I’ve been lurking these forums for a while now but I decided to make an account to talk about the new Team Rocket. I apologize in advance if I make any faux pas in regards to forum etiquette but be easy on me as this is my first post.
Anyway, I’ve been a fan of the show since the very beginning. I’ve seen every episode of Pokémon and I’ve concluded that the new The TRio is vastly inferior to the old model.
It is widely known amongst fans of the Anime that in the Sinnoh arc many fans started to complain about the “uselessness” of Team Rocket. Some fans were tired of the incessant rhyming, some were tired of the repeated failed attempts to steal Pikachu (or the Pokémon of the day), and some were just tired of the TRio in general. A clamor rose in some sects of the community to bring back the old, menacing The TRio that these fans loved as kids.
The only problem is that the aforementioned version of the TRio doesn’t exist. The TRio has always been comic relief and I would argue entertaining comic relief at that. Some people will say that this new The TRio just reflects a shift back to the competence, seriousness, and mystique that the TRio had in the first season. Anyone who believes the TRio ever possessed the first two qualities and the third one in more than just passing is suffering from amnesia or never watched the first season. James buying magikarp, Jessie calling the boss collect at the break of dawn, or meowth blasting off to staryu’s water gun at Mt. Moon was anything but serious and all these events took place within the first 20 episodes!
The TRio has never been serious and this lobotomy to their personalities is depriving us fans of entertainment. To those who want a serious and competent TRio, I would like to hear your thoughts. Is the new version competent? What have they done besides steal some data? The old TRio helped Ash in the fight in the Power of One and in the battle against Team Magma/Aqua. Individually, Jessie managed to earn 5 ribbons (although the 5th was questionable) and make it to the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Furthermore, the TRio as a whole managed to run copious amounts of successful and profitable small business which is arguably just as challenging as being a hacker.
The appearance of competence doesn’t exactly make you competent. The old TRio could have easily stolen data, or do whatever it is the new team rocket does, and kept their entertaining quirks. If anything the new TRio is less capable then the old ones because they are simply glorified hackers (and failed Pokémon thieves just like the originals) instead of versatile Jacks of all trades like the old JJM were. I don’t mind the TRio not being in every episode but they should have remained blithe and funny. That is what they have been for all these years and that is who they are.