Pokémon
is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
'' franchise. Team Rocket is a primary
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.''Red'', ''Green'', and ''Blue'', as well as in the long-running ''Pokémon'' anime TV-series. In the latter, Team Rocket is primarily represented through the trio of characters Jessie, James, and
Meowth
Meowth, known in Japanese as , is a List of Pokémon, Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon, ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the first stage of its Gameplay of Pokémon#Pokémon evolution, evolved form, Persian (Pokémon), Pers ...
, who are major secondary characters throughout the ''Pokémon'' TV-series.
Team Rocket is portrayed as a serious crime syndicate in the video games series. In the TV-series, Team Rocket has a largely comedic role, as the trio of grunts repeatedly fail to steal Pokémon while operating increasingly flashy
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
. The Team Rocket trio in the anime is beloved by ''Pokémon'' fans who relate to their roles as
young adult
In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...
s.
In video games
Team Rocket first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'', ''Green'', and ''Blue'', where they are portrayed as a serious and affluent crime syndicate aiming to capture and steal Pokémon for profit. The games present Team Rocket
breaking and entering
Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...
, murdering a mother Marowak, and chopping off the tails of
Slowpoke
The SLOWPOKE (acronym for Safe LOW-POwer Kritical Experiment) is a family of low-energy, swimming pool reactor, tank-in-pool type nuclear research reactors designed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) beginning in the late 1960s. John W. H ...
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series, a trio of Team Rocket grunts , , and are major secondary characters. The three were the primary antagonists of early seasons of the series, where each episode they attempt to kidnap the protagonist's Pikachu. 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 the ''Black and White'' anime, the three mainly act as comic relief. The characters are presented as simple-minded, bringing
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
antics to the series. Team Rocket's
Meowth
Meowth, known in Japanese as , is a List of Pokémon, Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon, ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the first stage of its Gameplay of Pokémon#Pokémon evolution, evolved form, Persian (Pokémon), Pers ...
- a common species of Pokémon- is unusual within the ''Pokémon'' 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.
Jessie and James originally had an Ekans and a Koffing as their signature Pokémon, respectively, and the trio were later joined by a Wobbuffet as one of their only major recurring Pokémon as the series progressed. As the ''Pokémon'' series evolved, the Team Rocket trio uses an increasingly large number of vehicles and
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
. Most notably, they travel in a Meowth-shaped
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
throughout the show, and use a Gyarados-shaped submarine in its early seasons. Later on, Team Rocket became known for their large number of mecha and gadgets. 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 to crossdress across the series, some people view them as queercoded.
In 2011, the ''Pokémon'' series was building up to an arc in which Giovanni faces off against rival organization Team Plasma, but the episodes were cancelled following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Team Rocket departed the series at the end of the ''Pokémon Journeys'' anime. The team also appears in '' Pokémon Origins'' and '' Pokémon Generations'', in portrayals more closely aligned with their in-game counterparts.
Development
The names Jessie and James reference famous American outlaw
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...
; their Japanese names Musashi and Kojirō refer to the samurai
Miyamoto Musashi
, was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...
and Sasaki Kojiro.
In the English dubbed anime, Jessie was initially voiced by
Rachael Lillis
Rachael Lillis (July 8, 1969 – August 10, 2024) was an American voice actress. She was best known for her performances as Misty, Jessie, and Jigglypuff in the first eight seasons of the English dub of the TV series ''Pokémon''. In additio ...
, until the dub switched production from
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production ...
to The Pokémon Company International in 2006, when she was replaced by Michele Knotz. 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 by Eric 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.
Meowth was voiced by Maddie Blaustein for seasons one to eight of the series until her death in 2008. James Carter Cathcart took over the roles of James and Meowth in 2006, and continued to voice the characters until 2023, when he retired from ''Pokémon'' due to
oral cancer
Oral cancer, also known as oral cavity cancer, tongue cancer or mouth cancer, is a cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless red or white patch, that thickens, gets ulcerated ...
.
Other media
Team Rocket appear as the main antagonists in several arcs of the '' Pokémon Adventures'' manga, including the ''Red, Green,'' and ''Blue, Yellow,'' and ''Gold and Silver'' arcs. The Team Rocket trio from the anime appear in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga adaptation, where Jessie and James are shown at the end to be married and expecting a child.
Team Rocket is the central antagonist in the 2000 stageplay '' Pokémon Live!'', in which Jessie, James, and Meowth successfully steal Ash Ketchum's Pikachu and use it to train Giovanni's
Mewtwo
Mewtwo (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise. It was first introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', and later appeared in subsequent sequels and spin-off ...
. Team Rocket characters additionally frequently appear on cards in the '' Pokémon Trading Card Game,'' most notably in the ''Team Rocket'' expansion released in 2000.
Reception and legacy
As
comic relief
Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
characters, Jessie, James, and Meowth are very popular among ''Pokémon'' viewers. ''Yahoo!''-writer Jay Castello notes that as ''Pokémon'' 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. The
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
community largely embraced Team Rocket's queercoding, interpreting them as
bisexual
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
drag artists. Blaustein was inspired by Meowth-focused episode "Go West, Young Meowth" to come out and transition as a transgender woman, a friend of her later metaphorically describing the character as "a human trapped in a Pokémon's body."
In both their games and anime portrayals, Team Rocket have been cited as some of the best villains in the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Chris Carter of ''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
Histor ...
'' called the English voice team for Jessie, James, and Meowth (Lillis, Stuart, and Blaustein) "some of the show's finest work." 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. Their role in Pokémon The Series: Black and White was cited by ''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain.
The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
'' 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." American rapper
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, they gained initial recognition following the release of the commer ...
named the eighth song on their mixtape, Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, "Team Rocket", along with other Pokémon references on earlier songs.
The book ''Anime 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. The book ''Japanese 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. Meowth's role on the team has been met with a positive response, being considered an integral and iconic part of the team. He has been highlighted as a key part of why his species was so well-known. 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.