Team Rocket

Team Rocket is a fictional criminal organization from the Pokémon media franchise, first appearing in the anime series that began airing in 1997. Within the show, the trio of Jessie, James, and their talking Meowth serve as recurring antagonists who pursue rare Pokémon — most persistently Ash Ketchum's Pikachu — on behalf of the organization's boss, Giovanni. Rather than releasing traditional music, Team Rocket is best known on song platforms for its signature spoken-word introduction, the Team Rocket Motto, a rhymed call-and-response routine the characters recite before nearly every scheme.

The motto became one of the most recognizable running gags in the anime, and its wording evolved across the show's many seasons and regional arcs — from the original Kanto-era version to variants tied to the Battle Frontier, Sinnoh, Unova, and Decolora Islands storylines, as well as translated versions used in international dubs such as the Norwegian and Japanese releases. Its rhythmic, theatrical delivery and self-mythologizing bravado (declaring their intent to unite the world's evils under their banner) gave it a pop-culture life well beyond the show itself, with fans memorizing and reciting it much like a song lyric.

Because of this cultural footprint, the Team Rocket Motto is frequently catalogued and quoted online as if it were a song, despite functioning as scripted dialogue rather than a musical composition in the traditional sense. Its enduring popularity reflects the broader appeal of Pokémon's antagonist trio, who despite constant defeat remained fan favorites for their comic timing and loyalty to one another.