Original artwork, not a still
Prepare for trouble! And make it double!
— Pokémon ‧ 1997
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a villain's introduction played as a stage number: rhyming couplets, a pose, and a promise that they will lose, which is why the audience never minds that the trio is always sent flying. The rhyme "trouble/double" is the part people can recite, and many later mottos keep it in the first lines even when the rest changes. The Japanese motto, which opens with a different line entirely, shares none of the rhyme, so the English couplet is the dub's own.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for PokémonShow the scene
The line opens the motto that Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket recite to introduce themselves, usually just before they try to steal Ash's Pikachu. It has its own music and animation, and the original version runs from Pokemon: Indigo League through most of the later series. In the English version Jessie says "Prepare for trouble!", James answers "Make it double!", and they go on to vow to protect the world from devastation before Meowth closes with "That's right!". The trio first show up in an early Kanto episode trying to steal Pokemon from the Viridian City Pokemon Center, and the motto recurs in nearly every appearance afterwards.
Sources (2)
- Pokemon Wiki: Team Rocket's MottosKanto Motto, EnglishReference checked
- Pokemon Wiki: Team Rocket trioAppearances, AnimeReference checked
Context reviewed
