Mewtwo
| Mewtwo | |
|---|---|
 National Pokédex Dragonite - Mewtwo (#150) - Mew Johto Pokédex Ho-oh - Mewtwo (#249) - Mew | |
| Japanese name | Mewtwo |
| Evolves from | None |
| Evolves into | None |
| Generation | First |
| Species | Genetic Pokémon |
| Type | Psychic |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.0 m) |
| Weight | 269.0 pounds (122.0 kg) |
| Ability | Pressure |
Mewtwo (ミュウツー, Myuutsū) is one of the Template:Pokenum fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. The purpose of Mewtwo 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.[2]
It is widely considered to be the most powerful Pokémon to exist in the Pokémon universe, though this is still a controversial statement, due to the existence of other powerful Pokémon like Mew. The name Mewtwo originates from Mew, the Pokémon from whom its genes originated. The "two" suffix refers to Mewtwo being an enhanced Mew<transgenic>. Although many people refer to Mewtwo as a clone, a clone is defined as an exact duplicate of an individual, and where as Mewtwo is not an exact duplicate, but rather an enchaced, gene manuplitated version would be classified as a transgenic Pokemon.
Although Mewtwo is gender-neutral in the games (as are all Legendary Pokémon, with the exception of Latios and Latias), it is referred to by many Pokémon fans as male.
Characteristics
Mewtwo is a Pokémon unlike any other; everything about it, from its origin to its traits, is extraordinary [3]. It is not a species per se; it is a single, unique entity that physically resembles a very tall, imposing, humanoid being with white flesh-like fur (as confirmed in the junior novelization[3] of Pokémon: The First Movie), a long, thick purple tail, large intent eyes, what appears to be a second cord-like neck behind its main neck, and vaguely feline characteristics. The shapes of its necks, crested chest, three-fingered hands, and sloped feet all help give Mewtwo the mutant image implied in its name.
In the Pokémon video games, anime, and manga, Mewtwo’s origins differ, but they are all consistent in that Mewtwo is a “super-clone” of Mew, another cat-like Pokémon[4], having been created by scientists through genetic experiments based on Mew’s DNA and conditioned to bring out an ability to wield psychokinetic powers of a very spectacular, dangerous sort. In this sense, Mewtwo is among the few Pokémon species that have been created by humankind.
Due to its genetic background with Mew, itself an entity laced with overwhelming psychokinetic and telekinetic powers, Mewtwo’s specifically conditioned powers and abilities are undeniable; it is capable of many things that would seem to most as wild fantasy but are second nature to it. Mewtwo can employ telekinesis to lift relatively large objects such as people and Pokémon off the ground and into the air from far away, and it can throw them violently about the air and launch them away. It can also perform self-levitation. In fact, with only a minor strain on its mind, Mewtwo can achieve genuine flight with its energy channeled accordingly. When in battle with another Pokémon, Mewtwo seems to be undefeatable; in addition to forming in its hands things like spheres of explosive energy to lob at its opponents, it can easily summon a barrier of psychic power to protect its body like a magical shield. In special circumstances it can even delve deeply into the minds of people and alter the neural structure of their brains to quite literally erase their recent memories. Lastly, it can manipulate the clouds in the sky to, in effect, summon rainstorms or, if it prefers, to clear away clouds.
Mewtwo is a sentient being, and in its various appearances in the video games, anime, and manga it has demonstrated the capacity for conscious actions that can be considered evil in nature. In the anime in particular, it initially harbors strong feelings of embitterment and distrust toward the humans that have created it artificially, but it eventually develops a degree of compassion and concern for certain other life forms, including a select few humans. Ultimately, Mewtwo’s personality is developed enough to allow for the virtues and failings of a human being.
In the Pokémon video games
Story variation
Storywise, brief diaries found in Cinnibar Mansion in Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen, as well as in-game Pokedex entries, illustrate that Mewtwo was created by scientists through years of gene-splicing and experimentation, and that the DNA for Mewtwo comes from a Mew that was discovered in South America. The diaries suggest that Mew “gave birth” to Mewtwo, but details concerning these events are sparse and ambiguous. Nonetheless, the diaries imply that Mewtwo was made to be much more powerful and violent than the scientists bargained for, and Mewtwo fled to the Cerulean Caves.
Availability
In Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow from the first generation of games for Game Boy, Mewtwo is found as the “boss” of the Cerulean Cave (alternately known as the “Unknown Dungeon”), residing at its end as a mission-centered Pokémon that one has but a single chance to catch through battle, where it is at level 70. Due to Mewtwo’s very high degree of power in these early games, it was the ideal Pokémon for most players to catch using their single available Master Ball. In the second generation of games for Game Boy Color, Mewtwo is not found anywhere; it must be uploaded into the Gold, Silver and Crystal game carts through trade from the previous three versions.
In the third generation of games on Game Boy Advance, Mewtwo is not found in the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald versions, but rather in the FireRed and LeafGreen enhanced remakes of the first-generation games, in a reprise of its role as the boss of the Cerulean Cave, also at level 70. Once caught here, Mewtwo can be traded to the other versions as well as the console games Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. Mewtwo is also avalible in Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon. His friend area in Enigma Cave.
Battle Tactics
Mewtwo is a notoriously powerful Pokémon that is banned from competitive play because it is considered an “über”. It was especially fearsome in the early Red, Blue and Yellow versions for Game Boy, when competition against Psychic-types was minimal due to a somewhat imbalanced elemental system where available Bug and Ghost-type moves (the attack types that are “Super-Effective against Psychic Pokémon) were rather low-powered. In these old versions, Mewtwo had the highest base Special stat (154), meaning that it had more special attack and special defense than any other Pokémon, and every one of its other stats, including a very high Speed stat, were very good as well. It took entire Pokémon teams to take down a Mewtwo, even if all Pokémon involved were at the same level and resistant to Psychic-type attacks. In effect, competitive play in these versions depended on either the strength of each trainer’s Mewtwo or whether Mewtwo was banned. Mew has Higher Defence than Mewtwo.
Starting with the Gold and Silver versions, Mewtwo was relieved of a good portion of its excess power through several means; In addition to the induction of Dark and Steel-type Pokémon, both resilient to Psychic attacks, the Bug and Ghost types gained both stronger moves and stronger Pokémon. Another important change was the splitting of the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense, which in Mewtwo’s case caused its Special Defense to be downgraded to the level of its Defense, making it easier to take down. In spite of these and other changes that work against its favor, Mewtwo still remains a very powerful and resilient Pokémon, and this status is carried into the third generation of games for the Game Boy Advance, where Mewtwo gains the Pressure ability like most other Legendary Pokémon.
In Pokémon Stadium
In Pokémon Stadium for Nintendo 64, since Mewtwo was so strong, it was widely imported from its Game Boy version to the N64 Game Cart through a Transfer Pack to battle in and dominate the competitions that accepted Mewtwo: the Prime Cup tournaments and the Gym Leader Road. However, Mewtwo is also the “final boss” of both rounds of the stadium; after completing all other tournaments, a level-100 Mewtwo awaits battle, and the player is to defeat it with a team of any six Pokémon, be they rental Pokémon or custom-trained. Mewtwo was a very tough Pokémon to defeat even with six fully-developed Pokémon on the player’s team. In Pokémon Stadium 2, however, Mewtwo’s decreased advantage works to make these competitions somewhat tougher for players using Mewtwo than the original. Stadium 2 has “final boss” rounds much like the previous game, but this time they consist of three Pokémon at level 100: Lugia and Ho-Oh in addition to Mewtwo. Though these final matches were harder than the final boss rounds of the original games, it nonetheless reflects the increased balance of gameplay in regards to Mewtwo.
In other games
Mewtwo is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and is voiced by Masachika Ichimura.
Mewtwo also appears in Pokémon Puzzle Challenge as the "Puzzle Master", and the boss of the 1 Player mode of Puzzle Stadium. He summons Ash (the player) to its lair via a portal in its trophy, and tells him that, as the Puzzle Champion, Ash has earned the right to face it, but cannot win, as it is Mewtwo's destiny to crush all challengers. If Ash loses to Mewtwo, he must battle Gary Oak again to earn a rematch.
In the Pokémon anime
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. |
In the anime and all games with spoken dialogue, Mewtwo is voiced by Japanese actor/singer Masachika Ichimura. In the English dub, it is voiced by Phillip Bartlett.
While in the anime most Pokémon are portrayed as animals, Mewtwo is portrayed quite differently from most Pokémon, resembling a human character in the attention paid to its motivations and plans. Mewtwo is depicted as the central character to several high-profile instances in the continuity of the Pokémon anime and movie series, constituting a separate subplot to the Pokémon anime.
In the Pokémon anime’s chronology, Mewtwo first appears in a special show on the "Mewtwo Returns" DVD titled “The Uncut Story of Mewtwo’s Origin”. Mewtwo is created from the DNA of the rare and powerful Mew by the scientist Dr. Fuji to be a living Pokémon weapon of war for Team Rocket leader Giovanni. During growth, Mewtwo stirs in mind and communicates with the conscience of a young girl named Amber (Ai in the Japanese version), a clone of Fuji’s daughter who perished in a tragic incident prior. Mewtwo and “Ambertwo” develop a psychic bond and friendship. However, the experiment encounters some tragic exceptions, and Ambertwo disappears, leaving Mewtwo lost, confused, and traumatized. Dr. Fuji forcefully administers serum to remove this event from Mewtwo’s memory, and Mewtwo is left gradually growing into a twisted being aware that it lost something important to it, but unable to decipher what.
In Pokémon: The First Movie , Mewtwo, now fully developed, stirs from its slumber and break out of its containment cell, emotionally transformed into a cold, hardened being. When it is told that it is a laboratory specimen for the humans who created it, Mewtwo is enraged and destroys the lab in retribution, apparently routing all inside. Almost right afterwards, Mewtwo is approached by Giovanni, who succeeds in seducing the Pokémon to join him in what he presents as their “mutual goal for world conquest.” Giovanni gives Mewtwo some training in his own Team Rocket base, but he soon lets slip that, since Mewtwo was created to fight for him as a servant would to its master, the two could never stand as equals. Mewtwo, finally convinced that all humans are immoral, exerts violent retribution and destroys the base before flying away and abandoning Giovanni. It returns to the destroyed island upon where it was born and sets a new goal for itself: A global purge of humankind and the Pokémon they control, both of whom it believes to be corrupt and, therefore, it is its sacred duty as a clone to rout them all and purify the planet. Afterwards the planet will be repopulated with cloned versions of all previously existing Pokémon.
A period of time later, Mewtwo sets in motion its plan to acquire Pokémon for cloning. It lures Pokémon trainers to come over to its “New Island”, which include Ash Ketchum, Misty, and Brock, and Mewtwo appears before the trainers and detains all of their Pokémon, cloning each of them for itself to make a small army. Mew spontaneously appears, however, and Mewtwo immediately sets the stage for a tremendous battle between Mew and itself, a battle of destiny to determine whether the Pokémon born of this world or the Pokémon created as clones in Mewtwo’s own image have the right to own the world. With that, the ultimate Pokémon battle ensues, and the chaos eventually ends when Ash throws himself into Mewtwo and Mew’s crossfire of psychic energy, rendering his body into a lifeless stone-like substance. His apparent sacrifice shocks Mewtwo, and as all the Pokémon, clone or otherwise, begin grieving, their tears magically gather into Ash’s body and ostensibly revive him. This reveals to Mewtwo that all sentient life forms, be they human or Pokémon, natural or cloned, have the capacity for virtue. Thus does the Pokémon super-clone have a change of heart. Mewtwo erase the minds of the trainers and their Pokémon and returns them to the mainland in sound state before taking the Pokémon it cloned along with it on a journey into the western land of Johto, in search of a haven where it and its clones may live away from the influence of the rest of humanity.
In Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns, Giovanni, the one who originally created Mewtwo, never forgot his grudge against Mewtwo for betraying him. Unaware of the events at New Island, he locates Mewtwo and its band of clones hiding in a geographical feature known as Mt. Quena, located in the Johto region. He rallies his troops, travels west into Mewtwo’s direction, and commences his operation to bring Mewtwo out by capturing the clones so that he can force Mewtwo to submit to his will, all of which is wholly successful. As Mewtwo has developed a sense of concern for its clones strong enough for it to put the welfare of its fellow clones over its own, it agrees to be detained by Giovanni’s mind-control machines designed to bend Mewtwo’s will to his own.
However, chaos involving a swarm of angry Bug Pokémon ensues, and Ash and his friends, who just so happen to have been in the area when the operation took place, find Mewtwo incarcerated. Though they and Mewtwo are successful in destroying its energy prison, Mewtwo’s life force is in jeopardy, but Ash and his Pokémon carry Mewtwo to Mt. Quena’s healing spring and hurl it into the water, and Mewtwo’s body and soul are restored. Mewtwo comes to another realization: That if this natural healing water has a healing effect on his artificial body, then being a clone does not mean that one is automatically “impure”. Rejuvenated, Mewtwo emerges before Giovanni and declares that neither the mountain nor itself “belong” to the Team Rocket leader. Using all its power, Mewtwo physically moves the lake and the spring beneath the surface of Mt. Quena, and Giovanni and all of his forces are moved away from the mountain with their memories of Mewtwo and the mountain erased. Mewtwo sees that Ash and his friends and Pokémon are virtuous and trustworthy enough not to reveal the mountain’s secrets, so it does not erase their minds as well. After personally thanking Ash for all his help, Mewtwo departs for a far off place to reside in solitude, leaving Ash and his friends to continue on their Pokémon journey.
Other appearances
As of now, Mewtwo itself has not played a part in any subsequent story in the continuity of the Pokémon anime, but glimpses of it have been seen occasionally. The last shot of Mewtwo Returns, the "Adding to Pokémon Lore" segment that preludes the sixth Pokémon movie Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker, and the opening sequence to the eighth season of the English anime dub all contain brief scenes where Mewtwo is seen residing amongst the rooftops and alleyways of what is merely described as “a faraway city”. In the latter two instances Mewtwo is seen wearing a brown cape which it has acquired somehow. In this status, Mewtwo has yet to encounter Ash again.
Mewtwo's likeness, however, most recently appeared in the 10th anniversary television special, The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon. The Mewtwo that appears, however, is a "Mirage Pokémon" created by Dr. Yung and his "Mirage Battle System". Dr. Yung, under the alias "Mirage Master", creates Mirage Mewtwo to be completely without weaknesses and capable of using any known Pokémon attack, and he plotted to use the entity to get revenge on those who doubted him. Ash and company, along with Professor Oak, are there to witness Mirage Mewtwo’s creation and were close to being destroyed by it were it not for the interference of a Mirage Mew, another Mirage Pokémon created by Dr. Yung that somehow acquired enough sentience to rebel against the Mirage Battle System. Mirage Mew destroys Mirage Mewtwo with everyone’s help and the entire location is destroyed in a flaming wreck, and Dr. Yung disappears amongst the flames of his collapsing factory, apparently not to be seen again. Template:Endspoiler
In the manga
In the manga, instead of being cloned by Professor Fuji, it was Blaine who had cloned Mew during his time as a Rocket scientist under Giovanni. Mewtwo was created using the DNA of both Mew and Blaine, and in an accident during the process, Blaine gained some of Mewtwo's DNA in his hand, allowing him to track the location of Mewtwo. Mewtwo makes a return in the FireRed/LeafGreen edition of the manga where it helps Red confront Deoxys. Mewtwo also appear on the "TOSHIRO ONO"'s manga in a special called "Mewtwo Strikes Back" as the movie, but with a similar story with some changes ("The birth of mewtwo" is not included), this special has a very hard art, because Mewtwo looks more like a human.
In the trading card game
Mewtwo has had quite a history in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Its many appearances include basic Psychic-type showings in the following sets:
- Base Set,
- Gym Challenge (as Rocket's Mewtwo),
- Legendary Collection,
- Neo Destiny (as Shining Mewtwo),
- Expedition,
- EX Ruby and Sapphire (as Mewtwo EX),
- EX Team Rocket Returns (as Rocket's Mewtwo EX, a Dark-type),
- EX Delta Species (as a Steel/Fire dual type),
- EX Holon Phantoms (Lightning-type) and
- EX Holon Phantoms (as Mewtwo "Star", resembling Shining Mewtwo).
In addition to the above cards, a strong promotional Mewtwo card was circulated with different artwork through the TCG League and as a card packed in with the home video release of Pokémon the First Movie.
Base Set Mewtwo was widely used in a stall deck that consisted of one Mewtwo and fifty-nine Psychic Energy cards, which was banned in competitive play.[5]
Rocket's Mewtwo in Gym Challenge was actually the first Pokémon card to feature three attacks at once. It is also one of the few Pokémon cards to have an altered art format as a result of it; in order to fit the three moves, the picture was drawn smaller than usual.
In the Legendary Collection, the movie/Nintendo Power Promo Mewtwo was found instead of the original Base Set version. It features and is known for the Telekinesis attack. Its art was drawn by Christopher Rush of Magic: The Gathering Fame.
Mewtwo EX in EX: Ruby & Sapphire is a powered-up version of the promotional card.
References
- The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
- Notes
- ^ "Pokemon Franchise Approaches 150 Million Games Sold". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2006-02-28.
- ^ Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Review (page 1) Ign.com. URL Accessed June 1, 2006.
- ^ a b the in-game Pokédexes "(A copy of them from Serebii.net)". Retrieved July 25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Pokédex #151: Mew". Serebii.net. Retrieved July 25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Pokémon Base Set 1". Shuffle and Cute. Retrieved July 23.
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- Publications
- Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0439154049.
- Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 130206151.
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 193020650X
- Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0761547614
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1930206585
External links
- Official Pokémon website
- Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki) ’s article about Mewtwo as a species
- Template:Serebiidex
- Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry, full of statistics analysis
- PsyPoke - Mewtwo Pokédex entry and Usage Overview
- Smogon.com - Mewtwo Tactical Data
- Template:WikiKnowledge
