In all of fiction, there has only been one villain who made us “prepare for trouble,” and that’s Jessie from the iconic Team Rocket. However, in spite of being an active member of arguably the biggest criminal gang in the Pokémon world, her battle prowess and success rates are so bad that they’re more sad than hilarious. That isn’t to say that all of her pokémon are weak, as most of them have shown amazing potential and could’ve been powerhouses if Jessie tool her job more seriously.
11. Shellder
This one’s a bit unfair to put so low, and it shouldn’t even be considered an entry on this list for multiple reasons. First, Jessie only had this Shellder in one episode, and she found it completely by accident while digging in the beach and caught it with no difficulty. We barely see it battle, as the only promise it showed was giving James’ Weezing a run for its money (which honestly isn’t saying much) and it chased a Slowpoke just to make it evolve. After said evolution, Jessie and the rest of Team Rocket got sent flying yet again and the Shellder remained with Slowbro.
If Jessie had kept that pokémon, it probably would’ve evolved to be a powerful Cloyster taking full advantage of its useful Water/Ice typing. But sadly, due to its extremely brief appearance in the anime, it will always be regarded as Jessie’s worst and most forgettable pokémon.
10. Lickitung
Ranking Lickitung this low hurts a lot since this is one of my favorite Normal-types, but we have to face the truth. And that truth is the fact that Lickitung is not a good battler, no thanks to Jessie barely using it or bonding with it. Whenever Jessie does use it, it almost 90% of the time uses its tongue to attack, which is great and all, accept for the fact that it could’ve learned more powerful attacks like Power Whip or Rollout. However, if Lickitung can paralyze most pokémon with its tongue, then it really makes you wonder why she never used it more often to immobilize her opponents and steal Ash’s Pikachu. By the time she finally starts using it more frequently, she ends up accidentally trading it for her iconic Wobbuffet and doesn’t even bat an eye over the loss.
I like rooting for the underdogs, so it hurts that we never got to see Lickitung’s potential as a member of Team Rocket.
9. Woobat
I honestly thought this was her worst pokémon at first, but one quick Google search changed my mind at least a little bit. It might not look very impressive since it only knew three moves: Gust, Air Slash, and Hidden Power. Woobat could’ve at least learned attacks like Confusion or Assurance to give it more range and power, but those three moves severely limit its capabilities. This small number of moves, combined with Woobat never evolving into a Swoobat, made me wonder why Jessie used it more than the Frillish she also had at the time. However, it was able to go toe-to-toe with pokémon like Ampharos or Dragonite, and it even helped corner the mythical pokémon Meloetta on a couple occasions.
It’s still not Jessie’s best pokémon by a long shot, but at least it has some redeeming qualities to it.
8. Yanmega
Yanmega serves as Jessie’s replacement Bug-type after releasing her Dustox into the wild, and Yanmega does an overall decent job of filling in those shoes. In spite of having access to stronger moves such as Night Slash or Bug Bite, Jessie’s Yanmega makes up for it with Sonic Boom, Steel Wing, Ancient Power, and Silver Wind. These moves cover an acceptable range of types and pack quite a punch when used correctly, and with its sturdy build and Speed Boost ability, make it a formidable opponent for Ash and the gang quite a few times.
However, where Yanmega falls short is mainly that it just isn’t very memorable compared to her other Pokémon. While Yanmega occasionally fills in for Seviper, it seems we rarely see Yanmega in action and not one moment where Jessie connects with it. Compared to her emotional release of Dustox, or her frequent bonding moments with Arbok or Seviper, we never see much of Yanmega’s personality or growth and therefore can’t really connect to it.
7. Gourgeist
Ironically, this super-sized Grass/Ghost type isn’t ranked this high because of its battling skills. Truth be told, even after evolving, it still performed pretty weakly when battling against Ash and the gang, or even other bad guys like Team Flare. It does have a few good moves such as Leech Seed, Seed Bomb, Shadow Ball, and Dark Pulse; but just imagine if she had taught it Trick-or-Treat! She could turn any Pokémon into a Ghost-type and then her Ghost and Dark-type moves would have more effect.
However, Gourgeist shines above these limitations by the love she has for her trainer. Yes, there was that one time when Jessie eagerly traded it for a Mawile (which caused a fight between them), but both would come to regret this decision. In this same episode, Jessie reminisced about how Gourgeist always took care of her as a Pumpkaboo, and in the present, even defended Gourgeist after a lovesick Pumpkaboo rejected her after she evolved. Gourgeist might not be Jessie’s strongest Pokémon, but that never stopped her from trying her best to fight for Jessie whenever she needed to.
6. Frillish
It is absolutely criminal how little this Pokémon was used, because her potential was pretty insane! First of all, it had a spectacular combination of moves, including: Mist, Shadow Ball, Bubble Beam, and Psychic! Plus, in the few appearances she got, she showed amazing battle prowess. For example, she almost caught Pikachu after it was incapacitated, helped free a super-charged and brainwashed Meowth, and almost help Team Rocket succeed in stealing a lot of pokéballs.
However, and most unfortunately, her skills were overshadowed by Jessie’s Woobat. As mentioned previously, Woobat has become a surprisingly formidable foe, but Frillish could’ve added to Team Rocket’s strength just as much as Woobat. Again, with Woobat possessing only three moves with not a lot of range or oomph, Frillish would’ve more than made up for it with moves that not only provide range but can also be practical (such as using Mist to escape Team Plasma).
5. Dustox
Now this was one tough bug, growing from a puny Wurmple into the toxic moth that we know and love today! The very fact that it knew strong attacks such as Poison Sting, Whirlwind, and Psybeam immediately after evolving is pretty crazy. And Dustox would put those moves to good use, especially when Jessie would mainly use her for contests and combine them into beautiful displays of color and sparkles. While Dustox mainly participated in contests, she didn’t shy away from battles either, and would prove she’s just as tough as her trainer time and time again.
Although, just like with most other Pokémon in the show, what really hits home for me is the bond between Pokémon and trainer. When Jessie caught Dustox as a Wurmple, she may have doted on her for the selfish reason of wanting a Beautifly, but at least she poured her heart and care into raising it. And even though Dustox wasn’t the Pokémon she originally wanted, she was twice as ecstatic and didn’t even care that she wasn’t a Beautifly. But Jessie’s love for Dustox would be shown when Dustox fell in love with another Dustox but was torn between her love for the other Dustox and her trainer. In the end, Jessie shattered Dustox’s pokéball so she could be free to pursue the love that Jessie never got.
4. Seviper
Easily one of the most iconic Pokémon Jessie has ever caught, that sword-tailed snake has accompanied Jessie throughout all of the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions. Admittedly, its moveset is not very impressive with it only knowing Poison Tail, Wrap, Bite, and Haze. However, even though Seviper would lose against Team Ash a lot, that never stopped it from keeping our heroes on their toes. Its tail already packs quite a punch, and its poison only gives it enough kick to knock out its sworn enemy in Zangoose.
Even though Seviper served as the main muscle of Team Rocket for a while, Jessie would always make sure that its accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed. For instance, very early in the Ruby and Sapphire series, Jessie entered her first contest with Seviper and tried getting it to use attacks it didn’t know or couldn’t learn. In spite of that horrendous loss, Jessie hugged and comforted Seviper, even apologizing for her own mistakes (which is pretty amazing in of itself). In addition, after finding out about Seviper’s longtime feud with Zangoose, she went out of her way to support Seviper and help it get revenge.
3. Mimikyu
Jessie’s first and only catch in Alola, this Ghost/Fairy type was just as stubborn as it was strong and powerful. Its moves are already impressive enough in Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Play Rough, and Wood Hammer, but Team Rocket have been able to take advantage of its unique Z-Move (Let’s Snuggle Forever) on multiple occasions. Of course, having its Disguise ability to cancel out the first attack helps it gain an edge in battle, but Mimikyu can pack quite a wallop when it wants to. However, as soon as Pikachu is involved, its eyes flare with rage and attacks TWICE as hard, becoming one of Pikachu’s strongest opponents yet.
Unfortunately, these near-victories or unlocked potentials came from Mimikyu’s sheer will rather than the teamwork between Pokémon and trainer. For a good chunk of the Sun and Moon series, Mimikyu wouldn’t do a single thing Jessie told it and would frequently attack Pikachu instead of who Jessie wanted it to attack. That is, until Mimikyu’s disguise got torn and Jessie tried to make up for it with other clothes, but when that just made Mimikyu even more mad, Jessie finally decided to fix it. This would allow a deeper bond to develop between them, although it wasn’t perfect as Mimikyu would remain fixated on Pikachu.
It’s not hard to sympathize with Mimikyu, as its own appearance can cause serious health problems while Pikachu gets all the love and praise, so how could it not hate Pikachu that much?
2. Arbok
Arbok was Jessie’s first Pokémon, accompanying Team Rocket ever since it was an Ekans way back in the beginning of the anime. While Arbok’s moveset is not very impressive, nor is its win rate any better (seriously, it lost against a low-level Wooper), all that time spent as a member of Team Rocket have developed it into quite the battler. For instance, when raiding the Cerulean City Gym, Arbok was an absolute beast underwater and had all those Water-types on the ropes. If that Seel hadn’t evolved and defeated Arbok, this might’ve been a different story. Arbok was also known to defeat Ash’s Pidgeotto and Atoshi’s Doduo on two separate occasions, proving itself worthy of Team Rocket.
However, what I personally believe to be Arbok’s most appealing qualities are its character and sentimental value. For instance, back when it was an Ekans, it found itself separated from Jessie on a deserted island filled with giant Pokémon. During that time, Ekans showed a surprising amount of wisdom when it talked about the very nature of Pokémon and their actions. Much later on, when it became an Arbok, it helped Team Rocket battle a Pokémon Hunter that held a horde of Ekans and Koffing captive. Arbok showed a heart wrenching level of sympathy towards its pre-evolved forms, and when Jessie told it to leave with them for their safety, Arbok was extremely reluctant to do so. But when it finally did leave, it shattered Arbok’s heart to the point where it cried rivers.
This wasn’t any easier for Jessie, as all those years battling with Arbok deepened her bond with the Pokémon have led from heartwarming moments to the most heartbreaking loss in her life.
1. Wobbuffet
Wobbuffet may not be Jessie’s first Pokémon, but he is arguably the most iconic Pokémon in the group. After all, it’s a bit hard to forget this blue blob exists when he always inserts himself in Team Rocket’s motto, or voice his opinion in literally any situation. While some may think it’s a very annoying habit (especially Jessie), the reason why he does it may tug on your heartstrings a little. In one episode where Team Rocket steals Ash’s Johto badges, Wobbuffet was entrusted with keeping them safe. While doing so, he decided to gather some berries for his teammates, fantasizing about them praising him and saying they were wrong about him. So every time Wobbuffet pops out of his pokéball and chimes in, perhaps it’s an attempt to earn love and approval from his trainer and teammates.
If that weren’t enough, his potential in battle is definitely worth noticing. Wobbuffet’s Counter attack was already pretty impressive as it would send any of his opponents’ attacks right back at them, which honestly makes me wonder why Jessie never used that more often before Pikachu electrocutes them. However, its most notable attack has to be Mirror Coat, as it allowed Wobbuffet to not only tank but also reflect attacks from TWO legendary Pokémon!
Overall, Wobbuffet is an underrated member of Team Rocket. It always irritates me when he doesn’t get the love, respect, and recognition that he deserves from the rest of Team Rocket.
