#dizzy's asks

Good question! You're not wrong.

Hi @lizzar! Thanks for writing in. I love a good Newtwo question!

I headcanon this, too, that Newtwo enjoys flying and pushing herself in her speed as a way of feeling alive. I feel like it's her favorite thing to do!

We see in the Genesect and the Legend Awakened film that she's particularly close to bird Pokemon, and she playfully challenges them to race in order to test herself.

"Do you think you can keep up with me?

I want to challenge the boundaries of my power. I'll go on ahead--beyond the limit!"

--Mewtwo, Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013) [English]

And it's her speed that she utilizes to outmaneuver and ultimately defeat Red Genesect. Clearly her flying abilities are important to her. I imagine she finds it exhilarating, that it’s how she decompresses and expresses her freedom.

In comparison, I think Mewtwo of Kanto gets his kicks through battling. In The Birth of Mewtwo radio drama, Mewtwo muses that fighting other Pokemon--and namely, defeating humans--is pretty fun, though the stronger he gets, the more tedious they become. In Pokemon Journeys we see him revel in a total beatdown of Ash and Goh’s Pokemon.

"I have enjoyed today more than anything in a long time."

--Mewtwo, Episode 46 "Getting More Than You Battled For!," Pokemon Journeys (2020) [Japanese]

Hello Anon! Thanks for the ask!

I only have the English version on hand, but I believe they are similar.

Mewtwo has a couple motives for saving that bus full o' humans from the storm in Mewtwo Returns.

First is the practical reason he gives Meowthtwo and Pikachutwo: If there's an accident, rescuers would be sent to help, bringing even more humans closer to their refuge. He doesn't want to risk their exposure. It's a safety precaution.

His second reason for saving them is that he doesn't want anyone getting hurt. Admitting that, though, would be recognizing that he's going soft on humanity, whom he swore revenge against on New Island. He backed down from his New Island plot, of course, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's cool with humans now. So I think his newfound empathy surprises even him. He covers it all by being extra spicy to Meowthtwo when it challenges Mewtwo's reasoning:

"You believe there is another reason? That I felt concern? That I cared for the safety of those humans? I assure you, that was not the case. I could never feel compassion for humans..."

--Mewtwo to Meowthtwo in Mewtwo Returns (2000) [English version]

It's all very tsundere of him. ;)

Hi Anon! Thanks for writing in! Sorry for the delay, I had to do some research on this one.

Yes, absolutely! Theater actor Masachika Ichimura was asked to be Mewtwo’s seiyuu in part due to his role in the first Japanese production of The Phantom of the Opera. He'd reprise his role as Mewtwo in Mewtwo Returns and the remake Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, as well as the role as the Phantom in the sequel Love Never Dies. The characters are very similar and the Mewtwo Strikes Back crew comments on it quite a bit!

So quick history. (Skip this paragraph if uninterested!) You have to understand that when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of Phantom debuted in 1986, it became a worldwide sensation. As of this writing, it remains the longest running show in Broadway history. It was awarded the Tony for best musical in 1988. That same year, Phantom played to sold out houses at the Nissei Theater in Tokyo. It was playing up to 10 shows a week. It was a lavish affair; Webber and his crew made sure the Japanese production was as accurate to its London and New York counterparts as possible. Phantom was a cultural event for many in the late 80’s.

As you noted, Mewtwo and Erik, the Phantom, are very similar characters. Both are reclusive misanthropes, mysterious and intelligent. Both are rejected from society due to biological reasons outside their control. Both are excellent inventors and architects, exiling themselves to elaborate lairs of their own making. Both feel deeply. Both think blowing shit up is a valid way to solve their problems. 🤷

MSB’s screenwriter Takeshi Shudo notes the similarities in his blog. “[The Phantom’s] talented yet dark and distorted character may indeed be of the same quality as Mewtwo in 'Mewtwo Strikes Back.'”

MSB director Yuyama Kunihiko notes the similarities as well. “Mr. Ichimura, who [voices] Mewtwo, he’s a well-known musical star in Japan. He’s famous for playing characters like the Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera. Dark and complicated characters.”

It was Ichimura’s casting that ultimately propelled Shudo to write the prologue for Mewtwo Strikes Back, including Mewtwo’s dark history and his preponderance for asking “Who am I? What am I?”

On reading the finished script, Masachika Ichimura himself remarked, “It’s just like the Opera House.”

So yes! There's absolutely Phantom vibes in Mewtwo’s character. The character was similar enough to influence the director’s choice of Ichimura as his voice actor, and Ichimura’s hiring inspired the screenwriter to add more Phantom-ness to Mewtwo’s character as he wrote. It all influenced each other. Pretty neat!

Sources under the cut.

Hello Anon!

The short answer is: it’s totally up to you!

Pokemon, being a franchise aimed at children, has always been a little vague on the “how babies are made” front to the point that it’s a common joke in the games.

Mewtwo as it originally appears in the games is one-of-a-kind and is a Legendary Pokemon. It has no gender and cannot reproduce except through hacks.

The Pokemon anime-verse is less strict about which Pokemon can have children and which ones can’t. For example, in the games, Lugia is a Legendary and thus genderless and a singular species. But in the anime, Lugia has a child called Silver in episodes The Mystery is History, A Parent Trapped! and A Promise is a Promise (2001).

This Lugia also seems to be different than the Lugia that appears in the film Pokemon 2000 (1999), suggesting that Legendary Pokemon may not all be singular species in the anime.

So, can Mewtwo as a species reproduce? You get to decide!

There’s a popular fan theory that Mewtwo was made using human DNA. Perhaps that means they can reproduce like people do and are viviparous (have live young).

Or perhaps they can lay eggs like other Pokemon.

Perhaps Mewtwo can reproduce asexually.

Perhaps because they are a genetically modified clone, Mewtwo is sterile and cannot reproduce. The irony here is that they’d have to clone themselves if they want to have children.

Hi, Anon! Yes, I do! I think Mewtwo has gone so long without positive touch (battling doesn't count) that he could be suffering from touch starvation. He probably wouldn't know what to do if given a hug!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. Please don’t use this to diagnose yourself.

We humans need positive touch. Positive contact causes the brain to release oxytocin, which makes you feel good. It gives you a sense of comfort, security and satisfaction. People who don’t get enough positive physical touch can become stressed, anxious or depressed. As discussed in this other question, prolonged stress and anxiety can be detrimental to your health, even triggering PTSD.

This reaction to touch starts at birth. It’s why doctors have new mothers hold their babies to their chest for skin-to-skin contact. Mothers are encouraged to hold and comfort their babies often to promote healthy development.

In the animated films, nobody holds Mewtwo when he pops out of the tank. Nobody touches him. The only physical contact he presumably has at Team Rocket is having his armor put on. The only positive contact I recall him having is Ash Ketchum carrying him to Purity Spring to be healed. It’s notable that Mewtwo regains the strength to fight off Team Rocket and the courage to explore the world after this happens.

Mewtwo’s personality may align with someone suffering from touch starvation. It’s common to have feelings of loneliness, depression, decreased life satisfaction, anxiety and stress if touch starved.

Or it could be that Mewtwo is touch averse. Perhaps he’s never liked being touched. Maybe he has a sensory processing issue. Or perhaps not being held or touched from “birth” resulted in him developing a touch aversion. Our tendency to engage in physical touch like hugging is often a product of early childhood experiences, so perhaps because Mewtwo isn't raised being hugged, he grows up to dislike it. How touch aversion is experienced and expressed in real life is highly individual, so take all this with a grain of salt.

All of this is to say that it’s an interesting issue to explore when considering Mewtwo’s character. There are many different ways you can characterize Mewtwo with regards to positive physical contact!

Thanks for the interesting ask! Sources under the cut.

Great question, Anon! Apologies ahead of time for the essay. :)

First I want to point out that I have zero professional cred to diagnose anyone with any form of trauma. I realize we’re talking about a fictional character here, but I want to make this disclaimer anyway just in case someone takes this as advice about themselves or others. This is for fun, nothing more!

I def think you’re on the right track about abandonment. I think it's possible Mewtwo (in the anime canon) suffers from loss, traumatic grief, neglect, violence and physical abuse. Loss and traumatic grief from losing Amber and finding out he's a clone,* neglect from not being cared for properly when “born," being left for long periods of time in his holding cell and trapped in the armor with Team Rocket, and violence/physical abuse when forced to fight for Giovanni.** It’s important to note that all this happens to Mewtwo when he’s quite young.

A child’s brain is particularly vulnerable to traumatic events. During traumatic experiences, the brain is in a heightened state of stress and fear-related hormones are activated. When a developing mind is in a state of chronic trauma, this stress can change the emotional, behavioral and cognitive functioning of the individual in order to maintain survival. These experiences can have a huge impact on a person’s physical and mental health over time. I think we see a lot of this happening to Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back. Mewtwo might seem like he's in control, but he's in constant survival mode, and I think it affects how his mind develops.

Results from this kind of trauma vary, but those with traumatic stress symptoms often have difficulty regulating their behaviors and emotions, especially when still young. They can be aggressive, impulsive, afraid of new situations, clingy, etc. They may blame themselves for the trauma that happened to them, suffer from depression, have various addictions, struggle with sleeping, show regression in functioning and behavior, etc.

Someone with trauma won’t necessarily show all of these symptoms. I think we see the lack of impulse control and aggression in Mewtwo in MSB quite a bit. The clinginess, depression and fear I think are more evident in Mewtwo Returns.

This is definitely an imperfect description of how trauma may possibly affect Mewtwo’s personality, but hopefully it offers some examples for you, Anon! Thanks for writing in!

Notes and sources under the cut.

Hi Anon! I hear you, but I think this is written intentionally!

After the events of Mewtwo Strikes Back, Mewtwo wants to bring his clones somewhere safe, which is why he's content to stay on Mt. Quena.

But, as you point out, he still wants to know who he is and what his purpose in life is. Being on Mt. Quena just isn’t enough. It’s a gilded cage. In a way, we see his internal conflict play out amongst his clones: half want to leave and live in the wider world even though it’s dangerous, while the other half want to stay and be safe and belong.

In the end, Mewtwo leaves Mt. Quena himself, which we can take to mean he wants to explore the world to learn more about it and himself.

Mewtwo is very human in that he wants contradictory things. Having complex human emotions emphasizes his conflict as being a Pokemon but also something else.