Team Magma Grunt (Trainer class)

A Team Magma Grunt (Japanese: マグマだんのしたっぱ Team Magma Underling) is a type of Pokémon Trainer that debuted in the Generation III games. They are the peons of Team Magma. There are male and female versions, but they all dress in the recognizable red outfits associated with Team Magma.

In the games
In, they serve alongside the primary antagonists while in , they assist the player in stopping Team Aqua. In, Team Magma Grunts share the role of the antagonists alongside the s.

They generally use a combination of Ground-, Fire-, Poison-, and.

In the main series
Team Magma Grunts have made several appearances in the anime, using their Pokémon to infiltrate a target or to help Tabitha out. Magma Grunts debuted in A Ruin with a View, where they tried to find ancient Pokémon in the ruins under Oldale Town. They used Professor Alden to guide them there, and after collecting data from the ruins, escaped in their helicopter. In A Three Team Scheme!, they dug into a special shrine underground on Dewford Island, searching for Groudon and the Cave of Origin.

In The Spheal of Approval, two Grunts, along with Tabitha, tried to steal a curious stone linked with from the Oceanic Museum. They successfully escaped with most of the stone. They appeared again in Fight for the Meteorite!, where they stole a meteorite from Professor Cozmo and used it to power a machine to disturb Mt. Chimney. They battled Team Aqua and won, but their plans were ruined by and. Their last appearances were in Gaining Groudon! and The Scuffle of Legends!, where the awakening of and  caused mass destruction before the two Pokémon calmed down. No Team Magma Grunts were seen again after this episode, with the exception of Brodie, who appeared as an independent criminal in The Ribbon Cup Caper.

In Pokémon Generations
Multiple Team Magma Grunts appeared in The Vision in the Team Magma Hideout. Several of them were defeated by while he infiltrated the hideout. A small division of Grunts also boarded Submarine Explorer 1 along with Maxie and Tabitha for the Seafloor Cavern.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In the, Team Magma Grunts first appeared assisting during her raid on the Rusturf Tunnel. Several then boarded the submarine to the Seafloor Cavern along with s.

In the, grunts of both Team Magma and Team Aqua assist Zinnia during her raid on Sea Mauville.

In the Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire manga
The grunts only appear in We've Found Team Magma's Secret!! where their boss, Maxie, was having a meeting with them in their hideout. Later, they go after Mr. Briney's Peeko but failed to catch her when the only became interested in Mr. Briney.

Trivia

 * In the English-language dub of Gaining Groudon, Tabitha directly addresses one Magma grunt as Derek. This makes him one of the very few villainous team grunts in the franchise to have a confirmed name.
 * In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, a former Magma Grunt can be found in Icirrus City during winter, appearing as a . He is in a relationship with a former female Aqua Grunt and neither seems to know the other's previous affiliation.
 * In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, there is a former Magma Grunt with a former Aqua Grunt hiding in the Battle Resort, afraid that their respective teams will disapprove. Whether they are the same couple in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 is unknown, due to the couple's awareness of each other's past.