The Misty Mermaid – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 61

Plot episodeMisty’s Underwater BalletOak’s Lecture begins (Japan)

The Misty Mermaid is the 61st episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 61st episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 63, Bulbapedia code EP061). It first aired in Japan on 3 September 1998 and in the United States on 23 September 1999. It falls within the season’s Cinnabar, Cerulean & Viridian: the last badges stretch (EP58–EP63).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

Today we join Ash, Misty and Brock at the entrance to Viridian City where Ash intends to earn an Earth Badge, but Horsea looks sad, Brock thinks its because it doesn’t get to swim in any big pools. Misty and co decide to take a brief detour from Ash’s quest for badges and head to the Cerulean Gym to let Horsea enjoy some exercise in a big aquarium and she can also visit her sisters. When they get there it turns out that there are shows running out of the Cerulean Gym featuring underwater Ballet and Pokemon!

When Misty arrives her sisters jump on her straight away and say she got there just in time, then telling her she needs to start rehearsing. Misty offers to help with costumes or admin, but it’s quickly revealed that her sisters want Misty to be the star of the underwater Ballet, the Misty Mermaid. After some persuasion Misty grudgingly agrees to do perform. Meanwhile Horsea is enjoying swimming in the big pool and rehearsals are about to begin for the Magical Mermaid.

Team Rocket are nearby and spot the adverts for the underwater Ballet, wanting to see it themselves, they then realise it’s also a Pokemon show and decide it could be a good place to steal Pokemon from. The next day there are huge queues outside of the Cerulean Gym, its a massively succesful sell out!

Misty is backstage peering at the crowd and is kinda nervous. A huge Aquarium comes out, full of water Pokemon and the story begins, Misty the magical Mermaid making her appearance and putting on an impressive show. Meanwhile backstage Team Rocket capture two of Misty’s sisters (Violet and Lillie), Daisy goes to get ready. Team Rocket come out as the villains instead of Misty’s sisters but the audience assume it all to be part of the act, except Ash and Brock who get moving because they know its not right. Jessie and James go underwater and do their intro, meanwhile Meowth blows a hole in the ceiling and brings down the Balloon and Jessie and James catch all the water Pokemon in a net, Misty steps in to stop them. Daisy is then about to come in as the handsome Prince, not knowing that it’s real villains they’re dealing with and Ash, Brock and Pikachu jump in instead. Jessie sends out Arbok to attack them, Misty sends Horsea who puts up a smokescreen long enough for Seaking to get in and hit Arbok with Horn Drill, James tries to intervene with Weezing but it can’t breath underwater. Misty’s sisters send out her Psyduck to help, but unfortunately it can’t breathe underwater, or swim. Meanwhile Seaking, Squirtle and Starmie fight Arbok who seems really strong underwater too and Seel steps in to protect them, putting on some amazing underwater agility before sending Arbok packing with an Aurora beam. This victory then making Seel evolve into Dewgong, the audience at this point still thinking its all part of the show are loving it.

Dewgong finishes off Arbok with an Ice Beam, freezing Jessie and James in the process. Ash and gang get all the water Pokemon safely out of the water before letting Pikachu thunderbolt Team Rocket who are still there, sending them all blasting off once more.

The audience loved every minute of it and the show was a great success, infact the Cerulean Gym sold out 6 months worths of shows just after. Misty leaves her Horsea under her sisters care so it can be in the shows and have a bigger place to swim. Ash and friends wave goodbye and head back toward Viridian City.

Major Events

• — Misty leaves Starmie and Horsea at Cerulean Gym
• Underwater Ballet
• The Gym’s Seel → Dewgong. First Professor Oak’s Pokémon Lecture (JP only
• Magikarp). Debuts: Dewgong, Seaking. Elements Vol. 3.

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Dewgong#0087 · EP061
• Seaking#0119 · EP061

Captures and evolutions

• Seel → Dewgong#0087 · Cerulean Gym

Trivia

• The English title plays on “*The Little Mermaid*”.
• The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Horsea in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Clefairy in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• HANADA → CERULEAN, ballet poster, “Mata kite ne” gate, “Metamon” café erased
• Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — 2.B.A. Master (DVD) / Viridian City (Pokémon TV)

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.