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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | '''''Team Rocket Trio''''' | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
----

[[foldercontrol]]

!Team Rocket Trio
[[folder:The Trio in General]]
[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smteamrocket.png]]
-->''Did someone ask something? We're here to find out!''\\
''Noble answers are what we're all about!''\\
\\
''The beauty so radiant, the flowers and moon hide in shame.''\\
''A single flower of evil in this fleeting world:''\\
''Jessie!''\\
\\
''The nobly heroic man of our times!''\\
''The master of darkness fighting back against a tragic world!''\\
''It's James.''\\
\\
''It's all for one and one for all!''\\
''A glittering dark star that always shines bright !''\\
''Dig it, while Meowth takes flight!''\\
\\
''Team Rocket, let's fight!''\\
''That's right!''\\
''WOOOOOBUFFET!''

The main antagonists of the series, Jessie, James, and Meowth, are members of the villainous gang Team Rocket who are always on the tail of Ash and his friends. Deeming Ash's Pikachu to be extraordinarily powerful after it foiled one of their heists, they promptly decided it'd be the perfect Pokémon to steal and gift to their boss, Giovanni, and they've been following the two in hopeless pursuit ever since. Their singleminded pursuit of one particular individual Pokémon has been to their detriment, causing them to frequently be strapped for cash and struggling to support themselves through other various means, all the while still clinging to their futile goal. Their track record eventually got so poor that it led Giovanni to forget that they were members of the crime organization to begin with!\\
\\
At the end of ''Diamond and Pearl'', however, he took notice of them again, and gave them a special mission in the Unova region. As a result, the trio became far more competent, getting involved in bigger and more elaborate schemes masterminded by some high-ranking Team Rocket member. [[StatusQuoIsGod It didn't last]], and they soon went back to their comical personalities of old. Old habits die hard, but [[NotSoHarmlessVillain you'd be an idiot to underestimate them]].\\
\\
To date, they are the most prominent characters in the anime franchise next to Ash and Pikachu, continuing to follow the pair even as other travelling companions go their separate ways. Amazingly, they even have persisted into standalone Pokémon films ''featuring'' Ash and Pikachu but otherwise exist in separate continuities from the TV series, proving their tenacity apparently spans alternate universes.
!!!The Team Rocket trio exhibits the following tropes:
* AchievementsInIgnorance: By the end of their Sinnoh run, they have become such washouts within the organisation that Giovanni has completely forgotten who they are, meaning he starts believing their exaggerated claims of success and promoting them to bigger roles. The one improvement in position they've made in their employment as a whole is by ''failing for long enough''.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: In the TPCI dub, in addition to rhyming all the time, Team Rocket often pepper their lines with lots and lots of alliteration - usually both at once. This was notably present in TPCI's ''DP'' and ''XY'' dubbed seasons.
* AdorableEvilMinions: A lot of Team Rocket's Pokémon have cute or at least endearing designs, and when given the chance can be just as playful and affectionate as the heroic Pokémon. At times, even Jessie and James themselves could apply as such.
* AffablyEvil: They aren't as evil as they like to believe, they have their PetTheDog moments and genuinely love and care for their own Pokémon. If not for their relentless determination and dedication to Giovanni they could honestly go straight anytime they wanted.
* AmbiguousGender: Only a handful of the trio's Pokémon have confirmed genders. [[note]]Meowth, Wobbuffet, Woobat, Yamask and Inkay are male. Dustox, Yanmega, Frillish, Gourgeist, and Mareanie are female.[[/note]] The rest are ambiguous bar subtle implications.
* AntagonistAbilities: The Rocket Prize Master they use throughout ''Journeys'' allows them to wield powerful Pokémon without having to go through the effort and training Ash and his companions do.
* AntiHero: On occasion, even in ''Black & White'' during the "Episode N" arc.
* AntiVillain: Except in the ''Black & White'' series (and even that's debatable at times), it's often rather hard to consider them real villains.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: They succeed in capturing Pikachu and the three Kalos starters in [=XY011=], but then get into an argument about who should take credit, making an argument through their various contributions: James made the gadgets, Meowth plotted the capture, and Jessie...gave the signal.
-->'''James:''' ''That's like the easiest thing! That's not an achievement!''
* ArtEvolution:
** They don't get away untouched from this in ''Black & White''. In addition to the art change hitting Ash, Jessie and James got black outfits due to their promotion. They also have noticeably different character models even when they switch back to wearing white outfits.
** ''Sun & Moon'' completely overhauled the anime's art direction, moving it away from attempting to closely mimic the game art in favor of designs that are more conducive to a looser animation style. Jessie and James' designs were tweaked in the process: Their features actually have subtle, but noticeable differences, when previously their facial structure was virtually identical apart from Jessie having more prominent eyelashes. James has a slightly taller nose (which is more noticeable on profile view) and Jessie has slightly narrower and more strongly angled eyes. James's hair also has softer, uneven edges when before the cut was sharper.
* BackToBackBadasses: Their usual pose when reciting their motto.
* BalloonBelly: Team Rocket falls on hard times quite often, and usually lament over not having enough money to afford a decent meal. You can be sure that when they get the chance to stuff themselves full, THEY REALLY STUFF THEMSELVES FULL!
* BeautyIsBad: The late series creator Takeshi Shudo once wrote on his blog about how pretty-looking antagonists often appear in his productions. In contrast to the grotesque TerribleTrio from ''Anime/TimeBokan'', Shudo intentionally made the Rocket character designs beautiful and their personalities charming, calling [[ShipTease Musashi and Kojiro]] in particular a "sort of [[Film/BonnieAndClyde Bonnie and Clyde]]". However, they're fairly sympathetic and occasionally even outright ''nice'' individuals, and not really rotten at the core, so this is a ZigZaggedTrope.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: The trio frequently show charity or a refusal to cheat or attack the rare few individuals that show pity and kindness towards them (granted, due to varying in acquaintances, they aren't always united in this, leading to conflicts). Perhaps one of the most notable from all three was to a Blissey nurse who gave them its Pokémon Center's berries. Realising it took the blame for their disappearance, they staged having mugged it for the berries to clear its name.
* BecomingTheMask: During the Team Flare storyline, even after Malva ditched them and later their covers literally being blown, Team Rocket continued to broadcast the entire crisis from beginning to end as [[IntrepidReporter real reporters would]], keeping the rest of Kalos up to date on the situation at hand.
* BeingEvilSucks: Despite typically being all for Team Rocket and loving being bad guys above all else, they have on occasion voiced dissatisfaction with being bad guys - especially when in their most unlucky days. It's especially noticeable in ''The Power Of One,'' where wanting to be good for a change is part of their motivation.
* BeleagueredAssistant: Malva recruited them into her TV crew while she was doing her coverage of the Kalos League. It was shown several times that Malva was running them all ragged, leaving the trio exhausted and with no time to pull off any scheme.
* BenevolentBoss: Despite trying to make a business of stealing and using Pokémon, Jessie and James genuinely care about their own and rarely berate or mistreat them for their inevitable failures against the twerps. In some cases [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy they even release them if they find a more meaningful purpose in life]].
* BerserkButton: Never try to kidnap Pikachu - that is their job and they will make you understand that (even saving Pikachu on occasions so that they can come and kidnap him ''themselves'' later).
** Also, never beat up/piss off Pikachu - Team Rocket will side with/support him instead of you.
** Never try and make Pikachu evolve; they have stolen a Thunderstone on one occasion to prevent him from evolving.
** [[{{Hypocrite}} Stealing their Pokémon]] makes them act as very effective members of the side of good, as Butch and Cassidy were the first to learn the hard way. That goes for Meowth as well.
** Don't use their rhyming introduction to mock them, it'll annoy them more than anything.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Team Rocket are for the large part incompetent clowns, though a lot of times pull off successful heists or attacks that are only thwarted due to Ash and his friends being around. Sometimes even they are failing against the trio until [[DeusExMachina a powerful Pokémon or random twist of luck intervenes]]. This is especially evident since ''XY'', where the trio are as comical as ever, but retain some shades of their dangerous and cold blooded qualities from ''Best Wishes''.
* BigDamnVillains: In "Wobbu-palooza", when some hooligans gate crash a festival, the heroes are obligated not to fight them due to the town's ActualPacifist laws. Team Rocket on the other hand, have no such qualms and send them packing.
* BigEater: Whenever they find a stash of food and their stomachs are running on fumes.
* BondVillainStupidity: ''Indigo League'' often has Jessie and James divulging their evil plans instead of just executing them. [[HypocriticalHumor Meowth harangues the pair in response and pretends he's above such indiscretion]], a thorough falsehood PlayedForLaughs.
* BoisterousWeakling: Par the odd not so harmless streak, the team often act as this, they have big mouths, but tend to lose nearly every battle they take part in. Meowth may be most noteworthy due to actually being a Pokémon, one of the most loudmouthed, AND weakest in the show at that.
* BorrowedCatchphrase:
** Their various mottos have been mocked and imitated ''a lot.'' Even without the full motto, the 4Kids dub got a lot of use out of the lines "Prepare for trouble!"/"Make it double!" for various antagonistic characters that weren't them. Non-verbally, some even take to "blasting off" post-defeat.
** On their side, in response to [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind their first real level grind]], they mimicked Ash's victory pose after they collect a Z-Power Ring and Mimikium Z in the Alola series.
* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: In the early seasons, they are such to Giovanni of the Team Rocket criminal organisation. Both he and a large amount of other members of the organisation grew to loathe the trio's constant failures making them a laughing stock, with Giovanni only keeping them to trek other regions because poor exposure is better than no exposure. Amusingly by the end of their run in Sinnoh, they'd become such washouts that Giovanni had ''forgotten all about them'', allowing them to gain more favourable terms with him since then by exaggerating their accomplishments and roles in taking down rival criminal syndicates.
* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Against a very advanced trainer such as Ash and his quite experienced and powerful Pikachu, Team Rocket often prefer schemes and gadgetry to try against them than physical combat, which they almost always lose at.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Several times, although it never lasted a single episode.
** [[spoiler:In BW, Meowth claims to have been fired and joins Ash's group for 5 episodes before doublecrossing them]].
* BreakingTheFourthWall: The dub loves to do this from time to time. They ''ALWAYS'' break it in the movies. In every one so far they have acknowledged that they're in a movie, among other examples.
-->'''Jessie:''' First we turn over a new leaf, [[ATwinkleInTheSky and now this]]!\\
'''James:''' Do you think we'll ever learn?\\
'''Meowth:''' [[BreakingTheFourthWall I'll let you know next season]]!\\
'''Wobbuffet:''' [[WalkInChimeIn WOOOOOBBUFFET!]]
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Jessie and James have the "R" symbol of Team Rocket on their shirts. They also usually put it on their mechas, and it almost always appears at the end of their motto. Even James' speedo and Jessie's bikini featured the red letter R once.
* BullyingADragon: They have a ''terrible'' history of angering or picking fights with people blatantly above their league. In Hoenn in particular, a lot of their comeuppances were a result of pressing someone's BerserkButton rather than forcing them into self defence.
* ButNowIMustGo: Jessie and James actually released Mimikyu and Mareanie when they left Alola, instead of likely having to give them up at Team Rocket HQ just like ''the previous four generations''.
* ButtMonkey: Par for the course for a GoldfishPoopGang. It'd be faster to name the episodes where they ''didn't'' get abused in some way; this is mostly averted in the Unova saga of ''Best Wishes''.
* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: While most of the time the three of them are able to get along just fine, their relationship commonly devolves into bickering due to differing ideas, which has on several occasions escalated to the point they angrily split up from each other. Inevitably though, they always realize they can't bear to live without each other.
* CanonImmigrant: Jessie, James, and Meowth show up in ''Pokémon Yellow'' and its remakes ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' (though with Meowth as just another Pokémon they use, along with Ekans and Koffing). And they're just as pathetic as always. They're also added into ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters'', carrying many of the traits the game versions of themselves didn't already have like allowing Meowth to talk. In fact, in ''Masters'' (which is otherwise set in the main video games' continuity), it's implied that they ''are'' the anime's [=TRio=], having been brought to Pasio by [[spoiler:Hoopa]].
* CardCarryingVillain: They're well aware that they're the villains and that they're doing evil. They even acknowledge it in their motto.
* CatchPhrase:
** Their intro speech ("Prepare for trouble! Make it double!...") and "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" - this is also the case for the Japanese phrase counterparts which are different, but used in the same ways.
** In addition, referring to Ash as "the twerp", and his party collectively as "the twerps". In Japanese, the trio refer to Ash as "jari-boy", which translates in English as "brat boy". His crew typically gets the prefix "jari-" as well, essentially referring to them all as "brats".
* CatchphraseSpoutingDuo: Trio, In the Japanese version, they tend to describe defeat as "bad feeling" and success as "good feeling".
* CharacterCheck: During the trio's phase as more dangerous, serious-minded villains in the ''Best Wishes'' arc, they still had occasional NotSoAboveItAll moments as a reminder this was the bumbling Team Rocket trio. ''XY'' afterwards reverses it around. They're back to being buffoonish, but still have several moments of being genuinely sinister and cold-blooded.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** While they go in and out with their default personalities due to {{Flanderization}}, generally extra talents and HiddenDepths keep being established and permanently added to their list of abilities as eras pass. For example, since Hoenn, James has shown potential as a Pokémon breeder, and from Sinnoh, Jessie has stayed a competent coordinator, while Meowth has gained a hidden culinary passion. Their poverty-stricken status has also been downplayed as the series continued, as the trio have since proven that they can [[CutLexLuthorACheck take almost any part-time job and excel in it]] (with allowances for a few occasional missteps), alleviating their previous money woes.
** In the Hoenn episode, "A Scare To Remember", they had few qualms taking advantage of an amnesiac Pikachu and convincing him he was a part of Team Rocket. By Alola, they refuse ''full stop'' to help Faba wipe Lillie's mind, noting that a trainer and Pokémon's memories are vital to creating their personality.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: They've been all over the place in this regard, somewhat inevitably considering how many writers must have worked on the series after 20+ years. They are particularly [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite different compared to their initial debut]], where their mannerisms were more subdued and mysteriously sinister, rather than loudly theatrical as they are now. Their characterization nowadays also bears noticeable tweaks and embellishments from over the years, and their personality traits can also vary across the spectrum episode to episode DependingOnTheWriter.
* CheatersNeverProsper: Usually, when Team Rocket tries to cheat at something like a Pokémon contest, they inevitably lose. On the other hand, when they play by the rules, they typically do ''better'' than when they tried to cheat.
* ChekhovsSkill: Often, little talents or skills the trio or their Pokémon develop in a failed scheme end up coming in handy in their [[PunchClockVillain off-the-clock pursuits]]. This is particularly prone to happening in Jessie's coordinator events.
* TheChessmaster: A surprisingly decent one for Goodra's character arc in ''XY''. After their long-term drainage of Goodra's homeland causes an all-out war between its Pokémon, they decide to [[XanatosSpeedChess exploit the situation]] when Ash gets involved, using the heroes' intervention to frame them for the dilemma and dupe the enemy Florges into capturing Pikachu. Unfortunately Goodra, who had developed and evolved since that time, proved to be a SpannerInTheWorks.
* TheChewToy: Perennially broke, extremely unlucky and accident-prone, and if something is going to unexpectedly explode or backfire, it's going to happen around them. In situations where Ash can't stop them, fate itself will usually bend over backwards to make sure they get theirs somehow.
** Lessened somewhat in regards to Jessie's skill as a Coordinator from ''DP'' onwards, and taken even further in "Best Wishes" where they briefly experience success in more secretive Rocket operations.
** Generally speaking, these days their luck has mostly turned around in anything they do that isn't related to doing something illegal. But the moment they try to commit a crime they're absolutely hopeless.
* ChromaticArrangement: Jessie (red), James (blue) and Meowth (yellow) in order of introduction.
* TheComicallySerious: Some moments in Unova had them as this.
* CommutingOnABus: In ''Best Wishes'', they get downgraded from main cast members to recurring characters, with antagonistic wild Pokémon taking their place as [[MonsterOfTheWeek enemies of the week]], complete with the wild Pokémon being blasted off.
** They return to being regulars in the Decalore Islands arc onward, complete with blasting off again. Still, they remain absent in some episodes, which almost never occurred before the Unova era. Their new pattern is to have their appearances more reasonably spaced out and frequently following their own storylines, rather than have them serve as a constant, monotonous antagonistic force.
* ConflictKiller: If Ash and his band are at war with a character or Pokémon, Team Rocket's usual role is to butt in and attack either, forcing the two sides into TeethClenchedTeamwork against them. At least a few times, however, this was played against Team Rocket, leading them to pull an EnemyMine with the twerps against another antagonist.
* ConMan: A good deal of their schemes involves conning naïve people for easy money.
* CorneredRattlesnake: While ''XY'' seems to have reinstated many of their bumbling qualities, their cowardice remains more downplayed, with more cases in which they fight and challenge the heroes even after their scheme has been foiled. Granted this was likely as much because the heroes would look better blasting them off in a proper fight than [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown when they tried to surrender or retreat.]]
* CripplingOverspecialization: They often use shockproof gadgets and weapons against Ash and co. to counter Pikachu's attacks, but often fail to account for non-Electric attacks, such as Razor Leaf. Finally outdone in parts of ''Best Wishes'' and ''XY'' where they have mastered casing which is strong against nearly every tactic, but can still be destroyed with enough determined brute force.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: When they aren't being used for jokes, they are quite threatening. Not to mention they have several developed talents in non-villainous areas. They were considered dangerous fugitives prior to meeting Ash, and other, higher-ranked Team Rocket members have failed just as badly against Ash and his allies. Indeed, they've proven fairly capable when working away from Ash, and on occasions when other agents show up and Ash and his friends find themselves fighting Team Rocket on two fronts, it's often more likely to be the Trio who prove to be EvilerThanThou.
* CustomUniform: Their white uniforms seem to be this. All other Team Rocket agents wear black, but they wear white, possibly symbolizing how outlandish they are compared to the rest of the organization (and how [[MinionWithAnFInEvil they aren't quite as evil as the rest of them)]]. Only in ''Best Wishes'' do they wear black uniforms, and even then, it's only during the first few episodes.
* CurbstompBattle: Most of their battles with the twerps tend to be thirty-second spectacles consisting of them swiftly getting the tar beaten out of them with the twerps dodging and countering their every move. Even in cases where they fight well, some twist of bad luck will often neutralise them in a way that allows the twerps to win with next to no effort. Subverted in the early part of ''Black and White'' where their rise in ranks was punctuated by them putting up even-handed battles against the twerps for once, while later Unova and early Kalos often maintained a CurbstompCushion as a CharacterCheck to this.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Seriously, they can pull off very amazing plans, are creative with their (informed) low budget to get by, and each have talents that would leave them financially secure if they only applied them to legal pursuits. Even Ash and his companions are aware of this. This has actually been Lampshaded several times, with the group making money hand over fist with legit business, but the Rockets seem to view villainy as a calling, and refuse to permanently turn a new leaf on principle.
** Case in point, James has a variety of skills that give him plenty of options, Jessie has displayed potential to be a top-tier coordinator, and Meowth is one of the few living Pokémon that can speak human language without telepathy or being a legendary. Any one of these talents could easily become a successful, profitable career. As creator, Takeshi Shudo himself explained:
--->'''Shudo:''' They’re not hopeless villains. It doesn’t matter if it’s not top-notch, they’re able to do practically everything. Musashi (Jessie), is a beautiful woman and suffers from the hardships of being beautiful. These experiences aren’t quite complete, but there is plenty of them. Well, it’s not that she can’t say that she easily falls in love because she can’t become a world-class beauty...Kojiro (James) is fairly well-brought-up and educated. When it comes to Nyasu (Meowth), he’s an intellectual and high genius who worked hard to master the human language. However, with some little causal relationship, they stepped out of line and stopped living an honest life.
** Hilariously come ''Sun & Moon'' where circumstances have forced them to largely stay in once place, they decide to open a food cart to run during their off hours. At one point during a moderately successful day they actually declare that doing honest work is ''enjoyable'' (though they immediately feel that [[{{Lampshading}} something is a little off about that statement]]).
* DarkerAndEdgier: In the Unova saga. [[ResetButton Although, once the Decolore Islands come around...]]
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: They all ''love'' their jobs.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Episode 19 of the ''Journeys'' series focuses mainly on them as they bond with a Ditto and help it to gain self confidence to be able to transform.
* DeathOrGloryAttack: Often common practice for the trio's Pokémon battles, since the heroes often easily out stealth their attacks and finish them off with a few moves. Anytime their Pokémon start landing damage, however, the battle tends to become much more intense. Note that the trio have actually ''supplied'' a good few {{Curbstomp Battle}}s rather than just receiving them.
* DefeatCatchphrase: Whenever they are jettisoned into the sky. "Look's like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" or variants thereof in the English dub; "This feels bad!" in the original Japanese.
* DemotedToExtra: Downplayed. While still prominent characters, their OncePerEpisode attendance is broken starting from ''Best Wishes'', with occasional episodes where they are absent to place focus solely on the twerps or other characters.
** It's more accurate to say that they've been relegated to 'major recurring character' status rather than mere 'extra'. This has actually worked in their favor too, since it has allowed writers to do more interesting things with the trio during their appearances, rather than the previous pattern of shoehorning them into being formulaic antagonists every single episode.
* {{Determinator}}: No matter how many times they've been blasted off, they will never give up on trying to capture Pikachu. They've chased Ash ''all over the freaking world'' to do so.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: One of the most interesting elements of Team Rocket's characterization is that they are better at just about anything - from running a legitimate business, to competing fairly in Pokémon contests - than they are at cheating or being bad guys. Whenever they are forced to get honest jobs during a BrokeEpisode or work as an EnemyMine alongside Ash and his friends, they get far better results and karma is much nicer to them.
* DisproportionateRetribution: During the climax of every episode, the heroes will usually [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown unload all their strongest Pokémon's attacks onto them until they blast off]]. The provocation can range anywhere from trying to endanger or kidnap them, or just irritating them at the wrong time. Sometimes falls into MisplacedRetribution if one or two members weren't responsible or even objected, [[GuiltByAssociationGag which the heroes sparsely make exception for.]]
* DramaQueen: All three of them, seriously.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Most other Rockets (the only possible exception being a dropout) seem to treat them with disdain, especially their rival TerribleTrio, Cassidy and Butch. Giovanni repeatedly sends them on numerous {{Uriah Gambit}}s just to get them out of his hair. This in spite of their numerous accomplishments [[CutLexLuthorACheck in other fields]], and having gone on several EnemyMine situations with the twerps when the world is at stake. It took until post-DP for Giovanni to treat them as Rocket members again, and he even praises them for their part in helping take down Team Plasma.
* DueToTheDead: Played with in the episode "Pokémon Shipwreck" when they're mistaken for dead and almost buried at sea.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** Team Rocket's debut actually had them be fairly competent villains, with barely a trace of comedic atmosphere. They were characterized by a SmugSnake attitude that's practically unheard of with their current selves. Granted, they still lost humorously in the end, and this is where the trend began to slowly shape itself thereafter. Their self-contained ReverseCerebusSyndrome was underway, at least until ''Best Wishes'' where they were restored to some level of serious villainous competency. This didn't last however, and they were eventually reverted to their now more familiar comedic selves.
** In several early episodes, the team didn't blast off, and instead were just left to [[VillainExitStageLeft run off cowardly]]. Compare this to almost all episodes after which go to contrived lengths to maintain their RunningGag. Also while their first episode ''did'' have them blast off, the TwinkleInTheSky was absent.
** The very first episode is the ''only'' episode, until "[[Recap/PokemonS14E16RematchAtTheNacreneGym Rematch at the Nacrene Gym]]" (#673, in the ''Best Wishes'' arc), in which they do not appear.
* EasyImpersonation: Among their many PaperThinDisguise schemes, the trio have naturally disguised themselves as the twerps more than once with success (this includes cases ''the team's Pokémon'' disguise themselves). The only time anyone saw through them was when they ''intentionally'' made their costumes distinguishable to lead the real twerps on a wild goose chase.
* EliteMook: In ''Best Wishes'' they got promoted into Giovanni's top ranks and became much more competent. They slowly lost this stance as the series went on, though have remained on Giovanni's good side for the time being. Judging by ''Sun and Moon'' they are also the first members of the organisation to master Z-Moves.
* EnemyMine: The trio sometimes team up wit Ash and his companions if they are fighting other bad guys or if they are in the middle of a catastrophe that would endanger all of them. This happens very often, if not all the time, in the movies.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Jessie and James were once caught by a trap baited with Pokémon food, which they ate with every sign of enjoyment. (See also Jessie's folder, as she can polish off meals not even her teammates would attempt.)
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Generally speaking, while they may be Pokémon thieves, they're absolutely appalled by trainers who abuse their Pokémon. Case in point, they all have a soft spot for Chimchar after seeing how he was treated while under Paul's *cough* care. Another time, they ''wanted'' to pull off a scheme of the week, but stopped themselves, because they were touched [[spoiler:by the farewell between Ash and Gliscor in the episode]].
** Also demonstrated with them and the organization as a whole in Operation Tempest. They're horrified to hear their BrainwashedAndCrazy boss declare he desires the destruction of Unova because Team Rocket has always stood for conquest, not destruction.
** They were genuinely mortified by the sight of Mewtwo's clones fighting their originals, even going into a brief DarkReprise (of sorts, anyway) of their motto.
--->'''James''': [[DarkReprise I was prepared for trouble, but not for this!]]\\
'''Jessie''': [[DarkReprise Make it double for me!]]
** Even though they don't like Ash and his friends, the trio do end up helping them every now and then. Heck, they even ''saved'' Ash from falling out an open window at one point!
** In one episode Pikachu suffers a power nerf from being separated from Ash. When he proves helpless against Team Rocket, the trio complain there is no sport in capturing him and walk off until he regains his will to battle.
** After a failed ambush on Ash while he was walking home from school, Meowth discovers that the Stoutland that Litten was living with was on the verge of dying, and spends the rest of the episode actively expressing his concern, even advising Ash to watch over it.
** They were utterly disgusted with Faba wanting to erase Lillie's memories just to cover his own ass.
--->'''Meowth:''' We may be the bad guys, but we're not ''[[ForTheEvulz bad]]'' [[ForTheEvulz bad]]!
** And then there's "A Poached Ego", an entire episode built on this trope where Jessie and James find a poacher that has trapped a bunch of Ekans and Koffing. In the end, they release Arbok and Weezing so they can lead the Ekans and Koffing to safety.
* EvilGloating: Rarely to their benefit — see [[SmugSnake Smug Snakes]] below.
* EvilerThanThou: Consider themselves this to Hunter J and Team Galactic, though in truth it's the reverse. They tend to be victim of such whenever an arc's main antagonist appears (and sometimes even petty ones such as Harley), getting upstaged or [[TheWorfEffect easily taken out to prove their superiority]]. Even ones they prove {{Worthy Opponent}}s for, they are usually the more affable underdog.
* EvilVersusEvil: They tend to act as rivals to the villainous organisation of each region, though how effective they are varies.
* FaceNodAction: In the episode "A Poached Ego", Team Rocket (Jessie, James and Meowth) do this just before performing a heroic YouShallNotPass.
* {{Faceship}}: Their iconic Meowth hot-air balloon.
* FactionMotto: They introduce themselves with their motto every time they run into the protagonists.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: More than a few times the twerps try to help Team Rocket or help them go legit. These almost always end with the TerribleTrio double crossing them and using this as a means to steal their Pokémon.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Reconstructed. While they are genuinely AffablyEvil, they aren't against exaggerating it or forging peace or sympathy with the heroes and other characters in order to con them or get their guards down. [[ManipulativeBastard Meowth]] is especially apt at this. The majority of times they team up with Ash and Pikachu ultimately end with the trio trying to double cross them.
* {{Flanderization}}: Throughout Kanto and most of Johto, they were bumbling and incompetent, but didn't really act overtly moronic and could pose some reasonable level of threat a good number of times. From late Johto until the end of Sinnoh, they increasingly became hyperactively goofy and stupid in personality, and [[VillainDecay lost all sense]] [[HarmlessVillain of menace]], with the cast sparsely ever taking them seriously anymore. Their individual quirks also got flanderized, such as Jessie's temper, James' sensitive side, and Meowth's boss fantasies (which seemed to get increasingly homoerotic).
** Come the Unova arc of ''Best Wishes'', they're more serious than ever, ''including'' their Kanto personalities!
** From ''XY'' and onward, part of the flanderization is gone, as they still manage to be a threat to the heroes and act serious when the time is right, but still retain general goofiness and comedy relief. Retaining their HiddenDepths and being utilised more moderately also helps.
* ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat: Even at the height of their VillainDecay, they occasionally manage to remind both the cast and the audience that they can be a competent threat. Two notable episodes are the Johto episode "The Stolen Stones", and the Hoenn episode "Do I Hear a Ralts?". Both of which features the heroes fighting off TR throughout the bulk of the episode, instead of the usual five-minute CurbStompBattle. ''Best Wishes'' took this concept and ran full steam with it, while ''XY'' and ''Sun and Moon'' as mentioned above, frequently dabble in it.
* FriendlyEnemy:
** Make no mistake, they ''really'' want to steal Pikachu (and many other Pokémon for various plots usually to please Giovanni), but on several occasions, Ash and co. and Team Rocket have been shown to be on surprisingly good terms when they're not caught up in another of the latter's plots. Probably two of the most notable moments are a) in the second movie where Team Rocket do their best to help Ash save the planet (however bad their best was) and b) Ash and co. working to help convince James' grandparents in Hoenn that he was really on a good team. In the episode "Charizard's Burning Ambition," they even take pity on Ash's Charizard and deliberately ''let'' him win so he could be accepted into the Charicific Valley.
** In the Pikachu shorts in particular, Meowth and the rest of the team's current Pokémon are usually far more petty antagonists, and in some cases are [[ThrowTheDogABone actually forgiven and allowed in on the fun by the end.]] In some the most recent ones, they are outright pally with the heroes (if still a bit mischievous).
* FriendOrIdolDecision: Across the anime series, all three of the trio have had opportunities to move on to a more promising or comfortable path in life if they ditched their Team Rocket allies. Despite being a villainous variation, they always eventually refuse, and it's clearly out of the loyalty they have for each other.
* FreudianExcuse: Jessie grew up in poverty, while Meowth spent much of his life as a stray. While James in contrast was part of a well-off family, his parents were cruel to him and wanted to force him to get married. All three were also [[NoSympathy regularly abused and treated as pests]] just for trying to make a living for themselves ([[CutLexLuthorACheck they weren't as good at it back then]]), leading them to take up a life of crime.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: As mentioned, the three started off mistreated and disregarded, leading them to seek respect within the villainous organisation Team Rocket. After a while however, they gained a laughing stock reputation even through that...until their tenure in Unova, when they suddenly became serious, dangerous rivals for both the heroes and Team Plasma. Even after becoming buffoonish again, their reputation as NotSoHarmless criminals still lingers around.
* GenreBlind: Despite being blasted off time and time again, they're sincerely smug at every encounter. "WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong" attitude towards their plans is sometimes persistent.
* GoKartingWithBowser: Jessie and James frequently take part in legitimate tournaments and contests, often against one or more of Ash's team. Meowth and the rest of the team's Pokémon also often join in on playtime antics with the hero Pokémon in some of the Pikachu shorts and original ending sequences.
* GoldfishPoopGang: Over the course of the series, Team Rocket have devolved into this. ''Best Wishes'' gave them a 180 flip, making them extremely competent and formidable. In the Decalore Islands arc and on, however, Team Rocket is back to always losing in the end, though they now put up a consistently good fight.
* GoodFeelsGood: As much as they love being bad guys, they tend to get a lot of satisfaction from doing occasional noble deeds.
* TheHamSquad: Their introductions are by no means natural, and they tend to get a little too into [[EvilIsHammy the villain role]] when antagonizing Ash and co.
* HereWeGoAgain: They've come to treat their "blasting off" RunningGag in a hilariously jaded fashion, often having passive banter as they are ejected.
* HomeBase:
** In the ''Sun and Moon'' Series, they build a small headquarters in the trunk above Bewear's den as a base of operations for their time in Alola. This due to the Bewear refusing to let them get away for too long, but they do enjoy the food and hospitality she provides them.
** In ''Journeys,'' they spend their downtime at a secret underground base located in Vermilion City, which is accessed by a phone booth.
* HumongousMecha: They sometimes utilize ridiculous mechs robots (usually Pokémon themed) to aid their nefarious deeds, though they are always destroyed by the episode's end, sending the trio blasting off.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Team Rocket's motto that they recite in every episode.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: It's been shown time and again that they're actually ''much'' better at being good than they are at being bad.
* InstantExpert: Surprisingly for them, they actually get the hang of using Z-Moves very quickly upon obtaining them, performing an effective Black Hole Eclipse on their first try.
* {{Irony}}: One of the more subtle running gags is that these guys have amazing luck doing things that in the games are extremely unlikely. Once while fishing they accidentally caught a Feebass. Another time while slathering honey they attracted a Munchlax.
** Both Jessie and James, interestingly, have strong childhood bonds with pokémon associated with positive connotations rather than criminal ones, a Chansey (that eventually evolved into a Blissey) and a Growlithe respectively. Chansey are usually trained as nurses at Pokémon Centers while Growlithe are commonly employed as police dogs. Perhaps it makes sense that ultimately, [[MinionWithAnFInEvil they are not very good at being villains]].
* JackOfAllTrades: Somehow in the course of their journey to be the world's most ineffectual villains they've turned out to be decently good (if not outright skilled) at just about everything ''except'' crime. Performing, MC-ing events, design, running small businesses, and building ridiculously complicated gadgets from the most meager supplies are just a fraction of what could be put on their resumé.
* JetPack: How they escaped "blasting off" in the Unova saga.
* {{Jobber}}: Spend a large amount of the time suffering beatdowns to display a character's progression. In the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, due to lacking their NotSoHarmless streak, they were sparsely anything ''but'' this.
* JokerImmunity: Team Rocket often "blasts off" while inside some sort of Giant Mecha that goes off in a massive explosion. You'd think they'd be dead by now.
* KarmaHoudini:
** The trio's upgraded competence throughout most of Unova was punctuated by their ability to often avoid getting blasted off, usually via the use of jet packs. Naturally when they became bumbling again, a KarmaHoudiniWarranty kicked in.
** Throughout Alola, Bewear frequently retreats with Team Rocket before the twerps can blast them off (though not always).
* KickTheDog:
** In the episode where Ash's Chikorita evolved, Team Rocket had Arbok and Victreebel attack Ash directly, beating him up badly.
** Team Rocket reaches their lowest point when they try to murder Ash at the Indigo Plateau by, well, [[IncrediblyLamePun burning him to ash]] using the fire of Moltres. As far as villainy goes, they never once tried to top that.
** When they sub for Giovanni during Ash's Viridian Gym battle, they rig Ash's platform to subject him to ElectricTorture every time his Pokémon take damage during the fight.
** After kidnapping Pikachu after the Indigo League (and playing a huge role in his subsequent elimination), they twist the knife even further by dropping bombs on the tournament after-party at Ash's house and terrorizing everyone there.
** In "Beyond The Rainbow" they manipulate a Florges into helping them steal Pikachu, while in secret drying her homeland for profit and tricking her followers into attacking the heroes by blaming the dilemma on them. When the plan is fulfilled, they gloat in excess to her, and dig the knife deeper about her baby Floette, that lies ill without the land's healing water. Ash is utterly sickened by this.
** In Oasis of Hope, they take over an oasis ran by a colony of Spoink and enlisted a famished Grumpig to assist them in the take over which allowed them to trap the heroes and capture Pikachu by forcing Ash to surrender him via Grumpig attacking the hypnotised Spoink each time Ash refused. Team Rocket planned to betray Grumpig by taking all the food from the Oasis and leaving Grumpig in the oasis without any food.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surprisingly enough pull this off at the end of ''XY''. After one final {{Curbstomp Battle}} among many in the ''XYZ'' series, they Lampshade they are completely outmatched against Ash's current squad (especially due to consisting of the two league finalists), and spend the remainder of the series on their own agenda until the twerps and their Pokémon once again disband.
* {{Large Ham}}s: All three of them.
* LaserGuidedKarma: All of their KickTheDog moments end with this:
** Their attempt to incinerate Ash with the flames of Moltres backfires when the real Moltres emerges from the flames, fries their robot, and sends them blasting off.
** The aforementioned episode where they had their Arbok and Victreebel attack Ash directly led to Ash's Chikorita, who was locked in a cage and being ForcedToWatch, evolving into Bayleef, breaking free, and blowing them away.
** Their aerial bombardment of Ash's party backfires badly when they make the mistake of pissing off Ash's Charizard by [[LostFoodGrievance blowing up a table of food Charizard had his eye on]]. Charizard promptly attacks them and throws their own bombs back at them.
** Their ElectricTorture of Ash during his Viridian Gym battle comes back to bite them when Ash pulls off his HeroicSecondWind, revealing that James also rigged Jessie's own platform to zap her whenever ''her'' Pokémon take damage. When Jessie demands to know why he did so, James confesses that [[DidntThinkThisThrough it didn't occur to him that they might lose again, so he didn't think it would matter]].
** On the other side of the coin, most of their more benevolent acts have a far better success rate and sometimes grant a HappyEnding, especially since often GoodFeelsGood.
** Most other members of Team Rocket look down on the trio for their incompetence and use their better reputation or ranks to humiliate or bully them. Most of the time however, [[LetsSeeYouDoBetter when put into action themselves]], they end up suffering a similar fall for grace that makes them look even more buffoonish, something the three often get to observe and enjoy thoroughly. Domino, Butch and Cassidy are key victims of this.
** In comparison to their countless painful failures trying to steal Pokémon, nearly all their legitimate captures are incredibly easy, and result in succinctly loyal comrades. Inkay and Pumpkaboo, two of their most reliable Pokémon, were both caught just by idly flicking a single Pokeball at them, while the likes of Cacnea and Chimecho willingly joined the team after they asked them. Mime Jr takes the cake, he eagerly jumped into James' Pokeball without him even trying to catch him.
* LastVillainStand: Even when their plans are foiled, the three will regularly try to fend the twerps off in a Pokémon battle. [[CurbstompBattle These rarely last that long.]]
* LaterInstallmentWeirdness:
** In ''Best Wishes'', they started to regain {{Character Check}}s to their original more sinister personalities, making the change somewhat jarring for those used to their contemporary comedic ones. Later series returned them to goofballs again, though maintain the occasional MoodWhiplash and more frequent spurts of competence. In addition they are now only recurring characters instead of appearing OncePerEpisode.
** Generally many {{Running Gag}}s for the trio are more prone to be broken or deconstructed in later seasons. ''Sun and Moon'' for example often omits their "blasting off" exit in favour of a Bewear evacuating them.
* LaughablyEvil: Pretty much their thing. It's downplayed in ''Best Wishes'' where they are portrayed as more serious and dangerous threats, but it comes back again in the Decalore arc.
* {{Leitmotif}}: In addition to their various mottos, there'a also [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnu4f_cQWPE "Team Rocket's Secret Strategy"]] - a melody that has followed them in various forms even over the dub switch.
* LensmanArmsRace: Ash and Team Rocket's rivalry has slowly becomes this, due to the trio's constant quest to one up the twerps and Ash's team gaining ceaseless abilities and pointers from thwarting them. By the time the two sides enter the Kalos region, their rivalry earns an InUniverse JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient from the locales, just from the ridiculous skill and power displayed from an unfanfared rookie and a bunch of small time criminals.
* LighterAndSofter: They've zigzagged across the spectrum over 20+ years. Particularly post-Johto the trio became especially irrelevant as villains and more often a group to pity or even at times ''cheer on'', compared to their initially quite nasty selves. The ''Best Wishes'' series briefly reverted the trio into a credibly dangerous threat, but they've since come back into being mostly ineffectual comic relief. Additionally, the series nowadays only very occasionally mentions any of the trio's pasts, which were always filled with more unfortunate and depressing implications than most other storylines featured in the tv anime.
* LightIsNotGood: Unlike most of the black outfitted members, they are the only ones ever dressed in white. Even Meowth's creamy-coloured fur references this trope. Also acts as a partial subversion since it also indicates they are among the least evil members of Team Rocket.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: the trio have essentially become this to each other as a function of their TrueCompanions status. If they split off from each other for an extended period for any reason, they can only last so long without each other before they start to miss each other terribly at best, or become completely dysfunctional at worst. This has become so characteristic of them that it's been referenced in one of their theme songs, with one line in the lyrics proclaiming that they're a team and can't do anything without each other.
* LivingADoubleLife: Sometimes the trio use their disguises for more straightforward ambitions such as contest participants or to secretly perform heroic acts, [[BecomingTheMask often taking on rather developed personas]] as a result. Incidentally a lot of these personas turn out to be more successful and popular than their default villainous ones.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Due to being lowly members, they are unaware of their boss' more sinister agendas, like his involvement with the [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie experimentations of Mewtwo]].
* LookWhatICanDoNow: After three generations of being on [[TheWorfEffect the receiving end of this]], they themselves get to do it quite effectively at the start of ''Best Wishes'', taking Ash aback with their newfound competence and outright decimating Pikachu and Pidove in battle. They do the same at the start of ''XY'', where Jessie reintroduces Wobbuffet, who is now resistant enough to badly injure Pikachu and Froakie. In both cases, his new companion actually starts of ''[[OhCrap terrified]]'' of them.
* LovableTraitor: There are quite numerous episodes in which Team Rocket cooperates with Ash et al. Even when genuine amicability between the camps precedes, Team Rocket almost always ends up betraying them.
* MadeOfExplodium: It sometimes takes a ridiculously simple attack to trigger off the trio's blasting off RunningGag.
* MadeOfIron: No matter how many crazy attacks, ridiculous falls, and giant explosions they endure, they always manage to come out barely scathed. They actually credit their encounters with the protagonists as the reason for this, with the repeated electric shocks and blasting offs making them now extremely resistant to injury. It quickly gets to the point that they treat being sent into the sky as little more than a mild annoyance.
* MasterOfDisguise: Utilize a PaperThinDisguise almost OnceAnEpisode. Only a handful of times has anyone saw through their act or even been remotely suspicious until they outed themselves.
* MeaninglessVillainVictory:
** In "Pokémon Scent-sation", Team Rocket manages to steal a supposedly rare perfume from Celadon City gym while everyone is busy trying to put out the fires that resulted from their bombs. However it's revealed that said "perfume" was actually just ''one'' ingredient required in making the secret perfume -- the essence of Gloom (i.e. very stinky).
** An episode during mid-Johto had Team Rocket get their hands on an ancient queen's scepter that could control Pokémon and Jessie uses it to control Ash's Pikachu, except it turns out that the scepter only works within where the boundaries of the queen's home village were, meaning Jessie can't take Pikachu out of or control any Pokémon outside that area.
* MinimalistCast: Jessie and James rarely have more than five or six Pokémon, about half the amount they can obtain together. Their Kalos roster is their smallest, counting up to only four Pokémon [[note]][[TheSmartGuy Meowth]], [[SecretWeapon Wobbuffet]], [[PintSizedPowerhouse Inkay]] and [[GenkiGirl Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist]][[/note]], only two of which are prominently used for battling. Naturally this plays into their IneffectualSympatheticVillain role, since even when they battle well, Ash's team can often outnumber them.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: It's made clear that the three of them are much better at virtually every legitimate career they make an attempt at than they are at any kind of criminality. Averted for most of Best Wishes which poised them as more properly villainous henchmen, but subsequent seasons prove this trope still to be true.
** This is taken further in ''Sun and Moon'' where they end up spending a significant amount of their downtime running a moderately successful food truck business. It's even {{lampshaded}} when they comment that doing honest work is actually satisfying! (But also feels off, somehow...)
** They're so much better at being heroic rather than being criminals that their current promotions technically rely on the fact they've been instrumental in ''stopping criminal plots''. They stay employed by a crime organization because their fighting of ''other'' crime organizations means Team Rocket has less competition!
* MissionControl: In ''Best Wishes'', with the introduction of Dr Zager.
* ModernMajorGeneral: Initially the trio were the MasterOfNone and usually played StrawLoser to Ash's group. In later seasons however, while getting blasted off as often as before, they start finding niches in almost everything ''but'' being villains, sometimes even overshadowing the twerps whenever they just try playing things legitimately.
* {{Mondegreen}}: According to Butch and Cassidy in an early episode of the second season, the version of the Team Rocket motto Jessie and James use is actually an InUniverse example of this.
* {{Mooks}}: As highly as they think of themselves, their no more special than the average Team Rocket Grunt. They become [[EliteMook Elite Mooks]] for Team Rocket's Unova operations, but eventually go back to their usual schtick of trying to steal Pokémon. Though they still report directly to Giovanni on their progress and have stayed on his good side for the most part
* MookMaker: In ''Journeys'', Jessie and James are granted the Prize Master, which vends Pokémon for their use. It doesn't work much better than when they had their own Pokémon, however. In fact, they end up losing one of their mooks, a Grookey, to Goh.
* MoralityPet: In Alola, they genuinely care about Bewear and Stufful enough to risk their well being and even their reputation within the organisation. They rescue Stufful from being forcibly taken from Matori at one point, and when a Guzzlord attacks Bewear they use their mech to come between them and jet her and Stufful to safety.
* MotiveDecay: Ash's Pikachu isn't even the strongest Pikachu they've met over the course of the show, to say nothing of all the countless powerful and rare Pokémon they've encountered while following Ash and his friends. But they insist on capturing Ash's Pikachu as well, so they won't feel like their goal wasn't pointless.
* MultipleChoicePast: All three have surprisingly complicated--and sometimes conflicting--back stories and origins. Most noticably, the earliest episodes show that Jessie and James knew each other as schoolchildren and spent time together in a bicycle gang, but a much later Team Rocket origin-story episode gives the impression they didn't meet until they were paired up as adults. However, later episodes in the series reference other parts of their backstories that previously acknowledged those childhood events, lending credence that they did in fact happen. It's worth noting that in the 'origin' episode they don't actually outwardly say anything that confirms ''or'' denies that this is their first meeting, though, so it's still plausible they did know each other when they were younger, went their separate ways for some reason, and then didn't meet again until joining Team Rocket.
* MythologyGag:
** A couple of phrases from their Unova motto.
-->'''Jessie''': ''Bringing the blinding '''white''' light of evil into the future!''
-->'''James''': ''Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the '''black''' darkness of the universe!''
** In one Japanese-only radio drama, Musashi and Kojiro play characters called "Jessie" and "James".
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous:
** Jessie and James' Japanese names, Musashi and Kojiro, respectively, come from two famous samurai who reportedly dueled to the death. Musashi was victorious.
** Musashi is also named after the WWII warship Musashi, as Cassidy/Yamato is named after the WWII warship Yamato.
** The English dub names refer to the outlaw Jesse James. The trend continues with Butch and Cassidy (after Butch Cassidy), Annie and Oakley (after Annie Oakley), and Attila and Hun (after Attila the Hun).
* NecessaryFail: To some degree, given how often they are pivotal in {{Enemy Mine}}s with the twerps or even just [[NiceJobFixingItVillain inadvertently solving dilemmas in their mayhem]], one can only wonder how much more dire many situations would be if they didn't obsessively try and fail to capture Ash's Pikachu from region to region.
* NeverRecycleYourSchemes: Averted in a general strategy sense, as they do enjoy repeatedly digging pitfall traps and using giant machines to try to capture Pikachu/the Pokémon of the week. The use of electric resistant machinery is also one progress in strategy they often maintain. However, played perfectly straight with specific plans. The vast majority of their plans would actually succeed if not for the "twerps" stopping them. It stands to reason that if they just waited for the "twerps" to move on and then tried again, they could just about steal every Pokémon in the series not named Pikachu.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Done regularly in fact. The episode's dilemma, be it two sides conflicting, a Pokémon struggling with their abilities or someone suffering insecurities, being forced to stop a Team Rocket scheme usually ends up helping solve it. During the Kalos League, the trio lampshade that they practically trained Ash into a pro trainer.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: [[DependingOnTheWriter Depends On The Writer]], but typically, James is nice, Jessie is mean, and Meowth can be either one.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Sometimes the team are sent blasting off even if they did something noble. Frequently this is when only one is in on this and is [[GuiltByAssociationGag punished indiscriminately with their teammates]], though in others it's just their trademark bad luck.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: The trio don't actually care about Team Rocket or its goal of world domination. Their first priority is always, acquiring personal wealth or "earning" Giovanni's approval, which is why their more than willing to sabotage the organization's operations to improve their own standing.
* NotSoDifferent: Against Ash (with Meowth venting some towards Pikachu). For all their scuffles, they are fuelled by the same sense of loyalty and determination, and tend to see their Pokémon's wellbeing as more important than anything (if unfortunately not each others'). Similarly, while Ash goes unrecognised and considered forever a rookie [[AlmightyJanitor despite his many achievements]], the trio's own [[CutLexLuthorACheck multiple talents and gifts]] are overshadowed by their incompetence as villains. Both largely for a goal they will likely never achieve.
** {{Lampshaded}} in an episode where an entire town gets hypnotized ''except'' for Jessie, James, and Ash, and when confronting the culprits about this, the answer the three of them get is "idiots are harder to hypnotize".
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Even after their {{Flanderization}} on several occasions the trio proved that despite seeming to be incompetent that they can indeed be a credible and very dangerous threat from time to time, nearly succeeding at stealing the Pokémon of the Week or Pikachu on several occasions and almost killing Ash at least twice. Sometimes Ash and friends tend to forget that they are indeed dangerous criminals on occasion. Taken UpToEleven in Best Wishes.
* OcularGushers: Despite being villians, all three of them are easily moved and extremely prone to bursting into waterfalls of tears when something makes them emotional, more so than just about anyone else in the anime cast.
* OfficialCouple: Jessie and James in the manga adaptation ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu''. In the anime it's ambiguous to this date and it's unlikely to ever be revealed.
* OnceAnEpisode: Team Rocket getting blasted off. Again.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: At the start of ''Best Wishes'' the trio reappear with a far more focused attitude and keep the goofy antics and wisecracks to a minimum (even in the dub). It's more than foreboding that Ash won't be defeating them nearly as easily for most of the region. It gradually fades as the series continues, though every now and then the trio retake this sinister disposition to remind Ash they can be ''very'' genuine menace.
* OutOfFocus: ''Best Wishes'' downplayed their appearances to help them maintain their new menace, with several episodes they make only a minor appearance progressing their scheme or sometimes don't appear at all. ''XY'' reinstated their Pikachu-chasing formula, though even then toys with having the heroes hold entire episodes on occasion. ''Sun and Moon'' also has many episodes where the trio don't appear at all, or are doing something completely unrelated to the twerps.
* OppositesAttract: So to speak. While they share some similar interests and are incredibly in-sync with each other, Jessie and James are complete opposites in other respects. Jessie grew up dirt poor, James grew up filthy rich. Jessie's hot-tempered, brash, and demanding, while James is meeker, and at times selfless to a fault.
* OverarchingVillain: They've been chasing Ash and Pikachu since the beginning of his journey, and it doesn't look like they will stop anytime soon. Even as things in the anime change and Ash's friends and companions come and go, the Team Rocket trio will always be somewhere nearby waiting for their next chance to start trouble.
* PaperThinDisguise: Team Rocket's "specialty". As long as they do as ''little'' as change their hair a little bit and put something (even a pair of thin glasses) over their faces, they will fool others for at least a little while. You would think that the cast (but ''especially'' Ash and co.) would actually realize that the suspiciously-friendly people with blue and red hair - as well as the ''talking Meowth'', who often disguises himself as a ''person'' - that appear in seemingly every town - and on every road, as well - are not to be trusted...
** In an early ''Diamond and Pearl'' episode, they wore small green jackets over their Team Rocket uniforms. Unzipped. [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS With the R showing]]. [[TooDumbToLive The twerps don't recognize them]].
** This trope really got more prominent in later seasons (except ''Best Wishes''). The first time they were disguised, the heroes recognized them right away. By DP, though...yeah.
** Played with in Pokémon contests. While Jessie at least attempts a more palpable disguise most of the time, the heroes are still never remotely suspicious that the outspoken, pink haired contestant has the exact same Pokémon, including a Meowth that is ''also'' capable of human sapience. In some cases they even discuss how talented they are.
** There's one time where James costume changes practically ''right in front of the protagonists'' and they ''still'' don't realize that the man they'd been talking to, 'Jeeves', was actually James, assuming instead that 'Jeeves' suddenly wandered away for some reason.
** One notable exception is in the first-season episode "The Electric Shock Showdown," in which they disguise themselves to perform a victory cheer for Ash's Pikachu before its fight against Lt. Surge's Raichu. This time, the kids recognized them right away. (Of course, it may have helped that Jessie and James started reciting their motto before Meowth stopped them by slapping them with a paper fan.)
--> '''Brock:''' ''[after Team Rocket finish their cheer]'' That... was really disturbing.
--> '''Misty:''' Thanks for your support! 'Bye, Team Rocket!
--> ''[The retreating Team Rocket stop dead in their tracks.]''
--> '''Team Rocket:''' HUH?
--> '''Meowth:''' How'd they know it was us?
--> '''Jessie:''' Lucky guess!
%%* ParentService: Jessie and James.
* PerpetualPoverty: In earlier regions at least. They almost never have a budget for food or proper lodgings, presumably because they spend all their money on disguises, traps, and robots. They even end up in such massive debt to Team Rocket that they had their membership revoked in one episode. They were allowed to stay only due to Giovanni's good graces and the fact that the organization was short on members at the time. However, over the course of several series it's shown they've become able to do [[JackOfAllTrades basically any part-time gig that comes their way]] which supposedly helps them at least get by. By the time they get to Alola, they end up starting and running a malasada food truck during their off-villainy hours that becomes relatively successful, and also apparently get paid very well doing commentary for the Battle Royale after being hired on short notice.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: VagueAge aside, Jessie and James are generally implied to be fully grown adults who are somewhere in their 20's. Nonetheless, they've gotten obsessed with stalking a 10 year old boy, his Pikachu, and all of their traveling companions who are no older than their mid-teens. This obsession holds so strongly that they, along with Meowth, have persisted in this pursuit across ''seven different geographical regions and counting''.
** In fairness, come ''Sun & Moon'' it seems they're at least trying focus more of their efforts on catching other Pokémon ; they just ''happened'' to be assigned to the same region where Ash is currently staying though, so when the opportunity to ambush him presents itself they simply can't help but try their luck.
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Ever since moving to regions beyond Kanto and Johto, the trio have found themselves falling into this a lot, especially as each region has their own villainous team with their own elaborate plot that has nothing to do with Team Rocket. While the trio often help pivot the plot ([[NiceJobFixingItVillain or accidentally solve it]]) through their schemes, sometimes they only show up to keep up appearances, with Ash's team treating them as little more than nuisances to their own situations. Come Kalos, they pretty much decide to stay out of the action during the big showdown in favor of serving as journalists broadcasting the events. Lately the anime has tried to help downplay this by omitting them from the occasional episode where their presence is unnecessary.
* ProudBeauty: Jessie/Musashi, obviously. The English dub of early episodes makes both Jessie and James very fond of referring to how beautiful they are. While this element isn't absent in the original voice-acting (Kojiro introduces himself and Musashi as being ''lovely, charming'' villains in the Japanese version of their motto, after all), compare [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iloR-ElB6I the Japanese version of their S01E45 song]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9TRmwvZiw0 the English dub's]]. The former is a considerably longer, deeper BadassBoast with lyrics like "Reality will be a nightmare / Once we assume command". In the English, we get:
-->'''Kojiro''': ''♪ I am the handsome one! ♪''
-->'''Musashi''': ''♪ I'm the gorgeous one! ♪''
-->'''both''': ''♪ Looking good is lots of fun! ♪''
** The English song "Double Trouble" (found on the ''2.B.A. Master'' CD), while perhaps a better equivalent to "Rocketto-dan yo Eien ni" than the latter's dub adaptation, adds some of this as well, except that Giovanni steps in to BreakTheHaughty.
-->'''Jessie''': I'm so gorgeous!
-->'''James''': I'm always the man!
-->'''Giovanni''': You're just the players in my master plan!
* PunchClockVillain: If it weren't for their loyalty to Team Rocket, they could quite easily live normal, honest lives (especially James and Meowth). Less so in ''Best Wishes'', but even then they aren't ''completely'' bad (technically, their crimes haven't much gotten worse than before, just more seriously handled). ''Sun & Moon'' takes it to the extreme where they start a successful malasada food truck that they run in their off-villain hours. When Giovanni tells them to pack up and return to base at the end of the series, they are legitimately sad to leave behind the new life they made.
* PuppyDogEyes: In the episode "Fangs For Nothin'", Jessie and James do this while trying to persuade a Dragonite to help them.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Especially starting with ''Best Wishes'', since they don't appear in every single episode anymore.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Their outfits after being promoted in ''Best Wishes'', which are the standard Team Rocket garbs. They don't last more than a few episodes, though.
* RedOniBlueOni: Jessie is considered to be the Red Oni as she is the gruffer and more hot headed of the group as she has a hostile temper when things don't go her way and her red hair fits nicely. James is considered the Blue Oni as he is the more softer spoken and sensitive member as he loves his Pokémon but his hair is not quite blue since it's actually light purple. Meowth fits somewhere in between.
* RedemptionPromotion: Whenever they fight on the side of good, or even just play by the rules in tournaments, their competence level skyrockets. This applies more often to James than Jessie, though.
** Ironically, the favor with Giovanni that they've recently started enjoying is linked to the fact they've been regularly playing some part in helping Ash & co. foil the plans of other criminal gangs, since what they do is effectively destroying Team Rocket's other competition.
* ReflexiveResponse: Doing the opening lines of their motto (or even the [[BreakingTheFourthWall background music]]) will sometimes trigger Team Rocket into blurting the rest of it.
--> '''Ash''': Team Rocket, prepare for trouble! On second thought, make that double!
--> '''Jessie''': *''Confused''* To protect the world from devastation?
--> '''James''': *''Equally confused''* To unite all peoples within our nation?
* ReplacementGoldfish: They were implied to act as such for the cub of the Bewear that house them in Alola. She later reunites with her Stufful again, though continues looking after Team Rocket as well.
* ResetButton: As a part of their ToonPhysics package. It doesn't matter how many times their Meowth hot-air balloon gets destroyed, their clothes get trashed, or they get blasted off into the distance with nothing but the shirts on their backs: they will be back flying in a balloon wearing pristine uniforms with all their belongings accounted for.
* RhymesOnADime: In the TPCI English Dub.
* SayMyName: Intentionally averted. Unless they're undercover (and even then, they have a hard time resisting the urge), Jessie, James, and Meowth have almost never called Ash and co. by their names. They have been, and always will be "the twerps".
* ShooOutTheClowns: In ''Best Wishes'', they left all of their old comical Pokémon at HQ, mainly because they're not Unova-native, including the literal clown Mime Jr. {{Inverted}} in XY, where Jessie's Wobbuffet, easily Team Rocket's silliest Pokémon, comes back to Jessie's party, signifying the trio's return to their previous goofy personalties (if similarly in more NotSoHarmless form than before).
** The TerribleTrio ''themselves'' have started to appear less frequently in the show, although they continue to remain a cast staple. This is most likely because the target audience of the show requires that they can never be allowed to actually ''win'' against the protagonists (at least not long-term), but at this point after so many episodes, it's easier to make them conceivably more competent by showing them in fewer but more novel situations, rather than constantly recycling their old schemes ad nauseum, and it has proven an effective strategy.
* ShootTheDog: To Weezing and Arbok, who refused to leave them after being released to protect the Ekans and Koffing herd.
* ShoutOutThemeNaming: Minus Meowth, in both the original ''and'' English dubs. Then again, most Team Rocket duos seem to have a theme name.
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Recurrently, all of the trio tend to show semblances of intellect or talent that implies they're not completely incompetent idiots. This is most liable to happen when they're siding with the twerps for a change.
* SkewedPriorities: Whenever they try to steal or capture Pokémon for their Organization, they tend to do it for the flimsiest and bizarre reasons, often depicted by Meowth's fantasies as he explains them beforehand.
** Their obsession with Ash's Pikachu serve as a franchise long one, since as ''Best Wishes'' show, they're much more effective and successful when Pikachu ''isn't'' on their list of priorities. Especially glaring in the ''Sun and Moon'' series where Pikachu is still their main focus to capture over even Ash's Meltan and Mallow's Shaymin, ''mythical Pokemon''. (To their credit however, as said series' league would contest, Pikachu genuinely ''is'' more powerful.)
** Reaches its logical conclusion in ''Sun and Moon'' where their top priority has warped into making their unique bewear-themed honey-doughnut business profitable, rather than acting in the interests of the organization they're supposed to be employed to. Much to their horror after a harsh dismissive rebuke by headquarters on their lack regarding actual progress on that part.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Jessie and the female Pokémon of the team suffer as many cartoon beatdowns as the males.
* SmugSnake: This is probably the main reason they always lose - they cannot seem to ''conceive'' that their plans might fail or their inventions be destroyed, not to mention [[EvilGloating they gloat too much]]. It's evident in the [=BW049=]/[=BW050=] two-parter, where the best plan they'd built to ''date'' might have succeeded if [[spoiler:Meowth hadn't arrogantly assumed Pikachu and Axew could do nothing while caged. Otherwise, Dr Zager would probably have picked up the train carriage with none of the Poké Ball-bound Pokémon any wiser until it was too late. And if Meowth had just taken care of the Pokémon when they escaped rather than gloating to Pikachu's face and disconnecting their car from the train, Zager wouldn't have needed to even involve himself the way he did (having to pick up a car with uncontained Pokémon on it) which wouldn't have given the heroes time to catch up with them!]]
** It's even ''more'' evident in the Kami Trio two-parter, in which they showed that they hadn't learned from their past defeat and failed to capture the legendary Pokémon because their getaway vehicle still wasn't secure enough. Thankfully, they seem to be learning better as they go on.
* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: In "A Shroomish Skirmish", they were being chased by a herd of angry Breloom. They would accidentally stumble upon the twerps, prompting the Rockets to recite their motto, until Meowth notices Brock's cooking. They decide to eat first and then finish the motto after that. And James forgot which part he left off in the motto!
* SourOutsideSadInside: All three of them. As much as they love being smug, devious villains, their lives were riddled with abuse from the very start, and they often miserably lampshade their countless failures and humiliations, and the many more that inevitably await.
* SpiderTank: Several Pokémon themed variations:
** The Magikarp submarine became one in one episode, and ''it climbed a cliff''.
** They inevitably used a Spinerak tank that shot string shot at Ash and Pikachu during the Johto era.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: What their... ''relationship'' with Ash and Pikachu has essentially become. It seems the idea of giving up on stealing Pikachu has become completely unfathomable to them, as they will follow Ash to the ends of the earth if they have to. It's gotten to the point that when Ash's journey in one region ends, they will actively ''stake out his house and eavesdrop'' to find out what region he's going to next.
* StarvingArtist: Seemingly in hand with their PerpetualPoverty, the trio's most noticable skills that aren't related to being crooks are their skills in art, fashion, and performing.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Subverted in B/W. First, Team Rocket remained competent villains even when they went back to dressing in white and going after Pikachu and other Pokémon. Double subverted when [[spoiler:Meowth was "fired from TR" and joined forces with Ash's group for a few episodes....only to reveal that he was still with Team Rocket and was merely tricking Ash and co.]] Played more straight from the Decalore Islands arc and onward, though they show occasional shades of their former competence and Giovanni still shows passive interest in their progress.
* StealthHiBye: They pull these left and right during ''Best Wishes''.
* StealthPun: The new [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Team_Rocket_BW_1.png Team Rocket logo]]. This trio really did become DarkerAndEdgier!
* StrawLoser: By the time of the Hoenn era, they had been Flanderized so badly that everyone plus their grandma would easily beat up or outdo Team Rocket to show their competence, their redeeming functions also downplayed. They zigzag with this trope in other eras, though there is usually at least more palpable HiddenDepths, along with cases of...
* SympathyForTheHero: They were all in awe at Ash and Ash-Greninja's semifinal victory that they start believing that Ash finally has a good shot at the championship. [[spoiler:And when the League ends and Ash is NOT the victor, they were the ones with the waterworks over seeing Ash lose again.]]
** In Sinnoh, even [[EvenEvilHasStandards they were furious at Paul's treatment of Chimchar]] and felt sorry for it, to the point of cheering for Ash when Chimchar was battling.
-->'''All three, when Infernape activates Blaze during the Sinnoh League:''' "Infernape is up! So are we! A happier team you'll never see!"
* TaughtByExperience:
** For all their stubborn incompetence, it only took a handful of defeats from Pikachu to figure out to make electric-proofing a top priority in most of their gadgets.
** It took them a ''much'' longer course of beatings, but at the end of ''XY'' they acknowledge that the twerps have levelled up to a calibre [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind they can't possibly match]] (especially Ash who is by that point a ''League Finalist''). They end up laying low for the remainder of their Kalos tenure. Later during their time in Alola, they finally put in some actual deliberate effort to try keep up with the twerps by researching Z-Moves, arming their Pokémon with them, and making their gadgetry resistant to their power.
* TeamRocketWins: Being the TropeNamer, every now and then the trio prove capable of winning a match or pulling off some scheme (that at least has short term success). This is especially common when their plans [[LaserGuidedKarma have no malicious intent]]. Only a handful of episodes end with them officially the "winner" over a member of Ash's team however:
** Jessie (as Jessilina) manages to pull off her first Contest victory in Solaceon City in "Team Shocker" and to add to her victory, Dawn doesn't even make it past the appeal round and spends most of the episode in a HeroicBSOD.
** "Dressed For Jess Success" has James (posing as Jessilina) using Meowth and Carnivine to rather handily defeat Dawn in the Lilypad Town Contest. Though Dawn is a GracefulLoser this time, James and Meowth end the episode rather happy with their victory.
** "A Dancing Debut" has Jessie win the Couriway Town showcase using Meowth, Wobuffet and Gourgeist. Again Serena is a GracefulLoser, but Jessie ends the episode ''very'' pleased with herself.
** "Holy Matrimony" acts as a rare case the twerps suffer the EndOfEpisodeSilliness in place of Team Rocket, with Ash and friends left to fend off Jessebelle while Jessie and James making a rather romantic escape ([[ArentYouForgettingSomeone albeit with Meowth left chasing]]).
** The theatre production ''Theatre/PokemonLive'' has the trio successfully bring Pikachu to Giovanni. Naturally Ash managed to get him back afterwards, but they still temporarily succeeded in their ultimate goal.
** The twelfth episode of the ''Sun and Moon'' series has Team Rocket ''finally'' legitimately win a Pokémon battle against Ash fair and square. While inevitably the circumstances prevent them from actually capturing Pikachu, the trio are appropriately shocked and thrilled with their success.
** In the thirteenth episode of the ''Journeys'' series, after a fiasco with a Gigantamax Drednaw, they get something of a consolation prize by finding a wild Chewtle that was stuck to Jessie's hair. A later episode reveals that unlike Yanma, it was deemed useful emough to be used by Team Rocket.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: In ''Diamond and Pearl'', it was becoming clear that all the losses were getting the better of Jessie, James, and Meowth. There were ''several'' episodes where they would fight amongst themselves in this era. It all came to a head in "Noodles! Roamin' Off!", when Meowth [[RageQuit rage-quits]] after being {{Scapegoat}}ed for a failed scheme, and Jessie follows suit. That said, they also quickly realized that despite everything, they couldn't handle being apart for too long and join up again.
** This would go by the wayside eventually with the team finally getting a "promotion" of sorts going into ''Best Wishes''. Meowth made a supposed turn from Jessie and James for good during their mission in Unova, but it turned out to all be a trick by the three to steal the twerps' Pokémon.
* TerribleTrio: Former TropeNamer. Simply put there's three of the goofballs, and they love being terrible.
* ThreePointLanding: They all manage to do this in "A Sandile Gusher of Change" when they fell into a random pitfall made by a Sandile.
* ThrowTheDogABone:
** Get thrown the odd HappyEnding or win a competition every once in a while, especially when they don't use dirty tactics for once.
** In most regions, the Team Rocket trio were lucky to be effective in standard battles, let alone get access to the signature power up. In Alola however, they manage to obtain a Z-Ring and Z-Crystals, and surprisingly enough, manage to perform a Z-Move flawlessly in their first attempt.
** Long-term, their position is relatively better off than before. While they are still as much {{Butt Monkey}}s when it comes to stealing Pokemon, they at least have Giovanni's good graces now, and due to better funding and an increased load of job experience under their belt, often manage in better conditions every region.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** In ''Best Wishes'', where they almost managed to go the entire season without blasting off even once. They slowly regressed back into ineffectual comic relief throughout "Decolora Adventures" and ''XY'' however, though are still more prone to NotSoHarmlessVillain moments than before.
** By the midway point of Ash's Alola trials in the ''Sun and Moon'' series, they gain access to a Z-Ring and two Z-Crystals, leaving them with a dangerous amount of power through the Z-Moves. This also counts as the trio's first attempt at a {{Level Grind}} of sorts mid series.
** While their villain competence interchanges, their RedemptionPromotion seems to increase consistently as the series goes on. In early eras, they were generally failures, even when they tried to go legit or faced Ash's team in standard contests. Later episodes put more emphasis on their talents [[CutLexLuthorACheck besides their villainy]], so often prove formidable when not playing dirty. It's gotten to a point the trio have actually bested the twerps in a few non-villainous scenarios and even saved the day in their place a couple of times. In some cases they even end up giving Ash's team pointers.
* TookALevelInJerkass: While they were always villains, in the late Johto to Sinnoh times they were usually more mischievous fools than truly evil. Since ''Best Wishes'' however, the trio demonstrate more cold blooded tendencies, and are more willing to act upon them. Even when returned to more comical form in ''XY'', this has played into them being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain more dangerous]], with far more times the heroes are [[ThisIsUnforgivable repulsed]] or even [[OhCrap genuinely terrified]] by what they can do.
* TookALevelInKindness: Towards Wobbuffet. When Wobbuffet first "joined" the team, they weren't too fond of it, but gradually became more tolerant.
* ToonPhysics: While the other characters aren't immune to AmusingInjuries, the trio themselves tend to be protected more by RuleOfFunny, going through ceaseless extreme situations without ever being much more than comically dazed or scuffed. In one episode, the team shoot to bottom of a tall cliff fairly harmlessly, though when May risks falling down all of five seconds later it is taken ''dead'' seriously, the same rules of physics not applying to her. They also tend to be the only characters allowed to show MediumAwareness about being in a cartoon.
** They're so aware of their usual casual immunity that in one episode where James gets severely poisoned, he has to clarify to Jessie and Meowth that his condition is serious and he is ''not'' alright, which causes their attitudes to immediately switch from vague interest to genuine concern.
* TragicVillain: Each of them was dealt a rough hand in life:
** Jessie grew up in abject poverty after her mother went MIA on a mountain when she was a young child, and then she failed at any career path she pursued, including being an actress and becoming a Pokémon nurse, before winding up at Team Rocket.
** James was stifled by the societal expectations of growing up in a wealthy, aristocratic family, and his parents were dismissive of him at best and downright controlling at worst. Worse still, the girl they arranged to marry him is abusive. He ran away from home when he couldn't take it anymore.
** Meowth learned to speak in order to impress a female Meowth, but she cruelly rejected him for Persian and regarded Meowth as "walking talking freak" and he was subsequently kicked out of his Meowth pack.
* {{Troll}}s: If there's one form of villainy they excel in, it's duping the heroes with constant booby traps and {{Paper Thin Disguise}}s. They ''always'' fall for it initially, even though ultimately Ash & co always put them in their place.
* TrueCompanions: They have a very strong bond with each other, crossign into LivingEmotionalCrutch territory in that if any of them splits off for one reason or another (a potential relationship, a new career interest, etc.) they inevitably can't bear to be without each other for long and come right back together.
** And on the rare occasion that they aren't antagonistic, ''Ash'' can expect them to have his back (and he returns the favor).
* TunnelKing: After years of digging pit fall traps, they developed impressive digging skill.
* ATwinkleInTheSky: The Team Rocket Trio has been well known for this trope as they refer to it as "we're blasting off again". This trio helped revolutionize the trope by becoming paperboy examples of it as they have blasted off hundreds of times over the course of the anime due to their incompetence. It was downplayed in the Best Wishes saga due to the trio taking on a more serious tone with them flying off in jetpacks instead but went back to old habits before the XY saga.
* UltimateJobSecurity: In spite of their many, ''many'' failures and Giovanni's all too visible contempt for them, the trio has still remained a part of Team Rocket. Following the Johto arc this seems to stem from them being the only Rocket agents in the region, as Giovanni seems to consider having lackluster representation is better than none at all. Post-Sinnoh, it's shown that he's become so out of touch with them that they've managed to ''improve'' his opinion of them by convincing him that they're a major force in disbanding the evil teams that could otherwise cause trouble for Team Rocket (which is a clear exaggeration; While it's true they typically do have a hand in it, their contributions are always ''much'' smaller than those of the "twerps").
* UndyingLoyalty: To Giovanni and Team Rocket, but even that pales in comparison to their loyalty to each other - one of their few good qualities is the fact that they're totally inseparable and ''always'' come through for one another. Someone else threatening one of the trio or their Pokémon typically results in the others making an instant EnemyMine with Ash and his friends, even against other Rocket members.
** It says something that ''all'' of Jessie and James' Pokémon are as loyal to them (if not more consistently so) as those of the twerps, despite it dooming them to the fate of the forever losing GoldfishPoopGang. Meowth is the nearest to acting as TheStarscream, and even then draws the line at truly selling out Jessie and James, even when it would be in his best interest. Keeping in mind that Meowth is actually a wild Pokémon not truly owned by the two, and thus his loyalty is not inherited.
* UnknownRival: To Hunter J and Team Galactic in the Sinnoh arc. Averted in the Hoenn arc, where they generally stayed out of Team Aqua and Magma's way rather than attempt to compete with them, and in the Unova arc, where their rivalry with Team Plasma is quite serious and evenly matched. Played with in the Kalos arc, where Team Flare never took Team Rocket seriously. It turned out to be UnderestimatingBadassery however as the trio had a direct part in defeating them.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: The only expense that could be compared to their innumerable gadgets and mecha is the frankly astonishing number of costumes they go through to dupe the heroes (and even apparently just for fun). If a role needs to be played, they have the resources to be properly dressed for it, though [[PaperThinDisguise to varying levels of quality]]. This is somehow despite the fact they are always on the go and frequently portrayed as being too broke to pay for food and shelter, so really one wonders how they are able to purchase and store those clothes. This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] on occasion, sometimes by ''themselves'' as seen with James' infamous "flaming Moltres" stunt.
-->'''Meowth:''' That outfit... Where'd he get it?\\
'''Jessie:''' [[DeadpanSnarker I think that costume]] [[{{Accidental Innuendo}} came straight out of his closet...]]
* VagueAge: There seems to be conflicting sources as to just how old the trio are. When the original anime was localized, Jessie and James were stated as being 15 and 16, respectively. The Japanese website for ''Pokemon The Movie 2000'' states that they are both 25 years old, and Meowth is 3. ''The Birth of Mewtwo'' radio drama also implies that Jessie is in her mid-20s. Jessie claimed to be 17 in one episode of the first season, and the Christmas special also implies that she is, at most, 20. The only definite is that Jessie and James are about the same age as each other.
** One episode of ''Sun & Moon'' has all the adult characters fall victim to a spell that makes them depressed and lazy. Team Rocket is among those affected, indicating that at the very least they are not underage.
* VeryPunchableMan: Often times, the best way to assert that the episode's OneShotCharacter has improved in any way is to have them defeat Team Rocket.
* VillainDecay: Twice over in fact:
** Thanks to {{Flanderization}}, from late Johto to Unova, they devolved into a group of bumbling, incompetent dorks who pose no threat to Ash whatsoever.
** After regaining their cred and then some in ''Best Wishes'', they ultimately reverted to buffoonish villains in ''XY'', though are still more resilient and cunning than beforehand.
** Relatively speaking, they suffer this every season. While their overall competence varies, the trainers and their Pokémon's inexperience usually mean they at least start off a palpable StarterVillain at first. Then as the heroes develop and evolve, the team CantCatchUp, and ultimately become reduced to a quick filler in most later episodes, until the season ends, Pokémon and characters disband, and the process starts over.
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: As recognized in "Dues and Don'ts," the trio neglects to train and capture more Pokémon in favor of putting all their efforts into stealing Pokémon, and they owe Giovanni too much money to ask him to send them more powerful Pokémon. This results in Ash and his friends usually having full, well trained Pokémon teams and plenty of battle experience while Jessie and James usually only have one or two Pokémon each and their battle style is to just spam the same attacks over and over again. Somewhat fittingly this trope is [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe only present when they are villains]]. In legitimate battles or performances, their Pokémon [[RedemptionPromotion show much more of their experience]] and they are actually among the most proficient at [[ChekhovsSkill taking what they've learned in the past]]. For some reason they never take this to heart in their villainous schemes, where they are one track set on destroying the twerps (despite often being able to defeat them under normal tactics).
** Downplayed in the ''Sun and Moon'' series. Though they still struggle to keep up with Ash, they do make some legitimate attempts at boosting their chances at succeeding in their villainous schemes, such as obtaining the regions' Z Move mechanic. It helps that Giovanni and Matori are keeping much more regular inspection of their progress.
** As of ''Journeys'', Giovanni ''finally'' grants them access to Team Rocket-owned Pokémon via the Rocket Gachat, a vending machine device that dispenses random Pokémon for them to use against Ash and co. Additionally, they get their very own Rotom Phone, albeit a very snarky and trolling one, for their personal use, forfeiting the need for James' outdated "Pokémon Cards".
* VillainousFriendship: For all their many faults and conflicts, the trio all genuinely care about each other. This sometimes extends to their Pokémon as well.
* VillainousRescue: Done a few times. Perhaps most prominently in the second movie where the trio help Ash ''save the world'', complete with performing a HeroicSacrifice, and in ''Best Wishes'', where it is they who stop a BrainwashedAndCrazy Giovanni from destroying Unova (and possibly more).
* VillainousUnderdog: The trio are usually blatantly outmatched in battle skills and sheer numbers in terms of Pokémon battling, thus rely on scheming and gadgetry to try and challenge Ash and co.
* VillainousValor: The team are often so persistent in their plans and the abuse it gives them, it's pretty admirable. Their camaraderie and palpable moral compass helps a fair bit too.
* VillainsOutShopping: There are several episodes they aren't doing anything villainous at all, taking part in legitimate contests or events or just getting caught in the heroes' dilemmas.
* VitriolicBestBuds: They get snappy at each other on a daily basis but are close. In the first season, this is far more prominent as Meowth, who considers himself superior, versus Jessie and James, while later seasons switch around the dominant streak to Jessie, with Meowth joining James as her browbeaten assistant. Occasionally James' dopiness and fairly strong moral compass will cause him to butt heads with Jessie and Meowth as well.
* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Played straight at first. While not evil looking per se, most of the teams' early Pokémon favoured darker or goofier designs than those of the heroes'. Subverted more and more as the anime progressed however. Most of James' Pokémon in particular look downright adorable.
* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: At least a few of the trio's NotSoHarmlessVillain moments were timed just as the twerps were expecting another time-wasting Team Rocket CurbstompBattle.
* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: They go through an enormous array of gadgets and mechs to try and match the twerps, and in ''Sun and Moon'' even manage to create a technological lair inside Bewear's tree trunk home. In earlier seasons, it was implied they loaned this type of gadgetry from the organization (and left themselves with a whopping amount of debt), though later episodes tend to just convey them as {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es who somehow manage to finance their equipment through menial part-time jobs.
* WickedCultured: PlayedWith. At a glance, they appear to be this considering the way they pepper their mottos and introductions with flowery language, and additionally they genuinely seem to love theatre and the arts. However, this is also masks the fact that can quickly devolve into bumbling idiots.
* TheWorfEffect: If a new evil arises to threaten the peace of the current region, you can usually count on them to effortlessly dispatch these three as a quick way of showing that they mean business and are not to be trifled with.
* YouAreWorthHell: All three members (along with even some of their Pokémon), have been granted individual opportunities at a normal happy ([[CutLexLuthorACheck and perhaps even successful]]) life, but always return to their role as punching bag Team Rocket members. The reason is always because of their TrueCompanions.
* YouShallNotPass: To the Pokémon poacher in "A Poached Ego", protecting Arbok and Weezing (amd their pre-evolved forms) so they can escape into the wild.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Played with. In some cases Team Rocket would avoid their usual "blasting off" RunningGag and try to retreat after a scheme had failed. Ash and the other heroes, had they been riled up enough by their antics, would prevent this by sending their Pokémon onto them, making sure they left the scene, but in the usual more painful way.
[[/folder]]
----

[[folder:Jessie (Musashi)]]
!!'''Jessie (Musashi)'''
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessierocket_8302.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Prepare for trouble...]]

-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Music/MegumiHayashibara
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/RachaelLillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)
-->'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Diana Pérez (base voice), Elena Ramírez (replacement in some episodes), Mayra Arellano (flashback as a kid)
-->'''Voiced in European French by:''' Catherine Conet, Chantal Baroin (Movies ''Pokémon 4Ever'' and ''Destiny Deoxys''), Valerie Nosrée (Movie ''Jirachi: Wish Maker'')

The de facto leader of the villainous threesome who are often out to capture Ash's Pikachu. On the side, she also takes part in Pokémon Contests in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, and Pokémon Showcases in the Kalos region.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: The fact that Jessie is the daughter of a Team Rocket agent gets occasionally mentioned in various guidebooks and character info sheets. So far however, this has yet to be properly touched upon in the anime, and currently the only voiced piece of media that covers this plot is a radio drama that served as a companion to the first movie and was never released outside of Japan.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Tends to make herself TheRival of each of Ash's female companions per era because of this. Be it battles, contests, or just snark wars, they almost always end up at least a small step ahead of her. May in particular, once she herself got past her teething issues, made a habit of outclassing Jessie, directly or not.
* AnimeHair: Jessie has an extremely distinctive, gravity-defying hairstyle that splays outwards and away from her neck (and incidentally, allows her to easily pose her body to create a silhouette of an 'R'). Once in awhile her hair looks more reasonable, though. See LettingHerHairDown below for more.
* ArtEvolution: In late Johto, when the show's artwork became more sharply defined, one of the most noticeable changes was that Jessie's hair went from crimson red to magenta. For what it's worth, though, Jessie's hair was always a shade of magenta in game and card artwork.
* AttentionWhore: Part of the reason she participates in Contests and Showcases. She gets very angry if the cameras aren't on her during these.
* BareYourMidriff: Her standard outfit.
* BerserkButton: Quite a few:
** The quickest way to trigger Jessie is to mess with her hair. Anytime she ends up having her hair damaged or cut, '''[[UnstoppableRage SOMEONE GETS HURT!]]''' One exception to this being when she herself reach a level of fatigue so severe, that she doesn't even realize that a wild Chewtle had been hanging onto the end of her hair by its teeth for who-knows-how long before the trio finally spotted it.
** Another one is by calling her an "old hag". Doing so will similarly cause her to enter in a [[UnstoppableRage violent fit of rage]].
** Injuring or otherwise defacing her face is another. In "Pokémon Scent-Sation," she insisted on using bombs ("blaster balls" in the dub) to blow up the Celadon City gym. Her motive: [[DisproportionateRetribution Revenge for Erika's employees' stamping a red X on her face when rejecting Team Rocket.]]
** She also doesn't like being called a ChristmasCake. She once got so angry when Misty called her an "old witch" that she literally STARTED BREATHING FIRE, leading Meowth to quip that she'd evolved into a Flareon!
** When she thinks of something and the other two try to persuade her to reconsider.
** Don't even think about questioning the power and elegance of her Pokémon.
* BerserkerTears: Hilariously, when beating up Seviper for biting her hair off in "A Tail with a Twist".
* BookDumb: Due to never really receiving or finishing a proper education as a child, she lacks a lot of basic knowledge that other people her age usually would know from the get-go, such as names on Pokémon attacks and what moves a Pokémon can know, or even just their ''species names'', resulting in her leaving a lot of the thinking to Meowth and James while she works on her own self-image. This is most evident in how she doesn't seem to know or understand the moves of her Wobbuffet, whose species only posses ''four'' moves in total, basically letting him fend for himself whenever she sends him out into a fight. She also is repeatedly shown to not be particularly skilled at using computers or other technology, especially compared to James who is at times a borderline GadgeteerGenius.
* BrokenBird: Jessie is technically one of these after spending virtually all of her formative years enduring misfortune after misfortune. Her mother went missing when she was young and she grew up poor. She had a string of love interests who left her for one reason or another. She failed at nearly every interest she pursued, including flunking out of two different schools. By the time she got into Team Rocket, she'd become so jaded that despite doing well in her training she was unable to connect with any of her assigned partners until James and Meowth. While at present she exudes overconfidence and ego, there are occasional hints that deep down she's still haunted by her past, feeling resentful of any of her shortcomings and having fears of being abandoned.
* BrokenWinLossStreak: Jessie suffered a lengthy losing streak throughout the entire Hoenn and Kanto Contest run, before finally winning a Sinnoh ribbon. Jessie was convinced James and Meowth had helped her cheat, but they eventually tell her [[MagicFeather they played no part]]. Jessie thereafter continued winning ribbons, and even makes it to the semi finals of Sinnoh's Grand Festival.
* CantStandThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Jessie doesn't outright admit it,[[note]]until [=XY063=], that is[[/note]] but she really does care for Wobbuffet.
* CheatedAngle: Jessie's hair flips to the right in many instances, particularly early on. See [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/f7c04f81d70bfc8592a403a15b73cb2f/tumblr_mlitofUIYL1qcl0fmo1_500.gif here]], for a particularly egregious example. She's facing away from the camera, her hair is pointing to the right. She turns 180 to face the camera, ''and her hair points off to the right the entire time''.
* CombatSadomasochist: She invokes this trope fairly often in Contests for appeals, and ''it works''.
* CompressedHair: Has no problem concealing her hair underneath Team Rocket's recurring disguise while in Unova.
* CrossDresser: She used to do this just as much as James. Though it's become rarer, she'll still proudly sport a suit and look fantastic in it from time to time.
* CrossPoppingVeins: Her reaction to Ash and his friends imitating and poking fun at their motto.
-->'''Jessie:''' (''fuming'') Team Rocket's not something to be made fun of, but if you're going to imitate us, at least do it ''right!''
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Surprisingly, Jessie is a really good Coordinator. While off to a bad start in Hoenn, afterwards she places high in nearly every contest she entered, and was even in the top 4 of the Sinnoh Grand Festival. She similarly won three Tripokolons, allowing her to enter and, again, reach top 4 in the Kalos Master Class.
* DemonHead: Often does this when she gets mad at James and Meowth, as in the episode "One Trick Phony".
** When Ditto is unable to transform into exactly what she ordered it to (and at one point takes her words literally).
-->'''Jessie:''' HOW DARE YOU INSULT US LIKE THIS! I'm warning you, ''you'd better transform perfectly this time or I'll transform you into jelly!''
* DisappearedDad: Her father is never referenced.
* DisproportionateRetribution: In "Pokémon Scent-Sation." Jessie elects to plant bombs in Celadon Gym and blow it up, with ''everyone'' still inside, purely because Erika's staff [[BerserkButton stamped a red X on her face when they threw them out]].
* TheDitz: Gradually averted over time when it comes to contests and later showcases, but played straight in other areas. A few instances have shown her to be woefully incompetent when it comes to certain basic Pokémon trivia, such as what moves they can learn. For example, she thought she could tell a Charizard to use Poison Sting, and during her first contest, she told her Seviper to use a whole assortment of moves that it couldn't use, much to its chagrin and embarrassment.
** Even though it's her longest standing Pokémon, Jessie can never seem to properly learn how to use Wobbuffet's limited moveset and always confuses Mirror Coat and Counter. As a result, she tends to force Wobbuffet to largely fend for himself when sent out to battle, serving as little more than a glorified cheerleader for him.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite her openly nasty demeanour, she often very blatantly cares about her Pokémon. Even the ones that initially earned her ire [[note]]Poor Wobbuffet and Seviper...[[/note]] end up rather beloved pets. Insulting her is a very bad idea in itself, but insulting her Pokémon is ''even worse''.
* EvilCounterpart: To Ash's female companions, Misty in particular.
* EvilIsPetty:
** In "Pokémon Scent-Sation," Jessie elects to blow up the Celadon Gym purely out of petty spite and revenge for Erika's staff stamping an X on her face when they threw Team Rocket out earlier. James himself [[EvenEvilHasStandards notes that that's a bit excessive]].
** In the episode ''Once In A Mawile'', the trio accidentally kidnap Brock’s Lombre when they intended to capture [[OneShotCharacter Samantha’s]] Mawile. Upon realizing that they couldn’t give Lombre over to Giovanni, James and Meowth were all for returning it to Ash and co., but Jessie refused simply because they asked for it back. [[CurbStompBattle Anybody with a passing knowledge of the Pokémon anime can guess what happened next.]]
* ExtremeOmnivore: Jessie seemingly has the stomach for [[CordonBleughChef Misty's cooking]], which even ''Ash'' found disgusting, and [[LethalChef May's Pokéblocks]].
* FantasticRacism: She believed that James' Inkay was part of an evil group of Malamar because Malamar was Inkay's evolved form despite an overwhelming amount of contradictions.
* FieryRedhead: She has one '''HELL''' of a temper.
* GenderBlenderName:
** In Japanese she was named after a famous swordsman and as such her name, Musashi, is very masculine.
** Also applies in English too, as while "Jessie" is technically a unisex name and her spelling of it is considered more feminine, the individual who she (and James) is named for was a man named Jesse James.
* GenerationXerox: With her mother Miyamoto. Jessie ended up on Team Rocket like her MissingMom and they're both rather childish, however Miyamoto was one of the top members while Jessie is perpetually stuck at the bottom.
* GirlishPigtails: Sometimes dons these while in disguise, most notably as Contest aficionado Jessilina.
* GracefulLoser: Most surprisingly in the Kalos Master Class. The team very nervously await a hissy fit after Serena defeats her, though Jessie seems happy she at least got to be a popular runner up.
* HairReboot: No matter if something happens to her hair, it'll grow back in short order.
* HairTriggerTemper: It doesn’t take much to piss Jessie off. Even James and Meowth fear her because of this.
* HelpImStuck: In the episode A Hole Lotta Trouble, Jessie gets stuck in a cave hole, presumably due to her hips. May tries to push her through, which doesn’t work. She only gets out because a Loudred causes the hole to become bigger.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Ends up this way as times. One noticeable example was when she suggest to wait for an Electrike to be trained before stealing it to Meowth and James, only to eventually lose patience and state the opposite later on and call out James and Meowth on this like it had their idea instead.
* IdenticalStranger: Unnervingly to the cast, Jessie is shown to look nearly identical to James' arranged ex-fiancée, Jessebelle.
* IfIWereARichMan: She often fantasizes about being rich, picturing herself waving bills around, and wearing a [[GracefulLadiesLikePurple slinky purple dress]] and [[FluffyFashionFeathers feather boa]].
* IneffectualLoner: During her days as a Team Rocket trainee. Before getting paired with James and Meowth, she was incapable of working with a partner and tended to abandon anyone assigned to work with her because she felt they slowed her down.
* InterspeciesFriendship: While studying at nursing school, she became friends with a Chansey. Although Jessie failed to graduate, Chansey gave her half of the egg-shaped medal she had received so they could always remember each other.
* {{Irony}}:
** Among the things Jessie tried and failed at before somehow ending up in Team Rocket was being an actress. Now her criminal lifestyle has had her disguising herself and pretending to be someone else so often that she's become a pretty impressive performer after all.
** Jessie's mother was considered to be one of Team Rocket's most valued agents, but Jessie and her team have been rendered the GoldfishPoopGang to a group of kids and became so ineffectual at their job their boss once forgot they even existed.
* ItsPersonal: She caught both Lickitung and Seviper in fits of anger:
** Lickitung was caught when it paralyzed Arbok. She just threw a pokeball at it in anger, and it didn't escape.
** Seviper stole some of her rice balls, then ''[[TooDumbToLive bit off her hair]]''. She beat Seviper up single-handedly. A terrified Meowth had to remind her to catch it before she killed it.
** She also kicked James' second Victreebell off the team for biting her, even ordering Arbok to physically give it the boot.
** Of the three, she's the most likely to antagonise the twerps out of spite for intervening or causing the trio anguish, sometimes with James and Meowth as TheDragAlong. Several times she's actually called her Pokémon to attack the trainers.
** A large amount of the trio's non-Pikachu captures in ''XY'' have been a result of this (eg. trying to steal [[TheRival Serena's]] Pokémon for showcases, or take down a wild one that attacked them earlier in the episode).
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Released its Dustox so it could live with its new mate, [[ConflictingLoyalty even when it refused]]. Attempted the same with Wobbuffet at a later point, though he chose to stick with Jessie.
* {{Jerkass}}: Very often to AlphaBitch levels, particularly in contests.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Beneath the veneer of bitchiness, she truly does care for her team and her Pokémon, and has willingly done good for the sake of it. She's even helped save the world more than once, too.
* LaserGuidedKarma: In the Sinnoh saga, Dawn was eliminated in the first round of two Contests in a row, causing her [[BreakTheCutie confidence to take a crippling blow.]] Jessie (as Jessilina) made fun of her for that twice, and she then ended up losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup and the Celestic Contest, both of which Dawn would go on to win.
* LeaderWannabe: Sort of. Strictly speaking there isn't really a leader among the trio, but Jessie is often framed as such in that she's the first to speak in their motto, and due to her more aggressive, go-get-'em personality she's typically the one browbeating the others into action. However, this is often for the sake of appeasing her childish temper, and there are times when the other two will put their foot down or take the lead.
* LettingHerHairDown: Occasionally her hair is in a state that is ''not'' its characteristic shape. Usually this is done intentionally for disguises, but getting it wet also bogs it down. She could probably win contests [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessie_3_3414.JPG looking]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessie_6_3674.JPG like]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meowth1_2163.JPG this]].
* LiteralMinded: In an episode of season 1, she and James take the phrase "underwater ballet" literally (it was actually a costumed synchronized swimming show that was going on), and she wears a blue tank top and tights.
* MagicSkirt: Averted actually! Being a kids anime, the show does try to avoid too many low angle shots of characters wearing skirts. But Jessie is also pragmatically shown to be wearing some sort of black bike shorts under her skirt.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Masculine Girl to James' Feminine Boy.
* {{Meganekko}}: Her Coordinator personas all sport stylized yellow glasses, and she sometimes wears glasses simply as a disguise.
* MsFanservice: Provides a modest amount, being a burning hot redhead with ample breasts, beautiful long legs, and as mentioned has a [[BareYourMidriff bare midriff]]. Before the [=BW=] arc, she occasionally appeared in nice bikinis. Also, she's one of the few regular females who isn't underage; in the banned [=IL=]35 (Dratini's debut episode), she almost succeeds in seducing the Safari Zone warden.
* MinorInsultMeltdown: Quite prone to it. She nearly went berserk on a little girl who referred to her as an old lady.
* MissingMom: Supplemental materials reveal that Jessie's mother was a high-ranking Team Rocket member who went missing on an expedition to find Mew.
* MoodSwinger: Interchanges between bouncy and whimsical or demonic rage in the blink of an eye.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The original series episode with Duplica had Jessie's um, "encouragement", curing Ditto of its Shapeshifting problems[[note]]Ditto keeps its face when it transforms[[/note]]. It wasn't by accident, either; that was what they were planning to do in the first place.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Although she comes from a poor family.
* NobodyTouchesTheHair: A pack of Scyther ended up cutting her hair just to spite her, and was barely able to avoid Jessie's wrath.
** When Seviper bit her hair, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown she single-handedly beat the crap out of it and captured it]] while James and Meowth watched in terror and amazement. Since then, Seviper stayed with her for eight whole seasons and nearly 380 episodes -- ''longer than she had Arbok!''
** Yanmega is among very few to avoid Jessie's wrath, perching on her head as another of the team's odd recurring gestures of affection. Jessie finds this irritating, though puts up with it.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: She managed to win the mandatory three Princess Keys to enter the Kalos Master Class. We only see her win one however (against Serena) with the other two getting only passing mention as the trio celebrate her induction.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: It's mentioned in the English dub that her full name is "Jessica".
* ParentalAbandonment: Jessie's mother went missing when she was a young child and her father has never been spoken of. She ended up growing up in a foster home in impoverished conditions.
* PetTheDog: Some of her interactions with her own Pokémon. Particularly her Dustox, who she sees as beautiful, and Wobbuffet, although she doesn't want to admit it regarding the latter.
* PimpedOutDress: Dons these ensembles for Contests.
* PsychoticSmirk: Whenever she's planning her latest scheme...if not an outright SlasherSmile.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Until ''Best Wishes'', Jessie has always had a poisonous snake Pokémon on her team.
* TheRival: In Diamond/Pearl (she was an UnknownRival throughout ''Advanced Generation''). You know she's gotten more competent at the Contest thing when she manages to ''actually win a Ribbon!''
** She wins enough to go to the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and only her last was not earned fairly but given by Salvia (Dawn already had 5).
** Played with in the Kalos showcases where she started off at her Hoenn-level incompetence, but slowly improved against Serena and won enough Princess Keys to make it all the way to the semi finals.
* ShesGotLegs: As mentioned above, she has lovely long legs that are wrapped in thigh high boots. Jessie has never been shy about using them to her advantage when disguising herself at times.
* ShooTheDog:
** In "Ignorance is Blissey", to protect the eponymous Pokémon which is Jessie's old friend. The circumstances even fit three of the four listed reasons on the trope page!
** Arbok and Dustox were also released by her for their own safety.
* SignatureMon: Arbok. Even though at this point three times as many episodes have aired since the episode it was released in and she's had Wobbuffet for far longer, Jessie is still heavily associated with Arbok. She's been shown to own a number of Arbok themed merchandise, and she once imagined having a bedroom also themed around the species.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Well she is part of Team Rocket, so she is no stranger to AmusingInjuries.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: According to Takeshi Shudo, "Musashi (Jessie), is a beautiful woman and suffers from the hardships of being beautiful. These experiences aren’t quite complete, but there is plenty of them. Well, it’s not that she can’t say that she easily falls in love because she can’t become a world-class beauty".
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Even to this day, fans still misspell her name as "Jesse", probably to be more accurate to her and James' namesake.
* StrawLoser: Her alter ego "Jessalina" had a constant losing streak (even pointed out by Harley), with the sole purpose of making May and other contestants look more competent as coordinators. This was before the Sinnoh region where she TookALevelInBadass.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: With her mother.
* TeamRocketWins: In the Sinnoh era, she manages to win enough Pokémon contests to reach the finals (compared to Hoenn where she never won once). She did the same for the Kalos showcases. It's also a case of...
* ThrowTheDogABone: Throughout the early parts of the series, she often fantasizes about owning a Smoochum. Halfway through the DP saga, during the Summer school arc, she gets to (temporarily) take care of one of her own.
* ThroughHisStomach: Jessie's shown a propensity to both be won over by or to show others gratitude/affection through food. Jessie has difficulty showing kindness, but one surefire way to tell she's trying to thank someone or cheer them up is if she gives them food or drink. Given her background of growing up so dirt poor that she sometimes ate snow, this makes a lot of sense.
* TokenEvilTeammate: While Jessie still has sympathetic moments, Meowth and James have outright turned against their Team Rocket ways when the situation needs it or when their morals come into conflict with the situation, but Jessie will still try to steal the Pokémon even if she's alone. This element was more evident in early episodes, where she even threatened to betray her comrades if they hindered progress (such as trying to replace Meowth for a Sneasel).
* TookALevelInBadass: As a coordinator. In the Hoenn era she was essentially a StrawLoser for May and other contestants, always failing or [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat resorting to cheating]]. In Sinnoh era she proves more talented, and wins several ribbons through legitimate skill. This ends up repeated in the Kalos showcases, getting enough Princess Keys to become a semi finalist and [[WorthyOpponent often getting audience approval even when losing.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: In ''Sun and Moon'', she develops a liking to malasadas.
* {{Tsundere}}: While all three of the trio have this trait to some extent, Jessie definitely has it the strongest. She puts up the harshest front of them all, and shows the most dogged resistance to outwardly show kindness or gratitude, even in moments where she clearly wants to.
* TsurimeEyes: They're associated with [[ProudBeauty pride]] and strong will, suitably.
* UncattyResemblance: Her hairstyle and vain demeanor makes her resemble her Arbok.
* UnknownRival:
** Jessie was competing against May in Contests during the Hoenn era, yet she barely recognises her; Jessie was in disguise and using an alias, but still. To add insult to injury, despite doing much better in the Sinnoh contests, she still failed miserably in the one contest May returned for.
** Out of Serena's main rivals in the showcases, Jessie earned her attention the least. This was less out of effectiveness however[[note]]Jessie was the only rival other than Shauna to have a win against her[[/note]], and more because, due to working in disguise, Serena didn't have a personal rivalry with her. She obliviously considered her a {{Friendly Rival}} after "Jessilie" helped with her public Tripokalon however.
* UnstoppableRage: Don't make her angry. [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Ever.]]
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She really doesn't like rollercoasters.
* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing:
** Jessie has managed to catch several Pokémon just by tossing a Poké Ball at them, no battling or even befriending required. Lickitung, Wurmple, and Pumpkaboo are fully-invoked examples of this.
** Subverted with Seviper and Yanma. Jessie personally [[UnstoppableRage beat Seviper into submission]] for messing up her hair, while Yanma had already been weakened by another trainer when [[EvilIsPetty she swiped it from underneath him]].
--->'''Jessie:''' [[LampshadeHanging Underhand]]!
** {{Averted|Trope}} with Mimikyu. It swatted two regular Poké Balls away effortlessly. She swiped a Luxury Ball that James had, and that one did the trick. Still, she didn't have to battle it.
* {{Womanchild}}: Her behavior can be downright childish sometimes.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Jessie's hair went from fire engine red to magenta.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:James (Kojirou)]]
!!'''James (Kojirou)'''
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jamesrocket_9067.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:...And make it double!]]

-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/TedLewis (4Kids, original), Creator/EricStuart (4Kids), Creator/JimmyZoppi (EN, current)
-->'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/JoseAntonioMacias, Creator/EduardoGarza (flashbacks as a kid)
-->'''Voiced in European French by:''' David Manet, Thomas Roditi (Movies ''Pokémon 4Ever'' and ''Destiny Deoxys''), Luc Boulad (Movie ''Jirachi: Wish Maker'')

Jessie's somewhat dim-witted foil. He'll often take the role of OnlySaneMan to counter his colleague's more bizarre ideas.
----
* AbusiveParents: The fact that a once-innocent, still-gentle boy would rather stand by his luckless miscreant career at his age than return to a cozy mansion indicates at ''least'' ParentalNeglect. "Holy Matrimony!" of the first season, however, cements his parents as these. They feign death just to manipulate James into settling down and becoming their idea of a proper high-society member; and the woman they've designated as his fiancée owns a whip for scaring James into deference. [[FromBadToWorse As though it weren't enough, she's implied strongly to be a multiple-time sexual assaulter]]. And his parents remain supportive of her ways! "Poor guy" would be an {{Understatement}}.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: "Excuse me? Ditching a diamond for a dumb disguise makes you dumber than it!"
* AmusingInjuries: James' Grass Pokémon will, at least OncePerEpisode, show him affection, which usually involves hurting him in some way, but always PlayedForLaughs.
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: Apparently the case for him after being poisoned by his over-affectionate Mareanie nearly every single day. When a wild Toxapex poisons him, he's out of commission for only one day, when supposedly it normally takes three whole days to recover from Toxapex poison.
* ArtEvolution: James' haircut design has gone through a subtle change over the years. It began as a fairly straight-cut bob-length [[NinetiesHair curtain hairstyle]], but the ends have gotten progressively messier with each season and look positively jagged now.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Due to being a Masked Royal fan, he can tell the difference between the eponymous wrestler's own mask and a conventional one for merchandise since the former has very minute differences to specifically fit his face.
* BadassBoast: When he and Jessie were partnered up in Team Rocket.
-->'''Jessie:''' Listen up, James. I hope you're good because I'm not going to carry you.
-->'''James:''' No one's carried me since my momma.
* BadassNormal: Watch him in ''Best Wishes'' - he doesn't even capture any Pokémon until [=BW025=]!
* BerserkButton: Damage his beloved bottle-cap collection in any way, and face the consequences of his wrath towards the offending party.
* {{Bishonen}}: Coupled with him being quite flamboyant, James has the feminine face to match. So much so that he's able to dress like a woman quite convincingly.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: James is the kindest and most compliant member of the trio and often ends up going along with Jessie and/or Meowth's plans even when his heart isn't necessarily into it. However, he ''will'' assert himself if his buttons get pushed hard enough. He loudly condemns his parents for their lifelong mistreatment of him when he's forced to confront them, and he personally puts a stop to Jessie and Meowth when they try to steal from James' beloved "Nanny and Pop-pop".
* BlackComedyRape: There is what is essentially a domestic near-rape scene in "Holy Matrimony!" that's ''just'' ambiguous enough to get away with in a kids show. James' fiancée, Jessebelle, along with his pressuring parents, remind him that as a "gentleman of property", it's his duty to marry his fiancée and '''produce an heir'''. They trick him into entering a torture chamber then Jessebelle chases him around while cracking a whip. James' parents remark that James and Jessebelle are the perfect couple. Jessebelle puts on a gas mask and paralyzes him with Stun Spore. James wails in a resigned tone that ''she's done this before'', and passes out. When he comes to, yet is still somewhat paralyzed, Jessebelle draws close to him, as if for a kiss or some other sexual act. James gets rescued. Jessebelle tries to paralyze him again, but fails. James mentions that he ran away from home as a kid to get away from her. Jessebelle comes for him ''again'' in [=DP153=], but he manages to escape.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In contrast to his usually passive demeanor, James does not hold back in loudly criticizing and resisting the way his parents try to control his life after they manipulate him into coming home and basically hold him captive.
* CampStraight: He's flamboyant, is the more passive foil to Jessie's temper, and has crossdressed well over a dozen times (he even ''had breasts'' in one episode), but has fallen for a few women and has shown to have liked Jessebelle when they [[PuppyLove first met]].
* TheChewToy: Many of his Pokémon love his face a little too much.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: Bottle caps. It's SeriousBusiness to him.
** James has also been seen collecting old coins, pogs, and soda can tabs; though bottle caps are his primary focus for collecting.
** He also apparently has a collection of the different Pokéball variations.
* CowardlyLion: Despite being the least aggressive of the trio, he's managed incredible feats. In [=SM058=], he flings an attacking Tentacruel a great distance back into the ocean to protect his Mareanie. Keep in mind the canon weight for a Tentacruel is 55kg / 121 lb.
* {{Crossdresser}}: "[[ValleyGirl Like]], don't I make the ''coooolest'' girl?" [[https://i.imgur.com/0WGN84E.jpg Indeed.]] And he took this to the extreme in the first banned episode (trying to make a few bucks off of a swimsuit contest). The creators have admitted this came about simply because in storyboard stages when the staff were putting Team Rocket in Rose of Versailles costumes, they decided James looked better than Jessie in Marie Antoinette's frilly dress, and the trend stuck.
-->'''Jessie:''' Stop acting like an ignoramus!
* CrossPoppingVeins: Along with Jessie when Ash and friends poke fun at them.
-->'''James:''' (''equally irked'') To '''''unite''''' all peoples within our nation, ''not'' '''ignite!'''
* CrushingHandshake: Brock learns in S01 that he has a ''very'' firm handshake. Judging from the blatant smirk on his face, it was intentional (and successfully) meant to intimidate. [[CharacterizationMarchesOn Surprisingly]], both Meowth and ''Jessie'' were a lot more no-nonsense about shaking hands with the twerps.
* CutenessProximity: Since Hoenn, most of his Pokémon are adorable balls of fluff one would not expect from a criminal organisation. Accordingly, his treatment of them is humorously sickly sweet at times as well.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: As mentioned under HiddenDepths, he could rival Brock as a breeder if he didn't think Team Rocket was his calling.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: In [=OS139=], James says other kids beat him up on a daily basis due to the way he dressed. In [=AG147=], it is revealed that his housekeepers and private tutors physically abused him.
* DefectorFromDecadence: To avoid an arranged marriage.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: He shows an aversion to this several times, like in the Pokémon Orienteering episode, where Jessie and Meowth give him an option of DungeonBypass, and he outright refuses to take it (although it was also because the route they spotted for him was going to be rough for Mime Jr.) as well as in Cosplay competition, where he and Mime Jr. both go into a HeroicBSOD after Jessie and Meowth decide to just steal the prize (the egg that will soon become Brock's Happiny).
* DisproportionateRetribution: In "''Flint Sparks the Fire''", a trash collecting droid picks up James' prized bottle cap as trash. It resulted in him being a little ''too'' enthusiastic in Team Rocket's scheme in the next episode: ''stealing the '''Sunyshore Tower'''''. Then again, this is James and bottle caps we're talking about...
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Even accounting for the trio's eventual group descent into comedic ineffectuality, James's personality was markedly different for a good chunk of the first season [[CharacterizationMarchesOn compared to what has become standard for him]]. While he has always been the more yielding and sensitive member of the team, he was also a ''much'' vainer, nastier person in those early episodes (that is to say, his personality was similar to Jessie's) and it wasn't uncommon for him to impart physical harm and scathing insults to his Pokémon, things that would be jarringly out of character for him now.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** Yes, James was subject to an oppressive childhood, but his fondest memories are with his Nanny and Pop-Pop. He loves them so much, that he even refuses to participate in Jessie and Meowth's scheme to steal the Pokémon there.
-->'''Jessie:''' Traitor!
-->'''Meowth:''' Why are ya sidin' with the twerps?
-->'''James:''' I'm siding with Nanny and Pop-Pop!!
** He's also shown to develop extremely strong loving bonds with the Pokémon he obtains. He treats them almost like his children.
* EvilGenius:
** [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzags]]. If someone needs to work a computer or machine, James will be the guy. Otherwise, he's hardly ever evil genius material.
** In BW and later, James has shown increasing traits of a mad scientist, including maniacal laughter and a commanding presence, an addiction to computer hacking, an attachment to his machines, and a sadistic thrill from mayhem and destruction. As a kid, there were some echoes of this. He loved playing with science kits ([=DP021=]), he studied ancient languages ([=OS241=]), and manned a private rocket ([=DP153=]), not to mention that his father is a superb mecha builder ([=DP153=]).
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: A ''male'' Toxapex (his Mareanie's former crush) ends up falling in love with him.
* ExtremeDoormat: Often recessive (if not outright terrified) of Jessie. It's implied this behavior was due to what his previous home life as like. [[BewareTheNiceOnes He can snap back on occasions however]] (see below).
* GyaruGirl: Episode 16 of the original series shows James don the disguise of a Ganguro. He wears a school uniform with sweater, has a dark tan, platinum blond wig, and thinks everything is '''COOL~~~!''' Jessie's own version of the disguise was not as pronounced.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: While James is technically a villain, within the context of those he cares about James is shown to have ''extremely'' little self worth. He has repeatedly shown an inclination to sacrifice himself or cut himself off for the sake of his friends because he believes [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy things will be better that way]], regardless of what they actually feel.
** He's even called out on this in ''Sun & Moon'' by a ''wild pokémon'' of all things, when he tries to release his Mareanie because he thinks she would be happier living in the wild with a Toxapex that she crushed on in the past. The Toxapex realizes that the notion of being released is upsetting Mareanie, and actually attacks James for making her cry.
* HiddenDepths: He has a ''very'' good relationship with his Pokémon, and talented in several other fields that could make him a talented breeder. In fact, he captures almost all of his Pokémon with just a few words and some food. On a rare occasion, he only had to do the former.
* HollywoodHacking: In [=BW15=].
* HyperCompetentSidekick: While Jessie's more assertive personality means she often calls the shots for the team and ''both'' she and James are portrayed as being bumbling morons most of the time, James is shown to have a broader skillset than Jessie: He maintains a number of miscellaneous skills that he learned from his rich upbringing, is generally much better at handling technology than Jessie is, and, in part because he's more levelheaded than her, is more likely to rationally look at and solve a problem they're dealing with. He is also shown to be better than her at battling, at least in terms of basic strategy.
* ImageSong: "Lucky Lucky," about his romantic relationship with a woman he met at a nightclub.
* InsistentTerminology:
-->'''Meowth:''' Don't you worry your pretty blue head, I got a plan.
-->'''James:''' ''It's lavender.''
* {{Irony}}:
** James ran away from home to escape his [[ParentalNeglect uncaring parents]], a domineering betrothed and being beaten up by little kids, only to join an organization with an [[BigBad uncaring boss]] and a [[FieryRedhead domineering partner]] and ''still'' get beaten up by little kids. [[TrueCompanions But he wouldn't have it any other way.]]
** His increasing HiddenDepths as a talented breeder come off as amusing, given [[{{Flanderization}} it's sometimes hard to remember]] the actual established breeder of the series. Even more amusingly, James also isn't that lucky with the ladies.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** Attempts to do this to Inkay, deciding he would be happier living in a forest of its own kind than with the team. Inkay refuses however, being [[UndyingLoyalty Undyingly Loyal]] to James.
** Tries to do this to Mareanie as well, complete with ShooTheDog, after a Toxapex she crushed over reappears. Toxapex however, realising how much James care for her, beats him to it and makes him battle for her.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Even though he has no moral issues with always trying to steal Pokémon as a member of Team Rocket, James really is a nice guy at heart. His close friendship with Jessie and Meowth is the only reason why he doesn't ever leave Team Rocket or do a complete HeelFaceTurn. There were a few episodes where he goes ''against'' Jessie to help the kids because he felt moved to aid them.
* KickTheDog:
** Him literally kicking Magikarp into the sea when he doesn't want to be its master anymore in ''Pokémon Shipwreck'' comes to mind. The end result did not go well for neither him, nor the people around him.
** There was also the time he did the same thing with Mankey in ''Primeape Goes Bananas'', once again, the end result did not go well for anybody, including himself.
** Also, he's the one who operates the machine that saps Carracosta's life force at Twist Mountain in ''Best Wishes''.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: He says this word for word when Team Rocket's plan to steal the Poké Balls from the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center fails in "Battle for the Underground!"
* LargeHam: He is this in the English Dub courtesy of Creator/EricStuart where Stuart dramatically pronounces some of his lines:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzfg0aBE19Y BEHOLD!]].
** Lessened with his current actor Creator/JimmyZoppi, though he's still far from a subversion.
* LickedByTheDog: When he first met both Cacnea and Carnivine. Much to his chagrin.
* LiteralMinded: In an episode of season 1, he and Jessie take the phrase "underwater ballet" literally (it was actually a costumed synchronized swimming show that was going on), and he wears a pink camisole leotard and tutu.
* LonelyRichKid: A rich boy who ''hated'' his restricted lifestyle, which is why he ran away from home and eventually joined Team Rocket.
* {{Manchild}}: Prone to childish sulking or sobbing. His demeanour around Jessie often comes off like that of a bullied toddler.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Feminine Boy to Jessie's Masculine Girl.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: The Team Rocket trio as a whole is a [[EpicFail less evil than they try to be]], but James crosses the line into outright ''nice'' on a frequent basis. Of the three, he's by far the most likely to perform a selfless act. He's called truces with the main cast on a few occasions where [[PetTheDog Chimecho or Mime Jr.]] were at stake, and told them off (and once, even outright ''attacked'') his other teammates for breaking it.
** Of course, come ''Best Wishes'', he's a lot more dangerous.
* MrExposition: If a Pokédex isn't around, he often provides information on new Pokémon using cards.
** In ''Sun and Moon'', he does it using a tourist guide.
* NatureLover: While he's had many different typed Pokémon over the years, he shows a noticeable preference for Grass-types. He frequently touts the importance of recycling, upcycling, using biodegradable materials, saving water, and other environmental concerns. When he can afford to, he uses herbal shampoo and eats organic food. He enjoys outdoor activities such as orienteering and PokéRinging (navigating and reading weather patterns). In [=OS110=], he knows which plant will cure Jessie from Stun Spore and how to prepare it.
* NiceGuy: Outside of Team Rocket, he is a rather pleasant guy to be around with.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Brock speculates that James only joined Team Rocket because he wanted liberation from his oppressive and controlling home life. Indeed, compared to Jessie, Meowth, and basically every other Team Rocket member encountered, James never acts particularly motivated to do crime or climb the ranks. Where Jessie has ambitions of being a top field agent and Meowth makes no secret of his desire to become the boss's favorite pet Pokémon, James is largely just happy to be with his teammates and support them. He is also often left looking lost and aimless on the rare occasions they split up.
* OnlySaneMan: He's more level-headed than either of his colleagues - at times, even ''he'' would find Meowth's [[ImagineSpot Boss Fantasies]] a little too Farfetch'd (while Jessie usually went along with them). He's also the least likely to grip the VillainBall, knowing that sometimes they can make progress ''without'' taking amoral measures.
* OutOfCharacterMoment:
** Overall, James is typically the most laid back member of Team Rocket, being a borderline MinionWithAnFInEvil...except for that one time when he tried to kill Ash with Moltres' Flames.
** [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness In an early arc]], James angrily kicked a Magikarp out of his team for being useless (leading to a karmic assault when it instantly evolved into a Gyarados afterwards). This is very much in contrast with later Pokémon seasons where James cares for his Pokémon deeply and values their companionship rather than thinking of them as tools; He's even gone as far as avoiding using two of them in battle because he viewed them to be akin to young children, and he worried for their safety. Although in fairness given the circumstances surrounding the Magikarp and the situation they were in(James had gotten ripped off after he spent a bunch of money on it, it's incompetence nearly got them drowned, they were currently starving and the Magikarp proved it wasn't even good for eating.) it's possible to interpret this more of a RageBreakingPoint or OOCIsSeriousBusiness.
* OverusedRunningGag: Victreebel, Cacnea, Chimecho, Carnivine, and Mareanie affectionately biting/hugging him.
* OverprotectiveDad: Has shades of this, behaving like an extremely doting parent towards his Pokémon in general, but with Chimecho and later Mime Jr especially.
* PetTheDog:
** Several times, but literally in "Holy Matrimony". Poor Growlie.
** It's worth noting that Weepinbell is the ''only'' Pokémon he ever caught by battling - most notably, Cacnea and Yamask (who he fed), and Carnivine (who he pulled free from a marsh) show that he's the most likely of the trio to show compassion without any desire for something in return (though Jessie and Meowth sometimes do so as well). He did somewhat trick Inkay though. He offered Inkay some food, and then threw a Pokéball at it while it was distracted. Regardless Inkay loves James as his trainer, as proven when James [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy believed he'd be happier released to a forest of his own kind.]]
** There is also the few occasions where he chooses to aid the very kids he is trying to steal their Pokémon from, without any ulterior motive.
** In XY, he once (covertly) helped Serena's Braixen get over having her stick broken. He was so happy about it, he congratulated her for learning Fire Blast while Team Rocket was being blasted off.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Not unlike Ash, most of the "captures" James made throughout the series are of Pokémon that ''willingly'' wanted to be part of his team, and there was no need for battling Cacnea, Chimecho, Mime Jr., Carnivine, Yamask or Inkay.
* PrecisionFStrike: In the second episode of DP, Dawn doesn't recognize Team Rocket. What he says next in the English dub must've certainly [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch charmed the socks off]] any Brit who happened to be watching:
-->'''James''': "That's why she doesn't know a bloody thing about us, there's no Sinnoh Team Rocket branch!"
* PrincelyYoungMan: The PrinceCharming type.
* PungeonMaster: [[http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/lyrics/pocket_monsters/lucky_lucky.html His image song]] has a ''ton'' of Pokémon puns.
* RealMenWearPink: Apart from certain disguises of his, he's studied ballet.
* RebelRelaxation: When he first meets Jessie during Team Rocket training, he is posed this way.
* RichesToRags: James is part of a wealthy family but ran away to escape from his fiancee Jessebelle and the pressures of his family.
* RunawayFiance: Whose betrothed looks suspiciously like '' Jessie'', for some reason.
** Ironically, it's ''much'' later revealed that James really ''did'' fall in love with Jessebelle, up to the point that he was ''actually planning to ask her hand in marriage''. Her dominating and pretentious personality (that, and she wanted James to get rid of Growlie in favor of a Skitty) was the reason that he changed his mind.
* RunningGag:
** Apart from a Weepinbell (that was battled and caught offscreen), James never battles any of the Pokémon he catches, and almost all of his on-screen captures have involved [[TastesLikeFriendship feeding]] them in some way, or otherwise making some other positive first impression.
** Somehow he has a knack for catching dangerous Pokémon that end up loving him so much that they [[TheGlomp glomp]] him in [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength unfortunately painful ways]].
** He also repeatedly gets scammed by the Magikarp Salesman. At least once he caught on beforehand however, leading to a comical chase.
** In the [[GagDub Latin American dub]], replacing his motto with references and gags became a tradition. For example, he constantly replaces "to the stars above!" part of his motto with a real life place like Acapulco, or a fictional place like [[Series/ElChavoDelOcho "la vecindad del Chavo"]]. It came to a point in later seasons where he doesn't even bother with the motto and just says whatever the translators can think of.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: James clearly takes after his dad, lacking only his father's nose and moustache. His father even also has his hair parted down the center with a single out of place cowlick.
* SmokeOut: He repeats Weezing's feat by means of an ordinary smoke bomb.
* SuckMyRose: James is often seen brandishing a rose during the Rocket motto. In [=OS028=], he explains that, "Roses are the flowers of love and romance." However, overtime this became rarer, to the point it completely vanished in ''Best Wishes''.
** As of the ''XY'' anime series this motif of his has made a return, although instead of being red, his new roses of choice are blue.
* SupremeChef: In the mini Pokemon Camp arc of ''XY,'' he, Jessie, And James are hired as chefs. James does all the cooking. His cooking is not only complimented by Ash and co and the other campers, but it's also praised by their immediate supervisor Madame Catherine. She even promotes the trio because of this.
* TaughtByExperience: [[StatusQuoIsGod One-episode deal]] in "Fighting Ire with Fire", where James' plan-of-the-week is actually ingenious: trap the twerps first before capturing their Pokémon. They would have actually even won if it weren't for Monferno going UnstoppableRage.
* TeamRocketWins: Of the three, James is the most likely to enter competitions with a scrupulous strategy that leads him to sometimes win or at least get a near victory through completely honest means.
** He once participated in a cross country race and came in first place (unfortunately for his allies [[BecomingTheMask he got a bit too into his disguise and gave the heroes his prize]]).
** He also won one of Jessie's Sinnoh ribbons for her by [[SweetPollyOliver disguising himself and taking her place at a contest]] when she was ill. Notably, this places him as the only main character to win a Contest ''on his first try''.
* TheLittleDetecto: In "Team on Team Tussle!", he pulls out a gadget he calls the "Z-Crystal Locating Device", or the "Lame-o-Thousand Machine" as Meowth puts it as he just bought it at a pawn shop some time ago. It actually works, but it gets smashed in the same episode.
* TricksterMentor: Of an unusual sort in "Mending a Broken Spirit", where he uses one of his costumes to help Serena bond with Braixen, [[TraumaButton having related to it over the episode's dilemma]].
* TraumaButton: The word "fiancé" gives him the heebie-jeebies. Although it might just be with aggressive girls, as [[LoveRedeems he earnestly considers doing actual acts of heroism for a while]] and staying with "me — I mean, us" after the sweet and shy Kate/Rose's FreudianSlip of a WackyMarriageProposal.
* TsurimeEyes
* UncattyResemblance: His haircut makes him so strongly resemble a Mareanie that his own Mareanie falls in love with him. Apart from that, his Mareanie's backstory shares similarities to his own, namely that they both were poorly treated by a former love interest only to end up companions to individuals who resemble those love interests (James resembles a Mareanie, Jessie resembles James' fiancé Jessebelle).
* UpperClassTwit: Before he ran away from his family's vast wealth. Now he's [[TheDitz just a twit]].
* WackyMarriageProposal: Temacu and Kate declare themselves engaged to him in bizarre circumstances. He accepts their proposals but the plans fall through. Also, the Ghost of Maiden's Peak tries to kill him so he can be her husband in the afterlife. He is excited at first but becomes frightened, so Jessie rescues him. He is currently engaged to Jessebelle.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: While the zany circumstances it tends to be part of mean James crossdressing is nevertheless PlayedForLaughs, James still tends to pull it off ''very'' well, and is often treated as perfectly passable and sometimes even attractive while doing so in-universe - for example, when he had to pose as Jessilina in the Lilypad Contest to win a sick Jessie another Sinnoh ribbon, not only did Lyra fawn over how cute his outfit was, but he managed to ''win'' the entire contest with complete adoration, to the point Jessie felt envious he was getting more praise than she did!
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: When he thinks his parents are dead, he says he would rather die than go to their funeral.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] on occasion.
-->''It's lavender.''
** In ''Sun and Moon'', it really becomes a thorn in his side when a Mareanie falls in love with him specially ''because'' his hair color and haircut makes him resemble another Mareanie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Meowth (Nyarth)]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meowthrocket_9004.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Meowth, [[VerbalTic Dat's Right]]!]]

-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Nathan Price (4Kids, original), Creator/MaddieBlaustein (4Kids), [[Creator/JimmyZoppi Carter Cathcart]] (current)
-->'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Genaro Vásquez
-->'''Voiced in European French by:''' Nessym Guetat (Season 1-8, Movies 1-5 + ''Destiny Deoxys'', ''Mewtwo Returns'', and ''The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon'', first episode of ''Pokémon Chronicles''), Philippe Tasquin (Season 9-current, Movies 8-current, rest of ''Pokémon Chronicles'')

The third Team Rocket member. Team Rocket's Meowth, in a rarity for his species (and Pokémon in general), is fully capable of normal human speech. He is rather useless in battle due to spending most of his efforts on speaking and walking like a human. Meowth is oddly philosophical, which doubtlessly helps him tolerate the endless beatings his group receives. He longs for the favor of Giovanni, which has led to [[ImagineSpot strange daydreams]] about the Boss Rocket in recent seasons.
----
* AbandonedPetInABox: In the "Go West Young Meowth" episode, it's shown that Meowth was abandoned as a kitten in a nest. He grew up on the streets with [[ParentalAbandonment no parents]], gang, or trainer.
* AbortedArc: He mentioned ''once'' during the Diamond/Pearl series that he's training himself to learn Night Slash...and no mention of this was ever made again.
** His ability to speak human language was also going to be ''pivotal'' in a big storyline planned by the former head writer ever since he wrote Meowth's origin episode but this never came to be.
* AcePilot: He's almost always piloting the team's latest HumongousMecha, and on many occasions, is very fluent and formidable in it.
* AffectionateNickname: On occasion in the dub while Maddie Blaustein was his voice, Meowth would call James "Jimmy".
** Until it evolved into Monferno, he called [[SympathyForTheHero Ash's Chimchar]] "Chimmy".
* AnimalsNotToScale: Downplayed case. Meowths are listed as being 1'04" in height in their bio (the exact same as Pikachu). In the anime, Meowth stands as tall as 1'08" or even some 2'00" size Pokémon such as Squirtle. This arguably makes him more within the size of an actual cat however.
* AnthropomorphicShift: While Meowth always walked on two legs and spoke, in the first season he would occasionally do cat-like things such as play with balls of yarn or chase his tail. He never does this in later seasons.
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: It's implied the show catches Meowth in the middle of one during the trio's introduction, with him occasionally boasting he's on special terms with Giovanni (the English dub translates this into him being a LeaderWannabe). In both cases, Meowth gradually deflates after Giovanni is introduced and it becomes obvious that he is anything but.
* ArtEvolution: Similar to Pikachu, Meowth's design became a bit leaner and more expressive as seasons passed.
* AsYouKnow: Suffers from this fate routinely, because he's the only character who can translate Pokémon for not only the characters, but the audience, so even when he's not with a human, he usually ends up just repeating exactly what the Pokémon just said back at them so the viewers aren't just hearing one side of the conversation.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: He's capable of Gigantamaxing and does so for the first time in [=JN=]044.
* BadassNormal: Meowth's abilities, while fairly poor for a Pokémon, seem pretty talented for a human being. Not only can he walk, talk and use his front paws like a human, he's a competent pilot and engineer, shows valid acrobatic skill and is even a good musician and cook. It has been Lampshaded that Meowth could easily become TheAce in a legitimate career if he didn't like being a bad guy so much.
* BlessedWithSuck: All the effort he took to learn how to walk upright and talk has left him unable to use the SignatureMove of his species: Pay Day. [[MediumAwareness He mentions that it's because he used up all his "move slots"]].
** Or battle competently at all most of the time, for that matter.
* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Meowth, as a Pokémon, is usually a feeble battler, so utilises manipulation, trickery and his fluency with gadgets to help the trio try and catch the powerful but occasionally simple minded Ash and Pikachu.
* BreakTheCutie: In "Go West Young Meowth" basically every human treated him cruelly and the other Pokémon weren't much better.
* BrickBreak: Posing as a Croagunk, he '''[[EpicFail fails]]''' at it.
* {{Catchphrase}}: Exclusive to the Mexican Spanish dub, he would often yell "''¡Ájale jaleo!''" [[note]]"Ájale" is a Mexican slang for surprise similar to "¡Híjole!", and "jaleo" means "fuss" [[/note]] when surprised or scared. This was dropped after Season 12, with the dub studio change.
* CatsAreMean: He is famous for being the TeamPet of a villainous trio. However, he is probably also the most {{Anti Villain}}ous out of them. Sometimes he even [[GoKartingWithBowser engages in friendly activities with the protagonist's Pokémon]] in the side-story episodes.
* CatsAreSnarkers: Usually aiming his jabs at [[GoldfishPoopGang Jessie and James]].
--> '''Jessie & James:''' (''wearing ridiculous dance outfits'') This has to be our greatest plan yet!\\
'''Meowth:''' Dat's what worries me.
* CallingYourAttacks: Seems to have picked this up in Unova.
--> FURY SWIPES!
** ItMakesSenseInContext. In [=EP050=], "Who Gets to Keep Togepi?", when he battles the twerps in a mini-tournament for Togepi, he acts as his own trainer, complete with ordering ''himself'' to execute attacks. This trope, as the series goes forward, is likely an extension of the idea that Meowth is technically a ''wild'' Pokémon, and does not nominally have his own trainer.
* CanonImmigrant: Alongside the team's appearances in ''Yellow'' and [[RecursiveAdaptation games based on the anime]], Team Rocket's Meowth was specifically distributable during certain special download events for ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. Keeping to the nature of its anime characterisation it had [[CombatPragmatist an underhanded move set]] along with Fury Swipes, [[SmokeOut a smoke ball item]], and a fairly low level.
* ChekhovsSkill: His talent for [[MundaneUtility preparing food with Fury Swipes]] in "Noodles: Romin' Off" ended up developed on and reused in several Pokémon Contests he attended for Jessie. By the time of Kalos he seems to be a full on culinary genius.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: You know those famous "Boss Fantasies" where [[TheComicallySerious Giovanni]] is depicted doing ridiculous or mundane things with the Mon of the Week, when the reality is that their boss is a cold-blooded sociopath who (prior to near the end of DP) ''loathed'' the trio? ''Most'' of them come from Meowth.
* CombatPragmatist: Since he's not a particularly strong battler, he often uses more underhanded and crafty tactics when attacking Pokémon.
** He managed to knock out Brock's Onix with a single Fury Swipes after splashing it with water from a nearby bucket. Despite Brock's protests, this was counted as a legitimate victory.
** Against Ash's Pikachu toe-to-toe [[CurbstompBattle he'd be down in one thundershock]]. Fighting using a mech or gadget however, he can give him a run for his money.
** In the original series, he neutralised a Rhydon by using "Tickle" attack on it, and distracted Ash's Bulbasaur by using a "Fake Out" attack. These would normally be considered legit, but Meowth used these attacks ''before'' they were introduced as official moves in the games.
* ComicallyLopSidedRivalry: In terms of proper Pokémon battling, Meowth is usually on the losing side of this, most prominently against Pikachu. It took until "A Frenzied Factory Fiasco" all the way in ''XY'' for Meowth to land ''a single attack'' on him. As a result Meowth usually sticks to scheming and artillery based confrontations, which, as often as he loses, can at least be more even handed.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: When he's angry and delusional enough, he's a surprisingly competent battler:
** He fainted Barry's Empoleon with a single Fury Swipes, which it should be noted, it ''resists''. However just a couple episodes later, he couldn't even break a display case with the same attack.
** His [[ThePowerOfLove "Fury Swipes Of Love"]] takes the cake in this department, where Meowth demolishes Seviper, Carnivine, Yanmega, [[LadyOfWar Togekiss]], Staraptor, and [[EverythingIsBetterWithMonkeys Infernape]].
** In "The Grass Route" Jessie uses him in a battle tournament disguised as a Sunflora. Due to Ash's overconfidence and not expecting any of Meowth's attacks from a Sunflora, Meowth actually spends most of the fight demolishing Bulbasaur.
** He helped significantly against Team Plasma in an EnemyMine in "What Lies Beyond Truth And Ideals", even managing to [[CurbstompBattle decimate several Pokémon by himself.]]
** In general, Meowth's Fury Swipes aren't weak, just slow and clumsy, making him very easy to out stealth. Most of the rare times he's focused enough to land one, [[DeathOrGloryAttack they're very painful]], even against prominent fighters like Pikachu. He also proves to have prehensile ability with them, once even using them block a Hidden Attack against Fennekin.
** Despite his poor track record in Pokémon battles, he sometimes proves talented in Pokémon performance contests. This is especially evident in the Kalos Showcases, (which lack battle contests) where he was competent in nearly all stage themes and almost always helped Jessie reach a top place.
* CurbStompBattle: Most of his battles cultimate as this, [[TeamRocketWins even the occasional ones that he wins oddly enough]]. See ThePowerOfLove below.
* CuteKitten: Early Kanto had him doing some kittenish stuff, like playing with yarn balls.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: He can understand Pokéspeak ''and'' speak English. He could be ''filthy rich'' if he tried using his skills for a job as a translator rather than a mafia goon.
** Lampshaded in "Jumping Rocket Ship" when the twerps point out one of many possible futures for a talking Meowth (becoming a TV sensation).
** In "Noodles: Romin' Off" he almost quits the team to become a skilled noodle chef due to his precise Fury Swipes.
** During the time he spends with Ash's group in BW, he acts as a "negotiator" in a couple of episodes.
* DeadpanSnarker: So very much.
-->'''James:''' ''[on a beam miles from the ground]'' How long do you think it will take to go down?
-->'''Meowth:''' [[AskAStupidQuestion About 3 seconds if we jump]].
* DeathGlare: Gave the Dream Thief a ''hilariously'' angry look in ''Best Wishes'', before slashing the crap out of him.
* DeathOrGloryAttack: Pretty much anytime Meowth jumps in with a Fury Swipes. Most of the time, expect him to get destroyed. Any time it hits however, Meowth usually cleans house.
* DependingOnTheWriter: In the Pikachu shorts, regardless of his current characterisation in the main series, Meowth is nearly always a PunchClockVillain for Pikachu. It gets especially jarring in the ''Best Wishes'' era shorts, where he is a ButtMonkey with an enormous crush on Meloetta. In the ''Best Wishes'' anime itself, he was a ruthless, manipulative villain that once coldly captured and tortured Meloetta as the means of a Team Rocket conquest scheme.
* DirtyCoward: In a lot of times he is stuck in bad situations with the heroes, he ponders over using them as a distraction.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** In early Johto, he gets a StalkerWithACrush Snubbull obsessed with biting his tail.
** In a DP episode he becomes infatuated with a Glameow. Only seconds after it evolves into [[FormerlyFit a pudgy Purugly]], it starts [[HenpeckedHusband kicking him around]], leading him to immediately bail out ([[WomanScorned and earn a Hyper Beam]]). [[LoveHurts Guess the honeymoon's over.]]
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: His ability to talk and walk upright is the result of this. He fell head over heels for a lady Meowth named Meowzie, who wouldn't give him the time of day. She told him she had no use for a common street Meowth when she had a human owner who gave her everything she wanted. Madly in love and desperate for a chance with her, Meowth missed the point that Meowzie's love for humans was mostly based in all the nice things they gave her and the luxurious life they allowed her to lead; he thought it was about the humans themselves and that if he taught himself to become more human-like, she would like him. He discovered his error when he returned to Meowzie, walking and talking like a human, only for her to call him a freak.
* {{Eagleland}}: Grew up in Hollywood, and a '''BIG''' dose of Type 2.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** While Meowth still sparsely battled effectively in the original series, he used several moves such as Scratch and Bite, and sometimes even improvised some, such as a Tickle attack pre-Johto. Hoenn onwards, Meowth pretty much exclusively uses Fury Swipes, to the point of making prehensile use of it.
** In the first series, Meowth was a LeaderWannabe, believing he had order over Jessie and James and that he could command Ekans and Koffing before they pointed out otherwise. In later seasons, similar to James, he's more jaded and often submits to Jessie's bossiness, and while the later team Pokémon ''do'' follow him in their trainers' place, it's more under friendship terms.
** The English dub originally followed the original Japanese edit's VerbalTic, having Meowth stick in his name within most of his sentences. This was ditched after a few episodes, with improvised dialogue placed over it instead.
** The aforementioned fact that he grew up in Hollywood counts too; after the first season, the anime almost never mentions real-life locations.
* EliteMook: Out of the team's Pokémon, Meowth stands out as equal to Jessie and James and an individual Team Rocket member in his own right. He more often than not is as active in acting out a scheme as the two trainers, providing technical and intellectual support rather than battling.
* TheEngineer: Meowth usually takes control of most of the team's gadgets and mechs, and is implied to maintenance them. May overlap into GadgeteerGenius since he is also suggested to build some of them.
* EnemyMine: With Pikachu, whenever the two end up somewhere alone together. Meowth has even admitted that if circumstances were different, they'd probably be [[FriendlyEnemy good friends]].
** This claim is kind of proven right in the straight-to-DVD movie ''Mewtwo Returns''. Both Pikachu's clone and Meowth's clone are close friends, and they're seen together most of the time.
** The episode "King and Queen for a Day", after another accidental separation, Pikachu and Meowth have to babysit their respective group's babies together (Bonsly and Mime Jr.). Aside from Pikachu accusing Meowth of stealing food (he ''was'' planning to steal it, but the grateful owner gave it to him after his helping her), there was no bad blood between them throughout the episode.
*** Inverted with [[spoiler:Meowth's brief stint as the HeelFaceMole]] which seemed to have sparked Pikachu's ire in particular. This didn't stop Meowth from directly helping them against both Team Plasma and the evil Malamar since then, so it would seem things are as usual.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Meowth is unusual in that unlike most Pokémon companions, he is still technically wild in the sense that he has never been in a Poké Ball. Yet, he has still often proved as willingly loyal to Jessie and James as a standard caught Pokémon, and has some rather kind moments with their own Pokémon.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: That one time Ash tried to catch him, the Meowth "blocked the ball! [[HypocriticalHumor Don't be a thief!]]"
** Despite being the one to think it up in the first place, he has a hard time keeping up the ruse of convincing an amnesiac Pikachu that he's a member of Team Rocket, because Pikachu is so darn nice. He even muses that Pikachu is so noble, anyone who tries to kidnap him would be an "insensitive loser", before remembering [[HypocriticalHumor that's literally what he's doing.]]
* ExtremityExtremist: Near exclusively uses claw attacks in battle, most often Fury Swipes. He's even used it effectively in performance contests and once as a block attack. Justified since Meowth's minimal skills mean he isn't experienced with much else.
* FastballSpecial:
-->'''Jessie''': (''hurls Meowth at Seviper'') "Let's see if you're any use! Double-Edge attack!"\\
'''Meowth''': [[OhCrap "Wait, I don't know that attaaaaaaaack!"]]
** He returns the favor later when he fires Seviper and Cacnea ''through a chute'' (much to their chagrin) at the twerps.
** He also got thrown at Mimikyu by Jessie when the group first encountered it. At least this time, she asked him to use a move he knew: Fury Swipes, which did nothing to it.
* ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself: While Jessie and James always attend contests in alter egos, Meowth usually doesn't even bother with a costume. No one seems remotely suspicious Jessie's alternate persona ''also'' has a Meowth with human abilities.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Creator/TakeshiShudo states that his ability to speak like a normal human was intended to foreshadow the ending he had in mind, which involved a rebellion of the Pokémon against mankind and Meowth acting as an interpreter. Obviously that didn't end up happening, but still worth noting.
* FreakinessShame: He ''really'' doesn't like having his abnormal traits (his ability of mastering human speech in particular) dragged out in the open by people who react "strongly" to it. Such as Goh in ''Journeys'' who went completely nuts with his camera when he realized how the urban legend of Meowth was actually true, much to Meowth's annoyance.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Of the original generation team. In "Island of the Giant Pokémon", Ekans and Koffing make clear they are only loyal to Meowth through association with Jessie and James. When they are separated from them, they gladly leave him at the mercy of Ash's Pokémon. Abiding by cases such as the Pikachu shorts, most of the later Pokémon get on better with Meowth, making some more VitriolicBestBuds.
* FunetikAksent: For some unknown reason, Meowth has a rather thick {{Joisey}} accent.
* FurryConfusion: It's made clear in the show that Meowth is unusual in being able to speak and walk on two legs. But it's still pretty jarring to see him next to a "normal", non-anthropomorphic member of his species.
* GoKartingWithBowser: He does this a lot with the heroes' Pokémon, especially in the Pikachu shorts.
* HappyHarlequinHat: His showcase costume, fittingly enough, is a jester attire.
* HarmlessVillain: He fluctuates as such along with the rest of the team in the main anime. In the Pikachu shorts however, he (and often the rest of the team's current Pokémon) are merely petty troublemakers and {{Butt Monkey}}s above anything else. The later shorts often skip this mentality altogether and make him merely [[GoKartingWithBowser a mischievous friend of the other Pokémon.]]
* HeartbrokenBadass: All that time and Meowzie still wouldn't love him. Aw...
* HiddenDepths:
** For all his bumbling, he ''did'' learn to talk like a human, a feat that's still virtually unmatched in the anime without telepathy (the only other examples are the Gastly in the first series, the Slowking in the second movie, the Manaphy in the ninth movie, and the Rotom Pokedex in the ''Sun and Moon'' series).
** A Best Wishes episode also has a set of Beheeyem dismiss Ash, Jessie and James' resistance to their powers by [[DisabilityImmunity explaining that idiots are hard to hypnotize]] ...translated through the hypnotised Meowth.
** Although it could just be chalked up to RuleOfFunny, Meowth will occasionally drop hints that he's not at all happy with his current place in life.
-->'''Meowth:''' Oh, they're stuck in a box with impending doom and no way out. That sounds like my life.
** Meowth is implied to have musical talents. Cases such as "Meowth's Party" show him to be an ample guitarist. His downloadable form in ''Black 2 and White 2'' even has Sing as an ability.
** He also seems to have good culinary abilities, something that has come in handy in Pokémon contests for Jessie. In the "Eevee and Friends" short, the hero Pokémon even entrust him to make a buffet for their party.
* HeelFaceMole: Pulled endless times, perhaps most notably in BW - he pretends to have been fired from Team Rocket in order to join Ash's group on the way to Nimbasa City. It was all a ruse to lower their guard so that he could lure them into a trap, as well as to bypass the Nimbasa Pokémon Centre's efficient security system. He's done it with varying degrees of success in other seasons, in one case at least, he actually starts [[BelievingTheirOwnLies Believing His Own Lies]] and wonders whether to defect for real.
* HypocriticalHumor: Meowth deems himself greatly more competent than Jessie and James and thus doesn't hold back in upbraiding them. While he ''is'' TheEngineer (not to mention ''a self-taught Pokémon fluent in human speech''), he's also capable of as massive foolishness as his teammates are.
* ImageSong: A bunch of endings, notably "Meowth's Song"
* ImagineSpot: Fantasies of his Boss so prominent that it became a ''{{running gag}}''.
* ImprovisedWeapon: When fighting for the ownership of Togepi, he realizes he's hopelessly outmatched against Brock's Onix, so he grabs a bucket of water and hurls it at him, [[WeaksauceWeakness utterly crushing the Onix]].
* InterspeciesRomance: Okay, so most of his interests are feline (Meowzie, Skitty, Glameow, etc.) but there was the time he crushed on a ''human girl''. And then, there's his fantasies with Giovanni, most of which depict him as ripped and wearing nothing but briefs. Let the implications fall where they may...
* {{Irony}}: Meowth's species is based on the ManekiNeko, an emblem of good luck and fortune, yet Team Rocket is in PerpetualPoverty and this Meowth can't even learn their signature Pay Day move.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: He suffers {{Curbstomp Battle}}s aplenty from Pokémon of both genders. He earned an especially brutal beating from Mallow's Steenee straight after she evolved. His attempt at payback in a later instance didn't end much better.
* KickTheDog:
** Sinks to his lowest thus far in ''Best Wishes'' when we find out that [[spoiler:he lied about being fired from Team Rocket and joined Ash and his friends just so he, Jessie and James could steal their Pokémon]].
** He's had many KickTheDog moments over the years of course, including in episode 12 of the first season, during which he implies that he's capable of killing, but he's too much of a NobleDemon to actually go through with it.
* LeaderWannabe: A RunningGag in involuntary group splits (which itself seems to occur OnceASeason) is that Meowth would try to take charge of the group he's stuck with, only for the others to just ignore him.
** In the first season, he referred to himself as the "Top Cat", with the implication that he was the real leader of the trio. Jessie and James were dismissive of the idea, and he has no power personally over any of their pokémon.
* TheLoad: When he first met Jessie and James before the events of the series. His initial incompetence injures James and reinforces Jessie's negative perception of teamwork.
** While he at least risen up in the brains department, he is still usually this the odd time he is called into battle with the team's other Pokémon.
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: He's been in love several times over the course of the series, with predictable results:
** In his OriginStory, he learned to walk and talk to impress Meowzie, a girl Meowth he fell in love with. But she was already in love with a Persian.
** He's been smitten on several Skitty, including the one that May eventually caught.
** He actually fought Team Rocket to protect a Glameow he fell for. That evaporated when she evolved into a Purugly.
** A Zorua turned into a girl Meowth to distract Meowth while Team Rocket was trying to capture it.
** During his HeelFaceMole stint in Best Wishes, he competed with Ash's Oshawott for the attention of a Purrloin. Both were thwarted when [[UnsettlingGenderReveal it was revealed said Purrloin was a boy]].
** When he got hexed by Mimikyu when trying to look under its shroud, he hallucinated about seeing a Glaceon, a Gardevoir, and a Lopunny, all female.
** Got utterly smitten the moment he laid eyes on a Pheromosa to the point where he started mimicking her stance, posture and speech-patterns, hoping for mutual love, despite the Ultra Beast's ''very'' obvious [[AlphaBitch dirt]]-[[SpoiledBrat ugly]] and [[DistractedByTheLuxury poor]] [[ItsAllAboutMe personality]].
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Being rejected by Meowzie made him pretty bitter, though then again he was still willing to help her.
* LoveRedeems: Sometimes, because of it (in the case of Skitty and the human Cassandra) he resorts to doing good for their sake, with results.
* LoveTriangle: Meowzie (with a Persian), and Purrloin (with Ash's Oshawott).
* MalevolentMugshot: Really likes to model the team's gadgets off of his likeness. Along with their trademark Meowth balloon, several of their HumongousMecha are giant Meowth bots.
* ManipulativeBastard: In the episodes "Fangs for Nothin'", "A Scare to Remember", and "Hooked on Onix". The first one has him convince a Dragonite that he, Jessie, and James are "protecting" the Dragon Fang from Clair, Ash, and the others. In the second one, he convinces [[spoiler:an amnesia-stricken Pikachu that he's part of Team Rocket]]. And the third one has him, Jessie, and James trick an Onix (the leader of a pack of Rock-type Pokémon) into thinking that Ash and the others are the bad guys. He also manages to manipulate an entire pack of Squirtle into helping Team Rocket capture Pikachu in episode 12 of the first season.
** In BW, [[spoiler:he convinces everyone he's been fired from Team Rocket, joins Ash for 5 episodes, and then [[SixthRangerTraitor backstabs him]].]]
* MookLieutenant: In the Pikachu shorts. Generally subverted in the main series however (he thought he had the power of one initially, until Ekans and Koffing bluntly pointed out otherwise).
* MotionCaptureMecha: Meowth upgrades to these throughout the ''Sun and Moon'' series, thus granting him a closer variation of "battling". He even gives the illusion of a LevelGrind of sorts by upgrading the mechs to be more resistant as encounters continue, the later ones manage to withstand ''multiple Z-Moves''.
* MrExposition: A notable example due to his ability to understand PokemonSpeak.
* MundaneUtility: Again regarding the {{Imagine Spot}}s, where the most Meowth could think of of Giovanni's use for their prey-for-the-week would be for some plain, day-to-day chore. [[RefugeInAudacity Emphasis on "mundane".]]
* NobleDemon: While he does deceive the main party big time in ''Best Wishes'', he would never stoop so low as to kill someone even though he's capable of doing so, as demonstrated when he threatened Misty in episode 12 of the first season (meaning he's so noble, his death threats, while Ash does take them seriously, are always empty).
** Shown clearly in [=BW124=], where he finds himself unable to attack the twerps' Pokémon after they had saved his life earlier.
* NonActionGuy: Rarely battles due to lack of experience, preferring to assist Jessie and James with the actual plotting side of things. Downplayed from ''X and Y'' onwards, where he takes part in battles more often, even if his track record in them isn't much better.
%%* NonElemental
* NoodleIncident: The exact details of the mission that got him fired from Team Rocket: both the mission itself as well as how he botched it. [[spoiler:Turns out, this is because the whole story is a lie. See HeelFaceMole.]]
* TheNoseless: His lack of a nose has been used as a RunningGag on multiple occasions.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Like Pikachu, Meowth has remained unevolved the entire series, and shows no interest in becoming a Persian.
* PapaWolf: Given that the contest for who got to keep Togepi was between him and the three heroes, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption there's no way]] [[ForegoneConclusion he was going to win]]. Still, his love for the little guy let him take an impressive beating from Brock's Onix and still come back to KO it. Okay technically he cheated by throwing water on Onix as an "attack", but hey, a Meowth knocking out an Onix is still an impressive feat.
* ParentalAbandonment: Meowth wasn't even raised by anyone and had to take care of himself as a kitten.
* PetTheDog: He once went against his teammates to protect a Miltank who healed him. In ''The Poké Spokesman'', he pretended to be a normal Pokémon and made the titular Spokesman think he's communicating with a Pokémon to not give up his dream to be a Pokémon-Human interpreter.
* ThePhilosopher: Often his snark tends to convert into this, especially in the Japanese version. Likes to gaze at the moon and lament.
* PluckyComicRelief: In ''Best Wishes'' he was the most liable of the trio to regress into his normal buffoonish self. In all other regions before and after however, Jessie and James are even goofier than him.
* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Played with. While Meowth aren't exactly the most powerful Pokémon in the games either, the show completely degrades Team Rocket's example, likely to keep his bumbling and reliance on {{Zany Scheme}}s to steal Pokémon relevant. However Meowth will on occasion have very notable showings of true strength and skill, even if the majority of them lean as RuleOfFunny.
* ThePowerOfLove: While usually a pitiful battler, romance seems to bring out a greater strength in him. With Fury Swipes, he singlehandedly took down Ash's Infernape and Staraptor, Jessie's Seviper and Yanmega, and Dawn's Togekiss...because he was in love with Glameow. He also defeated a Persian with a one-hit swipe in an attempt to earn the affection of his childhood crush (see PyrrhicVictory below).
* PragmaticVillainy: Throughout his infamous HeelFaceMole stint in Unova, Meowth manages to earn the heroes' trust by performing legitimately helpful acts for them and even other parties and wild Pokémon. While it was all just to lure the heroes into a trap, little of it was negated in the end, and since the plan failed, he ironically [[NiceJobFixingItVillain ended up doing more good than harm.]]
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Most of Meowth's battles cultimate in this, those that aren't [[CurbstompBattle an outright One Hit KO]] anyway, while most of Jessie and James' Pokémon have at least some small but plausible strengths, Meowth is extremely inexperienced outside a usually ineffective Fury Swipes attack.
* PunnyName: Both the Japanese and English names for the Pokémon begin with the {{onomatopoeia}} for a cat's meow in their respective languages.
* PyrrhicVictory: Managed to beat a Persian for the girl he loves... only to find she still considers him a "freak" and sticks with Persian anyway. He also curb stomped the heroes ''and'' his Team Rocket brethren to win the affection of a Glameow, only for it to evolve into an abusive Purugly.
* RealMenCook: Shows a culinary talent from Sinnoh onward. It's more in terms of artistic cooking than as the TeamChef however. As such he provides well whenever Jessie's contests have a CookingDuel and his work is nearly always complimented as delicious.
* RedemptionPromotion: Keeping with the rest of the trio, Meowth's normally pathetic battle skills amp up hilariously whenever he fights for noble causes. He was unstoppable against Team Plasma's forces in their final battle. This was to ''rescue'' Pikachu rather than capture him.
* RightHandCat: Wants to replace Persian on Giovanni's lap.
* RunningGag: Aside from the Boss fantasies, there was also Meowth's tendency to disguise himself as other Pokémon. The most recurring of these disguises is a Sunflora.
* RuleOfFunny: His battles. Whether they end in [[EpicFail instant failure]] or he [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass somehow wins]], it's usually to set up a joke.
* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: Meowth in his youth put all his time and energy into learning to act human. As a result he is able to talk and use his front paws like a human, but has little experience in battling, resulting in him (usually) being an ineffective fighter. According to himself he permanently lost the chance to learn Pay Day because of this.
* SixthRangerTraitor: [[spoiler:Meowth plays this role during a 5-episode arc in ''Best Wishes'' - he claims to have been fired from Team Rocket, when it was part of a ploy to steal all the team's Pokémon.]]
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: As he is a Pokémon that can speak to humans, he acts as a human-to-Pokémon translator. He can't understand mechanical-like Pokémon such as Magnezone, Metagross or Ultra Beasts, however.
* SpotlightStealingSquad: Meowth got a lot of attention during his HeelFaceMole period in ''Best Wishes''. Curiously, he is also this out of Team Rocket's Pokémon roster in ''Sun and Moon'', being called into battle far more often than Jessie and James' captures.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Like Pikachu, Meowth has no interest in evolving. And while he has shown odd semblances of battle competence throughout the series, he has remained [[NonActionGuy an inactive and inexperienced Pokémon]], to the point he hasn't even learned a new attack since the start of the series.
* TakenForGranite: Hunter J once turned him into stone to sell on the black market.
* TalkingAnimal: The very first one, and the most recurring, even.
* TeamDad: Often this to Team Rocket's Pokémon when separated from Jessie and James. Subverted in the first instance this happened, as [[PunchClockVillain Ekans and Koffing]] bluntly didn't think the same way of it [[LeaderWannabe as he did]].
* TeamRocketWins: With the exception of [[VillainDecay the Hoenn era]], Meowth usually scores at least [[TeamRocketWins one impressive victory in battle]] [[OnceASeason per series]]:
** Kanto/Johto: Defeated a Persian in a SingleStrokeBattle in "Go West, Young Meowth". Also defeated Brock's Onix by [[CombatPragmatist splashing water on it.]]
** Sinnoh: Defeated Ash's Infernape and Staraptor, Jessie's Seviper and Yanmega, ''and'' Dawn's Togekiss [[CurbstompBattle with a few "Fury Swipes of Love"]] in "For The Love of Meowth".
** Unova: Decimated several of Team Plasma's Pokémon in "What Lies Beyond Truth and Ideals".
** Kalos: Curbstomped Clemont's Chespin with a single Fury Swipe (albeit through the use of power upgrading armour) in "Calling From Beyond The Aura".
** Alola: Delivered a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to Ash's Rowlet in [=SM112=] (though this ended up bringing [[BigBrotherWorship Meltan's]] wrath down on him).
* ThinkOfTheCensors: He refuses to translate Mimikyu initially due to this being a "family show".
* ThirdPersonPerson: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Also, he would occasionally replace certain words with his own name.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Has moments of this with Wobuffet.
* TokenEvilTeammate: As Ekans and Koffing once pointed out, while many Team Rocket Pokémon are loyal or even enthusiastic about serving Jessie and James, Meowth is the only one that gets a kick out of being evil, if being an easily defeated GoldfishPoopGang with Jessie and James really counts as 'evil'.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** As a performer Pokémon. He was mainly used to help Jessie cheat throughout Hoenn. During Sinnoh, it was established that Meowth had a particularly articulate use of Fury Swipes, making him useful in contests legitimately. By Kalos he is Jessie's SecretWeapon for showcases and performs well in nearly every round.
** This later extended to battles as well. While he's still mainly a plotter, ''Best Wishes'' and later series have him occasionally take part in battles, and he's usually shown to be no less capable than Jessie and James' Pokémon for better or worse.
** In ''Journeys'' he ''finally'' gets access to a region gimmick, proving able to activate his species' Gigantamax form and even use G-Max Gold Rush, his first non-Fury Swipes attack in over six regions. Unfortunately for him though, this still doesn't grant him the power to go up against Eternatus.
* TranslatorBuddy: For the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon and pretty much other Pokémon in general. Because he's pretty much the only Pokémon in the series capable of speech, other powerful Pokémon tend to take advantage of this in order to communicate to humans and [[MindControl hijack Meowth]] to be their unwilling translator. He can't understand mechanical-like Pokémon such as Magnezone, Metagross or Ultra Beasts though.
* UnknownRival: Several due to the trio's incompetence (see above), but in particular he loathes Giovanni's Persian for having his master's favour over him as "top cat". Persian barely seems to even acknowledge him.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: The Purrloin in [=BW46=] manipulated him and Oshawott into helping him by pretending to be female. Purrloin's trainer finally cleared it up, much to both their shock.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: ''Very'' few people ever comment on the fact that Meowth can speak human, despite this being rare to the point where it's almost exclusive to Legendaries with the ability to use telepathy.
** One Johto episode had the trio try to use Meowth's ability to talk to make money at a street performance festival. Meowth gets stage fright but eventually does speak up, drawing in a crowd... only for his joke routine to fall so flat, it was enough to lose the crowd's interest.
** At times, other Pokémon thieves and hunters express interest in getting him, knowing they can get a fortune by selling him for his ability to speak.
** At times averted with newcomers such as Dawn, Clemont, and Goh; who are shocked Meowth can talk the first time they meet him.
* UrbanLegends: In Kanto, Meowth is quite the urban legend when it comes to the Team rocket Trio, in that the rumors around him being a "talking meowth" is considered highly doubtful and dubious by anyone who haven't seen him in person. Anyone who ''have'' met him however, knows better.
* VerbalTic: "-nya". Averted in the English dub however; the first few episodes had Meowth use his name in a lot of his sentences, but this was quickly dropped.
* WeNeedADistraction: The first time in the ''Best Wishes'' series where Meowth was doing anything remotely comical was in [=BW04=], where Jessie and James force him into an Umbreon getup to divert the attention of Don George, his troupe, Ash and Iris, as the Rockets go on with their caper.
* WeWantOurJerkBack: The one time Meowth was treated too nicely by Jessie and/or James, he outright admits that he's much more used to being bullied by them.
** And then there's another time when he did it to ''himself'': he mentions that it sometimes scares him how he has a rarely seen soft side.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives one to Iris when she attempts (and fails) to catch him in a Poké Ball without warning.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Has a grudging respect for Tyson's Literature/PussInBoots {{Expy}} Meowth from the Hoenn League, since they share an enmity towards their evolved form. However, it's also a case of an UnknownRival, since Meowth-in-Boots rarely acknowledges him.
** And of course Pikachu. Even he is often astounded by his valour and strength, and multiple {{Enemy Mine}}s and FriendlyEnemy moments make clear they have some palpable respect for each other.[[note]]That is, if you forget the early episode where Pikachu was disappointed that Meowth didn't die in the sinking of the ''St. Anne''.[[/note]] As obsessed as Meowth is with trying to capture him, he has stated he'd love even more for Pikachu to [[WeCanRuleTogether willingly join him as an ally to Team Rocket]].
** Meowth also generally has respect for Ash as a trainer. If a Pokémon isn't going to join Team Rocket, he would much rather they end up with Ash instead. He's said this of both Chimchar and Litten.
** As disgusted as Ash's team were by Meowth's HeelFaceMole scheme in ''Best Wishes'', even they had to admit he'd used a genuinely brilliant plan against them.
* WouldHitAGirl: He swipes Jessie and James indiscriminately. He's also tried to claw female allies of Ash more than once.
* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: Ever since Carter Cathcart started voicing him in the English dub, Meowth's been known to occasionally let loose an "oy vey."
[[/folder]]

!Companion Pokemon Through the Years

!!Jessie's Pokémon
[[folder:Ekans-Arbok (Arbo-Arbok)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Koichi Sakaguchi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/EricStuart (Ekans), Koichi Sakaguchi (Arbok)
-->'''Voiced in Latin Spanish by:''' Patricia Hannidez (voice-over in Episode 17)
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Ekans_3196.png]]
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Arbok_427.png]]

Received as a birthday gift,[[note]]chÅ«gen in the original [[/note]]Ekans was Jessie's first Pokémon within the series. It lost quite often despite its best efforts, even after evolving into Arbok. It would eventually be released to protect a bunch of Ekans from poachers.
----
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Of the two original Rocket Pokémon (excluding Meowth), Ekans/Arbok was more fleshed out in terms of CharacterDevelopment, though this characterization was only sparingly shown through the original series and its few Hoenn episodes.
* DeathGlare: Knows Glare.
* DishingOutDirt: Knows Dig.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In the episode "A Chansey Operation." Arbok was treated by a Chansey from a crash that hurt several Pokémon. When Team Rocket later tried to steal the Pokémon, Arbok refused to obey the commands to attack the Chansey and people who treated its injuries.
** In "Got Miltank" Arbok is sent to attack and capture a herd of Pokémon in a oasis. When Meowth stands against it however, pointing out the place is a haven that helps fellow Pokémon, it joins the revolt and again refuses to battle.
* HiddenDepths: "Island Of the Giant Pokémon" reveals that it has a philosophic side to it.
* HiddenDisdainReveal: In "Island of the Giant Pokémon" Ekans reveals he only puts up with Meowth because Jessie orders him to and has no qualms with Ash's Pokémon tormenting him. His Arbok form has friendlier moments with Meowth in later episodes, but usually when Jessie is around.
* ItWasAGift: Apparently received by Jessie as a gift prior to the events of ''Pokémon''.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: It is loyal to its trainer, whether she is evil or not.
* OcularGushers: When it is forced to leave Jessie, James and Meowth behind.
* PoisonousPerson: It's a Poison-Type. Its Poison Sting is basically its SignatureMove.
* PunchClockVillain: In ''Island of the Giant Pokémon'', it refuses to attack Ash's lost Pokémon because its trainer didn't order it, and the episode has it and Koffing eating with the group, not holding any grudges against each other.
* PutOnABus: Frees a group of captured Koffing and Ekans from a poacher, leading them to safety and are never seen again.
* SnakesAreSinister: Subverted. It's a snake-like Pokémon working for one of the bad guys, but isn't actually evil, only doing bad things out of loyalty to its trainer. When Jessie isn't commanding it to do bad things, it's actually quite pleasant.
* SpikeShooter: Know Poison Sting, which fires a storm of poison-tipped needles.
* UncattyResemblance: "Island of the Giant Pokémon" shows that it's as stubborn and intelligent as Jessie.
* UndyingLoyalty: Par a couple of NobleDemon moments, it succinctly follows Jessie's every whim.
* VillainousFriendship: Though it seems indifferent towards Meowth, Arbok seems to be close with Weezing. Victreebel has also bit Arbok affectionately at least once.
* YouNoTakeCandle: Downplayed in "Island of the Giant Pokémon", wherein it speaks in rather simple sentences.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lickitung (Beroringa)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/EricStuart
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Lickitung_3347.png]]

Jessie caught Lickitung after a combination of eating some food meant for Giovanni and paralyzing Arbok led to a Poké Ball to the head. After a promising debut against Misty in the Princess Festival in the same episode, it faded into obscurity and was eventually traded by accident for Wobbuffet.
----
* BigEater: Given that eating anything it can get its tongue on is Lickitung's trait, it of course seizes the opportunity to do just that in the episode "Princess vs Princess" as it uses its long tongue to help itself to some food Team Rocket was planning to give to their boss. Needless to say, this didn't make Jessie very happy and she sent out Arbok to deal with Lickitung.
* FlatCharacter: Unlike most other Team Rocket Pokemon, Lickitung didn't get a lot of screentime to demonstrate much of a personality and camaraderie, its only key characteristics usually being its appetite and gag tongue.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Knows Supersonic.
* NervesOfSteel: In its debut episode appearance, Lickitung was shown to be quite brave, not once letting Arbok intimidate it.
* OutOfFocus: It was in Jessie's team for nearly 100 episodes, and only made appearances in 17 of these. Naturally, fans were pleased when the more entertaining Wobbuffet replaced it, making it an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of ReplacementScrappy (especially since Lickitung and its evolution are divisive with fans to begin with).
* OverlyLongTongue: As typical for its species, its tongue is longer than its body. Of course, its tongue is its main weapon.
* PutOnABus: Accidentally traded away for Wobbuffet in Johto.
* SecretWeapon: In its first appearance, to the heroes. Not so much afterwards (see OutOfFocus above).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wobbuffet (Sonans)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (1st voice), Erica Schroeder (2nd voice; current)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Wobbuffet_8967.png]]

After being traded by accident from Lickitung, Wobbuffet has stayed on the side of Team Rocket ever since. He acts mostly as a cheerleader but whenever he is used in a battle, he is a force to be reckoned with.
----
* AlmightyJanitor: He usually stays by the sidelines and following orders, but when he actually goes into a fight, he's more than capable to deflect and counter attacks from any mons coming for his crew, regardless if they're legendary ones or not. This makes it even more jarring that Jessie seldom uses him, given the twerps usually have a ''much'' [[NotSoHarmlessVillain more difficult time defeating Team Rocket]] whenever she does.
* AttackReflector: Knows Counter and Mirror Coat.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** Despite how vacuous he may look, he loves being with Jessie and the rest of Team Rocket, especially since his return during the Kalos region.
** In a very early episode in Johto, he was floating down a river, and imagined seeing Jessie in the clouds, reacting cheerfully.
* BadassBystander: Wobbuffet spends so much time as inactive comic relief that it's easy to forget that he's the most powerful of Team Rocket's Pokémon. Despite Jessie only calling him into battle on spaced occasions, his Counter and Mirror Coat can easily deflect most of the twerps' attacks and even some ''legendaries''.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Despite its looks and personality, its use of Counter and Mirror Coat have come in handy on more than one occasion.
* TheBusCameBack: After their adventures in Unova, Wobbuffet rejoins the team for the ''XY'' series.
* CanonImmigrant: Was distributable at downloading events for ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''. It had the same move set as its anime counterpart plus a characteristically low level.
* CharacterTics: Typically seen with a hand on his forehead. Though unlike Psyduck, this is more akin of a soldier's salute rather than a sign of a constant headache.
* CommutingOnABus: Despite being absent from the team in ''Best Wishes'', he still appeared in the Pikachu shorts of that era, hinting his tenure in the series wasn't over just yet.
* CoolShades: Wears some pretty dorky sunglasses as part of his Performance costume in Kalos. His incognito sunglasses in Alola are far cooler.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: The DisasterDominoes that left Jessie with Wobbuffet were set in motion after Ash's team helped his previous trainer pawn him off in a trade. Amusingly, the twerps never figured out it was the same Wobbuffet that Team Rocket use against them to this day.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Its Counter and Mirror Coat attacks have proved useful in several battles and contests, even if it spends the rest of the time acting as PluckyComicRelief. Especially evident in the Kalos era.
* TheDitz: Its looks and demeanour lend to it coming as rather dopey.
* DramaPreservingHandicap: Wobbuffet's Counter and Mirror Coat are so powerful that they would render Team Rocket nigh invincible against Ash & co... except for the fact Jessie can't seem to ever get their different properties straight in her head and rarely calls for him to battle as a result.
* EliteMook: Like Meowth, Wobbuffet now frequently travels with the group instead of being relegated to his Poké ball and often assists with the actual scheming and grunt work of a plan as well as battling. Especially prominent since the Kalos region where he is a lot more competent in both regards.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He stands with Meowth and the other Rocket Pokémon in "Got Miltank", refusing to help Jessie battle a sanctuary of healing Pokémon.
* EvilCounterpart: To Misty's Psyduck. Both were accidentally obtained by the team's FieryRedhead, both are silly and dopey but surprisingly useful, both are heavily associated with the Psychic type, both have a habit of coming out of their Pokeballs on their own, both have a love-hate relationship with their trainers, and both have a habit of putting their hands up to their heads.
* EvilFeelsGood: Doesn't seem to mind that it was ''accidentally'' traded to a villainous team.
* FaceHeelTurn: He used to be an ordinary Pokémon belonging to an ordinary trainer. But started participating in Team Rocket's evil schemes when accidentally traded to Jessie.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Initially, as a result of being an accidental trade and his usual dopiness, the trio were left rather exasperated with it. He eventually became a beloved team member however.
* HeartbrokenBadass: He managed to ''successfully'' woo a wild Kirlia, and even stood up against his teammates to protect her, but in the end... poor guy has to be sent blasting off AGAIIIIINNNNN! without even saying goodbye.
* IconicSequelCharacter: Debuted during the Johto season, usually acting as a de facto fourth member of the main trio since.
* LethalJokeCharacter:
** Wobbuffet spends most of his time as comic relief. When Jessie uses him competently enough however, he's one of the team's deadliest Pokémon. Especially prominent in ''XY''. While he's still always blasted off by Pikachu and co, when caught on guard in battle, he can tank almost all of their attacks.
** Wobbuffet's defensive moveset made him incompetent in contests, though capable of creative combinations in showcases (where he performs with another Pokémon).
* LongRunner: He's been on Jessie's team for more than 500 episodes, the most recurring supporting Pokémon character on the show. The only other Pokémon to stay on the show longer than him are Pikachu and Meowth who've been there since the first and second episodes respectively. As of ''Sun & Moon'', Wobbuffet's presence appears to have been rewarded, with him now spending nearly all of his time outside of his Pokéeball and being treated as a permanent fixture on the team.
* LookWhatICanDoNow: When he first returns in ''XY'', he is far more battle effective. His Counter and Mirror Coat are resistant to more powerful attacks and he can even dodge skilfully. Compared to [[CurbstompBattle their first battle]] in Johto, Pikachu is genuinely on the ropes against Wobbuffet at first.
* LostInTranslation: His Japanese name "Sonans" is a pun on the phrase "That's the way it is", meaning his his random interruptions compliment a lot of Team Rocket banter. Not to mention when [[WhosOnFirst he interacts with his pre evolution]], Wynaut, aka "Sohnano", a pun on "Really?", creates a situation of an endless loop conversation.
* MadeOfIron: Given his specialty this is to be expected, but even compared to his fellow IronButtMonkey comrades, Wobbuffet tends to shrug off even the worst of slapstick abuse.
* NonActionGuy: He started off serving mostly as comic relief, only following ''XY'' did its Counter and Mirror Coat start becoming pivotal on a frequent basis. Reverted back in ''Sun and Moon'', to the point that he used attacks in only ''three'' episodes of the entire series.
* OnlySaneMan: Out of the entire Trio's team, he tend to be the only reasonable one in the group, both being a competent battler by his own judgment and point out the hypocrisy internally whenever the others say something stupid. However, he's all too pleased with his role in the group as a support-member that he never bother complaining about it.
* PluckyComicRelief: Everything it does is for laughs.
* ThePollyanna: No matter how much punishment Wobbuffet endures thanks to being a part of Team Rocket, he remains almost perpetually cheerful.
* PsychicPowers: A Psychic type, though it naturally only has reactive moves at its disposal.
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', it's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters. He returns to action in ''XY''.
* PunchClockVillain: Despite going along with Team Rocket's schemes, it didn't do anything malicious out of its own free will. Like Meowth, it has some outright friendly moments in the Pikachu shorts.
* SecretWeapon: Due to his boosted Counter attack, he became such in ''XY'', helping Team Rocket fend off some of the heroes' attacks. This sometimes occurred in previous eras, but much more sparsely.
* ShooOutTheClowns: He is PutOnABus for the Unova arc, coinciding with Team Rocket's more serious portrayal throughout said arc. Their return to a more comedic role is heralded by Wobbuffet's return to the team.
* SixthRanger: Due to joining the TR motto after joining the team. In true Sixth Ranger fashion, this grates on their nerves (or at least Meowth's) at first, before they find a form which suits them.
** He later shares this role with both Chimecho and Mime Jr.
** This has become even more true as of ''Sun & Moon'', where Wobbuffet appears alongside the trio when they receive direct orders from Giovanni and he has yet to be recalled into his Pokéball. He's become so strongly an integral part of the team they now make a seat just for him in their robot builds!
* StockSoundEffects: During Kayzie Rogers' temporary departure in the middle of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series. While most of her other characters got replacement actors, the English dub just reused Roger's previous recordings for Wobbuffet until her return. Subverted since her permanent leave from the series, where he now has [[TheOtherDarrin a new voice actress]].
* StoneWall: Even among the Rockets, he gets inflicted the most damage.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Sometimes has this role with Meowth later on.
* TokenGoodTeammate: He's easily the least vicious of Jessie's Pokémon and is certainly the most childlike.
* TookALevelInBadass: He's back in the XY saga, and is ''far'' more competent in battle than before.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Jessie as per her usual roster. Less conventionally he's often independently loyal to James and Meowth as well.
* VillainousFriendship: Often demonstrates a bond with Meowth in later episodes.
* WalkInChimeIn: Early on especially, Wobbuffet would randomly leave his Pokéball and join in on a conversation. This conversation is from [=EP154=]:
-->'''Jessie:''' Must you always butt into our business?!\\
'''Wobbuffet:''' Wobba-wobba-wobba-wobba-wobba.\\
'''Jessie:''' I was afraid you'd say that. *recalls him*
* WeaksauceWeakness: Although his defense is far stronger in XY, it comes with a loophole: it's useless against things that ''[[ExactWords aren't actual attacks]]''. So he ends up getting stymied by Froakie's frubbles in [=XY001=] and Inkay's ink in [=XY003=].
* WithAFootOnTheBus: [=XY063=]. Jessie left him with the nice doctor who earlier saved their lives to pursue love with his female Wobbuffet. He decided he'd prefer to stick with Jessie.
-->'''Meowth:''' You left them...for ''us?'' You're the best [[{{Joisey}} pal-y]] that ever was!\\
'''Jessie:''' You're a fool. A fool...
* YesMan: Towards Jessie and Team Rocket in general, having seemingly no ambition or drive of its own. Except that one time he fell for a Kirlia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Seviper (Habunake)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Chie Sato
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MichaelSinterniklaas (4Kids), Bill Rogers (Current)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Seviper_6246.png]]

Seviper was beaten mercilessly by Jessie and captured after biting her hair. This would be the first in a long line of humiliations for the snake Pokémon, who would serve as Jessie's main fighting Pokémon through the AG and DP series.
----
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: In "Jumping Rocket Ship", it's quite happy to be reunited with Jessie, and later even Meowth.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Its Poison Tail attack. It's been shown to even contest Pikachu's Iron Tail to explosive levels at one point.
* {{Bookends}}: Jessie used Seviper in both her first and last contest performance.
* TheBrute: Jessie sought after it in particular due to its nasty, aggressive attitude. It often proved useful for capturing or intimidating targeted Pokémon (as often as it got overpowered ultimately).
* ButtMonkey: Being one of Jessie's favored battlers, Seviper ends up taking a LOT of punishment over the course of the series.
%%* CombatPragmatist: Knows [[ManBitesMan Bite]].
* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Despite its rather...unpleasant method of capture, it ended up one of Jessie's most favoured Pokémon.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: For all its faults, it is frequently shown that Seviper is fond of Jessie (who returns the feeling, of course).
* {{Jerkass}}: Compared to its predecessors Arbok and Weezing, it doesn't seem to have as many redeeming qualities, or at least they aren't shown as much. Offset by being just as loyal and comical as most TR Pokémon.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite its losing streak, it could prove formidable when the plot called for it. In "Do I Hear A Ralts?" it fought Pikachu to a stalemate, and in "A Trainer And Child Reunion" it has both the heroes' and Aaron's Pokémon (of the ''Elite Four'') on the ropes, losing only when the Pokémon of the Day appears. It also helped Jessie win the Neighborly Town contest and reach the semi finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival.
* OhCrap: Done very effectively in Seviper's debut. During its confrontation with Team Rocket, it was not afraid of anything, even after Jessie threw Wobbuffet and Meowth (literally in the latter's case) at it. And then it bit off Jessie's hair, and Seviper quickly realized [[NobodyTouchesTheHair that it had done something bad]]. [[UnstoppableRage Really]] [[CurbStompBattle bad]].
-->'''James:''' ''*terrified*'' Poor Seviper...
-->'''Meowth:''' ''*equally terrified*'' It knows not what it's done...
* PoisonousPerson: Poison-type Pokémon and knows Poison Tail.
* PutOnABus: Was retired to Team Rocket headquarters for ''Best Wishes'', along with the other Pokémon of the group. Did not return for ''XY''.
* SeriousBusiness: Like with others of its species, regarding its rivalry with Zangoose - in [=DP052=], it repeatedly refused to back down, and even kept ''exiting its Poké Ball'' whenever Jessie tried to recall it.
* SmokeOut: Seviper's Haze, which replaced Weezing's Smokescreen as the means for Team Rocket's escape cover.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Replaced Jessie's Arbok as the Poison-type snake Pokémon on her team. Amusingly enough, it ended up remaining on Jessie's team for about 100 episodes longer than Arbok did.
* TeamRocketWins: After two regions of failures, Seviper finally won Jessie a ribbon in the Neighborly Town contest. Johanna even obliviously complimented its abilities.
* YourSizeMayVary: Seviper's size/length is never consistent.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wurmple-Cascoon-Dustox (Kemusso-Mayuld-Dokucale)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Tara Jayne (Wurmple), Creator/AmyBirnbaum (Cascoon), Creator/AmyBirnbaum (Dusktox, 4Kids), Michele Knotz (Dusktox, current)
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_wurmple.png]]
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_cascoon.png]]
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_dustox.png]]

Wurmple was caught in the hopes of being raised to be a Beautifly to win Contests. However, like all of Team Rocket's aspirations, they were for naught, since she evolved into a Dustox...which Jessie loved anyway. Dustox would go on to be her main contest Pokémon until her eventual release in Sinnoh.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Though Jessie ended up loving Dustox, she was still usually outshone by May's Beautifly. Reversed when they were Wurmple, she was actually the more upstanding Pokémon.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: She's a giant moth.
* BlowYouAway: Knows Whirlwind.
* EvilCounterpart: To May's Beautifly, though granted she's not ''really'' that bad...
** Their personalities are completely flipped when they were still just Wurmple, too. May's was gluttonous and lazy. Jessie's was obedient and loyal from the start.
%%* {{Flight}}: As a Dustox.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: As a Wurmple, she was diligent and loyal while May's was poorly trained and lazy. May's still evolved into a competent Beautifly as she desired, with Jessie's Dustox nearly always outshone.
%%* PoisonousPerson: Dustox's secondary type.
* PsychicPowers: Knows Psybeam.
* PutOnABus: Butterfree-style -- she finds a mate (of different-than-usual color), wears an article of clothing, and then has a tearful goodbye with her trainer.
* TheRival: To May's Beautifly, natch. Both were caught in the same episode, and evolved both times in the same episodes. In fact, they evolved into Cascoon and Silcoon (respectively) at the exact same time, leading to Jessie's confusion that ''both'' had Silcoon [[FailedASpotCheck since Ash didn't read hers with his Pokédex]].
* ShooTheDog: Dustox didn't want to leave Jessie's side, but Jessie, in a IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy mood, ''destroys'' Dustox's Pokéball to convince her otherwise.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The first of Team Rocket's Pokémon to be confirmed female.
* TeamRocketWins: She ended her tenure with Jessie finally helping her win her very first ribbon in the Solaceon Town Contest.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the point that Jessie had to actually ''smash'' her Poké Ball in order to get her to finally leave so she could be with her mate. Apparently, this freed her from Jessie's control.
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Subverted. Jessie was shocked when her Wurmple turned out to be a Dustox instead of the Beautifly she'd been hoping for, with James and Meowth [[ThisIsGonnaSuck expecting the worst]]. She very quickly decides she prefers her new Pokémon however.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yanma-Yanmega (Yanyanma-Megayanma)]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessies_yanma.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessies_yanmega.png]]

Yanma was one of Team Rocket's first successful thefts in forever! ...Too bad Giovanni thought she was useless and sent her back. Undaunted by this, Yanma would evolve very soon after into a Yanmega and join the ranks of Team Rocket until the end of the DP arc.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: She's a giant dragonfly.
* CharacterTics: Tends to like perching herself on people's heads, usually Jessie's.
* {{Flight}}: Almost perpetually flying, given her species.
* {{Irony}}: Shortly after being sent back by Giovanni for being unremarkable, Yanma evolved and became the trio's most effective Sinnoh Pokémon.
* ItWasAGift: The trio were left falsely convinced Giovanni sent them back Yanma as a gift for their efforts, giving them a big enthusiasm boost.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Knows Sonicboom.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Was suggested to be one of the team's strongest Pokémon pre-''Best Wishes'', after evolving in her first battle she trounced the heroes humiliatingly. She was also frequently effective in contests.
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', she's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters.
* SamusIsAGirl: Her gender was revealed when a female Togepi used Attract on a group comprising Team Rocket's and the twerp's Mons. When Yanmega was not affected, even Jessie was surprised when she found out.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Took over as the trio's token female Pokémon shortly after Dustox was released.
* TeamRocketWins: The product of such, being one of the trio's rare successfully stolen Pokémon of sorts. She herself defeated Ash's Chimchar in her first battle, and even gave the heroes a mini-blasting off. She also helped Jessie win a couple of contests.
* UndyingLoyalty: For all the twerps' complaining about Yanmega being stolen property, she seemed quite dedicated to Jessie.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: What Yanmega sounds like. Which can be jarring once you know it's female.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Secondary type.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Woobat (Koromori)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Michele Knotz
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Woobat_6947.png]]

Woobat was Jessie's first Unova Pokémon. Even though it fought with a more serious Team Rocket, it still lost plenty of times.
----
* BatOutOfHell: With its goofy design, it may not look the part, but he's still a powerful battler on the side of the antagonists.
* BlindingBangs: His eyes are hidden beneath his fur.
* BlowYouAway: Knows Air Slash.
%%* CuteLittleFangs
* {{Flight}}: An even more perpetual case than Yanmega.
%%* PsychicPowers: Primary type.
* PutOnABus: Handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc as a hasty proof of any progress capturing Pokémon.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Secondary type.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Frillish (Pururil)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Chiaki Takahashi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessies_frillish.png]]

A female Frillish arrived on the scene when Team Rocket returned to Unova for their own motives. She would go on to fight for Team Rocket through the remaining BW arc.
----
* FlatCharacter: Introduced simply to give Team Rocket more muscle, lacking any distinguishing traits of its own.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: A levitating jellyfish.
%%* MakingASplash: Primary type.
%%* OurGhostsAreDifferent:
* PowerFloats: Normally an aquatic species, it can get around outside of the water by floating.
* PsychicPowers: Knows Psychic.
* PutOnABus: Also handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc.
* SmokeOut: Knows Mist.
%%* SoulPower: Secondary type.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Its pink shade indicates it is female.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The trio's only female Pokémon in Unova.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pumpkaboo-Gourgeist (Bakeccha-Pumpjin)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Megumi Sato (Pumpkaboo), Miyako Ito (Gourgeist)
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Haven Paschall
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_xy_pumpkaboo.png]] [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_xy_gourgeist.png]]

Pumpkaboo was another victim of Jessie's irritation after she tripped over it in a forest, and she shined its light everwhere. Regardless, she happily serves as Jessie's primary fighting Pokémon for XY, especially after evolving into a Gourgeist.
----
* AdaptationalHeroism: Gourgeist are stated to be malicious Pokémon that gleefully curse and torment victims with their hair like arms. Jessie's Gourgeist is an antagonist, but her only crime is being loyal to Jessie. And of course whenever Jessie fights on the good side, so does she.
* AmazonianBeauty: Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist naturally have four size varieties, and this one is the largest.[[note]]As Pumpkaboo, she was twice as large as Inkay. As Gourgeist, she's almost as tall as Jessie.[[/note]] A Pumpkaboo of the smallest variety [[AmazonChaser became infatuated with her]] as a result, though [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon drew the line]] when she evolved into a Gourgeist and got humongous.
* {{Bookends}}: Jessie used Gourgeist for both her first and last showcase performance.
* BulletSeed: Knows Seed Bomb, which is essentially her machine-gunning explosive seeds out of her mouth.
* CastingAShadow: Knows Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball.
* CoolShades: Wears some as part of her showcase costume. Keeping with the trope, nearly all her performances are pretty impressive.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Proved an efficient showcase performer after evolving into Gourgeist, and despite having the expected losing streak against the heroes in battles, its Leech Seed can be devastating.
* CuteLittleFangs: As Pumpkaboo. Gourgeist has less pronounced ones.
* EmpathyPet: Sometimes channels Jessie's diva qualities.
* FantasticFireworks: Uses her Shadow Ball to create this effect in showcase performances.
* GenkiGirl: Has a very excitable demeanor.
%%* GreenThumb: Secondary type.
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Its Seed Bomb almost ''always'' gets dodged easily by the heroes, at points even the trainers can run handily through it.
* KamehameHadoken: As Gourgeist, she throws her Shadow Ball attacks with her PrehensileHair in such a manner.
* LifeDrain: Knows Leech Seed, which plants an entangling weed into the ground to trap and drain her opponents. She established herself to the twerps by entangling ''four of their Pokémon at once''.
* PowerFloats: It is always seen floating.
* PrehensileHair: As Gourgeist, her arms are formed like long hair.
* PutOnABus: She was left at headquarters before the team left for Alola.
* RebuiltPedestal: After Jessie decided to trade her for a Mawile (which can Mega Evolve), Pumpkaboo was left feeling very betrayed. However when her new owner expressed disappointment in her evolution into a Gourgeist, Jessie chastised him for rejecting her loyal Pokémon and demanded a trade back, which Gourgeist overheard and joyously accepted.
* SamusIsAGirl: Wasn't revealed to be female until 70 episodes after her debut.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Is the team's token female Pokémon during the Kalos era.
* SocializationBonus: Like in the games, Pumpkaboo immediately evolved when it was traded.
* SoulPower: knows the ghost-type attack Shadow Ball.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: The Huge Girl to Inkay's Tiny Guy. As Gourgeist, she's this to the rest of the team's Pokémon too.
* UncattyResemblance: Since evolving into Gourgeist, she tends to mimic Jessie's moods and melodrama.
* UndyingLoyalty: After her RebuiltPedestal, Gourgeist seems to borderline idolise Jessie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mimikyu (Mimikkyu)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Bob Thompson
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/team_rocket_mimikyu.png]]

A Ghost/Fairy Pokémon wearing a ragged Pikachu costume. It develops an intense dislike of Ash's Pikachu, so Team Rocket targets it. Jessie, after losing her usual luck with throwing regular Poké Balls, uses James' Luxury Ball to catch it.
----
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the games and promotional material, Mimikyu is stated to be a lonely creature that simply emulates [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]] because everyone loves it and [[IJustWantToBeLoved it wants to be loved just as much, too]]. This one, however, is depicted as outright ''hating'' Pikachu [[GreenEyedMonster out of sheer jealousy]] and joins Team Rocket [[EnemyMine just for the chance to defeat him.]]
* AttackReflector: Uses its "tail" stick to bat away Pikachu's Electro Ball and two of Jessie's Poké Balls.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: It starts to like and even obey Jessie more often after she goes to great lengths to get its costume back from a flock of thieving Murkrow.
* BedsheetGhost: It's a ghost wearing a ragged Pikachu costume, creating this effect.
* BerserkButton: As soon as it sees Pikachu, Mimikyu immediately attacks him without waiting for a command.
* BigBallOfViolence: It knows Play Rough, which is depicted as this with the target getting smacked around from every angle by Mimikyu's fake wooden tail.
* BlackComedy: Mimikyu is a more sinister Pokémon, though its murderous tendencies and overall creepiness still lend to a lot of Team Rocket humor.
* BossBattle: As part of Ash's trial on Ula'Ula island, it served as Ash's opponent, per Nanu's orders.
* BrilliantButLazy: Is a powerful fighter, but if the opponent's not Pikachu, it won't even lift a finger to fight, except in [=SM023=] when it fought an Alolan Dugtrio alongside James' Mareanie, [=SM025=] where it fought and ''defeated'' the Totem Alolan Raticate, and [=SM038=], when it protected Jessie from a flock of angry Murkrow.
* BrownBagMask: It wears one during [=SM038=], after its costume is stolen by a Murkrow.
* BrownNote: The nature of this is unknown, but sight of, or contact with, the creature within Mimikyu's Pikachu costume is explicitly stated in the ''Pokémon Sun'' PokéDex as deadly. Ash's [=RotomDex=] repeated the ''Sun'' entry verbatim, making this canon in the anime. Mere eye contact with the creature has rendered Meowth unresponsive ''twice''.
* CarryABigStick: Mimikyu's fake tail, which it uses for Play Rough, Wood Hammer, and to bat away attacks.
* CryCute: It actually ''tears up'' when Jessie returns its costume to it after getting it back from the Murkrow who stole it.
* TheComicallySerious: Despite its sinister attitude, sometimes even Mimikyu finds itself out of its depth with Jessie, and even deflates into a rather flustered or sulky demeanour when disagreeing with her.
* CuteIsEvil: Despite its cuteness, it's one of the few truly malicious Pokémon to work with Team Rocket.
* DragonInChief: It's far more powerful and competent than any of Team Rocket's previous Pokémon, let alone the Team itself, however it only joined them out of its vendetta against Pikachu, and for the large part it acts on its own without Jessie's command. After Jessie bonds with it however, it submits to obeying her when Pikachu isn't around.
* TheDreaded: Meowth is utterly terrified of Mimikyu, even though Jessie insists they should just be friends. Considering Meowth can understand Mimikyu's (apparently creepy) speech, his terror is somewhat justified. Mimikyu's feelings on the matter aren't stated, but it clearly has no problem being around Meowth.
* DontLookAtMe: It refuses to be seen without its disguise--with good reason, because looking at it uncovered is deadly. When its costume is damaged and then stolen in [=SM038=], it spends most of the episode under a brown paper bag with eyeholes.
* EldritchAbomination: Whatever Meowth saw under that costume was ''not'' good for his mind. It's also stated verbatim by the Rotom Dex that the mere sight of it without its disguise is deadly. H. P. Lovecraft would be proud.
* EnemyMine: It didn't necessarily like Team Rocket at first, though it didn't put up much of a fight against them, but it hates Pikachu more and decided to protect them from Pikachu so it could fight him.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: After Jessie saves its costume from being torn apart, it remains disobedient, though at least begrudgingly cares about its master now.
* EvilCounterpart: Set up as one. It is a fierce rival of Pikachu that mimics his appearance. While Pikachu knows Electro Ball, Mimikyu knows Shadow Ball. Where Pikachu knows Iron Tail, Mimikyu replicates though Wood Hammer using its wooden fake tail. While Pikachu is altruistic and loyal to Ash, Mimikyu is malicious and prone to disobey Jessie.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The eye holes on its torso notably glow when it's about to attack, just like in the games.
* GreenEyedMonster: Like all Mimikyu, it's jealous of Pikachu's popularity and also wants to be loved like Pikachu. But while most Mimikyu simply [[IJustWantToBeLoved want to be loved and nothing more]], this one takes it a step further and has a deep grudge against all Pikachu.
** This might be from the fact that [[https://youtu.be/ZMBET4WzBHE?t=274 some Mimikyu get down when Trainers say they'd rather have Pikachu]], which could be why Jessie's Mimikyu hates Pikachu so much.
* HellIsThatNoise: Mimikyu's speech is a disturbing choking noise, rather than imitation Pikachu cry it uses in the games.
* IJustWantToBeLoved:
** It's subtle, but it willingly allows itself to be caught by a Luxury Ball, which causes the Pokémon caught by it to become friendly with the trainer at an increased rate. Two regular Poké Balls were swatted away.
** When it's seeing kids playing happily with an inflatable Pikachu balloon in [=SM038=], it breaks from its UnstoppableRage and glances wistfully at its costume.
* InstantExpert: Jessie assumes that Mimikyu inherently knows the Fairy-Type Z-Pose so it can unleash its signature Z-Move Let's Snuggle Forever. To the surprise of the others, she is correct.
* KillerRabbit: Despite its size and cute appearance, it isn't to be messed with. Especially if your name is Pikachu.
* LiteralMinded: After Jessie told it to "go", as in attack, it decides to walk away. Granted, since it had no interest in fighting anyone but Pikachu.
* LeeroyJenkins: If Pikachu shows up, Mimikyu will drop everything to go after it, regardless of what Team Rocket actually has in mind.
* MistakenIdentity: The group originally thought it was Pikachu. Then the head of its shroud fell askew, and they freak out.
* NearDeathExperience: Subjected Meowth to one when he tried to take off its costume, complete with a vision of Pokémon {{Hell}}. Fortunately, a good splash of water to the face from Jessie and James wakes him up before he's too far gone. The [=RotomDex=] relates the Pokédex entry of a researcher having died from seeing a Mimikyu's true form.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Knows Play Rough, and its first reaction to Pikachu is to beat the ever-loving snot out of it.
* NoSell: Just like in the games, Mimikyu's Disguise ability allows it to avoid damage from the first hit it takes in battle. Pikachu's super effective Iron Tail fails twice thanks to this, as does a Totem Raticate's assault. Its part Ghost typing also means Meowth's Fury Swipes do no damage.
* NotSoDifferent: It shows subtle mutualities with its trainer when Pikachu isn't around, especially in their glutton.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: It joins forces with Team Rocket willingly, but unlike their previous [[UndyingLoyalty Undyingly Loyal]] Pokémon, only does so out of hatred for Pikachu, resisting capture at first and regularly disobeying Jessie. Only when Jessie started to effectively bond with Mimikyu did it begin willingly obeying her, though is still uncontrollable when Pikachu is involved.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite its bizarre and diminutive appearance, it immediately establishes its viciousness by delivering a CurbstompBattle to ''Pikachu''. After being caught by Jessie, it manages to weather Pikachu's Thunderbolt and is still ready to fight.
* OhCrap: The first time Pikachu uses an Electro Web on it marks perhaps the first truly panicked reaction from Mimikyu.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** When a pissed off Bewear is about to fight [[spoiler: Pheromosa]] in [=SM114=], Mimikyu actually looks ''frightened.''
** In [=SM146=], when Team Rocket is recalled back to Kanto, Mimikyu decides to have one last shot at defeating Pikachu, only to see its reflection in the water, which causes it to lose its fighting spirit. It dejectedly sulks back to Bewear's den, where it talks to Meowth along the way, revealing to him that it had grown tired of hating Pikachu. Meowth consoles it by stating that nothing good comes from hatred and that it should start looking foward to better things, prompting Mimikyu to cheer up and possibly overcome its hatred towards Pikachu.
* OurFairiesAreDifferent: It's part Fairy-type.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: In [=SM023=] it essentially acted like a standard Team Rocket Pokémon, obeying Jessie's commands against a non-Pikachu opponent and getting defeated rather easily. Mimikyu did not otherwise listen to Jessie until its CharacterDevelopment in [=SM038=].
* PetTheDog: It starts to show semblance of [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas an actual bond with Jessie]] after she saves and fixes its disguise in [=SM038=], even starting to obey her commands in battles where Pikachu isn't around to incense it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Mimikyu may be a tiny little thing, but it's easily the strongest Pokémon Team Rocket has ever owned thus far. It can overwhelm Pikachu in a fight and ''defeated a Totem Pokémon''.
* PokemonSpeak: A variant. Unlike Mimikyu's imitation of "Pikachu" and minimal ability to speak human language in the games, [[HellIsThatNoise this one just makes a sound like it's choking on something]]. It's still speech, as Meowth understands it perfectly well. Weirdly enough, Acerola's Mimikyu, Mimikins' cries don't sound like this, implying this is more exclusive to this particular Mimikyu.
* ThePowerOfHate: Mimikyu's resentment of Pikachu has lent it deceptive amounts of power, allowing its Shadow Balls to deflect Pikachu's Electro Balls and making it powerful enough to overwhelm Pikachu with its Play Rough attack.
* PutOnABus: Mimikyu is released along with James' Mareanie in [=SM146=] to be left under Bewear's care when Team Rocket is called back to Kanto.
* PsychoStrings: Practically a {{Leitmotif}}. Anytime it does anything, a harsh screech plays in the background.
* TheResenter: According to Meowth, this Mimikyu isn't dressed as Pikachu for fun. Given Mimikyu's Pokédex entry of wanting to be loved, it could be one reason why it's particularly malicious towards Pikachu.
* TheRival: Being set up as one for Pikachu.
* SecurityBlanket: It's very protective of its costume. Jessie gets on its better side by preserving it from some Murkrow.
* SoulPower: It is part Ghost-type and knows Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
* SpannerInTheWorks:
** Mimikyu's murderous hatred of Pikachu overtakes all other ambitions it has, meaning it sometimes ends up ruining Team Rocket's plans indirectly when they don't involve attacking Pikachu. It gets itself disqualified in [[GoKartingWithBowser the Alola Pancake Race]] for example, as using attacks is forbidden.
** It also nearly ruined Team Rocket's chances in the Alola League during the Battle Royale that served as the tournament's first round when it scurried around the battlefield targeting any Pikachu. Team Rocket's plan to avoid elimination was to not get involved in any battles at all.
* StaringDownCthulhu: Does this to Bewear when it starts to interrupt its battle with Pikachu in Ula'Ula. Bewear, who so far has been near unstoppable, actually backs down and sits until the fight is over.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Unlike Jessie's previous Pokémon, who're more of PunchClockVillains simply following her orders, this one's ''out for blood''.
* TookALevelInBadass: Gains access to Mimikium Z in [=SM073=] and masters its Signature Z-Move "Let's Snuggle Forever" in [=SM076=], making it even more of an underlying threat.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Keeps accidentally sending Meowth into a near death experience after its true form is flashed in front of him as a RunningGag.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The ''Sun and Moon'' series is LighterAndSofter than previous ones, but Mimikyu is usually played straight as a terrifying and formidable character.
* VillainsOutShopping: In some episodes it seems to have no qualms joining in on Team Rocket's legitimate agendas so long as Pikachu isn't around to anger it. It even serves as a cook in their malasada truck.
* WeakenedByTheLight: As its Pokedex entry says, Mimikyu's body is weakened by sunlight.
* WhatHaveIBecome: In its final fight with Pikachu, Mimikyu saw its reflection in Melemele Sea and got depressed, abandoning the fight. It took a talk with Meowth, revealing that it had grown tired of hating Pikachu, who told it that nothing good comes of hatred and it should simply look forward to better things.
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: Meowth refuses to translate most of what it's saying because it's too creepy.
[[/folder]]

!!James' Pokémon

[[folder:Koffing-Weezing (Dogars-Matadogas)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Michael Haigney (Koffing), Creator/EricStuart (Weezing)
-->'''Voiced in Latin Spanish by:''' Gerardo Vásquez (voice-over in Episode 17)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Koffing_9546.png]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Weezing_886.png]]

Received as a Christmas present,[[note]] Year-End in the original [[/note]] Koffing was James' first Pokémon in the series. Much like its fellow teammate, Ekans, it was not a very good battler, even after evolving. It would eventually be released to protect a bunch of Koffing from poachers.
----
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Almost borders on a FlatCharacter, as Koffing/Weezing was even more sparingly characterized than Ekans/Arbok.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In the episode "A Chansey Operation." Weezing was treated by a Chansey from a crash that hurt several Pokémon. When Team Rocket later tried to steal the Pokémon, Weezing [[CallItKarma refused to obey the commands to attack the Chansey and people who treated its injuries]].
** In "Got Miltank", Weezing is sent to attack and capture a herd of Pokémon in a oasis. When Meowth stands against it however, pointing out the place is a haven that helps fellow Pokémon, it joins the revolt and again refuses to battle.
* HiddenDisdainReveal: Like Ekans, Koffing makes clear he couldn't care less about Meowth without James ordering him to in "Island of the Giant Pokémon".
* ItWasAGift: Apparently received as a gift prior to the events of ''Pokémon''.
* MultipleHeadCase: And like the rest of its species, both are perfectly sentient; both heads are capable of crying.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Tried to cling to James whilst fleeing from the poacher, but ultimately complied.
* OcularGushers: When he is forced to leave James, Jessie and Meowth behind.
* PowerFloats: Came to a disadvantage [[RealityEnsues when a battle took place underwater]] ("''The Misty Mermaid''").
* PunchClockVillain: In ''Island of the Giant Pokémon'', it refuses to attack Ash's lost Pokémon because its trainer didn't order it, and the episode has it and Ekans eating with the group, not holding any grudges against each other.
* PutOnABus: Frees a group of captured Koffing and Ekans from a poacher, leading them to safety and are never seen again.
* TerseTalker: According to "Island of the Giant Pokémon", mostly just repeats whatever it hears and happens to agree with in short, simple sentences.
* SmokeOut: Knows Smog and Smokescreen. Often used by James to cover Team Rocket's retreats, and unlike everything else they do is usually successful.
* StepfordSmiler: It ''almost always'' had that stupid grin as Koffing.[[note]]It only frowns in [=EP017=] when separated from James.[[/note]] {{Inverted}} with Weezing, who always had a depressed-to-indifferent look on both of its faces.
* UncattyResemblance: "Island of the Giant Pokémon" shows it agreeing with pretty much everything Ekans says, implying that it's just as submissive to the snake as James is to Jessie, if not more.
* UndyingLoyalty: Like Arbok to Jessie, Weezing is succinctly loyal to James par a couple pangs of conscience.
* YesMan: The one time Koffing's speech patterns are translated, most of its dialogue consists of it agreeing with Ekans.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Growlithe/"Growlie" (Gardie/"Gar-chan")]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MitsuruOgata
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MaddieBlaustein ([=EP048=]), Creator/TomWayland ([=DP153=])
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_growlie_111.png]]

A Growlithe that James owned since his childhood. Unlike James' other Pokémon, Growlie lives with James' parents and doesn't take part in Team Rocket's crimes. It is very loyal to James who considers it as his precious friend which he wouldn't replace with another Pokémon. Their friendship is also the reason why James doesn't want to marry Jessiebelle; Jessiebelle despises Growlie, and would get rid of him if she ever did marry James.
----
* BigFancyHouse: Growlie has its own mansion next to the mansion of James' family.
* TheBusCameBack: After its debut episode, Growlie reappears in [=DP153=] to visit a vacation house in Sinnoh. Coincidentally, James happens to infiltrate said vacation house.
* ChildhoodFriends: With James. It mostly appears when James' past is brought up.
* InUniverseNickname: Its nickname is "Growlie" ("Gar-chan" in the original).
* OutOfFocus: Since Growlie never travels with James as an adult, it gets the least focus among all of his Pokémon. Its reappearance in ''Diamond & Pearl'' is quite a surprise.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-Type, making it James' only Fire-Type Pokémon.
* PreciousPuppies: Growlie has been with James since childhood, and despite the many years that have passed, Growlie looks the same as before. Partially justified, since it cannot evolve without a Fire Stone.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Despite being one of James' first Pokémon, if not ''the'' first, Growlie was first introduced in the episode where James' heritage was revealed.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Growlie is the only one of James' Pokémon that is never a member of Team Rocket, (although it's pretty clear that it would love to tag along with James).
* UndyingLoyalty: Even though they do not see each other lately, Growlie remains loyal to James, appropriate for a dog-like Pokémon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Weepinbell-Victreebel (Utsudon-Utsubot)]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Rikako Aikawa (Weepinbell, Victreebel episodes 95-261), Creator/YujiUeda (Victreebel, episode 86-94)
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1757860-james_victreebel_141.png]]

Victreebel was first seen in one of Butch and Cassidy's fake breeding center's cages. After it got out, it served James in battle fairly well despite its [[ManEatingPlant odd way of showing affection]]. It got traded to the Magikarp Salesman for a Weepinbell, who evolved into another Victreebell and was promptly kicked out over the exact same gestures of affection.
----
* AmbiguousGender: The genders of the original Victreebel and the replacement Weepinbell[=/=]Victreebel are not explicit (though likely to be opposite). But the voice differences in the two in [=EP261=] suggest that James' original Victreebel was female and its replacement was male.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite its painful displays of affection, James had fond memories of his Victreebel and was heartbroken to trade it away. Just as he started growing attached to its replacement, that too was kicked out by an angered Jessie.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: It stands with Meowth and the other Rocket Pokémon in "Got Miltank", refusing to help James battle a sanctuary of healing Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: Primary type. It codified the RunningGag that all of James' Grass-Type Pokémon would attack him out of affection whenever he calls them.
* ManEatingPlant: It's rather ambiguous whether it loves James so much that it's trying to eat him or...simply trying to eat him. At least it never used Stun Spore on James like a different Victreebel did to Meowth after trying to eat him in a Best Wishes episode.
* PoisonousPerson: Secondary type.
* PutOnABus: James trades it away to the Magikarp Salesman in exchange for another (supposedly more obedient) Weepinbell. Unfortunately, Jessie gets sick of the new Weepinbel, which evolves into a Victreebel (without a Leaf Stone) and starts biting ''her'', and ditches it. At the same time, the Magikarp Salesman falls victim to James' original Victreebel's eating habits and also abandons it. The two Victreebel meet, fall in love, and live HappilyEverAfter. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Seriously]].
* RememberTheNewGuy: James captured it off-screen during the series, not prior (as indicated by his use of Weezing in the flashback showing said capture). It wasn't even introduced as a Weepinbell and the fact that James even owned one came out of nowhere.
* ScreamingWarrior: Its [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl distinctive cry]] sounds like shrill shouting.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cacnea (Sabonea)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Lindsey Warner (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Cacnea_6228.png]]

Cacnea first helped Team Rocket by driving off a flock of Beedrill with its Pin Missile. After James fed it some cookies and released Weezing, Cacnea walked up to James and offered to join. It would go on to be James' main battling Pokémon and hugger until it left to master Drain Punch under Gardenia's tutelage.
----
* CuddleBug: And since Cacnea is a ''cactus'', it is really very painful.
* DishingOutDirt: Knows Sandstorm.
* TheGlomp: Constantly offers an expectedly painful one to James upon its release as a RunningGag.
* GreenThumb: The second Grass-Type of James and it continues the RunningGag that Vicreebel codified.
* PowerFist: Knows Needle Arm, and later learns Drain Punch with Gardenia's training.
* PutOnABus: Left to train with Gardenia after she promises to bring out Cacnea's full potential and teach it Drain Punch.
* SmokeOut: A variation, Cacnea can use Sandstorm as a cover to aid escape.
* SpikeShooter: Knows Pin Missile.
* TastesLikeFriendship: James wins Cacnea over when he feeds it some cookies.
* TookALevelInBadass: According to Barry, Cacnea had mastered [[LifeDrain Drain Punch]] by the time he fought Gardenia and proved a tough opponent. James was understandably delighted by this news.
* TriggerHappy: Has a tendency to get angry and shoot his Pin Missiles randomly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chimecho (Chirean)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Natsuki Yoshihara
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_chimecho.png]]

Chimecho volunteered to become a member of Team Rocket after coming over to James, getting him out of his funk over not having a Chimecho since childhood. It was very sheltered by James, only allowed to come out to cheer on and heal Team Rocket, but it didn't seem to mind. It retired to stay with old caretakers of a summer home after getting a fever.
----
* FailedASpotCheck: After hearing about James' plight, Jessie and Meowth don't see an actual, ''real'' Chimecho passing them by.
* TheGlomp: It likes to wrap its sash around James' head, often times blinding him!
* JumpScare: Its Astonish attack is as scary as it is unexpected.
* TheMedic: It knows Heal Bell, and because Team Rocket has tendency to be on the wrong end of Pokémon attacks, this makes Chimecho quite useful.
* NonActionGuy: It has participated in battle a small handful of times, but never consistently or for very long. Chimecho's main role is as a cheerleader, like Wobbuffet.
%%* PsychicPowers: Chimecho levitates.
* PutOnABus: After Chimecho came down with a terrible fever that prevented it from following Team Rocket any further, James left it with the caretakers of his old vacation home. James promised to return for Chimecho once it got better, but as of ''Diamond & Pearl'', he has not had the opportunity.
* SixthRanger: Became Team Rocket's second cheerleading Pokémon alongside Wobbuffet.
%%* SoulPower: Knows [[DemonHead Astonish]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mime Jr. (Manene)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IkueOtani (first and current), Tomoe Hanba (second)
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rodgers (first and current), Michele Knotz (second)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Mime_Jr_9004.png]]

As Chimecho was released, Mime Jr. voluntarily captured itself in one of James' Poké Balls. It became James' replacement for Chimecho, but it was more of an active battler.
----
* CheerfulChild: Fittingly, it would always copy James' (or even anyone for that matter) demeanor, but most of the time it's a happy sort.
* CrowdSong: Its use of Teeter Dance can make ''anyone'' in the vicinity to start dancing.
* CutenessOverload: Since Mime Jr. has no combat abilities, it's utilised in contests. As Jessie was known to borrow it from time to time to participate in contests, and Mime Jr. doesn't seem to mind being in the spotlight.
* DittoFighter: Which came in handy once during one of Jessie's contest performances.
* IrritationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery: Frequently mimics its team mates as a FunnyBackgroundEvent. Granted it doesn't seem to irritate James at least.
* TheJester: Its general appearance is that of a clown, and Mime Jr. is anything but serious most of the time.
* JumpedAtTheCall: After James dropped one of his empty Poké Balls, Mime Jr eagerly activated it, having chosen James as its trainer.
* NonActionGuy: The few moves it ''does'' know aren't even offensive, anyway (save Mimic, and that depends on which move he ''does'' Mimic).
%%* PsychicPowers
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', it's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters.
* SixthRanger: Team Rocket's third cheerleadering Pokémon, effectively replacing Chimecho.
* TagalongKid: It's very rare that James would actually use it in battle, [[OverprotectiveDad not wanting to get it hurt.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Carnivine (Muskippa)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeSakaguchi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' [[Creator/JimmyZoppi Billy Beach]]
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Carnivine_6106.png]]

Carnivine was captured in the Great Marsh when James was a child and was left in his parents' vacation home until James revisited it in the beginning of the DP arc. It was James' main fighting Pokémon and was just as cuddly with him as its predecessors.
----
* BearHug: It ''really'' loves James, and does this every time he releases it...while gnawing on James' head.
* BiteOfAffection: Carnivine tends to show its love for James by biting his head every time he is brought out.
* BulletSeed: Knows [[TropeNamer Bullet Seed]]
%%* CombatPragmatist: Knows [[ManBitesMan Bite]].
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Jessie borrowed Carnivine for some contests, where it actually proved quite useful. It outright humiliated Dawn's Mamoswine to win the Lilypad Town Contest.
* CuteLittleFangs: Well, more like Cute ''Big'' Fangs.
* FaceOfAThug: It's essentially a giant anthropomorphic venus fly trap and looks rather creepy. It's no less affectionate and playful to James than Cacnea and Mime Jr however.
* ForgottenChildhoodFriend: Averted. James remembers that he owned it as a child.
* FromBadToWorse: Cacnea was still under James' command when he recovered Carnivine, leaving him with ''two'' over-affectionate Grass-types. And then there's the times James brought them both out at once...
* GreenThumb: James' third Grass-Type and it continues the RunningGag after Victreebel and Cacnea left the team.
* ManEatingPlant: It's a walking Venus Flytrap.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: The only Pokémon to beat Dawn's Pokémon in a contest battle.
* ThePowerOfLove: It learned Vine Whip just to save James from a Team Galactic booby trap.
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', it's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Explained to be a Pokémon James has had since childhood despite never appearing in previous flashbacks of James' childhood (naturally, being a species that was created for the franchise years after James already existed as a character).
* TeamRocketWins: It won the Lilypad Town Contest for James (posing as Jessie). Notably this is also the one time Team Rocket defeated Dawn directly to win a contest as well.
* WhipItGood: Knows Vine Whip.
** Notably, this is the ''first'' time a Team Rocket Pokémon was ''seen'' learning a new move while under their command (Cacnea only mastered Drain Punch under Gardenia's training).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yamask (Desumasu)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MikaKanai
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Yamask_256.png]]

Yamask was caught after being fed by James. He was James' first Pokémon caught in Unova.
----
* EnergyBall: Knows Shadow Ball.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Can use his mask as a shield.
%%* OurGhostsAreDifferent
* PlayingWithFire: Knows Will-O-Wisp.
* PowerFloats: Lacking any means of weight support, he gets around by floating.
* PutOnABus: Handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc as hasty proof of the trio capturing any Pokémon.
%%* SoulPower: Ghost Type
* TastesLikeFriendship: Yamask happily joins James after he fed him when he was hungry.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Amoonguss (Morobareru)]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_amoonguss_000.png]]

After Team Rocket returned to Unova, James used Amoonguss to fight the twerps. It would be James' main battling Pokémon for the remaining BW arc.
----
* FlatCharacter: Introduced solely so Team Rocket could have more muscle and unlike James' previous Pokémon, it does not have any distinguishing personality traits.
* GreenThumb: Primary type is Grass, continuing James's apparent preference for Grass-types. Although it's the first to break the RunningGag of his Grass-types attacking him with affection.
* TheParalyzer: Knows Stun Spore, which has this effect on opponents.
* PerpetualFrowner: Always has the same melancholy expression.
* PoisonousPerson: Secondary type is Poison.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Made its presence known by curb-stomping Pikachu with ''a single Body Slam''.
* PutOnABus: Also handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Inkay (Maaiika)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Michael Liscio Jr.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_xy_inkay.png]]

Inkay was also caught because of food used by James. He is James's only Pokémon so far in Kalos.
----
* BadassAdorable: One of the cutest and most formidable of James' Pokémon. Inkay could very easily make it as a good guy if he wasn't so loyal to James.
* BerserkButton: The evil Malamar became this pretty quickly for brainwashing James.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Like James, Inkay is often [[MinionWithAnFInEvil jarringly docile and playful]] for a villain grunt. He is also probably the most formidable of the team's Kalos Pokémon and when its buttons are pressed it turns ferocious.
* CastingAShadow: Primary type. Despite it is a Dark-Type, it is not immune to the evil Malamar's brainwashing.
* CharacterTics: Often shown hovering upside down. Used as a ChekhovsSkill for his Pikachu costume (see below).
* CombatPragmatist: Knows Foul Play, which is depicted as a kind of aikido throw, turning the opponent's charge against them. It overpowered ''Pikachu'' with it once.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: A levitating squid.
* MythologyGag: Inkay has a [[CharacterTics habit]] of turning upside down, sometimes for random reasons. This lampshades the [[GuideDangIt slightly obscure]] method for Inkay to evolve in the games.
* NotSoDifferent: Was almost exclusively Pikachu's Team Rocket opponent throughout Kalos. Like Pikachu however, Inkay represented an affectionate and proactively loyal personality to his trainer. Most blatantly in "Facing The Grand Design", Inkay turned down the opportunity to live within a community of his own kind to stick by James, much like Pikachu did for Ash in "Pikachu's Goodbye".
* PaperThinDisguise: In one episode, he is disguised as Pikachu, painted in yellow and covered in yellow paper while being upside down. Due to his levitation, his incorrect PokemonSpeak[[note]]although in the Japanese version, he does say "ika" while in disguise, which sounds similar to "pika"[[/note]] and his use of Psybeam, he makes for a very bizarre Pikachu. Justified, since the disguise was intended to be seen through.
* PhraseCatcher: "[[RhymesOnADime Okay, Inkay]]!"
* PowerFloats: It floats perpetually.
* PsychicPowers: Secondary type. And it uses Psybeam so often, you would forget that it knows other moves.
* PutOnABus: It was left at headquarters before the team left for Alola.
* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: It is easily captured when it becomes occupied with eating Team Rocket's food.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: The Tiny Guy to Pumpkaboo's Huge Girl. Further punctuated when she evolves into Gourgeist.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Croissants.[[note]]Keeping with the French theme of his Kalos origin[[/note]] Turned into a ChekhovsGun in "Facing The Grand Design", where tasting one deprogramed him from the Evil Malamar's brainwashing.
* UndyingLoyalty: Both ways. James refused to believe Inkay could join the evil Malamar. This turned out to be true, the only reason he tried to interact with them was to get revenge for antagonising his master. He also chose to remain with James instead of staying with the good Malamar, who saw him as a hero.
* VillainousRescue: Played a very large part in saving the heroes and Jessie from the evil Malamar in their second conquest.
* VillainousValor: Out of all of the team's Pokémon of its respective era, Inkay tends to put up the best effort against the heroes. This along with its sympathetic bond with James, makes it pretty easy to root for at times. Fortunately, the XY era has plenty of EnemyMine situations for Team Rocket and the twerps (including one where Inkay is actually leading the front).
* WhosOnFirst: Inkay's name in both English and Japanese is a pun on affirmative phrases ("Okay" or "Oh, all right" respectively), meaning he fits in well as a YesMan like Wobbuffet.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mareanie (Hidoide)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Fumiko Takekuma
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Melissa Hope
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_mareanie_2.png]]

Mareanie is a Poison/Water-type starfish-like Pokémon that became fond of James in much the same way as his past Grass types. She left her herd to continue bothering James after realizing that he resembled a Mareanie after dousing him in her poison.
----
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When Kiawe urges Ash to retreat from a group of Mareanie, he wishes he could've battled them. When he does battle Mareanie, he gets completely ''[[CurbstompBattle thrashed]]''.
* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: Learns Knock Off in [=SM073=]. While not a projectile move, it can slam items out of targets' possession.
* ClingyJealousGirl: She gets jealous when James tries to catch a female Frillish and chases it off.
* CuddleBug: Quickly becomes very affectionate with James. Which is bad, considering she's acutely venomous.
%%* CuteLittleFangs: Naturally.
* DamselInDistress: James has to rescue her from an attacking Tentacruel in [=SM058=].
* FaceOfAThug: Is capable of some seriously grumpy looks and very much looks the part of a poisonous Pokémon. She follows James' pattern of loyal and affectionate Pokémon however.
* InterspeciesRomance: When Team Rocket first stumbles upon this Mareanie, she grabs James' head and poisons him. With his purple face matching his blue hair, he vaguely looks like a Mareanie she was once in love with, and ''she falls in love with him''. Even when James reverts to normal health, she remains smitten. [=SM055=] shows that Mareanie wants to ''marry'' James.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite her comedic first meeting with James, she was eager to battle for him, teaming up with Mimikyu to faint both Rowlet and Pikachu. She nearly ''killed'' Snowy and Lillie through an indirect attack in her second battle. She also became the first Team Rocket Pokémon to use a Z-Move, mastering Black Hole Eclipse competently on her first attempt.
* PaperThinDisguise: She recurrently joins in on the trio's incognito schemes in the form of a TotemPoleTrench on top of Wobbuffet. Though it's very obviously two Pokémon stood on top of one another, the twerps ''still fall for it''.
* ParrotPetPosition: If she's not battling, it's almost always on James's shoulder or forearm.
* PoisonousPerson: Is acutely venomous. Kiawe is aware enough of this that he urges Ash to get away from a herd of Mareanie quickly.
* PutOnABus: Mareanie is released along with Jessie's Mimikyu in [=SM146=] to be left under Bewear's care when Team Rocket is called back to Kanto.
* TheReliableOne: While Mimikyu only conditionally listens to Jessie and is mostly only in it to fight Pikachu, Mareanie, besides her RunningGag, is obedient to James no matter who they're fighting. Perhaps more unusual, she will even continue fighting when James is incapacitated, and has no problems following battle commands from Meowth.
* SpikeShooter: Knows Spike Cannon.
* TookALevelInBadass: In [=SM073=] Mareanie learns Knock Off. Being a Dark-type attack, it also leaves her able to use Black Hole Eclipse when James gets hold of a Z-Ring, quickly defeating a rampaging Gengar.
* UncattyResemblance: Apart from the fact James resembles a Mareanie when poisoned, Mareanie's backstory shares an uncanny parallel with James: they both suffered poor treatment from a former love interest, and wound up finding companionship in an individual who bears a strong resemblance to those love interests (James for Mareanie, Jessie for James).
* UndyingLoyalty: She tops James' usual range of passionately loyal Pokémon by being unambiguously ''in love with him''.
* WingdingEyes: Often sports hearts in her eyes when latched to James.
* WomanScorned: We eventually meet Mareanie's former love: "Senpai", a uniquely-colored (not Shiny) Mareanie (later evolved to a Toxapex). She was smitten when he saved her from a Tentacruel, then gave her a Corsola horn. She left him when he turned out to be a player, having caught him giving another Mareanie a Corsola horn. She also gets angry when he offers ''James'' a Corsola horn for saving both of them from a Tentacruel.
[[/folder]]
----
-->''LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!!''\\
''[-WOOOOBBBBBUFFET!!!-]''
----

to:

[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | '''''Team Rocket Trio''''' | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
----

[[foldercontrol]]

!Team Rocket Trio
[[folder:The Trio in General]]
[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smteamrocket.png]]
-->''Did someone ask something? We're here to find out!''\\
''Noble answers are what we're all about!''\\
\\
''The beauty so radiant, the flowers and moon hide in shame.''\\
''A single flower of evil in this fleeting world:''\\
''Jessie!''\\
\\
''The nobly heroic man of our times!''\\
''The master of darkness fighting back against a tragic world!''\\
''It's James.''\\
\\
''It's all for one and one for all!''\\
''A glittering dark star that always shines bright !''\\
''Dig it, while Meowth takes flight!''\\
\\
''Team Rocket, let's fight!''\\
''That's right!''\\
''WOOOOOBUFFET!''

The main antagonists of the series, Jessie, James, and Meowth, are members of the villainous gang Team Rocket who are always on the tail of Ash and his friends. Deeming Ash's Pikachu to be extraordinarily powerful after it foiled one of their heists, they promptly decided it'd be the perfect Pokémon to steal and gift to their boss, Giovanni, and they've been following the two in hopeless pursuit ever since. Their singleminded pursuit of one particular individual Pokémon has been to their detriment, causing them to frequently be strapped for cash and struggling to support themselves through other various means, all the while still clinging to their futile goal. Their track record eventually got so poor that it led Giovanni to forget that they were members of the crime organization to begin with!\\
\\
At the end of ''Diamond and Pearl'', however, he took notice of them again, and gave them a special mission in the Unova region. As a result, the trio became far more competent, getting involved in bigger and more elaborate schemes masterminded by some high-ranking Team Rocket member. [[StatusQuoIsGod It didn't last]], and they soon went back to their comical personalities of old. Old habits die hard, but [[NotSoHarmlessVillain you'd be an idiot to underestimate them]].\\
\\
To date, they are the most prominent characters in the anime franchise next to Ash and Pikachu, continuing to follow the pair even as other travelling companions go their separate ways. Amazingly, they even have persisted into standalone Pokémon films ''featuring'' Ash and Pikachu but otherwise exist in separate continuities from the TV series, proving their tenacity apparently spans alternate universes.
!!!The Team Rocket trio exhibits the following tropes:
* AchievementsInIgnorance: By the end of their Sinnoh run, they have become such washouts within the organisation that Giovanni has completely forgotten who they are, meaning he starts believing their exaggerated claims of success and promoting them to bigger roles. The one improvement in position they've made in their employment as a whole is by ''failing for long enough''.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: In the TPCI dub, in addition to rhyming all the time, Team Rocket often pepper their lines with lots and lots of alliteration - usually both at once. This was notably present in TPCI's ''DP'' and ''XY'' dubbed seasons.
* AdorableEvilMinions: A lot of Team Rocket's Pokémon have cute or at least endearing designs, and when given the chance can be just as playful and affectionate as the heroic Pokémon. At times, even Jessie and James themselves could apply as such.
* AffablyEvil: They aren't as evil as they like to believe, they have their PetTheDog moments and genuinely love and care for their own Pokémon. If not for their relentless determination and dedication to Giovanni they could honestly go straight anytime they wanted.
* AmbiguousGender: Only a handful of the trio's Pokémon have confirmed genders. [[note]]Meowth, Wobbuffet, Woobat, Yamask and Inkay are male. Dustox, Yanmega, Frillish, Gourgeist, and Mareanie are female.[[/note]] The rest are ambiguous bar subtle implications.
* AntagonistAbilities: The Rocket Prize Master they use throughout ''Journeys'' allows them to wield powerful Pokémon without having to go through the effort and training Ash and his companions do.
* AntiHero: On occasion, even in ''Black & White'' during the "Episode N" arc.
* AntiVillain: Except in the ''Black & White'' series (and even that's debatable at times), it's often rather hard to consider them real villains.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: They succeed in capturing Pikachu and the three Kalos starters in [=XY011=], but then get into an argument about who should take credit, making an argument through their various contributions: James made the gadgets, Meowth plotted the capture, and Jessie...gave the signal.
-->'''James:''' ''That's like the easiest thing! That's not an achievement!''
* ArtEvolution:
** They don't get away untouched from this in ''Black & White''. In addition to the art change hitting Ash, Jessie and James got black outfits due to their promotion. They also have noticeably different character models even when they switch back to wearing white outfits.
** ''Sun & Moon'' completely overhauled the anime's art direction, moving it away from attempting to closely mimic the game art in favor of designs that are more conducive to a looser animation style. Jessie and James' designs were tweaked in the process: Their features actually have subtle, but noticeable differences, when previously their facial structure was virtually identical apart from Jessie having more prominent eyelashes. James has a slightly taller nose (which is more noticeable on profile view) and Jessie has slightly narrower and more strongly angled eyes. James's hair also has softer, uneven edges when before the cut was sharper.
* BackToBackBadasses: Their usual pose when reciting their motto.
* BalloonBelly: Team Rocket falls on hard times quite often, and usually lament over not having enough money to afford a decent meal. You can be sure that when they get the chance to stuff themselves full, THEY REALLY STUFF THEMSELVES FULL!
* BeautyIsBad: The late series creator Takeshi Shudo once wrote on his blog about how pretty-looking antagonists often appear in his productions. In contrast to the grotesque TerribleTrio from ''Anime/TimeBokan'', Shudo intentionally made the Rocket character designs beautiful and their personalities charming, calling [[ShipTease Musashi and Kojiro]] in particular a "sort of [[Film/BonnieAndClyde Bonnie and Clyde]]". However, they're fairly sympathetic and occasionally even outright ''nice'' individuals, and not really rotten at the core, so this is a ZigZaggedTrope.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: The trio frequently show charity or a refusal to cheat or attack the rare few individuals that show pity and kindness towards them (granted, due to varying in acquaintances, they aren't always united in this, leading to conflicts). Perhaps one of the most notable from all three was to a Blissey nurse who gave them its Pokémon Center's berries. Realising it took the blame for their disappearance, they staged having mugged it for the berries to clear its name.
* BecomingTheMask: During the Team Flare storyline, even after Malva ditched them and later their covers literally being blown, Team Rocket continued to broadcast the entire crisis from beginning to end as [[IntrepidReporter real reporters would]], keeping the rest of Kalos up to date on the situation at hand.
* BeingEvilSucks: Despite typically being all for Team Rocket and loving being bad guys above all else, they have on occasion voiced dissatisfaction with being bad guys - especially when in their most unlucky days. It's especially noticeable in ''The Power Of One,'' where wanting to be good for a change is part of their motivation.
* BeleagueredAssistant: Malva recruited them into her TV crew while she was doing her coverage of the Kalos League. It was shown several times that Malva was running them all ragged, leaving the trio exhausted and with no time to pull off any scheme.
* BenevolentBoss: Despite trying to make a business of stealing and using Pokémon, Jessie and James genuinely care about their own and rarely berate or mistreat them for their inevitable failures against the twerps. In some cases [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy they even release them if they find a more meaningful purpose in life]].
* BerserkButton: Never try to kidnap Pikachu - that is their job and they will make you understand that (even saving Pikachu on occasions so that they can come and kidnap him ''themselves'' later).
** Also, never beat up/piss off Pikachu - Team Rocket will side with/support him instead of you.
** Never try and make Pikachu evolve; they have stolen a Thunderstone on one occasion to prevent him from evolving.
** [[{{Hypocrite}} Stealing their Pokémon]] makes them act as very effective members of the side of good, as Butch and Cassidy were the first to learn the hard way. That goes for Meowth as well.
** Don't use their rhyming introduction to mock them, it'll annoy them more than anything.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Team Rocket are for the large part incompetent clowns, though a lot of times pull off successful heists or attacks that are only thwarted due to Ash and his friends being around. Sometimes even they are failing against the trio until [[DeusExMachina a powerful Pokémon or random twist of luck intervenes]]. This is especially evident since ''XY'', where the trio are as comical as ever, but retain some shades of their dangerous and cold blooded qualities from ''Best Wishes''.
* BigDamnVillains: In "Wobbu-palooza", when some hooligans gate crash a festival, the heroes are obligated not to fight them due to the town's ActualPacifist laws. Team Rocket on the other hand, have no such qualms and send them packing.
* BigEater: Whenever they find a stash of food and their stomachs are running on fumes.
* BondVillainStupidity: ''Indigo League'' often has Jessie and James divulging their evil plans instead of just executing them. [[HypocriticalHumor Meowth harangues the pair in response and pretends he's above such indiscretion]], a thorough falsehood PlayedForLaughs.
* BoisterousWeakling: Par the odd not so harmless streak, the team often act as this, they have big mouths, but tend to lose nearly every battle they take part in. Meowth may be most noteworthy due to actually being a Pokémon, one of the most loudmouthed, AND weakest in the show at that.
* BorrowedCatchphrase:
** Their various mottos have been mocked and imitated ''a lot.'' Even without the full motto, the 4Kids dub got a lot of use out of the lines "Prepare for trouble!"/"Make it double!" for various antagonistic characters that weren't them. Non-verbally, some even take to "blasting off" post-defeat.
** On their side, in response to [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind their first real level grind]], they mimicked Ash's victory pose after they collect a Z-Power Ring and Mimikium Z in the Alola series.
* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: In the early seasons, they are such to Giovanni of the Team Rocket criminal organisation. Both he and a large amount of other members of the organisation grew to loathe the trio's constant failures making them a laughing stock, with Giovanni only keeping them to trek other regions because poor exposure is better than no exposure. Amusingly by the end of their run in Sinnoh, they'd become such washouts that Giovanni had ''forgotten all about them'', allowing them to gain more favourable terms with him since then by exaggerating their accomplishments and roles in taking down rival criminal syndicates.
* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Against a very advanced trainer such as Ash and his quite experienced and powerful Pikachu, Team Rocket often prefer schemes and gadgetry to try against them than physical combat, which they almost always lose at.
* BreakingTheFellowship: Several times, although it never lasted a single episode.
** [[spoiler:In BW, Meowth claims to have been fired and joins Ash's group for 5 episodes before doublecrossing them]].
* BreakingTheFourthWall: The dub loves to do this from time to time. They ''ALWAYS'' break it in the movies. In every one so far they have acknowledged that they're in a movie, among other examples.
-->'''Jessie:''' First we turn over a new leaf, [[ATwinkleInTheSky and now this]]!\\
'''James:''' Do you think we'll ever learn?\\
'''Meowth:''' [[BreakingTheFourthWall I'll let you know next season]]!\\
'''Wobbuffet:''' [[WalkInChimeIn WOOOOOBBUFFET!]]
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Jessie and James have the "R" symbol of Team Rocket on their shirts. They also usually put it on their mechas, and it almost always appears at the end of their motto. Even James' speedo and Jessie's bikini featured the red letter R once.
* BullyingADragon: They have a ''terrible'' history of angering or picking fights with people blatantly above their league. In Hoenn in particular, a lot of their comeuppances were a result of pressing someone's BerserkButton rather than forcing them into self defence.
* ButNowIMustGo: Jessie and James actually released Mimikyu and Mareanie when they left Alola, instead of likely having to give them up at Team Rocket HQ just like ''the previous four generations''.
* ButtMonkey: Par for the course for a GoldfishPoopGang. It'd be faster to name the episodes where they ''didn't'' get abused in some way; this is mostly averted in the Unova saga of ''Best Wishes''.
* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: While most of the time the three of them are able to get along just fine, their relationship commonly devolves into bickering due to differing ideas, which has on several occasions escalated to the point they angrily split up from each other. Inevitably though, they always realize they can't bear to live without each other.
* CanonImmigrant: Jessie, James, and Meowth show up in ''Pokémon Yellow'' and its remakes ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' (though with Meowth as just another Pokémon they use, along with Ekans and Koffing). And they're just as pathetic as always. They're also added into ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters'', carrying many of the traits the game versions of themselves didn't already have like allowing Meowth to talk. In fact, in ''Masters'' (which is otherwise set in the main video games' continuity), it's implied that they ''are'' the anime's [=TRio=], having been brought to Pasio by [[spoiler:Hoopa]].
* CardCarryingVillain: They're well aware that they're the villains and that they're doing evil. They even acknowledge it in their motto.
* CatchPhrase:
** Their intro speech ("Prepare for trouble! Make it double!...") and "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" - this is also the case for the Japanese phrase counterparts which are different, but used in the same ways.
** In addition, referring to Ash as "the twerp", and his party collectively as "the twerps". In Japanese, the trio refer to Ash as "jari-boy", which translates in English as "brat boy". His crew typically gets the prefix "jari-" as well, essentially referring to them all as "brats".
* CatchphraseSpoutingDuo: Trio, In the Japanese version, they tend to describe defeat as "bad feeling" and success as "good feeling".
* CharacterCheck: During the trio's phase as more dangerous, serious-minded villains in the ''Best Wishes'' arc, they still had occasional NotSoAboveItAll moments as a reminder this was the bumbling Team Rocket trio. ''XY'' afterwards reverses it around. They're back to being buffoonish, but still have several moments of being genuinely sinister and cold-blooded.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** While they go in and out with their default personalities due to {{Flanderization}}, generally extra talents and HiddenDepths keep being established and permanently added to their list of abilities as eras pass. For example, since Hoenn, James has shown potential as a Pokémon breeder, and from Sinnoh, Jessie has stayed a competent coordinator, while Meowth has gained a hidden culinary passion. Their poverty-stricken status has also been downplayed as the series continued, as the trio have since proven that they can [[CutLexLuthorACheck take almost any part-time job and excel in it]] (with allowances for a few occasional missteps), alleviating their previous money woes.
** In the Hoenn episode, "A Scare To Remember", they had few qualms taking advantage of an amnesiac Pikachu and convincing him he was a part of Team Rocket. By Alola, they refuse ''full stop'' to help Faba wipe Lillie's mind, noting that a trainer and Pokémon's memories are vital to creating their personality.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: They've been all over the place in this regard, somewhat inevitably considering how many writers must have worked on the series after 20+ years. They are particularly [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite different compared to their initial debut]], where their mannerisms were more subdued and mysteriously sinister, rather than loudly theatrical as they are now. Their characterization nowadays also bears noticeable tweaks and embellishments from over the years, and their personality traits can also vary across the spectrum episode to episode DependingOnTheWriter.
* CheatersNeverProsper: Usually, when Team Rocket tries to cheat at something like a Pokémon contest, they inevitably lose. On the other hand, when they play by the rules, they typically do ''better'' than when they tried to cheat.
* ChekhovsSkill: Often, little talents or skills the trio or their Pokémon develop in a failed scheme end up coming in handy in their [[PunchClockVillain off-the-clock pursuits]]. This is particularly prone to happening in Jessie's coordinator events.
* TheChessmaster: A surprisingly decent one for Goodra's character arc in ''XY''. After their long-term drainage of Goodra's homeland causes an all-out war between its Pokémon, they decide to [[XanatosSpeedChess exploit the situation]] when Ash gets involved, using the heroes' intervention to frame them for the dilemma and dupe the enemy Florges into capturing Pikachu. Unfortunately Goodra, who had developed and evolved since that time, proved to be a SpannerInTheWorks.
* TheChewToy: Perennially broke, extremely unlucky and accident-prone, and if something is going to unexpectedly explode or backfire, it's going to happen around them. In situations where Ash can't stop them, fate itself will usually bend over backwards to make sure they get theirs somehow.
** Lessened somewhat in regards to Jessie's skill as a Coordinator from ''DP'' onwards, and taken even further in "Best Wishes" where they briefly experience success in more secretive Rocket operations.
** Generally speaking, these days their luck has mostly turned around in anything they do that isn't related to doing something illegal. But the moment they try to commit a crime they're absolutely hopeless.
* ChromaticArrangement: Jessie (red), James (blue) and Meowth (yellow) in order of introduction.
* TheComicallySerious: Some moments in Unova had them as this.
* CommutingOnABus: In ''Best Wishes'', they get downgraded from main cast members to recurring characters, with antagonistic wild Pokémon taking their place as [[MonsterOfTheWeek enemies of the week]], complete with the wild Pokémon being blasted off.
** They return to being regulars in the Decalore Islands arc onward, complete with blasting off again. Still, they remain absent in some episodes, which almost never occurred before the Unova era. Their new pattern is to have their appearances more reasonably spaced out and frequently following their own storylines, rather than have them serve as a constant, monotonous antagonistic force.
* ConflictKiller: If Ash and his band are at war with a character or Pokémon, Team Rocket's usual role is to butt in and attack either, forcing the two sides into TeethClenchedTeamwork against them. At least a few times, however, this was played against Team Rocket, leading them to pull an EnemyMine with the twerps against another antagonist.
* ConMan: A good deal of their schemes involves conning naïve people for easy money.
* CorneredRattlesnake: While ''XY'' seems to have reinstated many of their bumbling qualities, their cowardice remains more downplayed, with more cases in which they fight and challenge the heroes even after their scheme has been foiled. Granted this was likely as much because the heroes would look better blasting them off in a proper fight than [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown when they tried to surrender or retreat.]]
* CripplingOverspecialization: They often use shockproof gadgets and weapons against Ash and co. to counter Pikachu's attacks, but often fail to account for non-Electric attacks, such as Razor Leaf. Finally outdone in parts of ''Best Wishes'' and ''XY'' where they have mastered casing which is strong against nearly every tactic, but can still be destroyed with enough determined brute force.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: When they aren't being used for jokes, they are quite threatening. Not to mention they have several developed talents in non-villainous areas. They were considered dangerous fugitives prior to meeting Ash, and other, higher-ranked Team Rocket members have failed just as badly against Ash and his allies. Indeed, they've proven fairly capable when working away from Ash, and on occasions when other agents show up and Ash and his friends find themselves fighting Team Rocket on two fronts, it's often more likely to be the Trio who prove to be EvilerThanThou.
* CustomUniform: Their white uniforms seem to be this. All other Team Rocket agents wear black, but they wear white, possibly symbolizing how outlandish they are compared to the rest of the organization (and how [[MinionWithAnFInEvil they aren't quite as evil as the rest of them)]]. Only in ''Best Wishes'' do they wear black uniforms, and even then, it's only during the first few episodes.
* CurbstompBattle: Most of their battles with the twerps tend to be thirty-second spectacles consisting of them swiftly getting the tar beaten out of them with the twerps dodging and countering their every move. Even in cases where they fight well, some twist of bad luck will often neutralise them in a way that allows the twerps to win with next to no effort. Subverted in the early part of ''Black and White'' where their rise in ranks was punctuated by them putting up even-handed battles against the twerps for once, while later Unova and early Kalos often maintained a CurbstompCushion as a CharacterCheck to this.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Seriously, they can pull off very amazing plans, are creative with their (informed) low budget to get by, and each have talents that would leave them financially secure if they only applied them to legal pursuits. Even Ash and his companions are aware of this. This has actually been Lampshaded several times, with the group making money hand over fist with legit business, but the Rockets seem to view villainy as a calling, and refuse to permanently turn a new leaf on principle.
** Case in point, James has a variety of skills that give him plenty of options, Jessie has displayed potential to be a top-tier coordinator, and Meowth is one of the few living Pokémon that can speak human language without telepathy or being a legendary. Any one of these talents could easily become a successful, profitable career. As creator, Takeshi Shudo himself explained:
--->'''Shudo:''' They’re not hopeless villains. It doesn’t matter if it’s not top-notch, they’re able to do practically everything. Musashi (Jessie), is a beautiful woman and suffers from the hardships of being beautiful. These experiences aren’t quite complete, but there is plenty of them. Well, it’s not that she can’t say that she easily falls in love because she can’t become a world-class beauty...Kojiro (James) is fairly well-brought-up and educated. When it comes to Nyasu (Meowth), he’s an intellectual and high genius who worked hard to master the human language. However, with some little causal relationship, they stepped out of line and stopped living an honest life.
** Hilariously come ''Sun & Moon'' where circumstances have forced them to largely stay in once place, they decide to open a food cart to run during their off hours. At one point during a moderately successful day they actually declare that doing honest work is ''enjoyable'' (though they immediately feel that [[{{Lampshading}} something is a little off about that statement]]).
* DarkerAndEdgier: In the Unova saga. [[ResetButton Although, once the Decolore Islands come around...]]
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: They all ''love'' their jobs.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Episode 19 of the ''Journeys'' series focuses mainly on them as they bond with a Ditto and help it to gain self confidence to be able to transform.
* DeathOrGloryAttack: Often common practice for the trio's Pokémon battles, since the heroes often easily out stealth their attacks and finish them off with a few moves. Anytime their Pokémon start landing damage, however, the battle tends to become much more intense. Note that the trio have actually ''supplied'' a good few {{Curbstomp Battle}}s rather than just receiving them.
* DefeatCatchphrase: Whenever they are jettisoned into the sky. "Look's like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" or variants thereof in the English dub; "This feels bad!" in the original Japanese.
* DemotedToExtra: Downplayed. While still prominent characters, their OncePerEpisode attendance is broken starting from ''Best Wishes'', with occasional episodes where they are absent to place focus solely on the twerps or other characters.
** It's more accurate to say that they've been relegated to 'major recurring character' status rather than mere 'extra'. This has actually worked in their favor too, since it has allowed writers to do more interesting things with the trio during their appearances, rather than the previous pattern of shoehorning them into being formulaic antagonists every single episode.
* {{Determinator}}: No matter how many times they've been blasted off, they will never give up on trying to capture Pikachu. They've chased Ash ''all over the freaking world'' to do so.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: One of the most interesting elements of Team Rocket's characterization is that they are better at just about anything - from running a legitimate business, to competing fairly in Pokémon contests - than they are at cheating or being bad guys. Whenever they are forced to get honest jobs during a BrokeEpisode or work as an EnemyMine alongside Ash and his friends, they get far better results and karma is much nicer to them.
* DisproportionateRetribution: During the climax of every episode, the heroes will usually [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown unload all their strongest Pokémon's attacks onto them until they blast off]]. The provocation can range anywhere from trying to endanger or kidnap them, or just irritating them at the wrong time. Sometimes falls into MisplacedRetribution if one or two members weren't responsible or even objected, [[GuiltByAssociationGag which the heroes sparsely make exception for.]]
* DramaQueen: All three of them, seriously.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Most other Rockets (the only possible exception being a dropout) seem to treat them with disdain, especially their rival TerribleTrio, Cassidy and Butch. Giovanni repeatedly sends them on numerous {{Uriah Gambit}}s just to get them out of his hair. This in spite of their numerous accomplishments [[CutLexLuthorACheck in other fields]], and having gone on several EnemyMine situations with the twerps when the world is at stake. It took until post-DP for Giovanni to treat them as Rocket members again, and he even praises them for their part in helping take down Team Plasma.
* DueToTheDead: Played with in the episode "Pokémon Shipwreck" when they're mistaken for dead and almost buried at sea.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** Team Rocket's debut actually had them be fairly competent villains, with barely a trace of comedic atmosphere. They were characterized by a SmugSnake attitude that's practically unheard of with their current selves. Granted, they still lost humorously in the end, and this is where the trend began to slowly shape itself thereafter. Their self-contained ReverseCerebusSyndrome was underway, at least until ''Best Wishes'' where they were restored to some level of serious villainous competency. This didn't last however, and they were eventually reverted to their now more familiar comedic selves.
** In several early episodes, the team didn't blast off, and instead were just left to [[VillainExitStageLeft run off cowardly]]. Compare this to almost all episodes after which go to contrived lengths to maintain their RunningGag. Also while their first episode ''did'' have them blast off, the TwinkleInTheSky was absent.
** The very first episode is the ''only'' episode, until "[[Recap/PokemonS14E16RematchAtTheNacreneGym Rematch at the Nacrene Gym]]" (#673, in the ''Best Wishes'' arc), in which they do not appear.
* EasyImpersonation: Among their many PaperThinDisguise schemes, the trio have naturally disguised themselves as the twerps more than once with success (this includes cases ''the team's Pokémon'' disguise themselves). The only time anyone saw through them was when they ''intentionally'' made their costumes distinguishable to lead the real twerps on a wild goose chase.
* EliteMook: In ''Best Wishes'' they got promoted into Giovanni's top ranks and became much more competent. They slowly lost this stance as the series went on, though have remained on Giovanni's good side for the time being. Judging by ''Sun and Moon'' they are also the first members of the organisation to master Z-Moves.
* EnemyMine: The trio sometimes team up wit Ash and his companions if they are fighting other bad guys or if they are in the middle of a catastrophe that would endanger all of them. This happens very often, if not all the time, in the movies.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Jessie and James were once caught by a trap baited with Pokémon food, which they ate with every sign of enjoyment. (See also Jessie's folder, as she can polish off meals not even her teammates would attempt.)
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Generally speaking, while they may be Pokémon thieves, they're absolutely appalled by trainers who abuse their Pokémon. Case in point, they all have a soft spot for Chimchar after seeing how he was treated while under Paul's *cough* care. Another time, they ''wanted'' to pull off a scheme of the week, but stopped themselves, because they were touched [[spoiler:by the farewell between Ash and Gliscor in the episode]].
** Also demonstrated with them and the organization as a whole in Operation Tempest. They're horrified to hear their BrainwashedAndCrazy boss declare he desires the destruction of Unova because Team Rocket has always stood for conquest, not destruction.
** They were genuinely mortified by the sight of Mewtwo's clones fighting their originals, even going into a brief DarkReprise (of sorts, anyway) of their motto.
--->'''James''': [[DarkReprise I was prepared for trouble, but not for this!]]\\
'''Jessie''': [[DarkReprise Make it double for me!]]
** Even though they don't like Ash and his friends, the trio do end up helping them every now and then. Heck, they even ''saved'' Ash from falling out an open window at one point!
** In one episode Pikachu suffers a power nerf from being separated from Ash. When he proves helpless against Team Rocket, the trio complain there is no sport in capturing him and walk off until he regains his will to battle.
** After a failed ambush on Ash while he was walking home from school, Meowth discovers that the Stoutland that Litten was living with was on the verge of dying, and spends the rest of the episode actively expressing his concern, even advising Ash to watch over it.
** They were utterly disgusted with Faba wanting to erase Lillie's memories just to cover his own ass.
--->'''Meowth:''' We may be the bad guys, but we're not ''[[ForTheEvulz bad]]'' [[ForTheEvulz bad]]!
** And then there's "A Poached Ego", an entire episode built on this trope where Jessie and James find a poacher that has trapped a bunch of Ekans and Koffing. In the end, they release Arbok and Weezing so they can lead the Ekans and Koffing to safety.
* EvilGloating: Rarely to their benefit — see [[SmugSnake Smug Snakes]] below.
* EvilerThanThou: Consider themselves this to Hunter J and Team Galactic, though in truth it's the reverse. They tend to be victim of such whenever an arc's main antagonist appears (and sometimes even petty ones such as Harley), getting upstaged or [[TheWorfEffect easily taken out to prove their superiority]]. Even ones they prove {{Worthy Opponent}}s for, they are usually the more affable underdog.
* EvilVersusEvil: They tend to act as rivals to the villainous organisation of each region, though how effective they are varies.
* FaceNodAction: In the episode "A Poached Ego", Team Rocket (Jessie, James and Meowth) do this just before performing a heroic YouShallNotPass.
* {{Faceship}}: Their iconic Meowth hot-air balloon.
* FactionMotto: They introduce themselves with their motto every time they run into the protagonists.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: More than a few times the twerps try to help Team Rocket or help them go legit. These almost always end with the TerribleTrio double crossing them and using this as a means to steal their Pokémon.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Reconstructed. While they are genuinely AffablyEvil, they aren't against exaggerating it or forging peace or sympathy with the heroes and other characters in order to con them or get their guards down. [[ManipulativeBastard Meowth]] is especially apt at this. The majority of times they team up with Ash and Pikachu ultimately end with the trio trying to double cross them.
* {{Flanderization}}: Throughout Kanto and most of Johto, they were bumbling and incompetent, but didn't really act overtly moronic and could pose some reasonable level of threat a good number of times. From late Johto until the end of Sinnoh, they increasingly became hyperactively goofy and stupid in personality, and [[VillainDecay lost all sense]] [[HarmlessVillain of menace]], with the cast sparsely ever taking them seriously anymore. Their individual quirks also got flanderized, such as Jessie's temper, James' sensitive side, and Meowth's boss fantasies (which seemed to get increasingly homoerotic).
** Come the Unova arc of ''Best Wishes'', they're more serious than ever, ''including'' their Kanto personalities!
** From ''XY'' and onward, part of the flanderization is gone, as they still manage to be a threat to the heroes and act serious when the time is right, but still retain general goofiness and comedy relief. Retaining their HiddenDepths and being utilised more moderately also helps.
* ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat: Even at the height of their VillainDecay, they occasionally manage to remind both the cast and the audience that they can be a competent threat. Two notable episodes are the Johto episode "The Stolen Stones", and the Hoenn episode "Do I Hear a Ralts?". Both of which features the heroes fighting off TR throughout the bulk of the episode, instead of the usual five-minute CurbStompBattle. ''Best Wishes'' took this concept and ran full steam with it, while ''XY'' and ''Sun and Moon'' as mentioned above, frequently dabble in it.
* FriendlyEnemy:
** Make no mistake, they ''really'' want to steal Pikachu (and many other Pokémon for various plots usually to please Giovanni), but on several occasions, Ash and co. and Team Rocket have been shown to be on surprisingly good terms when they're not caught up in another of the latter's plots. Probably two of the most notable moments are a) in the second movie where Team Rocket do their best to help Ash save the planet (however bad their best was) and b) Ash and co. working to help convince James' grandparents in Hoenn that he was really on a good team. In the episode "Charizard's Burning Ambition," they even take pity on Ash's Charizard and deliberately ''let'' him win so he could be accepted into the Charicific Valley.
** In the Pikachu shorts in particular, Meowth and the rest of the team's current Pokémon are usually far more petty antagonists, and in some cases are [[ThrowTheDogABone actually forgiven and allowed in on the fun by the end.]] In some the most recent ones, they are outright pally with the heroes (if still a bit mischievous).
* FriendOrIdolDecision: Across the anime series, all three of the trio have had opportunities to move on to a more promising or comfortable path in life if they ditched their Team Rocket allies. Despite being a villainous variation, they always eventually refuse, and it's clearly out of the loyalty they have for each other.
* FreudianExcuse: Jessie grew up in poverty, while Meowth spent much of his life as a stray. While James in contrast was part of a well-off family, his parents were cruel to him and wanted to force him to get married. All three were also [[NoSympathy regularly abused and treated as pests]] just for trying to make a living for themselves ([[CutLexLuthorACheck they weren't as good at it back then]]), leading them to take up a life of crime.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: As mentioned, the three started off mistreated and disregarded, leading them to seek respect within the villainous organisation Team Rocket. After a while however, they gained a laughing stock reputation even through that...until their tenure in Unova, when they suddenly became serious, dangerous rivals for both the heroes and Team Plasma. Even after becoming buffoonish again, their reputation as NotSoHarmless criminals still lingers around.
* GenreBlind: Despite being blasted off time and time again, they're sincerely smug at every encounter. "WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong" attitude towards their plans is sometimes persistent.
* GoKartingWithBowser: Jessie and James frequently take part in legitimate tournaments and contests, often against one or more of Ash's team. Meowth and the rest of the team's Pokémon also often join in on playtime antics with the hero Pokémon in some of the Pikachu shorts and original ending sequences.
* GoldfishPoopGang: Over the course of the series, Team Rocket have devolved into this. ''Best Wishes'' gave them a 180 flip, making them extremely competent and formidable. In the Decalore Islands arc and on, however, Team Rocket is back to always losing in the end, though they now put up a consistently good fight.
* GoodFeelsGood: As much as they love being bad guys, they tend to get a lot of satisfaction from doing occasional noble deeds.
* TheHamSquad: Their introductions are by no means natural, and they tend to get a little too into [[EvilIsHammy the villain role]] when antagonizing Ash and co.
* HereWeGoAgain: They've come to treat their "blasting off" RunningGag in a hilariously jaded fashion, often having passive banter as they are ejected.
* HomeBase:
** In the ''Sun and Moon'' Series, they build a small headquarters in the trunk above Bewear's den as a base of operations for their time in Alola. This due to the Bewear refusing to let them get away for too long, but they do enjoy the food and hospitality she provides them.
** In ''Journeys,'' they spend their downtime at a secret underground base located in Vermilion City, which is accessed by a phone booth.
* HumongousMecha: They sometimes utilize ridiculous mechs robots (usually Pokémon themed) to aid their nefarious deeds, though they are always destroyed by the episode's end, sending the trio blasting off.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Team Rocket's motto that they recite in every episode.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: It's been shown time and again that they're actually ''much'' better at being good than they are at being bad.
* InstantExpert: Surprisingly for them, they actually get the hang of using Z-Moves very quickly upon obtaining them, performing an effective Black Hole Eclipse on their first try.
* {{Irony}}: One of the more subtle running gags is that these guys have amazing luck doing things that in the games are extremely unlikely. Once while fishing they accidentally caught a Feebass. Another time while slathering honey they attracted a Munchlax.
** Both Jessie and James, interestingly, have strong childhood bonds with pokémon associated with positive connotations rather than criminal ones, a Chansey (that eventually evolved into a Blissey) and a Growlithe respectively. Chansey are usually trained as nurses at Pokémon Centers while Growlithe are commonly employed as police dogs. Perhaps it makes sense that ultimately, [[MinionWithAnFInEvil they are not very good at being villains]].
* JackOfAllTrades: Somehow in the course of their journey to be the world's most ineffectual villains they've turned out to be decently good (if not outright skilled) at just about everything ''except'' crime. Performing, MC-ing events, design, running small businesses, and building ridiculously complicated gadgets from the most meager supplies are just a fraction of what could be put on their resumé.
* JetPack: How they escaped "blasting off" in the Unova saga.
* {{Jobber}}: Spend a large amount of the time suffering beatdowns to display a character's progression. In the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, due to lacking their NotSoHarmless streak, they were sparsely anything ''but'' this.
* JokerImmunity: Team Rocket often "blasts off" while inside some sort of Giant Mecha that goes off in a massive explosion. You'd think they'd be dead by now.
* KarmaHoudini:
** The trio's upgraded competence throughout most of Unova was punctuated by their ability to often avoid getting blasted off, usually via the use of jet packs. Naturally when they became bumbling again, a KarmaHoudiniWarranty kicked in.
** Throughout Alola, Bewear frequently retreats with Team Rocket before the twerps can blast them off (though not always).
* KickTheDog:
** In the episode where Ash's Chikorita evolved, Team Rocket had Arbok and Victreebel attack Ash directly, beating him up badly.
** Team Rocket reaches their lowest point when they try to murder Ash at the Indigo Plateau by, well, [[IncrediblyLamePun burning him to ash]] using the fire of Moltres. As far as villainy goes, they never once tried to top that.
** When they sub for Giovanni during Ash's Viridian Gym battle, they rig Ash's platform to subject him to ElectricTorture every time his Pokémon take damage during the fight.
** After kidnapping Pikachu after the Indigo League (and playing a huge role in his subsequent elimination), they twist the knife even further by dropping bombs on the tournament after-party at Ash's house and terrorizing everyone there.
** In "Beyond The Rainbow" they manipulate a Florges into helping them steal Pikachu, while in secret drying her homeland for profit and tricking her followers into attacking the heroes by blaming the dilemma on them. When the plan is fulfilled, they gloat in excess to her, and dig the knife deeper about her baby Floette, that lies ill without the land's healing water. Ash is utterly sickened by this.
** In Oasis of Hope, they take over an oasis ran by a colony of Spoink and enlisted a famished Grumpig to assist them in the take over which allowed them to trap the heroes and capture Pikachu by forcing Ash to surrender him via Grumpig attacking the hypnotised Spoink each time Ash refused. Team Rocket planned to betray Grumpig by taking all the food from the Oasis and leaving Grumpig in the oasis without any food.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surprisingly enough pull this off at the end of ''XY''. After one final {{Curbstomp Battle}} among many in the ''XYZ'' series, they Lampshade they are completely outmatched against Ash's current squad (especially due to consisting of the two league finalists), and spend the remainder of the series on their own agenda until the twerps and their Pokémon once again disband.
* {{Large Ham}}s: All three of them.
* LaserGuidedKarma: All of their KickTheDog moments end with this:
** Their attempt to incinerate Ash with the flames of Moltres backfires when the real Moltres emerges from the flames, fries their robot, and sends them blasting off.
** The aforementioned episode where they had their Arbok and Victreebel attack Ash directly led to Ash's Chikorita, who was locked in a cage and being ForcedToWatch, evolving into Bayleef, breaking free, and blowing them away.
** Their aerial bombardment of Ash's party backfires badly when they make the mistake of pissing off Ash's Charizard by [[LostFoodGrievance blowing up a table of food Charizard had his eye on]]. Charizard promptly attacks them and throws their own bombs back at them.
** Their ElectricTorture of Ash during his Viridian Gym battle comes back to bite them when Ash pulls off his HeroicSecondWind, revealing that James also rigged Jessie's own platform to zap her whenever ''her'' Pokémon take damage. When Jessie demands to know why he did so, James confesses that [[DidntThinkThisThrough it didn't occur to him that they might lose again, so he didn't think it would matter]].
** On the other side of the coin, most of their more benevolent acts have a far better success rate and sometimes grant a HappyEnding, especially since often GoodFeelsGood.
** Most other members of Team Rocket look down on the trio for their incompetence and use their better reputation or ranks to humiliate or bully them. Most of the time however, [[LetsSeeYouDoBetter when put into action themselves]], they end up suffering a similar fall for grace that makes them look even more buffoonish, something the three often get to observe and enjoy thoroughly. Domino, Butch and Cassidy are key victims of this.
** In comparison to their countless painful failures trying to steal Pokémon, nearly all their legitimate captures are incredibly easy, and result in succinctly loyal comrades. Inkay and Pumpkaboo, two of their most reliable Pokémon, were both caught just by idly flicking a single Pokeball at them, while the likes of Cacnea and Chimecho willingly joined the team after they asked them. Mime Jr takes the cake, he eagerly jumped into James' Pokeball without him even trying to catch him.
* LastVillainStand: Even when their plans are foiled, the three will regularly try to fend the twerps off in a Pokémon battle. [[CurbstompBattle These rarely last that long.]]
* LaterInstallmentWeirdness:
** In ''Best Wishes'', they started to regain {{Character Check}}s to their original more sinister personalities, making the change somewhat jarring for those used to their contemporary comedic ones. Later series returned them to goofballs again, though maintain the occasional MoodWhiplash and more frequent spurts of competence. In addition they are now only recurring characters instead of appearing OncePerEpisode.
** Generally many {{Running Gag}}s for the trio are more prone to be broken or deconstructed in later seasons. ''Sun and Moon'' for example often omits their "blasting off" exit in favour of a Bewear evacuating them.
* LaughablyEvil: Pretty much their thing. It's downplayed in ''Best Wishes'' where they are portrayed as more serious and dangerous threats, but it comes back again in the Decalore arc.
* {{Leitmotif}}: In addition to their various mottos, there'a also [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnu4f_cQWPE "Team Rocket's Secret Strategy"]] - a melody that has followed them in various forms even over the dub switch.
* LensmanArmsRace: Ash and Team Rocket's rivalry has slowly becomes this, due to the trio's constant quest to one up the twerps and Ash's team gaining ceaseless abilities and pointers from thwarting them. By the time the two sides enter the Kalos region, their rivalry earns an InUniverse JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient from the locales, just from the ridiculous skill and power displayed from an unfanfared rookie and a bunch of small time criminals.
* LighterAndSofter: They've zigzagged across the spectrum over 20+ years. Particularly post-Johto the trio became especially irrelevant as villains and more often a group to pity or even at times ''cheer on'', compared to their initially quite nasty selves. The ''Best Wishes'' series briefly reverted the trio into a credibly dangerous threat, but they've since come back into being mostly ineffectual comic relief. Additionally, the series nowadays only very occasionally mentions any of the trio's pasts, which were always filled with more unfortunate and depressing implications than most other storylines featured in the tv anime.
* LightIsNotGood: Unlike most of the black outfitted members, they are the only ones ever dressed in white. Even Meowth's creamy-coloured fur references this trope. Also acts as a partial subversion since it also indicates they are among the least evil members of Team Rocket.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: the trio have essentially become this to each other as a function of their TrueCompanions status. If they split off from each other for an extended period for any reason, they can only last so long without each other before they start to miss each other terribly at best, or become completely dysfunctional at worst. This has become so characteristic of them that it's been referenced in one of their theme songs, with one line in the lyrics proclaiming that they're a team and can't do anything without each other.
* LivingADoubleLife: Sometimes the trio use their disguises for more straightforward ambitions such as contest participants or to secretly perform heroic acts, [[BecomingTheMask often taking on rather developed personas]] as a result. Incidentally a lot of these personas turn out to be more successful and popular than their default villainous ones.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Due to being lowly members, they are unaware of their boss' more sinister agendas, like his involvement with the [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie experimentations of Mewtwo]].
* LookWhatICanDoNow: After three generations of being on [[TheWorfEffect the receiving end of this]], they themselves get to do it quite effectively at the start of ''Best Wishes'', taking Ash aback with their newfound competence and outright decimating Pikachu and Pidove in battle. They do the same at the start of ''XY'', where Jessie reintroduces Wobbuffet, who is now resistant enough to badly injure Pikachu and Froakie. In both cases, his new companion actually starts of ''[[OhCrap terrified]]'' of them.
* LovableTraitor: There are quite numerous episodes in which Team Rocket cooperates with Ash et al. Even when genuine amicability between the camps precedes, Team Rocket almost always ends up betraying them.
* MadeOfExplodium: It sometimes takes a ridiculously simple attack to trigger off the trio's blasting off RunningGag.
* MadeOfIron: No matter how many crazy attacks, ridiculous falls, and giant explosions they endure, they always manage to come out barely scathed. They actually credit their encounters with the protagonists as the reason for this, with the repeated electric shocks and blasting offs making them now extremely resistant to injury. It quickly gets to the point that they treat being sent into the sky as little more than a mild annoyance.
* MasterOfDisguise: Utilize a PaperThinDisguise almost OnceAnEpisode. Only a handful of times has anyone saw through their act or even been remotely suspicious until they outed themselves.
* MeaninglessVillainVictory:
** In "Pokémon Scent-sation", Team Rocket manages to steal a supposedly rare perfume from Celadon City gym while everyone is busy trying to put out the fires that resulted from their bombs. However it's revealed that said "perfume" was actually just ''one'' ingredient required in making the secret perfume -- the essence of Gloom (i.e. very stinky).
** An episode during mid-Johto had Team Rocket get their hands on an ancient queen's scepter that could control Pokémon and Jessie uses it to control Ash's Pikachu, except it turns out that the scepter only works within where the boundaries of the queen's home village were, meaning Jessie can't take Pikachu out of or control any Pokémon outside that area.
* MinimalistCast: Jessie and James rarely have more than five or six Pokémon, about half the amount they can obtain together. Their Kalos roster is their smallest, counting up to only four Pokémon [[note]][[TheSmartGuy Meowth]], [[SecretWeapon Wobbuffet]], [[PintSizedPowerhouse Inkay]] and [[GenkiGirl Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist]][[/note]], only two of which are prominently used for battling. Naturally this plays into their IneffectualSympatheticVillain role, since even when they battle well, Ash's team can often outnumber them.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: It's made clear that the three of them are much better at virtually every legitimate career they make an attempt at than they are at any kind of criminality. Averted for most of Best Wishes which poised them as more properly villainous henchmen, but subsequent seasons prove this trope still to be true.
** This is taken further in ''Sun and Moon'' where they end up spending a significant amount of their downtime running a moderately successful food truck business. It's even {{lampshaded}} when they comment that doing honest work is actually satisfying! (But also feels off, somehow...)
** They're so much better at being heroic rather than being criminals that their current promotions technically rely on the fact they've been instrumental in ''stopping criminal plots''. They stay employed by a crime organization because their fighting of ''other'' crime organizations means Team Rocket has less competition!
* MissionControl: In ''Best Wishes'', with the introduction of Dr Zager.
* ModernMajorGeneral: Initially the trio were the MasterOfNone and usually played StrawLoser to Ash's group. In later seasons however, while getting blasted off as often as before, they start finding niches in almost everything ''but'' being villains, sometimes even overshadowing the twerps whenever they just try playing things legitimately.
* {{Mondegreen}}: According to Butch and Cassidy in an early episode of the second season, the version of the Team Rocket motto Jessie and James use is actually an InUniverse example of this.
* {{Mooks}}: As highly as they think of themselves, their no more special than the average Team Rocket Grunt. They become [[EliteMook Elite Mooks]] for Team Rocket's Unova operations, but eventually go back to their usual schtick of trying to steal Pokémon. Though they still report directly to Giovanni on their progress and have stayed on his good side for the most part
* MookMaker: In ''Journeys'', Jessie and James are granted the Prize Master, which vends Pokémon for their use. It doesn't work much better than when they had their own Pokémon, however. In fact, they end up losing one of their mooks, a Grookey, to Goh.
* MoralityPet: In Alola, they genuinely care about Bewear and Stufful enough to risk their well being and even their reputation within the organisation. They rescue Stufful from being forcibly taken from Matori at one point, and when a Guzzlord attacks Bewear they use their mech to come between them and jet her and Stufful to safety.
* MotiveDecay: Ash's Pikachu isn't even the strongest Pikachu they've met over the course of the show, to say nothing of all the countless powerful and rare Pokémon they've encountered while following Ash and his friends. But they insist on capturing Ash's Pikachu as well, so they won't feel like their goal wasn't pointless.
* MultipleChoicePast: All three have surprisingly complicated--and sometimes conflicting--back stories and origins. Most noticably, the earliest episodes show that Jessie and James knew each other as schoolchildren and spent time together in a bicycle gang, but a much later Team Rocket origin-story episode gives the impression they didn't meet until they were paired up as adults. However, later episodes in the series reference other parts of their backstories that previously acknowledged those childhood events, lending credence that they did in fact happen. It's worth noting that in the 'origin' episode they don't actually outwardly say anything that confirms ''or'' denies that this is their first meeting, though, so it's still plausible they did know each other when they were younger, went their separate ways for some reason, and then didn't meet again until joining Team Rocket.
* MythologyGag:
** A couple of phrases from their Unova motto.
-->'''Jessie''': ''Bringing the blinding '''white''' light of evil into the future!''
-->'''James''': ''Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the '''black''' darkness of the universe!''
** In one Japanese-only radio drama, Musashi and Kojiro play characters called "Jessie" and "James".
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous:
** Jessie and James' Japanese names, Musashi and Kojiro, respectively, come from two famous samurai who reportedly dueled to the death. Musashi was victorious.
** Musashi is also named after the WWII warship Musashi, as Cassidy/Yamato is named after the WWII warship Yamato.
** The English dub names refer to the outlaw Jesse James. The trend continues with Butch and Cassidy (after Butch Cassidy), Annie and Oakley (after Annie Oakley), and Attila and Hun (after Attila the Hun).
* NecessaryFail: To some degree, given how often they are pivotal in {{Enemy Mine}}s with the twerps or even just [[NiceJobFixingItVillain inadvertently solving dilemmas in their mayhem]], one can only wonder how much more dire many situations would be if they didn't obsessively try and fail to capture Ash's Pikachu from region to region.
* NeverRecycleYourSchemes: Averted in a general strategy sense, as they do enjoy repeatedly digging pitfall traps and using giant machines to try to capture Pikachu/the Pokémon of the week. The use of electric resistant machinery is also one progress in strategy they often maintain. However, played perfectly straight with specific plans. The vast majority of their plans would actually succeed if not for the "twerps" stopping them. It stands to reason that if they just waited for the "twerps" to move on and then tried again, they could just about steal every Pokémon in the series not named Pikachu.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Done regularly in fact. The episode's dilemma, be it two sides conflicting, a Pokémon struggling with their abilities or someone suffering insecurities, being forced to stop a Team Rocket scheme usually ends up helping solve it. During the Kalos League, the trio lampshade that they practically trained Ash into a pro trainer.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: [[DependingOnTheWriter Depends On The Writer]], but typically, James is nice, Jessie is mean, and Meowth can be either one.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Sometimes the team are sent blasting off even if they did something noble. Frequently this is when only one is in on this and is [[GuiltByAssociationGag punished indiscriminately with their teammates]], though in others it's just their trademark bad luck.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: The trio don't actually care about Team Rocket or its goal of world domination. Their first priority is always, acquiring personal wealth or "earning" Giovanni's approval, which is why their more than willing to sabotage the organization's operations to improve their own standing.
* NotSoDifferent: Against Ash (with Meowth venting some towards Pikachu). For all their scuffles, they are fuelled by the same sense of loyalty and determination, and tend to see their Pokémon's wellbeing as more important than anything (if unfortunately not each others'). Similarly, while Ash goes unrecognised and considered forever a rookie [[AlmightyJanitor despite his many achievements]], the trio's own [[CutLexLuthorACheck multiple talents and gifts]] are overshadowed by their incompetence as villains. Both largely for a goal they will likely never achieve.
** {{Lampshaded}} in an episode where an entire town gets hypnotized ''except'' for Jessie, James, and Ash, and when confronting the culprits about this, the answer the three of them get is "idiots are harder to hypnotize".
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Even after their {{Flanderization}} on several occasions the trio proved that despite seeming to be incompetent that they can indeed be a credible and very dangerous threat from time to time, nearly succeeding at stealing the Pokémon of the Week or Pikachu on several occasions and almost killing Ash at least twice. Sometimes Ash and friends tend to forget that they are indeed dangerous criminals on occasion. Taken UpToEleven in Best Wishes.
* OcularGushers: Despite being villians, all three of them are easily moved and extremely prone to bursting into waterfalls of tears when something makes them emotional, more so than just about anyone else in the anime cast.
* OfficialCouple: Jessie and James in the manga adaptation ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu''. In the anime it's ambiguous to this date and it's unlikely to ever be revealed.
* OnceAnEpisode: Team Rocket getting blasted off. Again.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: At the start of ''Best Wishes'' the trio reappear with a far more focused attitude and keep the goofy antics and wisecracks to a minimum (even in the dub). It's more than foreboding that Ash won't be defeating them nearly as easily for most of the region. It gradually fades as the series continues, though every now and then the trio retake this sinister disposition to remind Ash they can be ''very'' genuine menace.
* OutOfFocus: ''Best Wishes'' downplayed their appearances to help them maintain their new menace, with several episodes they make only a minor appearance progressing their scheme or sometimes don't appear at all. ''XY'' reinstated their Pikachu-chasing formula, though even then toys with having the heroes hold entire episodes on occasion. ''Sun and Moon'' also has many episodes where the trio don't appear at all, or are doing something completely unrelated to the twerps.
* OppositesAttract: So to speak. While they share some similar interests and are incredibly in-sync with each other, Jessie and James are complete opposites in other respects. Jessie grew up dirt poor, James grew up filthy rich. Jessie's hot-tempered, brash, and demanding, while James is meeker, and at times selfless to a fault.
* OverarchingVillain: They've been chasing Ash and Pikachu since the beginning of his journey, and it doesn't look like they will stop anytime soon. Even as things in the anime change and Ash's friends and companions come and go, the Team Rocket trio will always be somewhere nearby waiting for their next chance to start trouble.
* PaperThinDisguise: Team Rocket's "specialty". As long as they do as ''little'' as change their hair a little bit and put something (even a pair of thin glasses) over their faces, they will fool others for at least a little while. You would think that the cast (but ''especially'' Ash and co.) would actually realize that the suspiciously-friendly people with blue and red hair - as well as the ''talking Meowth'', who often disguises himself as a ''person'' - that appear in seemingly every town - and on every road, as well - are not to be trusted...
** In an early ''Diamond and Pearl'' episode, they wore small green jackets over their Team Rocket uniforms. Unzipped. [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS With the R showing]]. [[TooDumbToLive The twerps don't recognize them]].
** This trope really got more prominent in later seasons (except ''Best Wishes''). The first time they were disguised, the heroes recognized them right away. By DP, though...yeah.
** Played with in Pokémon contests. While Jessie at least attempts a more palpable disguise most of the time, the heroes are still never remotely suspicious that the outspoken, pink haired contestant has the exact same Pokémon, including a Meowth that is ''also'' capable of human sapience. In some cases they even discuss how talented they are.
** There's one time where James costume changes practically ''right in front of the protagonists'' and they ''still'' don't realize that the man they'd been talking to, 'Jeeves', was actually James, assuming instead that 'Jeeves' suddenly wandered away for some reason.
** One notable exception is in the first-season episode "The Electric Shock Showdown," in which they disguise themselves to perform a victory cheer for Ash's Pikachu before its fight against Lt. Surge's Raichu. This time, the kids recognized them right away. (Of course, it may have helped that Jessie and James started reciting their motto before Meowth stopped them by slapping them with a paper fan.)
--> '''Brock:''' ''[after Team Rocket finish their cheer]'' That... was really disturbing.
--> '''Misty:''' Thanks for your support! 'Bye, Team Rocket!
--> ''[The retreating Team Rocket stop dead in their tracks.]''
--> '''Team Rocket:''' HUH?
--> '''Meowth:''' How'd they know it was us?
--> '''Jessie:''' Lucky guess!
%%* ParentService: Jessie and James.
* PerpetualPoverty: In earlier regions at least. They almost never have a budget for food or proper lodgings, presumably because they spend all their money on disguises, traps, and robots. They even end up in such massive debt to Team Rocket that they had their membership revoked in one episode. They were allowed to stay only due to Giovanni's good graces and the fact that the organization was short on members at the time. However, over the course of several series it's shown they've become able to do [[JackOfAllTrades basically any part-time gig that comes their way]] which supposedly helps them at least get by. By the time they get to Alola, they end up starting and running a malasada food truck during their off-villainy hours that becomes relatively successful, and also apparently get paid very well doing commentary for the Battle Royale after being hired on short notice.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: VagueAge aside, Jessie and James are generally implied to be fully grown adults who are somewhere in their 20's. Nonetheless, they've gotten obsessed with stalking a 10 year old boy, his Pikachu, and all of their traveling companions who are no older than their mid-teens. This obsession holds so strongly that they, along with Meowth, have persisted in this pursuit across ''seven different geographical regions and counting''.
** In fairness, come ''Sun & Moon'' it seems they're at least trying focus more of their efforts on catching other Pokémon ; they just ''happened'' to be assigned to the same region where Ash is currently staying though, so when the opportunity to ambush him presents itself they simply can't help but try their luck.
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Ever since moving to regions beyond Kanto and Johto, the trio have found themselves falling into this a lot, especially as each region has their own villainous team with their own elaborate plot that has nothing to do with Team Rocket. While the trio often help pivot the plot ([[NiceJobFixingItVillain or accidentally solve it]]) through their schemes, sometimes they only show up to keep up appearances, with Ash's team treating them as little more than nuisances to their own situations. Come Kalos, they pretty much decide to stay out of the action during the big showdown in favor of serving as journalists broadcasting the events. Lately the anime has tried to help downplay this by omitting them from the occasional episode where their presence is unnecessary.
* ProudBeauty: Jessie/Musashi, obviously. The English dub of early episodes makes both Jessie and James very fond of referring to how beautiful they are. While this element isn't absent in the original voice-acting (Kojiro introduces himself and Musashi as being ''lovely, charming'' villains in the Japanese version of their motto, after all), compare [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iloR-ElB6I the Japanese version of their S01E45 song]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9TRmwvZiw0 the English dub's]]. The former is a considerably longer, deeper BadassBoast with lyrics like "Reality will be a nightmare / Once we assume command". In the English, we get:
-->'''Kojiro''': ''♪ I am the handsome one! ♪''
-->'''Musashi''': ''♪ I'm the gorgeous one! ♪''
-->'''both''': ''♪ Looking good is lots of fun! ♪''
** The English song "Double Trouble" (found on the ''2.B.A. Master'' CD), while perhaps a better equivalent to "Rocketto-dan yo Eien ni" than the latter's dub adaptation, adds some of this as well, except that Giovanni steps in to BreakTheHaughty.
-->'''Jessie''': I'm so gorgeous!
-->'''James''': I'm always the man!
-->'''Giovanni''': You're just the players in my master plan!
* PunchClockVillain: If it weren't for their loyalty to Team Rocket, they could quite easily live normal, honest lives (especially James and Meowth). Less so in ''Best Wishes'', but even then they aren't ''completely'' bad (technically, their crimes haven't much gotten worse than before, just more seriously handled). ''Sun & Moon'' takes it to the extreme where they start a successful malasada food truck that they run in their off-villain hours. When Giovanni tells them to pack up and return to base at the end of the series, they are legitimately sad to leave behind the new life they made.
* PuppyDogEyes: In the episode "Fangs For Nothin'", Jessie and James do this while trying to persuade a Dragonite to help them.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Especially starting with ''Best Wishes'', since they don't appear in every single episode anymore.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Their outfits after being promoted in ''Best Wishes'', which are the standard Team Rocket garbs. They don't last more than a few episodes, though.
* RedOniBlueOni: Jessie is considered to be the Red Oni as she is the gruffer and more hot headed of the group as she has a hostile temper when things don't go her way and her red hair fits nicely. James is considered the Blue Oni as he is the more softer spoken and sensitive member as he loves his Pokémon but his hair is not quite blue since it's actually light purple. Meowth fits somewhere in between.
* RedemptionPromotion: Whenever they fight on the side of good, or even just play by the rules in tournaments, their competence level skyrockets. This applies more often to James than Jessie, though.
** Ironically, the favor with Giovanni that they've recently started enjoying is linked to the fact they've been regularly playing some part in helping Ash & co. foil the plans of other criminal gangs, since what they do is effectively destroying Team Rocket's other competition.
* ReflexiveResponse: Doing the opening lines of their motto (or even the [[BreakingTheFourthWall background music]]) will sometimes trigger Team Rocket into blurting the rest of it.
--> '''Ash''': Team Rocket, prepare for trouble! On second thought, make that double!
--> '''Jessie''': *''Confused''* To protect the world from devastation?
--> '''James''': *''Equally confused''* To unite all peoples within our nation?
* ReplacementGoldfish: They were implied to act as such for the cub of the Bewear that house them in Alola. She later reunites with her Stufful again, though continues looking after Team Rocket as well.
* ResetButton: As a part of their ToonPhysics package. It doesn't matter how many times their Meowth hot-air balloon gets destroyed, their clothes get trashed, or they get blasted off into the distance with nothing but the shirts on their backs: they will be back flying in a balloon wearing pristine uniforms with all their belongings accounted for.
* RhymesOnADime: In the TPCI English Dub.
* SayMyName: Intentionally averted. Unless they're undercover (and even then, they have a hard time resisting the urge), Jessie, James, and Meowth have almost never called Ash and co. by their names. They have been, and always will be "the twerps".
* ShooOutTheClowns: In ''Best Wishes'', they left all of their old comical Pokémon at HQ, mainly because they're not Unova-native, including the literal clown Mime Jr. {{Inverted}} in XY, where Jessie's Wobbuffet, easily Team Rocket's silliest Pokémon, comes back to Jessie's party, signifying the trio's return to their previous goofy personalties (if similarly in more NotSoHarmless form than before).
** The TerribleTrio ''themselves'' have started to appear less frequently in the show, although they continue to remain a cast staple. This is most likely because the target audience of the show requires that they can never be allowed to actually ''win'' against the protagonists (at least not long-term), but at this point after so many episodes, it's easier to make them conceivably more competent by showing them in fewer but more novel situations, rather than constantly recycling their old schemes ad nauseum, and it has proven an effective strategy.
* ShootTheDog: To Weezing and Arbok, who refused to leave them after being released to protect the Ekans and Koffing herd.
* ShoutOutThemeNaming: Minus Meowth, in both the original ''and'' English dubs. Then again, most Team Rocket duos seem to have a theme name.
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Recurrently, all of the trio tend to show semblances of intellect or talent that implies they're not completely incompetent idiots. This is most liable to happen when they're siding with the twerps for a change.
* SkewedPriorities: Whenever they try to steal or capture Pokémon for their Organization, they tend to do it for the flimsiest and bizarre reasons, often depicted by Meowth's fantasies as he explains them beforehand.
** Their obsession with Ash's Pikachu serve as a franchise long one, since as ''Best Wishes'' show, they're much more effective and successful when Pikachu ''isn't'' on their list of priorities. Especially glaring in the ''Sun and Moon'' series where Pikachu is still their main focus to capture over even Ash's Meltan and Mallow's Shaymin, ''mythical Pokemon''. (To their credit however, as said series' league would contest, Pikachu genuinely ''is'' more powerful.)
** Reaches its logical conclusion in ''Sun and Moon'' where their top priority has warped into making their unique bewear-themed honey-doughnut business profitable, rather than acting in the interests of the organization they're supposed to be employed to. Much to their horror after a harsh dismissive rebuke by headquarters on their lack regarding actual progress on that part.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Jessie and the female Pokémon of the team suffer as many cartoon beatdowns as the males.
* SmugSnake: This is probably the main reason they always lose - they cannot seem to ''conceive'' that their plans might fail or their inventions be destroyed, not to mention [[EvilGloating they gloat too much]]. It's evident in the [=BW049=]/[=BW050=] two-parter, where the best plan they'd built to ''date'' might have succeeded if [[spoiler:Meowth hadn't arrogantly assumed Pikachu and Axew could do nothing while caged. Otherwise, Dr Zager would probably have picked up the train carriage with none of the Poké Ball-bound Pokémon any wiser until it was too late. And if Meowth had just taken care of the Pokémon when they escaped rather than gloating to Pikachu's face and disconnecting their car from the train, Zager wouldn't have needed to even involve himself the way he did (having to pick up a car with uncontained Pokémon on it) which wouldn't have given the heroes time to catch up with them!]]
** It's even ''more'' evident in the Kami Trio two-parter, in which they showed that they hadn't learned from their past defeat and failed to capture the legendary Pokémon because their getaway vehicle still wasn't secure enough. Thankfully, they seem to be learning better as they go on.
* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: In "A Shroomish Skirmish", they were being chased by a herd of angry Breloom. They would accidentally stumble upon the twerps, prompting the Rockets to recite their motto, until Meowth notices Brock's cooking. They decide to eat first and then finish the motto after that. And James forgot which part he left off in the motto!
* SourOutsideSadInside: All three of them. As much as they love being smug, devious villains, their lives were riddled with abuse from the very start, and they often miserably lampshade their countless failures and humiliations, and the many more that inevitably await.
* SpiderTank: Several Pokémon themed variations:
** The Magikarp submarine became one in one episode, and ''it climbed a cliff''.
** They inevitably used a Spinerak tank that shot string shot at Ash and Pikachu during the Johto era.
* StalkerWithoutACrush: What their... ''relationship'' with Ash and Pikachu has essentially become. It seems the idea of giving up on stealing Pikachu has become completely unfathomable to them, as they will follow Ash to the ends of the earth if they have to. It's gotten to the point that when Ash's journey in one region ends, they will actively ''stake out his house and eavesdrop'' to find out what region he's going to next.
* StarvingArtist: Seemingly in hand with their PerpetualPoverty, the trio's most noticable skills that aren't related to being crooks are their skills in art, fashion, and performing.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Subverted in B/W. First, Team Rocket remained competent villains even when they went back to dressing in white and going after Pikachu and other Pokémon. Double subverted when [[spoiler:Meowth was "fired from TR" and joined forces with Ash's group for a few episodes....only to reveal that he was still with Team Rocket and was merely tricking Ash and co.]] Played more straight from the Decalore Islands arc and onward, though they show occasional shades of their former competence and Giovanni still shows passive interest in their progress.
* StealthHiBye: They pull these left and right during ''Best Wishes''.
* StealthPun: The new [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Team_Rocket_BW_1.png Team Rocket logo]]. This trio really did become DarkerAndEdgier!
* StrawLoser: By the time of the Hoenn era, they had been Flanderized so badly that everyone plus their grandma would easily beat up or outdo Team Rocket to show their competence, their redeeming functions also downplayed. They zigzag with this trope in other eras, though there is usually at least more palpable HiddenDepths, along with cases of...
* SympathyForTheHero: They were all in awe at Ash and Ash-Greninja's semifinal victory that they start believing that Ash finally has a good shot at the championship. [[spoiler:And when the League ends and Ash is NOT the victor, they were the ones with the waterworks over seeing Ash lose again.]]
** In Sinnoh, even [[EvenEvilHasStandards they were furious at Paul's treatment of Chimchar]] and felt sorry for it, to the point of cheering for Ash when Chimchar was battling.
-->'''All three, when Infernape activates Blaze during the Sinnoh League:''' "Infernape is up! So are we! A happier team you'll never see!"
* TaughtByExperience:
** For all their stubborn incompetence, it only took a handful of defeats from Pikachu to figure out to make electric-proofing a top priority in most of their gadgets.
** It took them a ''much'' longer course of beatings, but at the end of ''XY'' they acknowledge that the twerps have levelled up to a calibre [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind they can't possibly match]] (especially Ash who is by that point a ''League Finalist''). They end up laying low for the remainder of their Kalos tenure. Later during their time in Alola, they finally put in some actual deliberate effort to try keep up with the twerps by researching Z-Moves, arming their Pokémon with them, and making their gadgetry resistant to their power.
* TeamRocketWins: Being the TropeNamer, every now and then the trio prove capable of winning a match or pulling off some scheme (that at least has short term success). This is especially common when their plans [[LaserGuidedKarma have no malicious intent]]. Only a handful of episodes end with them officially the "winner" over a member of Ash's team however:
** Jessie (as Jessilina) manages to pull off her first Contest victory in Solaceon City in "Team Shocker" and to add to her victory, Dawn doesn't even make it past the appeal round and spends most of the episode in a HeroicBSOD.
** "Dressed For Jess Success" has James (posing as Jessilina) using Meowth and Carnivine to rather handily defeat Dawn in the Lilypad Town Contest. Though Dawn is a GracefulLoser this time, James and Meowth end the episode rather happy with their victory.
** "A Dancing Debut" has Jessie win the Couriway Town showcase using Meowth, Wobuffet and Gourgeist. Again Serena is a GracefulLoser, but Jessie ends the episode ''very'' pleased with herself.
** "Holy Matrimony" acts as a rare case the twerps suffer the EndOfEpisodeSilliness in place of Team Rocket, with Ash and friends left to fend off Jessebelle while Jessie and James making a rather romantic escape ([[ArentYouForgettingSomeone albeit with Meowth left chasing]]).
** The theatre production ''Theatre/PokemonLive'' has the trio successfully bring Pikachu to Giovanni. Naturally Ash managed to get him back afterwards, but they still temporarily succeeded in their ultimate goal.
** The twelfth episode of the ''Sun and Moon'' series has Team Rocket ''finally'' legitimately win a Pokémon battle against Ash fair and square. While inevitably the circumstances prevent them from actually capturing Pikachu, the trio are appropriately shocked and thrilled with their success.
** In the thirteenth episode of the ''Journeys'' series, after a fiasco with a Gigantamax Drednaw, they get something of a consolation prize by finding a wild Chewtle that was stuck to Jessie's hair. A later episode reveals that unlike Yanma, it was deemed useful emough to be used by Team Rocket.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: In ''Diamond and Pearl'', it was becoming clear that all the losses were getting the better of Jessie, James, and Meowth. There were ''several'' episodes where they would fight amongst themselves in this era. It all came to a head in "Noodles! Roamin' Off!", when Meowth [[RageQuit rage-quits]] after being {{Scapegoat}}ed for a failed scheme, and Jessie follows suit. That said, they also quickly realized that despite everything, they couldn't handle being apart for too long and join up again.
** This would go by the wayside eventually with the team finally getting a "promotion" of sorts going into ''Best Wishes''. Meowth made a supposed turn from Jessie and James for good during their mission in Unova, but it turned out to all be a trick by the three to steal the twerps' Pokémon.
* TerribleTrio: Former TropeNamer. Simply put there's three of the goofballs, and they love being terrible.
* ThreePointLanding: They all manage to do this in "A Sandile Gusher of Change" when they fell into a random pitfall made by a Sandile.
* ThrowTheDogABone:
** Get thrown the odd HappyEnding or win a competition every once in a while, especially when they don't use dirty tactics for once.
** In most regions, the Team Rocket trio were lucky to be effective in standard battles, let alone get access to the signature power up. In Alola however, they manage to obtain a Z-Ring and Z-Crystals, and surprisingly enough, manage to perform a Z-Move flawlessly in their first attempt.
** Long-term, their position is relatively better off than before. While they are still as much {{Butt Monkey}}s when it comes to stealing Pokemon, they at least have Giovanni's good graces now, and due to better funding and an increased load of job experience under their belt, often manage in better conditions every region.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** In ''Best Wishes'', where they almost managed to go the entire season without blasting off even once. They slowly regressed back into ineffectual comic relief throughout "Decolora Adventures" and ''XY'' however, though are still more prone to NotSoHarmlessVillain moments than before.
** By the midway point of Ash's Alola trials in the ''Sun and Moon'' series, they gain access to a Z-Ring and two Z-Crystals, leaving them with a dangerous amount of power through the Z-Moves. This also counts as the trio's first attempt at a {{Level Grind}} of sorts mid series.
** While their villain competence interchanges, their RedemptionPromotion seems to increase consistently as the series goes on. In early eras, they were generally failures, even when they tried to go legit or faced Ash's team in standard contests. Later episodes put more emphasis on their talents [[CutLexLuthorACheck besides their villainy]], so often prove formidable when not playing dirty. It's gotten to a point the trio have actually bested the twerps in a few non-villainous scenarios and even saved the day in their place a couple of times. In some cases they even end up giving Ash's team pointers.
* TookALevelInJerkass: While they were always villains, in the late Johto to Sinnoh times they were usually more mischievous fools than truly evil. Since ''Best Wishes'' however, the trio demonstrate more cold blooded tendencies, and are more willing to act upon them. Even when returned to more comical form in ''XY'', this has played into them being [[NotSoHarmlessVillain more dangerous]], with far more times the heroes are [[ThisIsUnforgivable repulsed]] or even [[OhCrap genuinely terrified]] by what they can do.
* TookALevelInKindness: Towards Wobbuffet. When Wobbuffet first "joined" the team, they weren't too fond of it, but gradually became more tolerant.
* ToonPhysics: While the other characters aren't immune to AmusingInjuries, the trio themselves tend to be protected more by RuleOfFunny, going through ceaseless extreme situations without ever being much more than comically dazed or scuffed. In one episode, the team shoot to bottom of a tall cliff fairly harmlessly, though when May risks falling down all of five seconds later it is taken ''dead'' seriously, the same rules of physics not applying to her. They also tend to be the only characters allowed to show MediumAwareness about being in a cartoon.
** They're so aware of their usual casual immunity that in one episode where James gets severely poisoned, he has to clarify to Jessie and Meowth that his condition is serious and he is ''not'' alright, which causes their attitudes to immediately switch from vague interest to genuine concern.
* TragicVillain: Each of them was dealt a rough hand in life:
** Jessie grew up in abject poverty after her mother went MIA on a mountain when she was a young child, and then she failed at any career path she pursued, including being an actress and becoming a Pokémon nurse, before winding up at Team Rocket.
** James was stifled by the societal expectations of growing up in a wealthy, aristocratic family, and his parents were dismissive of him at best and downright controlling at worst. Worse still, the girl they arranged to marry him is abusive. He ran away from home when he couldn't take it anymore.
** Meowth learned to speak in order to impress a female Meowth, but she cruelly rejected him for Persian and regarded Meowth as "walking talking freak" and he was subsequently kicked out of his Meowth pack.
* {{Troll}}s: If there's one form of villainy they excel in, it's duping the heroes with constant booby traps and {{Paper Thin Disguise}}s. They ''always'' fall for it initially, even though ultimately Ash & co always put them in their place.
* TrueCompanions: They have a very strong bond with each other, crossign into LivingEmotionalCrutch territory in that if any of them splits off for one reason or another (a potential relationship, a new career interest, etc.) they inevitably can't bear to be without each other for long and come right back together.
** And on the rare occasion that they aren't antagonistic, ''Ash'' can expect them to have his back (and he returns the favor).
* TunnelKing: After years of digging pit fall traps, they developed impressive digging skill.
* ATwinkleInTheSky: The Team Rocket Trio has been well known for this trope as they refer to it as "we're blasting off again". This trio helped revolutionize the trope by becoming paperboy examples of it as they have blasted off hundreds of times over the course of the anime due to their incompetence. It was downplayed in the Best Wishes saga due to the trio taking on a more serious tone with them flying off in jetpacks instead but went back to old habits before the XY saga.
* UltimateJobSecurity: In spite of their many, ''many'' failures and Giovanni's all too visible contempt for them, the trio has still remained a part of Team Rocket. Following the Johto arc this seems to stem from them being the only Rocket agents in the region, as Giovanni seems to consider having lackluster representation is better than none at all. Post-Sinnoh, it's shown that he's become so out of touch with them that they've managed to ''improve'' his opinion of them by convincing him that they're a major force in disbanding the evil teams that could otherwise cause trouble for Team Rocket (which is a clear exaggeration; While it's true they typically do have a hand in it, their contributions are always ''much'' smaller than those of the "twerps").
* UndyingLoyalty: To Giovanni and Team Rocket, but even that pales in comparison to their loyalty to each other - one of their few good qualities is the fact that they're totally inseparable and ''always'' come through for one another. Someone else threatening one of the trio or their Pokémon typically results in the others making an instant EnemyMine with Ash and his friends, even against other Rocket members.
** It says something that ''all'' of Jessie and James' Pokémon are as loyal to them (if not more consistently so) as those of the twerps, despite it dooming them to the fate of the forever losing GoldfishPoopGang. Meowth is the nearest to acting as TheStarscream, and even then draws the line at truly selling out Jessie and James, even when it would be in his best interest. Keeping in mind that Meowth is actually a wild Pokémon not truly owned by the two, and thus his loyalty is not inherited.
* UnknownRival: To Hunter J and Team Galactic in the Sinnoh arc. Averted in the Hoenn arc, where they generally stayed out of Team Aqua and Magma's way rather than attempt to compete with them, and in the Unova arc, where their rivalry with Team Plasma is quite serious and evenly matched. Played with in the Kalos arc, where Team Flare never took Team Rocket seriously. It turned out to be UnderestimatingBadassery however as the trio had a direct part in defeating them.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: The only expense that could be compared to their innumerable gadgets and mecha is the frankly astonishing number of costumes they go through to dupe the heroes (and even apparently just for fun). If a role needs to be played, they have the resources to be properly dressed for it, though [[PaperThinDisguise to varying levels of quality]]. This is somehow despite the fact they are always on the go and frequently portrayed as being too broke to pay for food and shelter, so really one wonders how they are able to purchase and store those clothes. This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] on occasion, sometimes by ''themselves'' as seen with James' infamous "flaming Moltres" stunt.
-->'''Meowth:''' That outfit... Where'd he get it?\\
'''Jessie:''' [[DeadpanSnarker I think that costume]] [[{{Accidental Innuendo}} came straight out of his closet...]]
* VagueAge: There seems to be conflicting sources as to just how old the trio are. When the original anime was localized, Jessie and James were stated as being 15 and 16, respectively. The Japanese website for ''Pokemon The Movie 2000'' states that they are both 25 years old, and Meowth is 3. ''The Birth of Mewtwo'' radio drama also implies that Jessie is in her mid-20s. Jessie claimed to be 17 in one episode of the first season, and the Christmas special also implies that she is, at most, 20. The only definite is that Jessie and James are about the same age as each other.
** One episode of ''Sun & Moon'' has all the adult characters fall victim to a spell that makes them depressed and lazy. Team Rocket is among those affected, indicating that at the very least they are not underage.
* VeryPunchableMan: Often times, the best way to assert that the episode's OneShotCharacter has improved in any way is to have them defeat Team Rocket.
* VillainDecay: Twice over in fact:
** Thanks to {{Flanderization}}, from late Johto to Unova, they devolved into a group of bumbling, incompetent dorks who pose no threat to Ash whatsoever.
** After regaining their cred and then some in ''Best Wishes'', they ultimately reverted to buffoonish villains in ''XY'', though are still more resilient and cunning than beforehand.
** Relatively speaking, they suffer this every season. While their overall competence varies, the trainers and their Pokémon's inexperience usually mean they at least start off a palpable StarterVillain at first. Then as the heroes develop and evolve, the team CantCatchUp, and ultimately become reduced to a quick filler in most later episodes, until the season ends, Pokémon and characters disband, and the process starts over.
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: As recognized in "Dues and Don'ts," the trio neglects to train and capture more Pokémon in favor of putting all their efforts into stealing Pokémon, and they owe Giovanni too much money to ask him to send them more powerful Pokémon. This results in Ash and his friends usually having full, well trained Pokémon teams and plenty of battle experience while Jessie and James usually only have one or two Pokémon each and their battle style is to just spam the same attacks over and over again. Somewhat fittingly this trope is [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe only present when they are villains]]. In legitimate battles or performances, their Pokémon [[RedemptionPromotion show much more of their experience]] and they are actually among the most proficient at [[ChekhovsSkill taking what they've learned in the past]]. For some reason they never take this to heart in their villainous schemes, where they are one track set on destroying the twerps (despite often being able to defeat them under normal tactics).
** Downplayed in the ''Sun and Moon'' series. Though they still struggle to keep up with Ash, they do make some legitimate attempts at boosting their chances at succeeding in their villainous schemes, such as obtaining the regions' Z Move mechanic. It helps that Giovanni and Matori are keeping much more regular inspection of their progress.
** As of ''Journeys'', Giovanni ''finally'' grants them access to Team Rocket-owned Pokémon via the Rocket Gachat, a vending machine device that dispenses random Pokémon for them to use against Ash and co. Additionally, they get their very own Rotom Phone, albeit a very snarky and trolling one, for their personal use, forfeiting the need for James' outdated "Pokémon Cards".
* VillainousFriendship: For all their many faults and conflicts, the trio all genuinely care about each other. This sometimes extends to their Pokémon as well.
* VillainousRescue: Done a few times. Perhaps most prominently in the second movie where the trio help Ash ''save the world'', complete with performing a HeroicSacrifice, and in ''Best Wishes'', where it is they who stop a BrainwashedAndCrazy Giovanni from destroying Unova (and possibly more).
* VillainousUnderdog: The trio are usually blatantly outmatched in battle skills and sheer numbers in terms of Pokémon battling, thus rely on scheming and gadgetry to try and challenge Ash and co.
* VillainousValor: The team are often so persistent in their plans and the abuse it gives them, it's pretty admirable. Their camaraderie and palpable moral compass helps a fair bit too.
* VillainsOutShopping: There are several episodes they aren't doing anything villainous at all, taking part in legitimate contests or events or just getting caught in the heroes' dilemmas.
* VitriolicBestBuds: They get snappy at each other on a daily basis but are close. In the first season, this is far more prominent as Meowth, who considers himself superior, versus Jessie and James, while later seasons switch around the dominant streak to Jessie, with Meowth joining James as her browbeaten assistant. Occasionally James' dopiness and fairly strong moral compass will cause him to butt heads with Jessie and Meowth as well.
* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Played straight at first. While not evil looking per se, most of the teams' early Pokémon favoured darker or goofier designs than those of the heroes'. Subverted more and more as the anime progressed however. Most of James' Pokémon in particular look downright adorable.
* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: At least a few of the trio's NotSoHarmlessVillain moments were timed just as the twerps were expecting another time-wasting Team Rocket CurbstompBattle.
* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: They go through an enormous array of gadgets and mechs to try and match the twerps, and in ''Sun and Moon'' even manage to create a technological lair inside Bewear's tree trunk home. In earlier seasons, it was implied they loaned this type of gadgetry from the organization (and left themselves with a whopping amount of debt), though later episodes tend to just convey them as {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es who somehow manage to finance their equipment through menial part-time jobs.
* WickedCultured: PlayedWith. At a glance, they appear to be this considering the way they pepper their mottos and introductions with flowery language, and additionally they genuinely seem to love theatre and the arts. However, this is also masks the fact that can quickly devolve into bumbling idiots.
* TheWorfEffect: If a new evil arises to threaten the peace of the current region, you can usually count on them to effortlessly dispatch these three as a quick way of showing that they mean business and are not to be trifled with.
* YouAreWorthHell: All three members (along with even some of their Pokémon), have been granted individual opportunities at a normal happy ([[CutLexLuthorACheck and perhaps even successful]]) life, but always return to their role as punching bag Team Rocket members. The reason is always because of their TrueCompanions.
* YouShallNotPass: To the Pokémon poacher in "A Poached Ego", protecting Arbok and Weezing (amd their pre-evolved forms) so they can escape into the wild.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Played with. In some cases Team Rocket would avoid their usual "blasting off" RunningGag and try to retreat after a scheme had failed. Ash and the other heroes, had they been riled up enough by their antics, would prevent this by sending their Pokémon onto them, making sure they left the scene, but in the usual more painful way.
[[/folder]]
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[[folder:Jessie (Musashi)]]
!!'''Jessie (Musashi)'''
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessierocket_8302.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Prepare for trouble...]]

-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Music/MegumiHayashibara
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/RachaelLillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)
-->'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Diana Pérez (base voice), Elena Ramírez (replacement in some episodes), Mayra Arellano (flashback as a kid)
-->'''Voiced in European French by:''' Catherine Conet, Chantal Baroin (Movies ''Pokémon 4Ever'' and ''Destiny Deoxys''), Valerie Nosrée (Movie ''Jirachi: Wish Maker'')

The de facto leader of the villainous threesome who are often out to capture Ash's Pikachu. On the side, she also takes part in Pokémon Contests in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, and Pokémon Showcases in the Kalos region.
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* AllThereInTheManual: The fact that Jessie is the daughter of a Team Rocket agent gets occasionally mentioned in various guidebooks and character info sheets. So far however, this has yet to be properly touched upon in the anime, and currently the only voiced piece of media that covers this plot is a radio drama that served as a companion to the first movie and was never released outside of Japan.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Tends to make herself TheRival of each of Ash's female companions per era because of this. Be it battles, contests, or just snark wars, they almost always end up at least a small step ahead of her. May in particular, once she herself got past her teething issues, made a habit of outclassing Jessie, directly or not.
* AnimeHair: Jessie has an extremely distinctive, gravity-defying hairstyle that splays outwards and away from her neck (and incidentally, allows her to easily pose her body to create a silhouette of an 'R'). Once in awhile her hair looks more reasonable, though. See LettingHerHairDown below for more.
* ArtEvolution: In late Johto, when the show's artwork became more sharply defined, one of the most noticeable changes was that Jessie's hair went from crimson red to magenta. For what it's worth, though, Jessie's hair was always a shade of magenta in game and card artwork.
* AttentionWhore: Part of the reason she participates in Contests and Showcases. She gets very angry if the cameras aren't on her during these.
* BareYourMidriff: Her standard outfit.
* BerserkButton: Quite a few:
** The quickest way to trigger Jessie is to mess with her hair. Anytime she ends up having her hair damaged or cut, '''[[UnstoppableRage SOMEONE GETS HURT!]]''' One exception to this being when she herself reach a level of fatigue so severe, that she doesn't even realize that a wild Chewtle had been hanging onto the end of her hair by its teeth for who-knows-how long before the trio finally spotted it.
** Another one is by calling her an "old hag". Doing so will similarly cause her to enter in a [[UnstoppableRage violent fit of rage]].
** Injuring or otherwise defacing her face is another. In "Pokémon Scent-Sation," she insisted on using bombs ("blaster balls" in the dub) to blow up the Celadon City gym. Her motive: [[DisproportionateRetribution Revenge for Erika's employees' stamping a red X on her face when rejecting Team Rocket.]]
** She also doesn't like being called a ChristmasCake. She once got so angry when Misty called her an "old witch" that she literally STARTED BREATHING FIRE, leading Meowth to quip that she'd evolved into a Flareon!
** When she thinks of something and the other two try to persuade her to reconsider.
** Don't even think about questioning the power and elegance of her Pokémon.
* BerserkerTears: Hilariously, when beating up Seviper for biting her hair off in "A Tail with a Twist".
* BookDumb: Due to never really receiving or finishing a proper education as a child, she lacks a lot of basic knowledge that other people her age usually would know from the get-go, such as names on Pokémon attacks and what moves a Pokémon can know, or even just their ''species names'', resulting in her leaving a lot of the thinking to Meowth and James while she works on her own self-image. This is most evident in how she doesn't seem to know or understand the moves of her Wobbuffet, whose species only posses ''four'' moves in total, basically letting him fend for himself whenever she sends him out into a fight. She also is repeatedly shown to not be particularly skilled at using computers or other technology, especially compared to James who is at times a borderline GadgeteerGenius.
* BrokenBird: Jessie is technically one of these after spending virtually all of her formative years enduring misfortune after misfortune. Her mother went missing when she was young and she grew up poor. She had a string of love interests who left her for one reason or another. She failed at nearly every interest she pursued, including flunking out of two different schools. By the time she got into Team Rocket, she'd become so jaded that despite doing well in her training she was unable to connect with any of her assigned partners until James and Meowth. While at present she exudes overconfidence and ego, there are occasional hints that deep down she's still haunted by her past, feeling resentful of any of her shortcomings and having fears of being abandoned.
* BrokenWinLossStreak: Jessie suffered a lengthy losing streak throughout the entire Hoenn and Kanto Contest run, before finally winning a Sinnoh ribbon. Jessie was convinced James and Meowth had helped her cheat, but they eventually tell her [[MagicFeather they played no part]]. Jessie thereafter continued winning ribbons, and even makes it to the semi finals of Sinnoh's Grand Festival.
* CantStandThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Jessie doesn't outright admit it,[[note]]until [=XY063=], that is[[/note]] but she really does care for Wobbuffet.
* CheatedAngle: Jessie's hair flips to the right in many instances, particularly early on. See [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/f7c04f81d70bfc8592a403a15b73cb2f/tumblr_mlitofUIYL1qcl0fmo1_500.gif here]], for a particularly egregious example. She's facing away from the camera, her hair is pointing to the right. She turns 180 to face the camera, ''and her hair points off to the right the entire time''.
* CombatSadomasochist: She invokes this trope fairly often in Contests for appeals, and ''it works''.
* CompressedHair: Has no problem concealing her hair underneath Team Rocket's recurring disguise while in Unova.
* CrossDresser: She used to do this just as much as James. Though it's become rarer, she'll still proudly sport a suit and look fantastic in it from time to time.
* CrossPoppingVeins: Her reaction to Ash and his friends imitating and poking fun at their motto.
-->'''Jessie:''' (''fuming'') Team Rocket's not something to be made fun of, but if you're going to imitate us, at least do it ''right!''
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Surprisingly, Jessie is a really good Coordinator. While off to a bad start in Hoenn, afterwards she places high in nearly every contest she entered, and was even in the top 4 of the Sinnoh Grand Festival. She similarly won three Tripokolons, allowing her to enter and, again, reach top 4 in the Kalos Master Class.
* DemonHead: Often does this when she gets mad at James and Meowth, as in the episode "One Trick Phony".
** When Ditto is unable to transform into exactly what she ordered it to (and at one point takes her words literally).
-->'''Jessie:''' HOW DARE YOU INSULT US LIKE THIS! I'm warning you, ''you'd better transform perfectly this time or I'll transform you into jelly!''
* DisappearedDad: Her father is never referenced.
* DisproportionateRetribution: In "Pokémon Scent-Sation." Jessie elects to plant bombs in Celadon Gym and blow it up, with ''everyone'' still inside, purely because Erika's staff [[BerserkButton stamped a red X on her face when they threw them out]].
* TheDitz: Gradually averted over time when it comes to contests and later showcases, but played straight in other areas. A few instances have shown her to be woefully incompetent when it comes to certain basic Pokémon trivia, such as what moves they can learn. For example, she thought she could tell a Charizard to use Poison Sting, and during her first contest, she told her Seviper to use a whole assortment of moves that it couldn't use, much to its chagrin and embarrassment.
** Even though it's her longest standing Pokémon, Jessie can never seem to properly learn how to use Wobbuffet's limited moveset and always confuses Mirror Coat and Counter. As a result, she tends to force Wobbuffet to largely fend for himself when sent out to battle, serving as little more than a glorified cheerleader for him.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite her openly nasty demeanour, she often very blatantly cares about her Pokémon. Even the ones that initially earned her ire [[note]]Poor Wobbuffet and Seviper...[[/note]] end up rather beloved pets. Insulting her is a very bad idea in itself, but insulting her Pokémon is ''even worse''.
* EvilCounterpart: To Ash's female companions, Misty in particular.
* EvilIsPetty:
** In "Pokémon Scent-Sation," Jessie elects to blow up the Celadon Gym purely out of petty spite and revenge for Erika's staff stamping an X on her face when they threw Team Rocket out earlier. James himself [[EvenEvilHasStandards notes that that's a bit excessive]].
** In the episode ''Once In A Mawile'', the trio accidentally kidnap Brock’s Lombre when they intended to capture [[OneShotCharacter Samantha’s]] Mawile. Upon realizing that they couldn’t give Lombre over to Giovanni, James and Meowth were all for returning it to Ash and co., but Jessie refused simply because they asked for it back. [[CurbStompBattle Anybody with a passing knowledge of the Pokémon anime can guess what happened next.]]
* ExtremeOmnivore: Jessie seemingly has the stomach for [[CordonBleughChef Misty's cooking]], which even ''Ash'' found disgusting, and [[LethalChef May's Pokéblocks]].
* FantasticRacism: She believed that James' Inkay was part of an evil group of Malamar because Malamar was Inkay's evolved form despite an overwhelming amount of contradictions.
* FieryRedhead: She has one '''HELL''' of a temper.
* GenderBlenderName:
** In Japanese she was named after a famous swordsman and as such her name, Musashi, is very masculine.
** Also applies in English too, as while "Jessie" is technically a unisex name and her spelling of it is considered more feminine, the individual who she (and James) is named for was a man named Jesse James.
* GenerationXerox: With her mother Miyamoto. Jessie ended up on Team Rocket like her MissingMom and they're both rather childish, however Miyamoto was one of the top members while Jessie is perpetually stuck at the bottom.
* GirlishPigtails: Sometimes dons these while in disguise, most notably as Contest aficionado Jessilina.
* GracefulLoser: Most surprisingly in the Kalos Master Class. The team very nervously await a hissy fit after Serena defeats her, though Jessie seems happy she at least got to be a popular runner up.
* HairReboot: No matter if something happens to her hair, it'll grow back in short order.
* HairTriggerTemper: It doesn’t take much to piss Jessie off. Even James and Meowth fear her because of this.
* HelpImStuck: In the episode A Hole Lotta Trouble, Jessie gets stuck in a cave hole, presumably due to her hips. May tries to push her through, which doesn’t work. She only gets out because a Loudred causes the hole to become bigger.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Ends up this way as times. One noticeable example was when she suggest to wait for an Electrike to be trained before stealing it to Meowth and James, only to eventually lose patience and state the opposite later on and call out James and Meowth on this like it had their idea instead.
* IdenticalStranger: Unnervingly to the cast, Jessie is shown to look nearly identical to James' arranged ex-fiancée, Jessebelle.
* IfIWereARichMan: She often fantasizes about being rich, picturing herself waving bills around, and wearing a [[GracefulLadiesLikePurple slinky purple dress]] and [[FluffyFashionFeathers feather boa]].
* IneffectualLoner: During her days as a Team Rocket trainee. Before getting paired with James and Meowth, she was incapable of working with a partner and tended to abandon anyone assigned to work with her because she felt they slowed her down.
* InterspeciesFriendship: While studying at nursing school, she became friends with a Chansey. Although Jessie failed to graduate, Chansey gave her half of the egg-shaped medal she had received so they could always remember each other.
* {{Irony}}:
** Among the things Jessie tried and failed at before somehow ending up in Team Rocket was being an actress. Now her criminal lifestyle has had her disguising herself and pretending to be someone else so often that she's become a pretty impressive performer after all.
** Jessie's mother was considered to be one of Team Rocket's most valued agents, but Jessie and her team have been rendered the GoldfishPoopGang to a group of kids and became so ineffectual at their job their boss once forgot they even existed.
* ItsPersonal: She caught both Lickitung and Seviper in fits of anger:
** Lickitung was caught when it paralyzed Arbok. She just threw a pokeball at it in anger, and it didn't escape.
** Seviper stole some of her rice balls, then ''[[TooDumbToLive bit off her hair]]''. She beat Seviper up single-handedly. A terrified Meowth had to remind her to catch it before she killed it.
** She also kicked James' second Victreebell off the team for biting her, even ordering Arbok to physically give it the boot.
** Of the three, she's the most likely to antagonise the twerps out of spite for intervening or causing the trio anguish, sometimes with James and Meowth as TheDragAlong. Several times she's actually called her Pokémon to attack the trainers.
** A large amount of the trio's non-Pikachu captures in ''XY'' have been a result of this (eg. trying to steal [[TheRival Serena's]] Pokémon for showcases, or take down a wild one that attacked them earlier in the episode).
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Released its Dustox so it could live with its new mate, [[ConflictingLoyalty even when it refused]]. Attempted the same with Wobbuffet at a later point, though he chose to stick with Jessie.
* {{Jerkass}}: Very often to AlphaBitch levels, particularly in contests.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Beneath the veneer of bitchiness, she truly does care for her team and her Pokémon, and has willingly done good for the sake of it. She's even helped save the world more than once, too.
* LaserGuidedKarma: In the Sinnoh saga, Dawn was eliminated in the first round of two Contests in a row, causing her [[BreakTheCutie confidence to take a crippling blow.]] Jessie (as Jessilina) made fun of her for that twice, and she then ended up losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup and the Celestic Contest, both of which Dawn would go on to win.
* LeaderWannabe: Sort of. Strictly speaking there isn't really a leader among the trio, but Jessie is often framed as such in that she's the first to speak in their motto, and due to her more aggressive, go-get-'em personality she's typically the one browbeating the others into action. However, this is often for the sake of appeasing her childish temper, and there are times when the other two will put their foot down or take the lead.
* LettingHerHairDown: Occasionally her hair is in a state that is ''not'' its characteristic shape. Usually this is done intentionally for disguises, but getting it wet also bogs it down. She could probably win contests [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessie_3_3414.JPG looking]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessie_6_3674.JPG like]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meowth1_2163.JPG this]].
* LiteralMinded: In an episode of season 1, she and James take the phrase "underwater ballet" literally (it was actually a costumed synchronized swimming show that was going on), and she wears a blue tank top and tights.
* MagicSkirt: Averted actually! Being a kids anime, the show does try to avoid too many low angle shots of characters wearing skirts. But Jessie is also pragmatically shown to be wearing some sort of black bike shorts under her skirt.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Masculine Girl to James' Feminine Boy.
* {{Meganekko}}: Her Coordinator personas all sport stylized yellow glasses, and she sometimes wears glasses simply as a disguise.
* MsFanservice: Provides a modest amount, being a burning hot redhead with ample breasts, beautiful long legs, and as mentioned has a [[BareYourMidriff bare midriff]]. Before the [=BW=] arc, she occasionally appeared in nice bikinis. Also, she's one of the few regular females who isn't underage; in the banned [=IL=]35 (Dratini's debut episode), she almost succeeds in seducing the Safari Zone warden.
* MinorInsultMeltdown: Quite prone to it. She nearly went berserk on a little girl who referred to her as an old lady.
* MissingMom: Supplemental materials reveal that Jessie's mother was a high-ranking Team Rocket member who went missing on an expedition to find Mew.
* MoodSwinger: Interchanges between bouncy and whimsical or demonic rage in the blink of an eye.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The original series episode with Duplica had Jessie's um, "encouragement", curing Ditto of its Shapeshifting problems[[note]]Ditto keeps its face when it transforms[[/note]]. It wasn't by accident, either; that was what they were planning to do in the first place.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Although she comes from a poor family.
* NobodyTouchesTheHair: A pack of Scyther ended up cutting her hair just to spite her, and was barely able to avoid Jessie's wrath.
** When Seviper bit her hair, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown she single-handedly beat the crap out of it and captured it]] while James and Meowth watched in terror and amazement. Since then, Seviper stayed with her for eight whole seasons and nearly 380 episodes -- ''longer than she had Arbok!''
** Yanmega is among very few to avoid Jessie's wrath, perching on her head as another of the team's odd recurring gestures of affection. Jessie finds this irritating, though puts up with it.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: She managed to win the mandatory three Princess Keys to enter the Kalos Master Class. We only see her win one however (against Serena) with the other two getting only passing mention as the trio celebrate her induction.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: It's mentioned in the English dub that her full name is "Jessica".
* ParentalAbandonment: Jessie's mother went missing when she was a young child and her father has never been spoken of. She ended up growing up in a foster home in impoverished conditions.
* PetTheDog: Some of her interactions with her own Pokémon. Particularly her Dustox, who she sees as beautiful, and Wobbuffet, although she doesn't want to admit it regarding the latter.
* PimpedOutDress: Dons these ensembles for Contests.
* PsychoticSmirk: Whenever she's planning her latest scheme...if not an outright SlasherSmile.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Until ''Best Wishes'', Jessie has always had a poisonous snake Pokémon on her team.
* TheRival: In Diamond/Pearl (she was an UnknownRival throughout ''Advanced Generation''). You know she's gotten more competent at the Contest thing when she manages to ''actually win a Ribbon!''
** She wins enough to go to the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and only her last was not earned fairly but given by Salvia (Dawn already had 5).
** Played with in the Kalos showcases where she started off at her Hoenn-level incompetence, but slowly improved against Serena and won enough Princess Keys to make it all the way to the semi finals.
* ShesGotLegs: As mentioned above, she has lovely long legs that are wrapped in thigh high boots. Jessie has never been shy about using them to her advantage when disguising herself at times.
* ShooTheDog:
** In "Ignorance is Blissey", to protect the eponymous Pokémon which is Jessie's old friend. The circumstances even fit three of the four listed reasons on the trope page!
** Arbok and Dustox were also released by her for their own safety.
* SignatureMon: Arbok. Even though at this point three times as many episodes have aired since the episode it was released in and she's had Wobbuffet for far longer, Jessie is still heavily associated with Arbok. She's been shown to own a number of Arbok themed merchandise, and she once imagined having a bedroom also themed around the species.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Well she is part of Team Rocket, so she is no stranger to AmusingInjuries.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: According to Takeshi Shudo, "Musashi (Jessie), is a beautiful woman and suffers from the hardships of being beautiful. These experiences aren’t quite complete, but there is plenty of them. Well, it’s not that she can’t say that she easily falls in love because she can’t become a world-class beauty".
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Even to this day, fans still misspell her name as "Jesse", probably to be more accurate to her and James' namesake.
* StrawLoser: Her alter ego "Jessalina" had a constant losing streak (even pointed out by Harley), with the sole purpose of making May and other contestants look more competent as coordinators. This was before the Sinnoh region where she TookALevelInBadass.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: With her mother.
* TeamRocketWins: In the Sinnoh era, she manages to win enough Pokémon contests to reach the finals (compared to Hoenn where she never won once). She did the same for the Kalos showcases. It's also a case of...
* ThrowTheDogABone: Throughout the early parts of the series, she often fantasizes about owning a Smoochum. Halfway through the DP saga, during the Summer school arc, she gets to (temporarily) take care of one of her own.
* ThroughHisStomach: Jessie's shown a propensity to both be won over by or to show others gratitude/affection through food. Jessie has difficulty showing kindness, but one surefire way to tell she's trying to thank someone or cheer them up is if she gives them food or drink. Given her background of growing up so dirt poor that she sometimes ate snow, this makes a lot of sense.
* TokenEvilTeammate: While Jessie still has sympathetic moments, Meowth and James have outright turned against their Team Rocket ways when the situation needs it or when their morals come into conflict with the situation, but Jessie will still try to steal the Pokémon even if she's alone. This element was more evident in early episodes, where she even threatened to betray her comrades if they hindered progress (such as trying to replace Meowth for a Sneasel).
* TookALevelInBadass: As a coordinator. In the Hoenn era she was essentially a StrawLoser for May and other contestants, always failing or [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat resorting to cheating]]. In Sinnoh era she proves more talented, and wins several ribbons through legitimate skill. This ends up repeated in the Kalos showcases, getting enough Princess Keys to become a semi finalist and [[WorthyOpponent often getting audience approval even when losing.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: In ''Sun and Moon'', she develops a liking to malasadas.
* {{Tsundere}}: While all three of the trio have this trait to some extent, Jessie definitely has it the strongest. She puts up the harshest front of them all, and shows the most dogged resistance to outwardly show kindness or gratitude, even in moments where she clearly wants to.
* TsurimeEyes: They're associated with [[ProudBeauty pride]] and strong will, suitably.
* UncattyResemblance: Her hairstyle and vain demeanor makes her resemble her Arbok.
* UnknownRival:
** Jessie was competing against May in Contests during the Hoenn era, yet she barely recognises her; Jessie was in disguise and using an alias, but still. To add insult to injury, despite doing much better in the Sinnoh contests, she still failed miserably in the one contest May returned for.
** Out of Serena's main rivals in the showcases, Jessie earned her attention the least. This was less out of effectiveness however[[note]]Jessie was the only rival other than Shauna to have a win against her[[/note]], and more because, due to working in disguise, Serena didn't have a personal rivalry with her. She obliviously considered her a {{Friendly Rival}} after "Jessilie" helped with her public Tripokalon however.
* UnstoppableRage: Don't make her angry. [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Ever.]]
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She really doesn't like rollercoasters.
* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing:
** Jessie has managed to catch several Pokémon just by tossing a Poké Ball at them, no battling or even befriending required. Lickitung, Wurmple, and Pumpkaboo are fully-invoked examples of this.
** Subverted with Seviper and Yanma. Jessie personally [[UnstoppableRage beat Seviper into submission]] for messing up her hair, while Yanma had already been weakened by another trainer when [[EvilIsPetty she swiped it from underneath him]].
--->'''Jessie:''' [[LampshadeHanging Underhand]]!
** {{Averted|Trope}} with Mimikyu. It swatted two regular Poké Balls away effortlessly. She swiped a Luxury Ball that James had, and that one did the trick. Still, she didn't have to battle it.
* {{Womanchild}}: Her behavior can be downright childish sometimes.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Jessie's hair went from fire engine red to magenta.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:James (Kojirou)]]
!!'''James (Kojirou)'''
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jamesrocket_9067.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:...And make it double!]]

-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/TedLewis (4Kids, original), Creator/EricStuart (4Kids), Creator/JimmyZoppi (EN, current)
-->'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/JoseAntonioMacias, Creator/EduardoGarza (flashbacks as a kid)
-->'''Voiced in European French by:''' David Manet, Thomas Roditi (Movies ''Pokémon 4Ever'' and ''Destiny Deoxys''), Luc Boulad (Movie ''Jirachi: Wish Maker'')

Jessie's somewhat dim-witted foil. He'll often take the role of OnlySaneMan to counter his colleague's more bizarre ideas.
----
* AbusiveParents: The fact that a once-innocent, still-gentle boy would rather stand by his luckless miscreant career at his age than return to a cozy mansion indicates at ''least'' ParentalNeglect. "Holy Matrimony!" of the first season, however, cements his parents as these. They feign death just to manipulate James into settling down and becoming their idea of a proper high-society member; and the woman they've designated as his fiancée owns a whip for scaring James into deference. [[FromBadToWorse As though it weren't enough, she's implied strongly to be a multiple-time sexual assaulter]]. And his parents remain supportive of her ways! "Poor guy" would be an {{Understatement}}.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: "Excuse me? Ditching a diamond for a dumb disguise makes you dumber than it!"
* AmusingInjuries: James' Grass Pokémon will, at least OncePerEpisode, show him affection, which usually involves hurting him in some way, but always PlayedForLaughs.
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: Apparently the case for him after being poisoned by his over-affectionate Mareanie nearly every single day. When a wild Toxapex poisons him, he's out of commission for only one day, when supposedly it normally takes three whole days to recover from Toxapex poison.
* ArtEvolution: James' haircut design has gone through a subtle change over the years. It began as a fairly straight-cut bob-length [[NinetiesHair curtain hairstyle]], but the ends have gotten progressively messier with each season and look positively jagged now.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Due to being a Masked Royal fan, he can tell the difference between the eponymous wrestler's own mask and a conventional one for merchandise since the former has very minute differences to specifically fit his face.
* BadassBoast: When he and Jessie were partnered up in Team Rocket.
-->'''Jessie:''' Listen up, James. I hope you're good because I'm not going to carry you.
-->'''James:''' No one's carried me since my momma.
* BadassNormal: Watch him in ''Best Wishes'' - he doesn't even capture any Pokémon until [=BW025=]!
* BerserkButton: Damage his beloved bottle-cap collection in any way, and face the consequences of his wrath towards the offending party.
* {{Bishonen}}: Coupled with him being quite flamboyant, James has the feminine face to match. So much so that he's able to dress like a woman quite convincingly.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: James is the kindest and most compliant member of the trio and often ends up going along with Jessie and/or Meowth's plans even when his heart isn't necessarily into it. However, he ''will'' assert himself if his buttons get pushed hard enough. He loudly condemns his parents for their lifelong mistreatment of him when he's forced to confront them, and he personally puts a stop to Jessie and Meowth when they try to steal from James' beloved "Nanny and Pop-pop".
* BlackComedyRape: There is what is essentially a domestic near-rape scene in "Holy Matrimony!" that's ''just'' ambiguous enough to get away with in a kids show. James' fiancée, Jessebelle, along with his pressuring parents, remind him that as a "gentleman of property", it's his duty to marry his fiancée and '''produce an heir'''. They trick him into entering a torture chamber then Jessebelle chases him around while cracking a whip. James' parents remark that James and Jessebelle are the perfect couple. Jessebelle puts on a gas mask and paralyzes him with Stun Spore. James wails in a resigned tone that ''she's done this before'', and passes out. When he comes to, yet is still somewhat paralyzed, Jessebelle draws close to him, as if for a kiss or some other sexual act. James gets rescued. Jessebelle tries to paralyze him again, but fails. James mentions that he ran away from home as a kid to get away from her. Jessebelle comes for him ''again'' in [=DP153=], but he manages to escape.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In contrast to his usually passive demeanor, James does not hold back in loudly criticizing and resisting the way his parents try to control his life after they manipulate him into coming home and basically hold him captive.
* CampStraight: He's flamboyant, is the more passive foil to Jessie's temper, and has crossdressed well over a dozen times (he even ''had breasts'' in one episode), but has fallen for a few women and has shown to have liked Jessebelle when they [[PuppyLove first met]].
* TheChewToy: Many of his Pokémon love his face a little too much.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: Bottle caps. It's SeriousBusiness to him.
** James has also been seen collecting old coins, pogs, and soda can tabs; though bottle caps are his primary focus for collecting.
** He also apparently has a collection of the different Pokéball variations.
* CowardlyLion: Despite being the least aggressive of the trio, he's managed incredible feats. In [=SM058=], he flings an attacking Tentacruel a great distance back into the ocean to protect his Mareanie. Keep in mind the canon weight for a Tentacruel is 55kg / 121 lb.
* {{Crossdresser}}: "[[ValleyGirl Like]], don't I make the ''coooolest'' girl?" [[https://i.imgur.com/0WGN84E.jpg Indeed.]] And he took this to the extreme in the first banned episode (trying to make a few bucks off of a swimsuit contest). The creators have admitted this came about simply because in storyboard stages when the staff were putting Team Rocket in Rose of Versailles costumes, they decided James looked better than Jessie in Marie Antoinette's frilly dress, and the trend stuck.
-->'''Jessie:''' Stop acting like an ignoramus!
* CrossPoppingVeins: Along with Jessie when Ash and friends poke fun at them.
-->'''James:''' (''equally irked'') To '''''unite''''' all peoples within our nation, ''not'' '''ignite!'''
* CrushingHandshake: Brock learns in S01 that he has a ''very'' firm handshake. Judging from the blatant smirk on his face, it was intentional (and successfully) meant to intimidate. [[CharacterizationMarchesOn Surprisingly]], both Meowth and ''Jessie'' were a lot more no-nonsense about shaking hands with the twerps.
* CutenessProximity: Since Hoenn, most of his Pokémon are adorable balls of fluff one would not expect from a criminal organisation. Accordingly, his treatment of them is humorously sickly sweet at times as well.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: As mentioned under HiddenDepths, he could rival Brock as a breeder if he didn't think Team Rocket was his calling.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: In [=OS139=], James says other kids beat him up on a daily basis due to the way he dressed. In [=AG147=], it is revealed that his housekeepers and private tutors physically abused him.
* DefectorFromDecadence: To avoid an arranged marriage.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: He shows an aversion to this several times, like in the Pokémon Orienteering episode, where Jessie and Meowth give him an option of DungeonBypass, and he outright refuses to take it (although it was also because the route they spotted for him was going to be rough for Mime Jr.) as well as in Cosplay competition, where he and Mime Jr. both go into a HeroicBSOD after Jessie and Meowth decide to just steal the prize (the egg that will soon become Brock's Happiny).
* DisproportionateRetribution: In "''Flint Sparks the Fire''", a trash collecting droid picks up James' prized bottle cap as trash. It resulted in him being a little ''too'' enthusiastic in Team Rocket's scheme in the next episode: ''stealing the '''Sunyshore Tower'''''. Then again, this is James and bottle caps we're talking about...
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Even accounting for the trio's eventual group descent into comedic ineffectuality, James's personality was markedly different for a good chunk of the first season [[CharacterizationMarchesOn compared to what has become standard for him]]. While he has always been the more yielding and sensitive member of the team, he was also a ''much'' vainer, nastier person in those early episodes (that is to say, his personality was similar to Jessie's) and it wasn't uncommon for him to impart physical harm and scathing insults to his Pokémon, things that would be jarringly out of character for him now.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** Yes, James was subject to an oppressive childhood, but his fondest memories are with his Nanny and Pop-Pop. He loves them so much, that he even refuses to participate in Jessie and Meowth's scheme to steal the Pokémon there.
-->'''Jessie:''' Traitor!
-->'''Meowth:''' Why are ya sidin' with the twerps?
-->'''James:''' I'm siding with Nanny and Pop-Pop!!
** He's also shown to develop extremely strong loving bonds with the Pokémon he obtains. He treats them almost like his children.
* EvilGenius:
** [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzags]]. If someone needs to work a computer or machine, James will be the guy. Otherwise, he's hardly ever evil genius material.
** In BW and later, James has shown increasing traits of a mad scientist, including maniacal laughter and a commanding presence, an addiction to computer hacking, an attachment to his machines, and a sadistic thrill from mayhem and destruction. As a kid, there were some echoes of this. He loved playing with science kits ([=DP021=]), he studied ancient languages ([=OS241=]), and manned a private rocket ([=DP153=]), not to mention that his father is a superb mecha builder ([=DP153=]).
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: A ''male'' Toxapex (his Mareanie's former crush) ends up falling in love with him.
* ExtremeDoormat: Often recessive (if not outright terrified) of Jessie. It's implied this behavior was due to what his previous home life as like. [[BewareTheNiceOnes He can snap back on occasions however]] (see below).
* GyaruGirl: Episode 16 of the original series shows James don the disguise of a Ganguro. He wears a school uniform with sweater, has a dark tan, platinum blond wig, and thinks everything is '''COOL~~~!''' Jessie's own version of the disguise was not as pronounced.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: While James is technically a villain, within the context of those he cares about James is shown to have ''extremely'' little self worth. He has repeatedly shown an inclination to sacrifice himself or cut himself off for the sake of his friends because he believes [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy things will be better that way]], regardless of what they actually feel.
** He's even called out on this in ''Sun & Moon'' by a ''wild pokémon'' of all things, when he tries to release his Mareanie because he thinks she would be happier living in the wild with a Toxapex that she crushed on in the past. The Toxapex realizes that the notion of being released is upsetting Mareanie, and actually attacks James for making her cry.
* HiddenDepths: He has a ''very'' good relationship with his Pokémon, and talented in several other fields that could make him a talented breeder. In fact, he captures almost all of his Pokémon with just a few words and some food. On a rare occasion, he only had to do the former.
* HollywoodHacking: In [=BW15=].
* HyperCompetentSidekick: While Jessie's more assertive personality means she often calls the shots for the team and ''both'' she and James are portrayed as being bumbling morons most of the time, James is shown to have a broader skillset than Jessie: He maintains a number of miscellaneous skills that he learned from his rich upbringing, is generally much better at handling technology than Jessie is, and, in part because he's more levelheaded than her, is more likely to rationally look at and solve a problem they're dealing with. He is also shown to be better than her at battling, at least in terms of basic strategy.
* ImageSong: "Lucky Lucky," about his romantic relationship with a woman he met at a nightclub.
* InsistentTerminology:
-->'''Meowth:''' Don't you worry your pretty blue head, I got a plan.
-->'''James:''' ''It's lavender.''
* {{Irony}}:
** James ran away from home to escape his [[ParentalNeglect uncaring parents]], a domineering betrothed and being beaten up by little kids, only to join an organization with an [[BigBad uncaring boss]] and a [[FieryRedhead domineering partner]] and ''still'' get beaten up by little kids. [[TrueCompanions But he wouldn't have it any other way.]]
** His increasing HiddenDepths as a talented breeder come off as amusing, given [[{{Flanderization}} it's sometimes hard to remember]] the actual established breeder of the series. Even more amusingly, James also isn't that lucky with the ladies.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** Attempts to do this to Inkay, deciding he would be happier living in a forest of its own kind than with the team. Inkay refuses however, being [[UndyingLoyalty Undyingly Loyal]] to James.
** Tries to do this to Mareanie as well, complete with ShooTheDog, after a Toxapex she crushed over reappears. Toxapex however, realising how much James care for her, beats him to it and makes him battle for her.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Even though he has no moral issues with always trying to steal Pokémon as a member of Team Rocket, James really is a nice guy at heart. His close friendship with Jessie and Meowth is the only reason why he doesn't ever leave Team Rocket or do a complete HeelFaceTurn. There were a few episodes where he goes ''against'' Jessie to help the kids because he felt moved to aid them.
* KickTheDog:
** Him literally kicking Magikarp into the sea when he doesn't want to be its master anymore in ''Pokémon Shipwreck'' comes to mind. The end result did not go well for neither him, nor the people around him.
** There was also the time he did the same thing with Mankey in ''Primeape Goes Bananas'', once again, the end result did not go well for anybody, including himself.
** Also, he's the one who operates the machine that saps Carracosta's life force at Twist Mountain in ''Best Wishes''.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: He says this word for word when Team Rocket's plan to steal the Poké Balls from the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center fails in "Battle for the Underground!"
* LargeHam: He is this in the English Dub courtesy of Creator/EricStuart where Stuart dramatically pronounces some of his lines:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzfg0aBE19Y BEHOLD!]].
** Lessened with his current actor Creator/JimmyZoppi, though he's still far from a subversion.
* LickedByTheDog: When he first met both Cacnea and Carnivine. Much to his chagrin.
* LiteralMinded: In an episode of season 1, he and Jessie take the phrase "underwater ballet" literally (it was actually a costumed synchronized swimming show that was going on), and he wears a pink camisole leotard and tutu.
* LonelyRichKid: A rich boy who ''hated'' his restricted lifestyle, which is why he ran away from home and eventually joined Team Rocket.
* {{Manchild}}: Prone to childish sulking or sobbing. His demeanour around Jessie often comes off like that of a bullied toddler.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Feminine Boy to Jessie's Masculine Girl.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: The Team Rocket trio as a whole is a [[EpicFail less evil than they try to be]], but James crosses the line into outright ''nice'' on a frequent basis. Of the three, he's by far the most likely to perform a selfless act. He's called truces with the main cast on a few occasions where [[PetTheDog Chimecho or Mime Jr.]] were at stake, and told them off (and once, even outright ''attacked'') his other teammates for breaking it.
** Of course, come ''Best Wishes'', he's a lot more dangerous.
* MrExposition: If a Pokédex isn't around, he often provides information on new Pokémon using cards.
** In ''Sun and Moon'', he does it using a tourist guide.
* NatureLover: While he's had many different typed Pokémon over the years, he shows a noticeable preference for Grass-types. He frequently touts the importance of recycling, upcycling, using biodegradable materials, saving water, and other environmental concerns. When he can afford to, he uses herbal shampoo and eats organic food. He enjoys outdoor activities such as orienteering and PokéRinging (navigating and reading weather patterns). In [=OS110=], he knows which plant will cure Jessie from Stun Spore and how to prepare it.
* NiceGuy: Outside of Team Rocket, he is a rather pleasant guy to be around with.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Brock speculates that James only joined Team Rocket because he wanted liberation from his oppressive and controlling home life. Indeed, compared to Jessie, Meowth, and basically every other Team Rocket member encountered, James never acts particularly motivated to do crime or climb the ranks. Where Jessie has ambitions of being a top field agent and Meowth makes no secret of his desire to become the boss's favorite pet Pokémon, James is largely just happy to be with his teammates and support them. He is also often left looking lost and aimless on the rare occasions they split up.
* OnlySaneMan: He's more level-headed than either of his colleagues - at times, even ''he'' would find Meowth's [[ImagineSpot Boss Fantasies]] a little too Farfetch'd (while Jessie usually went along with them). He's also the least likely to grip the VillainBall, knowing that sometimes they can make progress ''without'' taking amoral measures.
* OutOfCharacterMoment:
** Overall, James is typically the most laid back member of Team Rocket, being a borderline MinionWithAnFInEvil...except for that one time when he tried to kill Ash with Moltres' Flames.
** [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness In an early arc]], James angrily kicked a Magikarp out of his team for being useless (leading to a karmic assault when it instantly evolved into a Gyarados afterwards). This is very much in contrast with later Pokémon seasons where James cares for his Pokémon deeply and values their companionship rather than thinking of them as tools; He's even gone as far as avoiding using two of them in battle because he viewed them to be akin to young children, and he worried for their safety. Although in fairness given the circumstances surrounding the Magikarp and the situation they were in(James had gotten ripped off after he spent a bunch of money on it, it's incompetence nearly got them drowned, they were currently starving and the Magikarp proved it wasn't even good for eating.) it's possible to interpret this more of a RageBreakingPoint or OOCIsSeriousBusiness.
* OverusedRunningGag: Victreebel, Cacnea, Chimecho, Carnivine, and Mareanie affectionately biting/hugging him.
* OverprotectiveDad: Has shades of this, behaving like an extremely doting parent towards his Pokémon in general, but with Chimecho and later Mime Jr especially.
* PetTheDog:
** Several times, but literally in "Holy Matrimony". Poor Growlie.
** It's worth noting that Weepinbell is the ''only'' Pokémon he ever caught by battling - most notably, Cacnea and Yamask (who he fed), and Carnivine (who he pulled free from a marsh) show that he's the most likely of the trio to show compassion without any desire for something in return (though Jessie and Meowth sometimes do so as well). He did somewhat trick Inkay though. He offered Inkay some food, and then threw a Pokéball at it while it was distracted. Regardless Inkay loves James as his trainer, as proven when James [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy believed he'd be happier released to a forest of his own kind.]]
** There is also the few occasions where he chooses to aid the very kids he is trying to steal their Pokémon from, without any ulterior motive.
** In XY, he once (covertly) helped Serena's Braixen get over having her stick broken. He was so happy about it, he congratulated her for learning Fire Blast while Team Rocket was being blasted off.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Not unlike Ash, most of the "captures" James made throughout the series are of Pokémon that ''willingly'' wanted to be part of his team, and there was no need for battling Cacnea, Chimecho, Mime Jr., Carnivine, Yamask or Inkay.
* PrecisionFStrike: In the second episode of DP, Dawn doesn't recognize Team Rocket. What he says next in the English dub must've certainly [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch charmed the socks off]] any Brit who happened to be watching:
-->'''James''': "That's why she doesn't know a bloody thing about us, there's no Sinnoh Team Rocket branch!"
* PrincelyYoungMan: The PrinceCharming type.
* PungeonMaster: [[http://www.bulbagarden.net/~dogasu/lyrics/pocket_monsters/lucky_lucky.html His image song]] has a ''ton'' of Pokémon puns.
* RealMenWearPink: Apart from certain disguises of his, he's studied ballet.
* RebelRelaxation: When he first meets Jessie during Team Rocket training, he is posed this way.
* RichesToRags: James is part of a wealthy family but ran away to escape from his fiancee Jessebelle and the pressures of his family.
* RunawayFiance: Whose betrothed looks suspiciously like '' Jessie'', for some reason.
** Ironically, it's ''much'' later revealed that James really ''did'' fall in love with Jessebelle, up to the point that he was ''actually planning to ask her hand in marriage''. Her dominating and pretentious personality (that, and she wanted James to get rid of Growlie in favor of a Skitty) was the reason that he changed his mind.
* RunningGag:
** Apart from a Weepinbell (that was battled and caught offscreen), James never battles any of the Pokémon he catches, and almost all of his on-screen captures have involved [[TastesLikeFriendship feeding]] them in some way, or otherwise making some other positive first impression.
** Somehow he has a knack for catching dangerous Pokémon that end up loving him so much that they [[TheGlomp glomp]] him in [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength unfortunately painful ways]].
** He also repeatedly gets scammed by the Magikarp Salesman. At least once he caught on beforehand however, leading to a comical chase.
** In the [[GagDub Latin American dub]], replacing his motto with references and gags became a tradition. For example, he constantly replaces "to the stars above!" part of his motto with a real life place like Acapulco, or a fictional place like [[Series/ElChavoDelOcho "la vecindad del Chavo"]]. It came to a point in later seasons where he doesn't even bother with the motto and just says whatever the translators can think of.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: James clearly takes after his dad, lacking only his father's nose and moustache. His father even also has his hair parted down the center with a single out of place cowlick.
* SmokeOut: He repeats Weezing's feat by means of an ordinary smoke bomb.
* SuckMyRose: James is often seen brandishing a rose during the Rocket motto. In [=OS028=], he explains that, "Roses are the flowers of love and romance." However, overtime this became rarer, to the point it completely vanished in ''Best Wishes''.
** As of the ''XY'' anime series this motif of his has made a return, although instead of being red, his new roses of choice are blue.
* SupremeChef: In the mini Pokemon Camp arc of ''XY,'' he, Jessie, And James are hired as chefs. James does all the cooking. His cooking is not only complimented by Ash and co and the other campers, but it's also praised by their immediate supervisor Madame Catherine. She even promotes the trio because of this.
* TaughtByExperience: [[StatusQuoIsGod One-episode deal]] in "Fighting Ire with Fire", where James' plan-of-the-week is actually ingenious: trap the twerps first before capturing their Pokémon. They would have actually even won if it weren't for Monferno going UnstoppableRage.
* TeamRocketWins: Of the three, James is the most likely to enter competitions with a scrupulous strategy that leads him to sometimes win or at least get a near victory through completely honest means.
** He once participated in a cross country race and came in first place (unfortunately for his allies [[BecomingTheMask he got a bit too into his disguise and gave the heroes his prize]]).
** He also won one of Jessie's Sinnoh ribbons for her by [[SweetPollyOliver disguising himself and taking her place at a contest]] when she was ill. Notably, this places him as the only main character to win a Contest ''on his first try''.
* TheLittleDetecto: In "Team on Team Tussle!", he pulls out a gadget he calls the "Z-Crystal Locating Device", or the "Lame-o-Thousand Machine" as Meowth puts it as he just bought it at a pawn shop some time ago. It actually works, but it gets smashed in the same episode.
* TricksterMentor: Of an unusual sort in "Mending a Broken Spirit", where he uses one of his costumes to help Serena bond with Braixen, [[TraumaButton having related to it over the episode's dilemma]].
* TraumaButton: The word "fiancé" gives him the heebie-jeebies. Although it might just be with aggressive girls, as [[LoveRedeems he earnestly considers doing actual acts of heroism for a while]] and staying with "me — I mean, us" after the sweet and shy Kate/Rose's FreudianSlip of a WackyMarriageProposal.
* TsurimeEyes
* UncattyResemblance: His haircut makes him so strongly resemble a Mareanie that his own Mareanie falls in love with him. Apart from that, his Mareanie's backstory shares similarities to his own, namely that they both were poorly treated by a former love interest only to end up companions to individuals who resemble those love interests (James resembles a Mareanie, Jessie resembles James' fiancé Jessebelle).
* UpperClassTwit: Before he ran away from his family's vast wealth. Now he's [[TheDitz just a twit]].
* WackyMarriageProposal: Temacu and Kate declare themselves engaged to him in bizarre circumstances. He accepts their proposals but the plans fall through. Also, the Ghost of Maiden's Peak tries to kill him so he can be her husband in the afterlife. He is excited at first but becomes frightened, so Jessie rescues him. He is currently engaged to Jessebelle.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: While the zany circumstances it tends to be part of mean James crossdressing is nevertheless PlayedForLaughs, James still tends to pull it off ''very'' well, and is often treated as perfectly passable and sometimes even attractive while doing so in-universe - for example, when he had to pose as Jessilina in the Lilypad Contest to win a sick Jessie another Sinnoh ribbon, not only did Lyra fawn over how cute his outfit was, but he managed to ''win'' the entire contest with complete adoration, to the point Jessie felt envious he was getting more praise than she did!
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: When he thinks his parents are dead, he says he would rather die than go to their funeral.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] on occasion.
-->''It's lavender.''
** In ''Sun and Moon'', it really becomes a thorn in his side when a Mareanie falls in love with him specially ''because'' his hair color and haircut makes him resemble another Mareanie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Meowth (Nyarth)]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meowthrocket_9004.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Meowth, [[VerbalTic Dat's Right]]!]]

-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Nathan Price (4Kids, original), Creator/MaddieBlaustein (4Kids), [[Creator/JimmyZoppi Carter Cathcart]] (current)
-->'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Genaro Vásquez
-->'''Voiced in European French by:''' Nessym Guetat (Season 1-8, Movies 1-5 + ''Destiny Deoxys'', ''Mewtwo Returns'', and ''The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon'', first episode of ''Pokémon Chronicles''), Philippe Tasquin (Season 9-current, Movies 8-current, rest of ''Pokémon Chronicles'')

The third Team Rocket member. Team Rocket's Meowth, in a rarity for his species (and Pokémon in general), is fully capable of normal human speech. He is rather useless in battle due to spending most of his efforts on speaking and walking like a human. Meowth is oddly philosophical, which doubtlessly helps him tolerate the endless beatings his group receives. He longs for the favor of Giovanni, which has led to [[ImagineSpot strange daydreams]] about the Boss Rocket in recent seasons.
----
* AbandonedPetInABox: In the "Go West Young Meowth" episode, it's shown that Meowth was abandoned as a kitten in a nest. He grew up on the streets with [[ParentalAbandonment no parents]], gang, or trainer.
* AbortedArc: He mentioned ''once'' during the Diamond/Pearl series that he's training himself to learn Night Slash...and no mention of this was ever made again.
** His ability to speak human language was also going to be ''pivotal'' in a big storyline planned by the former head writer ever since he wrote Meowth's origin episode but this never came to be.
* AcePilot: He's almost always piloting the team's latest HumongousMecha, and on many occasions, is very fluent and formidable in it.
* AffectionateNickname: On occasion in the dub while Maddie Blaustein was his voice, Meowth would call James "Jimmy".
** Until it evolved into Monferno, he called [[SympathyForTheHero Ash's Chimchar]] "Chimmy".
* AnimalsNotToScale: Downplayed case. Meowths are listed as being 1'04" in height in their bio (the exact same as Pikachu). In the anime, Meowth stands as tall as 1'08" or even some 2'00" size Pokémon such as Squirtle. This arguably makes him more within the size of an actual cat however.
* AnthropomorphicShift: While Meowth always walked on two legs and spoke, in the first season he would occasionally do cat-like things such as play with balls of yarn or chase his tail. He never does this in later seasons.
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: It's implied the show catches Meowth in the middle of one during the trio's introduction, with him occasionally boasting he's on special terms with Giovanni (the English dub translates this into him being a LeaderWannabe). In both cases, Meowth gradually deflates after Giovanni is introduced and it becomes obvious that he is anything but.
* ArtEvolution: Similar to Pikachu, Meowth's design became a bit leaner and more expressive as seasons passed.
* AsYouKnow: Suffers from this fate routinely, because he's the only character who can translate Pokémon for not only the characters, but the audience, so even when he's not with a human, he usually ends up just repeating exactly what the Pokémon just said back at them so the viewers aren't just hearing one side of the conversation.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: He's capable of Gigantamaxing and does so for the first time in [=JN=]044.
* BadassNormal: Meowth's abilities, while fairly poor for a Pokémon, seem pretty talented for a human being. Not only can he walk, talk and use his front paws like a human, he's a competent pilot and engineer, shows valid acrobatic skill and is even a good musician and cook. It has been Lampshaded that Meowth could easily become TheAce in a legitimate career if he didn't like being a bad guy so much.
* BlessedWithSuck: All the effort he took to learn how to walk upright and talk has left him unable to use the SignatureMove of his species: Pay Day. [[MediumAwareness He mentions that it's because he used up all his "move slots"]].
** Or battle competently at all most of the time, for that matter.
* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Meowth, as a Pokémon, is usually a feeble battler, so utilises manipulation, trickery and his fluency with gadgets to help the trio try and catch the powerful but occasionally simple minded Ash and Pikachu.
* BreakTheCutie: In "Go West Young Meowth" basically every human treated him cruelly and the other Pokémon weren't much better.
* BrickBreak: Posing as a Croagunk, he '''[[EpicFail fails]]''' at it.
* {{Catchphrase}}: Exclusive to the Mexican Spanish dub, he would often yell "''¡Ájale jaleo!''" [[note]]"Ájale" is a Mexican slang for surprise similar to "¡Híjole!", and "jaleo" means "fuss" [[/note]] when surprised or scared. This was dropped after Season 12, with the dub studio change.
* CatsAreMean: He is famous for being the TeamPet of a villainous trio. However, he is probably also the most {{Anti Villain}}ous out of them. Sometimes he even [[GoKartingWithBowser engages in friendly activities with the protagonist's Pokémon]] in the side-story episodes.
* CatsAreSnarkers: Usually aiming his jabs at [[GoldfishPoopGang Jessie and James]].
--> '''Jessie & James:''' (''wearing ridiculous dance outfits'') This has to be our greatest plan yet!\\
'''Meowth:''' Dat's what worries me.
* CallingYourAttacks: Seems to have picked this up in Unova.
--> FURY SWIPES!
** ItMakesSenseInContext. In [=EP050=], "Who Gets to Keep Togepi?", when he battles the twerps in a mini-tournament for Togepi, he acts as his own trainer, complete with ordering ''himself'' to execute attacks. This trope, as the series goes forward, is likely an extension of the idea that Meowth is technically a ''wild'' Pokémon, and does not nominally have his own trainer.
* CanonImmigrant: Alongside the team's appearances in ''Yellow'' and [[RecursiveAdaptation games based on the anime]], Team Rocket's Meowth was specifically distributable during certain special download events for ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. Keeping to the nature of its anime characterisation it had [[CombatPragmatist an underhanded move set]] along with Fury Swipes, [[SmokeOut a smoke ball item]], and a fairly low level.
* ChekhovsSkill: His talent for [[MundaneUtility preparing food with Fury Swipes]] in "Noodles: Romin' Off" ended up developed on and reused in several Pokémon Contests he attended for Jessie. By the time of Kalos he seems to be a full on culinary genius.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: You know those famous "Boss Fantasies" where [[TheComicallySerious Giovanni]] is depicted doing ridiculous or mundane things with the Mon of the Week, when the reality is that their boss is a cold-blooded sociopath who (prior to near the end of DP) ''loathed'' the trio? ''Most'' of them come from Meowth.
* CombatPragmatist: Since he's not a particularly strong battler, he often uses more underhanded and crafty tactics when attacking Pokémon.
** He managed to knock out Brock's Onix with a single Fury Swipes after splashing it with water from a nearby bucket. Despite Brock's protests, this was counted as a legitimate victory.
** Against Ash's Pikachu toe-to-toe [[CurbstompBattle he'd be down in one thundershock]]. Fighting using a mech or gadget however, he can give him a run for his money.
** In the original series, he neutralised a Rhydon by using "Tickle" attack on it, and distracted Ash's Bulbasaur by using a "Fake Out" attack. These would normally be considered legit, but Meowth used these attacks ''before'' they were introduced as official moves in the games.
* ComicallyLopSidedRivalry: In terms of proper Pokémon battling, Meowth is usually on the losing side of this, most prominently against Pikachu. It took until "A Frenzied Factory Fiasco" all the way in ''XY'' for Meowth to land ''a single attack'' on him. As a result Meowth usually sticks to scheming and artillery based confrontations, which, as often as he loses, can at least be more even handed.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: When he's angry and delusional enough, he's a surprisingly competent battler:
** He fainted Barry's Empoleon with a single Fury Swipes, which it should be noted, it ''resists''. However just a couple episodes later, he couldn't even break a display case with the same attack.
** His [[ThePowerOfLove "Fury Swipes Of Love"]] takes the cake in this department, where Meowth demolishes Seviper, Carnivine, Yanmega, [[LadyOfWar Togekiss]], Staraptor, and [[EverythingIsBetterWithMonkeys Infernape]].
** In "The Grass Route" Jessie uses him in a battle tournament disguised as a Sunflora. Due to Ash's overconfidence and not expecting any of Meowth's attacks from a Sunflora, Meowth actually spends most of the fight demolishing Bulbasaur.
** He helped significantly against Team Plasma in an EnemyMine in "What Lies Beyond Truth And Ideals", even managing to [[CurbstompBattle decimate several Pokémon by himself.]]
** In general, Meowth's Fury Swipes aren't weak, just slow and clumsy, making him very easy to out stealth. Most of the rare times he's focused enough to land one, [[DeathOrGloryAttack they're very painful]], even against prominent fighters like Pikachu. He also proves to have prehensile ability with them, once even using them block a Hidden Attack against Fennekin.
** Despite his poor track record in Pokémon battles, he sometimes proves talented in Pokémon performance contests. This is especially evident in the Kalos Showcases, (which lack battle contests) where he was competent in nearly all stage themes and almost always helped Jessie reach a top place.
* CurbStompBattle: Most of his battles cultimate as this, [[TeamRocketWins even the occasional ones that he wins oddly enough]]. See ThePowerOfLove below.
* CuteKitten: Early Kanto had him doing some kittenish stuff, like playing with yarn balls.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: He can understand Pokéspeak ''and'' speak English. He could be ''filthy rich'' if he tried using his skills for a job as a translator rather than a mafia goon.
** Lampshaded in "Jumping Rocket Ship" when the twerps point out one of many possible futures for a talking Meowth (becoming a TV sensation).
** In "Noodles: Romin' Off" he almost quits the team to become a skilled noodle chef due to his precise Fury Swipes.
** During the time he spends with Ash's group in BW, he acts as a "negotiator" in a couple of episodes.
* DeadpanSnarker: So very much.
-->'''James:''' ''[on a beam miles from the ground]'' How long do you think it will take to go down?
-->'''Meowth:''' [[AskAStupidQuestion About 3 seconds if we jump]].
* DeathGlare: Gave the Dream Thief a ''hilariously'' angry look in ''Best Wishes'', before slashing the crap out of him.
* DeathOrGloryAttack: Pretty much anytime Meowth jumps in with a Fury Swipes. Most of the time, expect him to get destroyed. Any time it hits however, Meowth usually cleans house.
* DependingOnTheWriter: In the Pikachu shorts, regardless of his current characterisation in the main series, Meowth is nearly always a PunchClockVillain for Pikachu. It gets especially jarring in the ''Best Wishes'' era shorts, where he is a ButtMonkey with an enormous crush on Meloetta. In the ''Best Wishes'' anime itself, he was a ruthless, manipulative villain that once coldly captured and tortured Meloetta as the means of a Team Rocket conquest scheme.
* DirtyCoward: In a lot of times he is stuck in bad situations with the heroes, he ponders over using them as a distraction.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** In early Johto, he gets a StalkerWithACrush Snubbull obsessed with biting his tail.
** In a DP episode he becomes infatuated with a Glameow. Only seconds after it evolves into [[FormerlyFit a pudgy Purugly]], it starts [[HenpeckedHusband kicking him around]], leading him to immediately bail out ([[WomanScorned and earn a Hyper Beam]]). [[LoveHurts Guess the honeymoon's over.]]
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: His ability to talk and walk upright is the result of this. He fell head over heels for a lady Meowth named Meowzie, who wouldn't give him the time of day. She told him she had no use for a common street Meowth when she had a human owner who gave her everything she wanted. Madly in love and desperate for a chance with her, Meowth missed the point that Meowzie's love for humans was mostly based in all the nice things they gave her and the luxurious life they allowed her to lead; he thought it was about the humans themselves and that if he taught himself to become more human-like, she would like him. He discovered his error when he returned to Meowzie, walking and talking like a human, only for her to call him a freak.
* {{Eagleland}}: Grew up in Hollywood, and a '''BIG''' dose of Type 2.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** While Meowth still sparsely battled effectively in the original series, he used several moves such as Scratch and Bite, and sometimes even improvised some, such as a Tickle attack pre-Johto. Hoenn onwards, Meowth pretty much exclusively uses Fury Swipes, to the point of making prehensile use of it.
** In the first series, Meowth was a LeaderWannabe, believing he had order over Jessie and James and that he could command Ekans and Koffing before they pointed out otherwise. In later seasons, similar to James, he's more jaded and often submits to Jessie's bossiness, and while the later team Pokémon ''do'' follow him in their trainers' place, it's more under friendship terms.
** The English dub originally followed the original Japanese edit's VerbalTic, having Meowth stick in his name within most of his sentences. This was ditched after a few episodes, with improvised dialogue placed over it instead.
** The aforementioned fact that he grew up in Hollywood counts too; after the first season, the anime almost never mentions real-life locations.
* EliteMook: Out of the team's Pokémon, Meowth stands out as equal to Jessie and James and an individual Team Rocket member in his own right. He more often than not is as active in acting out a scheme as the two trainers, providing technical and intellectual support rather than battling.
* TheEngineer: Meowth usually takes control of most of the team's gadgets and mechs, and is implied to maintenance them. May overlap into GadgeteerGenius since he is also suggested to build some of them.
* EnemyMine: With Pikachu, whenever the two end up somewhere alone together. Meowth has even admitted that if circumstances were different, they'd probably be [[FriendlyEnemy good friends]].
** This claim is kind of proven right in the straight-to-DVD movie ''Mewtwo Returns''. Both Pikachu's clone and Meowth's clone are close friends, and they're seen together most of the time.
** The episode "King and Queen for a Day", after another accidental separation, Pikachu and Meowth have to babysit their respective group's babies together (Bonsly and Mime Jr.). Aside from Pikachu accusing Meowth of stealing food (he ''was'' planning to steal it, but the grateful owner gave it to him after his helping her), there was no bad blood between them throughout the episode.
*** Inverted with [[spoiler:Meowth's brief stint as the HeelFaceMole]] which seemed to have sparked Pikachu's ire in particular. This didn't stop Meowth from directly helping them against both Team Plasma and the evil Malamar since then, so it would seem things are as usual.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Meowth is unusual in that unlike most Pokémon companions, he is still technically wild in the sense that he has never been in a Poké Ball. Yet, he has still often proved as willingly loyal to Jessie and James as a standard caught Pokémon, and has some rather kind moments with their own Pokémon.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: That one time Ash tried to catch him, the Meowth "blocked the ball! [[HypocriticalHumor Don't be a thief!]]"
** Despite being the one to think it up in the first place, he has a hard time keeping up the ruse of convincing an amnesiac Pikachu that he's a member of Team Rocket, because Pikachu is so darn nice. He even muses that Pikachu is so noble, anyone who tries to kidnap him would be an "insensitive loser", before remembering [[HypocriticalHumor that's literally what he's doing.]]
* ExtremityExtremist: Near exclusively uses claw attacks in battle, most often Fury Swipes. He's even used it effectively in performance contests and once as a block attack. Justified since Meowth's minimal skills mean he isn't experienced with much else.
* FastballSpecial:
-->'''Jessie''': (''hurls Meowth at Seviper'') "Let's see if you're any use! Double-Edge attack!"\\
'''Meowth''': [[OhCrap "Wait, I don't know that attaaaaaaaack!"]]
** He returns the favor later when he fires Seviper and Cacnea ''through a chute'' (much to their chagrin) at the twerps.
** He also got thrown at Mimikyu by Jessie when the group first encountered it. At least this time, she asked him to use a move he knew: Fury Swipes, which did nothing to it.
* ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself: While Jessie and James always attend contests in alter egos, Meowth usually doesn't even bother with a costume. No one seems remotely suspicious Jessie's alternate persona ''also'' has a Meowth with human abilities.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Creator/TakeshiShudo states that his ability to speak like a normal human was intended to foreshadow the ending he had in mind, which involved a rebellion of the Pokémon against mankind and Meowth acting as an interpreter. Obviously that didn't end up happening, but still worth noting.
* FreakinessShame: He ''really'' doesn't like having his abnormal traits (his ability of mastering human speech in particular) dragged out in the open by people who react "strongly" to it. Such as Goh in ''Journeys'' who went completely nuts with his camera when he realized how the urban legend of Meowth was actually true, much to Meowth's annoyance.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Of the original generation team. In "Island of the Giant Pokémon", Ekans and Koffing make clear they are only loyal to Meowth through association with Jessie and James. When they are separated from them, they gladly leave him at the mercy of Ash's Pokémon. Abiding by cases such as the Pikachu shorts, most of the later Pokémon get on better with Meowth, making some more VitriolicBestBuds.
* FunetikAksent: For some unknown reason, Meowth has a rather thick {{Joisey}} accent.
* FurryConfusion: It's made clear in the show that Meowth is unusual in being able to speak and walk on two legs. But it's still pretty jarring to see him next to a "normal", non-anthropomorphic member of his species.
* GoKartingWithBowser: He does this a lot with the heroes' Pokémon, especially in the Pikachu shorts.
* HappyHarlequinHat: His showcase costume, fittingly enough, is a jester attire.
* HarmlessVillain: He fluctuates as such along with the rest of the team in the main anime. In the Pikachu shorts however, he (and often the rest of the team's current Pokémon) are merely petty troublemakers and {{Butt Monkey}}s above anything else. The later shorts often skip this mentality altogether and make him merely [[GoKartingWithBowser a mischievous friend of the other Pokémon.]]
* HeartbrokenBadass: All that time and Meowzie still wouldn't love him. Aw...
* HiddenDepths:
** For all his bumbling, he ''did'' learn to talk like a human, a feat that's still virtually unmatched in the anime without telepathy (the only other examples are the Gastly in the first series, the Slowking in the second movie, the Manaphy in the ninth movie, and the Rotom Pokedex in the ''Sun and Moon'' series).
** A Best Wishes episode also has a set of Beheeyem dismiss Ash, Jessie and James' resistance to their powers by [[DisabilityImmunity explaining that idiots are hard to hypnotize]] ...translated through the hypnotised Meowth.
** Although it could just be chalked up to RuleOfFunny, Meowth will occasionally drop hints that he's not at all happy with his current place in life.
-->'''Meowth:''' Oh, they're stuck in a box with impending doom and no way out. That sounds like my life.
** Meowth is implied to have musical talents. Cases such as "Meowth's Party" show him to be an ample guitarist. His downloadable form in ''Black 2 and White 2'' even has Sing as an ability.
** He also seems to have good culinary abilities, something that has come in handy in Pokémon contests for Jessie. In the "Eevee and Friends" short, the hero Pokémon even entrust him to make a buffet for their party.
* HeelFaceMole: Pulled endless times, perhaps most notably in BW - he pretends to have been fired from Team Rocket in order to join Ash's group on the way to Nimbasa City. It was all a ruse to lower their guard so that he could lure them into a trap, as well as to bypass the Nimbasa Pokémon Centre's efficient security system. He's done it with varying degrees of success in other seasons, in one case at least, he actually starts [[BelievingTheirOwnLies Believing His Own Lies]] and wonders whether to defect for real.
* HypocriticalHumor: Meowth deems himself greatly more competent than Jessie and James and thus doesn't hold back in upbraiding them. While he ''is'' TheEngineer (not to mention ''a self-taught Pokémon fluent in human speech''), he's also capable of as massive foolishness as his teammates are.
* ImageSong: A bunch of endings, notably "Meowth's Song"
* ImagineSpot: Fantasies of his Boss so prominent that it became a ''{{running gag}}''.
* ImprovisedWeapon: When fighting for the ownership of Togepi, he realizes he's hopelessly outmatched against Brock's Onix, so he grabs a bucket of water and hurls it at him, [[WeaksauceWeakness utterly crushing the Onix]].
* InterspeciesRomance: Okay, so most of his interests are feline (Meowzie, Skitty, Glameow, etc.) but there was the time he crushed on a ''human girl''. And then, there's his fantasies with Giovanni, most of which depict him as ripped and wearing nothing but briefs. Let the implications fall where they may...
* {{Irony}}: Meowth's species is based on the ManekiNeko, an emblem of good luck and fortune, yet Team Rocket is in PerpetualPoverty and this Meowth can't even learn their signature Pay Day move.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: He suffers {{Curbstomp Battle}}s aplenty from Pokémon of both genders. He earned an especially brutal beating from Mallow's Steenee straight after she evolved. His attempt at payback in a later instance didn't end much better.
* KickTheDog:
** Sinks to his lowest thus far in ''Best Wishes'' when we find out that [[spoiler:he lied about being fired from Team Rocket and joined Ash and his friends just so he, Jessie and James could steal their Pokémon]].
** He's had many KickTheDog moments over the years of course, including in episode 12 of the first season, during which he implies that he's capable of killing, but he's too much of a NobleDemon to actually go through with it.
* LeaderWannabe: A RunningGag in involuntary group splits (which itself seems to occur OnceASeason) is that Meowth would try to take charge of the group he's stuck with, only for the others to just ignore him.
** In the first season, he referred to himself as the "Top Cat", with the implication that he was the real leader of the trio. Jessie and James were dismissive of the idea, and he has no power personally over any of their pokémon.
* TheLoad: When he first met Jessie and James before the events of the series. His initial incompetence injures James and reinforces Jessie's negative perception of teamwork.
** While he at least risen up in the brains department, he is still usually this the odd time he is called into battle with the team's other Pokémon.
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: He's been in love several times over the course of the series, with predictable results:
** In his OriginStory, he learned to walk and talk to impress Meowzie, a girl Meowth he fell in love with. But she was already in love with a Persian.
** He's been smitten on several Skitty, including the one that May eventually caught.
** He actually fought Team Rocket to protect a Glameow he fell for. That evaporated when she evolved into a Purugly.
** A Zorua turned into a girl Meowth to distract Meowth while Team Rocket was trying to capture it.
** During his HeelFaceMole stint in Best Wishes, he competed with Ash's Oshawott for the attention of a Purrloin. Both were thwarted when [[UnsettlingGenderReveal it was revealed said Purrloin was a boy]].
** When he got hexed by Mimikyu when trying to look under its shroud, he hallucinated about seeing a Glaceon, a Gardevoir, and a Lopunny, all female.
** Got utterly smitten the moment he laid eyes on a Pheromosa to the point where he started mimicking her stance, posture and speech-patterns, hoping for mutual love, despite the Ultra Beast's ''very'' obvious [[AlphaBitch dirt]]-[[SpoiledBrat ugly]] and [[DistractedByTheLuxury poor]] [[ItsAllAboutMe personality]].
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Being rejected by Meowzie made him pretty bitter, though then again he was still willing to help her.
* LoveRedeems: Sometimes, because of it (in the case of Skitty and the human Cassandra) he resorts to doing good for their sake, with results.
* LoveTriangle: Meowzie (with a Persian), and Purrloin (with Ash's Oshawott).
* MalevolentMugshot: Really likes to model the team's gadgets off of his likeness. Along with their trademark Meowth balloon, several of their HumongousMecha are giant Meowth bots.
* ManipulativeBastard: In the episodes "Fangs for Nothin'", "A Scare to Remember", and "Hooked on Onix". The first one has him convince a Dragonite that he, Jessie, and James are "protecting" the Dragon Fang from Clair, Ash, and the others. In the second one, he convinces [[spoiler:an amnesia-stricken Pikachu that he's part of Team Rocket]]. And the third one has him, Jessie, and James trick an Onix (the leader of a pack of Rock-type Pokémon) into thinking that Ash and the others are the bad guys. He also manages to manipulate an entire pack of Squirtle into helping Team Rocket capture Pikachu in episode 12 of the first season.
** In BW, [[spoiler:he convinces everyone he's been fired from Team Rocket, joins Ash for 5 episodes, and then [[SixthRangerTraitor backstabs him]].]]
* MookLieutenant: In the Pikachu shorts. Generally subverted in the main series however (he thought he had the power of one initially, until Ekans and Koffing bluntly pointed out otherwise).
* MotionCaptureMecha: Meowth upgrades to these throughout the ''Sun and Moon'' series, thus granting him a closer variation of "battling". He even gives the illusion of a LevelGrind of sorts by upgrading the mechs to be more resistant as encounters continue, the later ones manage to withstand ''multiple Z-Moves''.
* MrExposition: A notable example due to his ability to understand PokemonSpeak.
* MundaneUtility: Again regarding the {{Imagine Spot}}s, where the most Meowth could think of of Giovanni's use for their prey-for-the-week would be for some plain, day-to-day chore. [[RefugeInAudacity Emphasis on "mundane".]]
* NobleDemon: While he does deceive the main party big time in ''Best Wishes'', he would never stoop so low as to kill someone even though he's capable of doing so, as demonstrated when he threatened Misty in episode 12 of the first season (meaning he's so noble, his death threats, while Ash does take them seriously, are always empty).
** Shown clearly in [=BW124=], where he finds himself unable to attack the twerps' Pokémon after they had saved his life earlier.
* NonActionGuy: Rarely battles due to lack of experience, preferring to assist Jessie and James with the actual plotting side of things. Downplayed from ''X and Y'' onwards, where he takes part in battles more often, even if his track record in them isn't much better.
%%* NonElemental
* NoodleIncident: The exact details of the mission that got him fired from Team Rocket: both the mission itself as well as how he botched it. [[spoiler:Turns out, this is because the whole story is a lie. See HeelFaceMole.]]
* TheNoseless: His lack of a nose has been used as a RunningGag on multiple occasions.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Like Pikachu, Meowth has remained unevolved the entire series, and shows no interest in becoming a Persian.
* PapaWolf: Given that the contest for who got to keep Togepi was between him and the three heroes, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption there's no way]] [[ForegoneConclusion he was going to win]]. Still, his love for the little guy let him take an impressive beating from Brock's Onix and still come back to KO it. Okay technically he cheated by throwing water on Onix as an "attack", but hey, a Meowth knocking out an Onix is still an impressive feat.
* ParentalAbandonment: Meowth wasn't even raised by anyone and had to take care of himself as a kitten.
* PetTheDog: He once went against his teammates to protect a Miltank who healed him. In ''The Poké Spokesman'', he pretended to be a normal Pokémon and made the titular Spokesman think he's communicating with a Pokémon to not give up his dream to be a Pokémon-Human interpreter.
* ThePhilosopher: Often his snark tends to convert into this, especially in the Japanese version. Likes to gaze at the moon and lament.
* PluckyComicRelief: In ''Best Wishes'' he was the most liable of the trio to regress into his normal buffoonish self. In all other regions before and after however, Jessie and James are even goofier than him.
* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Played with. While Meowth aren't exactly the most powerful Pokémon in the games either, the show completely degrades Team Rocket's example, likely to keep his bumbling and reliance on {{Zany Scheme}}s to steal Pokémon relevant. However Meowth will on occasion have very notable showings of true strength and skill, even if the majority of them lean as RuleOfFunny.
* ThePowerOfLove: While usually a pitiful battler, romance seems to bring out a greater strength in him. With Fury Swipes, he singlehandedly took down Ash's Infernape and Staraptor, Jessie's Seviper and Yanmega, and Dawn's Togekiss...because he was in love with Glameow. He also defeated a Persian with a one-hit swipe in an attempt to earn the affection of his childhood crush (see PyrrhicVictory below).
* PragmaticVillainy: Throughout his infamous HeelFaceMole stint in Unova, Meowth manages to earn the heroes' trust by performing legitimately helpful acts for them and even other parties and wild Pokémon. While it was all just to lure the heroes into a trap, little of it was negated in the end, and since the plan failed, he ironically [[NiceJobFixingItVillain ended up doing more good than harm.]]
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Most of Meowth's battles cultimate in this, those that aren't [[CurbstompBattle an outright One Hit KO]] anyway, while most of Jessie and James' Pokémon have at least some small but plausible strengths, Meowth is extremely inexperienced outside a usually ineffective Fury Swipes attack.
* PunnyName: Both the Japanese and English names for the Pokémon begin with the {{onomatopoeia}} for a cat's meow in their respective languages.
* PyrrhicVictory: Managed to beat a Persian for the girl he loves... only to find she still considers him a "freak" and sticks with Persian anyway. He also curb stomped the heroes ''and'' his Team Rocket brethren to win the affection of a Glameow, only for it to evolve into an abusive Purugly.
* RealMenCook: Shows a culinary talent from Sinnoh onward. It's more in terms of artistic cooking than as the TeamChef however. As such he provides well whenever Jessie's contests have a CookingDuel and his work is nearly always complimented as delicious.
* RedemptionPromotion: Keeping with the rest of the trio, Meowth's normally pathetic battle skills amp up hilariously whenever he fights for noble causes. He was unstoppable against Team Plasma's forces in their final battle. This was to ''rescue'' Pikachu rather than capture him.
* RightHandCat: Wants to replace Persian on Giovanni's lap.
* RunningGag: Aside from the Boss fantasies, there was also Meowth's tendency to disguise himself as other Pokémon. The most recurring of these disguises is a Sunflora.
* RuleOfFunny: His battles. Whether they end in [[EpicFail instant failure]] or he [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass somehow wins]], it's usually to set up a joke.
* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: Meowth in his youth put all his time and energy into learning to act human. As a result he is able to talk and use his front paws like a human, but has little experience in battling, resulting in him (usually) being an ineffective fighter. According to himself he permanently lost the chance to learn Pay Day because of this.
* SixthRangerTraitor: [[spoiler:Meowth plays this role during a 5-episode arc in ''Best Wishes'' - he claims to have been fired from Team Rocket, when it was part of a ploy to steal all the team's Pokémon.]]
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: As he is a Pokémon that can speak to humans, he acts as a human-to-Pokémon translator. He can't understand mechanical-like Pokémon such as Magnezone, Metagross or Ultra Beasts, however.
* SpotlightStealingSquad: Meowth got a lot of attention during his HeelFaceMole period in ''Best Wishes''. Curiously, he is also this out of Team Rocket's Pokémon roster in ''Sun and Moon'', being called into battle far more often than Jessie and James' captures.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Like Pikachu, Meowth has no interest in evolving. And while he has shown odd semblances of battle competence throughout the series, he has remained [[NonActionGuy an inactive and inexperienced Pokémon]], to the point he hasn't even learned a new attack since the start of the series.
* TakenForGranite: Hunter J once turned him into stone to sell on the black market.
* TalkingAnimal: The very first one, and the most recurring, even.
* TeamDad: Often this to Team Rocket's Pokémon when separated from Jessie and James. Subverted in the first instance this happened, as [[PunchClockVillain Ekans and Koffing]] bluntly didn't think the same way of it [[LeaderWannabe as he did]].
* TeamRocketWins: With the exception of [[VillainDecay the Hoenn era]], Meowth usually scores at least [[TeamRocketWins one impressive victory in battle]] [[OnceASeason per series]]:
** Kanto/Johto: Defeated a Persian in a SingleStrokeBattle in "Go West, Young Meowth". Also defeated Brock's Onix by [[CombatPragmatist splashing water on it.]]
** Sinnoh: Defeated Ash's Infernape and Staraptor, Jessie's Seviper and Yanmega, ''and'' Dawn's Togekiss [[CurbstompBattle with a few "Fury Swipes of Love"]] in "For The Love of Meowth".
** Unova: Decimated several of Team Plasma's Pokémon in "What Lies Beyond Truth and Ideals".
** Kalos: Curbstomped Clemont's Chespin with a single Fury Swipe (albeit through the use of power upgrading armour) in "Calling From Beyond The Aura".
** Alola: Delivered a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to Ash's Rowlet in [=SM112=] (though this ended up bringing [[BigBrotherWorship Meltan's]] wrath down on him).
* ThinkOfTheCensors: He refuses to translate Mimikyu initially due to this being a "family show".
* ThirdPersonPerson: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Also, he would occasionally replace certain words with his own name.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Has moments of this with Wobuffet.
* TokenEvilTeammate: As Ekans and Koffing once pointed out, while many Team Rocket Pokémon are loyal or even enthusiastic about serving Jessie and James, Meowth is the only one that gets a kick out of being evil, if being an easily defeated GoldfishPoopGang with Jessie and James really counts as 'evil'.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** As a performer Pokémon. He was mainly used to help Jessie cheat throughout Hoenn. During Sinnoh, it was established that Meowth had a particularly articulate use of Fury Swipes, making him useful in contests legitimately. By Kalos he is Jessie's SecretWeapon for showcases and performs well in nearly every round.
** This later extended to battles as well. While he's still mainly a plotter, ''Best Wishes'' and later series have him occasionally take part in battles, and he's usually shown to be no less capable than Jessie and James' Pokémon for better or worse.
** In ''Journeys'' he ''finally'' gets access to a region gimmick, proving able to activate his species' Gigantamax form and even use G-Max Gold Rush, his first non-Fury Swipes attack in over six regions. Unfortunately for him though, this still doesn't grant him the power to go up against Eternatus.
* TranslatorBuddy: For the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon and pretty much other Pokémon in general. Because he's pretty much the only Pokémon in the series capable of speech, other powerful Pokémon tend to take advantage of this in order to communicate to humans and [[MindControl hijack Meowth]] to be their unwilling translator. He can't understand mechanical-like Pokémon such as Magnezone, Metagross or Ultra Beasts though.
* UnknownRival: Several due to the trio's incompetence (see above), but in particular he loathes Giovanni's Persian for having his master's favour over him as "top cat". Persian barely seems to even acknowledge him.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: The Purrloin in [=BW46=] manipulated him and Oshawott into helping him by pretending to be female. Purrloin's trainer finally cleared it up, much to both their shock.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: ''Very'' few people ever comment on the fact that Meowth can speak human, despite this being rare to the point where it's almost exclusive to Legendaries with the ability to use telepathy.
** One Johto episode had the trio try to use Meowth's ability to talk to make money at a street performance festival. Meowth gets stage fright but eventually does speak up, drawing in a crowd... only for his joke routine to fall so flat, it was enough to lose the crowd's interest.
** At times, other Pokémon thieves and hunters express interest in getting him, knowing they can get a fortune by selling him for his ability to speak.
** At times averted with newcomers such as Dawn, Clemont, and Goh; who are shocked Meowth can talk the first time they meet him.
* UrbanLegends: In Kanto, Meowth is quite the urban legend when it comes to the Team rocket Trio, in that the rumors around him being a "talking meowth" is considered highly doubtful and dubious by anyone who haven't seen him in person. Anyone who ''have'' met him however, knows better.
* VerbalTic: "-nya". Averted in the English dub however; the first few episodes had Meowth use his name in a lot of his sentences, but this was quickly dropped.
* WeNeedADistraction: The first time in the ''Best Wishes'' series where Meowth was doing anything remotely comical was in [=BW04=], where Jessie and James force him into an Umbreon getup to divert the attention of Don George, his troupe, Ash and Iris, as the Rockets go on with their caper.
* WeWantOurJerkBack: The one time Meowth was treated too nicely by Jessie and/or James, he outright admits that he's much more used to being bullied by them.
** And then there's another time when he did it to ''himself'': he mentions that it sometimes scares him how he has a rarely seen soft side.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gives one to Iris when she attempts (and fails) to catch him in a Poké Ball without warning.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Has a grudging respect for Tyson's Literature/PussInBoots {{Expy}} Meowth from the Hoenn League, since they share an enmity towards their evolved form. However, it's also a case of an UnknownRival, since Meowth-in-Boots rarely acknowledges him.
** And of course Pikachu. Even he is often astounded by his valour and strength, and multiple {{Enemy Mine}}s and FriendlyEnemy moments make clear they have some palpable respect for each other.[[note]]That is, if you forget the early episode where Pikachu was disappointed that Meowth didn't die in the sinking of the ''St. Anne''.[[/note]] As obsessed as Meowth is with trying to capture him, he has stated he'd love even more for Pikachu to [[WeCanRuleTogether willingly join him as an ally to Team Rocket]].
** Meowth also generally has respect for Ash as a trainer. If a Pokémon isn't going to join Team Rocket, he would much rather they end up with Ash instead. He's said this of both Chimchar and Litten.
** As disgusted as Ash's team were by Meowth's HeelFaceMole scheme in ''Best Wishes'', even they had to admit he'd used a genuinely brilliant plan against them.
* WouldHitAGirl: He swipes Jessie and James indiscriminately. He's also tried to claw female allies of Ash more than once.
* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: Ever since Carter Cathcart started voicing him in the English dub, Meowth's been known to occasionally let loose an "oy vey."
[[/folder]]

!Companion Pokemon Through the Years

!!Jessie's Pokémon
[[folder:Ekans-Arbok (Arbo-Arbok)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Koichi Sakaguchi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/EricStuart (Ekans), Koichi Sakaguchi (Arbok)
-->'''Voiced in Latin Spanish by:''' Patricia Hannidez (voice-over in Episode 17)
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Ekans_3196.png]]
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Arbok_427.png]]

Received as a birthday gift,[[note]]chÅ«gen in the original [[/note]]Ekans was Jessie's first Pokémon within the series. It lost quite often despite its best efforts, even after evolving into Arbok. It would eventually be released to protect a bunch of Ekans from poachers.
----
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Of the two original Rocket Pokémon (excluding Meowth), Ekans/Arbok was more fleshed out in terms of CharacterDevelopment, though this characterization was only sparingly shown through the original series and its few Hoenn episodes.
* DeathGlare: Knows Glare.
* DishingOutDirt: Knows Dig.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In the episode "A Chansey Operation." Arbok was treated by a Chansey from a crash that hurt several Pokémon. When Team Rocket later tried to steal the Pokémon, Arbok refused to obey the commands to attack the Chansey and people who treated its injuries.
** In "Got Miltank" Arbok is sent to attack and capture a herd of Pokémon in a oasis. When Meowth stands against it however, pointing out the place is a haven that helps fellow Pokémon, it joins the revolt and again refuses to battle.
* HiddenDepths: "Island Of the Giant Pokémon" reveals that it has a philosophic side to it.
* HiddenDisdainReveal: In "Island of the Giant Pokémon" Ekans reveals he only puts up with Meowth because Jessie orders him to and has no qualms with Ash's Pokémon tormenting him. His Arbok form has friendlier moments with Meowth in later episodes, but usually when Jessie is around.
* ItWasAGift: Apparently received by Jessie as a gift prior to the events of ''Pokémon''.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: It is loyal to its trainer, whether she is evil or not.
* OcularGushers: When it is forced to leave Jessie, James and Meowth behind.
* PoisonousPerson: It's a Poison-Type. Its Poison Sting is basically its SignatureMove.
* PunchClockVillain: In ''Island of the Giant Pokémon'', it refuses to attack Ash's lost Pokémon because its trainer didn't order it, and the episode has it and Koffing eating with the group, not holding any grudges against each other.
* PutOnABus: Frees a group of captured Koffing and Ekans from a poacher, leading them to safety and are never seen again.
* SnakesAreSinister: Subverted. It's a snake-like Pokémon working for one of the bad guys, but isn't actually evil, only doing bad things out of loyalty to its trainer. When Jessie isn't commanding it to do bad things, it's actually quite pleasant.
* SpikeShooter: Know Poison Sting, which fires a storm of poison-tipped needles.
* UncattyResemblance: "Island of the Giant Pokémon" shows that it's as stubborn and intelligent as Jessie.
* UndyingLoyalty: Par a couple of NobleDemon moments, it succinctly follows Jessie's every whim.
* VillainousFriendship: Though it seems indifferent towards Meowth, Arbok seems to be close with Weezing. Victreebel has also bit Arbok affectionately at least once.
* YouNoTakeCandle: Downplayed in "Island of the Giant Pokémon", wherein it speaks in rather simple sentences.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lickitung (Beroringa)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/EricStuart
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Lickitung_3347.png]]

Jessie caught Lickitung after a combination of eating some food meant for Giovanni and paralyzing Arbok led to a Poké Ball to the head. After a promising debut against Misty in the Princess Festival in the same episode, it faded into obscurity and was eventually traded by accident for Wobbuffet.
----
* BigEater: Given that eating anything it can get its tongue on is Lickitung's trait, it of course seizes the opportunity to do just that in the episode "Princess vs Princess" as it uses its long tongue to help itself to some food Team Rocket was planning to give to their boss. Needless to say, this didn't make Jessie very happy and she sent out Arbok to deal with Lickitung.
* FlatCharacter: Unlike most other Team Rocket Pokemon, Lickitung didn't get a lot of screentime to demonstrate much of a personality and camaraderie, its only key characteristics usually being its appetite and gag tongue.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Knows Supersonic.
* NervesOfSteel: In its debut episode appearance, Lickitung was shown to be quite brave, not once letting Arbok intimidate it.
* OutOfFocus: It was in Jessie's team for nearly 100 episodes, and only made appearances in 17 of these. Naturally, fans were pleased when the more entertaining Wobbuffet replaced it, making it an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of ReplacementScrappy (especially since Lickitung and its evolution are divisive with fans to begin with).
* OverlyLongTongue: As typical for its species, its tongue is longer than its body. Of course, its tongue is its main weapon.
* PutOnABus: Accidentally traded away for Wobbuffet in Johto.
* SecretWeapon: In its first appearance, to the heroes. Not so much afterwards (see OutOfFocus above).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wobbuffet (Sonans)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (1st voice), Erica Schroeder (2nd voice; current)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Wobbuffet_8967.png]]

After being traded by accident from Lickitung, Wobbuffet has stayed on the side of Team Rocket ever since. He acts mostly as a cheerleader but whenever he is used in a battle, he is a force to be reckoned with.
----
* AlmightyJanitor: He usually stays by the sidelines and following orders, but when he actually goes into a fight, he's more than capable to deflect and counter attacks from any mons coming for his crew, regardless if they're legendary ones or not. This makes it even more jarring that Jessie seldom uses him, given the twerps usually have a ''much'' [[NotSoHarmlessVillain more difficult time defeating Team Rocket]] whenever she does.
* AttackReflector: Knows Counter and Mirror Coat.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** Despite how vacuous he may look, he loves being with Jessie and the rest of Team Rocket, especially since his return during the Kalos region.
** In a very early episode in Johto, he was floating down a river, and imagined seeing Jessie in the clouds, reacting cheerfully.
* BadassBystander: Wobbuffet spends so much time as inactive comic relief that it's easy to forget that he's the most powerful of Team Rocket's Pokémon. Despite Jessie only calling him into battle on spaced occasions, his Counter and Mirror Coat can easily deflect most of the twerps' attacks and even some ''legendaries''.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Despite its looks and personality, its use of Counter and Mirror Coat have come in handy on more than one occasion.
* TheBusCameBack: After their adventures in Unova, Wobbuffet rejoins the team for the ''XY'' series.
* CanonImmigrant: Was distributable at downloading events for ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''. It had the same move set as its anime counterpart plus a characteristically low level.
* CharacterTics: Typically seen with a hand on his forehead. Though unlike Psyduck, this is more akin of a soldier's salute rather than a sign of a constant headache.
* CommutingOnABus: Despite being absent from the team in ''Best Wishes'', he still appeared in the Pikachu shorts of that era, hinting his tenure in the series wasn't over just yet.
* CoolShades: Wears some pretty dorky sunglasses as part of his Performance costume in Kalos. His incognito sunglasses in Alola are far cooler.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: The DisasterDominoes that left Jessie with Wobbuffet were set in motion after Ash's team helped his previous trainer pawn him off in a trade. Amusingly, the twerps never figured out it was the same Wobbuffet that Team Rocket use against them to this day.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Its Counter and Mirror Coat attacks have proved useful in several battles and contests, even if it spends the rest of the time acting as PluckyComicRelief. Especially evident in the Kalos era.
* TheDitz: Its looks and demeanour lend to it coming as rather dopey.
* DramaPreservingHandicap: Wobbuffet's Counter and Mirror Coat are so powerful that they would render Team Rocket nigh invincible against Ash & co... except for the fact Jessie can't seem to ever get their different properties straight in her head and rarely calls for him to battle as a result.
* EliteMook: Like Meowth, Wobbuffet now frequently travels with the group instead of being relegated to his Poké ball and often assists with the actual scheming and grunt work of a plan as well as battling. Especially prominent since the Kalos region where he is a lot more competent in both regards.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He stands with Meowth and the other Rocket Pokémon in "Got Miltank", refusing to help Jessie battle a sanctuary of healing Pokémon.
* EvilCounterpart: To Misty's Psyduck. Both were accidentally obtained by the team's FieryRedhead, both are silly and dopey but surprisingly useful, both are heavily associated with the Psychic type, both have a habit of coming out of their Pokeballs on their own, both have a love-hate relationship with their trainers, and both have a habit of putting their hands up to their heads.
* EvilFeelsGood: Doesn't seem to mind that it was ''accidentally'' traded to a villainous team.
* FaceHeelTurn: He used to be an ordinary Pokémon belonging to an ordinary trainer. But started participating in Team Rocket's evil schemes when accidentally traded to Jessie.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Initially, as a result of being an accidental trade and his usual dopiness, the trio were left rather exasperated with it. He eventually became a beloved team member however.
* HeartbrokenBadass: He managed to ''successfully'' woo a wild Kirlia, and even stood up against his teammates to protect her, but in the end... poor guy has to be sent blasting off AGAIIIIINNNNN! without even saying goodbye.
* IconicSequelCharacter: Debuted during the Johto season, usually acting as a de facto fourth member of the main trio since.
* LethalJokeCharacter:
** Wobbuffet spends most of his time as comic relief. When Jessie uses him competently enough however, he's one of the team's deadliest Pokémon. Especially prominent in ''XY''. While he's still always blasted off by Pikachu and co, when caught on guard in battle, he can tank almost all of their attacks.
** Wobbuffet's defensive moveset made him incompetent in contests, though capable of creative combinations in showcases (where he performs with another Pokémon).
* LongRunner: He's been on Jessie's team for more than 500 episodes, the most recurring supporting Pokémon character on the show. The only other Pokémon to stay on the show longer than him are Pikachu and Meowth who've been there since the first and second episodes respectively. As of ''Sun & Moon'', Wobbuffet's presence appears to have been rewarded, with him now spending nearly all of his time outside of his Pokéeball and being treated as a permanent fixture on the team.
* LookWhatICanDoNow: When he first returns in ''XY'', he is far more battle effective. His Counter and Mirror Coat are resistant to more powerful attacks and he can even dodge skilfully. Compared to [[CurbstompBattle their first battle]] in Johto, Pikachu is genuinely on the ropes against Wobbuffet at first.
* LostInTranslation: His Japanese name "Sonans" is a pun on the phrase "That's the way it is", meaning his his random interruptions compliment a lot of Team Rocket banter. Not to mention when [[WhosOnFirst he interacts with his pre evolution]], Wynaut, aka "Sohnano", a pun on "Really?", creates a situation of an endless loop conversation.
* MadeOfIron: Given his specialty this is to be expected, but even compared to his fellow IronButtMonkey comrades, Wobbuffet tends to shrug off even the worst of slapstick abuse.
* NonActionGuy: He started off serving mostly as comic relief, only following ''XY'' did its Counter and Mirror Coat start becoming pivotal on a frequent basis. Reverted back in ''Sun and Moon'', to the point that he used attacks in only ''three'' episodes of the entire series.
* OnlySaneMan: Out of the entire Trio's team, he tend to be the only reasonable one in the group, both being a competent battler by his own judgment and point out the hypocrisy internally whenever the others say something stupid. However, he's all too pleased with his role in the group as a support-member that he never bother complaining about it.
* PluckyComicRelief: Everything it does is for laughs.
* ThePollyanna: No matter how much punishment Wobbuffet endures thanks to being a part of Team Rocket, he remains almost perpetually cheerful.
* PsychicPowers: A Psychic type, though it naturally only has reactive moves at its disposal.
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', it's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters. He returns to action in ''XY''.
* PunchClockVillain: Despite going along with Team Rocket's schemes, it didn't do anything malicious out of its own free will. Like Meowth, it has some outright friendly moments in the Pikachu shorts.
* SecretWeapon: Due to his boosted Counter attack, he became such in ''XY'', helping Team Rocket fend off some of the heroes' attacks. This sometimes occurred in previous eras, but much more sparsely.
* ShooOutTheClowns: He is PutOnABus for the Unova arc, coinciding with Team Rocket's more serious portrayal throughout said arc. Their return to a more comedic role is heralded by Wobbuffet's return to the team.
* SixthRanger: Due to joining the TR motto after joining the team. In true Sixth Ranger fashion, this grates on their nerves (or at least Meowth's) at first, before they find a form which suits them.
** He later shares this role with both Chimecho and Mime Jr.
** This has become even more true as of ''Sun & Moon'', where Wobbuffet appears alongside the trio when they receive direct orders from Giovanni and he has yet to be recalled into his Pokéball. He's become so strongly an integral part of the team they now make a seat just for him in their robot builds!
* StockSoundEffects: During Kayzie Rogers' temporary departure in the middle of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series. While most of her other characters got replacement actors, the English dub just reused Roger's previous recordings for Wobbuffet until her return. Subverted since her permanent leave from the series, where he now has [[TheOtherDarrin a new voice actress]].
* StoneWall: Even among the Rockets, he gets inflicted the most damage.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Sometimes has this role with Meowth later on.
* TokenGoodTeammate: He's easily the least vicious of Jessie's Pokémon and is certainly the most childlike.
* TookALevelInBadass: He's back in the XY saga, and is ''far'' more competent in battle than before.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Jessie as per her usual roster. Less conventionally he's often independently loyal to James and Meowth as well.
* VillainousFriendship: Often demonstrates a bond with Meowth in later episodes.
* WalkInChimeIn: Early on especially, Wobbuffet would randomly leave his Pokéball and join in on a conversation. This conversation is from [=EP154=]:
-->'''Jessie:''' Must you always butt into our business?!\\
'''Wobbuffet:''' Wobba-wobba-wobba-wobba-wobba.\\
'''Jessie:''' I was afraid you'd say that. *recalls him*
* WeaksauceWeakness: Although his defense is far stronger in XY, it comes with a loophole: it's useless against things that ''[[ExactWords aren't actual attacks]]''. So he ends up getting stymied by Froakie's frubbles in [=XY001=] and Inkay's ink in [=XY003=].
* WithAFootOnTheBus: [=XY063=]. Jessie left him with the nice doctor who earlier saved their lives to pursue love with his female Wobbuffet. He decided he'd prefer to stick with Jessie.
-->'''Meowth:''' You left them...for ''us?'' You're the best [[{{Joisey}} pal-y]] that ever was!\\
'''Jessie:''' You're a fool. A fool...
* YesMan: Towards Jessie and Team Rocket in general, having seemingly no ambition or drive of its own. Except that one time he fell for a Kirlia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Seviper (Habunake)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Chie Sato
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MichaelSinterniklaas (4Kids), Bill Rogers (Current)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Seviper_6246.png]]

Seviper was beaten mercilessly by Jessie and captured after biting her hair. This would be the first in a long line of humiliations for the snake Pokémon, who would serve as Jessie's main fighting Pokémon through the AG and DP series.
----
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: In "Jumping Rocket Ship", it's quite happy to be reunited with Jessie, and later even Meowth.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Its Poison Tail attack. It's been shown to even contest Pikachu's Iron Tail to explosive levels at one point.
* {{Bookends}}: Jessie used Seviper in both her first and last contest performance.
* TheBrute: Jessie sought after it in particular due to its nasty, aggressive attitude. It often proved useful for capturing or intimidating targeted Pokémon (as often as it got overpowered ultimately).
* ButtMonkey: Being one of Jessie's favored battlers, Seviper ends up taking a LOT of punishment over the course of the series.
%%* CombatPragmatist: Knows [[ManBitesMan Bite]].
* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Despite its rather...unpleasant method of capture, it ended up one of Jessie's most favoured Pokémon.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: For all its faults, it is frequently shown that Seviper is fond of Jessie (who returns the feeling, of course).
* {{Jerkass}}: Compared to its predecessors Arbok and Weezing, it doesn't seem to have as many redeeming qualities, or at least they aren't shown as much. Offset by being just as loyal and comical as most TR Pokémon.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite its losing streak, it could prove formidable when the plot called for it. In "Do I Hear A Ralts?" it fought Pikachu to a stalemate, and in "A Trainer And Child Reunion" it has both the heroes' and Aaron's Pokémon (of the ''Elite Four'') on the ropes, losing only when the Pokémon of the Day appears. It also helped Jessie win the Neighborly Town contest and reach the semi finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival.
* OhCrap: Done very effectively in Seviper's debut. During its confrontation with Team Rocket, it was not afraid of anything, even after Jessie threw Wobbuffet and Meowth (literally in the latter's case) at it. And then it bit off Jessie's hair, and Seviper quickly realized [[NobodyTouchesTheHair that it had done something bad]]. [[UnstoppableRage Really]] [[CurbStompBattle bad]].
-->'''James:''' ''*terrified*'' Poor Seviper...
-->'''Meowth:''' ''*equally terrified*'' It knows not what it's done...
* PoisonousPerson: Poison-type Pokémon and knows Poison Tail.
* PutOnABus: Was retired to Team Rocket headquarters for ''Best Wishes'', along with the other Pokémon of the group. Did not return for ''XY''.
* SeriousBusiness: Like with others of its species, regarding its rivalry with Zangoose - in [=DP052=], it repeatedly refused to back down, and even kept ''exiting its Poké Ball'' whenever Jessie tried to recall it.
* SmokeOut: Seviper's Haze, which replaced Weezing's Smokescreen as the means for Team Rocket's escape cover.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Replaced Jessie's Arbok as the Poison-type snake Pokémon on her team. Amusingly enough, it ended up remaining on Jessie's team for about 100 episodes longer than Arbok did.
* TeamRocketWins: After two regions of failures, Seviper finally won Jessie a ribbon in the Neighborly Town contest. Johanna even obliviously complimented its abilities.
* YourSizeMayVary: Seviper's size/length is never consistent.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wurmple-Cascoon-Dustox (Kemusso-Mayuld-Dokucale)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Tara Jayne (Wurmple), Creator/AmyBirnbaum (Cascoon), Creator/AmyBirnbaum (Dusktox, 4Kids), Michele Knotz (Dusktox, current)
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_wurmple.png]]
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_cascoon.png]]
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_dustox.png]]

Wurmple was caught in the hopes of being raised to be a Beautifly to win Contests. However, like all of Team Rocket's aspirations, they were for naught, since she evolved into a Dustox...which Jessie loved anyway. Dustox would go on to be her main contest Pokémon until her eventual release in Sinnoh.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Though Jessie ended up loving Dustox, she was still usually outshone by May's Beautifly. Reversed when they were Wurmple, she was actually the more upstanding Pokémon.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: She's a giant moth.
* BlowYouAway: Knows Whirlwind.
* EvilCounterpart: To May's Beautifly, though granted she's not ''really'' that bad...
** Their personalities are completely flipped when they were still just Wurmple, too. May's was gluttonous and lazy. Jessie's was obedient and loyal from the start.
%%* {{Flight}}: As a Dustox.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: As a Wurmple, she was diligent and loyal while May's was poorly trained and lazy. May's still evolved into a competent Beautifly as she desired, with Jessie's Dustox nearly always outshone.
%%* PoisonousPerson: Dustox's secondary type.
* PsychicPowers: Knows Psybeam.
* PutOnABus: Butterfree-style -- she finds a mate (of different-than-usual color), wears an article of clothing, and then has a tearful goodbye with her trainer.
* TheRival: To May's Beautifly, natch. Both were caught in the same episode, and evolved both times in the same episodes. In fact, they evolved into Cascoon and Silcoon (respectively) at the exact same time, leading to Jessie's confusion that ''both'' had Silcoon [[FailedASpotCheck since Ash didn't read hers with his Pokédex]].
* ShooTheDog: Dustox didn't want to leave Jessie's side, but Jessie, in a IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy mood, ''destroys'' Dustox's Pokéball to convince her otherwise.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The first of Team Rocket's Pokémon to be confirmed female.
* TeamRocketWins: She ended her tenure with Jessie finally helping her win her very first ribbon in the Solaceon Town Contest.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the point that Jessie had to actually ''smash'' her Poké Ball in order to get her to finally leave so she could be with her mate. Apparently, this freed her from Jessie's control.
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Subverted. Jessie was shocked when her Wurmple turned out to be a Dustox instead of the Beautifly she'd been hoping for, with James and Meowth [[ThisIsGonnaSuck expecting the worst]]. She very quickly decides she prefers her new Pokémon however.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yanma-Yanmega (Yanyanma-Megayanma)]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessies_yanma.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessies_yanmega.png]]

Yanma was one of Team Rocket's first successful thefts in forever! ...Too bad Giovanni thought she was useless and sent her back. Undaunted by this, Yanma would evolve very soon after into a Yanmega and join the ranks of Team Rocket until the end of the DP arc.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: She's a giant dragonfly.
* CharacterTics: Tends to like perching herself on people's heads, usually Jessie's.
* {{Flight}}: Almost perpetually flying, given her species.
* {{Irony}}: Shortly after being sent back by Giovanni for being unremarkable, Yanma evolved and became the trio's most effective Sinnoh Pokémon.
* ItWasAGift: The trio were left falsely convinced Giovanni sent them back Yanma as a gift for their efforts, giving them a big enthusiasm boost.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Knows Sonicboom.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Was suggested to be one of the team's strongest Pokémon pre-''Best Wishes'', after evolving in her first battle she trounced the heroes humiliatingly. She was also frequently effective in contests.
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', she's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters.
* SamusIsAGirl: Her gender was revealed when a female Togepi used Attract on a group comprising Team Rocket's and the twerp's Mons. When Yanmega was not affected, even Jessie was surprised when she found out.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Took over as the trio's token female Pokémon shortly after Dustox was released.
* TeamRocketWins: The product of such, being one of the trio's rare successfully stolen Pokémon of sorts. She herself defeated Ash's Chimchar in her first battle, and even gave the heroes a mini-blasting off. She also helped Jessie win a couple of contests.
* UndyingLoyalty: For all the twerps' complaining about Yanmega being stolen property, she seemed quite dedicated to Jessie.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: What Yanmega sounds like. Which can be jarring once you know it's female.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Secondary type.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Woobat (Koromori)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Michele Knotz
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jessie_Woobat_6947.png]]

Woobat was Jessie's first Unova Pokémon. Even though it fought with a more serious Team Rocket, it still lost plenty of times.
----
* BatOutOfHell: With its goofy design, it may not look the part, but he's still a powerful battler on the side of the antagonists.
* BlindingBangs: His eyes are hidden beneath his fur.
* BlowYouAway: Knows Air Slash.
%%* CuteLittleFangs
* {{Flight}}: An even more perpetual case than Yanmega.
%%* PsychicPowers: Primary type.
* PutOnABus: Handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc as a hasty proof of any progress capturing Pokémon.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Secondary type.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Frillish (Pururil)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Chiaki Takahashi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessies_frillish.png]]

A female Frillish arrived on the scene when Team Rocket returned to Unova for their own motives. She would go on to fight for Team Rocket through the remaining BW arc.
----
* FlatCharacter: Introduced simply to give Team Rocket more muscle, lacking any distinguishing traits of its own.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: A levitating jellyfish.
%%* MakingASplash: Primary type.
%%* OurGhostsAreDifferent:
* PowerFloats: Normally an aquatic species, it can get around outside of the water by floating.
* PsychicPowers: Knows Psychic.
* PutOnABus: Also handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc.
* SmokeOut: Knows Mist.
%%* SoulPower: Secondary type.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Its pink shade indicates it is female.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The trio's only female Pokémon in Unova.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pumpkaboo-Gourgeist (Bakeccha-Pumpjin)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Megumi Sato (Pumpkaboo), Miyako Ito (Gourgeist)
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Haven Paschall
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_xy_pumpkaboo.png]] [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_xy_gourgeist.png]]

Pumpkaboo was another victim of Jessie's irritation after she tripped over it in a forest, and she shined its light everwhere. Regardless, she happily serves as Jessie's primary fighting Pokémon for XY, especially after evolving into a Gourgeist.
----
* AdaptationalHeroism: Gourgeist are stated to be malicious Pokémon that gleefully curse and torment victims with their hair like arms. Jessie's Gourgeist is an antagonist, but her only crime is being loyal to Jessie. And of course whenever Jessie fights on the good side, so does she.
* AmazonianBeauty: Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist naturally have four size varieties, and this one is the largest.[[note]]As Pumpkaboo, she was twice as large as Inkay. As Gourgeist, she's almost as tall as Jessie.[[/note]] A Pumpkaboo of the smallest variety [[AmazonChaser became infatuated with her]] as a result, though [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon drew the line]] when she evolved into a Gourgeist and got humongous.
* {{Bookends}}: Jessie used Gourgeist for both her first and last showcase performance.
* BulletSeed: Knows Seed Bomb, which is essentially her machine-gunning explosive seeds out of her mouth.
* CastingAShadow: Knows Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball.
* CoolShades: Wears some as part of her showcase costume. Keeping with the trope, nearly all her performances are pretty impressive.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Proved an efficient showcase performer after evolving into Gourgeist, and despite having the expected losing streak against the heroes in battles, its Leech Seed can be devastating.
* CuteLittleFangs: As Pumpkaboo. Gourgeist has less pronounced ones.
* EmpathyPet: Sometimes channels Jessie's diva qualities.
* FantasticFireworks: Uses her Shadow Ball to create this effect in showcase performances.
* GenkiGirl: Has a very excitable demeanor.
%%* GreenThumb: Secondary type.
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Its Seed Bomb almost ''always'' gets dodged easily by the heroes, at points even the trainers can run handily through it.
* KamehameHadoken: As Gourgeist, she throws her Shadow Ball attacks with her PrehensileHair in such a manner.
* LifeDrain: Knows Leech Seed, which plants an entangling weed into the ground to trap and drain her opponents. She established herself to the twerps by entangling ''four of their Pokémon at once''.
* PowerFloats: It is always seen floating.
* PrehensileHair: As Gourgeist, her arms are formed like long hair.
* PutOnABus: She was left at headquarters before the team left for Alola.
* RebuiltPedestal: After Jessie decided to trade her for a Mawile (which can Mega Evolve), Pumpkaboo was left feeling very betrayed. However when her new owner expressed disappointment in her evolution into a Gourgeist, Jessie chastised him for rejecting her loyal Pokémon and demanded a trade back, which Gourgeist overheard and joyously accepted.
* SamusIsAGirl: Wasn't revealed to be female until 70 episodes after her debut.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Is the team's token female Pokémon during the Kalos era.
* SocializationBonus: Like in the games, Pumpkaboo immediately evolved when it was traded.
* SoulPower: knows the ghost-type attack Shadow Ball.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: The Huge Girl to Inkay's Tiny Guy. As Gourgeist, she's this to the rest of the team's Pokémon too.
* UncattyResemblance: Since evolving into Gourgeist, she tends to mimic Jessie's moods and melodrama.
* UndyingLoyalty: After her RebuiltPedestal, Gourgeist seems to borderline idolise Jessie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mimikyu (Mimikkyu)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Bob Thompson
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/team_rocket_mimikyu.png]]

A Ghost/Fairy Pokémon wearing a ragged Pikachu costume. It develops an intense dislike of Ash's Pikachu, so Team Rocket targets it. Jessie, after losing her usual luck with throwing regular Poké Balls, uses James' Luxury Ball to catch it.
----
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the games and promotional material, Mimikyu is stated to be a lonely creature that simply emulates [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]] because everyone loves it and [[IJustWantToBeLoved it wants to be loved just as much, too]]. This one, however, is depicted as outright ''hating'' Pikachu [[GreenEyedMonster out of sheer jealousy]] and joins Team Rocket [[EnemyMine just for the chance to defeat him.]]
* AttackReflector: Uses its "tail" stick to bat away Pikachu's Electro Ball and two of Jessie's Poké Balls.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: It starts to like and even obey Jessie more often after she goes to great lengths to get its costume back from a flock of thieving Murkrow.
* BedsheetGhost: It's a ghost wearing a ragged Pikachu costume, creating this effect.
* BerserkButton: As soon as it sees Pikachu, Mimikyu immediately attacks him without waiting for a command.
* BigBallOfViolence: It knows Play Rough, which is depicted as this with the target getting smacked around from every angle by Mimikyu's fake wooden tail.
* BlackComedy: Mimikyu is a more sinister Pokémon, though its murderous tendencies and overall creepiness still lend to a lot of Team Rocket humor.
* BossBattle: As part of Ash's trial on Ula'Ula island, it served as Ash's opponent, per Nanu's orders.
* BrilliantButLazy: Is a powerful fighter, but if the opponent's not Pikachu, it won't even lift a finger to fight, except in [=SM023=] when it fought an Alolan Dugtrio alongside James' Mareanie, [=SM025=] where it fought and ''defeated'' the Totem Alolan Raticate, and [=SM038=], when it protected Jessie from a flock of angry Murkrow.
* BrownBagMask: It wears one during [=SM038=], after its costume is stolen by a Murkrow.
* BrownNote: The nature of this is unknown, but sight of, or contact with, the creature within Mimikyu's Pikachu costume is explicitly stated in the ''Pokémon Sun'' PokéDex as deadly. Ash's [=RotomDex=] repeated the ''Sun'' entry verbatim, making this canon in the anime. Mere eye contact with the creature has rendered Meowth unresponsive ''twice''.
* CarryABigStick: Mimikyu's fake tail, which it uses for Play Rough, Wood Hammer, and to bat away attacks.
* CryCute: It actually ''tears up'' when Jessie returns its costume to it after getting it back from the Murkrow who stole it.
* TheComicallySerious: Despite its sinister attitude, sometimes even Mimikyu finds itself out of its depth with Jessie, and even deflates into a rather flustered or sulky demeanour when disagreeing with her.
* CuteIsEvil: Despite its cuteness, it's one of the few truly malicious Pokémon to work with Team Rocket.
* DragonInChief: It's far more powerful and competent than any of Team Rocket's previous Pokémon, let alone the Team itself, however it only joined them out of its vendetta against Pikachu, and for the large part it acts on its own without Jessie's command. After Jessie bonds with it however, it submits to obeying her when Pikachu isn't around.
* TheDreaded: Meowth is utterly terrified of Mimikyu, even though Jessie insists they should just be friends. Considering Meowth can understand Mimikyu's (apparently creepy) speech, his terror is somewhat justified. Mimikyu's feelings on the matter aren't stated, but it clearly has no problem being around Meowth.
* DontLookAtMe: It refuses to be seen without its disguise--with good reason, because looking at it uncovered is deadly. When its costume is damaged and then stolen in [=SM038=], it spends most of the episode under a brown paper bag with eyeholes.
* EldritchAbomination: Whatever Meowth saw under that costume was ''not'' good for his mind. It's also stated verbatim by the Rotom Dex that the mere sight of it without its disguise is deadly. H. P. Lovecraft would be proud.
* EnemyMine: It didn't necessarily like Team Rocket at first, though it didn't put up much of a fight against them, but it hates Pikachu more and decided to protect them from Pikachu so it could fight him.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: After Jessie saves its costume from being torn apart, it remains disobedient, though at least begrudgingly cares about its master now.
* EvilCounterpart: Set up as one. It is a fierce rival of Pikachu that mimics his appearance. While Pikachu knows Electro Ball, Mimikyu knows Shadow Ball. Where Pikachu knows Iron Tail, Mimikyu replicates though Wood Hammer using its wooden fake tail. While Pikachu is altruistic and loyal to Ash, Mimikyu is malicious and prone to disobey Jessie.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The eye holes on its torso notably glow when it's about to attack, just like in the games.
* GreenEyedMonster: Like all Mimikyu, it's jealous of Pikachu's popularity and also wants to be loved like Pikachu. But while most Mimikyu simply [[IJustWantToBeLoved want to be loved and nothing more]], this one takes it a step further and has a deep grudge against all Pikachu.
** This might be from the fact that [[https://youtu.be/ZMBET4WzBHE?t=274 some Mimikyu get down when Trainers say they'd rather have Pikachu]], which could be why Jessie's Mimikyu hates Pikachu so much.
* HellIsThatNoise: Mimikyu's speech is a disturbing choking noise, rather than imitation Pikachu cry it uses in the games.
* IJustWantToBeLoved:
** It's subtle, but it willingly allows itself to be caught by a Luxury Ball, which causes the Pokémon caught by it to become friendly with the trainer at an increased rate. Two regular Poké Balls were swatted away.
** When it's seeing kids playing happily with an inflatable Pikachu balloon in [=SM038=], it breaks from its UnstoppableRage and glances wistfully at its costume.
* InstantExpert: Jessie assumes that Mimikyu inherently knows the Fairy-Type Z-Pose so it can unleash its signature Z-Move Let's Snuggle Forever. To the surprise of the others, she is correct.
* KillerRabbit: Despite its size and cute appearance, it isn't to be messed with. Especially if your name is Pikachu.
* LiteralMinded: After Jessie told it to "go", as in attack, it decides to walk away. Granted, since it had no interest in fighting anyone but Pikachu.
* LeeroyJenkins: If Pikachu shows up, Mimikyu will drop everything to go after it, regardless of what Team Rocket actually has in mind.
* MistakenIdentity: The group originally thought it was Pikachu. Then the head of its shroud fell askew, and they freak out.
* NearDeathExperience: Subjected Meowth to one when he tried to take off its costume, complete with a vision of Pokémon {{Hell}}. Fortunately, a good splash of water to the face from Jessie and James wakes him up before he's too far gone. The [=RotomDex=] relates the Pokédex entry of a researcher having died from seeing a Mimikyu's true form.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Knows Play Rough, and its first reaction to Pikachu is to beat the ever-loving snot out of it.
* NoSell: Just like in the games, Mimikyu's Disguise ability allows it to avoid damage from the first hit it takes in battle. Pikachu's super effective Iron Tail fails twice thanks to this, as does a Totem Raticate's assault. Its part Ghost typing also means Meowth's Fury Swipes do no damage.
* NotSoDifferent: It shows subtle mutualities with its trainer when Pikachu isn't around, especially in their glutton.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: It joins forces with Team Rocket willingly, but unlike their previous [[UndyingLoyalty Undyingly Loyal]] Pokémon, only does so out of hatred for Pikachu, resisting capture at first and regularly disobeying Jessie. Only when Jessie started to effectively bond with Mimikyu did it begin willingly obeying her, though is still uncontrollable when Pikachu is involved.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite its bizarre and diminutive appearance, it immediately establishes its viciousness by delivering a CurbstompBattle to ''Pikachu''. After being caught by Jessie, it manages to weather Pikachu's Thunderbolt and is still ready to fight.
* OhCrap: The first time Pikachu uses an Electro Web on it marks perhaps the first truly panicked reaction from Mimikyu.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** When a pissed off Bewear is about to fight [[spoiler: Pheromosa]] in [=SM114=], Mimikyu actually looks ''frightened.''
** In [=SM146=], when Team Rocket is recalled back to Kanto, Mimikyu decides to have one last shot at defeating Pikachu, only to see its reflection in the water, which causes it to lose its fighting spirit. It dejectedly sulks back to Bewear's den, where it talks to Meowth along the way, revealing to him that it had grown tired of hating Pikachu. Meowth consoles it by stating that nothing good comes from hatred and that it should start looking foward to better things, prompting Mimikyu to cheer up and possibly overcome its hatred towards Pikachu.
* OurFairiesAreDifferent: It's part Fairy-type.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: In [=SM023=] it essentially acted like a standard Team Rocket Pokémon, obeying Jessie's commands against a non-Pikachu opponent and getting defeated rather easily. Mimikyu did not otherwise listen to Jessie until its CharacterDevelopment in [=SM038=].
* PetTheDog: It starts to show semblance of [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas an actual bond with Jessie]] after she saves and fixes its disguise in [=SM038=], even starting to obey her commands in battles where Pikachu isn't around to incense it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Mimikyu may be a tiny little thing, but it's easily the strongest Pokémon Team Rocket has ever owned thus far. It can overwhelm Pikachu in a fight and ''defeated a Totem Pokémon''.
* PokemonSpeak: A variant. Unlike Mimikyu's imitation of "Pikachu" and minimal ability to speak human language in the games, [[HellIsThatNoise this one just makes a sound like it's choking on something]]. It's still speech, as Meowth understands it perfectly well. Weirdly enough, Acerola's Mimikyu, Mimikins' cries don't sound like this, implying this is more exclusive to this particular Mimikyu.
* ThePowerOfHate: Mimikyu's resentment of Pikachu has lent it deceptive amounts of power, allowing its Shadow Balls to deflect Pikachu's Electro Balls and making it powerful enough to overwhelm Pikachu with its Play Rough attack.
* PutOnABus: Mimikyu is released along with James' Mareanie in [=SM146=] to be left under Bewear's care when Team Rocket is called back to Kanto.
* PsychoStrings: Practically a {{Leitmotif}}. Anytime it does anything, a harsh screech plays in the background.
* TheResenter: According to Meowth, this Mimikyu isn't dressed as Pikachu for fun. Given Mimikyu's Pokédex entry of wanting to be loved, it could be one reason why it's particularly malicious towards Pikachu.
* TheRival: Being set up as one for Pikachu.
* SecurityBlanket: It's very protective of its costume. Jessie gets on its better side by preserving it from some Murkrow.
* SoulPower: It is part Ghost-type and knows Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
* SpannerInTheWorks:
** Mimikyu's murderous hatred of Pikachu overtakes all other ambitions it has, meaning it sometimes ends up ruining Team Rocket's plans indirectly when they don't involve attacking Pikachu. It gets itself disqualified in [[GoKartingWithBowser the Alola Pancake Race]] for example, as using attacks is forbidden.
** It also nearly ruined Team Rocket's chances in the Alola League during the Battle Royale that served as the tournament's first round when it scurried around the battlefield targeting any Pikachu. Team Rocket's plan to avoid elimination was to not get involved in any battles at all.
* StaringDownCthulhu: Does this to Bewear when it starts to interrupt its battle with Pikachu in Ula'Ula. Bewear, who so far has been near unstoppable, actually backs down and sits until the fight is over.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Unlike Jessie's previous Pokémon, who're more of PunchClockVillains simply following her orders, this one's ''out for blood''.
* TookALevelInBadass: Gains access to Mimikium Z in [=SM073=] and masters its Signature Z-Move "Let's Snuggle Forever" in [=SM076=], making it even more of an underlying threat.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Keeps accidentally sending Meowth into a near death experience after its true form is flashed in front of him as a RunningGag.
* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The ''Sun and Moon'' series is LighterAndSofter than previous ones, but Mimikyu is usually played straight as a terrifying and formidable character.
* VillainsOutShopping: In some episodes it seems to have no qualms joining in on Team Rocket's legitimate agendas so long as Pikachu isn't around to anger it. It even serves as a cook in their malasada truck.
* WeakenedByTheLight: As its Pokedex entry says, Mimikyu's body is weakened by sunlight.
* WhatHaveIBecome: In its final fight with Pikachu, Mimikyu saw its reflection in Melemele Sea and got depressed, abandoning the fight. It took a talk with Meowth, revealing that it had grown tired of hating Pikachu, who told it that nothing good comes of hatred and it should simply look forward to better things.
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: Meowth refuses to translate most of what it's saying because it's too creepy.
[[/folder]]

!!James' Pokémon

[[folder:Koffing-Weezing (Dogars-Matadogas)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Michael Haigney (Koffing), Creator/EricStuart (Weezing)
-->'''Voiced in Latin Spanish by:''' Gerardo Vásquez (voice-over in Episode 17)
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Koffing_9546.png]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Weezing_886.png]]

Received as a Christmas present,[[note]] Year-End in the original [[/note]] Koffing was James' first Pokémon in the series. Much like its fellow teammate, Ekans, it was not a very good battler, even after evolving. It would eventually be released to protect a bunch of Koffing from poachers.
----
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Almost borders on a FlatCharacter, as Koffing/Weezing was even more sparingly characterized than Ekans/Arbok.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In the episode "A Chansey Operation." Weezing was treated by a Chansey from a crash that hurt several Pokémon. When Team Rocket later tried to steal the Pokémon, Weezing [[CallItKarma refused to obey the commands to attack the Chansey and people who treated its injuries]].
** In "Got Miltank", Weezing is sent to attack and capture a herd of Pokémon in a oasis. When Meowth stands against it however, pointing out the place is a haven that helps fellow Pokémon, it joins the revolt and again refuses to battle.
* HiddenDisdainReveal: Like Ekans, Koffing makes clear he couldn't care less about Meowth without James ordering him to in "Island of the Giant Pokémon".
* ItWasAGift: Apparently received as a gift prior to the events of ''Pokémon''.
* MultipleHeadCase: And like the rest of its species, both are perfectly sentient; both heads are capable of crying.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Tried to cling to James whilst fleeing from the poacher, but ultimately complied.
* OcularGushers: When he is forced to leave James, Jessie and Meowth behind.
* PowerFloats: Came to a disadvantage [[RealityEnsues when a battle took place underwater]] ("''The Misty Mermaid''").
* PunchClockVillain: In ''Island of the Giant Pokémon'', it refuses to attack Ash's lost Pokémon because its trainer didn't order it, and the episode has it and Ekans eating with the group, not holding any grudges against each other.
* PutOnABus: Frees a group of captured Koffing and Ekans from a poacher, leading them to safety and are never seen again.
* TerseTalker: According to "Island of the Giant Pokémon", mostly just repeats whatever it hears and happens to agree with in short, simple sentences.
* SmokeOut: Knows Smog and Smokescreen. Often used by James to cover Team Rocket's retreats, and unlike everything else they do is usually successful.
* StepfordSmiler: It ''almost always'' had that stupid grin as Koffing.[[note]]It only frowns in [=EP017=] when separated from James.[[/note]] {{Inverted}} with Weezing, who always had a depressed-to-indifferent look on both of its faces.
* UncattyResemblance: "Island of the Giant Pokémon" shows it agreeing with pretty much everything Ekans says, implying that it's just as submissive to the snake as James is to Jessie, if not more.
* UndyingLoyalty: Like Arbok to Jessie, Weezing is succinctly loyal to James par a couple pangs of conscience.
* YesMan: The one time Koffing's speech patterns are translated, most of its dialogue consists of it agreeing with Ekans.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Growlithe/"Growlie" (Gardie/"Gar-chan")]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MitsuruOgata
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MaddieBlaustein ([=EP048=]), Creator/TomWayland ([=DP153=])
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_growlie_111.png]]

A Growlithe that James owned since his childhood. Unlike James' other Pokémon, Growlie lives with James' parents and doesn't take part in Team Rocket's crimes. It is very loyal to James who considers it as his precious friend which he wouldn't replace with another Pokémon. Their friendship is also the reason why James doesn't want to marry Jessiebelle; Jessiebelle despises Growlie, and would get rid of him if she ever did marry James.
----
* BigFancyHouse: Growlie has its own mansion next to the mansion of James' family.
* TheBusCameBack: After its debut episode, Growlie reappears in [=DP153=] to visit a vacation house in Sinnoh. Coincidentally, James happens to infiltrate said vacation house.
* ChildhoodFriends: With James. It mostly appears when James' past is brought up.
* InUniverseNickname: Its nickname is "Growlie" ("Gar-chan" in the original).
* OutOfFocus: Since Growlie never travels with James as an adult, it gets the least focus among all of his Pokémon. Its reappearance in ''Diamond & Pearl'' is quite a surprise.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-Type, making it James' only Fire-Type Pokémon.
* PreciousPuppies: Growlie has been with James since childhood, and despite the many years that have passed, Growlie looks the same as before. Partially justified, since it cannot evolve without a Fire Stone.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Despite being one of James' first Pokémon, if not ''the'' first, Growlie was first introduced in the episode where James' heritage was revealed.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Growlie is the only one of James' Pokémon that is never a member of Team Rocket, (although it's pretty clear that it would love to tag along with James).
* UndyingLoyalty: Even though they do not see each other lately, Growlie remains loyal to James, appropriate for a dog-like Pokémon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Weepinbell-Victreebel (Utsudon-Utsubot)]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Rikako Aikawa (Weepinbell, Victreebel episodes 95-261), Creator/YujiUeda (Victreebel, episode 86-94)
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1757860-james_victreebel_141.png]]

Victreebel was first seen in one of Butch and Cassidy's fake breeding center's cages. After it got out, it served James in battle fairly well despite its [[ManEatingPlant odd way of showing affection]]. It got traded to the Magikarp Salesman for a Weepinbell, who evolved into another Victreebell and was promptly kicked out over the exact same gestures of affection.
----
* AmbiguousGender: The genders of the original Victreebel and the replacement Weepinbell[=/=]Victreebel are not explicit (though likely to be opposite). But the voice differences in the two in [=EP261=] suggest that James' original Victreebel was female and its replacement was male.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite its painful displays of affection, James had fond memories of his Victreebel and was heartbroken to trade it away. Just as he started growing attached to its replacement, that too was kicked out by an angered Jessie.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: It stands with Meowth and the other Rocket Pokémon in "Got Miltank", refusing to help James battle a sanctuary of healing Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: Primary type. It codified the RunningGag that all of James' Grass-Type Pokémon would attack him out of affection whenever he calls them.
* ManEatingPlant: It's rather ambiguous whether it loves James so much that it's trying to eat him or...simply trying to eat him. At least it never used Stun Spore on James like a different Victreebel did to Meowth after trying to eat him in a Best Wishes episode.
* PoisonousPerson: Secondary type.
* PutOnABus: James trades it away to the Magikarp Salesman in exchange for another (supposedly more obedient) Weepinbell. Unfortunately, Jessie gets sick of the new Weepinbel, which evolves into a Victreebel (without a Leaf Stone) and starts biting ''her'', and ditches it. At the same time, the Magikarp Salesman falls victim to James' original Victreebel's eating habits and also abandons it. The two Victreebel meet, fall in love, and live HappilyEverAfter. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Seriously]].
* RememberTheNewGuy: James captured it off-screen during the series, not prior (as indicated by his use of Weezing in the flashback showing said capture). It wasn't even introduced as a Weepinbell and the fact that James even owned one came out of nowhere.
* ScreamingWarrior: Its [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl distinctive cry]] sounds like shrill shouting.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cacnea (Sabonea)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Lindsey Warner (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Cacnea_6228.png]]

Cacnea first helped Team Rocket by driving off a flock of Beedrill with its Pin Missile. After James fed it some cookies and released Weezing, Cacnea walked up to James and offered to join. It would go on to be James' main battling Pokémon and hugger until it left to master Drain Punch under Gardenia's tutelage.
----
* CuddleBug: And since Cacnea is a ''cactus'', it is really very painful.
* DishingOutDirt: Knows Sandstorm.
* TheGlomp: Constantly offers an expectedly painful one to James upon its release as a RunningGag.
* GreenThumb: The second Grass-Type of James and it continues the RunningGag that Vicreebel codified.
* PowerFist: Knows Needle Arm, and later learns Drain Punch with Gardenia's training.
* PutOnABus: Left to train with Gardenia after she promises to bring out Cacnea's full potential and teach it Drain Punch.
* SmokeOut: A variation, Cacnea can use Sandstorm as a cover to aid escape.
* SpikeShooter: Knows Pin Missile.
* TastesLikeFriendship: James wins Cacnea over when he feeds it some cookies.
* TookALevelInBadass: According to Barry, Cacnea had mastered [[LifeDrain Drain Punch]] by the time he fought Gardenia and proved a tough opponent. James was understandably delighted by this news.
* TriggerHappy: Has a tendency to get angry and shoot his Pin Missiles randomly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chimecho (Chirean)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Natsuki Yoshihara
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson (4Kids), Michele Knotz (current)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_chimecho.png]]

Chimecho volunteered to become a member of Team Rocket after coming over to James, getting him out of his funk over not having a Chimecho since childhood. It was very sheltered by James, only allowed to come out to cheer on and heal Team Rocket, but it didn't seem to mind. It retired to stay with old caretakers of a summer home after getting a fever.
----
* FailedASpotCheck: After hearing about James' plight, Jessie and Meowth don't see an actual, ''real'' Chimecho passing them by.
* TheGlomp: It likes to wrap its sash around James' head, often times blinding him!
* JumpScare: Its Astonish attack is as scary as it is unexpected.
* TheMedic: It knows Heal Bell, and because Team Rocket has tendency to be on the wrong end of Pokémon attacks, this makes Chimecho quite useful.
* NonActionGuy: It has participated in battle a small handful of times, but never consistently or for very long. Chimecho's main role is as a cheerleader, like Wobbuffet.
%%* PsychicPowers: Chimecho levitates.
* PutOnABus: After Chimecho came down with a terrible fever that prevented it from following Team Rocket any further, James left it with the caretakers of his old vacation home. James promised to return for Chimecho once it got better, but as of ''Diamond & Pearl'', he has not had the opportunity.
* SixthRanger: Became Team Rocket's second cheerleading Pokémon alongside Wobbuffet.
%%* SoulPower: Knows [[DemonHead Astonish]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mime Jr. (Manene)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IkueOtani (first and current), Tomoe Hanba (second)
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rodgers (first and current), Michele Knotz (second)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Mime_Jr_9004.png]]

As Chimecho was released, Mime Jr. voluntarily captured itself in one of James' Poké Balls. It became James' replacement for Chimecho, but it was more of an active battler.
----
* CheerfulChild: Fittingly, it would always copy James' (or even anyone for that matter) demeanor, but most of the time it's a happy sort.
* CrowdSong: Its use of Teeter Dance can make ''anyone'' in the vicinity to start dancing.
* CutenessOverload: Since Mime Jr. has no combat abilities, it's utilised in contests. As Jessie was known to borrow it from time to time to participate in contests, and Mime Jr. doesn't seem to mind being in the spotlight.
* DittoFighter: Which came in handy once during one of Jessie's contest performances.
* IrritationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery: Frequently mimics its team mates as a FunnyBackgroundEvent. Granted it doesn't seem to irritate James at least.
* TheJester: Its general appearance is that of a clown, and Mime Jr. is anything but serious most of the time.
* JumpedAtTheCall: After James dropped one of his empty Poké Balls, Mime Jr eagerly activated it, having chosen James as its trainer.
* NonActionGuy: The few moves it ''does'' know aren't even offensive, anyway (save Mimic, and that depends on which move he ''does'' Mimic).
%%* PsychicPowers
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', it's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters.
* SixthRanger: Team Rocket's third cheerleadering Pokémon, effectively replacing Chimecho.
* TagalongKid: It's very rare that James would actually use it in battle, [[OverprotectiveDad not wanting to get it hurt.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Carnivine (Muskippa)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeSakaguchi
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' [[Creator/JimmyZoppi Billy Beach]]
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Carnivine_6106.png]]

Carnivine was captured in the Great Marsh when James was a child and was left in his parents' vacation home until James revisited it in the beginning of the DP arc. It was James' main fighting Pokémon and was just as cuddly with him as its predecessors.
----
* BearHug: It ''really'' loves James, and does this every time he releases it...while gnawing on James' head.
* BiteOfAffection: Carnivine tends to show its love for James by biting his head every time he is brought out.
* BulletSeed: Knows [[TropeNamer Bullet Seed]]
%%* CombatPragmatist: Knows [[ManBitesMan Bite]].
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Jessie borrowed Carnivine for some contests, where it actually proved quite useful. It outright humiliated Dawn's Mamoswine to win the Lilypad Town Contest.
* CuteLittleFangs: Well, more like Cute ''Big'' Fangs.
* FaceOfAThug: It's essentially a giant anthropomorphic venus fly trap and looks rather creepy. It's no less affectionate and playful to James than Cacnea and Mime Jr however.
* ForgottenChildhoodFriend: Averted. James remembers that he owned it as a child.
* FromBadToWorse: Cacnea was still under James' command when he recovered Carnivine, leaving him with ''two'' over-affectionate Grass-types. And then there's the times James brought them both out at once...
* GreenThumb: James' third Grass-Type and it continues the RunningGag after Victreebel and Cacnea left the team.
* ManEatingPlant: It's a walking Venus Flytrap.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: The only Pokémon to beat Dawn's Pokémon in a contest battle.
* ThePowerOfLove: It learned Vine Whip just to save James from a Team Galactic booby trap.
* PutOnABus: As of ''Best Wishes'', it's with the other old Team Rocket Pokémon at headquarters.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Explained to be a Pokémon James has had since childhood despite never appearing in previous flashbacks of James' childhood (naturally, being a species that was created for the franchise years after James already existed as a character).
* TeamRocketWins: It won the Lilypad Town Contest for James (posing as Jessie). Notably this is also the one time Team Rocket defeated Dawn directly to win a contest as well.
* WhipItGood: Knows Vine Whip.
** Notably, this is the ''first'' time a Team Rocket Pokémon was ''seen'' learning a new move while under their command (Cacnea only mastered Drain Punch under Gardenia's training).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yamask (Desumasu)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MikaKanai
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/James_Yamask_256.png]]

Yamask was caught after being fed by James. He was James' first Pokémon caught in Unova.
----
* EnergyBall: Knows Shadow Ball.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Can use his mask as a shield.
%%* OurGhostsAreDifferent
* PlayingWithFire: Knows Will-O-Wisp.
* PowerFloats: Lacking any means of weight support, he gets around by floating.
* PutOnABus: Handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc as hasty proof of the trio capturing any Pokémon.
%%* SoulPower: Ghost Type
* TastesLikeFriendship: Yamask happily joins James after he fed him when he was hungry.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Amoonguss (Morobareru)]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_amoonguss_000.png]]

After Team Rocket returned to Unova, James used Amoonguss to fight the twerps. It would be James' main battling Pokémon for the remaining BW arc.
----
* FlatCharacter: Introduced solely so Team Rocket could have more muscle and unlike James' previous Pokémon, it does not have any distinguishing personality traits.
* GreenThumb: Primary type is Grass, continuing James's apparent preference for Grass-types. Although it's the first to break the RunningGag of his Grass-types attacking him with affection.
* TheParalyzer: Knows Stun Spore, which has this effect on opponents.
* PerpetualFrowner: Always has the same melancholy expression.
* PoisonousPerson: Secondary type is Poison.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Made its presence known by curb-stomping Pikachu with ''a single Body Slam''.
* PutOnABus: Also handed to Giovanni at the end of the Unova arc.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Inkay (Maaiika)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Michael Liscio Jr.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pokemon_xy_inkay.png]]

Inkay was also caught because of food used by James. He is James's only Pokémon so far in Kalos.
----
* BadassAdorable: One of the cutest and most formidable of James' Pokémon. Inkay could very easily make it as a good guy if he wasn't so loyal to James.
* BerserkButton: The evil Malamar became this pretty quickly for brainwashing James.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Like James, Inkay is often [[MinionWithAnFInEvil jarringly docile and playful]] for a villain grunt. He is also probably the most formidable of the team's Kalos Pokémon and when its buttons are pressed it turns ferocious.
* CastingAShadow: Primary type. Despite it is a Dark-Type, it is not immune to the evil Malamar's brainwashing.
* CharacterTics: Often shown hovering upside down. Used as a ChekhovsSkill for his Pikachu costume (see below).
* CombatPragmatist: Knows Foul Play, which is depicted as a kind of aikido throw, turning the opponent's charge against them. It overpowered ''Pikachu'' with it once.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: A levitating squid.
* MythologyGag: Inkay has a [[CharacterTics habit]] of turning upside down, sometimes for random reasons. This lampshades the [[GuideDangIt slightly obscure]] method for Inkay to evolve in the games.
* NotSoDifferent: Was almost exclusively Pikachu's Team Rocket opponent throughout Kalos. Like Pikachu however, Inkay represented an affectionate and proactively loyal personality to his trainer. Most blatantly in "Facing The Grand Design", Inkay turned down the opportunity to live within a community of his own kind to stick by James, much like Pikachu did for Ash in "Pikachu's Goodbye".
* PaperThinDisguise: In one episode, he is disguised as Pikachu, painted in yellow and covered in yellow paper while being upside down. Due to his levitation, his incorrect PokemonSpeak[[note]]although in the Japanese version, he does say "ika" while in disguise, which sounds similar to "pika"[[/note]] and his use of Psybeam, he makes for a very bizarre Pikachu. Justified, since the disguise was intended to be seen through.
* PhraseCatcher: "[[RhymesOnADime Okay, Inkay]]!"
* PowerFloats: It floats perpetually.
* PsychicPowers: Secondary type. And it uses Psybeam so often, you would forget that it knows other moves.
* PutOnABus: It was left at headquarters before the team left for Alola.
* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: It is easily captured when it becomes occupied with eating Team Rocket's food.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: The Tiny Guy to Pumpkaboo's Huge Girl. Further punctuated when she evolves into Gourgeist.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Croissants.[[note]]Keeping with the French theme of his Kalos origin[[/note]] Turned into a ChekhovsGun in "Facing The Grand Design", where tasting one deprogramed him from the Evil Malamar's brainwashing.
* UndyingLoyalty: Both ways. James refused to believe Inkay could join the evil Malamar. This turned out to be true, the only reason he tried to interact with them was to get revenge for antagonising his master. He also chose to remain with James instead of staying with the good Malamar, who saw him as a hero.
* VillainousRescue: Played a very large part in saving the heroes and Jessie from the evil Malamar in their second conquest.
* VillainousValor: Out of all of the team's Pokémon of its respective era, Inkay tends to put up the best effort against the heroes. This along with its sympathetic bond with James, makes it pretty easy to root for at times. Fortunately, the XY era has plenty of EnemyMine situations for Team Rocket and the twerps (including one where Inkay is actually leading the front).
* WhosOnFirst: Inkay's name in both English and Japanese is a pun on affirmative phrases ("Okay" or "Oh, all right" respectively), meaning he fits in well as a YesMan like Wobbuffet.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mareanie (Hidoide)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Fumiko Takekuma
-->'''Voiced in English by:''' Melissa Hope
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_mareanie_2.png]]

Mareanie is a Poison/Water-type starfish-like Pokémon that became fond of James in much the same way as his past Grass types. She left her herd to continue bothering James after realizing that he resembled a Mareanie after dousing him in her poison.
----
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When Kiawe urges Ash to retreat from a group of Mareanie, he wishes he could've battled them. When he does battle Mareanie, he gets completely ''[[CurbstompBattle thrashed]]''.
* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: Learns Knock Off in [=SM073=]. While not a projectile move, it can slam items out of targets' possession.
* ClingyJealousGirl: She gets jealous when James tries to catch a female Frillish and chases it off.
* CuddleBug: Quickly becomes very affectionate with James. Which is bad, considering she's acutely venomous.
%%* CuteLittleFangs: Naturally.
* DamselInDistress: James has to rescue her from an attacking Tentacruel in [=SM058=].
* FaceOfAThug: Is capable of some seriously grumpy looks and very much looks the part of a poisonous Pokémon. She follows James' pattern of loyal and affectionate Pokémon however.
* InterspeciesRomance: When Team Rocket first stumbles upon this Mareanie, she grabs James' head and poisons him. With his purple face matching his blue hair, he vaguely looks like a Mareanie she was once in love with, and ''she falls in love with him''. Even when James reverts to normal health, she remains smitten. [=SM055=] shows that Mareanie wants to ''marry'' James.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite her comedic first meeting with James, she was eager to battle for him, teaming up with Mimikyu to faint both Rowlet and Pikachu. She nearly ''killed'' Snowy and Lillie through an indirect attack in her second battle. She also became the first Team Rocket Pokémon to use a Z-Move, mastering Black Hole Eclipse competently on her first attempt.
* PaperThinDisguise: She recurrently joins in on the trio's incognito schemes in the form of a TotemPoleTrench on top of Wobbuffet. Though it's very obviously two Pokémon stood on top of one another, the twerps ''still fall for it''.
* ParrotPetPosition: If she's not battling, it's almost always on James's shoulder or forearm.
* PoisonousPerson: Is acutely venomous. Kiawe is aware enough of this that he urges Ash to get away from a herd of Mareanie quickly.
* PutOnABus: Mareanie is released along with Jessie's Mimikyu in [=SM146=] to be left under Bewear's care when Team Rocket is called back to Kanto.
* TheReliableOne: While Mimikyu only conditionally listens to Jessie and is mostly only in it to fight Pikachu, Mareanie, besides her RunningGag, is obedient to James no matter who they're fighting. Perhaps more unusual, she will even continue fighting when James is incapacitated, and has no problems following battle commands from Meowth.
* SpikeShooter: Knows Spike Cannon.
* TookALevelInBadass: In [=SM073=] Mareanie learns Knock Off. Being a Dark-type attack, it also leaves her able to use Black Hole Eclipse when James gets hold of a Z-Ring, quickly defeating a rampaging Gengar.
* UncattyResemblance: Apart from the fact James resembles a Mareanie when poisoned, Mareanie's backstory shares an uncanny parallel with James: they both suffered poor treatment from a former love interest, and wound up finding companionship in an individual who bears a strong resemblance to those love interests (James for Mareanie, Jessie for James).
* UndyingLoyalty: She tops James' usual range of passionately loyal Pokémon by being unambiguously ''in love with him''.
* WingdingEyes: Often sports hearts in her eyes when latched to James.
* WomanScorned: We eventually meet Mareanie's former love: "Senpai", a uniquely-colored (not Shiny) Mareanie (later evolved to a Toxapex). She was smitten when he saved her from a Tentacruel, then gave her a Corsola horn. She left him when he turned out to be a player, having caught him giving another Mareanie a Corsola horn. She also gets angry when he offers ''James'' a Corsola horn for saving both of them from a Tentacruel.
[[/folder]]
----
-->''LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!!''\\
''[-WOOOOBBBBBUFFET!!!-]''
----
[[redirect:Characters/PokemonTheSeriesTeamRocketTrio]]
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** MookMaker: In ''Journeys'', Jessie and James are granted the Prize Master, which vends Pokémon for their use. It doesn't work much better than when they had their own Pokémon, however. In fact, they end up losing one of their mooks, a Grookey, to Goh.

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** * MookMaker: In ''Journeys'', Jessie and James are granted the Prize Master, which vends Pokémon for their use. It doesn't work much better than when they had their own Pokémon, however. In fact, they end up losing one of their mooks, a Grookey, to Goh.
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** MookMaker: In ''Journeys'', Jessie and James are granted the Prize Master, which vends Pokémon for their use. It doesn't work much better than when they had their own Pokémon, however. In fact, they end up losing one of their mooks, a Grookey, to Goh.
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** In "Pokémon Scent-Sation," Jessie elects to blow up the Celadon Gym purely out of petty spite and revenge for Erika's staff stamping an X on her face when they threw Team Rocket out earlier.

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** In "Pokémon Scent-Sation," Jessie elects to blow up the Celadon Gym purely out of petty spite and revenge for Erika's staff stamping an X on her face when they threw Team Rocket out earlier. James himself [[EvenEvilHasStandards notes that that's a bit excessive]].

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** WholesomeCrossdresser: While the zany circumstances it tends to be part of mean James crossdressing is nevertheless PlayedForLaughs, James still tends to pull it off ''very'' well, and is often treated as perfectly passable and sometimes even attractive while doing so in-universe - for example, when he had to pose as Jessilina in the Lilypad Contest to win a sick Jessie another Sinnoh ribbon, not only did Lyra fawn over how cute his outfit was, but he managed to ''win'' the entire contest with complete adoration, to the point Jessie felt envious he was getting more praise than she did!


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* WholesomeCrossdresser: While the zany circumstances it tends to be part of mean James crossdressing is nevertheless PlayedForLaughs, James still tends to pull it off ''very'' well, and is often treated as perfectly passable and sometimes even attractive while doing so in-universe - for example, when he had to pose as Jessilina in the Lilypad Contest to win a sick Jessie another Sinnoh ribbon, not only did Lyra fawn over how cute his outfit was, but he managed to ''win'' the entire contest with complete adoration, to the point Jessie felt envious he was getting more praise than she did!
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** WholesomeCrossdresser: While the zany circumstances it tends to be part of mean James crossdressing is nevertheless PlayedForLaughs, James still tends to pull it off ''very'' well, and is often treated as perfectly passable and sometimes even attractive while doing so in-universe - for example, when he had to pose as Jessilina in the Lilypad Contest to win a sick Jessie another Sinnoh ribbon, not only did Lyra fawn over how cute his outfit was, but he managed to ''win'' the entire contest with complete adoration, to the point Jessie felt envious he was getting more praise than she did!

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* SpaceJews: Ever since the VA change in the English dub, Meowth's been known to occasionally let loose an "oy vey."



* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: In the English dub, he's adopted "oy vey" as a CatchPhrase of sorts after Carter Cathcart started voicing him.

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* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: In the English dub, he's adopted "oy vey" as a CatchPhrase of sorts after Ever since Carter Cathcart started voicing him.him in the English dub, Meowth's been known to occasionally let loose an "oy vey."
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* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: In the English dub, he's adopted "oy vey" as a CatchPhrase of sorts after Carter Cathcart started voicing him.
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* Long-term, their position is relatively better off than before. While they are still as much {{Butt Monkey}}s when it comes to stealing Pokemon, they at least have Giovanni's good graces now, and due to better funding and an increased load of job experience under their belt, often manage in better conditions every region.

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* ** Long-term, their position is relatively better off than before. While they are still as much {{Butt Monkey}}s when it comes to stealing Pokemon, they at least have Giovanni's good graces now, and due to better funding and an increased load of job experience under their belt, often manage in better conditions every region.
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* Long-term, their position is relatively better off than before. While they are still as much {{Butt Monkey}}s when it comes to stealing Pokemon, they at least have Giovanni's good graces now, and due to better funding and an increased load of job experience under their belt, often manage in better conditions every region.
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* SupremeChef: In the mini Pokemon Camp arc of ''XY,'' he, Jessie, And James are hired as chefs. James does all the cooking. His cooking is not only complimented by Ash and co and the other campers, but it's also praised by their immediate supervisor Madame Catherine. She even promotes the trio because of this.

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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonAnime characters index]]\\

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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/{{Pokemon}} [[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonAnime [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\


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'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
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Not a trope anymore.


* OperaGloves: As per female Team Rocket dress code.

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* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite how vacuous he may look, he loves being with Jessie and the rest of Team Rocket, especially since his return during the Kalos region.

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* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
**
Despite how vacuous he may look, he loves being with Jessie and the rest of Team Rocket, especially since his return during the Kalos region.



* LongRunner: He's been on Jessie's team for more than 500 episodes, the most recurring supporting Pokémon character on the show. The only other Pokémon to stay on the show longer than him are Pikachu and Meowth who've been there since the first and second episodes respectively.
** As of ''Sun & Moon'', Wobbuffet's presence appears to have been rewarded, with him now spending nearly all of his time outside of his Pokéeball and being treated as a permanent fixture on the team.

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* LongRunner: He's been on Jessie's team for more than 500 episodes, the most recurring supporting Pokémon character on the show. The only other Pokémon to stay on the show longer than him are Pikachu and Meowth who've been there since the first and second episodes respectively.
**
respectively. As of ''Sun & Moon'', Wobbuffet's presence appears to have been rewarded, with him now spending nearly all of his time outside of his Pokéeball and being treated as a permanent fixture on the team.


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* ShooOutTheClowns: He is PutOnABus for the Unova arc, coinciding with Team Rocket's more serious portrayal throughout said arc. Their return to a more comedic role is heralded by Wobbuffet's return to the team.

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** As a performer Pokémon. During Sinnoh, it was established that Meowth had a particularly articulate use of Fury Swipes, making him useful in contests. By Kalos he is Jessie's SecretWeapon for showcases and performs well in nearly every round.
** This later extended to battles as well. While he's still mainly a plotter, ''X and Y'' and later series have him occasionally take part in battles, and he's usually shown to be no less capable than Jessie and James' Pokémon.

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** As a performer Pokémon. He was mainly used to help Jessie cheat throughout Hoenn. During Sinnoh, it was established that Meowth had a particularly articulate use of Fury Swipes, making him useful in contests.contests legitimately. By Kalos he is Jessie's SecretWeapon for showcases and performs well in nearly every round.
** This later extended to battles as well. While he's still mainly a plotter, ''X and Y'' ''Best Wishes'' and later series have him occasionally take part in battles, and he's usually shown to be no less capable than Jessie and James' Pokémon.Pokémon for better or worse.
** In ''Journeys'' he ''finally'' gets access to a region gimmick, proving able to activate his species' Gigantamax form and even use G-Max Gold Rush, his first non-Fury Swipes attack in over six regions. Unfortunately for him though, this still doesn't grant him the power to go up against Eternatus.

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* CrossPoppingVeins: Her reaction to Ditto's botched transformation in "Ditto's Mysterious Mansion".
-->"HOW DARE YOU INSULT US LIKE THIS! I'm warning you, ''you'd better transform perfectly or I'll transform you into jelly!"''

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* CrossPoppingVeins: Her reaction to Ditto's botched transformation in "Ditto's Mysterious Mansion".
-->"HOW DARE YOU INSULT US LIKE THIS! I'm warning you, ''you'd better transform perfectly or I'll transform you into jelly!"''
Ash and his friends imitating and poking fun at their motto.
-->'''Jessie:''' (''fuming'') Team Rocket's not something to be made fun of, but if you're going to imitate us, at least do it ''right!''



** When Ditto is unable to transform into exactly what she ordered it to (and at one point takes her words literally).
-->'''Jessie:''' HOW DARE YOU INSULT US LIKE THIS! I'm warning you, ''you'd better transform perfectly this time or I'll transform you into jelly!''



--> Jessie: Listen up, James. I hope you're good because I'm not going to carry you.
--> James: No one's carried me since my momma.

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--> Jessie: -->'''Jessie:''' Listen up, James. I hope you're good because I'm not going to carry you.
--> James: -->'''James:''' No one's carried me since my momma.



** he also apparently has a collection of the different Pokéball variations.
* CowardlyLion: Despite being the least aggressive of the trio, he's managed incredible feats. In Sun and Moon's S2E15, he flings an attacking Tentacruel a great distance back into the ocean to protect his Mareanie. Keep in mind the canon weight for a Tentacruel is 55kg / 121 lb.

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** he He also apparently has a collection of the different Pokéball variations.
* CowardlyLion: Despite being the least aggressive of the trio, he's managed incredible feats. In Sun and Moon's S2E15, [=SM058=], he flings an attacking Tentacruel a great distance back into the ocean to protect his Mareanie. Keep in mind the canon weight for a Tentacruel is 55kg / 121 lb.



-->'''Jessie:''' Stop acting like an ignoramus.

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-->'''Jessie:''' Stop acting like an ignoramus.ignoramus!
* CrossPoppingVeins: Along with Jessie when Ash and friends poke fun at them.
-->'''James:''' (''equally irked'') To '''''unite''''' all peoples within our nation, ''not'' '''ignite!'''
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'''Jessie:''' [[DeadpanSnarker I think that costume]] [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar came straight out of his closet...]]

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'''Jessie:''' [[DeadpanSnarker I think that costume]] [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar [[{{Accidental Innuendo}} came straight out of his closet...]]

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* HiddenDepths: For all his bumbling he ''did'' learn to talk human, a feat that's still virtually unmatched in the anime without telepathy (the only other examples are the Slowking in the second movie, the Manaphy in the ninth movie, and the Rotom Pokedex in the ''Sun and Moon'' series). A Best Wishes episode also has a set of Beheeyem dismiss Ash, Jessie and James' resistance to their powers by [[DisabilityImmunity explaining that idiots are hard to hypnotize]]...while translating through the hypnotised Meowth.

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* HiddenDepths: HiddenDepths:
**
For all his bumbling bumbling, he ''did'' learn to talk like a human, a feat that's still virtually unmatched in the anime without telepathy (the only other examples are the Gastly in the first series, the Slowking in the second movie, the Manaphy in the ninth movie, and the Rotom Pokedex in the ''Sun and Moon'' series). series).
**
A Best Wishes episode also has a set of Beheeyem dismiss Ash, Jessie and James' resistance to their powers by [[DisabilityImmunity explaining that idiots are hard to hypnotize]]...while translating hypnotize]] ...translated through the hypnotised Meowth.



-->'''Meowth:''' "Oh, they're stuck in a box with impending doom and no way out. That sounds like my life."

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-->'''Meowth:''' "Oh, Oh, they're stuck in a box with impending doom and no way out. That sounds like my life."
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* CurbStompBattle: Most of his battles cultimate as this, [[TeamRocketWins even the odd ones he wins oddly enough]]. See ThePowerOfLove below.

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* CurbStompBattle: Most of his battles cultimate as this, [[TeamRocketWins even the odd occasional ones that he wins oddly enough]]. See ThePowerOfLove below.
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** [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness In an early arc]], James angrily kicked a Magikarp out of his team for being useless (leading to a karmic assault when it instantly evolved into a Gyarados afterwards). This is very much in contrast with later Pokémon seasons where James cares for his Pokémon deeply and values their companionship rather than thinking of them as tools; He's even gone as far as avoiding using two of them in battle because he viewed them to be akin to young children, and he worried for their safety.

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** [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness In an early arc]], James angrily kicked a Magikarp out of his team for being useless (leading to a karmic assault when it instantly evolved into a Gyarados afterwards). This is very much in contrast with later Pokémon seasons where James cares for his Pokémon deeply and values their companionship rather than thinking of them as tools; He's even gone as far as avoiding using two of them in battle because he viewed them to be akin to young children, and he worried for their safety. Although in fairness given the circumstances surrounding the Magikarp and the situation they were in(James had gotten ripped off after he spent a bunch of money on it, it's incompetence nearly got them drowned, they were currently starving and the Magikarp proved it wasn't even good for eating.) it's possible to interpret this more of a RageBreakingPoint or OOCIsSeriousBusiness.
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* NotInThisForYourRevolution: The trio don't actually care about Team Rocket or its goal of world domination. Their first priority is always, acquiring personal wealth or "earning" Giovanni's approval, which is why their more than willing to sabotage the organization's operations if it means to improve their own standing.

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* NotInThisForYourRevolution: The trio don't actually care about Team Rocket or its goal of world domination. Their first priority is always, acquiring personal wealth or "earning" Giovanni's approval, which is why their more than willing to sabotage the organization's operations if it means to improve their own standing.
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* NotInThisForYourRevolution: The trio don't actually care about Team Rocket or its goal of world domination. Their first priority is always, acquiring personal wealth or "earning" Giovanni's approval, which is why their more than willing to sabotage the organization's operations if it means to improve their own standing.

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* LivingEmotionalCrutch: the trio have essentially become this to each other as a function of their TrueCompanions status. If they split off from each other for an extended period for any reason, they can only last so long without each other before they start to miss each other terribly at best, or become completely dysfunctional at worst. This has become so characteristic of them that it's been referenced in one of their theme songs, with one line in the lyrics proclaiming that they're a team and can't do anything without each other.



* TrueCompanions: They have a very strong bond with each other, to the point that if any of them splits off for one reason or another (a potential relationship, a new career interest, etc.) they inevitably can't bear to be without each other for long and come right back together. This has become so characteristic of them that it's been referenced in one of their theme songs, with one line in the lyrics proclaiming that they're a team and can't do anything without each other.

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* TrueCompanions: They have a very strong bond with each other, to the point crossign into LivingEmotionalCrutch territory in that if any of them splits off for one reason or another (a potential relationship, a new career interest, etc.) they inevitably can't bear to be without each other for long and come right back together. This has become so characteristic of them that it's been referenced in one of their theme songs, with one line in the lyrics proclaiming that they're a team and can't do anything without each other.
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Will you stop adding YMMV entries outside of YMMV pages!


* EnsembleDarkHorse: The trio are very popular characters.
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* EnsembleDarkHorse: The trio are very popular characters.
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Misc. capitalization, spacing, wording


* CowardlyLion: Despite being the least aggressive of the trio, he's managed incredible feats. In Sun and Moon's S2E15, he flings an attacking tentacruel a great distance back into the ocean to protect his mareanie. Keep in mind the canon weight for a tentacruel is 55kg/ 121 lb.

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* CowardlyLion: Despite being the least aggressive of the trio, he's managed incredible feats. In Sun and Moon's S2E15, he flings an attacking tentacruel Tentacruel a great distance back into the ocean to protect his mareanie. Mareanie. Keep in mind the canon weight for a tentacruel Tentacruel is 55kg/ 55kg / 121 lb.



* VillainsOutShopping: In some episodes it seems to have no qualms joining in on Team Rocket's legitimate agendas so long as Pikachu isn't around to trigger it. It even serves as a cook in their malasada truck.

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* VillainsOutShopping: In some episodes it seems to have no qualms joining in on Team Rocket's legitimate agendas so long as Pikachu isn't around to trigger anger it. It even serves as a cook in their malasada truck.
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[[/folder]]

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