From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.

If you were looking for the character in the games whose Japanese name is Giovanni, see Earl Dervish. For the episode of Pokémon Origins, see File 3: Giovanni.

Giovanni (Japanese: サカキ Sakaki) is the former head of Team Rocket, who served as the secretive Gym Leader of Viridian City's Gym, known officially as the Viridian Gym. He handed out the Earth Badge to Trainers who defeated him. As a Gym Leader, he specialized in Ground-type Pokémon, but his master plan includes collecting rare Pokémon of all types. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, he makes a return appearance as the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket. He is the only character in the games to have the Trainer classes BossFRLG/Rocket BossHGSS/Team Rocket BossPE (Japanese: ロケットだんボス Team Rocket Boss) and Team Rainbow Rocket (Japanese: Rロケットだん Team R Rocket).

In the core series

Giovanni is the primary antagonist of the games taking place in Kanto.

In the first games Giovanni appeared in, he served a dual role: one that was well known to the residents of Kanto, and one that was more secret. He was first shown as the leader of the villainous Team Rocket, the first of many criminal organizations to grace the Pokémon games. After the player defeated him and his team of Grunts at Silph Co., Giovanni fled to a hideout that the player is unaware of. Once the player returned to Viridian City, one of the major plot twists of these games revealed that Giovanni, in addition to his role as a criminal, was the final Gym Leader to be fought before the Elite Four—albeit one without a formal title. Here, he specializes in the Ground type. Once defeated, he disbanded Team Rocket and left the player with the Earth Badge and TM27 (Fissure). If talked to again, he then vanishes and is not seen again for the rest of the game.

Giovanni's role in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen is much the same; the one difference is that defeating him in the Gym battle will earn the player TM26 (Earthquake), instead of TM27 (Fissure). He also implies that he intends to return to power one day rather than being moved to dedicate his life to the study of Pokémon. There is a side-plot in the Sevii Islands that revolves around Giovanni; a group of Team Rocket members are trying to continue the aims of Team Rocket, but they abandon this when they realize that their leader has been defeated once and for all.

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Giovanni's story is slightly expanded from his first appearance. During his first appearance, he is seen talking with Archer and giving him the permission to proceed with the plan to take over Silph Co. After being defeated for the first time, he gives the player the Silph Scope as a token of apology for mocking them, as opposed to just leaving the device behind before leaving, like in previous games. At the Silph Co., a part of his conversation with the Silph Co. President is shown, with Giovanni demanding him to hand over the Master Ball like they had previously agreed. In the Gym battle, Giovanni's reward TM once again contains Earthquake, although now, it's TM41, instead of TM26.

In Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, a group of Team Rocket members tries to relaunch the old team. They take over Goldenrod Radio Tower, and broadcast a radio announcement intended for Giovanni. Only in HeartGold and SoulSilver is it revealed that Giovanni does hear the broadcast, from his hideout in Tohjo Falls - an event in the remakes involving a time-traveling Celebi allows Ethan and Lyra to travel back in time and defeat Giovanni at the same time the rest of Team Rocket is being defeated at the Radio Tower. Upon defeat, he will begin ranting about how he keeps losing to children and, like before, Giovanni will leave the room and disappear. Later, in Kanto, it is revealed that Blue took over the Viridian Gym after his disappearance.

The Celebi event also reveals some of Giovanni's background from the three years between Generation I/III and Generation II/IV. While it was mentioned by Scientist Gideon in FireRed and LeafGreen that Giovanni has a son with red hair, the son's identity wasn't revealed until the time travel event in HeartGold and SoulSilver. As many fans speculated (and as was mentioned in the Pokémon Adventures manga series), this son is the rival of the Johto player character, Silver. Much of Silver's personality is a result of the treatment he received from Giovanni, which includes abandonment. Like many of Giovanni's other actions throughout the games, this reflects on his selfishness.

Giovanni reappears in Black 2 and White 2 in the Pokémon World Tournament, replacing Blue, who instead participates in the Champions Tournament. Giovanni returns to using Ground types exclusively. While the announcer usually introduces Gym Leaders by their title, Giovanni, who does not have a title, is introduced as "The Self-Proclaimed Strongest Trainer" (Japanese: さいきょうの トレーナーと なのる Self-Proclaimed Strongest Trainer).

Giovanni appears again in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon as the Boss of the new Team Rainbow Rocket, featured in Episode RR. He is first seen during the Aether Foundation's broadcast from Aether Paradise, where he seizes control of the organization from Lusamine. He fortifies himself inside Team Rocket's Castle and stations versions of Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Lysandre, and Ghetsis from other worlds as his guards, along with an army of Team Rainbow Rocket Grunts. After battling through his army, the player and Lillie find Giovanni holding an unconscious Lusamine inside his control center deep within the castle. He introduces himself and reveals that he plans to create an army of Ultra Beasts in order to conquer all worlds. For that purpose, he needs the Aether Foundation's resources, and intends to brainwash Lusamine into serving him. Feeling nostalgic that a child would challenge him, Giovanni battles the player with a party that includes Mewtwo, and is ultimately defeated. Accepting his loss, Giovanni abandons his plans for the Aether Foundation but swears that Team Rainbow Rocket will never fall. He leaves as Colress begins working to revert Team Rocket's Castle back into Lusamine's mansion, and is last seen reflecting on what he will do next before being warped away.

A battle program based on Giovanni appears as a boss in the Battle Agency within Festival Plaza.

This is a list of the Fame Checker's information on Giovanni in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Rocket HQ - Giovanni What does this person do? Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world. They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going. I am the leader, Giovanni! Silph Co. - Scientist Favorite kind of Pokémon? Those thugs that took over our building... Their Boss said he was looking for strong Pokémon. Silph Co. - Scientist What is this person like? Team Rocket's Boss is terribly cruel! To him, Pokémon are just tools to be used. Viridian Gym - Giovanni What does this person do? Welcome to my hideout! It shall be so until I can restore Team Rocket to its former glory. Viridian Gym - Man What does this person do? Blow me away! Giovanni was the Gym Leader of Viridian? Rocket Warehouse - Team Rocket Scientist Gideon Family and Friends? You... You're not Giovanni's kid, are you? No, that can't be right. Giovanni's kid has red hair. Message from Giovanni

From: Giovanni

To: [Player]

"There is nothing I wish to say to you. I will concentrate solely on bettering myself, and none other."

Pokémon

First battle

Second battle

Gym battle

First battle

Second battle

Gym battle

First battle

Second battle

Gym battle

Giovanni uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six in Triple Battles. Giovanni will always lead with his signature Pokémon, Rhyperior.

Giovanni's Pokémon are kept in Master Balls. His Mewtwo's moveset and Mega Stone differ between the two versions.

Pokémon Ultra Sun

Pokémon Ultra Moon

Battle Agency

First battle

Second battle

Gym battle

In the side series

In Pokémon Stadium, Giovanni is the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym's Gym Leader Castle.

Pokémon

Round 1

Round 2

Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!

In Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!, the The Boss's Way card is available. The boss mentioned by the card is Giovanni.

Pokémon Puzzle League

In Pokémon Puzzle League, Giovanni is one of the foes found in the 1P Stadium and Spa Service modes. Giovanni's Pokémon are Sandslash, Persian, and Nidoking. His location is misspelled as "Virdian City", in his character profile.

Pokémon GO

In Pokémon GO, Giovanni is the head of Team GO Rocket. Giovanni's possible locations at PokéStops can be found using the Super Rocket Radar. However, there is a fair chance that the PokéStop uncovered will be occupied by a Decoy Grunt disguised as Giovanni instead. If the real Giovanni is located, he will challenge the player to battle.

In addition, if the player has the Super Rocket Radar equipped, then it guarantees that Giovanni will appear from the next Team GO Rocket balloon.

Pokémon

Giovanni uses a team of three Shadow Pokémon in a Trainer Battle, each independently and randomly selected from separate pools. Green-colored cells denote the Pokémon that will be encountered during the bonus challenge. Shadow Pokémon left by Giovanni are guaranteed capture on the first Premier Ball that hits.

Initially, the Shadow Legendary Pokémon Giovanni uses changed on the first of each month.[1] However, starting April 2020, the rotation schedule was disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

GO Fest 2020, Day 2

Shadow Mewtwo is rewarded for defeating Giovanni in GO Fest 2020: Rocket Straight to Victory.

Giovanni

The Boss #1 #2 #3

July 10, 2020 onward

Giovanni

The Boss #1 #2 #3

March 1 - July 11, 2020

Giovanni

The Boss #1 #2 #3

February 2020

Giovanni

The Boss #1 #2 #3

January 2020

Giovanni

The Boss #1 #2 #3

November - December 2019

Giovanni used Articuno in November and Zapdos in December.

Giovanni

The Boss #1 #2 #3

Rewards

Upon defeating Giovanni, the player will be rewarded the following prize bundles:

Prior to July 2020, defeating Giovanni also rewarded the following:

In spin-off games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Giovanni appears as the boss of Team Rainbow Rocket.

Artwork

Sprites

This section is incomplete.

Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.

Reason: Missing overworld model from LGPE; need higher quality image from LGPE.

In other games

Quotes

In the anime

In the main series

Giovanni appears in the anime as the head of Team Rocket. Unlike members of other criminal organizations, he is a recurring character in all of the series so far, usually keeping in contact with the Team Rocket trio.



In Pokémon Origins

Giovanni appeared in File 3: Giovanni. Red first recalled meeting him at the Rocket Hideout. They later encountered again at Silph Co. after Team Rocket had taken over the building. Seeing Red's arrogant and determined attitude to stop Team Rocket every time, Giovanni decided to put him in his place, and battled Red's Charizard with his Nidoqueen, winning easily before escaping with a helicopter, declaring that Red could never understand what he was hoping to achieve.

Giovanni as a child

Giovanni appeared once more as the Viridian Gym Leader. Giovanni accepted his Gym challenge, but Red claimed that he would battle him as the enemy of all Pokémon, instead of a Gym Leader. Hearing this, Giovanni put aside his usual Gym Leader battling team and took out his strongest pair of Pokémon, contained within Ultra Balls. The first one was Rhyhorn, which single-handedly was able to defeat four of Red's Pokémon before drawing with his Hitmonlee. During the battle, Giovanni started actually feeling excited, and wondered why he was feeling that way. When he saw the pose Red took while sending out his Charizard, he finally remembered his childhood passion for Pokémon and battling, and wondered how he could have ever turned into a person who only treated Pokémon as tools for business. After Red's Charizard had defeated Giovanni's last Pokémon, Rhydon, Giovanni offered him the Earth Badge as a proof of his victory. Red, however, refused to take a Badge from the Boss of Team Rocket. Seeing this, Giovanni turned to his minions, informing them that from that moment onward, Team Rocket would be officially disbanded. He then turned back to Red, now offering the Badge to him not as the Boss of Team Rocket but as the Viridian City Gym Leader. Red accepted the Earth Badge and left, heading for the Pokémon League.

As his battle with Red had reminded Giovanni of how Pokémon could be taken as fun rather than business, he decided that he wanted to find a new path for himself and his Pokémon, without being the Boss of Team Rocket any longer.

Pokémon

の

This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor and English voice actor.

You can help by adding this information.





On hand

Status unknown

Charmander Charmander only appeared in a flashback during Giovanni's battle with Red, when Giovanni recalled the time having one in his youth. None of Charmander's moves are known. Debut File 3: Giovanni

Voice actors

Language Voice actor Japanese 小山力也 Rikiya Koyama English Jamieson Price Italian Raffaele Farina European Spanish Richard del Olmo

In Pokémon Generations

Giovanni first appeared in The Chase. After the International Police had failed to find him during a raid at the Viridian Gym, he was seen standing on a hill near Viridian City, declaring that Team Rocket would never fall, before walking away. Along with his disapparance, rumors about Team Rocket's disbandment began circling around.

He reappeared in a flashback in The Legacy. Looker approached Giovanni's son Silver, hoping to find information on him as he had not been seen since his disappearance three years prior. However, all Silver could describe was his own last encounter with Giovanni three years ago, in which the two had a falling out that fractured their relationship.

Voice actors

Language Voice actor Japanese 大塚明夫 Akio Ōtsuka English Richard Epcar Brazilian Portuguese Ronaldo Julio European Spanish José García Tos

In the Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer

Giovanni, as he appears in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, briefly appeared in the Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer as part of a team with Archer and Ariana.



In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

In Pokémon Adventures, Giovanni serves much of the same role as he does in the games, although he now has Lt. Surge, Sabrina, and Koga as subordinates. However, Giovanni is much more ruthless than his other counterparts.

Giovanni as a kid in How I Became a Pokémon Card

An older Giovanni in How I Became a Pokémon Card

In the How I Became a Pokémon Card manga

Giovanni and Persian were revealed to have been together for a long time, as he rescued the Pokémon when he was a child.





Pokémon

On hand

Persian Main article: Persian (Jungle 42) Giovanni found this Persian when he was a kid. Debut PW17

Mentioned

Diglett Giovanni's Diglett was only mentioned when it was commanded to use Sand Attack. Diglett's only known move is Sand Attack*. Debut PW17

Rhyhorn Giovanni was about to send out Rhyhorn after recalling Diglett but he threw the Poké Ball too high. None of Rhyhorn's moves are known. Debut PW17

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

Giovanni is the boss of Team Rocket in Pokémon Pocket Monsters.



In the Pokémon Zensho manga

Giovanni in Pokémon Zensho

Giovanni appears in PZ05, where he is watching Satoshi from the hidden cameras within the Silph Co. building. He orders one of his Team Rocket Grunts to try and stop Satoshi from reaching him. Two chapters later, he has taken the boss of Silph Co. hostage and threatens to harm him if he refuses to tell Giovanni where the Master Ball was. However, he is interrupted when Satoshi and Sabrina teleport their way to the top floor. Lapras uses Mist to blind Nidoqueen, but she launches a Poison Sting attack. One of the needles from the attacks hits Giovanni. Satoshi and the others manage to escape afterwards. In Viridian City, Giovanni was revealed to be the final Gym Leader that Satoshi challenges. Satoshi manages to defeat him and earns the Earth Badge.

Pokémon

Nidoqueen ♀ While taking over the Silph Co., Giovanni used Nidoqueen to hold the Silph co. boss hostage. Nidoqueen's only known move is Poison Sting. Debut Saffron City

Rhydon Rhydon was Satoshi's opponent for his final Gym battle. It went up against his Lapras and was defeated by his Charizard after Satoshi switched out Lapras. Rhydon's only known move is Take Down. Debut Viridian City

At the Pokémon Tower

Machamp Giovanni has owned this Machamp ever since he was a child. When it passed away, it turned him into a bitter person. The spirit of Machamp was called out by one of the Team Rocket grunts to deal with Satoshi. However, it was defeated by Gastly as physical attacks had no effect on the Ghost-type Pokémon. None of Machamp's moves are known. Debut Celadon City

Nidoking ♂ Giovanni has owned this Nidoking ever since his childhood. He first appeared in Satoshi's flashback while Satoshi was in his house. At the Viridian Gym, Nidoking appeared in Giovanni's imagination where it was revealed that his passing during Giovanni's childhood turned him into a bitter person. None of Nidoking's moves are known. Debut Viridian City

Kangaskhan ♀ Kangaskhan only appeared shadowed in Satoshi's imagination. None of Kangaskhan's moves are known. Debut Viridian City

In the TCG

Giovanni has an eponymous Theme Deck in the Gym Challenge expansion.

Artwork

Giovanni and the Earth Badge Giovanni sends out a Nidoking Giovanni as the Boss of Team Rocket

Cards

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Giovanni or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Trivia

Names

Language Name Origin Japanese サカキ Sakaki From 榊 sakaki, a sacred tree in Shinto which resembles the Earth Badge. Also from 坂 / 阪 saka, slope. English, French, German,

Italian, Spanish, Brazilian

Portuguese Giovanni From Italian Giovanni, equivalent to John, gift from God; gio is also a homophone of geo, from Greek γῆ gē, earth.

The Italian origin of his name may also be a play on his resemblance to a Mafia boss in control of his mob. Korean 비주기 Bijugi From 비쭈기나무 bijjuginamu (sakaki) Chinese ( Mandarin ) 坂木 Bǎnmù * From the Japanese name 坂木 / 阪木 Sakaki. The characters 坂 and 阪 both means "slope," with the former containing the radical 土 tǔ (earth). 阪木 Bǎnmù * 板木 Bǎnmù * Similar to his other names. May be taken from 老板 lǎo​bǎn (boss). Chinese ( Cantonese ) 阪木 Báanmuhk * From the Japanese name 阪木 / 坂木 Sakaki. The characters 阪 and 坂 both means "slope," with the latter containing the radical 土 tóu (earth). 坂木 Báanmuhk * 沙加 Sāgā * Partial transliteration of Sakaki. Also contains 沙 sā (sand). Russian Джованни Dzhovanni Transcription of his English name. Thai ซากากิ Sakaki *

ซาคากิ Sakaki * Transliteration of his Japanese name. Vietnamese Sakaki Transliteration of his Japanese name.

BossFRLG/Rocket BossHGSS/Team Rocket BossPE

Related articles

References



