Post 9: Team Rocket
Oftentimes in animation characters are created for the primary purpose of comedy. Wether it be the short tempered Donald Duck, the cowardly Scooby Doo, or Bugs Bunny with is irritating charm, there have been a lot of cartoon characters whose primary purpose is that of a platform for jokes. Unfotunatley, the usual case with such characters is that they rarely have much of a personality outide their comedic traits. Is there really anything more to Donald Duck than his short temper? Not really. Occasionally, one finds such characters with an actual personality such as a decent amount of the characters on the Simpsons. The characters I am about to describe would fall under the latter group, if not beyond that.
Team Rocket
The television program Pokemon, is well known for it’s comedy releif antagonists, Team Rocket. It seems almost every episode they have a plan to steal Pokemon, with either disguises or machines, and are always foiled by the protagonist Ash Ketchum. But here is also much more to Jesse, James and Meowth than just beung incompetent bad guys. In some episodes the plot revolves more around the Team Rocket than it does the heroes of the show and Jesse, James and Meowth all have well establised backstories that explain why they came to join the evil syndicate known as Team Rocket. While they may be the bad guys they are oftentimes portrayed rather sympathetically, particularly in the episode, Holy Matrimony, in which they become the protagonists.
A sample from the episode Holy Matrimony. (I reccommend skipping to around 5:30 or so to get to what I am reffering to above.)
From the way they are oftentimes protrayed in the program, Team Rocket almost serves more as a set of secondary protagonists rather than comdey relief villains. They undergo just as much if not more character development than the heroes of the show. If anything the term antiheroes, would be a good way of describing them. They provide a good contrast to the hero of the show; they too have a sense of adventure, but unlike Ash they don’t play by the rules all the other pokemon trainers go by thus they ae punished. While they may fail time and time again at stealing Pokemon, they quite talented in many other areas and if they quit their life of crime they could really go places. They are quite interesting inthis regard, they have the spirit and the talent to make something out of themselves but their insistance on being the bad guys ultimately dooms them to failure. I find this unsual trait to be where the real comedy of the characters comes from. They are not just funny because they concoct crazy schemes that fail, they are funny, because ultimately the only thing holding them back is the fact that they are the bad guys, yet they insist on maintaining such an image with an admirable, yet at the same time pitying determination.
This week I commented on Samantha Francis and Michael Griffith’s blogs.
I used to watch Pokemon all the time when I was in 7th and 8th grade. It would come on around 3:30pm, right about the time I would get home. You did a good explanation and analysis of the “bad guys” in the show. They complete the show by adding more depth to the characters. They are not the classic bad guy like Porky the Pig we saw in class. I think this is something that could even be a Japanese theme in cartoons where the bad guys are not only the bumbling airheads but also real characters with a plot line.
Ah, when I saw your post I practically screamed “TEAM ROCKET!” I also used to watch Pokemon back in the day and loved Team Rocket. They were the bad guys but they were also very entertaining. I used to love their Team Rocket song.
“To protect the world from devestation
To unite all peoples within our nation
To denounce the evils of truth and love
To extend our reach to the stars above
Jesse, James
Team Rocket, blastoff at the speed of light
Surrender now or prepare to fight
(Meowth, thats right!”
Ha, I had to look it up and post it. Like you said, they weren’t really just there for comical relief – they had their own plot line. I think that is what made them so interesting.
Oh lordy, this takes me back to the days of gameboy color and pokemon cards. I never really got into the TV show but the few episodes I saw got me hooked much more on Team Rocket than on the main protagonists. This is something I wish cartoons would do more of now–have multidimensional “bad” guys rather than just the bumbling fool who’ll shout “If it wasn’t for those pesky kids!”
You are totally right about Team Rocket Ian. I remember when I would watch the TV show and feel more sympathy for Team Rocket then hatred. They always tried really hard to find their place in the Pokemon world and had the hardest achieving it. If anything they were easier to look up to then the confident, easy-going Ash.
I think you make an interesting point. What kind of character is Donald Duck without his short temper? What kink of character is Goofy without his “goofy” ways? Many animated characters don’t have much of a personality, so when you come across an animated character that does have a big personality…it’s a nice change from the ordinary.
I remember this too. Team Rocket started as generic villains to impede Ash, the main character’s, progress but over the run of Pokémon, they became more active characters. Team Rocket is a prime example of the concept of the Anti-Hero. At the core of the anti-hero is the opposition to the hero, but what makes them something other than a standard antagonist is the actions that get us to feel sympathy for them. They are a poor, hungry, and desperate trio of bandits that harass Ash and crew often only to get by and earn approval of the Big Bad, Giovanni. This showing of their more human sides makes us want to root for them, even though their actions may not be the best, and we know that they will yet again be flung off into the horizon.
Looks Like Team Rocket’s Blasting Off Again!!