Pokemon: Sword & Shield - 10 Things That Make No Sense About Nessa

Summary

• Nessa is one of the best characters introduced in Pokemon Sword & Shield, but there are a few things about her that make no sense from a logical point of view.
• We list just a few plot holes having to do with her characterization in both the anime and the game.
• One example of a nonsensical attribute of hers would be Nessa using Dive Balls to capture land Pokemon.

Nessa is the Water-type gym leader that players will battle while playing through Pokemon Sword and Shield. She's the second gym leader that you will encounter and has tough Pokemon, including a Gigantamax Drednaw.

Pokemon Sword & Shield: Designing A Team For Sonia

If Sonia from Pokemon Sword & Shield had her own team of Pokemon for battling, which ones would be on her roster?

Fans will also encounter Nessa throughout later parts of the game, such as the Champion Cup when the protagonist will have a chance to rematch her. There are many things about Nessa that have little logic involved, and Game Freak definitely left some plot holes in the personality and atmosphere of this character.

Updated April 8, 2024 by Jon Eakin: Nessa is one of those Pokemon characters whose popularity far outweighs their screen time, but even with some fans still viewing Nessa as an icon, some things still don't add up about her. We've spruced this article up, so you can continue scratching your head about what makes Nessa tick.

10 There Is No Water In Nessa's Gym

Most of the Water-type gym leaders in the Pokemon franchise have had at least some amount of water inside their gym so that their Water-type Pokemon can swim around.

Nessa appears to have no water in her gym, which is very strange, considering that she has a Goldeen, which requires water to swim. Nessa should probably consider bringing at least a little bit of water into her gym because, at this moment, it makes no sense.

9 Nessa Is Both A Model And A Gym Leader

Nessa has committed herself to two careers, being a model, and being a Gym Leader. By themselves, these two careers aren't opposites; however, it seems that having both of them takes a strain on Nessa's social life, which is why it is weird that she doesn't decide to pursue one later in her life.

Pokemon: Every Ultra Beast, Ranked

Ultra Sun. Ultra Moon. Ultra Beasts. It was all quite ultra. Naturally, this begs the question — who among them is peak ultra?

This is seen during the Twilight Wings episode when Nessa is frustrated that she has to work both careers and even may have lost a Pokemon battle because she was so focused on her modeling career.

8 Nessa Uses Both A Male And Female Drednaw

During one of the fights with Nessa in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you'll get to battle a male Drednaw. However, during another battle in the game, you'll battle one of Nessa's Pokemon, which is a female Drednaw.

This fact wouldn't be so weird except that both of them are Gigantamax Pokemon, which means that she managed to catch two extremely rare creatures of the same species, which is very unlikely.

7 Sonia And Nessa Are Friends, But They Are Barely Seen Together

Nessa and Sonia are shown together during the Twilight Wings anime, and they have brief interactions with each other otherwise. However, because of their participation in the Gym Challenge years ago, these two characters are supposed to be best friends.

Best friends would try to be friendlier with each other than they appear to be in the games, and it makes little sense that Game Freak didn't decide to include more interactions between these two trainers.

6 Nessa Keeps Her Land Pokemon Inside Of Dive Balls

Nessa keeps every single one of her Pokemon inside of Dive Balls, and on the surface, this may seem like a very normal thing since all of Nessa's Pokemon are Water-types.

Pokemon: Every Region And The Real-World Countries They’re Inspired By

Pokemon regions tend to take inspiration from real-world locations — here are the real-world countries that the main regions are based on.

However, Nessa also has many Water-type Pokemon that live on land, and Dive Balls are specifically known to have a higher capture rate for Pokemon that live under water. It's questionable as to why Nessa didn't use Net Balls to catch Drednaw and many of her other land-based Pokemon.

5 Nessa Always Wears The Same Outfit

Despite the fact that Nessa is supposed to be a model, she always wears the same outfit within Pokemon Sword and Shield.

This is a common theme for video game characters, as it would be way too much work for the developers to constantly replace their outfits. Even though this idea makes sense from a development standpoint, since Nessa is a model, it makes zero sense in terms of logic.

4 Nessa Uses A Drednaw For Gym Battles

Drednaw is a powerful Pokemon; however, Nessa should realize that her Drednaw isn't as powerful as she thinks it is, since it has a double weakness to Grass-types.

The 13 Strongest Snake Pokemon, Ranked

They hiss, they slither, and they're surprisingly strong! Today we're ranking the strongest snake Pokemon ever seen.

You can even catch an Applin on the route right next to Nessa's gym, which means that it is even easier for hopeful trainers to obtain a Grass-type Pokemon and easily defeat Nessa in a Pokemon battle. You would probably expect a gym leader to act more strategically than this and have a single-type Pokemon as their most powerful creature.

3 Nessa Considers Her Rival To Be The Grass-Type Gym Leader Milo

It is revealed that Nessa actually considers the Grass-type gym leader Milo to be her rival, and this may be both because they are similar in strength and also because Milo is a Grass-type gym leader and, as such, he will challenge Nessa more than any of the other gym leaders in the Galar region.

However, Milo does not feel this way about Nessa at all, and it is even revealed that he considers himself to be his own rival, which is why Nessa considering Milo a rival makes very little sense.

2 Nessa's Nickname Is The Raging Wave

Nessa has a nickname similar to most of the gym leaders in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and this name is "The Raging Wave". This nickname is commonly used among her fans.

This nickname is peculiar because Nessa is never seen swimming in the video games, and it doesn't seem like she has much love for water, considering that there is no water in her gym.

1 Aqua Admin Shelly And Nessa Look Very Similar

Nessa and Aqua Admin Shelly have a resemblance that is clearly seen based on their Water-type creatures and blue outfits.

Although it is possible to tell these two characters apart, it is still surprising how similar Game Freak designed these two characters. It is more than just surprising that Game Freak designed these characters to look similar; it is also very unusual because, generally, characters in the Pokemon universe look very different from each other.

Although Nessa and Shelly are two distinct characters and Nessa isn't a part of Team Aqua, there is a real tradition of villainous Gym Leaders in Pokemon. Giovanni, from Red & Blue, being the Viridian City Gym Leader and also the leader of Team Rocket is the best example.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: 20 Best Rock-Types

With so many new and returning Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet, we take a look at the best and strongest Rock types in the game.