5 Important Moments From ‘Pokémon: The First Movie’

Astro
Pokémon
Pokémon

If you’re looking for a blast from the past that still holds up today, look no further than the 1998 film Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back. It focuses on Mew’s clone, Mewtwo, who plans to take over the world by creating super clones of Pokémon. Yet when he invites Ash Ketchum and other Pokémon trainers to New Island to battle, they thwart his plans and teach him a valuable lesson. The movie has several powerful messages about acceptance and nonviolence. As more people stand up for what’s right in today’s world, these messages are as relevant as ever. Here are five important moments from the movie that embody these ideals.

The Pokémon Fistfight

Most of the movie’s action takes off after Mewtwo’s super clones are created. In response to Mew’s claim that showing off powers doesn’t prove anything, Mewtwo blocks all the real Pokémon and clones’ powers and sends them into an all-out brawl against each other. He also begins to fight Mew himself. As the Pokémon fight, the song, “Brother, My Brother” by Blessid Union of Souls plays.

The whole song is inspiring and poignant, but two lines, in particular, stand out: “Tell me, what are we fighting for?” and “Our foolish pride makes us hate this way.” These two lines urge the viewer to consider how ridiculous the fighting is. The Pokémon are fighting because they see their differences as something negative. They think they are supposed to oppose each other. Soon, they see the folly of their ways in this fictional world. But this is something we should question in our own world as well. After all, as the song asks, “Isn’t life worth so much more?”

Meowth for Peace

Meowth and Meowthtwo almost fight

Meowth of Team Rocket also gets his own clone, Meowthtwo. During the fight, they meet and bare claws at each other, only to back down before making a “clawful mistake.” This leads to some insightful dialogue between them, as Meowth asks, “How can I trust you? You were born different.”

They end up staring at the stars above, which brings Meowth to an important realization. He says, “We do have a lot in common. The same Earth, the same air, the same sky! Maybe if we started looking at what’s the same, instead of always looking at what’s different, well, who knows?” If everyone can accept each other’s differences and focus on what we all share, then we can work together to make the world a better place.

Pikachu Takes a Stand

Pikachutwo slaps Pikachu

A key moment in the fight is when Pikachu meets his clone, Pikachutwo. Unlike Meowth’s clone encounter, which ended peacefully, Pikachutwo attacks Pikachu. When Pikachutwo reaches the point of exhaustion, he repeatedly slaps Pikachu until he knocks him down. Despite this, Pikachu continues to get back up, but he doesn’t fight back.

Pikachu doesn’t say anything, but he sure does make a statement. While he does hold his ground, he doesn’t retaliate against his clone. He knows that doing so would only perpetuate the hate and fighting, which would only mean more pain for everyone. As Ash says later, “Someone’s got to say no, and refuse to fight, just like Pikachu.” We could all stand to be a little more like Pikachu.

Facing the Consequences

Pikachu tries to wake Ash

The most heartbreaking moment of the movie comes when Ash himself tries to stop the fight between Mew and Mewtwo. As the two Pokémon fire off their powers at each other, Ash runs between them and gets caught in the middle of their attack, which turns him to stone. Pikachu tries to nudge him awake and even uses a couple of electric shocks on him, but it’s useless. It’s only when all the Pokémon cry together and the tears gather around Ash that he’s miraculously revived.

This scene drives home the message that fighting doesn’t solve anything. Mewtwo and all the Pokémon pushed their fighting to the point of self-destruction and death, hitting an innocent bystander in the process. While Ash survived in the end, the real world isn’t as forgiving. Blind rage not only affects yourself but those you care about as well.

Mewtwo Discovers Life’s Purpose

Mewtwo and Mew look down at the stadium

Mewtwo finally learns his lesson after the Pokémon revive Ash. He takes note of how Ash sacrificed himself for the Pokémon and how they, in turn, set aside their differences to come together to save him. Mewtwo tells Mew that “the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” He then flies away with the clones and erases everyone else’s memories of the event.

Early in the movie, Mewtwo was spiteful of the fact that he was “created” as a cloning experiment. It’s what drove him to want to take over the world with clones. But, as he finds out, none of that matters. He is free to determine his own purpose in life, and so are we. If we don’t let outside factors limit us, then we can change the world.

Astro
Chrissie "Astro" Miille is a Fan Contributor for FANDOM and a former admin on the Danny Phantom Wiki. When not watching animated shows or Star Trek, they're usually neck-deep in another fandom, listening to Michael Jackson, creating, or stargazing.