Team Rocket

Team Rocket is a group of criminals in the Pokemon franchise. They appear in the Pokemon anime, different versions of Pokemon manga, as well as generations one and two (as well as their respective remakes) in the games.

In the Games
Team Rocket is an organization bent on criminal business and eventually trying to get global control over the world. In Pokemon Red/Green/Blue/Yellow as well as in their remakes FireRed and LeafGreen Team Rocket is the main criminal organization in Kanto region. Team Rocket grunts steal items and Pokemon and recruit new members for the team in Cerulean City, search for ancient Pokemon fossils in Mt. Moon, take Mr. Fuji and the chanellers of Pokemon Tower in Lavander City hostage. The player finds Rocket HQ in Celadon City, where the grunts are seen in streets and houses of the city and Team Rocket legally runs a casino named Rocket Game Corner. After defeating grunts (and, in Yellow version, agents Jessie and James) in a Rocket Hideout under the casino, the player meets and fights Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket. Giovanni, together with Rocket grunts, scientists, and agents, later appears in Saffron City, taking control over the whole city and Silph Co. After his defeat in Silph Co. HQ the player meets Giovanni one last time as the Gym Leader of Viridian City. After his final defeat, Giovanni disbands Team Rocket and leaves to travel and train more, realizing the error of his ways. In FireRed and LeafGreen versions, the player can travel to Sevii Islands and fight the local branch of Team Rocket under the leadership of two admins (hinted to be, in fact, executives Archer and Ariana from the future Neo Team Rocket) and Rocket scientist Gideon. After finding out about Giovanni's defeat, the admins leave the Sevii Islands to re-organise Team Rocket and find Giovanni.

In Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal, as well as in their remakes HeartGold & SoulSilver, Team Rocket is re-organized in the Johto region under the leadership of Rocket executives (in HeartGold & SoulSilver they recieved names: Proton, Petrel, Ariana, and Archer). They start with money-making business under Proton's command, residing in the Slowpoke Well and selling severed Slowpoke tails for high prices. After their defeat in the Slowpoke Well, the Rockets move to Mahogany town, creating their new HQ. There they sell Rage Candy Bars and sell tickets to the Lake of Rage, while starting new scientific experiments, trying to speed-up Pokemon evolution, which results in the creation of Red Gyarados. Champion Lance and the player destroy Rocket's business and attack their underground Hideout, fighting executives Ariana and Petrel. Later, Team Rocket, under Archer's command, conquers Goldenrod City and takes over Goldenrod Radio Tower, broadcasting over the whole region and trying to send a message to Giovanni. The player defeats all four executives, and Archer disbands so-called Neo Team Rocket. In the Celebi event in HeartGold and SoulSilver, it is revealed that Giovanni got the message and was rushing to Goldenrod City to take control over the team. He is defeated by the player, who travels through time and space with Pokemon Celebi and fights Giovanni at Tohjo Falls. Defeated, Giovanni walks away in despair. Some players speculated that the splash sound, which one can hear after Giovanni walks away to the cave's exit, indicates that Giovanni jumped from the falls and ended his life in a suicide. However, this implication was proven to be false when Giovanni reappeared in the World Tournament event of Pokemon Black2/White2 as one of the competing battlers.

In the Anime
In the anime Team Rocket is even more militarised, with robots, tanks, and war helicopters under its control. Though Rocket's military power is seen rarely, and the team is usually represented not by Rocket grunts, but by special agents, heading field missions, grunt attacks and local money-making. Unlike in the game timeline, Team Rocket is still to be defeated in the anime. Even though the organization as a whole played lesser role during "Advanced Generation" and "Diamond and Pearl" series, Team Rocket becomes more important once again in "Best Wishes" series, as Giovanni himself, usually an extra character, appears on a regular basis and directs the advance of Team Rocket in the Unova region. The most well known agents, usually referenced to as "Team Rocket" in the anime, or as "Rocket Trio" by fans, that constantly interfere with the protagonists are Jessie & James, with the talking Pokemon Meowth that accompanies them. They serve as the main antagonists of the series. The Trio has provided most of show's comic relief since the second season, but in the "Best Wishes" series they took a more serious role.

In the "XY" series, the trio takes on their classic comedic role. They follow Ash to the Kalos region, and have reverted to capturing random Pokemon, not just legendaries. Jessie has also regained her Wobbuffet. Although they are once again "blasting off" after their defeats, the trio showed competence in battling and capturing Pokemon, and Giovanni still has respect for the agents after their helpful actions in Unova region.

Dr. Fuji, who is a scientist of Team Rocket in the anime, is also responsible for the creation of Mewtwo, by altering the DNA from the legendary Pokemon Mew. Giovanni takes Mewtwo and trains him until the Pokemon realizes that he is used as a pawn instead of an equal partner and destroys Rocket Hideout and the lab. Giovanni later finds Mewtwo's location and deploys the Rocket Grunt army under the command of agent Domino to capture Mewtwo and the other Pokemon clones under Mewtwo's leadership, and then sends the Rocket grunts to create a new base for Team Rocket in Mewtwo's hideout. With the help from the protagonists and Meowth, Mewtwo is released from Giovanni's grip and teleports the Rocket army away, while destroying their memories about the battle, leaving Giovanni and Domino to wonder about their sudden change of place.

In Pokemon Origins, a standalone anime adaptation of Red/Green game versions Team Rocket fulfills the same role as it does in those games. Team Rocket grunts are the main enforcers, causing trouble all over the region, only to be defeated by a young Pokemon Trainer Red. One of those grunts even outright murdered a Pokemon - the Marowak Mother who tried to protect her kin from Team Rocket's poachers. The team is still led by Giovanni, who is showed to be a corrupt businessman that values Pokemon only for profit and has forgotten the true spirit of Pokemon Training. While in the games Giovanni must be beaten three times (in the hideout, in Silph Co. and the Viridian Gym), his Pokemon Origins version first meets Red during the Silph Co. takeover and soundly defeats the young trainer, leaving the damaged skyscraper on his helicopter. Red challenges Giovanni once again in Viridian City. This battle made Giovanni remember his old days as a Pokemon Trainer, when there was more to his life than just business. After a long battle, Red managed to win and Giovanni tried to give him the Earth Badge. However, Red refused to accept a badge from the leader of an organization as abominable as Team Rocket. Giovanni resolved this quarrel extraordinarily - by disbanding Team Rocket, despite the protests of his followers. With newfound respect for Red, the Viridian City Gym Leader decided to resign and start a new journey, yearning to become a better person and an even greater Pokemon Trainer.

Bosses

 * Giovanni: The boss of Team Rocket and Viridian City Gym Leader, he sends Rocket agents to capture many powerful Pokemon for business and the creation of his army to conquer the world. In the games he usually acts as a shadowy mafia boss, while in the anime and manga his organization is paramilitary and has mechas as well as war helicopters.


 * Madame Boss: Giovanni's mother and the original founder of Team Rocket in Pokemon anime backstory (as revealed in the Japanese CD-drama "It's a white tomorrow, Team Rocket"). Usually interested in money-making, she is also responsible for the first search for Mew's DNA and other data.
 * Mask of Ice: A.K.A. The Masked Man is the main antagonist of the Gold, Silver & Crystal chapter in the Pokémon Adventures manga, serving as the leader of Team Rocket after Giovanni disappears but before the Rocket Executives take over. He uses special masks to mind control Team Rocket troops into submission. Later on his true identity as the Gym Leader Pryce is revealed.

Executives


The highest ranked members in the organization, directly below Giovanni as seen in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Pokemon game versions. When Giovanni was defeated in the Kanto region and went missing, they assumed command and started to reorganize Team Rocket in the Johto region. The names are Archer, Ariana, Proton, and Petrel. It seems that Archer and Ariana were originally a duo of Team Rocket Admins from the Sevii Islands branch of Team Rocket (FireRed & LeafGreen versions).

In Pokemon Adventures Manga the initial Rocket executives are Kanto Gym Leaders Sabrina, Lt. Surge, Koga, and Blaine. In the later Neo Team Rocket under the leadership of Masked Man the new executives are Keane, Chermaine, Will, and Karen. In the FireRed & LeafGreen chapter Giovanni is in control again, with no executives at his side, but rather with elite agents of the Three Beasts trio, Carr, Orm, and Sird (although Sird is secretly a member of Team Galactic). In the HeartGold & SoulSilver chapter Archer, Ariana, Proton, and Petrel are the new leaders of Team Rocket until Giovanni's return.

There are no known local or global executives in the Pokemon anime and Giovanni still leads the team on his own. However, elite agents of Team Rocket appear, usually taking part in some field missions (Atilla & Hun, Tyson, Domino), leading Rocket grunts (Jessie & James, Cassidy & Butch) or free-lancing in search for rare Pokemon (Miyamoto, Vicious). In "Best Wishes" series Giovanni's secretary appears, and after agents Jessie & James establish themselves in Unova region, Giovanni sends elite agent Pierce and Dr. Zager to coordinate their missions.

Agents and Grunts

 * Jessie: the female of the Rocket Trio in the anime, who's always trying to capture rare Pokemon (including Ash's Pikachu) to the boss. During the "Best Wishes" series she gets promoted and no longer serves for comic relief. After her adventures in Unova, she was was returned to her old, comical self. Jessie owns a Wobbuffet, who is the source of a running gag where he pops out of his Poke Ball at the strangest times.


 * James: the male of the Rocket Trio in the anime, he is Jessie's partner and is hinted to have some kind a romantic relationship with her. During the "Best Wishes" series he gets promoted and no longer serves for comic relief. After his adventures in Unova, he was returned to his old, comical self.

Do You Like Team Rocket Organization, Yes or No? Yes Maybe No
 * Meowth: A Scratch Cat Pokemon who can talk the human language and is an expert with mechas and gadgets, which are used by the Trio. Like his cohorts, he was promoted in the Best Wishes series and stopped serving as comic relief. He was later fired from Team Rocket and temporarily traveled with Ash, Iris, Cilan, and Pikachu. But it was later confirmed that Meowth getting fired was all part of Team Rocket's plan, and that he's still a member of Team Rocket. After his adventures in Unova, he was returned to his old, comical self.
 * Cassidy: Partner of Butch and rival of Jessie, more successful than her at first. She is looked upon favorably by Giovanni.
 * Butch: Partner of Cassidy and rival of James, more successful than him at first. He is looked upon favorably by Giovanni. The only problem with him is that nobody can get his name right at times, like calling him Bob, Bill, Hutch, etc., which infuriates him.
 * Domino: Team Rocket's elite agent in the anime, also known as the Black Tulip or Agent 009. She was the leader of Giovanni's Rocket army on a mission to capture Mewtwo.
 * Tyson : One of Team Rocket's elite officers in the johto region responsible for the creation of Red Gyarados, ultimately arrested in the end.
 * Iron-Masked Marauder : The main antagonist of Pokemon:4Ever. A character of pure evil, he plans to capture Celebi in one of his special Poke Balls known as Dark Balls and turn it evil. He also plans to use that power to control Team Rocket and rule the world.
 * Atilla: Partner of Hun and one of the main antagonists of Legend of Thunder. He acts as the muscle in his partnership.
 * Hun: Partner of Attila and one of the main antagonists of Legend of Thunder. He acts as the brains in his partnership.
 * Gideon: The head Team Rocket scientist at the Team Rocket's Sevii Islands branch.
 * Juggler Dalton: A Team Rocket agent who took part in the Silph. Co takeover, notable for being a unique Rocket member that does not belong to either Scientist or Grunt trainer class in the games.
 * Lavender Town Rocket Commander: A grunt leader who was tasked with the takeover of the Pokemon Tower, he was the one to murder Mother Marowak.
 * Rocket Grunts: Team Rocket's workmen and soldiers under the command of agents and admins/executives. They play a small part in the anime, as Team Rocket is usually represented by agents, while in the games they are Team Rocket's main representatives, searching for the fossil at Mt. Mown, leading recruitment missions and stealing items, taking part in the takeover of Celadon, Saffron, and Goldenrod cities.
 * Rocket Brothers: A family of Team Rocket Grunts who took part in the Silph. Co takeover.
 * Viridian Gym Trainers: The Viridian Gym Trainers were Giovanni's agents. There were eight of them: Cole, Kiyo, Jason, Atsushi, Samuel, Takashi, Yuji, and Warren.