Pokemon Directors Address Long-Held Theory About Misty's Child

Pokemon isn't known for its mysteries, but the franchise has kept audiences hanging over some reveals for awhile now. Thanks to the anime, all sorts of fan-theories have hit the franchise, but few are as curious as the ones involving Misty's long-rumored child.

And now? Well, fans can rest easy about the conspiracy. The staff behind the Pokemon anime have addressed the theory, and it turns out the child who fans believe to be Misty's child is no whom it seems.

For those needing some context, the theory popped up back in 1998 when the very first teaser for Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back went live. The clip, which can be found here, begins with a wide shot of an adult-looking Misty sitting next to a child. Many asked whether this scene was meant to show a future where Misty was grown and had a kid, and that rumor persisted until late.

Recently, several major staffers from Pokemon attended the U.S. premiere of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. It was there director Kunihiko Yuyama admitted the theory was nothing more than that.

"Honestly, that's a great question. Thank you so much. But that actually was not an adult version of Misty. It was an image of an adult with a child. But I think a lot of people have misinterpreted that. It really was not an adult version of Misty," the director said.

Yuyama's co-director echoed these statements as Motonori Sakakibara said he blames the characters' similar hair for the theory.

"I think their hair was very similar though, of the child. So that's why a lot of people thought, "Oh this is probably Misty's child," or something like that. But it's a misunderstanding."

There you have it! Though fans have speculated about Misty for years, fans have not seen any timeskip into her future. There's no word on how the Cerulean trainer will look when she is older or whether she'll have any children at all. It turns out the flash-foward so many thought focused on Misty did no such thing, so here's to hoping this Pokemon team can clear up any other lingering theories for fans before long.

So, are you happy this Pokemon mystery has been solved at last...? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution is premiered on July 12th in Japan. The film will be directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonari Sakakibara, with a screenplay written by Takeshi Shudo. There was a hint that the film would be a complete CG remake of the original Mewtwo Strikes Back film, but that was not confirmed until the first audiences saw it for themselves during its recent world premiere at Anime Expo 2019.