#rocket executive

A bit of an addendum to my earlier re-blog about proto-type James and Proton, but it does seem the Rocket Executives were always based on Jessie and James - indeed I the original Gold, Silver and Crystal games they MIGHT be them.

To explain, the Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal seem to be sequels to specifically Pokémon Yellow (seeing Red's team, as well as his and Blue's battle sprites, among things).

In Pokemon Yellow Jessie, James and Meowth were introduced, and in many ways we're a prototype for latter Executives, Admins and other higher rank members of villain teams.

And as seen in official Ken Sugimori art for the female and male Executives and Jessie and James, they even look like older Jessie and James:

Jessie even had in the second season cut hair and looked extremely like the female Executive.

There does appear to be several male Executives, but it does appear "James" was supposed to be the highest ranked one, and and kinda leader (though very probably sharing this role with the female executive/"Jessie", as she also calls herself the "interim boss", after Giovanni leaving).

Why? As aside this one was the one who was to have the Sugimori design, and having a from Weezing, the male Executive has Houndour and Houndoom. While James never had these two, the Houndour-Houndoom evolutionary line is a Gen II, dark counterpart to the Growlite-Arcanine evolutionary line - and Growlite was James' starter Pokemon.

There might be wonder that the two Executives appear more competent, ruthless and cruel than Jessie and James. Well, Jessie and James can be at times competent as Team Rocket members, as especially seen in the Black and White/Best Wishes series. And in Pokemon Yellow Jessie and James are competent, and pretty ruthless. IE they were involved even seemingly lead the Lavender Town operation, which involved kidnapping an old man, and killing a Marowak.

Giovanni completely giving up (in the original continuity) on Team Rocket, also probably contributed to Jessie and James becoming more competent and ruthless.

Hilariously, this means Jessie would have a visible revenge against Cassidy in the Yellow-GSC continuity, as Cassidy was seemly demoted to a Team Rocket Grunt.

The Johto seasons of anime though gave the Rocket Executives role to other characters (ironically Butch and Cassidy, Tyson, Attila and Hun, Iron-Masked Marauder, Domino and Professor Sebastian).

Well except causing problems at the Goldenrod City Radio Tower, that was done by Jessie, James and Meowth, if James also taking the role of another Team Rocket connected character - Impostor Professor Oak.

The remakes (HeartGold and SoulSilver) though did define the Team Rocket Executives as separate characters, if as I mentioned Proton has some similarities to James, but so does Archer, as does Ariana resemble Jessie.

(Archer, Ariana, Proton and Petrel)

Pokemon Let's Go: Pikachu and Let Go: Eevee though as well as Pokemon Masters do though show Archer, Proton and Ariana as separate from Jessie and James. James does note, and is surprised he and Archer share preference in Pokemon (the Koffing-Weezing evolutionary line), probably as a reference to their shared origins.

team rainbow rocket? yeah, i heard of ‘em

yesterday was Giovanni's birthday 🎉