Mewtwo

Mewtwo
Official artwork of Mewtwo from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions.
Universe	Pokémon
Debut	Pokémon Red and Green Versions (1996)
Smash Bros. appearances	Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Pokkén Tournament (Wii U) (2016)
Console/platform of origin	Game Boy
Species	Mewtwo
Gender	Genderless
Place of origin	Kanto
Voice actor	Masachika Ichimura (Melee) Keiji Fujiwara (SSB4)
Article on Bulbapedia	Mewtwo (Pokémon)

Mewtwo (ミュウツー, Mewtwo) is a fictional creature from the popular and expansive Pokémon franchise. It is introduced as the "final Pokémon" in the very first game in the franchise. Mewtwo enjoys a good degree of fame and popularity in the Pokémon fan community for its significance as the original "Über Legendary", and it is included in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a playable character.

Mewtwo was one of the five characters to not return as playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but made a reappearance in April 2015 as the first downloadable character in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Character description

Original artwork of Mewtwo from Pokémon Red and Green Versions.

Mewtwo is Pokémon #150 in the Generation I Pokédex, the final Pokémon in the list not counting the generally-unobtainable Mew which is #151 in the Pokédex. It is a clone of Mew that has been altered by unscrupulous scientists in order to increase its power and ruthlessness in battle. As a result, it retains Mew's feline features and strong psychic powers, yet sports a gray and purple coloration and larger humanoid physique due to the alterations to its genetic source material. Aside from physical differences, Mewtwo's mentality is also noticeably different from Mew's due to the aforementioned alterations, as it said to think of nothing but fighting and defeating its opponents.

In-game, Mewtwo was designed to be the "final" Pokémon of the Generation I games; it sports an immense Special stat and a very high Speed stat, the highest base stat total with a total of 590 (which increased to 680 once Generation II reformatted stat distributions to the standard used today), and Psychic as its typing (a typing notorious for being difficult to contend with in Generation I). As a result, Mewtwo was an overcentralizing force that unbalanced the metagame until the aforementioned reformation to stat distributions split the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense, and altered type interactions (which were also brought about in Generation II) evened the playing field.

While Mewtwo sat as "just another legendary Pokémon" for subsequent Generations after its debut in Generation I, it saw a resurgence in popularity beginning in Generation V, where it was given a signature attack in Psystrike. In Generation VI, this resurgence resulted in Mewtwo being among the initial handful of Pokémon to gain access to the new Mega Evolution transformation. Unlike most Pokémon who can also Mega Evolve, it has two Mega Evolution forms, a trait shared with Charizard. In Mewtwo's case, it will Mega Evolve into the larger and bulkier Mega Mewtwo X while holding Mewtwonite X, which also changes its pure Psychic typing to a mix of Psychic and Fighting. Conversely, it will Mega Evolve into the smaller and lighter Mega Mewtwo Y while holding Mewtwonite Y.

In the Pokémon anime and movie series, Mewtwo is, at the time of the first movie, a one-of-a-kind Pokémon that develops a hatred for humans, the concept of subservient Pokémon and attempts to prove the superiority of clones over their original counterparts. It later has a change of heart and becomes a sort of anti-hero, mostly keeping to itself and trying to find a purpose to its existence. Mewtwo is heavily based on this anime portrayal (particularly the Japanese version via its voice actor) in both of its appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, similarly to how Lucario is heavily based on Sir Aaron's Lucario. Despite the species' purported one-of-a-kind nature, other Mewtwo have appeared across the various Pokémon continuities ever since.

In Super Smash Bros.

Mewtwo does not appear in the original Smash in any sort of capacity. However, according to a page on the Japanese Super Smash Bros. site, it was planned for inclusion in the roster. Unlike Bowser and King Dedede however, no development was made for Mewtwo in regards to playability.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

As a playable character

Mewtwo's appearance in Melee.

Mewtwo made its Smash-series debut as an unlockable character in Melee. It is much more tedious to unlock than most other secret characters in Melee, however; it can be unlocked after either playing 20 cumulative hours of Vs. Mode matches (5 hours for four players), or playing 700 Vs. Mode matches.

Mewtwo's playstyle is very floaty and includes a decent variety of combos, strong throws, a very good wavedash, above-average dodges, a strong projectile, and one of the best recoveries. On the other hand, it has a bad combination of large size and light weight, which results in it being an easy target to hit and combo while being especially easy to KO, giving Mewtwo some of the worst survivability in Melee despite its recovery and defensive prowess. In addition to this crippling problem it has general awkwardness in its moveset and movement, most of its moves being not very useful or outright near useless attacks, lacking solid KO options, and having slow movement speed. As a result, Mewtwo has infamously sat in the bottom tier of Melee's tier list for most of the game's lifespan, being among the game's most unpopular characters and considered the worst character at several points in the game's lifespan, having only recently climbed its way out of the bottom tier to its current position of 21st.

Trophies

Mewtwo, as a playable character, has three trophies - a main trophy acquired by defeating the Classic mode with Mewtwo on any difficulty, and the two Smash trophies are by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. Its Classic mode trophy reads:

Mewtwo

A genetically created Pokémon, Mewtwo is the result of many long years of research by a solitary scientist. Although Mewtwo was cloned from the genes of the legendary Pokémon Mew, its size and character are far different than its ancestor. Its battle abilities have been radically heightened, making it ruthless.

• Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue, 9/98 (GB)

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  Mewtwo [Classic Mode] trophy

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  Mewtwo [Smash, Adventure Mode] trophy

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  Mewtwo [Smash, All-Star Mode] trophy

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Despite not being a clone at all like the other cut characters, Mewtwo did not return in Brawl as a playable character, making it only cut character that is not a clone. This resulted in a significant amount of fan outcry, despite Mewtwo's lack of popularity as a playable character in Melee, as the majority of players saw it as an unjustified cut.

Trophy

Mewtwo appears in Brawl as a collectible trophy, obtained by completing All-Star Mode on Intense difficulty. The trophy describes Mewtwo's appearance in the Pokémon games, and makes no reference whatsoever to its appearance in Melee:

The Mewtwo trophy from Brawl.

Mewtwo

A Genetic Pokémon. This legendary Pokémon was based on a recombination of Mew's DNA, created by a scientist after years of research. However, Mewtwo greatly differs from Mew in both size and personality and it is said to have the most twisted and savage heart among all Pokémon. Mewtwo has incredibly high combat abilities and uses Psychic-type attacks.

: Pokémon Red/Blue

: Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen

Unfinished data

While Mewtwo does not appear as a playable character in Brawl, there are several empty files on the game disc bearing its name. These include a graphic effects file (ef_mewtwo.pac), a victory theme (snd_bgm_Z38_MYU2), and a Wii Remote selection sound (which no other scrapped character has). While it is possible that the files are leftover data imported from Melee for referential purposes, the prevailing theory is that Mewtwo was planned to be playable but ended up being cut. As Mewtwo has the most unused content of any scrapped character, and is arguably the least-justified cut due to not being a clone character in terms of moveset, it can be assumed that Mewtwo was the last cut made to Brawl's roster.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Mewtwo as it appears in Super Smash Bros. 4.

During development of the game, an appearance of Mewtwo's Mega Evolution was reportedly considered by Masahiro Sakurai. During the Pokémon X and Y Developer Roundtable at E3 2013, an audience member asked if developers wanted to see Mega Mewtwo in the next Smash Bros. While the developers stated that they had nothing to report about the question, Sakurai, who was in the audience at the time, reportedly said "We are thinking about it." Despite this, Mewtwo did not initially make the final cut of the game as a playable character, returning only as a collectible trophy. Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y also appear as a trophy in the Wii U version.

Mewtwo was later announced in the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza to be a playable character. It is the game's first downloadable character; consumers who registered both the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game on Club Nintendo before March 31, 2015 could get it for free as of April 15th, while other players were able to purchase it starting from April 28th. Its moveset is mostly unchanged from Melee, aside from the addition of a Final Smash.

Mewtwo is ranked 37th out of 56 on the SSB4 tier list within F tier. When initially released, Mewtwo had been poorly regarded by the competitive scene, as its already poor weight was lowered further, as well as an increase in height, increasing the size of its hurtbox. However, Mewtwo did see improvements to Confusion and Disable, two of its most arguably least used moves, with the former being able to reflect projectiles more effectively, and the latter offering more stun time on opponents. Despite the aforementioned poor competitive view, mainly due to its unjustified low weight, Mewtwo saw a turning point thanks to update patches. 1.1.0 increased Mewtwo's overall speed, as well as gave it more viability in its aerials. 1.1.5 increased Mewtwo's running speed even further, now giving it one of the fastest run speeds in the game. The same update also gave it a small, albeit much welcomed, increase in weight, giving some degree of added survivability. Compared to Mewtwo's debut into SSB4, it fits more into a glass cannon archetype, due to its low weight yet great mobility and potent aerial game. Overall, opinions on Mewtwo have been more positive thanks to the buffs, yet it still currently has a small player base in tournament play.

Trophies

Mewtwo

Created from modified Mew DNA, Mewtwo was designed to be the ultimate Pokémon. It didn't take on any of Mew's kinder traits and only uses its intelligence to destroy its enemies. Or...so it seems. Perhaps it just feels frightened or even tormented, and that's why it lashes out. Whatever the reason, Mewtwo is not to be messed with.

Mewtwo (Classic)

Mewtwo puts its psychic powers to great use in this game. Not only does it have floaty jumps, but its telekinesis gives its attacks extra reach and its throws added power. However, its light body makes it easy to launch, so if you're willing to risk getting in close, it might just be worth it!

Mewtwo puts its psychic powers to great use in this game. Not only can it float in midair, but its telekinesis gives its attacks extra reach and its throws added power. However, its light body makes it easy to launch, so if you're willing to take the risk of getting in close, it might just be worth it!

Mewtwo (Alt.)

Mewtwo's Confusion side special not only repels projectiles—it also reflects the damage back on your opponent. Its down special, Disable, stuns an enemy for longer the higher its damage is. Disable only works on foes that are facing Mewtwo.

Mewtwo's Confusion Side Special not only lets you repel projectiles, it also reflects the damage back on your opponent. Its Down Special, Disable, stuns an enemy for longer the higher its damage is. As it works by having Mewtwo glare at its foe, this only works if they make eye contact.

Mega Mewtwo X & Y

It's almost no surprise that a Pokémon as powerful as Mewtwo wouldn't be limited to a single Mega Evolution. Mega Mewtwo X has strong arms and legs, while Mega Mewtwo Y has a whiplike, slender head. The differences aren't just physical - X brings improved fighting power, while Y can unleash even more psychic power.

Mega Mewtwo comes in two forms rather than just one. Mega Mewtwo X has visibly strengthened limbs, which greatly boost its physical abilities in battle. Mega Mewtwo Y, on the other hand, has a whip-like tendril extending from the back of its head, which augments its psychic powers.

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  Mewtwo (3DS)

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  Mewtwo (Wii U)

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Mega Mewtwo X & Y

Trivia

• Mewtwo is the only playable Legendary Pokémon in the Super Smash Bros. series, and consequently is the only playable Pokémon without evolutionary relatives.
• Mewtwo is the only playable Pokémon in the Super Smash Bros. series not to be voiced by its international voice actors in non-Japanese versions (Pikachu, Pichu and Charizard retain their Japanese voices in almost all international media).
• Jean-Marc Delhausse, the French voice actor for the announcer and Lucario, voices Mewtwo in the French dub of the Pokémon anime. However, he does not voice Mewtwo in the French versions of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. 4, as the respective Japanese voice actors' grunts are present in all Western language versions.
• Mewtwo's Melee voice actor, Masachika Ichimura, also played Mewtwo in the Japanese release of Pokémon: The First Movie, and its sequel special Mewtwo Returns. He is also known as the voice of Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.