Game Freak
Despite being Mew's descendant, Mewtwo directly precedes Mew in the game's numerical Pokémon index, owing to the latter's secret inclusion by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto. During an interview, Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that Mewtwo was expected to be popular with North American audiences, citing their preference for strong, powerful characters.