Editing Mewtwo (SSBU)

|tier = D+

|ranking = 66

{{iw|wikipedia|Keiji Fujiwara}}'s portrayal of Mewtwo from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' was repurposed for ''Ultimate''. This is also the last game for which Fujiwara voiced Mewtwo prior to his death in April 2020.

Mewtwo is ranked 66th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing it at the top of the D+ tier. This is a drastic drop from its 10th out of 54 placement in ''SSB4'', the largest drop for a veteran in the transition from ''SSB4'' to ''Ultimate''. Mewtwo's greatest strengths lie in its offensive capabilities, being able to rack up large amounts of damage via its strong normals and special moves. Most notably, [[Shadow Ball]] is a strong and versatile projectile that serves as a centerpiece to Mewtwo's main game plan, allowing it to apply pressure to opponents by being a strong tool for KOing and allowing for combos at its weaker charges courtesy of Mewtwo's high mobility. Additionally, Mewtwo has a multitude of viable KO tools which allows it to secure stocks reliably, such as the aforementioned Shadow Ball, forward aerial, back aerial, its powerful kill throws and smash attacks. Its other specials have their place in Mewtwo's game plan as well - [[Confusion]] and [[Disable]] allow Mewtwo to set up into KOs, with the former also acting as a reflector, giving it an answer to camping opponents with projectiles. In addition to being a strong tool for recovery especially when paired with Confusion and its [[double jump]], [[Teleport]] possesses low lag, allowing it to be used as an escape option should Mewtwo find itself in a bad spot.

Despite these strengths, Mewtwo packs some severe, glaring weaknesses, most notably in its weight and size. Mewtwo is tied for the seventh lightest character in the game and it is prone to losing stocks at low percents. Unlike the other characters in its weight class, Mewtwo is easier to hit and juggle because of how big and floaty it is, making matchups such as {{SSBU|Fox}} and {{SSBU|Falco}} notoriously difficult. Its slow double jump and lack of combo breaker moves, combined with the aforementioned downsides, leads to Mewtwo having a very poor disadvantage state (outside of recovery), made worse by its infamous tail hurtbox, making Mewtwo easier to be clipped by a lot of attacks while also adding extra risk to the usage of tail moves.

Overall, while Mewtwo possesses strong tools and high KO power, as well as a powerful projectile and combo game courtesy of Shadow Ball, it is difficult for it to find consistency due to its undesirable combination of being a very large and lightweight character. As a result, Mewtwo rarely sees representation in competitive play, with most of its major representation coming from {{Sm|WaDi}} prior to his leave from competitive play.

Mewtwo is a large, tall fighter with a slew of powerful moves, but it is actually a [[weight|lightweight]] fighter (tied for 7th lightest in the game with {{SSBU|Kirby}}, {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, {{SSBU|Olimar}}, and {{SSBU|Sephiroth}}). Despite its size, Mewtwo's overall mobility is outstanding: it has above-average [[traction]], the 20th fastest [[walk]]ing speed, the 9th fastest [[dash]]ing speed, is tied (with {{SSBU|Bowser}}, {{SSBU|Marth}}, {{SSBU|Lucina}}, and {{SSBU|Lucario}}) for the 6th fastest initial dash, and has the 3rd fastest [[air speed]] in the game. Mewtwo has a low initial [[jump]], but its short hop is rather high and its double jump is the highest in the game (albeit delayed); additionally, Mewtwo has average [[air acceleration]] and [[falling speed]] with below-average [[gravity]]. Given these attributes, Mewtwo falls squarely into the glass cannon category and must use its uniquely fast mobility to land devastating blows while avoiding close-quarters combat where its size – particularly its notoriously vulnerable tail – and light weight can become a liability.

Mewtwo's overall damage output is very high, especially in regard to its grounded moves. [[Neutral attack]] is a fairly disjointed [[neutral infinite]] that can regularly rack up 20% or more damage if the opponent is caught at close range, but it is unsafe on shield. [[Forward tilt]] is a strong tail swipe with good range and a sweetspot that can KO reliably at high percentages while near the edge, but it has moderate start-up and ending lag. In addition to its deceptively high power, it can also be angled to serve as a niche anti-air or ledge-hanging punish option. [[Up tilt]] is an overhead tail swipe with generous range around Mewtwo's entire body and its large but brief sweetspot (located directly in front of Mewtwo) launches opponents up and toward Mewtwo, making it an excellent combo starter in neutral. [[Down tilt]] is a low tail sweep boasting relatively low ending lag, quick start-up, and good grounded range while launching opponents at mostly vertical angles. This makes it a great neutral and combo tool, comboing into all of Mewtwo's aerials and up tilt if the opponent is hit at close range. While down tilt is technically unsafe on shield, its overall quick speed and long range make it difficult to punish if an enemy reacts too slowly.

On the contrary, [[down smash]] is safe on shield and is notorious for causing immense shield damage if it connects. Nonetheless, it is still a risky move to use in the neutral game, due to it having the most amount of start-up among all of Mewtwo's smash attacks and being one of the few down smashes in the entire game to only hit on one side. In contrast, [[Up smash]] has the quickest start-up of all Mewtwo's smash attacks and is a great anti-air to catch forced landings, but also has the highest ending lag and is generally the most punishable move in Mewtwo's moveset. [[Forward smash]] has decent range, can be angled and is Mewtwo's most powerful smash attack in terms of knockback when spaced (being able to KO at mid percentages while close to the edge) and can potentially allow it to dodge attacks via shifting its hurtbox, since it leans back just before charging it, but has noticeable ending lag and is also not safe on shield if landed at close range. These traits make Mewtwo one of the strongest characters in the game in terms of outright KO power, though it is optimal for players to not play too close to opponents with quick movement, disjointed range, or attacks that are fast enough to punish any mistakes. However, Mewtwo can also use its great ground and air speed to mix up approaches and punish mistakes using these moves, making it necessary for high-level players to recognize when to approach offensively.

Mewtwo's aerials are some of the best in the game, with generally quick start-up, low landing lag, long range and great power. [[Forward aerial]] is a claw swipe that serves as a safe poke when spaced on landing, a useful combo starter at low percentages, and a reliable KO option; it is considered by many to be among the best forward aerials in the game due to its safety, speed, and power. [[Neutral aerial]] consists of Mewtwo emitting electricity from its hands and feet for multiple hits, before launching opponents away with a large electricity discharge surrounding its full body. The move is a capable combo starter at all percentages, and is a safe poke when it is spaced sufficiently; it is also Mewtwo's best out-of-shield option due to his aerial speed allowing it to safely escape pressure (compared to committing to its laggy up smash). Though its forward and neutral aerials are fast and threatening, they are only slightly disjointed and the former lacks range. This makes Mewtwo's approach game with these moves significantly weaker against opponents that have long weapons or strong projectiles.

[[Back aerial]] is Mewtwo's second slowest aerial, primarily being used to wall out offstage opponents who have poor range and/or recoveries. However, it can be beaten out by disjoints easily, cannot reliably hit close to ground at any height, and leaves Mewtwo's tail very vulnerable if it whiffs. Since it swings its tail upwards, it is also less effective when Mewtwo is falling downwards, and is better used while Mewtwo is rising from its midair jump. As a result, it cannot fulfill the role of giving Mewtwo good effective range in the neutral game. [[Up aerial]] is one of Mewtwo’s best moves, as it has decent start up, short end and landing lag, covers a large arc starting directly in front of Mewtwo’s face, and has incredibly strong power. Altogether, these traits make the move relatively safe to use in neutral and excellent for punishing landings or reckless edgeguards. [[Down aerial]] has the most startup of Mewtwo's aerials, but is a very strong [[meteor smash]] when sweetspotted, has a decently disjointed hitbox directly beneath Mewtwo that can [[Edge#2_frame_punish|two frame punish]], and can also serve as a situational combo starter at low to medium percentages.

Mewtwo's [[neutral special]], [[Shadow Ball]], has excellent versatility, as it can combo into virtually any of Mewtwo's quicker moves at any percent depending on the charge of the projectile. When fully charged, it also becomes a reliable KO move at high percents, and deals decent [[shield]] damage for good measure. In midair, it can even be used as a landing mixup, as the recoil from the fully charged variant pushes Mewtwo back a considerable distance. Mewtwo can utilize techs like [[wavebounce]]s, [[B-reverse]]s, Shadow Ball cancels and turnaround specials to make its movement even more tricky, improving its baits and punishes. However, it has a decent amount of startup, making it risky to use at close range. Its [[side special]], [[Confusion]], is a command grab with a very large grabbox that doubles as a somewhat slow but very active [[reflector]] and can be used for combo setups, though alert opponents can react out of it before Mewtwo below a certain amount of damage.

Mewtwo's [[down special]], [[Disable]], is a risky option in most situations due to its start-up, high ending lag and its requirement that the opponent be within a very short distance away while also facing Mewtwo on the ground for it to work. However, if landed at mid to high percentages, it more often than not leads to a guaranteed stock by allowing Mewtwo to punish the opponent with any option that will KO, such as with Down Smash or a charged, upward-angled Forward Smash. It additionally has intangibility frames before the attack comes out, making it easier to beat out poor grounded approaches with while also ensuring that Mewtwo will not stun the opponent while simultaneously taking a hit, and serving as a very niche defensive option in the air.

Mewtwo also possesses a strong [[grab]] game. Its [[up throw]] and [[back throw]] are both among the strongest in the cast, while [[forward throw]] is excellent at racking up damage at low percentages and possibly killing near the ledge at higher percentages. Mewtwo's [[down throw]] has respectable combo potential: it can combo into upward angled forward tilt and up tilt (depending on the opponent's DI) at low percentages, and into forward aerial at medium percentages, with the latter also being a reliable KO combo on the majority of the cast at high percentages if they fail to DI properly. Mewtwo's grab range is only slightly above average which can sometimes hurt the utility of its throws in close-quarters combat or out of shield, but its dash grab is relatively quick and has great range due to Mewtwo's very fast dashing speed, making it useful as a surprise burst option.

Mewtwo has surprisingly good range for a lightweight fighter. All of its smash attacks have [[disjointed]] hitboxes that allow them to beat out attacks safely; this is especially evident with up smash, as using it at the right time can prevent any [[stall-then-fall]]s. Forward smash can be angled up or down to catch an airborne opponent or to edgeguard low recoveries, respectively. Mewtwo's tail attacks also offer excellent range, despite not being as disjointed. Its back aerial in particular offers very large coverage behind Mewtwo and can be used in decently quick succession, making it a useful walling tool against opponents with low range attacks. Its tilts also use its tail, so they have good range as well. Tying into this is its aforementioned mobility; Mewtwo's extremely fast horizontal movement speed grants it a very potent punishment game with its range, allowing it to bait approaches and easily punish them with its long-reaching moves.

 

Despite Mewtwo's strengths, it has some noticeable weaknesses, the most glaring of which is its infamously poor endurance. Mewtwo's very light weight makes it easy to KO, while its tall frame, average falling speed and below average gravity make it easier to combo compared to other characters of its weight class. Furthermore, Mewtwo lacks an effective aerial move to disrupt combos, and an attempt to Teleport out of a combo can be interrupted due to its startup or punished due to its noticeable ending lag and momentum. And compared to all other characters in the game, Mewtwo is also unable to reliably double jump out of juggling pressure due to it taking a noticeable amount of time for his hurtbox to shift vertically. However, its aerial speed and recovery mix-ups can mitigate some of these shortcomings.

In the late metagame of ''SSB4'', Mewtwo was ranked as a top tier character (specifically 10th out of 54), thanks to its combination of a potent neutral game, excellent mobility, a powerful projectile, and a dangerous combo game. Mewtwo has received a large mix of buffs and nerfs in its transition to ''Ultimate'', but despite receiving more buffs than nerfs, the latter are especially more prevalent due to the weakening of its most useful options. Because of this, Mewtwo was greatly nerfed overall.

Most of the universal changes to gameplay mechanics have also benefited Mewtwo. Although the changes to air dodging mostly hamper it, they also make its edgeguarding game more potent, thanks to its quick air speed, large variety of aerial attacks, useful projectile, long double jump and powerful recovery. The universal increase in mobility and traction across the cast, the reintroduction of [[dash-dancing]], and the expanded utility of [[dash-canceling]] each benefit Mewtwo, as it can now move around much quicker, occasionally play mindgames on its approach, and punish opponents easier both in the neutral game and [[out of shield]]; notably, the increase on its mobility has granted Shadow Ball a significant increase on its combo potential, with access to combos it previously didn't have. Finally, the near-universal reduction to landing lag has made Mewtwo's aerials safer on hit and opened some new combo routes due to its streamlined [[jumpsquat]].

Overall, despite the improvements made to Mewtwo's mobility, endurance, KO power, and the distinct benefits it received from ''Ultimate''{{'}}s mechanics, these changes do not completely compensate for the considerable nerfs it has received to its defensive potential, combo game, and hurtbox. Game updates have offered Mewtwo numerous buffs that have either helped alleviate some of its issues, improved its strengths, or fixed a few of its moveset's inconsistencies, though these haven't fully compensated for its more drastic issues. Because of this, Mewtwo is much less effective than it was in ''SSB4'', retaining its reward but with its much further defined weaknesses impairing its effectiveness.

|ftiltname=Tail Whip ({{ja|テイルウィップ|Teiru Uippu}})

|grabdesc=[[bulbapedia:Psychic (move)|Telekinetically]] holds an opponent. Mewtwo's grab range and speed are average, though the particle effect used makes it deceptively shorter than it looks.

|pummeldesc=A point-blank burst of dark energy. Average power and speed.

|dsdesc=[[bulbapedia:Disable (move)|Emits a minuscule spark of psychic energy]] from its eyes that travels forward. If it hits an opponent facing Mewtwo, it [[stun]]s them if they are on the ground. Conversely, it will launch them backward with weak knockback if they are airborne. It only works if the opponent is facing Mewtwo and will have no effect otherwise, making it useless for punishing back aerials, [[cross-ups]], etc. It stuns the opponent for longer the more damaged they are, allowing it to confirm KOs from as low as 50%. Since opponents face the same direction during all of their getup options, it is especially effective at tech-chasing, essentially guaranteeing the power of a charged smash attack with the startup of a uncharged one, though its aforementioned properties make it situational to land otherwise. Due to being a projectile, Disable can also be reflected. Disable grants intangibility on frames 10-16, allowing it to beat out attacks when timed properly. When coupled with its deceptively long range, it can also be used as a surprise landing option against unaware opponents.

Game updates addressed some of Mewtwo's biggest flaws to varying degrees, and dedicated mains such as {{Sm|Zenkai}} and {{Sm|????}} began to gather respectable placements online. In addition, Mewtwo received meaningful buffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and saw online success from players such as {{Sm|WaDi}} and {{Sm|Chewie}}. Because of these occurrences, Mewtwo's perception started to rise, as many players held hope for the character and considered it to have potential to be a strong upper mid-tier character at the time. However, following the return of offline competitive play, Mewtwo's results would continue to remain sparse, with WaDi being the only player who consistently saw respectable placements with the character, and even then his results with Mewtwo were often complemented with other characters. With Mewtwo having absolutely no notable reputation in tournaments following WaDi's ban as well as its weaknesses becoming further and further pronounced as the meta continued to develop, opinions of the character sank. The current perception on Mewtwo holds that it is a low tier or a lower mid tier at best.

 

As it stands, collective opinions on Mewtwo are largely negative, resulting in a much worse reputation than it had in its ''SSB4'' days, and it ranks 66th on the current tier list, at the top of the D+ Tier.

Aside from Round 1, Mewtwo is allied with opponents it fought in previous Rounds under the premise that its teammates are under its mental control. These teammates typically represent characters that have been brainwashed in their respective home series.

SSBUWebsiteMewtwo6.jpg|Alongside 3 [[Olimar (SSBU)|Pikmin]] on [[Onett]].

*Mewtwo is the only playable Pokémon in ''Ultimate'' whose special moveset contains more than 4 moves from the ''Pokémon'' {{iw|bulbapedia|core series}}.

*Mewtwo's shielding sound effect plays one frame earlier that everyone else's.