Team Skull

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Team Skull
Logo
UniversePokémon
First appearancePokémon Sun and Moon
GenreRole-playing video game
In-universe information
TypeStreet gang
LocationAlola
LeaderGuzma

Team Skull is a fictional organization introduced in the 2016 video games Pokémon Sun and Moon. They are residents of the fictional region Alola, based on Hawaii, who are known for harassing people for money and Pokémon in part to support themselves. They are led by a man named Guzma and the "big sister" of the group, Plumeria. One member, Gladion, is the son of Lusamine, the owner of the Aether Foundation, an organization that utilizes Team Skull towards its own ends. They have also appeared in other games, including the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Team Skull has been well received, being among the most popular part of Sun and Moon due to a variety of factors. Writer Gita Jackson attributed this popularity to them being "useless losers", and identified them as a particularly popular cosplay following the game's release.

Concept and design

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A depiction of the grunts and major members: Guzma on the left, Plumeria in the middle, and Gladion on the right.

Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon franchise began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy.[1] In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, both in the wild as well as those used by other Trainers.[2] Antagonistic teams are commonly found in the series committing various crimes, including stealing Pokémon.[3]

Created for the 2016 games Pokémon Sun and Moon, Team Skull is a street gang existing in the region of Alola,[4] a fictional location inspired by Hawaii,[5] and are led by a man named Guzma.[4] Often coming from difficult backgrounds, they attempt to steal money in order to support themselves, and also try to steal Pokémon from other trainers.[6]

Guzma, the group's leader, is described as looking out for people in a similar station to his,[7] while Plumeria serves as a "big sis" or "mom" figure to the grunts.[6][4] Guzma utilizes a Pokémon named Golisopod as his strongest Pokémon.[8] Plumeria, meanwhile, has a Salazzle as one of her Pokémon.[9] Team Skull Grunt outfits utilize a black-and-white color palette, wearing matching uniforms incorporating skull bandanas and necklace pendants.[3] Gladion, the brother of major character Lillie, also aids Team Skull during the game, serving as one of the player character's rivals.[10][11]

Appearances

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Team Skull serves as an antagonist group in the video games Pokémon Sun and Moon, composed of people who failed the island challenge, a series of challenges that takes trainers across the islands of the game's region, Alola. They are seen harassing residents, challenging the protagonist to Pokémon battles when confronted. The player encounters and battles various members throughout the game, including its leader, Guzma, a woman named Plumeria, and a boy named Gladion, the latter having been sent to work with Team Skull by Lusamine, leader of the Aether Foundation and secret benefactor of Team Skull. They also operate out of Po Town, an area they took over. In return for Lusamine's support, Team Skull carries out operations at her behest, including kidnapping a girl named Lillie and her Pokémon, Cosmog, for her. This prompts Gladion to leave the team and ally with the protagonist to rescue them from the Aether Foundation. Guzma aids Lusamine, who opens the "Ultra Wormhole" to unleash Pokémon called Ultra Beasts, including one called Naganadel, into Alola. They are both defeated, and Lusamine enters the wormhole, taking Guzma with her. The protagonist later enters the wormhole where they find Guzma, having been humbled by being defeated by Naganadel after trying to capture it. After being rescued, Guzma disbands Team Skull, its members going different ways, some of which creating an altruistic team called Team Reskull. In the later versions of Sun and Moon titled Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the story goes similarly, except that Team Skull aids them against a new group called Team Rainbow Rocket.

Team Skull, as well as Guzma and Plumeria, are featured in various cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.[12][13][14] In the mobile game Pokémon Masters EX, various versions of Guzma, Plumeria, and Gladion appear as playable characters.[15][16] In Pokémon Go, the player's character can be dressed up in various outfits and costumes, with two sets of costumes being the male and female Team Skull outfits. Team Skull's animated pose can also be used by the player.[17] Team Skull appears in the first episode of the anime series Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon.[18] In a later episode, Team Rocket gets into an encounter with Jessie, James, and Meowth, members of the fellow antagonist team Team Rocket.[19]

Promotion and reception

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Promotion

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As part of advertising for the games, actors portraying Team Skull were featured in various commercials, including runner Usain Bolt[20] and comedian Ayako Imoto.[21] Team Skull-themed merchandise has also been released, including pins,[22] clothing,[23] and a digital Nintendo 3DS theme.[24]

Reception

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Following the release of Sun and Moon, cosplay of Team Skull became very popular

Team Skull has been generally well received, being popular with Pokémon fans. Kotaku writer Gita Jackson explained that their popularity was so high because the team was made up by "useless losers", Gita stating they wanted to "make them hot cocoa and tuck them into their beds, or ruffle their hair and give them an allowance". They noted that Guzma was a particularly popular member of the team.[4] Following the release of Sun and Moon, cosplay depicting Team Skull became popular, particularly at MAGfest 2017, often staying in character and chanting "Team Skull" at people.[25] On the website Tumblr, Team Skull became very popular with its users, being made the subject of "tons" of user-generated music videos made by the program MikuMikuDance to depict members of Team Skull dancing and singing to various songs, including the song that popularized the trend, "You Reposted in the Wrong Neighborhood".[26]

Inside Games writer Sawasdee Otsuka stated that Team Skull represented a new trend in antagonistic teams in the Pokémon series. He explained that, where such teams previously committed their crimes with "ambition and purpose", Team Skull's members lacked that, describing them as people who had become estranged from the region's culture.[27] Destructoid writer Chris Carter remarked how much he enjoyed Team Skull, exclaiming his appreciation for how "laughably bad" they can be. He stated that, while previous antagonistic groups in the series were "legitimately insidious", he liked how they were instead portrayed as black sheeps.[28] Anime News Network writer Callum May commented that they were primarily viewed as nuisances in the games by Alola's residents, stating that while they find Team Rocket "pathetic", they couldn't help themselves in loving the team and finding them cute. They stated that they could be better off with better support, appreciating seeing Guzma reformed in games after Sun and Moon.[7] Fanbyte writer Cian Maher likened them to Team Yell from Pokémon Sword and Shield, describing Skull as a less malevolent force than the Aether Foundation. He commented on how they were a "classic iteration of rebellious youth", stating that the Tram Skull members seem inspired by '70s punk rock.[29]

Team Skull is considered among the best antagonist teams in Pokémon, with RPGFan writer Neal Chandran stating that a popular sentiment he'd seen in polls, fan sites, and blogs is that Team Skull "may be the best villainous team in a Pokémon game since Team Rocket".[6] He compared the team to Jessie, James, and Meowth, Team Rocket members in the TV series, who he says shares the "mischievous miscreants" with Team Skull.[30] USgamer writer Jake Green considered Team Skull the best of these teams, stating that Team Skull matched the series' "whimsical nature" in a way that a team like Team Rocket did not. He enjoyed how they were composed of "snot-nosed loser kids with something to prove" in a world they don't fit into.[31] Kotaku writer Gita Jackson agreed, stating that while they initially enjoyed beating them early on in the games, they came to view them as the games' best characters. They said that the encounter in Po Town helped solidified their status for them, and that they wished they could join Team Skull themselves.[4]

Neal Chandran stated that Team Skull was the first thing that came to mind whenever he thought of Sun and Moon, stating that the game would be worse off without them and their "sick rhymes, ill dance moves, cartoony mannerisms, funky fresh musical themes, simple-yet-effective outfits", and "overall vibe". He enjoyed that they did not seem to take themselves seriously compared to other Pokémon teams, appreciating how they seemed to have a "surprising amount of depth" that made them sympathetic. He argued that Team Skull's standing in Alolan society mirrors the "deeper truth" of Hawaii. Chandran believed that the struggles Team Skull members face is similar to issues in Hawaii, including high levels of poverty, homelessness, and cost of living. He compared Team Skull to a tent community of native Hawaiians who have been priced out of their homes by colonization, believing that members of Team Skull are natives of Alola who suffered from Alola becoming a "playground destination for wealthy Pokémon trialists/tourists". He remarked that, while he was initially amused by a grunt demanding a paltry sum, in hindsight, he found it sad how desperate the grunt must have been. He stated that, despite being the "bad guys", he roots for them, commenting that the Aether Foundation using Team Skull to their own ends represents the upperclass exploiting the underclass.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (December 25, 2016). "Pokémon Red & Blue – A Look Back At The 20-Year Journey To Catch 'Em All". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Allison, Anne (May 2006). Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination. University of California Press. pp. 192–197. ISBN 9780520938991.
  3. ^ a b "From Worst to Best, Each Pokémon Villainous Team Ranked". Pokémon.com. June 14, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jackson, Gita (December 8, 2016). "Team Skull Are The Best Villains In Any Pokémon Game". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  5. ^ "Learn all about Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon in our in-depth interview". Nintendo of Europe SE. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  6. ^ a b c Chandran, Neal (March 13, 2021). "The Ugly Side of Paradise: A Deeper Look at Pokémon Sun & Moon's Team Skull". RPGFan. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  7. ^ a b May, Callum (March 2, 2022). "Ranking Pokémon's Evil Teams from Least to Most Justified". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  8. ^ "5 Pokémon we'd Love to see in 'Smash' for Switch". Newsweek. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  9. ^ Gregson-Wood, Stephen (March 27, 2020). "Pokemon Masters adds two new Sync Pairs from Team Skull to the game alongside an accompanying Story Event". Polygon. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  10. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (2016-11-29). "Some Pokémon Sun and Moon Fans Don't Believe Hau Is The Real Rival". Kotaku. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  11. ^ Frank, Allegra (2016-12-23). "Pokémon Sun and Moon anime breaks one of the games' biggest reveals early". Polygon. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  12. ^ Comments, Theo Dwyer | (2021-05-28). "Looking Back At The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon Part 9". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  13. ^ Skrebels, Joe (June 23, 2017). "IGN's Exclusive Pokemon TCG Card Reveal". IGN. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  14. ^ Comments, Theo Dwyer | (2021-09-03). "The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Burning Shadows Part 11". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  15. ^ Hashimoto, Kazuma (2020-03-27). "Pokemon Masters Adds Team Skull Event Alongside Guzma and Plumeria Scout Banner". Siliconera. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  16. ^ Hashimoto, Kazuma (2020-09-14). "Gladion and Silvally Switch It Up in Pokemon Masters EX". Siliconera. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  17. ^ Dwyer, Theo (April 18, 2022). "Team Skull Avatar Items Arrive In Pokémon GO For Alola Rollout". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  18. ^ Imai, Susumu (November 23, 2016). "第1話「アローラ！はじめての島、はじめてのポケモンたち!!」おさらい". IGN Japan. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  19. ^ Green, Scott (May 4, 2017). "Prepare for Trouble! Make it Double! Team Rocket And Team Skull Meet In "Pokémon S&M" Anime". Crunchyroll News. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  20. ^ Harding, Xavier (February 27, 2017). "This ad for 'Pokémon' stars Usain Bolt, Team Skull and some wild cosplay". Mic. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  21. ^ Miyahara, Rei (March 4, 2017). "アローラナッシーとのコンビネーションを見よ……！　イモトが「ポケモン サン・ムーン」CMでロケ並みにハードな展開に". ITMedia. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  22. ^ Strawhun, Aiden (May 15, 2018). "Pokemon Center Has New Team Skull Swag For All Your Mischievous Needs". GameSpot. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  23. ^ Hoffer, Christian (May 15, 2018). "Pokemon's Team Skull Line of Merchandise is Ready for Mischief". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  24. ^ "『ポケットモンスター サン・ムーン』スカル団、色違いのカプ・コケコのニンテンドー3DS用テーマが登場". Famitsu. March 22, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  25. ^ Jackson, Gita (January 9, 2017). "Pokémon's Team Skull Takes Over Magfest". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  26. ^ Mulkerin, Tim (November 29, 2016). "Team Skull dancing meme: 'Pokémon Sun and Moon' music videos are taking Tumblr by storm". Mic. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  27. ^ Otsuka, Sawasdee (September 25, 2022). "『ポケモン』スケールダウンが止まらない！？生まれ変わりつつある"悪の組織"という概念". Inside Games. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  28. ^ Carter, Chris (November 15, 2016). "Review: Pokemon Moon". Destructoid. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  29. ^ Maher, Cian (August 19, 2019). "How Pokemon Sword and Shield Could Tackle Brexit". Fanbyte. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  30. ^ a b Chandran, Neal (December 20, 2016). "Pokémon Sun & Moon". RPGFan. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  31. ^ Green, Jake (September 28, 2018). "Why Team Skull is the Best Pokemon Villain Team of Them All". USgamer. Retrieved November 13, 2025.