When the Pokemon anime began airing in the late 1990s, the first generation of Pokemon fans were introduced to the main character Ash Ketchum, and his partner, Pikachu. Over the past quarter-century, the show has continued to focus on the duo despite various formulaic changes and the regular shifting of most of its supporting cast.
Ash and Pikachu are the constants in an ever-changing series which frequently cares more about adhering to the newest thing from the video games than continuity (sometimes for better, sometimes not). The only other constant in the Pokemon anime's long journey are the Team Rocket Trio: Jessie, James, and Meowth (and to a lesser extent Jessie's Wobbuffet). In an anime so eager to alternate its cast, how and why has Team Rocket managed to stick around?
Who Are The Team Rocket Trio?
Just like in the video games, Team Rocket is a vast evil organization that routinely abduct Pokemon for use in their nebulous goals. The trio are often implied to be mid-ranking by the standards of the group, above the grunts but below high-ranking officers and Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni. Since their introduction in the anime's second episode, they have been obsessed with capturing Pikachu and delivering it to Giovanni, along with any other Pokemon that seem powerful or rare. Jessie and James are human, while Meowth is one of the series' few Pokemon who is capable of speech. Consequently, Meowth has an intense jealousy and desire to replace Giovanni's Persian, which is Meowth's evolved form.
Jessie and James, like Ash, have used a wide variety of Pokemon in battle which tend to switch off between generations. While in Johto, Jessie came into possession of a Wobbuffet which has been the team's only other constant member since, mostly for the sake of comedy like Misty's Psyduck. In Pokemon Journeys, Jessie and James have typically fought not with Pokemon they own, but those dispensed by a Prize Master (essentially a gumball machine filled with Poke Balls), making their battles with Ash and his friends more varied.
Team Rocket appears in nearly every episode (including every episode from 2 to 673), attempting to abduct Pikachu or multiple Pokemon. They get around and abduct Pokemon using a wide variety of vehicles, including hot air balloons, submarines, and various mechas, almost all of which are shaped like various Pokemon. It's implied several times that Meowth is the inventor of many of these contraptions, and most of them are also resistant to electricity to prevent Pikachu from destroying them with a Thunderbolt attack.
Why Team Rocket Has Stuck Around
Team Rocket usually briefly succeeds in abducting their targets before being swiftly defeated. They almost never win any battles they fight, at least long-term. In a sense, Team Rocket's purpose is to provide a sense of danger to an otherwise incredibly peaceful world, adding an element of suspense that the show's primarily-child audience can take seriously. Of course, Team Rocket is a big organization, and there are other evil teams in each new region (many of which make an appearance in the anime). So why have Jessie, James, and Meowth stuck around through it all? Why don't the villains change as often as Ash's companions?
There are a few good reasons. First off, despite many of their actions being undeniably wrong, the Team Rocket Trio are also genuinely lovable characters. It's clear despite their criminal tendencies that they care deeply for one another, and in isolated occasions about even Ash and his friends. Jessie, James, and Meowth are many things: dim-witted, cruel, overzealous, and greedy. But they are not pure evil.
While this is a kids' show, it's extremely difficult to overstate the difficulty of writing villains with complex morals and personalities (megalomania is always easier), and these are three shining examples. Team Rocket not only brings tension to the table, but also comedy. They're Three Stooges-style buffoons, and the show wants you to know it. It wants you to laugh at their ineptitude and short-sightedness. And even after hundreds of episodes and two decades, the routine still kills.
All of this is incredibly difficult, if not impossible to replace. And so, despite being willing to upend and subvert nearly everything else, the show's writers have wisely kept them around, if not in every single episode. As lovable as many of Ash's friends are, it makes sense in the context of the show for them to eventually leave and embark on journeys of their own. They all have their own, separate, dreams and desires that take them to different places than Ash.
Team Rocket's desire is Pikachu, and to a lesser extent other rare and powerful Pokemon. Continuing to trail Ash makes sense. Giving up and heading home doesn't. You could argue based on that logic that the show is stuck with Team Rocket, but in reality, the two are codependent. Jessie, James, and Meowth are probably as indispensable to Pokemon as Ash himself, and their continued presence in the show speaks to that.