Did you know Jesse, James, and Meowth are effective Team Rocket operatives? Their only problem is an unhealthy obsession with a yellow electric mouse. This crimps their effectiveness and has resulted in an orgy of failures.
Among their many failures are the plans that mushroomed into category five hurricanes. Buckle up, as what you read next will may make you wish they managed to catch Pikachu a long time ago.
1. The Wayward Wobbuffet
This was a case where events spiraled out of control. Team Rocket posed as scientists who had invented a new Pokémon training device they called the ‘Poke’ Pod’.
They fooled Ash, Misty, and Brock and managed to get Pikachu inside the pink capsule. Trapped, the Electric Mouse Pokémon couldn’t shock them and escape the Pod without the key. Team Rocket only had one problem: they gave the key to Wobbuffet. It doesn’t take Ash, Misty, and Brock long to figure this out.
With Ash in hot pursuit, the blue Pokémon tried to flee per Jesse’s orders. (Wobbuffet don’t run very fast). Wobbuffet tripped and flew over a waterfall, taking the key to the Poke’ Pod around with it.
A wild chase then ensued that included a police pursuit, hot air balloons, and a motorboat as Ash and Team Rocket chased after the Patient Pokémon. Wobbuffet’s wild ride didn’t end until it was taken hostage by a wanted criminal.
When the thief was apprehended, Team Rocket managed to get Wobbuffet back. The trio then tried to escape by hot air balloon. Ash called on his Noctowl, popped the balloon, and got the key.
Pikachu was then released, and Team Rocket set off on another sky trip. Team Rocket was close, but not close enough!
2. Tanks A Lot
Team Rocket has created and lost a litany of machines over the years. This one ranks as the king of them all. Due to a mistake, it morphed into one of their greatest disasters.
Designed to look like Arbok (and dubbed the Arbotank), the trio packed this mech with everything money could buy. Invulnerable to any attack, faster than a human could run, and able to plow through solid rock, it was the perfect vehicle to catch Pikachu.
Their attempt to snatch the yellow Pokémon went sideways when James left the door to the cockpit unlocked. Misty’s Togepi and a wild Sentret rolled into the mech and hijacked it. The two Pokémon then took the tank for a wild joyride.
The mech punched holes in nearby cliffs, dug its way out of pits, and plowed through walls of rock. Ash, Misty, and Brock could only stall the tank for short periods of time as it went on its rampage.
When the Arbotank threatened a nearby town, Team Rocket had to team up with Ash to stop it. Ash and Brock called on the heaviest Pokémon they had at the time: Charizard and Onix.
The two Pokémon managed to slow the Arbotank down. But it gave Misty the time she needed to rescue Togepi and Sentret. By now, the Arbotank had taken a lot of damage and it exploded. Team Rocket was left without their mech and Pikachu!
3. A Scare to Remember
In this episode, the trio received the lucky break they’d been praying for. Pikachu hit a rock in the middle of battle and lost its memory. Team Rocket then convinced it to join their side.
When Ash caught up with them, Team Rocket ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on him. Pikachu then shocked its trainer twice while the trio pulled out their Meowth balloon.
This was their golden opportunity. While Ash was down, they could’ve had Seviper use Haze to aid in their getaway. Instead, they gloated as they floated up in their hot air balloon.
Ash grabbed onto the basket as Team Rocket’s Meowth balloon rose into the sky. James promptly ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on Ash-at point-blank range. Everyone was shocked by 10,000 volts of electricity. The balloon blew up, and threw its occupants in all directions. Ash and Pikachu fell into a river and floated downstream.
When Ash woke up, he discovered that the plunge had restored Pikachu’s memory. Team Rocket showed up and received an electrical shock that sent them off to try another day.
4. Ride, Lapras, Ride!
Did you know that Team Rocket was extorted? It was at the hands of Pikachu that the trio received a dose of their own medicine. Ash, Misty, and Brock were on a remote island trying to save a Wailmer stuck in a cave.
They managed to free it-only to see the Whale Pokémon evolve into Wailord (it’s 47 feet long) and watched it get stuck again! As Ash and company debated on how to help Wailord, Pikachu noticed a periscope in the sea. The Electric Mouse Pokémon leapt onto the device.
A Magikarp sub surfaced in the sea and Team Rocket emerged from the hatch. Pikachu then threatened to shock them with a Thunderbolt when they refused to help. Frightened, the trio surrendered and agreed to assist in the effort to free Wailord.
Ash, Misty, and Brock were hesitant, but Pikachu persuaded them the trio were trustworthy. Ash attached a line to the sub and had Team Rocket help pull the whale Pokémon into the ocean.
As everyone worked to free the Float Whale Pokémon, Pikachu watched the villains in their sub carefully. Once Wailord was free, the yellow Pokémon evacuated before Team Rocket could try to capture it.
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were now surrounded by a phalanx of happy whale Pokémon (including a 878-pound Wailord). Team Rocket had no choice but to retreat and fight another day.
Sadly, just a few episodes after this disaster, they sailed into the sunset. No one will ever truly be able to replace them. They will be missed by the many Pokémon fans (including myself) who grew up watching them fail.
What Team Rocket failures were your favorites? What lessons did you learn from the Team Rocket trio?
Post in the comments below or share on social media your favorite memories from the Team Rocket trio.
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