Team Rocket has seemingly infiltrated the officialPokemonwebsite and Twitter account. As the original team of villains introduced in the first generation ofPokemongames,Red and Blue, Team Rocket has become something of a series staple.Team Rocket is best known from thePokemonanimewhere they can be found following Ash and his companions wherever he goes, and are easily identified by the big red “R” on their uniforms. That is, when they aren’t disguised.There have been many other antagonistic forcessince it first appeared in 1996, but Team Rocket remains as thePokemonfranchise’s most iconic gang of ne’er-do-wells. The gang was first found in the Kanto region led by Viridian City gym leader Giovanni who wanted to take over the world by gathering as many rare and powerful Pokemon as they could. Giovanni disappears after he is defeated inPokemon Red and Blueafter the player defeats him, promising to disband the group. In spite of this, some old Team Rocket members try to re-establish the group a few years later in the Johto region, going so far as to take over Goldenrod City’s radio tower to broadcast a message to their missing leader.RELATED:Rare Pichu Card Drawn By Second-Grader Breaks Sale RecordVarious pieces of pro-Team Rocket media have appeared on the front page of thePokemonwebsite, including a supposedly unbiased opinion piece that attempts to convince readers that Team Rocket are, in fact, the true heroes of thePokemonseries. While trying to paint them as heroes is a stretch,Team Rocket did have its good moments in thePokemonanime.
Meanwhile, the Twitter account’s profile picture has been changed to the Team Rocket logo. The location on the officialPokemonTwitter has also been change to “Team Rocket Hideout.” This hilarious marketing campaign is encouraging gamers to “join” Team Rocket by purchasing themed apparel from a new line of merchandise now live on the Pokemon Center website. The Team Rocket collection consists of various jackets, shirts, joggers, shorts, and hats.
The general response to the new line of Team Rocket-themed merchandise appears to be favorable.Pokemonfans seem to love Team Rocket, and have created some impressive artworks inspired by them. The new line of merchandise has some fans hoping for other teams like Team Aqua and Team Skull to be featured in the future. At least a few responses balked at the high price of some of the items, with some comparing The Pokemon Company to a real-life Team Rocket because of this.
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