Executive (Trainer class)

Executive ロケットだんかんぶ Team Rocket Executive
Art from HeartGold and SoulSilver
Other names	Rocket Executive (ロケットだんいん のかんぶ Team Rocket Executive) (Generation II) Team Rocket Admin (ロケットだんいんのかんぶ Team Rocket executive member) (Generations III and VII)
Introduced in	Generation II
Appears in	Gold, Silver, and Crystal FireRed and LeafGreen HeartGold and SoulSilver Let's Go, Pikachu!, Let's Go, Eevee! Stadium 2
Gender	Both
Counterpart	{{{counterpart}}}
Notable members	Proton, Petrel, Ariana, and Archer Sham, Carl (Adventures) Grey (The Golden Boys)
Anime debut
TCG debut	[[(TCG)|]]
TCG card	{{{card}}}
Manga debut	JBA4 (Jō's Big Adventure) Piloswine Whine (Adventures) Gold and Black vs. Team Rocket (The Golden Boys)

A Team Rocket Admin, Rocket Executive, or Executive (Japanese: ロケットだんかんぶ Team Rocket Executive, introduced as ロケットだんいんの かんぶ Team Rocket Executive Member) is a type of Pokémon Trainer that first debuted in the Generation II games.

They are the highest ranked members of Team Rocket after Giovanni, and are the heads of Team Rocketl after he abandons the organization. They tend to use a combination of Poison- and Dark-type Pokémon.

Terminology

See also: Team Rocket Grunt → Terminology

These characters are referred to as Executives or Admins, depending on the generation. They are unnamed prior to Generation IV.

In all generations, this does not include the gender symbols (♂♀), unlike several other Trainer classes with male and female members.

Generation II

In Generation II, including in Pokémon Stadium 2, this is known as "ROCKET EXECUTIVE" (Japanese: ロケットだんいんの かんぶ Team Rocket Executive Member). For instance: "ROCKET EXECUTIVE wants to battle!"

In the game data, this is formed by the Trainer class "ROCKET" (Japanese: ロケットだんいん Team Rocket Member) and character name "EXECUTIVE" (Japanese: かんぶ Executive).

In this generation, the male and female Executives are grouped in two separate Trainer classes equally named "ROCKET", each of them with its own battle sprite (in addition to two other "ROCKET" Trainer classes for the male and female Grunts). Each of the Team Rocket Executives was individually named "EXECUTIVE".

Dialogue example:

• "If you were to join TEAM ROCKET, you could become an EXECUTIVE."

Generation III

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, this is known as "TEAM ROCKET ADMIN" (Japanese: ロケットだんの かんぶ Team Rocket Executive). In English, "ROCKET" from previous generation was expanded to "TEAM ROCKET", and "EXECUTIVE" was changed to "ADMIN". In Japanese, 「だんいん」 (Team Member) was shortened to 「だん」(Team).

In the game data, this is formed by the Trainer class "TEAM ROCKET" (Japanese: ロケットだん Team Rocket) and character name "ADMIN" (Japanese: かんぶ Executive). Unlike the previous generation, there is a single "TEAM ROCKET" Trainer class, which equally applies to the male and female versions of both Grunts and Admins. Each Team Rocket Admin character was individually named "ADMIN".

Dialogue example:

• "We'll try digging here. That treasure the ADMINS've been talking about should be here."

Generation IV

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, this is known as "Executive" (Japanese: ロケットだんかんぶ Team Rocket Executive). The Japanese version is exactly the same used since Generation III.

In the game data, "Executive" is now stored as the Trainer class instead of the character name, such as "You are challenged by Executive Proton!" In English, "Executive" does not include "Team Rocket", even though the equivalent 「ロケットだん」 is still present in the Japanese version.

In the game data, there are four separate "Executive" Trainer classes, one used by each character (Proton, Petrel, Ariana, and Archer).

Generation VII

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, this is known as "Team Rocket Admin" (Japanese: ロケットだんかんぶ Team Rocket Executive). In English, this Trainer class has the same name as in Generation III. The Japanese version is exactly the same used since Generation III.

In the game data, there is a Trainer class specifically named "Team Rocket Admin", which is not the same as the other three separate Trainer classes named "Team Rocket" (used by Jessie, James, and the Grunts). Archer is the only Team Rocket Admin present in this generation.

In the core series games

Generation II

Generation II art by Ken Sugimori for the TCG

In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, there are four male executives and one female executive (who is battled twice). (The Executives are all unnamed, but the number of distinct Executives can be extrapolated from their parties and where they appear.) They battle the player at Team Rocket HQ and Goldenrod Radio Tower.

Generation III

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, two unnamed Team Rocket Admins appear in command of the Rocket Warehouse. They seem to be two of the same members who would head Team Rocket in Johto three years later (Ariana and Archer, although they did not have names or distinct identities until Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver).

Petrel, Archer, Ariana and Proton in the game intro of HeartGold and SoulSilver

In the Rocket Warehouse, the female Team Rocket Admin is battled before going into the male administrator's room. She objects that Team Rocket is disbanded, but after a battle, admits that it probably is and as a final act, turns off the floor so that the player can go back and heal. After defeating the male Team Rocket Admin, he sees the player's Earth Badge and realizes that the Viridian City-based Team Rocket has disbanded; he then tells the player that he will find Giovanni and revive Team Rocket.

The Team Rocket Admins are the same people as the Rocket executives in Generations II and IV, as hinted by the similarity in their teams and the male administrator's determination to revive Team Rocket after he is defeated, as well as the information given on the computer screen which the Rocket administrator was working on ("The influence of magnetic waves on Pokémon evolution"). This is linked to what happened in Generations II and IV, when Team Rocket used radio waves to evolve the Magikarp at Lake of Rage.

Generation IV

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, there are four Executives each with distinct names and identities. Their names (Proton, Petrel, Ariana, and Archer) refer to real-life rockets or missiles in all languages—much like Team Galactic's Commanders, who were named after celestial bodies.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver adjusted the number of distinct Executives relative to Generation II: Proton takes the place of both a Grunt in Slowpoke Well and an Executive in the Radio Tower; and Petrel takes the place of both the Executive in Giovanni's office in the Team Rocket HQ and the Executive disguised as the Radio Director. In both cases, their parties in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are a combination of the parties of the characters they replaced from Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

Generation VII

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Archer is the sole Admin of Team Rocket, being first encountered at the Team Rocket Hideout in Celadon City. He later leads the organization's takeover of the Silph Co. in Saffron City and fights the player and Trace in an attempt to keep them from interfering. During the post-game, he meets the player at the hideout again, informing them of his plans to leave Kanto and someday restore Team Rocket, before leaving to do just that.

Gallery

Proton's Grunt sprite from Generation II	Proton, Petrel, and Archer's sprite from Generation II	Ariana's sprite from Generation II	Archer's sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen	Ariana's sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen
Proton, Petrel, and Archer's overworld sprite from Generation II		Ariana's overworld sprite from Generation II	Archer's overworld sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen	Ariana's overworld sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen
Proton's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Petrel's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Ariana's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Archer's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Archer's VS model from Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Proton's overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Petrel's overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Ariana's overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver	Archer's overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver

In the side series games

Pokémon Stadium 2

In Pokémon Stadium 2, two Executives, one male and one female, appear along with a pair of Rocket Grunts, interrupting the player's progress through the Johto Gym Leader Castle after the player has defeated Jasmine. Because their teams contain the distinctive Pokémon Vileplume and Houndoom, they appear to be inspired by two of the admins from Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

Rocket Executive♂ portrait from Stadium 2	Rocket Executive♀ portraits from Stadium 2

Trainer list

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Rocket Executive ♂	Initial battle	$1584	Lv.22	Lv.22	Lv.24	-------	-------	-------
Rocket Executive ♀	Initial battle	$1800	Lv.23	Lv.23	Lv.25	-------	-------	-------
	First rematch	$2304	Lv.32	Lv.32	Lv.32	-------	-------	-------
Rocket Executive ♂	Initial battle	$2160	Lv.30	Lv.30	Lv.30	Lv.30	Lv.32	Lv.30
Rocket Executive ♂	Initial battle	$2592	Lv.36	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Rocket Executive ♂	Initial battle	$2520	Lv.33	Lv.33	Lv.35	-------	-------	-------

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Team Rocket Admin ♀	Initial battle	$1728	Lv.53	Lv.54	Lv.55	-------	-------	-------
Team Rocket Admin ♂	Initial battle	$1760	Lv.53	Lv.54	Lv.55	-------	-------	-------

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Executive Archer	Initial battle	$3040	Lv.35	Lv.35	Lv.38	-------	-------	-------
Executive Ariana	Initial battle	$2960	Lv.25	Lv.25	Lv.27	-------	-------	-------
	First rematch	$2560	Lv.32	Lv.32	Lv.32	-------	-------	-------
Executive Petrel	Initial battle	$880	Lv.22	Lv.22	Lv.24	-------	-------	-------
	First rematch	$1200	Lv.30	Lv.30	Lv.30	Lv.30	Lv.32	Lv.30
Executive Proton	Initial battle	$480	Lv.8	Lv.12	-------	-------	-------	-------
	First rematch	$1320	Lv.28	Lv.33	-------	-------	-------	-------

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Team Rocket Admin Archer	Initial battle	$3,300	Lv.33	Lv.33	-------	-------	-------	-------
	First rematch	$4,652*	Lv.37	Lv.37	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------

Pokémon Stadium 2

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Rocket Executive ♀	Initial battle	$----	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100
	Second battle	$----	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100
Rocket Executive ♂	Initial battle	$----	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100
	Second battle	$----	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100	Lv.50-100

In the anime

It is unknown whether or not there are executives present in the anime, as Giovanni is still in control of the organization. Instead, the anime tends to focus much more on high-ranking Team Rocket field agents such as Domino and the Iron-Masked Marauder. Annie and Oakley were also inclusive to the ranks of Team Rocket, working as hired spies hunting Latios and Latias, but this was only in the English dub. Matori, Giovanni's personal secretary and commander of the elite Matori Matrix unit, frequently fulfills an Executive-like role by giving assignments when Giovanni is not available.

In the manga

Team Rocket Executives in Pokémon Adventures

Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure

The four Generation IV Executives appear in the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga, fulfilling similar roles as in the games.

Pokémon Adventures

Red, Green & Blue arc

Lt. Surge, Koga, and Sabrina are Team Rocket executives, having abandoned their respective Gyms to work for the evil organization instead.

Yellow arc

After witnessing a battle between Yellow and Lance, Giovanni realized that he still had a lot to learn and told his three executives to return to their Gyms.

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

Under the Masked Man's leadership, Neo Team Rocket's executives were Sham and Carl, who were based on the Generation II Executive designs.

HeartGold & SoulSilver arc

Archer, Ariana, Petrel, and Proton take over the organization from Carr and search for Arceus and its Plates to accomplish their plan of making Giovanni return to Team Rocket's leadership.

Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys

Grey from the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga is based on the male Executive design. His role within the team is based on Archer's.

In the TCG

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Team Rocket Executives in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Related cards Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Team Rocket's Evil Deeds	T	Neo Destiny		103/105	Darkness, and to Light...
Team Rocket's Trickery	Su	Undaunted		78/90	Reviving Legends		076/080
					Tyranitar Constructed Standard Deck		018/019

Trivia

• Though Rocket Executives are members of Team Rocket, like Rocket Grunts and Scientists, the background theme played when fighting them is the normal Trainer battle theme in Gold, Silver, and Crystal Versions. This was rectified in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, where all members of Team Rocket-related Trainer classes play the Rocket battle theme.
• In merging multiple Executives together, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver introduced a plot hole: Petrel is present in both the Goldenrod Radio Tower and the Team Rocket HQ at the same time. When the player first visits Goldenrod City, a guard comments on the Director's changed nature:

"Sorry. Authorized personnel only beyond this point. It wasn’t that way before. There’s something wrong with the Director…"

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 火箭隊幹部 Fójin Déui Gonbouh Mandarin 火箭隊幹部 / 火箭队干部 Huǒjiàn Duì Gànbù French Admin Team RocketFRLGPE CommandantHGSS Caïd RocketGSC German Rocket-VorstandPE VorstandFRLGHGSS Rocket VorstandGSC Italian Generale Team RocketPE Generale RocketHGSS Tenente, Team RocketFRLG Generale,RocketGSC Korean 로켓단간부 Rocket Dan Ganbu Portuguese Executivo da Equipe Rocket Spanish Comandante RocketPE EjecutivoHGSS Admin Team RocketFRLG Ejecutivo RocketGSC Vietnamese Chỉ huy của nhóm Rocket

This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.