JN145

This article is about an episode of the Pokémon animated series that has not been dubbed into English. As such, its coverage may contain romanized Japanese names, rather than dub names.

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JN145

JN145   EP1230 逆襲のロケット団！ Rocket-dan Strikes Back!

First broadcast Japan March 10, 2023 United States

English themes Opening Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター -with my friends- Ending 前向きロケット団！

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 尼野浩正 Hiromasa Amano Assistant director ウヱノ史博 Fumihiro Ueno Animation director 篠原隆 Takashi Shinohara Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf

(Japanese: 逆襲のロケット団！ Rocket-dan Strikes Back!) is the ninth episode of Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master, the 145th episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,230th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on March 10, 2023.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Plot

This plot summary is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this plot summary to add missing sections and complete it.

Major events

• Jessie and James reunite with all of their Pokémon from the Team Rocket HQ and add them back to their respective teams.
  • In the process, it is revealed that Giovanni returned Woobat and Frillish to Jessie's ownership, and Yamask and Amoonguss to James's.
• James's Amoonguss is revealed to have learned Energy Ball and Spore.
• Brock's Ludicolo is revealed to have learned Teeter Dance.
• James's Carnivine is revealed to have learned Energy Ball.
• Jessie's Seviper is revealed to have learned Sludge Bomb.
• Ash learns that Latias has been following him.
• Blaming each other for their failures, the Team Rocket trio splits up.
• Latias asks for Ash and his friends' help in saving a Latios.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Giovanni (voice)

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Latias

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Chimecho (James's; fantasy)
• Mime Jr. (James's)
• Infernape (Ash's)
• Hawlucha (Ash's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Psyduck (Misty's)
• Ludicolo (Brock's)
• Croagunk (Brock's)
• Arbok (formerly Jessie's; fantasy)
• Lickitung (formerly Jessie's; fantasy)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Dustox (formerly Jessie's; fantasy)
• Yanmega (Jessie's)
• Woobat (Jessie's)
• Frillish (Jessie's)
• Gourgeist (Jessie's)
• Mimikyu (formerly Jessie's; fantasy)
• Weezing (formerly James's; fantasy)
• Victreebel (formerly James's; fantasy)
• Cacnea (James's; fantasy)
• Carnivine (James's)
• Yamask (James's)
• Amoonguss (James's)
• Inkay (James's)
• Mareanie (formerly James's; fantasy)
• Morpeko (James's; Full Belly Mode)
• Delibird (Team Rocket)
• Latias (anime)
• Slakoth
• Latios (vision)

Trivia

• Get Inspired! Let's Solve a Poké Riddle!! - Episode Paldea: Miraidon
• Face Forward Team Rocket!, Takeshi's Paradise, and Team Rocket's Team Song are used as insert songs in this episode.
• This episode's title card features Meowth instead of Pikachu.
• This episode marks the first appearance of many of Team Rocket's Pokémon after long absences:
  • Mime Jr., who last appeared in Coming Full-Festival Circle!, 588 episodes earlier.
  • Seviper, Carnivine, and Yanmega, all of whom last appeared in Memories are Made of Bliss!, 573 episodes earlier.
    • This episode also marks the first appearance of a Carnivine in the anime since then, as well as the first appearance of a Yanmega in the anime since Beyond the Rainbow!, 361 episodes earlier.
  • Woobat, who last appeared in Team Rocket's Shocking Recruit!, 434 episodes earlier.
  • Frillish and Amoonguss, both of whom last appeared in Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!, 432 episodes earlier.
  • Yamask, who last appeared in The Dream Continues!, 431 episodes earlier.
  • Inkay and Gourgeist, both of whom last appeared in Till We Compete Again!, 291 episodes earlier.
    • Aside from Seviper and Mime Jr., this is the first appearance of the aforementioned Pokémon outside of their debut series.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Brock's Ludicolo since Grating Spaces!, 779 episodes earlier.
  • This episode also marks the first appearance of Team Rocket's Delibird since Memories are Made of Bliss!, 573 episodes earlier.
• The appearance of Misty's Staryu confirms that, like Ash, she is also rotating her Pokémon in and out of her party.
• This episode marks the first appreance of Latios in the main series since its main series debut in The Semi-Final Frontier!, 579 episodes earlier.
• This episode marks the first time Team Rocket has used Pokémon caught in previous series other than Wobbuffet since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.
• This is the first episode where Jessie has had more than two Pokémon on hand since Memories are Made of Bliss!, 573 episodes earlier, as well as the first episode where James has had more than one Pokémon on hand since The Dream Continues!, 431 episodes earlier.
  • This is also the first time Jessie and James have had a full team of six Pokémon on hand each.
  • This is also the first episode of Pokémon Journeys: The Series when Jessie has had Pokémon other than Wobbuffet in her active team.
• At 12 Pokémon (21 including fantasies), this episode features the highest number of Team Rocket's Pokémon ever seen in a single episode.
• Gyarados is the only Pokémon that has been in Team Rocket's party for longer than one episode to not appear in this episode in any capacity.
  • Growlie also didn't appear in the episode. However, even though it appeared in two episodes and is James's Pokémon, it never was a part of Team Rocket and never joined James's active party.
• Shinji Miyazaki's music from the original series, Pokémon the Series: XY, and Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias are reused as background music in this episode.
  • Team Rocket's motto music from Pokémon the Series: XY is also reused as background music in this episode.
• This episode marks the first time James's Amoonguss has used a new move since its debut, 464 episodes prior.
• Gourgeist's method of firing Seed Bombs that explode like fireworks up into the sky is reminiscent of Ash's Bulbasaur doing so with its Solar Beam in The Dream Continues!.
• Unshō Ishizuka was added into the credits for this episode, with archived audio of his voice being used for James's Weezing.
• As of this episode, all of Ash's Kalos Pokémon that reside at Professor Oak's Laboratory have been in his active party at some point during Aim to Be a Pokémon Master.
• Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Latias, Brock, and a Latios narrate the preview for the next episode.

Errors

• Latias sends Team Rocket and their Pokémon blasting off with Psychic, including Inkay and Morpeko, despite them being Dark types.

In other languages

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← JN144

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

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