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Why are they keeping Team Rocket?

PearlShipper4Life

Ash fan girl
807
Posts
16
Years
  • Seen Aug 13, 2016
I like them, so I don't mind. However, with Brock leaving and contests not going to be in it, you'd think now they'd get rid of Team Rocket. Just keep Ash and Pikachu cuz there the main characters. Is it cuz the owners of Pokemon love them or some thing?
 

Vernikova

Banned
4,039
Posts
16
Years
They were inserted to appeal to the older audiance of the show. I don't have the link right now but I'll post it when I decide to start searching for it. They're probably still there for the same reason.
 
6,281
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14
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  • Age 31
  • Seen today
I think they keep them around for humor. I always thought that they were pretty humorous through the years.
 

CptnSmonge

Pineapple Pirate
48
Posts
13
Years
I'm holding out for a merging one day where Jessie/James can take the place of "female character" and "third wheel/Brock Replacement" in Team Ash. Then give us some truly bad blokes that are believable villains.
 
2,688
Posts
18
Years
  • Seen Aug 29, 2020
They were inserted to appeal to the older audiance of the show. I don't have the link right now but I'll post it when I decide to start searching for it. They're probably still there for the same reason.

How are they more "appealing" to the older audiance? To me, and maybe to some others, they are as "appealing" to the older audiance as Barney is to teens. Meaning, not even close. Especially given the lame puns as well as the overall lack of seriousness about them (You might argue that the former was due to the dub, but the latter applies to the Japanese version).

Now, if they actually committed several atrocities that would cause people to come extremely close to being killed (similar to The Joker from Batman), or had the amount of villainy similar to that of a Star Wars villain like Palpatine or Darth Vader, then I might see why they would be "appealing" to an older audience.
 

Vernikova

Banned
4,039
Posts
16
Years
weedle_mchairybug said:
How are they more "appealing" to the older audiance? To me, and maybe to some others, they are as "appealing" to the older audiance as Barney is to teens. Meaning, not even close. Especially given the lame puns as well as the overall lack of seriousness about them (You might argue that the former was due to the dub, but the latter applies to the Japanese version).

Now, if they actually committed several atrocities that would cause people to come extremely close to being killed (similar to The Joker from Batman), or had the amount of villainy similar to that of a Star Wars villain like Palpatine or Darth Vader, then I might see why they would be "appealing" to an older audience.

Older audiences as in adults that are watching it with their kids. Not 20-year-old guys that want to see blood and death.
 

Musica

PPPPPDPPPPP
719
Posts
13
Years
Team Rocket... Humor. Even some are real evil, they're there for excitement, humor, etc. Jessie, James, and Meowth should still be there as Ash and Pikachu are.
 
13,373
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 29
  • Seen Jan 28, 2019
Probably because they have been in the anime since the beginning and they are liked.
 

GaXeL

Feraligatr Master
209
Posts
13
Years
  • Seen Apr 14, 2012
I miss gary and snap, they need special appearances or something
 
12,103
Posts
18
Years
I love Team Rocket, and I don't ever want them to go XD;
I do kind of miss when they were the people who were the main bad guys like in Kanto/OI/Johto, but..oh well :(
Also, I miss the old motto ;~; The other day, I was listening to the theme, and it was like..epic :B
 

Vernikova

Banned
4,039
Posts
16
Years
GaXeL said:
I miss gary and snap, they need special appearances or something

Gary was somewhat involved in the Team Galactic plot in Diamond and Pearl and appeared in the finale as well. Snap is rotting in a ditch with Sakura and Casey though.
 
2,688
Posts
18
Years
  • Seen Aug 29, 2020
Older audiences as in adults that are watching it with their kids. Not 20-year-old guys that want to see blood and death.

First off, I do not wish to see blood or death. However, I do realize that trying to make villains as camp as possible simply would not work well.

Besides, I've watched Star Wars since I was a kid, so as long as they make the villains PG level on a similar scale to Star Wars, it will be OK. I don't want the villains to be like RE4 or like Horror villains, or even "Conker's Bad Fur Day" levels, I just want them to be serious enough to actually be labelled as a threat, since that's the point of villains, to generate conflict and also be a threat as a result of said conflict. I mean, several of the "classic" Disney villains were portrayed to be a threat, even though it was geared towards kids. I just want something similar to that, that's all.
 
2,347
Posts
14
Years
Two words: Comic relief. Team Rocket have the most personality out of all the main characters, and they can make the show interesting. But if you ask me, they need to stay out of gym battles. We'll probably get a new J type villain anyways, or team Plasma could play a big role.
 

Vernikova

Banned
4,039
Posts
16
Years
weedle_mchairybug said:
First off, I do not wish to see blood or death. However, I do realize that trying to make villains as camp as possible simply would not work well.

Besides, I've watched Star Wars since I was a kid, so as long as they make the villains PG level on a similar scale to Star Wars, it will be OK. I don't want the villains to be like RE4 or like Horror villains, or even "Conker's Bad Fur Day" levels, I just want them to be serious enough to actually be labelled as a threat, since that's the point of villains, to generate conflict and also be a threat as a result of said conflict. I mean, several of the "classic" Disney villains were portrayed to be a threat, even though it was geared towards kids. I just want something similar to that, that's all.

I don't think it matters what kind of villains you want to see because those are the villains you're going to see.
 

RivalGator

I hate them all.
777
Posts
14
Years
They're there because they are the REAL heroes of the show. :)

Agreed.

I would much rather watch Team Rocket (Jessie, James and Meowth, at least) before Ash and Pikachu! Tch! lol.

The only thing I'm not too wild about is how they are the comic relief. I used to love them to DEATH when I was a child and into the Pokemon anime (more than I am now) and they would come on and cause problems for Ash and Pikachu. It seemed like they were meaner back then. They always goofed it up, but they were still meaner. I thought they were totally cool. Nowadays they do a lot of weird things... Like now they are there only for comic relief and nothing else. At least they had more of a story back then.
Doesn't matter. They are probably the only characters meant for comic relief that I liked right off the bat and still do. I would miss them to death if they were gone. But I would like to see some meaner villains.

Wouldn't mind Domino coming back and seeing what all she could do. (I bet she's Giovanni's daughter! I'm willing to be money on it!!!)
 

Ayesha

惚け
83
Posts
15
Years
I'm guessing they still keep them as a comic relief. Mainly Team Rocket provides a lot of laughs on the show, and they are the type of people who are determined, even though they continuously fail. So I'm guessing that is why they are being kept. I personally like them. But the classic TR was probably a little better than what they are now. It just got a little boring after a bit, I guess.
 
2,688
Posts
18
Years
  • Seen Aug 29, 2020
I don't think it matters what kind of villains you want to see because those are the villains you're going to see.

Well, I'm not watching the show, anyways, both due to the self imposed boycott as well as my not having cable anymore.

And there is a way to make the villain actually be threatening and be funny at the same time. Want an example? Try Mark Hamill's variation of The Joker. The problem is that Team Rocket isn't really threatening, they are just some guys who crack a joke and ultimately get thunderbolted away. In order for a villain to be effective, they need to be a threat as well.
 
379
Posts
13
Years
They are there for comic relief and they also get a few side episodes during each season which does not hurt...

But I agree, I'd rather they just get rid of Team Rocket, they are so useless
 

Vernikova

Banned
4,039
Posts
16
Years
weedle_mchairybug said:
Well, I'm not watching the show, anyways, both due to the self imposed boycott as well as my not having cable anymore.

And there is a way to make the villain actually be threatening and be funny at the same time. Want an example? Try Mark Hamill's variation of The Joker. The problem is that Team Rocket isn't really threatening, they are just some guys who crack a joke and ultimately get thunderbolted away. In order for a villain to be effective, they need to be a threat as well.

Oh right. I forgot about your boycott.

To bad they were never meant to be threatening.
 
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