Pokémon was, and still remains, one of the biggest video game franchises of the 1990s, whereupon it also became one of the most popular (and equally as long-running) anime series. One of the best-known characters in the franchise is the Psychic-type, Mewtwo, the 150th Pokémon. Though his appearance in the original Pokémon Red and Blue games was only possible after players had beaten the game, the anime gave him a starring role in two movies during the franchise's late '90s/early '00s heyday.

The first movie (which was also the first Pokémon movie in general), Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, painted an image of a vengefully diabolical, yet also tragically conflicted villain. The film's CGI remake, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, recently released on Netflix, giving old fans and new ones alike a chance to witness the epic legacy of the creature. Here's a look at what makes Mewtwo such a compelling villain, and why for many who grew up with Pokémon, he's one of the best villains in anime, period.

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Mew vs. Mewtwo - Nature vs. Nurture

The element that drives Mewtwo's actions, and also makes him such an interesting character, is his nature as a cloned Pokémon. An altered recreation of the "extinct" Legendary Pokémon Mew (now a classed as a Mythical Pokémon), Mewtwo was created at the behest of Giovanni of Team Rocket to be the ultimate weapon. Upon learning this fact, he comes to hate humanity, as they (or, at least, the Team Rocket scientists) saw him as little more than a weapon or science experiment.

His trauma is exacerbated when he befriends several other cloned Pokémon, as well as -- in one version of the story -- Ambertwo, the clone of the project's head scientist's deceased daughter. This causes him to lash out, first by killing the scientists that had created him and next by striking back at human society in general.

In Japanese media, it was initially uncommon for him to be called a clone, due to the word's frightening, artificial connotation. This bolster's Mewtwo's belief that the world will never accept him because of his being a clone. Despite being a clone of Mew, Mewtwo is vastly different, both in appearance and behavior. The cute, mystical cat look of Mew is replaced with a heavily mutated humanoid one, albeit with a viciously stern look. These differences further bring question to Mewtwo's life, as he is essentially a failed copy of a far more docile creature.

Thus, he begins his quest to create an army of clones to test their might, hoping that in doing so, he validates his own existence. It is worth noting that no Legendary Pokémon since Mewtwo's introduction has shown the same level of development, backstory, or agency.

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Mewtwo: A Villain Among Fools

Another element that bolsters Mewtwo's status in villainy would be his contemporaries. Though most anime that began the trend of wider Western releases in the 1990s were typically a bit more dramatic/more serious compared to most American cartoons, these were still mostly kid-friendly shows. And so, while the characters weren't merely one-dimensional, they were still typically two-dimensional.

This is reflected in many of the popular anime at the time, from Dragon Ball Z to Pokémon itself. Dragon Ball's villains were typically just excuses for more ecstatic fights, with little in the way of strong motivation or backstory. Conversely, Pokémon's first two seasons had the incredibly one-note villains of Team Rocket. Their leader, Giovanni, was a completely shallow attempt at a shadowy villain, whose lack of screen time also resulted in a lack of development.

On the other hand, his underlings Jessie and James were pathetic jokes, as they and their Pokémon companion, Meowth, got themselves in more trouble than they posed for Ash and his friends. Compared to this, Mewtwo's conflicted morality and shocking origin make him instantly stand out among other anime villains. His slaying of his scientist creators further illustrates the tonal difference between him and Team Rocket, with the American release of Mewtwo Strikes Back actually having to censor this fact.

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To be fair, viewers who watched Mewtwo's first appearance in Mewtwo Strikes Back likely saw him as more of an outright villain, due to his initial antagonism against Ash. It's his actions later down the road, however, that cement him as being a much more morally conflicted character. This point is made stronger through his protection of a new batch of cloned Pokémon, who he looks after due to his belief that the world will not accept them due to their artificial nature. His own artificial nature is part of why he feels so at odds with the world, and yet at the same time, he creates his own set of Pokéclones that will essentially be doomed to the same fate.

This shows both the extent of how much Mewtwo wishes to belong to something in the world, as well as how ambiguous his ethics are. Conversely, though other Legendary Pokémon are shown as being incredibly powerful in the series, it's typically villains such as Team Rocket who manipulate them that causes them to be such a threat. In the case of Mewtwo, however, the Pokémon is the villain -- possessing just as much intelligence and personality as the human characters. This all culminates in one of the most iconic villains in anime, and easily the best villain in the Pokémon franchise.

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