Giovanni

If you were looking for the character in the games whose Japanese name is Giovanni, see Earl Dervish.

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Giovanni サカキ Sakaki
Art from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Age	Mid-40s (est. by Pokeani)
Gender	Male
Eye color	Black
Hair color	Black* Brown*
Hometown	Viridian City
Region	Kanto
Relatives	Silver (son) Madame Boss (mother, anime)
Trainer class	Gym Leader, Boss (Generation I/III), Rocket Boss (Generation IV)
Generation	I, III, IV
Games	Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, LeafGreen, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Stadium
Leader of	Viridian Gym
Badge	Earth Badge
Specializes in	Template:Type2s
Member of	Team Rocket
Rank	Boss
Anime debut	Battle Aboard the St. Anne
English voice actor	Ted Lewis (EP015-AG132, DP080-present) Craig Blair (DP002-DP043)
Japanese voice actor	Hirotaka Suzuoki (d. 2006) Kenta Miyake

Giovanni (Japanese: サカキ Sakaki) is the head of Team Rocket, and formerly served as the Gym Leader of Viridian City's Gym, known officially as the Viridian Gym. He handed out the Earth Badge to Trainers who defeated him. As a Gym Leader, he specialized in Template:Type2 Pokémon, but his master plan includes collecting rare Pokémon of all types. He is the only character in the games to have the Trainer class Boss (Japanese: ロケットだんボス Team Rocket Boss). In the English Generation IV games, his Trainer class is Rocket Boss.

In the games

Art of Giovanni from Pokémon Red and Blue

Full art of Giovanni from Generation I

Giovanni is the primary antagonist of the games taking place in Kanto.

In the first games Giovanni appeared in, he served a dual role: one that was well-known to the residents of Kanto, and one that was more secret. He was first shown as the leader of the villainous Team Rocket, the first of many criminal organizations to grace the Pokémon games. After he and his team of Grunts were defeated at Silph Co. by a ten-year-old boy, Giovanni fled to a hideout that his antagonist was unaware of. Once the player returned to Viridian City, one of the major plot twists of these games revealed that Giovanni, in addition to his role as a criminal, was the final Gym Leader to be fought before the Elite Four—albeit one without a formal title. He specializes in the Template:Type2. Once defeated, he disbanded his Team and left the player with the Earth Badge and TM27 (Fissure). He then vanishes, and is not seen again.

Giovanni's role in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen is much the same; the one difference is that defeating him in the Gym Battle will earn the player TM26 (Earthquake), instead of TM27 (Fissure). There is a side-plot in the Sevii Islands that revolves around Giovanni; a group of Rockets is trying to continue the aims of Team Rocket, but they stop when they realize that their Leader has been defeated once and for all.

In Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, another group of Rockets tries to relaunch the old Team. They take over Goldenrod Radio Tower, and broadcast a radio announcement intended for him. Only in HeartGold and SoulSilver is it revealed that Giovanni does hear the broadcast from his hideout in Tohjo Falls. An event involving a time-traveling Celebi allows Ethan and Lyra to travel back in time and defeat Giovanni at the same time the rest of Team Rocket is being defeated. Like before, once defeated, Giovanni will disappear.

The Celebi event also reveals some of Giovanni's background from the three years between Generation I/III and Generation II/IV. While it was mentioned in FireRed and LeafGreen that Giovanni has a son with red hair, the son's identity wasn't revealed until the time-travel event in HeartGold and SoulSilver. As many fans speculated (and as was mentioned in the Pokémon Adventures manga series), this son is the rival of the Johto player character, Silver. Much of Silver's personality is a result of the treatment he received from Giovanni, which includes abandonment. Like many of Giovanni's other actions throughout the games, this reflects on his selfishness.

Fame Checker

This is a list of the Fame Checker's information on Giovanni in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Rocket HQ - Giovanni

What does this person do?

Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world. They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going. I am the leader, Giovanni!

Silph Co. - Scientist

Favorite kind of Pokémon?

Those thugs that took over our building... Their Boss said he was looking for strong Pokémon.

Silph Co. - Scientist

What is this person like?

Team Rocket's Boss is terribly cruel! To him, Pokémon are just tools to be used.

Viridian Gym - Giovanni

What does this person do?

Welcome to my hideout! It shall be so until I can restore Team Rocket to its former glory.

Viridian Gym - Caretaker

What does this person do?

Blow me away! Giovanni was the Gym Leader of Viridian?

Rocket Warehouse - Team Rocket Scientist Gideon

Family and Friends?

You... You're not Giovanni's kid, are you? No, that can't be right. Giovanni's kid has red hair.

Message from Giovanni

• From: Giovanni
• To: [Player]

"There is nothing I wish to say to you.

I will concentrate solely on bettering myself, and none other."

Pokémon

This listing is of Giovanni's Pokémon in the video games he has appeared in.

Pokémon Red, Green and Blue

First battle

File:Giovanni RB.png Giovanni Rocket Hideout Red, Green, and Blue Professor and Professor Giovanni Oak Rocket Hideout Red, Green, and Blue Reward: $2871

Types: Rock Ground Onix Lv.25 Rock Throw Rock   --       Bind Normal   --       Rage Normal   --       Screech Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhyhorn Lv.24 Horn Attack Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Kangaskhan Lv.29 Comet Punch Normal   --       Rage Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --

Second battle

File:Giovanni RB.png Giovanni Silph Co. Red, Green, and Blue Professor and Professor Giovanni Oak Silph Co. Red, Green, and Blue Reward: $4059

Type: Poison Unknown Nidorino Lv.37 Horn Attack Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Focus Energy Normal   --       Fury Attack Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhyhorn Lv.37 Horn Attack Normal   --       Stomp Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Kangaskhan Lv.35 Comet Punch Normal   --       Rage Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoqueen Lv.41 Scratch Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Body Slam Normal   --

Gym battle

File:Giovanni RB.png Giovanni Viridian Gym Red, Green, and Blue Professor and Professor Giovanni Oak Viridian Gym Red, Green, and Blue Reward: $4950

Types: Ground Rock Rhyhorn Lv.45 Stomp Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Fury Attack Normal   --       Horn Attack Normal   --       Type: Ground Unknown Dugtrio Lv.42 Growl Normal   --       Dig Ground   --       Sand-Attack Normal   --       Slash Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoqueen Lv.44 Scratch Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Body Slam Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoking Lv.45 Tackle Normal   --       Horn Attack Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Thrash Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhydon Lv.50 Stomp Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Fissure Ground   --       Horn Drill Normal   --

Pokémon Yellow

First battle

File:Y Giovanni.png Giovanni Rocket Hideout Yellow Professor and Professor Giovanni Oak Rocket Hideout Yellow Reward: $2871

Types: Rock Ground Onix Lv.25 Rock Throw Rock   --       Bind Normal   --       Rage Normal   --       Screech Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhyhorn Lv.24 Horn Attack Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Persian Lv.29 Pay Day Normal   --       Scratch Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Growl Normal   --

Second battle

File:Y Giovanni.png Giovanni Silph Co. Yellow Professor and Professor Giovanni Oak Silph Co. Yellow Reward: $4059

Type: Poison Unknown Nidorino Lv.37 Double Kick Fighting   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Focus Energy Normal   --       Fury Attack Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhyhorn Lv.37 Horn Attack Normal   --       Stomp Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Persian Lv.35 Scratch Normal   --       Growl Normal   --       Bite Normal   --       Pay Day Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoqueen Lv.41 Double Kick Fighting   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Body Slam Normal   --

Gym battle

File:Y Giovanni.png Giovanni Viridian Gym Yellow Professor and Professor Giovanni Oak Viridian Gym Yellow Reward: $5445

Type: Ground Unknown Dugtrio Lv.50 Sand-Attack Normal   --       Dig Ground   --       Fissure Ground   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Type: Normal Unknown Persian Lv.53 Screech Normal   --       Slash Normal   --       Fury Swipes Normal   --       Double Team Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoqueen Lv.53 Tail Whip Normal   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Double Kick Fighting   --       Thunder Electric   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoking Lv.55 Thunder Electric   --       Leer Normal   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Thrash Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhydon Lv.55 Rock Slide Rock   --       Fury Attack Normal   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Horn Drill Normal   --

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

First battle

File:SpriteGiovanni.png Boss Giovanni Rocket Hideout FireRed and LeafGreen Boss and Professor Giovanni Oak Rocket Hideout FireRed and LeafGreen Reward: $2900

Types: Rock Ground Ability: Rock Head Held item: None Onix♂ Lv.25 Rock Throw Rock   --       Bind Normal   --       Rage Normal   --       Harden Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Ability: Rock Head Held item: None Rhyhorn♂ Lv.24 Stomp Normal   --       Fury Attack Normal   --       Scary Face Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Type: Normal Unknown Ability: Early Bird Held item: None Kangaskhan♀ Lv.29 Fake Out Normal   --       Mega Punch Normal   --       Bite Dark   --       Tail Whip Normal   --

Second battle

File:SpriteGiovanni.png Boss Giovanni Silph Co. FireRed and LeafGreen Boss and Professor Giovanni Oak Silph Co. FireRed and LeafGreen Reward: $4040

Type: Poison Unknown Ability: Poison Point Held item: None Nidorino♂ Lv.37 Horn Attack Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Helping Hand Normal   --       Fury Attack Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Ability: Rock Head Held item: None Rhyhorn♂ Lv.37 Fury Attack Normal   --       Scary Face Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Rock Blast Rock   --       Type: Normal Unknown Ability: Early Bird Held item: None Kangaskhan♀ Lv.35 Fake Out Normal   --       Rage Normal   --       Mega Punch Normal   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Ability: Poison Point Held item: None Nidoqueen♀ Lv.41 Double Kick Fighting   --       Tail Whip Normal   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Body Slam Normal   --

Gym battle

File:SpriteGiovanni.png Leader Giovanni Viridian Gym FireRed and LeafGreen Leader and Professor Giovanni Oak Viridian Gym FireRed and LeafGreen Reward: $5000

Types: Ground Rock Ability: Lightningrod Held item: None Rhyhorn♂ Lv.45 Take Down Normal   --       Rock Blast Rock   --       Scary Face Normal   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Type: Ground Unknown Ability: Sand Veil Held item: None Dugtrio♂ Lv.42 Slash Normal   --       Sand Tomb Ground   --       Mud-Slap Ground   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Types: Poison Ground Ability: Poison Point Held item: None Nidoqueen♀ Lv.44 Double Kick Fighting   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Body Slam Normal   --       Types: Poison Ground Ability: Poison Point Held item: None Nidoking♂ Lv.45 Double Kick Fighting   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Poison Sting Poison   --       Thrash Normal   --       Types: Ground Rock Ability: Lightningrod Held item: None Rhyhorn♂ Lv.50 Take Down Normal   --       Rock Blast Rock   --       Scary Face Normal   --       Earthquake Ground   --

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

File:GiovanniHGSS.gif Rocket Boss Giovanni Tohjo Falls HeartGold and SoulSilver Rocket Boss and Professor Giovanni Oak Tohjo Falls HeartGold and SoulSilver Reward: $8280

Types: Poison Ground Ability: Poison Point Held item: None Nidoking♂ Lv.42 Shadow Claw Ghost Physical   --       Focus Energy Normal Status   --       Fury Attack Normal Physical   --       Double Kick Fighting Physical   --       Types: Dark Flying Ability: Super Luck Held item: None Honchkrow♂ Lv.43 Nasty Plot Dark Status   --       Swagger Normal Status   --       Dark Pulse Dark Special   --       Shadow Ball Ghost Special   --       Types: Poison Ground Ability: Poison Point Held item: None Nidoqueen♀ Lv.46 Crunch Dark Physical   --       Roar Normal Status   --       Earth Power Ground Special   --       Superpower Fighting Physical   --       Type: Normal Unknown Ability: Scrappy Held item: None Kangaskhan♀ Lv.40 Outrage Dragon Physical   --       Leer Normal Status   --       Sucker Punch Dark Physical   --       Dizzy Punch Normal Physical   --

Pokémon Stadium

Round 1

File:Giovanni Stadium.jpg Giovani Viridian Gym Round 1 Professor and Professor Giovani Oak Viridian Gym Round 1 Reward: None

Type: Normal Unknown Persian Lv.50 Toxic Poison   --       Slash Normal   --       Thunderbolt Electric   --       BubbleBeam Water   --       Type: Ground Unknown Dugtrio Lv.50 Sand-Attack Normal   --       Slash Normal   --       Dig Ground   --       Rock Slide Rock   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoqueen Lv.50 Double Kick Fighting   --       Strength Normal   --       Surf Water   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoking Lv.50 Horn Drill Normal   --       Thunder Electric   --       Blizzard Ice   --       Toxic Poison   --       Types: Ground Rock Rhydon Lv.50 Fury Attack Normal   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Body Slam Normal   --       Fissure Ground   --       Type: Normal Unknown Tauros Lv.50 Thunder Electric   --       Fire Blast Fire   --       Blizzard Ice   --       Stomp Normal   --

Round 2

File:Giovanni Stadium.jpg Giovani Viridian Gym Round 2 Professor and Professor Giovani Oak Viridian Gym Round 2 Reward: None

Type: Normal Unknown Persian Lv.50 Screech Normal   --       Slash Normal   --       Thunderbolt Electric   --       BubbleBeam Water   --       Type: Normal Unknown Tauros Lv.50 Thunder Electric   --       Fire Blast Fire   --       Blizzard Ice   --       Earthquake Ground   --       Types: Poison Ground Nidoqueen Lv.50 Double Kick Fighting   --       Body Slam Normal   --       Thunderbolt Electric   --       Blizzard Ice   --       Types: Poison Ground Ability: No Ability Held item: None Nidoking Lv.50 Thrash Normal Unknown   --       Thunder Electric Unknown   --       Surf Water Unknown   --       Earthquake Ground Unknown   --       Types: Ghost Poison Ability: No Ability Held item: None Gengar Lv.50 Hypnosis Psychic Unknown   --       Dream Eater Psychic Unknown   --       Night Shade Ghost Unknown   --       Explosion Normal Unknown   --       Types: Fire Flying Ability: No Ability Held item: None Moltres Lv.50 Fire Spin Fire Unknown   --       Toxic Poison Unknown   --       Fly Flying Unknown   --       Double-Edge Normal Unknown   --

Quotes

Pokémon Red and Blue Versions

• First battle:

"So! I am impressed that you got here."

• Gym battle:

"Fwahahaha! This is my hideout! I planned to resurrect Team Rocket here! But, you have caught me again! So be it! This time, I'm not holding back! Once more, you shall face Giovanni, the greatest Trainer!"

"Ha! That was a truly intense fight! You have won! As proof, here is the Earth Badge! Having lost, I cannot face my underlings! Team Rocket is finished forever! I will dedicate my life to the study of Pokémon. Let us meet again someday! Farewell!"

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions

• First battle:

"So! I must say, I am impressed you got here. Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world. They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going. I am the leader, Giovanni! For your insolence, you will feel a world of pain!"

"What! This can't be!"

• Second battle:

"Ah, [player's name]! So we meet again! The president and I are discussing a vital business proposition. Keep your nose out of grown-up matters... Or experience a world of pain!"

"Arrgh!! I lost again!? Blast it all! You ruined our plans for Silph! But Team Rocket will never fall! [player's name], Never forget that all Pokémon exist for Team Rocket! I must go, but I shall return!"

• Gym battle:

"Fwahahaha! This is my hideout! It shall be so until I can restore Team Rocket to its former glory. But, you have found me again. So be it. This time, I'm not holding back! Once more, you shall face Giovanni, the greatest Trainer!"

"Ha! That was a truly intense fight. You have won! As proof, here is the Earth Badge!"

"Having lost in this fashion, I can't face my followers. I have betrayed their trust. As of today, Team Rocket is finished forever! As for myself, I shall dedicate my life to training again. Let us meet again someday! Farewell!"

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions

Tohjo Falls

• Before battle:

"... I don't know why you have come here. Anyway, I have to warn you that this is not a place for kids like you."

"You have a certain look... It reminds me of the kid who stood in front of me three years ago... You have the same eyes... I'm on my way to Goldenrod City to answer the call and join my team. Are you going to get in my way?"

(After hearing Team Rocket's broadcast)

"My old associates need me... We will not repeat the failure of three years ago! Team Rocket will be born again, and I will rule the world!"

• After sending out last Pokémon:

"What in the world was that? Don't tell me some inexperienced kid can possibly be that strong!"

• When defeated:

"What in the world are you?"

• After being defeated:

"How this is possible...? The past three years have been a waste... How can a kid like you manage to destroy my dream once again? The precious dream of Team Rocket has become more than an illusion..."

Sprites

File:Giovanni RB.png	File:Y Giovanni.png	File:SpriteGiovanni.png	File:GiovanniHGSS.gif		File:Giovanni Stadium.jpg
Giovanni's sprite from Generation I	Giovanni's sprite from Pokémon Yellow	Giovanni's sprite from Generation III	Giovanni's sprite from Generation IV	Giovanni's VS sprite from Generation IV	Giovanni's artwork from Pokémon Stadium

In the anime

File:Giovanni.png

Giovanni

While Giovanni very rarely takes the role of antagonist, his agents often have him in mind during missions due to the chance of power, be it through promotion or other means. This gave him a unique series of appearances, mainly during the Hoenn saga, where Meowth often saw how the Pokémon in each episode could be used to help Giovanni and win the trio promotions. These boss fantasies never show his actual personality and occasionally even show Giovanni in chibi form.

Giovanni, Domino, and the Rocket grunts

His first appearance was in the episode Battle Aboard the St. Anne, choosing a Persian as his "top cat" over Meowth, and talking to Jessie, James, and Meowth through a TV screen. His face always remained hidden in the shadows, usually with only his mouth visible. In Island of the Giant Pokémon, it is revealed that he owns the theme park, Pokémon Land, and the giant mechanical Pokémon in it, and was not happy to hear that it had been destroyed.

Up until his appearance in the episode The Battle of the Badge, his voice was altered with an effect that made it sound as if there were two people speaking at once. No canonical reason is given, though it can be inferred that he was intended to be mysterious, as in the original games, where it is not outright revealed that Giovanni, the Team Rocket boss, is the Viridian Gym Leader until late in the game. As this episode corresponds to the point at which players of the games would discover that the two were the same, Giovanni finally steps out of the shadows, revealing his face in a battle against Gary Oak, and defeating him utterly using his Mewtwo.

Unrevealed events in the episode caused Giovanni to abdicate his position as the Viridian Gym Leader, handing the Earth Badge to the Team Rocket trio that constantly follows Ash. Through a combination of their own incompetence and Ash's willpower to win the Earth Badge, the Viridian Gym was destroyed at the end of the episode. Due to this, and perhaps other circumstances, Giovanni permanently resigned as Viridian's Gym Leader, as Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four has taken over the Gym temporarily when Ash next returns to Viridian City after his journey in Hoenn.

Artwork of Giovanni from the Best Wishes series

Giovanni appears not to care for his Pokémon aside from Persian, as they are all locked away in cages when not used for a Gym battle.

In the episode Showdown at the Po-ké Corral, Giovanni's building was blown up by Mewtwo. He and his Persian survived the explosion and angrily told Jessie, James, and Meowth to do their job (ironically they were about to quit).

Giovanni also appeared near the beginning of the movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, as he was the one who had Dr. Fuji clone Mewtwo for him. After Mewtwo destroyed the lab, Giovanni told Mewtwo that he saw him as a valuable partner, putting armor on Mewtwo and using him to defeat Trainers in gym battles (including Gary's Nidoking and Arcanine, as seen in the anime) and help Team Rocket in their attempts to steal Pokémon. Eventually Mewtwo confronts Giovanni about his treatment and Giovanni admits that he doesn't consider Mewtwo a partner but a servant. This enrages Mewtwo and it is this incident which drives it to destroy Giovanni's base allowing it to escape.

Giovanni is the main antagonist in the movie Mewtwo Returns, seeking out Mewtwo, who by this time is living in peace with the cloned Pokémon at Mt. Quena. Once Giovanni discovered it, he tried to recapture it by threatening the cloned Pokémon. He used two machines to try to make Mewtwo submit to his will, but though Mewtwo stepped into the orb, it was still unwilling to serve Giovanni, threatening to destroy his body first. Ash and the others were able to stop the machines, and it was around this time that they faced off against Giovanni and several Team Rocket soldiers. Their Pokémon fought as a distraction so Ash could get Mewtwo into the spring. Once Mewtwo was healed from its injuries, it moved the spring under the mountain to protect it, and then erased the memories of Giovanni and the other Team Rocket soldiers (excluding Jessie, James, and Meowth) of it, making him forget entirely about Mewtwo. Standing next to Domino and Persian wondering what they were doing, he gets the strange feeling as though he has been utterly defeated.

With the beginning of the Best Wishes series Giovanni has taken on a far more significant and antagonistic role than before. He is now in regular contact with Jessie, James and Meowth and assigns them on various missions throughout the Isshu region.

The only time Giovanni has been seen in battle was in The Battle of the Badge. He used powerful Pokémon against Gary but later left the Gym to deal with an unexplained emergency, leaving Ash to battle Jessie. By the time Ash returned from Hoenn, Agatha was in charge of the Gym until a new leader could be found. Giovanni's reasons for leaving it have not been explained.

Very little is known about his past in any timeline; he is generally shrouded in mystery. His mother was the head of Team Rocket before him. However, this is presumed to be canon in the anime timeline only, as the games have no precedent for this.

Pokémon

This listing is of Giovanni's known Pokémon in the Pokémon anime.

Persian

Debut	Battle Aboard the St. Anne
Voice actors
Japanese	Rica Matsumoto
English	Rica Matsumoto

Main article: Giovanni's Persian

Persian is Giovanni's pet, as a reference to most villiains owning a cat as a pet, such as James Bond supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Meowth has a never-ending rivalry with it as "top cat."

Golem

Debut	The Battle of the Badge
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Eric Stuart

Golem was the first Pokémon that Giovanni used in his Gym battle with Gary, sending it against Gary's Nidoking. The Megaton Pokémon was easily defeated.

Golem's only known move is Tackle.

Kingler

Debut	The Battle of the Badge
Voice actors
Japanese	Rikako Aikawa
English	Rikako Aikawa

Giovanni used his Kingler in his Gym battle with Gary, sending it to battle against Gary's Nidoking. Gary, however, quickly withdraws his Pokémon and calls out Arcanine. Despite having a type advantage, Kingler proved to be no match for the Legendary Pokémon, and was finally taken out by Arcanine's Fire Blast.

Kingler was also later loaned to Jessie for Ash's Gym battle. She used it to battle against Ash's Bulbasaur, but lost.

Giovanni also has a second Kingler, which was in its cage when Giovanni went to see Mewtwo.

The known moves of the Kingler Jessie used are Crabhammer, Harden, and Bubble. The second Kingler's moves are unknown.

Machamp

Debut	The Battle of the Badge
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Eric Stuart

Giovanni loaned his Machamp to Jessie for her Gym battle against Ash. It battled against Ash's Squirtle, but lost.

Machamp's only known move is Karate Chop.

Rhydon

Debut	The Battle of the Badge
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Giovanni loaned his Rhydon to Jessie for Ash's Gym battle. It was defeated by Ash's Pidgeotto's Double-Edge.

None of Rhydon's moves are known.

Cloyster

Giovanni's Cloyster

Debut	The Battle of the Badge

There's nothing to be known about Giovanni's Cloyster, as it has only been briefly seen in a water tank in Viridian Gym's basement.

Escaped

Mewtwo

Debut	The Battle of the Badge
Voice actors
Japanese	Masachika Ichimura
English	Phillip Bartlett

Main article: Mewtwo (anime)

Giovanni held control of this Mewtwo created by his scientists for some time, until it learned that Giovanni had meant its purpose to be fighting for him, and escaped.

While controlling Mewtwo, Giovanni used its overwhelming Psychic powers to capture new Pokémon for Team Rocket and in his Gym battles, where it defeated all of his challengers effortlessly.

Voice actors

Language Voice actor Japanese 鈴置洋孝 Hirotaka Suzuoki (EP015-AG132) 三宅健太 Kenta Miyake (DP002-present) English Ted Lewis (4Kids dub, EP015-AG132; TPCi dub, DP080-present) Craig Blair (TPCi dub, DP002-DP043) Czech Pavel Soukup (EP015-EP157) Jiří Plachý (movie 1) Zdeněk Hruška (season 10) Marek Libert (season 11) Dutch Just Meijer (Season 1, 6-7) Stan Limburg (Season 2) Fred Meijer (Season 3-6) Sander de Heer (Special) Bas Keijzer (Season 8-present) French Canada Daniel Picard Europe Patrick Deschamps Polish Adam Bauman (Movie 1, Mewtwo Returns) Cezary Kwieciński (DP002-present) Spanish Latin America Alejandro Villeli (EP015-DP043) Humberto Solórzano (DP080) Spain Ruperto Ares (EP015-EP157) Rafael Azcárraga (Mewtwo Returns) José Escobosa (EP231-present) Roberto Encinas (AG002)

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Giovanni in the fifth chapter

In Pokémon Adventures, Giovanni serves much the same role as he does in the games, although he now has Lt. Surge, Sabrina, and Koga as subordinates. However, Giovanni is much more ruthless, as in one chapter, he uses his Cloyster to break two Magmar in half.

He is first seen traveling with Red under the guise of a friendly researcher of to study fossils, but his real intent is to study Red after he defeated Koga and Lt. Surge. While watching him battle against two Magmar he notes that Red is not much of a planner but is shows a lot of courage and ingenuity, but was put off when Red wouldn't finish the Magmar after he incapacitated them. He sent Red off with an Old Amber and finishes off the Magmar himself.

He attempts to create a super-powerful Pokémon by combining Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno into a single Pokémon. This was thwarted by the efforts of Red, Green, and Blue, he was not known to be behind this and it was still unknown that he was the Leader yet. He then appears to Red when he enters the Viridian Gym and challenges Red with a catch, if Giovanni wins Red has to join Team Rocket. Giovanni lost after an intense battle making Red use techniques involving the trainer and not just the Pokémon battling.

He later provides some minor assistance to the fight against the Elite Four on Cerise Island. He helps Red escape from Lorelei's ice and provides him with some evolutionary stones for his Eevee. Giovanni then comes to Yellow's side as she was struggling in her battle with Lance, telling her that he is from the Viridian Forest as well. However going to Cerise Island did almost as much harm as help, as coming there gave Lance the one Gym Badge that he did not have so he could call upon Lugia with the Badge Energy Amplifier the Elite Four took from the rubble of Silph Co.. After the battle Giovanni then informs Koga and the others (Sabrina and Lt. Surge) to lay low until a more suitable time comes to revive Team Rocket.

Giovanni has recently resurfaced in the Sevii Islands, apparently pursuing Deoxys. He even has a new set of henchmen, The Three Beasts. Silver is revealed to be Giovanni's son, but was kidnapped by the Masked Man at the age of two. Giovanni's master plan apparently includes Silver taking over Team Rocket from him.

However, his plan is later revealed to just wanting to find and reunite with his son and see him grown up before Giovanni dies (he has some sort of illness, although it is never explained what it is). When Silver and Giovanni found themselves in the flames of a wreckage at one point, Giovanni used his own body to protect the unconscious boy from the fire. At first, Silver denied that Giovanni could possibly be his father, and then would not accept him as a father. However, after he saw how Giovanni put his own life at stake to save him, Silver broke down in tears and accepted him as his father. From this point on, Giovanni is presumably not the leader of Team Rocket any more, and is succeeded by the Three Beasts member Carr. His last known location is one of Silver's secret bases, where Silver sent him so he could recover from his injuries.

When he was still the Viridian Gym Leader, Giovanni had obtained the nickname "Giovanni Of The Land" because all his Pokémon were Template:Type2s, save his Cloyster and Beedrill. Beedrill's exception is clear, as it was caught at Giovanni's birthplace (in the Viridian Forest; so Giovanni prides it especially), but Cloyster's is hard to trace, as it does not appear to have any connection to Giovanni's past.

Giovanni wrote a book on the research of Ground-type Pokémon called Mysteries of the Earth that is currently in Blue's possession. The book contains detailed information on Ground-type Pokémon not known by anyone else. For instance, Giovanni was the first to discover Rhydon could evolve.

In battle, Giovanni kicks his Poké Balls, much like Crystal, in order to be able to react faster.

Pokémon

This listing is of Giovanni's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Beedrill

Giovanni's Beedrill

Debut	Golly, Golem!

Beedrill is Giovanni's main Pokémon. He caught it when it was a Weedle at Viridian Forest when he was a Pokémon Trainer. Since then, Giovanni has used Beedrill as a reliable partner in many situations as a boss of Team Rocket.

Beedrill's only known move is Twineedle.

Nidoking

Giovanni's Nidoking

Debut	Long Live the Nidoqueen

Nidoking was one of the Pokémon used in the Viridian Gym battle but did not officially participate. Later, he was used to destroy the gym.

Nidoking's known moves are Earthquake and Rock Tomb.

Nidoqueen ♀

Debut	Golly, Golem!

Nidoqueen first appeared in the Viridian Gym Battle against Red. She was able to heavily damage Red's Lax and got knocked out by his Pika* in the end.

Nidoqueen's only known move is Mega Punch.

Dugtrio

Giovanni's Dugtrio

Debut	Long Live the Nidoqueen

Giovanni's Dugtrio was only used to stop Red's Saur and Gyara from coming out of their Poké Balls.

Dugtrio's only known move is Dig.

Golem

Giovanni's Golem

Debut	Golly, Golem!

Giovanni switched out Nidoqueen for his Golem. Golem was a very fast Pokémon as it was able to easily outmatch Red but knocked out Lax before fainting.

Golem's known moves are Tackle, Rock Throw and Explosion.

Cloyster

Giovanni's Cloyster

Debut	Make Way for Magmar!

Giovanni's Cloyster was called out to take care of two Magmar that were causing trouble after Red could not finish them off. It used the freezing strategy to take them out. Later, it was seen again during the gym battle against Red and used the freezing strategy on Poli to defeat it.

Cloyster knows some Ice-type moves.

Rhyhorn

Giovanni's Rhyhorn

Debut	Long Live the Nidoqueen

Rhyhorn was one of the Pokémon used in the Gym Battle against Red. It was very powerful as it was able to knock out Red's Aero in one-hit.

Rhyhorn's only known move is Tail Whip and Fissure.

Rhydon

Giovanni's Rhydon

Debut	Long Live the Nidoqueen

Rhydon was seen in the gym battle with Giovanni's other Pokémon. However, it did not officially participate so nothing was known about it.

Crobat

Giovanni's Crobat

Debut	A Holder's Qualification!

Crobat was used along with Giovanni's Beedrill to try to prevent Deoxys from escaping.

Aggron

Giovanni's Aggron

Debut	A Holder's Qualification!

Giovanni used this Aggron to battle Deoxys after trapping it.

Owned

File:Entity two attack.png Deoxys

Taking care

File:SilverUrsaring.jpg Ursaring (Silver's) ♂

In the TCG

There is a Theme Deck named for Giovanni in the Gym Challenge expansion. For that Theme Deck, see Giovanni.

Artwork

• 

  Giovanni and the Earth Badge

• 

  Giovanni sends out a Nidoking.

• 

  Giovanni as the Boss of Team Rocket

Pokémon

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Giovanni or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Name	Type	Level	Rarity	Set	Set no.
The Boss's Way	-	-		Team Rocket	73/82
Giovanni's Gyarados		40	H	Gym Challenge	5/132
Giovanni's Machamp		50	H	Gym Challenge	6/132
Giovanni's Nidoking		58	H	Gym Challenge	7/132
Giovanni's Persian		23	H	Gym Challenge	8/132
Giovanni	-	-	H	Gym Challenge	18/132
					104/132
Giovanni's Nidoqueen		51		Gym Challenge	23/132
Giovanni's Pinsir		27		Gym Challenge	24/132
Giovanni's Machoke		36		Gym Challenge	42/132
Giovanni's Meowth		12		Gym Challenge	43/132
Giovanni's Nidorina		35		Gym Challenge	44/132
Giovanni's Nidorino		32		Gym Challenge	45/132
Giovanni's Machop		18		Gym Challenge	72/132
Giovanni's Magikarp		9		Gym Challenge	73/132
Giovanni's Meowth		17		Gym Challenge	74/132
Giovanni's Nidoran♀		11		Gym Challenge	75/132
Giovanni's Nidoran♂		14		Gym Challenge	76/132
Giovanni's Last Resort	-	-		Gym Challenge	105/132
Viridian City Gym	-	-		Gym Challenge	123/132
Giovanni's Nidoking	-	-	-	Unnumbered Promotional cards (no English release)	-

Trivia

• In the games, Giovanni is the only Gym Leader to appear outside of his Gym in Generation I, a feature that would become more and more common up to Generation IV, where all Gym Leaders in the featured regions appear outside of their Gym in one way or another.
• In How I Became a Pokémon Card, a short manga by Kagemaru Himeno, he and Persian were shown to have been together for a long time, as he rescued the cat when he was a child.
• In the English version of Pokémon Stadium, his name is misspelled Giovani (with one n). This is because the space for Trainer names only allows seven characters, whilst Giovanni's name has eight.
• According to the Pokémon Adventures manga, Giovanni's birthday is August 1st and his blood type is O.
• In Pokémon Live! it is stated that he dated Delia Ketchum, though this is both unmentioned and unconfirmed in the anime.
• Both Giovanni and Juan are the eighth Gym Leader in a region introduced in an odd-numbered generation. Both of their names are a foreign version of the name "John". Also, in Generation III, the manuals show them to be an unknown Gym Leader.
• The way that Giovanni takes care of his Persian could be a reference to the supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond films.
• In the English dub of the anime, Giovanni is the first character to regain his original voice actor following the voice actor switch.
• In the official Red and Blue guide from Nintendo Power, Giovanni was labeled to be a regional boss of Team Rocket (implying he's not the absolute leader). This was invalidated in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, where it was made clear that Giovanni was the absolute Leader of Team Rocket (even having an office in Johto).
• Despite being mentioned throughout Gold, Silver and Crystal, he is the only Kanto Gym Leader to not appear in all generations Kanto does.
• Giovanni was the first Gym Leader who can be battled more than once, and is still the only one who can be battled before the Gym battle.
  • This also makes him one of three Gym Leaders who does not give a badge to the player immediately after the first defeat, the other two being Whitney and Clair.
• In Pokémon Adventures, Giovanni is the only evil team leader who is still alive after his exploits.
  • However, characters may not consider Pryce, Maxie, Archie or Cyrus to be dead, since they were last seen disappearing into Time and Space.
• He is the only Gym Leader to have two titles in the same game as being Gym Leader. The titles consist of him being called "Boss" and "Gym Leader."
• While there have previously been many event Pokémon, due to his status in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Giovanni is the first event Trainer.
• While in the Gym Battle in Generation I, he owns a level 50 Rhydon, it is replaced by a level 50 Rhyhorn in Generation III.
• Giovanni's Nidoking and Rhydon, both being at level 55 during the Gym battle in Yellow, are the highest leveled Pokemon to be owned by a Gym Leader during the initial battle with them.
• Giovanni is the only criminal boss not to endanger a legendary Pokémon with his exploits in the games. This is not the case in the anime.
  • Giovanni is also the only Gym Leader in either anime or manga to use a legendary Pokémon.
• Giovanni is likely based on the boss of a Yakuza faction, possibly more on the bakuto factions than others, considering Team Rocket's former ownership of the Celadon Game Corner. Outside of Japan, this reference is localized, making him more akin to a Mafia boss (most especially considering his English name being Italian in origin).
• Giovanni and Blue are the only two Trainers to have three different battle themes.
  • Coincidentally, both were the leader of Viridian Gym at one point.

Names

Language	Name	Reference to
Japanese	サカキ Sakaki	Sakaki (榊) is a sacred tree in Shinto which resembles the Earth Badge. Also from 坂／阪 saka, slope.
English, French, German, Italian, Spanish	Giovanni	From Italian Giovanni, equivalent to John, gift from God; gio rhymes with geo, from Greek γῆ gē, earth. May also be a play on his resemblance to a Mafia boss in control of his mob.
Korean	비주기 Bijugi
Chinese (Mandarin)	坂木 Bǎnmù * 阪木 Bǎnmù *	From 坂木／阪木 Sakaki, an alternative way of writing the name. 坂／阪 (slope) is also a homophone to 板 of 老板 lǎo​bǎn (boss). Also, 坂 contains the radical 土 tǔ (earth).
Chinese (Cantonese)	沙加 Sāgā	Transliteration of the Saka of Sakaki.

External links

• Boss the fanlisting for Giovanni
• Sakaki's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
• Sakaki's Pokémon on Pokeani (Japanese)

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This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.