TV-Series
Description
Nyarth, known as Meowth in English-language media, is a Team Rocket member appearing throughout the Pokémon anime, including the "Black and White" series. Unlike most Pokémon, he uniquely speaks human language and walks bipedally, skills he painstakingly taught himself to impress a female Meowth named Meowzie during his early life as a Hollywood stray. His efforts backfired when Meowzie rejected him as a "freak," prompting him to join Team Rocket after recalling "rocket" as his first understood human word.
Assigned by Giovanni to work with Jessie and James, he forms a close-knit trio with them. Despite frequent bickering and internal power struggles, he demonstrates unwavering loyalty to his partners. He serves as Team Rocket's primary strategist and mechanic, devising plans and constructing machinery like their signature Meowth-shaped hot air balloon. His self-taught human-like abilities came at a cost: he cannot use his species' signature move, Pay Day, and his combat skills are generally poor, though he occasionally exhibits surprising ferocity when emotionally provoked.
During the "Black and White" series, the trio receives a promotion and relocates to Unova. Giovanni fires him after a failed mission, leading Jessie and James to abandon him temporarily. Injured and alone, he is found by Ash and his companions. Claiming to have left Team Rocket, he joins Ash's group under a promise of good behavior, though Pikachu remains skeptical. While traveling with them, he acts as a negotiator when Axew is kidnapped by a Scrafty, using his ability to understand Pokémon speech to facilitate communication. He helps resolve a conflict involving Scrafty's stolen den and a displaced Mandibuzz. He declines Iris's attempt to capture him, insisting he belongs to no one but continues traveling with Ash's group temporarily.
His personality blends greed, pride, and mischievousness, often dreaming of becoming Giovanni's "top cat" and harboring jealousy toward Giovanni's Persian. Despite his villainous aspirations, he displays moments of compassion, such as comforting abandoned Pokémon or advocating for mistreated ones, reflecting his stray past. He is prone to philosophical musings when gazing at the moon and exhibits occasional infatuations with other Pokémon like May's Skitty or Meloetta. He consistently refuses capture in a Poké Ball, though he shows a slight affinity for Luxury Balls.
In broader anime continuity beyond "Black and White," he bonds with Misty's Togepi while it was still an egg and battles for the right to raise it. He appears in films like "Mewtwo Strikes Back" and "Mewtwo Returns," where his clone, Meowthtwo, features prominently. His background, including his time at Camp Pokéhearst and rivalry with Persian-led gangs, is detailed in episodes such as "Go West Young Meowth."
Assigned by Giovanni to work with Jessie and James, he forms a close-knit trio with them. Despite frequent bickering and internal power struggles, he demonstrates unwavering loyalty to his partners. He serves as Team Rocket's primary strategist and mechanic, devising plans and constructing machinery like their signature Meowth-shaped hot air balloon. His self-taught human-like abilities came at a cost: he cannot use his species' signature move, Pay Day, and his combat skills are generally poor, though he occasionally exhibits surprising ferocity when emotionally provoked.
During the "Black and White" series, the trio receives a promotion and relocates to Unova. Giovanni fires him after a failed mission, leading Jessie and James to abandon him temporarily. Injured and alone, he is found by Ash and his companions. Claiming to have left Team Rocket, he joins Ash's group under a promise of good behavior, though Pikachu remains skeptical. While traveling with them, he acts as a negotiator when Axew is kidnapped by a Scrafty, using his ability to understand Pokémon speech to facilitate communication. He helps resolve a conflict involving Scrafty's stolen den and a displaced Mandibuzz. He declines Iris's attempt to capture him, insisting he belongs to no one but continues traveling with Ash's group temporarily.
His personality blends greed, pride, and mischievousness, often dreaming of becoming Giovanni's "top cat" and harboring jealousy toward Giovanni's Persian. Despite his villainous aspirations, he displays moments of compassion, such as comforting abandoned Pokémon or advocating for mistreated ones, reflecting his stray past. He is prone to philosophical musings when gazing at the moon and exhibits occasional infatuations with other Pokémon like May's Skitty or Meloetta. He consistently refuses capture in a Poké Ball, though he shows a slight affinity for Luxury Balls.
In broader anime continuity beyond "Black and White," he bonds with Misty's Togepi while it was still an egg and battles for the right to raise it. He appears in films like "Mewtwo Strikes Back" and "Mewtwo Returns," where his clone, Meowthtwo, features prominently. His background, including his time at Camp Pokéhearst and rivalry with Persian-led gangs, is detailed in episodes such as "Go West Young Meowth."