Giovanni commands Team Rocket, a criminal syndicate dedicated to stealing and exploiting Pokémon for power. He inherited leadership from his mother, Madame Boss, originator of the Mew search that spawned Mewtwo. A childhood incident saw him nurse an injured Persian back to health, forging a lifelong bond. Another formative backstory recounts a traumatic cave-in where his Nidoking perished seeking help, cementing his cynical view of Pokémon as mere tools.

In *Pokémon: Black and White: Rival Destinies*, Giovanni personally travels to Unova to execute "Operation Tempest," adopting dark green military attire with red sleeves. His objective: capture the Mythical Meloetta to control the Legendary Forces of Nature—Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus—via the Reveal Glass artifact. He deploys specialized goggles to detect the invisible Meloetta and Team Rocket grunts to isolate it. During the operation, he directly battles and defeats Ash using his Persian to secure Meloetta.

Giovanni operates with cold pragmatism, treating Pokémon as expendable assets. He unhesitatingly endangers Unova for domination, becoming temporarily possessed and deranged by the Reveal Glass's power until subdued by subordinates. Despite his ruthlessness, he strategically trusts competent agents like Cassidy and Butch, while often treating Jessie, James, and Meowth with dismissive frustration due to their failures.

His role concludes this season when Ash and friends thwart his scheme. Giovanni withdraws Team Rocket from Unova, returning to Kanto, though he implicitly retains ambitions for future conquests.