Pokemon‘s preparing to say goodbye to Ash Ketchum after 25 long years in the anime, and Team Rocket’s shocking split as a result of this goodbye likely won’t be permanent in long run! For Pokemon fans who have spent years watching Ash travel through the various regions in the anime, Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master has been an emotional series serving as Ash’s final adventures in the franchise overall. This has largely been fairly quiet outside of some key reunions with the likes of Misty and Brock, but the newest episode overseas featured what could be Team Rocket’s final outing ever.
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Pokemon‘s series has not only had Ash as the main component for its 25 year run, but no matter what usually went down in the main story, Team Rocket was right there with him hatching all kinds of schemes. With the next Pokemon TV anime moving on to a new story packed to the brim with new characters, this also means saying goodbye to Team Rocket as well. But what surprised fans the most was that this farewell actually saw the three of them abruptly disbanding the group and going on their separate ways.
Pokemon: Why Did Team Rocket Break Up in the Anime?
Episode 9 of Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master saw Team Rocket reunite with many of their Pokemon partners from the series’ past and they tried one more time to catch Pikachu for good. When this inevitably fails, the final moments of the episode see the trio getting so angry with one another that they decide that it’s the end of their group and walk away. It’s such an abrupt moment that if this is truly the end for them after all this time, then it’s one that is not fitting for the group that’s been such a staple of the franchise.
It’s likely then that this split won’t be the end of Team Rocket’s time in the anime. While it looks like they won’t be involved in Ash’s penultimate episode, there is still a chance we could see them in the big finale as part of Ash’s final goodbye overall. It’s something fans need as this quick split in the final seconds of an episode is certainly not fitting for 25 years of watching the fan favorite team. Even if they don’t show up in the finale, just as Ash will likely come back to the anime someday, Team Rocket can come too.
Do you think Team Rocket’s split in Pokemon‘s anime will be permanent? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!