Pokémon anime

The issues with Team Rocket's ending is that it's not really an ending of a villain getting their just dessert. It's a mirror image of Ash's resolve to keep on going rather than retire as the World Strongest Champion. But whereas Ash is actually somewhere much different than he was at the start, Team Rocket is still in the same place as they first started off.

They haven't become admins for Giovanni. They haven't quit Team Rocket. And the Team Rocket organization still exists, meaning they cannot be forced to find a new life. In essence, they're still lowly grunts still chasing Ash's Pikachu. A reaffirmation of the status quo except there is nothing to look forward to Team Rocket's future.

With Ash, the possibilities are endless for fans. New regions, new Pokémon, new friends, etc. He could even grow up and start a family. And he doesn't have to do more regional Leagues anymore to prove anything. He's already the best.

But with Team Rocket, you know what they'll do from here on out. Attempt to catch Pikachu and fail. It's akin to Wile E Coyote's attempts to catch the Roadrunner, except the Roadrunner in question is moving on to bigger and better things while you're left wondering why Wile E Coyote hasn't changed when the Roadrunner does.

Edited by Shadao on Mar 31st 2024 at 7:23:58 AM

I would have been ok with this ending for Team Rocket.

But only if they went to jail for life afterwards.

Speaking of Team Rocket — do Ash and Giovanni ever meet outside that one time in Best Wishes? Heck, does Ash at least know that Giovanni exists?

They also met in the Mewtwo Returns special....but Giovanni got his memory of that wiped.

Beyond that and the incident you mentioned, they ain't ever met.

There's also Pokémon Live!, but that's it.

EDIT: I like this comment on that video: "I like the theory that Ash is Giovanni’s son and he only sends Team Rocket after him to check up on him and test his skills."

Edited by lalalei2001 on Mar 31st 2024 at 11:57:48 AM

Gary met Giovanni in Indigo League, but I can't remember if he told Ash about Mewtwo at all.

Giovanni is also uncharacteristically impressed when Ash manages to foil his BW era plans.

I mean at least now Team Rocket are going after a proven powerhouse. this is a pikachu who took down the unbeatable champions unbeatable charizard

Meowth knew Ash's Pikachu was unusually strong way back in Episode 2. And I trust the one member of a species that learned to talk as a judge of when another pokemon goes above and beyond their species normal capabilities.

The situation there is that the feat that made the TRio decide on this pursuit was the consequences of James' Koffing's poisonous gas being highly conductible to electricity. At best, a misunderstanding that could have been explained earlier and gotten them to back off. But as Ash's Pikachu continued to develop and become stronger, he achieved more legitimate feats showing off his power, compared to what was at best, a lucky fluke, vindicating what the three villains believed about him.

Not to mention Pikachu had been plugged to a generator or something like that.

So now they are stuck wasting money and time getting their faces smashed on a goal they can't accomplish for a dude who doesn't give a damn about them.

Edited by Blueace on Apr 1st 2024 at 11:25:15 AM

Yes, but now we don’t have to watch them do it.

They want to keep trying until the end of time, they can fail offscreen.

Screw all three of them.

But then we wouldn't have gotten Bewear running on water just to collect them— D:

I dunno, I strangely found the Rocket ending heartwarming.

Yeah, they may constantly fail trying to get Ash's Pikachu, but fuck it, they are at least failing together, and they love the chase, so who cares if they keep losing? They are in it for life, and are enjoying it.

At this point, I don't even think they seriously want Pikachu. Probably more of a bonding activity for them.

More thought about the Team Rocket Trio Esoteric Happy Ending question.

The point was they and Ash were at critical junctures in their life goals regarding Was It Really Worth It?; Ash realizing it brought him no closer to his goal while the trio's failings reached a breaking point. Ash is able to overcome this and change goals thus getting a happy ending while the trio fail to do so thus get a less happy ending.

The question regarding Esoteric is were the Trio portrayed as wrong for being happy with their fate? Their being/remaining bad guys continuing what gets them karma and portrayed as wrong all the other times they relapsed to their villainous ways makes me think so. Was there anything different about this one suggesting it was supposed to be taken differently?

and

I can also get behind that.

Edited by HandsomeRob on Apr 1st 2024 at 10:52:31 AM

I feel like the fact that it was the finale gives a bit more weight to it, they've relapsed and gone through the whole Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario plenty of times ofc but this being their very last plot in the series means they're reaffirming their status quo for good.

That combined with how the whole "eternal goal" thing specifically mirrors Ash's ending, which isn't usually the case in the other Rocket breakup episodes, but like Shadao pointed out, they don't have the achievements Ash has to make it feel like it got them somewhere.

team rocket had moved to doing other stuff individually. but working at the rocket canteen didnt make them as happy as coming up with dumb schemes/disguises to try and catch pikachu.

I get this carries more weight.

But how is it that finale portrayed it as a happy ending for them as opposed to them being wrong for being happy about it? Why was it intended to be happy despite continuing what it spent the last 25 years as wrong for continuing/rejecting any chance to change?

I guess I just... don't get any "karmic" vibes from the writing. It feels like it's meant to be hopeful since the only other alternative the episode presents is being separated working at TR's cafeteria.

The audience knows the trio have plenty of other options in reality, but the episode never bothers to highlight them. Like I said, it seemed to me like the "bad" ending was being stuck at the cafeteria, while the "good" ending was being together again.

Edited by BlastVision on Apr 1st 2024 at 7:14:44 AM

The Team Rocket trio is not your average Terrible Trio according to this official interview.

And this interview highlights how Team Rocket is viewed by their voice actors and why they want to keep Team Rocket's status quo:

Essentially, while Team Rocket are the villains, they're not really evil in the same sense as other Team Rocket. They're just comic relief characters akin to Wile E. Coyote in that you root for them even they will inevitably fail. And their main appeal comes from their friendship, which is something heavily emphasized on in many interviews like these. They may fail, but they fail together and their failures show what they can do. A glass half-full.

This is something highlighted when Butch and Cassidy retired from Team Rocket. They have successful lives, yes. But they are no longer together and drifted apart. They don't even acknowledge the other's existence. That is portrayed as a bad thing for the Team Rocket trio. They don't want to be apart. They love being together even if it means failing together. Heck, when they find success in other ventures... it mostly demands them to be apart. Meowth being in the Noodle Shop and Jessie for Contests. That's why they never quit for long.

The bad ending, in the minds of the creators, has always been them separating. The good ending is them being together forever. Just like Ash and Pikachu being together.

That's legitimately beautiful.

I'm still glad their gone.

All of that explains it well and is why I find their final fate esoteric, since we know they don't actually have to split up to leave Team Rocket. They could've easily stayed together and even joined Ash on his new journey. The message they always use for TRio reunions works for one-offs that give them a reasonable way out, but for the finale to act like it's an either/or situation? That's the problem so many fans have.

Me too. They had a good run, I hope they will be happy in any endeavours.