Meowth

is a Pokémon species in Nintendo's Pokémon series. Meowth first shows in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue. Meowth is one of the most popular Pokémon, because of an individual Meowth's role in the Pokémon anime series. This Meowth, owned by Team Rocket, is one of the few Pokémon who can speak in human language.

Design
Meowth has a cat-like design, with cream-colored fur, and has brown paws and tail tip. It has whiskers, black-and-brown ears, and a gold coin on its head. Meowth is spends most of the daytime sleeping and walks the city streets at night. They put their claws back into their paws, so they can move without noise and not leave footprints. Meowth loves round objects, as well as shiny things. The item it loves collecting the most are coins, since they are both round and shiny. Meowth collects them and keeps them in its nest. Murkrow, a bird Pokémon, also likes coins and steals them from Meowth.

Appearances

In the video games
Meowth appears as a wild Pokémon in many versions of the games. Meowth is one of the characters in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games. Meowth is also seen in the Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap, the Nintendo GameCube game Pokémon Channel, and many others. Meowth is seen in the Super Smash Bros. series as a Pokémon used with a Poké Ball item, and uses its move "Pay Day" and throws coins at players.

In the anime
Meowth has made an appearance in almost every episode in the anime because one is owned by Team Rocket agents Jessie and James, the show's main antagonists. He first lived in the city, and tried to impress a female Meowth named Meowzie by learning to walk on two legs and speak human language. Instead of being impressed, she told him he was a freak, so Meowth joined Team Rocket. Meowth was cloned in Pokémon: The First Movie, but his clone could not talk or walk on two legs, because Meowth needed to learn how to do this. The Meowth clone is shown again in Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns. A trainer named Tyson owns a Meowth, which beat Ash's Pikachu at the Hoenn Pokémon League. This Meowth was dressed up like Puss in Boots.

In other media
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Meowth's first appearance is a cameo in the first chapter as one of the Pokémon that escapes from Professor Oak's Laboratory. Meowth has appeared in the Pokémon Trading Card Game first in the Jungle series. A special Meowth card was given when buying the Pokémon Trading Card Video Game. In an open forum interview with ABC News, Pokémon anime director Masakazu Kubo noted Meowth as his favorite Pokémon, saying that while not a major Pokémon in the games, a Meowth is in the anime.

Critical reception
Team Rocket's Meowth ranked fourth on Game Daily's top 10 list of Nintendo characters that deserve their own games, describing him as "adorable" and explaining that his intelligence and ability to speak gave writers more depth than other Pokémon would. IGN stated that without the anime, the character would not have been as famous, further describing it as "probably the funniest part of the show". However, another editor stated it was also popular amongst people who have never seen the anime due to being a feline. IGN also said that Meowth would make a good choice as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl "if Brawl's developers really wanted much more representation for Pokémon as a franchise" also stating "it would be fun to face him in battle as a real fighter, just to be able to send him "blasting off again," referencing Team Rocket's Meowth  GamesRadar described Meowth as "not all that useful", and questioned if the Pokémon would have stood out if it were not for its portrayal in the anime.

References

Fictional characters introduced in 1996
Pokémon monsters

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