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Giovanni (Pokémon)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Japanese: サカキ (Sakaki) English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish: Giovanni Thai: ซากากิ (Sakaki) (GO and TGC) & ซาคากิ (Sakaki) (manga) Korean: 비주기 (Bijugi) Chinese (Mandarin): 阿桔 (Bǎnmù) & 坂木 (Bǎnmù) (simplified) (more on Bulbapedia) |
| Occupation: | Yakuza Pokémon Gym Leader |
| Relationships: | Silver (son, mother never mentioned in canon, fans speculate it's Ariana) |
| Fandom: | Pokémon |
| Other: | n/a |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Giovanni is a Pokémon Gym Leader from Pokémon Red and Blue. He is the boss of Team Rocket, the first of many evil teams in the Pokémon series who aim to generally be evil. In Team Rocket's case, it's an organized crime syndicate similar to the Yakuza. He also makes appearances in Pokémon Masters, PokéAni, Pokéspe and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, always as a villainous character. He is a fan favorite, though not too many fanworks exist which primarily focus on him.
The Pokémon Giovanni is most associated with are Persian, Mewtwo and Nidoking.
Canon Overview
[characterization, story role, further important appearances]
Relationships
The majority of his most common relationships are with protagonist characters from Generation I and other Pokémon villains.
F/M | NL
- Giovanni is most commonly paired up with Delia Ketchum, forming DiamondShipping.
- Giovanni is also shipped with Ariana, forming YakuzaShipping. While the name SilverSpawnShipping was coined previously, this is generally not used by shippers, who may prefer 'YakuzaShipping' instead. In Japanese, this is called サカアテ (Sakaate).
- Silver may be considered their son in YakuzaShipping fanworks, so Ariana & Giovanni & Silver is common.
- Giovanni is also shipped with Leaf, forming ThwartShipping. In Japanese, this is called サカリフ (Sakarifu).
- 悪主♀, meaning Pokémon Villian x Female Protagonist, also works.
M/M | Yaoi
- Giovanni is also shipped with Cyrus, forming AbsoluteControlShipping[1]. While it doesn't appear to be shipped in Japanese-speaking PKMN fandom, it has a loyal following in English-speaking PKMN fandom.
- Giovanni is also shipped with Ghetsis, forming TerribleDadShipping. While it doesn't appear to be shipped in Japanese-speaking PKMN fandom, it has a loyal following in English-speaking PKMN fandom.
- Giovanni is also shipped with Archer, forming SubordinateShipping. In Japanese, this is most often called アポサカ (Aposaka), meaning Archer is the seme and Giovanni is the uke in the coupling.
- Giovanni is also shipped with Nanu, forming CatLoverShipping, aka CatLoverShipping or Gionanu. In Japanese, this is most often called サカクチ (Sakakuchi), meaning Giovanni is the seme and Nanu is the uke in the coupling.
- Pokéspe!Giovanni is also shipped with Pokéspe!Red, forming AscendancyShipping. In Japanese, this is most often called サカレ (Sakare), meaning Giovanni is the seme and Red is the uke in the coupling.
- The opposite is also commonly shipped and is written as レサカ (Resaka).
Gen | Combi
- Giovanni is also in Team Rainbow Rocket and Team Rocket gen (combi in Japanese) fanworks, given how he's the leader of both teams.
- Many works focus on Giovanni's troubled relationship with his son Silver.
- Most focus on Silver's end and are labelled as Giovanni & Silver and/or サカキ親子 (Sakaki oyako) in Japanese.
- These also apply to Pokespe!Silver.
Less Popular Relationships
- AbuseShipping - Giovanni & Mewtwo (movie 1)
- AcrimonyShipping - Giovanni & Pryce
- AdaptationShipping - Giovanni (movie manga) & Lawrence III (movie manga)
- AirShipping - Giovanni & Lawrence III
- AmontilladoShipping - Giovanni & Hunter J
- AngryloveShipping - Colress & Giovanni
- AnnihilationShipping - Giovanni & Lysandre
- AnoxicShipping - Giovanni & Juan
- ApplauseShipping - Ghetsis, Giovanni & Maxie
- Ash'sPossibleFatherShipping - Giovanni, Koga, Professor Oak, Gameverse!Red, PokéAni!Silver & Spencer Hale
- AxiomShipping - Giovanni & Pierce
...And these are just the A's! More can be found on Neverending Romance, a community-created relationship name list.
Popular Tropes & Fanon
Early works did not always have Giovanni be Silver's father, as that was only canonized after the release of Heart Gold and Soul Silver.
Subjects of Fannish Interest & Meta
Giovanni's Height
As of the 2010s and 2020s, it's somewhat popular fanon that Gameverse!Giovanni is shorter than average. Much of his official artwork, (especially for Pokémon Let's Go! Pikachu and Let's Go! Eevee,) make him seem short. In Pokemon Masters, out of all the villains in the series as of gen 8, he's taller than only Rose and Maxie.[2] But he's not short in much official media before this period.
Mobster or Yakuza?
His English name Giovanni gives off Italian mobster vibes, but he was built from the ground up as a Yakuza by Game Freak. Most fanworkers takes aspects of both interpretations into account when making works featuring him.
Is he Ash Ketchum's Father?
Although it will never be canon, many speculate that it would be interesting if Giovanni was Ash's father. Many fanworks, espeically fanfiction and meta, explore the concept in depth. While to some it's considered a theory, to others, it's considered headcanon. It has its own section on TVTropes.
Example/Notable Fanac
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan Communities/Fan Events
- TeamRocketsGiovanni, Archived version, a club on DeviantArt.
Fan Art
- Friend or Foe by SherlockianHamps, Archived version, fanart for a scene of him with Yellow from Pokémon Adventures.
- What If - Giovanni by pikaninja7, Archived version, fanart for a what if reformed Giovanni AU where he is a Pokémon Professor. Ethan's also in this fanart.
- サカキ様 by C-J/樹成, Archived version, Giovanni with his Rhyhorn.
Meta
- Pokémon Theory: Team Rocket's Giovanni Is Ash's Father by Chase Wilkinson, Archived version, an article on CBR.