A fanlisting, quite simply, is a webpage created with the intent of bringing all of the fans of a certain subject together under one name and master list. While there may be several fan sites around the internet for certain characters and things, only one webmaster may maintain an official 'fanlistings' website. A fanlisting is not necessarily a fan club, so there are no catches or extreme obligations in joining.


Name: Cassidy (English), Yamato (Japanese)

Age: ? (Early-mid 20's, presumably)

Eye Color: violet/purple

Pokemon Owned: Ratticate (shared with Butch), Drowzee (shared with Butch), Houndour, Sableye, Tentacruel

Voice(s): English: Megan Hollingshead ("The Breeding Center Secret"-"A Promise Is A Promise"), Lisa Ortiz ("The Scheme Team"-"The Search For The Legend"); Japanese: Masako Katsuki

Bio: Cassidy is the female half of one of Team Rocket's more successful partnerships. Being a minor character in the series, much is unknown about her past, save for her past ties with Jessie/Musashi. From what the two have said about each other, it can be assumed that Cassidy and Jessie were once friends before Team Rocket, but that their friendship ended because of some sort of squabble. They now both have a deep, unexplained hatred for each other- Cassidy says that Jessie has not changed at all since their initial argument, and Jessie exclaims that Cassidy is still a 'selfish little brat.' Make of those statements what you will, because they are the biggest insight into their pasts as of yet.

Cassidy seems to have a one track mind, which has played to both her advantages and her disadvantages at different points in time. On the one hand, she is completely obsessed with climbing to the top of Team Rocket- she is very success oriented, and will do almost anything at all it takes in order to be number one in Giovanni's eyes, along with her partner Butch. Unfortunately for Cassidy, her downfall seems to be her dislike for Jessie. More often than not, Cassidy wishes to be successful only so that she may rub her triumphs in Jessie's face, which, true to Jessie's above statement, does seem a bit childish. Cassidy lives to see Jessie disappointed over her own failures, and is so obsessed with besting her that she fails to see that Jessie is completely happy being beneath her because of her friendships with James and Meowth. Attempting to outdo Jessie in the past has ironically really only ever brought devastation to her life, as Jessie and James have assisted more than once in the failure of Cassidy and Butch's plans for Team Rocket.

Cassidy is, without a doubt, the more outspoken member of the duo. She seems to do most of the explaining and negotiating in public. She is known for her rather nasty streak- onlookers might even pin her as verbally abusive. Whatever the case, she is definitely a self-confident individual, and while she has lost her head now and then, she is, for the most part, a very successful person.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name: Butch (English), Kosaburou (Japanese)

Age: ? (Early-mid 20's, presumably)

Eye Color: dark brown

Pokemon Owned: Ratticate (shared with Cassidy), Drowzee (shared with Cassidy), Primeape, Hitmontop, Mightyena, Cloyster

Voice(s): English: Matt Mitler; Japanese: Takehito Koyasu

Bio: Butch is Cassidy's male counterpart in Team Rocket. Similar to Cassidy, being a minor character, Butch is a bit of a mystery- we know even less about Butch's past than Cassidy's. Unlike Cassidy and Jessie, Butch and James share no REAL rivalry- though the two have been known to spar off in front of the girls, it could be assumed that these actions were more on behalf of their rather violent partners than true acts of dislike.

Butch could be considered the more level-headed member of the duo. Though Cassidy's banter is usually not enough to keep the team off the correct foot, Butch still seems to be a bit more laid back than Cassidy. However, there is one button of Butch's that, when pressed, is garanteed to end in a rise from him. Butch despises it when others cannot remember his name; it has become a bit of a 'running gag' for other characters to refer to him as 'Botch,' 'Biff,' 'Buzz,' 'Bill,' 'Hutch,' and so on (in Japanese, the others only mistakingly identify him as 'Kosanji'). More often than not, Butch yells at those that call him by the wrong name, but careful observation proves that the wound is more than just skin deep- in one episode, Butch cries as he asks Cassidy why nobody ever gets her name wrong, and in the most recent episode (only available in Japanese), Butch is found wandering the halls alone, mumbling about how he is always forgotten. These two reactions, paired with the exclamation 'We're never going to amount to anything!' in 'The Search for the Legend' proves that Butch's yearning for success and remembrance is on a deeper level than that of Cassidy's- it seems to almost be an issue of self-worth.

Butch is definitely more softspoken than Cassidy- in public, he tends to hold back a bit more and allow Cassidy to be the commanding one. Traditionally, Butch seems to get the dirty, more male-oriented ends of the tasks that he and Cassidy complete- driving, lifting boxes/things, etc. Though his quiet exterior may drive some to think that Butch is a hardened criminal, he really is anything but- he is actually a lot less hard-headed and stubborn than Cassidy, and while he is just as successful as she is, he tends to appear as if he's enjoying himself just a bit more.


So, the inevitable question eventually arises when watching these two in action- what kind of relationship do Cassidy and Butch really have? Here are three arguments:

Partnership?
Well, it's obvious that Cassidy and Butch are partners, because that's how they started (and still continue) their membership to Team Rocket. The two work very well paired together- they are a true 'scheme team' through and through. According to the Pokemon special "Training Daze," Cassidy and Butch joined Team Rocket at approximately the same time. Their indifference towards each other, as well as Cassidy's constant 'botching' (forgive the pun) of Butch's name, and the rather poor outcome of their final task in training suggests that the two had no prior knowledge of each others' existence. The two start off from the very beginning as partners, and though they fail their entrance task, they are allowed into Team Rocket anyway for showing great potential paired together.

This is the last anyone hears of Cassidy and Butch for a great amount of time until their introduction into the series in the episode "The Breeding Center Secret." Ash and Co., of course, foil their plans, but Cassidy and Butch show up five more times in the regular series (they are known for their large-scale schemes), and seven times in the 'Pokemon Chronicles.' Though the Pokemon anime only allows those of us watching to see their failures (as every unfortunate bad guy that runs across Ash/Satoshi and crew will inevitably lose), it is easy to assume by their ranking (Class A- one ranking beneath the most elite Rockets, and two rankings above 'grunt' level) that Cassidy and Butch are quite the diabolical team. Often the go-to agents of Team Rocket Scientist Dr. Nanba, Cassidy and Butch have spent many episodes of Pokemon running rather difficult errands for the aging professor. The two are obviously a very important ingredient to Team Rocket, and are easily a great partnership.

Probability: Obvious
My Opinion: Cassidy and Butch are well worth their cost in bail. :P Their personalities balance each other well in getting things done- truly a yin and yang pair of Team Rocket.

Friendship?

Cassidy and Butch are obviously business-first kind of people, or else they wouldn't be as successful as they are. But are they friends as well as partners? It's admittedly rather hard to tell in their first few appearances in the series- the two seem to be pretty stiff and professional about everything overall.

It isn't until the Pokemon Chronicles that we really get to see the inner layers of Cassidy and Butch. Since the focus villains of the regular Pokemon series are Jessie, James, and Meowth, the camera always followed the three of them over Cassidy and Butch. The Pokemon Chronicles are a true treat for Cassidy and Butch fans, because we are able to finally learn what goes on behind the scenes. When not in the presence of others, the two really seem to shine. Cassidy is generally a lot less violent when in Butch's presence alone- she enjoys preening over their most recent success with him, and while she does, on occasion, bring up Jessie, she is generally very lax about it (as opposed to actually being AROUND Jessie, in which case she would be very tense and defensive). When Butch is around only Cassidy, this is when we really get to see inside of his head. Butch is very relaxed around Cassidy- he enjoys striking up random conversation, and rather likes to joke around. Though we don't get to see very much of the two alone, we can easily see that they like to tease each other a bit (Cassidy: "I thought you were tough. :P" Butch: "I am! ... I just like dry socks. XP"). The two of them enjoy relaxing together after a job well done- discussing their most recent mission, pondering upcoming tasks, all over a cup of tea? Its been done!

There are a few things to mess up the idea of their friendship. For one, Cassidy tends to still accidentally call Butch by the wrong name now and then. We must remember, in this case, Cassidy's one-track mind- every time that she has called him the wrong name, she has either been angry, distracted, or busy. Butch becomes defensive no matter WHO messes up his name, so this would be his reason to yell corrections at her. In any case, it's important to realize that Butch, by now, most likely realizes that Cassidy only forgets his name because of her focus in other things, and even more important to call to the table the fact that Cassidy has gotten his name correct more times than she has not. :)

The other disruption to their friendship comes from the most recent episode, in which the two end up splitting up and somewhat 'accidentally' pairing themselves off with the members of the opposite team- Cassidy with James, and Jessie with Butch. Cassidy, once again, is around plenty of other people in this episode, and becomes insanely distracted by Jessie and James's recent splitting, choosing to pretend to befriend James if only to make Jessie angry. Jessie, on the rebound, tries to form an alliance with a rather dejected Butch. The partnerships are only the result of Cassidy's obsessiveness, and their outcomes and meanings cannot be explained with anything better than the following screen shots:




You certainly never see Cass doing that kind of thing to Butch. :P

Probability: More than likely
My Opinion: I think that in order to work so well together, you've got to at least be SOME KIND of friends. You can obviously see by the pictures above what happens when you're not. :P But anyway, my personal opinion is that they are the best of friends. ^_^

Neoship?
Are Cassidy and Butch in love? The question of their real inner feelings for each other is probably more inevitable of a question than either of the other two already reviewed. Hopefully, if you're here, you already know what Neoship is, but just in case- the term '-ship' was originally derived from within the Pokemon fandom. Fans believing that the relationship between Jessie and James was more than just platonic began calling themselves 'Rocketshippers.' The original word 'Rocketship' is a double play on words- The 'Rocket' part of Rocketship comes from, of course, Team Rocket. The 'ship' in Rocketship comes from the word 'relationship.' Those of us that believe that Cassidy and Butch are in love call ourselves 'Neoshippers-' The Neo comes from the fact that, when Cassidy and Butch were first introduced, they were the first insight into more of Team Rocket, and were thus identified for a long while as the 'new' or 'neo' Team Rocket. Got it? :)

Now that I've basically given my position in this case away (haha), onto the argument! It's admittedly REALLY hard to find Neoshipping evidence, especially in the first few appearances of Cassidy and Butch! For starters, Cassidy and Butch are two very different people from Jessie and James. Rocketshippers, since nearly day one, have enjoyed watching Jessie and James cling to each other in fear, happiness, and just about every emotion in between. Cassidy and Butch? Not at all- Cassidy and Butch are simply not huggy, touchy-feely people. But does this mean they're not in love? Not necessarily. Some people love hugging and physical contact- others don't. As stated earlier, Cassidy and Butch are 'business-first' people- they are a lot less 'silly' than Jessie and James, so it's logical that they don't hug and fall into each other's arms all of the time. But hope in the first few seasons is not all lost. Two classic examples of the early stages of Neoship come to mind, the first from Cassidy and Butch's very first appearance!



In Cassidy and Butch's breeding center scam, everything is meticulously planned- they even have a little catch phrase for their fake breeding center. And what is it? "We believe in love power!" They later go on to say things like "Pokemon love power works miracles" and, in private "We believe in love power... that's because we love power! *cue evil laughter*" Yes yes, there are many explinations of the phrase, but... love power? There are so many different phrases one could coin in hopes of hitting off a new breeding center, but why love power? Do Cassidy and Butch perhaps love a bit more aside from power?

Next on the list of plausible clues is one rather infamous piece of Neoshippy evidence from their second appearance:



In the episode 'Pikachu Revolts,' after motto-battling with Cassidy and Butch, James latches onto Cassidy's arm, demanding to know whether or not Cassidy's heard bad rumors about him being kicked off of Team Rocket. The expressions here tell all: Cassidy looks absolutely disgusted to see James on her arm, and Butch almost IMMEDIATELY turns his head and glares death at James. Now, yes, perhaps this could all just be because they dislike James, but as we see in later episodes, the dislike for James is not that bad at all, really- Jessie and Cassidy are the only ones that hate each other. There could be several responses to James's little outburst- why these?

There is a bit of verbal evidence of Neoshippiness here and there. For one thing, Cassidy and Butch seem to be a great lot closer to each other when observed alone, as mentioned earlier. In one particular instance, after kidnapping Professor Oak, the following dialogue is exchanged:

"Honestly Butch, how smooth did our plan go?
"As smooth as a squirtle's underbelly! Nobody coulda pulled this off but me n' you."
"SO true! We were so brilliant!"

All right, I'll admit that it may be reading a bit far into this to say it's suggesting anything, but really, it at least proves how close they are- Butch obviously thinks that they are the best pairing in Team Rocket (or perhaps even the best pairing ever...?). He obviously really appreciates her.

In the special "Luvdisc is a Most Splendored Thing," when saying the motto, Cassidy and Butch strike a pose rather reminiscent of Jessie and James:



Sure, the episode is centered around the Pokemon Luvdisc, but it's still rather nice to see Cassidy and Butch sharing such a cute and rather shippy pose when they normally seem opposed to doing such a thing.

And how about later on in this episode? Cassidy and Butch are attempting to grab the two escaping Luvdisc and bring them back to their hideout when, all of a sudden, the two Pokemon join at the lips/kiss and use their bodies as like a single pair of wings, working together and putting aside their differences to escape. Rather than be angered or put off by this, the initial reaction of Cassidy and Butch is thus:


"Isn't it romantic?"
"That's so sweeeet!"

See? Cassidy and Butch appreciate love! ;)

Perhaps the best bit of evidence yet for Neoship comes from the Pokemon special 'The Search for the Legend.' As mentioned before several times, Cassidy and Butch aren't touchy-feely people at all- though we've gotten to see them at a bit more of a private glance, and their standards for conversation in private are different from their standards in public, their stance on physical contact has never seemed to waver. This episode changes that. Cassidy and Butch, pretending to be Pokemon scientists, travel up the side of an active volcano in hopes of seeing (and later capturing for Dr. Nanba) Moltres, accompanied by a large fellow named Silver and Ash's friend/rival, Richie. On the morning following the climb up the mountain, the group ascends to the mouth of the volcano. Seeing that it is, indeed, active, and feeling its quakes cause Cassidy and Butch (still disguised- please ignore the ridiculousness of their outfits) to yelp and shiver with fear...




... and hold each other's hands. Whoah, when was the last time that happened?! Try never! Could it be? As the series has progressed, have Cassidy and Butch become close enough to start being clingy with each other? Hmm. Yes, I know what you're thinking (well, besides the fact that I read way too far into everything- shhhh)- fear, so what? People do slightly odd things in the face of danger.

Yeah? Well, how about in the face of happiness?



After seeing Moltres, Cassidy and Butch once again come together and hold hands, except this time, it's because they're happy. It's an 'At last!' kind of thing. But whatever the case, this episode provides Cassidy and Butch fans with not one, but two instances of closeness they've only ever seen from Jessie and James! It could be said, I suppose, that Cassidy and Butch are slightly clingy in this episode, all of a sudden, just to emphasize their disguises, but... well, I seriously doubt that as a reason. ;P

That is all for now, but who knows what will happen as the series progresses. As for now, it's the viewer's call.

Probability: Why not?
My Opinion: If, in the end of Pokemon, Neoship is disproved, I don't think I'll be able to continue living, haha. I live for it- world's most avid Neoshipper, atcherservice. :P In other words... VERY YES!