Why Mewtwo Was a Perfect Villain

what happens when you clone the most powerful pokemon in existence?

0:00 Part One - The Significance of Villains
1:10 Part Two - Mew, Dr. Fuji, & Ambertwo
4:56 Part Three - Mewtwo's Psychic Power
9:49 Part Four - The Power Paradox
13:15 Part Five - Why Mew (and Ash and Pikachu) are Perfect Heroes

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[kode-man]

I love it when you become an adult and look back on certain media that you consumed as a child and think “I swear that was actually pretty good”, and then it is actually pretty good.

[BlueDrakma]

The old pokemon movies had so much life and charm, man. Especially the first 3

[almisami]

You focus a lot on Mew and Mewtwo, but Meowth being first to make peace with his clone is MVP here. They were first to realize the futility of it all.

[ZonamaPrime]

Pikachu trying to restore Ash with electricity got MY tears flowing... each and every time.

[OriasRofocale]

I like how in the sequel Mewtwo just wanted to go on his healing journey and write goth poetry on his new private island.

[morphstarchangeling]

That line is so powerful even to this day. "I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are." I feel like a lot of people could learn from this one simple line from the first pokemon movie.

[lilacocto]

Bless the YT Algorithm for delivering this to my recommended.

[akshaymurali]

The fact that Mewtwo used dragonite as a mailman is the best flex in my opinion

[mrbubbles]

The real fun thing is OG Mew absolutely wanted to fight. The dub removed that and they still managed to make things work.

[tomnorton]

Mew was just as great a character as Mewtwo because it had absolutely no need to show off its power. When it did, it was awesome as it was the very first Pokemon to EVER give Mewtwo a run for its money in battle. However, Mew was so confident in its abilities that, unlike Mewtwo, it never needed to assert dominance, only ever fighting back in self-defence.

However, in the original Japanese version, Mew was a lot more like Mewtwo. All that bouncing around took on a more sinister context because it wasn't just being playful. It was TAUNTING Mewtwo. It considered itself to be the superior Pokemon, to the point where it not only didn't take Mewtwo seriously but wanted to destroy it. Fighting defensively was basically Mew's way of saying "Pathetic. I'm not even breaking a sweat here".

[hippothehippo]

Mewtwo using clone technology despite hating his own origin is so genuinely spot on as a negative trauma response. Often when we cannot understand something we look for answers in interacting with others. But in the negative response, rather than learning from them, we force them to experience our own trauma to make them understand it, which just perpetuates the cycle.

[anemonemilyyy]

you had no right making this pokemon video essay so goddamn CINEMATIC (by which i mean you have every right, im in love with everything in this video, the soundtrack and editing are phenomenal and enthralling)

[Skip]

The studio: “Okay, so this is a kid’s movie based on this videogame for 10 year olds. We just need a simple plot to keep them invested for 90 minutes.”

The writers: “Right, so here’s our nuanced treatise on the meaning of life and the futility of the quest for power in an uncaring universe”

[MustDIEOracle]

Gosh why I still tear up for that Pikachu fight, such a beautiful art

[WSlaying]

“i guess we’re just here because we’re here” - Misty so simple yet deeply profound

[claytonharting]

I was named after a long line of broken men who hurt others, I struggled so hard to carve out my own identity, separate from them. Mewtwo’s line about your birth being irrelevant to who you are hits me right at the core every time I hear it

This was an excellent analysis, I never realized how well put together this movie was, thematically. People dismiss children’s media and children themselves too often. It’s so important to have movies like this that mean something for children to watch

[TheRealGigachad]

"Most importantly: they have conviction."

Thank you. It's crazy how it's been portrayed in media recently how villains lack conviction (even when they very strongly opinionated).

[Jotari]

I can't believe they axed the Uncut Origin of Mewtwo in the international release. Like, that segment makes the entire movie. I imagine the first Pokemon movie in cinemas and I imagine kids cheering at how cool and awesome Mewtwo is while every adult in the place is board out of their mind already having tuned out of the movie long ago when it was just viking jokes. But man, if that first segment was in there, everyone would prick up their ears and pay attention because it just adds so much heart and soul to the movie and the character of Mewtwo specifically. Without that loss he is a pretty generic villain with a bit of angst, but seeing him as an innocent, seeing that loss of innocence and knowing exactly why he is the way he is changes absolutely everything. It elevates the movie by a ridiculous amount. Those five seconds alone of Dr Fuji arguing with his wife would have every parent in there sit up and say "Oh wow, this talking animals thing actually has some interesting stuff to say." I can only guess they removed it because they thought it would have been too heavy for the kids, but, like, fuck that noise, don't underestimate children. Amber vanishing is no worse than Mufasa being killed, but it's just as critical to the movie.

[dgrb]

One of my favourite parts of the movie is how Mew tells Mewtwo that special powers aren't indicative of true strength, it's the heart that matter and Mew's point just... completely flies over Mewtwo's head and he responds by... turning off all the pokemons special powers so they have to physically slug eachother, because that's *totally* what Mew was talking about lol.

[Bridgotto]

One of the more macabre elements i don't see talked about much is that Mewtwo's first clones were effectively recreations of the 3 pokemon friends he lost. It may not have been a conscious choice but i think on some level he just wanted his friends back.