Mewtwo (Anime)

Mewtwo (Anime)
“ I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are. „ ― Mewtwo
Vital statistics
Names	Mewtwo
Gender	Genderless
Race	Mewtwo
Occupation	Guardian
Origin	Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (Japanese: 劇場版ポケットモンスター　ミュウツーの逆襲 Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo's Counterattack, officially known as Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back! in Japan)) (July 18th 1998)
Alignment	Neutral
Age	Unknown
Created By	Kunihiko Yuyama, Takeshi Shudo
Height	6'7 (201 cm)
Weight	122 kg (269 lbs)

Mewtwo (Japanese: ミュウツー Mewtwo) is a Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon appearing in the anime and it's movies; Mewtwo Strikes Back, its remake Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, and its sequel special Mewtwo Returns. It also appeared some main series episodes, debuting in The Battle Of The Badge. Since the original series, it made further appearances in openings and a few stock appearances in movies.

Mewtwo reappeared in the episode Getting More Than You Battled For!, living in Cero Island, where it accepted a challenge from Ash and Goh, winning easily. Before Mewtwo, there was Mew, the ancestor of all Pokémon.

Personality

Throughout the course of the first movie, Mewtwo viewed all humans as its enemy, as Team Rocket's boss Giovanni would usually rely on it for his evil deeds, and the scientists strongly implied they were more pleased with the project being a success than its actual worth as a living being. However, ever since Ash was petrified by the attacks of both Mewtwo and Mew, Mewtwo had a change of heart and did everything to make sure that no one remembered what happened.

Its personality and motives beyond the initial misanthropy were largely different between the Japanese version and the English dub of the original movie. In the former, Mewtwo was insecure about its place in the world largely due to its status as a clone, and it preferred having a more direct confrontation between humanity and naturally-born Pokémon as revenge via its own cloned Pokémon, with the hurricane being more of a means to an end in bringing about this confrontation. In the latter, Mewtwo is significantly more confident in his status as stronger than any known Pokémon in existence, including its template, and it fully intended to destroy the entire world via hurricane as revenge against humanity. On a similar note, Mewtwo also had different reactions regarding developments to its plan, particularly the sudden appearance of its cloned Pokémon. In the Japanese version, he was taken by surprise by the explosion of its lab beneath them, while in the English version, it instead proudly declared "behold!", implying that it anticipated the lab explosion to occur as part of unveiling its clone army. Its characterization in the dub for the remake is much closer to that seen in the Japanese version.

It had calmed down considerably since the events in Kanto, and Mewtwo had grown into a guardian figure for its fellow clones. While it still questioned its place in the world, it felt responsible for its clones and was willing to sacrifice itself in order to keep them safe from harm. While still cautious regarding humans, Mewtwo was also willing to save them if the need called for it, such as when it used Psychic powers to save a busload of tourists; in the Japanese version, it conceded to Meowth-two's speculation that it did this due to having some care for the well-being of the humans (although it was mostly out of pragmatism due to wanting to avoid the risk of being discovered by the resulting news choppers). Its view on humanity was further changed as Ash helped Mewtwo to Purity Spring, when Mewtwo wondered why Ash would help it, Ash claimed that no one needs a reason to help someone. Mewtwo's outlook on life was further influenced by how the spring affected it. As the waters had the same restoring effect on it as they did on other Pokémon, it concluded that the world was its rightful place as well.

After the military operation on Mount Quena came to a head, Mewtwo had initially contemplated on erasing the memories of everyone involved. However, it took Meowth's speech into consideration, as erasing their memories would prevent the clones from learning about their past, and forgetting would not change the fact that things happen. Mewtwo decided to only erase the memories of Team Rocket—excluding Jessie, James, and Meowth—and departed.

By Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Mewtwo had again taken up the role of a protector, this time to a group of Pokémon abused by humans. Even though it did not try to hide its strength, it had mellowed even further following the Mount Quena events, to the point where Ash and Goh's dedication to their dreams made it smile.

Biography

Approximately twenty years ago, Team Rocket discovered that a Mew was living in Guyana. Many years later, under the orders of the new boss Giovanni, an expedition team of Team Rocket scientists traveled to the area to search for a fossil of Mew, and succeeded in finding an eyelash belonging to it. Giovanni hired Dr. Fuji to clone Mew for him and create the most powerful Pokémon in existence. Fuji agreed, but only in order to continue his research into cloning his deceased daughter, Amber.

One month after the discovery of the eyelash, Mewtwo was successfully created and stored at New Island. At this point, it was still not fully grown and lived in a large tank beside others that contained Bulbasaurtwo, Squirtletwo, Charmandertwo, and Ambertwo. Fuji and the other scientists thought that Mewtwo was unconscious inside its tube, but it was able to communicate telepathically with Ambertwo and the other clones. However, because the cloning process requires a strong life force, all four other clones died. Before this, Mew was revealed to have an immortal life force, explaining why Mew's DNA sample made a successful clone in Mewtwo.

Over the years, Mewtwo matured and grew confused over its origin and place in the world. After resolving to figure out where it belongs, Mewtwo broke out of its tank, with Mewtwo exchanging some words with its creators while asking about the nature of its existence and its destiny. The Team Rocket scientists were happy that they had succeeded in creating the most powerful Pokémon in the world, but that joy turned to horror once Mewtwo retaliated. Realizing that it was just an experiment of mankind, Mewtwo unleashed its fury upon them. Despite the efforts of the security systems that were designed to control it, Mewtwo destroyed the laboratory on New Island and all of the scientists in it.

Immediately thereafter, Giovanni found Mewtwo and convinced it to help with Team Rocket's goal of controlling the world. Mewtwo's power was focused as well as restrained by a robotic suit of armor as it performed tasks, such as battling for Giovanni in the Viridian Gym and helping Team Rocket capture Pokémon. At one point, Giovanni, after temporarily (at the time) abdicating the Viridian Gym to Jessie James and Meowth, utilized Mewtwo for what was presumably a very serious matter. Mewtwo eventually became tired of being used by Giovanni. It developed a strong hatred for humans and felt that they were weak and selfish beings who were only interested in power and wealth; it also despised the Pokémon who served humans. Mewtwo escaped from Giovanni, destroying Team Rocket headquarters in the process (something that the Team Rocket trio witnessed, ironically around the time they themselves considered defecting from Team Rocket), and relocated to its birthplace on New Island and built a castle there.

Mewtwo then issued a challenge to several strong Pokémon Trainers, including Ash Ketchum. It used its powers to create a storm that would serve as a test to see who could make it to the island. Only a handful of Trainers decided to brave the storm and arrive, including Ash and his friends. Upon revealing itself, Mewtwo challenged the Trainers with its clone Pokémon—Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard—to prove its superiority to human Trainers and the superiority of cloned Pokémon in comparison to trained Pokémon. To do this, Mewtwo used a variation of the Poké Balls used by Trainers. Once caught in the Balls, the Trainers' Pokémon were cloned in a downstairs laboratory. However, before Mewtwo could defeat the Trainers and move out into the world, Mew appeared. Mew and Mewtwo fought at length, ceasing only when Ash—exasperated over the drawn-out and fruitless battling—ran into the fray and was caught in their crossfire, which turned his body to stone. After Ash was revived by the tears of the nearby Pokémon, clone and original alike, Mewtwo experienced a change of heart and no longer sought to conquer the world. Mewtwo reasoned that it would be best if no one remembered the events that had transpired, so it erased the memories of all the people and Pokémon and transported everyone but Team Rocket back to the mainland. Mewtwo and Mew left New Island with the cloned Pokémon to seek a proper place for themselves.

Johto

Soon afterwards, Mewtwo and the clones migrated to Johto and eventually settled on Mount Quena. To prevent them from having any encounters with humans, Mewtwo frequently used severe storms to make the mountain inaccessible. One day, a bus full of people was nearly knocked off the road, so Mewtwo decided to use its telekinesis to right the bus and prevent an accident. After its actions were questioned, it explained to its fellow clones that a bus crash would attract even more humans. However, Meowthtwo believed that the act may have also been due to a growing soft spot for humanity, which Mewtwo vehemently denied.

After a few years, Giovanni found Mewtwo's hiding place using one of Team Rocket's satellites and began a plan to capture it once again. However, this plan was foiled when Mewtwo again met with Ash, who did not remember their previous encounter. Giovanni restrained Mewtwo, but Ash and his friends helped it to escape and defeat Giovanni. At the end of the ordeal, Mewtwo erased Giovanni and his soldiers' memories and decided to move throughout the world, searching for the meaning of its life.

In the epilogue to Mewtwo Returns and in some openings and movie previews, Mewtwo has been seen wearing a plain brown cape and moving across rooftops at night.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Since its departure from Mount Quena, Mewtwo began protecting several Pokémon that had been abused by humans. They eventually settled on the isolated Cero Island to live in peace.

In Getting More Than You Battled For!, Ash and Goh traveled to Cero Island after Professor Cerise detected an energy signature similar to that of Mew coming from that location. After wandering around the island's wilderness for some time, Ash and Goh fell over a waterfall but were seemingly saved by Mewtwo, who rendered them unconscious and teleported them to a giant tree somewhere on the island. They encountered the Pokémon in Mewtwo's protection shortly before Mewtwo itself appeared and confronted them. Ash, recalling their previous encounter, recognized it, while Mewtwo did not indicate whether it remembered Ash or not. Mewtwo demanded to know why they had come to the sanctuary, leading Goh to reveal his search for Mew. In response, Mewtwo questioned how capturing all of the Pokémon in the world would lead Goh to Mew. Goh explained his belief that capturing Pokémon helps to understand them, and that capturing all Pokémon would thus help him understand Mew since it has the genes of all Pokémon species. Recognizing that Mewtwo was a Pokémon itself, he challenged it with the intent of capturing it. Mewtwo warned them that it was created to be the strongest Pokémon in the world, which motivated Ash to challenge it as well, in order to push himself further down the road to becoming a Pokémon Master. Smiling at their dedication to their dreams, Mewtwo consented to a battle. Despite Ash and Goh's best efforts, Mewtwo easily defeated Pikachu, Cinderace, and Lucario.

After the battle, Mewtwo asked Ash and Goh if they would still pursue their dreams, even though there would be many challenges ahead. In response, they affirmed their dedication to their goals, saying they could rely on their friends. Encouraged by this, Mewtwo revealed its role in protecting the abused Pokémon. Deciding to leave Cero Island with the Pokémon under its protection, Mewtwo parted with Ash and Goh, bidding them farewell with the promise that their journeys had only just begun. It then teleported them back to the Cerise Laboratory, allowing them to retain their memories of the encounter.

Personality

Throughout the course of the first movie, Mewtwo viewed all humans as its enemy, as Team Rocket's boss Giovanni would usually rely on it for his evil deeds, and the scientists strongly implied they were more pleased with the project being a success than its actual worth as a living being. However, ever since Ash was petrified by the attacks of both Mewtwo and Mew, Mewtwo had a change of heart and did everything to make sure that no one remembered what happened.

Its personality and motives beyond the initial misanthropy were largely different between the Japanese version and the English dub of the original movie. In the former, Mewtwo was insecure about its place in the world largely due to its status as a clone, and it preferred having a more direct confrontation between humanity and naturally-born Pokémon as revenge via its own cloned Pokémon, with the hurricane being more of a means to an end in bringing about this confrontation. In the latter, Mewtwo is significantly more confident in his status as stronger than any known Pokémon in existence, including its template, and it fully intended to destroy the entire world via hurricane as revenge against humanity. On a similar note, Mewtwo also had different reactions regarding developments to its plan, particularly the sudden appearance of its cloned Pokémon. In the Japanese version, he was taken by surprise by the explosion of its lab beneath them, while in the English version, it instead proudly declared "behold!", implying that it anticipated the lab explosion to occur as part of unveiling its clone army. Its characterization in the dub for the remake is much closer to that seen in the Japanese version.

It had calmed down considerably since the events in Kanto, and Mewtwo had grown into a guardian figure for its fellow clones. While it still questioned its place in the world, it felt responsible for its clones and was willing to sacrifice itself in order to keep them safe from harm. While still cautious regarding humans, Mewtwo was also willing to save them if the need called for it, such as when it used Psychic powers to save a busload of tourists; in the Japanese version, it conceded to Meowth-two's speculation that it did this due to having some care for the well-being of the humans (although it was mostly out of pragmatism due to wanting to avoid the risk of being discovered by the resulting news choppers). Its view on humanity was further changed as Ash helped Mewtwo to Purity Spring, when Mewtwo wondered why Ash would help it, Ash claimed that no one needs a reason to help someone. Mewtwo's outlook on life was further influenced by how the spring affected it. As the waters had the same restoring effect on it as they did on other Pokémon, it concluded that the world was its rightful place as well.

After the military operation on Mount Quena came to a head, Mewtwo had initially contemplated on erasing the memories of everyone involved. However, it took Meowth's speech into consideration, as erasing their memories would prevent the clones from learning about their past, and forgetting would not change the fact that things happen. Mewtwo decided to only erase the memories of Team Rocket—excluding Jessie, James, and Meowth—and departed.

By Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Mewtwo had again taken up the role of a protector, this time to a group of Pokémon abused by humans. Even though it did not try to hide its strength, it had mellowed even further following the Mount Quena events, to the point where Ash and Goh's dedication to their dreams made it smile.

Trivia

• One of Mewtwo's moves in Mewtwo Strikes Back, Shadow Ball, had not yet been introduced in the games at the time.
• The city that Mewtwo overlooks at the end of Mewtwo Returns resembles New York City. Structures similar to the Chrysler Building and MetLife Building can be seen in the distance. The narrator refers to it as "a faraway city".
• Mewtwo had a passing mention in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon. When the Mirage Mewtwo was created, the Mirage Master claimed, "This is not the same Mewtwo that you're all familiar with."
• The gap of 1,066 episodes between its appearances in Showdown at the Po-ké Corral and Getting More Than You Battled For! marks the longest absence of a recurring wild Pokémon in the main series.
• Some elements revolving around Mewtwo are referenced in the FireRed & LeafGreen chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga:
  • After leaving Blaine, Mewtwo is revealed to have gained the ability to talk via telepathy.
  • Mewtwo's robotic suit from Mewtwo Strikes Back appears, but instead of being used to focus Mewtwo's powers, Giovanni uses the suit, called the "M2 Bind", to confine Mewtwo and gradually sap away its strength.
  • Mewtwo reveals that it was cloned from Mew's eyelash.
• Originally, Mewtwo was planned to return in Genesect and the Legend Awakened, but the idea was scrapped due to the character being considered the property of Takeshi Shudo's estate. As a result, a different Mewtwo was created to star in the movie in its place.