JESSIE TEAM ROCKET CROSSDRESS MOVIE
JESSIE TEAM ROCKET CROSSDRESS CODE

JESSIE TEAM ROCKET CROSSDRESS CODE

It also leans close to tropes around effeminate, gay, or trans feminine villains, a trend which grew out of the Hays Code in 1934, a US standard for media that forbade positive portrayals of homosexuality until the late 1960s. James’ fluid gender presentation was seemingly a major part of the comic relief of the series, rather than a meaningful attempt at representation.

Of course, the elements of Team Rocket that verge on canonical queerness probably weren’t intended to be particularly positive. And though that means that Meowth is sometimes cast as the token straight friend, it’s also crucial to note that the talking cat Pokémon was voiced for much of the show’s run by a groundbreaking intersex and trans voice actress, Maddie Blaustein. The canonical evidence for Jessie being a member of the LGBTQ+ community may be thinner on the ground, but her subtler rejection of gender roles and proximity to James (queer people stick together, after all) have often led fans to assume that both of Team Rocket’s human members belonged to the community.

JESSIE TEAM ROCKET CROSSDRESS MOVIE

Later, in Pokémon the Movie 2000, Jessie says that “getting involved with the opposite sex” is “only asking for trouble.” James replies that that’s “the kind of trouble I stay out of.” This was ostensibly because she was mean and overbearing, but then, that didn’t stop him from getting close to the domineering Jessie. An early episode depicted him as running away from home to avoid an arranged marriage with a woman. But the story of James’ childhood in particular can also easily be read as an allegory for growing up gay. All three of the villains’ backstories show them as misfits and outcasts, something that’s easy for LGBTQ+ fans to latch onto. There are subtler implications of their queerness, too. run, but was later released with the scene omitted.) (You might not remember this from your childhood experience of the show-the episode was originally banned during the show’s U.S. In another notable episode, “Beauty and the Beach,” Jessie and James (as well as Ash’s friend Misty) appear in bikinis, with James apparently using “inflatable breasts” to get the effect. Jessie wore a tuxedo, while James was the bride in the white dress. In one scene, for example, they disguised themselves as a couple on their way to their wedding ceremony. Often he and Jessie both appeared in skirts or dresses, but other times, they both subverted traditionally gendered expectations. The trio often appeared in disguise, and these often involved James wearing clothes that are traditionally considered feminine. Perhaps the most obvious example was James’ repeated crossdressing. And where there’s fandom, there’s always going to be queer interpretations of the text-of which there are plenty around Team Rocket.īut in Team Rocket’s case, the readings had a pretty solid foundation in canon. A sub-fandom of the larger Pokémon fanbase sprang up, dedicated to the trio. Suddenly, the struggling twenty-somethings who couldn’t quite find their place in the world or succeed at their ambitions felt more relatable than the plucky, eternally optimistic kid protagonists. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/The Nintendo CompanyĪs the first generation of Pokémon anime fans grew up, Team Rocket became more and more of a cultural touchstone. Their incompetence means they never really pose a threat to Pikachu instead, the whole affair is played for laughs, thanks to their constant failures. For starters, they’re more comic relief than villains. Jessie, James, and Meowth appear in the second-ever episode, and they’ve been a fixture of every season since.ĭespite being nominally the show’s main antagonists, the group has long been popular with viewers.

But in the anime, it’s usually only a trio of bumbling, loveable field agents, scheming up ways to separate Pikachu and Ash. In the Pokémon games, Team Rocket is an evil organization dedicated to exploiting Pokémon. But just as heartbreaking has been the farewell to the long-time villains of the show-and, for many parts of the internet, a set of beloved queer icons. Perpetual 10-year-old protagonist Ash Ketchum is headed off with Pikachu to make room for new stars, sparking a wave of nostalgic sadness among multiple generations of fans. After more than 25 years, the Pokémon anime is making some big changes.

Jessie team rocket crossdress