Grusha from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with blue hair and striped scarf on a snowy rink

Grusha

2022character memesemi-active

Published October 21, 2026

Grusha is the Ice-type Glaseado Gym leader from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, revealed on August 3rd, 2022 during a Pokémon Presents stream. His long-haired, blue-eyed design led many viewers to assume he was female, until official materials confirmed he is a boy, kicking off a viral debate about attraction and gender presentation. By that same evening, Twitter users like @AL_theBoi were posting reaction clips mocking the Pokémon community's collective realization.

pokemon gender discourse memes character design memes thirst memes hornyposting memes

Overview

Posts about Grusha split into two overlapping styles: reaction content about fans questioning their attraction after learning the gym leader is male1, and fan art celebrating his soft, pretty boy design5. A typical reaction post pairs a Pokémon Presents screenshot or clip with a caption describing the shift from "she's cute" to the realization that Grusha is a boy, as seen in @AL_theBoi's August 3rd, 2022 video3.

Beyond the gender confusion jokes, artists leaned into Grusha's visual appeal, posting illustrations and commentary praising his adorable demeanor and clothing6. The format relies heavily on frames from the official reveal paired with surprised or horny reaction captions, while 4chan /vp/ cataloged the same confusion in blunter terms7. Urban Dictionary entries submitted after the reveal defined "Grusha" as a gender-neutral name for someone "super sexy," reflecting how the character's design blurred expectations8.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (Pokémon Presents) / Twitter (viral spread)
Date
2022

On August 3rd, 2022, Pokémon's official YouTube channel aired a Pokémon Presents stream introducing new characters and the Paldea region for the then-upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet2. Later that day, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a thread confirming Grusha's role as the Ice-type Glaseado Gym leader and identifying him with "he" pronouns1. That tweet gathered over 10,000 likes, 1,400 quote retweets, and 1,800 retweets in roughly two days4.

Game Freak and Nintendo developed Scarlet and Violet; the Grusha meme format itself grew from individual fans reacting on Twitter and 4chan rather than any single originator, with the earliest widely-shared reaction video coming from Twitter user @AL_theBoi hours after the stream aired3.

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How It Spread

Within hours of the reveal, Pokémon fans posted reactions across Twitter and 4chan, many admitting they had assumed Grusha was female during the stream4. A 4chan /vp/ thread titled "SHE IS NOT A GUY" captured the confusion, with the original poster writing about his horror at having been attracted to a fictional male character7.

That afternoon, @AL_theBoi posted a tweet pairing a reaction video with a caption framing the Pokémon community's collective realization, gathering over 34,000 likes and 4,000 retweets in a day3. Other fans like @Touyarokii5 and @kirriemuirs6 posted art and praise throughout August 3rd, 2022, calling Grusha's design "pretty" and leaning into his adorable demeanor rather than treating his gender as a punchline.

After the initial viral day, Grusha stayed a frequent subject in Pokémon fan art circles through the November 2022 release of Scarlet and Violet, and Urban Dictionary submissions kept the gender-neutral framing alive as a running joke about his design8.

Timeline

2022-08-03

Pokémon Presents stream reveals Grusha as the Ice-type Glaseado Gym leader for Scarlet and Violet.

2022-08-03

Official Pokémon Twitter confirms Grusha's he/him pronouns in a thread about Paldea.

2022-08-03

4chan /vp/ thread titled "SHE IS NOT A GUY" documents fans' surprise at Grusha's gender.

2022-08-03

@AL_theBoi's reaction video tweet goes viral, gathering 34,000+ likes in a day.

2022-11-18

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launches worldwide, letting players battle Grusha in-game.

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How to Use This Meme

A typical Grusha post pairs a screenshot or clip from the Pokémon Presents reveal with a caption about the shift from "she's cute" to realizing Grusha is a boy3. Reaction videos edited to express surprise, horror, or horny confusion are a common convention, following the template @AL_theBoi set3. Fan artists often depict Grusha with soft, feminine styling that leans into the original ambiguity rather than correcting it5.

Frequently Asked Questions