Virtually every time Team Rocket or some other nefarious bad guy group decides to Kick the Dog, karma usually hits them and hits them hard.
- Their attempt to incinerate Ash with the flames of Moltres backfires when the real Moltres emerges from the flames, fries their robot, and sends them blasting off.
- When they had their Arbok and Victreebel attack Ash directly, it led to Ash's Chikorita, who was locked in a cage and being Forced to Watch, evolving into Bayleef, breaking free, and blowing them away.
- Their aerial bombardment of Ash's party in the Indigo League aftermath backfires badly when they make the mistake of pissing off Ash's Charizard by blowing up a table of food Charizard had his eye on. Charizard promptly attacks them and throws their own bombs back at them.
- Their Electric Torture of Ash during his Viridian Gym battle comes back to bite them when Ash pulls off his Heroic Second Wind, revealing that James also rigged Jessie's own platform to zap her whenever her Pokémon take damage. When Jessie demands to know why he did so, James confesses that it didn't occur to him that they might lose again, so he didn't think it would matter.
- On the other side of the coin, most of their more benevolent acts have a far better success rate and sometimes grant a Happy Ending, especially since often Good Feels Good.
- Most other members of Team Rocket look down on the trio for their incompetence and use their better reputation or ranks to humiliate or bully them. Most of the time, however, when put into action themselves, they end up suffering a similar fall for grace that makes them look even more buffoonish, something the three often get to observe and enjoy thoroughly. Domino, Butch, Cassidy, and Matori are key victims of this.
- In comparison to their countless painful failures trying to steal Pokémon, nearly all their legitimate captures are incredibly easy, and result in succinctly loyal comrades. Inkay and Pumpkaboo, two of their most reliable Pokémon, were both caught just by idly flicking a single Pokéball at them, while the likes of Cacnea and Chimecho willingly joined the team after they asked them. Mime Jr. takes the cake, he eagerly jumped into James' Pokéball without him even trying to catch him.
- During the Alola League, Faba opts to cheat during his battle with Ash by having his Hypno pull Meltan onto the field when Ash intends to use Pikachu. It backfires when Meltan ends up eating Hypno's pendulum, giving Ash an easy win.
