Doctor Namba first showed up during the Lugia saga, appearing in "The Mystery is History," "A Parent Trapped," and "A Promise is a Promise." After that, he became a regular presence in the series, mostly as a voice giving Butch and Cassidy their orders—though "Oaknapped" is the only episode where he actually appears on screen instead of just over the radio or phone.
People constantly mess up his name, just like they do with Butch. Cassidy herself called him "Dr. Samba" in "The Ole' Berate and Switch!" He's also known for having a pretty short fuse.
Not much is publicly known about Namba's background. He operates mostly behind the scenes, which has led some fans to speculate he might be hiding from the law. What's clear is that he commands respect within Team Rocket—he regularly orders around scientists and field agents—so he's either genuinely brilliant at what he does or he's climbed the ranks over a long time. In the Japanese version of Pokémon Chronicles, Namba explicitly demands that Butch and Cassidy hunt down rare Pokémon for something called the "R Project," suggesting he's working on something significant for the organization.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
