Summary
Team Rocket found a new purpose through the Pokémon Contest, giving Jessie a chance to shine outside of her failed attempts to steal Pikachu. The inclusion of competitions allows Team Rocket to have goals beyond stealing Pikachu, giving them more depth in the series. Incorporating competitions into Team Rocket’s storyline gave Pokémon a better overall chapter, providing new perspectives and character development.
Besides Ash, Team Rocket are arguably the most important characters in the series Pokémon anime, the only ones that have been there from the beginning, in many regions and around the world. While their periodic attempts to steal Pikachu are doomed to fail, the series actually finds another way for Team Rocket to occasionally win: through Contests.
Starting from Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, Jessie began participating in Pokémon Contests as a Coordinator. Contests are special competitions that Pokémon can participate in, allowing them to show off more than just their fighting skills, although fighting is often part of the competition. Jessie would take on alternate characters often written after her name, such as Jessadia and Jessilina, entering competitions in disguise so as not to attract negative attention.
While Jessie initially performed quite poorly in the Competitions, she began to develop more skills as they followed Ash back to the Kanto region, eventually making it to the finals against May.
Competitions give Rocket Rocket a purpose beyond Pikachu
By the time of Ruby & Sapphire, Team Rocket’s gimmick was starting to wear a bit thin; their participation in the episodes feels like they’re just checking a box. At this point, everyone knows that Team Rocket will never succeed in stealing Pikachu and that puts the trio in an awkward position. It was clear that the Team Rocket characters needed to do something else, and the competitions ended up being the perfect place for them to compete. Jessie, in her never-ending quest for fame and fortune, takes her career as a Coordinator very seriously and often competes in good faith.
Since the Final Contest became a recurring part of the series until XY’s Showcase, this gave Jessie a goal of her own to work towards and one that was actually achievable okay, not like stealing Pikachu. Jessie soon won her first (unofficial) competition in Diamond & Pearl, practically borrowing Ash’s Aipom to do so, and this surprising turn of events actually gave Team Rocket the win truly the first in the series. James and Meowth often support Jessie’s dreams, cheering her on from the audience (and causing trouble when she loses).
This also has the side benefit of giving Ash’s companions, like Dawn and May, a rivalry of their own with Jessie, rather than them simply being drawn into a long-standing feud of Ash with Team Rocket. Although Dawn and May often fail to see through Jessie’s disguises, they inevitably discover the truth, forcing Jessie to occasionally create a new personality. It also gives Jessie a chance to bond with her Pokémon and see them succeed, proving that even Team Rocket cares about their own Pokémon.
By giving Team Rocket targets other than Pikachu, the trio (especially Jessie) were able to carry out the plot on their own and offer different perspectives on the competitions instead of simply being Ash’s companion. The lack of competition in Pokémon Journeys may be part of the reason why Team Rocket’s role in those seasons was less appreciated, as they returned to wandering aimlessly and failing to steal Pikachu. The integration of competitions into Team Rocket’s goals has been implemented Pokémon a better overall program.