Mewtwo
Encyclopedia
is a fictional creature in Nintendo
and Game Freak
's Pokémon
media franchise
. Created by Ken Sugimori
, it first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue
and their sequels, and later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles, as well as animation adaptations of the franchise. Masachika Ichimura
voiced Mewtwo in Japanese, while the creature's younger self is voiced by Fujiko Takimoto
in the Sound Picture Box: Mewtwo's Origin CD drama and Showtaro Morikubo
in the anime
adaptation. In English, Phillip Bartlett
voices Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back, with Dan Green
providing the voice in subsequent anime appearances.
In the video games, the player can fight and capture Mewtwo to pit it against other Pokémon. The player first learns of Mewtwo late in Pokémon Red and Blue by reading research documents left in a ruined laboratory
on Cinnabar Island. The documents reveal that a solitary scientist spent years genetically engineering a descendant of the Pokémon Mew
. Mewtwo eventually escaped after proving too strong to contain.
Regarded as one of the series' strongest Pokémon, it changed the way players approached the games by forcing them to find ways to counteract those using Mewtwo. Studies found the character popular with older male children, which contrasted with its counterpart Mew. Reactions to the character's anime portrayal have been mixed, with some reviewers like the Daily Record
citing him as a cliché villain, while others like Animerica
and Sight & Sound
praised the character's depth.
designed Mewtwo for the first generation of Pocket Monsters games, Red and Green, known outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue
. Its name, which means the "second of Mew", derives from its existence as a genetically modified duplicate of the original Mew
. Until the first Pokémon movie was released in the United States, Mewtwo was rarely referred to as a "clone" in Japanese sources. Kubo Masakazu, executive producer of Mewtwo Strikes Back, explained that they "intentionally avoid using the term 'kuron' [clone]… because the word has a frightening feel". Despite being Mew's descendant, it directly precedes Mew in the game's numerical Pokémon index due to the latter's secret inclusion by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto. During an interview, Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that Mewtwo was expected to be popular with North American audiences, citing their preference for strong, powerful characters.
Its build is very different compared to Mew's, appearing as a large bipedal feline
, with a white body, pronounced purple tail and stomach, feline head, and a mass of flesh connecting the center of its back to its head behind its neck. Its appearance has been likened to "an oversized cross of cat, squirrel and kangaroo". In the original games, Mewtwo is intended to be "the strongest Pokémon ever". It is psychic
, uses telekinesis
for flight
and telepathy
to speak. When fighting, it uses its abilities to shield itself or throw opponents to compensate for its lack of speed. Otherwise, it conserves its energy until needed. It can regenerate
as well, and is able to quickly recover from near-fatal injuries. Mewtwo stands 6 in 7 in (200.66 cm) tall.
As a character in the games, Mewtwo seldom has spoken dialogue, and when it does it is presented as vicious and primarily interested in proving its own strength. The franchise's non-video game media, particularly the anime, has expanded upon the character, giving Mewtwo a male voice and, while aware of why it was created, actively questioning its own existence.
, the Elite Four and Blue; in the remake titles Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
this prerequisite was expanded, requiring the player to explore more thoroughly and record information on sixty Pokémon species before access to the cave would be granted. Mewtwo is catchable in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
in the same location as before after defeating all 8 Kanto Gym Leaders.
Since its debut, Mewtwo has appeared in other Nintendo games. In Pokémon Stadium
and Pokémon Pinball
, Mewtwo appears as a final boss after all competitions have been completed. In Pokémon Puzzle League
, Mewtwo serves not only as the final opponent, but also as the main antagonist
responsible for the game's events. Other games, such as Super Smash Bros. Melee
and the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
series have featured Mewtwo as an unlockable
player character
that must be defeated before it may be used, while games such as Pokémon Snap
have featured the character in cameos
, appearing once certain conditions have been met. For all appearances in which the character has spoken dialogue, Mewtwo is voiced by Masachika Ichimura
, with the exception of Pokémon Puzzle League
, where it is voiced by Phillip Bartlett
.
as the main antagonist, in which it is shown to be the creation of the criminal organization Team Rocket. After Mewtwo destroys the laboratory where it was born, Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, convinces it he can help it control its powers. He instead uses Mewtwo as a weapon. After escaping Giovanni, Mewtwo questions its reason for existence and declares revenge on its creators. To this end, it lures several Pokémon trainers, among them movie protagonist
Ash Ketchum
, to its island in order to clone their Pokémon. Once it does so, Mewtwo forces the originals to battle the clones in an effort to determine which set is superior, while Mewtwo faces its own original, Mew. Ash sacrifices himself to stop the fighting, though he is later revived. Mewtwo, Mew, and the clones then leave to find a sanctuary, striking memory of the events from those gathered. In localizing the film for English-language audiences, Mewtwo's personality became more arrogant and megalomaniacal; localization director Norman Grossfield
ruled the changes necessary, as he believed American audiences needed a "clearly evil" rather than ambiguous villain. In the film, Mewtwo is voiced by Phillip Bartlett
in English, and by Ichimura in Japanese.
In December 2000, the film was followed by a sequel, Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns
, which was broadcast on Japanese television in December 2000 and released worldwide on home video and DVD in 2001. Voiced by Dan Green
in English with Ichimura reprising the role in Japanese, Mewtwo and the clones have since found peace in another region. However, Giovanni, whose memories were left intact after the first film, locates and pursues Mewtwo. Assisted by Ash and his companions, Mewtwo comes to terms with its existence and defeats Giovanni, removing any memory of itself from his and his soldiers' minds, while leaving the others unaffected. As everyone departs, Mewtwo sets out on its own.
In September 1999, Nintendo published Sound Picture Box Mewtwo, which included Myutsuu No Tanjou: Pocket-Monster Radio Drama (Birth of Mewtwo: Pokémon Radio Drama), a CD drama
that expands upon Mewtwo's origins. Created by scientist Dr. Fuji, Mewtwo is one of several cloning attempts, amongst which includes a clone of Fuji's deceased daughter. Voiced by Fujiko Takimoto
, the child Mewtwo befriends her, communicating telepathically; however the cloning process proves unstable, and she dies. To save the traumatized Mewtwo, Fuji erases its memories and puts it under sedation until its body finishes developing, leading to the events of the film. The CD drama was later adapted into a short anime, and was included with Japanese home releases and broadcasts of Mewtwo Strikes Back and later in North America in December 2001 as part of Mewtwo Returns. Dan Green and Masachika Ichimura provide the English and Japanese voices for the adult Mewtwo. The child version is voiced in Japanese by Fujiko Takimoto
for the CD drama and Showtaro Morikubo
for the anime, while in the English localization the voice actor is uncredited.
Mewtwo also appears in the musical
Pokémon Live!
, a live action adaptation of the anime set after Pokémon: The First Movie, and is portrayed by Marton Fulop. In it, Mewtwo faces a robotic replica of itself, MechaMew2, created by Giovanni and able to learn any attacks used against it. However, after learning compassion from Mewtwo, the machine rebels and self-destructs. The 2006 television special Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon features a hologram version of Mewtwo, created and controlled by the story's antagonist Dr. Yung. With help from a hologram Mew, Ash and his companions destroy the Mewtwo hologram and defeat Yung.
published the children's picture book I'm Not Pikachu!: Pokémon Tales Movie Special, which featured children taking on traits of the characters from the film, including Mewtwo. In May 2001, Viz released a second children's book, Mewtwo's Watching You!, which featured a shy Mewtwo interestedly watching other Pokémon play.
In the manga series Pokémon Adventures
, Team Rocket creates Mewtwo, but some of his DNA is placed inside of the Gym leader Blaine. Because of the DNA that they share, the two are unable to be separated for very long without becoming ill. Later, another Pokémon, Entei
is able to break the bond between the two by removing the DNA in Blaine's arm, at which point Mewtwo leaves. It eventually helps the main character of the series, Red, fight against Team Rocket leader Giovanni and his Deoxys
.
In 1998, Toshihiro Ono
was asked to write a story detailing Mewtwo's origin to coincide with the release of Mewtwo Strikes Back. The 52-page comic, presented in the form of a flashback, was replaced midway by the "The Birth of Mewtwo" animated short, resulting in little connection between Ono's work and the film. Regardless, it saw print as a side story for Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu in the July 1998 issue of CoroCoro Comic
. In it, Mewtwo's creator Dr. Fuji takes on the role of a coach for the fully developed Pokémon, while his employer, Team Rocket, tests its abilities. Learning of a plan to mass produce it as a weapon, Fuji approaches Mewtwo and tells it to destroy the lab and Fuji himself. Mewtwo refuses, stating it cannot harm the doctor, who it regards as its father. Once captured by Team Rocket, Fuji tells Mewtwo that he is honored by the statement, and is then killed. Angered by his death, Mewtwo destroys the lab and escapes. In the present, Mewtwo cries in its sleep as it dreams of the events.
. A poll by IGN on whether the character was missed by others in Brawl shared a similar sentiment, though they also described it as one of Super Smash Bros. Melees weakest characters. Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll called Mewtwo the fifth best Legendary Pokémon and the sixth best Pokémon overall.
The book Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon noted Mewtwo as popular with older male children who tend to be drawn to "tough or scary" characters; Mew in contrast was described as a polar opposite, a character popular with young girls who tend to be drawn to "cute" characters. Others books, such as Media and the Make-believe Worlds of Children, have noted a similar comparison, citing Mewtwo as "more aggressive-looking" compared to Mew and emphasizing the importance of the contrast for children. The book Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific compares Sugimori's design of Mewtwo to that of Japanese tokusatsu
films, namely monster films like the 1954 Godzilla
in creating "monstrous yet familiar silhouettes from the past renewed agency in the form of eyes and expressions which cut through the viewer".
In reception to extended media for the Pokémon franchise, Mewtwo has been likened to Frankenstein's monster
as a being born from artificial means and discontent with the fact. Theology Secretary for the Church of England
Anne Richards described Mewtwo as representing a "parable about the pointlessness of force", and praised the character for displaying the Christian value
of redemption. Other reactions have been mixed. While it has been cited as a "complex and compelling villain" by some critics, its goal of world domination was received as a trait shared by "…every anime villain…", and likened to a James Bond
villain by the Daily Record
. However, Animerica
praised Mewtwo as a character with "philosophical depth" as well as for serving as "an adversary of almost infinite power and genuine malice" that the anime series had been lacking. Ken Hollings of Sight & Sound
described Mewtwo as "brooding, articulate and vengeful where the other Pokémon remain bright blobs of wordless energy", and "Like a troubled elder brother, Mewtwo represents an older order of experience." Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces praised the character as the best villain of the Pokémon film series, and one of Mewtwo Strikes Backs strongest elements. The Los Angeles Times cited its behavior as a point of humor in relation to its appearance as a "decidedly feline character."
In addition to anime and literature, Mewtwo's image is utilized for merchandise related to the Pokémon franchise, which includes toys, children's toothbrushes, and a playing piece for a Pokémon-themed version of Monopoly
. Several action figure
s have been made, such as a posable figure by Hasbro
in 2006 that included accessories to recreate its "Hyper Beam" and "Light Screen" attacks, and a six-inch-tall "talking" figurine by Jakks Pacific
as part of a series to commemorate the anime's Battle Frontier story arc
. Items marketed for adults featuring Mewtwo have also been sold and distributed by Nintendo, such as T-shirts. The island nation of Niue
released a one-dollar coin featuring the character as part of a commemorative promotion for the Pokémon franchise, with Mewtwo on one side and the nation's coat of arms on the other. Mewtwo also appears on the port side of All Nippon Airways
's Pocket Monsters Boeing 747
jumbo jet, alongside Mew.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Game Freak
Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer that currently creates games exclusively for Nintendo. It has developed the Pokémon series of role-playing games and several other games.-History:...
's Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
media franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
. Created by Ken Sugimori
Ken Sugimori
is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is most famous as the character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew all of the original 151 Pokémon...
, it first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
and their sequels, and later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles, as well as animation adaptations of the franchise. Masachika Ichimura
Masachika Ichimura
is a Japanese voice actor and musical singer. He was born in Kawagoe, Saitama. He is married to singer Ryoko Shinohara.-Movies:*Pokémon: The First Movie *The Nightmare Before Christmas...
voiced Mewtwo in Japanese, while the creature's younger self is voiced by Fujiko Takimoto
Fujiko Takimoto
is a Japanese voice actress born in Osaka, Japan who is famous for her part in voicing child Link from The Legend of Zelda series. She is currently affiliated with Arts Vision.-Anime:*Captain Tsubasa *Mahoujin Guru Guru...
in the Sound Picture Box: Mewtwo's Origin CD drama and Showtaro Morikubo
Showtaro Morikubo
is a Japanese voice actor, and singer who has voiced characters in anime, drama CDs and video games. According to the Anime News Network and as of July 8, 2006, Morikubo has about 55 voice role credits under his name. He was formerly affiliated with I'm Enterprise.He was born in Hachiōji, Tokyo....
in the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation. In English, Phillip Bartlett
Phillip Bartlett
Phillip Bartlett was an American voice actor best known as the voice of Mewtwo in Pokémon: The First Movie. He was commonly misidentified as Rodger Parsons, although they are two separate people with the same name....
voices Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back, with Dan Green
Dan Green (voice actor)
Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
providing the voice in subsequent anime appearances.
In the video games, the player can fight and capture Mewtwo to pit it against other Pokémon. The player first learns of Mewtwo late in Pokémon Red and Blue by reading research documents left in a ruined laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
on Cinnabar Island. The documents reveal that a solitary scientist spent years genetically engineering a descendant of the Pokémon Mew
Mew (Pokémon)
is one of the fictional species of Pokémon creatures from Nintendo's and Game Freak's multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri...
. Mewtwo eventually escaped after proving too strong to contain.
Regarded as one of the series' strongest Pokémon, it changed the way players approached the games by forcing them to find ways to counteract those using Mewtwo. Studies found the character popular with older male children, which contrasted with its counterpart Mew. Reactions to the character's anime portrayal have been mixed, with some reviewers like the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
citing him as a cliché villain, while others like Animerica
Animerica
Animerica is a quarterly digest published by Viz Media. It initially started as a monthly magazine featuring reviews of anime and manga titles, as well as related works. After a preview issue was released in November 1992, the magazine's first issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1993...
and Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
praised the character's depth.
Design and characteristics
Ken SugimoriKen Sugimori
is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is most famous as the character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew all of the original 151 Pokémon...
designed Mewtwo for the first generation of Pocket Monsters games, Red and Green, known outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
. Its name, which means the "second of Mew", derives from its existence as a genetically modified duplicate of the original Mew
Mew (Pokémon)
is one of the fictional species of Pokémon creatures from Nintendo's and Game Freak's multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri...
. Until the first Pokémon movie was released in the United States, Mewtwo was rarely referred to as a "clone" in Japanese sources. Kubo Masakazu, executive producer of Mewtwo Strikes Back, explained that they "intentionally avoid using the term 'kuron' [clone]… because the word has a frightening feel". Despite being Mew's descendant, it directly precedes Mew in the game's numerical Pokémon index due to the latter's secret inclusion by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto. During an interview, Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that Mewtwo was expected to be popular with North American audiences, citing their preference for strong, powerful characters.
Its build is very different compared to Mew's, appearing as a large bipedal feline
Felinae
Felinae is a subfamily of the family Felidae which includes the genera and species listed below. Most are small to medium-sized cats, although the group does include some larger animals, such as the Cougar and Cheetah....
, with a white body, pronounced purple tail and stomach, feline head, and a mass of flesh connecting the center of its back to its head behind its neck. Its appearance has been likened to "an oversized cross of cat, squirrel and kangaroo". In the original games, Mewtwo is intended to be "the strongest Pokémon ever". It is psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
, uses telekinesis
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
for flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
and telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
to speak. When fighting, it uses its abilities to shield itself or throw opponents to compensate for its lack of speed. Otherwise, it conserves its energy until needed. It can regenerate
Regeneration (biology)
In biology, regeneration is the process of renewal, restoration, and growth that makes genomes, cells, organs, organisms, and ecosystems resilient to natural fluctuations or events that cause disturbance or damage. Every species is capable of regeneration, from bacteria to humans. At its most...
as well, and is able to quickly recover from near-fatal injuries. Mewtwo stands 6 in 7 in (200.66 cm) tall.
As a character in the games, Mewtwo seldom has spoken dialogue, and when it does it is presented as vicious and primarily interested in proving its own strength. The franchise's non-video game media, particularly the anime, has expanded upon the character, giving Mewtwo a male voice and, while aware of why it was created, actively questioning its own existence.
In video games
In Pokémon Red and Blue, the player learns of Mewtwo's existence by reading research notes left in the ruined "Pokémon Mansion" on Cinnabar Island. The notes describe it as being born from Mew following the efforts of a solitary scientist. Mewtwo proved too mighty to control, destroying the laboratory and escaping. The player is later given an opportunity to capture Mewtwo in the Cerulean Cave, which is accessible only after defeating the game's final bossesBoss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
, the Elite Four and Blue; in the remake titles Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
are enhanced remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue video games, which were released in 1996. The new titles were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which originally came bundled with...
this prerequisite was expanded, requiring the player to explore more thoroughly and record information on sixty Pokémon species before access to the cave would be granted. Mewtwo is catchable in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
are enhanced remakes of the 1999 video games Pokémon Gold and Silver. The games are part of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games, and were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS...
in the same location as before after defeating all 8 Kanto Gym Leaders.
Since its debut, Mewtwo has appeared in other Nintendo games. In Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Stadium, known as in Japan, is a strategy game developed by Nintendo EAD with the assistance of Creatures and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on April 30, 1999 in Japan, February 29, 2000 in North America, and April 7, 2000...
and Pokémon Pinball
Pokémon Pinball
is a pinball-based Pokémon spin-off video game for the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on April 14, 1999, and in North America on June 28, 1999. In it, the ball is a Poké Ball, and most of the objects on the table are Pokémon-related....
, Mewtwo appears as a final boss after all competitions have been completed. In Pokémon Puzzle League
Pokémon Puzzle League
Pokémon Puzzle League is a puzzle game for the Nintendo 64 console. It is based on Nintendo's Panel de Pon puzzle games, but with Pokémon likenesses. It was only available in North America starting in 2000, and in Europe in 2001, making it the first Pokémon game produced for North America first...
, Mewtwo serves not only as the final opponent, but also as the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
responsible for the game's events. Other games, such as Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
and the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team
and are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance, respectively. These two games were developed by Chunsoft and were published by Nintendo....
series have featured Mewtwo as an unlockable
Secret character
A secret character can be a player character or a non-player character in a video game that must be unlocked by completing a goal within the game...
player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
that must be defeated before it may be used, while games such as Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap
is a first-person rail shooter and simulation video game developed by HAL Laboratory with Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is part of the Pokémon series, and one of the first console games based on the Pokémon series...
have featured the character in cameos
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
, appearing once certain conditions have been met. For all appearances in which the character has spoken dialogue, Mewtwo is voiced by Masachika Ichimura
Masachika Ichimura
is a Japanese voice actor and musical singer. He was born in Kawagoe, Saitama. He is married to singer Ryoko Shinohara.-Movies:*Pokémon: The First Movie *The Nightmare Before Christmas...
, with the exception of Pokémon Puzzle League
Pokémon Puzzle League
Pokémon Puzzle League is a puzzle game for the Nintendo 64 console. It is based on Nintendo's Panel de Pon puzzle games, but with Pokémon likenesses. It was only available in North America starting in 2000, and in Europe in 2001, making it the first Pokémon game produced for North America first...
, where it is voiced by Phillip Bartlett
Phillip Bartlett
Phillip Bartlett was an American voice actor best known as the voice of Mewtwo in Pokémon: The First Movie. He was commonly misidentified as Rodger Parsons, although they are two separate people with the same name....
.
In anime and related media
Mewtwo is featured in the 1999 animated film Pokémon: The First MoviePokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie, originally released as , is a 1998 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise...
as the main antagonist, in which it is shown to be the creation of the criminal organization Team Rocket. After Mewtwo destroys the laboratory where it was born, Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, convinces it he can help it control its powers. He instead uses Mewtwo as a weapon. After escaping Giovanni, Mewtwo questions its reason for existence and declares revenge on its creators. To this end, it lures several Pokémon trainers, among them movie protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise...
, to its island in order to clone their Pokémon. Once it does so, Mewtwo forces the originals to battle the clones in an effort to determine which set is superior, while Mewtwo faces its own original, Mew. Ash sacrifices himself to stop the fighting, though he is later revived. Mewtwo, Mew, and the clones then leave to find a sanctuary, striking memory of the events from those gathered. In localizing the film for English-language audiences, Mewtwo's personality became more arrogant and megalomaniacal; localization director Norman Grossfield
Norman J. Grossfeld
Norman J. Grossfeld is an American television producer and screenwriter and executive. From February 1994 to December 2009, he was the president of 4Kids Productions, a subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment. He produced the English adaptations of the first eight seasons of the Pokémon TV series and...
ruled the changes necessary, as he believed American audiences needed a "clearly evil" rather than ambiguous villain. In the film, Mewtwo is voiced by Phillip Bartlett
Phillip Bartlett
Phillip Bartlett was an American voice actor best known as the voice of Mewtwo in Pokémon: The First Movie. He was commonly misidentified as Rodger Parsons, although they are two separate people with the same name....
in English, and by Ichimura in Japanese.
In December 2000, the film was followed by a sequel, Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns
Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns
Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns, released in Japan as , is an animated film based on the Pokémon anime, and is the direct follow-up to Pokémon: The First Movie. It originated as a feature-length TV special in Japan on December 30, 2000 and was released on VHS and DVD in Japan on March 21, 2001...
, which was broadcast on Japanese television in December 2000 and released worldwide on home video and DVD in 2001. Voiced by Dan Green
Dan Green (voice actor)
Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
in English with Ichimura reprising the role in Japanese, Mewtwo and the clones have since found peace in another region. However, Giovanni, whose memories were left intact after the first film, locates and pursues Mewtwo. Assisted by Ash and his companions, Mewtwo comes to terms with its existence and defeats Giovanni, removing any memory of itself from his and his soldiers' minds, while leaving the others unaffected. As everyone departs, Mewtwo sets out on its own.
In September 1999, Nintendo published Sound Picture Box Mewtwo, which included Myutsuu No Tanjou: Pocket-Monster Radio Drama (Birth of Mewtwo: Pokémon Radio Drama), a CD drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
that expands upon Mewtwo's origins. Created by scientist Dr. Fuji, Mewtwo is one of several cloning attempts, amongst which includes a clone of Fuji's deceased daughter. Voiced by Fujiko Takimoto
Fujiko Takimoto
is a Japanese voice actress born in Osaka, Japan who is famous for her part in voicing child Link from The Legend of Zelda series. She is currently affiliated with Arts Vision.-Anime:*Captain Tsubasa *Mahoujin Guru Guru...
, the child Mewtwo befriends her, communicating telepathically; however the cloning process proves unstable, and she dies. To save the traumatized Mewtwo, Fuji erases its memories and puts it under sedation until its body finishes developing, leading to the events of the film. The CD drama was later adapted into a short anime, and was included with Japanese home releases and broadcasts of Mewtwo Strikes Back and later in North America in December 2001 as part of Mewtwo Returns. Dan Green and Masachika Ichimura provide the English and Japanese voices for the adult Mewtwo. The child version is voiced in Japanese by Fujiko Takimoto
Fujiko Takimoto
is a Japanese voice actress born in Osaka, Japan who is famous for her part in voicing child Link from The Legend of Zelda series. She is currently affiliated with Arts Vision.-Anime:*Captain Tsubasa *Mahoujin Guru Guru...
for the CD drama and Showtaro Morikubo
Showtaro Morikubo
is a Japanese voice actor, and singer who has voiced characters in anime, drama CDs and video games. According to the Anime News Network and as of July 8, 2006, Morikubo has about 55 voice role credits under his name. He was formerly affiliated with I'm Enterprise.He was born in Hachiōji, Tokyo....
for the anime, while in the English localization the voice actor is uncredited.
Mewtwo also appears in the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Pokémon Live!
Pokémon Live!
Pokémon Live! was a musical stage show that toured the United States from September 2000 to January 2001. Plans for some 2002 performances in the United Kingdom were also made, but later canceled. The musical was based on the Pokémon anime series, using similar characters, clothing, and story...
, a live action adaptation of the anime set after Pokémon: The First Movie, and is portrayed by Marton Fulop. In it, Mewtwo faces a robotic replica of itself, MechaMew2, created by Giovanni and able to learn any attacks used against it. However, after learning compassion from Mewtwo, the machine rebels and self-destructs. The 2006 television special Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon features a hologram version of Mewtwo, created and controlled by the story's antagonist Dr. Yung. With help from a hologram Mew, Ash and his companions destroy the Mewtwo hologram and defeat Yung.
In printed adaptations
Mewtwo has appeared as a central character in several books related to the Pokémon franchise, including novelizations of Mewtwo Strikes Back and Mewtwo Returns, both of which closely follow the events of the films. In December 1999, Viz MediaVIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
published the children's picture book I'm Not Pikachu!: Pokémon Tales Movie Special, which featured children taking on traits of the characters from the film, including Mewtwo. In May 2001, Viz released a second children's book, Mewtwo's Watching You!, which featured a shy Mewtwo interestedly watching other Pokémon play.
In the manga series Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures, released in Japan as , is a Pokémon-related manga based on the video games. Satoshi Tajiri once stated that the Pocket Monsters Special series is closest to what he imagined the Pokémon world to be:...
, Team Rocket creates Mewtwo, but some of his DNA is placed inside of the Gym leader Blaine. Because of the DNA that they share, the two are unable to be separated for very long without becoming ill. Later, another Pokémon, Entei
Entei
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Entei first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, animated adaptations, and printed adaptations of the...
is able to break the bond between the two by removing the DNA in Blaine's arm, at which point Mewtwo leaves. It eventually helps the main character of the series, Red, fight against Team Rocket leader Giovanni and his Deoxys
Deoxys
is a fictional species of Pokémon from Nintendo's and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. The result of an extraterrestrial virus's exposure to a laser beam, Deoxys frequently appears around auroras. It is recognized as a Legendary Pokémon of the third generation...
.
In 1998, Toshihiro Ono
Toshihiro Ono
is a Japanese manga artist and graphic novelist. He was born in Aichi, Japan.He is best known for the Pokémon manga based on the animation series: "The Electric Tale of Pikachu" published by Viz Media...
was asked to write a story detailing Mewtwo's origin to coincide with the release of Mewtwo Strikes Back. The 52-page comic, presented in the form of a flashback, was replaced midway by the "The Birth of Mewtwo" animated short, resulting in little connection between Ono's work and the film. Regardless, it saw print as a side story for Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu in the July 1998 issue of CoroCoro Comic
CoroCoro Comic
is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga...
. In it, Mewtwo's creator Dr. Fuji takes on the role of a coach for the fully developed Pokémon, while his employer, Team Rocket, tests its abilities. Learning of a plan to mass produce it as a weapon, Fuji approaches Mewtwo and tells it to destroy the lab and Fuji himself. Mewtwo refuses, stating it cannot harm the doctor, who it regards as its father. Once captured by Team Rocket, Fuji tells Mewtwo that he is honored by the statement, and is then killed. Angered by his death, Mewtwo destroys the lab and escapes. In the present, Mewtwo cries in its sleep as it dreams of the events.
Reception and legacy
In the games, Mewtwo is consistently noted as being one of the strongest opponents, and has been described in Pokémon Red and Blue as being "the best Pokémon in the game", as well as "one of the rarest — and hardest to catch". Because of the character's multiple strengths and few weaknesses, it changed how players approached playing against each other, causing players to either develop strategies solely to defeat an opposing Mewtwo, or prohibit its use when battling other players. IGN's staff bemoaned its exclusion from Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
. A poll by IGN on whether the character was missed by others in Brawl shared a similar sentiment, though they also described it as one of Super Smash Bros. Melees weakest characters. Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll called Mewtwo the fifth best Legendary Pokémon and the sixth best Pokémon overall.
The book Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon noted Mewtwo as popular with older male children who tend to be drawn to "tough or scary" characters; Mew in contrast was described as a polar opposite, a character popular with young girls who tend to be drawn to "cute" characters. Others books, such as Media and the Make-believe Worlds of Children, have noted a similar comparison, citing Mewtwo as "more aggressive-looking" compared to Mew and emphasizing the importance of the contrast for children. The book Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific compares Sugimori's design of Mewtwo to that of Japanese tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
films, namely monster films like the 1954 Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
in creating "monstrous yet familiar silhouettes from the past renewed agency in the form of eyes and expressions which cut through the viewer".
In reception to extended media for the Pokémon franchise, Mewtwo has been likened to Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
as a being born from artificial means and discontent with the fact. Theology Secretary for the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Anne Richards described Mewtwo as representing a "parable about the pointlessness of force", and praised the character for displaying the Christian value
Christian values
The term Christian values historically refers to the values found in the teachings of Jesus.The biblical teachings of Jesus include:* love of God: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" ,...
of redemption. Other reactions have been mixed. While it has been cited as a "complex and compelling villain" by some critics, its goal of world domination was received as a trait shared by "…every anime villain…", and likened to a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
villain by the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
. However, Animerica
Animerica
Animerica is a quarterly digest published by Viz Media. It initially started as a monthly magazine featuring reviews of anime and manga titles, as well as related works. After a preview issue was released in November 1992, the magazine's first issue was released in February 1993 with a March 1993...
praised Mewtwo as a character with "philosophical depth" as well as for serving as "an adversary of almost infinite power and genuine malice" that the anime series had been lacking. Ken Hollings of Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
described Mewtwo as "brooding, articulate and vengeful where the other Pokémon remain bright blobs of wordless energy", and "Like a troubled elder brother, Mewtwo represents an older order of experience." Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces praised the character as the best villain of the Pokémon film series, and one of Mewtwo Strikes Backs strongest elements. The Los Angeles Times cited its behavior as a point of humor in relation to its appearance as a "decidedly feline character."
In addition to anime and literature, Mewtwo's image is utilized for merchandise related to the Pokémon franchise, which includes toys, children's toothbrushes, and a playing piece for a Pokémon-themed version of Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
. Several action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s have been made, such as a posable figure by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
in 2006 that included accessories to recreate its "Hyper Beam" and "Light Screen" attacks, and a six-inch-tall "talking" figurine by Jakks Pacific
Jakks Pacific
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses...
as part of a series to commemorate the anime's Battle Frontier story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
. Items marketed for adults featuring Mewtwo have also been sold and distributed by Nintendo, such as T-shirts. The island nation of Niue
Niue
Niue , is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and inhabitants of the island call it "the Rock" for short. Niue is northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga to the southwest, the Samoas to the northwest, and the Cook Islands to...
released a one-dollar coin featuring the character as part of a commemorative promotion for the Pokémon franchise, with Mewtwo on one side and the nation's coat of arms on the other. Mewtwo also appears on the port side of All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways
, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
's Pocket Monsters Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
jumbo jet, alongside Mew.
External links
- Mewtwo's entry at Bulbapedia
- Mewtwo Museum, a gallery of merchandise related to the character.