Summary
ThePokémonanime has had some strange scenes before, but one of the weirdest (and darkest) of them all takes place early in theRuby and Sapphireera of the anime. The moment in question centers on Team Rocket’s Jessie, and her attempts to capture Seviper, which would go on to be her main Pokémon for quite a long time afterward. However, the trainer and Pokémon’s relationship got off to a very rocky start thanks to how exactly Seviper was captured.
Jessie’s Seviper first appears in the episode “A Tail with a Twist,” one of the first few episodes set in the Hoenn region. At the time, Jessie had only Wobbuffet, having just released Arbok a few episodes earlier to guard a group of wild Ekans that were being hunted by a Pokémon poacher. Wobbuffet, not being especially well-suited to battle, made it rather difficult to catch a new Pokémon, since one generally has to battle and defeat them first. James managed to catch a Cacnea without having to fight it, but such a tactic was unlikely to work for Jessie.
Jessie initially tried traps and baits to lure Seviper into a position where she could catch it, but after it damaged her hair, she took a new approach.
Jessie Battled a Pokémon With Her Bare Hands
Jessie Proves a Human Can Hold Their Own Against a Pokémon
Jessie first throws Wobbuffet at Seviper, but realizing it can’t actually attack, recalls it andthrows Meowth out instead. Meowth wants nothing to do with fighting Seviper, and gets knocked away immediately. Jessie is knocked over and drops a rice ball, and dives in an attempt to catch it. Instead of eating the rice ball, Seviper chomps down on Jessie’s hair, taking a big chunk out of her curl.This infuriates Jessie to the point where she begins attacking it, first with “Fury Swipes,” followed by a “Mega Kick.” These two attacks are enough to knock out Seviper, shockingly enough.
Jessie very nearly goes too far, continuing to beat the unconscious Pokémon until James and Meowth remind her she’s supposed to be catching it. She throws a Poké Ball and is able to capture it with ease, giving Jessie her first Pokémon in the Hoenn region. Of course, Seviper doesn’t fare too well in battle when put up against Ash’s team, despite having defeated his Treecko earlier in the episode while it was still a wild Pokémon.
This isn’t the only time a human has attempted to fight a Pokémon, with Ash notablycharging at Mewtwowith the intention of punching it in the first movie. It is, however, the first and probably only time that a human defeated a Pokémon in battle, largely because Seviper was so shocked that Jessie would come at it directly that it didn’t fight back. The whole scene is pretty strange, and stands out for being so out of line with the basic premise of the show–that being that one needs a Pokémon companion in order to defeat other wild Pokémon.
Jessie would go on to have a pretty good relationship with her Seviper despite this start, with Jessie having apparently won its respect. Jessie fighting a Pokémon barehanded is certainly one of the darker moments in the series, but it turned out to be the beginning of a partnership that would help define an entire era of thePokémonanime.
Pokémon
Cast
Pokémon follows Ash Ketchum on his journey to become a Pokémon Master, accompanied by his loyal Pikachu. Released in 1997, the series explores Ash’s travels through various regions, where he encounters new friends and challenges, underscoring the themes of adventure and teamwork.
