Twerp (sometimes misspelled as twirp in closed captioning) is an insult commonly used by the Team Rocket trio, usually towards people they do not like.

Ash and his friends, who are commonly referred to by Team Rocket as "twerps"

In the anime

Originally, Team Rocket simply called Ash the boy and Misty the girl. Ash is usually the twerp, (Japanese: ジャリボーイジャリガール jari-boy/jari-girl) according to Jessie, James, and Meowth. Collectively, Ash and his friends (no matter which ones with whom he is traveling at any given time) are the twerps (Japanese: ジャリンコ jarinko). The term can be extended to virtually anyone who associates with Ash and isn't on Team Rocket's side. They rarely refer to the twerps by their actual names. In fact, almost every time Team Rocket calls Ash and his friends by their real names is when they are in disguises or when Ash and Team Rocket are forced to work together. This seems to be more out of disrespect than not remembering the names of the twerps.

When they want to refer to Ash individually, they will call him just "the twerp." However, if they want to refer to his friends individually, they will use a variation of this. Their nickname for Brock is "the big twerp" or "the tall twerp." Misty was called "the twerpy little redhead" in Pokémon Fashion Flash, and simply "the twerpy redhead" in I Politoed You So! Also, when referring to Ash's female companions from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire onward, they will sometimes refer to them as twerpettes (Japanese: ジャリガール jari-girl). They also occasionally called Max the "mini-twerp," the "little twerp," and, in Take This House and Shuppet, the "littlest twerp"(Japanese: コジャリボーイ kojari-boy). When May and Dawn first joined Ash on his journey, they were referred to as "the new twerp." Tracey was also once called "the new twerp" and Brock "the old twerp" upon Ash's return from the Orange Islands. When May returned in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, she was referred to as the "Hoenn region twerpette." She was also referred to as "twerp with the head handkerchief" in May's Egg-Cellent Adventure. While watching her battle with Cynthia in The Fiery Road to Mastership!, Iris is referred to as the "Unova twerpette." Cilan is referred to as the "Connoisseur twerp" in Must Be Our Heroes and the Witch! Clemont is known as the "inventor twerp", and in The Clumsy Crier Quiets the Chaos! and Over the Mountain of Snow!, he was called the "science twerp". Bonnie is called the "tiny twerp" in Mega Revelations!, "little twerpette" in One for the Goomy!, the "fun-sized twerpette" by Meowth in So You're Having a Bad Day!, and the "mini-twerpette" in A Diamond in the Rough!. Lillie was referred to as the "twerpette with the nice headwear" in Getting To Know You! and the "frilly twerpette" in Mission: Total Recall!. Lana was referred to as the "blue-haired twerpette" in They Might Not Be Giants!. Mallow was referred to as the "green-haired twerpette" in Mallow and the Forest Teacher!. Goh was referred to as "Twerp 2.0" (pronounced "two point oh") (Japanese: ジャリボーイ2号 jari-boy ni-gō) in Kicking It from Here Into Tomorrow!, and in the Japanese versions of To Train, or Not to Train! and When a House is Not a Home!, in which he was referred to as the "brainy twerp" in the English dub.

Team Rocket seems to have no problem calling recurring characters some variation of "twerp," as well. Paul, due to his rude and uncaring personality, is called "the rude twerp" (Japanese: むっつりボーイ), though they have also called him "the tall twerp" a couple of times, possibly as a reference to the fact that he, like almost all of Ash's rivals, is taller than him. In Strategy with a Smile!, Meowth refers to Zoey as "the red-haired twerp" (Japanese: グラサンガール). Barry is known as the "fining twerp" (Japanese: お騒がせ罰金ボーイ) because of his consistent threats to fine people for various reasons. Kenny is called "the Contest twerp" (Japanese: コンテストボーイ) in Stopped in the Name of Love! for being one of Dawn's rivals. In Yes in Dee Dee, it's Dawn, Ursula is referred to as the "twirly-haired twerpette" (Japanese: コンテストガール). In Keeping In Top Forme!, Team Rocket calls Marley the "sleepy twerpette". Nini is referred to as the "guest twerp" in Pathways to Performance Partnering!.

Additionally, when referring to themselves as Team Rocket, they will sometimes refer to the twerps as Team Twerp in comparison. Butch and Cassidy have also called Ash and his friends twerps, and have called Ritchie the same in Pokémon Chronicles. Attila and Hun refer to Jimmy and Marina as twerps (Japanese: ヒーロー気取りのガキども hīrō-kidori no gaki-domo) as well. Thus, it seems to be a common insult by all members of Team Rocket. In Getting To Know You!, James refers to Lillie as "one of the twerp troop."

In some instances, the term is not used in an insulting manner, such as in Pokémon the Series: Black & White, when Meowth temporarily joined Ash and his Unova companions.

In Alola, Kanto!, Jessie called Ash, Misty, and Brock "The original twerp, twerp, and twerpette trio" (Japanese: 元祖ジャリボーイ、元祖ジャリガール).

In the games

Team Rocket calls the player twerp in Pokémon Yellow as well as its remakes, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.

Jessie, James, and Meowth also refer to the player character as twerp in Pokémon GO and Pokémon Masters EX during certain anime tie-in events.

Trivia

  • The only ones of Ash's traveling companions to not get their own, unique "twerp" titles are Serena, Sophocles, and Kiawe.
  • In the English Chuang Yi translation of Ash & Pikachu, Team Rocket refers to Ash as "brat-boy" (direct translation of "jari-boy"), instead of "twerp."

In other languages

Twerp


Twerps


Twerpette


See also