Butch

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Carter Cathcart (RS176-present)

**Butch** (Japanese: **コサブロウ** *Kosaburō*) is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. He is a former member of Team Rocket who occasionally came across Ash and his friends along with his partner Cassidy.

## History

### Pre-series

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Butch was a recruit in the Team Rocket Academy to become an official member of Team Rocket. He, along with Cassidy and Raticate, quickly became the top-performing group of trainees in the Blue Team. During a flashback in *Training Daze*, Butch and his partners competed against the Red Team in a practice heist to steal the red-colored Snorlax. Even though neither side managed to do so, they were made into official teams.

### **Pokémon the Series: The Beginning**

#### Kanto

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Butch debuted in *The Breeding Center Secret*. Disguised as a worker in a Five-Star Breeding Center as part of a Pokémon-stealing scheme, he and Cassidy managed to capture many Pokémon, including Misty's Psyduck and James' Weepinbell. Ash and his friends returned to the Breeding Center to retrieve Psyduck, only to discover the operation was fake and linked to Team Rocket. Butch overheard Template:Todd's camera flash and investigated, only to find out that it was Pikachu's electricity. The Team Rocket trio infiltrated the Breeding Center to rob the Pokémon there. However, they were caught, along with Ash and the others. The group, save Misty, Pikachu, and Togepi, were then trapped in a cage set up by Butch and Cassidy. Butch took Todd's camera and used it to frame the seven for breaking in. Officer Jenny arrived and had the prisoners taken into custody until Misty was able to prove that they were innocent. Butch and Cassidy were then defeated by Ash's Bulbasaur and arrested by Officer Jenny.

#### Orange Archipelago

In *Pikachu Re-Volts*, it was revealed that Giovanni had bailed him and Cassidy out of jail. Using a Drowzee acquired from their fake Breeding Center, they hypnotized the Pokémon on Mandarin Island North into turning against their Trainers. Ash's group collaborated with the Team Rocket trio to get the Pokémon back. They managed to infiltrate their base, with Ash and the others demanding Butch and Cassidy to give back the Pokémon. However, Butch ordered Drowzee to make the hypnotized Pokémon attack them. Ash forced his Pikachu to attack him, in turn destroying the machine and freeing the controlled Pokémon. Afterwards, Butch and Cassidy were arrested again.

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### Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver

#### Johto

Butch and Cassidy began operating another fake Day Care in *The Fortune Hunters*, this time giving away free fortune-telling books that will tell each Trainer which Pokémon they represent. Similar to their earlier fake Breeding Centers, Trainers dropped one of their Pokémon off, this time with the belief that the Day Care owners would help them trade Pokémon. Jessie and James went to the Day Care to steal the Pokémon there, but they encountered Butch and Cassidy, who revealed themselves, and were tied up, only for them to escape. Misty went to the Day Care to find out her Pokémon type, but instead discovered the cages full of stolen Pokémon. Butch caught Misty and her friends trying to free the caged Pokémon. Butch sent out Primeape, which managed to defeat her Staryu. Jessie and James's next attempt to steal from their rivals also failed. Butch then noticed Ash's group trying to free the Pokémon again, prompting him and Cassidy to battle them, but they were defeated. Afterwards, Officer Jenny arrived to arrest them.

Now working alongside Dr. Namba, Butch and Cassidy were assigned to capture a child Lugia spotted near Ogi Isle. From *The Mystery is History* to *A Promise is a Promise*, Butch and Cassidy succeeded, catching both Silver and its parent to help Dr. Namba perfect his "Rage Crown" invention. By *A Parent Trapped!*, Ash, his friends and Ritchie were also captured for interfering. Oliver led the counter-operation, freeing the captives and helping to rescue the two Lugia from Team Rocket's clutches. Jessie and James also assisted them, sinking the submarine and blasting Butch and Cassidy off using Wobbuffet's Counter.

### *Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire* and Chronicles

Butch was a recurring antagonist in Pokémon Chronicles, often capturing certain Pokémon for Dr. Namba's R project. However, such attempts like at Professor Oak's Laboratory in *Showdown at the Oak Corral* and stealing Caserin and Luverin from the Cerulean Gym in *Luvdisc is a Many Splendored Thing!* were thwarted.

In *Oaknapped!*, the pair kidnapped Professor Oak from Seafoam Island's television station to learn more about Pokérus. DJ Mary, Tracey, and Ritchie managed to track them down to an abandoned warehouse and send them blasting off.

Butch and Cassidy made cameos in *The Scheme Team*, where they were seen leaving Team Rocket HQ using jet packs.

In *The Ole' Berate and Switch!*, Butch and Cassidy hosted a fake tournament in Sable City in a ploy to steal the competitors' Pokémon. After the Team Rocket trio split up, Jessie forced Butch to be her replacement partner in an attempt to make off with all of the Pokémon. Similarly, Cassidy made James her new partner. However, the two Team Rocket teams rearranged following several frustrations, with Jessie returning to James. The theft plot was then stopped, and the stolen Pokémon were recovered due to the intervention of Ash and his friends.

### *Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl*

In *Sleight of Sand!*, Butch and Cassidy used their Rhyhorn robot in an attempt to capture a Hippowdon. However, he was stopped by the other Hippowdon and a Hippopotas, who were aided by Ash and his friends.

### *Pokémon Journeys: The Series*

Butch reappeared in *The Good, The Bad, and The Lucky!*, running a bakery in a quiet coastal village alongside a Meowth. He served Jessie, Meowth, and Wobbuffet after they ran into him, commenting that he had left Team Rocket and Cassidy after getting fed up with the routine. The group helped Butch run his place as repayment for a few days; then Jessie and Wobbuffet continued their Team Rocket duties while persuading Meowth to stay, as he had taken interest in Butch's Meowth and seemed happier there.

A heartbroken Meowth eventually left Butch after realizing Butch's Meowth was in love with a Persian.

## Character

Butch's partner is Cassidy, and she is one of the few that usually manages to get his name right, much to his frustration. In one of the most famous running gags in the anime series, everyone else calls him "Biff", "Bilge", "Buzz", "Bill", "Bob", "Botch", "Buffy", "Butcher", "Chuck", "Clutch", "Footch", "Hooch", "Hutch", "Mitch", or "Patch" (コサンジ *Kosanji* in Japanese). Sometimes when Cassidy gets it right, he, out of habit, tries to correct her and ends up calling *himself* the incorrect name. This, of course, annoys him to no end, so much so in the Pokémon Chronicles episode *Training Daze* that he said in frustration, "That does it, I am changing my name." In *A Promise is a Promise*, to annoy James, he calls him "John".

It appears that Giovanni and Dr. Namba recognized Butch and Cassidy as higher-ranked members than Jessie, James and Meowth. However, this did not seem to be the case during *Pokémon the Series: Black & White*, as Giovanni himself told them they were his highest-ranked agents.

## Pokémon

This listing is of Butch's known Pokémon in the anime:

### On hand

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### Status unknown

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Hitmontop appeared again in *Showdown at the Oak Corral*, where he battled against Professor Oak, Tracey, and Delia.
His last appearance was in *Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl!*, where he went up against Gary's Umbreon and Crystal's Ivysaur during a failed attempt to capture a wild Aerodactyl.
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### Temporary

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They include: Pikachu, Togepi, Meowth, Arbok, Lickitung, Weezing, Victreebel, Wartortle, Vulpix, Mankey, Primeape, Growlithe, Poliwag, Ponyta, Magnemite, Grimer, Kingler, Voltorb, Hitmonchan, Seaking, Starmie, Electabuzz, Magikarp, Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon. Pikachu and Togepi were the first to get hypnotized including a whole lot more and suddenly they just disappear. Then next is Meowth which Team Rocket follow and discover their base as their Pokémon turn against them too.
When Ash, Misty, Tracey and Officer Jenny find the base the Pokémon attack with numerous moves. Ash has an idea and makes Pikachu uses Electric moves making it angry, Ash then stands near Drowzee and Pikachu shocks him and the machine stopping Drowzee and stopping the trance.
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## Trivia

* According to Eric Stuart, he modeled Butch's voice after Harvey Fierstein and Sandra Diamond in order to differentiate him from his counterpart James.

## References

1. ↑ https://journeyofafrontman.com/2015/10/28/on-the-line-with-eric-stuart/