Jessie
| Jessie ムサシ Musashi | |
 Art from the Best Wishes series | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Blue |
| Hair color | Red*, Magenta* |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Kanto |
| Relatives | Miyamoto (mother) |
| Trainer class | Agent, Coordinator |
| Generation | I |
| Games | Yellow |
| Member of | Team Rocket |
| Rank | Advanced Troop |
| Partner | James |
| Animated debut | Pokémon Emergency! |
| English voice actor | Rachael Lillis (4Kids) Michele Knotz (TPCi) |
| Japanese voice actor | Megumi Hayashibara Akiko Hiramatsu (temp.) |
Jessie (Japanese: ムサシ Musashi) is a member of the Team Rocket trio with James and Meowth, that follows Ash and friends around in the Pokémon anime, usually trying to steal Ash's Pikachu, but always failing.
In the anime
Character
Jessie's mother, Miyamoto, was a high-ranking Team Rocket agent. When Jessie was around the age of three, Miyamoto left on a mission to the Andes to record the voice of the elusive Pokémon Mew. However, after Miyamoto disappeared, Jessie was put into a foster home which had very little money. There were times when she had no choice but to eat snow because of a lack of more nourishing food.
When she was old enough, she left home to become a Pokémon nurse in Johto. However, the school she was enrolled in was literally for Pokémon nurses (i.e. Chansey), so she failed to graduate and left, leaving behind a Chansey she had befriended there. In the episode Ignorance is Blissey, Jessie was reunited with that same Chansey, which had since evolved into a Blissey. It is assumed that she then traveled back to Kanto, where she enrolled in Pokémon Tech, a Trainer's school, she met James, and subsequently failed and dropped out. After this, Jessie and James joined a bicycle gang in Sunny Town, where Jessie was known for swinging a chain above her head as she rode her bike, acquiring the nickname "Chainer Jess". It was revealed in Spring Fever that she was a model at one point.
Due to conflicts in canon between Kanto and Johto episodes and the special episode Training Daze, what happened between Jessie and James after the bike gang is unknown. What is known, as shown in the special episode, is that they joined Team Rocket separately and were on initially unfriendly terms after being grouped with Meowth but they quickly made up and became good friends.
Sometime before joining Team Rocket, and it is not known when, Jessie obtained a Contest Pass in the Hoenn region. Also during the years before Team Rocket, she had several boyfriends, all of whom left her and/or treated her badly. In Xatu the Future, she revealed that she had once worked at a T.V. station as the weathergirl. In From Cradle to Save, it was revealed that she once was a ninja. In Crossing Paths, it was revealed that she had a crush on a boy she had gone to school with named Astin, who has a current-day counterpart with a similar name.
She has a long-standing bitter rivalry with Cassidy, another member of Team Rocket. And Team Rocket member Wendy held a grudge against Jessie for failing to pay for a drink (making Wendy pay), but got her revenge when she added the charge to Jessie's overall Team Rocket bill.
Jessie seems to have a special preference for snake-like Pokémon, owning both an Arbok and a Seviper. In The Ninja Poké Showdown, she expressed a preference for Template:Type2 Pokémon in general.
It is revealed in Holy Matrimony! that Jessie is almost identical in appearance to James's fiancée, Jessiebelle, with the two of them having virtually identical faces and the only noticeable physical differences between them being eye color, hairstyle, and slightly different hair colors. Meowth in particular takes notice of this and frequently reminds Jessie of the fact throughout the episode, something she takes strong offense to due to Jessiebelle's reprehensible personality. Interestingly enough by the time the subject of Jessiebelle is breached again in Two Degrees of Separation! she seems to have forgotten about her doppelganger and needs Meowth to remind her of who she is. The resemblance between the two was further explored in The Treasure is All Mine! when she disguised herself as Jessiebelle in order to grant herself, James, and Meowth, entrance into one of James's family mansions without James having to do so himself.
Jessie is also known to be very vain and is also prone to explosive anger. She values her appearance, and she can get furious when her face or hair is damaged, such as in The Tower of Terror, Don't Touch That 'dile!, A Tail with a Twist or A Meteoric Rise to Excellence!. When this happens, she may do things like beat up a Pokémon such as Meowth or her Seviper. Furthermore, Jessie goes into a violent outrage whenever someone insults her beauty by calling her old, such as the episode The Battling Eevee Brothers when Misty calls Jessie an "old hag" (Japanese: oba-san). She spat fire in extreme anger after Misty called her that name in that episode. She is also angered (compared to her companions, who are usually depressed when they fail at something) when missions are either failed or botched, which is a regular thing. This anger was intensely demonstrated in the Indigo League, Orange Islands and part of the Johto League story arcs. However, her anger tantrums started to become less intense over the next two story arcs. It should be noted that her short temper, while it has always been a part of her character, tended to appear far more intense in the dub than in the original, which is a contrast of Lillis's vocal performance to Hayashibara's.
Starting in Hoenn, Jessie became a Pokémon Coordinator, entering every contest that she could. She frequently made it to the battle round, but usually lost there. However, in Borrowing on Bad Faith, she finally succeeded in winning an (unofficial) contest by using Ash's Aipom, which she had saved earlier in the episode. And, in Team Shocker!, she won an official contest with her Dustox at Solaceon Town. Later in Shield with a Twist, she won a ribbon with help of her Yanmega. She has Contest Passes to compete in the Hoenn, Kanto, and Sinnoh regions.
In the Kanto contests, Jessie disguised herself as Jessebella (Japanese: ムサぴょん Musa-pyon) wearing a red dress and glasses. Eventually, Ash, Brock, Max and May found out her true identity in the last contest.
During the Kanto Grand Festival, Jessie dressed up as Jessadia (Japanese: プリティ・ムサリン Pretty Musalin) and wore glasses, long white socks, a yellow and orange dress, and had her hair in pigtails. She worked there as an announcer and Lilian Meridian's assistant; Lilian herself said she did not really like "Jessadia"'s style, but recognized her talent.
In Sinnoh Super Contests, Jessie disguised herself as Jessilina (Japanese: キャンディ・ムサリーナ Candy Musalina), using big glasses and an orange dress. She was notable for the fact that, in the appeals round of a contest, Jessie tended to use her Pokémon to show herself off, rather than showing them off. The orange dress she wore was ripped into pieces during her appeal for the Grand Festival in Last Call, First Round!. In the Latin American dub, she entered Super Contests under the name Jessiebella (referencing Jessiebelle again).
In Pruning a Passel of Pals! and Strategy With a Smile! she once again used her Jessadia disguise to report on the Wallace Cup.
Although Jessie entered mostly every contest in Hoenn and Kanto, she lost in all of them, whether it was the first match of the Battle Rounds or the finals. However, in the Sinnoh region, she won three ribbons herself using her Dustox, Yanmega and Seviper, and obtained a ribbon after James won a contest in her place, as well as receiving one from Princess Salvia after she lost to her. Jessie is now eligible to participate in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and has made it to the semi-finals, losing to Dawn.
She's also used other aliases to disguise herself under, such as Jessilinda during her time at the Pokémon Summer Academy and Jessilynlyn while competing in the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament. Against Marilyn in Battling a Cute Drama!, she used the alias Jessirilyn.
Pokémon
As with the standards set by the Team Rocket organization, Jessie initially started off with mainly Template:Type2s. However, as the anime continued onward, her team has diversified. However, she is still strongly associated with Poison-type serpentine Pokémon, such as Arbok and Seviper. Most of her other Pokémon tend to be unusual in appearance and don't usually fit the general image of "cute". However, she does display a desire to obtain Pokémon that are considered "adorable" when the opportunity presents itself, especially feminine Pokémon such as Happiny or Smoochum. Her attraction towards Smoochum is actually shown in several episodes, such as Three Jynx and a Baby and Battling the Enemy Within!. She was also attracted to a Weavile in Duels of the Jungle!. Occasionally, she manages to take control of some powerful Pokémon, but due to either inexperience or hubris, this often backfires and loses control of them. She doesn't appear to train her Pokémon that often. Instead, they are often used to fight against Ash and his friends. When she enters contests, she tends to involve herself in her Pokémon's appeals. She is also very fond of Dratini, as evidenced in EP035 and Fangs For Nothin!.
On hand
 Wobbuffet ♂ |
 Seviper |
 Yanmega ♀ |
Released
 Shellder |
 Ekans → Arbok |
 Magikarp |
File:Jessies Dustox.png Wurmple → Cascoon → Dustox ♀ |
Traded away
 Lickitung |
Borrowed
| File:JamesWeezing.png Weezing |
File:Cacnea of James.png Cacnea ♂ |
File:Jessie borrowing James Chimecho.png Chimecho |
File:Mime Jr James.png Mime Jr. |
| File:CarnivineBind.png Carnivine |
 Cacturne |
 Banette |
 Aipom♀ |
Temporary
Status unknown
 Starmie |
- Starmie: Jessie was seen riding a Starmie in a flashback in From Cradle To Save.
Achievements
- Winner, unofficial contest in Borrowing on Bad Faith
Ribbons obtained
- Solaceon Ribbon (Team Shocker!)
- Majolica Ribbon (Shield with a Twist!)
- Lilypad Ribbon (James won the ribbon on her behalf in Dressed for Jess Success!)
- Neighborly Ribbon (Teaching The Student Teacher!)
- Arrowroot Ribbon (Princess Salvia, disguised as Dawn, gave her the ribbon for the performance she gave during their battle in Dawn of a Royal Day!.)
Grand Festival ranking
Jessie placed in the following Grand Festival competitions:
- Sinnoh Grand Festival (Top 4)
Voice actors
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In the games
Pokémon Yellow
Both Jessie and James appear in Pokémon Yellow as in-game bosses. They first attack the main character in Mt. Moon, while trying to take one of the rare fossils uncovered there.
Later, in Celadon City's Rocket Game Corner, Jessie and James guard Giovanni's room in the Team Rocket base. During that time, as the player runs into them, they are eager for revenge after the main character busted up their plans at Mt. Moon.
They hold Mr. Fuji hostage at Pokémon Tower. They attack the main character on the seventh floor.
Finally, at Silph Co. in Saffron City, Jessie and James make their final appearance, once again trying to stall the main character from reaching their Boss.
Unlike in the anime, Jessie and James do not follow the main character around and come up with their usual evil plans to capture Pikachu.
First battle
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Second battle
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Third battle
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Fourth battle
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Quotes
- First battle:
"Stop right there! That fossil is Team Rocket’s! Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"A brat beat us?"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
- Second battle:
"Not another step, brat! How dare you humiliate us at Mt.Moon! It’s payback time, you brat!"
"Such a dreadful twerp!"
"Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off again!"
- Third battle:
"Stop right there! Grampa here wanted to complain, so we’re setting him straight. So render yourself invisible, or prepare to fight!"
"You will regret this!"
"Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off again!"
- Fourth battle:
"Hold it right there, brat! Our Boss is in a meeting! You better not disturb him!"
"Like always…"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light! Again…"
Pokémon Puzzle League
Along with many other anime characters, both Jessie and James appeared in Pokémon Puzzle League. They are the main opponents in the "Spa Service" line clear challenge.
In the manga
Jessie appears in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga series along with her teammates James and Meowth.
Her first appearance is in Pikachu's Excellent Adventure. She, James and Meowth tag along with a group of lost Pokémon, including Pikachu, to try and find the Hidden Village. When they arrive, she and James attempt to steal the Pokémon living in the village, but they are quickly expelled by a Kangaskhan. In this chapter, she uses a Ekans in battle.
Jessie's next appearance is in You Gotta Have Friends. She and James attempt to steal a herd of wild Pikachu. At this point in the manga, Jessie's Ekans has evolved into Arbok, though its evolution is not depicted in the manga.
While in the anime, the nature of Jessie's relationship with James is not explicitly stated, in the epilogue of the manga, James is shown confessing his love to Jessie. They are shown afterwards married with Jessie visibly pregnant.
Like many female characters in the manga, Jessie is depicted with an oversized bust, though this is edited down for VIZ Media's English translation.
Pokémon
On hand
 →  Ekans → Arbok |
In the TCG
Jessie and James appear on both versions of the card Here Comes Team Rocket!, which originally released in the Team Rocket set; it was re-released with different artwork in EX Team Rocket Returns. In that expansion, there was also a preconstructed Theme Deck based on Jessie.
- Herecomesteamrocket2.jpg
Team Rocket artwork
- EXTRR Here Comes Team Rocket.jpg
EX Team Rocket Returns artwork
Trivia
- According to James in Pokémon Shipwreck, Jessie is short for Jessica.
- Both Jessie and James have used a Charizard at separate times. They have used a third one together as well. However, none of the three remained in their care.
- In Sinnoh, she dressed up as a cowgirl and she was called Catherine Jessieburn. This is a direct reference to the legendary Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn.
- Jessie is currently the only member of the anime's main cast who is traveling with a Pokémon not in the extended Sinnoh Pokédex. In fact, she has two; Wobbuffet and Seviper.
- Much like Misty's, Jessie also has a special lure being modeled after her, like seen in Hook, Line, and Stinker.
- In Clamperl of Wisdom!, Jessie had sinusitis.
- In the main series games, Jessie and James are the only characters from Generation I to appear only in that generation, as they do not reappear in Generation II and Generation IV when Kanto is revisited, and (being exclusive to Pokémon Yellow) were not adapted into the Generation III FireRed and LeafGreen remakes.
- Jessie's hair color changed from red to magenta in Here's Lookin at You, Elekid. This was because this episode was the first to feature digital colored animation, and was possibly due to Jessie's updated Sugimori artwork featuring magenta hair. In all the hand-colored cel animated episodes before the latter, Jessie's hair color was red.
- Jessie is currently the only main character whose Pokémon on hand are all fully evolved.
- Until Dawn of a Royal Day!, every episode in which Jessie obtains a ribbon have been featured in episodes animated by 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane.
- Out of all the Pokémon Jessie captured, she never actually weakened any of them with her Pokémon in battle; Lickitung one-hit-KO'd Arbok and never took any damage; Shellder was battled by James and his Weezing; Wurmple was captured on the spot without any battling involved; Seviper was beaten up by Jessie herself; Yanma was weakened by Tyler and his Piplup.
- We gain a clue about Jessie's age in Plant It Now... Diglett Later when an elderly woman says that she's 120, and Jessie reacts by saying "No! That's ten times my age!" However, Meowth pipes up, replying "Now where did you learn that math?", so it's possible (and quite likely) that she is much older. If we are to take her at her word, though, this would make her younger than Brock.
Name origin
Jessie's English name is taken from Jesse James, an American outlaw. Her Japanese name, Musashi, is taken from 宮本武蔵 Miyamoto Musashi, a famous Japanese swordsman. In his most famous duel, he defeated his rival, 佐々木小次郎 Sasaki Kojirō, after whom James got his Japanese name. However, one can argue that she is also named after the Japanese battleship Musashi, as her rival Cassidy's Japanese name is based on the Japanese battleship Yamato.
She is based on a combination of Takeshi Shudō's old girlfriend from when he was in school and the female antagonist of the Time Bokan anime series.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 武藏 Wǔzàng | From 宮本武蔵 Miyamoto Musashi |
Related articles
External links
- Vanity, the fanlisting for Jessie
- Musashi's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
- Musashi's Pokémon on Pokeani (Japanese)
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
