It took 26 years and over 1,000 episodes until Ash Ketchum and Team Rocket sailed into the sunset. Jesse, James, and Meowth leave a significant legacy behind. They will be remembered for their mischievousness, adventures, and mistakes.
Serving originally as comic relief, they developed into much more than that. Over the years, they turned into teachers for many Pokémon fans. These are the lessons I learned from Team Rocket’s pursuit of Pikachu.
1. Greed and Envy
One of mankind’s greatest enemies is greed. This affliction has been Team Rocket’s constant companion through their travels.
In “Espeon Not Included,” the trio decide to target the five Kimono Sisters. Each sister is a professional performer by day and a Pokémon trainer by night. Sakura’s (the youngest sister) Eevee evolved, and gave the siblings all the evolutions of Eevee.
Team Rocket staged a fake dance class and kidnapped Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, and Umbreon. The problem they run into is that Sakura and her Espeon failed to show up for the dance lesson. The trio is faced with a decision: run or search for the last evolution?
As their scheme fell apart, Meowth wanted to run. But Jesse was bitten by greed and persuaded everyone to continue the search for Espeon.
This decision proved to be their downfall. Sakura and Misty set a trap and the trio plunged into it. Team Rocket lost their captives and embarked on another sky trip. The lesson taught here is simple: don’t get greedy!
2. Perseverance
Team Rocket is a master of the saying “if you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” They never caught Pikachu, yet showed that perseverance does bring success.
It took them until “The Secret Lair!” for them to achieve one of their brightest moments. As Ash spent the day with his Alola friends in the ocean, Team Rocket managed to catch him on his own.
In the ensuing battle, Pikachu was knocked out and Rowlet was badly poisoned. Before they could try to snatch the yellow Pokémon, Bewear popped in and carted them off.
“The Secret Lair” occurs in the 20th season of the Pokémon anime. When life doesn’t work out, don’t despair. Look to Team Rocket for inspiration and guidance.
3. Best Friends
In “A Poached Ego,” Jesse, James, and Meowth encountered Pokémon poacher Rico. Rico had trapped a collection of Ekans and Koffing in cages concealed in the woods. Arbok and Weezing managed to persuade their trainers to set the captive Pokémon free. Rico caught the confronted the trio and sent out his Pupitar. During the subsequent Pokémon battle, Rico’s Pupitar evolved into Tyranitar.
Team Rocket then ordered Arbok and Weezing to escort their brethren deep into the woods. Without their Pokémon, they took on Tyranitar and were pummeled into submission. Due to their sacrifice, Arbok and Weezing survived and the captive Pokémon escaped.
How do you know if someone is best friend material? When they stay while you are pummeled by a Tyranitar (or life).
4. Learning From the Past
In “Rocket Revengers” Team Rocket finally learned from the past. Four lessons were heeded by the trio:
- They are always outnumbered in Pokémon and expertise
- Pokémon battles never end well for them
- Ash and his friends always stop to help wounded Pokémon
- Pikachu is more vulnerable when it’s alone
The plan began when Ash found Mime Jr. abandoned in the woods. Ash, Misty, and Brock then headed for the nearest Pokémon Center. Team Rocket has the rest of their Pokémon waiting for them. Slowly, Ash, Misty, and Brock were separated from each other.
When Pikachu was alone, Team Rocket surrounded it. They pummeled it with moves from their Pokémon, aiming to exhaust it. The trio was only thwarted when a Latias intervened on Ash’s behalf.
While Team Rocket was comic relief, they became more than that. A generation of Pokémon fans grew up laughing at and learning from them. They gave us seminars on grief, perseverance, success, failure, change, and many other facets of life.
Ultimately, the most important lesson they teach is never give up on your dreams. It’s best summarized by this quote from the first episode of Pokémon Horizons: “The future awaits, go out there and find it.”
Thank you for reading this article. What were your favorite Team Rocket moments? What were their greatest disasters? And what lessons did you learn from them? Share them on social media or leave them in the comments below.
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