Anyone who grew up watching Pokémon will remember this iconic duo. Team Rocket's worst squad, these lovable dorks failed and blasted off constantly during the series. I can hear the classic motto now - say it with me, everyone!
Team Rocket is a squad consisting of Jessie, James, and their human-like Meowth who, after being defeated by Ash's Pikachu, decide that this Pikachu must be particularly strong and make it their mission to capture it. They are the comic relief of the show despite their belief that they are credible adversaries. Their antics and trials are a key part of the animated Pokémon series to this day.
Appearing in hundreds of episodes over the years, it almost felt weird if Jessie and James did not show up in an episode. Their money-making schemes, ridiculous disguises and numerous attempts to take Ash's Pikachu were a staple of the series. From their first episode to their most recent appearance, Jessie, James, and Meowth may not have stolen Pikachu but they stole the audience's hearts. Are you a fan of Team Rocket? Do you think you know every detail about them? Keep reading to discover hidden facts about their relationship.
25 Jessie And James Are Married In The Manga
For years, rumors have floated around about Jessie and James' relationship. Some people have claimed that they are just BFFs in crime, citing their regular activities of judging others and roasting each other. Some claim that James is not exactly straight, while others disagree. One particular volume of the manga blasted many theories out of the water. In this volume, Jessie and James get married and there is a panel of James cuddling a pregnant Jessie. Is this the end of their Pokémon stealing schemes?
24 Jessie's Mum Was A Member Of Team Rocket
Before being placed into foster care, Jessie lived with her mother in relative poverty. Her mother, Miyamoto, was a passionate member of Team Rocket and would be sent away on missions.
Talk about keeping it in the family!
Detailed in a radio broadcast, it was revealed that Miyamoto found a Mew fossil, which then led to the events of Mewtwo's Origin. Causing trouble is clearly in Jessie's blood, so it makes sense that Jessie ultimately decided to join Team Rocket.
23 Meowth Cannot Use Payday
Many Pokémon fans know that Payday is the signature move of all Meowth, but we have never seen our favourite Meowth use it. Team Rocket is always trying to get rich quick (whenever they are not going after Ash's Pikachu) and surely having a Meowth would make that easy. Well, it seems that learning to speak is a curse and Meowth cannot use Payday despite being a Meowth. Maybe this is why Team Rocket has such a hard time. This made us look at Meowth differently, that's for sure.
22 Jessie Believes In True Love
While growing up, Jessie received a love confession from childhood friend Astin, which she turned down. However, as she got older, Jessie began to regret turning him down.
You'd think that Jessie would be the one that got away.
Learning from this, Jessie began to believe in love at first sight and has dated men such as Dr. White. Although this love doesn't work out, Jessie always takes it in her stride and never loses faith in finding the one - you go, Jessie! She's such an inspiration.
21 Team Rocket Is Actually An Acronym
We all know Team Rocket's motto and what they want, but what do you know about Team Rocket as a company? Giovanni put a lot of thought into his plans in the games, but that's not the only thing he put a lot of effort into. The Rocket in Team Rocket is actually an acronym which stands for ‘Raid On the City, Knock out, Evil Tusks.’ That's a less catchy motto than Jessie and James,' but it's to the point.
20 They First Appeared (In A Game) In Pokémon Yellow
Our favorite members of Team Rocket were only created for the Pokémon animated series. They were not intended to be as huge as they were and their popularity was a surprise. In fact, they were so popular that they earned a spot in one of the games.
Blasting off at the color of light!
The 1999 release of Pokémon Yellow was intended to bring elements of the animated show to the canon video game universe. It makes sense that our favorite minor villains would make it in, signature insults and all. However, they aren't named individually and do not say their signature motto. If you want to see this pixelated debut for yourself, Pokémon Yellow was also released on the 3DS in 2016.
19 Team Rocket Has Actually Beaten Pikachu
We know; we are shocked too. For the first time in their Pikachu stealing attempts, Jessie and James have finally beaten Ash's Pikachu in battle.
They have officially peaked everyone!
This historic moment occurred in the Sun and Moon series in a tag team battle between Ash and Team Rocket. With a Mimikyu rough and Mareanie's spike cannon, they defeated Pikachu. The sweet taste of victory quickly turned salty as they were immediately dragged under the ocean by Bewear. The Pokémon fandom will never be the same again.
18 Jessie And James Also Appear In The Official Card Game
As mentioned earlier, Team Rocket was intended to be just for the animated series, but have featured in the official games thanks to their popularity with fans. This is what brought them into the official card game. Initially, they had a card themed after them called 'Here Comes Team Rocket'. When a player plays this card, it forces the other players to place their prize cards face up - very rude indeed. Team Rocket also have two whole decks themed after them.
17 Jessie And James Are How Old?
In the original series, it always seemed as though Team Rocket were older than Ash and the gang. They had jobs (if you count working for Team Rocket as a job) and they did not enter leagues or go after gym badges. This is because Team Rocket are older than Ash. While Ash is around ten or so, Jessie and James are in their 20s. However, they are the same age as Ash in the games.
16 Jessie And James Get Their Names From Famous Figures In History
While they are iconic figures in and of themselves, Jessie and James have other famous people to thank for their names. For their English-speaking names, they were named after Jesse James, the famous outlaw. Their original Japanese names are based on some pretty awesome people. James' Japanese name is Kojiro and Jessie's name s Musashi. These were the names of two rival Japanese swordmasters who got into a duel. Musashi emerged victoriously and considering Jessie's dominant personality, it made sense that they gave her the victor's name.
15 James Used To Be Rich
James had what seemed like the perfect childhood: he was the son of millionaires and lived in the lap of luxury. However, he quickly grew to despise his parents' expectations of him as a wealthy heir. The final straw for James was the arrangement of his marriage to another rich child called Jessebelle. Jessebelle was abusive and manipulative towards James. Finally, James ran away from home leaving behind his Growlithe, his best friend in the world.
14 Team Rocket's Motto Doesn't Make Sense
The iconic motto can be recited by children all over the world, but it does not actually make sense. Specifically the opening line 'To protect the world from devastation' is weird since they are causing havoc and devastation almost every episode.
Which one of them wrote this?
From bombs to Pokémon attacks, Team Rocket has no chill. The rest of their motto fits perfectly, but that line raises some eyebrows - maybe they are good deep down inside and not actually malicious?
13 Jessie Tried To Be A Poke Nurse
When Jessie was a young child, she had a lot of dreams. When she got out of foster care, she tried to become a Pokémon nurse like Nurse Joy, but could not get into the official school, so entered a Chancey nurse school instead. Despite her natural skills and determination, she could not pass and instead tried to become a Pokémon trainer, which is how she met James. All's well that ends well, we suppose.
12 Jessie Also Tried To Become An Idol
Jessie is many things, but she is definitely not a quitter. Not one to give up on success, she tries numerous other jobs and training schemes. One of those schemes trained young girls to be Japanese idols. This context is a little lost on Western audiences, but the intense regimen and Jessie's young age are absolute giveaways. Those wanting to become idols are trained from a very young age around studying and homework. Imagine Jessie as a pop star! So strange.
11 They Have Blasted Off Together Over 700 times
The moment Team Rocket burst on screen in an episode, it was pretty inevitable that they would end up blasting off again. They'd stumble around, pull some crazy stunt, maybe even almost achieve their goal, but ultimately they would fail.
That's gotta be a real bomber!
Whether it's due to an explosion, a Pokémon's attack, or even a tornado, Team Rocket have blasted off over 700 times in the series. No wonder they are so used to being on air.
10 Team Rocket Have Their Own Radio Show In Real Life
Now, Team Rocket, despite their failures, are still sent on missions by the head, Giovanni. In a move to recruit new members to Team Rocket's cause, Jessie and James briefly had their own radio show in Japan. Called the Pokémon Radio Show, the voice actors for Jessie and James would answer fan questions and bring guest stars and writers onto the show. This is common practice in Japan as an alternate advertising campaign, hence why it was greenlit by the Pokémon team. They even brought Pikachu's voice actress Ikue Ohtani on the air.
9 James Got An Episode Of Pokémon Banned
Disguises are vital, if obvious, tools for Team Rocket. Every fan remembers being frustrated that Ash and the crew couldn't see through these terrible disguises. They were always elaborate, funny and often involved cross-dressing. However, one episode saw James take things a little too far.
How titillating!
In the episode Beauty and the Beach, James dresses in a bikini complete with over-inflated you-know-whats in order to beat Misty in a beauty contest. This episode was considered too raunchy for Western audiences and was banned in the US.
8 Team Rocket Broke The Fourth Wall Multiple Times
Now Team Rocket is the comic relief of the animated series. Their schemes and mistakes are always a joy to watch. They judge people and roast each other constantly, but some of their jokes may have gone over kids' heads on the first watch. Team Rocket constantly broke the fourth wall with lines such as 'It's flashback time','for the first time on TV' and 'this is like the sequel to a movie I missed' - are they actually self-aware?
7 Jessie And James Complement Each Other
These two go together like peanut butter and jelly. Not only are they best friends, but their trainer styles complement each other perfectly.
What if they became gym leaders?
Jessie has always been better in Pokémon battles, but James has more knowledge as he carries around physical copies of his Pokémon cards. Together, these two could make a formidable team - if they stop with all of the crazy antics, that is. Don't worry guys, it'll be your time to shine soon enough.
6 James May Not Actually Be Interested In Women
Now although James and Jessie do get married and have children in one episode of the manga, there have been rumors going around for years that James may not be interested. He has lines such as 'it's times like these that make me want to go straight' and then there's this exchange:
James: “Yes, and that’s the kind of trouble I stay out of!”
While these seem like indicators one way, James also falls in love with what seems like a female ghost in the episode Ghost Of Maiden's Peak. Perhaps James actually interested in everyone, but who's to say?