Meowth (ニャース, Nyāsu, Nyarth in original Japanese language versions) is one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollarPokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. The purpose of Meowth, in the games, anime, and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers. It is one of the more popular Pokémon species, largely thanks to the Pokémon anime, which features a Meowth as a main character. This particular Meowth, belonging to Team Rocket, the anime's major antagonists, is one of the few Pokémon that can speak.