Team Rocket have hatched many a scheme in the Pokémon anime. Some of them have been pretty clever and even almost worked, but the majority of them have left the trio with egg on their faces.

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Despite their obvious shortcomings—naivety, lack of proper planning, the inability to remain in disguise—what can't be said of Team Rocket is that they give up easily. Time and time again they have come back with another hair-brained scheme to try and catch Pikachu, make money, or increase their fame. From mechas to Magikarp salesmen, they've seemingly tried everything, with nothing at all to show for it.

10 Team Rocket's Plans Got Squished In "Wake Up Snorlax!"

pokemon ash brock misty team rocket sad crying

In "Wake Up Snorlax!," episode 41 of the anime, Ash, Misty, and Brock discover that a sleeping Snorlax is blocking a river causing it to dry up, meaning the people of the nearby town can't grow any food. Team Rocket arrives on the scene, and seeing this as an opportunity to steal the Snorlax, they try to help by having Meowth kiss Snorlax, which only makes it flinch. A hippie with a Poké Flute ends up waking Snorlax up, and it proceeds to eat the thorns that are blocking the river before falling back asleep and rolling on top of Team Rocket.

9 Jessie Tries To Catch A Pokémon She Doesn't Even Want In "Beauty Is Skin Deep"

pokemon team rocket disguised as old people dratini

In episode 251 of the anime, Team Rocket is after a Dratini, James because he thinks it will go for a good price on the open market or would be a good gift for Giovanni, and Jessie because she thinks it's cute and wants it all to herself. After being sent flying by a Gyarados that belongs to Blackthorn City's Gym Leader Clair, who also trains Dratini, Team Rocket is undeterred and tries again to snatch Dratini.

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This time, they disguise themselves as elderly people and catch Dratini in their net. In the midst of a battle, Dratini evolves into Dragonair, much to the dismay of Jessie, who believes it was cuter as a Dratini. In the end, Gyarados and Dragonair combine to send Team Rocket blasting off.

8 Team Rocket's Pinsir Mecha Goes Haywire In "A Sappy Ending"

pokemon pinsir mecha being lifted by heracross

Episode 119 of the anime sees Team Rocket harvesting sap from the woods, creating a chain reaction that threatens the delicate ecosystem in the area. Ash and his friends catch on to the trio's scheme, so Meowth uses a remote control to order their Pinsir mecha to attack them. Heracross battles back against the mecha, and a flustered Team Rocket starts fighting over the remote control and destroying it, meaning the mecha cannot receive commands. Heracross tosses the mecha into the air and it lands on Team Rocket, which sends them flying.

7 Team Rocket's Attempt To Control A Garchomp Backfire In "Lumiose City Pursuit!"

pokemon team rocket disguised as scientists

In the second episode of Pokémon the Series: XY, Team Rocket disguises themselves as researchers in order to infiltrate Professor Sycamore's lab. The trio first attempts to control a Froakie with a device of theirs, but a Garchomp gets in the way. The device is causing a great deal of unrest for Garchomp, and while trying to control her, she instead sends Team Rocket blasting off again with a Hyper Beam.

6 The Only Thing That Sucks Is Team Rocket's Plan In "Battle Aboard The St. Anne"

pokemon team rocket jessie james

In the fifteenth episode of the anime, Team Rocket tries to suck up the Pokémon of the passengers aboard the fancy cruise ship the St. Anne. Together with Team Rocket grunts, their aim is to suck up every last Pokémon on the ship using vacuum packs. It doesn't quite go to plan, however, as everyone on the ship turns against them, bringing out their Pokémon to fight back. While the grunts are sent flying, the unconscious Jessie, James, and Meowth are still on the ship when it capsizes and starts going down.

5 Team Rocket Takes The Bait In "Espeon, Not Included"

pokemon team rocket disguised as geisha

Episode 226 of the anime has Ash and his friends turn the tables on Team Rocket by attempting to capture them. Disguising themselves as Geisha girls, Team Rocket had managed to capture a Jolteon, Umbreon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, but Ash and the gang hatch a plan to get the Pokémon back. Realizing that Team Rocket didn't steal Espeon and are likely to return to try and grab it, they use the Espeon as bait to lure Team Rocket into a battle, ending in Pikachu sending them blasting off.

4 Team Rocket Turns To Menial Labor In "The Winner By A Nosepass"

pokemon team rocket digging tunnel

The sixteenth episode of the Ruby and Sapphire series sees Team Rocket trying something different. James thinks that since their more elaborate schemes never seem to work and waste so much money, digging a tunnel by hand to enter the Rustboro Gym from underground and steal Pikachu is a good idea.

RELATED: 10 Times Team Rocket Blasted Off In Style

Ash is busy battling the Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne. Her Nosepass uses Zap Cannon but Pikachu dodges, the attack hitting James's shovel as it breaks through the Gym floor, sending them flying out of the tunnel.

3 There's Only One Thing Team Rocket Smells In "Pokémon Scent-Sation!" And It's Not Success

pokemon team rocket disguised as old people ash disguised as a girl

The 26th episode of the anime sees Team Rocket disguised as Ash's—or "Ashley's"—parents in order to get him into the Celadon Gym after he offended the people of Cerulean City. Team Rocket initially helped Ash get into the Gym, only to interrupt his battle to set off a bomb, which, thanks to Meowth's ineptitude, blasts them and no one else out of the Gym. They managed to grab some perfume made from a Gloom, but it's so putrid it makes them faint.

2 Team Rocket's Flimsy Inn Blows Over In "Dawn Of A New Era"

pokemon team rocket inn meowth smiling

In the fourth episode of the Diamond and Pearl series, Team Rocket has erected an inn into which they lure Ash and company. What they failed to factor in, however, was the wind, and while attempting to usher Pikachu into a custom sleeping capsule, a sudden gust blows the fake inn down, removing Team Rocket's disguises. A battle ensues with James bringing out his Carnivine for the first time against Ash. The battle ends with Nando's Budew using Bullet Seed to send Team Rocket flying.

1 Team Rocket Gets Duped By A Salesman Into Buying A Machine That Doesn't Work And Then Disintegrates In "Ya See We Want An Evolution!"

pokemon james and the magikarp salesman, seen holding a manual

In episode 21 of the Diamond and Pearl series, Team Rocket encounters a Magikarp salesman who dupes them into buying a "Pokémon Evolution Machine," which they can use to cause any Pokémon to evolve whenever they want. After neglecting to heed the salesman's warning not to use the machine until a week after it's been built, their attempts to evolve Magikarp and Pikachu fail. Meowth presses a switch to turn the machine into a mecha, but it crumbles into dust almost immediately.

NEXT: 10 Pokémon With Bigger Personalities Than Ash