James's Yamask

James's Yamask
コジロウのデスマス Kojirō's Desumasu
Bag Poké Ball SV Sprite.png
James Yamask.png
James's Yamask
Debuts in Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!
Caught at Castelia City
Gender Male[1]
Ability Unknown
Current location With James
HOME562.png
This Pokémon has not evolved.
Voice actor Japanese English
As Yamask Mika Kanai Tom Wayland (BW023-BW142)
Unknown (JN145)

James's Yamask (Japanese: コジロウのデスマス Kojirō's Desumasu) is the first Pokémon that James caught in the Unova region, and his tenth overall.

History

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Unova

 
Yamask commanding the Litwick

In the scripts released for the original BW023 and BW024, it was revealed that Yamask was intended to debut in those episodes, secretly observing Team Rocket as they obtained the Meteonite in the Relic Castle and later following them to Castelia City.

It physically appeared before Team Rocket in a warehouse in Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!. Meowth suggested that they capture him to increase their strength. Jessie agreed and called out her Woobat to battle him, but James claimed he was hungry and he proceeded to feed him. Once he was full, he happily went into James's Poké Ball, the trio welcoming their newest addition with enthusiasm.

In Scare at the Litwick Mansion!, Yamask befriended a group of Litwick in a mansion that Team Rocket was temporarily using as a base. However, he was kidnapped by the Candle Pokémon in an apparent attempt to lure James, Jessie, and Meowth into a trap. Yamask teamed up with Jessie's Woobat, Oshawott, Pikachu, and Dwebble to defeat the Litwick and their Lampent leader.

Yamask had its first battle against Ash and his friends in The Dragon Master's Path!, where it joined forces with Woobat to capture Iris's Axew and Emmy's Druddigon. The two dragons later escaped, and Yamask and Woobat follow in hot pursuit. The two managed to overpower Axew and Druddigon at first, but Yamask ended up fainting when Druddigon learned Draco Meteor.

Yamask was used in A Restoration Confrontation! Part 1 to capture a Tirtouga that Dr. Zager had just resurrected, however it escaped after blowing a hole in the helicopter with Ancient Power. In the next episode, Yamask ambushed Ferris and the group with Night Shade and battled to capture the Prototurtle Pokémon alongside Woobat. After Tirtouga evolved into Carracosta and fled the scene, Yamask used his Haze to stop Ash and his friends from following Team Rocket. Yamask later battled Pikachu and Pansage, revealing his Will-O-Wisp attack, as they tried to rescue the captured Carracosta before the time gate at Twist Mountain.

 
Yasmask and Woobat ambushing Ash in order to steal Meloetta

Sometime before An Epic Defense Force!, Yamask helped Team Rocket kidnap Meloetta, who was living in hiding, by distracting Meloetta's protector, Ridley, with his Haze attack. In All for the Love of Meloetta!, Yamask helped uncover Meloetta while Team Rocket were pursuing it. Later in Meloetta and the Undersea Temple! he surrounded Ash and the others with Will-O-Wisp and then revealed Meloetta from its invisible state. Yamask continued to battle Axew and Pansage while Giovanni pursued Ash who had then fled with Meloetta. Then in the next episode Yamask and Woobat used their combined attacks to launch Ash of the top of the ancient temple to prevent him from interfering with Operation Tempest. When Team Rocket were finally defeated, Yamask allowed them to retreat by concealing them all with Haze. After Operation Tempest failed, Yamask joined James in retreating to Kanto.

When James returned to Unova in New Places...Familiar Faces!, he brought Yamask with him, as revealed in The Pokémon Harbor Patrol!, where he used Will-O-Wisp against Ash's Oshawott during an attempt to steal Pikachu.

Yamask also helped to fight off Team Plasma's controlled Pokémon in What Lies Beyond Truth and Ideals!.

Decolore Islands

Yamask appeared in The Dream Continues!, where he attacked Ash, Professor Oak, and Alexa with Will-O-Wisp. Later in the episode, he was given away to Giovanni for Team Rocket's cause.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In Rocket Revengers!, Yamask, alongside the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon at Team Rocket HQ, were sent to Jessie and James so they could be added back to their team. Realizing the potential of such a large group, the team hatched a scheme to isolate Ash's Pikachu and capture him. Yamask and Frillish were the second to do so, distracting Misty and her Pokémon while Ash and Pikachu ran ahead. Upon getting a distress signal from Gourgeist, the two returned to their Trainers to take on Pikachu as a group. He joined all of Team Rocket to launch a combined attack at the Mouse Pokémon. However, it was dodged, and Wobbuffet ended up sending it back with Mirror Coat. A wild Latias that had been following Ash then intervened and sent the evil group blasting off.

Personality and characteristics

 
Yamask and James
 
Yamask using his mask as a shield

Like many of James's Pokémon before him, Yamask is very friendly and is shown to have a great relationship with his Trainer. He is a very thankful Pokémon, as shown when he let James catch him after he was given some food. Unlike several of James's other Pokémon, such as Victreebel, Cacnea, and Carnivine, Yamask doesn't show any kind of special affection to James when coming out of his Poké Ball.

As seen in A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!, he can use his mask to deflect attacks, and can even throw it onto an opponent as a means to distract or blind them, as shown in Rocket Revengers!. He can also, like Jessie's Seviper before him, use Haze to shroud Team Rocket in a dark cloud of smoke to allow for a quick escape.

Moves used

 
Using Shadow Ball
Move First Used In
Shadow Ball Scare at the Litwick Mansion!
Night Shade The Dragon Master's Path!
Haze A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!
Will-O-Wisp A Restoration Confrontation! Part 2
A shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

Moves improvised

Picture First Used In Moves Involved Partnered With
  Rocket Revengers! Air Slash, Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Sludge Bomb, Psybeam, and Silver Wind Seviper, Woobat, Yanmega, Frillish, Gourgeist, Carnivine, Amoonguss, and Inkay
Description: A combination move used by Jessie and James's Pokémon. Woobat launches Air Slash, Frillish, Gourgeist, and Yamask launch Shadow Ball, Amoonguss and Carnivine launch Energy Ball, Yanmega launches Silver Wind, Inkay launches Psybeam, and Seviper launches Sludge Bomb. The attacks fuse together to create a single massive beam of energy. This was used against Ash, Pikachu, Infernape, and Hawlucha in Team Rocket's attempt to steal Pikachu, but once they dodged, the attack headed towards Team Rocket.

Trivia

  • Yamask is the first Ghost-type Pokémon to be officially owned by a main character.
  • Yamask was the first Pokémon James added to his party since Carnivine in Two Degrees of Separation!, 212 episodes before. However, since Carnivine was actually obtained when James was still a child, it was more accurately his first capture in 259 episodes, with the capture of Mime Jr.
  • Yamask is the only Pokémon caught by Team Rocket in Unova whose capture was on-screen.
  • Yamask is James's first Pokémon with a confirmed gender.

References

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Yamask.



  This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.