The infamous Team Rocket Trio have been trying and failing in their many devious plans for years, and they've always been a staple of the Pokémon anime. While Team Rocket under the leadership of Giovanni has had many big plans and evil plots, Jessie, James, and Meowth have always worked separately, trying to outwit and steal from Ash and his traveling companions.
Although they're very rarely successful in anything they do, the trio are certainly persistent. They'll consistently track and follow Ash, no matter what region he's in, to try and steal his Pikachu. There are many characters from other anime who would fit into their team, either due to their thieving tendencies, sheer persistence, or other villainous traits.
10 Subtilizer Gabriel Miller Would Add A New Level Of Intensity To Team Rocket And Would Get Results (Sword Art Online: Alicization)
Gabriel Miller, known as Subtilizer, is the main antagonist of Sword Art Online: Alicization - War Of Underworld, notorious for his tactical expertise and generally terrifying aura and aspirations.
It's easy to imagine him being employed by Giovanni in a world where Team Rocket were actually capable of getting results and making progress. A Gengar would make a suitable companion for Miller, considering his employment in Sword Art Online is based around souls, and the Ghost/Poison dual-type also simply replicates his menacing nature.
9 Himiko Toga's Unhinged Personality Would Make Team Rocket's Schemes More Elaborate And Chaotic (My Hero Academia)
One of the most outwardly deranged members of the League of Villains in My Hero Academia, Himiko Toga's Quirk revolves around obtaining someone's blood and then consuming it to take on a target's form. While the Pokémon series is a lot more family friendly, with less blood than the likes of My Hero Academia, Toga would certainly add an interesting new dynamic to Team Rocket.
Her ability to change form, even if the process was adapted accordingly, would suggest that a Ditto would be the perfect companion for her, given that it can also transform. With her Quirk and her Ditto, a plethora of new opportunities for stealing Pikachu would open up.
8 Zeno And Silva Zoldyck Would Help Giovanni If They Were Paid Well (Hunter X Hunter)
Zeno, Silva, and Illumi of the Zoldyck Family would gladly serve Giovanni and Team Rocket if it meant a big payday, even in a world where the job wouldn't demand the outright violence of Hunter X Hunter. Their skills and renown could easily translate to being Pokémon mercenaries for hire.
Given their reputation as a family of assassins, Pokémon such as Greninja, Bisharp, and Weavile would fit perfectly, especially given their Dark typings and the villainous nature of the Zoldycks. They would certainly be employed to work separately from the Team Rocket Trio, as Jessie, James, and Meowth would just get in the way and obstruct their work.
7 Ban Could Be Tempted By The Prospect Of Stealing Prized Pokémon (The Seven Deadly Sins)
Ban from The Seven Deadly Sins is generally perceived as a good guy, despite his personality still reflecting varying degrees of selfishness and avarice, with him literally being called the Fox's Sin of Greed.
However, in a world away from events in The Seven Deadly Sins, Ban would undoubtedly get involved in schemes involving thievery, especially if the targeted prize was coveted or valuable. Ban would certainly add more legitimacy to Team Rocket, even in a world where the Pokémon do all the fighting. With his symbol being the fox, Thievul would arguably be the best fit for him as a companion, although Meowth could also be seen as the Pokémon symbol of greed.
6 Laurent Thierry Would Add Finesse To Team Rocket's Scams (Great Pretender)
Great Pretender is an anime that mostly focuses on cons and tricking people in the name of earning vast rewards. This is ultimately aligned with Team Rocket's overall ambitions, albeit on a grander scale. Team Rocket employing someone with brains, wit, and composure under pressure would increase their chances of pulling off a successful scheme or heist greatly.
Laurent Thierry certainly fits this description, despite the fact that his targets would normally be the corrupt or criminals. A more domesticated species of Pokémon would suit Laurent, such as a Liepard or Growlithe.
5 The Gajeel Of Old Would Be A Useful Lieutenant For Giovanni And Team Rocket (Fairy Tail)
Before he joined the Fairy Tail guild and started to redeem himself, Gajeel was part of the Phantom Lord's elite fighting force. He was considered strong enough to be a captain, but was also technically an underling below Phantom Lord's Guild Master Jose Porla.
Pre-redemption Gajeel would work under Giovanni given the right motivation, and would perhaps be able to whip the Team Rocket trio into shape. As an Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel's Pokémon would have to be a Steel-type, with Perrserker, the evolved form of Galarian Meowth, being a perfect fit.
4 Nami's Fondness For Shiny Treasure Could Easily Translate Into A Life Of Stealing Pokémon (One Piece)
In another universe, One Piece's Nami could have been driven to an organization such as Team Rocket due to her tough childhood and tendency to get into trouble with the law. Before and even during her time with the Straw Hats, she was known to be dishonest and play on whichever side was the most profitable at the time.
This would translate well to working with Team Rocket, although it probably wouldn't last long unless they were successful with their schemes. Nami's fondness for shiny items would make the likes of Meowth and Sableye perfect partners, although her ability to sense changes in the weather could also suggest that Castform would be a suitable companion.
3 Lust Would Add Her Manipulative Ways To Team Rocket's Arsenal (Fullmetal Alchemist)
In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Lust is one of the first antagonists introduced, and given her manipulative and scheming ways, she's the perfect character to sow the seeds of trouble and doubt while also gradually introducing the first wave of villains.
While she doesn't get especially involved on the frontlines, she's still a capable fighter, even holding her own against Roy Mustang for a short while, and can also regenerate unless completely destroyed. As a member of Team Rocket, she wouldn't accept the failures that the current trio have become accustomed to, and would devise some truly diabolical schemes. Her Ultimate Spear attack, extending her fingertips into claws, would mean that a Pokémon like Weavile could be a viable partner for her.
2 The Jiggle Butt Gang Would Add Even More Persistent Incompetence To Team Rocket's Ranks (Fairy Tail)
The Jiggle Butt Gang are among the most incompetent villains in all of anime, arguably even more so than Team Rocket themselves. The trio are known for their escapades on Fairy Tail, which only really showcased their incompetence, but they were actually created for Hiro Mashima's previous work, Rave Master.
Rather than other anime villains who Giovanni would outwardly search for in order to improve his Team Rocket ranks, the Jiggle Butt Gang trio would most likely pester the leader into hiring them. They possess the persistence that the Team Rocket Trio has, with equal measures of delusion regarding their own abilities. Their Pokémon teams would likely consistent of Weezing, Muk, Garbodor, and any other famously disgusting Pokémon.
1 Buggy's Ability To Lose And Bounce Back Is Befitting Of Team Rocket (One Piece)
One Piece's favorite clown, Captain Buggy has also done his fair share of failing and bouncing back over the years. While the Team Rocket Trio are often considered as incompetent clowns, the introduction of Buggy would bring a certain poetic irony that would somehow work to perfection. Buggy would no doubt scrap and argue with Jessie over leadership due to their egos.
Sableye as a Pokémon companion would be a perfect fit; its naturally chaotic and mischievous behavior and menacing and malicious appearance complement Buggy perfectly.