Mewtwo has always been a peculiarity in the Pokémon universe, owing to its origins as a scientifically engineered clone of the legendary Pokémon Mew. However, since the reveal of Shadow Mewtwo as the final boss in the arcade fighting game Pokkén Tournament last year, we have been left to wonder whether this dark variant on Mewtwo will appear anywhere else, or whether it is even part of the wider Pokémon canon.
In an interview with Polygon, the producers of Pokkén Tournament have given us some insight into the creation of the character. Masaaki Hoshino described how “when we were originally coming up with the design, we worked very closely with The Pokémon Company and Game Freak to make sure everything was right.”
While Hoshino hopes that Shadow Mewtwo sees wider use in the Pokémon universe, it will be something that is left in the hands of the The Pokémon Company. Fellow producer Katsuhiro Harada, known for his role as producer in the Tekken series, went onto explain how the game itself is a spin-off from the main series and takes place in its own area of the world:
“So, within the context of this spin-off, [Shadow Mewtwo] is obviously a canonical character. Of course, how The Pokémon Company and Game Freak decide to use the character is up to them, but I think Mr. Hoshino’s passion for the character might inspire them and encourage them to use it!”
When asked about whether Shadow Mewtwo is considered to be canon, The Pokémon Company responded with “No comment.”
Pokkén Tournament was released as an arcade game in Japan in July 2015, and is coming to Wii U worldwide on March 18. Shadow Mewtwo will be playable for the first time in the Wii U version of the game, and will feature as an Amiibo card in the first-run physical copies of the game.
Do you hope that Shadow Mewtwo crops up again in the wider Pokémon universe, or would it be one Mew too many? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Polygon