Team Rocket are a major element in the originalPokémonanime, the only characters to appear in every season of the show except for Ash and Pikachu. In nearly every episode, the Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James and Meowth make a move to steal Pikachu, and are almost always rebuffed in a battle.
While there have been plenty of wacky schemes and crazy battles over the years,sometimes Team Rocket was up to something a little different,and that led to some battles that were more than just by-the-numbers defeats of Team Rocket. These episodes might occasionally give Team Rocket the chance to do something good for once, or just see them succeeding more than usual, often as part of a larger Team Rocket operation. Here are 10 of Team Rocket’s best battles, where they stood out under wildly varying circumstances.
10Jessie and James Help Steal a Mythical Pokémon
Pokémon Black & White, Episode 96 “Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!”
“Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!” is part of a longer arc, where Ash traveled with the Mythical Pokémon Meloetta, which Team Rocket was scheming to steal for Giovanni. In this episode,the confrontation comes to a head, withJessie and Jamesseparating Ash and Pikachu from their friends,leading Ash into a trap laid by Giovanni. With Ash and Pikachu held prisoner, Meloetta has no choice but to surrender to the villains.
Unfortunately for Giovanni, the next episode sees his mind taken over and the plan crumble away rapidly.
This episode is a good example of how Jessie and James often perform better as part of a larger operation;Giovanni himself was present for this plan, and the trio desperately wanted to impress the Boss.Unfortunately for Giovanni, the next episode sees his mind taken over and the plan crumble away rapidly, but he’s ultimately freed from the mind control by Jessie and James. It’s a rare case where Team Rocket get to be true villains and still save the day.
9The Trio Fights it Out with Butch and Cassidy
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Episode 65 “Sleight of Sand!”
The most prominent members of Team Rocket, aside from Jessie and James, are easilyButch and Cassidy, who appear with some regularity as the trio’s rivals in the first four generations of the anime.Despite all working for Team Rocket,Jessie and James don’t get along with Butch and Cassidy, and they often end up fighting. Such is the case in “Sleight of Sand!”, where Butch and Cassidy are attempting to steal Hippowdon for the evil Dr. Namba’s research.
When Jessie and James show up, the two Team Rocket groups wind up fighting using their giant robots.While the fight doesn’t last too long, it’s still a rare sight to see two robots going at it in thePokémonanime, making this episode noteworthy for that fact alone.Needless to say, both robots are ultimately destroyed, turning the fight into a Pokémon battle, with Ash and the wild Hippowdon joining in until it’s a mad free-for-all.
8Team Rocket’s Past Pokémon Reassemble for One Last Job
Pokémon Journeys, Episode 145, “Rocket Revengers!”
In one of the last episodes of the series, Jessie and James are reunited with all the Pokémon they’ve sent to Rocket HQ over the years, bringing back the majority of Pokémon they used in past series. With all their old allies at their disposal,Team Rocket concocts a plan, tricking Ash and friends into believing that Mime Jr. was trying to defect from Team Rocket.They split the group off one by one, until only Pikachu is left to protect Mime Jr., and Mime Jr. suddenly reveals the deception.
This plan very nearly worked, and proves how effective Team Rocket can be when they actually have some resources at their disposal. If it weren’t for the timely arrival of Ash and his Infernape, they may well have gotten away with Pikachu this time. Of course, this episode is alsoinfamous for the Team Rocket trio’s break-up at the end, although they wind up making amends and getting back together in the final episode of the series.
7Team Rocket Earns a Z-Ring
Pokémon Sun & Moon, Episode 73, “Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?”
They’re sent to get in touch with Nanu, an old associate of Team Rocket, in the hopes that he can get them the Z-Ring they need.
While in Alola, Team Rocket happened to come into possession of a Dark-type Z Crystal, but had no way to use it until James' Mareanie learned a Dark-type move. When this finally happens, they’re sent to get in touch withNanu, an old associate of Team Rocket, in the hopes that he can get them the Z-Ring they need.Their crystal is stolen when Jessie accidentally releases a Gengar spoken of in legend as “The Greedy Rapooh,” and they set out to get it back.
They get the crystal back, but Greedy Rapooh has now kidnapped Acerola; Nanu gives them a Z-Ring so that they can defeat it with a Z-move and save her.As a result, Jessie and James actually earn the Ring and another crystal for Mimikyu through their behavior, giving Team Rocket a rare W.It’s one of those episodes that proves Team Rocket aren’t too bad at heart, and shows that when they try to do good, they’re often far more successful than they are at villainy.
6Jessie and James Hijack the Subway
PokémonBlack & White, Episode 47/48, “Crisis from the Underground Up!"/“Battle for the Underground!”
DuringBlack & White,Team Rocket had a rather sudden change of character, becoming very competent and threatening villains, even changing their outfits to black versions for a while. This story is a 2-parter, where Team Rocket have executed a massive heist, stealing Pokémon from the Pokémon Center into the underground rail network, where they can then flood the tracks with “ghost trains” and escape with the stolen goods.
Meowth had been pretending to be fired from Team Rocket, but that was all part of the scheme. Jessie and James nearly get away with all the Pokémon, but Pikachu is able to free the others and gradually escape. While the battle in this episode is a run-of-the-mill Team Rocket encounter, the context of their very-nearly-successful heist raises the stakes quite a bit, andproves that this iteration of Team Rocket isn’t one to be trifled with.
5Team Rocket’s Debut was One of Their Most Successful Missions
Pokémon: the Beginning, Episode 2, “Pokémon Emergency!”
Team Rocket first appears in the second episode of the series, where they attack the Viridian City Pokémon Center while Ash happens to be there.They cut the power, attack the building, and are making significant progress, since Pikachu is still injured and not really able to fight back.As Nurse Joy tries to transport Pokémon to Pewter City to keep them from being stolen, Ash is left to fight with a random Pidgey and Rattata, which completely fail to stop Ekans and Koffing.
At this early stage, Team Rocket hasn’t made themselves into jokes yet, so their assault on the Pokémon Center is legitimately threatening. The situation is only averted by Ash supercharging Pikachu with pedal power, which gives it enough strength to perform a Thunder Shock that ignites Koffing’s gas and causes a massive explosion, leading to Team Rocket’s first blast off.It’s certainly an unusual battle, and the fact that it’s Team Rocket’s first appearance makes it a must to include.
4Jessie’s Contest Battle Elevates Her Skill
Pokémon Advanced Generation, Episode 175, “Going for the Choke!”
Aside from trying to steal Pikachu,Jessie often gets involved in Pokémon Contests,which will themselves sometimes include a battling component. In “Going for the Choke!”, Jessie borrows two Pokémon, Cacturne and Banette, from May’s Contest rival, Harley. With skilled Pokémon at her side, Jessie makes it all the way to the final round, where she’s up against May. The battle even enters “Sudden Death Overtime,” as the scores were so close.
May barely pulls out the win with her Squirtle, securing her a spot in the Grand Festival and ensuring Jessie won’t be attending. The battle is actually a bit more engaging, since it isn’t the usual Team Rocket battle, but rather one that’s being judged fair and square.Jessie’s performance in the battle is quite impressive, especially considering she wasn’t using her own Pokémon.
3Meowth Puts it All on the Line to Defeat Persian
Pokémon: the Beginning, Episode 70, “Go West Young Meowth”
This episode is largely made up of flashbacks to Meowth’s time before joining Team Rocket,but it features one of Meowth’s finest performances in battle. Desperate to earn the love of a wealthy female Meowth called Meowzie, Meowth learns to speak and walk like a human, but is regarded as a weirdo for doing so. In the present day, Meowth encounters a band of wild Meowth, led by a Persian, to which Meowzie now belongs.
Meowth ends up fighting Persian to win Meowzie’s love, and fares surprisingly well against his evolved form.The battle is put to an end when Meowzie runs to tend to the injured Persian, declaring she loves it and not the weird Meowth. Meowth is heartbroken, but Jessie and James cheer up their old chum. The episode is a great moment of humanity for Meowth and becomes an important part of his character moving forward.
2Team Rocket Actually Beats Pikachu for Once
Pokémon Sun & Moon, Episode 12, “The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!”
This could be an average, run-of-the-mill Team Rocket episode, if not for the fact that they actually defeat Ash.James has just met the Mareanie that will become his, giving Team Rocket access to four Pokémon (Meowth, Wobbuffet, Mimikyu, and Mareanie) to Ash’s two (Pikachu and Rowlet). As it turns out, all they ever really needed was a numbers advantage. Mareanie is able to poison Ash’s Rowlet, and Pikachu is on its last legs after getting hit by Mimikyu’s Shadow Claw.
Team Rocket begin to celebrate their victory, but are quickly snatched up and taken away by Bewear in their moment of triumph, preventing them from actually stealing Pikachu.While it was hardly a fair battle, Team Rocket did successfully defeat Ash for the first time in the series' run, over 950 episodes in at that point.
1Jessie and James Become Gym Leaders
Pokémon: the Beginning, Episode 63, “The Battle of the Badge”
When it came time for Ash to earn his final Indigo League badge, he headed to the Viridian Gym, not knowing that the gym leader was none other than Team Rocket’s boss, Giovanni.Giovanni wipes the floor with Gary in the episode, but is called away and takes the Armored Mewtwo with him, leaving the gym and his gym leader Pokémon under the care of Jessie and James. Jessie and James accept Ash’s challenge on Giovanni’s behalf, and begin a rigged battle, which shocks the trainers as their Pokémon take damage.
With good Pokémon at their disposal, Team Rocket actually perform quite competently in battle, but eventually resort to cheating once the tables start to turn. Jessie sends out all the Pokémon at once, including their Arbok and Weezing, which are ultimately scared off and defeated by a Thunderbolt from Pikachu. The battle is fairly exciting, and it’s interesting at this point in the series to see Jessie and James with other Pokémon, but most of all, this episode is just very memorable from start to finish, making it undoubtedly one ofTeam Rocket’s BestPokémonBattlesin the series.
