Team Rockethas made its appearance numerous times throughout the Pokemon franchise’s lifespan. Regardless of your Pokemon knowledge, you’ve probably heard of Team Rocket, especially since Jessie and James left such a lasting impression upon their first appearance. Who exactly are Team Rocket though?

Here, we are going to answer this big question, taking a look at the history of Team Rocket, as well as what they do in the franchise. Additionally, we’ll take a look at some notable members that you may recognize from both the games and the anime. Let’s first dive into their original appearance.

Two box arts side by side showing Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue

When Did Team Rocket First Appear?

We first saw Team Rocket inPokemon Red and Blue.In this first mainline pair, Team Rocket is acrime organization with the goal of stealing Pokemon in order to profit.Ultimately, the goal of Team Rocket is totake over the entire world with the Pokemon that they captured.

Here, Team Rocket is up to no good taking Pokemon from others, and eventually takes over Silph Co., which is found in Saffron City. This companymanufactures the Master Ball.Of course, this is appealing to Team Rocket, so it only makes sense that they took over the building.

Artwork of Team Rainbow Rocket.

Without getting too deep into the story,Team Rocket eventually is defeated,and the leader (Giovanni)proclaims to disband Team Rocket.Was he true to his word though? Ultimately, no. Team Rockethangs around in mainline Pokemon games for a little longer.

Throughout every appearance, Team Rocket’s goal stays pretty similar. They want to exploit Pokemon and make money.

Giovanni taking to the player in Pokemon Let’s Go!

In Pokemon Gold and Silver, Team Rocket is still up to no goodeven though Giovanni is not present.With no real leader, the team is just made of grunts who want him to be their leader again.

What Is Team Rainbow Rocket?

In Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, we see the appearance ofTeam Rainbow Rocket.This team is related to the post-game content in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and they have the goal oftaking over all worlds in the multiverse.

This bizarre group is led by analternate version of Giovanni himself.All alternate villain teams in their respective universe succeeded in taking over the world here. Ultimately, you defeat Team Rainbow Rocket andGiovanni leaves to go to a new world in the multiverse.

Jessie, James and Meowth looking toward the screen while smiling.

Notable Team Rocket Members

So, who makes up Team Rocket? We’ve already talked about Giovanni, who is the leader of Team Rocket. Below, you can find some other notable members.

While not directly a member of Team Rocket,Silver (the rival in Pokemon Gold and Silver) is Giovanni’s son.

Who Are Jessie And James?

Jessie and James make frequent appearances, but who are they? This pair, along with Meowth,often stand in the way of Ash.As members of Team Rocket, their goal is to capture Pokemon, but after watching the anime for a few minutes, you may clearly tell thatthey truly just care about stealing Ash’s Pikachu.

While stealing a Pokemon is objectively bad, they havedeviated from the goals of Team Rocket a bit.And, of course, they are bad at stealing. Overall,Jessie and James seem a little less evil than some of their other Team Rocket counterparts.