View source for Cross-dressing

'''{{wp|Cross-dressing}}''' is a recurring element in [[Pokémon]] media.

==In the core series games==
===Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver===
In {{game5|Gold|Silver|Crystal|HeartGold|SoulSilver}}, the [[Fuchsia Gym]] challenge involves finding out who is the real [[Janine]]. There are three girls as well as {{tc|Camper}} Barry disguised as Janine. Camper Barry makes this remark about his disguise after battle:
* ''"Hey, dude. Was my disguise cute or what, huh?"''{{sup/2|GS}}
* ''"Hey, you. Was my disguise cute or what, huh?"''{{sup/2|C}}
* ''"That's right, I'm a boy! What's wrong with a boy dressing up as Janine?"''{{sup/4|HGSS}}

In those games, when the player interacts with {{OBP|Copycat|character}}, she quickly copies their appearance. Therefore, if the player selected {{ga|Ethan}} as the player character in the current game, Copycat appears cross-dressing as Ethan.

===Pokémon Black and White===
After the player has defeated [[Team Plasma]] at [[N's Castle]] and returned [[player's house|home]], there is a cutscene where [[Looker]] appears disguised as the player's {{OBP|Mom|Black 2 and White 2}}. In this cutscene, it seems that two identical "Moms"  are talking with each other at first, but then Looker reveals his true identity as one of the "Moms". Looker also mentions that he forgot that he was still wearing his Mom disguise.

===Pokémon Black 2 and White 2===
In the Japanese and French versions of [[Pokémon Black and White Versions 2|Pokémon Black 2 and White 2]], {{tc|Nursery Aide}} June admits to being a man disguised as a woman in order to be a Nursery Aide, but this dialogue is cut from the English translations. Nursery Aide June appears during the [[Season (game mechanic)|summer]] at the {{DL|Nimbasa City|Rondez-View Ferris Wheel}} if the player is male.

===Ashley in the games===
Ashley (Japanese: サトコ ''Satoko''), the cross-dressing version of {{Ash}} in ''[[Pokémon the Series]]'', is referenced in several [[core series]] games.

In the Japanese versions of {{game|Crystal}}, {{game|FireRed and LeafGreen|s|FireRed, LeafGreen}}, {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s|Diamond, Pearl}}, {{v2|Platinum}}, {{game|HeartGold and SoulSilver|s|HeartGold, and SoulSilver}}, サトコ (''Satoko'') is one of the default names for the female player characters {{ga|Kris}}, {{ga|Leaf}}, {{ga|Dawn}}, or {{ga|Lyra}}. However, in the English versions, this was replaced by other names unrelated to Ashley: "Jodi" for Kris and Leaf, or "Britney" for Dawn and Lyra. Ash (Japanese: サトシ ''Satoshi'') is one of the suggested names for the male character in all those games other than Pokémon Crystal, and in {{game|Yellow}} as well.

==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Puzzle League===
In [[Pokémon Puzzle League]], the [[Team Rocket trio]] is shown wearing some of their disguises from ''[[Pokémon the Series]]'' in the background of the Spa Service mode, including some of their cross-dressing disguises.

==In ''Pokémon the Series''==
Cross-dressing is a {{wp|running gag}} in ''[[Pokémon the Series]]''.
==={{Ash}} and {{AP|Pikachu}}===
[[File:Ashley.png|thumb|150px|Ash as Ashley]]
{{anchor|Ashley}}'''Ashley''' (Japanese: '''サトコ''' ''Satoko'') was the name {{Ash}} used when he {{wp|Cross-dressing|cross-dressed}} in ''[[EP026|Pokémon Scent-sation!]]''.

Ash dressed up as Ashley when he was barred access to the [[Celadon Gym]] for insulting the perfume which the [[Gym]] was known for manufacturing.  [[Jessie]], [[James]], and {{MTR}} saw that he had been thrown out, and offered to help him get in the Gym with a disguise. He reluctantly agreed, and they dressed him up as a girl. As Ashley, Ash wore an orange frilly dress that had a pink ribbon in the back, a blonde wig with a pink ribbon and red high heels. They entered disguised as a family, with Ash playing the part of the daughter. He remained incognito for a while, even as {{an|Brock}} and {{an|Misty}} greeted him, but his cover was blown when {{AP|Pikachu}} recognized him. Ash tried to ignore Pikachu, but after he was hit with a {{m|Thunderbolt}}, his wig disintegrated and his identity was revealed, much to a very angry [[Erika]]'s dismay. Ash would eventually get his Gym battle with Erika anyway, without the dress. Ash reused the name Ashley in ''[[BW098|Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!]]''.

=====Names=====
{| class="roundy" style="background: #{{cool color}}; border: 3px solid #{{cool color dark}}"
|-
! Language
! Name
! Origin
|- style="background:#FFF"
| Japanese
| サトコ ''Satoko''
| From ''Satoshi'', Ash's Japanese name
|- style="background:#FFF"
| English, Danish, Dutch<br>Finnish, German, Italian<br>Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
| Ashley
| From Ash
|- style="background:#FFF"
| French
| Natacha
| From ''Sacha'', Ash's French name
|}

====Other outfits====
* In ''[[AG042|Love at First Flight]]'', Ash wore [[Juliet|Juliet's]] outfit and a wig that looks exactly like her hair to help [[Romeo]] talk to her.
* In ''[[DP062|Tanks for the Memories!]]'', Ash and Pikachu wore a French maid's outfit while helping at the [[Café Cabin]].
* In ''[[BW098|Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!]]'', Ash wore a light blue dress with a light pink bow in the middle, and a pink wig with yellow bows on each side, and Pikachu disguised as a female by sticking a heart-shaped piece of paper on his tail.
* In ''[[SM068|Real Life...Inquire Within!]]'', Ash wore a nurse outfit similar to the one that the [[Nurse Joy]] of [[Melemele Island]] wears. At first, he wore the female uniform, but later, he changed to a male uniform.

<gallery>
Ash_maid.png|Ash's maid outfit
Ash_Cilan_crossdressing.png|Ash and Cilan cross-dressing
Pikachu as female Pikachu.png|Pikachu disguised as a female
</gallery>

===[[Ash's friends]]===
* In ''[[BW069|Climbing the Tower of Success!]]'', {{an|Cilan}} and his {{TP|Cilan|Pansage}} dressed like [[Elesa]] and her {{p|Emolga}} in the costume contest portion of the Wishing Bell Festival.
* In ''[[BW098|Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!]]'', Cilan wore a pink dress with red roses and a blond wig.
* In ''[[XY115|Battling at Full Volume!]]'', {{an|Serena}} posed as Ash by wearing his clothing.

<gallery>
Cilan_as_Elesa.png|Cilan as Elesa
Serena_as_Ash.png|Serena in Ash's clothes
</gallery>

===[[Jessie]], [[James]], and {{MTR}}===
* In ''[[EP015|Battle Aboard the St. Anne]]'', James appeared in {{wp|ganguro}} style, infamous for having dark tans and bright makeup. The outfit included black shoes, a short skirt, and a blonde wig that somewhat resembles his regular hairdo, making this the first time that James dressed like a woman in the series.
* James wore a two-piece bikini with giant inflatable breasts in ''[[EP018|Beauty and the Beach]]''. The swimsuit was never seen in the English dub, since the scene containing them was cut.
* In ''[[EP022|Abra and the Psychic Showdown]]'', James wore a hula girl outfit complete with a {{wp|Lei (garland)|lei}} necklace, green grass skirt, and wig.
* In ''[[EP028|Pokémon Fashion Flash]]'', Jessie and James cross-dressed in a fashion similar to that of the manga ''{{wp|The Rose of Versailles}}''. They reused these outfits in ''[[AG047|I Feel Skitty!]]''.
* In ''[[EP029|The Punchy Pokémon]]'', Jessie, James, and Meowth stole {{OBP|Giant|EP029}}’s clothes and {{p|Hitmonlee}} to enter the [[P1 Grand Prix]], with Jessie being the face of Giant.
* In ''[[EP050|Who Gets to Keep Togepi?]]'', James posed as a female Egg-seller with an old-fashioned dress, bonnet, and basket full of fake [[Pokémon Egg]]s in an attempt to steal the {{TP|Misty|Togepi}} Egg.
* In ''[[EP053|The Purr-fect Hero]]'', Jessie and James performed a fake magic act for the schoolchildren, with Jessie wearing a magician's tuxedo, top hat, and glasses, and James wearing a pink dress and disguised as the lovely assistant.
* In ''[[EP054|The Case of the K-9 Caper]]'', James disguised himself as [[Officer Jenny]]. He reused this outfit along with Meowth in ''[[DP096|Losing Its Lustrous!]]'' and ''[[DP097|Double Team Turnover!]]''.
* In ''[[EP061|The Misty Mermaid]]'', Jessie and James wore {{wp|Swan Lake}}-inspired costumes and performed in the [[Cerulean Gym]]'s Underwater Ballet show. Jessie dressed as a prince while James was in a pink tutu. James's ballet outfit reappeared in ''[[EP122|Flower Power]]''.
* In ''[[EP071|To Master the Onixpected!]]'', Jessie posed as an old hermit with a long beard and attempted to steal meatball kebabs from a rest stop near [[Mt. Hideaway]].
* In ''[[EP074|All Fired Up!]]'', James disguised himself as a League Official in an ancient Greek maiden's costume. 
* In ''[[EP076|Fire and Ice]]'', James disguised himself as an ordinary nurse, with a surgical mask covering his mouth and glasses, at a fake Pokémon Center that he and Jessie had set up.
* In ''[[EP083|Poké Ball Peril]]'', Jessie disguised herself as a male air captain with a moustache to lure {{Ash}} and {{an|Misty}} onto the Team Rocket trio's airship.
* In ''[[EP100|Wherefore Art Thou Pokémon?]]'', Jessie and James cross-dressed as a newlywed groom and bride, respectively.
* In ''[[EP128|The Whistle Stop]]'', Jessie disguised herself as a mustachioed TV presenter.
* In ''[[EP151|The Totodile Duel]]'', James posed as an auxiliary lady from the Pokémon Battler's Association.
* In ''[[EP226|Espeon Not Included]]'', James disguised himself as a {{wp|Geisha}} girl while trying to steal an unevolved {{p|Eevee}} that would later evolve into an {{TP|Sakura|Espeon}}.
* In ''[[AG050|Pros and Con Artists]]'', James and his {{TP|James|Cacnea}} (confirmed male in the English dub only) posed as satisfied female customers at the trio's fake [[Pokéblock]] shop in [[Fallarbor Town]] as an attempt to scam money from the competing [[Pokémon Coordinator]]s.
* In ''[[AG068|A Double Dilemma]]'', Meowth disguised himself as {{an|May}}.
* In ''[[AG104|Claydol Big and Tall]]'', Meowth dressed as a female cheerleader and [[Jessie's Wobbuffet]] dressed as a maiden to attract and quell a rampaging {{pkmn2|giant}} {{p|Claydol}}, which proved successful in Wobbuffet's case. Wobbuffet wore this outfit again in ''[[DP062|Tanks for the Memories!]]'' while working as a maid for Team Rocket's pop-up café.
* In ''[[AG122|Deceit and Assist]]'', having stolen his [[Contest Pass]] and [[Ribbon]]s, Jessie disguised herself as {{OBP|Anthony|AG122}} in an attempt to enter the [[Hoenn Grand Festival]].
* James dressed as [[Nurse Joy]] in ''[[AG125|Like a Meowth to a Flame]]''.
* In ''[[AG168|Three Jynx and a Baby!]]'', Meowth disguised himself as a {{p|Smoochum}} (which are always female) in order to fool a trio of parent {{p|Jynx}}, but his disguise failed.
* In ''[[DP146|Dressed for Jess Success!]]'', James disguised himself as Jessilina, Jessie's {{pkmn|Contest}} disguise, and took her place while she remained in bed.
* In ''[[BW141|Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!]]'', Jessie covered James's absence from the trio by disguising half of herself as James.
* James and Meowth both cross-dressed as Nurse Joy in ''[[XY057|Thawing an Icy Panic!]]''.
* In ''[[JN081|Mad About Blue!]]'', James and Meowth cross-dress while showing off Wobbuffet to [[Gorman]] and [[Bluto]], who were fascinated by blue {{OBP|Pokémon|species}}.

<gallery>
Team_Rocket_ganguro_girls.png|James dressed in ganguro style
EP018DeletedShot.png|The infamous scene that got cut in the English dub
Disguises EP022.png|James (right) disguised as a hula girl 
Oscar and Andi Team Rocket.png|Jessie and James cross-dressing in the style of The Rose of Versailles
Disguises EP029.png|Jessie as Giant
Disguises EP050.png|James disguised as a female Egg-seller
Disguises EP053.png|James as a female assistant and Jessie as a male magician
Team Rocket Disguised Officers.png|James disguised as Jenny
Team Rocket Disguise EP061.png|Jessie and James as a prince and ballerina
Team Rocket Disguise EP071.png|Jessie as a hermit with a long beard
TR disguises EP074.png|James dressed as an ancient Greek maiden
Disguises EP076.png|James disguised as a female nurse
Team Rocket Disguise EP083.png|Jessie disguised as a male air captain with a moustache
Team Rocket Disguise EP100.png|Jessie and James cross-dressing as newlyweds
EP110 Team Rocket Disguises 2.png|James disguised in drag in ''[[EP110|The Stun Spore Detour]]''
Team Rocket Disguise EP151.png|James as an auxiliary lady from the Pokémon Battlers Association
EP226 Team Rocket Disguises.png|James (left) disguised as a Geisha girl
File:Team Rocket Disguise AG044.png|Jessie disguised as a mustachioed [[Mirage Kingdom]] guard
File:AG045 The Ball.png|James disguised as a female fortune teller
Team Rocket Disguise AG050.png|James and his Cacnea disguised as female customers
Team Rocket Disguise AG068.png|Meowth disguised as May
Team Rocket Disguise AG096.png|Jessie disguised as a mustachioed sea captain
Team Rocket Disguise AG104.png|Wobbuffet disguised as a maiden
Team Rocket disguise AG122.png|Jessie disguised as Anthony
AG125_Rocket_disguise.png|James disguised as Joy 
Team Rocket Disguise AG168.png|Meowth disguised as Smoochum
James as Jessilina.png|James as Jessilina
Team Rocket disguise BW141 Jessie.png|Jessie disguised halfway as James
Team Rocket Disguise XY008.png|Meowth disguised as a Pokémon groomer's female assistant
Team Rocket Disguise XY029.png|Meowth disguised as {{an|Bonnie}}
Team Rocket Disguise XY057.png|James and Meowth disguised as Joy
Team Rocket Disguise SM059.png|Wobbuffet disguised as a mother pushing Meowth in a stroller
Team Rocket Disguise SM082.png|Jessie and James cross-dressing in ''[[SM082|All They Want to Do is Dance Dance!]]''
Team Rocket Disguise JN049.png|Meowth disguised as a schoolgirl
Team Rocket Disguise JN081.png|James and Meowth cross-dressing in ''Mad About Blue!''
</gallery>

===Other cross-dressing moments===
* In ''[[EP037|Ditto's Mysterious Mansion]]'', when Ash and his friends first meet [[Duplica]], she is disguised as Ash and even briefly imitates his voice.
* In ''[[EP061|The Misty Mermaid]]'', {{an|Daisy}} portrays the prince in the [[Cerulean Gym]] Underwater Ballet.
* In ''[[AG083|Unfair Weather Friends]]'', [[Brodie]] disguises himself as [[Millie]] in an attempt to steal ancient Pokémon data.
* In ''[[AG119|The Ribbon Cup Caper]]'', Brodie disguises himself as a {{tc|Lady}} and later Officer Jenny in an attempt to steal the [[Ribbon Cup]].
* In ''[[AG180|May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!]]'', [[Harley]] cross-dressed as {{an|May}}, calling himself "Mayley" (Japanese: '''ハリカ''' ''Harika''), much to May's embarrassment and [[Solidad]]'s amusement.
* In ''[[BW069|Climbing the Tower of Success!]]'', [[Stephan]] and his {{TP|Stephan|Sawk}} dressed like Nurse Joy and her {{p|Audino}} in the costume contest portion of the Wishing Bell Festival. [[Ricky]] and his {{p|Elgyem}} also entered the contest, dressed as Officer Jenny and her {{p|Growlithe}} respectively.
* In ''[[BW080|Clash of the Connoisseurs!]]'', [[Burgundy]] disguises herself as a male [[Pokémon Connoisseur]] named "Fauxgundy".

<gallery>
Duplica Ash.png|Duplica disguised as Ash
Daisy EP061.png|Daisy portraying the prince in the Cerulean Gym Underwater Ballet
Brodie Millie.png|Brodie disguised as Millie
Brodie disguised.png|Brodie disguised as a Lady
Mayley.png|Harley cross-dressing as May
Stephan as Nurse Joy.png|Stephan cosplaying as Nurse Joy
Burgundy as Fauxgundy.png|Burgundy disguised as "Fauxgundy"
</gallery>

==In the manga==
[[File:Rudy crossdressing.png|thumb|150px|Rudy dressed as a woman in [[The Electric Tale of Pikachu]]]]
===The Electric Tale of Pikachu===
In ''[[ET16|You Bet Your Wife]]'', [[Rudy]] (known as Jeremy in the English translation of the manga) started to dress as a woman to become a big sister for his younger sister [[Mahri]].

===Pokémon Adventures===
===={{MangaArc|Yellow}}====
During most of this arc, {{adv|Yellow}} was disguised as a boy in her quest to find {{adv|Red}}, following {{adv|Green}}'s instructions to hide her identity.

===={{MangaArc|Gold, Silver & Crystal}}====
In ''[[PS162|Heckled by Hitmontop]]'', Green appeared disguised as an old man with an {{p|Abra}}. She revealed her identity to {{adv|Silver}} and her Abra {{m|teleport}}ed Silver away.
{{-}}

==In the TCG==
[[File:CopycatEvolvingSkies200.jpg|thumb|150px|{{OBP|Copycat|Expedition 138}}<br>({{TCG|Evolving Skies}} print)]]
The {{OBP|Copycat|Expedition 138}} card features several different print variations in which {{OBP|Copycat|character}} is seen cross-dressing as {{ga|Ethan}} as well as cosplaying as other male and female characters.
{{-}}

==Trivia==
* {{an|Brock}} has been shown to be able to identify when women are really men in disguise by having a peculiar lack of attraction to them. He's also able to do the opposite. A significant exception to this is Ash, who in the guise of Ashley was able to fool Brock.

==See also==
* {{wp|Cross-dressing|Cross-dressing on Wikipedia}}
* [[List of clothing (anime)]]
* [[List of Team Rocket's disguises]]

[[Category:Pokémon world]]
[[Category:Animated series running gags]]