The Rocket trio's lack of screentime in Sun & Moon is honestly kind of appalling

[Twilight-Kun]

Anyway, the trio's missing from next week's episode as well. With the release of Let's Go! Pikachu / Let's Go! Eevee you'd think the trio would appear more, with them showing up in the game and all that, but I guess that would make too much sense and so they're currently taking a break...?

Those weren't the TRio, those were just some grunts named Jessie and James because they had nothing in common with their anime counterparts

Also their meowth doesn't even talk

 

[Dogasu]

Four episodes in a row! (and probably 5 since SM 101's going to be a continuation of SM 100)

So my theory is that the TV show realized that it's about to be summer in the southern hemisphere so they decided to give the fans down there a taste of the Rocket-less summers that have become the norm for us northeners, for some reason. No other explanation makes sense to me.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

God forbid they awkwardly shoehorn the TRio into every episode and make them stale or anything

Boy, wouldn't that just be peachy and what everyone really wants

Almost like some kind of formula

 

[Dogasu]

The Rocket trio isn't shoehorned into episodes any more than Mao or Suiren or Lillie or Mamane or Kaki or anyone else, really.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

The Rocket trio isn't shoehorned into episodes any more than Mao or Suiren or Lillie or Mamane or Kaki or anyone else, really.

In SM, absolutely, but in previous series, they were more plot devices than characters, and from a writing perspective, that's bad (which, for Pokémon, really isn't saying much)

"Hm...we need conflict in this otherwise good episode about wild pokémon."
"Let's throw Team Rocket in and have them try to capture the wild pokémon."
"Brilliant!"
- the plot of a good 50% of OS-DP episodes

 

[ii kanji]

... with which "formula" they made many a dull episode good fun to watch.

Yes, agreed, they weren't always best utilised, but more often than not they brought some colour into what would otherwise be a very boring and vanilla mix of personalities.

 

[TRNatalie]

(Feel free to ignore this if you want. I get very uncomfortable talking sometimes...)

But it's not Team Rocket's fault that past seasons liked using the same formula for episodes. Where some writers really enjoyed Team Rocket's characters and enjoyed exploring them, a lot of writers also saw an easy way to write multiple episodes in the easiest way possible and a way to stretch the series out. That's more of a flaw of the writing and what kind of show Pokemon was than Team Rocket themselves. SM changed the formula situation and the way it deviates from the formulas of past seasons as well as how it writes Team Rocket (or at least when they appear) are, in my opinion, some of SM's best aspects.

It's not that they're not "in every single episode anymore" that's the problem (For example, while I'm disappointed that they won't be in the Eevee episode, I can understand to an extent why they're not here, they've got so many characters in it and so much going on that the writers just can’t include Team Rocket in it (or at least from what I can tell so far, at the moment I write this I haven't seen the episode yet)); SM has a way bigger main cast than the show's ever had before, even the companions don't appear every episode. The problem is how much they're absent. For the third time this saga, they are absent for four episodes (probably going to end up being five) in a row and a lot of the time, they are absent from episodes that could easily use them and benefit from them. For example, would it really have hurt episodes like SM 83 or any of the Rotom episodes if they had appeared? They don't even have to be used as conflict, they could just be running the food truck or doing some other things.

Not to mention, Team Rocket just got a new member in SM 96 and now we're going to have to wait who knows how long to see it interact with them some more? It can't be just Team Rocket fans that see a problem with this, right?

 

[Rocket Messiah]

Well here we go little rant incoming, first of all English is not my first language so there will be errors.

How to say this I love Sun and Moon Team Rocket, they are the best Team Rocket since Kanto , to be fair there are even a challenge this time they were in an Island Challenge and Mimmikyu
is one of the strongest Pokemon in the series, Team Rocket can even use Z-Moves, so they can pretty much cause a lot of trouble to"our heroes" , and yet despite having the best Team Rocket in years the writers don't know how to use them? Unbelievable .I dont like for them to stick in every episode like in OS, Advanced, DP although I wouldn't mind they do this but I understand that it could be boring, I liked Serious Team Rocket they were awesome, Episodes like “Scare at the Litwick Mansion " were the perfect demonstration onhow todo a Mixed Team Rocket one that is funny, but they mean some threat ,in XY they were interesting but only the first episodes then they became a joke again at least in DP they were funny with their own Subplots during Gym battles, do you remember the Corelia Gym battle? That was pathetic and in that time they didn't appeared in all episodes so WHY?

Mimmikyu and Marearnie haven't had a battle for years, I mean come on this two are the best Team Rocket mons since Yanmega , they are dangerous, and they have better personalities than Popplio , Rowlet ,Torracat and Lycanroc TOGETHER, I mean come on Mimmikyu is a vengeful Pokemon we never had one of those, He is a battle machine that hates his enemy so much that he wants to hurt him badly, he only appeared in ONE EPISODE since october and he didn't even battle. Okay I do not mean that in an episode that Team Rocket appears is going to be goodSM86 the resort episode was dreadful OK but I mean in the original series and even on DP they did make this episode funny and even appearing as some kind of threat, look at the Rotom episode that was plain BORING it was emotional but I don't know Team Rocket in this episode will have been good, I know that some of you hate Team Rocket for interrupting Gladion vs Ash battle, (Which was not a good one BTW). Also, what I don't like is the fact that Team Skull is liked by some people, I mean they are the same without Guzma or Plumeria Team Skull is nothing, did you see today episode? I imagine it with the
TRio and I think it would have been better.

Also I think that now that they are finally into an “official Pokémon game” they would appear more since they are the main villains of "LGPE" but nope, my only hope is the Misty Brock episodes I HOPE that they are in cause if they are not I'm going to get really mad with this show. BTW Team Rocket had 8 episodes dedicated to develop them in Sun and Moon, the stufful one was boring for me but most of them were really good especially the Team Skull one, Why they don't appear more together, their clash of styles is awesome. In this thread it has been stated that they were absent in 40% of the episodes and I think of this 60% in which one they didn't add something to the plot like in the mallow brother one, I mean come on his guys deserve a freaking chance, and we are probably not going to see them this Summer cause the League will happen.

Sigh, I guess that we can only wait but whatever the case we Team Rocket fans are the true best in the world and someday we will have what we want an entire TR episode without twerps. Thanks a lot

 

[kantoskies]

It's interesting that, for a show that has been running for over 20 years and is absolutely dominated by formula, the Rocket trio are really the only ones that seem to be criticized for it. Satoshi always does the same song and dance, why aren't more people clamoring for him to only appear half of the time?

Plus this series has shown time and time again it knows how to use the Rocket trio creatively, and we really haven't had many "show up and snag Pikachu" stories this time.

Yes, agreed, they weren't always best utilised, but more often than not they brought some colour into what would otherwise be a very boring and vanilla mix of personalities.

Especially nowadays since the main group dynamic hasn't been interesting since BW.

 

[RetroPokeFan]

It's interesting that, for a show that has been running for over 20 years and is absolutely dominated by formula, the Rocket trio are really the only ones that seem to be criticized for it. Satoshi always does the same song and dance, why aren't more people clamoring for him to only appear half of the time?

Plus this series has shown time and time again it knows how to use the Rocket trio creatively, and we really haven't had many "show up and snag Pikachu" stories this time.



Especially nowadays since the main group dynamic hasn't been interesting since BW.

The first Ulu’Ulu Island episode where Ash wasn’t even in the episode until the last 10 or so seconds was pretty good. I actually find episodes where Ash shows up for only a few minutes to be intresting.

 

[Alola]

I miss Mimikyu and Mareanie-they need more focus episodes

 

[ii kanji]

Their inclusion in many of the SM episodes they've missed could have been pretty unobtrusive as they are mostly just living their lives as (almost) functioning members of society. FOR EXAMPLE how hard would it have been to have Suiren go buy malasadas off them in the last episode?

 

[SinnohEevee]

Well here we go little rant incoming, first of all English is not my first language so there will be errors.

How to say this I love Sun and Moon Team Rocket, they are the best Team Rocket since Kanto , to be fair there are even a challenge this time they were in an Island Challenge and Mimmikyu
is one of the strongest Pokemon in the series, Team Rocket can even use Z-Moves, so they can pretty much cause a lot of trouble to"our heroes" , and yet despite having the best Team Rocket in years the writers don't know how to use them? Unbelievable .I dont like for them to stick in every episode like in OS, Advanced, DP although I wouldn't mind they do this but I understand that it could be boring, I liked Serious Team Rocket they were awesome, Episodes like “Scare at the Litwick Mansion " were the perfect demonstration onhow todo a Mixed Team Rocket one that is funny, but they mean some threat ,in XY they were interesting but only the first episodes then they became a joke again at least in DP they were funny with their own Subplots during Gym battles, do you remember the Corelia Gym battle? That was pathetic and in that time they didn't appeared in all episodes so WHY?

Mimmikyu and Marearnie haven't had a battle for years, I mean come on this two are the best Team Rocket mons since Yanmega , they are dangerous, and they have better personalities than Popplio , Rowlet ,Torracat and Lycanroc TOGETHER, I mean come on Mimmikyu is a vengeful Pokemon we never had one of those, He is a battle machine that hates his enemy so much that he wants to hurt him badly, he only appeared in ONE EPISODE since october and he didn't even battle. Okay I do not mean that in an episode that Team Rocket appears is going to be goodSM86 the resort episode was dreadful OK but I mean in the original series and even on DP they did make this episode funny and even appearing as some kind of threat, look at the Rotom episode that was plain BORING it was emotional but I don't know Team Rocket in this episode will have been good, I know that some of you hate Team Rocket for interrupting Gladion vs Ash battle, (Which was not a good one BTW). Also, what I don't like is the fact that Team Skull is liked by some people, I mean they are the same without Guzma or Plumeria Team Skull is nothing, did you see today episode? I imagine it with the
TRio and I think it would have been better.

Also I think that now that they are finally into an “official Pokémon game” they would appear more since they are the main villains of "LGPE" but nope, my only hope is the Misty Brock episodes I HOPE that they are in cause if they are not I'm going to get really mad with this show. BTW Team Rocket had 8 episodes dedicated to develop them in Sun and Moon, the stufful one was boring for me but most of them were really good especially the Team Skull one, Why they don't appear more together, their clash of styles is awesome. In this thread it has been stated that they were absent in 40% of the episodes and I think of this 60% in which one they didn't add something to the plot like in the mallow brother one, I mean come on his guys deserve a freaking chance, and we are probably not going to see them this Summer cause the League will happen.

Sigh, I guess that we can only wait but whatever the case we Team Rocket fans are the true best in the world and someday we will have what we want an entire TR episode without twerps. Thanks a lot

What does that mean?

 

[Rocket Messiah]

What does that mean?

Means that we have been waiting for years for something big to happen for the TRio or TR as a whole and we still have nothing, but we are still watching this forums in order to see announced and episode with our three favourite dudes in.

 

[Shadao]

It's interesting that, for a show that has been running for over 20 years and is absolutely dominated by formula, the Rocket trio are really the only ones that seem to be criticized for it. Satoshi always does the same song and dance, why aren't more people clamoring for him to only appear half of the time?

Plus this series has shown time and time again it knows how to use the Rocket trio creatively, and we really haven't had many "show up and snag Pikachu" stories this time.



Especially nowadays since the main group dynamic hasn't been interesting since BW.

Because Pokémon has a Rogues Gallery, which means there is a way to spice up the conflicts the heroes face. It's the same reason why superhero shows don't get stale in the long run despite the fact that the hero appears for nearly all of the episodes. People always want Batman in their Batman show, but I think they'll get sick of the show if it's just Batman fighting Joker and no one else.

That, and the fact that Team Rocket rarely poses a challenge to Ash anymore. It's like fighting swarms of Level 10 Zubat in a cave with a Level 80 Pikachu. Obviously, Pikachu will win but you'll get annoyed by the Zubat encounters in just a few minutes.

 

[Nicolas721]

My guess is that Stufful's VA is a bit expensive. Looking at her Wikipedia page she doesn't seem that big of a deal, but she is a model and has a lot of followers on Twitter, and her role was promoted more than usual. Maybe the producers think that TR appearing without Stufful would be confusing for those who watched SM096? That doesn't explain why Stufful doesn't get a voiceless cameo though. Just my guess.

That, and the fact that Team Rocket rarely poses a challenge to Ash anymore. It's like fighting swarms of Level 10 Zubat in a cave with a Level 80 Pikachu. Obviously, Pikachu will win but you'll get annoyed by the Zubat encounters in just a few minutes.

I disagree. Mimikyu is quite strong, and its relationship with Pikachu could go many ways to keep it fresh. It's just that the writers always take the safest routes *cough*Bewear*cough*Z-moves*cough* and make it seem like another TR mon.

 

[Shadao]

I disagree. Mimikyu is quite strong, and its relationship with Pikachu could go many ways to keep it fresh. It's just that the writers always take the safest routes *cough*Bewear*cough*Z-moves*cough* and make it seem like another TR mon.

Hence why I say rarely. Even if they have an elite team of Charizard on their side, they'll still somehow lose to Ash. They're better off being rivals for Team Skull. At least in that area, they might actually have a chance to actually win something.

 

[Dogasu]

The Rocket trio has won plenty in Sun & Moon, though, even with their abysmal amount of screentime.

• Caught two Alolan pokemon and befriended two others
• Beat out the Skull-Dan in getting a Z Crystal, got a Z Ring from Kuchinashi, and successfully pulled off several Z moves
• Helped send an Alolan Nyarth to the Rocket-Dan HQ in Kanto
• Their malasada stand seems to be pretty successful since it's been in business so long
• They managed to get themselves free room and board, which also means that they get to pocket all the money they make from their part time jobs

And as far as battles go, they won the battle against Satoshi's Pikachu in the Hidoide capture episode and defeated a Totem Pokemon to get the Z Crystal.

(and, if we're being totally honest here, Mimikyu should've won that battle against Pikachu in the supermarket on Ula'ula Island if it hadn't been for that last minute asspull by the writers)


They've had just as successful a time in Alola as anyone else in the region.

 

[ii kanji]

If you think about it, they've actually got more Pokemon on-side than Satoshi in Alola Sonansu, Mimikyu and Hidoide ofc, plus Nyasu, Kiteruguma and Nuikoguma...

 

[kantoskies]

So I'm bumping this thread because it seems like the most appropriate place to discuss this (moreso than the SM122 review thread ):

What does everyone think is the likelihood of the Rocket trio leaving after this series? This is really the first time I'm having serious thoughts that they might be retired. The way Sun&Moon has set it up makes it seem like the trio could very well stay as food salespeople in the Alola region with Kiteruguma being their permanent guardian.

The only two main arguments against this likelihood are 1) the trio is very successful when it comes to merchandise sales, and even though writing them out of the series doesn't mean a complete end to their merch (looking at you, Kasumi + Takeshi + Haruka GEM figures) it would certainly mean a decrease and 2) why write them out now after all this time? They could have been written out at the beginning of Advanced Generation to tie in to the fact that Team Rocket disbanded in the games, after Diamond&Pearl with Best Wishes' soft reset, or at the beginning of XY since the writers seemed to be experimenting with a reduced role for the characters around that time. So what makes 2019 the year the anime staff finally decides to retire the trio? Besides, the Pokemon Company apparently loves shilling out Kanto and these are the only main characters other than Satoshi who have ties to the region, it definitely gives opportunities to make connections to the region.

However, after SM122 I'm really beginning to think the writers are setting something up, either a farewell to the trio or some big shift in their roles. As @ii kanji said in the SM122 thread, with everything lining up (Sakaki/Nanu's past, the Matori Matrix, plus the ever-missing Rainbow Rocket idea that could be used even as just set dressing) an eventual Rocket storyline is bound to be coming. I also think that, if the trio really is written out, the Team Rocket organization is finally going to be defeated in the anime-- it's been 5 generations since their game counterparts have been defeated, clearly the only reason they stuck around in the anime is to keep the trio, but if Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyasu do leave I have no doubts the organization as a whole will too.

I'm also bracing myself for the inevitable Rocket-less summer that Sun&Moon loves giving us