Most fans of thePokémonanime will readily admit that Jessie and James of Team Rocket aren’t the most skilled trainers in the world. However, it might surprise those fans to realize that Jessie and especially James actually ranked quite highly in the one tournament in which they participated: the Alola League.
Generally speaking, Jessie and James serve a very specific role in the anime: to antagonize Ash, andfail to steal Pikachu. As a result, the overwhelming majority of their on-screen battles end in losses. Jessie received some reprieve from this when she began her contest career, earning several ribbons, Princess Keys, and other awards for finishing in first place in these contests. Contests are a bit different from traditional battles, however, judged on flashiness and performance more so than raw power. The unusual rules of the Alola League’s Manalo Conference gave them a chance to prove their skill in traditional battles, and each surprisingly managed to do that.
Jessie and James Finished Top 16 or Better
Team Rocket’s Rankings Were Surprisingly High in Alola
The Alola League was only just beginning, and this was its first tournament. Without any gyms having been established, there were no clear criteria by which to judge who was eligible, so the competition was opened to all, giving Jessie, James, and many other characters their chance to enter a real tournament. To help cut down the number of competitors, the first round of the Manalo Conference was a Battle Royale, which lasted until there were only 16 competitors left standing, at which point it transitioned to traditional bracket structured matches.
Jessie and James, in disguise as Jessina and Jamesio, entered, and vowed to make it through the preliminary round by avoiding confrontation as much as possible. While a bit cowardly, this is a perfectly viable strategy, and it worked flawlessly for James. Jessie, however, had chosen to use her Mimikyu, which went on a Pikachu-hunting spree, taking out as many competitors' Pikachu as possible. It even seemingly knocked out half-a-dozen other Pokémon while just trying to get to Pikachu.As a result, Jessie actually knocked out a few competitors in the Battle Royale round, proving her Mimikyu’s power.
Having made it to the first round of the tournament, Jessie and James were shocked to discover they were up against one another. The two had a legitimate Pokémon battle with no real cheating or underhanded tactics going on.James saw his Mareanie’s determination to do a good job in battle and did his best as well, pulling out the win against Jessie and Wobbuffet. That took James to the quarterfinals, where he would then go up against Gladion. Gladion defeated James with relative ease, however, and moved on, ending Jessie and James' plans for dominating the Manalo Conference.
Jessie and James' Performance Was Worthy of Respect
With a Top 16 finish for Jessie and a Top 8 finish for James, the two did shockingly well in their only league tournament. The pair simply had bad luck with their match-ups in the tournament; had James been up against someone other than Gladion, like Sophocles or Lana, he might have made it even farther. Gladion did go on to make it to the final round against Ash, so at least James was defeated by the second-best trainer there.
Team Rocket have participated in other competitions before, but are almost always disqualified due to their tendency to attempt steal the competitors' Pokémon. It definitely says something that the one time they didn’t try underhanded tricks, they actually did quite well, suggesting that they might actually be better off going straight and becoming legitimate Pokémon trainers.Jessie’s contest career would seem to back up that pointas well, and James' closeness with his Pokémon is unmatched by anyone short of Ash himself. With the right motivations, Team Rocket can actually, surprisingly, be a force to be reckoned with.
It’s really too bad that Team Rocket never went legit, as their potential as trainers was clearly on display in the Manalo Conference. TheSun & Moonseries went out of its way to show how Team Rocket can do pretty well for themselves when they’re not up to no good, butJourneysnever took the next step and had them actually make a positive step forward. Regardless of their potential for redemption, Jessie and James secured respectable standings in aPokémonLeague tournament, and that’s something that no one can take away from them.
Pokémon
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Pokémon follows Ash Ketchum on his journey to become a Pokémon Master, accompanied by his loyal Pikachu. Released in 1997, the series explores Ash’s travels through various regions, where he encounters new friends and challenges, underscoring the themes of adventure and teamwork.
