pokémon Chronicles, “Cerulean Blues”
Misty’s strongest Pokémon, however, is without a doubt her Gyarados.Misty used to be quite afraid of Gyarados, but she managed to conquer her fears and help this Gyarados to calm down while it was rampaging, allowing her to catch it.Misty most famously used Gyarados to battle Ash, revealing that in the time since they’d last met, she had obtained a Key Stone and Mega Stone, allowing her to Mega Evolve her Gyarados for extra power. Alas, Ash managed to overpower her Mega Gyarados with a Z-move.
Gyarados knows a good mix of moves, including Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, and Hyper Beam, allowing it to deliver devastating attacks using its insanely high attack power. It also provides Misty with some type coverage, should she encounter Grass-type Pokémon that would normally beat her Water-types. Because of its diversity of moves and capacity to Mega Evolve, Gyarados is inarguably Misty’s strongest Pokémon in thePokémonanime.
