| Team Rocket | |
|---|---|
 
Male (left) and female (right) Team Rocket Grunts as they appear in Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Debut | Pokémon Red and Green (1996) 
|
| Smash Bros. appearances | Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pokémon GO (update, 2019) |
| Console/platform of origin | Game Boy |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Both |
| Place of origin | Kanto |
| Created by | Ken Sugimori |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Team Rocket Grunt (Trainer class) |
Team Rocket (ロケット団, Rocket Gang) is a villainous team that debuted in the first generation of Pokémon.
Origin
Team Rocket is a criminal organization led by Giovanni. They operate in Kanto and Johto, focusing on Pokémon theft and experimentation for profit and world domination. The player character of the Kanto games encounters and battles Team Rocket Grunts, Executives, and even Giovanni himself throughout their journey in locations such as Mt. Moon and Saffron City. Giovanni disbands the team upon his final defeat in the Viridian City Gym, as he flees and begins a reclusive life, but its members continue to operate without him in Kanto's Sevii Islands.
Following this, Team Rocket would later resurface in the Johto games. After failing to establish operations in Azalea Town and Mahogany Town, they attempt to convince Giovanni to rejoin the team by taking over the radio tower in Goldenrod City, where they are permanently defeated and disbanded. As revealed in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Giovanni receives the message, but does not respond due to interference from the player character (aided by a time-traveling Celebi). Even after this, one particular member continued to cause trouble in Kanto—namely by stealing the Machine Part from the Kanto Power Plant—as he was apparently unaware the team had dissolved.
Team Rocket is the first example of a villainous team in the Pokémon series, adding a more in-depth plot in addition to the player's quest to catch every Pokémon and become the champion of the Pokémon League. Later games in the franchise introduce additional teams that feature a similar role in the storyline, such as Team Galactic and Team Flare. In the Unova games, a member of Team Plasma mentions Team Rocket as inspiration for their ambitions, implying that they are notorious within the setting of the series.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
As a costume
Team Rocket appears as a Mii Brawler costume for Ultimate as part of the Round 3 DLC, using the Team Rocket Grunt designs introduced in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. The specific Miis used to showcase the costumes (a thin male with short brown hair and prominent cheekbones, and a female with orange bangs) resemble the Team Rocket Grunt models from Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
Throughout the costume's reveal trailer, the Mii Fighters are seen using the Poké Ball item and Shot Put, referencing the action of catching a Pokémon. Pikachu and Eevee are seen together at one point to coincide with the Miis being based on the designs of the Team Rocket Grunts in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Later in the trailer, Shot Put is used against Mewtwo, possibly as a reference to Giovanni’s creation of the Pokémon in Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back.
Trivia
- The Team Rocket costume marks the first time a Pokémon character, human or otherwise, appears as a Mii costume.
- Although Team Rocket does not appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee, they are indirectly referenced by the Rocket KO special bonus, which is named after the Team Rocket trio frequently "blasting off again" in a manner similar to a Star KO.
- Similarly, in the Palutena's Guidance for Pokémon Trainer, Pit calls him a "twerp", a nickname given to Ash Ketchum and his friends by the Team Rocket trio.
- The Team Rocket Costume was the first Ultimate Mii Fighter costume available for separate purchase to not be part of a third party property, before later being joined by Ninjara and the Squid Sisters.
- Team Rocket is one of the few instances other than the playable Pokémon Trainer of a human character from the Pokémon series appearing in Smash. Others include the Professor Oak and Misty trophies in Melee and the Professor Sycamore and the Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon X & Y) trophies in Smash 4.
