What was Victeebell's problem, anyway?

[Dr. Sun]

By "problem", I mean why did James's Victreebell always try to eat him every time he released it from its pokeball? It doesn't make any sense-James always seemed to treat it with kindness, give it water and light...so why did it seem to hate him so much? It was willing to obey his orders in battle after it stopped attacking him, unlike Ash and his Charizard.

Was there anything in the Japanese version to suggest Victreebell had been cruelly treated by a previous trainer, or something like that? I thought I heard once that in the original version, James had stolen Victreebell from Butch and Cassidy's pokemon center scheme in "The Breeding Center Secret", apparently from some unknown trainer that gave it to the other Team Rocket member. Later, though we see a flashback showing Weezing fighting a Weepinbell, which implies that James really did capture it fairly, and that Butch and Cassidy must have used a Leaf Stone on it.

In sum, does anyone know why James's Victreebell was so violent towards him? He never seemed to mistreat it at all-even though Jessie and James do a very poor job raising their pokemon, they still care about them-so I'm baffled as to why it went after him like that.

 

[FabuVinny]

I think it was its way of showing affection. Just like how Cacnea always tries to hug James. Cacnea doesn't mean to hurt James, but an outside observer may think that it wished to cause pain.

 

[Heracross]

It's all for the sake of comedy. Seeing Kojirou get attacked by a giant carnivorous plant type is funny. There isn't any deep or hidden reason behind it.

 

[Kamex]

Yeah, it's just another one of the writer's running gags they attached to one of the main character's Pokemon, like Wobbufet always jumping out of its ball. No particular reason, besides extra laughs.

 

[Lil Brother]

Jessie and James do a very poor job raising their pokemon

What show have you been watching? o.o

 

[Geki]

I think Jessie and James do a decent job in raising their Pokemon actually. I'm sure James' Victreebel was merely showing some affection, much like Cacnea and Chimecho do.

 

[Riva]

I still say Victreebel was like the old stories of the man-eating plant; attacking the first thing it saw. Possibly James was the first thing it saw when he got it. Also, remember the crocodile from Peter Pan? Maybe Victreebel liked attacking James so much the first time, it developed an addiction.

 

[Samayowa]

I think that they do just as good a job raising their pokemon as Ash does with him... I mean look at Arbok and Weezing...they fought off a Tyranitar...anyway...seems to me that all of Jame's pokemon like to show affection by strangling him of blinding him or something like that!

 

[Jesse GS the II]

...anyway...seems to me that all of Jame's pokemon like to show affection by strangling him of blinding him or something like that!

So, basically, they're sadomasochistic? Heh, this show has more adult undertones than I thought.

 

[Dr. Sun]

So, basically, they're sadomasochistic? Heh, this show has more adult undertones than I thought.

You don't know the half of it. Ever been to www.pokemopolis.com?

And when I said that Jessie and James do a very poor job raising their pokemon, I was referring to the fact that Arbok, Weezing, Seviper, Cacnea, Lickitung, and Dustox have all been repeatedly thrashed in battle, up to and including against pokemon that should have been easy prey (a pair of Nidoran? A Wooper?!?) and lost in embarassing fashion. Meowth even used them to train that Paras so it could evolve into a Parasect-he commented that losing was their specialty, and Jessie and James lamented being stuck with such rejects. Then there was that infamous bit where the Quagsire stole all their pokeballs, and tossed them in the garbage by the side of the river.

Sure, Arbok, Wobbuffet and Weezing have won on occasion, but so far I haven't seen any of their new pokemon win any battles, except for Chimecho in that one Pokemon Contest. That's what I mean when I say Jessie and James do such a bad job raising their pokemon. I doubt all Arboks and Weezings are as weak as Team Rocket's-if they had had better trainers, Arbok and Weezing might have been much stronger.

 

[Ethereal]

As was said, it's one of the MANY tired running gags that the writers felt the need to force upon us in every episode, as if we'd be surprised and laugh hysterically every time we viewed it. This is one of the reasons I'm praying that Cacnea is murdered violently, with its body parts randomly spread about.

 

[Fatal]

Victreebell was probably like that because it was, "mistreated" at Butch and Cassidy's day care center... but I do hate it when, in the middle of a serious battle, Victreebell is released 20 feet out of a hot air balloon, and then shown the next second on top of James' head. Maybe the first time it ever happened, it was funny, but not every freakin' time he sends it out... *.*

 

[Ethereal]

No. There's no hidden reason behind it. It was just something stupid the writers found funny. It wasn't really funny until the last episode Victreebel was in, which really had nothing to do with James. :/

 

[Gravy]

WTF Jynxo? You changed your name? Damn ;_;

...Yeah, as everyone else has said, running gag, no real point, etc.

The only thing that was funny about Victreebel, IMO, was its voice. Seriously, next to Corphish's 'Hei HEI!'-ing, Victreebel had the most hillarious voice of any other pokémon on the show. I remember going into hysterics when I first saw it emerge from its pokéball, screaming bloody murder. That certainly didn't get old.

 

[Riva]

I didn't think anyone else noticed that. When it first made an appearance, it bellowed "Bell! Victreebell!" before biting James, but when it finally made a reappearance when TR tried to steal the Moltres flame, it cried "Eaaaaahhh!". I thought it was a woman screaming. Then it goes "Eeeh!"

 

[Gravy]

I didn't think anyone else noticed that. When it first made an appearance, it bellowed "Bell! Victreebell!" before biting James, but when it finally made a reappearance when TR tried to steal the Moltres flame, it cried "Eaaaaahhh!". I thought it was a woman screaming. Then it goes "Eeeh!"

The Moltres episode is the first time I ever saw Victreebel as a matter of fact.
Yes, I recall it having its voice dubbed over in the Breeding Center episode for some reason. My god, I'm so glad they didn't stick with that decision. >_O

 

[Jesse GS the II]

The Moltres episode is the first time I ever saw Victreebel as a matter of fact.
Yes, I recall it having its voice dubbed over in the Breeding Center episode for some reason. My god, I'm so glad they didn't stick with that decision. >_O

I believe that Utsubot's cry was dubbed in its first episode because its original voice couldn't be isolated on the Japanese audio track. And yes, the first time they went back to the screech, it surprised me too (back when I knew next-to-nothing about the Japanese/American ambiguities).

 

[Riva]

Also another thing that bothers me. When Victreebel bites James for the first time and Jessie is dragging them both off, Victreebel is almost the same size as Meowth, yet other times it's bigger. Couldn't the animators get the size right?

 

[intergalactic platypus]

victreebells biting was funny for a few eps. but over time constantly seeing a giant carnivirous grass pokemon with fangs eating james' head got very very old. too bad the writers often dont know how to end a joke

 

[Jesse GS the II]

Also another thing that bothers me. When Victreebel bites James for the first time and Jessie is dragging them both off, Victreebel is almost the same size as Meowth, yet other times it's bigger. Couldn't the animators get the size right?

It took them a while to figure out its size in relation to other characters. An Utsubot makes a brief appearance in the Tamamushi City Gym during "Erika and Kusaihana" (during the scene where Erika is telling the Omanyte story), and it's approximately the same size as Pikachu.