James's Weezing

James's Weezing コジロウのマタドガス Kojirō's Matadogas

James's Weezing

Debuts in Pokémon Emergency! Caught at Unknown Evolves in Dig Those Diglett! Gender Unknown* Ability Unknown Released in A Poached Ego! Current location Hoenn

→ This Pokémon spent 29 episodes as Koffing.

Voice actor Japanese English As Koffing Unshō Ishizuka Michael Haigney As Weezing Unshō Ishizuka Eric Stuart

James's Weezing (Japanese: コジロウのマタドガス Kojirō's Matadogas) was the first Pokémon James was known to have, and his third overall. He received it as a Christmas gift (a year-end gift in the original Japanese version).

History

Original series

Kanto

As a Koffing

It was mentioned in Island of the Giant Pokémon that James received Koffing, who had already been captured at this point, as a gift last Christmas (oseibo in the original Japanese version), before he met Ash. It is unknown who gave it to him.

Weezing first appeared in Pokémon Emergency! as a Koffing. James used it alongside Jessie's Ekans to quickly overtake the defenseless Viridian Pokémon Center. Koffing's job was to create a Smokescreen while Ekans destroyed the computers. Chasing everyone into the back room, Koffing and Ekans accompanied their Trainers in intimidating Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy, which caused Misty to decide to battle Team Rocket. This was a failed effort, however, as both of them managed to catch up to Ash in no time at all. However, Nurse Joy's Pikachu came out and healed Ash's Pikachu with a Thunder Shock attack, while at the same time attacking the Team Rocket trio. Giving Ash's Pikachu enough power to stand up, Ash charged up Pikachu using Misty's charred bike, and he let him use his own Thunder Shock. As the group were electrocuted, Koffing used Smog, and the electricity climbed up the toxic gas, causing the entire Pokémon Center to explode, and sending Team Rocket blasting off for the first time.

Weezing and James

It was used constantly by James as his main battling Pokémon throughout Kanto and eventually evolved into a Weezing in Dig Those Diglett!, along with Ekans, after James and Jessie were desperate for them to evolve.

In Princess vs. Princess, Jessie used Weezing during the Queen of the Princess Festival contest. Weezing helped Jessie make it to the finals, but ultimately failed against Pikachu's Thunder Shock.

In The Evolution Solution, James used Weezing to capture a Shellder he dug up. Weezing was easily able to defeat it with its Haze attack after dodging its Ice Beam. Just as James was about to catch it, Jessie jumped in and got it herself.

Johto

Throughout the Johto region, James tended to use Victreebel more for combat than Weezing. During this time, Weezing was mainly used to create smoke to cover escapes and entrances.

Advanced Generation series

Weezing fighting alongside Arbok

In A Ruin With A View, James sent out Weezing alongside Arbok to battle Team Magma Grunts who approached them. Not long after being sent out, Team Magma's Houndoom used Roar to send Weezing and Arbok back into their Poké Balls.

In A Poached Ego!, Team Rocket found a poacher holding a herd of Ekans and Koffing captive in Hoenn. After freeing them, James and Jessie reluctantly ordered Weezing and Arbok to stay in the wild and guard their fellow Pokémon. Arbok and Weezing had to when the poacher used his Tyranitar to attack Jessie, James, and Meowth, even though it was clear that they wanted to stay and defend them. The two Pokémon have not been seen since then. In this episode, James said that "Weezing and I are like brothers," indicating a great bond between the two.

Personality and characteristics

Weezing was shown to be extremely loyal to James, caring about him a great deal and only taking orders from him. In Island of the Giant Pokémon, as a Koffing, it refused to attack Ash's Pokémon on Meowth's orders, simply because he was not James. Both Koffing and Ekans were very sad about being separated from their Trainers, and were happily crying upon being reunited with them. Also, in that episode, when Meowth orders Koffing and Ekans to attack Ash's Pokémon, they refuse, and they revealed that "Pokémon not bad guys! Pokémon do bad things because masters bad!" This shows that while Weezing and Arbok have strong bonds with their trainers, they never see themselves or any other Pokémon as bad guys; they only carry out evil deeds out of obedience to their Trainers. In Dig Those Diglett!, Koffing's evolution into Weezing was triggered simply by James's emotional tears. The only time Weezing refused to obey its Trainer was in A Chansey Operation, where it refused to attack a Chansey because of how it cared for it during its operation from an injury that was caused from Team Rocket's scheme of stealing a group of Pokémon from a Pokémon Center going wrong. This also shows that Weezing will show a great deal of gratitude to anyone who helps it from any form of circumstance. As seen in The Flame Pokémon-athon!, even though Weezing will only obey James, its loyalty does extend to the team as a whole, and it will readily protect anyone it considers an ally. It demonstrated this by stepping in when Arbok was surprised by Ponyta's flames and retaliating with Smog, even though this proved to be a bad idea when the flames ignited the Smog.

Weezing is also shown to be very emotional, especially in situations when it was either seperated or forced to be seperated from James. In Island of the Giant Pokémon, when it was a Koffing and seperated from James, it became visibly upset (even changing its natural happy facial expression to worrisome) when Ash's Bulbasaur told them that their trainers abandoned them, and it and Ekans cried desperately with Ash's Pikachu trying to cheer them up. In Lights, Camera, Quacktion both Weezing and Arbok got depressed for being rejected as the main characters in the movie. It was only with James's and Jessie's help that they got over it. On their last appearance, in A Poached Ego!, they were reluctant in leaving Jessie and James, and when they did, they were in tears about it.

Weezing could be seen as extremely powerful in the first movie, as Nurse Joy and Miranda said more than once that only the stronger Pokémon with the most exceptional Trainers could face the storm. Yet, it was Weezing who brought Team Rocket to New Island.

Moves used

Using Tackle	Move First Used In Smog Pokémon Emergency! Smokescreen † Pokémon Emergency! Sludge † Ash Catches a Pokémon Tackle Clefairy and the Moon Stone Poison Gas The Ghost of Maiden's Peak
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

• In the dubbed version of The Evolution Solution, James told Weezing to use Haze. In the original Japanese version, he simply told Weezing to counterattack.

In the games

Weezing appears as part of Jessie and James's team each time they appear, alongside Meowth/Ekans and its pre-evolved form. It is set to appear in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

Pokémon Yellow
First and second battle Mt. Moon/Rocket Hideout	Third and fourth battle Pokémon Tower/Silph Co.
Type: Poison Unknown Koffing Lv.14/25 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --       Struggle Normal   --	Type: Poison Unknown Weezing Lv.27/31 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Sludge Poison   --       Struggle Normal   --

Pokémon Zany Cards back boxart

Pokémon Zany Cards

Weezing is depicted on a photograph on the box art for Pokémon Zany Cards, along with Arbok and Wobbuffet. However, it does not make an appearance in the game.

In the manga

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Weezing in The Electric Tale of Pikachu

As a Koffing

James's Weezing makes an appearance in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu. He first appears as a Koffing in Pikachu's Excellent Adventure. All subsequent appearances, beginning in You Gotta Have Friends, are as a Weezing. Like in the anime, Weezing is James's primary Pokémon used in battle.

Moves used

Using Smog	Move First Used In Smog You Gotta Have Friends
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

Trivia

• In The Misty Mermaid, James's Weezing was shown as less dense than water, causing it to float.
• Though Team Rocket began chasing Pikachu mainly because it was powerful enough to blow up the Pokémon Center, it should be noted that James's Koffing was part of the cause — its gas reacted with the electricity to create the explosion.
• Koffing and Weezing used Poison Gas in season 1, even though they couldn't learn the move in the games until Generation II.

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Koffing and Weezing.

Team Rocket's Pokémon
Travel with:	Meowth	Rotom Phone
	Jessie			James
On hand:	Wobbuffet	Seviper	Yanmega	Mime Jr.	Carnivine	Yamask
	Woobat	Frillish	Gourgeist	Amoonguss	Inkay	Morpeko
In training:				Cacnea
At home:				Growlie	Chimecho
Released:	Arbok	Dustox	Mimikyu	Weezing	Gyarados	Mareanie
Traded away:	Lickitung			Victreebel
Lived with (all three):	Bewear	Stufful
Worked with (all three):	Delibird	Pelipper
Temporarily owned:	Porygon Zero	Shellder	Magikarp	Second Victreebel	Hoppip
	Mawile
Befriended:	Blissey
Status unknown:	Starmie			Pidgey	Numel
For a list of other Pokémon Team Rocket has commanded, see here and here

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.