James
- If you were looking for the voice actor, see Eli James.
| James コジロウ Kojirō | |
 James | |
| Age | 25 (as of M02, not stated in dub) |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Green |
| Hair color | Lavender |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Kanto |
| Relatives | Grandparents (Nanny and Pop-Pop), |
| Trainer class | Agent, Gym Leader* |
| Generation | I |
| Games | Yellow Version |
| Member of | Team Rocket |
| Rank | Agent |
| Partner | Jessie, Meowth |
| Anime debut | Pokémon Emergency! |
| English voice actor | Ted Lewis (EP002-EP008) Eric Stuart (EP009-AG145) Carter Cathcart (AG146-present) |
| Japanese voice actor | Shin'ichirō Miki |
James (Japanese: コジロウ Kojirō) is a member of Team Rocket, more specifically part of a trio with Jessie and Meowth, that follows Ash Ketchum and his friends around in the Pokémon anime, usually trying to steal Ash's Pikachu.
In the anime
History
As an only child of millionaires, James was forced to endure formal society while growing up. Often having to take part in numerous lessons and activities he had little to no interest in, he eventually began to grow weary of the rules and standards that appeared to be ever-present within the upper-class.
At a young age, he was engaged to a girl named Jessebelle. It was revealed in The Treasure Is All Mine! that he wanted to marry her at some point but he changed his mind after he saw how controlling and overbearing she was. Unable to stand her, he ran away, leaving his lavish lifestyle as well as his beloved pet Growlithe, Growlie, behind.
He then enrolled in Pokémon Tech, a Trainers' school, where he met Jessie, and subsequently failed and dropped out. After this, as revealed in The Bridge Bike Gang, Jessie and James joined a bicycle gang in Sunnytown, where James was known for using training wheels, acquiring the nicknames "Little Jim" and "Trainer James".
Due to conflicts in canon between Kanto and Johto episodes and the special episode Training Daze, what happened between James and Jessie after the bike gang is unknown. What is known, as shown in the special episode, is that they joined Team Rocket separately and were on initially unfriendly terms after being grouped with Meowth but they quickly made up and became good friends.
In the original series
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: more episodes |
James made his series debut in the anime in Pokémon Emergency. Alongside Jessie and Meowth, they set their sights on the injured Pokémon in the Viridian Pokémon Center. Sending out their Ekans and Koffing from their Meowth balloon, they quickly overtook the Pokémon Center, which only had three people inside. Before they could steal any of the Pokémon, however, Ash's Pikachu, who teamed up with many other Pikachu in the Pokémon Center, used an electric attack, causing the entire Pokémon Center to explode. It was here that Team Rocket decided to capture Pikachu, deeming him as an exceptionally powerful Pokémon, and made it their goal to capture him.
In the episode Holy Matrimony!, James returned to his home as a result of a trap by his parents, who pretended to be dead in order to get him to come back to the estate, knowing he would return to pay his respects. He suspected that it was a trap, but he ended up being forced into participating by Jessie and Meowth, who wanted the fortune. After the deception was revealed, he was once again subjected to Jessebelle's torment until Growlie came to his rescue. After temporarily chasing Jessebelle away, James soon left his family's manor and as a result declined his inheritance. Growlie stayed behind upon James's request when he returned to Jessie and Meowth.
In the Advanced Generation series
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: more episodes |
James went with Jessie and Meowth to Hoenn while they were stuck on the hull of the ship.
In the Diamond & Pearl series
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: more episodes |
The trio arrived in Sinnoh using their balloon. They arrived in James's vacation house and James retrieved his Carnivine that he caught a long time ago. James left the house with Jessie and Meowth because of Jessebelle's arrival.
In Dressed for Jess Success!, James entered the Lilypad Contest in Jessie's place. In the first round, James had Meowth use his Fury Swipes to cook ramen for the judges, which got them both to the next round. James was able to get to the round and made it to the semi-finals. When he went up against Dawn, he took advantage of the fact that Mamoswine usually started the battle off by swallowing Ice Shard and had Carnivine steal the Ice Shard with Vine Whip before it happened. As a result, Mamoswine became enraged and James was able to win. James went on to the finals and won, earning himself a Ribbon and gave it to Jessie afterwards.
In the Best Wishes series
In the Best Wishes series, Jessie, James, and Meowth were sent to the Unova region under orders from Giovanni after they were promoted in Memories are Made of Bliss!. Now wearing black uniforms instead of their previous white ones, Jessie and James, along with Meowth, followed various missions given to them by Giovanni through other people. To prevent them from getting too much attention, Giovanni did not allow their other Pokémon to be sent to them, making them use only Pokémon native to Unova. Unknown to the trio, Giovanni was not certain they would be successful; however, he knew that their presence in the region would force Team Plasma to reveal themselves. In Battling for the Love of Bug-Types!, Jessie and James go back to their white uniforms. The trio seems to be more serious and is much less comedic than before, using thought-out methods of escape, such as jetpacks, and thus has not been sent blasting off in the Best Wishes series. They also appear much less often than in previous series.
In Meloetta and the Undersea Temple! and Unova's Survival Crisis!, he manages to capture Meloetta but was stalled by Cilan, allowing for Meloetta to get away. However, with Meloetta caught by Giovanni, James and Jessie go inside the submarine with Giovanni and Dr. Zager and take them to the Abyssal Ruins for the awakening of the Kami trio located there.
Along with Jessie and Meowth, James reappeared in New Places... Familiar Faces! where he returned to Unova for the first time since their "Operation Tempest" and temporary retreat back to Kanto. He went back to this old ways by catching Pikachu but with a new addition to his team, with James catching an Amoonguss sometime before meeting up with Ash and company. In The Dream Continues!, he is forced to give away his Pokémon to Giovanni under the pretense that he captured them for him.
In the XY series
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: more episodes |
He returned once again in the XY series, following Ash into the Kalos region. There, James captures an Inkay in A Battle of Aerial Mobility!.
The episode Facing the Grand Design focuses highly on the strong bond between James and Inkay. During the episode Inkay was furious when Malamar showed up with two other evil Malamar, and while Jessie and Meowth believed it was because Inkay wanted to hand them over to the evil Malamar, James knew otherwise, but was still concerned about why Inkay was acting the way it was. Later on after escaping being caught by the evil Malamar along with Meowth, Inkay, and Clemont, James found out through Meowth's translation that Inkay was furious with the evil Malamar for hypnotizing him in the past and wanted to make Malamar pay for what it had done. Inkay then began talking to the forest Inkay and Malamar to try and get them to help with the quest to stop the evil Malamar. At first, the good Malamar were skeptical about Inkay's story until one of the Malamar showed up and attacked the forest Pokémon with Dark Pulse. As the gang worked to stop the evil Malamar, the leader captured Inkay and brainwashed it with Hypnosis and made it attack it's trainer. James took Inkay's Tackle head on and then fed it a croissant, (which is it's favorite food), and began to remember all the time he and Inkay spent together which successfully returned Inkay back to normal. When the group finally defeated the evil Malamar Team Rocket watched the forest Pokémon as the Inkay led James' Inkay into the forest with them. James got up but Inkay went back to him, although at first he told Inkay all he wanted was for it to be happy, so he wasn't going to ask it to stay with him, and Inkay began shouting at James and Meowth translated "THAT'S WHY I'M STAYING WITH YOU! BEING WITH YOU AND THE REST OF TEAM ROCKET MAKES ME HAPPY!" James was overcome with tears of joy after hearing this as he embraced Inkay tightly and happily exclaimed "PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT UNDERSTANDING THE EVER-LASTING BOND BETWEEN US!"
Character
James has shown to be relatively well versed in various activities, including Pokémon Haiku, Pokémon Orienteering, and PokéRinger, among other things. It is possible that he developed his skills during his temporary separation from Jessie, or even from the many lessons he was enrolled in as a child.
James also has a tendency to cross-dress, but has not done it since Pros and Con Artists, with the exception of the occasional impersonation of characters such as Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and Jessie. In fact, Dressed for Jess Success! marks the first time he cross-dresses in the Diamond & Pearl series, though it was him disguised as Jessalina. He also often dresses up like famous celebrities as well, such as Professor Oak, Juan, and Norman, and impersonates other non-human objects, including Pokémon, animals, and even bushes and trees.
James loves rare bottle caps and has an impressive collection of them. This hobby started when he was a young child. In the episode All That Glitters! it is revealed that he has "drunk enough soda pop to float an aircraft carrier".
At times, instead of a Pokédex, he uses a deck of cards to identify Pokémon, such as in Gymbaliar! when he first learns of Croagunk's Poison Jab with it, or in Mass Hip-Po-Sis! when he uses it to look up Hippopotas (explaining why he knows the Pokémon to be named "Hippopotas" and not "Hippopontas" as Jessie calls it). They appear to have the same entry as an electronic Pokédex, including a few basic parameters like height and weight, though it is unknown how many Pokémon they include (however, he seems to have used them mostly for Sinnoh Pokémon thus far).
Perhaps due to his heavily enforced, sheltered upbringing, as well as the constant harassment that he had to endure from Jessebelle as a child, James has an odd, somewhat submissive personality. He will regularly comply to whatever ideas the other two come up with, and when he doesn't, usually ends up doing so anyway, like when he was forced to trade his Victreebel away. He also seems to be the most emotional amongst the Team Rocket trio, and if the three should ever happen to get separated, he'll seem very lost without his companions. James also appears to have the most conscience among the three, and is the least prone to backstabbing someone who is kind to him. He can actually be quite sinister when he wants to, however. Also, unlike Jessie, who is prone to anger, he would often get depressed when things don't go his way or if he fails at something. He is also occasionally shown to be a victim, usually along with Meowth, of Jessie's anger. However, James is sometimes shown to get angry himself, though not to the same extent as Jessie.
James has a tendency to be swindled by a Magikarp salesman, who, despite James's increasing wariness and personal vendetta against the shady character, has on many occasions tricked him into buying a Magikarp or other useless Pokémon and items for large sums of money.
Throughout most of the series, James and his two friends were presented as horribly failing and erroneous criminals, always botching their missions to capture Ash's Pikachu or other Pokémon. However, early in the Best Wishes series, he, along with the rest of his team, has developed a more serious attitude in his work. This slowly reverted back to the previous, blundering attitude by the end of the Best Wishes series. In the XY series, James's Pokémon flash cards returned in the form of a handheld computer that has a Pokédex function.
Pokémon
As the standards of the Team Rocket organization dictated, James was first shown with a Poison-type Pokémon. However, James seems to have a fondness for carnivorous (or at least dangerous) Grass-type Pokémon, owning Weepinbell, Victreebel, Cacnea, Carnivine and Amoonguss. It was shown during a flashback in Cream of the Croagunk Crop! how James, as a boy, found Carnivine in the Great Marsh. It was trapped in the mud and James rescued it, the two forming a bond of friendship. The capture of a Cacnea early in Hoenn furthered his apparent preference for Grass types. Often, when going into battle, his Grass Pokémon will show great affection towards James, which usually results in pain for him since all of them either have sharp teeth or spines. It is also shown that James develops a strong bond with each of his Pokémon in general; James almost treats them as his own children, and they in turn are all greatly attached to him. This could stem from the childhood memories he occasionally brings up, where it is shown that while growing up James hadn't really had any friends other than his Pokémon. When it comes time to leave a Pokémon behind for one reason or another, James often has great difficulty in letting go of his beloved friends, as shown in A Poached Ego! when he had to release his Weezing, and in Throwing the Track Switch, when he spend much of the episode depressed due to leaving his Cacnea behind one episode prior.
On hand
 Inkay |
At Team Rocket's headquarters
 Mime Jr. |
 Carnivine |
In training
 Cacnea |
At home
 Growlie |
With relatives
 Chimecho |
Traded away
 Weepinbell → Victreebel |
With Giovanni
 Yamask ♂ |
 Amoonguss |
Released
 Koffing → Weezing |
 Magikarp → Gyarados |
 Weepinbell → Victreebel |
Borrowed
 Dustox ♀ |
 Yanmega ♀ |
Escaped
 Hoppip |
Temporary
Status unknown
| Debut | Tanks a Lot! |
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Multiple Pidgey were seen in one of Team Rocket's mottos in the episode. However, it is unknown if they still have the Pidgey with them or if the Pidgey even belong to them.
| Debut | Game Winning Assist |
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Seven Numel were seen in a flashback of James's. He said he used to have them warm him up while he was sleeping. However, it is unknown if he owned them, or he just befriended them. It is also unknown if they still reside at his home.
Achievements
While he has not accomplished much as a member of Team Rocket, James has proven to be quite skilled at several other pursuits. He has performed well in a few side competitions, even winning a Pokémon Contest.
- Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest - N/A (with Jessie in Beauty and the Beach)
- P1 Grand Prix - Runner-up (with Jessie in The Punchy Pokémon)
- Grass Tournament - N/A (as "Semaj" in The Grass Route)
- Hoenn PokéRinger - runner-up (That's Just Swellow)
- Pokémon Orienteering - winner (Off the Unbeaten Path)
- Pastoria Croagunk Festival - N/A (with Jessie in Cream of the Croagunk Crop!)
- Sinnoh PokéRinger - round 1 (as "Jamus" in Pursuing a Lofty Goal!)
- Lilypad Contest - winner; gave Ribbon to Jessie (Dressed for Jess Success!)
- Scalchop King Competition - Disqualified (with Jessie as "Jacen" and "Jesty" in Crowning the Scalchop King!)
- Poké Puff Contest - Preliminary round (with Jessie in A Battle by Any Other Name!)
Voice actors
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In the games
Pokémon Yellow
Both Jessie and James appear in Pokémon Yellow as in-game bosses. They first attack the main character 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 main 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.
Pokémon
First battle
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Second battle
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Third battle
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Fourth battle
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Quotes
- 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!"
- 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!"
- 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!"
- 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
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| Jessie and James's sprite from Yellow |
James's overworld sprite from Yellow |
Pokémon Puzzle League
Along with many other anime characters, both Jessie and James appeared in Pokémon Puzzle League, where they appeared with a Weezing, an Arbok, and a Golbat. They are the main opponents in the "Spa Service" line clear challenge.
Pokémon Zany Cards
Jessie and James appear as the first opponents in both Wild Match mode and Special Seven mode.
In the manga
In the Ash and Pikachu manga
In the manga series Ash and Pikachu, based on the anime, James appears along with the rest of the Team Rocket trio, Jessie and Meowth.
Pokémon
On hand
 Chimecho |
Temporary
 Pikachu ♂ |
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
James appears in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu along with his teammates Jessie and Meowth.
His first appearance is in Pikachu's Excellent Adventure. He, Jessie and Meowth tag along with a group of lost Pokémon, including Pikachu, to try to find the Hidden Village. When they arrive, he and Jessie attempt to steal the Pokémon living in the village, but they are quickly expelled by a Kangaskhan. In this chapter, he uses a Koffing in battle.
James's next appearance is in You Gotta Have Friends. He and Jessie attempt to steal a herd of wild Pikachu. At this point in the manga, James's Koffing has evolved into Weezing, though its evolution is not depicted in the manga.
Following this, James and Jessie begin more regularly appearing in the manga, following Ash to the Pokémon League championship at Indigo Plateau and cheering him on at the Orange League. James, along with Jessie, seems to maintain a friendship or at least acquaintance with Ash, as he has the Team Rocket trio deliver a letter to his mother as they are passing Pallet Town in Epilogue: Wild Type.
While in the anime, the nature of James's relationship with Jessie is not explicitly stated, in the epilogue of the manga, he is shown confessing his love to Jessie. They are shown afterwards married with Jessie visibly pregnant.
Pokémon
On hand
 Koffing → Weezing |
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 was also a preconstructed Theme Deck based on James.
It is rumored that James may also be on the Gym Challenge set card Rocket's Secret Experiment, as there is a Rocket in the background, seen only from the back, who has his hairstyle.
Team Rocket artwork
EX Team Rocket Returns artwork
Rocket's Secret Experiment
Trivia
- James at times uses the name Jameson.
- James hasn't evolved any of his Pokémon since Here's Lookin' at You, Elekid!.
- James is the only main character to have one Pokémon and release/give it away, then get another Pokémon of the same species.
- James was the first main character to release a Pokémon.
- A running gag in the anime prior to James's Amoonguss in the Best Wishes series involves James's Grass-type Pokémon hurting him in a show of affection.
- Victreebel would often try to swallow him when called from its Poké Ball.
- Cacnea would hug him around the neck or waist, driving the spikes on its arms into James.
- Carnivine would nearly constantly get a death grip on James's head with its mouth.
- In the main series games, James and Jessie are the only characters from Generation I to appear only in that generation, as they do not reappear in Generation II and Generation IV when Kanto is revisited, and (being exclusive to Pokémon Yellow) were not adapted into the Generation III Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen remakes.
- In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, a newswoman on Area 4 of Mt. Battle references James stating that she's looking for someone with the same Pokémon as she has. The Pokémon she uses are Cacnea and Chimecho.
- He shares both his Japanese and Brazilian voice actors with Ryusuke Yamino, from Detective Loki.
- Excluding Victreebel, James has never battled any of his Pokémon before catching them.
- Including the Hoppip that James briefly owned, James has owned a Grass-type Pokémon from every generation except for Generation VI.
Name origin
James's English name is taken from Jesse James, an American outlaw. His Japanese name, Kojirō, is taken from 佐々木小次郎 Sasaki Kojirō, a prominent Japanese swordsman most famous for being killed by his rival, 宮本武蔵 Miyamoto Musashi, the namesake of Jessie. Also, 二郎 Jirō is a name meaning "second son," while 三郎 Saburō means "third son." Kojirō takes advantage of Jirō, while the Japanese name of Butch, Kosaburō, takes advantage of Saburō.
He is based on Leonardo Medici Bundle from the GoShogun anime (originally written by Takeshi Shudō), and the young thief Benten Kozō Kikunosuke from the "Five Men of the White Waves" kabuki.
In other languages
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Korean | 로이 Roy | |
| Chinese | 小次郎 Xiǎo Cìláng | From 佐々木小次郎 Sasaki Kojirō. |
| Thai | โคจิโร่ Kojiro | Based on the original Japanese name. |
| Indonesian | James (Kanto saga) Kojiro (Johto saga - present) |
Based on English and Japanese name. |
Related articles
| Team Rocket's Pokémon | |||||||
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| Travel with: | |||||||
| Jessie | James | ||||||
| On hand: | |||||||
| In training: | |||||||
| At home: | |||||||
| Released: | |||||||
| Traded away: | |||||||
| Lived with (all three): |
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| Worked with (all three): |
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| Temporarily owned: | |||||||
| Befriended: | |||||||
| Status unknown: | |||||||
| For a list of other Pokémon Team Rocket has commanded, see here and here | |||||||
 Team Rocket
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| Rocket Game Corner • Team Rocket Hideout • Viridian Gym • Team Rocket HQ • Rocket Warehouse | |||||
| Boss | Admins | ||||
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| Giovanni (Masters • Pocket Monsters) |
Archer (Masters) |
Ariana (Masters) |
Petrel (Masters) |
Proton (Masters) | |
| Other members | |||||
| Jessie (Masters) • James (Masters) • Meowth • Team Rocket Grunts (Rocket Siblings) • Scientists (Gideon) Grey (Golden Boys) • Kaede (How I Became a Pokémon Card) | |||||
See also: Pokémon the Series • Adventures • Team GO Rocket • Team Rainbow Rocket
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
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