Giovanni, the true leader of Team Rocket, returns in January 2025 for you to challenge and win Pokemon GO. Sporting from the same team as Galarian Expedition: Assumed event for Team Rocket, Giovanni has powerful Pokémon that can be difficult to fight. After completing Team Rocket's Special Research to challenge him, you need to prepare for a difficult fight that can earn you some rare rewards.
Completing Special Research in Pokemon GO rewards you with the Super Rocket Radar, which can be used to track Giovanni's hidden location. However, you have to defeat two decoys disguised as Giovanni first before encountering the true leader at another PokéStop. You can encounter Giovanni once if you lose against him, but if you are defeated twice, the Super Rocket Radar will be consumed.
Team Rocket Boss Giovanni Lineup and Counters (January 2025)
Take your strongest Pokémon into battle
Similar to other Team Rocket leaders, There are three waves in Giovanni's boss fight which feature several Pokémon. The first and third waves of the fight always feature a Pokémon that never changes, no matter how many times you re-fight Giovanni. However, there are three possible Pokémon you might encounter in the second wavemaking it difficult to predict which counters you need.
Each of Giovanni's Pokémon is a Shadow variantmaking them a little stronger than the normal versions of the pocket monsters you encounter. Each of Giovanni's team members is a Legendary Pokémon in Pokemon GO or the end of a Pokémon's evolutionary line. Since you can't know for sure which types to bring into the fight for certain counters, you need to understand the possible Pokémon Giovanni could use.
The table below outlines Giovanni's team for January 2025, what their types and weaknesses are, and the best Pokémon counters you can use against them:
|
Wave |
Pokemon |
Type(s) |
Weaknesses |
Best accountants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
(Shadow) Persian |
Normal |
Fight |
|
|
2 |
(Shadow) Nidoking |
Poison/Earth |
Ground, Ice, Psychic, Water |
|
|
2 |
(Shadow) Kingdra |
Dragon/Water |
Dragon, Fairy |
|
|
2 |
(Shadow) Riperior |
Rock/Terrain |
Grass, Water, Fight, Ground, Ice, Steel |
|
|
3 |
(Shadow) Heatran |
Fire/Steel |
Ground, Fight, Water |
|
Some of the strongest Pokémon to use against Giovanni are:
- Swampert
- Garchomp
- Machamp
Swampert's Water and Ground types make it the perfect Pokémon to use against Giovanni as it contradicts most of the Team Rocket leader's team. Swampert can decimate Heatran, Giovanni's strongest Pokémon, while also dealing with Rhyperior or Nidoking if they appear in the second wave. Meanwhile, Machamp can easily eliminate the Shadow Persian that Giovanni always starts the battle with.
Machamp can also counter Shadow Heatran and Rhyperior, but Swampert has more bulk as a Water type to survive multiple battles against both Pokémon on Giovanni's team.
Garchomp also has the Ground typing to challenge many of Giovanni's potential team members. At the same time, Garchomp's secondary Dragon typing allows it to challenge Giovanni's Shadow Kingdra as well. Keep in mind that Kingdra can also deal super effective damage to Garchomp, so you can experiment with other counters if you have more powerful Dragon-type Pokémon in your arsenal.
Rewards for defeating Rocket Leader Giovanni (January 2025)
Earn a legendary item and other items
You earn 5,000 Stardust for defeating Giovannilike this two item packs of different possibilities. Rewards you can receive for your victory include:
- 4x Revive
- 4x Max Revive
- 4x Hyper Potion
- 4x Maximum Potion
- 1x Unova Stone
Although there are no Shadow Eggs in Pokemon GO bestowed upon you in this battle, you do get a chance to capture Giovanni's stolen Shadow Heatran. Once the battle is over, you will have a normal encounter with Shadow Heatran, where you will have a chance to capture him. While it has no chance of being Shiny, it's still a powerful and rare Pokémon that you probably won't find anywhere else.
Having a Shadow Heatran in your collection can help you in the future when dealing with Giovanni again when he and Team Rocket inevitably return. Whether Giovanni has Heatran or another Legendary under his command, managing to defeat the hidden criminal leader in Pokemon GO will always lead to fantastic rewards.