Summary
Ash and Pikachu have historically been a big part of thePokemonanime series, but arguably just as big are the persistent,yet constantly bumbling Team Rocket trioof Jessie, James, and Meowth. Initially insistent on kidnapping Pikachu, the Team Rocket trio has evolved into a sort of rival for the young trainer, and they have appeared frequently throughout the series.
As Pokemon trainers themselves, Jessie and James have maintained a steady collection of Pokemon over the years. While they rarely do well against Ash and his friends' teams, they still have their strengths. Here are some of Team Rocket’s best Pokemon that have appeared in the anime.
Updated Jun 12, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Like Ash and his companions, Team Rocket’s James and Jessie’s roster of Pokemon is ever-rotating, with new ones being introduced every season to keep things fresh and exciting. Owing to the extremely long runtime of the original anime and the number of Pokemon, however, choosing which of Team Rocket’s Pokemon deserves to be acknowledged as the best ones is a hard choice to make.
1Meowth
The Heart And Soul Of Team Rocket
Meowth is as much a part of the trio of Team Rocket as Jessie and James are and is one of the main supporting cast ofPokemonand after Pikachu, is the biggest mascot of the series. Putting him anywhere other than the top of this list would be a disservice. An argument can be made, however, about Meowth not being a caught Pokemon in the traditional sense, taking up more of a villain role instead because he almost never is a part of any Pokemon battles, preferring to cheer from the sidelines.
But at the end of the day, Meowth is still a Pokemon who knows moves like Scratch, can battle if he really needs to, and can be captured inside a Pokeball, which happens once during the Black & White series. Up until the very end, Meowth is a wild Pokemon who doesn’t have a trainer, but rather takes on the role of a Rocket Grunt, as much a part of the team as everyone else. Meowth’sability to talk like a humanis his biggest defining trait and what makes him special in the series. It allows him to be the only being in the entire universe with the ability to communicate with Pokemon and people in their native tongue, an advantage that even Ash sometimes takes advantage of to understand what his team wants to tell him.
2James’s Mime Jr.
An Adorably Childish Psychic
Mime Jr. was living with an old couple when it accidentally activated one of the Pokeballs in James’s possession, making it an accidental catch for James. Nevertheless, the two got on quite well, and Mime Jr. soon began traveling with James, replacing Chimecho on James’s roster at the time.
Mime Jr. generally serves as James’s main Contest Pokemon, and he rarely ever uses it in battle. Because of that, it has no real combat attacks, with moves like Tickle and Teeter Dance being more useful for Contests and support rather than damage. Despite this, Mime Jr. still has one move that is useful for combat; its signature Mimic, which allows it to copy the moves of other Pokemon. With this move, Mime Jr. has been able to use powerful moves like Fire Spin, Bubble Beam, and Pin Missile.
3Jessie’s Woobat
A Flying Bully Of A Bat
Woobat was the first Pokemon that Jessie caught in the Unova region, and one of the few Pokemon to continue journeying with her to her last appearance in the series. Woobat tends to pick on the weak and helpless,showing an affinity with the similarly arrogant Jessie.
Woobat’s main arsenal generally involves Flying-type moves, such as Gust and the powerful Air Slash. Although Woobat is a dual Psychic/Flying-type Pokemon, Jessie has never had Woobat perform any Psychic moves. Woobat isn’t a core part of Jessie’s Pokemon arsenal, but he has always served well in a pinch when his particular specialties are needed.
4James’s Morpeko
A Pokemon With An Insatiable Hunger
Morpeko is the only Pokemon James managed to catch during thePokemon Journeysanime. It is an incredibly gluttonous Pokemon, so much so that it has a special mode for when it becomes hangry. Though it was first introduced as a constant pest to Team Rocket, constantly eating up their rations, it and James ended up bonding enough to the point he decided to catch it and officially make Morpeko his Pokemon.
Though Morpeko is often a drain on Team Rocket’s food rations, it is also a very capable fighter. Its signature move is Aura Wheel, which changes types between Electric and Dark depending on which mode it is in. Though it lacks variety in its moveset, it can certainly deal some damage when it is needed.
5Jessie’s Mimikyu
No. 1 Hater Of Pikachus
Mimikyu is the only Pokemon Jessie managed to catch while in the Alola region. Unlike other Mimikyu, Jessie’s Mimikyu doesn’t disguise itself as Pikachu out of admiration, but hatred, and it links up with Team Rocket specifically to fight against Ash’s Pikachu. However, its obsession is so powerful that it has at times refused to fight Pokemon if they are not Pikachu.
As a Ghost/Fairy-type Pokemon, Mimikyu has demonstrated a variety of attacks. This includes Ghost-type moves like Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball, but also the Fairy-type Play Rough and the incredibly powerful Grass-type move Wood Hammer. Despite having several powerful attacks, its willfulness can make it an unreliable ally.
6Jessie’s Lickitung
Unhelpful Tongue Lasher
Lickitung was not only the first Pokemon that Jessie caught, but also the first Pokemon Team Rocket was ever seen capturing. It had an uncooperative nature and rarely listened to Jessie’s orders, so it was not often used in battles.
Being a Normal-type Pokemon, Lickitung does not have many special properties. However, it does have some powerful attacks, such as Slam or Stomp. It can also use its tongue to disgust its opponents with a lick, paralyzing them.
7James’s Yamask
Versatile Ghost-Type Pokemon
Yamask is one of James’s Pokemon that he caught while on the continent of Unova. Yamask accompanied James and Team Rocket in their many battles against Ash until it was sent to Giovanni to assist in the organization’s cause.
As a Ghost-type, Yamask often used various supporting skills to help his allies or hinder his opponents. Moves like Haze and Will-O-Wisp helped Team Rocket gain the advantage, while Shadow Ball served as one of his strongest attacks.
8Jessie’s Dustox
A Fashionable Fighter
Jessie initially caught Dustox as a Wurmple around the same time May caught hers. While May’s Wurmple managed to evolve into a Beautifly, Jessie was disappointed to see hers evolve into a Dustox. Nevertheless, her love for the Pokemon did not change, and the two remained steadfast partners for much of Hoenn and Sinnoh.
Jessie’s Dustox primarily competed in contests, particularly against May and her Pokemon. However, she was still quite potent in battle in her fully evolved form. She used strong moves like Gust and Psybeam to damage its opponents while weakening them with other attacks like Stun Spore and Poison Sting.
9James’s Mareanie
A Toxic Paramour
Mareanie was essentially the only Pokemon that James caught while adventuring in Alola. When he was stung by one of Mareanie’s poison needles, his appearance made him look like another Mareanie, causing her to fall in love with him. She is very loyal to James, and the two had a good relationship before James was forced to leave her behind when he left Alola.
As a Water/Poison-type, Mareanie’s most potent ability is to inflict poison on her opponents, such as with moves like Sludge Bomb. She can also use several Dark-type attacks, such as Knock Off and the Z-Move Black Hole Eclipse.
10Jessie’s Wobbuffet
Disarming Surprise Counterattacker
Wobbuffet is largely a joke Pokemon among Team Rocket’s roster. He often comes out of his Pokeball at inappropriate times, and his owner Jessie is constantly furious and frustrated with his lack of intelligence.
Despite this, Wobbuffet can certainly be an asset in battle. Team Rocket is often blown away by powerful attacks,but Wobbuffet’s Counter and Mirror Coatcan send those attacks back at their users, saving the team from another humiliating defeat.
