For many Pokemon fans, meeting the various gym leaders in every Pokemon title they play may be the highlight of their game time. However, with so many characters introduced across the generations of the franchise's video games, only few have become as popular and top-of-mind as Water Pokemon specialist Misty. Now, a fan has shared a meme that points out the counterparts of Misty, specifically from the Alola and Galar regions.
Most Pokemon titles always have a Water-type gym within its story, and many titles have its players encounter their leaders early on in their journey. In the Kanto series, Cerulean City was the second stop in the player's adventure to earn the highly-coveted Pokemon League Champion title. And in the last two generations, the developers seem to keep to the trend with players meeting these types of gym leaders shortly after embarking on their quest. This can be seen with Lana, the Water-type Trial Captain in the Alola region from Pokemon Sun and Moon, and Nessa, the Water gym leader in the Galar region from Pokemon Sword and Shield.
To showcase the similarities between the three Water-type leaders, Redditor tophat_production created an image that put Misty, Lana, and Nessa together in one photo. All powerful women, with all Water-type Pokemon in their parties, it is interesting to see where the original poster likely drew the inspiration of the meme from. However, the image did label Lana and Nessa as the Alolan Misty and Galarian Misty, which is likely an indication as to how popular and iconic Misty truly is within the Pokemon fanbase.
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Commenters on the thread pointed out that aside from Misty, Lana, and Nessa being Water-type specialists, the three girls almost had nothing in common, whether it be appearances or personalities. Other users also paid their respects to the Water gym leaders whom the original poster seemed to have forgotten, specifically Wallace from the Hoenn region in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. However, despite the meme being pretty short, the community came together to show their love for the Water gym leaders they have encountered within the Pokemon games that they have played.
With there being many other gym leaders across the Pokemon series, it is likely impossible for fans not to draw comparisons between each one, especially those that specialize in the same elemental types. This goes to show that the fans seem to truly appreciate the challenge each gym leader provides, given how critical they can be of their personality, character, and Pokemon roster.