So by the comment i writed now you can see how much of idiot OG Ash was when it comes to Misty and her conflict with her Sisters,sadly of course we can not forget Misty did not helped him much in taking her side, and helping her against her susters, we can blame this to just them both being dumb kids, And i think Anime creators and script writers wanted to show us how much some people from Kanto region, mentality when it comes to rivality can create some realy Toxic behevior towards others, look at Gary for example.?
Do you now why Misty is so angry all the time? Itâs because her sisters were emotionally abusive to the point that she left home to get away from it. Letâs talk about Misty, body shaming, and gendered insults! In ep. 7, we realize that Misty left because her sisters are big into being normatively attractive and swimming and Misty basically isnât. Her sisters tease her, saying that sheâs not one of âthe Sensational Sistersâ but just âthe runt.â They also laugh at her because sheâs not as beautiful as they are: Lily: Misty, you left here pretending you wanted to become a PokĂ©mon trainer because you couldnât compare with us. Because weâre obviously much more talented and beautiful than you are!Ash: Uh-oh.Misty: That wasnât the reason!Daisy: Well then, I guess, like, you came back because you couldnât make it as a PokĂ©mon trainer.Misty: [âŠ] The only reason Iâm here is because he wanted to come!Daisy: Well, heâs totally not someone Iâd choose for a boyfriend â but youâre no prize yourself!I mentioned in the last post that a culture of competition had driven Brockâs father away. That same competitive drive is at the root of this toxic sibling rivalryâ they tease Misty specifically because she hasnât become âthe bestâ at something, whether itâs being hot & swimming or pokĂ©mon training. The show doesnât spend a lot of time on either Brockâs or Mistyâs family issues, but what we do see is enough to hint that Kantoâs obsession with competition can create some really toxic situations. Misty is driven by this abuse, and she accepts Ashâs challenge because, as she even says, âIf I battle [Ash], thatâll prove Iâm not a quitter and Iâm just as good a trainer as you three!â Unable to perform the normative, gendered beauty standards imposed on her own body, Misty tries to earn respect by mastering the bodies of others (i.e., pokĂ©mon). The worst part is that Ash, who should know better, treats Misty in a way that ignores all that sheâs gone through with her family. First, he assumes the townâs gym leader is a man and is shocked when itâs several women. Later, when Misty chooses to battle with Staryu, the PokĂ©dex tells him people make jewelry from the staryu cores and Ash quips, âJust like a girl to show off her jewelry.â Itâs misogynistic scorn of anything âgirly,â and this is specially cruel because Ash just saw Misty being savaged by her sisters for not being feminine enough. Itâs undeserved, too, because Misty is trying hard not to be âgirly.â Her pokĂ©mon arenât cuteââ staryu & starmie are faceless and fight like spiked, demented frisbees. Mistyâs training style is brisk and efficient and sheâs not as (visibly) emotionally engaged with her pokĂ©mon as Ash. The fact that Ash is so ready to dismiss her as being âjust like a girl,â to dismiss her at the first hint of her performing a gender sheâs been abused for not performing âcorrectly,â is really disappointing. Mistyâs background of gendered, emotional abuse might explain her temper. This episode goes out of its way to show us that Misty and Pikachu actually have a lot in common. Both react violently to irritation, and Pikachu loves her so, so much. He misses her when she leaves in the beginning of the ep. and his eyes light up when she comes back. He refuses to battle against her, too, because he is so gently, wholly devoted to her. Iâd love an alternate series where Misty and Pikachu just take off, maybe live in Fuschia City, and help each get over traumatic pasts. Maybe they could run a bike rental service.