Vicious, the Iron-Masked Marauder, is a high-ranking Elite Officer in Team Rocket. He acts as the primary antagonist targeting the mythical Pokémon Celebi within Ilex Forest. He possesses a tall, muscular build with tan skin, brown spiked hair, and black eyes. His signature gold helmet features red crossed eyes and black spear-like embellishments, functioning as a mask with glowing red optics. His attire includes a black shirt with Team Rocket's red "R," a red vest bearing black spear motifs, yellow shoulder spikes, black shorts with a yellow belt, light gray gloves, yellow wrist and ankle bands, and mechanical boots with red accents and black soles. Vicious embodies ruthless ambition without redeeming traits. He exhibits extreme cruelty towards humans and Pokémon, utilizing torture, manipulation, and psychological abuse. His actions include electrocuting the captured Celebi and stomping on Ash's hands to retrieve a Dark Ball until the boy passed out. He openly plots to overthrow Giovanni and conquer the world using Celebi's power, displaying treachery and arrogance. He shows no empathy, abandoning his own incapacitated Pokémon and causing environmental destruction without remorse. Though his Team Rocket background beyond his rank is unspecified, Jessie, James, and Meowth recognize and fear him immediately. His documented mission is capturing Celebi in Ilex Forest. He first interrogates an elderly poacher by corrupting the man's timid Tyranitar with a Dark Ball to force information. He pursues Celebi in a spider-like mecha equipped with electrified claws and a dark energy barrier. After capturing Celebi with a Dark Ball – which brainwashes Pokémon, amplifies power, and bypasses existing ownership – he commands it to create a monstrous forest construct. His plan escalates to destroying the Lake of Life and eliminating opposition. His Pokémon include a Scizor (Double Team, Quick Attack), a Sneasel (Slash), the corrupted Tyranitar (Hyper Beam), and Celebi. All except Celebi were captured using aggression-heightening Dark Balls. He abandons Scizor and Sneasel when immobilized; Tyranitar escapes after purification. His technology includes Dark Balls, a cloak-concealed jetpack, and the quadrupedal mecha. His defeat occurs at the Lake of Life. After Celebi breaks free, the forest construct collapses, plunging him into the lake. Resurfacing via jetpack for a final capture attempt, Ash and Pikachu intercept him; Pikachu's Thunderbolt destroys the jetpack mid-flight, causing him to crash. The impact forcibly removes his mask and destroys his remaining Dark Balls. He survives but is subdued by wild Pokémon using String Shot and confronted by the elderly Towa before arrest. He later appears briefly in a montage of antagonists in *The Rise of Darkrai*, confirming his survival without further development or background. No other official media expands his role or history.