As far as bad guys go in the world of Pokémon, Team Rocket’s lovable trio of Jessie, James and Meowth rank up there as some of the most incompetent. While their persistence and perseverance through defeat is somewhat admirable, it raises the question, why do they keep going after Pikachu?
In fact, despite their reputation, Team Rocket have actually owned some competent Pokémon over the years that have brought them small victories here and there and helped to set a dastardly plan in motion.
10 Mareanie Was Loyal To James And A Competent Fighter When Pushed
In Pokémon Sun and Moon, James’s theme of owning Pokémon that like to show him affection continues when he catches a Mareanie, a Water- and Poison-Type. James is later granted a Z-Ring by Kahuna Nanu, allowing for his Mareanie to use a Z-Move, Black Hole Eclipse, ultimately giving Team Rocket more firepower.
In the Alolan Pokémon League, James faces Jessie in the first round. Despite being told to throw the fight, he actually decides to do right by his Pokémon and battle for real, winning the round and earning a place in the next round against Gladion. The two made a formidable team when they went all out and they perhaps could have capitalized more on this while in Alola.
9 Gourgeist Helped Jessie To A Freestyle Win And Was A Helpful Companion
As a Pumpkaboo, Jessie’s one and only Kalos Pokémon is an asset to its trainer, using its flashlight ability to light up a cave in "The Clumsy Crier Quiets the Chaos!". It can also use Leech Seed which, in the anime, stops opposing Pokémon from moving. After it evolves into a Gourgeist, its ability to make fireworks with various Seed Bomb and Shadow Ball combinations made for strong showings in several Freestyle Performances, winning Jessie a Princess Key at the Couriway Rookie Class Pokémon Showcase.
8 Dustox Was Out To Prove Its Superiority Over Beautifly
Throughout Hoenn and Sinnoh, Jessie adores her Dustox after initially resenting it for not being a Beautifly, subsequently using it in many contests. Their first contest win together isn’t until Diamond and Pearl, but it is the culmination of their time together and all their hard-work.
In Hoenn, it takes Ash’s Taillow evolving into a Swellow to defeat a weakened Dustox on one particular occasion, demonstrating its attacking prowess and potential. Its move-set of Psybeam, Whirlwind, Stun Spore and Gust makes it perfect for Team Rocket’s schemes and attempts to steal and flee.
7 Yanmega Proved Giovanni Wrong And Offered A Strong Counter For Pikachu
During the Diamond and Pearl adventures, Jessie catches a Yanma which was sent to Giovanni to analyze. Due to its supposed weakness, Giovanni sends it back to Jessie, not knowing that it knew the move Ancient Power. This allows it to evolve into Yanmega almost immediately while battling Ash. Jessie uses Yanmega in various contests, with the duo going on to win a Ribbon at the Majolica Town Contest in "A Shield with a Twist". Yanmega also offers an intriguing counter for Pikachu’s thunder-based offense, by destroying Thunderbolt with a Sonic Boom attack.
6 Mimikyu's Hatred For Pikachu Made It A Valuable Ally
Mimikyu is an interesting addition to Jessie’s team in Sun and Moon. Its deep hatred for Pikachu is a borderline obsession and it agrees to team up with them because of it. Mimikyu is strong and powerful enough to match Pikachu and possibly even defeat it if their battles weren't being constantly interrupted by Bewear turning up and running off with Team Rocket. Mimikyu’s obsession makes it difficult to control, and it has disobeyed Jessie’s commands before, but it doesn’t stop it from being a major asset in their fight against Ash and his friends.
5 Yamask Introduced Team Rocket To Ghost-Types With Good Service
Yamask was James’s first Pokémon from Unova and arguably his most useful from the region. Its moves Haze and Will-O-Wisp make for a good getaway strategy and being a general nuisance, the role Koffing and Weezing used to play. It is also seen on occasion using its mask to deflect attacks, which is certainly handy.
Yamask was the first Ghost-Type to be officially owned by a main character and it has certainly shown how mysterious yet effective the Type can be.
4 Meowth Could Talk But Not Battle Very Well
As a Team Rocket member, Meowth is as much to blame for their failings as Jessie and James are. As a Pokémon, he is rarely successful when he goes into battle. Other trainers, like Tyson in the Ruby and Sapphire series, are able to draw out Meowth's full battling potential. However, Meowth’s mysterious talking ability comes in handy for both Team Rocket and the viewer, as he translates what other Pokémon are saying. Not that it helps that much when it comes to getting away with crime.
3 Wobbuffet Uselessness Was Ironically Useful
Considering Jessie accidentally traded her Lickitung for a Wobbuffet, it is surprising that it became a main part of Team Rocket, staying with them well beyond Johto. For the most part, this Psychic-Type Pokémon is just there to add to the Team Rocket role call but there have been occasions where it showed its potential usefulness.
Known as the patient Pokémon, Wobbuffet doesn’t have any attacking moves. During the Johto adventures, Jessie certainly gets her use out of Wobbuffet’s Counter, constantly sending Ash and other opponent Pokémon’s moves back at them. Team Rocket even use the idea for one of their mecha designs.
2 Ekans And Arbok Served Jessie Faithfully
Arbok was a loyal servant of Team Rocket and will always be synonymous with the trio of misfits, complementing them perfectly. The Ekans-Koffing and Arbok-Weezing combinations are Team Rocket’s most iconic in the anime as they used them for such a long time.
While Weezing’s Smokescreen was the perfect getaway move, Ekans and Arbok were always on hand to Scare, Poison, Wrap and inflict physical damage on opposing Pokémon... with varying effectiveness. In Hoenn, Seviper almost seemed like too much of an attempt to replace Arbok's intimidating presence, but it just wasn't the same.
1 Koffing And Weezing Always Had The Exits Covered
Like how Jessie had Ekans and Arbok, James had Koffing and Weezing. Its move-set of Smog, Smokescreen, Tackle and Poison Gas made it perfect for their getaway plans after they had stolen Pokémon or done something else dastardly along those lines. No matter how weak a Pokémon may be, using moves that impair vision and affect breathing are more likely to work consistently and to be an asset to a criminal organization like Team Rocket.
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