Pokemon Go players want new grunts to replace Team Rocket

Connor Knudsen
Pokemon Go Team Rocket Grunts

The Pokemon Go community is speaking out against one of the few things to remain unchanged through most of the game’s history – Team Rocket Grunts.

Team Rocket has always been a key part of the Pokemon universe, playing the key role of antagonists for players to defeat in battle.

But, have they remained the same in the popular mobile game, Pokemon Go, for too long? The community seems to think so.

Players are calling for devs to make changes to be made to the villainous gang, perhaps even giving fans iterations of other villain groups in the franchise’s storied history.

Pokemon Go players want new Team Rocket grunts

Team Rocket Meowth Balloon in Sky from Pokemon anime screenshot
Team Rocket are a mainstay in Pokemon, but some think they’ve overstayed their welcome.

Team Rocket has always been the villains in Pokemon Go, but they are not the only bad guys in the Pokemon universe.

There have been others, like Hoenn’s Team Magma & Aqua, that have troubled trainers and their Pokemon for many years. But, none have yet to make their way to player’s phones, leaving Pokemon Go to Rocket grunts.

Players want that changed, expressing as much in a Reddit post to the game’s subreddit, which has gotten some attention from fans. The author of the post asked a simple question to start things off, “Anyone else kind of wish we got different Grunts from time to time?”

The answer became abundantly clear in the comments.

The leading comment wrote, “I’ve been hoping for this. We can’t fight team rocket forever… right?”

It’s true that Team Rocket just can’t seem to be beaten in Pokemon Go, troubling players since the game’s release in 2016. But, as another pointed out, this isn’t the first time they’ve overstayed their welcome.

“If Ash can fight against them for 24 seasons, Niantic thinks we should, too.”

Having some variety in who you’re working against would be a nice touch for Niantic and Pokemon Go and could better serve to add depth and diversity to the mobile game that heads into its sixth year in 2022.

About The Author

Connor is a former writer at Dexerto based in Oklahoma City who covered Overwatch, New World and more. A lifetime gamer, he has been covering gaming and esports since 2018, and has competed since 2010. Yet, despite all of that, he still can't aim.