Giovanni (Pokémon)

Giovanni
Artwork from Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, alongside Persian
First Appearance	Pokémon Red and Blue (1996)
Created by	Ken Sugimori
Voiced by (English)	Ted Lewis (anime, 1998-2006, 2008-present) Craig Blair (anime, 2007-2008) Jamieson Price (Pokémon Origins) Richard Epcar (Pokémon Generations) Andrew Russel (Pokémon Masters EX)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Hirotaka Suzuoki (anime, 1997-2006) Kenta Miyake (anime, 2006-present) Rikiya Koyama (Pokémon Origins) Akio Otsuka (Pokémon Generations) Koji Ishii (Pokémon Masters EX)
Live Action Actor(s)	Darren Dunstan (Pokémon Live!) Renn Kiriyama (Pokétsume: Pack Your Pocket With Adventure, as Saburo Sakaki)

Giovanni (サカキ, Sakaki) is the head of Team Rocket and the Gym Leader of Viridian City's Gym, known officially as the Viridian Gym. He specializes in Ground-type Pokémon. He gives the Earth Badge and TM27 Fissure(R/G) or TM26/41 (Earthquake) (FR/LG/LGPE)to Trainers who defeat him. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, he makes a return appearance as the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket.

Anime

Giovanni in Journeys

Saburo Sakaki, a character based on Giovanni in Pokétsume: Pack Your Pocket With Adventure

Giovanni appears in Pokémon the Series as the head of Team Rocket. Unlike the members of other prominent criminal organizations, he is a recurring character, usually keeping in contact with the Team Rocket trio (Jessie, James and Meowth). In Pokémon the Series: Black and White, he also appears in person to take on the role of direct antagonist at times.

Giovanni appeared in Pokémon Origins, battling Red in the Rocket Hideout, Silph Co. and Viridian City Gym. During the gym 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.

Giovanni appeared 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.

In Pokétsume: Pack Your Pocket With Adventure, Saburo Sakaki is a young designer who worked for |Rocket Cosmetics. His appearance and likeness are based on Giovanni. He is portrayed by Renn Kiriyama.

Gallery

Main article: Giovanni (Pokémon)/gallery