Finally, it took place. Ash Ketchum and Team Rocket sailed into the sunset after 1,000 episodes. In addition to leaving a significant legacy, they will be remembered for their mischievousness, adventures, and mistakes.
Despite being written primarily for comedic effect, they developed into much more than that. Instead of remaining villains, they turned into teachers for a lot of us. Here are several lessons learned from Team Rocket’s never-ending pursuit of Pikachu.
1. Change
Change is one of life’s constants. It can be accepted or rejected. Team Rocket had to make this decision and demonstrated to us what happens when people reject change.
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, the youngest, has recently acquired Espeon, giving the siblings all the evolutions of Eevee (only five were introduced at this time).
Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, and Umbreon are abducted by Team Rocket while they put on a fictitious dancing class. The only problem they run into is that Sakura and Espeon manage to dodge the trap by failing to show up for the dance lesson. The group is faced with a decision: should they stay on the current path or adapt?
As their scheme begins to fall apart, James and Meowth are open to adapting. James is persuaded to carry on the quest by Jesse, who believes that Espeon needs to be apprehended. They outvote Meowth and set out in search of Espeon.
In their quests, Team Rocket often has initial success with their plans. When things go sideways, as they often do, the trio always stay the course rather than change. This proves to be the ruin of many of their plans.
The catch Eevee evolutions plan experiences that. The trio loses their catch after falling into a trap set by Sakura and Misty. Team Rocket misses the lesson that change must be welcomed rather than opposed.
2. Perseverance
Team Rocket is a master of the saying “try, try, again.” They never caught Pikachu, but they showed us that perseverance eventually does bring success.
It took until “The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!” for them to defeat Ash for the first time. Team Rocket separated Ash from the others as they spent the day in the ocean with his Alola pals. With only Pikachu and a recently captured Rowlet for company, Ash was defenseless at the moment.
In the ensuing battle, Pikachu was knocked out while Rowlet was badly poisoned. At last, Team Rocket’s great moment had arrived as Pikachu lay before them ready for the taking. Then, as it always happened in the Sun and Moon series, Bewear popped in and carted them off.
It took them 19 seasons and countless Pokémon battles to get to that victory. The lesson they taught us is perseverance is the key to realizing many of our dreams.
3. Friendship
We all have had to say tearful goodbyes to friends over our lives. Ash has had many traveling companions come and go over the years. The same goes for Team Rocket, as their Pokémon line up has changed with each region. The hardest goodbye they ever had to say was to Arbok and Weezing.
In “A Poached Ego,” Jesse, James, and Meowth come across Pokémon poacher Rico. Rico had trapped a group of Ekans and Koffing, leaving them in cages in the woods. Arbok and Weezing managed to persuade their trainers to set the captive Pokémon free instead of stealing them. Before they can free them, Rico came upon the trio and a battle broke out between them. During the action, Rico’s Pupitar evolves into Tyranitar.
Outmatched, Jesse and James order their Pokémon to escort their brethren deep into the woods. Arbok and Weezing at first refuse, but after the trio was hit by the first Hyper Beam from Tyranitar they understood. Team Rocket spends the next few minutes getting pummeled by Tyranitar while their Pokémon escape.
That’s what sets a true friend apart: they are always there for us through no matter what we are going through.
4. Learning From the Past
Learning from the past enables us to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. For the trio, this doesn’t come true until “Rocket Revengers”. In this episode, Giovanni gives them back nearly all the Pokémon they’ve caught in their journeys. Here Jesse, James, and Meowth heed four lessons from their past failures:
- Victory rarely comes in a Pokémon battle when you are outnumbered
- Mega machines have major weaknesses that Ash and company exploit
- Reciting mottos, disguises, and direct Pokémon battles don’t increase the odds of getting Pikachu
- A cohesive plan is the best way to success
Their plan to capture Pikachu is crafted with these nuggets of wisdom in mind. The plans begin when Mime Jr. is found in the woods by Ash. While Misty, Brock, and Ash are preoccupied with helping the Mime Pokémon, the rest of Team Rocket emerge from the bushes. They pretend to attack Mime Jr, convincing Ash and company (taking a blast off in the process) that their new companion has truly defected.
Ash, Misty, Brock head towards the nearest Pokémon Center. But Team Rocket has the rest of their Pokémon, in teams of two, waiting for them. One by one, Ash, Misty, and Brock are separated from each other.
Eventually, only Mime Jr. and Pikachu are left. That’s when Jesse, James, Meowth, and Mime Jr. surround the Electric Mouse Pokémon. More of Team Rocket’s Pokémon join in, beating Pikachu with attacks. The plan is only foiled, and the trio sent into the sky, when a Latias intervenes on Ash’s behalf.
While Team Rocket was written as the comic relief, they became much 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 give us is this; never give up on your dreams. Take inspiration from Team Rocket, decide what your dream is, and 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 it in the comments below.
Source: Pokemon
