If you had to choose between writing Misty or Team Rocket out...

[SonansuMan]

Takeshi Shudo, writer for the anime chose to keep Team Rocket in the cast over Misty (most likely over bias), even though both were fairly popular among fans. But if you had the choice to get rid of Misty or Team Rocket in the show around the original series, who would it have been and why?

 

[EscLucy]

Team Rocket are just funnier. They have been in nearly every episode now that they are just central to the anime now. They never fail to amuse me and Misty has been gone for too long for me to care.

 

[Hidden Mew]

It was definitely the right choice to write Misty out instead of Team Rocket. If it was up to me, I'd do the same thing. I never cared that much for Misty, even when I first watched the original series. She was okay and I didn't dislike her, but I also never saw much of the appeal of her beyond being the first female lead in the series.

The decision to write Misty out wasn't really out of bias either. I remember reading Takeshi Shudo's translated blog entries and it wasp primarily due to how Misty had the weakest reason for being in the main cast. Ash was the main character, Brock was the slightly older and wiser secondary male character, Team Rocket were the villains and Misty was the token female lead. I'm also not sure how popular both Misty and Team Rocket were in Japan during that time, but considering how loved the Team Rocket trio still seem to be in Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if they were more popular than Misty.

Plus, it was also easier to write out Misty and replace her with a new female lead than it would be to get new comedy relief villains every series. It would certainly be strange if to see teams like Team Magma/Aqua or Team Flare having comedy relief characters as their members considering that their goals involve destroying the world. The Team Rocket organization usually don't go beyond stealing rare and powerful Pokemon. It's still a strong indication that the group is evil, but not to the point where they're an active threat to the entire world. Replacing Misty for May made a lot of sense. They would be able to include a third generation character in the main cast and try out Contests, which I don't think Misty would be particularly interested in.

They could have done better buildup to Misty's sendoff, but I still think that writing her off and starting the tradition of every series having a new female lead was the best choice they could have made at the time.

 

[Nicolas721]

It's an unfair comparison, we've spend most of our lives without Misty so we're more inclined to choose her, myself included, because TR has a lot of love put into them and they have had some amusing moments over the years.
However, from an objective point of view, TR has done some harm to the series, making some episodes more predictable and formulaic and interrupting some important battles, so it's a hard question to answer.

 

[Silktree]

After seeing Misty in SM, I believe that she is better off at the gym than following Ash like a puppy. I just think that the writers could have done a much better job with her while she was still around, instead of making her departure feel rather depressing. And there was no excuse for the fact that we hadn't seen her in over 11 years.

As far as Team Rocket go, they're funny in SM at least and help make some episodes more interesting. I just feel sorry for them that they're still working for Giovanni, but whatever.

 

[HiroHunter]

Maybe its my hate for Misty talking, but I feel like TR had way more going for them than Misty.

 

[Alola]

I for one didn't hate Misty. However, I think it makes the most sense to keep an antagonistic force for Ash while he switches out new companions each region-companions who can help offer insight, marketability, and representation for their native region. Now, that antagonistic force is Team Rocket. Although honestly, they could have switched out both tbh. I've always thought of how cool it would have been if a new pair of grunts interacted with Ash in each region, akin to how Team Rocket does. It'd be a great way at including the regional villains team in a consistent manner as well.

But to answer your question, I would "write out" Misty and keep Team Rocket (but still have Misty make cameos and have special episodes, of course). Plus, I like watching Ash's new companions interactions with the TRio.

 

[kantoskies]

I really liked Kasumi, but I think it's obvious how her departure has improved the show. Sure, they could have had her partake in Contests but the decision to replace her was one of the things that made Advanced Generation so interesting. Besides, think about how sick some people are of Satoshi and the Rocket trio nowadays and then imagine how much worse it would be if Kasumi and Takeshi had stuck around as long as them.

As has been said already, it's not really fair to compare Kasumi and the Rocket trio as the Rocket trio's role serves more of a purpose on an episode-to-episode basis. They're the antagonists of most episodes (more so back during that time) and also provide comedic relief as well as appeal to older fans with their own brand of humor. This isn't my obvious bias talking either, because even if you think they're overused and should have been replaced years ago, their purpose is still to fit this niche. Kasumi was just the main girl, and she wasn't even utilized very well. I'm sure by the end of Johto the staff felt it was easier to start fresh with Haruka (who would also help promote the new games better than a Kanto Gym Leader) rather than with a new Rocket trio.

I think the more apt question is would it have been better to replace Kasumi or Takeshi. Personally I think they both should have been replaced because Takeshi didn't really have anything going for him and was a wet blanket during Advanced Generation and especially Diamond&Pearl. Any reason you can think of to replace Kasumi just as well applies to Takeshi. One of the best decisions the writers made for Best Wishes was finally getting rid of him.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I think the more apt question is would it have been better to replace Kasumi or Takeshi. Personally I think they both should have been replaced because Takeshi didn't really have anything going for him and was a wet blanket during Advanced Generation and especially Diamond&Pearl. Any reason you can think of to replace Kasumi just as well applies to Takeshi. One of the best decisions the writers made for Best Wishes was finally getting rid of him.

I was fine with Brock during both of those series, but I can see the appeal of replacing him earlier. I'm not surprised he wasn't replaced in AG though. They probably didn't want to replace two main characters at the same time. It might have been seen as a risk considering that they didn't know how May would be received. At least by the time BW came around, replacing the main cast was the norm and was generally received well. Plus, I don't think that there was a third or fourth generation characters that could have replaced Brock's role as the slightly older/wise secondary male character.

 

[kantoskies]

That's true, and I'm sure Gen V's "soft reset" or whatever certainly helped convince the writers to ditch him. If it had been another "typical" generation maybe he would have stuck around?

I thought Touki could have worked as a suitable replacement, though I'm sure the dub would have been pretty insufferable.

 

[SinnohEevee]

Both. But if that's not possible, I would write out Misty, but give her a better send off. TR are funny and all, but during AG, DP, and XY, they became overused. They come to steal Pikachu, start a battle hey lose easily, get their mecha ruined because of some silly reason, and get blasted off by Pikachu.

 

[Hidden Mew]

That's true, and I'm sure Gen V's "soft reset" or whatever certainly helped convince the writers to ditch him. If it had been another "typical" generation maybe he would have stuck around?

I thought Touki could have worked as a suitable replacement, though I'm sure the dub would have been pretty insufferable.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the fifth generation trying to go for a soft reset was the main reason why he was replaced. Considering that they wanted Unova to be more isolated from the other regions, only having Ash, Pikachu and Team Rocket as the non-fifth generation characters in the main cast made sense. I could have seen Brock lasting through BW at least if the generation was more typical, but I don't know if he could have worked beyond that, if only because of how XY and SM have handled their other characters.

Brawly seemed a tad too old to fit within the main cast. They could have de-aged him for the series, but they usually stick fairly close with the designs for the NPC, especially the Gym Leaders. Considering his surfer dude voice in the dub, I don't think hearing that for over a hundred episodes would have been particularly enjoyable. Three episodes was more than enough for me.

Both. But if that's not possible, I would write out Misty, but give her a better send off. TR are funny and all, but during AG, DP, and XY, they became overused. They come to steal Pikachu, start a battle hey lose easily, get their mecha ruined because of some silly reason, and get blasted off by Pikachu.

There were plenty of episodes where they weren't interested in Pikachu or used a mecha to try to steal it, especially during DP and XY. Like a lot of things in this franchise, not just the anime, Team Rocket can be repetitive, but I don't think that they do the exact same thing every time they show up. There were plenty of episodes where they weren't interested in Pikachu, wanted to steal everyone's Pokemon or saw it as a bonus to whatever specific Pokemon they were trying to steal for that episode. I also don't think that they rely on mechas that much outside of the original series.

 

[EscLucy]

If we are moving onto talking about Brock, I would've kept him tbh. I think his goal as a Breeder required more screen time and because he was a man of many talents, I think it made sense to keep him instead of Misty. I felt as though Misty had good character development as a trainer but it would be better for her to return to the Gym to practice and to challenge trainers. In addition, I feel as though Ash and Brock have a bromance and it was good to keep. I really like Brock but I think him leaving at the end of AG should've happened. DP was too much of a stretch they needed to replace him. However, I will say this. I did feel as though there was an emptiness in BW because of Brock not being there. He is such an integral part of the anime that we all probably miss him. I guess that is why some, if not most, people prefer Brock to Misty.

As I said previously, Team Rocket are also an integral part of the anime, more so than Brock I would argue. Even though their goals and aims are the same, they are just so funny and a breath of fresh air. They are still goofy and sarcastic which I what I love. I love the fact the SM are giving them specific episodes for example with Mareanie and Jessie and Mimikyu, therefore giving them a greater role. These episodes are really good and funny and I'm glad they are still around.

 

[Gligarman]

I'd get rid of Ash before even thinking about getting rid of Meowth so I suppose I'm the wrong person to ask.

 

[EscLucy]

I'd get rid of Ash before even thinking about getting rid of Meowth so I suppose I'm the wrong person to ask.

Eeeeeeyup. Agreed.

 

[pokemon fan 132]

This is going to be a very long post, so i dont blame anyone who didn't bothered to single out time to read it fully and understand from where im coming from.
However these are my thought on said subject:

I noticed one interesting thing in here being that no one really considered option of neither TR or Misty being written out. Because by time Johto was coming to a close i feel none of these characters were ready to be replaced.

It was no matter how you look at it wrong moment for any of them to leave main cast. Team Rocket due to organization as whole and their stories being far from concluded.

While Misty because there was much more left to be desired centering her personality, dream of becoming water pokemon master, interest she showed in E4 like Lorelei, her pokemon team being highly unexploited at that time(still is in lot of fields).

I think we can all agree how Misty didn't received enough character development, had her story resolved or had believable and proper departure at all.

Now poll results are logical and to be expected, because TR was in anime for 20 years, collecting massive following behind themselves.
Jessie, James and Meowth have hundreds of episodes with much more attention and love being put in giving viewers better insight in their pasts, hobbies, dreams and exploration of relationship between themselves.

Having HUGE advantage over Misty who was in anime for only 5 years with lot of her fandom disappearing from forums altogether.

Needless to say fact that she hasn't received cameo in flesh for 11 years didn't helped either having more than decade with no updates and any info on Misty behalf, her future plans or to even keep people reminded what was Misty made of, what are her qualities and intriguing facts centering that whole domain.
All of this led to people stopping to care and feel attachment and interest in her like they have for Jessie, James and Meowth who due to continuous income of fresh material are keeping their spark among viewers alive and interest to see what will come of them eventually.
Now majority of my post will be directed not toward TR, but MIsty herself, because in my opinion no one really explored option of Misty being kept in pokemon series past Johto instead trying to process possibilities in what direction pokemon series would breathe than.


Looking back some will say Misty being written out "was for the best". allowing pokemon series to improve. But was it really?

Because as far as Misty character and storyline goes, being written of in such abrupt and premature way was nothing but disservice done to character as whole.

Taking over gym out of obligation being forced to be there in order to keep it open while her goals of becoming best water pokemon expert and water master in end going nowhere being left unresolved. With Whirl Cup tournament and whole lore about sea heroes and magical scepters according to sea priestess Maya and prof Elm which had task of defining more precisely title of water pokemon master amounting to nothing.

Misty agenda behind deciding to be primarily water pokemon trainer and fierce passion in wanting to show whole world what's so good about marine life and oceans, her unexplained fears(like bugphobia which could be expanded upon going above just a comedy gimmick, just like they did with Gyarados fear opening door toward practical character development), Misty pokemon like Psyduck, Starmie, Horsea, even Gyarados(not even being given info on how she mega evolved it)leaving ton of open questions and more material to work with,.

Misty feelings for Ash and whole confusion boiling inside her not being sure herself in what direction to go with her life on multiple occasions being left unconcluded. Having viable character with gun, charming personality. Personality full of life, colorful emotions and flare accompanied with lot of side interests making good base character which meshed well with pokemon story as whole attracting millions of fans in starting to like her.

But also character with lot of untapped potential who wasn't really given proper justice.

And starting with Hoenn and onwards, there were ton of ways to explore more on Misty storyline.

Missed and wasted opportunities(advisable to be read in order to get clearer picture on what i mean with this):

Spoiler

Take Hoenn for example which was more abundant with water prior to Alola islands as region out of all other ones?

Spoiler

Introducing various new unique pokemon and interesting dual typing which would had delivered much welcomed diversity to Misty team. But also give meaningful character growth. Such as Surskit as half bug, half water forcing character in confronting her love for water and dislike for bugs having to learn how to get around her prejudices.

While villain plot of Team Magma and Aqua offered material to make character like Misty for first time more involved with central storyline playing big part in resolving it. Challenging her deep love and passion for water pokemon invoking in her rage in legendary water pokemon like Kyogre being used for wrong purposes making vital part in stopping Team Aqua plans.

What about elite trainers like Juan or Wallace who is only known pokemon champion who manage to do that with only water pokemon?
Learning how to cover that type weakness and exploit their strengths developing strategies but amongst all unique battling style to get around other pokemon types. Being prime example of talented trainer who despite being mono type oriented used that to his advantage unlocking full potential of that same type.

After all scope of water pokemon master based on what was said and elite one type trainers is to learn how to use pokemon of that type to full potential developing perfect synchronization with them working as team. And someone like Misty having chance to0 meet and learn from such talented trainers would be of invaluable help for her.

Opening path toward Misty herself making huge step forward in her career. Maybe eventually become their, Lorelei or E4 Siebold apprentice tutoring her in how to surpass here level becoming among top best water experts in world later as she gets older becoming E4 herself.

Certainly much more fitting conclusion than being forever at gym battling challengers and never doing any remarkable leap forward. Which by traveling, catching new water species, meeting string water experts would be of much greater help for her success and story. Something gym in long run doesn't offer leading to stagnation and oblivion.

Someone mentioned Misty wouldn't be good solution for contests. But as we saw with Wallace who is also water trainer and incredibly talented coordinator, i think people jump too early on bandwagon of Misty being "coordinator=failure".

If anything extra motivation behind this and probably main one could be in Misty seeing this as opportunity to improve her battling skills trying to learn about combination of strategies and attacks coordinators use which would help her later on in order to fulfill her dream of becoming best water trainer in world. Serving as stepping stone toward her ultimate aim, along with kinda going in accordance with her adventurous spirit liking to participate in various competitions to demonstrate her qualities,. As we saw when entering races and side events in OS which had nothing to do with her goals.

Finally what about all other interesting things future generations offered? Such as E4 Siebold who is titled as water master in games being one of few mega evolution trainers(for all we know MIsty could have unlocked her gyarados power after meeting him),Crasher Wake, Marlon etc.

Water pokemon like Feebas, Phione, Bruxish or Ash Greninja phenomenon giving Misty new knowledge and valuable lesson in how to actually reach to her own pokemon feelings bringing their hidden power and inner strength on surface?

Or Alola region as whole? Allowing her to broaden her horizons as trainer Learn about new methods, battle skills and ways to adapt to new techniques with her water pokemon. Catch several promising water pokemon which aren't accessible to Kanto refreshing her team(Brionne, Wishiwashi etc come to mind).

Discover about new type of competitions with Alola region as heavily characterized by water and islands being like paradise for water specialists to compete, showcase their power making name for themselves. Thus being recognized on global scale as true experts who mastered use of water pokemon. What from Island Trials, Whirl cup type of tournaments, underwater battling, racing relying on aquatic species etc.

Way she and Lana quickly got along would have guaranteed great dynamic and group chemistry if we had Misty in pokemon anime as opposed to TR being kept for all future regions.

Finally Misty being kept over Team Rocket would had set ground for stable pokemon cast.
Having consistent and well defined set of main protagonists who would carry anime adventure on their back supporting on going storyline which builds on itself over long period of time.

Adventure based on long lasting relationships, continuity based anime and recognizable st of that same anime representatives.

In style like Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail etc of more prominent series with such approach were/are doing. Having permanent set of main heroes, where female leads along with male ones are expected to be part of anime from beginning until end.
Which is functioning being perfectly normal.

Staying interesting and fresh to enjoy in thanks to new content and their development moving forward.
Contradicting popular belief how long stays equal stale overused and boring character. Even in pokemon case one of better examples would be Jessie, James and Meowth. At times people were sick of them wanting to see them go, just to see those same people quickly changing their opinion about TR trio once writers adjusted their roles, personality expressions and roles becoming enjoyable to watch again. With interest in TR and popularity increasing back after Unova ended with Kalos and now Alola taking place.

So argument of Misty being kept or anyone for that matter meaning that character is doomed to become boring never to have purpose again loses alot on its legitimacy. Due to not being correct at all.

They are there not weight but part of main protagonist life and adventure playing vital part in it with shows putting love and effort in exploring their pasts, motives and dreams building on group chemistry and strengthening on relationships taking them in new directions.

Being main faces easy to recognize of some show who guarantee stability and well organized anime.

Where driving force of some anime(in pokemon case Ash)are not reset, where story is going somewhere with each protagonists going forward utilizing previous experiences and knowledge to thrive forward. Where main storyline anime is trying to tell through adventure is made as one big journey stretching itself over course of whole show existence set in same universe and timeline.

Why? Because of:
-continuity which connects future to past generations
and
-consistent and permanent main characters representing that same story they are telling

Setting up completely different formula where afore mentioned rules are much more respected and implemented unlike its case with pokemon series formula. Were thanks to weak continuity, constant change of main characters who are living connection to Ash past adventures and witnesses of what happened before and story resets writers can get away with doing complete opposite. Of what anime like One Piece are doing where reseting is out of question exactly thanks to strong continuity and permanent main cast.

That does not mean how such anime which do not replace main characters every few years do not introduce new characters. On contrary some are either gradually welcomed in main cast expanding on traveling group or through various roles. Whether its recurring characters, rivals, someone related to new plot and enigma main heroes are trying to solve are being introduced to show.

Something pokemon could have done without replacing Misty , still adding new meat to anime as whole. Without neglecting new pokemon and features which are expected to be advertised and marketed introduced by new games.

Final words: I don't want to be mistaken, because i love TR trio. Jessie, James and Meowth are incredibly amusing characters having lot of talent for comedy and entertainment value their interchangeable interactions and silly plans have provided for pokemon over the years.

And looking back after being part of pokemon for so long even to me it would feel out of plave if those three were replaced at end of Original series instead,. Missing on so many great things, career choices but also admiring directions in which writers took them(especially Jessie).

However i feel that alternative called Misty was never properly understood in why it was detrimental and damaging for character story and integrity to be replaced at time what i call prematurely indirectly damaging formula and factor of stability pokemon series never really had chance to accomplish.

Would keeping Misty do more harm than good for pokemon series as some are believing? Maybe.

But we cannot ignore fact how Misty stay could have also allowed pokemon anime to breathe and evolve in completely different, BUT nonetheless not less fresh and exciting direction than what we as watchers are accustomed to and expected to accept with current formula and how is pokemon anime planned.

Having perhaps in longer run better anime than its case now.

Not because of Misty herself being that much crucial(one character can hardly make whole show depend just on him, not even Ash has that much influence on series),But due to Misty stay meaning pokemon anime following formula, plans and path which other respectable anime such as Inazuma Eleven Go, Dragon Ball Super, before mentioned One Piece and many others of such nature are doing.
Something production and writing team never really even tried to do.
​

 

[ManUtd22]

It's an unfair comparison

I will not call it unfair instead of that, then I think that I should or I have or I will call it an impossible comparison; because really in my opinion then I don't see any relation ship between both of them. At least, SonansuMan could do a relationship between villians teams vs team rocket, or Misty vs other female leaders, but between misty and team rocket, then I think that I should or I have or I will call it an impossible comparison

 

[ii kanji]

I think the fundamental problem was that Shudou was not invested in Kasumi as a character, feeling she existed just because a female lead was needed and was not an interesting character in her own right, whereas he pictured the TRio being the series' anti-heroes. I am a big fan of both and was incensed when I found out Misty had been written out. However there is no doubt that the girls who came after her (largely) received better treatment, peaking in DP of course.

The anime owes a hell of a lot to Shudou but, as he himself acknowledged, he screwed up when it came to Kasumi. She had a lot of unfulfilled potential, but by the end of Johto it was probably too late to suddenly utilise this given that she was pretty inactive prior to that point.

 

[NeoMiniTails]

If I was going to have anyone written off the main show, I would've kept Pokemon Chronicles around and allowed for much more episodes where they would guest star on the main show.

Like pokefan said, shows like Dragon Ball show that there's nothing wrong with keeping everyone around. Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin, though not as used as they once were, are still a huge part of Goku and Bulma's lives.

To be honest, though Kasumi was my favorite original cast member for the protagonists, I would've chosen her to be gone if the choice was between TR and her. I wouldn't have made her completely gone as every season, I'm still looking for her cameos.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I'd get rid of Ash before even thinking about getting rid of Meowth so I suppose I'm the wrong person to ask.

Well, there's that theory that in the episode "Time Warp Heals All Wounds!", May and Meowth created a new timeline, meaning that Meowth is the last original cast member left.