Ash Ketchum, the star of the original Pokémon anime series, remains not only a beloved protagonist of the franchise, but one of the most renowned anime heroes today. However, he first needed to gain the trust of his partner Pokémon, a spiny Pikachu who has never bonded with a human. Although their initial relationship is rocky, Ash surprises Pikachu by protecting him from a horde of angry Spearow focused on attacking the couple. This action causes Pikachu to change his mind, and after this event, Pikachu and Ash are inseparable, traveling together even to new areas far from home.
Ash’s final battle in the distant Galar region was indeed a wonderful climax for the original series, but it’s not the highest stakes battle the Pallet Town trainer has participated in. This title alone belongs to a match Ash had much earlier in his journey, back when he was still traveling through his home region of Kanto. Following an invitation, Ash and his friends decide to meet the one known as the “greatest Pokémon Master”, only to find themselves confronted with a battle in which no Trainer ultimately wishes to participate.
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Mewtwo’s original video game debut
The Legendary Pokémon of Cerulean Cave
In the Generation I game series, the player character (known canonically as Red) hears rumors of a strange creature lurking in the dark caverns of the Kanto region. Legends revolve around this beast, as well as its connections to the mythical Pokémon known as Mew. Apparently, the Pokémon’s DNA was used for horrific gene splicing experiments to create a Pokémon beyond what anyone had ever experienced. As the legends say, this experiment was a success, although it ended in tragedy.
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Mr. Fuji, a compassionate old man living in Lavender Town, is revealed to have participated in the creation of this artificial Pokémon, known as Mewtwo. The abandoned Pokémon Mansion, the site where Mewtwo was created, was destroyed once the genetic Pokémon broke free from its prison. Mr. Fuji himself was known as Dr. Fuji at the time, although he left Team Rocket as he was put off by the organization’s viciousness towards innocents and Pokémon.
Due to Team Rocket’s mistreatment and painful experiments, Mewtwo has become a violent creature. Dr. Fuji seems to have understood the terrible weight of his actions, although the same cannot be said of Giovanni, who wanted to use the genetic Pokémon as a weapon. However, Mewtwo now hides from people and even other Pokémon, especially Mew, with whom he has a rivalry. The player character can encounter Mewtwo in the Cerulean Cave if they wish, although they should prepare for a particularly brutal battle.
The Legacy of Team Rocket
Giovanni seeks powerful Pokémon for his own gains
After Mewtwo’s escape, Giovanni apparently does not seem bothered by this change of plans and continues to lead Team Rocket. It is only thanks to Red, the hero of Kanto, that Team Rocket meets its adversary and is disarmed. In the end, Red discovers that Giovanni is actually the leader of the area’s ground-type gym and fights one last battle against him. This marks the end of Giovanni’s reign, even as Team Rocket attempts to continue years later in the Johto region. Always, no player can forget what Team Rocket managed to donor their despicable actions to achieve their goals.
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While Mr. Fuji appears to be trying to atone for his sins by caring for orphaned Pokémon in Lavender Town, Giovanni has no shame for the way he treated Mewtwo in the past. Little is known about Giovanni’s past, although it is revealed that he apparently inherited Team Rocket from his mother, the former leader. In Pokémon: The First MovieGiovanni finds Mewtwo in the rubble of the laboratory from which he came. The leader of the organization gains the genetic Pokémon’s trust by falsely promising it that it will help it. He attaches machines to Mewtwo, with the lie that the technology will help the Pokémon regulate its intense Psychic-type abilities.
However, Mewtwo soon realizes that he has been tricked and is merely a tool for Giovanni, once again treated as an object for human use. He breaks free from the technology that holds him back and leaves with an even greater hatred towards humanity. This sets off a series of violent events, all instigated by Team Rocket. Whether Giovanni likes it or not, this turns out to be perhaps the most infamous legacy the organization could ever leave.
A world without humanity
Mewtwo thinks humans are a scourge on Earth
As Mewtwo’s story in the anime reveals, the genetic Pokémon once inhabited a dream world with four other clones, including three versions of the starter Pokémon from Kanto. The fourth clone was actually that of a young human girl named Amber, believed to be the deceased daughter of Mr. Fuji, who was still working as Dr. Fuji at the time. Unfortunately, like the starter Pokémon clones, Ambertwo would disappear, leaving Mewtwo as the only clone to survive and awaken in the real world.
When Mewtwo, now an adult, woke up in the physical world, he was disgusted at how humans treated him as just an experiment. In his anger, the laboratory is left in ruins, with Mewtwo the only one left in the rubble. Despite what he had experienced, he trusted Giovanni until the Genetic Pokémon realized his true intentions. Struggling to understand his own purpose and filled with anger at his encounters with people who never treated him with kindness, Mewtwo felt that the world needed to be rid of humanity.
Later, Ash Ketchum and his friends Brock and Misty discover a trainer who considers himself the greatest Pokémon master. Intrigued, Ash and the group cross the violent seas to reach their castle in hopes of fighting them and learning more about Pokémon battles. However, they are not the only trainers; several other talented young Trainers also went to the domain in the hope of meeting this strange Pokémon Master. No one expects that the true identity of the Pokémon Master of New Island is a Pokémon itself.
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Believing that all humans, especially trainers, are cruel and enslaving Pokémon, Mewtwo captures all Pokémon in order to create clones, with only Misty’s Togepi escaping. Mewtwo considers Pokémon that remain loyal to humans worthless and believes that only cloned Pokémon are worth it. Ash and Pikachu bravely fight against the Mewtwo Balls, but even the Mouse Pokémon is eventually captured. However, Ash finds the lab where Pokémon are cloned and manages to free everyone, but not before the clones are awakened.
Mewtwo and Ash soon face off on a battlefield created by the Genetic Pokémon, with the Psychic-type wanting to prove how much stronger the clone Pokémon are than the original Pokémon. Ash’s Charizard is called to the field, desperate to win against his clone, but is defeated. Other Pokémon also try to win against their clones, but they also lose their respective matches. This triggers fights between each Pokémon and its clone, the latter creature only knowing how to fight and nothing else.
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Pikachu ultimately refuses to fight, seeing how pointless this feud is. At this, his clone bursts into tears, unable to understand what he is supposed to do but fight, as he slaps the other Mouse Pokémon in his grief. Meowth, meanwhile, manages to find common ground with his clone, who turns out to be rather peaceful despite having been created solely for combat. After all, the two have more in common than one might think, being both creatures of the same world.
However, the other Trainers are horrified by the display of violence before their eyes. It’s not a Pokémon battle, but a pointless conflict. Neither Pokémon, whether a clone or the original version, will give up the fight, even if they were to die in the process. Trainers, like it or not, are forced to watch their Pokémon fight and thus participate in a battle they never wanted to participate in.
Ash’s sacrifice changes Mewtwo’s perspective
Mewtwo realized the reason for life and humanity
Thanks to Mew, who also witnessed the violent demonstration taking place in Mewtwo’s castle, Ash is saved from falling to his death. However, he can only watch in horror as the original Pokémon fight their clones almost to the death. He then takes note of his own Pikachu, who refuses to fight despite the clone Pikachu’s anger. Ash realizes that he must also try to stop the cycle of violence, even if it requires the most drastic action.
Meanwhile, Mew tries to reason with Mewtwo despite the bitterness of the other Psychic-type Pokémon. Mew, before the violent clash between the original Pokémon and the clone Pokémon began, claimed that a Pokémon’s true strength comes from the heart. However, these words failed to reach Mewtwo, who only thought about fighting and proving his point. This ultimately resulted in a clash between Mewtwo and the very Pokémon it was created from, even though Mew probably never wanted to fight.
As Ash reaches the ground, he sees that Mew and Mewtwo are about to launch intense psychic blasts at each other. Just as the two energy blasts are launched, Ash jumps in front of the two Psychic-type Pokémon, allowing himself to be hit by the psychic energy. Mewtwo is shocked by this demonstration and angry at the boy’s stupidity. To everyone’s surprise, Ash is turned to stone, now lifeless.
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Pikachu, worried about his Trainer, tries to wake him up, but in vain. Realizing that his best friend is now gone, Pikachu begins to cry, while the other surrounding Pokémon and their clones also begin to cry. Mewtwo is shocked by this display and can only watch alongside Mew as Pokémon and the people mourn the young boy and his sacrifice. However, the Pokémon’s tears float towards Ash, their power bringing the Trainer back to life.
While everyone celebrates Ash’s rebirth, Mewtwo can look back on what he’s been through so far. Power isn’t determined by a Pokémon’s appearance, and certainly not whether it’s a clone or the original creature. Above all, Mewtwo now understands, thanks to Ash and Mew, that the circumstances in which a person is brought into the world do not matter. Only this being can decide what he will do with his life, and this turns out to be the most important aspect of all.
So Mewtwo decides to leave New Island with Mew and the clones, flying into the sky as the clouds begin to disappear. With a changed heart, the Genetic Pokémon now wishes to continue to understand its purpose, but in a non-violent way. Mewtwo vows to find a place where the clones can live in harmony, with Mew traveling with them for a short time. Everyone’s memories of the event are erased from their minds, although this intense battle proves to be one that fans of the franchise will never forget.
Pokémon
Spanning a multitude of media, including TCGs, video games, manga, live-action films, and anime, the Pokémon franchise takes place in a shared world of humans and creatures with a wide variety of special abilities.
- Created by
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Satoshi Tajiri
- First film
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Pokémon: The First Movie
- First TV show
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Pokémon
- First episode broadcast date
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April 1, 1997