Domino
| Domino ドミノ Domino | |
 Domino of Team Rocket | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Violet |
| Hair color | Yellow |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Unknown |
| Member of | Team Rocket |
| Rank | Elite Officer |
| Animated debut | Mewtwo Returns |
| English voice actor | Kerry Williams |
| Japanese voice actor | Kotono Mitsuishi |
Domino (Japanese: ドミノ Domino), also known as 009 and Black Tulip, is an elite officer within Team Rocket. She appeared in Mewtwo Returns as its secondary antagonist. The name "Domino" is how she is commonly known within Team Rocket and a code-name; her real name is unknown.
In animation
History
Sometime after the events of Mewtwo Strikes Back, Domino searched for traces of Mewtwo, who had escaped from the Team Rocket HQ. At some point, Team Rocket discovered Mewtwo's location at Mount Quena, and Domino was dispatched to the area, operating undercover as Cullen Calix's assistant, who wanted to study Mount Quena's water.
Domino feigned innocence when she was introduced to Ash and his friends. However, when the Team Rocket trio arrived in another attempt to steal Ash's Pikachu, Domino revealed her true identity and called for reinforcements from Team Rocket. When the support team arrived, Domino dispatched the Team Rocket trio to advance her goals. Once Team Rocket took over Mount Quena, Domino led the team in capturing the clone Pokémon and their young. Mewtwo tried to free everyone alone, but when Domino and Giovanni threatened the safety of the Pokémon living there, Mewtwo decided to flee, but it was soon captured.
As Team Rocket set up a research laboratory on Mount Quena, the Pokémon living on Mount Quena rebelled and attacked Domino and her group. With the help of the Team Rocket trio, Ash saved Mewtwo. During the final confrontation, Giovanni and Domino were challenged by Mewtwo and the clone Pokémon, but Mewtwo was left seriously injured.
When Mewtwo recovered from its injuries, it wiped Domino's memory—along with the memories of Giovanni and the rest of the Team Rocket Grunts—so she could have no recollection of what transpired. She was last seen with Giovanni aboard his helicopter, with both of them confused as to why they were even there at all.
Character
Domino seems to have a very close relationship with Giovanni, receiving orders directly from him and maintaining radio communications with him on numerous occasions, even regarding things that have little to do with the mission. The closeness is furthered by her attempts to reason with him when she thinks his actions will jeopardize his own goal. She also has a quick temper, but can restrain it if the mission calls for it. However, when the Boss gets mad at her, Domino takes it out on lower-ranked agents.
Because Domino is so elite, Giovanni appears to feel safe in entrusting her with commanding lesser agents. She spearheads the Mount Quena operation, leading a crack team of over a hundred Rocket Grunts into the caves. She also recruits Jessie and James after finding them in a prison, and makes them cleaners of the new Rocket Base in exchange for releasing them, all while humiliating them.
Domino's high status and approval by the Boss have made her quite vain, and although she uses Jessie and James to help with the base, the first time she reveals herself to be a Rocket, she betrays them due to her disgust at their bumbling ways and disgracing of Team Rocket, bursting their Meowth Head Balloon. The treatment of Jessie and James inadvertently ended up working against her, however, as Domino was fleeing from the attacking Bug Pokémon, she slipped on the floor—which was still wet from Jessie and James cleaning it under her orders—ultimately falling face-first into a bucket of water. Jessie and James note the irony of the situation with glee.
One of her cover assignments was acting as a Pokémon Institute student under the teaching of Cullen Calix. When questioned about the veracity of her being part of the Pokémon Institute by Calix when she revealed her true colors, she confirmed she indeed was in the Pokémon Institute, and implied that Team Rocket has agents everywhere.
She is also shown overall to be cruel and ruthless, as can be demonstrated in various scenes after she reveals herself to be a Rocket member. Although ruthless in her own right, she was also shown to have limits, as she attempted to talk Giovanni out of torturing Mewtwo to death, though it's less out of moral concerns than out of pragmatism since it would have negatively impacted Team Rocket as a whole, either taking years to recreate Mewtwo at best or at worst result in the loss of everything the organization stood for.
Arsenal and abilities
Domino has no known Pokémon. However, she is capable of protecting herself without them; she is a capable fighter, also demonstrating an excellent sense of balance and advanced gymnastic skills. Her choice of weapon is an electrically-charged "tulip," which is known to be capable of shooting electric blasts and shocking Pokémon. It can also extend into a tulip staff. In addition, she is a skilled actress, using a bubbly and friendly persona to fool others completely for extended periods of time before she drops all pretenses and shows them the wicked and ruthless person she truly is.
Voice actors
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In the manga
Mewtwo Returns
Domino appears in the manga adaptation of Mewtwo Returns, playing much of the same role she did in the special.
Trivia
- Domino may be named after Domino Harvey, a female bounty hunter.
- Her codename of 009 could be a reference to James Bond, who is designated 007. There was an Agent 009 in the 13th James Bond film, Octopussy and a girl nicknamed Domino in the 5th James Bond film, Thunderball. It could also be related to the 1967 manga 009-1 about a female spy.
- Domino's nickname of the "Black Tulip" may be a reference to the book of the same name by Alexandre Dumas.
Related articles
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |