Pokémon isn't known for its collection of perverts. An overly flirtatious gym leader here and lovelorn professor there, sure, but no outright pervs. Pokémon made a name for itself providing low-risk, kid-friendly adventures, but the earlier seasons of the anime definitely got off to a wobbly start on that front.
While anime has no shortage of characters with an uncomfortable interest in under-aged girls, it is usually played for laughs based on how uncomfortable the situation truly is. This is not the case with the first season of Pokémon's Dr. Proctor. This creepy, leering doctor advances on every woman he meets -- including ten-year-old girls like Misty. However, what most don't know is that Dr. Proctor's isn't inspired by renowned anime perverts like Master Roshi, but rather the American show ER and its heart-throb lead, Dr. Doug Ross -- played by one-time Batman George Clooney.
Who is Dr. Proctor?
Dr. Proctor has only one appearance in the Pokémon anime in Indigo League episode 47, "A Chansey Operation." In the episode, Ash, Misty and Brock turn to a human hospital to help Pikachu after the Pokémon swallows an apple whole. Dr. Proctor, who appears to be the only doctor present in the entire hospital, only lets them in because he thinks Misty is the one who needs help, admitting he can't refuse a pretty face like Misty's. However, he does end up helping Pikachu after realizing he just needs to dislodge an apple from the Pokémon's throat.
Just as Dr. Proctor admits he's glad the whole problem done with and he doesn't need to treat any more Pokémon, Team Rocket gets into an accident with a truck full of Pokémon. The Pokémon are all shipped to Dr. Proctor's hospital by Nurse Joy, as the nearby Pokémon Center is full to overflowing. Dr. Proctor promptly uses this opportunity to hit on Nurse Joy.
Eventually, he ends up treating all the Pokémon, flirting with Jessie -- who is entirely smitten by the doctor -- only to later help stop Team Rocket when the villains try to turn the tables and steal all the Pokémon back. The episode ends with Dr. Proctor and Ash's group learning a valuable lesson: not to hit on under-age girls.
The Clooney Factor
The similarities between Dr. Ross and Dr. Proctor are striking. Both are doctors who constantly flirt with women, Dr. Proctor's design is based on George Clooney's -- complete with the peppery hair and iconic jawline -- and, surprisingly, they share the same voice. The Japanese voice actor for Dr. Proctor, Rikiya Koyama, also dubbed over Clooney's voice in ER.
However, the women Dr. Ross flirted with on ER were all adults over the age of eighteen -- not ten like Misty. Though the appropriateness of workplace flirting is up in the air, Ross at least knew where to draw a line age-wise. While one can argue that Proctor's flirting with Misty is more playful than lewd, it's still unsettling how he hits on Misty the same way he does Jessie and Nurse Joy -- actual adults.
While the reference to ER was a fun, timely reference in the '90s, today it creates some uncomfortable implications regarding Dr. Proctor's view of the opposite sex.