Meowth (ニャース/Nyaasu in Japanese, Mauzi in German and Miaouss in French) is a fictional character of the Pokémon franchise. It is one of the more popular Pokémon species, largely thanks to the Pokémon anime, which features a Meowth as a main character.
| Meowth | |
|---|---|
| File:Meowth2.png National Pokédex Dugtrio - Meowth (#52) - Persian Johto Pokédex Primeape - Meowth (#136) - Persian | |
| Japanese name | ニャース - Nyaasu |
| Evolves from | None |
| Evolves into | Persian |
| Generation | First |
| Species | Scratchcat Pokémon |
| Type | Normal |
| Height | 1 ft 4 in (0.4 m) |
| Weight | 9.0 pounds (4.1 kg) |
| Ability | Pickup |
In the Animé
Meowth has made an appearance in almost every episode in the anime because one is the constant companion of Team Rocket agents Jessie and James, the show's main antagonists. This Meowth is also notable because it has the ability to converse in human language, a trait that is otherwise exhibited only in Legendary and some Psychic Pokémon.
Meowth's personality is slightly different in two versions of the show (Japan and the US). In the American dub, he is portrayed with a Brooklyn accent and seems to be quite the talker. In the original, he's very calm, if not a bit of a philosopher/poet (this is confirmed in several episodes where he sings to himself about his purpose).
Name origin
Meowth's name probably comes from "meow", the sound made by cats, possibly by combining it with "mouth". This is supported in the cartoon; whenever Meowth says something rude or demoralizing to Jessie and James, Jessie usually retorts "Shut your big Meowth!"
The Japanese name for this Pokémon (Nyarth/Nyaasu) is similarly derived from onomatopoeia for the sound cats make, which is "nyā".
Appearance
Meowth has a distinctly feline appearance, resembling a small housecat. It has tan-colored fur, which turns brown at its paws and tail tip. Its oval-shaped head features prominent whiskers, black-and-brown ears and a gold oval coin (also known as "charm") embedded in its forehead. Female Meowths have eyelashes.
Meowth's coloration, its love of coins (see below) and its charm indicate that Meowth is based on the Japanese Maneki Neko, a cat-shaped figurine that is said to bring good luck and money to its owner.
Biology
Meowth is an urban nocturnal Pokémon. It spends most of the daytime sleeping and prowls the city streets at night. When hunting, Meowths organize themselves in groups that act like gangs, foraging or stealing food from people. They are aided in their mischief by their eyes which allow them night vision. They also slink their claws back into their paws, which grants them silent movement and protecting them from leaving distinctively incriminating pawprints that alert people to their actions.
Like the magpie, Meowth is attracted to certain objects that catch its attention, which it collects at every opportunity and hoards in its nest. Meowth loves round shaped objects, as well as shiny, glittering things. The item it adores collecting the most, however, is coins, since they are both round and shiny. Meowth is known to scour the pavements for dropped loose change and even to openly steal money from people to add to its collection.
In battle, Meowth can throw the coins it has accumulated by the opponent in the form of the unique to its evolution chain Pay Day attack. If the player wins, the scattered coins are picked up from the ground and are added to his account as profit. This is a reference to the Maneki Neko, as in this way the Meowth essentially brings its trainer money, if somewhat indirectly.
In the video games
In Pokémon Blue, Meowth can be found in Routes 5, 6, 7, and 8. In Silver, it is additionally found in Routes 38 and 39, while Crystal adds Route 11 to Meowth's haunts. In FireRed and LeafGreen, Meowth is found in Routes 5 through 8 as well as in a variety of places in the Sevii Islands (check the in-game Pokédex for exact locations). In Pokémon Emerald, a trainer inside the Battle Frontier will trade her Meowth for a Skitty.
Besides its considerable speed, Meowth's stats can be said to be rather low, so it is usually used in battle only for novelty purposes, players preferring its evolved form Persian instead.
In the Nintendo Gamecube game Pokémon Channel, Meowth is the on-scene reporter for Psyduck's newscast, and conducts interviews with other Pokémon. This Meowth is presumably supposed to be the same one from Team Rocket in the anime, as it too is able to speak normal English, and has the same accent.