James (Pokémon)

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

- James' famous quote.

James of Team Rocket is one of the main antagonists in the Pokémon anime. He is in a trio with Jessie and Meowth, who all attempt to steal Pikachu from Ash Ketchum. He is the softy of Team Rocket, and is more or less a kindhearted and thoughtful person. He came from a very rich family and has many vacation homes and extra houses dotted around the Pokémon World. In Pokemon 2000 Team Rocket help free Moltres and Zapdos, pick up Ash and get him to ice island and later heroically sacrifice themselves to save the world.

At one time in "Pokemon Jirachi Wishmaker (a film released by Miramax)" when Butler (a Magician) unleashed Groudon, set out to destroy the Pokemon world (unless Ash Ketchum, Max and Pikachu stop it with help from Jirachi), swallowing him as well as Jessie and Meowth (not to mention Brock, May and Diane). Later in "Pokemon 3 The Movie (another film released by Warner Bros. Pictures)", James, Jessie and Meowth prevent Ash Ketchum from falling to his demise (while looking for his single mother).

Also in "Mewtwo Returns" (a TV Special released by Warner Bros. Television) when Giovanni threatened to build a new Team Rocket lab (while capturing and destroying Mewtwo), Ash and Brock escape from their prison (with the assistance from a few bug Pokemon especially Beedrill), freed Mewtwo from his prison and threw him into the natural spring water, with Giovanni saying something at the end of the Special unless Mewtwo shows up, refreshed from the natural spring water, wiping out Team Rockets minds excluding Jessie, James and Meowth.

He also made appearences in Hataraku Maou-Sama as the flying angel Mitsuki Sarue.

Pokémon
These are the Pokémon James owned or used to own.

On Hand

 * Mareanie: James caught Mareanie after it got attracted to him after it poisoned his face, which made him resemble a Mareanie. Because of this resemblance, Mareanie instantly decided to join Team Rocket's group of Pokemon. Each time James set out Mareanie, Mareanie show its affections toward James just like Victreebel, Cacnea and Carnivine.

At Headquarters

 * Carnivine: James got the Pokémon from his Pokéball in his bottle-cap collection which was in his old playhouse in Sinnoh. Carnivine likes to bite James in the head as a sign of affection just like Victreebel. He is revealed to have gotten it in the Great Marsh.


 * Mime Jr.: James got the Pokémon at his nanny and pop-pop's house as a replacement for his Chimecho. Mime Jr., like Jessie's Wobbuffet likes to pop out of it's Pokéball.
 * Yamask: James catches the Pokémon at an abandoned warehouse in Unova. He knows Shadow Ball, Night Shade, Haze, and Will-O Wisp.
 * Amoonguss: James catches Amoonguss while going back to Kanto from Unova. It knows Stun Spore, Hidden Power and Body Slam.
 * Inkay: James caught the Pokémon while it was eating the trio's sandwiches. James uses this opportunity to catch Inkay with a Pokéball, much to Jessie and Meowth's dismay.

Released

 * Koffing-Weezing: James got Koffing as a Christmas present, and has used it to battle Ash and his friends, until his Koffing evolved into a Weezing in "Dig Those Diglett", and has used it for quick getaways or battles. He released his Weezing in "A Poached Ego" in order to protect a group of scared Koffing.
 * Weepinbell-Victreebel; James got Victreebel as a Weepinbell when he used Weezing to catch one. It evolved into Victreebel in "The Breeding Center Secret" when it touched a Leaf Stone in its cage. Since then, Victreebel has been James's primary battling Pokemon, until it got released and fell in love with James's 2nd female Victreebel. Both of them fell in love and skipped off into the forest.

At Home

 * Growlie: James keeps a pet Growlithe named Growlie at his family's mansion. He told it to stay behind to keep his family safe.


 * Chimecho: James found a real Chimecho while searching around the marketplace and decided to catch it. In "Sweet Baby James", James's Chimecho falls ill and James decides to let Chimecho stay with his nanny and pop-pop in order to let it feel better, which is were Mime Jr. comes in and jumps into one of James's unused Pokéballs, letting it catch itself for James.

In Training

 * Cacnea: James caught a Cacnea in "Tree's a Crowd" when it liked the food that James offered it that it wanted to join his team, which James accepted. It is currently with Sinnoh gym leader Gardenia for training on how to improve it's Drain Punch attack.

Temporary

 * Magikarp-Gyarados: James temporarily had a Magikarp when it was given to him by the Magikarp salesman in the episode "Battle Aboard the S.T. Anne". The salesman tricked James by saying the Magikarp would give him gold. In the episode "Pokemon Shipwreck", James no longer wanted to be Magikarp's master and kicked Magikarp into the water, causing it to flail around and evolve into Gyarados. It gets angry at James and summons other Gyarados to create a Twister in order to send Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, and their Pokemon flying away into an island.


 * Hoppip: James was tricked into buying a Hoppip disguised as a Chimecho by the Magikarp salesman but before James could do anything about it, the Hoppip flew away.


 * Aggron: The Team Rocket scout's Delibird gave Jessie and James a Charizard and an Aggron in the episode "Grating Spaces", until it revealed to them that the Pokemon were meant for Butch and Cassidy and flew off with the two Poke-Balls containing Charizard and Aggron.