Team Rocket

Team Rocket (, Rocket Gang) is a that debuted in the first generation of.

Origin
Team Rocket is a criminal organization led by. They operate in and, focusing on Pokémon theft and experimentation for profit and world domination. The player character of the Kanto games encounters and battles Team Rocket Grunts, Executives, and even Giovanni himself throughout their journey in locations such as and Saffron City. Giovanni disbands the team upon his final defeat in the Viridian City Gym, as he flees and begins a reclusive life, but its members continue to operate without him in Kanto's.

Following this, Team Rocket would later resurface in the Johto games. After failing to establish operations in and, they attempt to convince Giovanni to rejoin the team by taking over the radio tower in , where they are permanently defeated and disbanded. As revealed in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Giovanni receives the message, but does not respond due to interference from the player character (aided by a time-traveling Celebi). Even after this, one particular member continued to cause trouble in Kanto—namely by stealing the from the —as he was apparently unaware the team had dissolved.

Team Rocket is the first example of a in the Pokémon series, adding a more in-depth plot in addition to the player's quest to catch every Pokémon and become the champion of the Pokémon League. Later games in the franchise introduce additional teams that feature a similar role in the storyline, such as and. In the games, a member of  mentions Team Rocket as inspiration for their ambitions, implying that they are notorious within the setting of the series.

As a costume
Team Rocket appears as a costume for Ultimate as part of the  DLC, using the Team Rocket Grunt designs introduced in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. The specific Miis used to showcase the costumes (a thin male with short brown hair and prominent cheekbones, and a female with orange bangs) resemble the Team Rocket Grunt models from Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.

Throughout the costume's reveal trailer, the Mii Fighters are seen using the Poké Ball item and Shot Put, referencing the action of catching a Pokémon. and Eevee are seen together at one point to coincide with the Miis being based on the designs of the Team Rocket Grunts in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Later in the trailer, Shot Put is used against, possibly as a reference to Giovanni’s creation of the Pokémon in Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back.

Trivia

 * The Team Rocket costume marks the first time a Pokémon character, human or otherwise, appears as a Mii costume.
 * Although Team Rocket does not appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee, they are indirectly referenced by the Rocket KO special bonus, which is named after the frequently "blasting off again" in a manner similar to a Star KO.
 * Similarly, in the Palutena's Guidance for Pokémon Trainer, Pit calls him a "twerp", a nickname given to and his friends by the Team Rocket trio.
 * The Team Rocket Costume was the first Ultimate Mii Fighter costume available for separate purchase to not be part of a third party property, before later being joined by Ninjara and the Squid Sisters.
 * Team Rocket is one of the few instances other than the playable Pokémon Trainer of a human character from the Pokémon series appearing in Smash. Others include the Professor Oak and Misty trophies in Melee and the Professor Sycamore and the Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon X & Y) trophies in Smash 4.