Mew (Pokémon)
Mew is one of the many fictional species in the Pokémon franchise. It is a small, pink, Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon, which are incredibly rare and powerful Pokémon typically available only via special events. It was added to Pokémon Red and Blue by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto at the tail end of the games' development. Though it was not planned to be obtainable, after it was discovered through data mining, its presence in the games was surrounded by many rumors and myths. For years, Mew could not be obtained legitimately in the games except through some specific Pokémon distribution events, though it could be obtained through a variety of glitches.
Mew's first film appearance was in Pokémon: The First Movie as one of the main characters alongside Mewtwo. In the movie, a team of scientists used a fossilized Mew eyelash to create Mewtwo, a genetically enhanced Mew clone. Mew later appeared in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew as a main character alongside Lucario. Due to the mystery surrounding its obtainability in the original games, Mew has been considered highly iconic and a large part of what made the Pokémon franchise so successful, as the hype around obtaining it greatly increased sales for the games.
Concept and creation
Mew is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Each Pokémon has one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.Unlike the other Pokémon from Pokémon Red and Blue, Mew's development was not overseen by Ken Sugimori, but by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto. Morimoto programmed Mew into the game secretly as a prank amongst the staff just prior to its release in Japan. Its origins, however, lay with Satoshi Tajiri, who conceived the idea of an elusive, phantom-like Pokémon from games like Xevious and Space Invaders, with the basis of these ideas being based around rumors of hidden secrets in those games. He created Mew with the intention of having a "character that exists but doesn't appear" that would be the subject of rumors, which Tajiri considered exciting for players. It was intended to be a Pokémon only Game Freak staff members would know about and be able to obtain. Mew was added at the very end of the development of Pokémon Red and Blue by Morimoto after the debug features were removed, which freed up just enough space to add the character despite being told not to alter the game any further at this point by Nintendo. When space was made for Mew, Morimoto initially wished for Sugimori to design the creature, but Sugimori was unable to make time due to the game's approaching release date. As a result, Morimoto designed and made Mew himself. Mew's sprite was much smaller and not colored in due to a lack of storage space, which was why it primarily only uses one color in its design. Sugimori later returned to help make the official artwork for the Pokémon species, basing the artwork off of the in-game sprites. He disliked the fetus-like aspects of Mew's original in-game sprite and revised the design into its modern-day appearance.
Though it was not intended by the developers to be obtainable, due to a glitch, players were able to encounter it. During initial distributions for Mew, the pool of those who would potentially receive one was relatively small—numbering only twenty in the first and one hundred in the second—due to the fact that each Mew had to be individually generated on Morimoto's PC and then manually traded to winning cartridges. Morimoto would later aid in the development of a later Mew event that appeared in Pokémon Emerald.
Design and characteristics
Mew is a Psychic-type Pokémon with high stats. Morimoto designed it as a pale pink feliform creature with somewhat large eyes and a long, thin tail that broadens at the end, though the shiny version is blue and rarely distributed. Mew was primarily designed off of its in-universe clone, Mewtwo. It was designed as a simpler version of Mewtwo, being visually much smaller in terms of both size and sprite, with less detail on its body, so it would take up less space in the game's data. Mew was not shown moving until the first movie, and thus it had no behaviors and personality outlined yet. These movements and personality traits were primarily created by the movie's animators, who were working off its in-game sprite. Morimoto was amazed upon seeing the final product in the film. Morimoto has stated that Mew is his favorite design from the series, and has even incorporated the Pokémon as a part of his signature.Mew's design has been considered similar to hairless cats, as well as embryos. Scientists within the game view it as being the single ancestor of all other Pokémon. It is shy and rarely seen by humans. It is a Mythical Pokémon, Pokémon species which are much more powerful and rare than standard species and are typically only made available by special event. It is the last of the Pokémon from Red and Blue in the order of the in-game Pokédex. In Red, Blue, Yellow, and their remakes, the player can find journal entries in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island stating that Mew was discovered deep in the jungles of Guyana, South America, on July 5 of an unspecified year, named on July 10, and that it "gave birth" to Mewtwo on February 6. In the video games, it is possible for Mew to learn any move that can be taught to it via several in-game mechanics, such as tutoring and "Technical Machine" items. It can also transform into other Pokémon via the move Transform. Due to its high overall statistics and vast move pool, Mew is regarded as one of the strongest Pokémon in Red, Blue, and Yellow. In the anime, it is capable of flight, teleportation, shapeshifting, rendering itself invisible, and summoning bubbles of psychic energy.
Appearances
In the video games
Mew is mentioned in a journal entry in Cinnabar Mansion, referencing an encounter with it in Guyana. At the time of its introduction, Mew could only be legitimately obtained in the Pokémon video games via Nintendo promotional event distributions. This period of event exclusivity ended with the release of My Pokémon Ranch, where Mew was accessible legitimately without an event distribution. Mew has subsequently been made available in many games in the series. Players can obtain it by buying a Poké Ball Plus, which contains a Mew inside of it that can be sent into Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! or Pokémon Sword and Shield. Mew is also obtainable in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl if save data exists on the console for one of the Let's Go games. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, a special "Z-Crystal" item was created for Mew, which allowed it to use a powerful attack only it could use, known as "Genesis Supernova". A special event in which players could obtain Mew and use it to battle a boss Mewtwo took place in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for a limited time. Mew has appeared in multiple spin-offs, such as Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Go, ''Pokémon UNITE, Pokémon Masters EX, and New Pokémon Snap. It also appears as one of the Pokémon that can be released from the Poké Ball and Master Ball items in the Super Smash Bros. series.Mew has long been accessible by the use of glitches or cheating devices. One of the glitches discovered in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, dubbed "The Mew Glitch," involves exploiting programmed events in order to trigger a wild battle encounter with Mew, allowing for its capture. The glitch was included in Virtual Console re-releases of the game for the Nintendo 3DS, though the captured Mew is not allowed to be transferred into Pokémon Bank'' without the use of further glitches, which changes an in-game "ID Number" to allow for Mew's successful transfer.
In other media
Mew's first major appearance in the Pokémon anime was in Pokémon: The First Movie, where it served as one of the main characters. It was believed to be long-extinct, as well as the most powerful Pokémon in existence. After years of research, scientists used Mew's DNA to create Mewtwo, a genetically enhanced clone of Mew who becomes the film's main antagonist. Mew later battles it in the film, where it appears to stop Mewtwo, though in the Japanese version of the film, Mew was depicted as a cruel being who wished to destroy Mewtwo and its clones. Mew later appears in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, where Mew kidnaps Pikachu so it can play with him, kickstarting the plot of the film. In Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Mew appeared in a flashback showing the childhood of Goh, one of series protagonist Ash Ketchum's traveling companions. In his childhood, Goh encountered Mew, and ever since, Goh's goal was to capture Mew. He ends up joining a group named "Project Mew" which seeks to find and capture the Pokémon.Mew appears in the Pokémon Adventures series of Pokémon manga. Mew, also known as the "Phantom Pokémon" in the manga, appears in the first chapter when the criminal organization Team Rocket tries to capture it. Red, the protagonist, also tries to capture it, but he is easily defeated by Mew. In following chapters, it is revealed that Team Rocket wants to have Mew's DNA to finish the creation of Mewtwo, and Red and the character Green—at this point an antagonistic figure to Red—join forces to save it from being captured.