Persian

Giovanni's Persian and Meowth's jealousy in the anime

In the anime, Giovanni's Persian debuted in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne" and has been shown at his side or in his lap ever since. Team Rocket's talking Meowth resents it: he wants to be Giovanni's top cat, a spot Persian already holds, and the rivalry has resurfaced across the series. A Persian also led the street gang Meowth ran with in Hollywood, and in "Go West Young Meowth" he beat that Persian only to see Meowzie, the Meowth he loved, stay loyal to it.

Persian on cards: Jungle to Team Rocket's Persian ex

Persian's first card came in Jungle in 1999, an uncommon illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno. The WOTC era soon tied it to Team Rocket: Dark Persian appeared in the Team Rocket set (later reprinted as a Legendary Collection holo), and Gym Challenge (2000) printed Giovanni's Persian as a holo rare drawn by Ken Sugimori. Unseen Forces (2005) followed with Rocket's Persian ex by Mitsuhiro Arita, and the EX era's delta species mechanic produced Holon Phantoms' Persian δ.

Sun & Moon brought the GX treatment to both forms: Persian GX in Unbroken Bonds and Alolan Persian GX in Cosmic Eclipse (both 2019), each with a secret rare version. Shrouded Fable (2024) gave Persian an illustration rare by Whisker, and Destined Rivals (2025) printed Team Rocket's Persian ex, a card built around Giovanni's own Persian. 5ban Graphics has the most Persian credits in our catalog (6); Mitsuhiro Arita, Ken Sugimori and Kagemaru Himeno have three each.

Why collectors track Persian

Persian is a Team Rocket card as much as a Pokémon card. Dark Persian, Giovanni's Persian, Rocket's Persian ex and Team Rocket's Persian ex span the WOTC, EX and Scarlet & Violet eras, which makes Persian a natural thread for anyone collecting Giovanni or the villain team.

Cards to know

• Persian (Jungle #42)

  Persian's first card, illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno in the 1999 Jungle set.

• Giovanni's Persian (Gym Challenge #8)

  A 2000 holo rare that names Giovanni directly, illustrated by Ken Sugimori.

• Rocket's Persian ex (Unseen Forces #116)

  An EX-era ex card illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita, carrying the Team Rocket branding.

• Alolan Persian GX (Cosmic Eclipse #257)

  The secret rare version of the Dark type Alolan form's GX card, illustrated by PLANETA Tsuji.

• Persian (Shrouded Fable #078)

  An illustration rare drawn by Whisker.

• Team Rocket's Persian ex (Destined Rivals #150)

  A 2025 double rare depicting Giovanni's Persian under the Team Rocket name.