I see.
The anime certainly didn't do her justice.
Well this was the first season where not only were they adapting the games but also trying to separate it from them at the same time. The anime had a lot of ideas being thrown around which, while many were thrown out, hints of it do remain (such as the idea a Gym loses its title if they lose three battles, thus the original planned reason for Brock's and Misty's parents having run off; the idea of canned yet Brock still has deadbeat parents and Misty's is no where to be seen).
Why bring this up? Because in addition to these changes they also gave their own spin on the Kanto Gym Leaders including changed designs:
Brock:
Red & Blue: A lone trainer who's set up to be intimidating that's shirtless making an imposing pose.
Anime: A caring big brother taking care of his many little brothers and sisters after their parents ran off; as Gym Leader he still sets up an intimidating appearance though is a nice guy and really wants to become a Pokemon Breeder. He wears more practical hiking clothes, still setting up an imposing image while also showing a more responsible way of thinking.
Misty:
Red & Blue: A fierce swimmer (in a two piece swim suit) that's in charge of the Gym despite her young age.
Anime: A hot-blooded tsundere who is the little "brat" sister of three beautiful Gym Leaders. She went on her own journey to not only get away from them but also become a better Water-type trainer than her sisters. Since she's on a journey she's in casual outdoor clothing (at least casual in anime standards).
Lt. Surge:
Red & Blue: A former military man from a foreign country who's on edge for battle, still wearing jungle camouflage and using military jargon.
Anime: While he still wears military camouflage he's a GIANT. Lt. Surge was made to be the first imposing challenge to Ash (which he had to actually beat to get the Badge), not only towering him but having a Raichu to mirror Ash's Pikachu. While not as on edge as in the games, he is still arrogant and calls all (male) challengers "babies" (and any female challengers he finds cute he uncomfortably flirts with). He also battles very brutally, sending opponent's Pokemon to the Pokemon Center's ER. Ash & Pikachu beating Surge & Raichu asserted Pikachu's "special-ness" (thus not needing to evolve) and Ash's preference for out-of-the-box strategies.
Erika:
Red & Blue: A sleepy geisha (complete with kimono) who teaches flower arranging to other girls and woman.
Anime: Owner of a perfume shop (and she does dress up in a kimono while in the shop), she also runs the garden (in the Gym) where they get the scents for the perfume. While still kind she is also prideful, if you insult her perfume she'll not only kick you out of her shop but also the Gym and refuse to battle you. In the Gym/garden she wears gardening clothes.
Koga:
He actually changed the least between the adaptations. He's a ninja in both cause that's too much of a fun idea not to play around with. I guess to add some difference they gave him a sister to add some personality dynamics.
Sabrina:
Red & Blue: An adept psychic since she was young, she see challenger's arrivals in visions. Prefers using her mind instead of battling, though remember she's also able to bend spoons with said mind (and took over the previous Gym which was Fighting-type). Clothes are based on an ace trainer, including having a whip.
Anime: Also an adept young psychic, but she's very cold and isn't afraid to use her psychic powers to hurt others. Her mind is also sort of fractured, she spent so much of her childhood perfecting her psychic powers she split her child personality into a doll, resulting in a loss of childhood scenario. This has resulted in her shrinking and transforming people, including her mother and challengers, into dolls for the child doll to "play" with. This is where the anime is more like an anime then a game adaptation, since in the games you just needed to beat her to progress while in the anime Ash has to beat her to save his friends who had been turned to dolls (and he does so not by beating her but having brought a mischievous prankster Pokemon whose antics outside of battle made Sabrina laugh which recombined her personalities). She wears an occult-ish uniform, she also runs a school in the Gym to train other people with psychic powers.
Blaine:
Red & Blue: A puzzle & quiz-loving scientist(?), well at least he wears a scientist coat.
Anime: He still loves puzzles & quizzes, though is now a hippie.
Giovanni:
Like Koga he didn't change much, aside what color his business suit is, though there's still notable differences. In the games he's pretty focus on running Team Rocket and is obsessed with being the most powerful trainer; disbanding Team Rocket after losing in his own Gym out of shame. In the anime he's made more of a businessman who secretly runs Team Rocket and is more obsessed with just having power and control via through Pokemon; him only being a Gym Leader is just for show, own entertainment, and test Team Rocket experiments on unsuspecting challengers. Ash doesn't even meet Giovanni in the Kanto series proper (questionable if the encounter in Mewtwo Returns is canon).
So I wouldn't say the anime didn't do her proper but tried going a different direction as they had no clue at that point Pokemon was even going to be an on-going series. The special manga is a bit closer but it too had early series weirdness such as Koga, Sabrina, and Blaine also being members of Team Rocket and the Elite Four being evil.
