Team GO Rocket

Team GO Rocket are organisation and the main antagonists in Pokémon GO. Based on the original Team Rocket, Team GO Rocket is comprised of:
 * grunts,
 * leaders
 * and Giovanni.

Game features
Members of Team GO Rocket, mostly grunts, happen to appear thanks to following game features.

PokéStops takeover
According to game's published media, Team Leaders and Professor Willow have observed Team GO Rocket members hanging out at discoloured PokéStops and it appears as they are after the PokéStops' resources.

Team GO Rocket grunts happen to takeover PokéStops. Such PokéStops have different appearance in the Map View:
 * when taken over PokéStop is out of range, their have darker colour scheme and the cube on the top tends to shake and twitch,
 * when such PokéStop is approached by a trainer, it turns it becomes black, the Team GO Rocket logo will appear over it and Team GO Rocket Grunt appears next to the PokéStop.

After spinning such PokéStop, grunt appears in the PokéStop view and challenges trainer to battle them. Player can leave the PokéStop or engage battle with such grunt.

For more information on Team GO Rocket Grunts and battling them, see here: Team GO Rocket Grunts

After tracking down and approaching PokéStops taken over by either leaders or Giovanni, these PokéStop behave the same way as if they were taken over by grunts.

This feature is only available to Trainers who are Level 8 and above.

Balloon encounters
Team GO Rocket Balloon encounter is coming to Pokémon GO in summer, 2020.

GO Snapshot Photobombs
Grunts were spotted in photobombs, while using GO Snapshot, during the Team GO Rocket Disruption event and the evening after attending Pokémon GO Fest 2019 events. Giovanni appeared as a photobomb at Yokohama Pokémon GO Fest 2019.

Special Research
There were several Special Research campaigns revolving around Team GO Rocket and features related to them. These are, these Special Research sets:
 * A Troubling Situation - Introduction to Team GO Rocket and Shadow Pokémon
 * Looming in the Shadows - Team GO Rocket Leaders Research in November 2019
 * A Challenging Development - Team GO Rocket Leaders Research in December 2019
 * The Take-Over Continues - Team GO Rocket Leaders Research in January 2020
 * A Professor’s Work is Never Done - Team GO Rocket Leaders Research in February 2020
 * The Shadowy Threat Grows - Team GO Rocket Leaders Research in March and April 2020

Rescuing Shadow Pokémon
Similarly to the Bonus Challenge in Raid Battles, Trainer can access Rescue Shadow Pokémon feature, after they successfully defeated any member of Team GO Rocket (including grunts, leaders and Giovanni). This feature, just like in Raid Battle Bonus Challenge, gives Trainer a chance to capture a previously defeated Pokémon using Premier Balls rewarded for performance in battle and Team GO Rocket-related Medals progress.

Shadow and Purifed Pokémon
Shadow Pokémon are kind of Pokémon that can be acquired after a successful battle against any of Team GO Rocket members. According to the Professor Willow in game's published media, Shadow Pokémon are modified, strengthened Pokémon that suffer and Trainer should rescue and purify them in order to revert them to their regular state.

Shadow Pokémon cannot be traded away by the Trainer who rescued them unless they are purified first. Purified Pokémon can also become stronger and require less resources to power up.

List of Team GO Rocket events

 * Team GO Rocket Disruption: July to August, 2019
 * On July, 2019, every single PokéStop was taken over by Team GO Rocket during 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time.
 * Team GO Rocket Leaders Disruption: November to November, 2019
 * On November, 2019, every single PokéStop (except the ones taken by leaders) was taken over by Team GO Rocket during 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time.
 * Team GO Rocket Global Take-over: March to, 2020
 * This event included global take-over mini-event on March from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.

Social media takeover
Game publishers arranged social-media takeover by Team GO Rocket that took place at 9:00 PM EDT on July 26, 2019, at the official Pokémon GO Twitter page and other social media. Eventually, after a various messages, Team GO Rocket announced that they will be taking over all PokéStops on July 28, 2019 for one hour beginning at 4:00 PM local time. "Control" of the social media accounts were restored after 48 hours at 9:30 PM EDT on July 28, 2019.

Statement
Trainers…

For three years, we have been watching. The world of Pokémon GO is rife with unlimited resources. This privilege is wasted on Trainers like you who lack the vision to exploit this vast world of resources and Pokémon.

You walk around and spin your PokéStops like this some kind of game. You battle in your Gyms and rejoice when they change colors. You care for Pokémon as though they're something more than tools! What a waste of potential!

We've brought our Shadow Pokémon, strengthened to unimaginable levels that you could never reach through powering up alone. We're here to take over your PokéStops and steal from their unlimited supply of resources. Can't you see the beauty of our evil?

This is just the beginning. Your resources are our resources. Your Pokémon are our Pokémon. Your world is our world! You can't stop us. Professor Willow, Spark, Blanche, Candela, and most of all, you—stay out of our way!

We follow the villainous path of those before us—and we will succeed in finally bringing Giovanni's vision to the world!

If you insist on trying to disrupt our plans, we wil lmake you feel a world of pain!

—Team GO Rocket

Trivia

 * The possible reward Pokémon for the "Defeat a Team GO Rocket Grunt" Research Task (Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth) reference the Pokémon originally used by Team Rocket members Jessie and James in the Pokémon anime.
 * The game element was introduced in July, 2019. However, it was suspended one day later due to adjustment of Shadow Pokémon.
 * Team GO Rocket was released again on July, 2019.
 * Event Team GO Rocket Disruption was held to promote the introduction of Team GO Rocket.
 * If you do not have any space in your Pokémon storage, after defeating Team GO Rocket you would exit without encountering the Shadow Pokémon; however, the Grunt does not disappear, and after clearing out space you can simply tap the Grunt to go straight into the encounter without needing to defeat the Grunt again.
 * Capturing a Shadow Pokémon at a Pokéstop resets it; you can spin the photo disc to get items, capture the Shadow Pokémon and get items again even though 5 minutes have not passed.
 * The original Flying-type hint was "My bird Pokémon wants to battle with you!". It was changed due to some Flying-type Pokémon do not look like birds such as Zubat, Gyarados or Dragonite.
 * Previously, you are unable to use items while choosing your team without exiting the encounter entirely.
 * Before the introduction of Team GO Rocket Leaders, the hints of Electric- and Ghost-type could not be displayed. Normal dialog was used before the battle.