Meowth

is a Pokemon species in Nintendo's Pokemon series. Meowth first shows in the video games Pokemon Red and Blue. Meowth is one of the most popular Pokemon, because of an individual Meowth's role in the Pokemon anime series. This Meowth, owned by Team Rocket, is one of the few Pokemon 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 Pokemon, also likes coins and steals them from Meowth.
Appearances
In the video games
Meowth appears as a wild Pokemon in many versions of the games. Meowth is one of the characters in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. Meowth is also seen in the Nintendo 64 game Pokemon Snap, the Nintendo GameCube game Pokemon Channel, and many others. Meowth is seen in the Super Smash Bros. series as a Pokemon used with a Poke 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 Pokemon: 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 Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns. A trainer named Tyson owns a Meowth, which beat Ash's Pikachu at the Hoenn Pokemon League. This Meowth was dressed up like Puss in Boots.
In other media
In the Pokemon Adventures manga, Meowth's first appearance is a cameo in the first chapter as one of the Pokemon that escapes from Professor Oak's Laboratory. Meowth has appeared in the Pokemon Trading Card Game first in the Jungle series. A special Meowth card was given when buying the Pokemon Trading Card Video Game. In an open forum interview with ABC News, Pokemon anime director Masakazu Kubo noted Meowth as his favorite Pokemon, saying that while not a major Pokemon 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 Pokemon 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 Pokemon 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 Pokemon would have stood out if it were not for its portrayal in the anime.
References
Fictional characters introduced in 1996
Pokemon monsters