James

Template:Samename
Template:Samename

 Eye color
 Hair color

**James** (Japanese: **コジロウ** *Kojirō*) is a member of Team Rocket, more specifically part of a trio with Jessie and Template:MTR, that follows Ash Ketchum and Template:Ashfr around in the Pokémon anime, usually trying to steal Ash's Pikachu.

## In the anime

### Main series

#### Character

James' well-traveled and wealthy lifestyle afforded him luxuries and time to become well-versed in various activities, including Pokémon Haiku, Pokémon Orienteering, and PokéRinger, among other things. Despite James' wealthy upbringing, he often criticizes it as sheltered and because of Jessebelle's harassment. Joining Team Rocket offered him an adventurous escape from his families demands, riches, and expectations.

However, there are certain instances where James has shown that he is not a bad person at all. His horrible past is the only reason he joined Team Rocket. Unlike his teammates Jessie and Template:MTR who have more rude personalities, James is actually shown to love and adore Pokémon since childhood. James has an odd and rather submissive personality. He regularly complies with Jessie and Template:MTR's schemes, the results of which often do not fare in his favor, including the loss of his bottle caps and trading away his Template:TP. He and Meowth also bear the brunt of Jessie's many tirades. However, James is sometimes shown to get angry himself, though not to the same extent as Jessie. Despite the arguments, James' self-doubt and lackluster confidence is bolstered by his teammates. In *A Hole Lotta Trouble*, Ash and Brock attempted to make James aware that he needed to assert himself without his teammates.

James also has a tendency to cross-dress. He commonly impersonates Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and Jessie. He also often dresses up like famous celebrities like Template:An, Juan, and Norman, and impersonates other non-human objects, including Pokémon, animals, and shrubs. Largely because of this cross-dressing trait and his more submissive personality, the English dub often exaggerates this by making jokes inferring he is effeminate.

##### Travels with

This section is for the Pokémon that James currently travels with, but has not caught.

##### Lived with

This section is for the Pokémon that James lived with, but has not caught.

#### Achievements

##### Pokémon League

James has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:

* Manalo Conference - Top 8 (as "Jamesio"; *Overcome Decidueye!*)

## Trivia

* James uses the alias "Jameson" at times.
* James hasn't evolved any of his Pokémon since *Here's Lookin' at You, Elekid!*.
* James is the only main character to have one Pokémon and release it or give it away, then get another Pokémon of the same species.
* James is the only main character to not obtain any Pokémon in the Johto region, if his second Victreebel is not counted.
* James is the first main character to release a Pokémon.
* A running gag in the Template:Pkmn involves James's Pokémon hurting him in a show of affection.
	+ Template:TP would often try to swallow him when called from its Template:I.
	+ Template:TP would hug him around the neck or waist, driving the spikes on its arms into James.
	+ Template:TP would wrap its tail around him, leaving him unable to see.
	+ Template:TP would often get a death grip on James's head with its mouth.
	+ Template:TP would wrap her tentacles around James's head and poison him.
	+ Template:TP would sting James.
	+ Template:TP would attempt to gobble James with its beak.
* He shares both his Japanese and Brazilian voice actors with Ryusuke Yamino, from Detective Loki.
* Excluding Victreebel, James has never battled any of his Pokémon before catching them.
* James has owned a Template:Type Pokémon from every generation until Kalos.
* In early concept art, James was depicted wearing a hat.
* In promotional material for the Manalo Conference, James was given the title of "League Chasing Fighter" (Japanese: ホワイトホールソルジャー *White hole soldier*).

### Name origin

James's English name is taken from Jesse James, an American outlaw. His Japanese name, Kojirō, is taken from 佐々木小次郎 *Sasaki Kojirō*, a prominent Japanese swordsman most famous for being killed by his rival, 宮本武蔵 *Miyamoto Musashi*, the namesake of Jessie. Also, 二郎 *Jirō* is a name meaning "second son," while 三郎 *Saburō* means "third son." Kojirō takes advantage of *Jirō*, while the Japanese name of Butch, Kosaburō, takes advantage of *Saburō*.

He is based on Leonardo Medici Bundle from the GoShogun anime (originally written by Takeshi Shudō), and the young thief Benten Kozō Kikunosuke from the "Five Men of the White Waves" *kabuki*.

## In other languages

 Chinese
 Russian
 Thai

## References

1. ↑ In the Japanese version of *The Explosive Birth of the Mythical Pokémon Lugia*, Jessie tells Ash Ketchum and Misty, who are 10 years old, that they're 10 years too young to talk about love, and James adds that he and Jessie are five years older than that, placing them both at 25 years old.

## Related articles

* Template:Cat
	+ Template:Cat

Template:Team Rocket
Template:Aether Foundation
Template:Team Rocket's Pokémon

Template:Leaguetrainers

Template:Project Anime notice