I've seen the first 74 episodes of the Pokemon anime (minus the one or two never dubbed into english). And in 74 episodes, I feel like they really did a good job with the lore of Team Rocket. Jessie didn't get a lot to work with, but James and Meowth sure did. They never specify the ages of Team Rocket, but I always assumed they were…I don't know. Anywhere in the vague space between 20 and 30? They don't look old, but they do seem older than some of the main characters. There's a lot of characters with nebulous ages in the Pokemon anime, actually. Brock and Cilan also have nebulous ages to me. Are they 18? 23? 27? It feels unclear. Ash, Misty, May and Max, Dawn and Iris all felt kind of clear to me. But Team Rocket, Cilan and Brock…they were unclear. I'm getting distracted. Getting back to discussing their backstories…
Meowth grew up on the streets of…well, they never say where. But we know he has no family. He was born within parents to be seen. Totally alone in this world. He had to grow up all alone on the streets, never once shown a kind eye by anyone. And he somehow made his way to the mean streets of Hollywood, Los Angeles. He fell in with a gang of street cats, all lead by a persian. And he also fell in love out in Hollywood, unrequited love with a snobby house cat who mocked him for not having money or for not being "human enough." He was just a street meowth, totally unworthy of her time or attention.
Desperate to earn her love, meowth refused to take no for an answer. He learned to talk in the human tongue for her. He learned to walk like humans do for her! He learned english from a picture book and a ballet studio (that also seemed to train people in elocution)! He worked himself to the bone, and for what? For this house cat to call him a "freak!" He still seems to pine for her love, yearning for money and fame just to please someone who sees him as "that homeless freak meowth." I don't think he realises the amazing qualities he possesses. The episode detailing his origins had an ending that (in my opinion) made it seem like meowth still carried a torch for the meowth who kept rejecting him. I feel like meowth's status as one of only a few pokémon who've mastered the english language really isn't remarked upon enough. I can't tell if meowth even knows how impressive it is.
James is the only son of incredibly wealthy parents. His parents were ecstatic they had a child, but they never showed him any real love. They're emotionally distant, wealthy and obsessed with status. James is…well, he's different. He's rich, but he doesn't seem comfortable with his privilege. He seems more at home playing with his pet growlithe than he does in a formal setting full of fancy etiquette. His parents clearly didn't like how ill mannered he was, so they arranged for him to be married to someone who was excessively smothering and equally as obsessed with etiquette as them. Unable to handle the pressures of life as a wealthy heir, James ran away from home and never looked back. He had to leave his growlithe behind, but he couldn't risk coming back to see his parents. Not when they're…the way they are.
In these 75 episodes or so, Jessie hasn't really had much of a backstory yet. But I feel like there's been a few things to hint that she isn't exactly doing great in her backstory either. Things like her mother making her eat snow because they had no money for real food, or like how she never had any princess dolls as a kid…it basically just paints a picture of extreme poverty. I think that's something universal, so I don't have much to say about it.
I can't remember if the show ever delves into how Jessie, James and Meowth met. I feel like they might've done an episode on that (especially when I remember how many episodes they have), but it's not impossible they simply never remembered to do an episode on it. Either way, their motivations for joining Team Rocket are all pretty clear: Jessie and Meowth game looking for money and fame, and James…well, he grew up rich. So I honestly don't know if he wants more money or if he's just here because he fell into it somehow. He seems the least threatening of the trio, honestly. So it's very likely he just got roped in somehow.
What still amazes me is that Giovanni never fired them. They aren't exactly good at what they do. Their loyalty to their boss is unwavering, but their boss never seems to care about them. I'm seriously shocked Giovanni didn't fire them for incompetence at any point. I feel like that could easily have been a good plotline for the show to explore. But I'm also not unhappy they didn't explore it, because the consistency of everything in the show is appreciated by me.
