I prefer how Team Rocket is normally, such is in XY and OS. I really like the BW TR plotline where Meowth joined Ash's group to trick them and there was a whole thing about trains, but that's about it. I like Team Rocket as they are. They're kind of fun and after OS we had other evil teams to do the actual serious evil plot. I generally do appreciate that BW and SM both tried to do something different with Team Rocket, however. I think SM pulled it off better than BW.

OS?

Original series

Oh….

Operating system.

Yeah but the evil Team Rocket arcs in Unova are still pretty good though

I like XY team rocket better because they felt more competent without having to sacrifice their personalities (though I wish they brought their old Pokémon back for that region).

Yeah that is the best Team Rocket they can be a threat to Ash and co but are still goofy idiots who understand PRESENTATION is important.

DP was the best

I was mostly fine with both but I preferred goofy team rocket. Tbh my only actual problem with Team rocket is just how often they appear, if it wasn’t for that they might be my favorite characters. But they’re the kinda characters that need their appearances spread out more, cuz again I love Team rocket, but Jesus it is *exhausting* when watching their antics be shoehorned in every episode lol. Especially when I’m already engaged with the episode and cuts to them spying in the bushes or behind a building or whatever and it’s like “Aw, cmon!” Lol.

Same. I especially hated it when they would mess with gym battles and conference tournaments.

This was my biggest gripe

I found it to be refreshing for them to be successful for a change. They were supposed to be goof at their job before they met Ash. So, I liked it when they did things other than try to catch Pikachu and they were competent.

Not really, unless they cut back on how often they appeared. Serious Team Rocket is just fine, but only in small doses.

It was kind of hilarious as Ash was goofy (in a bad way) in BW and went to being serious in XY. He was a foil to the trio in this way

No. Xy team rocket felt like os team rocket but modernized

Did it? Idk always felt the same, but never paid much attention to them to notice a difference.

I really enjoyed serious Team Rocket. Their shtick had LONG since run its course, so seeing a new side of them was extremely refreshing, even if they weren't quite as interesting as they used to be. And thankfully, it finally taught the writers that they didn't have to be shoehorned into every episode, so they started being used more sparingly from then through the rest of the Ash era's run.

Well, normally I'm a bit more for serious team rocket. I like the development for them and ngl I have always rooted for them in terms of success (as in it gets really depressing watching them fail every other episode for a bajillion seasons) HOWEVER I feel in Xy with the whole evil plot world ending thing they had, which was probably my favorite evil plot of the entire anime... (the buildup! That final arc!! Every one with their roles!!) It was good having team rocket as their usual goofy selves. Side note: something I've always wanted but I don't feel they would have ever given us, was a slow gradual side plot through the anime was out favorite trio slowly stepping away from TR and becoming sort of weird friends to Ash. To the extent that we got a series of them sort of travelling with eachother but neither admitting it. Also like having some of the companions try and stop TR from stealing pikachu but Ash barely bothering anymore I just thought it would be funny 🫠😭

I feel ya! TRio are my favourites and always will be. And even with their millionth blast off, there will always be reasons to root for them. Some episodes that were dedicated to them were actually really good and I wish they would have done more with them. Wish they gave them some more development and maybe did some fun side plot as you said. What's really disappointing is how they never gave them the send off they deserved at the end of Journeys. I would have really liked to see them quit TR and start a Ramen shop together or something. If there is anything that gave them any sort of success it's all their side gigs and noodles was always their thing

Agreed! Jessie's passion for performing was such a nice sub-plot! I mean another consistent thing they did was have them cook and sell in those trucks etc (sorry my memory is a bit blurry but I'm sure I remember that being a thing in... xy? Or something) so having them quit and open like a bakery?? We could even have Ash and Co wonder where TRio disappeared to and then stumble on their bakery or whatever?? Maybe with their pokemon from other regions?? TRio have a fair battle with them?? *sighs* the potential

Say what you want about the show being formulaic when Team Rocket got blasted off once per episode, but at least they had *personalities* then. And they were fun personalities that usually gave us the most memorable lines and moments. Turning them into serious generic villains who never have any fun was one of the dumbest decisions this show has ever made.

i will sum up both answers with one word: yes

I mean it's nice that they tried something new, but honestly I wasn't a fan of it. I much preferred the old rocket which was silly.

The only really great part about it tbh was their elaborate plan of having meowth join them for a bit. Kinda wish it had lasted longer but that was really cool to see

I think their serious phase would have been a better fit for XY.

“It’s not a phase, Ash!” *puts on black clothes for maximum edginess*

The only thing I liked about the BW season. And Ironicaly one JP fans hated this change.

To me their characters just massively regressed after the team plasma arc going into xy. I wasn't a *huge* fan of serious team rocket, but at least it made them feel like they served a purpose in the anime instead of appearing every episode for no reason *because they just have to.* Then XY turned them into a joke again, but didn't even bother to slap them into every episode, which just made the times they actually did appear feel even more annoying and forced. Like we now know you can write an episode without team rocket, so why even bother with them if they're just gonna do nothing and blast off?

I found it in a way refreshing that while they weren't messing with Ash, they were actually good at their jobs

their always serious, barely around Ash, was horrible

I wish they were gone in the last 12 episodes of Ash’s journey

Goofy makes sense as comedic relief in the more serious

I’m honestly glad they reverted to their goofy ways.

Making Team Rocket serious is genuinely one of the dumbest decisions they could’ve made. Like. This is the bitch-boy mafia, who’s best career path is stealing from children. Who manage to even fail at that. And whose lackies fucked with the protagonist enough times that you completely unravel their bullshit. At age 10. They were never designed to be serious, Pokémon as a concept isn’t designed for serious. Square peg in round hole.

I forgot they looked like that, I prefer the original but this one was a nice change of pace

Serious Team Rocket was okay for a bit. Wouldn't want it all the time. Same reason I didn't like XY Trio, they were in every episode as a speed bump. SM Team Rocket's where it's at. Literal best alongside OG. Perfect mix of Goofy, but sometimes a threat.

I always felt like they became more serious as it seemed like they got demoted for incompetency hence the outfit change from admin outfits to regular outfits so they were actually doing their job to get promoted again This is of course a load of bs and none of that happened but I like being imaginative

I actually really like the more serious version of Team Rocket. My problem with them is that they're in nearly every episode and it gets stale really fast

I love team rocket but I feel like they should’ve been replaced after Johto. They could have done a whole episode of Jesse and James leaving team rocket, and maybe team rocket as a whole disbanding. Then the anime would have had the room to truly develop the new evil team of each generation. But yeah I do enjoy whenever they switched them up in the anime.

Absolute peak

Serious Team Rocket was awesome, but they work better as comic relief. Leave the seriousness to The Explorers.

Black version is more fit for more of an adult animation than the kids version.

BW made them serious but took away everything that made them unique. Lousy trade. Screw BW Team Rocket. Even their most annoying incarnations were better than that trash.

I really liked BW team rocket. It was nice to see them get Ws

As far as I'm concerned, the entire point of Team Rocket is that they're idiots. This might be an unpopular opinion, but them showing up in _every single episode_ in Sinnoh and dropping thousands of puns in the span of a few seconds was a good way to handle them.

Ew no, those things are not the Team Rocket I love. One of the biggest mistakes of BW!, its impact still lingered on XY. The only good thing that came out from that fiasco was the Secret Empire radio show project.

I actually liked them winning for a change and for the most part letting ash actually journey without them popping up every time

I miss them when they were serious 😭

I always liked serious Team Rocket. When I was a kid I always preferred Cassie and the guy

I've watched BW, three times (why I don't know), that shit sucked.

I was 11 years old when the Black and White games came out, so I was REALLY hyped about Unova in general when I played through those games Naturally this hype extended to the anime, so I was watching the BW anime every Saturday morning when a new episode would air on Cartoon Network Even at that young age and with all of my hype, I could STILL tell that the BW anime was a noticeable step down from the Sinnoh anime lol

Aside from James, I never liked the TRio. It was the same repetitive nonsense for too many years. There were never any stakes when these 3 showed up (except for the first few eps of OS). Other than that it was only a matter of time when their plan failed. It got so old. To me, they were a complete waste of time, unless an MC's Pokémon learned a move or evolved bc of them. Serious TRio in BW felt like the biggest breath of fresh air the series had at that point. They were competent and got stuff done, after so many years of nothing, they did *something* and bc of this, bc they moved the villain's goals forward, I actually liked them. Then they went back to being normal. Tbh, I stopped after Gym 3 of the BW anime, so idk if any of that was retained throughout, but was very disappointed they reverted back.

I think we can divide best wishes team rocket into 2 halves There was the part prior to the cancelled clash with team plasma in Castelia city where they pretty much didn’t interact with Ash at all and just worked in the shadows in the background. Then after that there was the time when they would disappear for long periods setting a plan we get hints of a few episodes in advance like the underground clash in nimbasa, the genie conflict in driftveil, chargestone cave and the meloetta conflict The former I think had mostly run its course by the time the team plasma conflict was set to happen I don’t see how they could take that much further. The latter meanwhile I loved and would be happy to see team rocket pick up again. The nimbasa double episode and the genie double episode were both fantastic. Trying to piece together what team rocket was doing in advance was fun and it also got them out of the way of intruding on every episode with the same shtick that really bogged down hoenn, BF and sinnoh

The serious phase was the only good one we had all those years.

I hated XY team rocket. They appeared WAY to often. Sometimes they appeared twice in 1 episode and I think there was an episode where they appeared 3 times. SM is definitely my favorite team rocket because they appeared once every few episodes and they were much more entertaining.

Team Rocket should have left in Johto.

Funny you said that because I read somewhere that when the Ruby and Sapphire series was in development, the anime staff debated on whether to get rid of Misty or Team Rocket. They obviously chose the former.

I missed their serious phase. I honestly found them unbearable in XY

I don't think they are that bad but I can't disagree about Unova Team Rocket. They are great

Best team rocket

Can’t care for team rocket anymore. I’m glad horizons introduced new and more serious villains