Mew (Pokémon)

Mew is a Psychic-type Pokémon with high stats.[7] Morimoto designed it as a pale pink feliform creature with somewhat large eyes and a long, thin tail that broadens at the end,[8] though the shiny version is blue and are rarely distributed. Its skin is covered with a layer of short, fine hair which may only be viewed under a microscope.[9] Its DNA combines the genetic composition of all existing Pokémon species;[10] the game states that scientists within the game view it as being the single ancestor of all other Pokémon.[11] It is shy and rarely seen by humans.[8][10] It is a Mythical Pokémon,[12][13] though it was previously classified in non-Japanese media as a Legendary Pokémon alongside Pokémon such as Articuno,[14] Zapdos,[15] Moltres,[16] and Mewtwo.[17] Mew's number in the National Pokédex is 151, the last of the first-generation Pokémon,[7] with 150 being Mewtwo[18] and 152 being Chikorita. In the first-generation games 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,[19] and named on July 10,[20] and that it "gave birth" to Mewtwo on February 6.[21] Both the Japanese name ミュウ, Myū, and its romanized form Mew are based on the English words mutant or mutation, as well as the onomatopoeia “mew”, the sound a kitten makes, referring to its size and cat-like appearance.

In the video games, it is possible for Mew to learn any move that can be taught.[22] In addition to Ditto and Smeargle (through the Sketch technique), it can "transform"[7][8] into other Pokémon. In the anime, it is capable of flight, teleportation, shapeshifting (via the move Transform), rendering itself invisible,[10] and summoning bubbles of psychic energy for protection, amusement, or other purposes.[23]

Mew is mentioned in Pokémon Red and Blue in the Cinnabar Mansion, in a journal referencing that Mew is in Guyana.[24] For a time, Mew could only be legitimately obtained in the Pokémon video games via Nintendo promotional event distributions.[7] Mew was first revealed and made available to the public in the April 1996 issue of CoroCoro Comics. This issue offered a promotion called the "Legendary Pokémon Offer", where 20 randomly selected entrants could send their cartridges in for Nintendo to add Mew to their games. At Nintendo promotional events soon after the release of Pokémon Red and Blue, players could have it downloaded to their games.[25] This period ended with the release of My Pokémon Ranch, where Mew was accessible legitimately without an event distribution.[7] Mew also appears as one of the Pokémon that can be released from the Poké Ball item in the Super Smash Bros. series. When sent out, it flies away from the stage, usually dropping rare items as it does so.

The creature has also long been accessible by the use of glitches or cheating devices.[2] One of the glitches discovered in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow involves exploiting programmed events. Walking into the view of a Trainer, then using a Pokémon's "Fly" or "Teleport" move (or "Dig" or the item "Escape Rope" in caves) to escape the area right before the Trainer notices the player, then battling a Pokémon with the correct Special stat in a different area and immediately returning to the original location starts a battle with a wild Mew.[26]

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 and "the legendary and rare 'most powerful Pokémon ever'".[12] After years of research, scientists use a recombination of Mew's DNA to create Mewtwo,[17] a genetically enhanced clone of Mew who becomes the film's main antagonist.[12] The backstory of Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew revolves around Mew's mysterious history and how it came to be so powerful.[27] In the movie, a Pokémon "family tree" is shown;[28] the first Pokémon on it is Mew, and the last is Ho-Oh.[27]

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. Pokémon Trainer Red also tries to capture it, but he is easily defeated by Mew.[29] In following chapters, it is revealed that Team Rocket wants to have Mew's DNA to finish the creation of Mewtwo, and Red and Trainer Green join forces to avoid it being captured.[30][31]

Players who won Mew through Nintendo contests and events received a certificate with the identification number for their game.

A promotion in the April 1997 issue of CoroCoro Comics called the "Legendary Pokémon Offer" offered the 10 winners the opportunity to send their cartridges in for Nintendo to add Mew or Mewtwo to their games. To promote the Pokémon franchise, Mew is one of the Pokémon featured in the 1998 painting on the All Nippon Airways Boeing 747-400.[32]

In September 2006, in celebration of the release of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, players with a copy of Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, or LeafGreen could go to a Toys "R" Us store to download the creature for free.[33] Included in the DVD of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew was a promotional Mew trading card.[28]

The revealing and distribution of Mew through organized events has been noted as a major reason for the series' success in Japan,[3][6] with the Japanese "Legendary Pokémon Offer" receiving over 78,000 entries, exceeding their initial expectation of 3000.[4][34] Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata attributed the success of the games to the "Legendary Pokémon Offer"; since then, the weekly sales of Red and Green began to match its previous monthly sales, and then becoming three to four times larger.[2] However, Computer and Video Games magazine criticized the exclusivity of Mew to Nintendo events as one of the worst aspects of Pokémon, noting that through the use of cheat devices such as the Pro Action Replay to access Mew, they were rendered obsolete.[35] Many fans of the game bought cheat devices only to obtain it.[8] UGO.com listed Mew sixth on their list of "The 25 Awesomest Hidden Characters".[36] Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll called Mew the best Legendary Pokémon and the fifth best Pokémon overall.[37]

Due to its balanced statistics and ability to learn any move that comes from a Technical or Hidden Machine, Mew is regarded as one of the best Pokémon in Red, Blue, and Yellow.[38] Studies on the impact of fictional characters on children, such as those in Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon, have noted Mew as popular with younger female children who tend to be drawn to "cute" characters; Mewtwo in comparison was described as a polar opposite, popular with older male children who tend to be drawn to "tough or scary" characters.[39] The book Media and the Make-believe Worlds of Children noted a similar comparison, describing Mew as "child-like and gentle, combining characteristics of power and cuteness" and emphasizing the importance of the contrast for children between it and Mewtwo, and its role as a source of appeal for the character.[40] IGN listed Mew as one of the best Psychic types, alongside Mewtwo, Alakazam, and Starmie. They called it a good contender to Mewtwo, as well as an unpredictable Pokémon due to its ability to use any TM or HMs, items that teach Pokémon attacks.[41]