M01

Template:MovieInfobox
**Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo's Counterattack** (Japanese: **劇場版ポケットモンスター　ミュウツーの逆襲**, is the first Pokémon movie. It debuted in Japanese and North American theaters on July 18, 1998.

*Mewtwo Strikes Back* was shown with the Pikachu short *Pikachu's Summer Vacation*.

The first anime special, *Mewtwo! I am here*, is a sequel to this movie.

## Major events

* Ash's Squirtle is revealed to know Bubble Beam.
* Ash, Misty, and Brock meet Mewtwo and Mew, but Mewtwo later makes them forget about the encounter.
* Ash sees Mew again, but does not recognize it since his memory has been erased.

Template:Animeevents

### Debuts

* Mew (M01)
* Donphan

## Characters

### Humans

* Template:Ash
* Misty
* Brock
* Jessie
* James
* Gary Oak (cameo)
* Giovanni
* Nurse Joy
* Officer Jenny
* Dr. Fuji
* Neesha
* Fergus
* Corey
* Miranda
* Raymond
* Amber
* Team Rocket Grunts
* Announcer
* Trainers
* Scientists

### Pokémon

* Pikacu (Ash's
* Meowth (Template:TRM)
* Togepi (Template:OP)
* Bulbasaur (Template:OP)
* Charizard (Template:OP)
* Squirtle (Ash's)
* Gyardos (Misty's)
* Psyduck (Template:OP)
* Vulpix (Template:OP)
* Weezing (Template:OP)
* Nidoking (Template:Gary's)
* Arcanine (Template:OP)
* Persian (Template:OP)
* Donphan (Raymond's)
* Machamp (Raymond's)
* Golem (Raymond's)
* Venomoth (Raymond's)
* Pinsir (Raymond's)
* Gyarados (Fergus's)
* Seadra (Fergus's)
* Nidoqueen (Fergus's)
* Golduck (Fergus's)
* Tentacruel (Fergus's)
* Vaporeon (Fergus's)
* Pidgeot (Corey's)
* Scyther (Corey's)
* Hitmonlee (Corey's)
* Venusaur (Corey's; Bruteroot)
* Sandslash (Corey's)
* Rhyhorn (Corey's)
* Dewgong (Neesha's)
* Wigglytuff (Neesha's)
* Blastoise (Neesha's; Shellshocker)
* Vileplume (Neesha's)
* Ninetales (Neesha's)
* Rapidash (Neesha's)
* Bulbasaur (Dr. Fuji's, Bulbasaurtwo)
* Charmander (Dr. Fuji's, Charmandertwo)
* Squirtle (Dr. Fuji's, Squirtletwo)
* Tauros (Team Rocket Grunts'; new; multiple)
* Mewtwo (Template:OBP)
* Fearow (Template:OBP's)
* Dragonite (Template:OBP's)
* Mew (M01)
* Gengar (Trainer's)
* Onix (Trainer's; ×2)
* Alakazam (Trainer's)
* Magneton (Trainer's)
* Caterpie (Trainer's)
* Weedle (Trainer's)
* Raticate (Trainer's)
* Spearow (Trainer's)
* Ekans (Trainer's)
* Raichu (Trainer's)
* Sandshrew (Trainer's)
* Nidorino (Trainer's)
* Oddish (Trainer's)
* Vileplume (Trainer's)
* Venonat (Trainer's)
* Growlithe (Trainer's)
* Poliwhirl (Trainer's)
* Bellsprout (Trainer's)
* Slowpoke (Trainer's)
* Drowzee (Trainer's)
* Kingler (Trainer's)
* Electabuzz (Trainer's)
* Pikachu (Pikachutwo)
* Venusaur (cloned)
* Charizard (cloned)
* Blastoise (cloned)
* Bulbasaur (cloned)
* Squirtle (cloned)
* Psyduck (cloned)
* Vulpix (cloned)
* Meowth (cloned)
* Gyarados (cloned; 2x)
* Seadra}(cloned)
* Nidoqueen (cloned)
* Golduck (cloned)
* Tentacruel (cloned)
* Vaporeon (cloned)
* Pidgeot (cloned)
* Scyther (cloned)
* Hitmonlee (cloned)
* Sandslash (cloned)
* Rhyhorn (cloned)
* Dewgong (cloned)
* Wigglytuff (cloned)
* Vileplume (cloned)
* Ninetales (cloned)
* Rapidash (cloned)

## Soundtrack

Main article: Mewtwo's Counterattack Music Collection

## Scenes in episodes

The episodes *EP063*, *EP064* and *EP065* feature Template:OBP in scenes that prelude this movie.

The scene in which Nidoking and Arcanine battle Mewtwo is adapted from Gary's battle against Giovanni in *The Battle of the Badge*, but there are several differences between the two versions. The movie has a different perspective and animation, mostly evident in Mewtwo's appearance, which is more cartoony in the episode as opposed to the elaborate design of its armor in the movie. Mewtwo's whole body glows when it uses Psychic against Nidoking and Arcanine in the episode, but only its eyes glow in the movie. Mewtwo's chin is covered by its armor in the movie, but it is exposed in the episode. It is unknown whether this is an error or design change, since what looks like the chin could have been part of the armor if colored differently. Giovanni's position also differs: he stands up and walks forward before sending out Mewtwo in the episode, but stays seated in the movie.

In *It's Mr. Mime Time*, Mewtwo makes a cameo when the Rocket Trio go to Template:An, apologize to Giovanni, and have a brief video chat with him. The upward-panning shot of Mewtwo uses the same animation of when Mewtwo is first shown in its armor, though this scene chronologically took place after the scene in the movie.

The scene of Mewtwo blasting out of Team Rocket HQ in *Showdown at the Po-ké Corral* is also shown in the movie's prologue. The explosion in the episode has a different perspective and animation, but both shots of Mewtwo flying away use the same animation. The shot of Giovanni's helicopter taking off in this episode uses the same animation (played in reverse) of the same helicopter landing on New Island in the movie.

## Alternate versions

### *The Shudō Cut* version

In both Japan and North America, the theatrical version had only two home video releases (VHS, February 12, 1999; LaserDisc, July 17, 1999) and was never shown on TV. A new version of the movie, known as the *Shudō Cut* (Japanese: 完全版 *full version*), has been shown in all television airings in Japan (the first one being on July 8, 1999) and in the Japanese home video releases from the third one (VHS, November 12, 1999) onward: this version contains additional scenes and CGI edits.

#### Additional scenes

Main article: The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin
A ten-minute short known as The Birth of Mewtwo(Japanese: **ミュウツーの誕生** *The Birth of Mewtwo*) was added at the beginning of the movie in the "Shudō Cut" version: this short details the history of Mewtwo's creation (based on the radio drama *The Birth of Mewtwo*), increasing the movie's length from 75 to 85 minutes and the prologue's length from 10 to 20 minutes.

#### CGI edits

All the following edits were made for the "Yuyama Cut":

* In the wide shot of Mewtwo facing Dr. Fuji, who is explaining to it how it was created, two large test tubes were shown positioned on either side of the screen in front of the characters and magnifying them. These were pushed off to the edge of the screen in the newer version of the film.
* When Mewtwo is being suited up with armor, Giovanni is covered in shadow (much like his first appearances in the anime). In the newer version the scene was changed so he could be seen better, probably because his identity in the anime had already been revealed in *EP063*.
* A CGI panning effect was added to the Gym floor when Mewtwo battles a Trainer's Onix.
* When Mewtwo first summons the storm, the shadow color on its hand is changed from purple to pinkish-red.
* Mew floating up to the surface of the water in a bubble was completely re-animated.
* Throughout the film, the original hand-drawn clouds of Mewtwo's storm are replaced with more realistic-looking CGI clouds. The water in the storm is also altered to have different shades of blue.
* Mewtwo's castle is changed from hand-drawn to CGI.
* The shot of the big doors opening was replaced with CGI doors. When the door closes in front of Ash, the scene now pans all the way back to Team Rocket facing the door when it was originally a dissolve.
* Another CGI panning effect was added for the shot of Rhyhorn charging toward Mewtwo.
* The big reveal of Mewtwo's stadium was rendered with CGI.
* The scene of Ash walking forward with all the rescued Pokémon was altered to have them fade into sight. In the original, they were drawn as black silhouettes slowly walking outward through the smoke and their bodies interacted with it more.
* When Ash is looking down at the Pokémon fighting their clones, they were all originally drawn as silhouettes.
* The tears of life from the Pokémon were changed to CGI.

## Trivia

* This Template:Pkmn was released between EP067 and EP068 in Japan. However, it chronologically takes place sometime after EP065, where Mewtwo is seen escaping from Team Rocket HQ.
* At ten minutes, this movie has the longest prologue. The prologue was further extended to 20 minutes in the Japanese extended version and twelve minutes in the international extended version.
	+ According to Takeshi Shudō, the prologue was only added after it was clear that the hiatus would make it impossible to have Mewtwo appear in the TV series before the movie's premiere. Originally, Mewtwo would first appear onscreen when it revealed itself to the Trainers on New Island.
* According to Takeshi Shudo's notes on the movie, Template:Ash was petrified but not killed when Mewtwo and Mew's Template:M blasts collided with him, and the tears simply restored him.
* Some of the Pokémon on the poster did not appear in the movie.
* Several moves were used by Pokémon in this movie that were not yet available in the Template:Pkmn. Template:OBP used Shadow Ball} Template:DL used Rapid Spin, and Raymond's Donphan (itself a Pokémon not yet available) used Rollout.
* Other than Corey, Fergus, and Neesha, a female fourth Template:Pkmn takes off from the pier on the back of a Fearow. She is seen flying Fearow while Fergus and Neesha ride their Gyarados and Dewgong. She likely never made it to New Island, unlike the others.
	+ She is the only character who leaves for New Island but never appears again. Mewtwo wipes the memories of everyone on New Island and transports them back to the mainland (except for Team Rocket), but this Trainer completely disappears.
* Of the Pokémon seen at the gathering, only Misty's Togepi was not captured and cloned by Mewtwo due to Misty}hiding it in her backpack.
* Though Mewtwo owned a cloned Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, they were not cloned from the Trainers' Pokémon. They were supposedly cloned from Pokémon Mewtwo had previously acquired itself. Despite this, all three of the Trainers' Pokémon were captured by Mewtwo anyway.
	+ These three Pokémon happen to be the fully evolved forms of Template:DL, who died when Mewtwo was young.
* In the English dub, Jessie makes a reference to *Frankenstein*.
* In Japan and North America, this movie (paired with the *Pikachu's Summer Vacation* short) was released on LaserDisc, being the only Pokémon media to be released on this medium.
* The movie's first trailer showed several prominent scenes that never appear in the movie. They were promotional scenes made before the movie script was finished. Most notable were scenes of Ash fleeing an explosion, a woman who looks like Misty accompanying Template:OBP and a younger character, and Template:TRT standing on a warship.
* On the 23rd anniversary of the movie's release, Masahiro Sakurai posted an image to Twitter homaging the scene of Pikachutwo slapping Pikachu and mentioning the scene always made him cry.

## Related articles

* The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin
* Mewtwo! I am here
* Sound Picture Box - The Birth of Mewtwo
* Together With the Wind (1998 single)
* Mewtwo's Counterattack Music Collection

Template:Movies

1. ↑ http://www.style.fm/as/05\_column/shudo167.shtml
2. ↑ Mewtwo Strikes Back The First Trailer - Dogasu's Backpack
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/Sora\_Sakurai/status/1416593567519154178