Nurse Joy
- For the receptionist who appears in Pokémon Centers in the games, see Pokémon Center lady or Teala.
Nurse Joy (Japanese: ジョーイ Joy, referred to as ジョーイさん Joy-san by most characters) are kind nurses who take care of Pokémon. As revealed in Drifloon in the Wind!, Joy is not the first name of these women, but actually the family name. They are based on the Pokémon Center ladies from the games.
In animation
Pokémon the Series
History
Original series
Kanto
Nurse Joy debuted in Pokémon Emergency. With his Pikachu critically injured from the events of the last episode, Ash rushed the Electric Mouse Pokémon to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City with the help of the Officer Jenny of the area. After healing Pikachu, Team Rocket overtook the Pokémon Center, forcing her to rely on her own Pikachu generator built inside the lab. While they hid from Team Rocket, Nurse Joy activated the computer and started to transfer the Poké Balls containing injured Pokémon to the Pokémon Center in Pewter City. The next morning, Pewter City's Nurse Joy called and told her sister that all the Pokémon had made it safely to her center, to which the Viridian Nurse Joy was grateful.
Vermilion City's Nurse Joy and Chansey were often busy thanks to Lt. Surge's Raichu. She stopped Ash and Misty from fighting, reminding them that the hospital required peace. Following Ash's Gym defeat in Electric Shock Showdown, Nurse Joy offered Ash her Thunder Stone to evolve Pikachu into Raichu, but Ash accepted Pikachu's refusal to do so. Nurse Joy then advised Ash that Pikachu would require more rest to regain its stamina for its upcoming rematch.
In Sparks Fly for Magnemite, Ash went to Nurse Joy to heal Pikachu after he developed a cold. This Nurse Joy was uncharacteristically ill-tempered, but nevertheless, she instructed Ash to leave Pikachu with her overnight. Meanwhile, a horde of Grimer stopped the local hydroelectric plant from working. The power outage cut off power to all of the Pokémon Center's machines, which threatened all of the ill and injured Pokémon. After Ash caught Muk, Gringey City's power was restored. Afterwards, Nurse Joy thanked Ash for his assistance, which helped inspire her to become a better nurse.
In The Bridge Bike Gang, Nurse Joy was supposed to deliver medicine for injured Pokémon over in Sunnytown, but was unable to leave the Pokémon Center because of other commitments. She gave Ash and his friends the medicine as they volunteered to deliver it to Sunnytown. After dealing with a bike gang, the group successfully arrived in Sunnytown. The Nurse Joy there fed it to a Shellder, and it became well.
A Nurse Joy working for the Pokémon Inspection Agency arrived in Dark City to authenticate the currently unofficial Yas and Kaz Gyms in Showdown at Dark City. She ultimately determined that neither Gym was worthy of being an official Gym because they were using Pokémon as gang tools. As a result, the two rival Gyms agreed to stop their street fighting and work together to reconstruct Dark City.
In Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden, Nurse Joy ran some tests on Ash's Bulbasaur when its bulb was glowing. She revealed to Ash that Bulbasaur was about to evolve due to the planet alignment and lunar cycle, though it refused, much to the disappointment of the other now-evolved Ivysaur and Venusaur.
In The Ultimate Test, a Nurse Joy with dreams of entering the Indigo Plateau Conference took the Pokémon League Admissions Exam. She explained to Ash and his friends that she opted for taking the test because her work keeps her from traveling and gathering the required Gym Badges. She was one of the top-scoring applicants in the theoretical portions of the exam, but was later told by one of the instructors that she would have to take the test again after a disturbance caused by Team Rocket.
Old Shore Wharf's Nurse Joy was kidnapped and hypnotized by Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back. Her medical expertise and Pokémon knowledge was pivotal to the success of Mewtwo's cloning operation on New Island. Nurse Joy was featured on the hologram Trainer invitations. Throughout the movie she was dressed in a frilled long-sleeved dress with a hat, which obscured her iconic Nurse Joy appearance. She formally greeted the Trainers to New Island, and after Mewtwo released her from its possession, she was formally revealed to be the same missing Nurse Joy from Old Shore Wharf. She watched on in horror as the Pokémon and their clones fought on. After the resolution, like all other characters and their respective Pokémon, she had her memory wiped and was returned to Old Shore Wharf. Ash and his friends saw her again at her Pokémon Center at Old Shore Wharf, where she was helping other Trainers while they sought refuge from a strong storm. This Nurse Joy reappeared in Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, a remake of Mewtwo Strikes Back, where she played the same role.
Several Nurse Joys from all across Kanto were present at the Indigo Plateau to help heal all of the Pokémon League competitors' Pokémon. In Friend and Foe Alike, a Nurse Joy reminded Ash that losing against a friend like Ritchie meant he could support him.
Orange Islands
Ash and his friends found a Pokémon Center on Valencia Island in Poké Ball Peril. There, Nurse Joy directed them to Professor Ivy's laboratory and stated that she was the second cousin of the sister-in-law of Saffron City's Nurse Joy.
In The Lost Lapras, Ash took a sick Lapras to Nurse Joy on Tangelo Island. She concluded that Lapras needed rest and had become afraid of human contact since the incident with the three punks. She filled in Ash about the Orange Crew on the Orange Islands.
A Nurse Joy led an excavation crew on Fukuhara Island No. 4 in Shell Shock. A reporter interviewed Nurse Joy about the Kabuto inhabiting there. She later led them to the fossils within a cave in the island, even though Umberto warned them about not disturbing the fossils. When the island was about to get swallowed up by the tide, she boarded a raft that the crew had made and safely rafted away on it.
In The Joy of Pokémon, a tan and muscular Nurse Joy Ash and his friends met on an unnamed island went from island to island to help sick and injured Pokémon. She invited them to her local clinic for lunch. The group volunteered to help out Nurse Joy on taking care of the sick Pokémon. Later, while Joy was attempting to help baby Seel, Team Rocket arrived and trapped the group in a net. It wasn't until a giant Gyarados removed the net that Joy got a chance to finally take care of the baby Seel.
In Tracey Gets Bugged, Murcott Island's Nurse Joy and Chansey worked on Tracey's newly caught Scyther. Joy concluded that it had lost its swarm leadership position from battling a younger Scyther, thus forcing it into exile. She carefully took Scyther's bandages off before it responded to its swarm's cries from Team Rocket attempting to capture it. The battle against Team Rocket restored respect between Tracey's Scyther and the others.
On Butwal Island, Nurse Joy is responsible for managing the weekly airdropped supplies from Valencia Island in addition to her duties at the local Pokémon Center, as revealed in Pokémon Food Fight. She also repaired Ash's broken Poké Ball, allowing him to return his Snorlax.
Johto
In Ignorance is Blissey, Nurse Joy had to deal with a Blissey that was accident prone.
In Chikorita's Big Upset, a Nurse Joy with the Pokémon Psychology degree had a therapy session with Ash when Chikorita became jealous of his Pikachu.
A Nurse Joy who appeared in The Joy of Water Pokémon was in charge of a Pokémon Center that specialized in Water-type Pokémon, despite being afraid of them herself.
In EP250, Nurse Joy ran a Pokémon Center in the Ice Cave. She had some Ice-type Pokémon there instead of a Chansey. The Nurse Joy from the Orange Island was seen in a photograph in that episode, and was said to be the elder sister of the nurse in charge of the Pokémon Center in the Ice Cave.
In Gotta Catch Ya Later!, upon returning to Viridian City, it was revealed that the local Nurse Joy had since repaired Misty's bicycle after it was stolen and destroyed by Ash. Misty was thrilled to have her bike finally returned to her, though she was also saddened because this meant she was officially splitting up with Ash and Brock because of her acquired responsibilities at the Cerulean Gym.
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
Hoenn
In A Ruin with a View, May was introduced to Oldale Town's Nurse Joy and learned about the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy allowed Professor Alden to use one the Center's rooms as an office for his ongoing research. Nurse Joy, May, and Ash were later locked in a storage room by Team Magma but escaped through the vents.
Nurse Joy first appeared as one of the Contest Judges during the Rustboro City Pokémon Contest in All Things Bright and Beautifly!. The local Nurse Joy fulfill these roles across other Hoenn Contest events, as well as those in Kanto and Sinnoh. Three Nurse Joys as opposed to one joined Raoul Contesta and Mr. Sukizo to help judge the Hoenn Grand Festival.
In Having a Wailord of a Time, the Nurse Joy of Slateport City was in charge of handing out the Hoenn first partner Pokémon to new Trainers like Stephanie and her father. She healed a wild Wailord while Ash and Max watched over the three first partner Pokémon. Unfortunately, the Torchic evolved, leaving only Mudkip and Treecko for the new Trainers. As a result, Nurse Joy decided to keep the newly evolved Combusken to help guard the Pokémon Center.
In Jump for Joy!, the Nurse Joy of Mauville City was kidnapped by a wild Shiftry after a Nuzleaf in its group fell ill. Despite Ash and his friends arriving to rescue her, she decided to adhere to her duties as a nurse and refused to leave. With Brock's help, Nurse Joy healed Nuzleaf, allowing Shiftry and the other Grass-type Pokémon to return her to her Center.
The Nurse Joy of Petalburg City was revealed to also be a pyrotechnic expert. As a result, in Love, Petalburg Style!, she secretly helped Norman arrange a Beautifly-shaped fireworks display to celebrate his anniversary with Caroline. However, their secret meetings were discovered by Caroline and Norman's assistant Kenny, and initially mistaken as signs of Norman having an affair with Nurse Joy. Eventually, the true purpose of Norman and Nurse Joy's meetings were revealed when Team Rocket accidentally sabotaged the machine meant to fire the fireworks.
In Crazy as a Lunatone, a Nurse Joy was possessed by a Lunatone in Volley Town. Unlike the other Nurse Joys, she didn't allow Ash and his friends to stay in a room for the night. Later, Nurse Joy went back to normal when Lunatone collapsed after using Psychic. Since Lunatone's condition became bad, Nurse Joy, with the help of the group, took Lunatone to Camerupt Point.
In Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snorunt!, a Nurse Joy ran her Pokémon Center on the snowy part of Izabe Island. A Snorunt would come by that particular Pokémon Center and take things from visitors. When Ash was in a snow cave, Nurse Joy and the others came by to pick him up. However, before Ash could reunite with Nurse Joy and the others, Team Rocket interrupted them by catching Pikachu and Snorunt. Snorunt was able to escape and Nurse Joy thought of a plan to get Pikachu back which involved Ash throwing Snorunt at Team Rocket's balloon.
Kanto Battle Frontier
Potpourri Island's Nurse Joy runs the Pokémon Orienteering Festival seen in Off the Unbeaten Path. Ash and his friends, along with Team Rocket, all competed in a chance to win the Teamwork Medal and a supply of Potpourri Island fruit. Nurse Joy eventually declared James the winner and later alerted May to the nearby Wisteria Town Contest.
In Overjoyed!, Scott introduced Ash and his friends to Fennel Valley's Nurse Joy, who was a big fan of battles and Pokémon Contests. Nurse Joy, a former Pokémon Trainer, offered Ash a practice battle to prepare him against Brandon, which he accepts. Her Chansey battled Corphish and won with a close-range Solar Beam. This Nurse Joy appeared from Overjoyed! to Pace - The Final Frontier!.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
Two young Joys, named Marnie and Paige, appeared in Drifloon on the Wind, where it was revealed that Joy is the surname of the family, rather than the given name of each individual woman. Their mother, of course, was an ordinary Nurse Joy.
In All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!, a Nurse Joy acted as one of the judges of the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest, overseeing the competition along with Mr. Sukizo and Officer Jenny.
While attempting to seek a Nurse Joy to investigate Brock's glowing Egg in One BIg Happiny Family!, the group found a seemingly abandoned Pokémon Center. A Chansey directed the group to a crying Nurse Joy, who revealed that the Cycling Road has stopped servicing customers. With encouragement from Brock and Chansey, she regained her composure and examined the Egg before it hatched into Happiny. Following Nurse Joy's advice, Brock located a round stone for Happiny to carry in her pouch in order to keep her happy.
In Stopped in the Name of Love!, Sandalstraw Town's Nurse Joy ran some tests on Dawn's Piplup and realized it was about to evolve. However, since Piplup refused to evolve and had been using Bide to stop it from happening, Nurse Joy gave Dawn an Everstone.
In Teaching the Student Teacher!, the Nurse Joy who runs the Neighborly Town Pokémon Center was busy taking care of too many Pokémon. For this reason, she would not be able to attend the town's Pokémon Contest and so Johanna agreed to fill in for her.
In Last Call — First Round!, three Nurse Joys judged the Performance Stage of the Sinnoh Grand Festival: the Nurse Joy from Jubilife City judged the Red Stage along with Top Coordinator Fantina, the Nurse Joy from Pastoria City judged the Green Stage along with Mr. Sukizo, and the Nurse Joy from Lilycove City judged the Blue Stage along with Raoul Contesta. After the Performance Stage was over, the only Nurse Joy who judged the Battle Stage was the one from Lilycove City.
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
Unova
In Enter Iris and Axew!, Nurse Joy's redesign debuted. Audino, the standard partner of the Nurse Joys of Unova, debuted in Dreams by the Yard Full!.
Decolore Islands
After foiling another one of Team Rocket's plans in Danger, Sweet as Honey!, Ash and his friends headed to the Pokémon Center to have their Pokémon healed. After arriving, Nurse Joy explained that the mountains have many dangerous Pokémon such as Beedrill and Ursaring and noted that it would have been safer to go through the coastline route. After which, Audino informed them that the honey and dessert were ready. Nurse Joy then invited them in and began serving them desserts.
In The Island of Illusions!, a rather elderly Nurse Joy first appeared overhearing the group's conversation on the mysterious shadow they just saw. Later, she appeared protecting the group from a giant Heatmor and disappeared along with the Heatmor and the mysterious fog. After successfully reaching a rather desolate Pokémon Center and curing Iris's Axew's sleep, the group encountered her again where she revealed herself to be an older Nurse Joy tasked with the special duty of investigating established Pokémon Centers. She explained that she had been receiving reports of a Pokémon Center operating illegally on the island, which is why she was deployed to investigate. When Zoroark created an illusion of the past and explained the reasons behind illegally keeping the Pokémon Center open all this time, a moved Nurse Joy agreed to keep the Center running for the wild Pokémon and asks for Zoroark's assistance in doing so, to which it happily agrees. Later, she and the Illusion Fox Pokémon bid farewell to the group as they set off on their new adventure.
A Nurse Joy living on Torom Island appeared in To Catch a Rotom!. She explained that the Rotom on the island find the local power plant's electricity delicious, so the lights were always flickering on and off. In addition, the island's Rotom used to play pranks on the people of the island, so the locals created a playground of electrical devices where the Rotom could play without bothering anyone. Professor Oak then decided to go with Ash and his friends to this electrical playground, where they hoped to see a Rotom.
In Capacia Island UFO!, Nurse Joy first appeared with her Audino, greeting Ash, Iris and Cilan upon their arrival in the Pokémon Center. Next morning, as Ash looked for help after seeing Iris, Axew and Cilan's faces turned odd, she revealed her face to have turned odd as well, much to his horror. She is then seen gathering the townspeople along with Audino and Officer Jenny to listen to what Beheeyem has to say.
In Go, Go Gogoat!, Nurse Joy participated in Alexa's recording. She explained how the latest equipment functioned at twice the normal speed and allowed her to repair any equipment or medicine she might need for a Pokémon's treatment. She was then seen carrying Ash and his friends' Poké Balls for a thorough inspection of their Pokémon.
Pokémon the Series: XY
She received another redesign at the beginning of Pokémon the Series: XY.
In A Pokévision of Things to Come!, Nurse Joy starred in a Pokévision video with her Wigglytuff where they made it to the top 10.
In The Clumsy Crier Quiets the Chaos!, Nurse Joy dealt with a clumsy Wigglytuff. As a result of a Salamence going on a rampage, she had to deal with many injured Pokémon, including a Pokémon Breeder's Teddiursa. Nurse Joy told a tale to the group about how Wigglytuff became her helpers in the Kalos region. Team Rocket came by and stole Pikachu and Wigglytuff. They accidentally wake up the same Salamence from before. Nurse Joy and the group came by to retrieve Pikachu and Wigglytuff. Nurse Joy attempted to calm Salamence but it attacked with Flamethrower. Wigglytuff protected her from Salamence's attack, retelling the tale that another Wigglytuff did with the Flygon. Wigglytuff was able to calm Salamence and Salamence managed to defeat Team Rocket with Hyper Beam.
In A Giga Battle with Mega Results!, Nurse Joy searched for a Mega Stone for her Audino. While doing so, her leg became stuck in a fissure. She was unable to get out until Ash and his friends found her stuck there. Using Clemont's Aipom Arm, the group was able to get Nurse Joy out of the fissure. As a reward, she took the group to the Pokémon Center she worked in. Inside, an Audino she was working with did not get along with her as she left without telling it where she was going. When a Trainer was rushing in with an injured Makuhita, both Nurse Joy and Audino put aside their differences and treated the Makuhita right away, only to go back to fighting again. Nurse Joy revealed that their fighting occurred ever since the Head Nurse put Audino with her. Outside, Team Rocket broke in the Pokémon Center and stole all the Poké Balls. Nurse Joy took on Team Rocket with Audino by Mega Evolving it. After using Mega Audino's Heal Pulse, Ash was able to defeat Team Rocket with Pikachu's Thunderbolt. As a result, Nurse Joy and Audino both got along with each other.
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
Nurse Joy received another redesign for Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon. In the Alola region, her assistants are Comfey and Blissey. Each island of Alola has its own Nurse Joy, with the four of them being sisters.
Melemele Island's Nurse Joy, who runs the Route 1 Pokémon Center, debuted in First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style!, in which she met Ash for the first time and treated his Pikachu. The Nurse Joy from Akala Island first appeared in The Island Whisperer!, where she was seen working in her Pokémon Center in Paniola Town.
In Real Life...Inquire Within!, Ash and his classmates were on work experience at the Melemele Island Pokémon Center when local Nurse Joy became ill. Ash and his classmates volunteered to substitute for her, and the Nurse Joy from Akala Island later appeared to assist the group in the treatment of Zipp's Garbodor. At the end of the episode, the Nurse Joy from Melemele Island had recovered from her cold.
Melemele Island's Nurse Joy reappeared in Alola, Alola!, where she received help from Brock who was visiting the Alola Region. The next episode revealed that as a thank you for helping her, Nurse Joy had given Brock one of her Comfey.
Poni Island's Nurse Joy appeared from That's Some Spicy Island Research! to A Grand Debut!. Ash and his classmates stayed with her at the Seafolk Village Pokémon Center while they completed their school projects.
Ula'ula Island's Nurse Joy debuted in Drawn with the Wind!.
All four Nurse Joy sisters appeared in Battle Royal 151!, where they were on standby during the Manalo Conference.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
In Working My Way Back to Mew!, Ash and Goh visited a Kantonian Nurse Joy after Scorbunny was poisoned by a wild Venonat's Poison Powder. She briefly took Scorbunny into her care and healed it.
In Caring for a Mystery!, the same Nurse Joy who gave Ash the Thunder Stone gave Ash an Egg that eventually hatched into a Riolu.
In Goodbye, Friend!, Littleroot Town's Nurse Joy gave Ash and Goh an advice on how to locate migrating Beautifly.
A Galarian Nurse Joy debuted in Toughing It Out!. Unlike her other regional designs, she doesn't wear any pink; rather, she wears a gray-and-white uniforms. It was also revealed that Galar's Nurse Joy employ Indeedee as their assistants. In the episode, Wyndon's Nurse Joy healed Ash's Galarian Farfetch'd. She reappeared in the next episode.
In Getting to the Heart of it All!, a Nurse Joy was revealed to have lost her substitute doll when her family moved in her childhood. This doll was later reborn as a Banette and started searching for its owner. Thanks to Ash and his friends, Banette was reunited with Nurse Joy and became her assistant.
Pokémon Horizons: The Series
A Kantonian Nurse Joy appeared in For Sure! 'Cause Sprigatito's with Me!. In this episode, Liko was tasked with getting some medicine for the Rising Volt Tacklers and asked the local Nurse Joy, shortly after, the nurse helped a Trainer who had an injured Vulpix.
A Galarian Nurse Joy appeared in Fiery Galarian Moltres.
Character
Nurse Joy is not a single entity. Rather, there are many Joys who work as nurses across the various regions of the Pokémon world. As a rule, Nurse Joys are kind, earnest, honest Pokémon nurses who take care of sick and injured Pokémon, but will confront a Pokémon Trainer if they are not properly caring for their Pokémon.
Nurse Joys are all extremely similar-looking relatives. They are not entirely identical, though aside from themselves, it seems that Brock is the only one who can tell them apart. However, each Nurse Joy will have a different color cross on her hat that indicates which location she works at. The trait of a family made up of nearly identical members is also shared by Officer Jenny, Don George, and Porter.
There are several notable Nurse Joys who appear vastly different from the others. A Nurse Joy acts as the Pokémon League inspector in Showdown at Dark City, her first appearance as anything but an ordinary Nurse Joy. Another Nurse Joy living in the Orange Islands has made her career instead as an archaeologist, leading an expedition to Fukuhara Island No. 4 in Shell Shock. A muscle-bound, kayak-paddling Nurse Joy who also lives in the archipelago was featured, along with her befriended giant Magikarp, in The Joy of Pokémon. Other Nurse Joys living on the islands have a noticeably darker skin tone than their mainland counterparts, likely due to living in a more tropical region. In The Island of Illusions!, a Nurse Joy appears as a Pokémon Center investigator, tasked with the investigation of illegally operating Pokémon Centers. Not unlike the Pokémon League inspector Nurse Joy, her first appearance did not allude to her true identity, and she was visibly older when she finally revealed herself.
Although there are many exceptions, Nurse Joy will generally have Chansey in Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, Audino in Unova and the Decolore Islands, Wigglytuff in Kalos, Blissey and Comfey in Alola, and Indeedee in Galar to assist her.
Nurse Joys give out first partner Pokémon to beginning Trainers in towns or cities without Pokémon Professors, such as Slateport City. Adhering to their role as government workers, they may also work as inspectors for the Pokémon Inspection Agency, grading Pokémon Gyms. Nurse Joys living in locations with Contest Halls will also be a part of the panel of judges for Pokémon Contests and Grand Festival tournaments. When reviewing a Pokémon's performance or battle, Nurse Joys will often comment on the Pokémon's health and sync with the Coordinator. Unlike fellow judges Mr. Contesta and Mr. Sukizo, who only judge competitions sanctioned by the Pokémon Activities Committee, Nurse Joy has been seen judging informal Pokémon Contests in Once More With Reeling! and Borrowing on Bad Faith!.
Pokémon
Recurring
The following are Pokémon that recurrently appear with Nurse Joy in the anime.
| Debut | Pokémon Emergency! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Tomoe Hanba Tomoko Kawakami (DP038) Kana Hanazawa (JN060) |
| English | Rachael Lillis (EP002-AG144) Sarah Natochenny (AG174-DP016) Emily Jenness (DP038-present) |
- Main article: Nurse Joy's Chansey
| Debut | Ignorance is Blissey |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Mako Hyōdō (EP129) |
| English | Rachael Lillis (EP129) Emily Jenness (DP133) Sarah Natochenny (SM004-SM068) |
- Main article: Nurse Joy's Blissey
Blissey first appeared under a Nurse Joy's ownership in Ignorance is Blissey. This Blissey had known Jessie from their days studying at the Pokémon Nurse School together. Another Blissey appeared in Uncrushing Defeat!, where she helped Ash's party recover from their defeat from Paul.
The Nurse Joys in Alola all use Blissey together with Comfey.
| Debut | Dreams by the Yard Full! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Misato Fukuen Chiaki Takahashi Megumi Hayashibara |
| English | Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld |
- Main article: Nurse Joy's Audino
In Unova and the Decolore Islands, Nurse Joys typically use Audino as their partners. There is also a Nurse Joy in the Kalos region whose Audino is capable of Mega Evolving.
| Debut | A Battle of Aerial Mobility! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Mariya Ise |
| English | Michele Knotz |
- Main article: Nurse Joy's Wigglytuff
In the Kalos region, Nurse Joys typically are seen with Wigglytuff, in observance of an old tale where a lone Wigglytuff an calmed a mass outbreak of Flygon by itself and healed all the Pokémon harmed by their rampaging.
| Debut | First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Suzy Myers |
- Main article: Nurse Joy's Comfey
Other
| の | This article is missing information on this character's English voice actor and Japanese voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
This listing is for Pokémon various individual Nurse Joys have had during the course of the anime.
| Debut | Pokémon Emergency! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Ikue Otani |
| English | Ikue Otani Rachael Lillis |
Nurse Joy used many of these Pikachu to power the backup generator in the Viridian City Pokémon Center when the main power gets cut. After charging the generators, the Pikachu came out to the main lobby and jumped on top of Ash's Pikachu, who was in critical condition. Using Thunder Shock, they all attacked the pursuing Team Rocket and healed Ash's Pikachu at the same time.
They reappeared in Ash's flashback in Pikachu's Goodbye.
Pikachu's only known move is Thunder Shock.
| Debut | Get Along, Little Pokémon |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Eric Stuart Addie Blaustein |
Many Magnemite were seen on the telephone screen while Ash, Misty, Tracey, and Ethan were talking to Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny in a nearby town. They were used to generate electricity and run the Pokémon Center.
None of Magnemite's moves are known.
| Debut | The Mystery Menace |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Megumi Hayashibara |
| English | Tara Jayne |
On Mandarin Island, an unknown Pokémon hiding in the sewers of Trovitopolis was "menacing" the town. The Pokémon turned out to be a giant Bulbasaur that was once abandoned by the Mayor of Trovitopolis, and was eventually adopted by Nurse Joy.
Bulbasaur's only known move is Vine Whip.
| Debut | Grin to Win! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Rachael Lillis |
Like all residents of Bloomingvale, Nurse Joy owns a Sunflora that she received in a trade from Cyrus. Sonrisa's Sunflora, Sunny, used to play with Gwendela when it was with Cyrus, but became gloomy after it was traded. Sunny was led to Gwendela and soon started to dance. It was not given a nickname in the Japanese version.
None of Sunflora's moves are known.
| Debut | EP250 |
|---|
The Nurse Joy who lives inside the Ice Path runs a Pokémon Center that takes care of several Ice-type Pokémon—a Jynx being one of them. Jynx is Nurse Joy's main helper in the center, much like the Chansey of most other centers.
Jynx's known moves are Blizzard, Powder Snow, and Lovely Kiss.
| Debut | EP250 |
|---|
The Nurse Joy who lives inside the Ice Path runs a Pokémon Center that takes care of several Ice-type Pokémon—many of them being Swinub.
Swinub's only known move is Powder Snow.
| Debut | EP250 |
|---|
The Nurse Joy who lives inside the Ice Path runs a Pokémon Center that takes care of several Ice-type Pokémon—some of them being Piloswine. Piloswine is used for sledding, similar to sled dogs in the real world.
Piloswine's known moves are Powder Snow and Blizzard.
| Debut | Having a Wailord of a Time |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Chinami Nishimura (as Torchic) Tomoe Hanba (as Combusken) |
| English | Rachael Lillis (as Torchic) Darren Dunstan (as Combusken) |
As a Torchic, it was supposed to be given to a beginning Trainer in Hoenn. It was crafty and quite strong, pretending to cry in front of Pikachu and managing to defeat Corphish. It gained so much experience that it evolved into a Combusken. Once it evolved, it was no longer suitable to be a first partner Pokémon, and so it stayed in the Pokémon Center.
Combusken's known moves are Scratch, Peck, Ember, and Flamethrower.
| Debut | Celebi and Joy! |
|---|
Ritchie rode Nurse Joy's Ponyta from Marion Town, successfully changing the past by preventing Nick's death.
None of Ponyta's moves are known.
| Debut | The Saffron Con |
|---|
The Nurse Joy of Saffron City was seen using a Scizor to cut Jessie's hair after James's Cacnea had gotten tangled into them during her Contest training.
None of Scizor's moves are known.
| Debut | Off the Unbeaten Path |
|---|
Nurse Joy's Oddish participated in the Pokémon Orienteering competition.
None of Oddish's moves are known.
| Debut | Odd Pokémon Out! |
|---|
The Nurse Joy of Camomile Island owns a Meganium that is in love with a wild Tropius. Grovyle was, in turn, in love with Meganium; Grovyle battled with Tropius for Meganium.
Meganium's known moves are Growl, Razor Leaf, and Aromatherapy.
| Debut | Drifloon On the Wind! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Kumiko Ito Junko Ueda Ito Sakata |
Marnie and Paige, the two young daughters of a Nurse Joy, own four Drifloon, which they use for transportation.
None of Drifloon's moves are known.
The Nurse Joy of Pastoria City owns a Croagunk named Chrissy (Japanese: グレミ Guremi). Hamilton proposed his Croagunk, Craig, to Chrissy, but Brock broke into the argument, proposing his Croagunk to Chrissy. Later on, when Team Rocket invaded, Chrissy defeated their mecha and was pronounced winner of the Pastoria Croagunk Festival because of this act.
Chrissy's only known move is Vacuum Wave.
| Debut | DPS02 |
|---|
A Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Inspection Agency owns a Latias. She was used to battle against Forrest's Rhyperior in the Pewter Gym, in order to determine whether the Gym should be closed or not. Although Latias won the battle, Nurse Joy was impressed by Forrest's skill and spared the Pewter Gym.
Latias's known moves are Dragon Pulse, Recover, Ice Beam, and Steel Wing.
| Debut | Getting to the Heart of it All! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Fumiko Takekuma |
Banette, named Bay-Bay (Japanese: ゴンちゃん Gon-chan), was originally a substitute doll that a Joy owned as a child. It was accidentally left behind when her family moved, coming to life years later as a Pokémon. Ash and his friends helped it to reunite with its owner, and it became Nurse Joy's assistant.
None of Bay-Bay's moves are known.
Given away
| Debut | Having a Wailord of a Time |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Megumi Hayashibara |
| English | Lindsey Warner |
Stephanie's Mudkip was looked after by Ash and Max. At first it seemed to be a crybaby, but after being looked after by Brock's Mudkip, everything turned out fine and it was picked by Stephanie as her first partner Pokémon.
None of Mudkip's moves are known.
| Debut | Having a Wailord of a Time |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Yūji Ueda |
| English | Dan Green |
Stephanie's father's Treecko was looked after by Ash and Max. She seemed to take a liking to Ash's Treecko in that she held something in her mouth, in her case a flower. She was picked by Stephanie's father because she had nowhere to go.
None of Treecko's moves are known.
- Main article: Brock's Comfey
Brock received this Comfey as a gift from the Melemele Island Nurse Joy as thanks for helping her out at the Pokémon Center in Alola, Alola!.
| Debut | Caring for a Mystery! |
|---|
- Main article: Ash's Riolu
Riolu's Egg originally came from the Sinnoh region, ultimately coming under the care of the Vermilion City Nurse Joy. When Ash battled Hayden, the Egg sensed the strong Aura emitted by him and reacted to it. As the Egg reacted to Ash's presence by rolling towards him, Nurse Joy decided to entrust the Egg to him.
Temporary
| Debut | The Ultimate Test |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Unshō Ishizuka |
| English | Eric Stuart |
Squirtle is one of the Pokémon owned by the Pokémon League entrance exam instructor. It appeared under Nurse Joy's command, battling the instructor's Charmander. It is unknown who won.
Squirtle's known moves are Water Gun and Skull Bash*.
| Debut | Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snorunt! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Miyako Itō |
| English | Kayzie Rogers |
- Main article: Ash's Snorunt
A Nurse Joy in charge of a Pokémon Center on the snowy mountains of Izabe Island commanded Snorunt to use Icy Wind on Team Rocket after they attempted to steal both Snorunt and Pikachu, but Wobbuffet reflected the attack with Mirror Coat.
| Debut | Thawing an Icy Panic! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Yuka Terasaki |
The Nurse Joy in Coumarine City looked after a Vanillite who got separated from its friends, Vanillish and Vanilluxe. After Team Rocket attempted to steal Vanillite, Vanillite returned to its friends.
Vanillite's only known move is Blizzard.
Befriended
| Debut | The Joy of Pokémon |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Unshō Ishizuka |
| English | Addie Blaustein (as Magikarp) Unshō Ishizuka (as Gyarados) |
Nurse Joy befriended a Gyarados when it was a giant Magikarp. It first appeared as a Magikarp when it jumped out of the water in front of Ash and his friends. Nurse Joy appeared and fed it tablets, saying the Pokémon that live on the islands are too small for a Pokémon Center and need medicine if sick. It was later revealed that Nurse Joy had known Magikarp since she was small and found it washed up on the shore; she later cared for it as it grew and grew. The Magikarp later appeared when Team Rocket captured Ash and his friends, including Nurse Joy, stopping them from helping a very sick Seel. Magikarp appeared and rammed Team Rocket's submarine, then suddenly evolved into a Gyarados and defeated Team Rocket.
Gyarados's only known move is Tackle.
| Debut | The Island of Illusions! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Chinami Nishimura (as Zorua) |
| English | Chinami Nishimura (as Zorua) |
Zoroark first appeared as a Giant Pokémon in front of the cruise Ash and his friends were on. Next, it appeared on Grand Spectrala Islet as a giant Heatmor, creating a fire in a forest with its Flamethrower. Its next trick was creating an illusion of a giant Meowth scaring Team Rocket this time. Then at the Pokémon Center located at Grand Spectrala Islet, it was revealed that as a Zorua, it had befriended a Nurse Joy in the past. Eventually, the two met each other again in the present. In the end, Zoroark was seen along with Nurse Joy waving goodbye to Ash and the others as they were leaving the island.
None of Zoroark's moves are known, and its Ability is Illusion.
Voice actors
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Artwork
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| Official artwork from the original series |
Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: Black & White |
Official artwork from Pokémon the Series: XY |
Other
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| Artwork from "After the story"[1] |
I Choose You! trilogy
Three Nurse Joy appeared in I Choose You!, which is part of a trilogy set in a different continuity from the main series.
One of them was seen operating a Pokémon Center in a forest, where she healed Verity's Pokémon. She then warned Verity about Team Rocket, who were wanted for stealing Pokémon. Shortly after, a Trainer came running in the Pokémon Center with his injured Vaporeon, who the Trainer claimed was defeated by an Entei. Nurse Joy proceeded to take care of Vaporeon, but was shocked when she saw all of the Trainers in the Pokémon Center leaving to chase after Entei.
Another Nurse Joy was seen operating a Pokémon Center in an unnamed town. She healed Ash's Charmeleon after it got badly injured in a battle with Cross.
A third Nurse Joy operated a Pokémon Center near a lake, close to the Raizen Mountains. She healed Ash's Pikachu after he had battled with Ho-Oh.
A Nurse Joy later appeared in The Power of Us, where she was seen working in the Pokémon Center of Fula City.
Pokémon
| Debut | I Choose You! |
|---|
- Main article: Nurse Joy's Chansey
Chansey is a Pokémon that helps Nurse Joy with nursing Pokémon at the Pokémon Center. Three different Chansey belonging to three different Nurse Joy appeared in I Choose You!.
Voice actors
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Alternate World Nurse Joy
An alternate version of Nurse Joy from the Alternate World appeared in Showdown at the Gates of Warp!. She operates the Pokémon Center in Sandgem Town.
In the games
In the core series
Nurse Joy appeared in Pokémon Yellow and also in Yellow's respective remakes, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle League
Nurse Joy appears in Pokémon Puzzle League, in this game, a Nurse Joy is seen alongside Chansey in the game's Options Menu display screen.
Nurse Joy in Pokémon Yellow
Nurse Joy in Pokémon Puzzle League
In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
Nurse Joy appeared in The Birth Of The Invincible Team, Max And Ralts!!.
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Nurse Joy makes a cameo appearance in You Gotta Have Friends, where she recommends that Ash take Pikachu on a trip to the countryside to relieve stress, as it has been battling too hard. Brock is the only character that can tell the many Nurse Joys apart.
Generic Pokémon Center ladies appear at various points in the manga as well.
Movie adaptations
Similar to the anime, Nurse Joy has made some appearances in movie adaptations such as Genesect and the Legend Awakened.
She reappeared in Hoopa and the Clash of Ages alongside her Wigglytuff.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Nurse Joy appeared in Battle Frontier Challenge: The Flute Cup! and Caring for a Mystery!.
Pokémon
 Chansey ♀ |
Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl
Nurse Joy debuted in PDP04. She reappeared in PDP20.
Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys
Nurse Joy appeared in Falkner The Bird Keeper's Challenge!!, where she was taking care of Gold's Totodile.
Pokémon
 Chansey ♀ |
Trivia
- Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and Don George all have Japanese names that begin with the kana ジ, while their English names all start with the same sound, dʒ. They also all happen to be part of a large, extended family.
- Every Nurse Joy in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova can be easily told apart by the color of the cross on their hat, while Nurse Joys in Kalos are told apart by the color of the badge on their lapel. Colors can repeat in different regions, however.
- Nurse Joy is the third character in the English dub to have her original voice actress reprise her role following the voice actor switch, after Giovanni and Raoul Contesta.
- Both of Nurse Joy's voice actresses during the 4Kids Entertainment dub, Megan Hollingshead and Bella Hudson, have reprised their roles at one point since The Pokémon Company International took over the dubbing of the anime.
- Nurse Joy is the only female character with this distinction, and the only one who wasn’t voiced by Craig Blair prior to regaining her original voice actress.
- Nurse Joy was the first character from a previous series to appear in Pokémon Horizons: The Series.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ジョーイ Joy | From 女医 joi (female doctor) |
| English | Nurse Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Arabic | الممرضة جوي | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Bulgarian | Сестра Джой Sestra Dzhoy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 祖兒 Jóuyìh 喬伊 Kìuhyī |
Transliteration of Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 喬伊 / 乔伊 Qiáoyī | Transliteration of Japanese name |
| Danish | Søster Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Dutch | Zuster Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Finnish | Hoitaja Joy Sisar Joy* |
Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| French | Infirmière Joëlle | From Japanese name, with title added |
| German | Schwester Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Hebrew | האחות ג'וי Ha'Akhot Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Italian | Infermiera Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Korean | 간호순 Ganhosun | From 간호사 ganhosa (nurse) |
| Malay | Nurse Joy* Jururawat Joy* |
Same as English name Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Polish | Siostra Joy Pielęgniarka Joy* |
Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Enfermeira Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Romanian | Sora Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Russian | Медсестра Джой Medsestra Dzhoy | Transliteration of Japanese name, with title added |
| Spanish | Enfermera Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Swedish | Syster Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Thai | จอย Joy | Same as her Japanese name |
| Turkish | Hemşire Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
| Vietnamese | Y tá Joy | Same as Japanese name, with title added |
References
Related articles
| Nurse Joy's Pokémon | ||||||
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| See also: Pokémon the Series characters |
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
- Characters
- Female characters
- Animation characters
- Manga characters
- Articles needing more information
- Characters with an unknown English voice actor
- Characters with an unknown Japanese voice actor
- Articles with section stubs
- Contest Judges
- Pokémon Horizons: The Series characters
- Duplicate characters
- Electric Tale of Pikachu characters
- Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl characters
- Trainers with Legendary Pokémon
- Trainers with Key Stones
- Red, Blue and Yellow characters
- Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! characters
- Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys characters
