The Origin Of Mewtwo

Author: Gianni Smirnoff

Mewtwo, a pokemon shrouded in mystery yet so often the topic of conversation. Merely talking about this Pokemon almost always begs the question: does anyone know who Mewtwo really is? Where did this Psychic-type Pokemon come from? Does Mewtwo have any true feelings or motives?

Well, the answers to all these questions lie in the story of Mewtwo’s origin, a complicated, long, and captivating tale of how one of the first artificial Pokemon was brought into existence.

In the rich and colorful world of Pokemon, magic and miracles exist overtly without question. Along with this, unsurprisingly, unnatural and man-made Pokemon aren't as uncommon as you may think. With strange Pokemon such as Voltorb appearing around the invention of the Pokeball and creatures like Grimer coming into being accidentally (created when a puddle of sludge was irradiated by the moon’s X-rays), it really isn’t all that shocking to hear that there have been Pokemon brought to life in a lab.

However, of all these artificial and enigmatic Pokemon, none have quite as dark and as tragic, yet fascinating a tale as that of Mewtwo, a Pokemon who actually was brought into being by genetic scientists operating in a lab.

Often regarded as one of, if not, the strongest Pokemon, Mewtwo was introduced into the world of Pokémon after being cloned/ synthesized in a lab. The aforementioned lab is supposedly located either on an island between the Orange Islands Archipelago and Cinnabar Island or at the Pokemon Mansion on Cinnabar Island.

For Mewtwo’s story, this location is dependent on whether or not you take the games or the anime as canon. Specifically in our case, and for the sake of knowing as many details as possible, we will be using the information on Mewtwo from both the games and the anime in order to gain maximal knowledge of Mewtwo’s lore.

Regardless of the exact location and nature of the facility that these Pokemon cloning experiments took place, what is known for a fact is that Mewtwo’s “birthplace” is on an island. This island houses a lab, and possibly a mansion, which happens to be situated near or in the Orange Islands Archipelago, however, ultimately, this information is not too consequential.

Mewtwo’s story begins formally when the mysterious Dr. Fuji and leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, return from an expedition to acquire a very critical DNA sample. This DNA sample was that of Mew, fabled to be the most powerful Pokemon to ever exist.

Upon the return of the two men, surprisingly, the expedition was found to be a complete success. The gentlemen had managed to acquire the genetic sample they required for their prospective pokemon experiments. These experiments principally had to do with using DNA from Mew to create an artificial Pokemon; a Pokemon whose power was beyond comprehension.

However, as an interesting side note; Dr. Fuji, one of the main operating doctors on the Mewtwo project had different motives in mind for Mew’s DNA. Dr. Fuji’s daughter, Amber, had passed away in a tragic accident early in her youth, leading her father to begin developing plans for an “Ambertwo”. This idea of cloning his daughter, which he planned to execute by using the power of Mew’s genetic material to synthesize a new body for her, did not bode well with Dr. Fuji’s wife, who wanted the scientist to respect the fact that she was gone.

Shockingly, the proposed experiments of these men, even those of Dr. Fuji, were successful. However, unsurprisingly, Dr. Fuji’s experiments came at a price. After discovering his work on attempting to clone their late daughter, Dr. Fuji’s wife shortly left him. This wouldn’t bring a halt to Fuji’s experiments, however. Ambertwo was successfully synthesized using DNA from Mew, along with the fabled Mewtwo.

After their artificial bodies had been completed and were ready to begin generating new cells on their own, Ambertwo and Mewtwo rested in tubes, gaining strength in the lab in which they were brought to life. The two would reside here, along with clones of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle; a few other side experiments of the two gentlemen.

While spending so much time resting in a tube, Ambertwo began to learn more about her nature. After learning to communicate telepathically, she would converse with Mewtwo, with whom she spoke extensively of their existence. Shocked that Pokemon and Humans could communicate the same way, she began to question whether or not she was human, or if she was a Pokemon. This was mainly due to the fact that she could converse with and understand Mewtwo.

However, over time, as the two newly made friends conversed within their tubes, they started to see the clones of Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle fade away, unable to sustain themselves. Mewtwo, being essentially a newborn, had no clue what happened to his other friends, and inquires with Ambertwo about their fate. Yet as he begins to speak with Ambertwo, Mewtwo notices that she too has begun to fade away.

Unable to do anything about his situation, Mewtwo, heartbroken, watched the energy fade away from her tank until she finally passed away.

In a fit of rage, fear, and sadness, the Psychic Pokemon cried out in his tank, shouting and panicking, frightening the scientists. This led Dr. Fuji, angered by his failed experiment, to administer a sedative to Mewtwo in an attempt to calm Mewtwo.

After administering this serum, which also happened to prove as a temporary memory wiping solution for Mewtwo, the Pokemon was incapacitated briefly. However, briefly is the key word in this story. One would expect no less from the so-called “strongest Pokemon” than to resist his binds. And, fittingly, Mewtwo did just that.

After waking, composing himself, and analyzing his situation, Mewtwo gathered the strength to break his binds and flee the laboratory and his captors. In some renditions of Mewtwo’s story, such as “Mewtwo Strikes Back”, the legendary Pokemon destroys the laboratory before his departure, seeking an answer as to “why”. Why did his friends perish? Why was he brought into this world against his will? Through this questioning, Mewtwo begins to develop a distaste for humans, and an appreciation for pokemon, longing to do justice by them.