Caroline
| Caroline ミツコ Mitsuko | |
 Caroline | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Lavender |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Hometown | Petalburg City |
| Region | Hoenn |
| Relatives | May (daughter), Max (son), Norman (husband) |
| Game counterpart | Mom |
| Anime debut | There's no Place Like Hoenn |
| English voice actor | Megan Hollingshead (AG003) Karen Neill (AG069-AG132) Klara Leopold (AG180) |
| Japanese voice actor | Yumi Touma |
Caroline (Japanese: ミツコ Mitsuko) is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. She is the mother of May and Max, and the wife of Norman.
In the anime
Caroline debuted in There's no Place Like Hoenn. She tried to help May rescue her Torchic from Team Rocket.
In Love, Petalburg Style!, Caroline had become upset and suspicious of her husband because he had been spending time with the local Nurse Joy. As it turned out, Nurse Joy had been helping Norman set up a fireworks display for his and Caroline's wedding anniversary. When Caroline realized this, she immediately apologized and reassured Norman that she loved him. Beautifly hold a special place in Caroline's heart, since Norman proposed to her in a flower and Beautifly-filled meadow.
Later, in Balance of Power, she watched Ash's official match against Norman. Caroline provided commentary and explained her husband's battling strategy to May, Max, and Brock.
Caroline is probably a Pokémon Trainer. In a flashback in A Cacturne for the Worse, she was seen holding a Poké Ball. In this flashback, May had been wearing a blue swimming cap in the ocean and Caroline mistook her for a Tentacool from afar. This is when Caroline pulled out her Poké Ball, in an attempt to catch the "Tentacool" that was really May. She made a cameo appearance in Saved by the Beldum, where she watched Ash competing in the Ever Grande Conference.
Caroline joined Ash and his friends in Slateport City to watch May compete in the Hoenn Grand Festival from Hi Ho Silver Wind! to Rhapsody in Drew. She also called May in May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!. Caroline also reappeared in other flashbacks in Date Expectations! and A Full Course Tag Battle!.
Caroline welcomed her children home in The Scheme Team, following May's participation in the Hoenn Grand Festival and Ash's efforts in the Ever Grande Conference. By The Right Place and the Right Mime, both May and Max had left home again to rejoin Ash in the Kanto region. However, May left behind her Beautifly and Skitty to keep Caroline company.
Her final appearances saw her contacting May at the Kanto Grand Festival in May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!, and watching her in the Wallace Cup on television in Staging a Heroes' Welcome! and Strategy with a Smile!.
Character
Caroline serves as the homemaker of the family, providing home-cooked lunches for her husband Norman. However, Caroline has been shown to direct Norman to do the groceries and to talk to Max whenever he misbehaves. The pair have a very strong and supportive relationship, though Love, Petalburg Style! did expose Caroline's frustration with Norman's naivety, secrecy, and mysterious disappearances. Suspecting that he was being unfaithful, she intended to leave the family home, but these feelings were quickly quashed when Norman revealed that, with Nurse Joy's assistance, he had been designing a special Beautifly-shaped fireworks display to commemorate their anniversary.
May and Max often referenced their mother's gentle nature and cooking while traveling with Ash and Brock. In Pokémon: Jirachi: Wish Maker, May helped get Max to sleep with a lullaby from their childhood, usually sung by their mother, Caroline.
She is immensely supportive and interested in her children's ambitions, and makes an effort to thank their friends. She likes to see the best in people, as in There's no Place Like Hoenn, where she greeted Team Rocket after they blew a hole in the Petalburg Gym's walls. This was seen again in Hi Ho Silver Wind!, where she was glad to see Harley, assuming they were all May's friends despite the others' warnings.
Caroline and May are alike in many aspects: both have similar personalities and are particularly fond of the Pokémon Beautifly. Caroline traveled from her home in Petalburg to Slateport City, where the Hoenn Grand Festival was being hosted, to watch May compete. With Max, however, their relationship differs slightly: she referred to Max as a handful, thanks to his temper tantrums and overwhelming excitement, in There's no Place Like Hoenn. Despite this, she cares deeply for her son and was overjoyed to see him return home briefly in Love, Petalburg Style! and again in The Scheme Team. Because of his youth, Caroline keeps a close eye on her son and maintains a complementary tone to balance out Max's blunt criticisms.
She, like the rest of her family, has gained popularity following Norman's new role as the Petalburg Gym Leader in neighboring North Petalburg and is immensely respected by its local residents. However, Caroline's involvement in the Petalburg Gym is limited, as Norman and his assistant Kenny handle most of the duties and the Pokémon in the greenhouse. Caroline sat and watched Ash's Gym match against Norman in Balance of Power, and was astutely aware of her husband's battling strategies. She reassured Max that everything was going to be okay and to keep watching after Ash took out Norman's Slakoth. She was particularly fascinated by Grovyle's Overgrow Ability and how Ash's determination was challenging Norman's typical battling style.
Pokémon
Cared for
 Beautifly |
 Skitty |
Voice actors
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In the games
- Main article: Mom (Hoenn)
Caroline's game counterpart is the unnamed mother of the player in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire.
In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
Caroline appeared in I'll Win With My Own Battle Style!!, just like in the anime, she is the mother of May and Max and watched Ash's battle against her husband.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ミツコ Mitsuko | May come from 蜜子 (nectar child), 光子 (shining child), 密子 (dense child), or 満子 (child full of blessings). |
| English, French, German, Spanish | Caroline | Comes from care. |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 美津子 Měijīnzǐ | From 美津子 Mitsuko. |
Related articles
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
