| Team Rocket | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| First appearance | Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow |
| Last appearance |
|
| Created by | Ken Sugimori |
| Genre | JRPG |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Criminal syndicate |
| Location | Celadon City (Gen I/III/VII) Mahogany Town (Gen II/IV) Five Isle Meadow (Sevii Island Branch Gen III) Team Rocket HQ (anime) |
| Owner | Giovanni |
| Purpose | To steal and use Pokémon for profit |
Team Rocket (Japanese:ロケット団,Hepburn:Roketto-dan,Japanese:[ɾo̞ke̞t̚to̞dã̠ɴ]) is a fictionalcrime syndicate in thePokémon franchise. Team Rocket is a primaryantagonist in the originalPokémon video gamesRed,Green, andBlue, as well as in thelong-runningPokémon anime TV-series. In the latter, Team Rocket is primarily represented through the trio of charactersJessie, James, andMeowth, who are major secondary characters throughout thePokémon TV-series.
Team Rocket is portrayed as a serious crime syndicate in the video games series, stealing and killing Pokémon. In the TV-series, Team Rocket has a largely comedic role, as the trio of grunts repeatedly fail to steal Pokémon while operating increasingly flashymecha. The Team Rocket trio in the anime is beloved byPokémon fans who relate to their roles asyoung adults.
Team Rocket first appeared in the video gamesPokémon Red,Green, andBlue, where they are portrayed as a serious and affluent crime syndicate aiming to capture and steal Pokémon for profit. The games present Team Rocketbreaking and entering, murdering a motherMarowak, and chopping off the tails ofSlowpoke to sell on the black market.[1] InPokémon Gold,Silver, and Crystal, it is revealed that Team Rocket's leaderGiovanni had disappeared after being defeated in the original games, and the syndicate is disbanded. Giovanni himself reappears in the 2009 remakesPokémon HeartGold andSoulSilver.[2]
Each subsequent set ofPokémon video games has its own villainous teams, such as Team Aqua and Team Magma inPokémon Ruby andSapphire, and Team Galactic inPokémon Diamond andPearl.[1] Team Rocket and Giovanni returned as a major antagonist team in the 2017 video gamesPokémonUltra Sun andUltra Moon, as "Team Rainbow Rocket."[3][4]
Team Rocket was introduced toPokémon Go under the name of "Team GO Rocket" in 2019, allowing players to encounter and battle Team Rocket grunts.[5] Team Rocket grunts also appear inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate asDLC costumes for Mii Fighters.[6]
| Jessie, James, andMeowth | |
|---|---|
| Pokémon characters | |
 James, Meowth, and Jessie, as they appear in the early seasons of the Pokémon TV series | |
| First appearance | "Pokémon Emergency!" (1997) |
| Last appearance | "The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!" (2023) |
| Designed by | Sayuri Ichishi |
| Portrayed by |
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| Voiced by |
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In the long-runningPokémonanime series, a trio of Team Rocket grunts Jessie (ムサシ,Musashi), James (コジロウ,Kojirō), and Meowth (ニャース,Nyarth) are major secondary characters. The three were the primary antagonists of early seasons of the series, where each episode they attempt to kidnapthe protagonist'sPikachu. In the earliest produced episodes of the anime, the trio was halfway intelligent and at times were very formidable foes; while they have assumed a more sinister role in various parts of the series, most notably in theBlack and White anime, the three mainly act as comic relief. The characters are presented as simple-minded, bringingslapstick antics to the series.[7] Team Rocket'sMeowth- a common species of Pokémon- is unusual within thePokémon canon, as he is the only Pokémon creature able to speak the human language, whereas all other Pokémon in the series only utter syllables of their own names.[8]
Jessie and James originally had anEkans and aKoffing as their signature Pokémon, respectively, and the trio were later joined by aWobbuffet as one of their only major recurring Pokémon as the series progressed.[9] As thePokémon series evolved, the Team Rocket trio uses an increasingly large number of vehicles andmecha. Most notably, they travel in a Meowth-shapedhot air balloon throughout the show, and use aGyarados-shaped submarine in its early seasons. Later on, Team Rocket became known for their large number of mecha and gadgets.[10] The Team Rocket characters have sympathetic backstories and share a strong camaraderie. They are not ideologically aligned with Giovanni and therefore frequently find themselves siding with the series' protagonists. Due to how frequently Jessie and James are shown tocrossdress across the series, they are commonly read asqueercoded.[11]
In 2011, thePokémon series was building up to an arc in which Giovanni faces off against rival organization Team Plasma, but the episodes were cancelled following theGreat East Japan Earthquake.[12] Team Rocket departed the series at the end of thePokémon Journeys anime.[13] The team also appears inPokémon Origins andPokemon Generations, in portrayals more closely aligned with their in-game counterparts.[14][15]
The names Jessie and James reference famous American outlawJesse James; their Japanese names Musashi and Kojirō refer to the samuraiMiyamoto Musashi andSasaki Kojiro.
In the English dubbed anime, Jessie was initially voiced byRachael Lillis, until the dub switched production from4Kids Entertainment toThe Pokémon Company International in 2006, when she was replaced byMichele Knotz.[16] During her audition, Lillis was instructed to make Jessie "sultry" while also keeping her "tough." Lillis did not expect Jessie to be a recurring character in the series. James was originally voiced byEric Stuart. The two actors quickly started to play around with their voices, giving the characters a "prissy" attitude that contrasted with their inability to succeed.[17]
Meowth was voiced byMaddie Blaustein for seasons one to eight of the series until her death in 2008.[18]James Carter Cathcart took over the roles of James and Meowth in 2006, and continued to voice the characters until 2023, when he retired fromPokémon due tooral cancer.[19][20]
Team Rocket appear as the main antagonists in several arcs of thePokémon Adventures manga, including theRed, Green, andBlue, Yellow, andGold and Silver arcs.[21] The Team Rocket trio from the anime appear in theElectric Tale of Pikachu manga adaptation, where Jessie and James are shown at the end to be married and expecting a child.[22]
Team Rocket is the central antagonist in the 2000 stageplayPokémon Live!, in which Jessie, James, and Meowth successfully steal Ash Ketchum's Pikachu and use it to train Giovanni'sMewtwo.[7] Team Rocket characters additionally frequently appear on cards in thePokémon Trading Card Game, most notably in theTeam Rocket expansion released in 2000.[23][24]
Ascomic relief characters, Jessie, James, and Meowth are very popular amongPokémon viewers.Yahoo!-writer Jay Castello notes that asPokémon fans grew up, the struggle of "twenty-somethings who couldn't quite find their place in the world or succeed at their ambitions" became increasingly relatable, and a sub-fandom dedicated to the trio sprang up. TheLGBT community largely embraced Team Rocket's queercoding, interpreting them asbisexualdrag artists.[11] Blaustein was inspired by Meowth-focused episode "Go West, Young Meowth" tocome out and transition as atransgender woman, a friend of her later metaphorically describing the character as "a human trapped in a Pokémon's body."[26]
In both their games and anime portrayals, Team Rocket have been cited as some of the best villains in thePokémon franchise.[27] Chris Carter ofDestructoid called the English voice team for Jessie, James, and Meowth (Lillis, Stuart, and Blaustein) "some of the show's finest work."[28] The relationship between Team Rocket and show's central cast has been noted as a core part of the show by children, as was their moral ambiguity, due to their positive actions contrasting with their antagonistic role. Their complex relationship with the main cast was highlighted as an element that was a core part of the television series, acting as a contrast to Ash while viewers are also made to sympathize with them.[29] Their role in Pokémon The Series: Black and White was cited byPolygon to be one of the biggest missed opportunities with their characters, due to the sudden cancellation of several episodes leading to Team Rocket's character changes in the series being for "nothing."[30] American rapperLil Uzi Vert named the eighth song on their mixtape,Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, "Team Rocket", along with other Pokémon references on earlier songs.
The bookAnime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces reviews Team Rocket as the antagonists in the anime who actually provide comedic relief through the characters Jessie and James, with Meowth portrayed as a "clever cat" who stands out among other Meowth. The book also mentions Jessie, who possesses a charming allure, as the leader above James. Although the Team Rocket trio is positioned as antagonists, they are not hesitant to help Ash Ketchum and his friends on several occasions, especially when they find themselves in difficult and dangerous situations, as often depicted in the movies.[31] The bookJapanese Influence on American's Children's Television: Transforming Saturday Morning describes them similarly, citing them as comic relief or as a tension breaker despite being the series' core antagonists. It describes Jessie as being a strong female character, acting as James's superior, as well as how she did not fall into a stereotypical female role.[32] Meowth's role on the team has been met with a positive response,[33] being considered an integral and iconic part of the team.[34][35][36] He has been highlighted as a key part of why his species was so well-known.[37][36] The Fandom Post said Jessie and James were the "Best Villain Couple" due to their continuous hard work as well as interactions over several episodes.[38]
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