Team Rocket trio

Official art of Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet from the Sun & Moon series

The Team Rocket trio, sometimes abbreviated as TRio or JJM, is a trio of members of Team Rocket, consisting of Jessie, James, and Meowth.

In the anime

History

Original series

Team Rocket with all of their Pokémon in the original series (minus Wobbuffet)

The Team Rocket trio first appeared in Pokémon Emergency, in which they took over the Viridian Pokémon Center. After their first defeat at the hands of Ash's Pikachu convinced them of his extraordinary power, the trio made their main goal to capture Pikachu.

The trio's general incompetence usually makes them incapable of helping Team Rocket with their significant plans.

In Electric Shock Showdown, after hearing that Pikachu would fight to defend his own honor and Ash's, the trio were inspired to cheer on Pikachu before his rematch against Vermilion Gym Leader Lt. Surge's Raichu.

In Battle Aboard the St. Anne, they led the invasion of the St. Anne, where they and dozens of Team Rocket Grunts stole numerous Pokémon and Poké Balls from the passengers with special mechas. However, the passengers retaliated, led by Ash and his friends, and they defeated the grunts and took back their Pokémon. Later, the ship sailed into a violent storm, was overcome by waves, and sank into the sea.

In The Battle of the Badge, Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket and the Viridian Gym Leader, temporarily left Jessie, James, and Meowth in charge of the Viridian Gym. He even gave them some of his Pokémon. Jessie battled Ash, but refused to hand him an Earth Badge upon Ash's victory. When Togepi set off an explosion by triggering Meowth's remote control, Team Rocket blasted off and Jessie dropped the Badge for Ash to retrieve.

In Showdown at the Po-ké Corral, the trio arrived at Team Rocket HQ, expecting Giovanni to fire them for their failures. They saw Mewtwo destroy the headquarters and fly away just as they were about to turn away and quit first. When Giovanni told them to just do their job, they took it as a vote of confidence in them and continued to try and steal Pokémon.

In A Scare in the Air, Giovanni assigned the trio to the "Blimp Brigade", where they crewed a rickety blimp that Giovanni only kept the insurance for. Damage caused by a storm as well as a battle with Brock caused the blimp to crash-land on Valencia Island in the Orange Islands. After being repaired, the blimp crashed on Tangelo Island during its return trip in The Lost Lapras. Afterwards, Team Rocket continued to follow Ash and Pikachu throughout the Orange Islands.

In The Trouble with Snubbull, Team Rocket first tried using Meowth as bait for a newly-evolved Granbull, which had been persistently following Meowth, so they could collect a reward from the Granbull's owner, Madame Muchmoney. This failed, and they subsequently used a Meowth-shaped mecha for their next attempt. Through a misunderstanding over Meowth trying to release Granbull from the mecha's tail, Team Rocket were mistakenly assumed to have tricked Madame Muchmoney. When Team Rocket was blasted off following a battle between the mecha and Granbull, Granbull returned home and no longer followed Meowth.

In Dues and Don'ts, they discovered that their membership in Team Rocket had lapsed, although they were able to rejoin due to labor shortages, provided that they pay their debts.

In Hoenn Alone!, Team Rocket followed Ash and Pikachu to the Hoenn region by stowing away on the stern of a boat.

Advanced Generation series

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: AG006, AG089, and AG176

In Saved by the Beldum, they were selling snacks to League spectators for the Ever Grande Conference.

Diamond & Pearl series

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: DP065, DP088, DP135, and DP142

In The Thief That Keeps on Thieving!, Giovanni did not even remember who they were.

In Frozen on Their Tracks!, the Team Rocket trio befriended Looker after sharing boxed lunches with him, calling him "Boxed-Lunch Guy" or "Mr. Lunchbox". Later in the Diamond & Pearl series, after discovering that Looker was an International Police Officer, they assisted him in taking down Team Galactic.

Best Wishes series

The trio in their black uniforms

At his secretary's recommendation, Giovanni promoted them as part of his plans in the Unova region. After their promotion, they changed from their original white uniforms to black uniforms. In the Best Wishes series, they acted in a more serious manner, focusing more on completing specific assignments, often using gadgets such as jetpacks to retreat instead of blasting off.

In Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!, after Giovanni's secretary informed them that they wouldn't be needed for any more missions, they worried Giovanni had lost faith in them and returned to their white uniforms. They returned to planning their own schemes, although often in a more competent manner and with the assistance of Dr. Zager. They participated in Operation Tempest, Team Rocket's mission to capture Meloetta and harness the power of the Forces of Nature.

Due to the failure of Operation Tempest, starting in New Places... Familiar Faces! they reverted to their traditional comedic personalities, using their original motto, and travelling in their Meowth balloon (with enhancements); however, their newfound competence was not completely lost, with the trio still occasionally retreating using jetpacks instead of blasting off.

After Meowth, Colress and Team Rivalry!, the trio decided to head for the White Ruins, where they would spy on Team Plasma's movements for a time while plotting to steal the Light Stone. However, when their friend Looker spotted them and asked for their help, the trio helped Ash and his friends defeat the rival organization. After helping defeat Team Plasma in Farewell, Unova! Setting Sail for New Adventures!, the trio returned completely to their previous role as comic relief, retaining only their upgraded technology and slight competence.

XY series

In A Battle of Aerial Mobility!, Giovanni approved the trio's plan to steal as many rare and powerful Pokémon as they could in the Kalos region.

In An Explosive Operation!, Giovanni assigned the trio to investigate Team Flare's plans and to catch the Zygarde known as Squishy before Team Flare could do so. They ran into another Zygarde Core, nicknamed Z2, that was on the run from Team Flare. The trio escaped with Z2 after Jessie's Gourgeist used Seed Bomb against some Team Flare Grunts, but they later lost in battle to them. Team Rocket tried taking the weakened Z2 when Mable was about to capture it, but Aliana's Druddigon and Mable's Weavile made them blast off.

During the Lumiose Conference, they assisted Malva with filming the conference whilst plotting to steal the competitor's Pokémon only for Malva's tight schedule to disrupt their plans leaving them unable to steal any Pokémon. During the Team Flare crisis, they continued filming and help assist by piloting the helicopter to help deal with the Giant Rock. They later edited the footage shot to show to Giovanni that they alone defeated Team Flare.

Following their adventures in Kalos, they returned to Team Rocket HQ in Till We Compete Again!.

Sun & Moon series

Later, in Loading the Dex!, the trio arrived in the Alola region to obtain some rare Alolan Pokémon for Giovanni, as well as Ash's Pikachu, which they were surprised to find on Melemele Island. They allied with a Mimikyu which hated Pikachu, but at the end of the episode, a wild Bewear kidnapped Jessie and James. In First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-Style!, the Bewear looked after the trio, giving them food and shelter at its den.

They completed their new base in Bewear's den during A Seasoned Search! despite disruptions caused by Rowlet and Popplio crashing into their antenna during They Might Not Be Giants!.

They are often seen on Melemele Island in disguise as part-timers at a malasada shop, mostly as food truck attendants. In Now You See Them, Now You Don't!, Team Rocket took notice of a Cosmog that was accompanying Ash while the trio was selling malasadas near the Pokémon School. James wrongly guessed that the Cosmog, Nebby, was a pre-evolved Koffing, and Team Rocket tried and failed to capture it. In Deceiving Appearances! it was revealed they were scouted by Faba to work at the Aether Foundation as his assistants, but quit in Mission: Total Recall! after discovering his intent to use his Hypno's Hypnosis to tamper with Lillie's memory, finding such underhanded evil below them. They eventually abandoned chasing after Nebby after James was proven wrong about it being the pre-evolved form of Koffing in Revealing the Stuff of Legend!.

One of Team Rocket's goals in Alola has been to harness the power of Z-Moves for themselves. In A Team-on-Team Tussle!, they obtained a Darkinium Z, which some Team Skull Grunts also tried to obtain from a nest of Alolan Rattata and Raticate, led by a Totem Raticate. The same Z-Crystal reappeared in Acting True to Form!, where Jessie and James believed that they could use it with the Alolan Meowth they had just met. However, they were dismayed upon being informed that they would also need a Z-Ring to do so.

In Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?, at the advice of Giovanni, they traveled to Ula'ula Island to get a Z-Ring from Nanu. There, their Darkinium Z was stolen by the "Greedy Rapooh", a Gengar they had accidentally unsealed. After taking back their Z-Crystal, Nanu gave them a Z-Power Ring so James's Mareanie could use Black Hole Eclipse, rescuing Acerola in the process. The trio was allowed to keep the ring as a token of appreciation, and Jessie received a Mimikium Z for her Mimikyu from Acerola's Mimikyu, nicknamed Mimikins.

Character

The Team Rocket trio blasting off again

Since making their debut in the second episode of the anime, they appeared in almost every single episode until the Best Wishes series, in which they appeared less frequently. As such, they are the most prominent representation of Team Rocket as a whole in the anime. Prior to Rematch at the Nacrene Gym!, the very first episode was the only single regular episode (excluding the clip show AG120) in which Team Rocket trio was completely absent.

In most of their appearances, they attempt to capture Ash's Pikachu, or any other Pokémon to give to Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni. However, they usually get defeated and are blasted off with their iconic catchphrase "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!", or variants such as "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" or "We're blasting off again!" In the Sun & Moon series, a Bewear whisks them away as they say their catchphrase "We're off with a new blast!", either following a defeat or when Bewear interrupts a battle. Typically, right after making a capture, they will recite their motto, although on some occasions they are unable to finish. This has been parodied by protagonists and even other Team Rocket members, such as Butch and Cassidy.

Since witnessing his power, the trio has been obsessed with capturing Ash's Pikachu, relentlessly pursuing Ash and his friends across the various regions of the Pokémon world to do so. Although they often succeed in capturing Pikachu, they never manage to hold on to him for long. They frequently develop or purchase various kinds of shockproof gadgets and machinery (mechas, rubber suits, etc.) to aid in his capture, but these gadgets are often circumvented by non-Electric attacks and abilities (which the trio constantly forget to account for) or simply backfire.

Team Rocket and Looker

Even though they usually only cause trouble for the main characters, they have sometimes helped them. When they have a common enemy, they will often ally with Ash and his friends, as shown in The Power of One and later against Team Aqua and Team Magma. They also played a key part in the fight against Team Galactic, teaming up with Looker. They occasionally put their differences aside for personal reasons, only to later return to their thieving ways. One of the more common moments of truce is during Pokémon Contests, which Jessie had a fondness for participating in under aliases.

On several occasions, Jessie, James and Meowth have shown that they are not all evil and even have affection for Ash and his friends. The trio heroically sacrificed themselves to what they thought was certain death in The Power of One in order to allow Ash's escape on Lugia. They also saved him from a fall in the next movie, Spell of the Unown: Entei. Their justification was that in the case of the world being destroyed or Ash's death, they would be out of show business, but it is implied that this is just bluster to cover the fact that they are not bad people. In Charizard's Burning Ambition, Team Rocket kept Ash's Charizard awake as it lay in the lake, and then built a huge mecha and attacked the Charicific Valley for the sole purpose of allowing Charizard to defeat them and gain acceptance in the valley.

In I Choose You! and The Power of Us

The trio in The Power of Us

The Team Rocket trio appeared in I Choose You!, which is set in a different continuity from the main series. They first appeared in disguise in a Pokémon Center, and were wanted for stealing Pokémon. When a Pokémon Trainer who had just battled an Entei hurried inside the Pokémon Center, Team Rocket eavesdropped on the conversation and decided to hunt for Entei themselves. While looking for Entei in the forest, they were blasted off by a raging Onix.

Once they heard that Ash and his friends were heading to Mount Tensei to meet Ho-Oh, they decided to follow them, hoping to catch the Legendary Pokémon. They eventually came across a pack of sleeping Primeape. They saw it as an opportunity to catch some, but the Primeape woke up and started tossing them in the air, blasting them off once again.

Later on in the movie, the trio nearly caught up to the gang as they headed closer towards Mount Tensei. They were seen climbing Mount Tensei, tired and hungry. They eventually see Ho-Oh and stare on in amazement. Meowth became excited to the point where he accidentally let go and fell on James and Jessie, causing all three of them to fall off the mountain.

They appeared once more in the film's ending credits, following Ash and Pikachu in their Meowth Balloon. During that time, Wobbuffet was revealed to have somehow been added to their team.

Team Rocket reappeared in The Power of Us.

Artwork

Official artwork from the original series	Official artwork from the Advanced Generation series	Official artwork from the Diamond & Pearl series	Official artwork from the Best Wishes series	Official artwork from the XY series
For more artwork, please see Jessie, James, Meowth images on the Bulbagarden Archives.

In the games

In Pokémon Yellow, Jessie and James appear and are involved in Team Rocket's four major schemes (Mt. Moon, Rocket Hideout, Pokémon Tower, and Silph Co.), and typically appear before the player battles Giovanni. They also replace the three Team Rocket members in the Pokémon Tower that hold Mr. Fuji hostage as well as two other Team Rocket Grunts: one close to the exit of Mt. Moon and the other one near the entrance to the President's room at Silph Co. Curiously, they are never referred to by their individual names and share their Trainer class with all other Team Rocket Grunts.

They first attack the player in Mt. Moon, while trying to take one of the rare Fossils uncovered there.

Later, in Celadon City's Rocket Game Corner, Jessie and James guard Giovanni's room in the Team Rocket base. During that time, as the player runs into them, they are eager for revenge after the main character busted up their plans at Mt. Moon.

They hold Mr. Fuji hostage at Pokémon Tower, attacking the player on the seventh floor.

Finally, at Silph Co. in Saffron City, Jessie and James make their final appearance, once again trying to stall the main character from reaching their Boss.

Unlike in the anime, Jessie and James do not follow the main character around and come up with their usual evil plans to capture Pikachu. In addition, Meowth cannot talk, and he resides in a Poké Ball instead of traveling around with Jessie and James.

In addition, they also receive their own encounter music, a track not heard in Red and Blue.

The trio are set to return again in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Unlike in Yellow, Meowth follows them outside of a Poké Ball like in the anime.

Pokémon

First battle

Rocket Mt. Moon Yellow Reward: $420

Type: Poison Unknown Ekans Lv.14 Wrap Normal   --       Leer Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Meowth Lv.14 Scratch Normal   --       Growl Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Poison Unknown Koffing Lv.14 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

Second battle

Rocket Rocket Hideout Yellow Reward: $750
Type: Poison Unknown Koffing Lv.25 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Meowth Lv.25 Growl Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Pay Day Normal   --       Screech Normal   --       Type: Poison Unknown Ekans Lv.25 Bite Normal   --       Leer Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Glare Normal   --

Third battle

Rocket Pokémon Tower Yellow Reward: $810
Type: Normal Unknown Meowth Lv.27 Growl Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Screech Normal   --       Pay Day Normal   --       Type: Poison Unknown Arbok Lv.27 Bite Normal   --       Leer Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Glare Normal   --       Type: Poison Unknown Weezing Lv.27 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Sludge Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --

Fourth battle

Rocket Silph Co. Yellow Reward: $930
Type: Poison Unknown Weezing Lv.31 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Sludge Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Poison Unknown Arbok Lv.31 Bite Normal   --       Leer Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Glare Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Meowth Lv.31 Growl Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Pay Day Normal   --       Screech Normal   --

Quotes

Mt. Moon

• Before battle

"Stop right there!"

"That fossil is Team Rocket's! Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

• Being defeated

"A brat beat us?"

• After being defeated

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

Rocket Hideout

• Before battle

"Not another step, brat!"

"How dare you humiliate us at Mt. Moon! It's payback time, you brat!"

• Being defeated

"Such a dreadful twerp!"

• After being defeated

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Pokémon Tower

• Before battle

"Stop right there!"

"Grampa here wanted to complain, so we're setting him straight. So render yourself invisible, or prepare to fight!"

• Being defeated

"You will regret this!"

• After being defeated

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Silph Co.

• Before battle

"Hold it right there, brat!"

"Our Boss is in a meeting! You better not disturb him!"

• Being defeated

"Like always..."

• After being defeated

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light! Again..."

Sprites

Jessie and James's sprite from Yellow	Jessie's overworld sprite from Yellow	James's overworld sprite from Yellow

In the manga

In the Ash & Pikachu manga

Team Rocket in Ash & Pikachu

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: role in Ash & Pikachu

The Team Rocket trio is seen following Ash and company in the manga series Ash & Pikachu, which is based on the anime.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: role in The Electric Tale of Pikachu

The trio appears in The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga series. Jessie and James are later shown married, with Jessie visibly pregnant.

In the movie adaptations

Team Rocket in I Choose You!

Since Team Rocket has appeared in every movie, they have appeared in every manga adaptation of it except for Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.

In Pocket Monsters the Movie: I Choose You!, Ash first encountered them in the Pokémon Center when a discussion about Entei was going around. Team Rocket then ran off to be the ones who got Entei.

Later, they were seen climbing Mount Tensei sometime after Ash and his friends got there. When they saw Ho-Oh, they fell from the mountain after Jessie accidentally let go of her grip.

In the TCG

Jessie and James appear on both versions of the card Here Comes Team Rocket!, which originally released in the Team Rocket set; it was re-released with different artwork in EX Team Rocket Returns. In that expansion, there were also reconstructed Theme Decks based on Jessie and James.

• 

  Team Rocket artwork

• 

  EX Team Rocket Returns artwork

See also

Episodes focusing on Team Rocket Episodes focusing on Jessie Episodes focusing on James Episodes focusing on Meowth Episodes focusing on Wobbuffet

Mirror Team Rocket Team Rocket mottos Team Rocket's mechas List of Team Rocket's disguises List of Pokémon temporarily owned by the Team Rocket trio

Team Rocket's Pokémon
Travel with:	Meowth	Rotom Phone
	Jessie			James
On hand:	Wobbuffet	Seviper	Yanmega	Mime Jr.	Carnivine	Yamask
	Woobat	Frillish	Gourgeist	Amoonguss	Inkay	Morpeko
In training:				Cacnea
At home:				Growlie	Chimecho
Released:	Arbok	Dustox	Mimikyu	Weezing	Gyarados	Mareanie
Traded away:	Lickitung			Victreebel
Lived with (all three):	Bewear	Stufful
Worked with (all three):	Delibird	Pelipper
Temporarily owned:	Porygon Zero	Shellder	Magikarp	Second Victreebel	Hoppip
	Mawile
Befriended:	Blissey
Status unknown:	Starmie			Pidgey	Numel
For a list of other Pokémon Team Rocket has commanded, see here and here

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.