Misty's 10 Strongest Pokémon in the Anime Series

Summary Misty's Goldeen struggled in battle due to its weakness outside of water, but managed to surprise with a victory against James' Victreebel.

Misty's Azurill, as a baby Pokemon, showed potential in battle by teaming up with Marill to defeat Team Rocket using Water Gun attacks.

Misty's Gyarados, her strongest Pokemon, showcased its power by Mega Evolving and putting up a tough fight against Pikachu in a battle.

Misty is one of the most popular characters in Pokémon, even long after her departure from the series. She's gathered up a fair amount of Pokémon over her time on the show, even having one of the last catches seen before the series' end. Her Pokémon vary widely in their strength, however.

Misty's Pokémon are almost entirely Water-type, fitting given her goal of becoming a Water-type Pokémon Master. She stuck to her theme much more than Brock did with his Pokémon, which makes it a bit easier to rank them given their similarities. While neither of them caught nearly as many Pokémon as Ash, Misty does have a decent number at her disposal, enough to be rotating through them as she traveled in Aim to Be a Pokémon Master.

10 Goldeen Really Just Flops Around

First Appearance: Pokémon Indigo League, "Pokémon Emergency!"

Misty's Goldeen is easily her weakest Pokémon, even right from the get-go. Misty first calls upon Goldeen, which she caught prior to the beginning of the series, to battle against Team Rocket for the first time. However, Goldeen is completely helpless outside of water, leading to it splashing around and essentially being unable to fight. This was a problem almost every time Misty called out Goldeen, making it look particularly useless.

Misty's Goldeen did get some opportunities to show off, however. It once defeated James' Victreebel, despite the obvious disadvantage. It often proved helpful when the group needed to navigate some body of water, as it was quite a quick swimmer, even when pulling others. Goldeen was last left at Cerulean Gym, where it's probably better off due to having constant access to water.

9 Azurill is Just a Baby

First Appearance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, "The Scheme Team"

Misty's Azurill happens to be the child of Tracey's Marill, which laid an egg that was then turned over to Misty. She hatched the young Pokémon and took to carrying it as she once did Togepi. Azurill didn't have too many appearances, since Misty only obtained it after she had stopped being a main character in the series, thus giving it relatively few opportunities to shine.

As a baby Pokémon, Azurill didn't typically participate in battle, but it once fought alongside its parent Marill to defeat Team Rocket, with both Pokémon using a Water Gun to blast the villains. This is Azurill's one win, but it seemed to suggest that Azurill might have potential in battle some day. Azurill never evolved, as it was shown to still be with Misty in Aim to be a Pokémon Master.

8 Togetic Grew When It Needed To

First Appearance (as an Egg): Pokémon Indigo League, "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon"

A Togepi for the overwhelming majority of its time in the series, Misty's Togetic was one of her most iconic Pokémon, largely because of how she carried it everywhere, making it as common a sight as Pikachu. Like Azurill, Togepi was just a baby, and therefore wasn't used in fights very often. Togepi would sometimes intervene in fights from the sidelines by using Metronome, causing unpredictable effects which would bamboozle Team Rocket.

Togepi evolved in the Ruby and Sapphire episode "A Togepi Mirage!", where it met a group of wild Togepi that had to be protected from a man seeking to use Togepi to claim power. As a Togetic, it was a more competent fighter, but not by much; Togetic was never shown using offensive attacks, instead only employing defensive abilities and the random Metronome.

7 Clauncher was Clever, But Underused

First Appearance: Pokémon Journeys, "A Fated Face-Off!"

The last Pokémon which Misty caught in the series, Clauncher was introduced as a wild Pokémon which both Ash and Misty were trying to hook with a fishing line. Clauncher proved quite clever, evading their attempts to catch it and managing to slip away into water every time it seemed they had it. Ash and Misty had a battle to determine who should catch it, which Misty won fair and square, allowing her to catch Clauncher.

Clauncher seemed to be a big fan of battling and had a great respect for Ash's Corphish, and together they were able to repel Team Rocket, who were trying to eat Clauncher's claws. Due to being caught so late in the series, Clauncher didn't get much screen time, so its true potential is really unknown, but promising.

6 Staryu Provided Valuable Support

First Appearance: Pokémon Indigo League, "Clefairy and the Moon Stone"

Staryu is another Pokémon which Misty had from before the start of the series, making it one of her oldest companions. Staryu was often one of Misty's go-to Pokémon early on, and she used it to great effect in her gym battle with Ash, where it defeated his Butterfree. Staryu was often employed in situations where its swimming power was needed, like with Goldeen, and when additional water power was needed for fighting fires.

Staryu's usefulness began to fade as Misty gained more Pokémon, however, since her newer water Pokémon could largely do the same job that Staryu could. While Staryu maintained a speediness that many of Misty's other Pokémon didn't have, that wasn't enough to keep it her top choice, and Staryu eventually found itself outclassed.

5 Corsola Was Deceptively Strong

First Appearance: Pokémon Gold and Silver, "A Corsola Caper!"

Corsola was Misty's only new Pokémon in the Johto region, but it proved to be an excellent choice to pick one up. Misty caught Corsola in a unique Lure Ball, making it always stand out among the other Pokémon in her collection. Misty put Corsola to work quickly, battling with it in the Whirl Cup not long after catching it. There, Corsola won a few battles, even defeating a Gyarados, but ultimately couldn't deliver Misty the big win.

Corsola won a majority of the battles it participated in, making it a surprisingly powerful Pokémon on Misty's team. Corsola would stick with Misty for a long time, appearing with her in Alola. Its part Rock-typing made it a valuable addition to her team, helping to diversify a bit, even though it gains a massive weakness to grass as a result.

4 Psyduck Contained Great Power... Sometimes

First Appearance: Pokémon Indigo League, "Hypno's Naptime"

Psyduck is perhaps Misty's most iconic Pokémon after Togepi, although she wouldn't be happy to hear that. Psyduck caught itself by accident, and Misty often laments her ownership of it early on. Misty frequently grew frustrated with Psyduck and its inability to use its phenomenal psychic power on demand, but these powers often came out exactly when they were needed most, securing a number of victories for Misty.

While Misty initially disliked Psyduck, she grew to love it, and still keeps it on her team all the way into Aim to be a Pokémon Master. Psyduck enjoyed popping out of its ball on its own, often for comedic effect. Psyduck's psychic powers truly are quite potent, but it can only utilize them when it has a bad headache, making it quite unreliable.

3 Starmie Packs a Punch

First Appearance: Pokémon Indigo League, "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City"

The last of the three Pokémon that Misty began the series with, Starmie was often Misty's strongest Pokémon, saved for occasions when that power was called for. Admittedly, Starmie's record on screen isn't that great; it was defeated by Pidgeotto in Ash's gym battle, and in another episode was smashed so hard the gem at its center shattered. One problem Starmie had was that when Misty wanted to call it out, Psyduck would often come out instead, forcing Misty to use Psyduck despite her desires.

Like Goldeen and Staryu, Starmie was often used for its ability to swim at high speeds, helping the group out when it came time to cross water or even escape from a sinking ship. Starmie was exceptionally fast in the water, but never got to show that speed off in battle very often.

2 Politoed Was a Pleasant Surprise

First Appearance (as Poliwag): Pokémon Adventures in the Orange Islands, "The Stun Spore Detour"

Misty first encountered her Poliwag in the Orange Islands, where it helped to gather a special underwater plant that was needed to relieve Ash and Tracey's symptoms from a Stun Spore attack. It evolved while battling Ash's Bulbasaur to see who got to keep Totodile, but it lost after evolving. It also helped Misty win a fishing competition when a tie brought things down to a battle, and fought for Misty in the Whirl Cup alongside Corsola.

It evolved into Politoed by accident, but Misty was pleased with the circumstances regardless. Perhaps most notably, Politoed managed to defeat Ash's Corphish after Ash won the World Coronation Series, ending his long winning streak. Politoed was an extremely reliable companion for Misty, and for a long time it was perhaps her strongest.

1 Gyarados is Misty's Strongest

First Appearance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, "Cerulean Blues"

Misty met Gyarados after it had freshly evolved and was going on a rampage at the Cerulean Gym. Misty was terrified of Gyarados due to an experience as a child, but had no choice but to deal with this Gyarados to keep the gym from closing for good. Misty managed to win its trust and returned it to its Poké Ball, from that point forward claiming it as her own. Gyarados didn't get to shine too much, as Misty acquired it after her stint as a main character was over.

That is, until Misty reappeared in Sun & Moon, where it was revealed that Misty was capable of Mega Evolving her Gyarados. Mega Gyarados proved a difficult opponent for Pikachu, and even though Pikachu eventually won, it put up a tough battle. Gyarados would later Mega Evolve again, this time to defeat Team Rocket. While Gyarados may be one of Misty's less frequently seen Pokémon, it's clear she came to rely on it heavily after acquiring it, and its capacity to Mega Evolve guarantees that Gyarados is Misty's strongest Pokémon.