Team Plasma

Team Plasma (Japanese: プラズマ団 Team Plasma) is the antagonistic team in the Unova region and first appeared in Pokémon Black and White. The player first meets them in Accumula Town giving a speech on releasing Pokémon.

Appearance
In Black and White, the uniforms the grunts wear are based on Knights, as they try to enforce their own definition of justice throughout The Unova Region. They also have a coat of arms on their chest, and an X on their hoods. In Black 2 and White 2, the faction headed by Ghetsis has a more militaristic uniform: a black officer's cap and a stiff black uniform what is more slightly similar to Team Rocket's outfits.

Accumula Town
They first appeared in Accumula Town giving the townspeople the speech about freeing their Pokémon. Ghetsis, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, tries to convince the people to free their Pokémon but they are left undecided. Team Plasma then left the scene in a formation. The player character and Cheren was watching the speech, including N, who introduces himself and challenges the player character to see how they raise their Pokémon.

Dreamyard
The player character and Bianca encounter Team Plasma next in the Dreamyard where they try to kidnap a Munna to change the dreams of the people so they will release their Pokémon. The player character stops them and it eventually leads to one of the Plasma Grunts to hit the Munna. Ghetsis then appears and scolds them into hitting the Pokémon. The grunts run away and fails to use the Munna for their plans.

Wellspring Cave
Team Plasma was next seen in the Wellspring Cave where they had to resort kidnapping a little kid's Pokémon. The player challenges the Plasma grunts and even leads to a double battle with Cheren. Once defeated, they flee.

Nacrene City
The player character encounters N again and N challenges the player character to a battle. Once defeated, he tells you how friendly your Pokémon are. Team Plasma then appears and steals a skull of a fossil from the museum and flees to Pinwheel Forest. The player, along with Lenora, Burgh, Bianca, and Cheren team up to get the skull back.

Pinwheel Forest
The player is forced to take the long route through Pinwheel Forest to look for Team Plasma while Burgh cuts off their escape using the short route. The player fights through several plasma grunts with the last one having the skull. After defeating the grunt, a member of the Seven Sages appears and orders the grunt to give the skull back, stating that it is not what they are searching for.

Castelia City
In Castelia city, as the player enters the gym, Cheren talks with you and leaves. Burgh will exit the gym and tells you to go to a dock where you meet Iris and Bianca. Bianca says her Munna was kidnapped by Team Plasma. You find them in a building near the gym where Ghetsis makes a speech, gives Bianca's Munna back, and leaves.

Liberty Garden Tower
If you get the Liberty Ticket over Wi-Fi, you can go into Liberty Garden. Inside the tower there, Team Plasma is inside trying to kidnap Victini. You must fight a couple of grunts before facing Victini.

Chargestone Cave
In Chargestone Cave, the player must defeat several plasma grunts. At the end of the cave, N will challenge you to yet another battle.

Mistralton City
N appears outside of Mistralton city and tests the player and his/her Pokémon

Dragonspiral Tower
After beating Icirrus City Gym, Team Plasma attacks Dragonspiral Tower. The player must fight to the top of the tower. At the top N summons Reshiram/Zekrom (Reshiram in White, Zekrom in Black.). He then flies off on his dragon.

Relic Castle
At Relic Castle, in an attempt to get the Dark/Light stone, the player fights Team Plasma at Relic castle. At the bottom, Ghetsis informs you and Alder that the Dark/Light stone is not there.

Opelucid City
Immediately after entering Opelucid City, Ghetsis makes another speech to the people there. Unlike Accumula Town however, the people question whether they should free their Pokémon.

N's Castle
This is the castle that rises up and surrounds the Pokémon League on N's command. Ghetsis says that it has been being built for centuries, as a hideout for Team Plasma. Here, we can see that some Plasma members are beginning to regret their plans of separating Pokémon. The player explores the castle, where they meet the Dark Trinity, Ghetsis's henchmen, several times, telling the player to come face N. One member tells them of N's room in the castle, where everything is childish, as we soon find out that N is still young at heart. In the back, there sits N, where a scene of Reshiram/Zekrom is played, as a dramatic entry for N's deity. The players Light Stone/Dark Stone also flashes, and another Resiram/Zekrom scene plays for you. You must face the Pokémon, and befriend it to defeat N (the only consequence for not capturing it is that you will not have the Pokémon in battle). After you face N, Ghetsis shows up and gives the story a real twist, saying that he is the REAL leader of Team Plasma, and that he had planned to use N to make him the only person in the world with Pokémon and thus rule it. Then, you must face Ghetsis himself, finally. After that battle, Team Plasma is basically disassembled, and N gets on Reshiram/Zekrom and rides away after talking with you about what he's seen in you. Then, the game is over.

Sage Hunt
After beating Ghetsis at N's castle, you restart at your room. Looker tells you that the sages are still on the lose (with the exception of Ghetsis who escaped after the events at N's castle.) The player must travel Unova and track down the six Sages. Each Sage will give you a TM before Looker arrests them.

Motives
They do want the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram and Zekrom to separate Pokémon and people, making the world "Black and White". N started these motives, and were to be strictly followed. The grunts, as well as N's right hand Commander, Ghetsis, enforced these motives throughout Unova. When the player defeated N in his castle, Ghetsis says that N has lost sight of the common goal, and strips him of his title of "King". After the incident, N stops thinking like this, he leaves Team Plasma and tells you he will travel the world searching for answers. However, it is later revealed that Ghetsis was only using N as a scapegoat so he could control the organization in the shadows, planning to keep his Pokémon while everyone else freed theirs.

However, by the time of Black and White Versions 2, Team Plasma has split into two factions: one completely loyal to N, the other steals Pokémon with the goal of world domination, led by Ghetsis.

Notable members

 * N - Leader of one fraction of Team Plasma (B2W2) aswell Puppet Leader (BW).
 * Ghetsis - Former right hand and True Leader of Team Plasma (BW) aswell Leader of the other fraction Team Plasma (B2W2).
 * Colress - One of Team Plasma's Top Scientist and the Second Leader of Team Plasma (B2W2).
 * Seven Sages - N's wise councillors (B2W2).
 * Zinzolin - One of the Seven Sages and an Admin of Team Plasma (B2W2).
 * Shadow Triad - Ghetsis' loyal minions/Body Guards and members to Team Plasma (BW,B2W2).
 * Anthea and Concordia - N's companions (BW).

Etymology
The word "plasma" in Team Plasma may be a reference to a plasma torch, a device that uses what appears to be both electricity and fire, a reference to Reshiram and Zekrom, who are part Fire and Electric respectively.

Trivia

 * Team Plasma is the first team to have none of the admins battle the player character throughout the game, besides Generation I's Team Rocket
 * The 'corruption' near the start of the Grunt Music (before the loop-point) could be a reference to the fact that Ghetsis is the one really controlling Team Plasma, not N, corrupting the real intentions of the team.
 * This is the first team that is trying to free all the Pokémon and not enslave them.
 * The grunts look like they are in suits of armour, like the knights in Middle Age.
 * Interestingly, in the Dream Yard, Team Plasma kick a Munna for their own greedy needs, even though they are allegedly trying to free Pokémon from humans. Also, N's castle was built by Team Plasma using enslaved Pokemon.
 * This wasn't the first time in the Pokémon franchise that mentioned Pokémon battling as a negative light, in "Pokemon the First Movie" Ash and his friends realize after watching Pokémon savagely fight their clones that it is wrong to battle.
 * Ghetsis often says: "This is what I-I mean Team Plasma wants."
 * Team Plasma seems like a slightly less radical version of PETA.
 * Team Plasma were going to make an appearance in BW023 and BW024, but got postponed mostly because of Great East Japan Earthquake.
 * Hugh harbors a deep hatred for Team Plasma, as they stole the Purrloin he gave to his younger sister.
 * Team Plasma is the only antagonistic team to have a method of transport: the Plasma Frigate.