With the recent news that the Pokemon anime is coming to an end (albeit to be replaced with a new show), fans are mourning the impending loss of Jessie, James, and Meowth — the holy trinity that is Team Rocket. Will they return for cameo episodes in the new series? No way of knowing just yet, but it sure does feel like a grand time to celebrate Jessie's and James' finest moments.

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They turn from one-dimensional antagonists into real characters, whom you can't help but feel a little sorry for. Most of us remember Pokemon fondly as the highlight of our childhood. Still, it wasn't all fun and games, even where Jessie and James were concerned. Their sobering histories contain things that you don't want to know, and if you're already familiar, things you wish you didn't know.

Updated on December 27, 2022 by Quinton O'Connor: Come on, we had to update this one more time before the anime says goodbye to this beloved pseudo-couple with the January through April 2023 episodes. We just had to.

15 Jessie's Mother's Disappearance

Pokemon - Jessie's mom, Miyamoto

It is known that Miyamoto, Jessie's mother, was in fairly high standing within Team Rocket (many speculate that she was the Admin herself). However, she disappeared on a mission to find the legendary Mew. With her mother considered deceased, Jessie was placed in a poor foster home.

In her youthful innocence, she wasn't aware of her own poverty; she thought eating snow was fun, but it was actually due to a lack of real food. Jessie is known for her self-centered and superficial attitude. She also has a bit of a temper when it comes to her image, being hypersensitive about her looks. It's difficult to imagine this kind of character as a naive little girl, but perhaps it's that very upbringing that shaped her personality.

14 All The Money In The World Can't Buy Love

Pokemon - James at a young age

Most of us would be happy as the only child in a family of millionaires, living a lavish lifestyle full of high-class events and people. But James would tell us that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Faced with his parents' high expectations, he showed little interest in their plans for him. He was engaged to a girl named Jessebelle, who was overly controlling and rude, and he grew to hate her over the years. Finally, he decided to run away from home, even leaving behind his Growlithe named Growlie.

His upper-class upbringing frequently manifests in his speech and mannerisms. His abuse at the hands of Jessebelle instilled in him a submissive disposition, as seen in his interactions with Jessie. While it may have been funny to us as children, his background and an adult perspective make it much more depressing.

13 The Odd One Out At School

Pokemon - Jessie in Nursing School

After aging out of the foster system, Jessie set out to become a Pokemon nurse. Unable to join a proper nursing school, she instead attended the Pokemon Nurse School which was meant to train the Pokemon Chansey. While she performed well, she couldn't change the fact that she was human. She didn't possess the required abilities to pass. This included using the 'Sing' move in her practice. Despite a respectable amount of natural healing skills, she failed to graduate.

Jessie instead enrolled in Pokemon Tech, a school where she was supposed to learn how to become a Trainer. Sadly, she flunked out of this school too, but it was also where she first met James. In the long run, it may have been for the best.

12 Jessie's Long And Varied Career

Pokemon - Jessie on a bike on left, Team Rocket on bikes on right

Jessie had a pretty hectic life before she found her "calling" and joined Team Rocket to follow in her mother's footsteps.

After failing both nursing school and Pokemon Tech, Jessie...

  • Joined The Bridge Bike Gang, along with James. Known for swinging a chain above her head while riding, she earned the nickname "Chainer Jessie."
  • Went on to be a model and weather girl. In this role, her beauty attracted many suitors. Jessie went out with several boyfriends, but they all treated her pretty badly and eventually left her.
  • Was also a Ninja, at one point.

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After this roller coaster of a life, she finally joined Team Rocket, as did James (at a different time). James and Jessie hated each other at first, but rekindled their friendship from Pokemon Tech, and as we'll find out later, got much closer after that.

11 That Time They Used A Flash Cannon

Pokemon - Jessie and James prepping a Flash Cannon

Looking back, it's hard to take a lot of the actions of Team Rocket seriously. It was a kids' show, so you always knew the good guys would win in the end. Besides, these particular villains were too comically incompetent for anyone to truly consider them a threat.

A mindset like this makes the time Jessie and James used a Flash Cannon all the more sobering. The machine was created by Doctor Zager by harnessing the power of a group of Roggenrola. It's exactly the kind of thing Team Rocket is known for, and the fact that Jessie and James participated in that cruel, blatant exploitation of Pokemon makes their actions less laughable and a little more serious.

10 Jessie And James' Japanese Counterparts

Pokemon - Jessie and James and Meowth

It's widely known that the duo got their name from American outlaw Jesse James, as they too were technically the bad guys of the series.

However, in the Japanese version, Jessie is called Musashi and James is Kojiro, both after ancient Japanese rival swordmasters. Musashi actually killed Kojiro in a fight, which might explain why Jessie, the more dominant character, is named after the victor.

Interestingly enough, Jessie's well-known rival, Cassidy, is named Yamato in Japan, which isn't a swordsman but a WWII battleship. The connection may seem unclear, until you find out that the ship had a counterpart called Musashi.

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Long (hilarious) story short, a Mareanie falls in love with James because it turns his face purple. When they get caught up in attacking Ash and Pikachu, the Mareanie's feelings towards James causes it to fight as hard as it can. That, along with a Mimikyu that really hates Pikachu, allows Team Rocket to finally win a battle against Ash fair and square. Ash's surprise is understandable, but the looks of shock on Team Rocket's faces are priceless.

9 A Noble Sacrifice

Pokemon - Tree of Beginning

Both Jessie and James have exhibited some semblance of a moral compass during their various escapades. Despite their evil intentions, they are people, after all, and retain some level of humanity. This is displayed in the critically acclaimed spin-off film, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. The story tells of the elusive Pokemon Lucario, that appears before Ash and his gang. At the same time, Pikachu is taken to the Tree of Beginnings by a wild Mew.

Jessie and James make an appearance as well and, upon arrival at the tree, they are attacked by an army of protective red blobs. The duo are swallowed first, followed by Max, May, and Brock. Each of them, including Jessie and James, release their Pokemon just in time, so they aren't swallowed along with them. It's a tiny yet significant act of selflessness that gives an important insight into their character traits.

8 Adding Some Flare To The Brand

Pokemon - Jessie, James, and Meowth

As we've learned time and time again, Jessie and James begin every encounter with their iconic Team Rocket motto. Every. Single. Time. You know how it goes...

"Prepare for trouble! Make it double! To protect the world from devastation! To unite all peoples..."

...and so on. In fact, this motto is actually unique to Jessie and James, with each Team Rocket pairing having their own version of it.

However, Team Rocket as an organization does have a standard oath that not as many people know about. It goes...

"Steal Pokemon for profit. Exploit Pokemon for profit. All Pokemon exist for the glory of Team Rocket."

It's much less poetic (and much more blunt) than the version we're used to. Can you imagine Jessie and James opening every encounter with that vile, capitalistic sentiment?

7 That Time They Were Kicked Out Of Team Rocket

Pokemon - Jessie, James, and Meowth (1)

Given that Jessie's mom was a high-ranking official, we guess one might call her a legacy hire. And James' family is rich, so they pay Team Rocket to keep him on because it makes him happy. However, in an episode of Pokemon: Master Quest, they hilariously find out they weren't always agents.

After they battle against a Delibird and win, a Team Rocket scout approaches and wishes to recruit them. Jessie and James are confused, saying they are already part of Team Rocket. The lady does a background check and finds that the two were kicked out for not paying their debts and that for some time they were never actually part of Team Rocket. Nevertheless, she asks them to re-register, and they begrudgingly comply.

6 Their Relationship With Meowth

Meowth smiling and holding its arms wide in the Pokemon anime

Most trainers treat their Pokemon as pets, loving companions, and faithful sidekicks. However, Jessie and James have a different relationship with their Pokemon friend, Meowth. This quirky Pokemon learned to walk and talk like a human being, and as such is often seen that way, as a "human" member of the team.

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His inability to find a willing owner keeps him outside a Pokeball and his past of rejections leaves him in a rather depressed state. Still, he remains a faithful part of the Team Rocket trio, even proclaiming himself as the leader (even though Jessie and James might not acknowledge it). He's a unique character with quite a dark backstory.

5 They Get No Respect, No Respect At All

Pokemon - Jessie and James in Pokemon Yellow on left, in Pokemon Let's Go on right

Even though they're integral parts of the anime series and the manga, Jessie and James are surprisingly absent in the video games. They appear in Pokemon Yellow, followed by the Yellow-inspired Switch titles Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. But Yellow, you see, is based far more on the anime — all the other games are decidedly not.

They do get recognizable sprites, but their in-game name is simply "Rocket.". When they reappear in the remake (Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Let's Go Pickachu), they're at least given individual names. The pair also retain their core motive to steal your Pokemon and their cocky ambition while doing so (with the iconic voice line "surrender now and prepare to fight!"). It's just a shame they never seem to get a 'conclusion', fading away when Giovanni makes his presence more pronounced.

4 Jessie And Misty Were (Voiced By) The Same Person

Pokemon - Misty and Jessie

A little-known fact about Jessie's original voice actress, Rachael Lillis, is that she also provided the voice for a handful of other characters in Pokemon. Given her vocal range, she was able to go from a sultry feminine voice to all manner of animalistic and often-times silly noises.

Her 'Pokedex' of credits includes (but is not limited to) Jigglypuff, Goldeen, Horsea, Poliwag, Venonat, Torchic, Silcoon, and Beautifly. She also voiced Chansey, which is ironic considering Jessie's history, and even Pikachu. And, of course, her voice was also lent to the character of Misty, of one Ash's closest friends. It's a fact that often surprises fans of the show. Just goes to show how much voice talent Rachael really has.

3 Happily Ever After

Pokemon - Jessie and James

In one manga release, the two are shown in a romantic relationship, eventually leading to them getting married and Jessie getting pregnant. Many fans were upset over this decision, given that throughout the series, there had hardly been any hints that the two had feelings for each other.

It's also strange that James was on board with this, since Jessie's alias, Jessebelle, is the very name of his abusive ex-fiancé, and that the two women showed vague similarities in their treatment of James.

2 They Each Have Their Own Theme Deck

Pokemon TCG: Base Set Expansion, Booster Box with Venusaur and Blastoise art

In 2004, the Pokemon Trading Card Game introduced the EX Team Rocket Returns set. It was a tribute to the original Team Rocket set, which had featured various Pokemon given a 'darker' edge to them, as they're owned by, you guessed it, Team Rocket. But whereas that set focused on the games to the point of excluding Jessie and James, Team Rocket Returns finally did them justice.

The theme decks for EX Team Rocket Returns are, in fact, titled 'Jessie' and 'James'. And while the lineup of their Pokemon might feel antiquated when we've seen 18 years of additional catches, you can be sure that Ekans and Koffing are right there waiting for you.

1 They're No Longer As Prolific As You May Remember

Pokemon Journeys Part 2 Netflix Episode 13
via The Pokemon Company, Netflix, OLM, Inc., Team Kato

If you tuned out from the anime at any point prior to 2010, which launched the adaptation of the Black & White games, you may remember Jessie and James (and Meowth!) popping up in virtually every episode. And they did. They absolutely did. But beginning around that time, the writers reduced their role a bit. It's not as bad as it sounds! In doing so, they also limited the number of times our duo attempted to kidnap Pikachu, giving them fresher little story arcs in the process.

In Pokemon Journeys especially, they've only popped up in just shy of half the episodes, but we've had some lovely treats along the way, like a reunion with rivals Butch and Cassidy. As we head into the final arc of Ash's show, here's hoping Jessie and James get a grand finale of their own. Maybe skip the manga marriage thing, though.

NEXT: Pokemon: The Worst Things That Have Ever Happened To Jessie And James