‘Pokémon’ Fans Are In Love With Gym Leader Nessa, Our New Water Queen
"Drown me in my sleep!"

Pokémon‘s new Water-type Gym Leader Nessa has arrived to rule the oceans and our hearts.
This morning, Nintendo’s E3 Direct dropped a ton of information about the company’s upcoming video game projects.
A sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in the works. Seiken Densetsu 3 will finally arrive in the West after 25 years, renamed Trials of Mana. A turn-based Dark Crystal tactics game will be released later this year.
We also got more of a look at upcoming games Pokémon Sword and Shield, the next main titles in the much beloved Pokémon series. The new games introduce the Galar region, which appears to be based on Great Britain. They have the new Pokémon Wooloo, which is a straight up sheep that literally rolls away from its problems.
And as Nintendo revealed in today’s E3 Direct, Pokémon Sword and Shield also has Nessa, a Galar region Gym Leader and PokéBritain’s new queen.
I LOVE OYU pic.twitter.com/ftT4MwQGn0
— ?turu??AX!! (@_almakarma) June 11, 2019
The official US Pokémon website describes Nessa as having a “calm and collected attitude [that] hides a competitive spirit and indomitable will”. A master of Water-type Pokémon, Nintendo’s footage showed Nessa using the new Dynamax mechanic to grow her Water/Rock-type Drednaw to the size of a large house.
Nessa’s undeniable sense of style and cool confidence has immediately captured the hearts and loyalties of many Pokémon fans. We may have only gotten a short glimpse of her, but people are already declaring both a willingness and desire to die for their newly crowned aquatic queen.
I'd let Nessa drown me.
— Azure Nimbus (@Azure_Nimbus) June 11, 2019
Wow leader Nessa can drown me
— AbbeyWan (@lesbakura) June 11, 2019
hey nessa pls drown me thanks
— midge (@tamagal21) June 11, 2019
The universal admiration HRH Queen Nessa has been spurred on but a number of factors. Not only is she beautiful, self-assured and powerful enough to kick the arses of you and your entire extended family, but she’s a dark-skinned woman in a series that historically hasn’t included very many.
Fortunate E3 attendees can get a private audience with Gym Leader Nessa now, battling her as part of the Sword and Shield demo at Nintendo’s booth. The rest of us can only admire her from afar, lowly peasants unworthy of entering her presence.
nintendo announced so much cool stuff and i only care about pokemon and Nessa our new black queen pic.twitter.com/leQgXKSHDe
— John Finch (@HiRezFinch) June 11, 2019
I need to talk about my new goddess, Nessa. pic.twitter.com/KgfhfSOoaI
— Meg Z. (@ZimmerMegan) June 11, 2019
How the new Pokemon trainer got me feeling pic.twitter.com/tfPHCcRxxm
— Kat (@Kyaandere) June 11, 2019
Friendship ended with Misty / Now Nessa is my best friend pic.twitter.com/ABU3yqw3PD
— rayyyyyyyy lmao (@RayNarvaezJr) June 11, 2019
Nessa is now the queen of the water type Pokemon. sorry I don't make the rules pic.twitter.com/dy3VSkdCiR
— Ana D. (@AnaLikesPikachu) June 11, 2019
guys meet my new girlfriend her name is nessa and i officially want her to drown me in my sleep !! ??? pic.twitter.com/i5oXOmvoQR
— meg (@aiixawa) June 12, 2019
Nessa is everything my black ass needed god bless
— #1 wooloo stan (@purgatorydotexe) June 11, 2019
MY BLACK QUEEN NESSA IS HERE WHRRE IS HER ART pic.twitter.com/Aqp1uS50CJ
— Nelajus :) Nessa :) (@jalen_nelaj) June 11, 2019
I drew Nessa~ I love my water wife. pic.twitter.com/pjKo2W6DrX
— Lilirulu @ RUNE FACTORY 4/5!!! (@lilirulu) June 11, 2019
From what I’ve seen:
Black women ? Lesbians
Loving Nessa— mishary ?️? (@pantherexpert) June 12, 2019
Nessa is black excellence
— ash @ storm’s end (@azorohayou) June 11, 2019
Nessa is my wife and I’ll fight and die for her! I love her, my queen! ????
Fite me boi pic.twitter.com/gjyRsrtbt5— Autumn ?️??? (@DuskWing5) June 12, 2019
My queen. My soul. My heart. The one and only Nessa. As a Pisces black woman I think it’s obligatory that I cosplay her ??? pic.twitter.com/OwbzL26yxY
— tori @ nessa’s sub ✨ (@torimani_) June 11, 2019
she's perfect!!!#PokemonSwordShield #Pokemon #Nessa #E3 pic.twitter.com/CWfGSaFbga
— Kit ? (@strucktrue) June 11, 2019
Only thing I could think of after seeing the new Water type trainer. #PokemonSwordShield #Nessa #Memes pic.twitter.com/a1LU80xFdF
— MechatheTecha (@Themechaguy) June 11, 2019
Nessa: -exists-
me: I am pledging my allegiance to water types and their goddess gym leader. #PokemonSwordShield— Midnight Devont (@MidnightDevont) June 11, 2019
I can’t wait to fucking stan for Nessa. My black water gym queen!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Lpd0iHj3Mx
— Melanated Frocreation ✊? (@Ryeyuhn) June 12, 2019
I would die for Nessa
— ? ????♡? ???? ? (@Serenity_Blade) June 11, 2019
Some fans have also taken note of Nessa’s outfit which, while undeniably stylish, appears to include floaties attached to her ankles.
This may seem highly impractical and even potentially dangerous, but I 100 percent believe Nessa can breathe under water because she is a perfect water goddess.
Nessa has fucking ankle floaties
SHES GONNA FLOAT ANKLES UP AND DROWN DUDE
— Tiz a pity (@DreamlandSheep) June 11, 2019
Powerful…#nessa #pokemon #PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/xHpyyrpzem
— Melynn R✿se (@MelynnRose) June 11, 2019
Loving the new pokemon gym leader #nessa #pokemon #PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/3QWRWf3WXC
— Happy Lollipop (@tenkoso) June 11, 2019
Sadly, it will still be a few months before fans can pledge their loyalty. Pokémon Sword and Shield is scheduled for release November 15 on Nintendo Switch.