Pokémon crime organizations facts for kids

In the world of Pokémon, there are always heroes and villains! Just like in the games, TV shows, and comic books, there are groups of bad guys who try to cause trouble. They often try to steal Pokémon or money from good people. Here's a look at some of the most famous villain teams you'll meet!

Team Rocket

Team Rocket is a well-known villain team from the Kanto region. You'll find them in games like Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green. They also appear in their remakes, FireRed and LeafGreen. This team is also active in the Johto region, showing up in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, plus their remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Team Rocket in the Anime

In the Pokémon TV show, you won't see much of the main Team Rocket group. Instead, you'll mostly follow the funny duo, Jessie and James. They appear in almost every episode! Their main goal is usually to capture Ash Ketchum's strong Pikachu. They often use big machines or clever traps to try and catch him.

Jessie and James love to wear different costumes as part of their plans. When they finally show themselves, they always say their famous motto. Besides this duo, there are other Team Rocket members, like Butch and Cassidy, who are rivals to Jessie and James. Almost all of their plans fail. A rare exception was in the Pokémon Sun and Moon TV show. There, they actually defeated Ash's Pikachu and Rowlet using their own Mimikyu and Mareanie.

Team Rocket in the Games

You can find Team Rocket in games that take place in the Kanto or Johto regions. This includes Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, and Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. In Pokémon Yellow, Jessie and James appear in four different places during your adventure.

The leader of Team Rocket is a man named Giovanni. You'll find him in places like the Rocket Hideout. You have to beat him there to get the Silph Scope for Pokémon Tower. You also battle him in Pokémon Tower to save Mr. Fuji and get the Poké Flute. Later, you'll face him on the top floor of Silph Co., where beating him earns you a Master Ball!

Team Rocket in the Manga

In the Pokémon comic book series, Pokémon Adventures, the hero Red often battles Team Rocket. He finds them in many locations, such as Mt. Moon and the Vermilion port. They were taking Pokémon for sea travel there. He also fights them in Lavender Tower and during their takeover of Saffron City.

In the manga, a scientist named Blaine was once part of Team Rocket. He mixed the DNA of Mew with his own to create the powerful Mewtwo. He also gained some of Mewtwo's DNA, which gives them a special connection. The manga also shows that Gym Leaders Koga, Lt. Surge, and Sabrina were high-ranking members of Team Rocket. A big difference in the manga is that some Gym Leaders are actually villains!

In the manga, Team Rocket's name is actually an acronym for: “Raid On the City, Knock-out, Evil Tasks.”

Team Aqua and Team Magma

Team Aqua and Team Magma are two rival villain teams from the Hoenn region. You'll meet them in the games Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. They also appear in the remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Team Aqua and Team Magma in the Anime

Team Aqua and Team Magma didn't have a huge role in the TV show. They weren't focused on stealing Pokémon. Instead, they mostly fought against each other. Team Magma wanted to dry up the oceans to create more land for people and Pokémon. They planned to use the legendary Pokémon Groudon to do this.

Team Aqua, on the other hand, wanted to flood the earth to create more water habitats for Pokémon. They aimed to use the legendary Pokémon Kyogre for their plan. When the two teams clashed and tried to use their legendary Pokémon against each other, it caused a huge natural disaster. This almost led to massive destruction! The teams broke up soon after this event.

Team Aqua and Team Magma in the Games

Agents from Team Aqua and Team Magma, along with their leaders, play a big part in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Archie leads Team Aqua, and Maxie leads Team Magma. You'll have to battle their agents to reach their leaders. Sometimes, Archie and Maxie might even help you in a double battle against other trainers. But you will also have to battle them as the leaders of their teams!

Team Galactic

Team Galactic is the villain team in the Sinnoh region. This region is where the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl take place. The team is led by a man named Cyrus. He grew up in Sunyshore City and didn't like being around people or Pokémon. He preferred machines.

Team Galactic has three main commanders: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Their big goal is to create a brand new universe that they can control. Many of the regular members, called grunts, don't even know what the team's real goal is!

Team Galactic in the Anime

Team Galactic has shown up several times in the TV show. All of their commanders and Cyrus himself have appeared. Their goal in the anime is similar to the games. Team Galactic also has a hunter named J, who plays a role in the Diamond and Pearl series. She tries to freeze Pokémon into a stone-like state, then steals them while they can't move. She once stole Ash's Pikachu, Team Rocket's Meowth, and a trainer's Gardevoir. Luckily, they were all rescued later! Gary and Ash even teamed up to save four Shieldon that J was trying to take.

Team Galactic in the Games

In Diamond and Pearl, Team Galactic kidnaps the legendary Lake Trio Pokémon: Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. They take special crystals from them to create an item called the Red Chain. This chain can control a Pokémon while keeping its full power. You, the player, go into Team Galactic's headquarters and defeat Cyrus. After you beat Saturn, Cyrus lets you release the three Lake Trio Pokémon.

At a place called Spear Pillar, Cyrus uses the Red Chain to bring out the legendary Pokémon Dialga (in Diamond) or Palkia (in Pearl). He plans to use their power to create his new universe, where he will be the leader. However, the Lake Trio return to stop the legendary Pokémon's power and break the Red Chain, which stops Cyrus. After this, and Cyrus's failure to defeat you, most of Team Galactic leaves, including Cyrus. Only a few members stay in Veilstone City, led by Saturn. He decides to try and start a new, better Team Galactic.

In Platinum, Team Galactic tries to get both the legendary Pokémon of time and space. This makes Giratina, the third Sinnoh deity who represents dimensions, chaos, and death, very angry. You'll have to chase Cyrus, who now wants Giratina's power, into a strange dimension called the Distortion World. Giratina has lived there for a very long time. Later in the game, it's revealed that Mars and Jupiter quit Team Galactic. A new Team Galactic member named Charon also appears, but he is arrested soon after Mars and Jupiter leave.

Team Plasma

Team Plasma is the main villain team in the Unova region. They first appear in the games Black and White. They also show up again in the sequel games, Black 2 and White 2. Team Plasma's first goal was to "free" all Pokémon from their Trainers. They tried to do this by convincing Trainers to release their Pokémon or by stealing them.

Ghetsis, one of Team Plasma's leaders, secretly used the group for his own plan. He wanted to rule Unova as the only person with Pokémon. Two years after Team Plasma was defeated, the group came back with a new goal: to rule Unova. However, a small group from the original Team Plasma was still loyal to N, another leader. They decided to take care of weakened Pokémon they found in the wild.