Matori

Matori (Japanese: マトリ Matori), also referred to as Giovanni's secretary (Japanese: サカキの Sakaki's secretary), is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. Following her debut in Memories are Made of Bliss!, she was a minor recurring character during the and  before gaining a more significant role in the.

In the
In Memories are Made of Bliss!, arrived in Sinnoh to inform Jessie, James, and  to contact Team Rocket headquarters immediately. When they did, instead of reaching as they expected to, Matori greeted them. She informed the trio that they had to return to headquarters right away for an assignment from their Boss himself. Later, Matori delivered the files on Jessie, James and Meowth to Giovanni for review before being dismissed.

In the
Matori appeared in In the Shadow of Zekrom!, where she informed Giovanni of the mobilization of an unknown organization in Unova.

In Enter Iris and Axew!, she told the trio that they could not use their previous Pokémon and had to, as non-native Pokémon would arouse suspicion. After the transmission, she gave Giovanni some coffee and expressed doubts about the trio's ability to carry out the mission, but Giovanni soothed her fears by expressing confidence that they would draw the unknown organization out.

She appeared in The Battle Club and Tepig's Choice!, Dreams by the Yard Full!, and Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!. These were all non-speaking cameo roles, where she was seen alongside Giovanni in transmissions to the trio.

In Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!, after the events of the unaired episodes which are no longer part of canon, she dismissed Jessie, James and Meowth to act on their own in Unova, telling them that Giovanni was very busy and could not give them any more missions at that time. Matori did not appear again in the Best Wishes series outside of non-speaking cameo appearances alongside Giovanni, first in Unrest at the Nursery!, and then in The Dream Continues! dressed in new clothing.



In the
Matori only had minor appearences in the XY series. She first made a non-speaking cameo alongside Giovanni in A Battle of Aerial Mobility!. She then received the trio's call to in An Explosive Operation!, where she immediately connected them to Giovanni.

In the
Matori has a more active role in the Sun & Moon series, commonly contacting Jessie, James, and Meowth to receive reports on a regular basis.

She was first seen briefly in a flashback in Loading the Dex!, alongside Giovanni. In The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!, she confronted the trio regarding the lack of reports on their progress in Alola. The trio tried to argue with her, only to immediately fall into line once Giovanni joined the conversation.

In Alola, Kanto!, it was revealed that Matori had summoned the trio back to Team Rocket HQ in Kanto for unknown reasons. She admonished Jessie in Now You See Them, Now You Don't!, after they failed to attend the meeting.

Matori and Giovanni contacted the trio in Acting True to Form!, and discovered they had encountered an. She ordered them to investigate and report the data about its powers. Much to the trio's surprise, she later revealed that the Alolan Meowth arrived at Team Rocket HQ and was now acting as her assistant. Matori was thankful and asked them to keep sending good Pokémon, unaware that the Meowth had traveled to Kanto on its own accord.

In Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?, Matori scolded the trio for falling behind in their duties again. Jessie mentioned having plans of using Z-Moves, and she advised them that a Z-Ring can only be obtained from an Island Kahuna. In the following episode, she stood by as Giovanni made a phone call to Nanu to ask him for information about the "". Matori was later contacted by the trio, who wanted to inform Giovanni about the same subject. Since he was already aware of it, Matori advised them to report some bigger information if they wanted to impress the boss.

Matori reappeared in A Battle Hand-Off!, where she learned that the trio had recently acquired a Z-Ring and a Mimikium Z. She seemed pleased by their confidence and ordered them to keep reporting on any Pokémon they have gotten.

Matori reappeared in Filling the Light with Darkness!, where she headed a special Team Rocket unit named the Matori Matrix (Japanese: マトリマトリックス Matori Matrix), and was on an aircraft approaching Alola with the unit's members, including Gozu. She was contacted by Giovanni for a briefing on the progress of her mission, and she reported that a small Ultra Wormhole had appeared in Alola, meaning that their target might appear. When asked by Giovanni if the target could be the "Blinding One", Matori responded that finding out the answer was the purpose of her mission. Giovanni ended the transmission by telling her he expected great things from her. She then asked Gozu if they would arrive in Alola soon, and when he confirmed that they would, she had him give the order to activate their craft's cloaking device.

In Full Moon and Many Arms!, the Matori Matrix arrived in Alola, but were left lethargic due to draining Ultra Aura from the adults around the region. Despite this, when they encountered Necrozma in its form, they managed to trap it inside an electrified net before it shortly broke out. The unit briefly retreated, only to return and attack and Nebby using laser cannons on their aircraft while the pair recuperated on the beach of Melemele Island. They ensnared Lunala and Nebby in another electrified net, but it was soon destroyed by Gladion's Silvally and Ash's Pikachu. Nebby retaliated by hitting the aircraft with, forcing them to retreat again. After Necrozma possessed Nebby, turned into, and fled through an Ultra Wormhole, Matori and the rest of the unit were rejuvenated and continued their mission. Later, at the Ultra Guardians' base, and  were informed of the Matori Matrix by Faba.

In The Prism Between Light and Darkness!, Matori and her unit witnessed the Ultra Guardians and Lunala head inside an Ultra Wormhole and attempted to pursue them, only to be stopped by Professor Kukui and Faba. Gozu and several Grunts were sent down to Ten Carat Hill to face the duo, while Matori and the rest of the unit had their aircraft repaired. In Securing the Future!, Matori called Gozu and urged him to wrap up his battle with Professor Kukui and Faba, as their repairs were done. The other members of the Matori Matrix returned to the aircraft, while Professor Kukui managed to defeat Gozu's using his 's. Once Gozu rejoined the others on the aircraft, the Matori Matrix set off to try and pass through the Ultra Wormhole. However, attacked the aircraft and badly damaged it before blocking the way into the Ultra Wormhole. Though she wanted to continue the mission, Matori ultimately ordered her unit to retreat.

Character
Matori appears to take her job as secretary seriously, as shown many times when she delivers messages coming from the to Jessie, James and Meowth, or when she demands reports from them. She is also seen to be faithful and deferential to Giovanni. While interacting with the Team Rocket trio, she is noticeably more cold and harsh.

In the, more of Matori's personal relationship with the trio is fleshed out. She becomes a rival figure to Jessie, who carries an intense dislike for her, as she considers Matori's attitude to be too authoritarian and almighty due to her status as the boss's secretary. She angrily calls her names such as "four eyes, "loser locks" and "bob-cut glasses goon" (Japanese: おかっぱメガネ bob-hair glasses) when she is not around. James seems to be more respectful of her, if not a little intimidated by her. Meowth appears to feel neutral towards her. He once considered bribing her with food, but quickly gave up on the idea.

Matori, on her side, is usually not impressed with the trio's lack of achievements and their failure to report on schedule. She does, however, show certain respect for them when they manage to report true achievements, such as unwittingly finding an Alolan Meowth or acquiring a Z-Power Ring. While the trio usually responds to her in a combative manner, especially when not in Giovanni's presence, she is either unaware of this or chooses to ignore it.

It is later revealed that in addition to being Giovanni's secretary, Matori is also an elite Team Rocket operative who leads her own special unit, the Matori Matrix. While leading this unit, she wears a standard Team Rocket uniform, but it is styled in a more militaristic fashion, with fancy, decorative shoulder-pads and the hat being down-turned and carrying the Matori Matrix insignia. In her role with the Matori Matrix, she is shown to be a serious, goal-oriented leader, dedicated to accomplishing her missions at any cost. Additionally, she also shows a vain and condescending personality, having the unit named after herself and dismissing the trio's offer to help. She appears to trust Gozu's advice, although she maintains her bossy demeanor and becomes even more irritable while lethargic due to the draining of Ultra Aura. She also has a reckless side, as seen when she hesitated to give up on pursuing the Ultra Guardians through an Ultra Wormhole, even though the Matori Matrix's airship was badly damaged.

Trivia

 * She was the last character to be introduced in the, debuting in the final episode.
 * Her name was first spoken by in the original Japanese version of Battling For The Love of Bug-Types! (as well as the Chinese and Indonesian dubs). However, the line revealing it was altered in the English dub, a process that would continue in all of the following episodes where it is mentioned until Full Moon and Many Arms!. This marks the longest time the English dub of the  has taken to date in confirming the name of a recurring character.
 * She was also referred to as Matori in the English captions for The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!.

Names
Giovannis Sekretärin Matori Secrétaire de Giovanni Matori マトリ 真鳥