Mew (Pokémon)

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Mew
Image:MewPKMN.png
National
Mewtwo - Mew (#151) - Chikorita
Johto
Mewtwo - Mew (#250) - Celebi
Japanese name Mew
Stage Basic
Evolves from None
Evolves to None
Generation First
Species New Species Pokémon
Type Psychic
Height 1 ft 4 in (0.4 m)
Weight 9.0 lb (4.0 kg)
Ability Synchronize

Mew (ミュウ Myū?) is one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. The purpose of Mew in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.[1] In the Pokémon video games, it is a Psychic-type secret Pokémon (#151 out of 150) that was discovered in the first generation of Pokémon: Pokémon Red and Blue, Green, and Yellow. Mew is the Red/Blue/Green/Yellow counterpart to the Gold/Silver/Crystal Celebi, the Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Jirachi, and the Diamond/Pearl Manaphy and Sheimi.

The name "Mew" may refer to the sound made by a cat, or, in the original (Japanese) version, the name Myuu could also be a reference to the Japanese word Myo, that means strange and/or unique.

Contents

[edit] The Discovery of Mew

In the Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen the discovery and existence of Mew is revealed through 2 out of 4 diaries found in the abandoned Cinnabar Mansion, also called the Cinnabar Mansion Journals. The Cinnabar Mansion Journals are found in several rooms within Cinnabar Mansion and contain information pertaining to the discovery of Mew and the creation of Mewtwo. The author of these journals is unknown (it is possible the journals were written by more than one person, though no one can say for certain if this is true), the author (or authors) was most likely a Pokemon Researcher. There are 4 journals in total; only 3 of them refer to Mew (the first two journals tell of Mew's discovery, while the third tells of Mew's giving birth to Mewtwo), while the rest refer only to Mewtwo. According to Cinnabar Mansion Journal No. 1, Mew was discovered on July 5th (Year Unknown), deep in the jungles of Guyana, South America (this is supported by Mew's data in the PokéDex). In Cinnabar Mansion Journal No. 2 states, that on July 10 (just 5 days after it was first discovered), the newly discovered Pokémon (Mew) was given its name ("Mew") by the scientists that discovered it. The last journal that refers to Mew, Cinnabar Mansion Journal No. 3 states, that on Feb. 6, Mew gave birth to Mewtwo. Cinnabar Mansion Journal No. 4 gives no mention to the fate of what happened to Mew after Mewtwo was born. Due to the fact that neither Mew nor Mewtwo can be found in Cinnabar Mansion after it has been abandoned (and Mewtwo's being found inside Cerulean Cave/Unknown Dungeon) it is possible that Mew escaped from the Cinnabar Mansion after Mewtwo demolished the lab within Cinnabar Mansion (Mew possibly went to Faraway Island, as Mew later appears on Faraway Island in Pokémon Emerald). On Faraway Island, there is a sign that appears to be written a long time ago. It says: "...ber, 6th day. If any human...sets foot here...again...et it be a kindhearted pers...ith that hope, I depar..." It is unknown who wrote this message. Despite its being captured and studied, it is still believed to be a mirage by many experts, due to its rarity. Another reason some experts don't believe Mew exists, is due to the fact that the Cinnabar Mansion Journals remain inside Cinnabar Mansion as they were left forgotten and abandoned by the researchers.

  • NOTE: In Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, it is revealed that Mr. Fuji originally lived on Cinnabar Island in Cinnabar Mansion, this leads to the possibility that Mr. Fuji was the author of the Cinnabar Mansion Journals (or at least involved discovery & study Mew and possibly in creation of Mewtwo).

[edit] Biological characteristics

Mew appears as a pink feline-esque Pokémon with short arms, long feet, large blue eyes, and a long tail. Its skin is covered with a layer of fine pink hair. Or, in the 3D games, it is shown to be white with pink bits on its feet, tail and head. It seems to be genderless as well. The Cinnabar Mansion Journals (4 diaries found in Cinnabar Mansion) state that Mew gave birth to Mewtwo, Mewtwo was genetically altered by the author (probably with the aid of his fellow researchers) of the Cinnabar Mansion Journals diary. This is explained in both the plot of Pokemon: The First Movie and Mewtwo's Pokedex entry.

By nature, Mew is known to be a playful, but wise, Pokémon that acts benevolently towards all other Pokémon. Its DNA is said to possess the genetic composition of all existing Pokémon species, enabling it to use seemingly all known Pokémon techniques. In addition to its wildly variable techniques, Mew can also transform into another Pokémon in the same manner as Ditto. It is also capable of instant teleportation, summoning giant pink bubbles of psychic energy, and making itself invisible at will.

It should be noted that Mew also bears a resemblance to a fetus. Its tail is somewhat reminiscent of an umbilical cord, it is most often seen in a pose similar to that of the fetal position, and it flies in a bubble that is analogous to an amniotic sac. This "embryonic" form can be thought of as a precursor to all forms of Pokemon, much like how many animals' embryos appear similar in the early stages of development. This lends further support to the hypothesis that Mew is, in fact, the ancestor of all Pokemon, or at least a being with the potential to develop into any form of Pokemon, much like a human stem cell, this may also explain why Mew can transform into other Pokemon and use all other Pokemon techniques. According to a recent poll on the official Pokemon website, Mew is currently the most popular Legendary Pokemon.

[edit] In video games

This Pokémon is very difficult to obtain in spite of having been available since the first generation of Pokémon games. Because of this, many players turn to cheating devices such as a Gameshark in order to obtain Mew, although Mew can actually be caught in the Red, Blue and Yellow games without any hardware device.

If owners of a Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Fire Red, Leaf Green, or Emerald version went to a Toys R Us store on September 30, 2006, a Mew was transferred into their game pack. The Mew received in this promotion came at level 10 and had the moves "Transform" and "Pound." The name of the OT (original trainer) is listed as "MYSTRY" in the status of the Pokemon page, likely to do with the movie it was given out as a promotion for, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (compare to Jirachi's OT being listed as "WISHMKR" on the Colosseum bonus disk) or could be a reference to Mew being mysterious, but if one paid attention during the transfer, he would see that the trainer you were trading with was named "RED", because Red is the male character in FireRed and LeafGreen, or because the game pack the Mew was transferred from was a FireRed game[citation needed]. Also the ID number of the Mew was "06930" which may be a reference to the day of the transferring. Unless a user also had this ID number (which is practically impossible), the Mew could not be renamed.

A wild Mew appears after executing the Mew glitch.
Enlarge
A wild Mew appears after executing the Mew glitch.

The only official method of capturing Mew in the American version of the first generation of games (Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Green and Pokémon Yellow) was to receive one from Nintendo personnel at special events called Pokéconventions where they were handed out to the cartridge-owners that came. Outside of the USA, there have been times where players could send their cartridges to certain authorized personnel (such as local Nintendo importers) who would then transfer Mew to the cart. These transfers have sometimes also been accompanied with printed certificates that also have the Mew’s ID number.

Mew ownership certificate
Enlarge
Mew ownership certificate

In Pokémon Emerald, Mew can be caught on a new island called Faraway Island. To get to the island, a player must have downloaded the item "Old Sea Map" from a Nintendo Event. The Old Sea Map acts as a ticket to the island and a ferry at either Lilycove or Slateport will take the player to Faraway Island. Once there, the player will have to navigate a labyrinth of trees to find Mew in a clearing filled with tall grass. Mew will attempt to hide in the grass, and the player will have to chase it and corner it to battle it.

There is another method of acquiring Mew in the first two generations of games without help from promotional events or cheating devices. In Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Green and Pokémon Yellow there exists a multi-step process called the Mew glitch[2], although the "glitch" does not ruin the game in any way. Since the games only had a single memory region for battle data (because it was assumed that only one battle could occur at any given time), the player could overwrite the original trainer battle data by battling other trainers or wild Pokémon. By creatively choosing opponents, the player could fill the battle data memory region with the data of his or her choice. Returning to the area where the player first flew or teleported away would cause the game to interpret the crafted battle data as genuine, triggering a battle with a wild Pokémon at level 7. Typically, players chose Mew as the Pokémon, as it could not normally be captured.[3][4]

As a Pokémon in battle, Mew rivals its genetic counterpart Mewtwo as a strong, capable Psychic-type Pokémon, especially in the first generation of games when competition against Psychic-types was minimal due to a somewhat imbalanced elemental system; Mew, Mewtwo, and Alakazam (the strongest non-legendary Psychic-type at the time) often dominated the competition. Each of Mew’s base stats are at a very strong 100, just like fellow secret legendary Pokémon Celebi and Jirachi.

Shiny Mew in Pokémon Emerald
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Shiny Mew in Pokémon Emerald

Mew is considered even better than Celebi and Jirachi thanks to its compatibility with every Technical Machine and Hidden Machine, allowing for any variety of moves. Indeed, Mew can be viewed as Pokémon’s “wild card”. In addition, Mew can learn any move available from the specialized tutors in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen and Pokémon Emerald, and in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness its movepool is extended even further. After completing that game’s main story, a man appears in Mt. Battle asking the player to show him a Mew, and he will quiz the player with some questions. If the player answers them all correctly, the man will teach Mew up to four moves of the player’s choice out of a list of 100. Among these, six moves are entirely new to Mew: Faint Attack, Fake Out, Hypnosis, Night Shade, Trick, and Zap Cannon.

Mew floats playfully in front of the camera in Pokémon Snap
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Mew floats playfully in front of the camera in Pokémon Snap

In Pokémon Snap, Mew is the sole Pokémon to be found in the 7th course, Rainbow Cloud. Mew cannot be photographed, as it is covered by a green bubble that lights up whenever the player readies the camera. Only with careful lobbing of fruit and pester balls can Mew be stunned long enough for a clear picture to be taken.

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Mew will appear randomly between floors 36 and 98 of the Buried Relic if the player has the "Music Box" item in the toolbox. The Music Box is obtained by defeating Regirock, Regice, and Registeel on the 15th, 25th, and 35th floors, respectively, and obtaining the Rock Parts, the Ice Parts, and Steel Parts, which will automatically form the Music Box.. The player must also possess the Friend Area "Western Island Area" or "Final Island" in order for Mew to join his or her team.

In Pokemon Ranger, Mew appears in a Ranger Net Mission available after beating the game's main story line and beating the other two Ranger Net Missions first. Mew is particularly difficult to catch as you must sneak up on it, or it will fly away, and even if you do get it in battle, it can flee very quickly.

In both Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, there is a small chance that when a Pokeball is thrown, Mew will appear out of it and quickly fly away. Getting Mew from a Pokeball will give the player who opened it 10,000 bonus points.

[edit] In the Pokémon anime

Mew was first seen in the opening title sequence in the first season.

Mew in the Pokémon movies
Enlarge
Mew in the Pokémon movies

Mew is a vital character in the Birth of Mewtwo CD drama. A Rocket agent, Miyamoto, is dispatched to the Andes Mountains to capture Mew. It appears before Miyamoto at sunrise, however, Miyamoto is then swallowed up by an avalanche. Later on, Dr. Fuji and his colleagues go to the Amazon and retrieve Mew's fossilized hair from a shrine, which is used to create Mewtwo.

In both Pokémon: The First Movie and the video games, scientists attempted to clone it because the Pokémon was extremely rare. The experiment went wrong and resulted in the creation of a significantly intelligent genetic being, Mewtwo, capable of communicating in human language. According to the diaries on Cinnabar, Mew wound up somehow giving birth to Mewtwo, although it is highly possible that this was a metaphor for Mew being the subject they were trying to clone. Nevertheless, Mew ended up being confronted by Mewtwo in a large-scale Pokémon battle, of which neither won, due to the interference of Ash Ketchum. Mewtwo appeared to be able to translate Mew's (and most other Pokémon) meows into actual speech.

The events of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 are said to have been set in motion by an Ancient Mew card.

In Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the backdrop revolves around Mew's mysterious history and how this extremely rare Pokémon came to be so powerful.

[edit] In the Pokémon Trading Card Game

Mew is a speciality figure in the trading card game and appears in the following sets:

  • Southern Islands (Psychic-type)(#01/18)
  • Expedition (Psychic-type)(#019/165)
  • EX Legend Maker (Psychic-type)(#10/92)
  • EX Legend Maker (as Mew EX, a Psychic-type) (#88/92)
  • EX Holon Phantoms (as Mew EX, a Psychic-type) (#100/110)
  • EX Holon Phantoms (Psychic-type) (#111/110, as a box-topper)
  • EX Dragon Frontiers (as Mew Star, a Water-type "Delta Species" Mew)

Mew EX from Legend Maker is the Mew which (so far) has abilities which are most similar to its video game counter-part. Mew EXs Poke-body allows it to use any attack on any Pokemon in play; similar to the video game where Mew can learn almost any attack in the entire game. This version of Mew was featured primarily in the Mewtric deck, the deck that won the 2005 World Championships. It was played alongside several Manertric EX's.

In addition, Mew appeared twice promotionally in the early stages of the game, once as the Psychic-type Blackstar Promo #8 and #9, and again as the Psychic-type Blackstar promo #47, commonly referred to by fans as the "Lilypad Mew" because of its artwork.

Mew has also appeared once as "Ancient Mew" as a promo for Pokémon: The Movie 2000. The card is generally considered unusable in battle, as the card is written in Medieval Runic and must be translated before use. In addition, the reverse of the card does not use the standard design, causing the Ancient Mew to stand out conspicuously when shown face down with other cards (this altered back also makes the card illegal for play in any Pokemon organized Play tournament). Ancient Mew's HP is 30, and its technique is "PSYCHE" which requires two Psychic Energies to do 40 damage. The Pokémon information near the base of the card reads "NEW SPECIES" and "LITTLE GOD...OR EVIL". See here for a picture of the translated card.

A non-holofoil mew can also be obtained in the new Pokemon Movie "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew."

[edit] References

Notes
  1. ^ Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Review (page 1) Ign.com. URL Accessed June 1, 2006.
  2. ^ Mew Capture Glitch. Retrieved on January 13, 2006.
  3. ^ Pokémon Elite 2000 description of the Mew glitch
  4. ^ Tales From The Glitch descriptions of various forms of the Mew glitch
Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0439154049.
  • Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 193020650X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0761547614
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1930206585

[edit] External links

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