Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back

Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back is the original theatrical debut of the franchise, released in Japan in 1998 and internationally in 1999-2000, generating enormous cultural impact wherever it appeared. The film tells the story of Mewtwo — a genetically engineered Pokémon created from Mew's DNA — who develops consciousness and a profound philosophical identity crisis about the ethics of his own creation and the nature of his existence. After escaping Team Rocket's control, Mewtwo lures trainers to New Island for a confrontation that escalates into a battle between original Pokémon and their clones, culminating in the franchise's most iconic emotional climax involving Ash and Pikachu.

The film's central question — "We did not choose to be born. Can we choose what we become?" — resonates beyond its children's franchise origins and established Mewtwo as one of anime's most philosophically compelling anti-villains. The theatrical version features a prologue that was cut from international releases involving Mewtwo's early experiments with clone Pokémon; restoring this prologue dramatically enriches his arc. The First Movie is inseparable from the cultural experience of Pokémon's peak popularity in the late 1990s and remains essential viewing for anyone interested in the franchise's history or in Mewtwo as a character, whose canonical story continues through other media.