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- "So! I must say, I am impressed you got here. Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world. They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going. I am the leader, Giovanni! For your insolence, you will feel a world of pain!"
- — Giovanni in FireRed and LeafGreen
Giovanni doubles as the Gym Leader for Viridian City's Gym, and as the Boss of the criminal organization Team Rocket. As the Gym Leader, Giovanni holds the Earth Badge for the trainers that defeat him, and specializes in Ground-type Pokémon.
In the Generation II games, Giovanni has disappeared inexplicably after his final loss to Red, leaving Team Rocket disorganized and confused.
Appearance
Personality
Biography
Games
Red, Blue, Green & Yellow
Generation 1 artwork.
Giovanni first appeared in the Generation I games as the Leader of Team Rocket. After he and his Team Rocket Grunts were defeated at both the Rocket Hideout and Silph Co., Giovanni escapes to an unknown hideout where the protagonist is unaware of. Eventually, it was revealed that he was the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym, and the final Gym Leader the player faces. Upon defeating him, Giovanni states that he's giving up on Team Rocket, subsequently disbands the organization, and disappears, and is not seen again for the rest of the game.
Gold, Silver & Crystal
Later on, in the Generation II games, Team Rocket has reorganized, now functioning without Giovanni, and believes that he will return. The lost Team Rocket attempts several acts, in order to call their former Leader, though he never makes an appearance.
FireRed & LeafGreen
In the Generation III remakes, Giovanni retains his first role in exactly the same way, with the exception of his updated appearance. Also, instead of passing the protagonist the TM (Fissure), he passes them the TM (Earthquake). At the Sevii Islands, a group of renegade Team Rocket Grunts and Admins attempt to continue their schemes but are defeated by the protagonist.
HeartGold & SoulSilver
In Generation IV, another branch of Team Rocket led by Executive Archer attempt to relaunch the team by committing several acts such as at the Slowpoke Well and the Lake of Rage. After being foiled by the protagonist, the new Team Rocket took over the Goldenrod Radio Tower to contact their missing leader but are once again defeated. Archer then disbands Team Rocket forever, much like his leader three years ago.
It was later revealed during the Celebi Event that Giovanni heard the broadcast from his radio in his hideout in Tohjo Falls. After being defeated, he disappears.
During the event, it was also revealed that Silver was Giovanni's son who was abandoned by his father when he met his defeat at the hands of Red. This act reflects on Giovanni's selfishness, something that the much more ruthless Giovanni in the manga would not do.
Black 2 & White 2
In Black 2 and White 2, he appears at the World Tournament mode wearing his Celebi event outfit.
Manga
Adventures
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Anime
Main Series
Origins
Sprites
| RB Battle Sprite |
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Y Battle Sprite |
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FRLG Battle Sprite |
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HGSS Battle Sprite |
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Vs Sprite |
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B2W2 Battle Sprite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Pokémon
Games
Red, Green and Blue
 Onix  
|
 Rhyhorn
|
 Kangaskhan 
| |||
| Lv. 25 | - | Lv. 24 | - | Lv. 29 | ♀
|
| - | Horn Attack | Comet Punch | |||
| - | - | Rage | |||
| - | - | Bite | |||
| - | - | - | |||
Yellow
 Onix
|
 Rhyhorn
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 Persian
| |||
| Lv. 25 | - | Lv. 24 | - | Lv. 29 | -
|
| - | Horn Attack | Pay Day | |||
| - | - | Scratch | |||
| - | - | Bite | |||
| - | - | Growl | |||
 Nidorino 
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Rhyhorn
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Persian
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 Nidoqueen
| ||||
| Lv. 37 | ♂ | Lv. 37 | - | Lv. 35 | - | Lv. 41 | ♀
|
| - | Stomp | Scratch | Double Kick | ||||
| - | Horn Attack | Growl | Tail Whip | ||||
| - | Tail Whip | Bite | Body Slam | ||||
| - | - | Pay Day | Poison Sting | ||||
 Dugtrio
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Persian
|
Nidoqueen
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 Nidoking
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 Rhydon
| |||||
| Lv. 50 | - | Lv. 53 | - | Lv. 53 | ♀ | Lv. 55 | ♂ | Lv. 55 | - |
| - | Screech | Double Kick | Thunder | Rock Slide | |||||
| - | Fury Swipes | Thunder] | Leer | Fury Attack | |||||
| - | Double Team | Tail Whip | Earthquake | Horn Drill | |||||
| - | Slash | Earthquake | Thrash | Earthquake | |||||
FireRed and LeafGreen
 Onix
|
 Rhyhorn
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 Kangaskhan
| |||||
| Lv. 25 | ♂ | Lv. 24 | ♂ | Lv. 29 | ♀
| ||
| Ability: Rock Head | Ability: Rock Head | Ability: Early Bird
| |||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None
| |||||
| - | Stomp | Fake Out | |||||
| - | Fury Attack | Bite | |||||
| - | Scary Face | Mega Punch | |||||
| - | Tail Whip | Tail Whip | |||||
 Nidorino
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Rhyhorn
|
Kangaskhan
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 Nidoqueen
| ||||
| Lv. 37 | ♂ | Lv. 37 | ♂ | Lv. 35 | ♀ | Lv. 41 | ♀
|
| Ability: Poison Point | Ability: Rock Head | Ability: Early Bird | Ability: Poison Point
| ||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None
| ||||
| - | Fury Attack | Mega Punch | Double Kick | ||||
| - | Rock Blast | Rage | Tail Whip | ||||
| - | Tail Whip | Fake Out | Body Slam | ||||
| - | Scary Face | Tail Whip | Poison Sting | ||||
Rhyhorn
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 Dugtrio
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Nidoqueen
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 Nidoking
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Rhyhorn
| |||||
| Lv. 45 | ♂ | Lv. 42 | ♂ | Lv. 44 | ♀ | Lv. 45 | ♂ | Lv. 50 | ♂ |
| Ability: Lightningrod | Ability: Sand Veil | Ability: Poison Point | Ability: Poison Point | Ability: Lightningrod | |||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | |||||
| - | Mud-Slap | Double Kick | Thrash | Take Down | |||||
| - | Sand Tomb | Poison Sting | Earthquake | Rock Blast | |||||
| - | Slash | Earthquake | Poison Sting | Scary Face | |||||
| - | Earthquake | Body Slam | Double Kick | Earthquake | |||||
HeartGold and SoulSilver (Special Event)
 Nidoking
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 Honchkrow  
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 Nidoqueen
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 Kangaskhan
| ||||
| Lv. 42 | ♂ | Lv. 43 | ♂ | Lv. 46 | ♀ | Lv. 40 | ♀
|
| Ability: Poison Point | Ability: Super Luck | Ability: Poison Point | Ability: Scrappy
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| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None
| ||||
| - | Nasty Plot | Crunch | Outrage | ||||
| - | Swagger | Roar | Leer | ||||
| - | Dark Pulse | Earth Power | Sucker Punch | ||||
| - | Shadow Ball | Superpower | Dizzy Punch | ||||
Black 2 and White 2
Sprite.png){kind=link}
Stadium
 Persian
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Dugtrio
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Nidoqueen
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Nidoking
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 Rhydon
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 Tauros
| ||||||
| Lv. 50 | - | Lv. 50 | - | Lv. 50 | ♀ | Lv. 50 | ♂ | Lv. 50 | - | Lv. 50 | ♂ |
| - | Sand-Attack | Double Kick | Horn Drill | Fury Attack | Fire Blast | ||||||
| - | Rock Slide | Strength | Blizzard | Earthquake | Blizzard | ||||||
| - | Slash | Surf | Thunder | Body Slam | Stomp | ||||||
| - | Dig | Earthquake | Toxic | Fissure | Thunder | ||||||
Persian
|
Tauros
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Nidoqueen
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Nidoking
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 Gengar 
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 Moltres 
| ||||||
| Lv. 50 | - | Lv. 50 | ♂ | Lv. 50 | ♀ | Lv. 50 | ♂ | Lv. 50 | - | Lv. 50 | - |
| - | Blizzard | Double Kick | Thrash | Hypnosis | Fire Spin | ||||||
| - | Thunder | Body Slam | Earthquake | Dream Eater | Fly | ||||||
| - | Fire Blast | Thunderbolt | Thunder | Night Shade | Toxic | ||||||
| - | Earthquake | Blizzard | Surf | Explosion | Double-Edge | ||||||
Trivia
- Giovanni's name may come from the word GEO for the first part of his name. Geo is Greek for Earth and this is because he is a Ground type trainer.
- It may also be a pun on how most 20's and 30's American gang members had Italian names like Alfonso (Al) Capone. Giovanni is an English-Italian name and is a gang leader himself (Team Rocket).
- Giovanni's outfit in Generation IV and V seems to be based on a general's uniform.
- In Pokémon Yellow, Giovanni replaced Kangaskhan with Persian since Yellow was based on the anime.
- He may be inspired by the villain of James Bond series, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In Bond films and novels, Blofeld leads his own criminal organization, the S.P.E.C.T.R.E., to become rich and reign on the world. As a companion, Blofeld has a cat.
- In the Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Celebi event, your rival is found out to be the son of Giovanni.
- Giovanni's Generation I sprite has shown Giovanni with something that looks like a mustache, although Giovanni doesn't have a mustache. This could, however, simply be the shadow from his nose.
- The first time Ash Ketchum ever met Giovanni was in The Battle Of The Badge, when he challenged Giovanni at the Viridian City gym, also in the same episode Giovanni is seen out of the shadows for the first time. The two have never seen each other again until the Pokémon Special "Mewtwo Returns." After that the latest appearance with Giovanni meeting Ash was in Meloetta and the Undersea Temple! and Unova's Survival Crisis! in Unova.
- Also in the same episode, his identity has been shown since the 15th episode that his identity would not be blown.
- Giovanni's Japanese name, Sakaki was the name of the leader of Rocket Reds, a gang which bullied the creator of Pokémon, and the one who killed Satoshi's tadpole, Nyorozo.
- He is considered to be the main antagonist of the entire Pokémon franchise.
- In the Celebi event, Silver is Giovanni's son. However in the anime this relationship is absent or not mentioned in the anime.
Template:Villains
| Team Rocket members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaders |
|  | |
| Executives | |||
| Officers |
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| Spies | |||
| Top Agents | |||
| Trios | |||
| Sergeants | |||
| Commanders | |||
| Scientists | |||
| Others | |||
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