Ideals and Atonement: Pokémon’s Team Plasma

Official Team Plasma Grunt Artwork (Thank you, Bulbapedia!)

Introduction

When one thinks of the words “redemption” or “atonement,” one probably thinks of a bad guy being remorseful for all their prior evilness and joining the good guys, give or take a heroic sacrifice. Most of the time, this involves the character in question betraying their old allies and becoming a cohort to the protagonist or their cause, as their newfound scruples are incompatible with whatever evil their old friends are up to.

But what about redemption stories that don’t necessarily involve that kind of betrayal? What if it’s about the character(s) making good on all the things they said they were doing or trying to do from the start? You know, the kind that doesn’t fully forsake the ideals that drove them to their prior actions.

When trying to answer those questions myself, one particular example came to mind.

Divisive as they may be at times, I’ll vouch for Pokemon’s 5th generation games being fun entries in the franchise (though I have more love for the original Black and White versions than their sequels), as well as the strongest in the series regarding story. This honor is due in no small part to Team Plasma, the role they play, and the concepts surrounding them.

Black and White: Team Plasma’s Two Faces

When first encountered in Accumula Town during a speech by the group’s founder and mastermind, Ghetsis, the player learns of Team Plasma’s mission to “liberate” all Pokémon from people for the greater good. However, the brazen behavior of Team Plasma’s grunts during subsequent encounters with the organization (and the occasional Freudian slip from Ghetsis himself) indicates there is more to them than just a misguided quest for Pokémon justice and well-being. The big reveal happens during the climax of the story as Ghetsis reveals that he’s been manipulating everyone for the purpose of world domination; after all, if nobody but Team Plasma has Pokémon, who can stand against them?

Focusing back on the grunts of Team Plasma, though, there’s a subtle rift in terms of ideology. Many are revealed to be little more than thieves and thugs who believe Pokémon are little else but tools, but there are those within Team Plasma whose words reflect respect and devotion to the world that king N envisions, serving the group out of a sense of (self-)righteousness.

This quiet divide between the grunts naturally reflects the contrasting aims of Ghetsis and N, with the former being a powermonger and the latter being a bleeding heart ideologue. Beyond that, however, they don’t do much for the narrative beyond adding flavor and serving as pests and obstacles for the player to overcome until the game’s conclusion, in which Team Plasma seemingly falls with N’s defeat and change of heart and Ghetsis’s apprehension (though he manages to escape immediately afterwards).

While there’s not much payoff to it in Black and White, like many other parts of the game, the sequels deliver quite the satisfying payoff.

Black 2 and White 2: Team Plasma’s Two Factions

Two years have passed between Black/White and Black 2/White 2 as the player, in the shoes of a new protagonist, catches very early on in their journey that Team Plasma is on the rise yet again. This time, they have a new get-up, a new chain of command, the power of a new legendary Pokemon, and their malicious intentions laid bare for all to see. Without a doubt, this is Ghetsis’s Team Plasma sans any attempt to veil their plot.

While this new Team Plasma gets ready to try and take over Unova once more, a group of ex-Team Plasma grunts, wearing their original uniforms and led by the sage Rood, resides in a house on the edge of Driftveil City, caring for lost and mistreated Pokemon that were stolen by Team Plasma back in its hay day. While the new Team Plasma regards N, who has since left Unova on a journey all his own, as a traitor who abandoned them, these ex-grunts remain loyal and honor his vision, admonishing the actions of Ghetsis and their more nefarious brothers in arms.

Turning over a new leaf isn’t enough to wipe the slate clean, however, and forgiveness is in short supply for those who tried to take away people’s Pokémon just a couple years prior. During an exchange with an ex-Plasma grunt, a grunt of the new Team Plasma points out to them that they are despised by the populace despite their efforts, and they may as well join them in taking over the world to have everyone else “groveling at [their] feet." Nonetheless, the ex-grunt stays true to his values, much to the chagrin of his old ally.

Afterwards, the player has a chance to visit the ex-Team Plasma members’ residence and talk with Rood, N’s foster sisters, and a handful of other ex-grunts. Some provide a glimpse into the mind and childhood of N, while others simply do their best to make up for their crimes, the most notable of which being a female grunt with a Patrat who could be found in the original games at N’s Castle and has since begun regarding her Pokémon as a friend, not a tool.

This ex-Team Plasma subplot culminates during the climactic battle with the newTeam Plasma at Giant Chasm. Here, the player is obstructed by a flock of grunts led by Zinzolin, another sage allied with the new Team Plasma with an ironic distaste for cold weather. However, reinforcements arrive in the form of Rood and some ex-Plasma grunts, allowing the player to proceed to Ghetsis and Kyurem and defeat Team Plasma once and for all while saving Unova from an icy fate.

The Point

I’m sure I’m raising a few eyebrows with a post like this. After all, why not just make a post focused on N? Aren’t his story and motivations more interesting than a bunch of random grunts? …Probably, if I’m being honest, (in fact, I’d love to explore N’s story more in depth at a later date) but I believe these grunts provide a nonetheless novel approach to the concept of redemption in a narrative.

Some members of this “old” Team Plasma were people who believed in it in the first place. Others were misguided and simply decided to do the right thing. Both worked to secure the end of Pokémon and people living together, and just like N, they recognized the error of their ways, realizing that the two were meant to coexist and help one another grow stronger.

Despite this, they don’t abandon their identities. Instead, they embrace them, taking responsibility for their mistakes and working nonstop to correct them, whether that means taking care of Pokémon who were never able to be returned to their trainers or taking up the fight against Team Plasma’s revenge. It doesn’t matter whether they are loved or hated—they only care about setting things right and doing their duty.

In that sense, they are embodying what Team Plasma disguised itself as being and should have been from the start: an organization dedicated to the wellbeing of Pokémon and a force committed to good.