Characters / Pokémon: The Series — Team Rocket Organization

Pokémon anime characters index
Series-wide: Ash Ketchum | Pikachu | Team Rocket Trio | Team Rocket Organization
The Original Series (Misty and Brock, Main Cast) | Ruby and Sapphire (Main Cast) | Diamond and Pearl (Main Cast, Paul) | Black & White (Main Cast) | XY (Main Cast) | Sun & Moon (Main Cast) | Journeys (Main Cast)
Others: Movie characters

Team Rocket (Rocket-dan)

A massive criminal syndicate based in the Kanto and Johto regions, dedicated to stealing rare and powerful Pokémon for nefarious purposes, with the end goal being world domination. They are responsible for many conflicts and crises in the show, most notably with the creation of Mewtwo and Operation Tempest. Despite their criminal reputation, they rarely interfere with Ash and his friends.

---

In General

• Adaptational Badass: In the games, Team Rocket was merely a regional mafia that was only interested in stealing and selling rare Pokémon for money, and was easily shut down by one kid starting out on their Pokémon journey. They're not even responsible for the creation of Mewtwo. In the anime, Team Rocket is much bigger, loaded with a lot of advanced technology and resources that it's more of a N.G.O. Superpower than a local crime syndicate. And they are not so easily defeated when a 10-year-old and his partner Pikachu interferes with their plans.
• Adaptational Villainy: The anime emphasizes a lot more on Team Rocket's goal for world domination than other adaptations of Team Rocket. While it is mentioned in the games that Team Rocket's eventual goal is to rule the world, more emphasis was placed on them trying to make a profit out of their schemes rather doing something world-threatening. The anime depiction of Team Rocket would eventually be integrated back into the games in the form of Team Rainbow Rocket, which heavily emphasized on Giovanni's bid for world domination.
• Canon Foreigner: Not the organization itself, but rather its members. Nearly all the members are anime originals rather than characters based off the games, with the exceptions being Giovanni and Dr. Fuji (though Fuji in the games is not member of Team Rocket). This makes sense back in early days since Giovanni was the only named member of the team in Gen I and Gen II (not counting Jessie and James in Yellow). Archer, Ariana, Proton, and Petrel, the Rocket Executives of Gold and Silver wouldn't be named until the remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver in 2009, long after the anime establishes the hierarchy of Team Rocket.
• Faceless Goons: In the original series, the Team Rocket Grunts have their eyes obscured by their hats or at least framed as a sort of shadowy Domino Mask, giving them appropriately Blatant Burglar appearances. Newer series starting in Black & White averts this trope entirely by giving each Rocket Grunt individual faces no longer obscured in shadows.
• Greater-Scope Villain: They are implied to be a major problem in the world, with G-Men, Looker, and various authorities trying to find and shut down their operations. But since the anime series is focused on Ash's personal journey to become a Pokémon Master, the Team Rocket organization is rarely featured except for event episodes. If anything, they only exist to give Jessie, James, and Meowth a grounded reason to continue pursuing the fruitless goal of capturing Pikachu (namely to climb the ranks).
• High Turnover Rate: Team Rocket doesn't tolerate failure, and Rocket members who fail too many times either get booted out of the organization or simply quit. Christopher, Cassidy, and Butch are among the most notable former members of Team Rocket. And that's not counting Team Rocket members who got arrested after their operations were busted. This makes the Team Rocket trio's tenacity to remain in the organization a lot more impressive since they would typically be the first ones to receive the boot. In fact, they did get kicked out of Team Rocket for failing to pay their debts in one episode, but are let back in because the Rocket recruiter mentions that the organization was suffering a shortage of members as a result of the high turnover.
• Nebulous Evil Organisation: Team Rocket's criminal network is entrenched in both the Kanto and Johto regions, with plans to expand into regions such as Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar once their rivals are dealt with. They finance many schemes ranging from stealing Pokémon to using powerful artifacts that control Pokémon to creating the most powerful Pokémon in existence. All of this is to prepare Team Rocket for eventual world domination.
• N.G.O. Superpower: Despite being a crime syndicate, Team Rocket has enough resources to build hi-tech vehicles and bases across the globe that would fill any real world superpower with envy.
• Offscreen Villain Dark Matter: The organization's vast criminal network is where Jessie, James, and Mewoth get all their resources to build traps, robots, and other crazy inventions to catch Pikachu and other Pokémon. Deconstructed in the Johto seasons where it's revealed that the Team Rocket trio's repeated failures have accumulated a deficit in Team Rocket's finances, and Giovanni demands that the trio repaid their debts first before even thinking of asking him for more resources.
• Spared by the Adaptation: In Pokémon Red and Blue, Team Rocket was disbanded by Giovanni after he was defeated by Red in the final Gym battle at Viridian City. There was an attempt to revive Team Rocket in the sequel games, Pokémon Gold and Silver, but it was thwarted by the new trainer from Johto and subsequently, Team Rocket was finished. In the anime, due to Ash rarely crossing paths with Giovanni, the Team Rocket organization remains operational by the end of the series, outliving all of its villainous rivals.
• Supervillain Lair: They have many bases in Kanto, most infamously the Viridian Gym which acts as a public front for Team Rocket to test out Mewtwo and other powerful Pokémon. But after the Viridian Gym got destroyed, the Rocket headquarters got relocated to a conspicuous military building in the middle of nowhere (usually a desert canyon or forest) with a big R in the middle.
• The Syndicate: Out of the all the villainous teams introduced in the anime, Team Rocket is the biggest of them all. And they only got more influential in the underworld when their major rivals get disbanded or arrested by the authorities, leaving them free to expand and rule.
• Take Over the World: Their goal is to expand their criminal organization across the globe, steal rare and powerful Pokémon, and use them for world domination.

Leadership

Giovanni (Sakaki)

You're just the players in my master plan!

Voiced in Japanese by: Hirotaka Suzuoki (1st voice), Kenta Miyake (current)

Voiced in English by: Ted Lewis (1st voice, 4Kids; current voice), Craig Blair (2nd voice)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Alejandro Villeli (Season 1-10, current), Humberto Solórzano (only in Season 11)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Ruperto Ares (Seasons 1-3), José Escobosa (Season 5 onwards), Roberto Encinas (AG Episode 002), Rafael Azcárraga (Special Mewtwo Returns)

Voiced in European French by: Patrick Descamps

The boss of Team Rocket and the now former Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym.

---

• Adaptational Villainy: This version of Giovanni lacks the redeeming traits he has in the games, such as his honorable streak from Pokémon Red and Blue, or the sheer devoted loyalty of The Remnant in Pokémon Gold and Silver.
• Adapted Out: All but the Rhydon from his video game roster are omitted in the anime.
• Arc Villain: Though usually acting as the Greater-Scope Villain, he does take center stage a few times in the series.
  • Of the Kanto arc, back when Jessie, James and Meowth actually worked for him. Afterwards he was Demoted to Extra and just sent them along on fool's errands.
  • He returned to the role during Team Rocket's Black & White arcs, taking up the role more directly in early Season 14 and the end of Season 15.
• Ascended Extra: Giovanni was for the large part a Greater-Scope Villain until Black & White, where he takes the role of Arc Villain, directly assigning the trio most of their missions and fronting Operation Tempest personally. He retires back to headquarters afterwards however, back to his usual role.
• Bad Boss: Right before he was Demoted to Extra (until he became a primary antagonistic force in Unova and reminded the fans that yes, you do not mess with this man), Giovanni made the cold decision to make Jessie and James head of the blimp squad, blimps that were so old they fell apart from just one flight, which he had been intending so that the trio could crash and he could collect the insurance policy on their blimp. Yes, he was possibly going to kill them off.
• Big Bad: Acts as this for the Mewtwo Returns TV movie, trying to capture Mewtwo and his clone Pokémon.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Ends up corrupted and driven to insanity by the Reveal Glass at the climax of Operation Tempest.
• Canon Foreigner: Inverted. Giovanni is the only Team Rocket member in the anime to have originated from the games.
• Characterization Marches On: While he maintains his sinister disposition in later series, his Bad Boss aspects are seen less and less. In many cases he comes off as a more pragmatic figure closer to his games counterpart, knowing when to cut his losses, and treating his minions with less abuse. Due to this (and Giovanni straight up forgetting about them and what incompetents they were originally), Jessie and James actually manage to keep on his good side most of the time Best Wishes onwards, either by deceit or convenient circumstances making them look useful.
• Clueless Boss: It's not so much he is incompetent, but by the time of Diamond and Pearl, Jessie and James had become such washouts that Giovanni had completely forgotten about them, and thus started believing their exaggerated claims of success, allowing them to bumble their way into his good books for the time being. His secretary Matori has questioned his trust in the trio.
• The Comically Serious: Which makes Meowth's daydreams about him all the weirder.
  • Or the chibi Gene Kelly dance.
  • The Bagon and the coconut. Good Arceus Almighty, the Bagon and the coconut!
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: He owned Pokémon Land, an attraction park featuring giant robot Pokémon, implying that he is some sort of businessman, or at least has a lot of money to throw around.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: He's shown giving one to Gary by using Mewtwo.
• Death Glare: To the point it's almost his default expression. The trio feel rather intimidated when he looks their way to say the least.
• Demoted to Extra: Until Black and White, then once again for XY, only to gradually return to prominence in Sun and Moon.
• Deus Exit Machina: He goes off on some Team Rocket business just in time for Ash's eighth Kanto gym battle. He never actually returns to his post as Gym Leader after this, for unknown reasons.
• Diabolical Mastermind: And one with a conqueror complex, too.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: In one of his rare less-than-intelligent moments, he decided insult Mewtwo right in his face and paid the price by losing his HQ.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: In the 'Birth of Mewtwo' CD drama.
• Evil Brit: Has a very pronounced British accent in the dub courtesy of Ted Lewis, and Craig Blair to a lesser extent.
• Evil Is Not a Toy:
  • Ke was using Mewtwo to curb-stomp challengers at his gym and do random tasks before he got his base destroyed from saying too much.
  • The overwhelming power of the Reveal Glass takes control of him, temporarily driving him into insanity.
• The Faceless: He was this for the majority of the Kanto series until Gary fights him. From that point on, Giovanni started to make more physical appearances (as well as dropping his Voice of the Legion).
• Faux Affably Evil: He's cultured, civilized, and intelligent... and one of the most repulsive people in the series. His attitude towards his enemies is one of condescension at best and derision at worst.
• Freudian Excuse: He describes his mother in rather... caressing tones in the CD drama, but his mother seems cold towards him and refers to him only as her 'brat boy'. This probably caused him to become eviler than her, as part of a means to prove himself. He may have something of an Inferiority Superiority Complex in this case.
• Graceful Loser: The resolution to Operation Tempest shows he knows when to cut his losses.
• Greater-Scope Villain:
  • Ash and co very seldom fight Giovanni directly, but being the leader of the Team Rocket organization, he is responsible for the Terrible Trio Jessie, James and Meowth and any other Team Rocket member they face in their journeys. Especially such during the Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh arcs, when he grew so tired of the Trio's incompetence that he pretty much allowed them to do their own thing. Was also this for Mewtwo's character in the first movie.
  • He is to date, the only crime boss in the Pokémon anime to go largely un-confronted and undefeated, with a still operating organization looming in the shadows.
• Idiot Ball: Taunting Mewtwo to his face wasn't exactly the best idea he had, considering that Mewtwo at the time was Willfully Weak in order to not hurt the people and Pokémon he's sent to deal with too badly. But when the above event happens, then he responds by tearing his armour apart like tinfoil and reducing Giovanni's base to a smouldering crater.
• Infinity +1 Sword: In the first movie, it's explained how he acquired Mewtwo...and later on, how it destroyed the Team Rocket HQ.
• Karma Houdini: As of the series finale his organization is fully intact and still running strong while Ash and co. have gotten nowhere around to even slowing him down, making him the sole villainous organization leader to avoid any comeuppance for his crimes in the long run.
• Knight of Cerebus: Whenever we finally see him in person, he is usually far more serious, malicious and intimidating than most of the comical Team Rocket ensemble, and even a large helping of side antagonists.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: He and all his Team Rocket agents (save the TRio) had their memories of Mewtwo wiped by the Mon in question towards the end of Mewtwo Returns.
• Laughing Mad: In the Operation Tempest episodes, thanks to the power of the Reveal Glass.
• Made of Iron: Please remember, Giovanni survived Mewtwo destroying his headquarters with nothing more than a few scrapes and a bad attitude. Being Made of Iron must be a prerequisite for joining Team Rocket.
• Manipulative Bastard: Of Mewtwo initially claiming that the two were partners to get him to work for Giovanni. That was until Gio got cocky enough to tell Mewtwo to its face that he lied and considered the Pokémon his most powerful puppet. Mewtwo blew up one of his headquarters in response and escaped (while Gio was showhow unharmed from it all).
• Man of Wealth and Taste: He is evidently a multi-millionaire. Whether this is due to being the boss of Team Rocket or his status as a gym leader is unclear.
• Might Makes Right: Giovanni only values Pokémon based on how powerful they are. Even when Jessie, James, and Meowth gives him a rare (and certainly valuable) Pokémon that is Togepi, Giovanni dismisses them when they fail to explain what the baby Pokémon can do, never once considering how much money he could make by selling it in the Black Market.
• Mr. Exposition: Had a Basil Exposition role towards Jessie, James, and Meowth early into Black & White.
• Omnicidal Maniac: For a terrifying few minutes, he becomes this when he accidentally absorbs the power of the Reveal Glass, which drives him insane and desiring to destroy the world. Thankfully, Jessie, James and Meowth snap him out of it.
• Orcus on His Throne: While he is to some degree a Greater-Scope Villain, he is so often Out of Focus and rarely seen taking active part or even plotting any schemes in the series, you'd have to remind yourself the main trio even work for him. He has confronted the heroes only a handful of times in nearly a thousand episodes.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Seems to genuinely love his Persian.
  • As shown since Unova, he will also praise the trio for their rare moments of usefulness.
  • He's implied to have had at least some respect for Jessie's mother, Miyamoto, which may be part of the reason he keeps Jessie on the team in the first place.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Keeps Jessie, James, and Meowth in his service in spite of their numerous failures because their tendency to follow Ash from region to region often makes them the only Rocket presence in those places, and this tends to draw out rival villainous organizations in the open.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: He can post bail for anyone (other than him) in the team who got sent to jail.
• Shout-Out: Giovanni's depiction in the original series is a loving homage to all the classic Bond villains. Specifically to Ernst Stavro Blofeld, being a shadowy mastermind that runs a massive criminal network who never shows his face and is seen petting his Right-Hand Cat.
• The Sociopath: Shows himself to be this from time to time, especially in Mewtwo Returns where he has no concern for the suffering of others or the benefit of his organization as long as he gets what he wants.
• Truer to the Text: Giovanni becomes more in line with his game counterpart starting from Black & White where he actively schemes a major plot for world domination that gets Ash involved in the conflict. By the XY series, he wears a black suit similar to his appearance in the games.
• The Unfought: In stark contrast to Pokémon Red and Blue, where he's defeated and his organization disbanded near the end point, Ash and Giovanni never encounter each other in the original series, or even learn of each other's existence. After several thousand episodes, this is finally subverted in their brief fight in Black & White — after which they never confront each other ever again.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: He was an early example of this trope, played as serious and menacing in contrast to the comedic Team Rocket trio.
• Villains Out Shopping:
  • According to a spiel by Meowth about what Giovanni would do with a Magby, he apparently holds a company barbecue.
  • Also, in the episode "The Evolution Solution," Giovanni was having a vacation and was seen relaxing on the beach alongside his Persian wanting to relive some stress after the incident with Mewtwo.
• Voice of the Legion: In his first few appearances, his voice was extremely deep and echoey through a vocoder effect. This was dropped in "The Battle of the Badge".
• Worthy Opponent: After Operation Tempest is sabotaged by Ash and Pikachu, Giovanni, after regaining his senses, merely gives a small, almost impressed smirk before walking off. He also is shown looking thoughtful when Jessie and James talk about how special Pikachu is afterward. This is probably the nearest he has gotten to some mutuality on the trio's obsession with Pikachu. His respect for Pikachu grows even more after it alongside Ash won the World Coronation Series with Giovanni declaring Pikachu as the strongest Pokémon in the world.
• Would Hurt a Child:
  • Unsurprisingly, he was willing to crush Ash to death to convince Meloetta to further his plans in Operation Tempest.
  • In the Birth of Mewtwo CD drama, after Mewtwo takes down a defeated trainer's Magmar, he not only steals said Magmar, he also orders Mewtwo to attack the child. Yikes.

Matori

Voiced in Japanese by: Kiyomi Asai

Voiced in English by: Emily Jenness

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Erica Edwards (Diamond & Pearl), Karla Falcón (Best Wishes!), Danann Galván (Sun & Moon)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Gloria Núñez (DP and BW series), Amalia Cantarero (XY Series), Carmen Podio (Sun & Moon Series onwards)

Giovanni's secretary and assistant, first introduced in the final episode of the Diamond and Pearl series. She is the one to contact Jessie, James and Meowth via Delibird to inform them of their promotion.

---

• Ascended Extra: She becomes more of a prominently recurring character in Sun and Moon, even being the commander of Team Rocket's elite unit, the Matori Matrix.
• Characterisation Click Moment: In early appearances, Matori is usually just Giovanni's secretary. Come Sun and Moon she becomes The Straight Man monitoring the main trio's bumbling, leading her to gain a larger more active role.
• A Day in the Limelight: SM122 has Matori in a lead role, journeying to Alola to claim Bewear from Jessie and James, and suffering a lot of their usual antics.
• Elite Mooks: Her personal squad, known as Matori Matrix, are stated to be elite troops. This is proven as they are are far more capable at battling than the usual grunts, to the point they even managed to defeat the main characters' Pokémon and capture them.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: To some degree, while Giovanni isn't stupid, his observation of the Terrible Trio is minimal. Matori on the other hand is slightly skeptical about them, and monitors them recurrently throughout Sun and Moon to make sure they make some ongoing progress.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Was exclusively Giovanni's secretary until Sun and Moon when she assembled Matori Matrix and was shown leading Team Rocket missions herself.
• No Name Given: She is only referred to as "Sakaki's secretary" in Japanese credit rolls and official artwork. Her name, Matori, was only spoken once - by Meowth in some versions of Best Wishes! episode 23. In the English dubbed version, however, the line where her name was spoken was edited, and according to casting director Tom Wayland, she has no official name in English. Her name is said in the English dub during the Necrozma Arc of Sun and Moon, however.
• Not So Above It All:
  • She finally leads a mission in the Sun and Moon series to seek Alola's legendaries, only for her and her whole team to fall victim to same chi draining as the other adults and get rather handily blasted off in their first (rather unenthusiastic) attempt. It's only after things revert to normal that Matori starts taking the mission seriously again, though even then, the combined efforts of Professor Kukui and Tapu Koko lead to them retreating without much of a fight.
  • In SM122 she returns to Alola to take Bewear back to HQ. The whole escapade leads to her getting the run-around by the Team Rocket trio and Bewear's antics, even getting blasted off with them at one point. By the end of the episode she and Alolan Meowth are left battered and shaken, and terrified of Bewear.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: In later seasons, the Team Rocket trio are recurrently shown having to report their progress to Matori, including tending to masses of paper work, lectures, and writing formal apologies to HQ whenever they don't meet ends, something they find almost as insufferable as facing Giovanni himself. It is also implied that dealing with Matori's regulations was a large pivot for Butch and Cassidy finally quitting Team Rocket altogether.
• Pet the Dog: She is quite grateful towards the Terrible Trio after they seemingly hand her Alolan Meowth, unaware how infuriated Jessie is that it ditched them to be with her rival. She later praises them again for obtaining a Z-Ring and a Mimikium Z from Nanu.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: For a villainous group at least. She seems to keep watchful eye on Jessie and James throughout their Alola mission. Unlike other Team Rocket members however, this is less out of petty spite and more to ensure they are making some contribution to the organisation. She usually relents whenever they bear something of an accomplishment.
  • Subverted in JN024, where she tells the trio that Giovanni has given them a vacation as a reward for their devotion towards their missions... which turns out to be a convenient lie that she invented in order to keep the "dead weight" out of the way of her own large-scale operation, proudly remarking to one of her operatives that having their "problems" go on a "break" was the right choice.
  • She once again subverts this in JN074, where she manages to manipulate the trio into searching for Cresselia under the pretense of it being a direct order from Giovanni and the possibility for a promotion if they're successful. She notes to herself afterward that while it's fine if they succeed (since it would benefit her directly), she is mainly recruiting them for the operation as potential scapegoats, fully intending to blame them if things happen to go south.
• Satellite Character: To Giovanni up until Sun and Moon, where she begins having more interaction with the TRio and her own Team Rocket unit.
• Scary Shiny Glasses: In her appearance in episode 95 of Best Wishes!.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Evolves into one for the Team Rocket trio akin to Butch and Cassidy by the final season of Sun and Moon.
• Small Role, Big Impact: She has only one brief role in the Diamond and Pearl series, having made arrangements for the Terrible Trio's promotion in Unova that would form most of their role throughout the 'Best Wishes'' series. She became a Recurring Character in later seasons.
• Smug Snake: She's very confident in the abilities of herself and her team. Which means that whenever they face defeat, she doesn't handle it well at all.
• The Stoic: Becomes Not So Stoic in Sun and Moon, where she's more prone to irritation, and grows a visible fear towards Bewear.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
  • Starting by the later points of Sun and Moon, she and her group fill the role of a more fearsome Team Rocket antagonist, as well as a comedic rival to the main trio, a role that Butch and Cassidy (and by extension Giovanni himself) used to have.
  • Her role as Giovanni's right-hand woman makes her one to Domino from Mewtwo Returns.
• Unknown Rival: In Sun and Moon, Jessie wants to displace her as Giovanni's right-hand woman. Matori neither knows nor cares.

Elite Officers

Domino

Voiced in Japanese by: Kotono Mitsuishi

Voiced in English by: Kerry Williams

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Christine Byrd

Voiced in European Spanish by: Sofía Galán

Voiced in European French by: Marie Van R

Also known as 009 and the Black Tulip, Domino is one of Team Rocket's most elite agents. She only appears in Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns, where she is the secondary antagonist behind her boss, Giovanni.

---

• Amusing Injuries: After all her impressive feats, Domino ends up humiliated when she slips on a wet floor and face-plants into a bucket of water.
• Badass Normal: Unlike the vast majority of characters, Domino has no known Pokémon. That doesn't slow her down, however; she is a skilled fighter and demonstrates some advanced gymnastic skills. Her weapon of choice is an electrically-charged "tulip," which can administer a nasty shock that can incapacitate even large Pokémon such as Nidoqueen.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Ash and co. meet her when she seems to be a nice albeit air-headed Valley Girl. As it turns out, she is neither air-headed nor nice at all.
• But Not Too Evil: The original Japanese version had Domino make it blatantly clear that if her enemies didn't cooperate as hostages, she would use lethal force on them. This is completely removed in the English dub.
• Cuteness Proximity: Domino can't help but find the baby clone Pokémon adorable.
• The Dragon: To Giovanni.
• Dumb Blonde: Exploited, she disguises herself as one.
• Improbable Age: She seems rather young to be an elite officer of Team Rocket.
• Laser-Guided Karma: She demotes Jessie, James and Meowth to janitor duty, telling them to clean the floor until she can see her face in it. Later, as she's fleeing from attacking Bug-type Pokémon, she slips on the wet floor and falls face-first into the bucket of water the TRio were using.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Disguises herself as a college Valley Girl who is a student of Cullen Calix. Once she locates Mewtwo, she drops the act and attacks Ash and the others.
• Ojou Ringlets: Has two curly pigtails.
• Pragmatic Villainy: She advised against torturing Mewtwo since he's too valuable to risk harm, and was annoyed at Giovanni doing so anyway since It's Personal.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: She's high enough in Team Rocket to get away with objecting to Giovanni, and doesn't need Pokémon to put up a fight.
• Red Baron: Domino, aka the Black Tulip, aka Agent 009.
• Shock and Awe: Her electric tulip.
• Valley Girl: Domino acts like one in the dub as part of her disguise.

Iron-Masked Marauder (Vicious)

See here for more about the Iron-Masked Marauder.

Pierce (Flint)

Voiced in Japanese by: Jin Yamanoi

Voiced in English by: Dan Green

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Eduardo Garza

Voiced in European Spanish by: Alejandro Peyo García

A high-ranked Team Rocket operative, he is first revealed as the TRio's contact in Unova, assigned to assist them in the Meteonite mission.

---

• One-Steve Limit: He gets a Dub Name Change to Pierce because, although Flint is a credible English name, two characters (Brock's father and the Sinnoh Elite Four member) also have it.
• Satellite Character: Seemed to only exist to give Jessie and James information.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: He disappears from the story following the postponed/cancelled "Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma" two-parter. Said episodes would have justified his already-intended departure as due to most of the Team Rocket organization getting forced out of Unova when Team Plasma's interference leaves them vulnerable.

Gozu

Voiced in Japanese by: Keikō Sakai

Voiced in English by: Pete Zarustica

Voiced in European Spanish by: Miguel Ángel Muro

A member of Team Rocket's elite "Matori Matrix" unit, and Matori's second-in-command.

---

• Benevolent Boss: Shows traces of this by suggesting to Matori to not go into the Ultra Wormhole to focus on the damage the ship has out of concern for the group not being able to return.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: His Mega Aggron effortlessly defeats Kukui's Braviary and Faba's Hypno and Alakazam with a single Heavy Slam. He later ends up on the receiving end by Kukui's Incineroar.
• Elite Mook: By virtue of being the first member of Team Rocket in the anime capable of performing Mega Evolution and has the battling skill to use it.
• Eyepatch of Power: Wears one over his right eye. There's nothing actually wrong with said eye though, he just wears it to look cool.
• Super Mode: He has an Aggron which can Mega Evolve.

Agents

Jessie, James, and Meowth (Musashi, Kojirou, and Nyarth)

See here for more about the Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth.

Cassidy and Butch (Yamato and Kosaburo)

"Now here's our mission, so you better listen!"

Voiced in Japanese by: Masako Katsuki (Yamato), Takehito Koyasu (Kosaburo)

Voiced in English by: Megan Hollingshead, Andi Whaley, Emily Williams (Cassidy), and Eric Stuart and Jimmy Zoppi (Butch) (EN)

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Jaqueline Castañeda (Original Series), Maggie Vera (Chronicles), Erica Edwards (Advance Generation), Adriana Casas (Diamond & Pearl) (Cassidy), and Sergio Gutierrez Coto (Original Series), Héctor Emmanuel Gómez, Enzo Fortuny and Irwin Daayán (Chronicles), Christian Strempler (Advance Generation) and Alan Prieto (Diamond & Pearl) (Butch)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Conchi López (Cassidy), Claudio Serrano (Butch)

Two recurring agents of Team Rocket, Cassidy and Butch are more competent than Jessie, James and Meowth and wear the traditional black Team Rocket uniform rather than the trio's white outfits. They started to suffer from Villain Decay in Pokémon Chronicles and this, combined with a 14-year long absence, culminated to their eventual status in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

---

• Accidental Misnaming: In a Running Gag, nobody gets Butch's name right.
• Alpha Bitch: Cassidy frequently acts this way towards Jessie.
• Always Someone Better: They were essentially versions of Jessie and James who were actually competent, at least until Flanderization set in.
• Beauty Is Bad: Much like their rivals, Cassidy and Butch are charismatic, good-looking individuals that also happen to be Card-Carrying Villains.
• Berserk Button: Getting Butch's name wrong tends to make him a wee bit mad. He's accidentally called himself the wrong name trying to correct someone out of habit when they got his name right.
• The Bus Came Back: After 14 real-time years of absence, they reappear in the 95th episode of Pokémon Journeys.
• Butt-Monkey: Usually a result of Butch's name, though by Chronicles they're both full time bumbling villains. Cassidy has a more prominent moment in "Showdown at the Oak Corral"; at Oak's lab, she's disguised as a Nidoqueen (Butch as a Golem), and unwillingly gains the attention of an attracted Nidoking.
• Card-Carrying Villain: If their motto is anything to go by.
• Catch-Phrase Spouting Duo: An alternate version of the usual trio's motto.
• Combat Stilettos: Cassidy's boots have more noticeable heels than Jessie's.
• Escalating War: By their later appearances, the trio's feud with the two was far more even handed and slapstick.
• Eviler than Thou: Particularly in their first few episodes. When first appearing they were introduced as Rocket agents that were more competent, more successful and far more ruthless than the Trio the heroes were familiar with, with none of their affable sides and more subtle comedic traits, who could instantly supplant the Trio in evilness. Their operations were large scale and dangerous, and most of their appearances required Enemy Mines between Ash and Jessie and James to defeat. This lessened over time, until they ended up as incompetent and goofy as the trio and were eventually phased out. Since Unova, whenever the show has wanted to do "Team Rocket, but actually dangerous," they've just given the main trio the Smart Ball.
• Evil Is Hammy: They're no less over-the-top than their rivals, complete with their own version of the Team Rocket motto.
• Evil Versus Evil: They use nearly all their schemes to screw over Jessie and James in the process, leading the trio to either compete with them or form an Enemy Mine with Ash and his friends.
• Flanderization: In Pokémon Chronicles, they become just as incompetent as their rivals, likely to serve as Suspiciously Similar Substitutes in other arcs and regions.
• Foil:
  • While Jessie, James, and Meowth are bumbling, incompetent losers held in complete disdain by Giovanni, Cassidy and Butch are successful, top-ranked agents who get special treatment by their boss. The main Team Rocket trio are also sympathetic villains who have strong moral limits on what they'll do to Pokémon, while Cassidy and Butch are completely unapologetic evildoers with far more sinster schemes. They also have a Raticate as their Team Pet to act like a foil to Meowth, being a rat to Meowth's cat.
  • As of Journeys, they still fill this role, but in a completely different way. While Cassidy and Butch have moved on from evil and now live successful lives without each other, the main Team Rocket trio are stuck in a never-ending cycle of failed evil schemes. James and Meowth try to break away but are ultimately forced back to Team Rocket, losing yet another chance at a Heel–Face Turn.
• Hate Sink: They filled this role in the original series, as not only are they more competent evil-doers than Jessie and James but are also insufferably arrogant, vicious and power-hungry Jerkasses while being so.
• Heel–Face Turn: At some point prior to Journeys, they officially left Team Rocket and went their separate ways, with Butch running a bakery and Cassidy running a restaurant.
• Irony: They pretty much became jokes while Jessie and James became much better at the job. Unlike the trio, this causes them to leave Team Rocket.
• Joker Immunity: Like their rivals, they have a tendency to cheat death whenever they get blasted off into the sky. However, most of the time, they simply get sent to prison by Officer Jenny... only to later get out due to their connections with Giovanni.
• Karma Houdini: Despite everything they did while members of Team Rocket— including brainwashing an entire island and kidnapping a Legendary Pokémon— they still perform a Heel–Face Turn with seemingly no consequence.
• Knight of Cerebus: Subverted. Their schemes are generally more insidious and dangerous than normal, and often leads to Ash and friends taking the situation a lot more seriously than they ever would with the Team Rocket trio. But despite having a higher competency level than their Rocket rivals, they are still beaten and humiliated at episode's end. By the time of Ruby and Sapphire, they've been reduced to a slightly more competent version of Jessie, James, and Meowth.
• No-Respect Guy: Despite being more credible villains, they tend to be referred to as nothing more than "that other Team Rocket" by the hero cast (as Tracey once did in Pokémon Chronicles, before he and Delia both proceed to call Butch the wrong name). They are at least more respected within the organization, though even there, no one seems to remember Butch's name.
• Palette Swap:
  • Cassidy (who debuted in the 1998 episode The Breeding Center Secret) is based directly on Ken Sugimori's female Rocket grunt design, which first appeared in the Pokémon trading card game in 1997. In order to avoid redundancy (the female grunt has the same white uniform and red hair already used by Jessie), Cassidy became a blonde wearing a black uniform.
  • Butch's hairstyle appears to be just Cassidy's in a different hue and with no pigtails.
• Pet the Dog: In Journeys, Cassidy lets the usual trio stay somewhere warm when they're caught in the snow, and Butch lets Meowth work with him for a while.
• Proud Beauty: Cassidy is every bit as vain as Jessie, constantly boasting about her beauty at every opportunity she gets.
• Put on a Bus: Journeys establishes they've left Team Rocket for good and split up with one another, rendering it extremely unlikely they'll come back in the future.
• Put on a Prison Bus: Unlike other Rocket members, who either escape or get blasted off into the sky, Cassidy and Butch are usually arrested by Officer Jenny, who then puts them in a paddy wagon that drives the Rocket duo off to prison. They get out in the next episode they appear in, usually explained as Giovanni bailing them out. This became a Running Gag until the Lugia arc in the "Master Quest" season, where they were given the traditional blasting off to the sky defeat, and this became the new norm for the Rocket duo.
• Reflexive Response: Butch is so used to people getting his name wrong that, sometimes when Cassidy gets it right, he automatically corrects her before catching himself. Occasionally calling himself the wrong name.
• Right Hand Versus Left Hand: The main reason why they tend to come into conflict with Jessie, James and Meowth. The Trio rarely have any idea what their cell is up to, and typically stumble across Butch and Cassidy's schemes without initially realizing what's going on - on more than one occasion, Butch and Cassidy have had their "legitimate" businesses nearly robbed by the Trio, who were unaware that it was really a Rocket front. On others Butch and Cassidy have knowingly lumped an oblivious Trio in with their other victims, despite them being on the same side.
• Right-Hand Attack Dog: Butch and Cassidy seem to have a fondness for canine Pokémon, having used, at various points, a Houndour, a Mightyena, and a Granbull.
• The Rival: To Jessie, James and Meowth, with both teams vying to one-up each other's evil schemes.
• Running Gag: The cast getting Butch's name wrong, usually resulting in him going in a furious tirade. At least once or twice, someone (usually Cassidy) said his name right, and he still corrected them before catching himself.
• Same Character, But Different: Their characters from the original series to Diamond and Pearl are completely overhauled for their return in Journeys. They've long since given up crime and are content living modest lifestyles apart from each other, a far cry from the arrogant, hammy, Card-Carrying Villains they once were.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: By Journeys, they got fed up with the repetitive Team Rocket lifestyle and quit the organization.
• Shadow Archetype: To Jessie and James.
  • They represent what Jessie and James could have been if they didn't have a Hidden Heart of Gold, successful Rocket agents that have Giovanni's favor, but have committed enough serious crimes for the police to haul them to an actual prison rather than being blasted off into the sky (initially).
  • Despite the fact they work well together as a duo, they do not have as strong of a friendship bond as Jessie, James, and Meowth do. As a result, while the Team Rocket trio manages to stick together in the organization through their lowest moments, Cassidy and Butch don't last as long after suffering Villain Decay, which leads them to leave Team Rocket as a whole after Matori gets wind of their failures. And due to their lack of a strong bond, they went their separate ways pursuing new careers. Thus, they now serve as a glimpse into the future Jessie, James, and Meowth would have had if they quit Team Rocket: Successful careers at the expense of never being together ever again.
• Signature Mon: Raticate is this for the duo as a whole. It wouldn't be until Johto that Butch and Cassidy each got individual signature Pokémon—namely Hitmontop for Butch and Houndour for Cassidy.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: As they became as comical as the main trio, their rivalry with them ultimately evolved into this, with almost as much childish bickering on their part.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Their later goofier personalities were likely to act as such to Jessie and James, taking their role of Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain in side stories outside the trio's current region. They even started blasting off.
• Team Rocket Wins: Most of their face offs end with Jessie, James and Meowth getting the last laugh. In "The Fortune Hunters" however they end up blasting off the trio without much effort. Subverts The Bad Guy Wins however since the twerps in turn easily defeat and arrest them straight afterwards.
• Terrible Trio: They're technically a duo but just to one-up their rivals, they often complete their motto by having their on-and-off Team Pet Raticate cap off in a similar fashion like Meowth.
• Viler New Villain: While more competent than the main trio as villains, they lack most of their redeeming qualities, and thus the Laser-Guided Karma second winds that come with it, which is one circumstance the trio can often best them through.
• Villain Decay: Though their rivalry with the main trio made them more comical as the main series went along, they remained fairly threatening, at least relatively. In Chronicles however, they outright take over as the Goldfish Poop Gang.
• Villain Team-Up: Willingly join up with Jessie and James for once in "The Ole' Berate and Switch!". Rather surprisingly it's the trio that prove Eviler than Thou this time and leave booby traps to get the duo caught by Ash and friends.
• Vocal Dissonance: Butch certainly doesn't look like he should have such a low, croaky voice (at least in the dub).
• You Dirty Rat!: Their answer to Meowth is Cassidy's Raticate, who often caps off their villainous motto.

Attila (Buson)

Voiced in Japanese by Nobuyuki Hiyama

Voiced in English by: Marc Thompson

Voiced in European Spanish by: Alejandro Peyo García

A former Pokémon poacher turned Team Rocket member, Attila is one of the main antagonists of "The Legend of Thunder" special alongside his partner Hun. A High-Ranking-Officer that's determined to capture the legendary Pokémon Raikou in order to become a legend himself and help Team Rocket's goals.

---

• Big Bad Duumvirate: He is this with Hun. The two of them serve as the main antagonists for the special and both work together to capture Raikou no matter the cost.
• The Cameo: He's seen during the ninth movie's opening sequence where he and Hun successfully capture Rayquasa for Professor Sebastian to study.
• Cool Shades: He wears a nice pair of black sunglasses.
• Evil Poacher: The English dub states that he was just an ordinary poacher before joining Team Rocket and even after joining them it doesn't stop him from trying to poach Pokémon. However the original Japanese doesn’t mention this.
• Extra-ore-dinary: Has a Skarmory.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Inverted. He's blond but his heart is far from a heart of gold. He has no issue torturing Pokémon, especially legendary ones like Raikou.
• The Nicknamer: He often nicknames opponents he fights. For example he calls Jimmy "Hero boy", Vincent "Sissy boy", and Raikou "Thunder wonder".
• "Not So Different" Remark: He tries to invoke this when Jimmy calls Hun and him out for their cruel methods of capturing Raikou saying they're just doing what all trainers do which is add Pokémon to their collection. Of course Jimmy retorts with a Shut Up, Hannibal! speech saying how wrong he is.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Downplayed. While we don't see much of his and Hun's battle with Rayquaza, we definitely see them successfully capture it for Team Rocket.
• Poisonous Person: Has a Muk.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the red to Hun's blue. While Hun is normally stoic and calm, he's much more expressive and can be easily angered.
• Theme Naming: Like the other Rocket duos, he and his partner are named after a famous criminal in the English dub — in this case, Attila the Hun.

Hun (Basho)

Voiced in Japanese by: Toshiyuki Morikawa

Voiced in English by: Veronica Taylor

Voiced in European Spanish by: María Jesús Nieto

A high-ranking officer of Team Rocket, and partner to Attila. He's one of the main antagonists of "The Legend of Thunder" special.

---

• Big Bad Duumvirate: With Hun, the two of them serving as the main antagonists of "The Legend of Thunder".
• Extra-ore-dinary: Has a Steelix.
• Not So Stoic: He becomes less stoic as the special goes on and the heroes keep interfering with his plans, to the point that he seems to enjoy ordering Steelix to attack them by the end.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Downplayed. While we don't see much of his and Attila's battle with Rayquaza, we definitely see them successfully capture it for Team Rocket.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the blue to Attila's red. While he's normally stoic and calm, Attila's much more expressive and can be easily angered.
• She's a Man in Japan: A complicated case — while a mistranslation in the script led to Hun being portrayed as a female in the English dub, he's not referred to with any gendered pronouns aside from those used collectively with Attila (e.g. "those guys"). The Brazilian dub refers to him with female pronouns, and the European Portuguese dub gives him a traditionally female name.
• The Stoic: He's fairly calm and logical, especially when compared to his partner.
• Theme Naming: Like the other Rocket duos, he and his partner are named after a famous criminal in the English dub — in this case, Attila the Hun.
• White Hair, Black Heart: His hair is close to white in color, and he's a loyal member of Team Rocket.

Scientists

Dr. Fuji

See here for more about Dr. Fuji.

Dr. Namba

Voiced in Japanese by: Ichirō Nagai

Voiced in English by: Jimmy Zoppi

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Francisco Colmenero (Original Series), Daniel Abundis (Advance Generation), Hugo Navarrete (Diamond & Pearl), César Arias (Chronicles)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Luis Gaspar (Season 5), Roberto Cuenca Martínez (Chronicles, DP Episode 065), José Escobosa (AG Episode 176)

One of Team Rocket's scientists, and perhaps the one who most embodies the "mad" in Mad Scientist, Dr. Namba seems to be Cassidy and Butch's superior officer.

---

• Accidental Misnaming: He knows that someone is getting his name wrong no matter what part of the globe that person is, and conveniently phones them! One of them saw him dial Cassidy just so he could yell at Jessie (the actual person who got his name wrong that time).
  Jessie: You tell Professor Fanboy—-, huh?
  Cassidy: Huh?
  (Cassidy answers her phone, then throws it to Jessie.)
  Cassidy: It's for you.
  Jessie: Oh.
  (Jessie catches the phones then called Namba who called her to yell at her to correct her.)
  Jessie: Hello?
  Namba: IT'S STILL NAMBA!!
• Arc Villain: Of the Lugia three-parter during Master Quest.
• Berserk Button: Much like with Butch, getting his last name wrong makes him angry. It happens four times in his final appearance in the DP Battle Dimension episode, "Sleight of Sand", with the second time being Jessie who called him "Professor Fanboy".
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He hasn't been seen since Diamond and Pearl.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Subverted since the torture session is hilarious.
• Expy: His personality and hair brings Dr. Wily into mind.
• Grumpy Old Man: Not the friendliest codger around, for sure.
• Mad Scientist: He has a fierce temper, wants to do unethical scientific experiments on Pokémon, and he works for Team Rocket.
• Mission Control: To Butch and Cassidy.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Fishsticks.
• Villain Decay: All his appearances since his original stint as Arc Villain emphasize more on his comedic traits, and the downward spiral of Butch and Cassidy's success rate certainly doesn't help.

Dr. Zager (Dr. Seger)

Voiced in Japanese by: Masayuki Omoro

Voiced in English by: Marc Thompson

Voiced in Latin American Spanish by: Jaime Vega

Voiced in European Spanish by: Vicente Gil

An esteemed, elderly Team Rocket scientist introduced to the TRio by Pierce. He was first brought into Unova to aid in the mission to locate the Meteonite, and has since become Jessie, James, and Meowth's commanding officer while Giovanni is absent.

---

• Arc Villain: He's the one calling the shots in the Nimbasa mission, which technically included Meowth's Fake Defector phase. He also is the sole mastermind behind the mission at Twist Mountain.
• Ascended Extra: He's introduced as just a side character, but soon evolves into The Heavy for much of the Unova arc.
• Benevolent Boss: He seems to have a good relationship with the trio and cares about their safety.
• The Comically Serious: During the climax of the Battle Subway mission, where he keeps on snarling back at Jessie and James continuing to bug him over what to do.
• Cool Old Guy: He's a skilled scientist who provides a lot of support to the trio, and he's not afraid to dive into the action personally. When things go south during the Nimbasa subway mission, he pilots a helicopter in an effort to yank a malfunctioning train off the tracks.
• The Heavy: During Seasons 14-15, he functions as the primary antagonist of Best Wishes in Giovanni's absence.
• Large Ham: In his Not So Stoic moments.
• Mad Scientist: Though far more composed than most.
• Milking the Giant Cow: OBSERVE◊!
• Mission Control: To Jessie, James, and Meowth, though he's not above getting in on the action himself.
• Noble Demon: Shows signs of it in Operation Tempest, where he, like the trio, is visibly unnerved at Brainwashed and Crazy Giovanni's claims of wanting to destroy all of Unova.
• Pet the Dog: Warning the Terrible Trio of a mansion he reputed to be haunted and dangerous is either this or Pragmatic Villainy (since he doesn't want to lose his three agents).
  • Similarly, him sending the trio the Basculin-shaped submarine on the final ED credits for the series. He likely didn't have to do this since Team Rocket as a whole was done with Unova, yet he's still keeping in touch with his agents and providing for them. And since friendship is the theme of that ED credits...
• Put on a Bus: He returned to Kanto at the end of Season 15, and hasn't been seen since. He does have a cameo appearance in the final ED credits for the Japanese version of Best Wishes, though, sending the TRio the blueprints for their Basculin submarine.
• The Stoic: Unless he's angry, or excited due to scientific discovery.

Team Rocket Academy

Viper

Voiced in Japanese by: Seizō Katō
Voiced in English by: Mike Pollock

The drill sergeant of Team Rocket Academy. He was Jessie, James, Butch and Cassidy's mentor before they graduated to Rocket agents.

---

• Delinquent Hair: He sports a dark blue mohawk just in case you forgot he works for a villainous organization.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: He's the drill instructor training villains and his name is certainly nasty but in a surprising subversion, he's merely stern at the worst and is far more reasonable than even Giovanni. He even allows Cassidy, Butch, Jessie and James graduate despite not capturing the Red Snorlax in their final test.
• Ironic Name: Viper is an appropriate name for a member of Team Rocket, but compared to other members of the criminal organization, Viper is surprisingly reasonable and fair. Even when his trainees technically failed to catch the Red Snorlax, Viper still gives them passing grades to graduate to fully-fledge Team Rocket agents.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Although Jessie has a High Turnover Rate regarding her partners, Viper doesn't expel Jessie from Team Rocket as Giovanni demanded, insisting that his cadet still has strong potential that needs the right partner. He ends up proving it after partnering Jessie with James and Meowth.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in Pokémon Chronicles episode "Training Daze", but he is the reason why Jessie, James and Meowth are together as the iconic Team Rocket trio (and to lesser extent, why Cassidy and Butch are together as the rivals of the TRio).

Christopher (Yūsaku)

Voiced in Japanese by: Jun Konno
Voiced in English by: Sean Schemmel

A fellow underclassman from Jessie and James' training days at the Team Rocket Academy. Unable to perform well in the academy but treated with kindness from Jessie and James, Christopher quits Team Rocket to become a famous noodle chef in Sinnoh, creating a noodle shop restaurant chain in honor of his friends.

---

See here for more about Christopher.

Pokémon

Persian

Voiced in Japanese by: Rica Matsumoto

Voiced in English by: Rica Matsumoto

Giovanni's right hand cat, much to the ire of Meowth. Often seen being petted by its master.

---

• Always Someone Better: The apple in Giovanni's eye that Meowth so direly wants to be. Naturally the latter loathes it.
• Canon Immigrant: As with many aspects of the game, Yellow, Stadium and Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee updated Giovanni's battle to utilize Persian (though in the latter game, Persian is only used on his first two battles).
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Dishes one to Ash's Pikachu, easily taking his Iron Tail head-on then knocking him out with one Power Gem.
• Flat Character: Aside from its fondness of Giovanni, Persian's characterization is pretty limited, having very few expressive or sapient characteristics even compared to standard Pokémon.
• Hidden Badass: Persian is almost never active, spending most of its appearances lazily snuggling beside its master. When it finally does battle however, it proves quite deadly, as Ash's Pikachu can personally attest to.
• Morality Pet: One of very few individuals Giovanni shows affection and care towards. At least one manga backstory reveals Giovanni rescued Persian as a child.
• Orcus on His Throne: It took until "Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!" all the way in Best Wishes for Persian to finally take part in a battle. It lived up to the wait however, and flattened Pikachu with one Power Gem attack.
• Right-Hand Cat: Obviously made to take this role beside Giovanni. It does at times serve as an Attack Animal, even defeating Ash's Pikachu in Best Wishes.
• Shadow Archetype: Persian occupies a position that Meowth wishes to have: Being pampered as the right hand cat of the most powerful crime boss. However, Meowth can never achieve that position because Giovanni values powerful Pokémon, something that Persian represents and yet Meowth refuses to evolve into.
• Signature Mon: Being Giovanni's right hand cat and the symbol of Meowth's unobtainable position, it always appears alongside its master even though Giovanni is typically associated with Ground-types such as Rhydon.
• Unknown Rival: It seems pretty apathetic towards Meowth's envious hatred of it.

Delibird

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

A delivery Delibird that recurrently gives messages and packages to the trio, sometimes good, sometimes not.

---

• The Bus Came Back: Makes a return in JN145, delivering to Jessie and James all the Pokémon they had previously left at headquarters.
• Evil Debt Collector: Debuted in the Johto arc this way, though not particularly evil acting, it constantly Trolled the main trio for their unpaid debts to the organization.
• Instant Messenger Pigeon: Often works as such for Team Rocket, frequently used to deliver items or provisions to the trio.

Alolan Meowth (Alolan Nyarth)

Voiced in Japanese by: Rikako Aikawa

Voiced in English by: Pete Zarustica

An Alolan Meowth snuck into Jessie and James's secret hideout in SM062. It then stole Meowth's money and booked a plane ticket to Kanto, where it went to Team Rocket HQ and became Matori's assistant.

---

• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: It acts politely and obediently before new potential owners, only to double cross and abandon them the instant a better locale comes forth. Anyone that it can't use, it drops the sweet act and just heckles and torments for cruel fun.
• Doppelgänger: It snuck into Team Rocket's secret base because Meowth was covered in mud at the time, so they just thought it was him. They later figured out it was too nice to be him.
• Evil Counterpart: Set up as one to Team Rocket's Meowth.
• Fauxshadowing: It seemed like Alolan Meowth would be caught by the trio to make use of their Darkium Z. However, it points out it is useless without a Z-Ring, and upon finding out about Giovanni, it quickly switches bases before they can even set about getting one.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: It gets away with trolling and conning the Team Rocket trio in its first appearance, and gets a cosy position in headquarters as Matori's Right-Hand Cat. In later episodes where Matori becomes more active however, it starts to fall victim to the antics expected from a Team Rocket agent.
• Manipulative Bastard: States to have gone through a large amount of homes and masters, implied to be through the same backstabbing method it used on Jessie and James. It also intends to usurp Giovanni's Persian as the boss' "top cat" (much to the chagrin of Team Rocket's Meowth, who wants to do the exact same).
• Only Sane Man: The only member of Matori Matrix that doesn't fall victim to Alola's behavioral effects, thus left exasperated by no one having the energy to pull off the mission at first.
• The Rival: To Meowth, for the position of Giovanni's "top cat".
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Jessie and James get caught in another losing battle with the twerps, Alolan Meowth inducts Team Rocket's Meowth to battle alone and sets about moving to Giovanni's HQ.
• Shadow Archetype: Has the same manipulative streak as Team Rocket Meowth (as is even far more cunning and swift about it), however while Team Rocket's Meowth is Affably Evil and cares about his own teammates, Alolan Meowth is a cruel backstabber that only cares about it's own welfare.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Joins Matori as one for the Team Rocket trio (especially Meowth).
• Smug Snake: Alolan Meowths are Smug Smilers by default, but this one has the devious attitude to match. SM122 shows what happens when things stop going its way however.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist: A "Poké-speak" example. It's mannerisms are pretty much always suave and mild mannered, which even Meowth's bitter translations can't hide, but when not manipulating people for it's own means, it's a petty bully that affably mocks it's previous con victims.
• Team Rocket Wins: Though the trio are hardly happy about it, Alolan Meowth does count as a Pokémon they encountered that got sent to Giovanni (albeit unknowingly to them). Giovanni was even fully convinced they gave it to him, and offered his praise, adding it to the trio's very small quota of successfully captured Pokémon.
• Troll: Mercilessly taunts and pranks Team Rocket's Meowth For the Lulz behind Jessie and James' back. When the latter two are no longer useful to it, it mocks them from it's new home in Team Rocket HQ as well, leaving Jessie livid.
• Villainous Breakdown: In SM122, it and Matori try to make off with Stufful, only to find it is the Team Rocket trio's Meowth in disguise. While Matori is understatedly pissed, Alolan Meowth, flies into a rage and tries to unload Fury Swipes on Meowth, though Bewear intervenes.
• Villainous Friendship: Despite its self-serving nature, it genuinely seems to like Matori as its new owner, and they are usually mutual on everything.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: It hasn't made an appearance since Sun and Moon ended. While Matori and her Matrix make multiple further appearances in Journeys, Alolan Meowth has simply vanished without a trace.

Pelipper

Voiced in Japanese by:

Voiced in English by: Laurie Hymes

A Pokémon that appears in Pokémon Journeys who works with Jessie and James and delivers the Rocket Prize Master. It had its first official battle in JN049.

---

• Ascended Extra: Originally just showed up to deliver the Prize Master but after JN049, it's been hanging around with Team Rocket.
• Making a Splash: A part water type that knows Hydro Pump.
• Pelican Package Pouch: Wherever it goes, it carries the Rocket Prize Master in its beak.
• Pet the Dog: It is mostly just doing its job as carrier of the Prize Master. It does show some camaraderie towards the trio however, such as battling in place of the empty Prize Master in JN058 and using it to rescue them from a Trapinch in JN095.
• Took a Level in Badass: From its debut, its main role is to pretty much supply the Rocket Prize Master. However after the Prize Master was empty in JN049, Pelipper itself battled the group, being able to power through a Spark attack from Chloe's Yamper (despite having a double weakness toward Electric Type attacks).
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It messing with the Rocket Prize Master is what caused the events of JN058.

Japanese Radio Drama

Madame Boss

Voiced in Japanese by: Hiromi Tsuru

The former leader of Team Rocket and Giovanni's mother. She appeared in the Japanese-only Radio Drama, The Birth Of Mewtwo.

---

• Adapted Out: She isn't in the animated version of the radio drama.
• Missing Mom: She is Giovanni's deceased mother.
• Posthumous Character: She died between Miyamoto going missing and current-time.
• Unnamed Parent: She's Giovanni's mother but is only referred to as her title.

Miyamoto

Voiced in Japanese by: Yumi Touma

The mother of Jessie, and a high-ranking member of Team Rocket. She appeared in the Japanese-only Radio Drama, The Birth Of Mewtwo.

---

• The Ace: She is the favorite of Madame Boss, who calls her "the ideal image of Team Rocket".
• Adapted Out: Her portions aren't in the animated adaptation of the radio drama.
• Determinator: She never gave up on trying to capture Mew.
• Detrimental Determination: Much like her daughter, Miyamoto doesn't know when to quit when it becomes apparent that the Pokémon she wants is uncatchable. Consequently, she ends up wasting most of her life pursuing Mew instead of caring for her daughter, who grows up doing the same thing with Ash's Pikachu.
• Family Theme Naming: Miyamoto and her daughter Musashi (Jessie) are named after the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
• Generation Xerox: Her fruitless attempts to find and catch Mew seems to foreshadow how her own daughter, Jessie, will face the same hopeless situation with Ash's Pikachu.
• Give Him a Normal Life: She loved her daughter, but gave her up for adoption with this goal.
• Irony: She left Jessie in foster care to go on a mission in hopes of eventually giving Jessie a better life. Jessie ended up growing up impoverished and constantly failing to do anything she pursued, before somehow winding up in Team Rocket herself.
  • Miyamoto's considered to be one of the best agents Team Rocket ever had, but Jessie and her team have been rendered comedic, ineffectual villains constantly stalking and being overpowered by a 10 year old and his Pikachu.
    • Though in a double dose of irony, her daughter has managed to show that she can excel at things not related to theft, has managed to somewhat improve their standing with Team Rocket, and has a lifelong companionship with her own team. Miyamoto meanwhile, despite being considered one of the best Rockets, has been isolated for years, devoted entirely to her mission of capturing Mew even though everyone presumes she is dead.
• Missing Mom: To Jessie. She went missing while looking for Mew in the Andes mountains. It's stated she still made reports after her presumed death, so it seems she isn't dead.
• Never Found the Body: She's apparently alive, but no one in-series knows this.
• Precious Photo: She carried a photo of her young daughter with her while on her mission to capture Mew.
• Sanity Slippage: She continues hunting for Mew and making reports that never reach Team Rocket HQ, and is clearly going crazier as the years pass by with no success.
• Small Role, Big Impact: To date, she hasn't been featured in the anime, but in her quest to find Mew she became the first person to record Mew's vocalizations. This eventually led to the expedition to find Mew's DNA, which resulted in the creation of Mewtwo.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Jessie looks a lot like her mother.
• Undying Loyalty: She is completely devoted to Team Rocket.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Miyamoto simply disappears after her encounter with Mew and is never brought up in the anime series itself. She is implied to be still alive, but this plot thread is never properly resolved.

Mondo

Voiced in Japanese by: Takehito Koyasu

A grunt that appears in the Japanese-only Radio Drama, It's a White Tomorrow, Team Rocket!. He assists Jessie, James, and Meowth with supplies.

---

• Custom Uniform: Despite being a regular grunt, he wears the white Rocket uniform that is only worn by his idols instead of the traditional black uniform.
• Hero-Worshipper: Or Villain Worshipper depending on how you view the TRio, but Mondo looks up to Jessie, James, and Meowth as his idol and enjoys hearing their many stories of how they tried to capture Pikachu. He even has a crush on Jessie.
• Irritation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Irritation is a strong word, but it is clear that his admiration of the Team Rocket trio leads to him wearing a custom white Rocket uniform.
• Offscreen Villain Dark Matter: The radio drama reveals he is the offscreen middle man giving the Team Rocket trio all their food and supplies the entire time, being a "Team Rocket Special Delivery Member Trainee". Evidently, he only operates in the Kanto since the Team Rocket trio started having problems with food and supply shortages starting in Johto.
• Remember the New Guy?: Mondo is a new character who never appears elsewhere. This is lampshaded when Jessie and Meowth question who Mondo is.

---